Chapter Twelve:

Final Destination

Evelyn glowered at the two people who were responsible for ruining her life. They sat huddled together in the far corner of the library, studying. The diamond ring sparkled in the firelight, and Evelyn shook her head in disgust. It was bad enough that he was involved with her, but he had to go and propose. It just made everything so much more complicated for Evelyn. But after weeks of scheming, she had found the perfect way to get what she wanted. She had already set everything up. All she had to do was wait for the perfect moment to set it into action. She glared at the couple one more time before leaving the library. The world would thank her for getting rid of them both.

"Draco! Stop it! We need to study!" Hermione squealed, trying to escape Draco's tickles. He laughed and kissed her cheek.

"We've been studying all day. Can't we just relax? Have a little fun?" He asked, running his hand up her leg to her thigh. She laughed and shook her head.

"It's your fault for choosing a bookworm. Now ask me some more questions."

"Come on, Hermione! All work and no play makes for-"

"A perfect score on our N.E.W.T.S.!" She interrupted him. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"Maybe I didn't think this proposal through." He muttered in a teasing voice. She gasped in mock affliction and grasped her heart.

"Draco! That hurt!" She exclaimed, standing up and walking towards another couch. Draco laughed and followed her, grabbing her around the waist.

"You know I was just kidding, love." He whispered in her ear, nuzzling her neck. She turned around and allowed him to kiss her gently. Their innocent, simple kiss deepened quickly, and before she knew it, Draco had her on the couch.

"Draco!" She groaned, trying to push him off. He stopped and grinned at her.

"Just a little break, Hermione. Only for a few minutes. Please?" She gave in when he pulled the puppy dog eyes on her. Only a few minutes turned into two hours, during which they cuddled and kissed on the couch. When Hermione finally glanced at the clock, she gasped and broke out of Draco's embrace.

"It's already ten o'clock and we haven't even finished studying for Transfiguration!" She exclaimed, rushing over to the table where her books were spread out. She flipped through the textbooks hurriedly and gathered her notes.

"You're too uptight, Hermione. Loosen up."

"And you're not tight enough, Draco. Don't worry, I'll be back to normal as soon as these N.E.W.T.S. are over." She smiled at him before continuing to leaf through her study materials. Draco sighed and joined her at the table, going through his own notes. They worked in silence for a few hours, and at midnight, they called it quits.

"You know it's time to go to bed when Hermione starts dozing off." Draco teased her as they headed to the bathroom to brush their teeth.

"It won't happen again, I can assure you."

"Really? Do you recall how you got to bed last night? You fell asleep while studying for History of Magic. I had to carry you into your room and put you to bed." Draco reminded her, washing out his mouth. Hermione gasped.

"You mean I didn't brush my teeth last night?"

"Uh...no."

"Great. I'll have to brush twice tonight."

"Oh yeah, you're parents are teeth people, right?"

"Yes. They're called dentists in the muggle world." She replied, brushing her teeth for a second time. Draco shook his head and laughed.

"You're daft, Hermione."

"So?"

"I never said there was anything wrong with that." He corrected himself as Hermione glared in his direction. Then she grinned and washed her face.

"There's nothing wrong with being a little crazy. Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Hermione." He replied, kissing her softly on the lips before heading to his bedroom.

Harry stared at Ron. Once again, the red-haired boy had gone oddly quiet. Ever since Ron had heard the news about Hermione's engagement, he would randomly go silent. Now, he stared straight into the fire without saying anything.

"Ron?" Harry poked him in the shoulder. "Are you all right, mate?" Ron shook his head suddenly as though to clear his mind.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, were you saying something?"

"Yeah, I was asking you if you wanted to talk about Hermione now."

"I told you, Harry, when I'm ready to talk, I'll come to you."

"But this is getting ridiculous now, Ron. It's been almost two months. We're leaving Hogwarts for good in a couple of weeks. Don't you want to leave in a better mood?"

"It's not that easy, Harry. I feel betrayed. Don't you?"

"Not really, Ron. Don't you think that she really must love him if she went against her friends? She wouldn't try to hurt us on purpose."

"She could have told us sooner. I would have taken the news better if she had told us when she first started dating him. All of a sudden she comes to us and she's married."

"She's only engaged, Ron."

"It's the same thing. I've seen them together, Harry. They're as good as married."

"Don't you want to leave Hogwarts on good terms with your best friend?"

"Yes, but I don't think I'm ready to forgive her yet! I still can't understand why you can forgive her for sneaking around behind our backs."

"Because I understand why she didn't want to tell us. And I understand that we shouldn't let a grudge hold us back from being with our best friend. I'm going to be at their wedding, Ron. You can either come, or you can stay home."

"I might puke."

"At least you'll be there for your best friend."

"Let me think about it, Harry. I really don't want to talk about this when we're preparing to take our N.E.W.T.S. I'm under enough pressure as it is."

"When you're ready to talk about it, go to her. She needs to hear it more than I do."

"Talk to her? Why can't I just tell you, and then you can tell her?"

"What are you afraid of?"

"I just don't want to see them together, that's all. I don't like it, Harry, I really don't. It makes me sick just looking at them."

"We'll be out of here in two weeks and you won't have to see them again if you really don't want to."

"I'm counting down. Now can we please talk about something else? I'm starting to get nauseous." Harry frowned at his best friend. One of the most recurring problems with Ron, was that he tended to make decisions out of haste, while he was still angry. Harry didn't want Ron to say that he wasn't going to go to Hermione's wedding, because two weeks could change his mind. Harry didn't want to go to Hermione's wedding alone, either. He'd feel awkward without Ron. Maybe Ginny would go. She was the one who convinced Harry to understand how Hermione felt. She had tried to talk to Ron, but Ron wouldn't listen to his little sister. He wouldn't listen to anyone. Sometimes he stopped talking completely. But Harry had a feeling that at some point before the last two weeks they had at Hogwarts, Ron would come around and forgive Hermione. Harry tried to help by talking to Ron about it, but looking at the red-head now, he realized he had only accomplished making him angrier.

It was one o'clock in the morning. Hermione slipped on her robe and quietly slipped out of her bedroom. She peeked quickly into Draco's bedroom, and he was fast asleep. She smiled faintly as she closed the door. As softly as she could, she hurried down the stairs and into the library. Making sure she made as little noise as possible, she slipped into the Restricted Section. She wasn't exactly sure if she would find what she needed in the library, but it was somewhere to start.

"Lumos!" She whispered. By the lighted tip of her wand, she carefully read the spine of every book in the Restricted Section. Without finding what she needed, she returned to the dormitory. Someone watched her from the shadows. Someone realized that Hermione was dangerously close to learning something that she shouldn't know. Someone's violet eyes flashed in the darkness with anger and hatred.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Dumbledore's voice rang out in Great Hall at dinner. He had requested that Draco and Hermione be present at dinner that evening instead of eating in their common room. He allowed them to dine at the staff table. The students quieted down and looked up at the headmaster. "I have an important announcement to make. This year, all seventh year students will have a graduation ball. Younger students will not be permitted to attend unless they are invited by a seventh year student." Grumbles of protest erupted from the younger students, and Dumbledore held up a hand to silence them. "This ball is to celebrate their last day at Hogwarts. You may wear the costumes from the masquerade ball if you wish. It will follow immediately after the graduation ceremony. Thank you. Study hard for final examinations." Dumbledore concluded and sat back down. Hermione nudged Draco and smiled.

"We can do the masquerade ball all over again."

"We can do it right this time." He grinned. "You will be my dance partner for the entire night. No ifs, ands, or buts."

"But-"

"Ah! What did I say?" He interrupted. She rolled her eyes at him, then laughed. Some of the teachers watched Draco and Hermione talk and laugh throughout the meal in awe. Others asked them questions about their wedding and honeymoon. Draco and Hermione were only too happy to answer them. With all the hostility from the student, it was refreshing to find that some people were excited and thrilled for them. Professor McGonagall extended an invitation to them to have dinner at the staff table every night. Hermione accepted, happily. She was glad that she could rejoin the activity that went on in the Great Hall at meal times. Draco found talking to Professor Snape about his opinion of infusions of diamond dust in particular potions to be invigorating. They often debated the effects long after the food disappeared from the plates. Hermione often spoke with Professor McGonagall about becoming a Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

"You'd be an excellent teacher, Miss Granger! I have no doubt that you will be able to pursue any career you desire." McGonagall exclaimed one night. When Draco and Hermione finally excused themselves from the table, they were both feeling refreshed.

"Professor Snape thinks that I have a career in Potion Making. He said that I have enough knowledge of the ingredients to even invent my own potion."

"Professor McGonagall thinks I'd be a wonderful teacher some day. I can't wait to graduate and start applying for jobs." They both carried on about their future aspirations until they rounded a corner and bumped into Ron.

"Sorry, Ron. I was walking kind of fast." Hermione excused herself, looking at the ground nervously. What should I say now?

"It's okay. Well I'll see you around." Hermione didn't want to let him just walk away. She had been wanting to talk to him for a long time.

"Ron, wait!" She exclaimed, walking after him. He paused and allowed her to catch up with him. "Ron, I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"I want to know if you're upset with me. You have a perfectly good reason to be, but I really hope you're not. I don't want to graduate from Hogwarts with the support of my two best friends."

"I don't want to either, Hermione. But I'm not ready to accept this yet."

"Will you find me when you are?" Hermione asked as he started to walk away. Her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears. Ron seemed to feel her sadness, but he couldn't forgive her now. Not yet.

"When I'm ready, I'll come find you." He replied, walking away. Hermione sighed and went back to Draco. He didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it yet. He just put his arm around her shoulders and led her up the stairs. He sat with her in her bed until she was sleeping. Then he left and went to his own bed. Their second to last N.E.W.T.S. exam was the next afternoon. Draco felt prepared, but uneasy. For some reason, he couldn't sleep very well. He was tired the next morning when he woke up. He met Hermione for breakfast. They both didn't say very much. After their test, Hermione seemed to be a little more alive.

"I thought that it was extremely easy. The only question I had a little bit of a problem with was the last essay question." She chattered on.

"I had some difficulty with the first short response question. The wording threw me off a little." Draco replied, downing some pumpkin juice.

"Well I feel like I can finally relax." Hermione sighed and settled back in her chair.

"Why? We still have one more exam tomorrow." Draco pointed out, grabbing his Potions textbook to study.

"We've been studying for Potions the longest and the hardest. I feel completely confident." She smiled at him and stood up. She walked over to him and pulled the book out of his hands. "So confident, I think I'm ready for that break you keep talking about." She winked at him and sat down on his lap. He grinned and kissed her cheek.

"You are so innocently sexy." He told her as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his room.

"And you are just so sexy, so we're even." He smiled at her and set her down on his bed. It began with a gentle kiss. The mere brushing of their lips sent shivers down Hermione's spine. Draco shifted so he could hold her closer, and he kissed her again. His tongue pressed gently at her lips, imploring for entry. She allowed his tongue to enter her mouth, and gasped as it touched her own tongue. Hermione had kissed her share of guys, but none of them could ever make her feel as amazing as Draco Malfoy. At first his hands just held her tightly as they kissed. As the kissing intensified, his fingers worked with expertise on her blouse. Her arms encircled his neck and entangled themselves in his blonde hair. Soon enough, her blouse was splayed open, her bra cast aside, and his mouth moved downwards to her developed breasts. He fondled them gently, and sucked on her right nipple. Hermione gasped and moved beneath him. She felt like she couldn't stay still, but his body held her in place, compelling her to writhe in pleasure under him. He moved down further, kissing her navel lightly. He returned to her face and kissed her fervently. Without warning, he plunged deep into her, forcing force Hermione to cry out in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

"It's okay, love, just hold on to me." He murmured gently in her ear, suddenly realizing the reason for her tightness was virginity. Hermione held onto Draco with all she had, counting on him to get her through the initial pain. She caught his rhythm easily, and then she began to relax. He pulled out of her briefly, only to push back in moments later. Her ample breasts pressed up against his bare chest as she held on tight. He kept dipping in and out of her until he felt himself climaxing. He forced himself even further into her, and she whimpered loudly. The waves of pleasure swept over them, and Draco fell forward onto Hermione, exhausted. For hours, they remained lying on the couch, listening to the beating of their synchronized hearts.

Hermione yawned and rolled over. The cool satin sheets hugged her bare body. She blinked against the sun that was streaming in through the windows. Draco was no where in sight. She snuggled into the sheets and closed her eyes. The door opened quietly and Draco poked his head in. Hermione looked over at him and smiled.

"Good morning, sleepy head." He returned her smile. She beckoned him to her with a finger. He slipped under the covers next to her and wrapped his arms around her body.

"Where did you go?"

"Fixing our breakfast." Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"You made our breakfast? With your cooking skills?" She teased him.

"No, I didn't make it. I just fixed the table all nice and pretty for our last day of classes." He corrected her. She kissed his cheek gently.

"That was nice of you. We still have one more breakfast in this dormitory though."

"And that one will be even more wonderful. So when you're ready, come out and eat with me." He kissed her forehead and got out of the bed. He took another glance at her over his shoulder before leaving the room. Hermione smiled and got out of bed, wrapping a robe around her. When she reached the common room, Draco was pouring pumpkin juice into champagne glasses. He winked at her.

"The champagne is for tomorrow." The table was set nicely with candles and expensive looking flatware. Hermione shook her head at him.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I had a lot of time on my hands while you were sleeping."

"Well we better hurry up and eat. Our exam starts in an hour." Hermione said, glancing at the clock. Draco pulled our her chair for her and she sat down. "I could get used to this, you know." She grinned at him.

"Yes you could. It will happen every day for the rest of your life, so you better get used to it." He replied, helping himself to some scrambled eggs. After breakfast, Hermione took a quick shower. They walked down to the exam room together, ignoring the whispers that still followed them through the corridors. When the exam was finished, shouts of joy were heard echoing through every hall. Through the mayhem, Draco took Hermione's hand and led her out the front doors to the castle.

"Well how does it feel, Hermione? You have nothing to study for anymore."

"It's kind of disappointing. I feel like I don't know what to do with myself." She replied, staring at the clear blue sky. Draco took her in his arms.

"I know what we can do." He whispered in her ear. She pulled away and grinned.

"You didn't have enough last night?" He kissed her softly.

"It's not that it wasn't good, Hermione, because it was-"

"Oh shut up, Draco! Come on, let's go." She rolled her eyes at him and pulled him towards the school.

At dinner that night, Professor McGonagall conversed with Hermione about all of the jobs that catered to her interests. She gave Hermione her address and told her to write when she finally found a profession that she enjoyed. Hermione promised to keep in touch. Draco talked to Professor Snape about an idea he had to improve the Polyjuice Potion.

"If you added a few more lacewings and an infusion of snake venom, it would make the transformation much less painful." Draco explained. Snape was extremely impressed and promised to contact a few laboratories where Draco could get a job in Potion Making. In the middle of dinner, Dumbledore rose and quieted the students.

"I'll only be a minute. I'd just like to congratulate all of our seventh year students for their outstanding performances on the N.E.W.T.S. In fact, the highest grade in recorded history was achieved by Hermione Granger in the department of Transfiguration." The hall burst into cheers, and Hermione blushed a deep red. Draco leaned over to give her a hug, and whispers broke out in the hall. "I wish all of our graduating students the best of luck in what ever career they wish to pursue. As for everyone else, I hope to see you all next year. Have a safe summer holiday." Dumbledore sat down and the hall exploded into cheers. McGonagall gave Hermione a hug for her accomplishment. Tired, but happy, Draco and Hermione retired early. They sat in front of the fire for hours, reflecting on their experience at Hogwarts.

"Did I ever apologize for slapping you in our third year?" Hermione asked, still smirking slightly at the memory.

"No, you didn't." He sighed. "God did I get teased about that one."

"I'm sorry. But you were being a jerk."

"What else is new?"

"I'm very proud of you. I can't believe you made such a turn around. It takes a big person to do something like that."

"You helped, Hermione. You changed me." Draco kissed her gently, then more intensely. Hermione pulled away for a moment and eyed him suspiciously.

"You want something, Draco."

"No I don't!" He exclaimed. She raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. "Just meet me in my room tonight."

"Draco! Again?" He grinned at her, and she smiled back. "Fine!"

The Gryffindor common room was trashed. All of the rowdy seventh years threw a party for all of the younger Gryffindors who couldn't attend the ball. It was an extremely wild party. Seamus broke out the Firewhiskey, and Dean led everyone in a game of spin the bottle. Harry and Ron sat on the sidelines, preferring to watch the festivities, rather than partake in them. Harry spent his time thinking about how Hermione was spending her last night in Hogwarts, and how he wished that it could be like old times. He wished that Hermione would just come through the portrait hole and try to break up the party. He and Ron would try to stop her, telling her that it was their last night in Hogwarts for the rest of their lives. She would try to fight them off, but eventually, she would give up and stalk off to her room. Harry tried to pretend that she had just stalked up to her room, but it did no good. He still felt like they were leaving Hogwarts on the wrong foot. Ron was thinking about whether or not he should go to Hermione's wedding. After seven years in Hogwarts with her, he realized that she had always forgiven him when he had messed up. She had always been there for him when he had treated her like crap. He owed her the same. But running into her with Malfoy in the corridor had ruined his concentration. He was on his way to find her. He knew what he was going to say. He didn't plan on bumping in on the engaged couple. Just seeing them together was enough to bring back all of the anger and fury he had felt when she had first told him. Now that he had time to think about it, he was ready to try again. Without warning, he stood up and left the common room. Harry got up quickly and followed him out.

"Ron, where are you going?"

"I'm ready." Was all he replied. Harry stopped and let Ron continue by himself. He understood where he was going, and that he needed to do it alone. Ron reached the door and knocked. When no one answered the first time, he tried again. He heard movement from inside and he took a deep breath.

"Weasley? What are you doing here at this hour of the night?" Ron glared at Malfoy, then noticed he was wearing only a towel.

"What are you doing taking a shower at this hour of the night?" Ron demanded, trying to convince himself that that was all that Malfoy was doing. When he saw Hermione with a towel wrapped around her, he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Ron! What's going on? Is something wrong?" She asked, stepping in front of Draco. Ron tried to speak, but the reality of the situation was too overwhelming. They were having sex. His mind was screaming.

"Never mind, Hermione. I think I was sleep walking." He replied coldly. Before she could say anything else, he had turned and hurried down the stairs. Harry was waiting for him at the portrait hole.

"How did it go, mate?" He asked. Ron shot him a glare, and Harry sighed. "What happened?"

"Just when I gathered up the courage to tell Hermione that I'm getting over it, he has to ruin it all."

"What did Malfoy do?"

"They answered the door in towels, Harry! You know what that means?" Ron fumed.

"I'm sorry, mate. We'll try again tomorrow."

"No. We won't. I can't do it again, Harry. If it bothers me so much to see them together, then maybe I'm really not getting over it."

"Ron, I'm sure you can talk things out with Hermione-"

"I'm tired, Harry. I don't want to think about this anymore. After tomorrow, I won't have to worry about it ever again." Ron stormed through the portrait hole. Harry ran his hands through his hair.

"God, Hermione. I hope you know what you're doing."