Author's Note: Posting this sooner than expected because I stayed up too late last night finishing it because it was stuck inside my head and needed out! Well, things are starting to wind down. We're getting so close to the end. This is literally the second to last chapter. Again, I am not counting the epilogue. Forgive me for moving quickly in some areas as they are not perfectly necessary for the plot but still need to happen nonetheless. Also don't forget that I have created a playlist ( playlist?list=PLBB07B836F8A74AD4) in case you want to listen to the song I found inspiration from! You can also follow me on tumblr (iamsherlocked-inthetardis) for excerpts, hints, and just a bunch of random blogging! Please make sure to review! Love you all bunches!

Disclaimer: I write for fun, not for profit. Harry Potter does not belong to me. Sadly.

Letting it all Go

Chapter Thirteen: Maps

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"I was there for you in your darkest times.
I was there for you in your darkest nights.
But I wonder where were you when I was at my worst?"
—Maroon 5

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"Did you see the Prophet this morning?"

Hermione looked up from her paperwork to find Harry leaning against her doorjamb. She leaned back and gestured for her friend to come inside her new, larger office. He sat down across from her and accepted the cup of tea she had conjured for him. She took her time stirring her own tea before answering the question. "I did. It was…surprising to say the least."

"I thought you might want to talk about it."

She gave Harry a sharp look and set her cup down a bit roughly before pulling the morning's paper towards her from under a pile of reference books. The cover read: Malfoy Mansion up in Flames! Scanning the page again for the umpteenth time, Hermione tossed the paper into the rubbish bin. "I don't see why. It's been months, Harry. Months! I'm not surprised he's finally managed to completely burn the manor to the ground. He hated that place for so long…there were too many horrible memories for him. Most of his sessions ended with us discussing how the Malfoy Manor was the root of all evil."

Harry smiled crookedly and gestured at her arm. "Can you blame him?"

Frowning, she rubbed at the skin of her arm that still faintly read "Mudblood".

"No, of course not."

Tracing a pattern on his lip, Harry continued to stare at her for another moment before standing back up. "Are you coming with Ginny and me tomorrow to King's Cross?"

Hermione instantly perked up. "Of course I am! I haven't seen Rose and Hugo since September! I can't believe Easter is nearly here…the time just got away somehow…"

Harry laughed and shuffled over towards the door. "Okay, Ginny and I will meet you at the Leaky Cauldron at half ten tomorrow."

"Thank you, Harry. See you then!"

Once she was left alone again, Hermione turned her swivel chair to face the large, but fake window. It was charmed to show Muggle London and currently the sun was beginning to set. In the three months since she had won her custody hearing she had heard a great many rumors about herself and Draco Malfoy. Somehow, someone had gotten ahold of the information about her lawyer being supplied for her by Draco. Hermione suspected it was Padma who had overheard her talking with her friends the day of the trial. The rumor went deeper than that though; people were saying that he had bought the entire law firm her lawyer had worked for.

Leaning over, she opened a drawer in her filing cabinet and removed a manila folder stuffed full of articles and interviews she had conducted with people regarding the matter. Draco had been quite busy since leaving her all those months ago. He's invested in numerous Wizarding companies, and a few Muggle ones as well. The paper Padma had worked for appeared to be the first of many of his new investments. Hermione turned back to her desk and spread out her information. Unfolding a large piece of paper, Hermione reviewed the spider-web like display that listed Draco Malfoy right in the center. Everything was connected somehow, but she couldn't figure out why or when it all happened.

Letting her fingers trail over the page, Hermione couldn't help but wonder why she even cared. Draco was still refusing to answer her owls and every time she would somehow stumble into him in the Ministry he always vanished before she could get near him. And now, well now the ancient Malfoy Manor was burned to the ground for good. With a wave of her wand her office door flicked shut and Hermione fished the morning's paper back out of the rubbish bin. Very carefully she cut out the article about the Manor and began trying to figure out where this all fit into the grand scheme of things regarding her former patient, and lover, Draco Malfoy.

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Steam billowed through the air as the scarlet Hogwarts Express rolled into platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station. Hermione hugged herself to keep out the early spring chill as she anticipated seeing her two lovely children once more. As per their new custody agreement, Hermione was allowed to have Rose and Hugo for Easter, the second half of summer, and Christmas Day while Ron could have them for Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, and the first half of summer. Although, once Rose's trace was removed come graduation, she would be free to choose when and where she spent her time whether it was with her parents or any place else.

Hermione was always surprised to see how little students came home for the spring holiday break. It was only a week after all, and she had for the most part stayed at Hogwarts when she was a student. This was a special occasion though, Rose and Hugo had been sending her weekly letters counting down until they were able to be with her again. Rose was furious with her father and Hugo still didn't fully understand what had happened, but he wanted to come home nonetheless.

As the train came to a halt, Hermione waited next to Ginny and Harry for the students to unload. A moment later, two red heads darted right towards her. She immediately dropped to her knees and opened her arms to allow the two children to fall into her chest in a huge tear-filled hug. Hermione was sobbing, but she didn't care. Her children were home. Her children were safe. They were with her. Together.

Hugo was the first to extract himself, embarrassingly brushing a few stray tears away. He mumbled a simple 'hello' before stepping back a bit. Hermione couldn't help but to laugh as she stood from the ground pulling Rose along with her. Rose was crying, not as hysterical as her mother, but there were definitely tears streaming from her eyes causing her mascara to run. Hermione used her thumbs to clear the mess as she cradled her daughter's face in her hands. Finally, once all their tears had subsided, she stepped back and looked at her two children. Rose had grown into a lovely young lady since she had last seen her. Her wavy hair was pulled back from her face, but a few stray pieces framed it gently. She was wearing simple makeup and dark jeans with a sea foam green jumper. Hugo looked like he was filling out nicely, but he was wearing baggy jeans and gray hooded sweatshirt so it was difficult to tell.

"I am so happy to see the two of you. Did you have a nice train ride?" Hermione asked her children while trying to usher them towards the exit.

"Hugo slept most of the time and I worked on revising for my NEWTS," Rose answered while she took charge of her own trunk. Hugo had the sense to look a bit sheepish at the stern, but loving look his mother shot him.

Hermione waved to Harry, Ginny, and their children as the three of them disappeared through the exit. "Hugo, I hope you're taking your OWLS seriously. You only have a few weeks left before it's time to take them after all."

"I am, mom. I just wanted to nap for a bit before getting home so I can be wide awake to spend time with you!"

Hermione couldn't really find anything wrong with that. They stopped and picked up a pizza for lunch and made themselves comfortable at the kitchen counter. Hermione smiled and laughed while listening to everything her children had been up to over the past seven months. She tried not to dwell too much on the fact that she had missed out on so much with them, but rather made herself content with the fact that she was able to share these moments now.

The afternoon slipped into evening, and before Hermione knew it the week was passing as quickly as sand through her fingers. She, Rose, and Hugo had been having a wonderful time. They'd went sightseeing in Muggle London, rode the London Eye, eaten lunch at Speedy's Café, and had a lovely Easter with Harry and Ginny's family. It was hard to believe that in the morning her children would be getting back on the train once more. At least she had gotten to spend time with them.

She was sitting in her windowsill reading through her small notebook. The children had gone to bed about an hour ago and Hermione was trying to put the pieces together on her search to figuring out what Draco had been up for the past few months. Her legs were tucked underneath her and for once it wasn't raining outside. She was just starting to feel a bit drowsy and thinking of going to bed when her door opened just a tiny crack. Whipping around, she tucked the notebook behind the curtain.

"Mum?" Rose was peeking into the room, her wavy, red hair cascading into her face. "Are you still awake?" Rose was whispering as if she wasn't sure it was okay for her to be creeping into her mother's room so late. Hermione giggled.

"I'm up, Rose. Come on in." She gestured towards the other spot on the window seat and smiled as she watched Rose scurry into the room and plop herself down as only a teenager could. "What can I do for you?"

Rose picked at the hem of her oversized t-shirt before looking her mother in the eye. "I wanted to talk to you about what I want to do after Hogwarts." Her eyes were large and bright in the light from the street lamp. Hermione gazed at her daughter hard for a moment. Whatever Rose was going to tell her, it had taken the girl a lot of courage to come in here to do it, so Hermione would listen.

"Okay, what do you want to do?"

"Well…" she trailed off dropping her t-shirt form her fingers. Hermione smiled and nudged her daughter with a toe causing Rose to laugh. "I was offered an internship with the Daily Prophet and I want to take it. I won't be getting paid so I thought I would work part-time at the bookstore across the street. I've already looked into it and I can start the Monday after I graduate." Rose was on a roll now just talking and fluttering her hands as she explained her hopes and dreams to her mother. "Plus, there is a flat available just down the road and cousin James has been looking for a place too. We thought we might be able to share the rent." She paused here and began picking at her shirt again. "The only problem is that if I go through with all of this I won't be able to go to France with daddy like he wants me to."

So that was what was bothering her daughter. Rose was worried about how angry Ron would be when she told him she planned on moving in near her mother instead of going on vacation to France. Hermione slid across the way and pulled Rose into a warm hug. She smoothed the girl's hair away from her face and placed a kiss to her forehead.

"Rosebud, you are free to do whatever you want once you graduate. I am not going to make you go to France with your father if that is not what you want to do. This internship and job sound very promising. As for moving in with James, I want to talk with Uncle Harry and Ginny first, but it sounds alright to me. You have a plan and did your research; that's what's important. I'll support you no matter what."

Rose looked up into her eyes and whispered, "What is daddy going to say?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. He might be unhappy, but it's your decision. You tell him and I will back you one hundred percent."

The two sat in silence for a while just watching the traffic go by on the Muggle street outside. Hermione was finally starting to feel tired enough to go to bed when Rose spoke again.

"Mum?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Will you tell me what happened between you and Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione wasn't quite sure what to say so she didn't which Rose must have taken as a bad thing. "It's only that Scorpius told me on the train home that his dad talked to him about it after the hearing was over with."

That surprised Hermione enough to sit up straighter. She wanted to grab her notebook and write the details about this down, but that would have to wait until Rose went back to bed. With a sigh she closed her eyes and opened up the walls she had built around her heart. If Rose wanted the truth, then who was she to keep it from her. Besides, her daughter was a journalist in the making, she would no doubt find the answers she wanted one way or another.

"Listen Rose, what happened between Draco and I is really quite simple. We were two people that had a past together, and although that past was not the best, we found a way to forgive one another for everything. We found each other when we least expected it and we were exactly what the other one needed without even realizing it. I was there during one of the darkest periods of his life. I helped Draco find himself, and in the process I fell in love with him…and I think that he fell in love with me too. Somehow, loving him, even though we are not together, I was able to find a way out of my darkness and back into the light. I'm not sure exactly how he managed to help me without being here at all, but he did."

Rose stared at her with wide eyes rimmed with unshed tears. "Mum, that is the most romantic thing I have ever heard."

Hermione stared at her daughter. "Romantic?"

"Of course!"

"I think it sounds pathetic…" Hermione ran a hand through her tangled hair and glanced back out the window. She had spent so much time sitting here this past year that it was her most treasured place and she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. All the memories of Draco came rushing back to her and she couldn't hold back the sob that escaped her throat.

"Oh, mum, don't cry. Everything will work out. You're going to be fine." Rose ran her hand in gentle circles over Hermione's back. Hermione hated that her own daughter had to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I really have been a lot better recently. I didn't mean to cry like that."

"It's okay. I know I brought it up. I'm the one who should apologize." Neither said anything for a while just sitting quietly as Hermione composed herself once more. The night was growing older and Hermione was just about to tell her daughter to go to bed when Rose spoke up.

"One more thing, mum, before I go to bed…"

"Hmmmm?"

"Hugo told me he wants to visit grandma and grandpa in Australia…"

"This summer?"

"He's already sent an owl and heard back from them."

"Shit."

"Mum!" Rose laughed and playfully slapped Hermione on the arm.

"Sorry, but why did he think that was a good idea…well it is, but your father is going to be livid."

Rose shrugged and stood up from her perch on the window seat. "He wants to stay with them most of the summer. Apparently Hugo wants to work with the magical beasts after he graduates and there is a program he wants to check out while he's down under."

Hermione put her face in her hand. "You sure know how to stress your mother out before bed." Arms wrapped around her shoulders and she turned so she could hug Rose more properly. "I'm fine, now get to bed. We have a train to catch in the morning."

Rose kissed the top of her mother's head and scurried from the room, leaving Hermione to her own thoughts before she too fell into bed.

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Hugo and Rose stood in front of Hermione as their mother checked, and double checked, that they had packed everything and were prepared to get back on the Hogwarts Express to finish the rest of the year. Hugo looked embarrassed but allowed his mother to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. When it was Rose's turn to say goodbye, the girl threw her arms around her mother and held her in a hard embrace.

"I am going to miss you so much! I can't wait to be home for good so I can see you all the time!" Rose let go of Hermione and gave her a wink.

Laughing, Hermione nudged her daughter on the shoulder with her hand. "You just make sure you make your plans clear to your father or he'll have me in court again in a heartbeat." She turned towards her son and gave him a stern look. "That goes for you too, mister. I have no problem with you spending the summer in Sydney, but your father is going to have something entirely different to say about that. You're still under the trace for two more years."

Hugo grumbled, but Rose looped her arm through her brother's and smiled. "We'll make sure to owl him right away when we get the chance. I promise we'll both make sure daddy knows our plans for the summer."

"Alright then, you two. Get on the train and have a good rest of the semester! I'll see you in June, Rose. And Hugo, I'll see you in August. Make sure you write me often! I might even take a trip to Sydney myself," Hermione added with a wink as she playfully pushed her two children towards the open train door. She managed to sneak one last kiss on the cheek to the both of them and then they were on the train ready to go. The whistle sounded loudly and the train began to move. Stepping backwards away from the track, Hermione watched as it gained speed and made its way out of the station.

Once the train was out of sight, Hermione looked around. Harry and Ginny had already headed back to work it seemed. Hermione managed to get the day off so she planned on doing some shopping. Taking out her notebook she began flipping through looking for her list as she made her way through the small crowd. She was nearly to the barrier when she slammed into someone. Her notebook fell to the ground and she immediately bent over to get it an apology already forming on her lips.

"Oh! I am so sorry! I was reading instead of watching where I was going." She was trying to tuck the little notebook back into her purse.

"That's nothing new, Granger."

Her head whipped up at the figure in front of her. She knew that gravelly voice—but it was still a shock to the system.

"Draco…" Hermione's brain just couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing…and honestly, her heart was having a difficult time functioning as well. It had been so damn long since the last time she had been this close to Draco. It had been even longer since he had last spoken to her. He was staring down at her with a fire in his eyes that she had only seen once before, and it made her heart beat even faster.

"I have to get back to work, Granger. If you'll excuse me." He made to move around her, but Hermione turned and quickly caught his arm with her hand. He stopped and looked into her eyes and for a split second Hermione thought he might lean down and kiss her; but just as fast at the look appeared it had gone again.

"I just have to ask if you're okay."

He sighed and stopped trying to get away so she let go of his arm. "I'm fine but I really am running late."

"Why did you do it? Pay for my lawyer, I mean?" She looked him dead in his molten silver eyes and prayed to Merlin he would cave and give her the answers she'd been craving.

Instead of answering her question, he let his shoulders sag and she was able to see the sadness and pain in his eyes and face before he simply mumbled, "I'm glad you won the custody trial, Hermione." She was so shocked by his change in demander that she couldn't stop him as he turned and swept through the barrier back out into the Muggle world once again leaving her alone.

Her hand came up to rest on her heart as if that could stop the ache she felt growing inside of her again. it felt as if it was slowly seeping through her veins and dragging her down. Someone appeared at her side, and without even turning to look she knew it would be Harry. It was always Harry. She let him put his arm around her shoulders and guide her through the barrier. King's Cross seemed so quiet but that could just be from the loud buzzing she was hearing in her ears. Harry led her to a small café nearby and sat her at a table before going to order tea. A minute later he sat down across from her and handed her the styrofoam cup. Hermione enjoyed the scalding hot breakfast blend and let her mind return to normal. After some time she looked up to find Harry watching her. He blinked and she sighed.

"Something is not right with Draco."

"He's heartbroken."

Feeling her chest clench, Hermione sputtered at her best friend. "What are you talking about?"

Taking his glasses off, Harry pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed at his eyes. He then replaced the black frames where they belonged and looked her in the eye. "I went to see him after I found you broken."

Suddenly she was angry. Harry had gone behind her back and talked to Draco without even telling her and he had kept it from her for months! She knew Harry could tell she was getting angry and he held up his hand so that she would let him finish speaking. Hermione crossed her arms and realized she was still wearing her parka, so she shrugged it off while Harry collected his thoughts. When she had settled back in her chair, Harry continued.

"Look, I went to him because I couldn't ask you what happened. You were too fragile and I didn't want to set you off again. I needed to know what happened so I could help you. What Malfoy told me surprised the hell out of me…not to mention all the shit I've found out since then." Harry chuckled and sipped his tea. "He bought the law firm your lawyer worked for and then had his best family lawyer take over your case. He also bought the paper and chain that Padma worked for and had her transferred to Paris. He wrote that love letter—I mean Character Reference that helped swing the Wizengamot towards allowing you custody of your children. Merlin, Hermione, he even bought the Muggle hospital where we attend our AA meetings and you have your therapy sessions so he could make sure that you were getting the best treatment possible. I even heard that he's been working on starting a rehabilitation center for the Wizarding community to help treat witches and wizards with depression." Harry sat back and pushed his empty cup aside as he threw his hands into the air. "Malfoy may have left you, but he's been working his pureblood arse off trying to make sure that you would be taken care of. If it wasn't for him, I think we would have lost you…and you would have lost Rose and Hugo."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She was stunned into silence. All she could hear in her head was that damn buzzing and all the information Harry had just given her clashed with the information she'd bene compiling in her notebook. It all made sense now. Everything pointed back to her…everything Draco had been working on for months came back to her! All of the charity functions…the Muggle investments and the paper Padma worked for. All this time she thought he had abandoned her, but in reality he had been there all along.

Hermione stood abruptly, knocking back her chair. She didn't say anything as she donned her parka and stormed from the café. Once outside she ran down the street until she made it to the red phone booth that would take her inside St. Mungo's. Entering the correct number, she watched as the street faded away and the hospital lobby came into view. The sounds and smells were just the same as she remembered. Instead of stopping at the main nurse's station, she walked deeper into the hospital until she reached the ER. Sure enough, Abigail was at the desk filing paperwork and checking in patients. It was almost as if Hermione had never left.

Squaring her shoulders, Hermione walked right up to her friend and attempted to smile. Abigail glanced up from the form she was signing and burst into laughter at seeing her friend. "Hermione Granger! I thought I'd never see you here again! Are you here to clean out your office finally?"

Cleaning out her office was the last thing from her mind, but she glanced at the door that used to be her office. Sure enough, the small space looked just as she had left it all those months ago. "I didn't realize it was still full of my things…"

Abigail stood and came out from behind the desk, tucking her long, dark hair behind her ears. "Don't you fret, Hermione. I stuck a bunch of extra boxes in there for you. We can have you packed up in no time. I'm surprised you got here so quickly, I only just sent the owl this morning that Devon wanted your office cleared out."

"Honestly, I haven't even gotten the letter…I just sort of ended up here." Hermione was shocked that the day's events were shaping out the way they were.

"Really?" Abigail looked startled by this news but didn't say anything else. She began folding boxes and helping Hermione sort through her old office. Hermione almost forgot why she was here at all. Almost.

Once the office was cleared of her belongings, Hermione shrunk everything down and tucked it inside her purse where her hand brushed against the notebook she had been mapping out Draco's current life. She turned and gave Abigail a hug as they stood in the doorway of her empty office. "Look, Abigail, I'm glad I came today since they were going to throw all of my stuff away, but I actually came to ask you an important question."

Putting her hands on her hips, Abigail smiled and said, "Ask away, my friend."

"I was wondering if you could look up Draco Malfoy and see if he's been attending his therapy sessions." She watched as the smile dropped from her friend's face. "I already know that it's going against a million different laws and regulations about privacy—I worked here for years, but I saw him today and something just didn't sit right for me. He looked off somehow." She reached forward and grasped Abigail's hands in her own. "Can you do this for me? I need it—for closure."

The dark haired woman stared at her for a long moment before Hermione saw the resolution in her eyes. "Well, alright, but just this once…and you can't tell a soul! I don't want to lose my job!"

"Oh, of course not…here use my filing cabinet." She gestured at the small medical filing cabinet that was still perched on her old desk. Abigail shut the door before going over and tapping the top with her wand four times. She then opened the cabinet and withdrew a file. She scanned the papers inside and then replaced it inside before turning her attention back to Hermione.

She sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hermione. He hasn't been back for therapy in a few months."

Closing her eyes to force the tears to stay away, Hermione turned and opened the door. She knew something was wrong. He spent all his time worrying about her and had lost track of himself again. If he wasn't careful he'd enter the darkness and never come out of it. Only a week ago he had burned the entire Malfoy Manor to the ground. Despite the fact that she knew he had purchased a new manor, he had done something drastically destructive. Who was to say he wouldn't do it again…but to himself this time. He definitely had a history of doing just that.

Turning to look over her shoulder, Hermione smiled sadly at Abigail. "Thank you for doing that. I really appreciate it. I'll talk to you soon. Text me sometime, okay?"

Abigail gave her a sad look but agreed she would keep in touch. Hermione left the hospital in worse spirits than she had been in quite some time.

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Two days later and Hermione was still dwelling on the fact that Draco had done everything to help her get her life back together while neglecting himself. Now that her map had led her to this discovery, she couldn't seem to stop thinking about it. For months she had been able to push Draco bloody Malfoy to the back burner of her thoughts, but now that she had her life back together, she wanted to make sure he did too. It was why she wrote the letter. The letter that was now sitting on her desk. It had been returned.

Unopened.

Harry had told her it was a bad idea and that it would only hurt her feelings, but she'd gone and sent it anyway. Honestly she wasn't surprised it had been returned unopened. It was garbage and she was glad he never read it. Romantic would be how her daughter described what she'd written. Embarrassed is how she felt now. She didn't regret sending it though. She felt better having written her thoughts down, but she probably should not have sent this letter.

Sighing, Hermione picked the letter up and tore the seal open. Draco hadn't read it, but that didn't mean she wouldn't sit here and read it again just to make sure she had got down exactly what she needed to.

Draco,

This is a long time coming, and I apologize for that. Here I have been for the past three months enjoying my life knowing that my children were able to see me again and that I have a good position at the Ministry, all while you have been out there working your ass off behind my back. Harry has filled me in about everything that you've been doing. I am astounded, flattered, and can barely contain my tears. I am so full of thankfulness right now that I cannot even express it in words either verbally or here on paper. When I saw you the other day I barely managed the simple thank you I spoke…I wanted to say so much more but didn't know how. It was then that I noticed your eyes, Draco. Your eyes that are like the windows to your soul…they looked sad, defeated, and haunted. I worry about you. I know that you are forgetting yourself and not going to your therapy sessions. Please go back. Please do not let all the work we did go to waste. I appreciate every single minute you have spent building an empire to protect me, but you have to rest now. You have to take time for yourself. I know that you think we can't be together, and maybe you are right…but that doesn't mean I can't convince you to go back to your therapy sessions. Please, do this one last thing for me…because this is what I want to do for you. If I can't be there with you, then at least be there for yourself and know that I love you.

Hermione

She folded the letter back up and slid it into the envelope once more. Pulling out her notebook, she tucked the unread letter inside hoping that maybe one day Draco might actually get to read it. Hermione could only pray that Draco would do what he needed to do. Luckily, she had put the notebook away just as the door to her office banged opened. Hermione let out a small yelp at the suddenness of it all.

Standing in the doorway, her ex-husband looked livid. His cheeks were as red as his hair and mustache. Before she could even open her mouth, Ron was towering over the desk between them, eyes flashing in anger. "What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at?! How dare you tell my children they can do whatever they want for the summer! Do you forget that I have visiting rights for the first half?"

"Of course I didn't, Ronald," Hermione replied while rolling her eyes. "I think that you forgot our daughter, Rose, will be old enough to decide what she wants to do. She's decided she wants to get a job and accept an internship. I am in no way going to stop her from following her dreams. As for Hugo, he hasn't seen his grandparents in a few years. Why shouldn't he be allowed to visit them? I had nothing to do with him planning the trip; he did it all on his own behind my back. I'm not going to stop him and that is why I told him to talk to you about it."

Ron paced back and forth in front of her desk for a minute before he seemed to calm down. "So you really didn't have anything to do with this?"

"No…do you think I want to lose custody again?" She gave him a look that clearly showed how fed up she was with the entire situation.

The pacing stopped, and Ron turned to face her once again but in much calmer mood. He stared at her face for a beat as if trying to decide if she was lying or not. "Okay, well then I am sorry for barging in here like that." His resolve crumpled and he collapsed into the chair. "I'm really sorry for how things have been this past year. I know we didn't end our marriage on good terms, but I can see now that it was my fault too. I am going to ask Padma to marry me, and I guess I just want to make sure it's okay with you. I loved you most of my life, Hermione and I don't want us to fight anymore."

Hermione was rather shocked by the turn of events since Ron had flown into the office. It was now her turn to try and decide whether or not he was being truthful. She decided it didn't matter because this man had been her best friend and lover for far more years than he was her ex-husband. She reached across and patted his arm. "Ron, it will take some time, but I think that maybe someday we can go back to being the friends we used to be." It was enough for now. She could manage that at least.

"Thank you, Hermione." He gave her a smile and left the office as abruptly as he had entered, but with much less dramatics. Hermione decided that it was time to end her day.

Just as she was packing up her belongings and slinging her purse over her shoulder, her phone beeped. Freeing the small device from her purse, Hermione slid her finger over the screen. It was a text message from Abigail. It said only one short sentence:

He's just arrived for a therapy session with Ernie.

Hermione smiled to herself as she tucked the phone away once more. It appeared her letter did what she wanted it to whether Draco read it or not. Feeling slightly better, Hermione left the Ministry and went home unsure of what the future held for her…and Draco.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .