Draco awoke with a start as if he had just been splashed with a cold bucket of water. It took him a moment to register what was going on around him. He had been dreaming of Hermione when he awoke, something he had been doing rather a lot of over the last few days. He paid for it each morning as the guilt overtook him when he awoke lying next to Emily. This time it was different though, he could feel the pain she was in, not physical but emotional pain. Pain she was causing herself, it took him a little longer to realize that if he could feel her pain it was because she had reconnected herself to Helena, and that in doing so it fixed what he had broken in himself. There was an ocean between them though at the moment and he had never felt her this strongly before.

He looked over to Emily who was still sleeping soundly and felt the guilt start to take root once again, he was being unfair to her. He had always been unfair to her, by not telling her the whole truth. Finn's words had been echoing in his head all week. 'I know who you really are Draco'. What did that mean? He had long suspected that Emily might be the one who could at long last break the spell, but could he be wrong? It all fit if it was her, he did love her, like he had loved Cassandra, but he knew deep down that if Hermione asked it of him he would leave her. She would never ask that though, she had learned her lesson all those years ago. He could feel her now though more clearly than he had every been able to feel her before, and it scared him. She was in pain, and the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was to go to her, everything else be damned. He stood from the bed and walked over to the window, the city below was still ablaze with lights, it was just past midnight which meant a new day had started to dawn. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Hermione, he could see the snow cover mountains that surrounded Hogwarts, he could see the little inn where she was staying and could clearly see the room in which she now laid. It was almost dawn there, and he wondered why she was there and not the flat in London.

He had so many questions he wasn't going to get answered if he continued to stand there. As quietly as possible as to not disturb Emily from her sleep he moved around the room and dressed. If she woke up now, she would have to many question he wouldn't be able to answer. He reached into the pocket of the pants he had worn yesterday and pulled out the small paper clip Potter had given him, he had started to carrying it with him everywhere he went, he hadn't been able to understand why till now. He had seen a change in her Monday when he had found her in the hotel room, but he had thought that it was because she was hurting, but now he thought it might have been the presence of Helena, he just didn't see it right away. Maybe he hadn't wanted to, or maybe because it had been months since he had seen the other witch within Hermione. He could now feel Henry pushing him towards her, he could feel himself being pulled by unseen force. He cast a quick spell on the paper clip, the same one he had seen Potter use on it, he counted to five before he felt the jerk behind his navel.

When his feet touched the ground again, he was standing on the landing of the second floor of the Three Broom Sticks. In front of him was the door he had seen in his mind, slowly he moved closer to it and took a deep breath, if he went in there a part of him knew there would be no going back. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that, but the pull he felt within side of himself told him he had no choice. She was a magnet that he would always be pulled towards.

He knocked on the door, he knew she was awake, he could feel it. There was no answer, so he knocked again this time with a little more force than what was really needed. After a second he could hear soft footsteps behind the door, and a moment later the door opened to reveal Hermione who stood there with a surprised look on her face as she stared back at him. There were tear stains on her cheeks, yet she still looked as beautiful as ever.

"Hi." He said gently.

"Hi." She whispered back as she moved to the side so he could pass her into the room. When the door was closed, he turned back to look at her. "What are you doing here?

"I don't know, I woke up and I felt this pull."

"You shouldn't have come." She said sadly as she moved back to the bed and sat down on it.

"Why not."

"Because, it makes it harder." He could hear the pain in her voice as it cracked. The room was still dark, but he suspected there were more tears.

"It makes what harder?" he knew what it was that she wanted to say but wouldn't allow herself to say, but he needed to hear her say it aloud.

"To deny it." She said softly.

He didn't move from where he stood, she was going to have to do better than that. If he was about throw it all the hell she was going to have to come out and say. "What is it that you are trying to deny."

"How I feel."

"And how do you feel exactly." She didn't say anything, but let the silence fill the room. "You have to tell me, I can feel it, but I need you to tell me."

"I love you." He had waited so long to hear her say those three little words, he hadn't thought he would ever hear them come from her mouth. She had just said them though and the sound of them did things to him that he knew it wouldn't be able to contain.

"Say it again." He said softly.

"I love you."

He couldn't keep himself rooted to the spot any longer, he knew what he was about to do was wrong, not because he didn't want it with every fiber of his being, but because he did want it. He had wanted it since was sixteen years old. What was wrong was that he had someone back home who deserved more from him, but he couldn't stop himself from going to her and pulling her up from the bed and wrapping his arms around her and kissing her with every bit of passion he had in him. It was better than he ever thought it could be, she tasted of sunshine of and mint, and soon he was so consumed with her that he didn't know where he ended and where she began.

She pulled away and pushed him back just a bit and looked up at him. "We can't do this." She said a sob.

"Why not." He said a little breathless.

"There are million reason."

"I am not going to let you push me away this time Hermione."

He kissed her again, this time with more need than he had before, none it mattered anymore, all the reasons she had used to keep him away. He could feel the way she felt about him, it was the same he felt about her. He had spent months watching her before and after the war, he had fallen in love with her a long time ago and he would be damned if she was going to push him away this time around. He pulled away this time and pressed his forehead to hers "It will always be you; don't you see that."

"What about Emily, what about your life in New York."

"I should have ended things with her when you walked back into my life, if the time and the distance hadn't truly changed the way I feel, I should have known then, but you were so adamant. I will end it with Emily right now if that is what you want. As for my life in New York…it was only ever a means to keep my distance from you. I don't think I can stay away any longer Hermione, home is wherever you are."

"I can't ask you to do that." The tears were back but he wiped them away.

"You aren't asking."

"Draco." She whispered.

"I love you too Hermione, not because some curse makes me or because I compelled to. I just do, and I have for a long time longer than Henry has been apart of me."

She looked stunned by this revelation "Draco don't."

He kissed her again because now that he had he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to get enough of her, but he knew that he needed to do the honorable thing before this went any further. He didn't want a dark cloud hanging over their heads. Pulling away once more he looked deep into her eyes. "I am going to end it with Emily. Today, and when I come back I need to know you are going to be here."

"I'll be here." She said.

He stepped back and headed for the door. "I'll be back before your meeting is over. Tell Potter I am coming for dinner." Even in the darkness he could see her smile at the last part. He slipped back out through the door. Once back on the landing he took a deep breath before pulling the paper clip out of his pocket.

When he was back in the apartment in New York he looked over to the clock, it was just after two, it would be hours before Emily was awake. A part of him wanted to wake her and do it now, but he knew that would be just to cruel of him. He had already been unfair to her, instead he made himself a pot of coffee, and set about packing his things. He knew he wouldn't be staying in New York, not now and even if he did, he would allow her to keep this apartment if she wanted it. It was the least that he could do, seeing as he was the one who was ending it.

He knew he was about to break her heart; it made his own heart tighten in his chest, but he knew that this was the right thing to do and should have done it already. He should have never allowed things to go this far. He had been selfish though, because he hadn't wanted to be a lone. It was just another unkindness that was his fault. He hoped that with time she would see that this was for the best. She deserved more than what he could give her.

By eight he had packed away most of his things and shrunk them down so they would fit into a suitcase. He could hear her alarm go off, he prepared himself for what he was about to do. It was half past the hour before she came out of them room and headed into the kitchen. She smiled at him when she saw him sitting at the table before moving to get herself a cup of coffee from the pot.

"You are up early. You don't have to go into the office, do you? You know we have lunch with my mother."

"Emily." He said softly, she hadn't yet noticed his things from around the flat missing or the suitcase that stood next to him.

"I know, I am sorry, but we still have a few things to go over for the wedding." Those words were like a gut punch, he had forgotten about their lunch plans, but it didn't change what he was about to do. He had let it go on long enough.

"Emily." He said again, she turned to look at him, she must have seen the suitcase because her smile faded as she stood there. "We need to talk."

She closed her eyes for a moment before setting the mug in her hand back on the counter. She didn't move from her spot as she slowly breathed in and then out. "You are leaving?" she said softly still not able to look at him.

"Yes." He could see the beautiful strong woman he had grown to love start to break. "Because I have too." He said softly.

"It's because of her isn't it?" there was no bitterness in her tone, just profound sadness. "I have known for a long time there was someone who still held on to your heart, someone from your past. I just didn't realize who it was until she came here."

He wasn't surprised that she had been able to work it out for herself who it was, he had never hid it well when Hermione was around, but Emily never said anything and he supposed it was because she didn't want to see it. "I am sorry, Em. I can't marry you; it wouldn't be fair to either of us."

"Why now?"

"I have been to much of a coward to admit any of this to you till now, and I can't let this go on any longer."

"Did you have an affair with her while she was here? Is that why she and Finn didn't work out? Did he figure it out?"

"It wasn't a physical affair if that is what you are getting at, but I won't lie to you, we did spend a lot of time together while she was here."

"What if I begged you to stay? Would you?"

"Begging isn't your style and you know it. But there isn't anything you could say that would get me to stay. I do love you Emily, and I have loved my life with you, you have made me a better man, but I don't love you the way you should be loved, and I won't ever be able to love you that way."

"So, I made you a better man for her?" the irony wasn't lost on him, yes she had made he a better man, she had believed in him, and because of that he went for his dreams and he made something of himself.

"You made me a better person for me, not for her."

"Are you going to London?" she asked because she couldn't help herself.

"Yes."

"Then go…because I don't think I can stand to look at you for a second longer." He wanted to go and comfort her, but he knew that was no longer his job, and how could he possible offer her comfort when he was the one that was breaking her.

"I am truly sorry Emily. I wish I could take it all back." He said before he stood and took hold of the waiting suitcase.

"Goodbye Draco." She said with a sob.

"Goodbye Em."

Without another word he walked out the door, leaving behind everything he had spent the last five years building. He was leaving it all behind for her.

Author note: I know that I have been gone for more than just a few months. Sometimes life gets in the way, I hope you have enjoyed the last three chapter's. Currently working on chapter 18, and hoped to have that posted in the next few days. Thanks for sticking with me.