Hermione rolled over, her eyes slowly opening to the brightness that shimmered in through her window. She blinked as the light caused her eyes to see floating purplish objects. She snuggled under her covers again, wrapping the thick cottony comforter around her shoulders, burrowing inside. She snuck a peak at the clock to check how much time she had been sleeping. She buried her head under the covers when she realized it had only been a couple of hours. But as long as she laid there she couldn't bring herself to fall back asleep. Now that it was a full year after she had graduated from Hogwarts, she finally had a job; her own shop actually. She slowly shirked off the covers and stood, walking over to the fireplace of her room. She watched as the last ember slowly died, fading away to ash. She pulled her wand from her pocket and pointed at her closet, not even looking, and with a flick of her wrist her clothes for the day flew out and floated in mid-air. She turned around and slid off her pajama dress, one like the old Victorians used to wear, and let it drop to the floor. She had always been partial to that era, even once or twice debating on whether or not she was born in the wrong century.

She leaned forward and picked the long sleeved blue shirt out of the air sliding it on her body. All her clothes had been charmed, thanks to Lavender, to fit her body in a way that would accent her attractive attributes without making her look like a slut. Or so Lavender said. She then grabbed her brown skirt, and stepped into it, hooking it at her waist and letting it fall daintily around her legs, stopping short at her knees. It was the kind of skirt she loved, where she could spin in circles and watch it flare around her soft pale legs. The feeling was almost if she could spin fast enough—she could fly. Of course, being a witch, she could fly with a broom, or by mounting a hippogriff but this childhood feeling never disappeared. She slipped on her shoes, the comfortable ones that held her foot naturally and healthily without looking tacky with a skirt. She smiled; I love magic. Lastly she slipped on her robe, sliding it on over her sleeves until it rested upon her shoulders. She walked over to the bathroom and washed her face, not looking directly in the mirror except for when she put on her make up. The eye shadow was dark brown across her eyelids and brought out the honey in her eyes, and the chap stick brought out her natural pink hue in her lips. The blush was nonexistent as her cheeks would flare upon a slightest compliment. Lavender said she never would need it.

Draco walked down the street, though sauntered would really describe his walk. But he didn't feel as confident as he felt. He was watching everyone as he walked down the street, looking into shops for a familiar face. Finally he saw one. He looked both ways, to make sure he wasn't being followed. He walked inside the annoying weasel's joke shop, one that irritated him to no end, but the face he was searching for stood by the door examining some products. He grabbed the man's arm and covered his mouth before dragging him back into a shaded corner, ignoring all the weird looks he was getting.

"Ron?"

"Oh get real, Potter. I know you miss your daily snog from weasel but if you try to kiss me I'm not going to tell you something you need to know." Draco said as if disgusted.

"Ugh, Malfoy?"

"Don't sound so excited to see me."

"Well every time you show up, as one of my friends might I add, you always bring bad news."

"Polyjuice potion is the key, Potter. You should know that better then me." He sent him a look, and Harry pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"What do I need to know?" He asked, obviously trying to make this as short as he could.

"Death eaters are attacking the Diagon Alley in about…" He looked at the clock on the wall, "Thirty minutes."

"Thirty minutes? Wow thanks for telling me ahead of time." He said frustrated.

"Hey, the dark lord doesn't exactly let me out of his sight much, so be grateful I'm even here. I'm risking my ass for your little rendezvous of saving the world. Don't you forget that."

Harry rolled his eyes. "What am I supposed to praise your wonderfulness and ask what I can do to make your life simpler?"

"Well now that you offered…"

"Don't push it ferret boy."

"Don't push it pothead. I don't have to tell you. I could just let millions of innocents die."

"You wouldn't do that." Harry said flatly, turning away from him and starting to walk away.

Draco grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him back. "Oh yah, Snotter, why is that?"

"Hermione."

Draco let go of Harry's arm, without expression.

"You still love her don't you?"

"You should go save your innocents Potter. The clock is ticking." Draco said shortly.

"K." He started to walk away but stopped, not turning back but just stopping. "By the way, Hermione has her own shop now. She sells books, right down the street a few stores down." With that Harry walked away.

Draco looked at the clock. I have a half an hour… maybe I can stop by and… no. No, I shouldn't. But I'm Ron… No. No don't even think about it Malfoy.

He slowly left the store, ignoring the waves from the twitchy twins, and the smiles from some of the lowly girls that he had shrugged off early in the school year so they wouldn't be doing this particular thing in public. But of course they didn't know it was him. He walked down the alley convincing himself he was looking for the new cauldron shop he had heard so much about. But when he saw the store with the sign "Books, Books and Yes More Books" he stopped. He looked in the window and saw Hermione. She stood on the tip of her toes to put a book back at the top of the shelf. Her straight hair lay flat across her shoulders and her eyes seemed to radiate happiness. He leaned against the window his arm against it and his forehead resting on his arm. It had been so long since he had seen her, and she had changed so much. But one thing was the same. She was smiling. He longed to go inside take her in his arms and spin her around, making her laugh the way she used to.

He watched as she pushed the book the rest of the way in, and returned down to her normal height, stepping with her right foot out behind the counter. She raised her arms, one as if holding a man's shoulder, and the other as if holding a man's hand. She slowly danced herself around the room, her eyes closed. He smiled watching her dance, her gracefulness making her never miss a count to the nonexistent music. She kept dancing, faster and faster spinning around her eyes still closed. She laughed and spun, moving out from the invisible personage that she was dancing with, and spinning in a circle before returning to finish the dance. He sighed, a smile tugging at his lips. I must have done the right thing, he thought. She looks happy.

He watched her wrap her arms around herself, holding herself tightly. Her smile slightly faded as her dance slowed. She stopped her eyes tightly shut, and her arms holding even tighter. He watched as she slowly seemed to come back into the real world, letting go of herself as if sad that she had returned.

She looked up from where she had been gazing and she saw Draco, or rather Ron. She blushed, and he stood back from the window smiling a little. She hurried over to the door, and opened it. "God Ron next time say you're here, instead of letting me embarrass myself." She said in a tone that sounded harsh but he knew she wasn't angry.

He gave her a soft smile. "You looked beautiful." His voice sort of cracked as if he hadn't used it in a long time. Which he hadn't, he hadn't used that voice. The soft voice that held feeling and emotion behind it.

She tilted her head slightly to the side. "You don't sound like yourself, are you ok?"

He faked a cough. "Uh…. Yah I'm just getting sick. Your hair… it's different."

"Ron… you were there when I got it straightened. You don't remember?" She asked him curiously.

"Oh. Yah. No I do. I just… had one to many fire whiskeys last night if you know what I mean." He leaned up against the window. "Merlin, Hermione you have no idea how much I missed you."

"I missed you too Ron." She smiled and flipped her hair back behind her shoulders.

"Are you wearing make-up?" He asked.

She looked at him. "Ron you really need to cut back on the fire whiskeys. You were there when Lavender said I should be wearing it."

"Oh. Well, it's up to you. You are so beautiful, with or without make-up." He said softly.

"Ron… you're the one that said that I should the most out of all our friends."

"Well I was wrong."

"You… admitting you're wrong… I offer to pay the next fire whiskey you want to drink." She smirked.

He smiled. "Well I need to go."

She sighed. "Please come in I have to tell you something."

He shook his head. "No, I really I have to go." He turned to leave, but then looked back to see her confused expression. He sighed and stopped. "What?"

"Percy's back." She said quietly.

Draco froze. "What? Are you ok? Did he try anything? 'Mione you need to say something to Dumbledore or-"

She cut off his sentence by placing her fingers on his lips. "Ron, I don't want to make a big deal about it. He hasn't tried anything, except sending me a letter and standing outside of my house. I already made sure no one could apperate in here or my room upstairs." She paused. "I just wish…" Her voice trailed off.

"What do you wish?" He asked her. "Ow!" He cried out grabbing his arm where the dark mark lay under Ron's appearance and clothes.

"Are you ok?" She asked worried, she reached out and touched him. But he frantically pulled it away from her grasp, feeling himself in the first process of changing.

"Fine. What do you wish Hermione?"

"I wish that Malfoy was theperson I thought he was. Because if he were, he would be here…" She chuckled softly to herself, shaking her head. "Stupid huh?"

"No, not stupid." He said trying not to show any expression. "He's closer then you think." Then he turned and apperated away.

A/N: Review