Chapter Thirteen: Vacation

The party couldn't be over soon enough. The minute the Emperor left, the rest of the guests followed his lead. I let out a sigh of relief when the last of them was gone.

"Did you not enjoy your party, Darling?" said Lady Greengrass, as if I'd hit her with a stunning spell.

"No, it was wonderful," I said with a tired smile. "Just—long. And I could have done with about a third of the people."

"Well, you're a high-profile couple. You have to get used to gatherings like this." She kissed my cheek before walking off.

Draco took her place. "Shall we start packing for Italy?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Daphne heading toward the library. "I'll meet you upstairs," I said to him, then followed her down the hall.

"Daphne, wait!"

She reluctantly stopped and turned around. "What do you want, Stori?"

"Look," I sighed, "I know things haven't always been easy between us, but I hope you can believe me when I tell you how much I love you."

"The way you love Draco, you mean."

I frowned. "No. I actually do love you, Daph. In fact, I wanted to ask you to be my maid of honor."

"At your fake wedding?"

"At any wedding I have," I said, taking her hands. "Whether it be this December or in ten years. You're my sister, and I love you."

Her expression softened slightly. "Fine, if that's what you want."

I pulled her into a hug. "Nothing would make me happier."

She hesitated a minute before returning the embrace. When we parted, I thought I glimpsed a smile. No sooner had I seen it then she was gone.

I smiled to myself as I walked back to the bedroom. I didn't care who Astoria was or how she'd act. For however long I was Daphne's sister, I was going to be a good one.

When I reached the room, Draco had already pulled out two suitcases. His was already half full. He smiled at me as I entered.

"I would have started packing yours, but I know how particular you can be."

I walked up to him and wrapped him in a hug from behind. "I'm really excited for this trip," I whispered.

He set aside the pants he'd been folding and put his hands on mine. "Me too. I know how badly you've been wanting to see Italy again."

I smiled against his shirt. In that moment, I don't know if anything could have brought down my spirits. I was less than twenty-four hours away from seeing my best friend for the first time in seven years. I didn't care if he was in a coma—he was alive.

There was always the chance that Malfoy was playing games with me, but for some reason I didn't think that anymore. I broke off the hug and watched him as he continued to pack. He seemed just as excited as I was. Whoever I was looking at, it wasn't the Draco Malfoy I went to school with. He'd changed somehow.

After a few minutes he noticed me watching him and chuckled. "Are you just going to stare at me, or are you going to pack too?"

My cheeks burned and I hurried into the closet to change out of my dress before packing. We finished about the same time—turns out I wasn't so particular.

When we got into bed, Draco absentmindedly wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't explain why, but his embrace no longer made me feel uncomfortable.

That fact, however, did.

We rose early in the morning. Lord and Lady Greengrass were already up, to see us off. They each took a turn embracing me, and Lord Greengrass gave Draco a firm handshake.

"You take care of my daughter," he said.

Draco laughed. "I think Astoria can take care of herself, but I'll watch over her, I promise."

"How are you getting there?" Lady Greengrass asked.

"I've booked a portkey for us. We'll pick it up at the travel agency."

"All right then. Have a safe trip!"

We said goodbye, then Draco put an arm around my waist and apparated. I looked around—we were in the middle of a forest.

"We're not at a travel agency."

"Astute observation, Granger."

"Oh, suddenly it's safe to talk again?"

"You think I'd apparate somewhere they could track us?"

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, where are we going then and how are we getting there?"

"By portkey, like I said. Well, a couple portkeys actually. One wouldn't be enough."

I raised my eyebrows. "Where are we going?"

He just smirked and started walking up the hill. I sighed and followed him. I should have known better than to expect a straight answer.

After a few minutes, he stopped. I caught up to him and looked around.

"I don't see it."

"Of course not. That's the point. We're trying to hide our true location, aren't we? A registered portkey is too easy to track."

"But you did actually book a portkey to Italy, didn't you?"

"We're not going to Italy."

"I know that," I said, annoyed. "But if you told the Greengrasses you registered for one, they might check."

He narrowed his eyes. After a minute, he sighed.

"I'll take care of it once we get there."

I shook my head. "This is why you should have let me in on the plan in the first place."

"And risk the Emperor, or anyone else, finding out? I don't think so. Even if he found out Harry was alive from you, I needed to keep the location safe."

"In case you've forgotten, I spent a whole half hour alone with him and didn't blow my cover."

"Trust me, if you'd given him the slightest reason to suspect you we wouldn't be having this conversation. You're a fast learner, Hermione, but not that fast. He would have broken down your walls and had access to all of your memories within seconds."

I opened my mouth to retort, but he was done with the conversation. He grabbed my free hand, the one not holding my suitcase, and placed it on a nearby rock. I glared at him as I felt the portkey starting to work. I was so annoyed I hardly even registered that he'd called me by my first name.

When we landed, we were still in a forest, but it was clearly somewhere else. The trees were greener, and closer together. I looked around.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"You'll know soon enough."

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to follow him again. This time, the portkey was a log. I put my hand on it without question, wondering if I was making a huge mistake. When we landed this time, it was again in a forest, but unlike any other I'd ever seen. The trees were humongous—they were hundreds of feet tall, and at least fifty feet wide. I stared in awe.

"We're in the redwoods."

Draco just nodded.

"California?" I said in disbelief. "You brought Harry all the way to California?"

"The further from England the better, right?"

I couldn't argue with that.

He extended a hand, which I took with some reluctance, and we disapparated to a hotel. I didn't recognize the chain, but it looked nice. We walked up to the front counter, and the receptionist looked up.

"Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes. Christopher and Jean Scott."

I glanced at him. At least he thought far enough ahead to put our reservation under a false name.

After a minute, the receptionist handed us our keys. "Your suite's already paid for. Have a pleasant visit, Mr. and Mrs. Scott."

We went up to the room and dropped off our suitcases. It seemed nice, expensive, but I didn't really pay much attention to it—I was growing anxious. If what Draco'd told me was true, I was moments away from seeing Harry again.

He could sense my anxiety. Once the porter had left the room, he took my hand again. My heart leapt and I closed my eyes as we apparated for what I assumed was the last time.

When I opened them, we were standing outside a small hospital. I didn't speak as Draco led me through the front entrance and to the lift. We stepped inside. Instead of pressing one floor he pressed several, as if typing in a pin. The lift lurched backwards, and I grabbed onto the handle on the wall. We came to a quick stop and the doors opened, revealing another door.

"Peverell," Draco said loudly.

The door swung open. My heart beat wildly. We walked down a series of hallways until we reached another door. The password for this one was "Marauders." Behind that, more hallways, then dead end.

Draco drew his wand, mumbled something, and traced a pattern on the wall. The wall disappeared to reveal a young nurse standing behind it.

"The snake always catches his prey," she said.

"But the lion is king," said Draco.

She smiled. "Welcome, Mr. Malfoy. We've been expecting you."

She turned and started walking down the halls. As we followed her, I look up at Draco with a raised eyebrow.

"You did all this?"

He shook his head. "I wouldn't know where to begin. My father did it, using his connections of course. You wouldn't care to hear about what he did with those who helped him afterwards, though."

I ignored the comment, and focused on the nurse in front of us. After what seemed like an eternity, we reached one last door. She turned the doorknob, and it opened inward.

I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands. A huge grin spread across Draco's face. Numb, I stumbled across the room to the hospital bed at the end. I gripped his hand with my right, and pushed up his jet-black hair with my left. My fingers traced the lightning-bolt scar on his forehead, and my breath caught in my throat.

"Harry."

A/N: I know it's not the best written chapter (I was at work!) but the ending is what's important. Can't wait to read your reviews!