Hermione made it to breakfast and was the last one at the table. Everyone else had already filled their plates with muffins, thanks to Dennis, and started eating. The smell of blueberry muffins had met Hermione before she ever made it into the dining room, and her stomach gave a growl as she took her normal seat to Draco's left.

She poured her morning cup of tea, glancing sideways at him, unsure of how to properly thank him for the thoughtful gift that was now sitting on the desk in her room. She wondered if he even wanted to be thanked, given that he hadn't given it to her in person, but then again, he had signed the note after all.

He'd brought his own teacup halfway to his lips before she stopped him, turning slightly toward him and placing her hand onto his thigh to get his attention. He turned toward her, a twinkle in his eye reminiscent of Dumbledore's that said I have a secret.

"Thank you," she said, smiling softly and speaking the words barely more than a whisper not wanting anyone else to hear. Not that she didn't want them to know or to ask questions, but she definitely didn't want them all to know that today was her birthday. Also, he wasn't one to garner attention anymore, and she didn't want to embarrass him.

"It's nothing." He shrugged nonchalantly, but the smug smirk playing across his features said it was anything but nothing.

She returned his smirk, trying to hold in the desire to beam at him. "Well, I love it."

Suddenly, Walt cleared his throat, reminding Hermione that there were actually other people in the room. She quickly removed her hand from his thigh, and they both looked down the table to Walt sitting at the head.

He looked at Hermione, and she felt her face grow hot thinking that he'd noticed her and Draco whispering. Instead, he was merely informing the group that Hermione would be the week's leader and that visits would be starting early today.

They all cleared up their own dishes and Hermione set to work creating the week's chore schedule. She'd honestly been looking forward to being the "leader" since week one, when Seamus had forced her to do dishes for every meal for the entire first week. But, instead of succumbing to her baser instincts, she remembered the strides Seamus had taken in the last week, and only gave him two days more than the rest of them. Growing or not, she couldn't resist the urge to make him suffer a little bit.

Looking over the schedule again, Hermione went back and changed a few days around, hoping that by putting her and Nicola together more frequently, she could help pull Nicola out of the depression she'd clearly fallen into. Hermione knew it couldn't possibly be easy to have gone through all that Nicola had gone through, losing her daughter and being abused in the way that she had, but also, now she was struggling through her recovery all alone. No matter how she may hide her insecurities and trauma from them, Hermione still had a family outside of The Willows who loved her and cared for her enough to have pushed her to come here to begin with.

And, Draco is here for me too, she thought, unable to hold in a grin. He seemed to constantly surprise her in all the ways that he'd changed over the years. He'd retained all the qualities he had as a child that caused her to fancy him for a time despite his awful behavior: his drive and charisma and his intellect. But many of his negative attributes had changed, chipped away by the trauma of war. His arrogance had turned into a more reserved self-certainty, and the dedication that had once been self-serving now was used as commitment toward overcoming all that he'd gone through, and he seemed just as committed to helping her do the same.

She shook her head, a soft smile on her face, thinking how strange it was that she felt indebted to Draco Malfoy.

"I think that's a great idea, Hermione! Let me talk to Susan and Walt just to clear it with them, but I don't think they'll have any problem with it," Alys said, after Hermione told her of an idea she had about CBT. Truthfully, the idea came to her when she had been thinking about how much she owed Draco.

Hermione had been mid-folding spell after finishing her laundry and the little bit of cleaning of her own room when the idea came to her. Honestly, now it served two purposes. In addition to helping Draco overcome his own traumatic past, she was thinking of ways to "take her healing in her own hands," as Walt kept preaching. The way that she'd started hyperventilating at the mere idea of sharing her story with someone else, she thought it would likely be a good step prior to that to physically revisit some of her trauma.

Unfortunately, being in the unique environment of an in-patient clinic with little to no magic on a daily basis, she, of course, had to take the idea up with Alys first.

"When would you like to do that?" Alys asked, as she sat her coffee cup down and folded her hands across her desk, looking eager at Hermione's idea to take on such a challenge alone… well, almost alone.

Hermione still wasn't sure on how to even bring the idea up to Draco. Even though she knew it would be beneficial to him, she didn't want him to think that she was just bringing him along so that she could get in. True, she couldn't get to Malfoy Manor without a Malfoy in tow, but this idea blossomed from her desire to repay him somehow. The benefit to herself was just an added bonus… though she had to present it that way to Alys, and she only shared part of the plan – her desire to simply revisit a location that replayed itself so often in her mind.

"Well, I thought about tonight after group. It's hard for me to not just jump into action when there's something that I want to do, but – " Hermione paused and sighed, knowing that there was really no harm in sharing this small tidbit of information. Alys was her counselor. Even if they weren't in "therapy" at the moment, this still fell under healer-patient confidentiality, right? "But today's my birthday, so I'm not really sure if that's something I should be doing tonight."

Alys blinked at her a few times before smiling brightly. "Oh, I had no idea! Happy birthday! No, I actually think that makes it the perfect time. What better day to grow than your birthday!"

Alys's enthusiasm was always catching, and Hermione found herself smiling brightly at her. "If you're sure, then yes, I think I'd like to do it tonight. Should… should I mention it to Draco? I mean, I don't want to do something that he isn't comfortable with, even though I think it would be good for him as well."

Alys stopped smiling and seemed to think about this question heavily before saying, "Let me talk to Susan and Walt, and I'll get back to you in an hour or so. Personally, I think you should just go with it. Maybe talk to him about it when the time arises and give him the opportunity to say no then? But I really don't think he'll have a problem with it."

Hermione took a deep breath, only second guessing herself for a moment, before standing and walking toward the door. She knew this was a big step, and she knew it was going to help her and Draco as well, but the idea of going back there was daunting. Just being there for Nicola's and Luna's memories had sent her reeling. Going there with Draco, potentially losing it in the process, the idea was terrifying, but Walt was right. She had to start putting in the hard work or she was never going to get better. She wanted to be whole again. She wanted to be able to sleep without fear of what she'd see in her dreams. As much as she was starting to really love finding comfort in Draco, she didn't want to have to. She wanted to be able to save herself, not rely on someone else to give her that safety.

As she made it to the door, Alys spoke up. "Hermione, I… I think this is a great step you're taking, and one that will really help you." Alys gave her an encouraging smile and swept her long braid across her shoulder. "If you want me to go with you, you know I'm more than willing."

"No," Hermione said, sighing to herself. "I think it's something we both need to do on our own really."

Later, Hermione sat outside at her normal table waiting on her friends to arrive. She wasn't entirely sure what time they were going to be coming or why the visits were happening earlier today, but Walt had informed them all that the counseling team had already sent owls to the normal visitors about the change in visiting time though he didn't give any specifics other than that.

Hermione glanced down at her watch and saw it was almost noon. They'd typically be eating lunch now, and the visitors were supposed to be arriving before lunch. So, where were they? She looked around, wondering where everyone else was as well. Typically, Draco and his friends would be at the table across from them, and sometimes Seamus, Dean, and Parvati would take the table at the corner of the veranda. But today, she was alone on the porch, not another guest in sight. Even the chimineas hadn't been lit as they normally would have been by this point.

She pulled her scarf tighter around her, debating on whether or not to light it now and keep waiting or just head inside. Her friends knew where her room was, so she decided to just go inside and wait for them there. She stepped inside, and immediately gasped when she saw a large flashing arrow floating in mid-air just outside the door leading into the hallway.

She looked to either side, expecting… something, but she was completely alone. The table was all set and ready for breakfast in the morning, and the lights were all off. The sun was peeking in through the windows, blocked only partially by the large tan curtains lining them, and slightly washing out the flashing white of the arrow.

She stepped out into the hallway, and looked to the left, the direction the arrow was pointing. The moment her head passed it, the arrow whizzed past her down the hallway and came to a stop at the end of the corridor. It flipped end over end a few times and then pointed right, in the direction of her own room.

"Helloooo," she said, startled by the loudness of her own voice in the small hallway. "Who's there?"

Of course, the only answer was the reverberation of her shaky voice against the walls. The sign only blinked even brighter in response, so she took out her wand and walked toward it.

Obviously, there was nothing to be worried about. She was at The Willows. She knew everyone here. Nobody had arrived at the Apparition point, so nobody was here other than the normal guests. Someone was just playing a prank or something. Obviously.

So why was the hair on her arms standing on end? She felt like someone was breathing down her neck, so she turned sharply, her hair flying out behind her as she faced the other direction. She swallowed and gave a shaky laugh.

This was stupid. But she'd been afraid of the dark and being alone ever since the war ended, and the eerie quietness of the house, without Seamus's booming laugh coming from the common room or the clacking of Alys's heels on the tile floors, was disconcerting to say the least.

She continued down the corridor, back in the direction of the arrow, and peeked around the corner where it was pointing. Again, just like it had done before, the arrow zoomed past her head without a sound and stopped clear at the other end, pointing away from the guest rooms and toward the art room.

She knocked on Draco's and Dennis's doors on her way through, hoping to find someone along the way, but there was no answer inside either. Again, the arrow continued to blink in the same pale, yellow light. She tried calling out again but wasn't surprised when there was no answer.

Even knowing how stupid it was to be scared, she couldn't help that her wand hand was shaking slightly. She followed the arrow past the other guests' rooms, even those without any occupants, and she didn't bother knocking on the doors this time as she passed. Finally, the arrow stopped to point through the French doors of the art room. The lights were off inside and there was no sound. Even more disconcerting than the unnerving silence was that the curtains were closed on the doors leading inside. They'd never been closed before.

She switched her wand into her other hand long enough to wipe her sweaty palm across her jeans before taking her wand back into her dominant hand. She pushed the door open, not sure what she expected to see on the other side, but there was only darkness.

Just as she lifted her wand to cast Lumos, bright light filled the room along with a resounding, "SURPRISE!"

Hermione felt like surely, she flew three feet in the air when the noise erupted throughout the room, and her heart felt like it was about to escape out of her chest.

She scanned the room quickly. All the guests were here along with their normal visitors and her own friends, but in addition to those she expected on a typical visiting day, there was also Luna, standing in the back beside Susan, Neville, his arm wrapped around the waist of Hannah Abbot, and George and Angelina standing beside Ron. She even saw Molly and Arthur behind them, each with a hand on Ron's shoulders, beaming at her brightly.

Hermione blinked a few times, trying to rein in the emotions that were threatening to overflow when she found Draco's face, staring at her with a look of concern. She took a deep breath when his eyes searched a face, and she bent at the waist, letting out a shaky laugh and hoping that was enough to not indicate that she was on the verge of a panic attack.

"Merlin! You gave me a fright!"

Harry and Ron strolled forward, each enveloping her in a massive hug, Ron picking her up off the floor in his usual fashion. She lay her head on his shoulder when he set her back down and forced another laugh. Once again, her eyes found Draco's, who was watching her intently, his face a mixture of concern and what? Desperation? Dejection? Whatever it was, he was ignoring Pansy and Blaise entirely, who seemed to be in some sort of a disagreement, as they always tended to be.

Hermione was pulled away from Ron and wrapped in an embrace by Ginny. "Happy birthday, 'Mi! I can't believe you're even surprised. Surely, you didn't think we'd forget your birthday!"

Hermione gave her a sheepish grin and said, "I forgot my own birthday, actually."

"Oh, we'll have none of that, dearie," Molly said, as she pulled Hermione into another massive hug. This was clearly some kind of Weasley trademark hug as Mr. Weasley and George had done the same, each of them offering another "Happy Birthday" into her ear as they did.

Alys stepped forward and said, "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I had to let on like I knew nothing earlier when you mentioned it was your birthday. I hate lying, but my love for surprises won out."

"I understand," Hermione said, smiling at Alys's remorseful face at such a silly white lie. "It's no big deal."

Soon, Hermione was passed around the room as each of her guests hugged her in turn and wished her a happy birthday. She actually hadn't seen Neville since Harry's birthday party months ago, but even then, she hadn't spoken to him. It was nice to see him and Hannah both. They hadn't been dating that long, but they seemed to make a great couple, neither of them ever straying far from one another.

All of a sudden, her journey through the crowd ended with her standing face-to-face with Draco, Pansy, and Blaise. The smile fell from her lips as her eyes fell on Pansy. Hermione was instantly reminded of the way Pansy had tried to hold in tears when she said, "Tell that to Theo" a few weeks ago. This time, however, Pansy was staring at her as if she was desperately trying to hold her hands back from seeking out Hermione's throat. Draco cleared his throat, and Pansy glanced toward him briefly, before stalking off toward the refreshment table.

Just as Pansy walked off, Blaise stepped forward, taking Hermione's hand in hers and brushing his lips across it with a slight bow, just as he'd done at their introductory meeting over a month ago.

"Happy birthday." He stood up, dropping her hand, and said, "You look ravishing tonight, as always."

Hermione awkwardly pulled a curl behind her ear and glanced down to her t-shirt and denims. "Umm, thank you."

"How much longer will you lot be here?" Blaise asked, looking toward Draco briefly before turning his face back to Hermione. His face dropped seductively as his lips pulled up into a slight smirk. "We should get a drink when you're free of this place. What do you –"

"Blaise, you should make sure Pansy isn't getting into trouble," Draco said abruptly, cutting him off. Draco's eyes never left Hermione as Blaise turned toward Pansy at the drink table where she was currently talking to Ron of all people. Blaise's dark eyes glanced between Draco and Hermione, but he said nothing, only turned and walked away in the direction of Pansy and Ron.

After he was out of earshot, Draco dropped his voice slightly and said, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and gave him a halfhearted grin as she tucked her arms into her stomach, hugging her left arm to herself instinctively. "I'm fine."

"I tried to tell them it wasn't a good idea, but…" he shrugged and lifted his hands slightly, indicating that clearly nobody listened.

"It's really fine. I just… I really hate surprises. And I typically don't even celebrate my birthday. It's," she looked around, smiling at the sight of all her friends and everyone else from the Willows coming together for her, "really nice though. I do appreciate it."

She turned back toward Draco and started to say that she appreciated him trying to speak up for her, but Blaise returned with Pansy, and Hermione took that as her opportunity to leave.

Luna and Susan met her on the way back to where Harry and Ron were at the front of the room, and Luna said, in her typical dreamy voice, "Are you okay, Hermione? You really seemed like you were upset when you first came in."

"Oh, I'm fine, Luna. Thank you. It… I'm just not a fan of surprises that much. But this was really nice of everyone."

Just then Ginny came over to join them, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist and leaning in to whisper, "Malfoy was talking to you like, I don't know, like you two were friends."

"We are friends, Gin. He's … he's a very different person than he used to be."

Ginny only huffed in response.

Hermione really didn't want to have this argument, especially given the way she was still a bit anxious over the big SURPRISE anyway, but he'd done a lot for her over the past month. It seemed unfair to leave it all unspoken.

"Honestly, Ginny. Can we just move on from all that already? He's already paid his dues to the rest of the world. He doesn't owe you anything." She hadn't even realized that her voice had risen slightly until Ron and Harry both turned to look at them from where they'd been standing with Neville. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to have noticed, or at least they were being polite enough to look away and pretend they hadn't.

Pansy's eyes had lingered in their direction for a split second before Ginny, a blush that matched her hair rising from beneath her collar, opened her mouth to speak, but Susan cut her off.

"This isn't a conversation we're going to have right now." Her voice was polite but firm, and Ginny said nothing, though clearly the way she snapped her mouth shut indicated that she had plenty she wanted to say. "We're here to celebrate, not rehash childhood grudges." She said this much more kindly and laid her hand on Hermione's back reassuringly.

There were no other angry words spoken throughout the party, but it took Ginny a good half hour to unthaw and become her normal jovial and feisty self. It wasn't until Harry pulled Ginny's left hand in front of Hermione's face to show off the huge diamond on her ring finger that Ginny started smiling again.

Hermione's excitement was completely genuine. She knew, of course, how serious Harry and Ginny were in their relationship, and there was no doubt in her mind that they'd eventually get married. But now, knowing it was coming so soon, she couldn't hold in her enthusiasm for her friends.

Harry was beaming, his cheeks flushed and his hair askew, as always, and he seemed happier than he'd been in the entire time she'd known him. Harry, her best friend, the most caring person she'd ever met, the one to whom she'd clung to when the world was falling apart, the one who carried everyone's weight on his shoulders without ever batting an eye. Harry, who still, after years of being her best friend, still hesitated during moments of affection, still worried that someday the hug wouldn't be returned.. He'd spent so many years being told how much of a burden he was that Hermione sometimes still had troubling believing that he was such a genuinely caring person. Harry, who still flinched when someone raised their voice, who had suffered more than the most of them, and that was before even coming to Hogwarts. Just seeing him happy, so carefree and uninhibited after a life of being beaten, abused, neglected, and unloved, was enough to fill Hermione's heart with warmth and her eyes with tears.

She pulled him into an embrace and couldn't hold back the tears any longer as she congratulated him, telling them both that she couldn't possibly be happier for them.

"Wait, wait, wait," Ron said, stepping in between them. "I hope you know that I already reserved the role as best man, given that, you know, I'm actually a man and all."

Hermione laughed at him, slapping him on the arm flippantly. "How very sexist of you, Ronald. And here I was thinking you'd grown so much over the years." She shook her head at him, clicking her tongue a few times in emphasis. "But, that's okay. I don't mind at all."

After Ron nodded, clearly assuming that all was well, Hermione added, "So long as I'm the godmother of your firstborn. You don't want this oaf in charge of your children, do you?" She inclined her head in Ron's direction, causing both Harry and Ginny to give Ron a once-over before shaking their heads in agreement.

"Oh, come on!"

A little while later, a cake was brought in, courtesy of Molly, and Hermione wasn't surprised at all that she remembered that carrot cake was her favorite. Ron had always pestered her to no end about it, wondering who in their right mind prefers carrot cake over everything else, but it was what her mother had always made for her birthday ever since she was a little girl.

They dimmed the lights, and all began singing just as Molly lit the candles with a flick of her wand. Hermione looked around at her friends, momentarily choked up with the idea that all of these people were here for her, that all of these people actually cared about her.

She may not have her parents any longer, but she still had family, and that idea alone put a lump in her throat.

Once the last line of "Happy Birthday" rang out, Hermione closed her eyes and tried to think of a wish, but in that moment, her heart full of all the love she felt around her and still riding the high of Harry and Ginny's engagement, she honestly couldn't think of a single thing she wanted to wish for in that moment. Instead, she said a small prayer in gratitude. She'd never been religious, though her parents were Catholic, if only in name alone. They took her to Mass every Christmas, though that was the only time she remembered ever entering a church. She honestly didn't know of any religious beings in the Magical world either, so, she didn't name a specific entity, but rather sent her thank-yous up to whatever spiritual body had gifted her with this lovely group of friends that had consistently stood by her over the years. Even when she felt at her most unlovable, when she'd almost blown Ginny up in her room, when she'd pushed Ron away at every turn, and when she was the insufferable swot she knew she was, even then, they'd loved her nonetheless.

Thank you.

Soon, the party was over, and all the guests were hugging Hermione and telling her goodbye. Once they all were gone, Hermione began helping the others to set the room back in order. Just as she started to pull the tablecloths off one of the long tables lining the wall, Walt said, "No, ma'am. You can't clean on your birthday! Get out of here." He patted her on the arm and pulled the tablecloth away from her, throwing it onto the floor before moving onto the next one.

Alys strolled over with Susan and Luna and said, "If you still want to go tonight, I've spoken to Walt and he agrees that it's a great idea. Are you still feeling up to it?"

Hermione took a deep breath and felt a slight shaking in her chest. "Yes. I think I have to."

Alys nodded and said, "I haven't spoken to Draco, but I think he just walked his guests out as well. My office is open, and the Floo powder is on the mantle. Walt's canceled group for the night, so there's no reason to rush through anything."

"Thank you, Alys. I really appreciate it." Hermione started to walk away and then remembered something. "Oh, umm… also, Draco doesn't have a wand, so –"

Luna extended hers out without question. "He can use mine," Luna said. Hermione reached for the wand and then hesitated. She felt awkward taking someone else's wand, hating being without one herself, but Luna quickly assured her, saying, "I'm sure. I'm staying here tonight anyway." She took Susan's hand into her own and walked away without another word.

"Well, that's that then," Alys said with a laugh, giving Hermione a shrug before walking off to help the others.

Hermione took one last look around, relishing in seeing all the trouble that everyone went through for her. She wasn't really one for extravagance or even for drawing attention to herself, of course, but being a friend of Harry Potter did mean that quite often she was shunted to the side. It wasn't Harry's fault, obviously, and she held nothing against him for it. Most of the time she was thankful for it, to be honest, but still occasionally, often when she least expected it, she'd feel slighted somehow in his shadow. She'd certainly been given enough grief for being so close to him over the years, thanks to Rita Skeeter for the most part, but sometimes it was nice to just be celebrated for who she was, not for what she accomplished during the war, not for being Harry Potter's best friend, and not for being the poster child for Muggle-Borns. It was moments like these when all those recurring instances of doubt and self-loathing were distant thoughts.

She walked out the French doors, pulling the curtains back to their original position as she did, and walked in the direction of Draco's room, hoping to find him along the way. She wasn't disappointed; just as she rounded the corner outside his room, she found him walking back in the direction of the party.

"I was just coming back to help out. Is everything done already?"

"No, but they wouldn't let me stay and help. Apparently, you aren't allowed any manual labor on your birthday," she said with a shrug.

"Of course not." He shook his head at the audacity that she'd suggest such a thing, and then started to walk past her, presumably to go pitch in.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if he'd be upset by her suggestion. She honestly had no idea how he'd react. She knew how much he loathed his childhood home. He'd told her as much on more than one occasion, and one of the main reasons he was here to begin with was specifically so that he would never have to go back. She took a breath and said his name.

She turned around to face him just as he did the same. "I… umm… I actually have something for you. Well, it's for both of us really, but I'd understand completely if it's too much. But I really think it would be beneficial, and Alys agrees… But, again, if it's too much, well –"

"Hermione," he said, pulling her attention up to his face after it had dropped to her wringing hands. "You're making no sense at all."

She dropped her hands to her sides with a huff and said, "Just come with me."

She turned quickly on her heel and walked away, hoping that he was following her. After only a few more steps, he caught up to her, his legs obviously making strides twice as long as her own.

They walked together to Aly's office in silence, and she was thankful for that. She definitely didn't want to have the conversation in the hallway, especially if there was the small chance that he would yell at her, or worse, laugh.

Once they stepped inside Alys's office, he took a seat in one of the large chairs facing her desk, but Hermione paced in front of the fireplace. He sat there, his left ankle thrown casually across his right knee, with the jittering of his left foot the only indication that he wasn't completely bored with her erratic behavior.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, or is your gift just watching you pace all night? If so, then, I have to say my gift giving skills far surpass your own."

She exhaled loudly and took the seat beside him, turning her chair to face his. "I want to go to the Manor."

He said nothing, but his face seemed to pale slightly, though that could have been her imagination.

"Well, actually, I want us to go to your Manor. You've –" she stopped for a moment to take a breath and steady her voice. "You've done a lot for me here, helped me, and I want to do the same for you if I can."

Again, his face remained expressionless, but his foot had stopped tapping.

"It isn't entirely altruistic; I do think it would be beneficial for us both. Alys agrees that it would be a big step for our CBT, and since it contains memories that you and I both want to be rid of, or gain control of, at least, I thought we could go together."

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, she expected to see them guarded, masked by his Occlumency walls, but she felt strengthened when they remained his normal stormy grey. His brows furrowed, and he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if to prepare her for bad news. "Hermione, I –"

She put one hand across one of his, where it rested on his knee. "I'm not done." His jaw rolled slightly as he closed his mouth, and she continued. "I don't want to just go there."

She leaned backward slightly and pulled Luna's wand from her back pocket, spinning it around to extend the handle toward him. "I want us to destroy it."

The look of consternation on his face dropped immediately as his eyes shifted between her own and the wand that was still outstretched toward him.

"Not the whole house, of course, but enough that maybe you can stand being in it without being constantly reminded of it all. Based on the way you've talked about it, I'm sure you have good memories there, too. Maybe if we change enough, you can see past the bad ones."

He still hadn't taken the wand yet, and the look on his face said that perhaps Hermione had overstepped. She started to lower the wand, realizing that she'd forgotten a key piece to the Malfoy puzzle. "I didn't even think about your mother though. I… That was presumptuous of me to assume that we could just stroll in and start throwing curses across your home. I'm sorry. It's –"

He took the wand from her hand and smiled, though shakily. "What the hell. Let's do it."

Had she heard him correctly? "Draco, it's really okay if you think this is a bad idea. I realize now that I probably should have taken this up with you first, but –"

He stood up abruptly, twirling Luna's wand in his fingers, and said, "No, I think it's brilliant. I would have done it a long time ago, honestly, but I didn't want to upset my mother."

He strolled toward the fireplace and, looking toward her expectantly. "Are we floo'ing?"

Hermione still hadn't stood, and she realized that up until that moment she had actually assumed he wouldn't want to go.

"Umm… yeah." She stood slowly, blinking at him a few times. He stopped right as he started to reach for the Floo powder.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She had thought he would put an end to her plan, and honestly, she'd prepared for that scenario, though she wasn't sure in what way. But, now, knowing that it was really happening, she was really returning there, she could understand why he'd be giving her an out.

"I'm sure," she said, and thankfully her voice hadn't betrayed her attempt at keeping it steady.

His eyes fell to the floor for a moment before he said, "I want you to know that you owe me nothing, Hermione." When she started to interject, he said, "You'll never change my mind on that."

He looked so broken in that moment, a far cry from the smiling man who'd strolled so confidently toward the fireplace seconds before. She took his free hand into hers, causing him to look back at her and lace his fingers through her own. She ignored the pounding in her chest at the feeling of warmth his hand gave hers and stepped into him slightly. "I do owe you, and I don't care what you think."

He smirked and gave a small chuckle. "Of course, you'd still argue with me about it regardless."

She shrugged and rolled her eyes.

He sighed and pulled his hand away. He looked at her for a moment longer, as if to make sure she was certain, before saying, "I'll have to grant you access, so I'll go first." He turned around to look back into the fireplace and threw the powder into the Floo before turning to give her an encouraging nod. The green glow of the fire emanated around him as he stepped into the fireplace. "Malfoy Manor." As soon as the last syllable left his mouth, he was gone with a swirl of green smoke.

Hermione let out her breath, hearing its shaky echo reverberate on the walls around her. She dropped her hands to either side, shaking them fiercely and bouncing slightly on her toes.

You can do this. You can do this. It's just a house. There's nothing there that can hurt you.

This wasn't loosening the heavy weight pushing onto her chest at all. So, she forced herself to remain still and took a deep breath, in through her nose and out through her mouth. She concentrated on the room around her, the sound of Alys's clock ticking on the mantle, the feel of her wand in her hand, the smell of ash from the fireplace, and began reciting ingredients.

Fluxweed.

Knotgrass.

Lacewing flies.

Leeches.

Feeling her Occlumency shields dropping into place, she rolled her shoulders back and threw in a handful of powder. She took one last breath before stepping into the fireplace and saying, without a shred of emotion in her voice, "Malfoy Manor."