A/N: Wow. Oh my God. I checked my emails 2 days after I posted the last chapter – and my inbox read 33. I thought there must have been a mistake. I was wrong: I had 33 reviews for the last chapter, and 3 more came in while I was checking them. … Wow. ::eyes are wide and amazed:: Thank you all so much for reviewing, I got a great feeling from them. Usually I answer every review personally. I'm still going to do that, for most of them. The ones that asked questions/wrote something completely amazing I'll reply to, but I thank every single one of you for your great feedback. ::tears of joy run down her cheeks:: Oh, and by the way, this is the last chapter, so I hope you enjoy it. :-) Another by the way note: how could I wait any longer to get this chapter to you when I got such great reviews?! I said the more reviews I got the quicker I'd update, so … ::sniffle:: I'm a gal who keeps her promise! :-)

Anyway, thanks heaps to

ShimmeringEvil, Nikki, Goddess-Hope, Marauder Angel, Obsessive, s1Lv3r LiLly, asdf, savvyfairy, Just Playin, hermioneattheolympics, faerie-kittie306 animelover, Meg, Eriador and Catatonic Caudillo for your cool reviews and they left me feeling tingly. ;-)

CoryboboryI've found the exact same problem with fan fiction, Cory: I haven't read a good one in ages (except the Draco Trilogy). I like my plot, so that means heaps to me! :-) How I love that Malfoy. ;-) You're so welcome, and thanks for your review, it almost made me cry (as corny as that sounds! :-))

MJT13: Yay! My fic is saved on someone's computer! :-) Actually, I made a mistake, this is the last chapter, sorry… :-/ I have 2 other fics, but neither I like as much as this one. Although Pills and Pain means something to me, it's kinda gloom-angsty. ;-) I highly doubt it was as good as J.K. Rowling's, but thatnks anyway. :-) This is last chapter, but there won't be a sequel unless I come up with something really, really good. That's doubtful, so probably not. My favourite SHIP is Draco/Hermione, so nearly all my stories are about them. I support almost any ship, but some are just wrong! ::glares at own fic and shudders::

Du Soleil Oriental: I don't know if what you said was true, but if it is, I'm so glad. :-) This is probably one of the best reviews I've ever had. I hope you keep your interest in Harry Potter – rock on Du! :-)

Ophelia Eternal: Perky? She was perky? ::looks bewildered:: Hopefully this chapter will clear that up for you. She had no reason to be afraid until Draco showed up. ;-)

Crystal Koneko: Woo! Favourites! ::hugs:: Thanks so much! :-)

RaisaDraco/Hermy? That will be left up to your imagination. ;-) You can interoperate the ending any way you please. This is the last chapter, by the way. :-)

DizzydragonOh, thanks! ::hugs:: I worship the characters, so I would hate to write them out of character… ::shudders::

Larthawyn: Woo! You're back!! ::throws herself onto Larthawyn and hugs tightly:: I'm glad you liked it! Nah, they had more important things to worry about. ;-)

MemmortalYou know, for someone not leaving a review, you ask a lot of questions. ;-) Am I right in guessing you like my story and that's why you're so curious? There is 1 more chapter (this one), so everything shall be explained. Of course, if you'd read the Author's Notes, you would have known that and wouldn't have had to leave a non-review. ;-)

XxXbloody nekoXxX: Updating!! ::laughs:: Calm down, Neko! ::dances:: You rule too, for telling me I rule! ;-)

Madoleine Tolkein: I love how Draco doesn't turn "good", as such, but he improves and learns some things. :-) Don't worry, all your questions (well, the ones you asked, anyway) will be answered. And even though this chapter doesn't say it, Draco got a detention for attacking Hermione. :-) It just wasn't very relevant to the end chapter, so I left it out. But since you asked … :-)

DarkAngel The Vampire: Nope, this is the last one, amigo. :-) I am also in love with Tom Felton … ::drools:: ;-) I love Draco's bad-boyness and having Tom play him in the movies really helps, even though I don't invision Tom as Draco when reading or writing. :-)

Mad-cow: Hey, thanks! ;-) I'll definitely be writing a book sometime because that's what I want to do with my life. But you'll never know it's me. :-/ This is the end, my friend: it's funny how everyone has been asking me this … after this, there is no more – but enjoy this last chapter! :-)

Red Blood Black Soul: Thank you! ::blushes:: I hope someday I will be able to be as good as JKR, so thanks! :-) Wow! ::cries again with joy:: You guys are too cool, you know that?! ::throws out muffins to the great reviewers:: Eat, drink and be merry! ::laughs:: :-)

Chapter 14: The House-Elf Rebellion

Harry, Ron and Ginny had booked into a motel for the night and had gone to have dinner at a Muggle place – they were happy they were so close to Hermione (and they bet Draco wasn't anywhere near), but they were tired, and they knew she was in good hands so they decided to rest that night.

They stopped in surprise as they walked up the street toward the motel and someone landed in front of them. No – two someones.

'Hermione?' said Ginny. The three of them were staring at the sight in front of them; Hermione and Malfoy were both climbing off a broomstick, looking pale, tired and shaken.

'Hermione!' cried Ron, running forwards and pulling her into a hug. 'Are you OK? What happened? Why is he here?' he added, throwing a dirty look at Draco, who resisted from rolling his eyes.

'He,' he said irritably, 'just saved your friend's life, so I'd be a little bit more grateful if I were you.'

Ron glared at him as Harry hugged Hermione, followed by Ginny.

'Are you OK?' Harry asked her, and she nodded.

'As well as I can be, anyway,' she said, smiling weakly.

'What do you mean, you saved her life?' said Ginny, looking at Draco. 'She was with the house-elves: Dobby told us. She was fine.'

'She wouldn't've been fine for long,' said Draco angrily. Here he was, delivering their best friend and having risked his life for her (not to mention probably being disowned by his father), and they were still accusing him! 'I'm tired,' he said abruptly. 'Where's a good place to rest?'

'Right behind you,' said Harry, pointing; they were indeed standing in front of the motel where Harry, Ron and Ginny were staying. 'You two stay with us and tell us what happened.'

Ron and Draco both looked thoroughly displeased with this arrangement, but both went along with it.

A few minutes later, they were in the room Harry, Ron and Ginny had booked. The four Gryffindors were sitting on the beds talking to Hermione. Draco was in the bathroom. He was standing by the door so he could hear them, but he refused to believe he was hiding. Hermione had started telling them about the night she'd disappeared, and he didn't want to miss it.

'I went down to the kitchens,' she said, 'because Dobby had come to see me and said that he'd spoken to lots of elves about S.P.E.W. and they were really interested. He said they were having a meeting in Hogsmeade and wanted me to be their Speaker. Naturally, I agreed. That's why I needed your map, Harry,' she added, pulling the Marauder's Map from her cloak pocket and handing it to him. 'So I could be sure not to get caught on my way down.

'Anyway, so I got there, and they were all really excited about the "meeting". There were about thirty house-elves there, so I was really excited, too. Imagine if every house-elf there had wanted freedom and got it!'

Ron snorted, but Hermione ignored him.

'Well, we got to Hogsmeade, and I asked Dobby where it was we were meeting – that's when he told me there was no meeting. They told me that one of Dobby's friends – Patch, who works for the Nott's – overheard Nott saying that they were going to kidnap me and use me as ransom for Harry. He'd come to get me, and they'd kill him, then me. They love Harry, obviously, and I'm fighting for their freedom and rights, so they wanted to save both of us.

'They used some of their magic on me to make me fall asleep – when I woke up we were in a town called Waven. I was angry, but their magic's really powerful, so there was nothing I could do. I went along with it and they brought me here. It was while I was in Waven that I lost my cloak. Anyway, so they kept me in that old inn – Oceanbreeze – to protect me. They thought Malfoy was in on it, too, so when they realised he was looking for me, they got really worried. They kept an even closer eye on me. They'd cast spells all over the house so I couldn't escape – and they took my wand. I basically explored the house and sat around reading.

'Then Malfoy came.' She finished.

'What happened then?' Ginny asked excitedly. She'd already heard most of that from Dobby, but she was extremely curious about what had happened that night. She wanted to know why Draco was bleeding and why Hermione looked so pale.

Draco listened as Hermione told them all – in graphic detail – what had happened since he entered Oceanbreeze.

Then it was the others' turn. They took it in turns to say what happened to them. Nobody asked Draco what had happened since he'd left Hogwarts – he was glad. He doubted he would have told them anyway.

Inwardly, Harry, Ron and Ginny were intensely curious about what Draco had gone through, but they decided not to ask; he had avoided them since they'd got to the motel and he didn't look as though he'd share his experience.

Only when everyone had stopped talking and curled up in their respective beds did Draco leave the bathroom. He was out of place in the Muggle world enough as it was: with four Gryffindors he felt as though there was nothing that could make him feel at home.

He lay down on the couch and pulled the blanket over him. His head was still throbbing and the right side of his head and face felt like it had caved in. So he lay on his left side and after an hour of painful tossing and turning, he eventually fell asleep.

Four days later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny was leaving the kitchen after talking to Dobby. He'd told them that the elves had fought the Death Eaters just long enough to give Hermione and Draco a head-start, and then they came to Hogwarts. They weren't sure what the Death Eaters had done once they'd left. Harry had smirked and said, 'Oh, they were punished for letting them get away.'

Hermione had supposed it was through the connection he had with Voldemort that he knew that.

As they walked into the entrance hall, they saw McGonagall beam at them as she walked up the main staircase. Students Hermione had never spoken to before had been coming up to her and saying how glad they were she was back, which surprised her. Dumbledore had been so glad when they arrived back on Friday afternoon that there had been a huge feast. The Ministry was now looking for the Death Eaters Hermione had named with Draco's help.

As this thought came to her mind, Hermione looked around. Apart from ten minutes when they'd got back, Draco hadn't spoken to any of them or looked at them. He'd avoided them all, which was particularly annoying Hermione as she hadn't got to thank him properly since he'd rescued her.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and looked into Ginny's smiling face.

'Go find him,' she said quietly, so Ron wouldn't hear. 'I'll keep these two busy.'

'Thanks, Gin,' said Hermione, smiling at her. Harry and Ron had been overly protective of her since they'd got back and wouldn't let her out of their sight. So while Ginny led them into the Great Hall, Hermione walked out the front doors and looked across the grounds, searching for him.

There! She saw him, down near the lake, sitting under a tree. He was easy to spot; his blond hair shone brightly in the sun. He no longer wore it slicked back; he didn't want to draw attention to himself so he tried to look like everyone else.

Hermione strode across the grounds, rehearsing what she was going to say. By the time she reached him, though, she still didn't have the faintest idea.

'Hi Malfoy,' she said, and he looked up. She thought he may have been reading, but he hadn't: he'd just been sitting, looking at the grass. 'Mind if I sit?'

He shrugged, so Hermione sat down next to him. He didn't look at her, instead focusing on the lake.

'Look, I wanted to say –' she stopped. She was not going to thank him if he refused to look at her. 'Look at me, Malfoy. Stop avoiding me and just look at me.'

Draco turned his head and looked at her. The whole right side of his face was bruised, but the initial swelling had gone down.

'That's better. Look, I wanted to say thank you for rescuing me. You didn't have to, but you did it anyway. So … thank you.'

She rocked forward onto her knees and kissed him on his good cheek. She blushed as she pulled back, but sat resolutely beside him for a minute.

'Well,' said Draco finally, still stunned by what she'd just done. 'I did have to: didn't you hear what I said? I would have been chucked in Azkaban if I came back without you.'

Something pulled at her memory – just before he'd been knocked out and she grabbed his wand –

'Who's Adeon?' she said suddenly. Draco blinked and looked away. After a minute, however, he said:

'My brother.'

'Brother?' Hermione repeated, not even trying to cover her shock. 'But you're an only child!'

'I am now,' he answered quietly. He realised he had to tell her and he sighed. 'Adeon was Mum and Dad's first son. He was quite a few years older than I was; I was only four at the time, but I still remember it. Dad loved Adeon so much; he spoiled him, but Adeon didn't let it go to his head; he was caring, kind, compassionate – and that was his downfall.

'An evil old wizard – Debbins – he thought Dad needed to toughen Adeon up. But Dad thought he was fine the way he was. So Debbins disguised himself and tricked Adeon into helping him carry his shopping into his house: Adeon was so kind he fell right into the trap, wanting to help this old Muggle. When they got inside, Debbins had decided that Adeon was too soft, and he killed him. Just like that.'

'That's horrible!' said Hermione, covering her mouth. 'How could anyone be so cruel?'

Draco shrugged and continued; it actually felt good to tell somebody – he didn't even think Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy knew.

'So Dad raised me differently: he loves me, I know he does, but he treats me coldly, hoping to keep me alive longer. He's afraid Debbins will find me and try to test me, too. He couldn't handle that pain. He's never been cruel to me; just cold.' His voice cracked and he stopped talking. He glanced across at Hermione and was shocked to see her in tears.

'What?' he said.

'Nothing,' Hermione replied, smiling and sniffing. 'Nothing at all.'

Draco lay back and looked up at the sky through the tree's branches. Hermione followed his lead, lying right next to him.

'I'm sorry,' she said suddenly.

'What for?'

'For putting you through what you went through.'

'You don't know what I went through.'

'I know I don't.' She turned on her side and propped herself up on her elbow, so she was looking down into his face. 'So tell me.'

Draco looked at her for a moment then remembered picking up her shaking body after she'd been hit with the Cruciatus Curse.

'All right,' he said, grinning.

And he told her.

A/N: Well, that's it. No more story. That's the end. I hope you all enjoyed reading it, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Which was a lot, most of the time. :-) Oh, and none of you asked who Adeon was in your reviews, but if you were thinking it, I hope you're satisfied now. :-) I hope if I write another story you'll read it, but if you don't, it's OK. I have more confidence in my writing now. ::sniffles:: OK, enough of that mushy, corny stuff … Let's have an end-of-story celebration! ::cracks open the Butterbeer and throws confetti into the air, cranking up the Weird Sisters on the magical CD player:: Go people! ::laughs and dances:: Bye bye! :-)