So, I finished writing this story yesterday, which isn't to say I'm done posting. I have...four more chapter, I think. I could easily count them, but one of my coworkers and I agreed that I need to slack off more. Oh, if only she knew!

Chapter 21
"Her mother gave this to you?" Harry asked as he examined the ring Draco had received from Jane Granger a week earlier.

Draco nodded. "And Hermione doesn't know," he warned. "Let's try to keep it that way. She's made it clear that I'm not allowed to propose yet."

"Maybe you should let her propose to you," Harry suggested. "We all know you want to marry her, so give her the reins on the engagement. You'll just drive yourself crazy wondering when the right time is."

He glanced at his bespectacled friend dubiously. "But I'm the guy," he stated. "That's my job."

Harry grinned. "I don't think it makes you any less of a man if your girlfriend pops the question."

But a frown still marred the blond's pointed face. "Can I ask you something?"

Harry sighed. "No, I won't make fun of you if it does turn out that she proposed to you," he vowed. "And yes, I'll be your best man."

Draco shook his head. "No, but thanks," he replied. "You've met her parents, right?"

"Once or twice," Harry said, trying to recall the last time he had seen them. "I think they stopped taking her to Diagon Alley for school supplies around third year. That was the only time I ever saw them. Hermione and I grew up in the same town, but her father insisted on a magic-free home."

"The tracker and laws would have prevented her from doing magic," Draco pointed out.

Harry shook his head. "No, I mean he didn't want her talking about magic at all, and that included any mention of the Weasleys or me."

"Lock her in a cupboard, and the two of you had the same upbringing," Draco muttered.

"Yeah, but I always got the impression that they loved her," Harry replied. "That's where we differed."

Draco sighed tiredly. "Yeah, well, right now she's convinced her father doesn't anymore," he said. "The Hermione we know and love has called out of work sick all week. She's just not herself, and I don't know what to do to help her. Family isn't exactly my forte."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Not mine either," he replied. "I hate to say it, but I think talking to one of the Weasleys might help her. No one knows family like they do."

"The only problem is convincing her to talk to them," Draco pointed out. "They haven't exactly reached out to her since the break up."

"And she hasn't made an effort to see them either," Harry countered. "Ginny sort of blames you for that."

The very idea that he would keep her from her friends hurt. "You know I wouldn't do that," Draco said.

Harry patted his friend's shoulder. "I know that and you know that and Hermione knows that," he assured him. "Ginny is another matter. Sometimes she gets these ideas in her head and there's no changing her mind. The Weasleys are a loving, but stubborn bunch. I don't know what it'll take to change their minds about you."

Draco shrugged. "Maybe I could talk to Ron," he suggested uncertainly. "Clear the air a bit. Think that could help?"

Harry eyed him dubiously. "You want to talk to Ron?" he asked. Draco nodded slowly. "No name calling? No dueling? Just talking?"

With a roll of his eyes, Draco nodded impatiently. "Yes, Harry. I want to talk to him," he stated. "What's so confusing about that?"

The Boy Who Lived laughed. "You two hate each other, and you're suggesting you talk like two gentlemen," he commented. "That's funny to me. Can I be there when you suggest it to Hermione? I want to see her face. Maybe it'll bring her out of this funk she's in."

A scowl marred his friend's face as Harry continued to laugh. Despite Ron's pleas for friendship, both men knew he had done nothing to get back in her good graces. Draco was a hot button topic between the pair, and Ron's stubbornness to give him a chance was what continued to keep them apart. If he and Draco could come to some sort of understanding, then perhaps he stood a chance of winning Hermione's friendship back, and Hermione, in turn, could have the Weasley family once more.

"So, you don't think it'll help?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged. "Hard to say," he replied. "Ron talks about how much he misses her, but he also blames you for their break up. Like he had no hand in it. Well, he paid no attention to her, so maybe that's why he thinks that."

Draco leaned back on Harry's sofa. "Maybe I am to blame," he said, rubbing his tired eyes. "I knew she was with him, but I continued to push her to move in with me. Maybe they'd still be together if she'd stayed at the Burrow."

"Yeah, and she'd still be unhappy," Harry pointed out. "She's been my best friend for about half my life, and I've never seen her as happy as I have now that the two of you are together. This thing with her parents is a setback, but if it hadn't been for you she might have gone the rest of her life trying to find them. She's better off with you, mate."

"I appreciate that, but your opinion means nothing if she doesn't feel the same way," Draco stated.

Dark brows furrowed. "Why wouldn't she feel the same way?" Harry wondered.

Draco shrugged and looked away. "Things have been different between us since we started dating," he explained. "We talked about it in Australia, and I figured we would go back to the way we had been before. But then we found her parents, and her father wasn't happy, and she's been depressed. I don't know, I just sometimes feel like maybe we should have stayed friends."

Harry shook his head. "You don't mean that," he said.

"I know I don't," the blond muttered.

"And you know she doesn't want that either," Harry stated.

Draco frowned. "I know that too."

"Okay, then," Harry said. "Quit moping around my house. If you want to talk to Ron, clear the air with him, I support you. I'll go with you. Act as a mediator of sorts. Hermione won't be able to appreciate your effort if Ron kills you."

Draco got to his feet and crossed the room to the fireplace. "Oh, I don't know. I've heard people respect martyrs," he commented wryly.

"Only when the martyr is me," Harry countered with a smile. "So, I'll talk to Ron, arrange a time for the two of you to meet?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Harry."

"That's what friends are for, Draco."