Disclaimer: Poor me, I don't own anything…everything is rowling's except for the plot, which is sooooo totally mine.

A/N: Hey, thanks to the readers who reviewed - the thanks is at the end of the chapter

Ok, um…yeah, school is like depressing. We have to read the scarlet letter and it's so boring. I mean, seriously, sorry to all you people who like that book, but like, it's pointless. And our teacher can find symbolism in ANYTHING. I swear she like can't live without finding a symbol in each sentence. It's like, what's does "day" symbolize? Or "night"? Or the sun? and Rev. Wilson? I'm totally serious. She thinks there's symbolism EVERYWHERE. Ok, enough of that, I will stop complaining about english - it's beginning to boggle my brain.

So, well last time I mentioned that someone (I have an urge to say sumthin real nasty right now) like totally stole my plot. Well, the good news is, she's changed some of the little tiny details that were exactly like mine, and she's begun to write stuff that she made up on her own. Bad news is, the whole beginning (starting from chap 2) has like the exact same plot as mine, save the tiny details that she just changed. I mean, it used to be like she had a shortened version of my chapter one w/ the whole forest scene. And then the part where Draco and Pansy find the kid and Pansy *big surprise* can't have any kids. And like all the dialogue and content was like EXACTLY the same (except now she's changed it). And then Hermione is going under another name and living in the muggle world, but gets a letter from dumbledore to be a teacher, so she returns. And guess what she did in the muggle world? She owned a book store! Except now it's changed too. And then their kids meet up and become goody goody friends. Ok, I absolutely loved my plot when I first wrote this story because I really thought it was very original and nobody did anything like this. And sometimes I see people with stories now and then that kind of sort of sound like mine just a little bit, but not really, and I really don't care. But dude, this story was soooo similar. Everything was EXACTLY the same! Except that now it's been kinda altered a bit, which is good. I can take the excuse "It's really my own idea" only so far. And this was just too unnaturally similar. So I've been angry and that really hasn't helped with my writing. Wow, now I actually agree with my english teacher on one thing - DIE PLAIGERIZERS DIE! Ok, that was really mean, but I'm all angry.

Oh yeah, and don't kill me. This chapter has a bit of Pansy and Draco in it…but I swear that Draco will be with Hermione sometime soon! oh yeah and somewhere in the middle of the chapter there's gonna be some italized stuff, and that's Draco's thoughts, ok? Just wanted to clear that.

~

Forever Never Ends

Chapter 21

"Don't come in! Don't you dare come in!" her voice rang from the other side of the door.

"If you don't open the door this instant, I will hex it open!"

"Don't you dare!"

"Open the door!"

But he heard no reply, just his own heavy, ragged breathing.

"Parvati! I'm sorry, okay? Just let me in, alright? We'll talk this over," he said hurriedly and with more weariness in his voice than pure honestly, as he leaned his weight on the wooden door.

Without warning, the door swung open, which caused him to fall inside, but he was able to catch himself before hitting the ground.

Her face was a deep tomato red from anger and all he could do was to stare. He made a motion to touch her arm, but she grew his hand off.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his tone a bit more tender than it had been before. "Let's talk, alright?"

The red color left her face and she suddenly turned very white and inanimate, staring at the deep blue color of the carpet.

"What is there to talk about?" she asked, in barely an audible whisper, her voice showing the same hopelessness that she wore on her face.

"About why we're always like this," he answered, also becoming quite interested in the carpet.

"Ron, you know exactly why! You know exactly why this isn't working out and why it will never work out!"

Ron Weasley appeared dumbfounded as he stared at his wife, but his confusion changed slowly to guilt.

"Why?" he asked, although he didn't want to know the answer.

Parvati squeezed her eyes shut in silent agony, and pearly tears slid down her face, landing on the soft carpet.

"Because you're in love with her," she said, reopening her eyes and wearing an absolutely blank look on her face.

He was completely silent, as this was one of those truths that he still couldn't face after all these years.

"Because you're still in love with her. Because you've always been in love with her."

He began speaking, his voice unnaturally shaky. "I'm not. I'm in love with you."

"Oh, Ron, spare me the lies, right now, alright? What I'm saying you know is the truth!" She looked at him, the soft, loving way that a wife looks at her husband. She could not help it when a small cry of despair departed from her lips. "Do you know how hard it has been all these years, knowing that the man you married loves another woman? That you were only his last resort?"

"Parvati, that's not true - " he began.

"I can tell what's true and what's not! I see the way you look when her name is brought up. Despite what you think, I'm not blind, Ron Weasley!"

She drew in a long breath and chuckled almost maniacally. "She rejected you, didn't she? Back in seventh year. Didn't she? So you came running to me in the midst of all your anger and despair. And I actually thought you cared for me."

"It doesn't matter anymore. That was then! Now she's dead!"

"She's not dead!" Parvati cried in an outrage.

For a moment, Ron's heart skipped a beat. "She's not?" he asked, his voice sounding hopeful.

Parvati shook her head slowly, although not as an answer to his question. "See? See what I mean? You still love her despite what she has done to you. But you have no place in your heart for me."

"I'm sorry," was all he could mutter out. "I'm sorry."

And for once in all these years, he was truthful.

"I did love her," he finally said, letting the words slip slowly from his lips. "So much…" and here his voice broke. "And I thought she loved me too. But I was mistaken. I thought I could get rid of all the pain, by being with you. You comforted me. And I wanted to show her that I didn't need her in my life. That I could live just fine without her. That I could love you just as much as I loved her."

He paused hesitantly, but then raised his eyes to meet hers.

"I loved Hermione, but that was a long time ago. Now I love you."

"Ron," she said bitterly, turning away from him, "you don't even know what love is."

~

She glided down the magnificent stairs in the dark of the night, her hands sliding smoothly down the railing, and her majestic purple robes flowing like water ripples. Her silky dark hair floated almost buoyantly behind her as she descended down the grand straircase with a certain, ethereal grace. An observer would have thought she looked nothing less than a princess - a beautiful princess stepping straight out of a fairy tale.

But of course she did. She was brought up like a princess, pampered like a princess, and was trained to be one. This was the way she learned how to live. This was the way she lived. Those years of learning manners and etiquette. Those countless hours balancing books on her head. Maybe it did pay off. But in the end, she was still herself.

The staircase ended and her feet landed daintily on the crystal floor. This was the second floor, she realized, as she took a good look around. With more than one thousand rooms and at least one hundred stories, Malfoy Manor, even to those who live in it, was one large maze, full of intricate designs of passageways.

It was only a moment before she heard footsteps coming from the hallway to the right, and the loud bellowing of a heavy cloak. The footsteps neared, and finally, a figure cloaked in midnight black was discernable in the light of the moon shining from outside a large window. The figure stopped in his step as he saw her, and she smiled softly in the darkness.

She reached out for him gently with her right hand, and he came slowly towards her, finally extending his own hand to meet hers. Her warm hands melted his icy cold ones, and she looked into his eyes, the icy-gray ones that she had been so accustomed to seeing.

"You're back." It was almost a whisper.

He put his free hand up to her cheek and touched it lightly. And she let the ice completely devour her.

"Yes, I'm back."

He smiled gently and reassuringly at her, creating a bridge between their hearts. The strong connection was broken when he began to speak again.

"Where's the light? It's completely dark in here. I can barely see a thing."

She reached inside her robes and removed a small wooden wand. "Lumos!"

The interior of the manor burst into light as the shining chandeliers flicked on simultaneously. Malfoy Manor, although detested by many, was a place of unrivaled splendor. Everything square inch of the place was covered in gleaming gold, or crystal, or any other precious treasure. The manor generated a kind of warmth - a homely like of warmth like when one is with his family at Christmas time, sitting by the fireplace and watching the snow flake flutter down outside the window. It was hardly believable that such a place was capable of such warmth and emotion.

"Come," he said, grasping her hand and leading her quickly into a dimly lighted chamber. It was his chamber. And hers.

He directed her into the lovely oak chair that sat in front of the large dresser mirror and motioned for her to sit down. From inside his dark cloak, he drew out a small red box and handed it to her.

"For me?" she asked uncertainly as her hands traced the soft velvet of the box.

"Who else?" he asked as he kneeled down beside her, watching as she slowly lifted the top off, revealing an exquisite diamond necklace.

She drew a sharp breath. "It's beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful."

He only smiled in reply. "Let me put it on for you."

He removed the necklace from the box and set it around her neck, slowly clasping it at the back of her neck.

"Do you like how it looks?"

"Do you?" she asked, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"Yes," he whispered. "You look beautiful."

She smiled with a sort of sad joy, fingering the glowing necklace as it lay on her smooth skin. "If you like it, then I like it."

He spent an eternity just staring at their reflection in the mirror with an ineffable kind of sadness. He saw the image of the woman in the mirror, but his mind's memory slowly burred the reflection and change it into another face, a face that he had been longing to see for years. A face that he knew he never would. Raised in the wealthiest wizarding family in the world, he was taught to be selfish, not having the faintest idea about how to care for someone else. Until he met her. She had turned his world upside down. She had taught him how to smile, how to laugh, how to love.

And then before he knew it she was gone.

He had held selfishly onto her memory, held on for so long. It was only recently that he had realized how absolutely selfish he was being, especially to the young woman in the chair who he was kneeling beside. She had given him her heart, yet he wasn't able to do the same. Life hadn't been fair to him, but he couldn't let her suffer his pain, that burning ache that was slowly consuming his heart. No matter how unfair life was to him, he let wouldn't be able to let himself be unfair to her anymore.

No matter how much it broke it heart to know he must do it, he knew it needed to be done.

He grasped her hand tenderly and lifted her out of the chair. "Come with me," he said with no explanation at all. And she gladly followed.

He led her to a part of the manor that even she had even been to before. The place was new to her and hauntingly exciting. He slowly opened one of the doors in the quiet hallway and led her inside. She gasped at the splendor of this place. It was a large library, full of shelves and shelves of books. It was his own collection. His own secret collection.

Still holding on to her hand, he ventured over to a far corner and hesitated before drawing out a small leather-bound book. She had not seen it before, and couldn't see how this could possibly have anything to do with anything.

He held the book up to his heart and closed his eyes softly, inhaling deeply. It was a moment before he finally turned around to face the woman.

She opened her mouth to speak, to ask what the significance of this book was, but he answered it before the question could pass on her lips.

"A memory, just a dream," he said softly, his voice with a dream-like quality, answering her unasked question. Then he stepped forward and took her hand in his, letting their fingers intertwine.

His steps slower and heavier, he led her back into their chamber, where they sat down before the warm cozy fireplace, still holding hands.

He seemed to stare into the fireplace, almost for an eternity, watching the happily dancing sparks. She opened her mouth to speak to him, but promptly shut her mouth when she saw the expression he wore on his face. It was like seeing a painting of his face, full of vivid colors. There was anguish, despair, agony, anger, hopelessness, but underneath it all, she saw a pure kind of untainted love.

Finally, his eyes broke away from the flickering flames and glanced only once at the book in his hands, his fingers tracing over the lettering on the front. She saw a strange kind of determination come over him, and almost gasped at what he did next.

With the same kind of determination, he leaned forward and threw the small leather-bound book into the engulfing flames, letting it slip from his hands to be devoured by the welcoming fire.

I'm sorry…

The savage flames began to consume the old book, and it brought upon him a searing pain, as if it was his own body, his own soul, that was being scorched in the flames.

But I have to let go now…

And he kept watching, watching.

And face reality…

Watching as the golden letterings faded slowly.

I loved you…

And faded till it was no more.

But I cannot love you anymore…

And that was the first time she saw his icy eyes melt.

Forgive me…

"This is the end of a chapter of my life…that should have ended long ago."

But remember me…

His voice was soft and hinted at his anguish.

Because I will never forget you…

"And now…it's the beginning of another."

And with that, he pushed all thoughts of the past within the deepest chambers of his mind, and letting his soul start anew. He leaned over slowly, towards the woman beside him and captured her lips with his.

~

An absurdly loud owl began tapping incessantly at the window, begging for entrance. The sudden noise killed the silence in the room, and Parvati quickly snapped out of her daze and hurried to the window, throwing it open to let the owl drop its letter. She turned the letter to the back and saw the familiar purple wax seal and coat of arms.

"It's from Hogwarts," she said holding the letter out to the man, worry beginning to creep into her voice.

He quickly snatched the letter out of her hand, hastily ripping it open, letting his eyes scan the parchment with horror.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Weasley,

We regret to inform you that you child, Alexander Edward Weasley, fell victim to an unfortunate mishap with mandrakes today at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, we assure you that he is alive and well and will be revived. In the meantime, as the parents of the victim, you have permission to enter the school grounds to visit your child in the hospital wing.

My greatest apologies,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

"What does it say, Ron?" she asked, with a troubled voice. "What's wrong?"

"There's been an accident at Hogwarts."

Parvati gasped and exhaled. "What kind of accident? Is he alright?"

"Mandrakes!" Ron said hurriedly. "They've been knocked out by mandrakes!"

"Is he alright?" she asked again, this time louder.

"I'll go to Hogwarts now and -"

"No, Ron, you can't. Remember you've got a late night meeting to attend at Cornelius Fudge's home to discuss developments in your department."

"But Parvati! Alex is surely more important than Cornelius Fudge!"

"Fudge is not a man who likes to be kept waiting. He'll surely sack you if you don't attend!"

"I must see Alex."

"I'll go," she said hastily, donning her blue cape. "I will go to Hogwarts in your stead and find him."

~

He hastily threw on his shirt and began buttoning it, his fingers fumbling with the buttons. She glided over to him, to help him button in the midst of all the anxiety that was filling up the room like a noxious gas. Then she threw a sleek gray tie around his neck and began to fold it, in the end achieving a perfectly beautiful tied tie. All this she accomplished very quickly, but still with the same soft flowing grace that was her nature.

"I must hurry there."

She nodded, her brows creasing with worry. "Yes, hurry."

He glanced down at the letter that was clenched in his hands. It had just arrived a few minutes ago. The owl had come at an absolutely absurd hour in the morning, it was probably about three o'clock, waking him. At first they thought it was an intruder, despite the fact that Malfoy Manor had more than one hundred security charms.

"I might not be back for a while. Please - "

"I know, I know. I'll cancel your meetings. I know what to do."

He looked tenderly into her eyes, with a hint of appreciation. "You always know what to do."

She threw a dark cloak around his shoulder and smoothed the creases out with her hands. "Send my love to her."

"I will."

He gathered her in his arms and kissed her softly before sweeping out of the room, his cape billowing behind him.

~

The woman stood quietly in the corner, taking in the scene with a feeling of pure guilt. It was her fault, she knew it. She had been standing there for hours. She knew not how long, but she knew that it was nearing the dawn of the next day already. This, she determined, was her punishment.

Madame Pomfrey, glanced once at her from the side of one of the beds, and then sighed and began walking to her side.

"You need some rest, Hermione," she said gently, the way a mother speaks to a child. "You can't hold up much longer."

"Just a while longer," she whispered, the fatigue slowly creeping into her voice.

Poppy frowned at the idea, but nodded nevertheless. "Just a while longer. And then if you don't leave willingly, I will hex you out of these doors."

More than a little while passed before Poppy finally, in her sternest voice, was able to convince the guilt-ridden young professor to return to her chambers.

Hermione, less than willingly, slowly let her aching legs carry her out of the doors of the hospital wing. On her way to her room, she passed by the strong oak front doors of the school, remembering the first time she had stepped that threshold. It was nearly twenty years ago.

Sighing deeply, she continued on her way, and approached a turn in the hallway. It was then that she heard the front doors swing open angrily with a loud bang, as wood hit stone. She flinched and wondered who or what had swung the doors open with such a force, but nevertheless continued on her way.

~

He approached the great iron gates and quickly pushed it open, striding through at a quick pace. He hurried down the stone path, occasionally stepping on the tufts of grass that were growing in the crevices in the ground. Beyond him stood the magnificent castle that had been home to him for seven years of his life. He climbed up the steps with speed and paused before the large front entrance.

He was a bit infuriated, to say the least. After all, his daughter had suffered an injury in their hands. How could he not be even the least bit angered?

His anger was reflected in the way he forcefully swung the heavy wooden doors open. They opened with a loud boom and he quickly darted into them. Having not entered inside these doors for ten years, he had almost forgotten the splendor of the great castle. Dazed for only a moment, he began to look around, trying to remember where the hospital wing was. Glancing down the hallway toward the right, he saw a figure clothed in dark blue hastily turn the corner.

For a moment, he wanted to stop that person, and ask him or her for directions, but then decided otherwise as his mind suddenly cleared, and he knew just exactly where every place or room in the castle was.

Without any further thoughts, he swept down the hallway to the left, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

~

TBC

A/N: Wow, um…the end of another chapter. I'm so proud of myself because I finished this chapter in just a few days, (I started last week) (ok that's not something to brag about, but to me that's a great feat because I'm so busy I usually take a REALLY long time to write a whole chapter).

This chapter I know is rather confusing. I used a ton of pronouns so that got stuff all weird and twisted. But using names just totally destroys the mood of the chapter in some cases. In case you guys didn't understand this chapter, here is a short explanation:

So Ron and Parvati are fighting…that was pretty obvious. And the thing w/ Draco that might have been confusing is that, well, he feels really guilty and selfish to have kept holding on to the memory of Hermione for so long and he feels like he has not been fair to Pansy. So he has decided, despite his poor heart breaking, that he will wipe out all thoughts of Hermione, and give his whole heart to Pansy (like that one part in Pearl Harbor where Evelyn says good bye to Rafe and says she must give her whole heart to Danny). He has resolved to love Pansy with his whole heart because he realized he has been utterly selfish and unfair to her all these years, as in, not loving her when she totally loved him. So he throws the book (which symbolizes his last memory of her) in the fire to let it burn, because the book's burning sort of symbolizes his giving up of past dreams. And of course, the book has been mentioned in earlier chapters, but maybe some of you didn't catch that. The book will again be mentioned in the next chapter, I think. And then they get the letter, and so on and now he's come to Hogwarts. Yay! They are going to meet soon!

Again, it would be GREAT if you could review, please?????

And thanks bunches to the people who reviewed:

Ayumi-hamasaki - um…I promise Draco and Hermione will meet soon, but not quite yet

Rebecca - I'm glad you liked some of the dialogue in chap 20, hehehe. And I'm glad also that the chapter brightened your day - your review brightened mine!

Stace - yeah, I totally agree, Hermione and Draco make the best couple ever!

princessroses - sorry to keep you waiting for so long, but here's the next chapter

animegirl-mika - yeah, I liked the turn of events too. Um…the story ID number of the story that is like mine is 1167446

Butterscotch Duck - I totally want Draco to suffer too! But then I agree with you that they should be together in the end

Tom's gal - I'm glad you like this story!

fifteen - yeah, I'm sorry that Draco's not that evil. It's just…I can't make people evil! I'm terrible at characterizing! Sorry!

amisaturn2 - I totally agree with you that the crucible just totally sucked (stupid puritans), but I'm glad you like this story

AlyBaby - me too! Draco is the best!

Beth-e Felton - sorry I've waited so long to update!

Rachel - yeah, I didn't think that was real nice either, so I'm kinda mad, I emailed it to you, but for some reason it got sent back

HarryPotterfan - well, sorry to have kept you waiting for so long and for leaving it there

tom felton's babe - glad you like it, and they're going to meet…soon…

dEsTiNy - well, you won't find out what separated them for quite a while…but it'll get there

Artsgirl15 - I'm glad you like it!

heavengurl899 - oh, too bad that you don't have the internet and I hope you get everything done!

Skye17 - hey, thanks! Yeah, I'm rather proud of my plot *blushes*

Lulu - Sorry I had to wait so long to update, and yeah, my finals went ok, especially since my chem teacher curved the final like a ton

calikitten - I totally agree with you! Physics just totally sux!!!!

MoonTrail - thanks for your feedback and support!

Rebecca Anne - thanks! glad you like it!

sWeEt NoThInGs - glad you liked this chapter, but I'm sorry you're so confused!

Depth - thanks, and sorry it took so long for me to write this chapter

Loloring - sorry this chapter took so long to write!

Hannah - I think all english teachers are evil!!!!!!! Especially mine!

luvmealways89 - yeah, Draco is beginning to fall! glad you thought the chapter was good. Um…I'm pretty sure the fic we'll always have paris is still somewhere on ff.net

zarsky - thanks! I'm sorry I took so long to update!

Goth-Ic - awww, well I don't think D/Hr will ever happen in the harry potter series either, but I can just imagine it will, hehehe.

Krissy - don't worry, I won't desert it!

Draco i-wanna-know-if-she-likes-me Malfoy - alright! I've updated!

I'm sorry if I missed anyone! I hope I haven't! But since I'm stupid, I might have!

Anyhow, review!