A/N: part three of immortal flame will take a long time to upload because of uncontrolled circumstances. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Immortal Flame

Part Two: The Dragon's Heart

I smile coolly

Like I'm not empty

*~*~

Hermione sighed as she watched the sun completely engulf her frame. She had woken up two hours even before the sun rose. It had always been like these. She, be waking up from her nightmares that always involved one man-the only man she loved--Draco Malfoy.

Usually, the dream starts with her running after Draco and end up that she finding him buried already. She just couldn't accept the dreams. For years now, she had manually and single-handedly searched for Draco everywhere but to no avail. The wizard who had had a last encounter with him had just died, undisclosed of as to what happened to her loved one. Her attempt was futile-everybody thought so, too. They all presumed that Draco had died.

She wanted to do so too, end her futile attempts and cease the longing for him but some gut feeling's been telling her to go on even if five years had passed.

Many things had happened in those five years. Voldemort had finally been defeated. All the Death Eaters and alike had been punished. Hermione was there when Lucius was kissed by a dementor even if she opted not to be.

Aside from that, she had finally become an Auror and has been on top of the game ever since. Her superiors consider her a great asset to the Ministry that they even raised her salary to the fullest. She was even given her own "magical" house when she captured seven Death Eater fugitives by herself. She performed so well that she didn't need a partner to help her.

The Daily Prophet had twice hailed her as the Wizard, Woman and Auror of the Year and her popularity scales never seem to dip.

Her love life had been quite a ride even if Draco was missing. Several suitors had come and gone but none replaced Draco in her heart. A fervent suitor stayed for three long years, however, and his name was Fitz Wilbur. He was an Auror too and had inherited a huge sum of money from his wizard parents. He was kind, gentle and ideal. Everybody prodded Hermione to take his courtship and be lovers with him already.

But when all these is over, when all that Hermione has to please but herself, a painful scar etches over and over in her heart. Even if everybody thought she had lived the perfect life, the scar and the hollowness she felt were unbearable.

The hollowness that she knew only Draco could fill and the scar that happened five years ago.

Aside from her break-up with Draco, the painful incident that occurred three months after that wounded Hermione's soul.

The war was over and they had won. Hermione was weary, exhausted from the simultaneous duels she had encountered. All of a sudden, she collapsed and she was immediately rushed to the hospital. There, the doctors found out that she had just lost her two-month old baby.

The reason for her breakdown was hush-hush of course. Hermione told people she was just over fatigued. But more than that, she was devastated. How couldn't she had known that she was pregnant? That she was carrying the only proof of her and Draco's love? That inside her was the only solid memory of Draco? Why did the child have to die?

She cried over the fateful incident for weeks-but she did this only to herself. She pretended that indeed, she loved the perfect life she was having. She couldn't sleep, ruing what had happened and the questions and what-if's keep piling up.

These left her broken. Perfect on the outside but broken inside.

She wished Draco could be with her now to comfort her.

She sighed and went to the bathroom and fixed herself for work.

*~*~

A/N: thanks to all those who reviewed namely:

Thepotionmaster- oo nga nalungkot din ako…hay

Elouise Jane Buenaventura Timbang- salamat sa review..hehe

Ash (chibi2006@hotmail.com) - thanks for loving the story. I'll try to email you if I can. ^_^

Sam8- Draco's OOC? Omg, that's terrible… please point out what parts he is OOC… thanks…hope to see your review next chap… ^_^

Indessciare- have you received my email? Thanks for the review and making me your fave author… salamat…^_^

Novi (musthavecoffee@hotmail.com)- what you said is very flattering.. thanks… hope to see your review next chap… ^_^