Disclaimer-- Sigh Harry Potter isn't mine... sniff... neither is Hermione, or Ron, or Draco.... they all belong to J.K. Rowling, all of them.... sob

Chapter Ten-- The Journey Home

Hermione woke up with a start. Where was she? Beneath her was a large four-poster bed. The satin quilt was an emerald green, not her familiar red velvet bed coverings in her dorm in the Gryffindor tower. She groaned. She must've fallen asleep in Salazar's chamber in the dungeon. She remembered staying up late into the night, early into the morning, kissing and talking to Draco. But how on earth did she get into this fabulous bedroom? The chamber around her was lavishly decorated. She peered into the mirror hanging across from the bed. Her hair was sticking out in all directions, so she tried to smooth it with her hands, only making it worse. "You look fine, dear."

Hermione gasped. Only wealthy wizards owned talking mirrors, and coming from a muggle family, she had had a very limited experience with them. "Well, thank you," she stammered. She nervously turned from the mirror, looking for her wand. It was on the night stand. She retrieved it and turned toward the door, noticing a large grandfather clock. "Oh!" she said, startled for the second time that morning. It was nearly ten o'clock.

Leaving the bedroom, she came out onto a cold marble corridor. It suddenly occurred to her that she had no idea where she was. Luckily, the passageway only went in one direction. She walked slowly. There were two doors she passed on her left, but they were all shut. She wondered if Draco was behind any of them. "Draco?" she called out hesitantly. There was no answer. She was at the top of a large staircase. She now recognized the room before her as Salazar's living room. There, on the sofa lay Draco, fast asleep.

She descended the stairs and approached her boyfriend. She sat on the floor next to his head and kissed his ear softly. "Honey?" she whispered. "Draco, wake up."

He opened one eye. "Ugh. I'm so tired."

"I'm sorry, I really should've gone back to my dorm last night and let you sleep."

He pulled her onto the couch with him. "Don't be sorry. You can make up for it now, though, by letting me sleep."

She giggled. "Come on. If you don't care about missing breakfast, well, you can go hungry, but we really shouldn't miss the train."

He sat up. "Damn. I had forgotten. Today's the last." He sighed and looked at her. "What am I going to do without you this summer, Mione?"

"I'll write you. Helios can bring you my letters. Maybe Mum'll let me visit even. I can't wait to see the great Draco Malfoy among common muggles." She laughed.

"Yeah. And maybe Aunt Violet will let me spend some time in France, and I could pay you a visit."

"Yeah." She looked at him. He had lain back down and closed his eyes. This is going to be a long summer, she thought, brushing his blond hair away from his forehead. "Come on, you. Time to get up."

He pretended to snore, so she attacked him, tickling his sides and feet until he promised to get up and go down to the Great Hall with her for breakfast.

After breakfast, all of the students had to go to their respective dorms to pack. Then, they all journeyed down to the Front Hall, where they met up with friends for the carriage ride back to the Hogwarts Express. Nine months ago, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Brynna, and Malfoy had all squeezed in together. Today, they accopmlished the feat of getting six people into one carraige once more, but their mood was much different this time. They were laughing and talking, reliving the events of the year.

Harry especially was in a good mood. He was looking forward to the summer. Sirius would be waiting for him at platform nine-and-three-quarters when the train arrived at King's Cross. Harry had sent a letter (a muggle letter) to the Dursleys explaining he wouldn't be living with them anymore. Now that Voldemort was gone, there was no need for the extra protection Privet Drive offered, either. Sirius had also promised Harry could invite all of his friends to stay with them for a while in the Shrieking Shack for the last part of vacation.

They eagerly exited the cramped carriage and boarded the train. Several games of Exploding Snap later, they neared the station. Their conversation slowed as the train came to a stop.

"There's my mum." said Hermione. She sighed. "I'll write you as soon as I get home, Draco. Goodbye." She kissed him.

"I love you, Hermione."

She stopped and stared at him, finally breaking into a huge grin. "I love you, too, Draco."

"Have a nice summer," he said. "'Bye."

"Goodbye, Harry, Ron, Brynna, Ginny," Hermione said as she climbed off the train.

Draco followed her after a formal goodbye to Harry and Ron. He forced himself to be nice, for Hermione's sake, but he still didn't like them.

Ron, Ginny, and Brynna left together; the Weasleys were taking Brynna to her dad's house. Harry disengaged himself from a hug from his enthusiastic godfather and they left for Diagon Alley, where they would travel by Floo Power into the Shrieking Shack. For the first time in his life, Harry Potter couldn't wait to get home.

A/N: Ok, that's it. That's the end. I know this was a really short chapter, but I needed one more to finish it off. Please review, tell me what you think. Did you like it? Hate it? Let me know! I'm going to start another fic soon, but I'm not sure what it'll be about yet. I hope you guys will all read it, too!

PS The allusion to Greek Mythology: Helen of Troy had one child: the rosy lipped Hermione, hence Draco's password "Helen's Daughter." :)