LAST TIME:

I sent the letter with a school owl. I didn't get a reply the next day, nor did Draco arrive on any of the trains. I was worried. Why would he say he was coming home early is he wasn't?

I cried myself to sleep. I dreamt of Draco. I wondered if he was in danger, or if he was warm in his bed, I couldn't stop worrying.
Road to Remembrance
Chapter Three: I Would Wait Forever

I asked Ginny to take me home after our third round of drinks. I didn't want to start rambling; there are some things I don't even want Ginny to know.

We arrived back at her flat and I went straight to bed after thanking her again for her hospitality. I closed the door and slumped back against it. I came home to London to face the past, and to fix a few things before it was too late.

I showered and laid down in bed. No matter how hard I tried to sleep, I couldn't seem to keep my eyes shut. I kept thinking of Draco... there had been so many memories stirred up in the last few days. I was having trouble keeping up with them all.

Even my dreams were haunted by thoughts of that blonde git.

-FLASHBACK-

"Oh my god, where have you been? I was so worried!" I whispered as I gave Draco about 20 soft kisses. He sighed and kissed my forehead, we were both happy to see each other. He had been gone even after holiday for about three days and I was nearly insane with worry.

"I didn't mean to worry you." I shook my head and kissed him again.

"There are some very important things we need to talk about baby." I nodded and we both walked over to his couch. He took my hands in his own and looked in my eyes with more love than I have ever known.

"Hermione you know my families history. And even with Voldemort in hiding, things haven't changed as much as I thought they had. I didn't think that I would have to-"

"I know where this is going. They want you to be... one of them." He nodded gravely.

"I don't want to Hermione. But the only other choice I have is death. I'm not afraid of that, though. I'm only afraid of losing you." He kissed my hands.

"You shouldn't worry about that. Never worry about that." I didn't want to cry, I wanted to be strong. God only knows what Draco was going through. His family was forcing him to be a death eater. To live a life he didn't believe in. And through all this when he should be worrying about himself, he only thought of me.

"Hermione, do you love me?" I nodded fervently, whispering of course, of course. "Do you ever think about us, and our future? Do you think about it a lot?"

"Not a lot, just every once in a while. Don't you?"

"All the time. Especially lately." He said with a sigh. I snuggled closer to him, breathing him in. God he smelled so good.

"What do you think about?" I asked quietly.

"I love you so much. But I can't help worrying about what our friends think. They weren't exactly ecstatic when they found out. And I worry about what my family will do. I worry about keeping you safe."

"It isn't fair that we have to worry about this kind of stuff. If we love each other, everyone should just have to accept it."

"They should, but they won't."

"We'll think of something." I hugged him tightly, always breathing him in. I couldn't get enough.

"Maybe I have an idea. But it has to wait for a while." I nodded.

"I would wait forever." I whispered as I slipped into a doze, leaning into his chest, wanting this moment to last forever.

I awoke as a giant roar of thunder shook the apartment. I snapped up in bed, wishing I wasn't alone. When there were storms at Hogwarts I always had someone, and even after Hogwarts I had Draco. I would snuggle close to him and I would forget about the storm completely.

I was just about to go back to sleep when I saw the little red light blinking on my cell phone that was lying on the dresser. I picked it up to read the screen.

1 Missed Call

Who would have called at 2:30 in the morning? They left a message... I dialed the number and pushed in my code.

"You have one unheard message." The automated voice said. "First unheard message, sent today at 2:46 AM." Then I heard a garbled voice speaking loudly into the receiver.

I couldn't really understand what they said until the end when it was clearly audible that the voice said "I guess this is goodbye." I shook my head and replayed the message. I had no idea who it was from. Probably a wrong number... Probably. But as I studied the number it seemed so familiar.

306 0464

I know I've seen that number before. Who the hell was it?

-FLASHBACK-

"Hey Malfoy, did you realize that Valentines day is in a week? I didn't realize it was so close. Did you?" Subtle Hermione. Very subtle. He laughed at my hints.

"Why no, I had no idea that the most important chick day of the year was in exactly 7 days. And I had no idea it was required that we do something 'romantic' on said chick day. Nope not a clue. I don't have any plans if you were wondering. Nope, not a thing planned for the most important chick day of the year." Sarcasm. Right. Why did I put up with him? Because he was a damn good kisser, that's why.

Maybe that's not completely why. But you get the point.

"Draco, must you be such an incorrigible git all the time?"

"Only when I'm awake." He joked. Ginny thought it was cute when we fought like this. I must say I agreed, we were grossly cute. Well I was cute, he was downright sexy.

"So.... What exactly are you planning sweetie pumpkin?" I asked, sauntering slowly over to him. He rolled his eyes, pulling me in for a quick kiss.

"No way in hell are you finding out until Friday night. So give it up. And don't give me those puppy eyes. I have become the master at resisting them." He smiled triumphantly as I put the puppy eyes away and sighed. I had to know.

"PLEASE!!!!!" I shouted. He cocked his eyebrows, shaking his head.

"You really can't stand not knowing can you?" He said sympathetically. "Aww, well too bad. It is going to be great fun watching you squirm all week."

"Draco..." And then an idea struck me. It was foolproof! "What if we made... a deal?" I whispered seductively in his ear.

"Mmm, sounds intriguing. And you can make all the bloody deals you want, but you will not know what is happening until it is happening. But do proceed with whatever deal you had in mind love..." I frowned and plunked down on the couch next to him.

Correction: Plan was SEEMINGLY foolproof.

"I think you should wear one of those ever clichéd little black dresses..." I smiled. I knew exactly the one I would wear. He would die when he saw me.

"Really, because I was thinking more sweats and flip flops, you know? Go for the comfortable vibe." He smirked.

"Wear whatever you want. I was just making a suggestion. But if you do wear sweats, etc, just know I will be there to say 'I told you so'." I huffed, but he grabbed my hand and I felt better. He was the cure for every ailment...
I woke up from a turbulent sleep, feeling ill-rested and groggy. I still hadn't placed the number from the night before. I asked Ginny about it when I went into the kitchen.

She was in the same position as me, the number looked familiar but she couldn't place it. I sighed, furrowing my brows. She took my phone and started punching in numbers.

"Who are you calling?" I asked her.

"Our mystery number of course." I bit my lip in anticipation, waiting a few moments before someone had obviously picked up on the other end. "Hello, I'm sorry, but I think we received a call from this number late last night. Do you know anyone who would be trying to reach a Hermione Granger?" She listened and then her face showed recognition. She thanked them and hung up.

"Well?" I asked, awaiting a response. She hesitated and led me into the living room.

"That was Officer C. Smith. He said that some of their patrons were allowed phone calls last night. He didn't know who all of them called. But I just assumed it was-"

"Ginny I think I want to go see Victoria." I cut her off. She looked surprised but then her lips formed into a smile and she grabbed my hands.

"I was wondering when you would want to do that."
-FLASHBACK-

"Remember when I told you a long time ago that I had an idea. And then you told me you would wait forever?" Draco fidgeted across the table from me. We were sitting in a romantic restaurant that had just opened in Hogsmeade. I nodded, grabbing his hand to stop his shaking.

"OK, good then. Well I thought maybe I could run my idea past you, if that is alright with you..." I nodded, but he let go of my hands.

He reached into his jacket pocket, and he pulled out a tiny blue box. Only then did it occur to me what was going on. How could I have been so dense? He knelt down in front of me, opened the box, and took my hand once again in his.

"Hermione Catherine Granger, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" I nodded, tears in my eyes. He slid the ring onto my finger and I held it up to see it. It was a huge diamond, I was in awe.

"Do you like it?" He asked nervously. I nodded fervently.

"I love it. It is absolutely stunning."

"Are you surprised? Was this worth the little black dress?" he asked.

"Actually I am incredibly surprised. I had no idea this was coming. But I'm glad it did. I love you so much. And this was 100% worth the dress. I'm glad I decided against the sweats." We laughed together.

Draco Malfoy was my fiancé! And he bought me the most beautiful ring and it was a perfect fit. Just like us. My world was perfect. And right on cue, the perfect song came on, and I will never forget the words.

'We're at the top of the world you and I. We've got a lot of time and it sure feels right. Cuz you reached in your pocket and pulled out a pass That said 'you can take me anywhere''

I told Draco he could take me anywhere. We decided to go back up to his room to celebrate. Therein lies the beginning of the end.

'Sha la la la
Sha la la la la la la'
We had to take a taxi out to Surrey because the family didn't want to be connected to the floo system. I didn't blame them, considering who Victoria was. I had only seen her a few times, and never for very long. She was 10 years old now and I was recently informed that she was going to start at Hogwarts in the fall. I wrote her a letter the day I heard. Congratulating her, telling her I missed her.

We finally pulled up in front of the cozy house on the corner and Ginny and I got out of the car. The agency called ahead and said we were coming. I was nervous. Ginny knocked on the door and a few moments later, there she was.

A beautiful blonde haired girl with honey eyes.

"Hey Victoria. It's so good to see you." I said to her, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Hi Hermione. I got your letter." She said excitedly before enveloping me in a hug. I never really was a kid person.

"Call me Mia, sweetie." She bit her lip and then shook her head. "Why not?"

"He told me you hated it when he called you that."
-FLASHBACK-

I paced nervously back and forth in his bathroom. This couldn't be happening! The test took 5 minutes. These were the longest 5 minutes of my life as of yet. Finally I looked at the little strip and it was pink. Very pink.

I slouched down, cradling my knees to my chest. How could we have been so irresponsible? A huge sob racked my body, and I involuntarily shuddered against the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. He knocked on the door outside asking if he could come in. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer.

He decided to take my silence as a yes apparently because the next time I looked up, he was standing there surveying my disheveled form, unable to say anything.

"Congratulations, you're gonna be a daddy." I said quietly. Then he slouched down next to me, grabbing my hand.

"We're going to get through this." He said strongly. I knew it was a pretense to help me feel more at ease.

"Draco, we're 17 years old. I am most certainly not ready to be a parent. What the hell am I supposed to do? What is my family going to say!? They don't even know we're dating, nevertheless making babies together!" I was hyperventilating, totally unable to calm myself down. Draco tried to shush me which only caused my sobs to become louder.

"For once, I have no idea what to say to make you feel better. I've never felt more helpless than I do right now." And he looked it too. Completely and utterly helpless.

"Well at least that makes two of us." I leaned my head onto his shoulder, calming a bit.

"We're in this together. And we always will be." I nodded, but for once, I felt a twinge of doubt in his statements.
"You've talked to Draco?" I asked her. I could feel my voice trembling and I was afraid of what was coming next. She shook her head. I drew in a sharp breath, I couldn't do this.

"He told me in a letter he wrote a long long long time ago. It was a big letter, I couldn't read it all. Mommy had to read it for me." I flinched at that word. 'Mommy'. She had never been able to call me mommy.

"Hey Victoria, do you still have that letter?" I asked hopefully. I was curious to see what he would have to say to her. And I longed to have any connection to him. But again she shook her head. I sighed, but didn't press the matter. After all, I had only come to see her. I missed my daughter. I couldn't let myself go in front of her.

We spent the afternoon together. She was very smart, and she would be the exact replica of me at her age if it wasn't for her blonde hair and cunning wit. She loved to joke and was already a master of sarcasm at age 10.

Ginny hung out with us for a while then went inside to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Lee, Victoria's adoptive parents.

"Mione, can I ask you a question." I couldn't help but grin when she said this, but nodded in the affirmative. "I was wondering why I never saw Draco. I've seen you several times, but he's never even written to me except that one time when I was just a baby." I sighed, but I knew this was a long time coming.

"There's no good answer to that, Vicky. But if it makes you feel any better, I haven't seen him either. He's... not around anymore."

"Is he dead?" She asked quietly. I bit my lip, not knowing exactly how to answer her.

"I guess he's as good as dead." She nodded, but I doubt she really understood what I meant.

"Will you tell me about him?" She asked finally. I smiled broadly at her. Yes, I would tell her anything she wanted to know.
-FLASHBACK-

"Miss Hermione Granger, graduating with top honors." Applause broke out as I walked across the stage. I accepted my diploma and smiled at my friends and family in the audience.

A few names later was "Draco Malfoy, graduating as Head Boy, with top honors." I followed him across the stage with my eyes. He was handsome and looked proud. He got to the end of the stage, accepted his diploma, and stared intently at me with that ever present smirk of his. I blushed, and he blew me a kiss to add insult to injury. He was sitting 9 chairs down from me; it was in alphabetical order so the ceremony would be more organized.

So he sat and I avoided his gaze. He knew I hated when he purposely tried to embarrass me. But after a while I couldn't resist. I looked over to see that he was in fact sitting right next to me now.

"I bribed Harris to switch seats with me." He said quietly, answering my questioning look. I rolled my eyes, but smiled despite myself. He placed his hand on my stomach, he did this often now.

We both agreed that it was a good thing the graduation was only a few months after the incident. I wasn't showing yet. No one knew that I was going to have a baby. We hadn't told many people we were engaged, just the few necessary ones, i.e. - our parents.

The wedding was in 2 months, I hoped I wouldn't be very fat.

We watched the rest of the ceremony in silence, his hand ever present above the baby; I thought he would be a good dad.
"Draco and I met at Hogwarts, where you'll be going soon!" She giggled happily. "Well we were enemies for a long time, because he was a Slytherin and I was a Gryffindor. But eventually we became friends and I fell in love with him."

"Why did it matter that he was in Slytherin? Is Slytherin bad?" She asked, obviously making mental notes for her upcoming school years.

"No, not necessarily. A lot of them got a bad rap. But most of them were very mean and hateful to me and my friends. Harry and Ron, you know. They hated Harry because he was famous. And he was famous because he beat Voldemort. Some of the Slytherins were on Voldemort's side during our days at Hogwarts. And they hated Ron because his family was poor and because he was nice to muggles."

Victoria was listening intently, creating her own version of 'Hogwarts: A History' in her mind.

"But the Slytherins really hated me because I was what they termed a 'mudblood'. I had muggle parents and they didn't think I was worthy of practicing magic."

"That is so mean! Why did the Slytherins hate everyone so much?"

"Some of them didn't have an excuse really, except it was just how they were brought up."

"Is that how Draco was? Or was he different?" Victoria asked curiously.

"He was only different when I came along. He changed."

"What do you mean?"

"He ended up seeing something he wanted more than anything else. He risked a lot to be with me. He was into some very bad things."

"Did he support Voldemort?" She asked timidly. I nodded.

"To some extent. He did when he was younger. And then once he was older it was too late. He was forced to become a Death Eater."

"Is that why he's not here anymore?" She asked. I nodded, beginning to cry. "I don't think I like Draco very much anymore Hermione."

"I wish I could say the same..." I whispered. Ginny came into Victoria's room and told me we needed to go.

"Vicky has her piano lesson in twenty-five minutes, isn't that right?" Ginny said. I nodded and gave her a hug and a kiss on the head.

"I'm so glad I got to see you Victoria. Would you like to come visit me over the summer?" She nodded, but seemed hesitant. Some kind of mother I was...
(A/N) Thanks SO MUCH to all my readers, and I apologize for the long wait. My computer has had a virus and I haven't been able to even turn it on for about a month, so forget getting on the internet. I hope it was worth it, and the tale is slowly unraveling, a little faster than I had planned actually... but that's OK I guess...

Look out for CH. 4 much sooner than this one! (I hope, but don't hold me to that...) But it is already half done, so crosses fingers.

Song used at the proposal was 'Top of the World' by The Juliana Theory.

PLEASE REVIEW :-D