BellySquid: I love when they have to face a boggart, so I wanted to write about that :) yes, after this chapter they go into the real world and start working!
Last chapter! But this doesn't end here... a second part is coming! I'll start posting it very soon, both in Spanish and English at the same time.
I have a Twitter account, I always want to meet more people who like dramione to talk about them. None of my friends like the ship, so if you want to talk... find me! I have the same username everywhere (BlueZelda30)
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirty-six
Epílogue
*A month later*
"She's the girl I want to be with."
"But why her, Draco? She's just a muggleborn" Lucius said with a hurt voice.
He nearly suffered a heart attack when he saw a photograph in the 'Daily Prophet' of his son kissing the mudblood in front of the whole castle, in the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch. Narcissa had found it very strange too, but she hadn't felt as bad about it as he had.
Since returning home at the end of June, Draco had argued with them about it many times... until that tenth of July, the day he had asked Hermione to come to his house to officially introduce her to his parents.
"Yes, and she's way better than the three of us together. Forget all that blood nonsense, father. You'll have to accept her if you want me in your life, otherwise I'll take grandfather's inheritance and disappear from your lives forever."
"Are you trying to threaten me?" Lucius growled, clenching his fists.
Narcissa tried to calm him by touching his arm.
"We accept her, Draco. It's your decision, and we know that girl is one of the best witches in the country... if you think she's good enough for you, then so do I" she admitted, trying to smile.
"She's too good for me, but I'm lucky that doesn't matter to her."
Lucius rolled his eyes and Draco shot him a warning look.
"Not a single bad word about her. If you dare, I'll never forgive you" he grunted through his teeth.
"I'll bite my tongue, then" Lucius muttered, scowling.
A knock sounded at the front doors of the huge manor. Draco rushed to the door, wanting to be the one to open it.
And there she was, wearing a muggle summer dress and followed by Epsy, one of the house elves who still served his family and who had helped her to get through the gate surrounding Malfoy Manor.
"Hello" Hermione greeted, with a blush on her cheeks.
"I've missed you" Draco commented softly, leaning down and placing a quick kiss on her lips.
"But we were together three days ago" Hermione replied, smiling.
"Didn't you miss me?"
"Yes. You're always in my head, all the time" she admitted, averting her gaze from him.
He smirked, putting one of his arms around her shoulders.
"Ready?"
"No... Where are your parents?" Hermione asked, looking around.
"They're in the east dining room. The food is ready, but I want to show you something first."
Hermione sighed and followed him. They walked down a corridor around the manor until they stopped in front of some oak doors. Draco opened them and her mouth dropped open. A huge library stretched out before them, the room was bigger than the Gryffindor common room and the books reached up to the ceiling.
"It's... it's like the one in Beauty and the Beast" Hermione said, walking in and looking at the grey marble columns.
"What?" Draco asked, frowning.
"A muggle book, there's a library like this in it."
Draco rolled his eyes, but a small smile curved his lips.
"Do you like it?"
"It's so huge, I love it" she murmured, excited at so many unknown books to discover.
"We can spend some time here after lunch" Draco said, grabbing her hand again and heading out into the corridor.
"I can't believe I'm going to be eating with the Malfoy family."
"Well, get used to it" he whispered, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
Hermione pursed her lips and shook her head, smiling.
"You're lucky my parents don't remember me and live in Australia, you won't have to meet them."
"On that note... I want to tell you something" Draco said, pausing before entering the dining room.
"What is it?"
"I don't like you living alone in your house, Hermione... I've been thinking, and you could come here."
She blinked several times, confused.
"What did you just say?"
"You're very important to me, I don't see the problem... and my parents won't say anything if they know what's good for them."
"That's... that's crazy."
"You'd have your own room, though I'd visit you every night" he added with a mischievous smile.
Hermione snorted.
"Yeah, right... you're insane. I don't mind living on my own. I have enough savings from my parents and besides, I'm going to start working at the Ministry very soon and I'll have a salary. Harry has also offered me to move in with him in the house he inherited from Sirius Black."
Draco's face darkened.
"Are you going to do that?"
"No. I know if I did that, you'd kill him."
A crooked smile appeared on his lips and he lifted her chin, leaning in close as he stared into her eyes.
"Another option is for me to go with you. Would you prefer that?"
"You... living with me... in my muggle parents' house?" Hermione murmured with a shocked voice.
"Why not? I'll start to work soon too. They've already written to me."
"Living together? B-but... Isn't it too soon?" Hermione asked, stammering.
"You can't be on your own. I've given you two options and I'm letting you choose."
"I think... I don't think I could live here, it would be too weird" she admitted quietly.
Draco nodded.
"Then I'll go with you, and that's it."
"You think you're the adult in the relationship because you're nineteen? Let me remind you that you're only three months older than me" Hermione said, frowning.
"I know, and I hope you never forget it. I'm the older one and therefore the more mature of the two of us."
"You don't believe that yourself, Draco" she snarled, snorting.
They both laughed, trying not to make too much noise.
"I'm serious, Hermione. Ever since we got back from Hogwarts, I've been thinking about you living all alone, and I know that makes you sad, so I'll go with you... if you'll take me" Draco murmured softly, stroking one of her cheeks with his thumb.
She smiled and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Of course I'll take you, I'd love to live with you."
"Then, as soon as I start at the Ministry, I'll move in."
"What have you decided to do?" she asked curiously.
"They rejected my application for Auror training."
Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.
"Did you really send it? If you'd been accepted, you would have worked with Harry... Do you know that?"
"Of course I know, bloody Potter was hired the day after we left Hogwarts, and he didn't even have to train. I passed all the tests and they still turned me down because of my past... but I've been offered a position in the Department of Mysteries .I'll start in two weeks and I'll be an unspeakable."
"That's great, we'll be very close then" Hermione commented, she was going to be working on politics with Mr. Weasley.
"And you'll be getting a lot of visits from me in your office, that's for sure" Draco said, a mischievous grin on his face.
"I don't think so. If you live with me, you'll be tired of me and won't even want to see me at work."
"Do you want to make a bet about it?" he asked, frowning.
She shook her head.
"I've lost all your bets, Draco. I'm not accepting one again."
Draco smiled and kissed her slowly again, lingering to brush her lips with the tip of his tongue.
"I'll never get enough of you, Hermione... remember my words."
"Me neither" she whispered, catching his lips again.
They wrapped each other in an embrace, still kissing, until Hermione remembered where they were.
"Your parents are going to think badly of me. I've been here so long and we haven't even entered the dining room yet" she murmured, blushing.
Draco shrugged.
"Let them wait... I've been waiting for you all my life, they'll be fine with waiting a little longer."
Hermione smiled and lost herself between his lips again for a moment, until she couldn't breathe. When they broke apart, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pressed their foreheads together, still looking at her.
"You're very... romantic today" Hermione said, whispering.
"I know I'm not very romantic, but I woke up in a good mood" Draco replied, smiling again.
He looked down at the silver chain around the neck of her dress and tugged on it, pulling out the small rune.
"My life was darkness until you came into it, don't forget that" he whispered, touching the silver rune.
Her face reddened again and it took her a while before she was able to speak again.
"Is that why you chose this rune for me?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"I think so... I subconsciously chose it because of that, it was the only one that reminded me of you" Draco admitted, grimacing at the thought of the day he was with his mother in that shop and saw those necklaces.
Hermione stared unblinkingly into his eyes, still very impressed.
"You're my light, Hermione" he breathed, kissing her again.
The kiss grew too intense, and Hermione pulled away a few inches, panting.
"If we keep this up, we're never going to get into the dining room."
He twisted his lips and shrugged.
"I don't care... if I get hungry, I can always eat you" he whispered, raising his eyebrows.
She let out a nervous giggle and gave him a small smack on the chest.
"Don't say things like that with your parents so close."
"They're not listening to us. As long as I don't open that door, they won't even know we're out here."
"If you want me to be able to meet them, you need to help me calm down instead of getting me so nervous" she complained, snorting.
"But you already know them, more than I'd like to" Draco grunted, frowning at the memory of when his father and other Death Eaters tried to kill her during their fifth year at Hogwarts.
"That's all forgotten now, don't worry about it. We've wiped the slate clean... remember?" said Hermione, meeting his eyes.
Draco smiled slightly and nodded.
"It'll be fun to see the look on my father's face when I tell him I'm moving in with you."
She paled, grabbing his shirt tightly.
"Don't tell him while I'm in the same room! Wait until I'm gone."
He rolled his eyes.
"Okay... as you wish, but you are so boring."
Hermione averted her eyes to a dark, seemingly empty room, and shuddered helplessly. Draco followed her gaze and gritted his teeth, wrapping his arms around her.
"No one has been in there since that day, and I will not allow my own flesh and blood to lay a hand on you again" he murmured softly, tightening his grip around her as he remembered the scars she had because of his aunt.
Hermione hugged him back and kissed his cheek.
"I've told you many times... it wasn't your fault and it's all forgotten. You have to move on and get over everything that happened in the war once and for all."
"It's easy for you to say, you were on the right side."
"And you were on the wrong side out of fear and for your family, you're not to blame."
Hermione held his face in her hands, looking into his grey eyes.
"I love you, Draco. And I understand why you did what you did, stop blaming yourself for all of it."
He smiled sadly and nodded, kissing her forehead.
"I'll try, though it'll take time."
"I'll help you" she encouraged him, taking one of his hands and intertwining their fingers.
Draco gave her a small smile, and sighed, opening the dining room door. He let her go through first and closed it again, ready for his parents to really get to know the wonderful girl who had changed his life.
TO BE CONTINUED...
This is the end of this little story!
I know canon Hermione is older than Draco, but I wanted to changed that here.
It wasn't easy to write this, the H.P. universe has a lot of things you have to take into account, and before this, I had only written about Sakura CardCaptor... but I love Harry Potter and I can't have enough of Draco and Hermione, so I decide to write this and I like the result.
I hope everybody has enjoyed Draco's character evolution throughout the story, I'm quite in love with him.
I'm currently writing another three Dramiones. One of them is the second part to this story... so you'll see more of me very soon.
Thanks and see you next time!