Author's Note : hey everyone! -waves- -sees glares from reviewers for taking so long- im SOOO sorry that i took so long cuz i had no time! just to let you know, MeGz sent me her bit a long time ago and i just started... two weeks ago and today LOL hope that you enjoy!

oh no! the end is coming! maybe just one more chapter and an epilogue...

hermionemalfoy18: sorry it took so long but SOMEBODY HERE took so long writing her part of the chapter
me : -guilty look-

It has officially been a month since that day when Draco turned into a ferret. Although he wouldn't admit it, being a ferret isn't that bad. Hermione was treating him like a prince. She bought him a fluffy "ferret bed" and a bowl for his food. She decided she would give him human food instead of rabbits, they were too expensive.

Draco was getting quite attached to Hermione, which wasn't a good thing. He didn't mind living with her quite as much, which was for two weeks now, but he really wished he just turn back to his normal self.

"Morning, Draco," Draco turned around and saw a blonde girl smiling sweetly at him. She looked oddly, familiar.

Hermione Granger! Whoa she looks…hot… why is she blonde? Is she that obsessed with me? And from the looks of it, I guess so

"My hair, isn't it?" Hermione asked him, twirling a piece of blonde hair with her finger.

"I know, Draco, it looks different. Damn, Ginny." Hermione muttered.

Ginny? SheWeasley? Is that who I have to thank?

…

On second thought, I'm not apologizing to a Weasley (and who dressed me up as a rapper).

"Who's Draco?" asked a deep, male voice was heard; a voice Draco didn't recognize.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you I found a ferret in my yard and I kept him as a friend, not a pet." Hermione said turning around.

Thank God, she didn't refer to me as some animal.

…

That did not just make any sense, considering I am one…

"Draco, this is Dominic, my boyfriend. We started going out a month ago."

The words hit Draco like a cold splash of water first thing in the morning, which was extremely unpleasant (he knew from experience).

Hermione had a boyfriend.

Hermione wasn't obsessed with Draco.

Surprisingly, Draco was upset; but not too surprised. I mean, with her looks, smarts, and success, who wouldn't want to have Hermione as a girlfriend? For some reason Draco had an odd feeling that he'd never had before. Was it jealousy?

"Well we'll have to take him with us to lunch—" Hermione started.

"No, he'll manage here," Dominic cut in, glaring at Draco. "I really want the afternoon to be just us."

Nooooo way, Domidude!

"I don't know…he'll be lonely…" Hermione said unsurely.

Yes! I'll be lonely! I'm Mr. Lonely! Take me with you!

"Then your neighbor can take care of him," Dominic suggested as he pointed to the window. Next door was an old, grouchy-looking lady with two cats and two dogs. She turned their direction at them and was holding a dagger in one hand and a chicken in the other. Hermione flinched.

"Well …" Hermione said.

"Please?" Dominic gave a pathetic pout. "I had this date all planned out…"

Pshh I can pout better!

…

Wait, I don't have any lips.

"But she's creepy. I mean, the first time I moved in here, she came in and she brought me homemade gelatin… made out of those chickens she breeds."

"How is that even possible?" Dominic asked.

"That's just it. I don't know." Hermione shrugged.

"Well, I don't want that… that… thing to come," Dominic pointed at Draco.

I'm not a "thing" excuse-mwah. Hmph.

"But I'm not leaving him with her." Hermione pointed out to the lady, who was waving at licking her lips at Dominic, raising her eyebrow. He grimaced.

"Why not leave him here, then?" Dominic suggested.

"No, I don't trust him," Hermione said.

Hey! Why don't you trust me!

"Because he might poop everywhere. That's what he did the last time I left him alone in the house," Hermione shrugged.

Oh, yeah, that's why. Draco thought sheepishly.

"Hermione! What are we going to do?" He complained, putting his hands on his hips.

"Dominic, what's so bad about bringing him with us? He will behave!" Hermione pouted. Dominic smiled and rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, okay, he can go." He kissed her forehead. Draco grimaced as they walked hand in hand out the door.

Hermione raised an eyebrow as Dominic guided her downstairs into the underground secret restaurant everyone was talking about. The restaurant was wide and it was sorted into many different booths. It was really nothing. Hermione's face fell in disappointment. She bought a new dress four months ago for this?

"Buon pomeriggio." The French waiter smiled politely. "Come posso aiutarlo oggi?" He asked. Good afternoon. How may I help you today?

"Ho reso ad alcune prenotazioni l'ultimo mese per due," Dominic said in his best (although Draco thought it was completely horrid) French accent. "Con lo pseudonimo di Dominic Misfalano." He said. I have made some reservations last month for two, under the name of Dominic Misfalano.

"Ah, sì. Radrizzi questo senso…" The waiter said. Ah, Yes. Right this way.

Dominic politely asked the French waiter for a moment. He whispered some directions to him, and the waiter just nodded. They both came back with smiles on their faces. Hermione raised an eyebrow at them. Something was not right…

"Dom, what was that all about?" Hermione whispered, when the waiter was leading them towards their booth.

"Nothing, love." He smiled reassuringly at Hermione, who shrugged and decided not to push it.

"Nothing, love." Draco copied in a girlish voice. Oh, puh-lease.

The waiter stopped in front of the last booth by the corner. He took out the keys and fumbled with it for a few minutes. He finally picked out a purple color key and unlocked the booth. Hermione absentmindedly held her breath and Dominic lead her in. Dominic muttered thanks to the waiter. Dominic squeeze Hermione's bag, which made Draco squeak rather loudly.

Owww! That hurt, Misfalano! Oh, wait till I get my hands on you…

The waiter "surprisingly" looked at the bag and asked Hermione that they aren't allowed to have any pets in the booths.

I'm not a pet! I'm a cute, cuddly, lovable, perfectly normal, ferret! There's a difference!

Hermione sighed sadly and reluctantly took Draco out of her bag and gave it to the waiter.

"Merci, Madame," the French waiter said, taking Draco carefully in his hands and exited the booth to leave them alone. Thank you, Madam. Dominic and the French waiter exchanged winks and the waiter walked down the hall.

NOOO! Don't leave me! Granger, he's taking me away! Nooo… (In slow-motion)

"Cessez de tortiller, vous petit rongeur," the French waiter said impatiently. Stop squirming, you little rodent.

What… did… you… say…? "Little rodent!" Ohhh, you are so getting it…

The French waiter opened the swinging door and went into the kitchens. Draco could smell all the different kinds of food that the Muggles were making. He sighed in pleasure. But when the waiter opened another door, he found himself being thrown into the alleyway, hitting the wall.

"Voyez-vous plus tard… sucker…" The waiter called out to him, laughed, and closed the door. See you later… sucker…

What in the hell… Ugh! I'm gonna give him (Dominic) a piece of my mind! Draco groaned and walked off quietly through the door, which the waiter, stupidly, left open.

Draco walked into the kitchen, only to be greeted by that great food scent again. But he shrugged it off, and ran of to the booth where Dominic and Hermione were. When he reached their booth, again, the waiter, stupidly, left the door opened.

Draco quietly went inside their booth, seeing the most unexpected. The booth was decorated as if you were in Paris. The walls looked so real, that it felt like you were in Muggle Paris itself. The sunset was mixed in beautiful colors of pink, red, purple, yellow, orange, and blue. Flowers of different colors were seen throughout the ground. In the middle of the oddly large booth, there was a small candle-lit dinner table where Hermione and Dominic were sitting and sharing a bottle of wine. Hermione laughed at something Dominic said. Draco felt an odd sense of jealousy at the pit of his stomach.

I'm not jealous…it's more of… protectiveness… yeah, protectiveness. Draco kept on reassuring himself. He nearly forgot why he was here in the first place. Dominic held Hermione's hand, and Draco was still. He could not stand someone else… courting Hermione. It was just too disturbing.

Then, Dominic wanted to talk about her friends---mostly about Harry.

This isn't right…

Absentmindedly, Draco's gaze went to Dominic's feet. Sitting down, Dominic's pants crumpled and rolled up, showing off his ankles. There was something odd about his ankle. A weird shape was forming. Draco, as quietly as possible, went forward to take a closer look. It looked like… a letter. It started to form into some sort of letter.

Then the letter appeared fully and Draco gasped. It was a tattoo carved on his skin with the letter B with thorny roses wrapping around it. It was the family sign of the Blacks.

But… how can that be? Sirius Black is dead… and he is the last of the remaining Blacks except for Aunt Bella and Mum…except…

There was another small letter right to the left of the B. It was an R.

R…Black…R…Black… Regulus Black! That's Regulus Black! And they say he was dead! It all makes sense! Father said that You-Know-Who killed him… but, what if he used the Polyjuice Potion or… Draco stared up at Dominic, who politely excused himself to go to the restroom. Draco hid in the flowers and followed him when we went out of the booth. When he was out of the booth, Dominic hid in the shadows and, for about a second or two, he was Regulus Black. Draco let out a little squeak. It was him, alright. Draco knew what he looked like from the painting in his Aunt Bellatrix's house.

Black took out a vile and drank the Polyjuice Potion. About five minutes later, he went back inside the booth with Draco following suit. Black smiled at her and they soon began talking again. Draco looked at his ankle and the tattoo was gone. He had to do something… but what could he do? About thirty minutes of thinking, he snapped back into reality when someone called him.

"Ah, Draco, how nice of you to join us," someone said. Draco immediately stiffened and did a double take.

"Dominic," Hermione asked, worried, "who are you talking to?"

"Oh, don't you know, Hermione, dear? You're little boyfriend's found," Dominic smirked.

"Dimi, what are you talking about? Are you talking about my… childhood enemy? First of all, he's not my boyfriend. And secondly… he's… at my old school teaching… uhm, History!" Draco groaned.

Granger is the worst liar in the world. And clearly her boyfriend is Muggle…

"Come out; come out, where ever you are, Draco." Dominic looked around the room, ignoring Hermione.

"Dominic! What---"

"Shut up, woman!" Dominic roared. Hermione widened her eyes and looked like she was slapped.

Hard.

"How dare you…" Hermione started, "talk to me that way," she said dangerously.

"Oh, yeah? And what are you going to do? Hex me? Put an Unforgivable on me?" Dominic said, looking for Draco---who was hiding in the flowers---without getting out of his seat. Hermione was shocked.

"You're… a wizard?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"Yes, you daft woman," he snapped.

"Dominic… please… explain." It was more of a demand, rather than a request. Dominic smirked.

"Your little boyfriend is in this very room." He pointed at the bunch of flowers where Draco was hiding. Draco immediately stiffened. Unpleasant shivers went up his spine.

Oh…shit…

Draco's feet were planted on the ground when Dominic got out of his seat and went towards Draco. He put his hand on the clump of flowers, and seized Draco's fur and pulled him up.

That freaking hurts you know! Draco squirmed under his grasp.

"Draco!" Hermione screamed, clutching her chair hard.

"You mean this thing?" Dominic pointed at the ferret with his other hand.

"This isn't a ferret. This isn't your pet. This…" Dominic threw Draco, who hit the wall and remained on the floor limply. Hermione softly said "no."

"…is what it is." Dominic took out his wand, and pointed at Draco.

"Ostendo verus ego!" Dominic cried and a flash of purple light shot out from his wand.

"No!" Hermione cried.

The last thing that Draco though before the spell hit him was...

I want my mummy!

Author's Note : well, we hope that you liked it -fingers crossed-

in the upcoming chapter : dracos confession! will hermione forgive and forget? or will she leave him in the dust? imagine harry, ron, and ginnys expressions! what about lucius and voldemort?

ah, yes. dominic misfalano. draco malfoy. see any similarities?

Latin Words :
Ostendo verus ego : show true self