She wasn't with Luna Lovegood, or Neville Longbottom, nor either Patil twin or Verity. They flooed to Bulgaria with dwindling hope but the Quidditch star was on his honeymoon and she wasn't at his home though Mr. and Mrs. Krum wished the two haggard and sad looking brothers luck in finding her. They were half tempted to track him down but knew she wouldn't have followed him on his honeymoon. The Malfoy estate was their last stop and the place they thought her least likely to be but crossed their fingers in hope.

They were led to a parlor where Malfoy and his wife met them.

He laughed when he heard why they were there, "Hermione Granger wouldn't step foot in this house if dementors were chasing her!"

Bill and Charlie glared at him and Astoria placed a hand on his arm, smiling kindly at them, "Forgive him." She fought a smile as she looked at him and then turned back to them, her expression again sad, "He's right though, it's why she declined my invitation to our wedding, we understood. She sent me a note saying she was back from America and we'd have lunch next week. I'm afraid that was the last I spoke with her."

"What?" Bill demanded seeing the ferret shift.

Malfoy's expression became a mask, "She isn't here and if she ever came, or needed a place to hide, I wouldn't tell you Weasels, now please leave."

"Draco!" Astoria admonished.

Bill and Charlie glared at him, "Listen up ferret, if I find you've done something to her." Charlie growled.

"Did you screw her?" Bill asked coldly.

"No." Charlie answered for him.

"Then what are you hiding?"

"Bite me."

"I'd rather hex you."

"Enough!" Astoria demanded. Her voice had barely raised but it was commanding and they all fell silent.

"I take it you two did something to hurt her?"

"We're trying to make it right." Charlie confirmed.

"Do you know where she is Draco?"

"No."

"You've spoken to her though." Bill insisted.

"I owe her my life."

"Where is she?" Charlie demanded this time.

"Now?" Draco shook his head, "I've no idea."

"Draco?" Astoria asked.

"I let her spend the night in a property I own, the flat I lived in before we got married and moved into the manor."

"Where is it?"

"She isn't there now."

"How do you know?"

"She sent a thank you note this morning."

"Let me see it." Bill growled.

Draco rolled his eyes and accio's it from his desk.

Malfoy,

Thank you for putting me up last night. I really couldn't stand to be found and I knew you were the last person anyone would ask about me. I've tidied up after myself and locked up, Astoria will know how to remove the ward I placed to be sure your flat was secured. Give her my love and my apologies as I'm not certain I'll make lunch next week after all as I'm leaving town this morning to visit an old friend whose advise I find I am in need of. I will make it up to her on my return.

As strange as it still is to wish you well, or say this… Take care and until we see each other again be well.

All my gratitude and love to you both (mostly Story but I suppose I might like you well enough to say you as well Malfoy… Draco :P we are friends after all.)

Hermione J Granger.

Bill and Charlie both had to read it twice to believe their eyes.

"You're friends with her?" Charlie still spat in disbelief.

"Isn't that why you came?" Astoria asked confused.

"You, yes but not him." Bill clarified.

"Well, we are, so get over it." Malfoy smirked at him.

"Gentlemen." Astoria smiled at them, heading off an argument, "I'm afraid, there is little more we can tell you."

"You wouldn't happen to know what old friend she was talking about?"

Astoria shrugged, "Are any of your family away? Or perhaps Viktor Krum? Though what advice she'd need from him I can't imagine."

"He's on his honeymoon and the whole family is in town." Charlie sighed. "You were our last hope."

Malfoy snorted, "She did say I would be the last person anyone came to about her."

"Wonder why." Charlie growled.

"Secret friends have their uses." He countered making both brothers chuckle, who knew the ferret could be funny?

"We'll be going, please Mrs. Malfoy" Bill began.

"Astoria, or Story, please." She cut him off gently.

"Astoria," He conceded, "If you do hear from her…"

"Not a chance in hell Weasel." Malfoy told him, no malice in his tone. When they both turned to him he shrugged, "Like I said, I owe her my life, besides my wife loves her and our friendship is still rocky, I'd rather not tip the boat by playing with her trust and giving her away when she doesn't want to be found."

Bill and Charlie nodded grimly, neither of them liked it but they could respect that. "Thank you for your help, small as it is, it's more than we've gotten all day."

On unspoken agreement they returned to their younger brothers flat, "She isn't here." He told them on an exasperated sigh as he opened the door.

"She's out of town." Charlie told him pushing past and going to sit at the table.

"Malfoy put her up in a flat he owns last night and she left this morning."

"Note said she went to see a friend for advice."

"Anymore ideas?"

"Try Krum, he's…"

"We tried him before Malfoy." Charlie grumbled.

"He's on his honeymoon." Bill supplied.

"Did you try Professor McGonagall?" Angelina asked, setting a pot on the stove for tea.

"What?" Bill frowned.

"She was Hermione's mentor through school and was the one that helped her with arrangements regarding her parents deaths."

"Brilliant." George grinned at her. Then a thought occurred to him and his smile fell, he swallowed and sat down heavily.

"What?" Both his brothers demanded.

"George?" Angelina asked gently.

He looked up at his brothers, "Could be one of the family." They frowned at him. "Could be Fred." He whispered. "If she's going to Hogwarts, to see McGonagall, it's as like she's gone to him, to their place." He licked his lips, "She told me once, the last time she was sure of anything, the last time she knew anything about anything, even herself, it was there, the few stolen moments before the final battle when he held her and made her promise to be careful, telling her he loved her. After that…" He sighed, "I think she'd slowly been losing pieces of her self over the war but after that battle, after thinking she lost Harry, even just for a minute, losing all the people she cared about, losing Fred, I think maybe she lost herself and hasn't quiet found, let alone put all the pieces back together. Me, at least I have all the pieces of my half, I know I'm missing him but I'm healing. I'm not sure she is. I'm not so sure she that she's accepted it all enough to heal or that she's forgiven herself enough to."

"Forgiven herself?" Angelina asked her hand on his shoulder.

His shrugged, "She carried a lot of guilt, like Harry that way, everything weighs on her and she tries to be everything to those she loves all the time, I think its one more reason she's scared to love, because she already has so little left for herself, so little left of herself, there just isn't much else to give away." George shook his head, "I miss him, every damn day, I feel like part of me died too, he's my twin, part of me did but he took part of her too, all of them did and all of us keep doing it. Even me. She's the only one I could talk to about him, not that others didn't want to listen but I couldn't, I couldn't share him with anyone but her." Angelina sat in his lap, curling against him and holding him to her as a tear escaped his control.

Silently his older brothers left them, wishing they could comfort him, missing their lost brother and aching to comfort the woman they both loved. On another silent agreement they returned to the Leaky Cauldren and got the key back along with more fire whiskey.

Upstairs they sat back on the same beds, magicked open the bottles and took long drinks before finally sighing.

"I miss him."

"Always."

"I knew she was hurting, I'd see it in her eyes sometimes."

"I know." Bill agreed, "We did too, we just tried to…"

"Be there for her." Charlie finished.

"Hogwarts in the morning?"

"Well I'm not about to give up on her, even if she doesn't want me in the end, she needs me, us."

"Agreed."

They sat back on their beds and drank, sharing stories of their brother and of Mia.

Again they woke up with hangovers, silently thanking the saint that was Tom for leaving the potion again.

Returning the key they tipped him well and went to make arrangements to get to Hogwarts.

Anxious on the train Bill was shaking his leg, willing the speeding machine to move faster and watching out the window. Charlie was sprawled in the seat, slouched back with legs planted wide.

"What are we going to say to her?" He finally asked his older brother.

"Hell if I know but I'm the one owes her an apology."

"A week!" Charlie growled.

"I know."

"How the hell did you manage to keep her for three years?"

"I didn't try to keep her."

Charlie sighed, "Neither of us did."