I have no announcements to say other than VOTE ON MY PROFILE POLL!

Thank you.

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How do I get to where I've come from, now?
How will I paint this garden I've destroyed, green?
Can I get back to where I've come from?
Cause there are people, who believe in life.
Well how do we get to where we come from?
Peace and love ain't enough these days.
Evolution says time is running out,
We've been here too long..."

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Draco's Choice

The entire Wizarding World quickly learned of the expedition at Bastillo's manor due to the Daily Prophet's crazy headlines. Rita Skeeter had an absolute field day with the knowledge of Ron's death. She once again tried to paint Hermione in an incredibly venomous light saying that she felt nothing at the death of her tragic ex-lover. However, the bigger buzz was the new information that Hermione and Draco were together. In fact, Neville, himself, had given an interview after obtaining permission from both Draco and Hermione. However, this exclusive interview did not involve Rita Skeeter, and it was meant to help repair the image of Hermione. The news of her and Draco's relationship did not seem to warrant positive feedback at first.

Hogwarts's Heartless Banshee or Hogwarts's Juliet

By: Caitlin Finnigan

Everyone knows the famous Muggle story of "Romeo and Juliet". Two Muggle teenagers from opposite feuding families fall in love and end up dying with each other. Well, it has recently been brought into the open that Hermione Granger formerly dubbed "Hogwarts's Heartless Banshee" and Draco Malfoy formerly known as the "Slytherin Sex-God" are pursuing a romantic relationship. The bizarre twist to this Hogwarts fling is that Hermione's ex-husband, Ron, died the other night while teaming up with Draco Malfoy and friends to rescue her. The last time we checked, Hermione had cold-heartedly left Mr. Weasley claiming his status was just not up to par with hers. However, after recent events, one must call the fine works of Rita Skeeter into question, and there is nobody better than a mutual friend of all parties involved to give us those answers. We bring you, dear readers, and exclusive interview with Mr. Neville Longbottom hot off the press:

DP (Daily Prophet): How do you know Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley?

NL (Neville Longbottom): We were all in the same year at Hogwarts. Ron and I shared a dormitory, and Hermione was always eager to be helpful. We were all Gryffindors, except for Draco Malfoy who was a Slytherin. He, alone, was the largest enemy of the Gryffindors.

DP: So you three did not get along with him?

NL: (chuckles) You can say that again. If you told me back then that Draco and Hermione were going to get together, I'd ask if you cast an awry spell.

DP: What changed that?

NL: We have all grown up now, and we've fought a war. We've truly begun to understand the important things in life, and a time consuming feud was just a waste. Draco has changed a lot, and when we all began teaching there together, the three of us instantly clicked.

DP: Was it love at first sight for Draco and Hermione?

NL: No, in fact, Hermione was very wary of him at first. She mistook his kindness as some prank he was pulling on her. It took her a while to even be able to trust him as a friend.

DP: So Draco Malfoy was not the man she allegedly ran off to be with before divorcing Ronald Weasley?

NL: She didn't run off to anyone. She went to her parents' house. The only reason that rumor got started was because Rita Skeeter decided it was time to spice up the story of Hermione Granger a little bit. It was a highly salacious rumor.

DP: Did Hermione choose to divorce Ronald Weasley because he couldn't "keep up" with her fame?

NL: Absolutely not. I cannot divulge all their personal secrets to you but I can tell you that their divorce was not unlike many other witches and wizards of the times. It simply did not work anymore. They figured out they were not meant to be together. It's as simple as that.

DP: But surely something sparked that realization?

NL: Not necessarily. Plenty of good people in the world today grow to realize that their marriage is a mistake and they decide to divorce. It's common. Just because they are two very well-known people does not mean that they can't be normal just like everyone else.

DP: Ron Weasley was often seen throughout the walls of Hogwarts. What was his business there?

NL: The two remained cordial with each other, and since Ron was such a prevalent member of the Auror office, he occasionally had business matters to deal with there, many times with her.

DP: How come Ron said negative things about her in interviews?

NL: (snorts) Don't tell me you believe the garbage of Rita Skeeter! He never said all the horrible stuff! Rita Skeeter twisted some words and just plain made up others. I, for one, do not understand why she is still allowed to write for the Daily Prophet, the Wizarding World's finest informative newspaper.

DP: What are Hermione and Draco's plans for the near future, Mr. Longbottom?

NL: Obviously after the high profile arrest of his father, Draco has been having a hard time coping with the ways of his family. Their relationship is merely casual right now as he is off traveling quite a bunch trying to take care of the Malfoy Estate and his family.

DP: Now for one of the most highly sought after and discussed questions currently in the Wizarding World: is Hermione as heartless as they say she is?

NL: Hermione is the farthest thing from heartless. In fact, her heart is more open than most. Hermione has had to deal with her own shares of heartbreak, and one of them was all the stuff being said about her. In my opinion, she deserves the world's apology, because she is one of the best people around. Ask anyone who truly knows her. She would not hurt a fly, and she definitely would not string some man on as if he was inferior to her.

DP: How about Ronald Weasley? Was he the true culprit in this mess?

NL: Absolutely not. He was cornered by Rita Skeeter, and he really had no way out. He was a brave wizard to the end, and he ultimately died trying to help protect his friends. He would have wanted it that way. We need more Ron Weasleys in this world.

Well there you have it, folks. According to Neville Longbottom, this was just an average problem in an average household blown out of proportion by the media. Obviously, many things are left unsaid, but one thing is for sure, the friends of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley saw a whole different ordeal than the public did.

Draco smirked as he read Neville's final statements about both Ron and Hermione. In truth, it had all been Ron's fault, but he was no longer about to blame him. If Ron would have been faithful to Hermione, Draco would never have gotten to be with her. Neville had said some cheesy things about both which made Draco laugh, but they HAD warned him to toe the line after all. When the news of their relationship initially leaked, the two received lots of scorn and abuse from the rest of the Wizarding World. They direly needed someone close to them to speak in their defense.

Draco was sitting in the sitting room at Malfoy Manor. He had dropped in earlier in the day to check on his mother. His house-elf had written him that she was unwell after learning of the news of Lucius's arrest. Draco was expecting her to be upset and abandoning her socialite duties. However, when he arrived he found her to be completely indisposed. She had been refusing to leave the warm confines of her bedroom.

Draco thought about the conversation he had with his mother and shuttered slightly. He thought she would take on a different view than his father when it came to Hermione. Oh, how wrong he had been:

"Master Narcissa," Karty, the Malfoy Manor's head house-elf wheezed, "Master Draco is here to see you."

"Send him away," she muttered, nearly inaudibly. "I have nothing to say to him."

"Master, please," Karty begged. "Master Draco is very anxious."

"Good," she whispered, coldly. "He knows what it feels like then."

"Mother," Draco said, stepping past Karty who made a move to stop him. Draco put up his hand and gave Karty a threatening look, causing him to sink back into the shadows, unnoticed. "I did not want this to happen."

"Then why did it?" she hissed at him.

"I couldn't have prevented it…"

"Couldn't have prevented it?" she shrieked in an empty voice. She turned to Draco. He recoiled slightly at her ghostly appearance. Her skin was, if possible, whiter than it had been previously. Her makeup was stale, looking as if it was multiple days old. She had obviously not bathed in a while. Overall, she looked gaunt and emaciated, and her piercing stare at Draco told him all he needed to go. She blamed him. "YOU COULD HAVE DONE AS YOU WERE TOLD! IT WAS YOUR DUTY, AND YOU SHIRKED ON IT! YOU CHOSE SOME MUDBLOOD WHO YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN WITH FOR A SHORT TIME OVER YOUR PARENTS WHO BORE AND RAISED YOU, AND THEN YOU STAND HERE UNGRATEFULLY TRYING TO TELL ME THAT THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT? HOW DARE YOU!"

Draco grimaced, accepting her wrath. He had hoped with the core of his entire being that his mother would understand the potential magnitude of Lucius's actions. Unfortunately, his hopes had been all for nothing. She was even angrier than he had imagined.

"He was trying to bring back Lord Voldemort, mother," Draco said, pleading with her to understand his position. "He was also trying to sacrifice me in the process. I no longer believe in the Dark ways. I was not about to sacrifice myself for something I do not want."

"So instead you chose to ignore your duty to this family and your master?" Narcissa Malfoy spat, contempt flooding her face like an ocean.

"Lord Voldemort is dead!" Draco exclaimed, taking a step towards her, trying to lessen the distance between them both physically and emotionally.

"HE CAN COME BACK AS HE PROVED THE OTHER NIGHT!" Narcissa Malfoy sounded like a lunatic who needed serious help. She sounded like her lovely sister Bellatrix Lestrange, a fact that did not go unnoticed by Draco.

"We banished him," Draco said calmly, trying to keep his cool and remember the pain his mother felt at the loss of her husband.

"THEN WE SHOULD CARRY OUT HIS BIDDING AND RALLY WITH THE OTHERS ONCE AGAIN!" Narcissa shouted to the nearly empty room. "WE DIDN'T JUST FOLLOW HIM FOR POWER, DRACO! WE AGREED WITH HIS VIEWS AND OBJECTIVES! NOW THAT HE IS GONE, WE CANNOT ABANDON THEM! WE MUST ROUND UP ONCE AGAIN AND PLAN OUR FORM OF ATTACK!"

Draco firmly believed his mother had gone mad and didn't know what she was saying. His mother no longer seemed to care about him as much as she cared about Lord Voldemort's ways. Back in the times of war, she had put him above everything and had basically switched sides just to be reunited with him.

"Most of the Death Eaters are gone, mother," Draco sighed. "They are either dead or arrested. As you very well know, twelve…"

"Other Death Eaters were rounded up that night also," Narcissa coldly cut in. "I know, you traitor. I thought I was going to die of shame when I read that."

"Mother, times have changed," Draco began, trying to convince her that the Dark Arts were not the way to go. "You must realize."

"I will never turn my back on this family, Draco, no matter what you do, now leave me." She turned away from him, making it crystal clear that she would not acknowledge him anymore. He let out a loud sigh and slowly backed out of the room, silently yearning for his mother to call him back, to tell him she hadn't meant it and she understood why he could not follow his "duty".

The sitting room was cold and severe. Draco had never noticed how uninviting it was before. It almost made him cringe. Even the fire seemed cold and angry. It was as if the entire house was protesting his presence. Draco himself didn't quite understand why he was even bothering to stay in the house. Every part of him was unwelcome by his mother, but then again, he had grown up in this house. Every room contained vivid memories that forever would bind him to this place no matter how unwelcome he was. He dearly wished he could give Hermione the grand tour so she would associate this house with something other than being tortured. Unfortunately, that would be impossible right now. Who knew what his mother might try to do if something like that happened. She'd probably emerge from the confines of her chamber for the first time, only to embark on a crazed rampage and try to murder Hermione. Draco would never expect something like that out of his mother, but then again, his mother had looked as if she wanted to murder Draco just a few moments ago.

What alarmed Draco the most was that he saw no harsh love in his mother's eyes, no soft point that he could cling to. She seemed to be completely hardened against him. It was as if she was trying to cut him out of her life and deny him as her son. Draco felt like his mother's ultimate goal would be pushing him out of the family entirely. He wasn't sure what he wanted more: to be part of this prominent family and accepted or to just start over and put his childhood and upbringing behind him. Either way, he would have to make some colossal sacrifices in the process. He just prayed he wouldn't have to sacrifice his happiness in the end.

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Thanks so much again for staying with me. I'm kind of venturing here into Draco's life, and I definitely need some feedback. Do you guys like this chapter and should I go on a bit? Or should I just shut up and end the story already? Thanks so much for all the help, everyone!

XOXO,

CHRISTINE