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10 - No Time to Say Goodbye:

Draco woke up very late. So late, that he barely had time to get a shower and dress. He had to be back in England by one o'clock, and it was after 11:30 am. They hadn't even stayed up that late last night, so why in the world did he sleep so late?

He was all ready to go and he estimated he had about 20 minutes to go see Granger before he had to leave. He dashed out of the suite and ran down to the lobby. He looked in the dining room, and then he walked over to the front desk and asked, "Have you seen Miss Granger this morning?"

The young lady behind the counter said, "I know the group went to visit an old church in the next town over today, and then they were taking a tour of an olive oil factory. I don't know if she's with them or not."

"Damn!" Draco expelled, turning to the young woman, he said, "I'm not cursing at you, of course." Why didn't she wake him up? Why didn't she say goodbye? He went back up to get his luggage and asked the young woman at the desk to call him a cab. He stood outside the hotel to wait.

Inside the suite, Hermione Granger was just waking up. It was almost noon! She ran out of her bedroom over to his. He was gone. She ran down to the lobby, still in her nightgown, and asked the front desk clerk if Mr. Malfoy had checked out. She was told she just missed him. Bloody hell! Why didn't he wake her to say goodbye? She was so upset. She hoped that didn't mean anything. She went back up to her room, upset that she had slept so late.

She went out to the balcony and leaned over the railing. She scanned the countryside. At least she would see him in a few days, or at least she hoped so. She turned toward the left hand side of the balcony, and looked down at the street below. She saw a blonde man entering a taxi! She yelled, "MALFOY!" but the cab drove away. She leaned way over on the balcony and yelled again, "MALFOY!"

Draco had just got in the cab, and he could have sworn he heard her call his name. When he heard it, the second time, he told the cab driver to pull over. He got out of the cab and looked back toward the hotel.

Hermione saw him get out of the cab. She called his name for the third time, waving her hands above her head. "MALFOY!" she yelled. He waved back. He turned to the cab driver and told him to wait for him. He ran back toward the hotel. She ran down the stairs. He ran in the doors. She jumped the last three steps and jumped into his arms. He kissed her soundly on the lips and swung her around, like a long lost lover.

"I thought you left without saying goodbye!" she said, putting her hands on each side of his face. He kissed her again.

"I couldn't find you to say goodbye," he declared.

"Did you check my room?" she laughed, "because I was still in bed."

"I'm an idiot," he laughed back, and then he put his hands on her face and kissed her slowly. "Do you promise to owl me when you get to your mum's cottage?" he asked.

"Of course," she said.

He kissed her hand and said, "I have to go. I have to get to the portkey site by 12:30. I'll see you soon." He started out the door and she ran to him again and turned him around. She just stared at him for a moment. He thought she looked so beautiful, in only her silk nightgown, with no makeup on, and her hair all tousled. "Did you need something else?" he asked.

She leaned forward, kissed his cheek, hugged him tight and said, "You can think I'm crazy, and this might totally scare you off, but here goes…I think I'm really falling for you. Don't say anything back to me. Just think about what I just said." She started back up the stairs and he rushed to her.

He grabbed her arm, and turned her around. He took her hands and brought them to his mouth. He gave them a hurried kiss and he almost shouted, "I love you, Granger!" and he ran out the door. She ran after and watched his cab pull away. He rolled down the window and waved at her until he could no longer see her.

She walked back inside and ran all the way up to her room. Once she was there, she twirled around and said, "WEEEE! He loves me!"

*************************************

Six Months Later:

Hermione never made it to the cottage. Hermione never contacted Draco Malfoy when she got home. Draco Malfoy went to the cottage on the Monday morning after he last saw her, expecting her to be there. He thought she would be surprised when he found out that the house her mum had rented was owned by him, and was situated on his weekend estate.

Subsequently, with flowers in hand, he went to call. He was saddened that she wasn't there. He owled her and got no response. He found her address, and tried to visit her, but was told she moved. He went to the museum and talked to her boss, the curator, Mr. Dodds. He got some answers from him.

Mr. Dodds told Draco that Hermione quit her job, and moved to a small village south of London. He told him that when she got back from Italy she found out that her former fiancé was in a serious accident. Hermione left work to take care of him. He said he didn't know anything more than that.

Draco couldn't believe it. Why didn't she tell him? What did that mean? Did it mean that she was back together with him? Draco waited another week, and then visited Hermione's mum at the cottage. She was as upset by the news as Draco was. She said she never liked "Eric" or the hold he had over her daughter. She said that during the last few days of their vacation, all Hermione could talk about was Draco, and so she was upset when she got home from the cruise, and found out that Hermione hadn't even come to the cottage, but had received a message from Eric, saying that he had been in an accident, and he needed her.

Mrs. Granger told Draco that Hermione felt a sense of obligation, and that she owed Eric her friendship. Draco told Mrs. Granger to let him know if she heard from her.

That was six months ago, and he hadn't heard from Granger or her mum, until today. It was a week before Christmas, and Draco was planning a large Christmas party at his weekend estate. He invited Mrs. Granger, and she sent back a note saying Hermione was visiting, and could she come along? She told Draco that Eric died just last month, as a result of his accident. She said that Hermione was coming to stay at her cottage for a while.

He sent another note saying if she wanted to come, she was welcomed to do so.

The thing was he had no hard feeling against her. He had moved on, and apparently, so had she. In fact, he was engaged to be married. He never thought that would happen, but it did. She was a witch named Eleanor, and she was tall, and blonde and beautiful. He didn't love her, but love was a subjective thing. He liked her enough. She was compatible to him. They made a nice looking couple. She was proper, came from money, and had a good bloodline. All in all, he was content.

Hermione had moved on as well. She hated that she had never tried to get in touch with Draco. She felt too guilty. Eric contacted her as soon as she got back from Italy, and told her that he had been in a very bad accident, and he needed her. She knew he had no family, and apparently, the woman he had been sleeping with while engaged to her couldn't handle taking care of an invalid. Hermione stayed with him and took care of him for five months and then he died. It was very sad. It wasn't sad because she loved him anymore. It was sad because he was a young man, whose life ended too soon.

Hermione's mum had gotten very serious with Professor Cummings and was planning to marry him on New Year's Day. She was going to move to his house in London. Hermione felt happy for her mum, but somewhat lost and forlorn. She quit her dream job, she gave up her flat, and now her mum was leaving. She didn't even have a place to stay. Hermione still had no clue that her mum was renting the cottage from Malfoy. Her mum told her that she would keep the lease, and Hermione could stay there until she figured out what she wanted to do.

She started to move her things in her new home, as her mum had already moved out. She was walking toward the front door, carrying several heavy boxes, and she wasn't able to see around them. Her could only see the floor. Suddenly, she saw a pair of men's shoes, attached to men's feet. She put the boxes down and looked up into the face of Draco Malfoy. She couldn't help herself; she jumped up and threw her arms around him. She hugged him and he put one arm around her.

"Draco, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

"I'm here to meet my new tenant," he told her.

"You own that big house up there?" she asked.

"Afraid so," he said with a smile.

"My mum never told me that. Wow, that's unexpected," she said, bending down to pick up her boxes.

"Why not use magic to move in, Granger?" he asked.

"Because, I didn't know this place was owned by a wizard, Malfoy, so I didn't know that I could." She used her wand to pick up the boxes. He followed her into the little four-room cottage.

"This place is great, Malfoy. The attic space is perfect for my books, and for me to paint. I'm trying to be artist now," she said with a small smile.

"That's nice," he said, as he noticed the painting that he had given her hanging over the fireplace. He felt uncomfortable with all the small talk. Especially given the fact that when she hugged him outside a few minutes ago, he realized that he still felt exactly the same way about her as he did that summer. That wasn't a good thing, was it?

He said, "So, I'm so sorry to hear about Eric. Your mum told me."

"Oh yes, it's sad. He had no family, so I was all he had," she answered.

"Did you two become engaged again?" he asked, setting a box off the couch to sit down.

"No, oh no. It was nothing like that; I just took care of him. He needed someone, and I wanted to be his friend," she remarked.

"That's good, I would hate to think of you as being engaged four times, that would be silly," he said and he tried to smile.

"Wouldn't it, though," she agreed, moving another box and sitting down beside him. "Mum tells me you're engaged. Best wishes there, Malfoy."

"Thanks," he said, letting go of the breath he didn't even know he was holding. "I need to know one thing, Granger," Malfoy said, turning to look at her, "Why didn't you try to get a hold of me and explain everything to me?"

"Because you said you loved me," she said softly.

"What the hell did that have to do with anything? I would think that's more of a reason to contact me," he said with ire.

"I know, but I didn't know what else to do. I just couldn't go on with my relationship with you, knowing that I might be stuck taking care of him for an infinite amount of time. It was wrong of me, and I'm sorry, but no harm done," she answered, standing up.

He stood so suddenly it scared her. "NO HARM DONE?" he yelled. "How the hell can you say that?" he asked, grabbing her arm and holding it so tightly she thought she might cry.

"You're hurting me, Malfoy," she said. He let go of her arm. She answered, "It's just, you've moved on, you're engaged, to a woman that I hear is ten times more beautiful than I, and you must really love her to want to marry her, especially as you once told me you never wanted to marry." She started to put her coat on and said, "I have to get the rest of my boxes. I probably won't come to your party tonight, but I know that Mum and Professor Cummings will be there." She started out the door and noticed that it had begun to snow.

He ran out after her and whipped her around. He pulled her into his tight circle of arms and looked down in her eyes. Hermione was breathing hard, and so was he. He said, "No one is as beautiful to me as you are, and I don't love her. I still love you, now what the hell am I supposed to do?" He put his lips lightly on hers and played with them. He pulled on her bottom lip, and then kissed just her top lip. She tried to deepen the kiss, but he pulled his head away. "You should have stayed away, Granger," he said before he smashed his lips down on hers vigorously. He moved his head to the side, and she followed. He pulled away again and started kissing her neck.

He looked up at her as she was still tightly in his arms and said again, "What the hell are we suppose to do now, Granger?"

She put her hands up to the back of his neck and said, "No one deserves to be hurt because of us, so you have to make up your mind, but you can't stay engaged to her, and expect to have me on the side. I can't do that."

He kissed her again, deeper, with tongue and feeling. Hermione pulled away, unable to breathe or think straight. "You better come to my party tonight, Granger. I intend to be there stag, and I'll need you to keep me company, since I'll be a single man by tonight." He let her go, and walked down her sidewalk, without glancing back. Hermione remained on the sidewalk, staring at him as he walked down the lane, with snow falling all around her.

Coming up: Happy Holidays