A/N: This is a contest entry for the Dracolov challenge! If you would like to enter you must e-mail Dracolov, her e-mail is in her profile. The last day to enter is 12/1/04. Please R & R (read and review) and thank you for reading my story.

Before I start this chapter I would like to say that I am sorry for not putting that A/N on the last chapter. I guess I just forgot about it. Once again, Sorry. Also sorry about the shortness of the last chapter. This one will be longer. I promise.

Two weeks. Two weeks of no rest. Two weeks of meetings and planning. Two weeks of worrying about one another. Two weeks of not knowing when he might just jump out from behind the nearest pillar and attack. Two weeks and finally a moment's peace. Why? Well remember those friends that Draco said they should call? They did and now they were finally there.

Draco and Hermione stood in Hermione room. Draco was pacing and Hermione was sitting on her bed trying to calm him down.

"Draco, it is ok. You need to calm down. It has been two weeks since that letter and nothing. You need rest. You need to relax. I could help you if you wanted."

Draco looked at her and she eyed him suggestively, smirking at him. A smile brightened his lips for the first time in those two weeks. He sat down on the bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He sighed into the kiss, amazed as how relaxed she could make him feel with one kiss. They were really getting in to the kiss and Draco laid Hermione down and started to kiss down her neck. He was also beginning to unbutton her shirt when someone cleared their throat behind them.

Hermione and Draco both shot up. Standing in the door way was Sirius Black (I need him to be alive, sorry JK I know you killed him but I need him for just a little bit), Remus Lupin, Gregory Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Albus Dumbledore, and a woman that Hermione didn't recognize. All of the guys' faces were a little red but the girl had a knowing smile on her face.

Hermione looked at Draco and raised one eye brow, "Old friends?"

"Yeah."

Hermione shook her head and buttoned up her shirt. She then pushed Draco off of her and got up. She went and embraced Sirius, Remus, and Albus. She shook Greg and Vince's hand and stood in front of the girl.

"Sorry, I would shake your hand or hug you, but I don't know who you are."

She just smiled and nodded. Hermione felt two arms around her waist and Draco whispered in her ear, "You might want to stay away from this one, she is a little crazy."

The girl shook her head, "No I am not. Don't listen to him honey." Her accent was a very Irish accent.

She looked at Draco over Hermione's shoulder and they just stood there for a minute. Then she stuck out her hand, "Since he is being rude, I will introduce me self. I am Tamara. Tamara Malone. Mr. Malfoy was good friends with me da, at least until he went crazy. Mr. Malfoy that it, not me da."

Hermione chuckled and shook her hand, "I figured that. My name is Hermione Granger."

Hermione and Tamara started to talk and Draco moved over to the men. He shook their hands and they started talking.

"Draco, I read your letter, but I still don't understand how he could have found you."

"I don't know, but I am not doing this for me anymore. I am doing it for Hermione. He is going to kill her if he finds her and that cannot happen."

The men nodded and went to discuss plans leaving Hermione and Tamara to talk about Draco.

Hermione was real curious as to how she and Draco were acquainted. "How do you know Draco?"

"We grew up together. Actually we were betrothed, but we were such good friends that neither of us could even think about being married. So when we got older we told our parents that we were not going to get married. Our parents were mad but since we both agreed on it, it was over. I went off and got married, he will be here later in the week, and Draco found someone so it seems. Damn, he almost proposed to some girl ten years ago, but then his da went crazy and he had to leave her. Poor thing."

"Did you say almost proposed?"

"Yeah. I remember him flooing to me house every night for a couple of months just so he could get some help with planning it. Pansy, him and me spent a good three hours just picking out a place for him to do it, but that was in the past."

Tamara waved her hand as if dismissing the subject.

Hermione couldn't believe that. He had thought about proposing to her and she had accused him of not loving her or caring about her.

"Damn."

Tamara looked at Hermione with a confused look, "What?"

Hermione looked up and remembered that she was not alone. She had to think. She then stood up.

"I forgot I had some papers for my seventh year class that I promised I would have graded tomorrow and I still haven't done it. Sorry, but I promise we can talk more later."

Tamara smiled at her and said, "Hey don't worry about it. We will talk later; I have to tell you some stories of when Draco was younger."

Hermione laughed, "I can't wait."

Hermione exited the room leaving a room of very confused men looking after. Draco nodded to them and looked over at Tamara who just shrugged and went to talk to Crabbe and Goyle. Draco went out into the hall to talk to Hermione, and find out what was going on.

When he didn't find her in the hall way he went to the one place he knew she would go.

Madam Alma, the new librarian after Madam Pince was startled to see Draco there. She blushed deeply and asked him, sweetly what she could do for him.

Draco smirked then remembered that he wasn't here to make girls swoon. "Yeah I am looking for Professor Granger. Did she come through here today?"

Madam Alma's face fell and said, "Yes, she went to her little room in the back just a few minutes ago."

Draco flashed a smile and said, "Thanks."

Draco walked towards the back of the library looking for a little room. Finally he saw a bookshelf that was opened slightly. He went up to it and opened it the rest of the way. He walked in and shut the door. There was Hermione sitting down and sniffling. She jumped when she heard the door shut and swung around, jumping to her feet in the process.

She just looked at him and her eyes got all watery again. Tears threatened to fall down her face at any minute.

"I don't deserve you." She whispered. He barely caught what she said.

"Why would you say that? If anyone is not deserving it is me, I left you."

"No. I don't deserve you. I accused you of not loving me. Of not caring about me. You did, I just didn't see it."

"Hermione, what are you talking about?"

"Any man who would spend two months just preparing to propose to a woman must love her."

Draco froze. 'How does she know about that?' He swallowed. "How….how do…how did you…"

"Tamara was talking to me about the woman that you had almost proposed to ten years ago."

Draco fell into a chair. "I didn't want you to find out about that. I wanted to start new, not let you know that I almost asked you to marry me. I didn't want that to affect anything."

"You could have just asked me before you left."

"Yeah, and have me come back to find my fiancé married to someone else. That would kill me."

"Was I married when you came back?"

"No."

"I would have waited for you. Hell, I did wait for you. Did you not trust me?"

"No, it is not that. I would have wanted you to be happy. I expected you to be happy."

Hermione walked over to where Draco was sitting in the chair and kneeled down in front of him. She grabbed his face and forced him to look her in the eye.

"The only way I could be happy is with you."

Sorry it took me so long to update, but here it is. I have been having a hard time updating everything. No time, no ideas, hell, no fun. Don't worry, I won't wait this long to update it again. OH….and for some reason I need to specify, that this is NOT the sequel to Freedom. My story The Next Generation is the sequel. Thank you

Toodles

Chocolate hugs and cherry kisses

Nikki