Another chapter I didn't even manage to go through or check any grammar errors. My schedule is totally packed these days. Help!

'Good morning, mother, father, Charles.' Elizabeth smiled as she stepped into the dining room before taking a seat. It's been quite a while since she recovered from her temporary coma. Elizabeth had covered her memories but not fully, however the lost memories were probably the ones that were not so important or else her family would be so keen for her to remember them again.

She's slowly settling down with the fact that these people were her family and her place was here. The uneasy feelings that were always there in her chest had gone by the days that passed.

Elizabeth grabbed her goblet and took a sip. The girl placed it on the table again and turned to her family. 'May I go out with Rachel and Danielle today?' She asked with a smile.

Margaret seemed surprised and she turned to Eric but he shot her a persuading gaze. Charles cleared his throat as he placed his chin in his hand. 'How are you going out with them? Is Danielle picking you up?'

Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically. 'Yes. Rachel is taking me to the spa.'

'Well..' Margaret placed her cutleries on the table and wiped her mouth. 'Okay.'

Elizabeth's face brightened as she stood and went hurriedly to her mother's side to kiss her cheeks. 'Thanks, mother!'

'Make sure to bring your phone with you all the time and call if anything happens.' Margaret reminded. She frowned when Elizabeth ran out of the dining room. 'Where are you going? Aren't you having breakfast?'

'We're having breakfast together!' The young lady shouted as she ran up the stairs, disappearing from their sight.

Eric sighed. 'Such a hyperactive girl.'

'Indeed.'

'I'm going out today.' Margaret muttered.

Eric gave her a questioning look. 'Where to?'

'Azkaban.' She replied curtly.

'Why would you want to go there? Do you have anything to say to her?' He asked, his voice hushed.

'Mother, father, you might want to remember that I'm still here.' Charles drawled lazily.

'Well, you can go now!' Eric hissed.

Charles rolled his eyes as he stood and left.

'Elizabeth is a lovely girl. She's very intelligent, loving and beautiful. It's a blessing for us, Eric. It wasn't a mistake when you accepted that proposition.' Margaret said softly, taking a hold of her husband's hand.

Eric silently stared at her, comprehending what she said. 'You don't feel guilty at all?'

'Look, I know we shouldn't be doing this, but it's what I've always wanted. It's a gift, Eric. I know you're happy. And, I want to thank her, despite her actual reason. She's given us what we've had always crave for. She might not know that but you and I completely do.' Margaret smiled.

'Well, what time are you going?' He asked.

'At 10.'

'Don't leave without me.' He muttered, turning back to his breakfast and her face brightened.

'Thank you.'

Elizabeth waved at her friends as they drove away. She waited until they're fully out of sight before pushing the front doors open and stepping inside with a big smile plastered on her face. 'Mother, Father? I'm home! Charles?' She called out as she placed her handbag on the table, taking off her watch.

When nobody answered her, she frowned and quickly rushed towards the kitchen. 'Mrs Jones? Mrs Jones?' Elizabeth cried out in panic as she snapped her head in every direction, looking for the old woman. Suddenly, she saw something leaving the kitchen in a hurry and she gasped. The girl ran out of the kitchen in fright only to bump into someone and she screamed.

'Oh my God, Elizabeth? What were you doing in the kitchen?' Mrs Jones asked as she grabbed Elizabeth's shoulders so the girl could regain her composure.

'Mrs Jones! Thank God!' Elizabeth sighed in relief. 'I thought I'm never going to find anyone else. I saw something!'

'What's going on?' Mrs Jones asked with an uneasy frown. 'What did you see?'

'I don't know, it's some kind of a creature. I don't know what it is. It has these big ears and it's short.'

Mrs Jones looked at her with apprehension as she patted the girl's shoulder. 'You're seeing things.'

'Perhaps I am. What happened? Where is everyone?' Elizabeth asked as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Mrs Jones chuckled softly as she released the girl. 'Well, Mr and Mrs Hyder are out. Charles is upstairs, probably taking a nap.' She exclaimed, eyeing the girl with amusement as the young lady comprehended what she just said.

'Oh!' Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. 'Well, I was freaking out because I thought something had happened and everybody's gone or something. Well, thank you, Mrs Jones. I'll be going upstairs now.'

'Hold on, Elizabeth.' Mrs Jones called out just as she was about to step away.

Elizabeth turned around with a smile. 'Yes?'

'Would you like something?'

'Hmm, no, but thank you Mrs Jones.' She murmured, the smile still playing around at the edge of her lips.

'Well, in that case, I'll just prepare dinner.' Mrs Jones nodded and Elizabeth quickly skipped her way to the stairs and rushed upstairs. She ran hurriedly towards Charles' room and pushed the doors open.

'Charlie!'

That scream was followed by a bored, ignorant groan that came from her brother. 'Go way, Liz.'

'Charles, I had a great day today! It was truly fun!' She told him happily, bouncing on his bed like a five year old.

'I don't want to know.' He mumbled, grabbing the pillow and clamped it against his head as he dipped his face in the warmth of the mattress.

'And, and, we went shopping. Well, I didn't buy anything because I don't think I need anything so I bought a few bags and shoes for Rachel and Danielle.'

Charles sighed as he lifted his head and gave a desperate look at his sister. 'Do you mind? I'm trying to sleep here.'

'But it's almost dinner.'

'Go away.' He rolled over and gave out a scream of terror as he fell off his bed. Elizabeth giggled and crawled across the bed to take a glance at him. 'Don't say anything.' Charles who was lying flat on the floor drawled as Elizabeth held back her laughter.

'Come on, Charles. Take your bath and we can watch some movies while we wait for mother and father to come home. After that would be the dinner time!'

Charles scoffed as he stood and threw his pillow playfully at her before making his way towards the bathroom. At the door, he paused and turned around. 'Why are you so cheerful? It's annoying.'

'Well, I did go shopping.' She smiled innocently, shrugging.

'Figures.' He rolled his eyes, reaching for his towel and slamming the door shut.

'That went well.' Elizabeth commented, pursing her lips.

'So, where did you guys go?' Elizabeth asked as she swallowed her food, eyeing the both of her parents with suspicion.

'Nowhere, we were just out to meet some old friends.' Eric shrugged, casting a reassuring smile her way.

'Well, you didn't bring me along.' She pouted.

Charles spluttered his drink everywhere and quickly wiped his mouth before howling with laughter. Margaret shook her head as she called for Mrs Jones to clean the mess Charles has made.

'Elizabeth, you're already twenty two. We don't have to drag you along everywhere we go.' Margaret rolled her eyes.

The girl pouted as she looked at her mother. 'Fine….' Charles was still laughing, clutching his stomach as he wiped his non-existent tears.

'You're such a baby.' He commented, sighing heavily.

'I'm not.' Elizabeth glared at her bother as she stabbed her chicken.

'So, what did you guys do today?' Eric asked as he rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward in his seat.

Elizabeth's face brightened. 'Oh, here comes the novel of the year.' Charles said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The girl narrowed her eyes at her brother as she groaned in annoyance.

'Oh, shut up.'

'Stop teasing your sister, Charles.' Margaret muttered without looking up from her meal.

'What did you do today, dear?' Eric questioned kindly as he smiled at his daughter.

'Well, like I said, I went to the spa with Danielle and Rachel. And then, we went shopping.' She said excitedly.

'Oh, what did you buy?'

'I didn't buy anything. Well, technically, not for myself. But, I did some shoes and bags for them.' She shrugged. Margaret and Eric shared a look of apprehension before turning to their children again.

'What did you do today, Charles?' Margaret quirked an eyebrow at her son as she asked him the question.

'Well, I slept.'

'How surprising.'

'Oh, shut up.'

'Have you thought about it yet?' The sudden question made Draco snap his head at the door with a deep frown. His face cleared out into a bored expression as he saw it was only Blaise standing by the doorframe.

'About what?' He asked as Blaise walked into his study and took a seat opposite him. Lucius and Narcissa had prepared a study exclusively for him since he told them he wasn't interested in going back to Hogwarts next year and finish his studies. Instead, he told his parents that he wanted to apply for a job at the Ministry.

'About her. The hunt.' Blaise crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat.

'Don't put it like that.' Draco warned, casting a cold look at his friend. 'Well, I've been thinking about it, and I suggest that we look for her in Great Britain first, then we'll move on to Europe.'

Blaise stared at him quietly for a few seconds before saying in a low voice. 'You sound so certain that we're not going to find her in Great Britain.'

Draco clenched his jaw and regarded Blaise' statement with a raise of his eyebrows.

Blaise cleared his throat, wanting to change the topic as he took out a scroll and laid it out on Draco's table. 'Okay, right, so we can start with north first, and they we'll get down to south before moving on to France.' The blond man eyed the parchment with interest as he leant forward in his seat. 'We'll start with Scotland and go down until we reached London.' Blaise explained, pointing at the map.

'Well, I don't have any problem with that.' Draco pursed his lips as he stroked his chin, the stubbles on his skin running under his fingertips.

'Great, then.' Blaise shrugged again, shrinking the scroll and keeping it in his pocket.

He got onto his feet and stretched. 'You're not going anywhere today, mate?'

Draco gave him an annoyed look as he ran his finger through his hair before putting on his reading glasses. 'Where would I go, Blaise?'

'Well…' Blaise said as he took that as a no from Draco. 'I'm taking Pansy out today.' Draco frowned as he stood and went to fetch a book from one of the shelves.

'Where?' He asked.

Blaise smirked, sliding his hands into his pockets. 'Muggle London.'

Draco fumbled with the book as it almost fell out of his grasp. Once it was properly in his hands again, he slammed the book shut and quickly turned around. 'What would you even do there?'

'Well, I'm taking her to this restaurant and then…..' He paused, his bottom lip in between his teeth. Draco urged him to go on with a tilt of his head. 'We're probably going to watch some movies.'

This time Draco did drop the book as he burst out laughing. 'You? Pansy? Muggle London? Movies?' Blaise watched as Draco bent over and continued laughing. 'Oh my God! How bizarre!'

'How nice of you to say that, Draco. You could've wished me good luck.' Blaise feigned hurt as he put a hand at his chest.

Draco let out a harsh breath and stood straight again. 'Okay, I'm just kidding. Enjoy, Blaise. Please don't get lost. I don't want to have to mourn over your pathetic absence.' He mocked before howling with laughter again.

'We can always apparate, Draco.' Blaise reminded him with a poker face.

'Okay, okay….' Draco chuckled before waving his hand. 'Now, get your bloody ass out of my study. I want to read in peace, thank you very much.'

Blaise rolled his eyes as he started towards the door. 'Since when are you picking up her traits?' He figured out it was actually okay to talk about Hermione in front of Draco as long as her name wasn't mention.

Draco took the book that has fallen on the floor and shot Blaise an amused smirk. 'It's contagious, mate. Besides, I've always read every now and then,' He told Blaise as he sat at his table again.

'Yeah, right.' Blaise rolled his eyes as he disappeared at the door. A few seconds later, his head reappeared at the door way. 'By the way, you look handsome with those glasses, Draco.' He mocked, giving his friend an overly faked smile before vanishing from Draco's sight again.

'I'm not gay, Zabini!' Draco called out, still smirking.

'Denial, Draco, denial.' Blaise' faint voice replied.

'Fuck off, you homosexual wanker.' He shouted playfully, openly laughing.

'Will do.' Blaise answered. There was pregnant pause before Blaise voiced again. 'I'm not homosexual! Pansy's the proof.'

'Denial, Blaise, denial,' Draco quoted what the Italian man just said.

Blaise' laughter rang up to Draco's office until there was a 'crack!' and it disappeared.

The blond man shook his head as he turned back to the book, flipping it open and started to read the first page of Hogwarts: A History.

'Draco, are you sure you're going?' Narcissa asked as she stared at her son worriedly, her beautiful features twisted into a small frown.

'Yes, mother.' He replied, clasping his hands together as he gave her a firm nod. 'I truly want to. I ….' Narcissa let out a small sigh as Draco took a long pause.

'…-I need Hermione.' He finally said, his voice a little strangled as he mentioned her name for the first time since the incident months ago.

'By all means, Draco.. Do what you have to do. I don't have any objections. But, please, don't take so long. Maybe if you don't find her within one month, you should come back first and then you could go again.' Narcissa suggested, reaching out to touch Draco's hands that rested on the fine piece of wood.

It took a moment before he eventually answered. 'I'll think about it, mother.'

The air grew thicker as the both of them stared silently at each other, none of them saying anything. After a moment of eternity, Narcissa finally dropped her gaze and as she cleared her throat awkwardly. 'How have you been, Draco?'

He gave her an annoyed expression. 'We live in the same house, mother. You can surely tell how "healthy" I am, right?'

She shook her head, sighing again. 'You know that's not what I meant. On the inside, Draco.'

Narcissa watched wordlessly as she her son seemed to comprehend what she's actually asking for and his eyes snapped back to her. His lips parted and she flinched in surprise.

'You probably don't know how I even feel, mother. I lost her when I could've just ignore the battle and go to her, tell her the truth, keep her safe, but I didn't. I lost her. And the worst thing is, she thought I don't love her anymore. That hurts the most, mother. The fact that my father and my aunt were the cause of it, it's terrible. No, terrible couldn't even have described it. It's fucking disastrous when even my family couldn't have supported me. I only need one thing to make me truly happy and even father and that fucking bitch wouldn't let me have the chance to have someone who really loved me other than you! She showed me that I'm worthy to be loved. You love me because I'm your child, I'm your son. Nobody else does!' Draco's voice grew louder and louder.

'I don't think I'm eligible enough to love her, to keep her to myself. I'm not good enough for her. I don't deserve her love. I don't think I could be loved, ever since…' His voice quieted down.

'Ever since the Dark Lor-' He cut her in before she could continue.

'It's Voldemort, mother! He's gone! There's no need to be afraid to say his name!' She winced as he yelled loudly.

'She's the only one who managed to convince me.' Draco sighed as he took his face into his hands. 'I just need to find her, mother. I don't care if she won't take me back but I need to see her again and tell her I'm sorry. I want her to know the truth.'

The woman didn't even bother to wipe her tears. She didn't even know this side of him existed. Hermione changed him so much for the better compared to how he would've been if she hadn't step into his life. Out of realisation, she had walked around the table and took her son in a tight embrace.

It's been so long since she did that. So long that even her own mind can't travel that far to remember and Draco would've probably pushed her away if they were in a different situation. But he really needed her comfort at the moment and he had truly missed his mother's touch. Draco closed his eyes as he tightened his arms around his mother and buried his face at the crook of her neck.