DPOV

Draco's eyes snapped to the redhead in his office, holding a white muggle-letter in her hands.

This was it.

The moment he'd been silently praying for every day for the past 3,5 months: He had been hoping for Granger to come back home ever since she first left a little under 4 months ago. Two weeks in, he had set aside enough of his pride to invade Ginny's home, fully thinking the girl would know where Hermione was. It was only then, upon learning that Granger had left without as much as an explanation to her best friend, the serious worrying had begun.

It had worn at him. Eaten him alive.

Flashback: 3 months ago

"Miss! You cannot storm in there!" Draco heard his secretary shout from the hallways just before a fuming Ginny stormed into his office.

"What is this!" She accused, throwing an issue of the Daily Prophet on his desk although her hands strangely enough gestured to his person instead of the paper.

Draco nodded his head to his secretary as a sign it was okay and the girl hurriedly left the room, closing the door behind him. "What is what?" He asked the fuming redhead in front of him.

"That." Ginny said, pointing at the picture on the Daily Prophet briefly before moving her finger back up to his face again.

"My face." Draco smirked and sat back in his chair, hand behind his head. "Go ahead, take a picture. I know it's exceedingly dashing."

"Malfoy you look terrible!" Ginny yelled accusingly, but her eyes spoke of concern.

Unmistakably so.

He had not seen the redhead in two weeks - ever since that night he'd first found out Granger left - and although he had never truly spoken to the girl before or after that night, he could already see why she and Granger were best friends. They had a lot in common: Both passionately angry and fiercely loyal, for sure, but they also seemed to rule with a kindness. A kindness that somehow left their authority unblemished instead of turning them weak, like his father had always told him it would. It was a true virtue, one he respected enormously on Granger. With the Weaselette he couldn't care less though.

"When have you last slept or eaten?" Ginny asked, her voice softer now.

Great. He was so not in need of her pity.

"Is your mother just as fretful?" He taunted. Knowing full well how Granger used to complain about Mrs. Weasley's patronizing ways.

"Shove it, Malfoy." Ginny hissed, reminding him of Granger, although unlike Granger, Ginny actually showed it stung. Her mistake.

"I bet she is, bad habits seem to plague the Weasel-family." Draco snarled meanly. "Filthy animals, all of you."

Ginny looked like she was ready to explode and all though Granger had looked very much the same on a number of occasions, unlike Granger, Ginny actually caved to the pathetic impulse.

"THIS! THIS IS EXACTLY WHY HERMIONE LEFT, YOU IDIOT!"

Pathetic or not… That sure shut him up fairly quickly. Draco pursed his lips annoyed and stared off in the distance, refusing to answer while Ginny tried to collect her calm and dignity. When she had he noticed how or a moment she just stood there, watching him through narrowed eyes as if he were a hungry shark and she the pretty little fish. But he had no appetite.

"I know that you're worried about her, Malfoy. So am I. But you need to eat and sleep. The bags under your eyes, the hollow-ass cheeks… If she comes back and you are dead, what good would it do?"

When at last Ginny sighed and turned to leave he decided to answer.

"What in Merlin's name can I do?" And the girl's head whipped around by his use of her name. "She left because of me."

Ginny looked at him with something akin to regret.

"Yes. But she will come back too, and when she does, you'll have to make sure she stays because of you." Ginny sighed and shook her head in disbelieve at her own words. "Merlin knows why, but you somehow did make her happy. Unintentionally I'm sure, but still, you did it once so who knows it will work a second time." Reluctant at her kind words she added as an afterthought: "But if you look like a skeleton that will never work, of course. Nobody likes a crier, Malfoy." And with those last words, she apparated away.

Two hours later Draco received an invitation to have dinner at her place later that night (with the reassurance Harry was on an Auror mission and would not be there) and strangely enough, Draco decided to go.

End of Flashback

Draco had been wishing the stars that Granger was somewhere safe and would at the very least contact – if not him – Ginny to let them know she was alright. As radio silence continued however, he had hired more and more private investigators, absolutely desperate for any sign of Granger being alive and well, regardless how it came about.

And now, finally, his prayers had been answered and Ginny got a letter. He should feel as thrilled as Ginny was, or at the very least he should feel relieved. But all he felt was fear.

What if that letter contained nothing more than a goodbye? An apology that she was not coming back because she found a better life. One without him and his unfair cruelty.

It was plausible.
Understandable even.

On the inside, Draco was screaming and pulling his hair out in a rage of utter despair and anxiousness, but he knew better than to let his feelings show on the outside: He had always been exceptionally good at hiding his own emotions behind arrogance, offending sneers and unfazed smirks. After all, it was the way he was raised.

If one would believe Lucius – although one never should – showing emotions was for the weak. Having your emotions on display was like wearing your heart on your sleeve: It made you an easy target and predictable.

Predictability would always have you end up dead.

Showing emotions was equal to handing yourself on a silver platter to your enemy - even if you didn't realize you had any - and for that, you should never show your emotions but always take advantage of those who did.

Draco, in his younger years, had fully listened to that lesson of course. It was part of the reason why he picked on Potter so much growing up. Scarface had a way of showing his intense emotions openly: It had been quite the entertaining spectacle, even if you saw his responses coming from a mile away. Weasel had been simply to dumb to understand half of Draco's insults, so there was little fun to be had there except for picking on the boy's biggest insecurity: money – or well, his lack thereof. It helped that Draco himself liked bragging about it too. And then last but not least, there had been Hermione… A witch he'd been raised to loath and feel disgusted by since birth. A witch he had been told to be his inferior: A mudblood far beneath his notice. And yet, there she was: Always in his fucking face, stealing his involuntary attention.

It had started already on the first day of Hogwarts. He had seen her from a distance, almost captivated by her eagerness to take everything in before he'd been reminded how disgusting she was. She had been looking around Hogwarts with such a look of excited wonder on her face, Draco just had to ruin that bubble of perfect innocence. It bothered him that someone who had no business in being there was enjoying the experience of every little thing he took for granted. Flying candles? Who cared?! He certainly did not and yet there she was with her bushy hair and big bold sparkling eyes, looking at it like it was the best thing in the word. The eagerness in her demeanor just kept stealing his attention on more than one occasion that day. Attention he'd been told she wasn't worth.

Her intellect wouldn't help his case much either and his resolution not to notice her was soon proven to be futile. When the teachers asked a question, her finger was always the first to shoot up in the air. Unwavering and perfectly straight like an arrow, again stealing the attention she didn't deserve. Her answer would be bloody perfect as well, elaborating on all kinds of possible 'if's' and 'when's' while he often didn't even know the general answer. How was it that she had bested him at everything while he had been raised to believe she was his inferior?! Outrageous.

What made matters even worse was the fact he couldn't play her like he did Potter and Weasel. Unlike the Weasel, the know-it-all actually had a brain and unlike Potter, her emotions were difficult to pinpoint. Granger's unpredictability was also the reason he never saw that punch coming back in third year… When he insulted her, more often than not, she had looked completely unimpressed with him: Her brows slightly furrowed in an amused sort of disdain, like she could not quite believe the rubbish coming out of his mouth. For his young self, this had been absolutely absurd. He was a Malfoy. A Malfoy! No one should be looking at him in disdain! It simply wasn't done!

The only offense that seemed to hit its target was calling her a filthy Mudblood. But as years progressed, he had felt less and less disgusted by her – especially not since Yule Ball – and thus, the words later barely left his lips.

"You've got a letter." Draco repeated to the redhead in front of him, an edge clear in his voice. "What does it say?"

"I don't know yet." Ginny's enthusiasm decreased significantly. "I hurried here to tell you, before I even thought about opening it." Well that was a surprise. And as it appeared by the furrow in Ginny's brow, she was confused by the truth behind her statement as well. "Maybe I was scared of what it might say."

"Why would you be scared?" Draco asked genuinely confused. "You've done nothing wrong!"

"I know. I just…" Ginny sighed, now looking anxious at the envelope in her hands herself. "That night when she left, before she came home to find you saying what you did, we went out together and we ended up fighting over you – again, I might add."

Well, that was new information. Draco raised an eyebrow in question.

"I don't even know anymore how it started exactly. I just know that we were arguing over your intentions and she defended you so forcefully." Ginny looked away. "You have to understand I didn't know you back then, Malfoy." Ginny pleaded. "I always over-react when I'm angry. She knows that, she is the same way but…"

"What did you say to her?" Draco ordered and Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, desperately hoping it would make the question disappear.

"I might've told her she was a fool to believe you actually cared and that I wouldn't be there for her to pick up the pieces." So much for being a Gryffindor, Ginny barely looked him in the eyes as she blushed ashamed. "I didn't mean it of course! As I said I always over-react! I didn't know you. I didn't know how much you cared for her… I… I…" It was clear Ginny was lost for words and expected an angry response from Draco any second now. He could tell by her every move. The flinching, the stutter, the body language. She was prepared for onslaught.

But Draco wasn't mad.
Alright, he was livid… But for once his anger was completely 100% focussed on the only person deserving of it: himself.

"I'm not angry with you, Gin." He told her truthfully. "If anything I'm even more mad at myself than before." His fist connected with the table forcefully as he stood up before walking over to the window. Staring out over the city he collected his thoughts.

Granger had fought with her best friend over him, and by the sound of it, it hadn't been an uncommon situation either. Meaning that not once, not twice, but multiple times she had defended his character while he had given her nothing but some ogling eyes. She stood up for him, believed in him… And in return, by as much of a glance of one of his friends in her direction, he had insulted her ruthlessly.

Never before he had wanted to take those words back so greatly as he did now. And that was saying something because he had cried himself to sleep over it at least once or twice.

Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

"Open the letter." He ordered Ginny. "She isn't mad at you. Otherwise she would never have come to you after my stupid insults."

He heard her open it before her soft voice read it out loud.

Dear Ginny,

Oh! How time passes by quickly! I'm truly sorry for neglecting to tell you how I've been faring lately.
I've been without a doubt the most terrible friend to you! I hope you can forgive me or will be able to come up with a way to redeem myself. There is no need for owling it to me… You can tell me in person, since I'm back in London as we speak!

Oh, Ginny. I dearly wish to see you again!
How about tomorrow, 7pm at our special 'happy-spot'?
There is a lot I've been meaning to tell you.

Please don't be too cross with me, Gin. I truly missed you every day but my life has been such a rollercoaster as of late… I needed some time on my own to make up my mind. I realize now how right you were about Malfoy (and how wrong I was! Why people keep calling me the brightest witch of our age is beyond me). Either way, I've come to my senses and I won't be fooled any longer! Next time you tell me something I refuse to believe, just remind me of this case and I'll lose all my stubbornness at once. Promise.

Please don't mention my coming back to London to anyone yet, including Harry.
I want to surprise them Sunday morning with brunch at the Burrow!

Hopefully till tomorrow.

Love, Hermione.

Somewhere during Ginny's reading, Draco had averted all coherent listening as his mind concentrated on one single thing, chanting it over and over again.

"She's in London." Draco breathed, his eyes roaming over the city with a newfound interest. "She's back. She's actually back." He turned around to look at Ginny, who was staring both excited and guarded at the letter in her hands. "Where is that special place?"

"No-o." Ginny stretched the word out pointedly and even a tat beratingly, as if he were a child with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Ye-es." Draco imitated her tone of voice, albeit more menacingly.

Unlike many other things he changed after the war, his response on being told no was not one of them. He was used to getting his way and naturally being told no was not something he took kindly. But he usually – if not always – found a way to get what he wanted.

And man, how he wanted to see Granger again.

She scoffed. "Absolutely not."

"It's not up for discussion." He stated, completely serious.

"Exactly." She shot back. "I am going to meet her and you are going to do whatever it is you had already planned."

Draco snorted. "Out of curiosity. How plausible do you think it is that I'm going to let this one pass without a fight? We both know I'm going to get my way." At her raised eyebrows he elaborated. "I'm a Malfoy. Malfoys always get their way."

At that, Ginny openly laughed. "She used to tell me your arrogance was highly amusing. I finally understand it now."

Draco scoffed and pulled his wand. "I'm quite serious, Weasley." He flinched at his use of her surname. He had so little esteem for the other Weasley-members it actually hurt to be reminded at Ginny's connection to them. He respected her too much to be related to the lot of them.

"Merlin!" Ginny cried undignified, her eyes never leaving the want pointed at her. She was actually afraid and some rotten part in him couldn't help but be thrilled at that. "For all you know your presence would only scare her away. Because that's all you will be doing by parading yourself in front of her when she expects to see me and only me."

Draco snorted. "Not likely." This was Hermione Granger they were talking about after all. The girl punched him in the face once, there was no way she would ever be scared of his mere presence. In all fairness, he still couldn't wrap his mind around why she had left the entirety of Wizarding London to begin with, but if he knew Granger even a little bit, he did know one thing: If the girl ran, it was not out of fear.

"I'm not going to give up on this." Draco snarled. "So do us both a favor and spare us some time and hexes by telling me the location now." This admission was his downfall. He could tell by the way Ginny's eyes filled with understanding and something infinitely worse.

Pity.

Draco snapped his eyes away from her as if burned. He didn't want her pity or compassion. Nor did he want her sympathy or understanding. He wanted Granger.

Just Granger.

Every bloody fiber in his body was craving for her. The soothing sound of her voice, the thrilling sight of her smile, her lovely scent, her gentle touch… anything really. And now it had learned that she was back in London – and knowing Granger this meant Muggle London – and the girl in front of him was his only hope on getting to her.

And that same girl seemed resolute not to help him getting there.

"Look." Ginny started empathetically. "I will put in a good word for you, Malfoy. I will tell her how wrong I was in my former judgement of you. I promise you, I will help you get back together with her as much as I can, because Merlin knows how guilty I feel for the things I said about you before I actually got to know you." She sighed deeply and let out a humorous snort. "As weird as it is, I consider you a friend now so naturally I will do as much as I can to help your case but regardless of our newfound friendship Hermione is still my best friend and that makes her my priority. I want to hear her out and see how she's been faring before I'm even going to mention you. Asking anything different of me would be selfish."

It was true. She was right and damn if he knew it. Granger should come first, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to be a sore loser about it.

"You're lying. You never wanted us together so why start now?!" Draco hissed, his eyes on the setting sun, casting a beautiful warming glow over the city.

"That's not true and you know it!" Ginny cried angrily, she opened her mouth to say more but before she could Draco cut her off.

"I can look on from a distance." The thought left his lips before he even realized he had been thinking it. "She will never know I'm there."

"Ew! That's so perverted." Ginny wrinkled her nose before spotting the questioning look Draco was still giving her. "So that's a definite NO, Malfoy." She clarified, rolling her eyes at his haughty sneer.

"Fine." He snapped, giving up on this particular case while mentally reminding himself that losing a battle was not the same as losing the war. He was not about to give up on Granger after all. He would not let her slip through his fingers again.

He would just have to find another means to his end of getting to her…

"Ginny, If I write her a letter, will you give it to her?"

Ginny grinned widely at him. "See, now that I can do."

Thank you for reading, hope you're enjoying the story so far.
If you got the time, let me know what you think!

And no worries: The next chapter will finally contain some Dramione, I just thought it was important to describe how Draco has had loads of time to reevaluate his... everything really: his past wrongdoings and beliefs, his behavior, the roll of Hermione in his life, etc.