You take up so much space inside of me.

-Tyler Knott Gregson

It was Sunday morning, and Hermione was still riding on cloud nine from her date with Finn the night before. He had taken her to a little Thai restaurant that wasn't too far from her apartment. He had remembered she loved all forms of Asian food from when she had mentioned it earlier on in the week. Finn was a good listener, was smart as a whip and incidentally a very good kisser, if the snog they had standing outside her door at the end of the date was any indication.

For the first time in a very long time, she found that she did indeed like someone, and she was curious to see where this something might go. She had promised Ginny to start living, and that was what she was doing. In all her years, and there was many of them she had never truly allowed herself to live. In past lives everything was centered around the curse, the curse that had plagued them for far too long. This time it was different though, she didn't fear her death, she knew in her soul that this would be the life that broke the curse. And if this was the only life she had left to live, well then, she needed to make the most of it.

Normally she wouldn't mix work and her private life, but Ginny might have been right when she had said Hermione's life could use a little office romance. Sure, she had dated plenty in the last five years but she never mixed business with pleasure, but she had to admit that it's a little thrilling.

He wanted to know all about her life growing up before she knew she was a witch. He wanted to know what it was like to be raise by No-maj's, and how her parents had handled having a witch for a daughter. She told him of how shocked they had been at first, but how their pride had shown through in the end. How they would make the most of her summer holiday's seeing as she had spent more time at school once she had started Hogwarts. How they always tried to keep her grounded in the Muggle world, so she was never disconnected from her roots. She told him about altering her parent's memory in the hopes of keeping them safe during the war. How she had managed to track them down when it was finished, and the process of restoring the memories of their daughter.

She shared with him, how the first couple years their relationship had been rocky. How her parents couldn't see how much danger they could have been in if the death eaters had found them. "How could they not see you had done it out of love?" He asked not understanding their cold treatment of their daughter. Things were better now between them, but still a far cry from the way they had been growing up.

She told him of her friendship between Ron and Harry. How Ron and she had tried to date early on after the war, but it hadn't worked out and nearly ended in a disaster. She told him that Harry was the brother she wishes she had. That it had been Harry who had taken her leaving the hardest. She suspected that a part of him felt abandoned by her decision to come here.

He told her more about his time at Ilvermorny and how he played on his house Quodpot team, Finn called it Quidditch on steroids. Hermione had been horrified to learn there was a sport more dangerous than Quidditch that school children were playing.

His sister Sarah who he was closest to worked as an Auror. He had shared that he had been horrified when she had been accepted into the program. Though he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, he was still her big brother and the idea of her going after dark Sorcerers scared him. His other sister worked for MACUSA but in a different department. What truly touched her was how even though he and his siblings were spread out every Sunday they would have dinner back in D.C. with their mom and dad. It reminded her of the Weasley's, and she couldn't help but smile as he told her about their family dynamic.

It had been a great first date, maybe even the best first date she had ever had. She couldn't help but feel the hope bubbling inside of her, or the desire to spend as much time with him as possible. It was all so new and exciting. Moreover, she couldn't wait to tell Ginny all about it. She would of course gloat and tell Hermione she had told her so, but hey what were friends for.

Seeing as it was Sunday and Finn was in D.C. for the day with his family, Hermione was enjoying a day of solitude walking around the MET a Muggle museum. She was still having a hard time wrapping her head around the separation between muggles and wizards in American but as she learned more of their history, she found herself more understanding.

She had come upon a picture that startled her from her thoughts as she wondered the gallery. It was a portrait of a young woman, that had been painted in 1720, in England. The card attached to the painting read 'Helena Eason, 1720. Painted by William Hogarth three months before the woman's untimely death in childbirth'

Hermione stared at Helena in shock, how had the Metropolitan museum of all places been able to get their hands on a portrait that she had long believed to be missing or destroyed.

"Beautiful isn't it?" She heard a man ask from behind her. She needn't turn to see the man; she knew from his scent it was Draco.

"How?" She asked her back still turned to him.

"I was able to track the painting down a few years ago. It's here on loan."

"Why though." Her voice held so much wonder

"I thought she was a beautiful woman; I still do, and I thought others should be able to appreciate her beauty." He had moved so he was now standing beside her, she had not yet been able to take her gaze from the painting. She could feel Helena as she gazed at her beautiful face, she really was a sight to behold. It wasn't hard to understand why Henry had been so easily attracted to the young witch.

"Do you come to look at it often?" She asked.

"No. I don't allow Henry control most days." Hermione could feel it was probably the most honest answer he could give her.

"Then, why are you here now?"

"Looking for you." He said as if this fact should be obvious, maybe it should have, but she still had a hard time believing that he could feel her every thought and mood.

She finally looked at him, he was still staring at the portrait, she could see the love written in his eyes. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time, as if no time had passed at all. "Well you have found me." She said after a moment, she looked away from him and back to the portrait.

"That I have." He held out his arm, as if to say let's move on. She did but didn't take his arm.

"How did you know I would be here? There are a million places I could be." Though she knew what his answer would be she asked anyways hoping to catch him in a lie.

"I told you, I can feel you." He said placing a hand over his heart. "I wanted to apologize for missing dinner the other night."

"Oh, it's fine. No need for an apology." She brushed off his apology.

"I was wondering if maybe I could make it up to you. I know this great little hot dog cart not far from here, I could buy you lunch." He smirked, it was something she hadn't seen in years and she found it odd that it brought her a little comfort.

"A hot dog?" She looked amused.

"I figured you wouldn't agree to a sit-down lunch, to formal. But maybe if we eat standing up, you wouldn't be so judgmental."

She was silent for a long while as they walked, the man standing beside her mesmerized Helena, who currently was having a hard time staying within the neat little box Hermione had created. Her good mood from the night before gone it had been easy to forget how much she would always be entangled with him, but now she was faced once again with who she truly was.

"It's just a hot dog, and maybe some ice cream if you are lucky." He smiled this time, and Hermione felt her heart slow for just a beat.

"Ok." She had been here all morning after all, and it wasn't like she wouldn't be able to come back. She did live in the city now after all.

Draco turned and headed for the door grabbing her hand in the process. She couldn't help but feel the licks of fire when their skin made contact. It had always been this way, the feeling too much to handle, she let go and put more space between them. They walked several blocks before they came to an entrance to central park, he motioned towards it, she nodded her head in agreement.

"Where is Emily today?" Hermione asked unable to take the silence.

"With her mother, picking out a wedding dress." He said putting his hand in his pockets to keep from reaching for her again.

"So, you set a date?" Hermione asked ignoring that small pang of hurt she felt.

"March 3." Was his somewhat clipped response.

"Finn had said you had been rather reluctant to do so." she pressed for more information unable to help herself.

"Well it is set now, and everyone can be happy." His tone was still brisk, and Hermione could tell this was a sore subject.

"Do you love her?" this question had been burning at the back of her mind all week.

"Yes."

"I just I haven't been able too...". She started to say but stopped herself.

"you haven't been able to allow yourself to love someone other than Henry." She didn't have to finish her thoughts; he could finish it for her.

"Yes."

"you have to turn her off completely." He said sadly.

"But she is a part of me, there are bits of her in everything I do. I don't know how to just turn her off."

"I would think that it would be easier for you, you say you've never been able to feel me, if there is no connection on your end, I would think that you could just turn her off."

"Is that what you did? You turned Henry off in your head?"

"For the most part yes."

They fell silent again, the leaves on the trees had started to turn, the shades of yellow and red were mesmerizing. Fall had always been Hermione's favorite part of the year.

"I do like her." She finally said

"What?" He asked, she had obviously startled him out of his own thoughts.

"Emily, I do like her. Last week you said that you could sense I wasn't sure about her."

"She is pretty amazing isn't she." He looked wistful, and very much a man in love.

"I can see why you feel the way you do." It pained her to admit it, but she could see why he had been able to fall for the bright ambitious young woman.

"And Finn?" He asked, did he know about their date?"

"I think I could really like him." If she would just allow herself to be free and open. It had been what all her relationships had lacked.

"If only you could allow yourself." It was as if he could read her mind, had it always been this way between them? Had he always been able to read her like a book?

"Yes."

He stopped walking and moved to sit on a nearby bench. "I need to know something." He said after she sat down next him.

"Did you mean what you said? Did you really mean it?" he looked sad, the happiness from just a moment ago was gone.

"I have said so many things Draco you need to be more specific."

"You don't want me, or more specifically Henry. You believe denying who we are will break the curse?"

"Yes." Helena was screaming insider her head, but she wouldn't listen to her now, not when she felt so strongly about what she had to do.

What had happened next, she had not been prepared for. She gasped, that little piece of her that she had always felt had been out of place, unable to fit neatly with the rest was gone, and finally she understood what he had been talking about. She could indeed feel him, feel Henry, she just didn't know it was him.

"Do you understand now?" he asked

She nodded her head, as she felt tears start prick at her eyes. "Yes."

"If you disconnect from her, she will no longer have control or influence over your thoughts and feelings."

"I will lose a piece of myself." She said stubbornly, for as much as she liked to say she wasn't like Helena she had relied on her, she had guided nearly all her choices since she was sixteen.

"But you will happier for it." There was such a sadness in his voice, she wanted to reach out and take his hand into her own. To comfort him, even though he was the one who was trying to comfort her.

"Will you help me?" She asked softly as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Find the thread that links you to her." He said gently. She did as he said, searching within herself the piece of cord that was her link to Helena. "When you find it, snap the cord in two."

In her mind eye she could see the cord her link to her one time self, and with one swift movement she snapped it. A sudden feeling of freedom washed over as if the thing that been holding her back all these years was finally gone. She dared to hope, something she hadn't been able to do since Helena had stirred from her slumber all those years ago.

"How do you feel?" He asked when she didn't say anything.

"Free."

"And happy." This wasn't a question; he would be the only person who could possibly understand what this new feeling was.

"How did you figure it out?"

"When I met Emily. She intrigued me, probably in much the same way that Finn does you. I knew though I would never allow myself an honest chance with her if Henry influenced my every thought and move."

"So, you found the cord and snapped it in two."

"Yes."

"Last week, though when you saw me."

"I'm not sure they are truly gone from us, not really. By closing them off from the rest of us though I think we can find some peace. Maybe even be friends, without this desire we couldn't even begin to explain to others."

Sitting beside her was a man she thought she knew, but now that Helena's presence in her every thought was gone, she realized she was only left with the memory's she had before the start of her sixth year. She of course knew of his part in the war, and the choices he was forced to make. She didn't know the man sitting in front of her, and she felt that was a shame. For the first time she truly thought Helena had nothing to do with that feeling.

"I do believe you owe me Ice Cream Mr. Malfoy."

"Hey, I said I would buy you a hot dog, the ice cream was a maybe." He laughed getting to his feet. "But I am a man of my word, so let's get that hot dog." He offered his arm, this time she took it. Maybe there was some hope for them yet.

Authors' Note: What do you guys think so far? Hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. I don't think I thanked my awesome Beta in the last chapter, but you know who you are! Thanks for the support, and encouragement couldn't do it without you! If you guys like the story hit the follow button down below, leave a review and tell me what you think! Hoping to update again next week, but we a preparing for a hurricane so at this point it's anyone's guess! See you guys soon.