AN: Sorry it's been a couple weeks. I've not been feeling well at all.

I love all of your reviews. They make me smile even when my head is throbbing. Someone asked me how many chapters there will be in total. It's 35 chapters, which means we are almost there!

As always, big thanks to Bex. : )

The Journal

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Draco stood by the window, watching the storm roll through. It had hit suddenly in the early morning hours. It was past midday and it was finally starting to lift.

He looked anxiously at the journal for probably the thousandth time that day. Still no new message.

He twirled the ring around on his finger anxiously. She was ok, he told himself. She had to be. If not, he would have known.

Behind him, Blaise, Harry, Luna, Theo, and Oliver Wood sat around the conference room table discussing their progress, or lack thereof, while eating a lunch of sandwiches and chips that had been provided by the Ministry.

"Draco, mate, you need to eat something." Theo called out to him.

He sighed deeply and lowered himself into a chair. He picked at the food in front of him, eating little bites here and there. And he stared at the journal, willing it to start glowing with a new message. It had been eighteen hours since his last communication with her. Not that he was counting or anything.

"Nothing yet?" Potter asked as he, too, eyed the leather bound book that was lying on the table.

He didn't feel the need to answer such an asinine question so instead he continued to pick at his food.

In the last two days the group at the table had visited every member of the Weasley family. They had gone to every location that Ron Weasley had ever been known to frequent. They had even contacted Professor Tralawny to see if she could foresee Hermione's location.

All their efforts had come up empty. There was no trace of Ron Weasley or Hermione Granger anywhere.

Blaise asked the obvious question, "so what's our next move, then?"

No one had an answer.

The group began to disperse. Harry and Luna decided to check the Burrow again. Theo and Blaise decided to revisit the rest of the Weasley family members. And Oliver went to talk to some old Gryffindor housemates to see if any of them had seen Ron recently.

Draco remained in the conference room, feeling useless and exhausted. He sat staring at the journal. Slowly, his eyes drifted shut and his head fell forward to rest against the table.

He awoke hours later to find the room was dark, and the journal was still silent.

—-

Ron watched her as she slept. She had been sleeping for hours. Occasionally her body would shake or her arms would flail. It was concerning. He felt there were things she wasn't telling him about her health. This was something worse than being sick. It had to be.

He mulled over the conversation they had that morning. She wanted him to turn himself in, to get help for himself, yet she downplayed the help she needed.

That was the Hermione he had fallen in love with. The selfless girl that had taken care of him and Harry during school and during the war. The brave woman that had withstood torture at the hands of a psychopath and never once cracked. The woman that had kissed him for worrying about the welfare of house elves.

What had he done? He had put this magnificent creature in a cage.

He tried to release her. He willed himself to open the door.

He couldn't do it. Something was stopping him.

He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

Hermione had said it was like the imperious but different. With the imperious, an instruction would have been given like "Do not open the cell door."

He had opened the door more than once since she had gotten there, so that wasn't it.

He had been able to open the door when he was concerned for her. Maybe it was intent that stopped him. If he didn't intend to let her leave, perhaps he could open the door?

She twitched again and gasped out loud. Her whole body seemed to vibrate. Her small scream startled him and he reached for the door.

It swung open immediately.

She stilled and settled back into sleep, curling herself under the thin blanket. He stared at her with wide eyes. Shock ran through his veins.

She had been right. Of course she had been right. She was always right.

Slowly he walked over to her and knelt beside her. He pushed some of her hair away from her forehead and leaned over to place a gentle kiss above her eyes.

She did not stir. He waited a few heartbeats, then he stood and walked away, once again leaving her locked alone in the stone room.

Once upstairs he began running through scenarios, developing a plan in which he could turn himself in without actually turning himself in.

Finally, he decided on sending a letter to his best friend.

"Meet me at Godric's Hollow. Come alone."

He sent the message and left moments later, telling himself that he needed to talk to Harry, to get help for Hermione and whatever illness she had.

The house where Harry's parents were killed was spooky that late at night. A thick fog had settled over the area. Ron wondered briefly if he would even see the attack coming, the one he knew he deserved.

He was surprised when, out of the fog, came a question rather than a curse.

"Ron? Is that you?"

"Harry," he answered. Still no curses flew through the air. He deliberately left his wand tucked into his sleeve.

His best friend stepped into the small clearing and faced him. His wand was drawn, and pointed directly at him.

Ron let his eyes wander from Harry for a moment. He had specifically said to come alone, but he was positive there were others out there. Watching. Listening. Waiting. Ready to step in and take him out if need be.

"Where is Hermione," Harry asked, not beating around the bush at all.

"Safe," he answered with a deep sigh, leaning back on the bench he was sitting on. Harry hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to him.

"She has a theory. Did she tell you about it?" Ron's eyes remained on the foggy street as he spoke.

"She did. Right before she was kidnapped."

Ron chuckled. Harry wasn't pulling any punches and he was glad for it.

"Right. She's brilliant, you know." He had to be careful. He couldn't just come out and say what he wanted to say. He tried. It just wouldn't come out. It was frustrating as all hell.

"The brightest witch of our generation," Harry agreed. "Where is she?"

"I told you, she's safe. I can't tell you where. I'm sorry, but I can't."

Harry sighed.

Moments later soft footfalls could be heard on the sidewalk. They both tensed and waited until a female form came into view.

Ron was only mildly surprised to see Luna materialize out of the fog.

"Luna! What are you doing?" Harry hissed between clenched teeth.

"Hello Harry. Hello Ron." She ignored his question as she smiled at the two men. "It's getting late. We best be going now."

She stood between the two, facing them, and held out a hand to each.

Harry glanced at her for a brief moment.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"To St. Mungo's, of course."

She waited for only a moment before he took her hand. For Ron, it took several long heartbeats before he reached up and wrapped his hand around hers. She smiled briefly at him, then she spun them all around and disapperated them. They showed up moments later in front of the wizarding hospital.

Ron was nervous. He knew what was at stake. If Hermione was wrong, he was going to Azkaban for the rest of his life. He kept telling himself that she wasn't wrong. She couldn't be.

Harry and Luna flanked him as they walked through the hallways. They were led into a private examination room where he sat heavily and waited for the healer to come in. He closed his eyes and reminded himself over and over again that he was doing this for Hermione, to help her.

When the healer came in, Luna talked to her. She explained that they thought he might be under the influence of a curse. They needed the curse to be identified and broken.

The healer stepped out of the room and returned moments later with a curse breaker. Together they examined him. They asked him questions. Some he could answer, some he could not. Some were simple questions. Others were much harder.

In the next room over, Draco and Blaise watched through a window.

Draco tried to listen objectively, but all he could think about was that he hadn't heard from her in nearly twenty-four hours. What if Weasley had done something to her and was turning himself in over guilt?

He fiddled with the ring on his finger. He hadn't sensed any danger for her. Hell, maybe the damned things didn't even work.

Harry, Luna and the healer joined them a few minutes later, leaving Ron and the curse breaker alone.

"We do detect a curse that seems to have been in effect for quite awhile," the healer explained. "Tom is going to try to break it. It seems to be unstable already."

They watched the curse breaker at work. It took him a long time before he glanced at the windows and nodded.

A moment later, Weasley crumpled to the ground.

"Ron!" Harry yelled. "What happened?" He looked to the healer for answers.

"It's ok," she smiled. "When a curse is broken, particularly one that has been in place for a long time, a person's body can sometimes shut down momentarily to reset itself."

Draco and Blaise looked at each other, their eyes meeting as they both thought of the same thing. Hermione, passing out in the cafeteria weeks ago.

"I'd like to talk to Tom," he told the healer.

"Of course." She smiled again and walked out of the room. Harry and Luna followed. While they went to check on Ron, the curse breaker came in to talk to Draco.

"What kind of curse was it?" He asked immediately.

"It was a love spell. A bit of a compulsion charm thrown in for good measure. And a selective memory charm all mixed together."

"If someone were under the influence of this curse, how could it break on it's own?"

Tom crinkled his eyebrows and leaned against the wall.

"Well, they were all connected," he started out. "If one were to break, they all would break. There would have to be a catalyst though."

"So if this person were to fall in love with someone else?" Blaise asked, glancing at Draco.

Tom thought about it for a long moment before nodding his head.

"It's very rare, but it could happen. It would have to be a deep love, heart and soul, to break the binding of the curse."

Draco closed his eyes. Could she have been that deeply in love with him already? At the time, they had been talking through the journal for several weeks. Did she know it was him? When she faltered and he steadied her, had she known he was the one whispering in her ear at night? Did her soul know that they belonged together, enough to break a curse that had held her in its grasp for years?

"Thank you, Tom. We'll probably need you to testify about this curse." Blaise dismissed the man and eyed Draco wearily.

"Come on, Romeo. Let's go find your Juliet." He joked.

Ron opened his eyes to find that he was laying on a hospital bed. Harry and Luna were on one side of his bed. The healer was on the other side. Malfoy and Zabini were standing at the end of his bed. They were all watching him.

"What happened?" He asked groggily.

"The curse was broken. How do you feel?" It was the healer that answered him.

"Fine. Tired. Confused."

"That's normal. The memories will come back slowly. We'll keep you here under observation for a few days."

"Weasley," Malfoy pinned him with his silver glare. "Can you tell us where Hermione is now?"

He felt his anger rising. He hated Malfoy. He had always hated Malfoy and he probably always would. He didn't want the ferret seeing him like this, knowing that he had been cursed.

He tried to tamp down the anger at his childhood bully and focused on the question.

Hermione. Malfoy wanted to know where she was. An onslaught of memories assaulted him. He pictured her curled up on the floor, wrapped in a blanket, shivering and twitching.

His stomach rolled.

"Oh Merlin. Hermione. What have I done?" He shook his head as his stomach rolled again. "She's going to kill me."

"She won't," Harry assured him. "She figured it out. She knew that you weren't being yourself."

"Where is she?" Malfoy asked again.

Ron looked at him again. Really looked at him. He could see the fear and anxiety that was hidden beneath the surface. She had been missing for three days, and Draco Malfoy was worried sick about her.

"She was sleeping when I left." He muttered. "She needs help. She's sick or maybe she's been cursed too? She needs someone. Please, just...just tell her that I'm sorry."

"Weasley," he growled in warning.

"Spinner's End." He answered. "I've been staying at Spinner's End."

Malfoy didn't hesitate. He didn't wait for anyone. He walked out the door without looking back and he was gone.

When Hermione woke, the sky had already darkened. The storm had passed and the moon could be seen high overhead. The light it provided helped her to make out the plate of food that Ron had left for her.

She ate and she stared at the moon through the small window. She wondered what Draco was doing. It was too dark to write to him. She pulled out the journal anyway, but it was not glowing with a new message.

She sighed deeply. Her fingers found the necklace that he had given to her and she moved it back and forth along the chain as she remembered the dream she had.

They were at the cute little house on top of a cliff. They were laughing. There was a dog running around in the yard. And Draco's hands had settled over her stomach.

Her heart broke at the sheer happiness on his face. She could only wish to ever make him that happy in real life.

She didn't know how long she sat there. Time had lost meaning for her in the dungeon. When the door above her opened, she jumped at the sudden noise.

"Hermione?" A voice called into the dark. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Draco?" She asked to herself, not daring to yell out if she was mistaken.

"Maya? Are you down here?"

She stood quickly. There had been no mistake. Her knight had finally arrived to rescue her.

"Draco!" She tried to shout, but her voice sounded weak even to her ears. "I'm here!"

Light from his wand barreled down the stairs. She could see his face in the bright light. He stopped at the door and looked at her. She didn't want to know what he saw. She hadn't bathed or brushed her hair in days. She was wearing the same clothes. She had to smell.

He didn't care about any of that. He reached through the bars and touched her face, just to make sure she was real.

Their eyes met for a long moment. He tried the door. It was locked, of course.

"Stand back," he told her. She stepped back while he hit the door with a well placed bombarda. The door swung open with a loud bang.

Then she was in his arms. She held on to him like a life raft, clinging to him as he clung to her.

Only when they heard voices above them did they separate.

"Come on." He said gently, pulling her towards the door. "Let's go home."

—-

It seemed to take them forever to actually make it back to Draco's house. Everyone wanted to see her, to talk to her and see if she was okay. She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't exactly want to socialize either. Luckily, Draco picked up on her mood pretty quick and got her away from them as soon as he could.

When they finally made it home, the first thing she did was take a long, hot shower. She stood under the spray just letting the warmth seep into her bones. Once she finally felt warm again, she started in on washing and rewashing her hair and body.

An hour later she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy green towel. She dried her hair as best she could and began the tedious task of trying to comb through the knots that had accumulated over the last few days.

She had barely started when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." She continued trying to comb her hair even as the door opened and Draco stepped through.

He had obviously had a shower as well. His hair was still damp and he was wearing flannel pants and a black t-shirt.

"Hey." He leaned against the wall and watched her.

"Hey," she responded. "It's going to take me forever to comb out my hair. I would be better off just cutting it all off and starting over."

She laughed, but she was only half joking.

"Don't do that," he laughed. Then he stepped up behind her and took the comb from her hand. Starting from the bottom, he worked his way through the tangled mess slowly.

She watched him in the mirror as he worked. Occasionally his eyes would meet hers and he would pause. His mouth would open as though he was going to say something, then it would close again and he would go back to combing her hair.

When he finally finished she smiled at him and turned around.

"Thank you," she said as she leaned back against the counter. "Now, tell me what is on your mind."

"It can wait until tomorrow," he told her. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms over her chest.

He sighed deeply.

"Okay. There is something I should tell you, but I'm not sure how."

She tilted her head to the side and waited.

"Right," he muttered to himself. "I was talking to the curse breaker at St. Mungo's and he told me something interesting."

He stepped forward and placed his hands on her waist. She didn't hesitate to place her hands on his chest, then she slid them up around his neck.

"What's that?" She asked as she stared into his eyes.

"If a person has been cursed with a love spell, sometimes - and it's very rare, that spell can be broken."

"How?" She pulled him a little bit closer.

"Only if that person falls deeply in love with another, with their heart and soul. Then the love they share could overpower the curse and force it to break."

He dipped his head and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

He pulled away too soon for her liking and placed his forehead against hers.

"There's more." He breathed heavily. "When a curse that has been in place for a long time is broken, the victim can sometimes lose consciousness for several minutes."

She pulled him in for another kiss before she fully understood what he was telling her. Their tongues danced together in an intense kiss that left them both wanting more.

"Draco, wait." She pushed him away and stepped around him to give herself some space. "Are you saying that day in the cafeteria? That's when the curse broke?"

"It makes sense." He shrugged his shoulders as he turned and took her place leaning against the counter.

Her eyes darted from side to side as she contemplated the information that he had just given her. When she looked at him again, he was leaning against the counter with his hands on the countertop and a smug smirk on his face.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms, jutting her hip out to one side.

"You think I was already in love with you then? That's impossible. We hadn't even spoken in years before that day."

"That's not entirely true. We had been communicating for weeks."

"I didn't know that, though."

"Maybe you did. Maybe you knew it in your heart, even if your brain hadn't caught on yet."

She blinked. Twice.

"You said the love they shared could break the curse. Does that mean this love would have to be reciprocated for it to work?" she asked.

"I would think so."

She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck again. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.

They would never know if that was how it actually happened, but it certainly did make sense. She could not deny that. In that moment, though, she really didn't care to find the answer. All she wanted was to be in his arms and to sleep in a real bed again.

AN: Hit the review button and make my day. Please. : )

Also, did you know that June is Migraine and Headache Awareness Month? I have chronic intractable migraine with aura and will always advocate for migraine awareness. Over a billion people worldwide suffer from this illness. There is no cure, and there is no known cause. Migraine is not just a headache. It is accompanied by many neurological symptoms as well. I urge everyone to learn what they can about migraine and be compassionate to the migraineurs in your life.

*jumping off my soapbox now*