Chapter 13

In a whirl of green flames.

"Hermione?" Alex looked up surprised from her computer as the British witch entered through the floo into her office.

"Hi Alex," Hermione greeted, a little too shyly for Alex's liking.

"Are you all right? Is your arm bothering you?"

"No..."

"Did you need something? Blaise should be back in a bit, and I'm always here to-"

"Actually, I'm here to see Draco," she interrupted. Alex raised her eyebrows. The last time Hermione had ever visited Draco at the office was... what, ten years ago? She had come to express her congratulations on Scorpius, but it was stiff and formal, ignoring the huge elephant of their previous relationship that was clearly stomping around the room.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably under Alex's studying gaze. Alex waved her hand, locking the doors and casting a Muffliato.

"Why?" Alex asked quietly. "After all this time, why now? You know he'll think you're only interested now that Ron's dead, and he doesn't like to be second choice," Alex warned her.

"Oh, I know, but... I just miss him!" Hermione exclaimed. Alex winced at the torment in her voice. Hermione clearly still loved Draco, but their relationship was so complicated.

Alex sighed. "Hermione, be careful. I would tell you to give it some time before you approach Draco, but I know that once something is on your mind, it will bother you until it is resolved. He's in a meeting right now, but he'll be back in about..." Alex checked her watch. "Seven minutes. You can wait in his office," Alex motioned to the door directly across from the floo, on Alex's right.

"Thanks Alex," Hermione gave her a nervous smile, and entered Draco's office after Alex had unlocked the doors and removed the soundproof charm.

Hermione surveyed the room, noting the black desk and numerous photos in silver frames on the walls and on Draco's desk. Most of them were of Scorpius, Blaise, Alex, and Narcissa. She felt a little sad that there was only one picture of her, and that was in Australia. She smiled nostalgically at the moving image, watching as Alex, Blaise, Draco, and she posed ridiculously on the beach. Hermione settled into one of the black leather chairs in front of the desk. Her eyes roamed over the computer, and she inwardly grinned at Draco's use of muggle technology. Had she told Draco's eleven year old self that he would eventually use and appreciate muggle technology, she might have been hexed and then admitted into St. Mungo's for psychiatric evaluation.

She heard the door in Alex and Blaise's office open and close, so she assumed Blaise had returned from wherever he was. Seconds later, the door to Draco's office opened, and she turned to face him, standing up. Draco was standing in the hallway still, surprise written all over his face for a second. A minute ticked by, and he suddenly seemed to remember where he was, his gray orbs hardening. He cleared his throat, shut the door, and walked around Hermione to sit at his desk. He motioned for Hermione to sit, and once she was settled, he broke the silence.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, assessing her body language.

"Draco-" Hermione began, but was cut short by a derisive snort.

"So it's Draco now, is it? Excuse me if I've missed something in the last ten years, but I was under the impression that it was back to 'Malfoy,'" he stated dryly.

Hermione sighed. "I know, and I'm really terribly sorry that that's what we came to."

Draco narrowed his eyes at Hermione, and leaned back in his Slytherin green chair.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" he gritted out. "Oh, let me guess, Weasley isn't here to keep you from 'fraternizing with the enemy.' Well, save your shit apologies, I've had enough Pureblood bat spleens to last me a lifetime. If you've got nothing else to say, Granger, then get out," he spat with a level of venom she hadn't heard since their Hogwarts years.

"No, Draco, that's not what I came here to talk about-"

"Well then spit it out! I haven't got all day, since I'm actually working right now. Don't you have a job to go to?"

Hermione ignored the last question, and wrung her hands nervously. "I.. I came to talk about... about us," she said lamely, flinching as she saw Draco's stormy eyes.

"There is no 'us'," Draco said harshly. "There hasn't been an 'us' for near twelve years, you've made sure of that, running off to the Weasel as soon as your Gryffindork courage betrayed you."

"It's not like you fought for me!" Hermione cried indignantly. "You left me alone, so I wasn't going to choose the person who didn't think I was worth fighting for!"

"Worth fighting for? I fucking saved you and your parents' lives from those Death Eaters. Don't give me that shit!" he snarled. "What did you expect me to do? You chose him over me. I wasn't going to complicate things when you clearly loved him more. You'd be happier that way, so what does the great Gryffindor princess deem would have been the appropriate course of action?" he mocked.

"I never loved him after you. You could have stood at 'speak now,'" she cried.

"Oh, and what would that have bought me? Would you really have left him? With all of the Weasleys watching, expecting you to finally join their family? Would you really have done it? Left him at the altar and run away with me? Bloody likely," Draco sneered.

Hermione shuddered. Everything the blonde was saying was completely and utterly true. She had been a coward. She had been so tired of fighting; she hadn't wanted to face the consequences a life with Draco would bring.

"You're right," she whispered, swallowing the bitter medicine of being in the wrong. "I'm so sorry, I never should have-"

"Like I said earlier, stuff those apologies back into the hole they came from," Draco sighed, massaging his temples.

"What do you want?" he asked her. "I have a wife that I am devoted to, and she might yet survive this ordeal.

"I don't want romance - you're not available and I'm not ready," Hermione said quickly. "I just.. I just hoped that we could be friends again, just like old times. I miss you. Our debates, discussions, dreams... I can't survive without your presence in my life."

"Damn it Hermione, you can't do this to me!" Draco slammed his fist down onto his desk. She jumped at his violent reaction.

"Why? Why can't we just be friends?" Hermione asked tearfully.

"Merlin, 'Mione, I'm still bloody in love with you! I can't just be friends with you, I'll just fall in deeper, and I can't have that! You know it! It's always been all or nothing. I can't handle a small dosage," he sighed again, and banged his head on his desk.

"We could have been amazing, 'Mione," he whispered, so she leaned closer to hear him. "I was stupid to think it could work, though, it's never going to happen."

"Don't say that," Hermione protested.

He looked up at her. "You know, had I just been a schoolyard bully, people could have gotten over that. I'd just need to prove that I'd changed, and we could have worked. But there is no way," his voice growing more and more violent and increasingly agitated, "that we could have worked with this fucking mark!" he shouted, pulling up his left sleeve and displaying the mark. "This will always separate us. If there hadn't been a war, it could have worked. But Voldemort fucking happened, and we will never be able to live peacefully together. The faster you figure that out, the better."

Hermione had tears freely running down her cheeks. "It will never happen, will it?"

Draco shook his head mournfully. "It won't, not in this life." She nodded sadly.

She stood up, and he stood to escort her. As they faced each other, they allowed themselves one last moment. Tilting her chin up to him, he kissed her hard, desperately. They kissed and poured the eleven years' worth of emotion into that kiss, believing they would never get the chance again. When they broke apart for air, Hermione gently touched the side of his face.

"It has always been you. It will always be you," she murmured.

He kissed a few tears away. "Always and forever," he promised.

"Goodbye," she whispered, and after one last kiss, she was gone.

Draco managed to find his way back to his chair before he collapsed. His fingers went to his lips, and he sighed. As the tingling warmth faded away, a part of his soul shattered again, barely mended to begin with.

Draco Malfoy had never felt worse in his life.

Hermione fought the tears dripping down her face, swiping at them angrily.

She apparated back to the beach that held all of her memories.

Dårlig Wolf Bay.

"Ron, forgive me," she sobbed, falling down onto the sand. "Why does it hurt so much?" she asked the overcast sky. "Why?" she implored the sky for an answer, but it gave her none.

"I used to come here when my heart was broken, too," a voice said behind her. Hermione whirled around to face a blonde muggle woman.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked breathlessly, furiously scrubbing away the tears that had dried on her face.

"My name's Rose."

"I named my daughter Rose," Hermione said sadly.

"Did her father pass away?" Rose asked, presumably having hear Hermione shout Ron's name.

"He did..." Hermione replied simply, turning to look out to the bay.

"My father did, too." The blonde woman sat down, patting the sand next to her for Hermione to sit.

"I'm sorry to hear that..." Hermione trailed off. "I feel guilty... not missing her father as much as I should. I mean, it's not like it's not painful without him... he, Ron, that is, he was my best friend, and my heart aches for him, it truly does... but..."

"There was someone else," Rose finished for her. Hermione felt weird, confiding in a complete stranger. But she just felt that there was something about this woman. She could trust her.

"I know what you mean," Rose began, looking far out across the bay. "You loved him, Ron, but not much more than a brother or a best friend. He was... family." Hermione nodded.

"But there was someone, someone else that you just had this spark with. You went with him anyways, knowing he would break your heart without necessarily intending to. You knew that someday, you might be separated forever, when the time came. But he was just addicting. You loved having adventures with him, and it seemed like it would never stop. That you could just keep running, forever. But no one can run forever."

"And when you couldn't..." Hermione said quietly.

"And then you were left with a choice. Take the safe, familiar route, or take the never-ending road of heartbreak."

"I took the easy way out," Hermione murmured, wind blowing her hair into her face. The blonde turned to her.

"I didn't. And I come here every once in awhile to remember, to feel the pain again, and the joy, too. But I don't regret it. It hurts, but I know he's trying to get back to me, no matter how impossible it seems," Rose sighed, and stood up. She extended her arm and pulled Hermione up. Rose looked straight into Hermione's eyes.

"A word of advice, love. If you get the chance, fight for him. I've found that no matter the odds, eventually true love always conquers. No matter if you're worlds-" at this, Rose looked up at the sky, "-or universes apart. If you fight for him, you might just win. And you can't ever say that you didn't try."

Rose stepped closer, and whispered into Hermione's ear.

"My love came back, and yours will too. Fight and remember Bad Wolf Bay."

When Hermione turned to face her, the blonde woman, she had disappeared, but a faint song was dancing on the wind.

One last kiss,

One moment of bliss.

Salty and sweet,

Hopeless and beat.

Why must I let go?

The answer, I know.

We've come to an end,

Where we can't even be friends.

But love, understand

With you, I'd hold hands.

So this is goodbye,

Or another hello,

As winter is falling,

And the wind blowing snow.

Blaise entered the office, plopping down various folders onto his desk. He grinned at his wife, the success of the meeting fueling his good mood.

"Alex, the Italian company is on board! We start distributing the Adipose Potion next fall! I can't wait for the heart disease rates to fall!" he cheered.

Alex stood up from her desk, smiling. "Congratulations!"

Blaise hugged her, lifting her up and spinning her around. Alex giggled. "Blaise, you'll ruin our suits," she laughed.

"Who cares! This calls for celebration! Let's grab Draco for dinner tonight - we should go Italian, Venice maybe? Or Rome?"

"Oh, that's a toughie..." Alex paused, and thought a bit while she straightened her clothes out. "We should bring Ariel, too, she was the head of this potion. She needs a promotion, I'd say," Alex noted.

"Honey, she's the head of that cardiac department," Blaise laughed. "Short of making her-"

"When is Slughorn's nephew retiring?" Alex asked abruptly, going back to her desk and rifling through a few files. "Ahh, next quarter. She'll be the new potions head. She's got a flawless record, Blaise. No one can argue that it's just because we're friends. She's earned it," Alex said firmly.

"I agree," Blaise conceded. "I'll go ask Draco if he wants Rome or Venice tonight." Blaise made his way to the door connecting the two offices.

"Wait!" Alex exclaimed. "Hermione came earlier... she wanted to talk to Draco."

"After all this time? And now? After Ron's funeral and everything?" Blaise asked incredulously, his eyebrows skyward. "Granted it's been a few months, but..."

"I warned her Draco wouldn't take it well, but you know how she is," Alex sighed.

"Well why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Blaise exclaimed, grabbing an extendable ear from behind a few books on the bookshelf.

"Oh, no, Blaise, this is their private time," Alex scolded.

"They always did it to us, so I'd say that we need to get a female dog named Karma," Blaise said offhandedly.

"Oh... you!" Alex groaned. "I was not the evil mastermind if we get caught."

"Anything for you, love," Blaise grinned cheekily, sliding the ear under the door. Hermione was pleading for them to be friends again, and both Blaise and Alex jumped when Draco slammed his fist down on his desk. At the end of the conversation, Blaise and Alex hid the extendable ear.

"Those two are miserable without each other," Alex sighed.

"We need to get them together. The Italian Stallion has a match to make," Blaise smirked slyly.

"But what about Astoria?" Alex asked concernedly. "I mean, I know she'll be out of the picture if something goes wrong, Morgana... that sounded horrible."

Blaise's smirk slid off of his face.

"Tori... well, there's nothing more to do. If this last test doesn't work... well, we've tried our best. Hopefully we can get her to be conscious soon. But it's just spreading too quickly, and let's face it, she wants to be with Weasley, not Draco. Why deny either of them their true loves? Draco will need time to heal, yes, but so does Hermione. Why can't they heal together?" Blaise pointed out.

"Fair point. But we won't force them into anything before a month or, even better, three, after Astoria passes," Alex finalized.

"Makes sense," Blaise confirmed. "It's so sad that.. it's just so final. We have one more chance. She's not fighting much anymore... not that she ever really was..."

"I hate cancer," Alex said vehemently. "It's such an interestingly difficult disease, but its effects are just horrid. Blaise, we're going to find it. We're going to find the cure for cancer. Screw peritoneal seeding, screw organ takeover, we'll find a way to destroy the worst cancers out there," Alex said decisively.

"I'll be there every step of the way," Blaise said soothingly, wrapping his wife in a hug.

"I've never been a fan of Astoria, but she doesn't deserve this. No one does."

"Shh..." Blaise comforted her. "Dumbledore told Potter something, once. Do not pity the dead. Pity the living."

"She's alive," Alex pointed out.

"But she'll be at peace, with her love, sooner rather than later, if we can't help it."

Alex sighed, returning the hug. "i'm so glad I have you, Blaise. You're not allowed to leave me, okay? No cancer. No illness. No accidental death, you hear? That's an order."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Blaise chuckled, lightly pecking her lips. "Now, seriously. Venice or Rome?"

A week later...

"Blaise," Alex whispered quietly. "Blaise. Blaise!" she called, excitement growing with each time.

"You called?" he asked, appearing by her side. He looked over her shoulder at the piece of paper she held.

"This!" she waved it wildly in front of him, spinning around to face him. "This changes everything! We can save her. We might be able to save her!"

Blaise snatched it out of her hands and scanned the contents quickly. He looked up at Alex, who was slightly tearing up. He tried to speak, but even upon clearing his throat, his voice was still scratchy. "You double checked? The Healer reported it correctly? This data, these results, they've been scrutinized by our biostatisticians? This is the final, official report?" he asked cautiously.

Alex nodded, emphatically bouncing up and down on her feet. "This is real Blaise. Just in time for the beginning of December. This, this is my Christmas present. Look at the success rate - a forty percent success rate - the cancer cells were gone. Of course, we don't know if we got all of them, but the tumor was gone. Completely. And the coma breaking, sixty-five percent success rate. The repair to nerve cells? Seventy-one percent. She'll be able to speak, Blaise. She won't be damaged forever!" Alex cried. "These stats, they're better than some of the most benign potions off the counter for fixing a quick cold. Blaise, we need to talk to Draco."

It was times like these when Blaise could just stare at his wife all day and night. Lab coat sleeves rolled up, hair escaping from a hastily put up ponytail. And it was times like these when he knew that he lived for this. For the smile, the uncontrollable bouncing up and down (fangirling at its finest), the sarcastic rants, the passion.

The passion that was there when nobody cared.

He hugged her tightly, squeezing her as she let out a surprised squeak. "Let's go find Draco," he smiled, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a meeting room down the hall. Blaise and Alex peered in the window, and seeing Draco standing up to shake hands, barged into the room as the conference concluded.

"Draco!" Alex exhaled breathlessly when they got Draco alone. "We can save her! It's ready!"

Draco's eyes narrowed one second, but then widened quickly, understanding.

"Astoria," he said. it wasn't a question. The Zabinis nodded. He grabbed both of their arms, apparating to St. Mungo's with his renewed silence.

Appearing in the lobby, the three dashed into the elevator, anxiously waiting to reach the fourth level - spell damage. They darted around corners, between mediwitches and mediwizards, dodging life support systems and floating trays of food. When they burst into Astoria's room, they were thoroughly unprepared for the sight before them.

"What right do you have to be here?" Daphne was screaming while Healer Davies was trying to calm her down. "Get off of me!" Daphne growled, her normal sophisticated aura replaced with raw emotion.

"Get the fuck out," Theo growled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nott, please, Astoria can hear you!" Healer Davies was trying to desperately salvage her patient's room before someone destroyed something, or someone.

"No! He has no right to be here! He should be in fucking Azkaban!" Daphne shouted again. Alex, Blaise, and Draco tensed. Whoever was beyond Daphne and Theo's bodies, who were currently blocking the way, shouldn't have been anywhere near the room.

"Why aren't you Azkaban? Why aren't the dementors sucking out your deranged, demented soul out of your wretched body?" Daphne cried hysterically.

A cold, stony, but familiar voice answered with a bored detachment. "Amazing, isn't it, Mrs. Nott, how quickly a five year sentence with a ten year exile comes to pass?"

Draco froze, all noise blending together into a slow molasses of sound. He didn't hear anymore of Daphne's distress or Theo's rage. The only thing Draco heard was the man's voice. That voice. When Daphne and Theo moved away, the sight confirmed his very worst fears.

"Oh, Draco. How kind of you to come visit," the man spat. Draco ignored the bait, knowing that he never wanted to and never regretted not visiting the man in Azkaban, or in Madagascar.

"I'm surprised at how well you've done for yourself. Malfoy Enterprises is running with the highest ratings in family history, you're a head of a new highly successful biomedical company - that came as an interesting development. Money made by helping people? I must say, I never expected that," the man chuckled. "You followed the Malfoy legacy well: married properly, had a Slytherin son, succeeded in business, manipulated yourself into the very best of wizarding society. Oh, Draco, well done," the man clapped slowly. "What? No greeting?" he asked maliciously, eyes glittering dangerously.

"Father," Draco spat harshly. "I can't say it's a pleasure to have you back."

"Oh, Draco, Draco," Lucius Malfoy tsked, shaking his head slowly. "Haven't I taught you anything, boy? No? You may be Draco Malfoy, the redeemed one, the poor child abused by his nasty, prejudiced father. But I am Lucius Malfoy, and I always come back."

Alex and Blaise looked on helplessly as Draco Lucius Malfoy's world shattered before their eyes.

"Auror Potter," Terry Boot greeted.

"For the last time, Terry, it's just Harry, all right? We went to school together! I think it's only right you call me by my given name," Harry laughed.

"So I've been following up on the Flint case, as always, but this time, I think Anthony and I have just figured something critical out," Terry continued, ignoring Harry's protest. "Five years ago, when Flint had an accident in the Department of Mysteries, he had the accident in the only room with the newly created time turners. Flint, although suspected of association with Death Eaters before, never left any evidence of having been a part of them, which is why he wasn't in Azkaban. However, someone who we know was indeed associated with the Death Eaters was in the room next to Flint."

"Who?" Harry asked, scribbling notes on a spare scrap of parchment.

"Vaila Seris. She got off of an Azkaban sentence, because, well, she didn't do anything."

"Or she covered it up really well," Harry noted.

"Right. She's a possibility."

"It's very circumstantial, though. Not enough to get a Wizengamot-"

"-search warrant. Yes, Harry, I know. But we have that possibility."

"Well? What about recently released Death Eaters? It might make sense that those leaving Azkaban that day could have somehow broke Flint out, too."

"We drew up a list of recent Death Eater or former Death Eater activity," Terry said, pulling out a packet and handing it to Harry. Harry quickly scanned the pages, stopping suddenly.

"The very same day Flint broke out, Lucius Malfoy returned to England?" Harry burst out. "Why is he returning? He should have had a life sentence! Fifty years minimum!"

"Sold out a lot of his old 'buddies,'" Terry snorted. "Bloody good attorney, too. Five years sentence in Azkaban, Harry, with a ten year exile to Madagascar."

"Why hasn't this been splattered all over the Prophet?"

"He didn't actually get released into British society until..." Terry trailed off.

Harry looked at him.

"Today."

Harry stared. "Where will he be staying? Who can we trust? Can we get anyone to watch him?"

"Well-" Terry said.

Draco immediately apparated to the Manor, seeking out his mother.

"Mother?" he roared into the residential wing.

"In my quarters, Draco!" she called. He stomped into her room, throwing the door open.

"You bellowed?" Narcissa asked calmly as she did up her hair at her vanity, tilting her head from the left to the right to assess her handiwork.

"Father's back in Britain."

Narcissa dropped the elaborate hair clip she was holding, whirling around to face him. "It's... it's been fifteen years, hasn't it?" she choked out shakily.

Draco nodded solemnly.

She stood up quickly, skirts bustling, and called all of the house elves.

"Floppy, please go see to Lucius's quarters and dust everything! Everything must be as it was. Hortesse, could you-"

"Hold up!" Draco shouted, shocked. "You're not serious? You're not going to welcome him back to the Manor?"

"Draco," Narcissa said impatiently as Hortesse waited for her orders. "He is your father. The Estate is rightfully his, as Head of the Malfoy Family-"

"No, Mother. That title passed onto me when he went to Azkaban and I came of age!" Draco protested, feeling all of the control in his life slowly slip between his fingertips.

"But he's back now, Draco. I don't know the exact legal proceedings, but I know your father well enough to assume that he found a way to maintain a hold on his power!"

"I can't believe it! Everything I worked for! Everything these last fifteen years, all of it can and will be destroyed by his ruthless greed for power! Scorpius and I are moving out. I won't stand to live with that selfish, prejudiced-"

"I thought that I had taught you some basic rules of respect. Clearly, the lesson hasn't been learned," Lucius Malfoy drawled from behind Draco. In the next instant, Draco's hawthorn wand was pointed right between Lucius's eyes.

"Narcissa dear. You have let our child grow wild. Running off to America like the weakling he always was," Lucius sneered, unruffled by the threat of Draco's wand.

"Get. Out." Draco growled.

"I don't think I will," Lucius replied calmly.

"GET THE FUCK OUT! I don't want you in my life! I was better off without you! I did well for myself, without having to commit crimes or sell my principles-!"

"Malfoys, my boy, don't have principles," Lucius interrupted.

"Get the fuck out, and don't come back!" Draco roared.

"Ah, see, Draco, about that. Technically, although you were named Head of the Malfoy Family when I was in Azkaban, I paid a good amount of money to guarantee that your first legitimate heir would receive the title, but that would be postponed until he came of age. Until that point, whichever eldest Malfoy by blood not incarcerated in prison, exiled, or dead would act as head. Now, if the Prophet was accurate, you have a legitimate heir, named Scorpius, no?"

Draco didn't respond.

"So until today, you 'acted' as the Head. Today, I now 'act' as Head. Therefore, I own every bit of business, property, and family that you have ever been involved in. And I have every right to this estate, and even the clothes on your back," Lucius sneered.

Narcissa gave Draco a look that clearly meant 'I told you so.'"

"Well, Draco, I look forward to discussing my ownership of Medrex in the next few days. And don't think I won't demand my rights to meet this... promising young heir of yours."

Draco said nothing, fuming as he apparated silently back to St. Mungo's.

"Narcissa, you have been too soft with him. All he has ever done is run," Lucius said haughtily. "Now, I presume my quarters are ready?"

She nodded numbly, already calculating how she could restore Draco's control. It wouldn't be easy, but Narcissa Malfoy would defend her son from any threat - even if that threat was Lucius Malfoy.

"-Narcissa Malfoy will probably agree to let Lucius back into the Manor. Draco, I don't know what position he'll be in," Terry said.

Harry nodded. "All right. We'll need someone close to the family to watch Lucius. Do we think we can ask Narcissa or Draco?"

"Narcissa and Draco are both wildcards. I have no idea how they'll react. Better not."

"Alex and Blaise?" Harry asked after a while. "Daphne and Theo? Hell, Pansy Flint?" Terry began writing names down. "Goyle and Millicent? Adrian and Natasha?"

"All plausible. What about that Strickland bloke? From America?"

"Henry and Miranda? Possibly. I don't know how much interaction they have with the Malfoys, though."

"We should get moving, the Malfoy Christmas Ball could be the perfect opportunity to start investigating, or get our spies to reenter the Malfoys' lives to 'catch up'." Terry pointed out.

"Valid point. There's also the Ministry Ball," Harry suggested.

"I don't think, however, that Minister Shacklebolt will have Draco Malfoy's parents on the invited list."

"He might have Narcissa come plan it, as she usually has in the last few years. If she plans, then we can expect her to bring Lucius."

"True," Terry conceded.

"What about Tracey? Anthony's wife?"

"Actually, that's brilliant, Auror Potter."

"It's Harry, I keep telling you-"

"She was a Slytherin - they'll be at both events. Goldstein's in on this, that would be perfect. Fantastic idea."

"The trick is getting her closer to the Malfoys."

"I don't know what you're worried about! She's a Slytherin, she'll manage," Terry laughed.

"You forget that the Malfoys are a whole family of Slytherins. The Malfoys are as Slytherin as they come," Harry warned.

"Draco!" Alex shouted as soon as he appeared in St. Mungo's. "We've done it! Astoria's conscious!"

Draco was still in a horrid mood because of his father's arrival. "How did you get it done? I didn't fucking sign anything," Draco snarled.

"Well, Draco, that's pleasant to hear as the first words I can respond to, after, of course, my three-month coma," Astoria said haughtily from the hospital bed with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Good afternoon," Draco said evenly, turning to face his wife. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, considering the fact that I am paralyzed from the waist down, have a brain tumor that even the Zabinis can't get rid of, and was starved for the last three months, I am doing... fine. As well as can be expected."

Draco nodded. "Well?" he demanded of Alex and Blaise. "Don't tell me I'm going to have to sue you."

"Draco," Blaise rolled his eyes. "You signed off forms last month when Paige, Tash, and Bill stopped by. In the contract, Alex and I were included."

Draco merely nodded, collapsing into one of the chairs at Astoria's bedside. "I'm glad you're back," he said softly.

She snorted in a very non-pureblood wife manner. "Draco, I have a brain tumor. That's metastasized. I am a dying woman. It's a matter..." she gulped. "It's a matter of weeks. I had days, but Blaise and Alex pushed it back a bit longer. I'll be gone... gone within weeks," she said sadly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Draco buried his face in his hands. "Why is everything falling apart?" he sobbed. "Fucking Marcus Flint breaks out of Azkaban. Fucking Lucius Malfoy comes back into my life with the intent of destroying my career, Medrex, and our child! Fucking brain tumor! Merlin damn it!" he shouted.

"Your father won't lay a finger on Medrex," Alex assured him. "We've got loads of lawyer friends to find a loophole. And even if that fails, you're the CEO - technically you don't actually own the company. You just own your shares. That's only a sixth of the company..."

"Only," Astoria sorted. "We get it Draco. Life sucks. But at least you have time to heal," she growled.

"Tori..." Blaise said sadly, taking her hand in his. "No matter what happens, you won't be doing anything alone."

"Blaise is right, Astoria," Alex affirmed. "Did you want me to bring back Daphne and Theo? Go find Scorpius? Hell, even your parents? We will be here, with you, until the very end."

Astoria regarded Alex, who had been the subject of countless arguments between the Malfoys. Astoria had always thought of Alex as a threat to Astoria, be it in motherhood, or even in basic trust issues with Draco. And here Alex was, forgetting all of the bad blood between them. Astoria knew she was genuinely trying to help: Astoria had been around plenty of Slytherins throughout her life to know how to differentiate between the fake ones and real ones.

"I want everyone you mentioned, besides my parents. But before you get them, I want you to bring Hermione Weasley. Now, if you could." Astoria said decisively, not missing Draco's flinch at 'Weasley' and his incredulous expression.

"Why do you want Granger?" Draco demanded.

"It's Weasley, and it's been that way for years!" Astoria shrieked. As Alex flooed to Hermione's office, she could hear Healer Davies rushing back into the room to try to calm Astoria down.

"Alex?" Hermione looked up, confused as Alex brushed the dirt off of her white lab coat.

"Hermione... we did it. Astoria's awake."

"Oh, that's lovely to hear!" Hermione said excitedly, though it was slightly forced. "How did you do it?"

"We actually got the idea from Albus Potter, believe it or not. The reason why the coma reawakening spells already tried didn't wake was that the spells didn't address the cause of the coma. Previous spells were just too general - the magic was trying to do too much without the proper support. So what we did is a combination of several smaller spells. Ultimately, Flint wanted Astoria to feel pain, so it attacked the nervous system. Unfortunately, unlike the Cruciatus Curse, Flint's wordless spell sent the magic spiralling out of control. When all of the nerves fired, augmented by the magical energy, Astoria's brain couldn't handle all of the electrical signals, and her nerves literally burned out. Nerve cells are the only cells that really just don't replicate, so we had to basically grow new nerve cells from her stem cells. Luckily, with magic, it didn't take that long, really speeding up the process."

"But...?" Hermione asked, sensing Alex's uneasiness.

"But it took us too long to figure this out. Marcus Flint wanted her to feel never-ending pain, so the magic didn't leave her body after the initial destruction. He wanted the pain to spread, too. Combine bad energy, almost like a radiation, with spreading? You get cancer," Alex said sorrowfully.

"Oh Merlin," Hermione gasped, horrified. "Hold on, how did she survive at all if her nerves were destroyed? Her heart wouldn't have been able to function..."

'It wasn't actually the nerves in her body that burnt out. It was a section in the brainstem where all of the nerves meet to bridge to the brain," Alex clarified. "The bridge burnt down, and we've only been able to restore function to her upper body. Although, physically, her lower body's fine, besides a bit of muscular atrophy. Other than that, she would have recovered from it if..."

"If?" Hermione prodded gently.

Alex inhaled sharply. "If she didn't have a giant tumor that destroyed that section of the brainstem and actual brain."

"Oh no," Hermione moaned. "I can't even begin to... Oh my goodness."

"She's asking for you," Alex murmured solemnly.

"Me? Why? She doesn't want to breathe on the same planet as me, much less see me!" Hermione protested.

"She's dying Hermione. I think she wants to... I don't know, resolve her issues? She needs closure, and though I'm by no means her biggest fan, she deserves at the very minimum exactly that: closure. You have no right to deny her that," Alex stated sternly. Hermione nodded her head, agreeing.

"I'll come," she said simply.

Hermione followed Alex into the Floo, brushing off ash as she stepped into Astoria's hospital room. She flinched as she laid eyes on Draco, who was broodily staring out the window, chest heaving as if he had just finished a shouting match. He didn't turn around to acknowledge her presence, leaving Hermione both relieved and a little hurt. Alas, she wasn't here for Draco. Her eyes shifted to the regal women in bed - Astoria Malfoy.

Alex and Blaise dragged Draco towards the door, who ignored Hermione the whole way. The Silver Triple gone, Astoria and Hermione were the only ones left in the room. They stared at each other, and Hermione suddenly felt self-conscious. Was her hair a mess? Had she gotten off all of the Floo ash?

"Hermione, please, sit down," Astoria said quietly. Hermione sat down slowly in the chair Blaise had vacated.

"I'm truly, terribly sorry," Hermione began, unsure as to where to start.

"Me too," Astoria said softly, and Hermione got the sense that she wasn't just talking about her impending death.

"Scorpius was sorted into Slytherin," Hermione said awkwardly. "Araluen, too. Rose, however, is a Gryffindor."

"I know," Astoria replied. Hermione was at a loss of what to say. "Do you know why I asked to see you?" Astoria asked after a few moment's silence.

"No, frankly, I don't," Hermione answered honestly. "Alex mentioned you might be seeking... closure."

"And as usual, she's spot on," Astoria sighed irritably. "Look, I'm dying, and I haven't been straightforward with you."

"I think you expressed your dislike of me quite clearly," Hermione stated. It was a fact.

"But haven't you ever wondered why?"

"I was under the impression that my previous... relationship with Draco seemed... to unsettle you."

Astoria snorted derisively. "I don't give a rat's arse about you as a 'threat' to my marriage that was already loveless. Don't be so arrogant to think that," Astoria nearly snarled. "No, you want to know the real reason why I hate you? You're a bloody Gryffindor, and you took the coward's way out, destroying others in the process! You and Potter constantly preach about sacrificing your own safety for the greater good, and you're the most hypocritical bitch I've ever met!"

Hermione stood up. "I didn't come here to be screamed at."

"Sit the fuck down. You haven't hear bloody shite yet," Astoria demanded. Hermione uneasily sat.

"You loved Draco. You still do- don't deny it, I saw the way you look at him. The way you flinch when he walks past you without a glance. All of the signs of a broken heart. And you, you brought that upon yourself. You realize that, right? Instead of sticking with him and dealing with whatever would come, you ran away. Don't look so affronted, you know you did. You ran back to Ron, the safe back-up, despite the fact that you had found your true love in Draco. Did it ever occur to you, once, how much you would destroy him? How much you would destroy someone who actually, genuinely loved Ron?" Astoria nearly shouted, tears springing to her eyes. Hermione froze.

"That's right, Granger, I was bloody in love with Ronald Bilius Weasley when you heartlessly took him from me. If you really had loved him, I would have been able to cope with that. Even if he didn't end up with me, I could count on someone truly cherishing him. But NO!" Astoria sobbed now, tears freely rolling down her face.

"It's not like Draco did anything! I was tired of fighting for myself, and-"

"Draco loved you, hasn't that made it into that abnormally large brain of yours? He let you go, because he hoped that you would at least be happy. But you weren't! You made yourself and three other people bloody miserable!"

Hermione dropped her face down to look at her hands. "You're right. You're very, very right. And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

Astoria's anger suddenly fizzled out, staring at Hermione's hunched form. Here was a woman who made the wrong choice. Here was a woman who was human, who wasn't perfect. And she never pretended to be perfect. And Astoria could forgive that.

Astoria gripped one of Hermione's hands gently. "Hermione, even though you made the wrong decision once... I forgive you. You're only human."

Hermione looked up slowly to Astoria, and then back again to their entwined hands. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Don't think I'm doing it for you, I'm not a bloody Hufflepuff. Like Alex said... I need closure. And I'll only be able to find it if I forgive you."

"I understand."

There was a long pause. And then, Hermione, ever the curious, asked a question.

"How did you fall in love?" It was almost a whisper, asked so delicately that Astoria barely caught it.

Astoria chuckled, leaning back into the pillows. Her eyes glazed over with a faraway look, remembering a distant moment. She breathed in slowly, exhaling lightly.

"After I finished Hogwarts, I didn't know what to do with myself. My mother wanted to marry me off quickly, but the war had ruined the marriage pool. If we wanted to stay pureblooded, well, there were very few pureblooded families that hadn't ended up on the wrong side of the war. Many had lost considerable amounts of money, too, since they had to pay their way to stay neutral. So I managed to convince my mother to leave me alone for a time, but that meant I needed a job. I'm not like you, Hermione. I had no clear vision, no drive to contribute. I landed a simple secretary job at the Ministry, in the Auror Department. I didn't have any interaction with Ron in the beginning. As you know, he was partnering with George in their joke shop for a while. But when you left, that's when he enlisted with the Aurors. I never really noticed him - I was just a desk job. But one time, I had had a really bad day. It was the day Daphne told our parents about her engagement to Theodore Nott. Mum flipped. His father was a Death Eater already stuck in Azkaban, and they were rather poor by our standards because they spent so much of their resources on the war. When mum found out, she took it out on everyone. So you can imagine, when Ron grabbed me a coffee that morning and demonstrated George's latest product, what a world of difference it made."

Hermione smiled nostalgically. That was Ron, brightening people's days in the worst of times.

"It just fell into place after that. We went out to coffee together a few times, but by the Ministry Christmas Ball, I was already in deep. Seeing as you weren't here, he asked me to be his date - as friends, of course. I wore the most beautiful peacock themed dress that night. It was my fairytale come true. We never did anything, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't," Hermione informed her. "Not that it's any of my business, either."

"But weren't you engaged at that point?" Astoria looked at Hermione confused.

"For all intents and purposes, I cheated on him by falling in love with Draco. Plus, we weren't actually engaged. I had left for Australia after a huge row, where we had both broken it off. We took our rings off that night," Hermione said sadly.

"He always wore his ring," Astoria mumbled.

Hermione glanced at her, surprised, but Astoria was staring out the window miserably.

"Love sucks," Hermione said softly.

"It does indeed," Astoria replied. Hermione snorted, and Astoria gave her a questioning look.

"I was just remembering my childhood idea of love." Astoria's eyes looked at Hermione, interested, so she continued.

"My parents' names are Patricia and Matthew, but they go by 'Pat' and 'Matt.' Somewhere along the way, I got it into my head that my Prince Charming would have a name that rhymed with mine. Imagine my dismay when I went to school and no one came remotely close to Hermione." Astoria gave her a rare smile.

"My mum found me crying in a corner one day, and upon finding the reason behind my tears, laughed a little and explained to me that love could arrive in any form. She told me it would be someone who made me secure, and happy. I thought I had found that with Ron."

"And then, you found the spark with Draco," Astoria finished. Hermione nodded.

"It scared me. Instead of feeling secure, I was constantly on my toes, unable to predict anything next. It was exhilarating, but it kept me on edge. I didn't know if I could handle it, and all of the public repercussions. So I ran away. And I ruined your love at the same time-"

"Hermione, that's the past. Forget it."

"But-"

"If you want to make it up to me, promise me this."

"Anything," Hermione agreed breathlessly.

"When I'm gone, I want you to fight for Draco. Show him that you'll never run away again, that he'll never have to give you up. Take my place and be a mother to Scorpius. Treat him like you treat Rose and Hugo. But above all, love Draco. He deserves it, and you do, too."

"I will," Hermione promised. "And take care of Ron."

"Always," Astoria affirmed.

AN: Hello all! Well, it was spring break, and though I had the chapter done two Saturdays ago, I wasn't able to post it up until now, so I'm sorry for the delay. This was a long chapter, I wanted to speed things up a bit and get crackin'. A lot of explanations and feels here. BTW: HUGE Doctor Who reference in there. Hope you got it, otherwise, YOU ARE NO WHOVIAN. I tried something new with this chapter - switching back and forth between what was going on in the Auror Department and Malfoy Manor, to give it a sense of simultaneity. (Is that a word? Google docs spelling isn't marking it wrong, so I hope it is). How did you guys like it? Annoying? Or well placed? Here's Astoria's dress, by the way, from the Ministry Ball so long ago: w ww. new york dress Ma c_Duggal/ 42 83 4H .ht ml without the spaces, of course. Shout out to Maita, and Singapore! I apologize in advance for the lack of updates in the next three-four weeks. SAT/AP Testing is coming up, so I won't be updating. Hope this chapter sustains you. Thoughts? Complaints? Compliments? REVIEW. How did you like the switch-back-and-forth-aroo?