A/N: I decided I need to finish this...so here's the second to last chapter...I tried to make it one, but i have writer's block so I decided to put up what I have...There might be some discrepencies, but keep in mind I haven't written anything for this story in over 10 months...sorry nervous smile don't hate!

Chapter 12

Two months past. Draco said nothing to Hermione, nor did she to him. They managed to avoid each other very well. Hermione seemed to be able to sense when he was in the Head common room and would just hang out with Harry and Ron until she had a feeling he had left. As a result, the only points at which they had to interact with one another was during class. Therefore making one of Hermione's only joys a complete hell. Hermione was wounded and still mourning her loss, but she had more important issues at hand.

"Ginny, please let me in!" She shouted as she pounded on the door. When Blaise broke up with Ginny, she was devastated. She cried for weeks, put on weight and had become increasingly moody. She also refused to come down to breakfast in the morning.

On this particular morning, towards the end of term, Ron begged Hermione to go get his sister.

"She hasn't been eating lately, what if she's become anorexic." He whispered across the table. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"She's gaining weight, Ron. The idea that she could be anorexic is preposterous."

"What if she's doing drugs in her room in the morning!" he exclaimed. Hermione stared at him blankly. She had become progressively unsympathetic since Draco cut her out of his life.

"You're crazy to think that Ginny," but Ron cut Hermione off

"What if she overdoses this morning, and you, Hermione Granger, will forever have the guilt of knowing you could have saved her-"

Hermione nearly slapped Ron, but decided to go check on Ginny to relieve him of his worries, which is why she now found herself pounding on Ginny's door.

"Let me in for Merlin's sake!" she shrieked. Hermione sighed, about to give up, and gave the door a rough shove. To her surprise the thick oak door trembled and fell with a loud thud, ripping the hinges right off the wall. Hermione stood flabbergasted for a moment, looked around the hall to make sure no one saw her, and silently stepped through the door-less threshold.

She could hear Ginny softly sobbing in the bathroom. Hermione walked over to the door and tapped lightly.

"Ginny, please…what's going on?"

She was answered by louder sobs interrupted by a violent gagging noise. Hermione suddenly felt a pang of fear for her friend.

"Ginny, open this door!." She demanded.

"No!" Ginny managed to sputter in between heavy sobs and another gagging noise. Hermione's fear intensified and before she even reached for the door handle, it swung open violently, forcing Hermione to jump out of the way.

Ginny was in the bathroom, hunched over the toilet, throwing up and crying (not a good mix). Hermione rushed over and held her friend's hair back.

"Oh Gin…" Hermione murmured. "What can I do?"

Ginny stopped abruptly. She turned and stared at Hermione.

"Turn back time so that I never knew Blaise." She snapped. Hermione was somewhat taken aback at her friend's sudden change in demeanor.

"I know you're still hurt but-" before Hermione could finish Ginny cut in again.

"Or at least get this baby out of me." Just as Ginny finished this sentence she collapsed into sobs again. Hermione kneeled next to her, a blank expression on her face.

"Oh my god…"she mumbled, "that explains the mood swings and the weight gain." Hermione looked at her fragile friend. "Does Blaise know?" Ginny managed to shake her head.

"Hermione," she whispered shakily, "will you help me?"

"Yea Ginny, what do you want me to do?" Ginny looked at Hermione with a strange glint in her eye.

"Kill Blaise."

Hermione stared at her friend.

"Are you kidding?" Hermione asked with a nervous chuckle.

"No." Ginny said with a deadly tone. Hermione gaped at Ginny.

"I can't do that." She stated.

"Then you can't help!" Ginny shrieked, and proceeded to throw shampoo bottles and soaps at Hermione. Hermione, still in shock, got up hastily and scuttled out of the room and into the hallway.

As she walked back to the Great Hall, she could feel bruises forming where she had been struck with Pert Plus for Fine Hair and Dove soap.

"Oh Ginny…" she sighed under her breath, "what did you do?"

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After going through an absolutely brutal potions midterm, Hermione stumbled back to her room. She was in a very foul mood.

Why did I have to take a test today! she thought to herself, How could I possibly concentrate when my best friend is pregnant and will never speak to me again unless I kill her ex…

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't think to check if Draco was in the common room. She simply stormed through the portrait hole and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Draco lounging on the couch. She could feel her heart tremble within her as his harsh gray eyes lifted to meet hers'. His features formed into a snarl as he threw down the book he was reading. Hermione's mind was racing,

Blaise needs to know about Ginny, but there is no way that he would believe me... She looked towards Draco and suddenly a thought sparked in her mind.

"Does Blaise still love Ginny?" she asked. Draco's snarl faltered for a moment.

"What?" He asked, "Why do you care?" Hermione's face flushed with anger.

"I care because my friend is a wreck. I'm worried about her personal welfare-"

"Since when do you care about the personal welfare of others, disregarding your efforts to free house elves?" he snapped condescendingly. Hermione stomped over to him.

"We have a problem Draco." She barked. He glared at her.

"No, we do not have a problem. Blaise and Ginny's relationship is not my problem, and it's not yours either." He spat. Hermione placed her hands on her hips.

"No, but it becomes my problem when Ginny expects me to kill Blaise!" She cried. Draco chuckled,

"Poor Ginny can't cope with a little break up? Well, I guess that's just too bad for that stupid red-headed slut." Hermione's jaw dropped at this last comment. Draco got up and started to move towards the staircase, but Hermione's enraged voice stopped him.

"Blaise is the stupid slut; he's the one that got her pregnant." Draco stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"She's gained weight, she has morning sickness, mood swings…" Hermione counted off the list on her fingers. Draco slid back over to the couch and sat down. A moment passed and then he stated,

"We have a problem."

"Told you so."

Draco looked at Hermione.

"Blaise should know about this." He stated. Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

"Find out if he cares about her still. Once you have his answer, tell him that she's pregnant." She said. Draco ran his fingers through his hair in a stressed manner, shook his head, and stood up.

"I'm going now." He mumbled as he climbed out of the portrait hole.

Hermione remained on the couch for a few minutes.

"Thanks Draco…" she whispered, but of course, he was long gone.

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Draco jogged through the halls towards the Slytherin common room. He wasn't quite sure why he was jogging, but for some reason he felt like he had to burn off energy. It was as if the conversation with Hermione had sparked some sort of dormant monster within him.

He suddenly spotted Blaise, and sprinted to catch up with him.

"Hey man," He said as he clapped his hand over Blaise's shoulder, "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Blaise responded as he followed Draco into a nearby corner.

"Do you still love Ginny?" He asked hopefully. Draco wasn't quite sure why he was hopeful. He didn't care about Ginny that much to worry about her.

Your doing this for Hermione, a little voice inside him stated. But luckily, the voice was silenced to be replaced with Blaise's.

"Funny you asked," he mumbled, "I've been thinking. Hard. And I can't live without her. These past two months have been miserable for both of us. It just shows that we're meant for each other." Draco suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"Great-" he began, but Blaise cut in.

"I want you to help me shop for a ring."

Draco's jaw dropped, but he quickly closed it again. He decided not to tell him about Ginny's current state. He doubted that the fact Ginny was having a baby would sway Blaise's decision, but better not to risk it.

"This is great-" Draco began again, only to be cut off once more.

"So I need you to do me a favor." Blaise stated, his eyes downcast towards the ground.

"What's that mate?" Blaise raised his hesitant eyes to match Draco's.

"I need you to find out what her ring size is." He stated nervously. Draco was a bit confused as to why his friend was acting so cautious, but he figured it was just the nervousness about proposing to Ginny.

"Done." He said, "I'll go ask her now." Draco turned, but was caught by Blaise's hand.

"That's the catch mate. You asking her will be suspicious. I need you to get Hermione to ask." Draco's mind stopped. He didn't enjoy interacting with Hermione, and having to ask her to help him hitch up Blaise and Ginny…well, that would be dreadfully awkward. But his friend needed his help.

"Fine," Draco said reluctantly, "I'll talk to her." He turned and walked down the hall. Blaise's voice echoed down the hall after him,

"I want her advice on the ring too!" Draco sighed and continued to drag his feet towards the common room.

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Hermione was pacing in the common room when Draco returned.

"Well?" She asked, hoping beyond hope that the diagnosis was a positive one. Draco ran a hand through his hair and looked at Hermione.

"He's proposing." He stated. Hermione's heart leapt in her throat.

"Oh thank Merlin!" She squealed. After this exclamation, Hermione proceeded to make three mistakes. She was so ecstatic that this whole situation was somewhat resolved that she instinctively ran over to Draco and gave him a hug. That was her first mistake.

She immediately felt a strangely familiar magnetic pull rush through her veins. Only, this was stronger than she had ever felt before. She pulled back immediately and released her arms from him, but found it impossible to move any further away. Her blood tingled and her hair stood on end.

Draco felt as if his brain was about to explode. The force that seemed to attract the two together was unbearably strong.

"God damn bond-binding spell." He murmured. Hermione looked into his eyes, her second mistake. She was swimming in emotion, things she hadn't thought about or felt in 2 months started rushing back to her. All rational thoughts ceased to flow through her mind. And then, she made her third mistake.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

When she pulled away, his face was one of shock and anger.

"Why did you do that?" He hissed. Hermione was just as shocked as Draco and found her tongue stumbling for an explanation.

"Didn't you feel that?" she whispered timidly. Draco looked like he was about to vomit with disgust.

"Yes," he stated, "And I never ever want to feel it again." He then turned and stormed up the stairs.

Hermione stood motionless until she heard the door to his room slam shut. It was almost as if the metaphorical door for her relationship with Draco slammed shut as well, and she couldn't help but collapse onto the floor and cry.

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The next day at breakfast Draco was in a particularly foul mood.

"Good morning mate." Blaise greeted with a nervous smile, "You alright?"

Draco simply grunted and kept his attention on his pumpkin juice and muffin. Blaise waited a few moments to see if Draco's tension levels would subside. Observing that they did not, Blaise went cautiously about extracting his anxiously anticipated and much needed information.

"So did you talk to Hermione about getting Ginny's ring size?" Blaise asked casually, trying to conceal his urgency.

"Damn it," Draco mumbled as he slapped the table, "No, I'm sorry Blaise…we…" he trailed off. Blaise held up his hands signaling for his friend to stop his explanation,

"Don't worry mate. I'll take care of it. I understand." Blaise stated. He glanced over to the Gryffindor table and noticed not only Ginny's absence, but also that Hermione was looking particularly depressed.

I'll just go talk to her myself.

He got up from the table mumbling a good-bye to Draco and strutted over to the Gryffindor table.

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Hermione poked at her toast feebly. Harry and Ron were both staring at her concernedly. They had tried prying her open to see what was wrong, but she shot down every attempt they made. They had finally given up and now simply stared.

Hermione let out a sigh that rattled both Harry and Ron's bones.

"Mione…" Harry began, but stopped abruptly as he saw a tall Slytherin approaching the table. Ron almost jinxed him as he approached but luckily he got Hermione's attention first.

"Hermione, I need to speak with you." He stated with a toothy grin, trying his best to be charming. Hermione, sensing Ron's mounting need to blast Blaise's brains out, excused herself from the table and walked with Blaise out into the hall.

Once they were out of sight and earshot, he turned to Hermione with a bashful glint in his eye.

"I don't know if Draco told you…" he began, but Hermione butted in.

"He did." She stated coldly.

"Oh." Blaise stated, a little startled by her harsh response, "Well I was wondering if you would like to help me pick out a ring for her?" Hermione stared at him blankly for a minute, turning the idea over in her mind.

"Yes, I would love to." She stated. Although she was in a horrible mood, and heartbroken all over again, she had to force herself to help. And ring shopping with Blaise might actually be a lot of fun, and he would definitely need her advice. Besides, hanging out with Blaise would definitely piss Draco off. This last aspect was probably the most appealing.

"Great!" Blaise exclaimed, "So, do you think you could subtly get her ring size for me?" Hermione nodded her head,

"Definitely."

Blaise's face lit up so bright, it almost made Hermione's lips curve upwards.

"Awesome! Is this afternoon alright with you to go into Hogsmeade?" He asked.

"I think so." She said, trying to formulate a plan on how to get Ginny's ring size with out getting things thrown at her.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the bottom of the grand staircase at 3:30." Blaise said with a grin. Hermione nodded in acceptance, and they parted ways.

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As Hermione walked through the halls on her way to potions, she heard some rustling and whispered speech. Her eyes traveled over the surrounding area, but she couldn't see any source that the speech would logically come from.

A bit perturbed, she continued on her way to the potions room, and arrived there without any further incidence. She sat down next to Harry and Ron in the back of the room just as the Professor Snape waltzed in.

He immediately began scribbling ingredients for a "poof potion" and the corresponding instructions.

"What in the world is a poof potion?" Ron asked as he reached into his sack and pulled out a parcel full of herbs needed for the potion. Harry shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the cabinets to grab some vials and the ingredients.

"A poof potion allows the user an escape root. When a full vial is thrown to the ground, the potion releases impenetrable smog which gives the user time to run away from his or her enemy/attacker." Hermione explained as she wiped dust out of her caldron.

"Oh," stated Ron, "How come you never hear about anyone using them these days?" By this time Harry had returned to the table and was measuring out ingredients.

"Well, it's rather impractical. Usually when two people engage in a fight or a duel, everything happens too fast for usage of the potion to come into play." Stated Harry.

"Yes, and the smog doesn't repel any spells that are cast, so you're not really protected from harm. It just makes it easier for someone whose retreating." Added Hermione.

"Makes sense," Ron said as he poured in some herb, "So then why are we making it?"

"Contrary to popular belief, you are in school to learn Mr. Weasley. To learn how to make potions, one is required to make them." Snapped Snape condescendingly as he passed by the table.

Harry chuckled and Hermione shook her head.

"That man just pops out of nowhere." Ron whispered as he chopped up some dragonfly spines.

The class passed on slowly, and Harry, Ron and Hermione completed the potion just as Snape ordered them to come up to the desk and place the vials in the container on the desk.

As Hermione was about to place her vial in the container, Snape stopped her. He leaned over his desk and whispered,

"I think you ought to keep that. It could be useful, keep it on your person at all times." Hermione stared at him, it was obvious she was slightly confused.

"But what about my grade?" she whispered back. Snape rolled his eyes,

"It would be a crime for me to give you anything below an 'O' Granger. But if you don't listen to me, you might not have a chance to even receive your grades."

Hermione's eyes widened, but she was prevented from saying anything else. She was rushed out of the classroom by Blaise.

Once they were in the hall, he slammed her into a corner.

"Have you got the ring size yet?" he asked.

"No…" Hermione murmured, still a bit shaken up from her conversation with her potions Professor.

"Well, hurry!" he stated, and he proceeded to run off skipping like a giddy school girl.

Hermione shook her head.

Well, he is right, I ought to hurry

She made her way to the Gryffindor common room and entered quietly. She found Ginny sitting in one of the large chairs by the fire.

"Sorry." Ginny murmured as Hermione took the seat across from her.

"It's ok." Hermione stated. Ginny sighed and held her face in her hands.

"This just sucks." Hermione stared sympathetically at her friend. Text books don't teach you how to deal with these sorts of situations. Unless you are studying to be a shrink or a social worker, but that's different.

"Well," Hermione stated as she looked down at her hands, "At least your hands are still skinnier than mine." She immediately gave herself a mental slap in the face, That was the stupidest thing you could have said…

However, to her surprise, Ginny chuckled.

"Yeah right…" she muttered.

"No really!" Hermione continued, "Come on I'll prove it! What ring size are you?" Hermione, she thought to herself, you are a genius…

"I think I'm size 7 ½ for my ring finger…" she mumbled.

"See!" Hermione exclaimed, "I'm a size 8! I told you so!" Ginny smiled at her friend's attempt to make her feel better.

Hermione took her friend's hand in her own.

"We'll get through this Ginny. I promise you."

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Hermione met Blaise at the bottom of the Grand Staircase at 3:30 as planned. As they drew closer to the doors of the castle, Blaise appeared to become increasingly more uncomfortable.

"Um, Hermione…" He began hesitantly, "If you don't want to come you don't have to…" Hermione interrupted him,

"Blaise, of course I want to come," she stated with a weak smile as she opened the door that lead out onto the grounds, "Why wouldn't I?" she said over her shoulder. But, once she turned around and her eyes fell on the figure standing at the bottom of the staircase she felt like running back to her room and slamming the door shut.

"Oh." She said weakly.

"Fuck." Draco said as he sent Blaise an evil glare. Blaise looked nervously between the two and shrugged,

"Look, if I'm going through with this, you two are going to have to deal with each other a lot more. And I need both of you here with me for this. Can we please act like civilized adults? You don't even have to talk to each other, just…please?" Hermione and Draco looked at each other reluctantly and turned back to Blaise.

"Fine." They both sighed in unison.

"Well let's get a move on then!" he exclaimed as he jogged off in the direction of Hogsmeade.

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An hour later, the three students were still ambling through the jewelry store.

"Blaise, was it absolutely necessary to have ran here? My calves are killing me." Hermione murmured as she glanced from case to case of sparkly accessories.

"Stop complaining Granger, I doubt you'll ever have to do this again, for a friend, or for yourself." Draco snorted. That comment was like a stab through the heart, but Hermione chose not to retort, partially because she didn't want to argue, and partially because she had suddenly spotted a beautiful emerald ring.

"Blaise, come look at this." She ordered. Blaise waltzed over and look in the glass case.

"Which one?" he asked excitedly. Hermione pointed towards the emerald ring and watched Blaise's expression change from mild interest to a guise of sheer delight.

"That's the one!" he said excitedly, as he waved his hand for the shopkeeper to come over.

"Excuse me sir," he addressed the flamboyantly dressed shopkeeper, "Do you have this ring in a size," Blaise paused and turned to Hermione, "What size was she again?"

"A size 7 ½." answered Hermione. The shopkeeper nodded, waved his wand and a drawer slid out lined with hundreds of boxes. He waved it again and a box floated on the top of the glass case, the drawer closed, and the case opened, revealing a flawless emerald ring set in platinum.

"Size 7 ½." The shopkeeper stated in a nonchalant high-pitched voice.

Blaise looked from Hermione to Draco. Hermione nodded her head, and Draco simply shrugged and looked the other way.

"What do you think mate?" he addressed him directly. Draco looked down at the ring with an indifferent expression.

"It would bring out the color of her eyes." He stated plainly. Blaise smiled and turned back to the shopkeeper.

"We'll take it." He proclaimed.

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"So when are you going to pop the question?" asked Draco as he kicked up a small cloud of dust and pebbles as the three made their way back to the castle. Blaise contemplated for a moment.

"Well, actually I was thinking today." He stated as he clutched the box in his hand. Both Hermione and Draco nearly tripped.

"What are you going to say to her?" They both asked at the same time. Blaise shrugged,

"The truth," he replied, "I broke up with her to test my faithfulness, and the endurance of my love for her. The distance has only caused my feelings to grow stronger. I'll tell her I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and have children with her, and then I'll get down on one knee and ask her to marry me."

"That sounds perfect to me." Hermione said as she gazed off towards the castle grounds. For a moment, she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. The hair began to stand on the back of her neck.

"Blaise?" she asked quietly, "did you see any-" But before she could finish her sentence, she was thrust forward onto her face by some unknown force. Blaise whipped out his wand and spun around, Draco rushed over to Hermione and helped her up. As he clutched her arm to pull her up off the ground, a transparent field surrounded the three students.

"We've got to get out of here!" hollered Blaise as the shield repelled three curses all from different directions. Hermione reached into her cloak for her wand, but her fingers found a small vial instead.

"Run!" she shouted as she hurled the vial to the ground with unimaginable force, the potion exploded with a huge boom and sent a enormous impenetrable fog covering the near vicinity.

The three students sprinted towards the castle, they could see the reflection in the cloud of curses being hurled from somewhere behind them. Hermione shot red sparks up into the air, hoping that someone would see and help them. The cloud began to dissipate as they reached the castle grounds, they darted towards the entrance of the castle with desperate urgency.

Hermione tripped and twisted her ankle. She rushed to get up again, and fell to the ground. Draco had continued running; Blaise struggled to pick her up. She screamed loudly, and Draco whipped his head around and scampered back to the place where she lay on the ground. He supported her one her right side and Blaise supported her left, they dashed towards the door. This method proved to be difficult, so eventually Draco yanked Hermione from Blaise's grasp and threw her over his shoulder.

Once they had reached the castle, they looked behind them to see a cloaked figure disappear in the distance. Draco dropped Hermione roughly on her feet. She stumbled and Blaise caught her by the arm and held her up.

"I'm going to see Dumbledore." He snapped. Hermione looked to Blaise and then at the departing Draco.

"We're coming too!" She called after him.

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"Are you suggesting that we regard this as nothing!? That we simply go back to our common rooms and say, 'Oh well, students get attacked on castle grounds all the time. No big deal.' I think not." Barked a very angry Draco.

"Sir, with all due respect, you have told me in the past that Hogwarts is the safest place to be. This incident proves you wrong." Hermione added.

Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his usual friendly attitude absent, but he did not seem to be as enraged or worried as Hermione thought he ought to be.

"I assure you, we are looking into this as we speak. And, I am not saying that you regard this as nothing Mr. Malfoy, I am suggesting that you go back to your common room and allow me to go out onto the grounds and look around myself. Sitting here and talking to you is not helping solve the issue of who did this, what they were trying to do, why they were trying to do it and how they managed to get so near to castle grounds. I will contact the three of you when I get information, and in the meantime, the security around the castle has been hightened so you need not worry. Now if you would see yourself out?" stated Dumbledore coolly as he stood and motioned towards the door. Draco exited the room in a swarm of fury with a limping Hermione and Blaise following after.

He stormed down the hall before the other two could even say anything.

"Here, let me help you to the hospital wing." Offered Blaise, "We gotta get you something for that ankle of yours."

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Hermione was walking back to the Head's common room after visiting with Harry and Ron. She had let Blaise into the girl's dormitory so that he could go see Ginny in her room. After loud noises and some obscenities, things seemed to have calmed down. Which means that the proposal probably went well, either that or Ginny had killed Blaise and dumped him out the window.

Madame Pomfrey had given her something for her ankle to stop the swelling and the limping.

Ah, she thought to herself, the joys of magic. It can kill you, but it can also get rid of the limp you received from trying to avoid being killed.

Her mind kept dwelling on the attack today and couldn't help but think that whoever that person was, they were after her, and whatever they were trying to do…well, it was probably meant to cause her harm. The "how" didn't really bother her, and the "why"? Well that was obvious wasn't it? She had been stupid enough to perform that stupid spell.

What was I thinking? She thought to herself as she crossed the portrait hole and entered the room only to be asked the same question.

"What were you thinking Granger?" scowled Malfoy from his familiar seat on the couch. Hermione just stood and stared at him.

"Blaise asked me to go along." She said. She turned to go up stairs and lie down, but Draco's cold voice stopped her,

"I was not referring to that particular incident, but rather that hooded person, presumably a death eater, trying to kill us."

Hermione looked at him blankly.

"Well I guess I shouldn't have knocked over his sand castle at the beach that one day this past summer. And I should probably return that Barbie doll I borrowed, I guess he got a little impatient. Woops, my bad." She once again attempted to exit the room, but apparently Draco wasn't finished,

"You put us both in danger because of that stupid spell. Do you realize what you've done? Now some of the most evil, and subsequently powerful, wizards in the world want you dead. Do you even think about what could happen to you? I thought you were the brightest witch of our age, but I cannot seem to fathom someone performing such a spell without regard to the potential consequences. I cannot accept such incompetence from you, Hermione Granger."

She stomped over to him and glared down into his face.

"What do you want me to say Draco?" she snarled, "That it was a mistake? Alright it was a mistake. I fucked up. And no, I don't think I'm a martyr to the cause, you're absolutely right, I'm simply incompetent. Just a stupid, goodie-two-shoes, guilt-ridden girl who let someone take advantage of her blind willingness to please."

Hermione paused for a moment and took a step back from him, shrugging her shoulders in a frustrated manner,

"You are absolutely right, I admit it, it was the stupidest thing I've ever done. Almost as stupid as falling in love with you." And with that, she turned and walked up the stairs, leaving Draco sitting on the couch with a blank look on his face and a horrible feeling exuding from his heart.

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Later that night, Draco had gone to the Slytherin common room to talk to Blaise, but he couldn't find him. He refused to go back to the Head's dorm though. The sheer thought of having to face Hermione made him feel like curling up in a ball and dying.

As Draco sat silently in the now empty Slytherin common room, a cloaked figure was fast approaching the castle with silent determination. Draco slowly dozed off as he sat on the couch, and failed to hear the slow opening of a trap door and the soft footsteps of an intruder moving towards him. His sleeping state also prevented him from putting up any defense when the person raised their wand and murmured something unforgivable…

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Hermione slept restlessly that night, and when she woke up in the morning, she had a strange feeling that something was wrong.

She sat down at the Gryffindor table and glanced casually over at the Slytherin table. Her eyes immediately locked with a pair of dull stony grey orbs that were shooting her the most horrible glare. Draco looked like he was going to jump out of his seat, fly across the hall and stab her thirty times.

Hermione felt like she was going to be sick as a strange tingling sensation shot through her veins. She heard a voice in her head that sounded oddly like Draco's,

"Revoke the spell, or you will have to answer to the rage of the Dark Lord." Hermione stared right back at Draco and clenched her fists instinctively. Draco picked up a glass goblet and crushed it in his hands, keeping his eyes fixated on Hermione's the entire time.

She raised an eyebrow and tried to get up from her seat, but found she had some difficulty. It was as if Draco's eyes were preventing her from leaving.

"The bond must be broken." His voice whispered menacingly. She stared at him with a mix of fear and disbelief, and shot out of her seat and ran out of the hall.

This is it! Hermione thought to herself as she stormed through the hallways. I am going to find out what is going on right NOW!

She halted at the entrance to Dumbledore's office, stated the password coldly and rushed up the moving staircase. She banged on the door with a force she was unaware that she possessed, and to her surprise, the huge door swung forward with such strength it slammed into the wall and caused everything within the office to shake. Dumbledore sat at his desk, a pleasant expression on his face.

"Ah, Miss Granger, do sit down." His calm demeanor surprised her, but not enough to extinguish her confused rage.

"Sir, what is going on?" She asked with a harsh accusatory tone, "It's obvious that there has been something that you've been hiding from me this entire time, and unless you take me for a dense, brainless, dim-witted teenager who can't tell the difference between apples and oranges on account that my hormonally driven mind is overrun by petty and inconsequential material, you would have the good sense to tell me the truth, sir. I know that you presented this situation and continue to present it as an apple, but truly sir, I can see clearly it is an orange."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his half-moon glasses.

"You'll find you're answer here, Miss Granger." And with that, he handed her an envelope. She stared at it, partly satisfied that she got something out of the old coot, and partly disappointed that she was not immediately given the key to the door of realization. She opened the envelope slowly and looked at Dumbledore, clearly shocked.

"A train ticket?" she stammered. Dumbledore shook his head. "Use the floo network to get to Ogilvie Transportation center in Chicago. Then take the train to Winnetka, you will find your answer in a small Antique shop, 'L'Aperçu.'"

"What do I do once I get there?"

"Tell them you wish to inquire about a prophecy, tell them I sent you."

Without further conversation, Hermione rushed to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder and stated her desired destination, disappearing in a cloud of green smoke.

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That afternoon, Harry and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room while Ginny flaunted her gorgeous emerald engagement ring. It's amazing how a moody pregnant woman's disposition can change so drastically in such a short amount of time.

"You really don't have to flaunt it Gin," mumbled Ron, rather perturbed that his little sister was engaged and pregnant, "We can see it popping up from your left hand like a lighthouse on a beach."

Ginny simply giggled and spun in a circle.

"You're just jealous!" she squealed happily. Ron growled under his breath and Harry rolled his eyes,

"Of course Ron and I are jealous, we were vying for Zabini's attention for the past seven years, and in comes Ginny Weasely and she rips him away from us. Now neither of us get to marry Blaise, Ron. Aren't you horribly disappointed?"

Ginny placed her hands on her hips and glared playfully at Harry. Ron shook his head and laughed at Harry's comment.

"You bet I am!" Ron stated as he continued to shake his head. "I'm furious with you."

They all laughed.

"Say, did Hermione ever go to breakfast?" she asked.

The boys shook their heads in unison. Ginny sighed dreamily and walked over to the window overlooking the grounds, "I can't wait to tell her how happy I am." She gazed out the window serenely, but suddenly, her expression ceased to be peaceful. "Oh sweet Merlin!" she cried.

The two boys rushed over to her side and matched her stare. Their reluctant eyes recognized a swarm of dark hooded figures approaching the castle, wands raised and sending sparks into the sky. The convulsions and the uniform rhythm of the crowd resembled a great cloud coursing across the sky at a rapid paste.

Harry wrenched his wand from his pocket and clapped Ron on the shoulder. Ron nodded with unspoken comprehension and withdrew his wand as well.

"Go tell Dumbledore, Ginny." Harry ordered as he and Ron sprinted out of the common room. Ginny glanced outside again and noticed a small patch of blond among the black, leading the group ahead. She turned abruptly and ran to Dumbledore's office.

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Hermione found herself standing outside the door of a petit antique shop in one of the obscure little suburbs of an American city. The store was dark and an adorable little sign with a smiling cat on the door read,

"Closed."

Hermione had been standing there for about three minutes trying to decide what to do. She had debated opening the door with magic, but she was in the plain sight of muggles, and with magic ruled out, what was she to do? She couldn't stand there all day. She placed her face up against the shop window and peered inside, everything was dark. She sighed.

I come all the way out here, cross an ocean and deal with public transportation, and for what? The stupid store is closed and my questions are unanswered.

But suddenly, she recognized the movement of a human figure in the shadows. She returned to the door and banged on it obnoxiously. After receiving a few weird looks from a passerby, she stopped and moved to the window to see if she had attracted the person's attention. A woman, presumably the shop keeper approached the window slowly and pointed lazily at the sign. She then shaped her rather large toothy mouth to shape the word, "Closed."

Hermione nodded her head, and mouthed the word, "Dumbledore." The shop keeper shook her head expressing her incomprehension of the word and causing her long, skinny, tight fire red curls to bounce up and down. Hermione began to form the letters with her hands, but realizing the eminent failure of that method of communication, she opened her jacket slowly so that the woman could see the pin of the Hogwart's crest shining brightly in the sunlight. The woman's eyes lit up and she hurried to the door and unlocked it, ushering Hermione in.

"I'm sorry," the woman stated as she waved to Hermione to go into a room towards the back of the shop, "I wasn't expecting you." Hermione cast her eyes around the shop casually, taking in the atmosphere. It was neither a stereotypical musty, dusty, obscure and overcrowded shop, nor was it one of the antique shops that have a very small, very expensive collection, with shopkeepers that glare at you if you breathe too hard. Their was a old grandfather clock in the corner, with a few Stieff teddy bears sitting on a shelf next to it, and an old Coke-a-Cola sign from the early 1900s. If she could have described the atmosphere in two words, she would have described it as distant and friendly at the same time, kind of how the Greeks viewed the gods on Olympus.

"Please sit down," the woman chirped with a smile on her face, "So what on earth was your initiative to trek all the way out here to my quaint little shop?" The woman seemed very kind and laid-back. However, she had a horrible American accent. Hermione folded her hands in her lap and looked across the desk where woman sat. It seemed all of her recent conversations of any importance had taken place in this type of setting.

"Well, Dumbledore sent me to have some questions answered." Hermione stated. The woman nodded and took a sip from a beautifully painted tea cup gracefully sitting in a saucer.

"I see," she said as she placed the cup back down. She then fixed her gaze on Hermione's eyes, "About what exactly?"

"Well," Hermione answered hesitantly, a bit intimidated by the woman intense blue eyes. "About the prophecy." The woman's eyes sparkled and a small smile spread across her lips. She then got up and crossed over to a book shelf behind her desk.

"Interesting…you're the girl who did the spell?" she asked as she glanced back over her shoulder at Hermione.

"Well, yes." Answered Hermione, a little unsure of whether she should have disclosed that information. After selecting a crusty looking black book, the woman sat back down at the desk.

"What exactly do you want to know?"

Hermione stared at the woman, unsure of what to say. She was finally offered the opportunity to have her questions answered, and she found herself unable to speak.

She decided to ask whatever popped into her mind first.

"Well, what does the prophecy say about the powers that will result if these two people are joined?" Hermione asked, "Specific examples please." She added as an afterthought.

"Well, if that were to happen, it would be catastrophic. They would have an immensely powerful ability to heal through touch, and they are also able to create a transparent barrier of sorts between them and enemies, this would render them virtually impossible to defeat in battle, because even if some one did manage to break through the barrier, the couple would be able to heal themselves."

Hermione found herself shaking nervously,

"What about inexplicable strength, for example, being able to knock down an oak door simply by knocking on it?"

"Yes, that would definitely be another example." The woman said as she took another sip from her cup of tea, "Also, the ability to communicate non-verbally would occur as well, if eye contact is maintained, an entire conversation can take place across a room." At this point, the woman stopped talking and gazed at Hermione concernedly, "Would you like something to eat or drink dear? You look like you're about to pass out."

Hermione shook her head weakly and swallowed uneasily,

"Could these powers potentially be transferred to a person who was not forseen in the prophecy, but was bonded to them?"

The woman shook her head in response,

"That would be impossible." She looked at Hermione strangely, "Why?"

Hermione's head was spinning and her stomach was doing the Charleston.

"But it doesn't make any sense…" she murmured under her breath.

"What's on your mind?" asked the shopkeeper politely. Hermione's eyes locked with hers.

"This doesn't make sense." She reasoned aloud, "The prophecy was about Draco Malfoy, and a girl born the sixth of December. It fits perfectly with Eustacia. They come from two different worlds, meaning France and England. And although France and England are allies now, they have a long history of combat on the muggle and wizarding side…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on there little missy." Said the woman as she flipped open the book and trailed her finger along the page. "You got the two worlds part right, and the past of hate, but you got the date wrong."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed with wide eyes.

"It's not the 6th of December, it's the 12th of June." She said, "You must have gotten the dates mixed up. Over here, we put the month before the day in the date, they do the opposite in France. Must have been crossed wires." She said with a smile as if this news was of no particular importance.

Hermione's hands her grasping each other so tightly that they were turning white.

"My birthday," she mumbled, "the two differing worlds: the muggle world and the wizarding world, and the past of hate: the mutual hatred that Draco and I possessed for each other…Oh sweet Merlin…"

"What?" The woman asked, unable to understand what Hermione had said. Hermione looked across the desk at the woman,

"I have to go, thank you; you've answered all my questions." And with that, she got up abruptly and rushed to the train station; she needed to get back to Hogwarts.

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A/N: Alright, the next chapter should be relatively short, and it should wrap everything up like a sweet smelling package. once again, sorry for the ridiculously long wait, but you know, shit happens.