No Tomorrow
Chapter 7: Finishing Hogwarts
Draco sat in the coach on the train, his head against the window watching the scenery go by. He was on his way back to Hogwarts to see Hermione graduate. She had been gone for nearly two weeks and it was driving him crazy. He missed her; he actually missed her. Even though she was in his apartment for two days he wished she were with him. They hadn't spoken the entire time she had been gone, and he didn't think she knew he was coming to see her walk. So much had happened with him in the past two weeks and his was brimming to just tell her the details. BR He had found a new job, a better one at Liverpool General. He was to be the administrative nurse in the pediatrics unit. He was to be paid a substantial amount more than he received at St. Mungo's, and while the doctor's there couldn't know he was a wizard, he was excited to have a paying job again. But his current flat was too far away for him to commute everyday; disapparating would prove to be too risky, incase anyone from the muggle world saw him, and he certainly couldn't fly his broomstick over downtown London. So, instead, he decided to move closer to LG. After meeting with a realtor, they searched for the perfect two bedroom, two bedroom flat that was within his price range. Helping Hermione shop for clothes put a small but significant dent in his trust fund, and he couldn't afford to use it any way else besides emergencies. Finally, after a week of searching, he found the perfect flat. It was quite a bit larger than his old home, it was very affordable, but it needed some work, which he thought Hermione would want to do after she got back from Hogwarts. It had significant closet space, a respectable size kitchen/dining room, and a small, quaint living room with a cozy couch. He immediately fell in love with the place, and he was very excited to show Hermione their new home. BR
They were about an hour away from Hogsmeade. Draco kept glancing at his watch every 5 minutes, wishing it were 3:00 and he were at the castle with Hermione. Ever since their kiss he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her lips were so soft and tender, and despite her frail figure, she fit wonderfully into his arms. He didn't want to let her go, didn't want to leave her, but she was on the road to recovery. And there was no way he would get in the way and fuck it up. He wanted desperately to kiss her again.
BR It was weird for him; he had never felt this way about any girl, even Pansy Parkinson. This was Hermione Granger, his mortal enemy from his schooling days and here he was thinking about what it would be like to have a second kiss with her. He knew he could get himself into some serious trouble if he didn't watch himself. This arrangement would only be temporary until Hermione was able to find a place of her own, after she had earned enough money from her new job. She was still healing from a very painful loss, and she was obviously not on very good terms with her parents. He wouldn't allow his feelings for her get in the way of her regaining control of her life. But something told him he was already in too deep.
BR
Hermione sat in her empty school room, waiting for Professor McGonagall to fetch her. She had completed the final two weeks of Hogwarts that she needed to graduate, and she had never felt prouder of herself. She had all "A's" like usual, and she made the Hogwart's List, a very prestigious deem to anyone who had received perfect marks through out his or her academic career. She was a bit sad though, knowing that there wouldn't be anyone out in the audience to see her walk. Her parents certainly weren't going to show up, even though she had called and begged them to be there on her special day. She dare didn't call Draco, he probably hated her for kissing him. She knew Ron wouldn't want to come, them having parted badly after Harry's death, and Ginny was busy with her children. Hermione sighed, knowing that this should be happy day, but couldn't help feel an overwhelming sense of sadness.
BR There was a quiet rap at her door. "Miss Granger, it's time," called out Professor McGonagall. BR
"I'll be there in a minute," Hermione answered back. She adjusted her cap and gown, grabbed her Valedictorian speech, and met up with Professor McGonagall.
BR The great room was packed. Hundreds of proud parents and relatives stood in the audience, waiting for the commencement ceremony to begin. As soon as all of the students had filed into the hall, Professor Dumbledore stood up from behind the podium, and began his speech. BR "Friends, family, students and staff, I would like to welcome you all to the Graduation Ceremony for the class of 2004." There was a small round of applause before he began again. "With a class of nearly 300 students, all of whom did especially well, I am proud to say that this has been by far the best group of students Hogwarts has seen yet. Our young witches and wizards have put forth hours upon hours of hard work into their studies, have made new and wonderful friendships, and all hold a very bright future ahead of them; 99% of our students were able to be placed in respectful jobs in and around the London area. It fills my heart with great pride and joy to be the headmaster of these bright young pupils. I am especially proud of our Valedictorian. After dealing with a personal tragedy and taking a leave of absence, she was able to walk back into Hogwarts with a fierce determination to finish her education. It gives me a great honor to introduce to you Miss Hermione Granger. BR There was another round of applause as Hermione stood up and reached the podium where Professor Dumbledore stood. Her hands shook nervously as she unraveled her parchment. Her eyes quickly scanned the audience, and for a fleeting second she thought she saw the platinum blonde hair of Draco Malfoy. She squinted her eyes to try and distinguish his face, but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, Hermione began her speech. BR "Fellow graduates of 2004, it gives me an honored privilege to have been announced your Valedictorian. As we all sit here today, we prepare to embrace our futures and embark upon an exciting but scary journey. We reminisce about the past seven years spent here at Hogwarts, and amidst the excitement of Graduation Day, we are all filled with a bit of sadness. We have all grown into our own persons; we have conquered countless potions and quizzes, OWLS, NEWTS, Quidditch matches, and other trials and tribulations. We have made lifetime friends, found lovers, and grown to respect the wizarding world with a new outlook. The past seven years at Hogwarts has been a wonderful adventure, and now, with our chins high, I would like to congratulate you all on this honor of graduation and saw good luck to each and every one of you. And now, with out further ado, Professor McGonagall, would you please commence in the rest of the ceremony?" There was a roaring round of applause, whistling and cheering as Hermione sat back down at her seat and listened patiently to have her name called out. As she waited, her eyes wandered the audience, and again she found the platinum blond hair that she had hoped would belong to Draco. She nudged the guy next to her. BR "Can I borrow your glasses really quick?" He looked at her, and for a fleeting moment she recognized the piercing green eyes that had once belonged to Harry. BR "Sure," he shrugged. He gave them to Hermione, who looked through them at the blond hair. It was Draco's! He had come to see her graduate! She gave the glasses back to the guy next to her and her heart filled with glee. BR "Valedictorian, Hermione Granger." Hermione walked up to the podium and received her diploma. A huge smile spread across her face, and she looked out at Draco, and winked at him. She sat back down, and waited for the rest of the diploma's to be handed out. Then, as the last person sat down, she looked straight at Draco, blew him a kiss and with the rest of the class threw her hat into the air.
Chapter 7: Finishing Hogwarts
Draco sat in the coach on the train, his head against the window watching the scenery go by. He was on his way back to Hogwarts to see Hermione graduate. She had been gone for nearly two weeks and it was driving him crazy. He missed her; he actually missed her. Even though she was in his apartment for two days he wished she were with him. They hadn't spoken the entire time she had been gone, and he didn't think she knew he was coming to see her walk. So much had happened with him in the past two weeks and his was brimming to just tell her the details. BR He had found a new job, a better one at Liverpool General. He was to be the administrative nurse in the pediatrics unit. He was to be paid a substantial amount more than he received at St. Mungo's, and while the doctor's there couldn't know he was a wizard, he was excited to have a paying job again. But his current flat was too far away for him to commute everyday; disapparating would prove to be too risky, incase anyone from the muggle world saw him, and he certainly couldn't fly his broomstick over downtown London. So, instead, he decided to move closer to LG. After meeting with a realtor, they searched for the perfect two bedroom, two bedroom flat that was within his price range. Helping Hermione shop for clothes put a small but significant dent in his trust fund, and he couldn't afford to use it any way else besides emergencies. Finally, after a week of searching, he found the perfect flat. It was quite a bit larger than his old home, it was very affordable, but it needed some work, which he thought Hermione would want to do after she got back from Hogwarts. It had significant closet space, a respectable size kitchen/dining room, and a small, quaint living room with a cozy couch. He immediately fell in love with the place, and he was very excited to show Hermione their new home. BR
They were about an hour away from Hogsmeade. Draco kept glancing at his watch every 5 minutes, wishing it were 3:00 and he were at the castle with Hermione. Ever since their kiss he couldn't stop thinking about her. Her lips were so soft and tender, and despite her frail figure, she fit wonderfully into his arms. He didn't want to let her go, didn't want to leave her, but she was on the road to recovery. And there was no way he would get in the way and fuck it up. He wanted desperately to kiss her again.
BR It was weird for him; he had never felt this way about any girl, even Pansy Parkinson. This was Hermione Granger, his mortal enemy from his schooling days and here he was thinking about what it would be like to have a second kiss with her. He knew he could get himself into some serious trouble if he didn't watch himself. This arrangement would only be temporary until Hermione was able to find a place of her own, after she had earned enough money from her new job. She was still healing from a very painful loss, and she was obviously not on very good terms with her parents. He wouldn't allow his feelings for her get in the way of her regaining control of her life. But something told him he was already in too deep.
BR
Hermione sat in her empty school room, waiting for Professor McGonagall to fetch her. She had completed the final two weeks of Hogwarts that she needed to graduate, and she had never felt prouder of herself. She had all "A's" like usual, and she made the Hogwart's List, a very prestigious deem to anyone who had received perfect marks through out his or her academic career. She was a bit sad though, knowing that there wouldn't be anyone out in the audience to see her walk. Her parents certainly weren't going to show up, even though she had called and begged them to be there on her special day. She dare didn't call Draco, he probably hated her for kissing him. She knew Ron wouldn't want to come, them having parted badly after Harry's death, and Ginny was busy with her children. Hermione sighed, knowing that this should be happy day, but couldn't help feel an overwhelming sense of sadness.
BR There was a quiet rap at her door. "Miss Granger, it's time," called out Professor McGonagall. BR
"I'll be there in a minute," Hermione answered back. She adjusted her cap and gown, grabbed her Valedictorian speech, and met up with Professor McGonagall.
BR The great room was packed. Hundreds of proud parents and relatives stood in the audience, waiting for the commencement ceremony to begin. As soon as all of the students had filed into the hall, Professor Dumbledore stood up from behind the podium, and began his speech. BR "Friends, family, students and staff, I would like to welcome you all to the Graduation Ceremony for the class of 2004." There was a small round of applause before he began again. "With a class of nearly 300 students, all of whom did especially well, I am proud to say that this has been by far the best group of students Hogwarts has seen yet. Our young witches and wizards have put forth hours upon hours of hard work into their studies, have made new and wonderful friendships, and all hold a very bright future ahead of them; 99% of our students were able to be placed in respectful jobs in and around the London area. It fills my heart with great pride and joy to be the headmaster of these bright young pupils. I am especially proud of our Valedictorian. After dealing with a personal tragedy and taking a leave of absence, she was able to walk back into Hogwarts with a fierce determination to finish her education. It gives me a great honor to introduce to you Miss Hermione Granger. BR There was another round of applause as Hermione stood up and reached the podium where Professor Dumbledore stood. Her hands shook nervously as she unraveled her parchment. Her eyes quickly scanned the audience, and for a fleeting second she thought she saw the platinum blonde hair of Draco Malfoy. She squinted her eyes to try and distinguish his face, but to no avail. Taking a deep breath, Hermione began her speech. BR "Fellow graduates of 2004, it gives me an honored privilege to have been announced your Valedictorian. As we all sit here today, we prepare to embrace our futures and embark upon an exciting but scary journey. We reminisce about the past seven years spent here at Hogwarts, and amidst the excitement of Graduation Day, we are all filled with a bit of sadness. We have all grown into our own persons; we have conquered countless potions and quizzes, OWLS, NEWTS, Quidditch matches, and other trials and tribulations. We have made lifetime friends, found lovers, and grown to respect the wizarding world with a new outlook. The past seven years at Hogwarts has been a wonderful adventure, and now, with our chins high, I would like to congratulate you all on this honor of graduation and saw good luck to each and every one of you. And now, with out further ado, Professor McGonagall, would you please commence in the rest of the ceremony?" There was a roaring round of applause, whistling and cheering as Hermione sat back down at her seat and listened patiently to have her name called out. As she waited, her eyes wandered the audience, and again she found the platinum blond hair that she had hoped would belong to Draco. She nudged the guy next to her. BR "Can I borrow your glasses really quick?" He looked at her, and for a fleeting moment she recognized the piercing green eyes that had once belonged to Harry. BR "Sure," he shrugged. He gave them to Hermione, who looked through them at the blond hair. It was Draco's! He had come to see her graduate! She gave the glasses back to the guy next to her and her heart filled with glee. BR "Valedictorian, Hermione Granger." Hermione walked up to the podium and received her diploma. A huge smile spread across her face, and she looked out at Draco, and winked at him. She sat back down, and waited for the rest of the diploma's to be handed out. Then, as the last person sat down, she looked straight at Draco, blew him a kiss and with the rest of the class threw her hat into the air.