August 30th, 2003. St. Mungo's. Day 3220

"Hermione, it's dangerous! With all these attacks and you—" Hermione narrows her eyes at him and Harry stops talking

"It's going to be perfectly fine. We already discussed these attacks and you agreed with me when I said I wasn't a target."

"I'm not talking about you being a target! I'm talking about Teddy being one and Malfoy and Caelum as well! I'm talking about your refusal to use your wand to cast anything other than a cooling charm! I'm talking about you living in St. Mungos for the past three months because you were hit with something that's killing you and we don't have a clue on how to save you!" Harry snaps and Blaise walks closer to her, sneering at Harry.

"Blaise already said that is perfectly fine for me to go to King's Cross and come back, he explained in detail the potion and the spell he will be using, he even offered to come with us." She insists stubbornly. "Nothing is going to happen at King's Cross, whoever is behind these attacks know better than to try something in a place full of children Harry and you know that. I know I'm sick, but you can't take this from me Harry, everyone is going—"

"—But you bloody well know the reason you want to go is not the same reason than the rest of us—"

"Neville is my friend too, I have every right—"

"You want to see Malfoy, Hermione. That's who you want to see, don't pretend otherwise. I don't want you to—"

"It's been two years since I last saw him. Six since the last time—" She stops. "It's been a long time." She says and Harry sighs, looking down. She knows Harry wants to argue more, say six years obviously aren't enough, but she has won this round.

"Potter, I'm sure Hermione made her point. I will be with her all the time to make sure she's ok." Blaise says, putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it. Harry sighs again and nods.

"I will be here in two days and we go to King's Cross together ok?" She just nods and Harry kisses her head, "be safe Mione. Love you."

"I will. Love you too, Harry."

"With another look at her and a nod in Blaise's direction, the raven-haired boy leaves the room, leaving her and Blaise alone.

"Are you ready?" Blaise asks concerned, and she smiles sadly at him.

"I don't know. This might be a goodbye—" Blaise scowls, "we are lost in what to do Blaise, you know that! But regardless, seeing Draco for the first time in so long… I don't know."

"I will be right by your side, I will even Glamour you to your best, so he knows exactly what's he missing." Blaise smiles at her smugly and she snorts.

September 1st, 2003. King's Cross Station. Day 3222

"Are you nervous?" Harry asks, and Hermione plasters a smile on her face. Blaise is on Hermione's right and his eyes ask the same question. Hermione nods. "Let's go then." Harry says, and they cross the pillars between the platform nine and ten.

"Once on the other side, Hermione's eyes water immediately. God, this is probably the last time she's going to see this place and all it comes with. Everything is the way she remembers: the families hugging, friends meeting again after the summer, children looking in awe at everything for the first time, the trunks, the owls, the train. If she was a little more reckless, she'd be jumping on that train and going with them, to see Hogwarts for the last time, to be in the place she discovered herself, grew up, fell in love, fought, cried and simply lived.

"Hogwarts is her home and it would always be. The corridors to the library, the warmth of the Gryffindor common room, the chatter at the great hall, the escapades to the Room of Requirement with the love of her life… She sighs; she isn't ready to give all that up yet.

"She looks at Blaise and thanks him profusely: for the extra potions that reduced her migraine to a headache, the soreness on her back that is mostly gone, and how they help her lungs hold on. The feeling is addictive and she knows that's why he never eases her pain completely.

"They walk around, just letting the noise drown them. Without even noticing, Hermione and Harry walk towards the compartment the trio used to sit.

They find Ginny first, she has Teddy in her arms, who's struggling, trying to get her to put him down, the kid's hair is changing from purple, to blue, to orange. Teddy usually is better in controlling the changes, but with his excitement, he isn't paying attention to it.

Beside Ginny is Ron and Dean, both talking animatedly about the last Quidditch match; Luna is talking to George about something Hermione doesn't understand. Neville is there in the middle of them, he's talking to Ginny but he's the first to spot the new arrivals and smile broadly at them.

"You made it!" Neville cheers and Harry pats his shoulder.

"Wouldn't miss it!"

"Are you excited?" Hermione asks, teacher at Hogwarts! Teaching Transfiguration after Minerva retired still was a dream of Hermione.

"Yes, proper scared too, I'm afraid I will make a fool of myself like my first year as a student."

"That's impossible Neville! You have stopped making a fool of yourself during our fifth year." George jokes and they all laugh, he catches Hermione eyes and studies her thoroughly, she just nods.

"Yeah, and Snape was the main reason for your breakdowns, he's not there anymore." Ginny jokes and they agree, this time no one laughs, some losses are still too open.

"And who's teaching potions this year? Didn't old Slughorn retire last year?" Ron asks and before the ones who knew the answer can say anything, a boy comes barreling through the middle of their legs.

"Teddy!" the boy calls, and Hermione's recognizes him instantly.

"Caelum!" Teddy exclaims and Ginny is no game to hold Teddy off this time. They both meet on the floor.

"Hermione's tears grow thicker. Her boy is so beautiful. Caelum's white-blond hair curling in the bottom, making him look like a little angel, and his chocolate brown eyes, just like hers, shining in happiness and excitement when he finally meets her eyes.

"She kneels beside both boys and Caelum jumps on her, hugging her neck, she nuzzles her face on his hair, breathing him in, her arms cradling her baby boy, hugging him close, and practically sobbing on him. And the small boy, only five, whispering 'it's okay mum' and 'I love you too'.

"I missed you so much baby," she cries, and Caelum pulls back, his own eyes rimmed red, she dries her eyes and kisses his cheeks.

"I missed you too. I'm so happy you came, I sent a letter, but you didn't answer—"

"I was staying at the Ministry because of the job, I didn't have the box with me, I'm sorry, of course I would come." It's a lie, but her boy doesn't need to know that.

Caelum hugs her again, and she kisses his hair, his cheek, his ear and the boy giggles happily. "Stop, stop, I'm a big boy now!" Caelum squirms in her arms and they both laugh.

"What is he doing here?" Ron asks, and she ignores the question, focused on what her boy is telling her, something about dropping several of Narcissa's ornamented glass plates and breaking them but getting away with it because he said his magic had manifested for the first time. Hermione scolds him but she's laughing and she's so happy.

"—and Dad says I can visit him, he will let me fly at the field so when I become a Slytherin I can try out for the Quidditch team—" Her eyes widen and the boy gulps, but the smirk in his eyes tells her Caelum is not even a little guilty. Caelum's smirk sends shivers through her spine.

"How do you know you will be in Slytherin?" She asks instead, avoiding the Quidditch and not thinking about her boy on top of a broom flying that high in a violent game like Quidditch.

"As if my boy would end up anywhere else." A voice says on top of them and Hermione tenses. Caelum only grins wider and get up to his feet, smiling at his parents with a blinding smile.

It's the first time Caelum is seeing both his parents at once.

"Draco." She gasps and gets up herself, Blaise and Harry quickly shuffling by her side. Hermione makes a point to avoid two thirds of the present Weasleys.

"Hello Granger." Draco says with a smile that almost makes her legs give in, and Hermione isn't sure it's because of her condition. Draco is exactly like she remembers, or exactly like the picture Caelum sent of the two of them just two weeks ago. His white-blond hair isn't sleeked back like he used in Hogwarts, but instead it's a little longer in the back, almost reaching his shoulder, Draco has some strands on his forehead, brushing his eyelashes, which makes her want to touch and brush them away. He's completely collected and well dressed, there no reason why she wants to touch the tie he's wearing.

To be honest, just him standing there makes her want to put her hands all over him.

"Hi." She says in a small voice and she hates that she is blushing, she is twenty-three for Godric's sake. Blaise snorts beside her and Draco smirks. Her eyes fill with tears at it: the classic Malfoy smirk still in its finest. Hermione quickly recovers after that. "Please, he has more brains than you could ever hope for, Slytherin would be an insult to him," she jokes after seconds of openly staring and even Blaise makes a sound in offense, Caelum giggles.

"Merlin, fuck this." Draco says, taking his wand out of his pocket and muttering "Borrire Incantatem!" Time stops around her as the bubble leaving his wand wraps around her. Whoever is outside can't see whatever is happening inside of it. "Merlin, you are beautiful." Draco gasps and takes two steps closer, now inches apart from her, she blushes and it is 1995 all over again.

"Where were you? I missed you," she mumbles, and Draco pulls her into a hug, running his finger in her hair while she breathes in his scent, it's the same after all these years. And God, she loves him so.

"I missed you too." Draco touches his forehead on hers and closes his eyes, her hands are balled on his shirt, holding tight. "How are you?" Draco asks, his fingers running all over her face, tracing her freckles, the bone on her nose, her jaw, her cheeks.

"I'm perfect." She blurts and Merlin, isn't it the truth.

In that moment she feels more alive than the last eleven years, she feels like her body is exploding with life once again.

"But she's hurt; she wants to know why he never came after her, why he didn't look for her when he could leave his house again. Hermione wants to know why Draco keeps not choosing her when every choice she's made after meeting him was for him. Not a word leaves her mouth, she can't say anything now, she can't have him leaving again.

"Why are you crying?" Draco asks her, and she takes a step back.

"I still love you." Hermione says and cries harder, "I can't stop."

"I'm so sorry." Draco says and Hermione nods, because she can't say what's stuck inside her, because she's dying, and this is a goodbye. This is the last time she is going to see them, and it hurts, hurts more than the pain in her bones and her organs. And she's too weak, too coward to tell the truth, to really say goodbye. She starts to cry again and it's too painful.

Draco kisses her hair, inhales her scent, hold her so close and she closes her eyes, memorizing the feeling, how safe she feels in his arms, always felt.

"I love you too Granger." Draco says softly, and she feels alive again. They pull apart, Draco eyes are shining, "Finite Incantatem!" Draco says, and everything around them starts moving again.

Blaise looks at the two with knowing eyes, squeezes Hermione's arm and looks at Caelum.

"You will be teaching Potions?" Ron asks, and his voice is weird, because he's trying to be polite but at the same time some of the hatred still leaks.

"And Slytherin's Head." Draco says, immune to Ron's tone, who visibly scowls. But then Hermione sees the way Ron's looking at her and Draco and it's not childish's grudge, it's jealousy. Ginny notices as well and sides with her brother– something she's been doing since she found out about Caelum.

"Are they letting anyone teach there now?" Ginny asks and it's rude because Neville is also starting and Draco notices.

"No, only the ones who finished education and met the requirements." He answers easily and then turns to Neville, "I saw your scores by the way Longbottom, you beat me in Charms." And Blaise gawks at Draco; Hermione's face mirrors his. She wasn't expecting this level of maturity from him.

No one says anything for a second and most of them jump when the train whistles for the last time before leaving, Draco turns to Blaise.

"Nice to see where your loyalties lie, you traitor." Draco says to his best friend and smirks as he puts a hand in Hermione's small back, knowing Ron is following his every moment.

So much for being mature.

"You know very well I chose Granger over you years ago." Blaise says and Hermione smiles at how easy he slipped back to Granger in front of Draco.

"Dinner on Fridays are still on, try to drag the married man along will you?" Draco says to Blaise and turns to Hermione, his voice lower now, more private. "Mother made a fuss but I don't care, I don't trust those two alone with Caelum, can you—" Draco trails off and seems to remember they are not alone. It's easy to forget, with Draco by her side, his arm behind her; Blaise easy smile in front of them, it could very well be 1995 again.

"Draco nods to Blaise before leading her away from the prying ears, Caelum trots along happily. "I will try to be home most weekends and when I can't, I'd like to take him to Hogwarts, but during the week, I was thinking, maybe we could swap? Mother is trying to get him to start the piano and I remember how dreadful those were."

"I—" Hermione starts, she can't say no, she can't explain why she's living at St. Mungos or every time she falls asleep it's days before she wakes up again. "He'd be safer at the Manor." Hermione whispers even though Caelum isn't paying attention anymore, Teddy is showing him his new trick.

"What? Why?"

"There have been some random attacks going on, first they were targeting the ones who defended Death Eaters during the trials but now they started to target former Death Eaters, I mean, we believe that's what they are doing. We aren't sure yet."

"I haven't heard anything about it."

"Shacklebolt doesn't want out yet. He doesn't want people scared again so soon after—" Draco nods and take both her hands on his.

"My mother will take him back to the Manor then, just—" Draco shakes his head and calls for Caelum.

"I will miss you kiddo, ignore what your mum says about Quidditch and houses, we will start practicing next week so you can bring the House Cup to good ol' Salazar." Caelum laughs.

"I will miss you dad!" Caelum hugs Draco and Draco kisses his hair.

Hermione hugs Caelum one more time, tighter, says 'I love you' a million times, apologize a couple more and then turns to Draco, her face crumbling, because she will miss him, she already miss him terribly, every day. Eyes that held so much pain, sorrow and regret, but that sometimes she'd see them so kind towards her. His lips, god his lips, she loved his lips, loved them on her mouth and on her body, loved the always present smirk, the malicious grin and when his lips would curl upwards just slightly, before turning into a full smile that every time had her catching her breath, making her think she is the only one that matters to him.

Caelum, after giving another hug to his father and whispering 'I love you,' ran to his grandmother, who cried even harder at the sight of him, making the boy roll his eyes and mutter 'I'm not the one going Nan"

"Granger," Draco says, with a smile too beautiful on his lips and a nod of his head, and then turns to Harry, "Potter."

"Malfoy." And leaves at it.

Draco leaves to join Caelum and his mother for a last goodbye.

Hermione and Blaise return to Neville, she hugs her friend and wishes him luck, Neville jumps on the train in the same compartment they used to sit, ignoring the kids already sat and the ones at the platform all laugh at him.

"Let's go?" Harry asks, when the train is out of their sight. "I will go with Ginny and Teddy home. Zabini can I trust you with Hermione?"

"No Potter, I will dump Hermione somewhere and then take a holiday in Ibiza." Blaise scoffs; rolling his eyes and Harry narrows his.

"Come on Blaise, be nice." She says as Blaise mutters something about Saint Potter and 'dumbass hero'.

Blaise pulls the portkey for St. Mungos and Hermione, with a last look in Draco's direction, who is already look at her, smiles and then touches the portkey, feeling the pull on her navel taking her away.

November 5th, 1994. Hogwarts Library. Day 1.

"Malfoy." She calls but knows the chances of being answered are close to zero.

The boy is wearing a badge that reads Potter Stink and sitting in a table near the potion's session, the same table he sits almost every day to study

"What?" Draco sneers, but doesn't bother to look at her, keeping his head on the book.

"I need your help," she says, and he snorts before raising his head and looking at her like she's grown a second head.

"And why Mudblood, do you think I would help you?" He snarls, and she rolls her eyes.

"Because it's in your interest too."

He raises his eyebrows at her and sighs. "Honestly Mudblood, I thought you were the brains in your group of idiots. Do tell why you would think something you have to say is in my interest."

"I can't study. This library is noisy. Krum keeps hanging around looking at me and his fans keep giggling and talking and it's so loud I can't concentrate" she chatters, and the prat has the nerve to yawn.

"Like I said, I can't see why this concerns me." Draco says in a bored tone.

"You are here every day. They must be annoying you too. It's impossible to study."

"So, leave," Draco says and points to the door, "as you said, they are only here because of Krum, and your boyfriend is here because of you, so go find another place to study and the library will be quiet again."

"He's not my boyfriend." She blushes.

"I don't really care."

"Malfoy I-"

"Granger, leave. I'm not going to help you, I don't care about the noise and honestly you are a lot noisier than them with your sighs and huffs every two lines. It's pathetic."

"Fine," she huffs and Malfoy raises an eyebrow trying to prove his point. "Prat."

"Filthy Mudblood."

"Ferret!" She raises her voice after the insult.

"Granger, would you leave already? You are making a fool of yourself, more than the usual might I add, standing here with your arms crossed looking like someone strangled your cat."

She stomps her way away from the blond and sits back at her table with a scowl on her face and tries to tune out the girls next to her.

September 3rd, 2003. St. Mungos. Day 3224

When she wakes up, it's nighttime and looking around, she finds Harry sitting in a recliner.

"Hey," she greets and coughs, "I was out for how long this time?" She asks, knowing every time she collapses, she spends more and more time unconscious.

"Three days." Harry sighs and she hates how he looks, Harry has suffered enough in his life, has lost way too many loved ones in his life, she hates that she is going to be another one. "How are you feeling?"

"Almost dead." She mutters and can see Harry's face hardening.

"Don't say that."

"Why not? It's true, just a matter of time Harry."

"You still have a chance, they are trying to find a potion to cure you, and there's a lot of people helping. Zabini says they are closer, just a few more months."

"I don't have months Harry, you know that. Everything hurts, all the time. Even keeping my eyes open hurt, wiggle my toes is almost impossible…" She complains, feeling the full force of her condition after Blaise removed the spell and went back to her usual.

"Did you tell them?" Harry asks, and she looks at him confused, "Caelum and Malfoy. Mione, I know exactly what happened."

"I couldn't."

"They need to know."

"They will, once it happens…" She closes her eyes, Merlin it hurts. "Harry, keep an eye on Caelum for me?"

"Hermione…" Harry starts, and she pinches the bridge of her nose.

"I need to rest, everything is a bit too much right now… Call Blaise when you leave, please?"

Hermione doesn't wait for a reply, closing her eyes and letting the tiredness take over her.