The door to the hospital room creaked open, revealing a man with dishevelled black hair and a lightning scar on his forehead. He closed the door with a small click and casted a quick Muffliato with a flick of his wand. Turning around, he took in the sight before him. There Hermione was, lying unconscious on the plain white sheets lining the hospital bed looking better than when he saw her in Voldemort's clutches. Better, but still not in any way healthy. The almost healed bruises stood out against her pale complexion. Pale – a word Harry would use to describe the man sleeping beside Hermione. He was seated in an uncomfortable looking chair, and had his head right next to her forearm with his slender fingers laced with hers.

Harry did not know what to make of it. If somebody told him a few days ago that Malfoy cared for his best friend, he would have laughed and patted the person on the back. What a joke. It was impossible. But looking at them now, he could not deny it. Harry knew Malfoy had accompanied Hermione to St. Mungo's and never left her side since. He did not look too good to Harry either. Sure, he was conscious and was not hanging by a thread, but Merlin, he was paler than Harry ever remembered. Dark circles hung under his eyes and he just looked completely drained of energy. And yet, here he was in the hospital when he could be at home in his manor where he could sleep on what Harry assumed to be the world's most comfortable bed.

Shaking his head in efforts to clear his thoughts and bring himself back to the reason he was here, he took silent steps towards the pair. He looked down at Hermione and sighed. Brushing a stray curl away from her face, he whispered, "Please wake up, Hermione. You –"

Harry felt the tip of a wand poking into his chest. Looking up, he saw Malfoy with wide eyes and a tight jaw.

"Keep your hands off her!" said Draco in a dangerously low voice.

"And what –"

"When I returned to England, who was with you when you talked to me, and what was our conversation about?" interrupted Draco with his eyes firmly fixed on Harry's.

"Merlin, Malfoy. It's me. Harry Potter from Hogwarts," said Harry.

"Answer me, damn it!"

Draco pushed his wand harder into Harry's chest. Harry put his hand up and surrendered.

"Ginny and Ron. We were asking you when you returned to England," Harry said. Draco visibly relaxed and lowered his wand.

"Precautions," Draco simply said. He sat back down on the chair and gazed at Granger. He was about to hold her hand, but stopped when Harry cleared his throat. He allowed his eyes to linger on her small hand for awhile before looking at Harry, who was now beside him instead of being on the other side of Hermione.

"What do you want, Potter?" asked Draco as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Harry noticed the way he was looking at Hermione and the longing to hold her hand was evident in his eyes. But Harry decided not to mention it. Well, not yet.

"The Ministry needs to know what happened and since Hermione is unconscious, you're the only one left," Harry said.

"Can't this wait till she wakes up?" Draco grunted.

"I'm afraid not."

Draco shrugged his shoulders and his eyes fell on Hermione once more. Then, he spoke.

"Nott gave her a present as a token of apology and I delivered it to her. Merlin, I swear I checked for any traces of Dark Magic before even bringing it to her house."

Harry had no qualms about that. He believed Malfoy.

"She checked, too. When she opened it, I guess we were both drawn to the quill that lay within the box. We touched it at the same time and it was as if we were being Apparated somewhere."

"Something like a portkey?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, like that. When we got our footing, Bellatrix was there." Draco recalled the day he saw her, and she was completely opposite of dead. Her hair was alive and the madness within her oozed out of every pore. Her eyes, sweet Salazar, her eyes shone with a hunger to kill. Draco shuddered. He never wanted to see her again.

"But she's dead!" cried Harry. Bellatrix could not be alive. Molly had killed her! Draco rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"Potter, if you want a statement, I suggest you just shut it and listen," Draco replied hotly. God, Draco was exhausted. And more than that, he was worried about Granger. Potter could not have picked a better time to come for a statement. Can the Ministry not wait for a few days? It was only yesterday where Draco and Hermione returned to the real world.

"And last I checked, Voldemort was dead as well," continued Draco.

"It doesn't make any sense!"

"It would make sense if you stop interrupting me!"

"Sorry, Malfoy. It's just all very strange and baffling to me. And Hermione...," Harry grimaced, guilt written all over his face. He lowered himself into a chair beside Draco.

Great, thought Draco, the hero complex and all that guilt. He did not need that from Potter. He wanted to blame Harry. Had he been more considerate and less of a sodding prick, none of this would have happened and Hermione would not have been in this sickening hospital bed. But he knew it was not Harry's fault. Either way, Nott would have brought that damn quill to Hermione by hook or by crook. It was a blessing, Draco supposed, that she was in his dungeons and not someone else's. He could not imagine being in that blasted place alone, what more picturing Hermione being there alone. But he did not have to think about it because he was with her, and now they were both safe. That was all that mattered. Pulling himself out of his inner musings, he addressed Harry.

"She'll wake up, Potter. It's Granger. She doesn't go down without a fight."

You better wake up, Hermione. We didn't go through all that to have you sleep for the rest of your life.

Harry was taken aback by the optimism in his voice, but he did not miss the adoration laced in Malfoy's words. And he was at a lost as to how to deal with this Malfoy who was a huge contrast to the boy he grew up with.

"As I was trying to explain, Voldemort created this other world for him to recuperate after you killed him. When he created that world, he killed off most of the members of the Order of the Phoenix," said Draco.

"Wait, what happened with Bellatrix then?"

"I killed her," said Draco flippantly. She deserved to be dead anyway, he thought. Harry did not know how to react. He was glad that Bellatrix was dead, again, but the way Draco said it sent chills down his spine. They were related, after all.

"I know what you're thinking, Potter. She may be my aunt, but only in blood. Nothing more than that. And blood, well, it's the least of my concerns now," said Draco. Harry understood what he meant when he said that, and again, he believed Malfoy. Don't be daft, Harry. You know why you believe him. You see it in the way he looks at her, chided a little voice in Harry's head.

"Then what happened after that?"

"I impersonated her using Polyjuice. And I went to one to the Death Eater meeting where I learnt about that world and how it came to be. Then, I found out there were two more Horcruxes," said Draco. A look of horror dawned on Harry's face.

"Two more? Merlin," Harry spluttered. To split your soul into two was crazy enough, and he accepted the fact that Voldemort wanted immortality so much to split his soul into seven different parts. Well, eight, counting Harry himself. But ten different parts? A horrible feeling settled in the pits of Harry's stomach. It was disgusting, really.

"Tell me you destroyed it," pleaded Harry. Two more Horcruxes were not part of his plan.

"They've both been destroyed. She told me all about the Horcruxes and how to destroy them. We got hold of some basilisk fangs."

Draco brought his hand towards Hermione's and held it gently. He did not give a rat's arse about the presence of the Harry in the room. Something twisted in Harry's heart. This man really did care for his best friend. He stared at the way Malfoy's thumb drew circles on the back of her hand and the way his eyes held so much, dare he say it, love for Hermione. He coughed uncomfortably, while Draco paid him no mind. He kept his eyes on Hermione as he spoke.

"After we found the Horcruxes, she arranged for herself to get caught! Without even discussing it with me! It was so bloody infuriating, I swear. I didn't want to let her get caught. We could have Apparated out of there in time, but she had this ridiculous bravery and I... well, I trusted her judgement," said Draco. He recalled the inner turmoil he felt when they Apparated to the middle of the Forbidden Forest. He was shocked and angry. But more than that, he was scared. Scared for her life. What a half-arsed plan.

"You let her get caught? What the hell were you thinking!" Harry raged.

"We had no other choice! And I protected her to the best of my abilities! Did you think it was easy for me to watch her get dragged away into the dungeons? That I enjoyed the fact that she was getting the worst possible treatment from the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself? Did you expect me to revel in the fact that every single time I secretly visited her, I would see her bruised and hurt, bleeding and cut open in different places? Don't you dare for one second think that I wasn't thinking because I was! I was doing everything I could to help her and this sodding wizarding world. And let me tell you, Potter, that I don't give a shit about the latter. I did it all for her. Because this and all you bloody Gryffindors are important to her, and she is important to me!" said Draco, his voice getting louder with every sentence.

He looked hard at Harry, panting from the long outburst.

"But –"

"Shut it, Potter. You know her. She plans well and she doesn't do things like that without thinking it through. I did what I could in an unfavourable situation. It was horrible, yes, but don't you ever assume I threw her to the wolves and left her to her own devices. You can never comprehend what she and I went through."

And what I went through on the nights where I couldn't visit her, Draco continued in his head. There was a pregnant pause. Harry did not know what to say and Draco was just slowing down his erratic breathing.

The nerve of this man! Insinuating that I wasn't thinking about Hermione's best interest!

"Hermione and you. How did that happen?" asked Harry. Curiosity got the best of him.

"I don't believe that's why you're here. So get on with getting the statement, then get the hell out or I'll throw you out myself."

"Fine." Harry relented.

"What else happened after that?"

"The merging process took place. You were there for all that. I don't have to explain that."

"What about Nott?"

"Dead," said Draco with a blank face.

"And what happened to the other world?"

"Probably gone by now. Like it never existed."

"Right. I suppose that will be enough for the Ministry for now. But they'll want details later on," said Harry. He stood up and offered Draco his hand. Draco stared at the outstretched hand, considering for once second not to shake it., but then he stuck out his hand and offered a firm shake.

"Thank you, Malfoy. Really," said Harry earnestly.

"I don't have to be thanked for caring for her. But you're welcome," replied Draco. Harry wanted to ask so much more. He wanted, no, he needed to know what Malfoy's intentions were. He could not let anyone hurt Hermione. She was like a sister he never had. He pressed a kiss to Hermione's forehead and promised to visit again, spun around and walked towards the door. He did not want to further question Malfoy for now, and staying and watching the way he looked at her would just feed his curiosity. But Draco called his name, and he turned around.

"Do you have news of my father and Snape? The one from the other world?" Draco asked solemnly.

"The Ministry plans to execute those who are already dead in this world. That meaning your father as well as Snape. Everyone else would have somewhat merged with their counterparts, though I doubt there were any, seeing as most of the Death Eaters had already been rounded up and executed prior to this," said Harry.

"Snape was good. He helped me, you know? He helped her," said Draco.

"I'll see what I can do about that," replied Harry, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

Draco nodded.

"Thanks, Potter," muttered Draco. He, too knew that there was little that could be done. They were not of this world and despite Snape's loyalty to the Order, it was more than likely that he would be executed. He turned away from Harry and returned his attention to Hermione. He looked at her sleeping figure. She was small. Her brown hair was fanned across the pillow and around her face. She looked peaceful and he hoped she felt peaceful in her slumber.

Harry cleared his throat.

"What, Potter? I thought you were leaving," Draco barked. Harry stalked back towards Draco.

"Look, she's my best friend. And all of a sudden, you're here and you care for her, and I can't make sense of it. So just enlighten me. Because she's important to me, just like she's important to you," said Harry. Draco looked up at the boy who lived.

"What do you want to know?"

"H-How did you come to care for her?"

"We were thrown in this crazy world where nothing made sense. And we only had each other. I found comfort in her, and I hope she found it in me. Let me tell you, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies with her. We fought a lot, argued to the high heavens, but she was there. That world was just so bleak and dull and horrid, you cannot imagine it. But she was like daylight in an endless bout of darkness. Do you understand, Potter?"

Draco had her hand captured between his. His eyes glistened. Hermione, please wake up. Please.

"You love her?" asked Harry.

"I do. I haven't told her yet, but I do," admitted Draco. What sort of question was that? It was a no brainer.

Harry was floored."And what about her? Does she love you?"

Draco froze for a second.

"I don't know," he muttered. Did it matter? He loved her and that was that. Harry noticed his hesitation. The world must have gone barmy because Harry felt bad for the man.

"Like you said, she'll wake up. Then, you'll find out."

Draco did not respond.

"Thanks again, Malfoy," said Harry and he hurried out of the room. Draco Malfoy loved Hermione Granger. And if her feelings were mutual, Harry swore to himself that we would stand by her and her decision. God only knows Ron will throw a fit.

Three days have passed since Harry met Draco in the hospital. In those three days, Draco never really left Hermione's side. He went home twice a day to shower and that was it. The rest of the time was spent in the hospital with Hermione. He even took his meals by her bedside. He talked to her and brushed out her hair sometimes. Other times, he would read something to her. Most of the time, he just stared at her and willed her to wake up. The Healers said she would wake up soon. They said it two days ago.

The medical staffs have gotten used to Draco's presence. Even her friends, who visited every day, sometimes twice a day, were used to it. Her parents never came though, and he wondered if they even knew.

Whenever she had a visitor, he would excuse himself to go home and take a shower. He always returned before they left, but he stood by the corner of the room while they talked to her. They would give him a nod of acknowledgement when they left, and he would go back to his chair.

Last night was different though.

He Apparated into the hospital room with a quiet pop. Hermione's visitors were still there. The Weasley matriarch and Ginny Weasley were telling her about what the boys have been up to. He tuned them out as he walked to his corner of the room. He did not want to pry.

"Malfoy," called Ginny.

He looked at her expectantly.

"You don't have to stay in that corner, dear boy! Come sit with us," said Molly Weasley, beckoning him with her hand. He stood there stunned for a moment.

"That's alright, Mrs. Weasley. I don't want to intrude," he said.

"Come on, Malfoy. We're not blind. And Harry told mum and I anyway," said Ginny.

"He what?"

"Even if he didn't tell us, it's not difficult to see. Now come and join us, and tell us all about your budding romance," said Molly. Draco was horrified. Budding romance? Since when did this become some sappy love story!

Ginny let out a laugh.

"Mum, you're traumatising Malfoy," said Ginny.

"Oh, what nonsense. Look at the way he looks at her! Merlin knows Hermione deserves a man who looks at her like that," replied Molly.

Draco just stood there dumbfounded.

"Look, Malfoy. It was a little shocking, but I remember that you saved her and brought her home. But it's not hard to accept. So just get your arse here!" Ginny said.

"Language, Ginevra!"

Ginny rolled her eyes before looking at Malfoy. He took one step towards them, then another. And before he knew it, he was in his usual chair, with Molly and Ginny Weasley talking to him and asking him questions about Hermione.

They talked for about two hours, and he actually had a pleasant time with them. They made him feel welcomed, like he was part of their lives now. If he were being honest, he probably would not mind having them in his life. It was a package, after all. Hermione and all her friends. He would not, and could not make her choose between him and her friends and family. That's if she even loves you, betrayed the voice in his head.

Draco grimaced. It was true though. Now that they were back in the real world, things could change, right? It was funny how they started off as childhood enemies. Then, he saved her. But they got thrown into this hell hole against their wishes, and they survived. And in between all that, he managed to fall for her. Initially, he kept telling himself that it was only because they were stuck in a dangerous unknown place, and only had each other. But who was he kidding? He really did fall for her. Granger, however, was a different story. Because she now had her friends and he was merely the guy who was by her side through all that horror.

Outside, walking along the hospital corridors were Ron and Ginny.

"Come on, Ron! She's fine. We'll visit her when she wakes up," said Ginny as she tried to catch up with her brother's long strides.

"I just want to see her! She's family," said Ron as he approached the door to Hermione's room. His hand grasped the door knob and twisted it. Ginny groaned. This was not going to end well. Ron peeked his head into the room and blanched at the sight of Malfoy stroking her cheek.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing?" screamed Ron. Ginny scrambled into the room and shut the door in time to see Malfoy's look of surprise at the sudden outburst.

"What do you think I'm doing, Weasley?" drawled Draco.

"Keep your bloody hands off her!"

"Honestly, Ron! Would you just calm down!" cried Ginny.

Ron gaped.

"What's going on here? What do you know what I don't know?" he asked, his eyes darting dangerously between Ginny, Draco and Hermione.

"Harry and I were going to tell you tonight."

"Tell me what?"

"Isn't it obvious. I'm here with Granger, and I've been here ever since we returned to this world," said Draco.

"Are you trying to tell me –"

"Could you be any slower, Weasley? Honestly, if you and your sister didn't have the same hair colour and complexion, I'd never think you were related."

Ginny stifled a giggle.

"Yes, Weasley. I'm telling you that I have come to care for Granger."

"Don't give me that sort of rubbish. You, Draco Malfoy, care for Hermione Granger? That's the bloody joke of the century. Now, really. What are you doing here? You don't fancy being thrown out on your arse, do you?" Ron scoffed.

Ron's words infuriated Draco. He cared for her! He genuinely cared and loved her. Who was Weasley to judge him and doubt his feelings?

"Don't you dare continue spouting out that load of shit, Weasley," Draco warned.

"Come on, Ron. Let's go!"

"No. I'm staying until I get a bloody explanation from him!" said Ron as he jabbed his finger in Draco's direction.

"Sweet Salazar. I love her! Get that in that bloody thick head of yours. Honestly, I thought Potter was bad, and here you are throwing a fit like the little weasel you are!" Draco fumed. He admitted his feelings for Hermione to everyone, except Hermione herself. And God, all he wanted was to tell her that he loved her.

"You what?"

"Are you deaf, Weasley?" Draco asked Ron.

"Is your brother hard of hearing?" he asked Ginny.

"That's.. that's not possible," said Ron.

"Believe what you will. I love Hermione and that's that. I don't care what you think. Now, get out before I throw you out the Muggle way," said Draco dangerously. Ron just stood there with his eyes wide and mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. Ginny just tugged at him and led him towards the door in his stupor. She opened the door, shoved Ron out, mouthed a 'sorry' at Draco and closed the door as she left the room.

"I made Weasley speechless, Granger; aren't you proud?" he said to her softly. He entwined his fingers with hers and pressed his lips to the soft skin of the dorsum of her hand. He then rested his forehead on her forearm.

"I love you, Hermione Granger. Who would've thought, eh?" he muttered into the mattress and closed his eyes.

Hermione stirred and blinked once, twice. And her eyes were fully open. Looking around, she saw that she was in a hospital. Feeling a weight on her left arm, she looked at it only to find a head of striking blonde hair resting on her. She cleared her throat. Draco bolted upright.

"Granger! Oh thank Merlin!" said Draco. He stood up and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Let me get the Healers and tell your friends!"

"No! Wait!" she said, tugging on his hand.

"They need to check on you, Granger. And your friends have been worried!"

"You can call them later. I could feel everything happening around me when I was unconscious. All that probing from the Healers isn't very pleasant," said Hermione.

"You have ten minutes before I call them," Draco said as he lowered himself back into the chair.

She smiled.

"So, everything's back to normal? Baldy's dead and gone?"

Draco chuckled. What a nickname for Voldemort.

"Voldemort is dead, yes. There's no need for Baldy anymore."

He continued to tell her everything that happened ever since they came back to this world right up till Ron's unexpected visit.

"So that really was Ron. I thought I was hearing things," said Hermione.

"He was here just a few minutes ago," replied Draco.

"I heard something else, too."

"I don't think there was anyone else besides Weasley who was screaming bloody murder. Maybe you really are hearing things, Granger," he teased.

"No. I...I heard you say that you loved me," she whispered.

Draco was stunned into silence and he refused to look at her. This was not how he wanted her to find out! He wanted to sit her down when she was out of the hospital and tell her how he felt, that being back in this world did not change the way he felt about her.

"Say something, Draco," Hermione urged.

There she was again saying his name. It rolled off her tongue perfectly and it just broke any resolve he had.

"Look, Hermione. I love you. And I've known for quite awhile now that I love you," he said as he finally fixed his gaze on her. She was silent. He took her hands in his and continued, his eyes trained on their intertwined fingers.

"I love you with every selfish cell in my body, and for that, I love you dangerously. I fear you may never feel the same way, especially with our past and the people that care about you. Loving you is a risk, Hermione, because there are people who are still bigoted and prejudiced, and they will harm you. But it's a risk that I'm more than willing to take and I will protect you to the best of my abilities."

He knew it was not the right time to be honest to her about his feelings, but he had to let her know. Better to have told her and face the rejection, than to live everyday of his life wondering what would have happened if he was honest. He looked up at her and there were tears in her eyes. And now, he knew. She was feeling sorry for him, because he saved her life so many times and she felt like she was in his debt.

Typical Granger.

What she did not know was she saved him from himself.

"Malfoy –"

"No, wait. Let me finish. I love you, but it doesn't mean that you're obliged to feel the same way. I will never force my feelings on you. And just because we went through hell together, it doesn't mean you're left with no choice but to love me. Do you understand that, Granger? You'll always have a choice with me," he said as he caressed her cheek and wiped away a tear.

Pulling himself together, he gave her another soft kiss on her forehead. This was him letting her know that she was not in his debt. He would have saved her life a million times over and not expect her to feel the same way he did. He started to pull his hand away from hers to get the Healers. This was it, this was his goodbye. Steeling his face into a mask of indifference, he gave Hermione the most genuine smile he could offer. After all, he wanted her to remember him this way.

"Don't you dare do what I think you're doing, Draco Malfoy! You silly, silly man!" Hermione cried as she stopped him from walking away.

Wait, what? Draco was confused.

"For someone so smart, you're pretty daft, Malfoy."

She pulled him closer until he was seated on her bed.

Does she mean what I think she means? Could she really?

"My turn to talk," Hermione said.

"I'm listening."

"Loving someone is a choice, right?" she asked.

He nodded.

"And despite what people think, loving someone is in the mind, not in the heart. Look at Muggles who undergo heart transplants. They don't stop loving someone when they get a new heart. See, it's in our brains. And, Draco, I love you too. Loving you is my choice."

She took his hands in hers and searched his eyes.

"I don't love you because you saved my life. If that was the case, I must be in love with more than one person, but I'm not. It's just you. It's going to be hard. People will judge us, I know. Like you said, there are others who are still prejudiced against people like me. And people who are prejudiced against you will make it difficult. But my brain, heart and soul chose you. Love comes in many forms, don't you think? It came to me in the form of this blonde haired man who thinks I could never love him in a world like this. And he couldn't be more wrong," she said. Her eyes shone brightly. His emotions were on an all time high and damn, he felt happier than he has ever been. She loved him!

"Merlin, Granger. Was that a wedding vow or what?" he joked. A melodious laugh escaped her lips.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Malfoy. Now how about calling the Healer? I want to get out of this place!" She playfully smacked his thigh.

"Back to my place then?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"The Healer, Malfoy," Hermione said, ignoring his remark and praying to a higher being that a blush did not creep up her cheeks.

"Just you wait, Granger. My place will be your place, too someday. Just you wait," he said, and he meant it. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her as long as she wanted it as well. He gave her a peck on her lips and went to get the Healer, the whole time thinking about how she has lit up his world where darkness used to be his constant companion.

Author's note: We're at the end! Bitter sweet, this is. I'm sad that this is the end, but I'm just so glad that I even wrote this and got this far. Don't worry, there's the epilogue left! I hope you enjoy this final chapter before the epilogue. A HUGE thanks to my beta, Christine, who catches all my errors to make this story better. Couldn't have done it so well without her help. With that being said, your reviews and opinions are most definitely appreciated! xx

Aerinn Gwen.