A/N: I'm so so so so sorry that I haven't updated in about 2 months! So many things have been going on and I had the longest case of writer's block. But today I had some time and my characters have spoken to me. They weren't the greatest help but I've written what they're told me so here it is. I hope you all like it. And please review!

Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Harry Potter, that all belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling, but I do own this plot. Much love!

Chapter 14

The day of the funerals had finally arrived. The castle was filled with families and friends of those who had fallen, yet there was no sound. An eerie quiet had fallen over the castle floors and grounds as everyone filed into the Great Hall for breakfast. The regular house tables were packed as people tried to get in a small meal before the afternoon procession.

Hermione walked down the marble staircase alone, having left her friends to sleep in a bit longer that morning. She walked down slowly, naming off those they had lost in the final battle, trying to determine how many funerals she needed to attend; but who was she kidding? She would be attending them all. She reached the double doors of the Great Hall and peeked inside. She stared for a few seconds before turning around and quickly and running back the way she came. She couldn't do this…not today, and not after last night. Her mind was still stuck on the faces of those in the hall, mourning for their loved ones, that she didn't notice the 3 people coming down the stairs ahead of her. Her body collided with something hard on the landing before both her and the object of her assault went tumbling to the ground with a loud "oomph".

"Damn it, Granger! How many times do I have to tell you to watch where you're going?" drawled a silky, low voice…one that she knew all too well.

"Once you stop standing in my path!" She spat back.

"Ooh! Feisty today, are we?" he smirked.

"Draco." A stern voice called from above them. Hermione quickly rolled over so she was no longer lying on top of Draco. Both of them stood up, dusting off their clothes.

"Yes, mother?" Draco asked kindly after straightening out his suit jacket.

"Apologize to the young lady." Narcissa said.

"W-what?" Draco stuttered. "You do know who this is, right?" he asked, pointing to Hermione.

"Of course I do. Now, I suggest that you apologize to Hermione Granger." She raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her son when he didn't respond. She sighed and turned to face Hermione. "I'm sorry dear for my son's…crudeness."

Hermione stood there, completely gobsmacked that Narcissa Malfoy had just spoken to her, apologized, even if it was in Draco's place. "That's- that is quite alright." She said. Narcissa nodded once in her direction, looked at her son, and continued back down the stairs. The two teenagers stood there for a few more moments, staring at the place that the elder woman had just walked away from.

"Granger-" Draco started, snapping out of the trance he was in. Hermione turned in his direction. "I- I'm sorry." He stuttered.

"It's alright, Draco." Hermione replied, starting to walk away. Draco quickly shot out his had and grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him.

"I really am sorry," He said, looking directly into her eyes, his lips only centimeters away from her own. She could feel his hot breath on her lips as he spoke to her. She stared into his cool grey eyes, looking for what, she didn't exactly know. Was she doubting him? No, she knew he was telling the truth. Her heart was telling her to trust him, but why?

"You're in love with him darling." A calm voice said to her in her head. It was a voice she had heard many times. It always crept up on her when she was trying to make hard decisions, or needed advice. She couldn't explain why, but she felt like she knew this person, and that it actually was someone she knew, perhaps in a past life. She knew she could trust this voice but with what it just said…she wasn't too sure anymore.

"I know." Hermione breathed back, breaking eye contact with Draco. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes any longer. The feeling was too intense. She could see something else in his gaze, something similar to desire. But it couldn't be…could it? Why would Draco Malfoy, of all people, desire her? None of it made sense.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked, running his fingertips gently along her cheek in a soothing matter. He didn't know why but it felt that she needed his touch. He couldn't explain what he was feeling. The voice that had been nagging him earlier in the week quietly chuckled in the back of his mind, as if it was saying, "I told you so".

"What? Yeah, I'm fine, Draco." Hermione said, turning to go back the way she was headed.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"Back to my dorm." Hermione answered quickly, and took off at a quick pace, silently wishing he didn't follow her, but silently hoping that he did.

She didn't know what had come over her in those few seconds. He seemed to have some kind of hold over her in those few seconds he had spoken to her. She got lost in his eyes, drowning in their silvery depths, her body melting in his strong hold, her ears filled with the sultriness of his voice, and her lips wanting so desperately to smash into his. What was wrong with her?! Where had these thought come from? She had never in her life thought this way about anyone…well perhaps maybe Ron, but Draco Malfoy was the last person she would have expected. And what exactly was he playing at the night before? Why did he all of a sudden want to be friends with her…a mudblood, a member of the "Golden Trio"? It was all very strange and starting to become a lot to take in. Sure she had talked to him last night and had actually enjoyed herself, but why? She figured she would skip breakfast and think about this later as she decided to prepare herself for the funerals, which would be taking place very shortly. She would be able to think more clearly after all of that was taken care of.

Ginny had woken up after hearing Hermione leaving the room as quietly as possible, but she knew she just needed her space so she let her think that she was still asleep. She was still very tired from the previous night. Her and Harry had stayed up most of the night waiting for Hermione to return back to the dorms. Ginny had spent most of the night laying awake in her bed thinking about her best friend. What happened? Why was she so upset? She knew from past experience not to press Hermione, but she just couldn't stand seeing her best friend so upset and hurt. She knew her brother had something to do with it. Ron was always messing things up. She just couldn't understand how he had so royally messed up thing with Hermione!

Ron Weasley had had a crush on Hermione Granger since they had first started their days at Hogwarts. The first time she had stuck her head in his and Harry's compartment looking for Neville's toad, Trevor, he knew she was different. Her teeth may have been a bit big, her hair might have been exceptionally unruly, and her voice and know-it-all attitude may have been annoying, but he liked it. It was her imperfections that made her perfect. When he came home that summer and told his family all about his first year at Hogwarts he couldn't stop talking about her. Ginny, being a girl herself, knew that Ron was in love with her. She tried to tell him this but he denied it every time, like any other boy would've. She may have only been 11 but she knew love. She had seen it so many times with her parents. Sure they bickered and had their arguments, but it all lead to the love they shared and had spread throughout their home. She hoped that one day she could share a love like theirs with someone of her own, and she hoped and prayed that Ron could have that love too and hopefully with her best friend. Hermione was like the sister she never had but would've loved to have. She made her feel included in everything. Growing up with 6 older brothers always picking on her because she was the only girl was not easy. The only pro to that situation was their protection. She knew that if a boy broke her heart or hurt her in any way, her brothers would have her back, and since Hermione was practically family, she knew they would have her back as well, she was just worried that this time the boy they had to protect her from was a family member.

She knew it was truly love when the Yule Ball came around in her third year; Harry, Ron, and Hermione's fourth. She believed Ron realized it then as well. He was fuming during the Ball when Hermione entered looking absolutely stunning on the arm of Viktor Krum. After their argument, which left Hermione running back to the tower in tears, Ron had yelled at poor Neville for dancing with his sister. It was both a great and terrible night for all of them. Hermione, on the other hand, had realized her feeling for Ron in her sixth year, and boy did they come like a smack in the face. Seeing him with Lavender Brown however was like a punch to the stomach, it completely left her breathless. The boy she was so desperately in love with had blatantly displayed that bint in front of her every chance he got. Even Ginny didn't understand his reasoning at first, but eventually it led Hermione to express her true feelings for him the next year as they shared a tent for months. Ginny didn't know exactly what had transpired during their time on the run as Harry didn't really want to talk about it, but he promised he would in time. The one thing she did know was that it brought them all closer together, and not just the four of them, but everybody. The bond they shared while fighting, had kept everybody sane during those times and knowing that they were still alive and fighting kept everybody alive and fighting alongside them as well. Ginny realized it was time to finally get out of bed as she heard the few voices in the common room getting ready to head down for breakfast. She vowed to find out what had happened between Hermione and Ron, but it would need to be put on hold for the next couple of days to allow them to mourn for those lost during the final battle.

She trudged down the steps as slowly as she could, dreading this day, dressed in black skinny jeans, black trainers, and a black t-shirt she had transfigured from a cheery purple. She saw Harry and Ron sitting on the couch, also adorned in black clothing, but they weren't talking, in fact, they weren't even looking at each other. She was confused at first, but realized that Harry must have found out what happened last night from the stony look on his face. She slowly approached them and looked between the too. Harry looked pissed, while Ron looked so very sorry. Her face softened a bit as she looked at him. She had never seen that expression on her brother's face before. Not even when he had knocked over his mother's favorite vase in the living room when he had been trying to chase after the twins for pulling a nasty prank on him as a child. He looked like he truly regretted whatever he did and as if he would do anything to make it all better again. She slowly made her way in front of Harry and crouched down to be eye level with him. He looked like he was lost in thought but flinched and his hand shot out to grab her wrist when she softly placed her hand on his cheek in a comforting manner. His eyes widened when he realized it was Ginny and he shot up out of his seat, pulling Ginny with him as he still had hold of her wrist.

"Harry…" she said softly, waking him out of his shocked state. She looked down at her wrist then back at his face, seeing him do the same before quickly releasing her and dragging her into a rib-crushing hug, almost as tight as her mother's.

"Oh, Gin. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you. I'm so, so sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you okay? I'm sorry, sweetheart." Harry muttered into her ear, pulling her back and checking her wrist for any sign of a bruise.

"Harry," Ginny said softly. "Look at me." He looked up into her eyes; his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm fine. You didn't even hurt me. But I can't help but ask, are you okay?"

He let go of a long sigh as he finally relaxed, knowing that he hadn't hurt her. He looked at her eyes, seeing her concern, then looked back to the other end of the couch seeing Ron looking at them both. "No." He said angrily. "But I will be at some point." He said sweetly turning back to her. He didn't know why, but seeing Ginny had somehow calmed him and he was happy that he didn't give up on her. He had fought for the freedom and safety of the wizarding world, and she was what kept him going. He wanted the world to be safe for her and he was just happy that he would be able to live in this happy and safe world with her. She reached out and took his hand and cocked her heard towards the door, asking him silently if they should proceed down to breakfast. He nodded slowly and went to wait there for her as she turned towards her brother. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it shit as Ginny raised her hand, silencing him.

"I know you had something to do with Hermione being upset last night, and seeing how Harry is very upset with you, it must've been pretty bad. Now, today is a day for us to mourn those we lost. It's not about what happened, but I promise you Ronald, I will not forget what happened or that look on Hermione's face when she came in last night. I will find out what happened and you will be the one to tell me. For now, I want you to leave Hermione and Harry alone. They are both clearly very upset with you and I strongly encourage you to stay out of their way for the next couple of days. It won't do you any good. Do I make myself clear?" She said, as a calmly as possible. Ron could only meekly nod his head at being reprimanded by his younger sister. "Good. Now, Harry and I are going down to breakfast. Do not leave with us, and do not sit with us. I will talk to you later. Goodbye, Ronald." Ginny said, and turned swiftly on her heel, back towards Harry.

They walked out of the portrait hole silently, their fingers laced together between them, neither of them saying a word. Finally, Harry stopped short and for the second time that morning, pulled Ginny close to him in a hug.

"I love you so much, Gin." He whispered into her hair.

"I love you too, Harry." She said, rubbing his back, calming him down. As much as the suspense of what happened was killing her, she knew it was bad and that Harry needed her right now. So many ideas of what could have occurred were running through her mind but she couldn't dwell on them now. "C'mon," she said, "let's get some food in you." He laughed at her attempt to fatten him up; she was just like her mother. He kissed her sweetly on the cheek and they continued down the staircase in a considerably better mood.

Draco continued down the marble staircase, completely disgusted at how he had acted and also surprised at how his mother acted. He supposed it was a step towards an apology for the way she had acted in the past. Why couldn't he do that? Although, the night before was a step forward but his actions just then were steps in the wrong direction. What was that old muggle saying? Ah yes, one step forward and two steps back. He finally arrived at the Great Hal, still caught up in his thoughts, but scanned the room to look for his mother. He found her sitting with his Aunt Andromeda, along with Blaise and Theo. Damn, Theodore Nott. He still hated the fact the Theo had talked to Granger. How dare he impose on something he wanted! He was a Malfoy after all, and what a Malfoy wanted, a Malfoy would get. He silently cursed himself for thinking that way. He was a changed man, but old habits die hard. How was he going to do this? He was raised to believe certain things and do things differently than others, but now he felt like he was a small boy again, just starting off. His time with Granger last night had taught him a few things. One, they actually had quite a lot of things in common, and two, he would be okay. He thought that he was most definitely done for after what he had been through, but she made him believe that he would be okay and that he could get through this. He was just worried that he had screwed it all up this morning.

"Draco? Draco, sweetheart, are you feeling all right?" He heard his mother saying.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a bit of trouble sleeping last night." Draco said, picking up a piece of toast, trying to avoid the look Blaise was giving him. His friend knew he had gotten in late, and he had a feeling Blaise knew the reason for it. He chanced a quick glance at his friend and saw him smirking. He tried to scowl back but Blaise only quietly chuckled. He couldn't help it as he let his lips curve upwards into a small smile, thinking that maybe things were starting to look up for him. He was about to reach for the pumpkin juice when he felt a small pat on his leg. He looked to his left at his Aunt Andromeda but she only laughed and pointed under the table. Giving her a confused look, Draco looked to where she was pointing and saw under the table, little Teddy sitting on the floor, patting his leg. He laughed and placed his glass back on the table seeing Blaise and Theo looking at him curiously.

"Excuse me." Draco grinned as he slipped quickly under the table.

"What the-" Theo started, looking to where Draco had gone. He saw Draco sit down on the floor, cross-legged next to a little boy. Well, he certainly had changed.

"Hey there, little man." Draco said softly to Teddy. "What are you doing under here?" He picked the little boy up and sat him on his lap, and just like the other night, Teddy changed his hair and eyes to mirror Draco's. He laughed again and promised himself that he would take a trip to the library to figure out more about the ability Teddy possessed. He hopped up and down in his lap and made little gurgling baby noises and Draco couldn't help but smile. No matter what this boy was or whose child it was, he loved him. It was a love he had never felt before and it warmed his heart, and to think, he thought that he would never be able to find love after all he'd been through. It was a good thing little Teddy didn't have to live through those terrible times, but one day he would have to learn about his parents, but Draco vowed that he would let him know how strong and brave they were and that they didn't die in vain, but that they died to make this world a better place for him to grow up in. He didn't know his cousin Nymphadora much, and he didn't particularly care for Remus Lupin, but he would make sure that Teddy knew how great they were. Little Teddy began squirming on Draco's lap and was soon off crawling away from him and boy was he fast! Draco, being nearly six feet tall and underneath a table had trouble keeping up with him.

"Hey, Teddy! Come back here you little rascal." Draco laughed, but he stopped quickly as he saw that Teddy was no longer under the table but was headed fast towards the open doors of the Great Hall. "Shit!" Draco muttered as he crawled as fast as he could on the hard stone floor. As soon as he came out on the other side of the table, he stood up quickly, straightened himself out, shot a nasty look at the few people who were staring at him and ran out the doors, searching for Teddy.

Halfway up to the dorms, Hermione stopped. She knew it would be silly to go back to there, but she was still in shock over what Narcissa had said. There was also the possibility of running into Ron. She turned sharply and began to walk back the way she came. She was just coming down the marble staircase when she saw Malfoy running out of the Great Hall doors and searching frantically for something. He looked up and they locked eyes.

"Granger!" He cried, his eyes panicked.

"Malfoy?" She said curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Teddy!" Was all he can say and he turned in a circle, his hands ready to pull his hair out.

"Teddy? What happened?! What did you do?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him.

"Oh, you're so ready to accuse me of something?" Draco said, stopping cold.

"Well you seem to be the one in a panic so whatever happened can only be your fault." She shot back.

"Well if you must know, I was playing with him under one of the tables when he crawled away from me, rather fast I must add, and next thing I saw was him crawling out of the doors and now I can't find him!" Draco said quickly.

"You let him get away!" Hermione screamed.

"Lower your voice, Granger! People are staring."

"Well don't just stand there! We have to look for him!"

"We? There is no 'we', Granger."

"There is now!" She said, and set off at a run towards the dungeons.

"Oh, bollocks." Draco sighed and ran off after her. "How do you know he crawled down this way?"

"I don't. But seeing as the front doors are locked and I didn't see him crawling up the staircase, it's the only option left. Common sense, Malfoy." She shot at him as she checked behind tapestries and in alcoves. He was about to say something back when they heard a soft giggle coming from an open classroom down the hall. The both stared at each other for a second before they set off at a run towards the noise. Having longer legs, Draco reached the room first and found Teddy sitting in the middle of the dusty, wrecked room. He quickly scooped him up and brushed off any debris, cradling him to his chest.

"Is-he-alright?" Hermione panted out between breathes, finally reaching them.

"Yeah, he seems to be." Draco answered. He rocked the baby gently, rubbing dirt off of his face.

"Good." Hermione said, behind him. He turned to look at her and she picked up where he left off, brushing some dust off of Teddy's pants, and unknowingly brushing some off of his own shirt.

"Um, Granger…"he said awkwardly, staring at her hand on his arm. She looked down and quickly removed her hand before looking at him again. She couldn't tell what the look on his face meant but she said the only thing that came to mind.

"Sorry Mafloy, I didn't think before I touched your perfect pureblood clothes with my Mudblood germs."

"Granger, no." He said.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"Don't call yourself that."

"Call myself what? A Mudblood? It's what I am. Why shouldn't I say it?"

"Because." Draco said, as if that answer was suitable enough.

"That's not an excuse Malfoy."

"Because, Hermione," he started, stepping closer to her. "You're not dirty." He said. All Hermione could do was stare. He had called her by her first name again and he had also just said that he wasn't dirty. She stared into his eyes trying to look for any deception but found none. She hadn't noticed that at the same time his head was moving closer to hers, his lips almost on hers. They were both broken out of their reverie as Teddy giggled once again, clapping his hands. Draco looked down to the small baby in his arms and laughed with him.

"Way to go, Ted." Draco whispered to the boy as Hermione played with his hair as it changed to mirror hers. Teddy looked between the two before placing a hand on each of their cheeks. Again, they were both shown an image similar to the one they were shown the first time.

Hermione stood in a yard, watching young children play as a man came up behind her and placed his arms around her waist. The scene then changed to her and the same man standing in what could only be one of the corridors, next to a window as snow fell outside. She looked up and saw mistletoe hanging above her. She looked back and saw that the man had moved closer. She sucked in a breath as she realized it was Malfoy. Before his lips reached hers, she pulled back away from Teddy.

She looked at Draco and saw that he was also looking at her in shock. "Did you just-" he started.

"Have a vision?" She asked.

"Yeah. It happened to me when I first met him as well, although this time it was slightly different."

"Same here." Hermione said rather shyly now.

"Yeah. Weird." Draco mumbled.

"Well, I guess we should head back now." Hermione piped up.

"Yeah, right." He looked at her one last time; his cheeks slightly tinted pink and then moved around her to head out the open door. Hermione stood there for a second more before following him out the door. They walked back up the hallway in silence, at last reaching the entrance hall. Draco turned to her to say something but was cut off by a rather large yell.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM, HERMIONE?!" came the loud yell of none other than Ron Weasley.

A/N: This isn't as long as I hoped it would be but it's still here nonetheless. Again we see some more of Teddy (as he will be important in the story and he's just too cute not to write about) and the interaction between Draco and Hermione is heating up although we're far from them getting together. Ron on the other hand...well...we'll see how that goes in the next chapter.

On a side note, I've been thinking a lot about this story and I was thinking about splitting it into a couple of parts. I'm thinking about just finishing up this one and ending it after the funerals, skipping the whole reconstruction as I can't think of much to write during that and it would take too long and making a part 2 which will start when their school year begins. Let me know your thoughts on that.

A big thank you to the 3 people who reviewed: BrightestWitchOfHerAge16, HarryPGinnyW4va (whom I've read your story "Love and Forgiveness" and LOVED IT!) and an anonymous reviewer! You guys are the best! Much love to you guys and keep reviewing, it gives me motivation! :)

Songs for this chapter are "Endlessly" by The Cab (For Harry & Ginny) and "Change My Mind" by One Direction (For Draco & Hermione)

Love you all and please review!

~ToriLynn xoxo