Hermione's Dormitory

8:30AM

Hermione woke to an empty bed, a routine that was becoming all too familiar in her final week at Hogwarts. Draco's absence had been noted all too strongly, with her waking up without him beside her more often than not. Whilst she was more than capable of surviving without a boyfriend, Hermione was still quick to note her disappointment at starting each day in a lonely bed.

Not only was Draco's absence in the morning becoming a ritual, but he had become even more evasive when they were awake. They spent the majority of their time in each other's company, and although she was finding the chance to reconnect with Ginny, Neville, and Luna an enjoyable experience, she missed Draco's presence. There had even been a level of evasiveness from her other Slytherin friends, Theo the only exception, and Hermione felt as though she was definitely missing out on some piece of important information.

She stretched, tossing the sheet she had slept under. It had been almost unseasonably warm, but the weather hadn't been an accurate reflection of her mood at all. Whilst she had spent most of the past week soured, the sun had been bright and students had relished in the sunlight. When she wasn't with her friends, she had taken to staying in her apartment, packing up her things as melancholy sat in her bones, and resenting the relaxation of her peers.

With only two days before she was required to vacate Hogwarts, she still had no place to live. A resistance on her part to bring about an end to her time at the school, she hadn't been looking for a place with much ferocity. Not only was her future home life uncertain, but a defined career path still hadn't jumped out at her. She was enjoying the relaxing post-exam haze she had been living in, having not realised just how exhausted her body was during the school term.

As she showered and dressed for the day, Hermione pushed thoughts of the future out of her mind, determined to live as much in the moment as an absent boyfriend and no home could allow her to. Clad in jeans and a light t-shirt, she journeyed to her kitchenette, deciding on a pot of tea in her room in lieu of breakfast. Instead of the clean counter that she had gone to bed with, there was a small envelope and a newspaper cutting resting on the marble.

"Morning," Draco's voice came from one of the couches where he was already sitting, feet up on the table, The Daily Prophet open in front of him. "Sleep well?"

"I didn't think you'd be here," Hermione said, not looking at either the contents of the counter or her boyfriend. There was bitterness in her throat that made her feel ill at Draco's ease. "It's almost the first time this week."

"I've been busy," he said. "Were you going to make some tea?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You know, I'm sure it wouldn't kill you to make yourself a pot. I don't see why you need me to do it for you." Even with her spite, she began to prepare a pot, filling the kettle with water and spooning tea leaves into the china pot. "Is that your mess on the counter?"

Draco put the newspaper down, folding it neatly and tossing it onto the seat beside him. "I'd hardly call that a mess, Granger, and no. It's from me to you." He stood, and Hermione noticed he hadn't yet showered, hair still a mess and only wearing his pyjama bottoms. Mentally, she kicked herself for looking. "I'm going to have a quick shower. Save some tea for me."

He didn't even kiss her on the cheek as he walked by, and Hermione felt furious tears at her eyes. She rubbed at them as the kettle began to whistle and the water started in the bathroom, the heavy splash of the shower spray clearly audible from the door Draco had left open. Her hand shaking, she poured the water into the pot, carried it over to the coffee table, then returned to the kitchen to collect a cup and saucer for herself, a strainer, and a small jug of milk. She piled them precariously and walked them over, placing them beside the pot, making a concerted effort to ignore the envelope.

She sat, crossing her legs beneath her and trying to focus on the headlines detailing the banal love affair of a celebrity witch who Hermione cared nothing for. After pouring her cup of tea, she finally succumbed to the pull of the envelope, standing and picking up the newspaper clipping first.

It was from the property section of The Daily Prophet, advertising a one bedroom, spacious flat with good light above an empty shop front for rent. The two came as a package deal, and as Hermione looked at the small image, she felt her interest peak. Returning the clipping to the counter, she opened the envelope. It held two pieces of paper, and the first one she pulled out was a thick piece of card. In elegant scripture Hermione knew belonged to the wizard currently in her shower, was a short note:

The wards will be changed by Sunday. Your rent is paid in advance for a year.

Do with it what you will.

Yours,

Draco

"Oh," Hermione breathed, returning the card to the envelope and withdrawing the cheque. Were she not a well-educated, rational young woman, she would have claimed her heart had stopped as she looked at this piece of paper.

Again, in Draco's neat script, was a filled out cheque for five thousand galleons. In the memo line, he had written:To your future. She placed a hand against her heart, feeling it pulse rapidly against her chest.

Draco's footsteps approached, and she turned around quickly, realising there were tears in her eyes as he came up to her, still damp from the shower with a towel slung around his hips. Without missing a beat, Hermione jumped into him. He caught her, wrapping his arms around her and managing to find his footing before they both fell to the floor.

"You like it?" he asked. Her response was to kiss him deeply, with the kind of passion that had been missing from their relationship since his birthday had passed by. When she was thoroughly out of breath, Hermione disengaged herself. The front of her shirt was wet, having dried the remnants of his shower off, and his hair was dishevelled.

"I can't accept this, Draco. The flat is one thing, but the cheque? I don't even know how I can begin to accept one of them, let alone both," she said.

"You can accept it, and you will. I was under the impression that you would be stubborn about it, so the cheque was more informing you. I've contacted Gringotts and the money has been transferred to your account," he said. "It's a graduation gift, Granger. Anyone else would take it in a heartbeat."

"It's so much, Draco. It's too much."

He rolled his eyes. "Too bad. It's yours."

"What about furniture?" Hermione asked. "I can't just move in. I don't have any furniture."

"That's been arranged. I've had some help organising it over the past week. As I said, do with it what you will, but it's there if you would like it."

Hermione shook her head again. "No. I can't take it. I bought you a pair of robes for your birthday, Draco. I hadn't even figured out what to get you for graduation. What sort of pressure do you think this places on me? It's a whole flat, Draco. That's not just something I can accept so readily."

"Then take your time accepting it," he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "It's highly likely that you're the only reason I'm still at Hogwarts. Without you, McGonagall would've found any reason to boot me out of here. You got me an internship at one of the best wizarding hospitals in Europe, and to be frank, you're the reason I've managed to stay sane for the past six months. Besides, this gives me a place to go that's better than the manor."

Hermione sighed.

"I'm just saying, it's there for you whether you'd like it or not," he said. "I should probably put some real clothes on now."

She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's back, picking up the newspaper clipping and studying the tiny image again. Even from the bad quality, she could imagine herself calling the building home. She could see herself opening the front door of the downstairs shop, imagine the windows lined with books, entertaining customers with the literature she wanted to sell.

"Fine," she said to herself. "I'll take it."

"Thank Salazar," Draco said as he re-entered the room, making her jump. He was fastening up the last button on his shirt as he approached. "Now, I've got to go and pack considering I spent the last week in Diagon Alley. You should eat something."

"Thanks, dad," Hermione said, tilting her face up towards him so he could kiss her lips as he departed.

He paused when he reached the door. "If I don't see you before then, come to the Room of Requirement at eight. Ted's got one last firewhiskey fuelled romp planned."

Friday, June 11th, 1999

Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory

7:30PM

"He got you an apartment?" Ginny repeated for the third time, shaking her head. Her red hair had been artfully curled and then dishevelled, and her makeup was flawless. She was currently holding Hermione's head in one hand and a makeup brush in the other, dusting it across Hermione's cheeks. "What sort of present is that?"

"An excessive one," Hermione said. She had decided to keep the cheque a secret for now, until she was certain of what she was going to do with the money. "But a practical one, particularly in my situation. It'll give me the opportunity to sort out my plans for the future without concern over where I'm going to be living. And it's either I live there or it goes empty."

Ginny sighed and continued to shake her head, stepping away. She was clad in a black dress that came to mid thigh, standing out against her milky skin and vibrant hair. "There. You're done. Now, can we go?"

"The party doesn't start for another half hour, Gin," Hermione said, standing up and moving to look at herself in the mirror. She had on of Daphne's countless dresses, having exhausted her own supply and deciding that if she was going to keep up with the Slytherin's desire for constant formal events, she was going to need a wardrobe upgrade. This time, her dress was covered in pastel flowers, falling slightly lower than Ginny's, and completely unlike anything she owned. "I suppose we could go early and get the lay of the land. The Slytherins started at seven."

Ginny laughed. "I'll never get used to you talking about them so casually," she said. "But if they've already been drinking for half an hour, then we have a bit of catching up to do. Shall we?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but followed her friend out the dormitory door and down the steps, past the students from the lower years who weren't invited to the soiree. Some of the first years were still in states of shock at seeing Hermione and their wide eyes brought colour to her cheeks as they walked by, climbing out the portrait hole.

The pair kept their heads down, knowing that as it wasn't officially a Hogwarts sanctioned event that there wasn't even supposed to be a party. Though they didn't run into any professors, Hermione was quite certain that any of the teachers would have let them carry on.

By the time they reached the hallway outside of the Room of Requirement, Ginny's excitement was palpable. They walked past the entrance three times, thinking as hard and as accurately as they could until the door appeared, thrumming with music.

"Come on, then," Hermione said, pulling the door open and letting Ginny enter first.

The interior was decorated in dark wood, a seamless transition from hardwood floors to the bar where the usual invisible bartenders were waiting for drink requests. The walls were dark, giving the whole room an ambience of an upscale venue, but the loveliest part of the room was the ceiling, in Hermione's opinion. Layers of fabric in each house colour had been artfully hung until they were entwined, covering whatever ceiling might have actually been in place. The whole room vibrated with pulsing bass.

The first half of the room was set up in its usual lounge style, with small, plush chairs seated around tables, and a few taller tables with barstools. The second half faded into a dance floor which Hermione was certain would be well-used by the end of the night. Draco and Theo were sitting in the nearest chairs, drinks in hand, and they looked up at Hermione and Ginny's arrival. Hermione felt her cheeks glow as both looked her up and down.

"You're early, Granger," Draco said, placing his drink on the small table in front of him and coming over to her. He offered her a small kiss on the lips, both ignoring Ginny's disgusted face in their periphery. "As usual, you look great."

Again, her cheeks pinked. Draco was distracted, though, as guests started to arrive. Blaise and Daphne entered first, followed by a mixed group of houses. Everyone was elaborately dressed and Hermione smiled as Daphne came over to her immediately, leaving Blaise with his best friend.

"You look wonderful, Hermione," Daphne said, kissing her on the cheek. The Slytherin was in a form fitting dark blue dress, the sleeves long and sheer, the neckline encrusted with jewels. "As do you, Ginny."

"Thanks," Ginny said, somewhat awkward as Daphne rested a hand on her upper arm briefly. "You look great, too, of course."

"Come, shall we get drinks?" Daphne suggested, nodding towards the bar. More and more people were starting to arrive and Hermione was certain the wait for drinks would soon be tiresomely long, so she and Ginny nodded.

Before they could start to move, Theo appeared at her side with a hand on her lower back. "Do you ladies mind if I borrow Hermione for a moment? Go ahead and grab her a drink. We won't be more than a minute," he said.

Daphne and Ginny both cast her cursory glances but she shook her head at them, turning to face Theo and following him away from the group who were converging at the bar. She stopped walking when they were far enough away not to be listened in on but close enough for a hasty escape should the need arise.

"You look…wow," he said, taking a stray piece of hair that had fallen in her face and tucking it behind her ear. She felt discomfort trickle down her spine.

"Theo, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked.

"I wanted a minute with you before I see you with Drake for the rest of the night," he said. "But I guess you don't want that."

Hermione sighed. "Theo, I like you as a friend. Perhaps there was a time when our friendship could have progressed to something more, but that time has passed," she said, taking a step back. "I'm with Draco and you know that. You need to move on and it needs to be for good, because it's making it harder for me to be your friend when I see the way you look at me."

"It's not exactly easy to see the way you look at Drake every day," Theo snapped. "You'd think the sun shines out of his arse the way you stare after him. Have you really forgotten everything that he did to you? Is he really that good of a shag that you can forget it?"

"I haven't forgotten, Theodore," Hermione said, "but I've forgiven him."

"I guess he must be a good shag, then."

There was a sharp smack as Hermione slapped Theo across the face and the sting radiated through her hand after the impact. People turned to stare as he put a hand to his cheek which was quickly turning red. Draco was by her side, an arm around her waist.

"What's the problem, Ted?" he asked, voice level but cold.

"It's fine," Theo said, removing his hand from his face and straightening out his suit jacket. The pink handprint was luminescent against his skin. "There's no problem."

Hermione could feel herself becoming overwhelmed, her throat raw and eyes beginning to burn. "I'm going to go, Draco," she said, removing his arm from around her. "You stay. Have a good night. I'll see you later."

She kissed her boyfriend on the cheek and vehemently ignored Theo as she made her exit, head down to avoid the curious stares of her peers. Once outside the Room of Requirement, she pried off her shoes to stop them pinching around the toe. She swallowed heavily on her walk back to her room, ignoring anyone she passed on her return.

The climb up the dormitory stairs seemed painstakingly long and as soon as she crossed the threshold into her own apartment and knew she was alone, she let out a painful sob. It wasn't that she was sad, but her anger over Theo's true Slytherin nature being revealed was like a sharp stab.

After the singular sob she was able to collect herself. She found an elastic and pulled her hair back into a ponytail and set about making herself a cup of tea, thinking about what Theo had said. She was well aware of how Draco had treated her in the past, and she was even more aware of how much he had changed, how many times he had apologised, and how he had been driven to behave in such a callous manner. Theo, on the other hand, had never been openly mean to her. She knew that part of his reaction was out of spite for her choosing Draco over him, but the extent of his cruelty was exceptional.

She shook her head as the kettle boiled, breaking her out of her reverie. As she poured the water into her cup, she heard footsteps coming up her staircase, feet dragging. She didn't turn to face the door as the footsteps stopped and there was a quiet knock against the wall, announcing their arrival.

"Hermione," Theo said from the doorway. "Will you at least look at me?"

Slowly, she turned, staring steadily across the room at him. "What do you want, Theodore?"

"Daph sent me to apologise," Theo said. "And she's right. I was a prat."

"I don't care if you've received everything you've ever asked for in the past, Theo," she said. "I'm not some commodity you can get just because you keep asking for me. I'm not interested in you in that manner. I'm happy with Draco, and you repeatedly attempting to seduce me away won't change a thing about how I feel about him."

"I know," he said, "and I'm sorry. Like I said, I was being a prat about the whole situation."

She offered him a thin smile, still stinging inside from his earlier words. "Go back to the party, Theo," she said. "Find a pretty girl to take back to your room."

He gave a small laugh. "I might have to pass on the last bit. The only one I'm after isn't interested."

Hermione shook her head as his footsteps disappeared down the stairs. She collected her cup of tea and went over to the couch, facing the grounds when she settled. It was a clear night, the stars vibrant against the inky blue of the sky, and she breathed in the clean air of the Hogwarts grounds. She thought back to her very first night at Hogwarts, when she had been relishing in the excitement of being a witch and of arriving at a magical school. By the time she fell asleep on that first night, her pillow was soaked with tears she had worked hard to keep muffled.

In the beginning, she had never thought the castle, however wonderful, was going to become such an important place to her. She had a home back in London with her parents, and no matter how comfortable she was at Hogwarts, there was nothing like going back to her childhood home. But now, with her parents still absent, there was nowhere that felt more like home than her dormitory in the castle.

She finished her cup of tea whilst overlooking the grounds before deciding that she had left it late enough to finish packing her final few possessions before moving out in the morning. After cleaning up her cup, she moved methodically around her apartment, stacking everything up and putting it away neatly into her trunk. It was close to ten o'clock when she finished and exhaustion was heavy in her bones. All that was left of her belongings was the outfit she had planned to wear on the train, folded neatly and resting atop her chest of drawers.

After a long shower, she pulled on her pyjamas and climbed into an empty bed, turning to face the open window. The moonlight leaked in and splashed across the quilt and on her last night at Hogwarts, Hermione fell asleep on a pillow soaked with tears.

Saturday, June 12th, 1999

Platform 9 ¾

5:00PM

Hermione stared out the window as the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, searching along the platform for Harry and Ron. They had promised they would meet her and Ginny there when the train arrived and they didn't disappoint, Hermione spying Ron's vibrant hair above the crowd, Harry right beside him.

"Go," Draco said, nudging at her side. "I'll get the trunks."

She smiled at her boyfriend and slipped out of their compartment, waving at Blaise and Daphne who were occupying the seat opposite. She was able to push her way through the crowds of students eager to depart for their summer holiday and emerged onto the platform, standing on her toes to regain sight of her best friends.

"Hermione!"

She heard Harry calling and turned, noticing their approach. Without thinking, she took the last few steps towards them at a run and jumped into Harry's arms, wrapping herself around him. He staggered back for a few steps before catching himself, laughing and holding onto her just as tight.

"Miss us?"

"Just a bit," she said, unwrapping herself and offering Ron a hug with equal enthusiasm. "How've you been?"

"Great," Ron answered, Harry distracted by something over Hermione's shoulder. She turned and saw her best friend greet Ginny with a passionate embrace, the display of affection bringing a smile to her face. "What about you?"

"Not bad," she said, continuing to grin. "No Fay?"

Ron shrugged. "It didn't work out. Not a big deal, though. Plenty of girls out there when you're a famous war hero."

"I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione said, hugging him again.

"No, really," he said, "it's alright. Anyway, Harry and I were wondering, since you don't have anywhere else to go, if you wanted to come stay with us for a little while. At least until you get yourself set up and sorted out."

"Really," Harry interjected, returning to the conversation holding Ginny's hand and lugging her trunk with the other, "we won't accept 'no' for an answer."

"I'm afraid you might have to," Hermione said, anxious to find out how her best friends would take the news. "Draco has set me up with a place in Diagon Alley as a graduation gift. I'm moving in straight from here."

"Isn't that a bit of an elaborate gift?" Harry asked.

"I suppose, but it's also quite a practical one given my lack of living situation now that I've graduated. Besides, it's far more suitable to all of our situations compared to me sleeping on the couch at your place," she explained. She looked over her shoulder as Draco approached, pushing their trunks towards them on a trolley. Crookshanks sat in a basket atop them, hissing at everything that got in their way.

"Potter, Weasley," Draco offered when he joined them, holding out a stiff hand to them both. The ensuing handshakes were short and sharp and Hermione felt a swell of happiness at the cooperation between the two. "Granger, we better be off so we can get you settled in before it's too late."

"I'll see you soon, okay?" Hermione said, hugging Harry, Ron, and Ginny quickly. "We can have dinner some time next week in my new place."

"Let us know if you need anything," Ron said, waving as she took Draco's hand and Disapparated.

Diagon Alley was lighting up for the evening's business, the street recently becoming more populated by cafes and restaurants, turning it into somewhat of a hub for nightlife. They had landed in a quieter area, filled with more independently owned business and less restaurants. Most stores were closed or in the process of serving their last customers, and all were small, neat shopfronts that boasted exquisite taste without excess.

The building they had landed in front of was two storeys high, with a white exterior and neat planter boxes on the second floor windows. Everything about the exterior seemed quaint and comfortable, and Hermione couldn't help but smile when she put her hand on the knob and twisted it with trouble.

"The locks are warded to respond only to your touch," Draco explained. "And, er, mine. But that was just for when I was sorting out the rent agreement and everything. I can change the wards, if you'd like."

"Keep it," Hermione said, grinning as she walked into what would be the shopfront.

The interior was quite simple, with no real furnishings set up. There were hardwood floors and white walls, and plenty of room if she did decide to go into the retail business. Draco pointed out the way upstairs, to a spiral staircase made of wrought iron that hid behind the corner. Hermione left her trunk at the foot of the stairs as she began the climb.

"Oh, Draco," she said as she emerged onto the landing. It was a large, open plan living room, dining room, and kitchen, and it had all been artfully decorated. The same white walls and dark floors were continued upstairs, and the furnishings were all clean lines with little clutter. She was drawn to a side table that rested against a wall, where small photo frames held images she treasured. There were multiple photos of her, Harry, and Ron throughout their time together, and a few of her and Draco, taken at moments when she had been unaware of a photographer's presence.

The one in the middle was what really stopped her. It was a photograph of Hermione and her parents, one she had left with them when she had gone hunting horcruxes. It had been on their holiday to France before her third year at Hogwarts, before everything had truly become so difficult, and she thought it had been lost forever.

"Daphne helped me with the decorating," he said.

"Where did you find this?" Hermione asked, holding up the photograph of her and her parents. "I thought it was gone."

"I had a bit of help. I couldn't track down your parents but I could track down some of their belongings. I thought you might like this one," he said. "Do you want to see the rest of the place?"

The rest of the apartment was just as lovely. Hermione was shocked at the lengths Daphne had gone to when it came to detail, as there wasn't a thing out of place in any of the rooms. The photographic memories continued throughout, interrupted by the occasional floral display or piece of art. The bedroom was the final room they explored, housing a large bed with countless plush pillows and a regal red bedspread to remind her of her Gryffindor heritage.

"It's perfect," she said. "The whole place is perfect."

"Do you think you'll stay?" Draco asked, pulling her into his arms as they stood at the foot of the bed.

"I can't see why I'd ever leave."

A/N: All that's left now is the epilogue! Please review!