A/N: This is it! The last chapter! Woot!
Hermione frowned at McCoy, "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Didn't you get my note? I saw the owl deliver it you at breakfast this morning," he said.
"That… that was from you?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"Who else would it be from? I mean, it's not like it would have been from Malfoy, now would it? We all know you are only friends, so why would you get all gussied up for the likes him?" He gave her a knowing smirk which caused her to glare at him.
"You set this up! You purposefully signed that letter from him-"
"Correction, I only signed it with a 'D'. And my name is Derek, so that wasn't necessarily a lie."
"But still! You knew I'd think it was from him-"
"And why is that? Finally going to come clean and admit that you're dating that scum?"
"Why does it matter to you if we are or not?" Hermione nearly yelled.
"Just admit it. Everyone already suspects anyways, you two aren't fooling anyone."
"Fine," she said with a frustrated sigh, "Yes. We're together."
He glared at her and took a menacing step towards her, "I knew it."
Hermione gulped, and took a step back, only to be met with a cobblestone wall. "You back off right now, McCoy- Derek. Or I'll take away house points."
Derek let out a laugh, "Like I care about something as stupid as house points. No. It's time we taught you lesson so that you know what it means to be with a son of a death eater, once and for all."
"W-w-we?" she stumbled.
He snapped his fingers and his two friends, Ashby and Sullivan, were on the each side of her, grabbing an arm. Ashby fished around her robe pocket and found her wand, tossing it the McCoy.
He twirled it in his fingers for a moment before tossing it to the side and walked even closer to his target.
Ginny thumbed through a magazine on Hermione's couch, waiting until it was time for Harry to come and pick her up, and was happily surprised when there was a knock at the door, a almost an hour before his arrival time.
Ginny opened the door, a smile on her face, and was about to launch herself into her boyfriend's arms, when instead, she took a step back, "Malfoy?"
"Weaslette? You're not Hermione," he said.
"And you're not Harry," she said back.
"Is Hermione here? I came to surprise her for Valentine's Day."
"Um, no. She's off meeting you... at your meeting place?"
"Meeting place? What meeting place?"
"The one from your letter this morning?" said Ginny with a raised brow.
Draco frowned, "I didn't write her a letter. This was all a surprise."
"Then… then who wrote to Hermione and told her to meet by the kitchens at 8?" she asked.
Draco's frown turned into a glare, "I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
Without another word, he turned around and ran off towards the kitchens, Ginny right behind him.
"McCoy, I'm warning you. Back. Off. Now," said Hermione, struggling against his friends restraints.
"No. I don't think I will," he said, nearly nose to nose with her. "You filthy mudblood bitch."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked again, trying to keep her nerves at bay.
"Because!" he snapped, "It's not fair that someone like the likes of Draco Malfoy can get off scott-free but every other branded Death Eater was thrown into Azkaban!"
"Draco was acquitted of charges because he didn't DO anything!" she argued back. "And what he did do, was out of duress!"
"Yeah, same as my father! Who was only following direct orders from You-Know-You! He would have killed him otherwise! It was either kill or be killed!" McCoy said, angry tears threatening to shed.
"Look, I'm sorry if your dad got thrown into Azkaban, but that's not Draco's fault. You can't blame him for-"
"I can, and I will!" he reached behind him and brandished his own wand, aiming it at her "Crucio!"
Hermione let out a scream of pain before she was hit with a silencing spell by one of the other boys. Now she stood there, her mouth agape in pain, but no sound come out. After moment, he released her from the Unforgivable and she sagged, her knees buckling as she panted to catch her breath. She seemed to regain herself, he hit her again with the curse until he saw tears streaming down her face, then finally ended it, once again waiting for her to catch her breath.
McCoy paced in front of her and waited for her to look at him, and when she did, she held his gaze with daggers in her eyes. She mouthed something, but with the silencing spell still on her, he merely laughed and said, "What was that? Can't hear you." He and his friends sniggered when all of a sudden, he was hanging upside down by his ankles, thoroughly confused as to what happened, and dropped his wand in the process.
"Let. Go. Of. Her. NOW!" Draco snarled. He and Ginny had snuck up behind McCoy while they were in the process of torturing Hermione. It was Ginny whose wand was pointed at McCoy while Draco aimed his between Ashby and Sullivan. The two boys glanced between McCoy and Draco and decided to run for it.
"Not so fast," said Draco as he sent ropes from his wand that bound the boys together, making them topple in the process. "I think the Headmistress would like a word with you two."
"It's not our fault!"
"Yeah, Derek made us!"
"You assholes!" yelled McCoy who was still upside, "You were 100% on board with this up until 30 seconds ago!"
Draco ignored the yelling match between McCoy and his cronies and went over to Hermione, who was sitting shakily on her knees in the spot where the two boys dropped her.
"Hermione, are you ok?" asked Draco as he cupped her face in his hands and looked her over.
She sniffled and nodded, opening her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Draco frowned before realizing she was under a spell and pointed his wand at her, letting her speak once again.
"I'm f-f-fine. Just a little shaken up, that's all."
Draco nodded and kissed her forehead, before turning his attention to McCoy. Without a word, he strolled up to the upside boy, threw his fist back, and hit him square in the face.
Obscenities rung through the air as McCoy covered his gushing face with his hands, swinging by the ankle in mid air, much like a punching bag.
"If you ever so much as look at Hermione again, you can bet your arse you will receive more than a broken nose, got it?" Draco seethed before he gave a nod to Ginny, who finally spoke the counter curse, letting McCoy fall to the ground.
The younger Slytherin scrambled to his feet, wiping the blood off his face with his cloak sleeve, breathing heavy as he looked between Draco, Ginny, and Hermione, who was finally standing but leaning against Ginny for support.
Draco just shook head before looking disgusted at him before saying "Ginny, can you go fetch the Headmistress, please."
Ginny nodded and walked Hermione over to him, who put an arm around Hermione's waist to support her. Once she knew her friend was stable, she dashed off to McGonagall's office.
McCoy just glared at the two in front of him, sniffling every now and again until the blood flow from his nose stopped.
"Why'd you do it, McCoy? Beating me up wasn't enough for you, you had go and use an Unforgivable on a woman?" asked Draco.
"I figured if we went for one of the people you cared about the most, that that would hurt you the most," said McCoy finally.
"What, exactly, do you have against me?" asked Draco.
McCoy's glare hardened, "Every single Death Eater was sentenced to Azkaban. Everyone, except you. And why is that, Malfoy?"
"Because I didn't do anything to warrant getting thrown in there! I never killed anyone or used an unforgivable curse, unlike YOU-"
"You let your Death Eater buddies into the castle! With a werewolf! How was that overlooked?"
"It wasn't, you idiot," said Draco. "My family had to help fund the cost for rebuilding the school. I also agreed to make potions for St. Mungo's for free this past summer after the War. The only reason why I am still not paying my debt is because McGonagall invited me back here. However, I have decided that after I graduate, I will resume those duties. It's the least I could do for what my family and so called, what was it you called them? Buddies? Did to the wizarding world.."
Hermione looked up at Draco with warmth in her eyes, "You never told me that," she said.
He looked to her and kissed her forehead, "I figured once we started talking about plans for after Hogwarts, I'd bring it up."
Hermione smiled up at him and stood on her toes to kiss him lightly on the cheek.
Draco turned his attention back to McCoy, "Any more questions as why I didn't get sent to Azkaban?"
McCoy turned his head and looked away before shaking his head.
"Oh, and by the way, even if you don't care about something as silly as house points," Hermione said, "I bet your fellow classmates will. 100 points taken away, from each of you."
Draco winced at the amount, but nodded in agreement.
They heard the familiar footsteps of Headmistresses McGonagall approach them.
"What is the meaning of this?" she said as she scanned her eyes around, noting two boys tied up together and another bleeding from his nose.
Draco and Hermione looked at one another before explaining everything.
The rest of the school term went without issue. McCoy was expelled from Hogwarts and was sentenced 6 months in Azkaban for the use of an Unforgivable Curse. His friends, Ashby and Sullivan, had detention every weekend until the end of the school term.
As for Draco and Hermione, they finally stopped hiding their relationship and could be seen in each others company all throughout the day.
Graduation Day came and went and the group of friends found themselves at the Burrow, the only place that was big enough to hold the festivities.
As friends and family ate and drank, Draco tapped his fork on a goblet to get everyone's attention. "I want to make a toast to the end of an era. No more school!" He received cheers and clapping for those who had graduated along with him and laughter from everyone else. Hermione giggled into her hands though rolled her eyes when he made eye contact with her. "I also have a very important question to ask a very important person in my life," Draco said, his eyes still on Hermione.
Hermione's eyes widened as he walked over to her and got down on one knee.
Whispers swept through the crowed, but Ginny shushed them all so Draco could talk.
"When I was asked to return to Hogwarts to finish school, I never thought in a million years that I'd end up where I am today… friends with Gryffindors…. Reunited with family, be one of the top N.E.W.T. testers at the school, but most importantly… You. That's why, Hermione Jean Granger, I would like it very much if you would, please… " he procured a box from his pocket, about the twice the size of a ring box, "I ask that you open this box."
He smiled at her as she nervously took the box from his hand. She looked at him curiously before shaking the box lightly. He rolled his eyes "Just open it, Granger."
She glanced over to her parents who were smiling and nodding for her to continue.
She undid the big red bow that held the box together and lifted the top. She peered and saw the item inside, letting out a nervous laugh as she pulled out a silver key, with a Gingerbread keychain.
"What… what is this?" she asked.
"That, love, is a key to our new flat. That is, if you want to move in with me?" he asked.
She wrapped the key around her hand as she nodded, leaping into his arms and squeezing him in a tight hug. "Yes, Draco, I'd like that very much."
Everyone around them clapped and cheered, before going back to what they were doing.
Ginny came up to them, "Wow! Moving in together, how exciting!"
Hermione laughed, "I know! For a moment there, I was afraid he was proposing."
Both girls giggled as Draco flashed her his signature smirk, "All in due time, love. All in due time."
Hermione stopped laughing and looked at him, "What?"
Draco just shrugged, put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a cookie, offering it to her, "Gingersnap?"
A/N: And FIN~!
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~Hufflepuff Mommy