"What do you mean she's gone?" Kevin asked slowly, his face riddled with confusion, "Why would she leave?"

Lucius took another forkful of his waffles and chewed them slowly, trying to figure out some new wording that wouldn't offend his grandson, "It's quite simple, really. She apparently thought she was a burden, and left last night."

"What would have given her that idea?" Eloise chattered in a flustered manner.

Shane took a sip of orange juice, then added darkly, "More like who would have given her that idea?"

Three sets of eyes slowly turned to him, and Lucius felt his lip curl into a snarl, "I hadn't talked to the damn girl since dinner last night... Stop looking at me!"

Narcissa giggled under her breath beside him and he shot her a scowl, which she returned with a mere raise of her perfectly shaped eyebrow. He rolled his eyes, then glanced down at his watch, noting the lateness of the hour, and the children had lessons with Severus in ten minutes.

"You're uncle is expecting you in ten minutes," he informed his grandchildren, "and I'm sure none of you are interested in his foul moods when you are late."

Kevin shot his sister a nervous look, and the pair both left the table quickly, even though Eloise still had half of her breakfast left to finish. Perhaps Severus had already shown off some of his famous classroom temper.

Shane remained seated, still staring up at Lucius. He let out a groan, "Is there something you wish to say to me, Shane?"

The boy dropped his spoon into his empty bowl of cereal, a thoughtful expression on his face, "Did you like Aunt Hermione?"

Did he like Hermione? He'd never admit it, but the girl was a treat to have around. Seldom did you find a woman with such a fascinating mind, one that isn't insane. Narcissa is intelligent, but he's given up arguing his point with her years ago, since he knew he would lose. Hermione, however, always seemed ready to debate something, and many nights were spent talking about wizarding history and such.

She was a suitable girl... for a Muggle born.

"She was very intelligent," he finally replied, finishing off the last of his waffles and pushing his plate away. "It's a pity she left."

The boy seemed satisfied, and departed, passing Draco as he hurried out of the dining hall. Lucius watched his son freeze, then glance over his shoulder, pointing curiously at Shane's retreating figure, "Isn't he supposed to be at his lesson?"

"We were discussing something, you see," Lucius stated, somewhat amused at his son's look of curiosity. "It seems Ms. Granger thought she was a burden, and left last night."

Draco's face fell and his shoulders suddenly slumped, "What... She left? Why?"

"I was hoping you could answer that," Lucius chuckled, leaning back in his high-backed wooden chair, his eyes locked onto his son. "Seeing as you were the last person to talk to her."

"I... I..."

Lucius raised his eyebrows as his son began shifting on the spot, something he usually did when he was trying to think, "I... Oh."

"Oh?" Narcissa imitated, her eyes narrowing, "Oh? Draco, what did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything bad, Mother!" Draco insisted, his eyes darting back and forth between his parents, "Honestly... I... We... I didn't do anything bad!"

Apparently what he had done left a mark on Draco, since he rarely was ever at a lose for words, as far as Lucius was concerned.

"You did something to Aunt Hermione?" Annie exploded, causing Lucius to jump; he had forgotten she was still sitting there.

Draco made a face, "Daddy didn't do anything ba-"

Annie shoved herself awkwardly away from the table, then stomped across the room, a scowl on her small face. She shot Draco a feisty look before exiting the room dramatically, which forced Lucius to hold in a snort threatening to escape. His wife set down her utensils and dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin, shaking her head at Draco, "You're just upsetting everyone here, aren't you?"

"Mother..."

Lucius's eyes followed Narcissa as she strode out of the room, no doubt to tend to Annie. Draco let out a frustrated groan and ran a hand through his hair, "I didn't hurt her or anything!"

"What did you do then?" Lucius asked seriously, folding his hands in his lap, "Because it had to have been something to make her want to leave."

Draco began chewing on his lip, his eyes completely unfocused as he drifted from thought to thought. Lucius was always so annoyed when his son did this. It meant he was paying any attention to anything Lucius had to say.

"Floo Lynn and tell her I'm taking the day off," Draco ordered quickly, snatching a piece of uneaten toast off of Eloise's vacated plate and hurrying toward the door.

Lucius rolled his eyes, "Where are you going?"

"I need to find her," Draco said simply, not even stopping to look back at him. With a sigh, Lucius shook his head; the damn fool was in love.

"Annie? Sweetie?" Narcissa knocked gingerly on her granddaughter's door, sticking her head inside, "Are you all right, dearest?"

She spotted the small girl sitting on her bed, Bo at her side, and she was absentmindedly picking the fluff off of her teddy bear.

"Hullo Grandmother," Annie sighed, scooting over when Narcissa entered the room. "Did Daddy make Aunt Hermione go away?"

"No, I don't believe he did," Narcissa admitted, taking a seat beside her on the bed, stroking her long, blonde hair patiently. "When we find out why she left, we'll tell you, all right?"

Narcissa knew what her son was capable of. He had tortured, killed, and hurt so many people during the war, but when it came to family... He would never hurt his family. While Hermione was certainly not family, Narcissa made the effort to treat her as such during her stay. The woman was wonderful with the children, and Narcissa could see they were quite hurt that she had left. Draco would never cause them harm like that.

"How about a nice walk around the manor?" Narcissa suggested, rising off the bed and strolling over to the window, opening it slightly and allowing some of the cool air to filter in. During the fall months, the manor was always so stuffy, it was difficult to get by without keeping several windows open.

"Can Bo come, too?" Annie inquired as Narcissa glided across the room, pulling out a nice blue dress for Annie to wear.

She grinned when she spotted one that was suitable for a young lady on a walk, then glanced back, "Of course... But you must walk him. I think your Grandfather is tired of everyone else doing it."

"Okay," she droned dully, patting her dog's head softly. "He likes going for walks."

The little dog they had purchased in the summer was getting bigger by the day, and Narcissa couldn't remember how many times she had shot a hex close to the silly animal when she walked in on him chewing her furniture. Lucius definitely got an ear full of her complaints, and finally he started reprimanding the dog properly.

"Put this on, and then we can head outside," Narcissa ordered politely, placing the dress on the bed next to Annie, "and do run a brush through your hair, darling... There are a lot of tangles."

"I can't reach the back though," she pouted, sliding off the bed and picking up the dress Narcissa had chosen. "Can Grandfather come on our walk?"

"Do you want him to?"

"Yes!"

"Very well," Narcissa sighed, pushing some stray hairs out of her face, "I'll go ask him if he would like to come while you get dressed."

"Yes, Grandmother."

Oh, the girl was so wonderfully behaved. A proper young Pureblood lady, no doubt.

Narcissa found her husband hovering around his one Muggle hobby he was quite insistent on keeping; ship building. He had countless documents and pictures of Muggle ships plastered on the walls of his workshop in the attic, accompanied by several large and small ship models he had made after he retired from work.

"Darling?" she called, tapping on the open door of his shop.

He looked up from his model and stepped away swiftly, looking a little shamed, "Yes?"

"You know I don't mind you doing something Muggle?" she chuckled, folding her arms, "I like to garden, but you don't see me drop the hose and run inside every time you come out to see me."

She knew he felt ashamed to like anything that was related to Muggles, so every single time she walked in on him building she needed to remind him he needn't worry.

"Annie and I are going for a walk," she informed him, "She's calmed down, and I figured some fresh air would do her good."

"Excellent idea."

"She'd like for you to come along."

"Would she?"

"Yes."

Narcissa smiled as her husband, tucked away a few tools and nodded, "I suppose I could use some air. It's rather stuffy in here, isn't it?"

"I opened some windows on the way up," Narcissa sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Make sure you wear a cloak though... There's a draft outside."

"Noted, dearest."

Narcissa nodded her head, then hurried back downstairs, making one quite stop to grade her warm cloak for their little venture. When she arrived in the front hall, she found Annie stuffing her feet into a pair of shoes, the laces still tied, with some difficulty. She smiled, "Annie, please... Untie your laces before putting on your shoes."

"Why?"

"The backings will stretch out," she informed the young witch, leaning down to help her with her shoes. Annie leaned back and watched as Narcissa's manicured hands got the white laces undone, then slid her feet into the shoes, properly tying them up once again. Once she had finished, Narcissa rose, with some difficulty, to her feet and busied herself fixing Annie's cloak so it hung off her properly.

"Annie," Lucius said sharply as he made his way down the stairs, Bo nipping at his heels with each step. "Please get your pet off and away from my feet."

"He wanted you to go faster," Annie giggled, calling her faithful pet to her side. "You were taking too long."

"Oh, well excuse me," Lucius grumbled under his breath, retrieving his walking cane from the bucket of umbrellas beside the door. Narcissa scoffed at him, almost tempted to remind him at how impatient he was as a child, but she held her tongue.

"Come along then," she ordered, opening the thick door for her granddaughter. As soon as the cool draft filtered in, Bo charged through the opening, dragging Annie along behind him at the end of the leash. Narcissa's eyes widened and she hurried out after her granddaughter, only to let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the small witch giggling shrilly as Bo sniffed a few of the potted plants along the pathway.

"No need to hurry until we hear a scream," Lucius chuckled, stepping outside and tucking her arm around his. "She's fine, Cissa."

"I know," the witch replied, sticking her nose in the air. "A grandmother always worries."

They walked in silence for some time, Narcissa keeping an eye on the small girl who kept running on ahead of her, each time she got farther and farther away. It was difficult not to call her back, but Narcissa resisted. The leaves were falling slowly off the trees around her, and Annie's laughter could be heard for miles as she and Bo rushed through piles of them the house elves had made earlier that morning. It wasn't much of a bother; the servants could do the job again.

"Why do you think she left?" Lucius asked suddenly, his walking cane thumping loudly against the ground with each step, "Were we unkind to her?"

Narcissa shook her head, gripping his arm a little tighter with some of the emotion she had been feeling all morning, "No... No, we were beyond kind."

She instantly missed the other witch when Hermione was no longer in the manor. It was just so nice to have another grown woman to sit and talk with about little things, like house keeping and such. Hermione was a delight to have around, when Narcissa really thought about it. Her personality made up for her lack of blood pureness completely.

"What do you suppose Draco did then?" she whispered, mentally scolding herself for even asking the question, "It must have been horrible."

Lucius grinned cheekily and patted her hand, "I don't think it was horrible, dear."

Narcissa slowly looked up at him and frowned, her eyes slowly widening, "You know something, don't you?"

"Well, I have a theory," he mused, his eyes following Annie as she darted around a few trees. "I think he's very much taken with her."

Taken...

"Oh!" Narcissa cried, a giddy smile crossing her lips, "Oh, do you think, Lucius? Imagine it! Wouldn't it be wonderful?"

"I suppose..."

"It wouldn't matter that she isn't a Pureblood, since all the children are already pure," she prattled. "Oh, Lucius, wouldn't it be wonderful if they got married! He would have a family again!"

"Maybe they would all move out..." Lucius wondered softly, his eyes misting over with possibilities.

Narcissa pinched his arm, "I'm not letting my grandchildren leave already."

They only just arrived! How could he think of sending them away?

"They've been here for nearly two months," Lucius protested, suddenly silencing when Annie appeared out of no where beside them, her hand clutched around something.

She smiled, "Look! Look! A froggy!"

Narcissa wrinkled her nose in disgust when Annie shoved a small frog up for them to see, and she noted Lucius trying very hard to keep his smile on his face, "Very... lovely, dear, maybe you should go put him back."

"I want to keep him, though."

"I think he would be much happier outside."

"Can I keep him?"

"No, Annie."

"But-"

"Annie."

"Fine," Annie grumbled, shooting her grandfather a similar look she had given Draco when she stormed out of the dining hall that morning, "but I'm keeping him for the walk."

"Very well," Lucius muttered, and with that, she took off down the path, keeping a distance between herself and her grandparents.

Fred moved quickly around his shop, replacing the shelves that were running low on items with skill that had taken a few years to perfect. However, his joint shop with his twin was his favourite place to be, besides with his wife-to-be upstairs in their apartment.

The bell suddenly dinged loudly as he finished putting some Peppermint Puke tablets into their proper place, then shoved the box on the top of the shelf, out of sight from costumers. He heard George already shuffling out from behind the register to greet the costumer, until he heard, "Oh... Look what we have here. Come have a look, Fred?"

"What is it?" Fred asked, somewhat amused at his twin's tone, however, when he rounded the corner, he understood why, "Hello, Malfoy."

Draco Malfoy stood in the front of the shop, his cheeks red from the nippy air outside, and his hair a complete mess. He swallowed thickly, "Fred. George. I need to speak with you, and I'm afraid it's urgent."

"Good, because we'd like to speak to you too, Malfoy," Fred hissed dangerously, watching as George walked around the blonde wizard and locked the shop door, turning the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' sharply.

Hermione Granger had come to see them late last night, sobbing at their doorway that she had done something terrible, and muttering it was all his fault. They tried to pry it out of her what had happened, but no matter how many calming potions they slipped in her drink, she'd get all weepy and begin to cry again. Both Katie and Angelina sat with her while Fred and George decided, no doubt, Draco had done something horrid to her, which scared her away.

"I need to find Hermione," Draco blurted as Fred leisurely removed his wand, "I... I need to talk to her."

"Afraid she'll tell something to someone, eh Malfoy?" George pressed, imitating his twin with his wand, "We had a chat with her last night, didn't we, Fred?"

"That we did, George," Fred replied, his eyes narrowing at the younger wizard. "Quite distressed, wasn't she, George?"

"She was indeed, Fred," George replied, shaking his head, then pointing his wand at Draco. "Any idea why she was at our door last night, at nearly eleven, sobbing?"

Draco's face fell and he held up his hands, each one trained on one of the Weasleys wands, "Look... I can explain, but I really need to talk to her first."

Fred snorted loudly, "Like we'd let you go near her. What did you do?"

Draco's eyes flashed dangerously and he adjusted his regal robes, "I did nothing to harm her... I... For Merlin's sake I kissed her, all right?"

Fred's nose wrinkled and his grip on his wand relaxed, but only slightly, "Why would you kiss her?"

It didn't make much sense, in his mind. Why would Malfoy kiss Hermione?

"It's none of your business why I want to kiss her!" Draco exploded, his lip beginning to curl as his anger boiled, "Where is she?"

"If you want to get out of here in one piece, I suggest you answer the question," George growled, "or you can let us test out some of our ... newer products on you. Right, Fred?"

"Right George."

Draco shifted nervously when his eyes landed on a few of their shelves, his eyes widening at the comical labels strapped onto them. He cleared his throat, then mumbled something. Fred smirked, "Speak up, Malfoy... I was a little hard of hearing there."

Draco groaned, and through clenched teeth, he snarled, "I fancy her."

Fred finally lowered his wand and studied the wizard. He did seem visibly flustered that he was not allowed to see Hermione, and he began to wonder if there was truth to his words.

George shot Fred a cautious look and set his wand back in his robes, "How much?"

"What?"

"How much do you fancy her?" Fred ground out, watching his face intently for a reaction.

Draco gulped and looked down, "I... I can't stand her being gone, I've finally realized."

"Do we believe him, Fred?"

"I think we do."

"Let me get her address."

George vanished into the back of the shop, rummaging for a piece of paper loudly. Fred looked Draco dead in the eye, "We're letting you go because we believe you... Don't make us regret it."

"You won't," Draco murmured, his expression stony as ever, "I'm going to find her, and I'm going to look after her, properly."

Fred raised his eyebrows at Draco's wording, and the blonde instantly corrected himself, "I'm going to correct whatever I've done to hurt her."

George reappeared from behind a few shelves, handing Draco a small slip of parchment, "She won't have gone anywhere... If you hurt her..."

"I'll be a perfect gentleman," Draco informed them in all seriousness. "Thank you... You don't know how much this meant to me."

"Yeah yeah..."

He moved sharply out of the shop, not even looking back to say goodbye. When Fred peeked out the window, he noticed Draco was running in the direction of Hermione's flat.

"What... What was that all about?"

Fred looked back at the source of the voice, then sighed weakly, "We need to talk, Harry."

Draco glanced down at the address George had written him once more and frowned; Hermione couldn't live here. This place was disgusting. Deep in the farthest reaches of Knockturn Alley, there was a building that was nearly falling apart where it stood. Yet, this was where he had been sent.

Sighing, he folded the paper up, remembering her flat number, then hurried inside, spotting a door with the staircase symbol above it. She was four floors up, which shouldn't be too much, but considering he was already out of breath from running all the way from the Weasleys shop, he may be in a little bit of trouble. But this was for Hermione. He gritted his teeth and ripped the door open, nearly flying up the first two sets of stairs, then jogging up the last two.

Number thirty-seven... That was her apartment number. He rushed down the narrow, smelly hallway, his determined grin slowly turning into a sneer at the pathetic building. Someone needed to do some serious renovations, soon.

He finally stopped at her door, a million things running through his head. She cried after last night? He hadn't... hurt her? Had he? No, no he was sure he hadn't.
Draco raised his hand and pounded on the door, then took a step back, waiting. He stood in silence for a few moments, until he finally heard locks opening, and the door opened the reveal a very tired, grubby looking Hermione.

Her hair was drawn up in a sloppy bun, her eyes were red, and her clothes were so profoundly Muggle... He just wanted to kiss her.

Her eyes fell upon him and she dropped the cup of coffee she had been clutching, then slammed the door in his face. Shocked, he stood rigidly for a moment, then sprung into action, banging on the door, "Please! Hermione! I'm not going anywhere now... I can tell you're in there!"

"Go away, Draco!"

He groaned, "No! Please, please talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about!"

Other then the fact he had this urge to make everything better between them...

"Of course there is! Hermione, you can't deny it anymore."

There was silence, and when he leaned closer to the door, he heard a muffled sob, "Just go away."

"I will not," he said firmly, leaning against the door. "I'm going to sit here until you let me in."

"I don't want to talk!"

"But I do!"

"So?"

"We can compromise," he suggested. "We can just talk for a little while?"

A little while was all he needed for her.

"This is wrong, Draco," she said meekly, her voice very close to the door, which suggested she too was leaning against it. "We can't do this."

"Do what?"

"This!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding shrill and high, "We can't be. Nothing can happen!"

"Why not!" he demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Hermione, this could work."

"No... No it can't."

"Explain why it can't!"

"Explain why it could!"

He grinned, liking this argumentative side more than ever, "Because I fancy you... And you fancy me."

"... That's not a reason."

"Of course it is," he chuckled, almost feeling her breaking down. "Loads of people get together because of that!"

"But..."

"Please, just let me see you... I can help you understand if we're face to face."

He waited, and for what seemed like decades, he waited some more. Until finally, he felt the door open slightly, and Hermione's voice floated out, "Fine, come in."