We have arrived at that time in which my fic has hit falling action and no longer interests me with conflict. Sorry I haven't updated.

Broken down word of the day: Politics
Poly: Many
Tics: Blood-sucking insects.

Disclaimer:
Mirror Mirror on the Wall,
No one owns Harry cept J.K. Rowl.

W00T! You guys helped me break 60 reviews. (Not bad for a fic that started with none eh? I mean, for the first chapters it was just me and my dearest Jibs. My first reviewer, who came in chapter 2) I LOVE YOU JIBS, who has some catching up to do.

kudos also go to Danish Pastry 28, cReAtIvE-tHoUgHtS, MoKona Deh Bunny, SleepyHead22, Smenzer, and Queen of Duct Tape! I love you all so very very much.

Chapter 10: Boring Explanation of Previous Events

Hermione sat down next to Draco on the green love seat. "I remember your face."

Draco turned towards her with hope in his eyes.

"Draco, I remember you." Hermione repeated, as if he hadn't understood the first time. Draco grinned at her very stupidly. Hermione picked up a book lying near him and whacked him across the head with it. "You BASTARD! God! You were an even worse jerk back then!"

Draco slid off the couch in shock. Was he actually hearing this? She just remembered everything they shared, and she was even more mad at him than before. Hermione smiled down at him. Draco shuttered back. Gingerly she stood up and sat in his lap, rapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Sorry TicTak, I had to get that out of my system."

Draco smirked. "Back to this game are we now?"

Hermione shot a look of suspicion at him. "Don't you even think about tickling me again." Draco looked overly mischievous at that moment. Hermione snorted in displeasure at his response.

"Draco, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

Hermione gave a fake smirk.

"What did you wish for?" Draco held her back aways, giving her a questioning look. Hermione rolled her eyes. "When you drank the clear liquid?"

"Which time? The time I wished to be a Granger, or the time I wished you and the Grangers to return to normal?" Hermione groaned at his mock stupidity. Draco just smirked wildly. "Oh, come here you." Draco pulled Hermione into a kiss, but almost immediately she pulled back out. A look of sudden awareness and fear filled her face.

"Draco," she approached with caution, "why was I taken to the Grangers? Why did my dad go to jail?"

"Where did you hear that your dad went to jail?" Draco tried to shove the question off. The last thing she needed was to see that photo album.

"My dad told me. I think you know why Draco, and I'm begging you to tell me." Draco gave a long sigh. Never had he seen her more vulnerable than in the past week and a half. Of course, she'd never known about her past before either. Draco nodded. The game of concealment was up, he could no longer hide the truth from her. Draco got up and went to his room, three minutes later, he returned with the photo album.

"Draco, I've already seen this."

"Just look at the last page, the rest is irrelevant."

Hermione cautiously took the book from his hands and flipped to the last page. Hermione found herself staring at a magazine article that looked like it had been newly clipped out. Hermione glanced at the headline, which seemed to be the proper place to start, and read it aloud.

"Shame to the Name of McKlain." Hermione almost laughed. 'My, aren't we melodramatic.'

"Sean McKlain was arrested Monday night on the charges of molestation. His five year old daughter, Hermione McKlain, the victim of the crime. . ." Hermione burst into tears as she read this. Hands shaking tremendously she handed over the article for Draco to read.

". . .has been taken into the custody of a Muggle family in accordance with her mother's will."

Draco trailed off there. The rest of the article was completely useless anyways.

"Where did you get that?" Hermione sputtered.

"That copy of Ministry Weekly you gave me at the beginning of the summer. They were having a recap on the featured article from exactly eleven years ago. It just so happened to be about you, so I cut it out of the magazine so you wouldn't, you know, find it." Draco looked extremely sheepish at that point. Hermione could never remember him being sheepish, ever.

"So why did you put it in the album?" Hermione continued to interrogate.

"That's where all the other things from your past were. I thought it would be a good place to hide it." Draco stopped himself suddenly. "Wait, why am I letting you interrogate me?"

"Because you love me," Hermione teased.

"Since when?" Hermione burst into hysterics.

"Since you told me twice, and kissed me three times."

"Well maybe I was just using you," Draco said in his defense, though it wasn't particularly convincing. Hermione laughed at him some more and kissed him on the cheek. "But apparently you like me."

"No," Hermione mimicked, "I'm just using you." Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Draco, just face it, you've created a monster."

"Well, monster," Draco joked, "would you like to go to dinner?"

"Is that a date?" Hermione asked, taking full advantage of the opening he'd left for her. "Because if memory serves, that'll be our first."

"I wouldn't trust your memory. It's been erased too many times. For all you know, we might already be married." Hermione faked a shiver at the thought.

"That was just cruel, and as for the question, NO. Consider your pratty self RE-JECTED." Hermione held up her hand in the shape of an L at him. "I'm going with Ron and Harry." Hermione stated matter-of-factly.

"My, aren't we a playgirl?" Hermione got up quickly to leave, and as soon as he too was standing, Hermione bolted for the portrait hole.

A/N: The only reason it was eleven years was it placed Hermione at the right age (according to Wikipedia her birthday's September 19th), also the wizarding world seems to like the # eleven. (Being that most folks are that age when entering Hogwarts.) It's short I know. I'm having the worst case of writer's block. Don't hate me, I thought you might the little I've worked on as opposed to nothing.