Author's Note: Just got back from my first business trip. Bright side? I had hours on the plane ride to write this chapter. Weeee!

Chapter 13: Surprises

Hermione took another gulp of coffee. She'd been studying day and night for weeks. A rational part of her knew that the best way to go into the exams was well rested, but another part of her knew that she needed as much time to get the information into her head as possible. The potions NEWT needed to go not just well, but perfectly. Nothing less would do. She rubbed her aching temples. Where were her notes on antidotes?

She was deep in her notes when there was a knock in at the door. She glanced at the clock over the stove. At this hour?

She stood and went to the door, not exactly surprised to see Malfoy there. After all, who else visited her anymore? Still, it was rather late, and with all her studying, she hadn't seen much of him in days. "Malfoy. I thought you'd be working."

"I just got off."

"I thought your shift usually ran later?" she asked.

He shifted in the doorframe, doing his best not to look self-conscious. "Thursdays aren't too busy," he said evasively. "Besides, if I didn't turn up, you'd stay up all night cramming and be bloody useless for your exam tomorrow."

She raised an eyebrow, hand on her hip, shifting as she looked at him.

Draco took the opportunity to step inside the flat. As he passed by the table where her work was spread out, he wrinkled his nose. "Coffee at this hour? Granger, that's indecent."

Hermione snorted, going into the kitchen. "Well, tea wouldn't keep me up, and with the amount of studying I've been doing, wine was definitely out of the question. But you're welcome to some of either if you'd like."

"Wine, please," he said. "You should have some too."

She rolled her eyes, nevertheless finding herself getting two glasses. She could do with something to wind her down. She lost count of how many cups of coffee she'd downed tonight. "And why is that?"

"Because otherwise, between nerves about your NEWT and all the sludge you've drank tonight, you won't be worth the back end of a flobberworm tomorrow. You need to wind down and sleep." There was an air of smugness to him.

She brought two glasses out and was prepared to settle at the table where her notes were, and found Draco on the couch instead.

She passed him a glass and settled herself in the arm chair by the couch. "Well, tell me about anything other than potions."

He shrugged. What was there to tell? "The weekday manager is still an ass. Customers are still prats. The computer classes I took were…interesting. I wouldn't have thought…Muggles could manage anything like that."

"It's amazing what people can develop without magic, isn't it?" She smiled slightly and sipped her wine. Without magic and his background to fall back on, Malfoy was certainly developing into something that might one day resemble a human being.

They lingered over their glasses of wine, catching up on the details of life they had missed during the last few weeks as Hermione became more engrossed in her studies. She did throw a few questions to him about the potions NEWT, and he asked about what else Muggles had created that he hadn't encountered yet.

At the description of an electric razor Draco chuckled and stroked his jaw. He'd cut himself more than once with his first attempts at using a plastic Muggle razor in place of his usual shaving spell.

At last, both glasses were empty. Hermione felt like she might even manage to get some sleep before she had to leave for Hogwarts. Draco sensed his mission had been accomplished. If Granger didn't get some rest before her exam now, it wasn't his fault. He wasn't sure why he tried to keep an eye on her. But with Weasel dead, and Potter missing, and her parents gone, who else was there? Besides, it wasn't as though he exactly had a bulging social calendar these days.

He said good night, and wished her luck as he headed back to his flat. He was about ready to sleep himself. His other plans could wait 'til tomorrow. He wasn't exactly sure about them, but he felt he ought to do…something.

Hermione wore plain black dress robes and double checked hat she had her wand. She'd made herself sit through a light, but protein oriented breakfast and a single cup of coffee. She was as ready as she was going to be.

She approached her fireplace, and once again Flooed into McGonagall's office. "Good morning, Pr—Minerva," Hermione said, catching herself.

"Good morning, Hermione," McGonagall replied. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Good. We've arranged for one of the unused classroom on the third floor to serve as the testing area."

To Hermione's relief, the corridors were empty, as all the students were in classes. McGonagall guided her to the classroom that had been set aside for her to use. Hermione found herself facing an old man in official Ministry robes. Tables were laid out with papers, quills, cauldrons, and ingredients. The official checked her wand and handed it back.

Hermione was then subjected to a grueling written test that lasted for two hours, and caused her hand to cramp up before she was done. She was then allotted a few minutes' break, a Ministry provided snack, and she resumed with the practical portion of the test. The representative from the Ministry had an utterly flat and crusty voice, but she was relieved when she heard him ask her to lay out all of the ingredients for a Polyjuice potion. She laid them all out on the table and watched him mark off something on his parchment.

"Now, using only the ingredients you've set out, I want you to brew the alternate form of Chesswing's Happiness Elixir."

Hermione chewed her lip for a moment and began grabbing ingredients. The standard version of the Elixir called for a ground up bezoar, but the alternate form could be brewed in half the time, provided you could find enough lacewing flies. She was sweating by the time she'd finished it, but was immediately asked to begin another potion. When she was done at last, the wizard's lips moved in the barest of smiles.

"Well done, Ms. Granger. Your results will be owled to you in due course.

"Thank you, sir. And thank you for making an extra trip here to assess me."

"Think nothing of it, Ms. Granger. You've done us all a great service."

Hermione smiled a bit awkwardly. It was awkward still, to think of the war, of the role they'd taken on. To have wizards and witches three times her own age thank her for what they'd done. Really, what else could they have done? They'd had to fight. There was no other choice. There had been awards from Ministry for all three of them—plaques with their names on them, a living stipend. All the attention had been awkward, and the three of them had withdrawn from it as best they could, though Hermione rather suspected Ron had enjoyed himself a little more than she and Harry had.

At any rate, it was all in the past now. Ron was gone, and would never be back. And Harry was hiding. There was no other way to say it honestly. Hermione might mince words about it if anyone else were to say it—justify the fact that he deserved time to himself now to process everything and to just be—but the truth was, he was hiding.

The corridors were much busier when she left the classroom than when she'd arrived. There were students heading off to classes as they finished their lunch. It all looked so…normal. Hogwarts, full of students. It felt alive.

She watched the paintings on the wall, whispering to one another. A small girl in one painting was waving shyly at a boy in a painting across the corridor. She climbed flight of stairs after flight of stairs, and eventually found her way back to McGonagall's office. She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. It was lunch time—she could try to catch Ginny before her next class, see how she was doing. No. Not today. Maybe she'd write, and find out when the next Hogsmeade weekend was, and come see Ginny then. There would probably be a Hogsmeade weekend around Halloween. She'd come back next month.

Ascending the stairs, Hermione felt a pang of regret at the thought of leaving Hogwarts. But she'd be back.

McGonagall was in her office when Hermione reached the top of the stairs. "I trust all went well?"

"Yes, Pr—Minerva. It went well. Thank you again for allowing me to make these arrangements."

"Your welcome. In accordance with your wishes, I haven't told anyone else you are here. I do imagine however that Mr. Longbottom, Miss Weasley, and a number of others would like to see you today. Perhaps you'd be willing to stay for lunch? I could invite up anyone you wish to see."

Hermione shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I'm ready to go home. The NEWT was rather strenuous. But next time. Next time I will." She could have sworn her old professor looked disappointed.

"Well, I see your mind is made up. However, do allow me to wish you a happy birthday." From beneath her desk, she produced an envelope and a neatly wrapped package.

After thanking her, Hermione said goodbye, and clutching the package to her chest, disappeared into the fireplace.

She reappeared at home and set the package and envelope from McGonagall down on the table. She slipped her shoes off and sat down in the arm chair, tilting her head back, resting it on the back of the chair. Well, one hurdle done. Next step would be to properly get Belby's attention. She'd probably need to put a little more face time in at the Apothecary as well. But for now, she was content to sit. Maybe she would read an old favorite novel, something relaxing. Anything that wasn't potions today. The test had been rigorous, but she was ready. She'd felt confident about the answer she gave. But now that it was over—she felt utterly drained.

For a while, she just sat in her chair with her eyes closed. She might even have napped a little. Eventually, she decided it was worth getting up and foraging for herself in the kitchen. She must have something left in the fridge beyond Asphodel root and wormwood. If not, maybe she'd order in.

As she got to her feet, she caught sight of something that had been pushed under her door. Frowning, she went to the door and picked it up. There was a sheet of paper, and she recognized the handwriting.

I need you to come over at 4. DM

Hermione read the message over again, wondering what it was that Malfoy might need. He was learning his way around Muggle daily life fairly well. He could navigate the basics—buy and cook food, buy and clean his clothing, get to work. He was adapting rather well. Four was cutting it a little close for when he needed to be at work. Maybe he was hoping she'd side-along Apparate him to the restaurant; he should know better by now that she wouldn't.

She glanced at her door, as though she could see through it and across the hall. A tap at the window caused her to turn around, and there was an owl there that she recognized. She frowned. She really needed a spell that would make her window permeable to owls only. It would have to be highly specialized, but she was sure it could be done. Another thing for her list.

Crossing the room, she opened the window and Pig flew in, a letter tied to his ankle. She untied it and set it on the table with the one from McGonagall, carrying the diminutive owl over to Athena's perch and water bowl. She fished out some owl treats and fed him one, and then another one. For a small owl, he had quite an appetite.

She crossed into the kitchen, leaving him to rest.

Hermione searched her cupboards and her fridge, putting a pot of water on to boil for tea, and slowly assembling a sandwich for herself, setting it out on a plate.

She sat at the table and ate, looking at the two envelopes and the package from McGonagall. She hadn't really expected to receive anything for her birthday this year, or any sort of acknowledgment that this was a day different from any other. She had considered taking herself out for dinner tonight. She might still do that. Maybe she'd save her birthday cards for then.

She took her empty plate to the sink and shook out the crumbs, rinsing it off and setting it in the drainer. She settled herself in the armchair with another cup of tea, and a rather dog-eared copy of her favorite book.

Hermione allowed herself to become lost in the book for several hours, only coming to herself again when Athena flew in and landed on her shoulder, not deigning to share the perch with Pig, who was still recovering from his flight. To her surprise, Athena had come back with a letter, and a small parcel. She'd thought the owl had just been out hunting the last few days. She recognized the handwriting on the front of the letter and bit her lip. It was Molly's.

She wondered how Mrs. Weasley was managing. She really ought to write to her, to ask if she could do anything, but she knew the answer. She'd finally come to terms with something that had been hard for her to accept while at school—there were some things she couldn't fix.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was five after four. She'd lost track of the time. She brought Athena to her perch, and the owl reluctantly moved in to share the space with Pig, who was napping. She went into the bedroom and hung up her robes, slipping on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It was time to go see what Malfoy wanted.

She knocked on his door and it opened immediately.

"I was beginning to think you had something better to do," he said, lifting an eyebrow.

"Hardly. Just lost track of time. What is it?"

"Come in."

She followed him inside and caught sight of something as he closed the door. Dinner was on the table. A small sign hung across the wall. It read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY. He'd managed to render her speechless. He felt a certain smug satisfaction in having surprised her in a good way.

The table was set with some prepared chicken, and pasta with lemon sauce. A bottle of wine was on the table, as well as two mugs—Draco still hadn't gotten around to buying wine glasses.

He went ahead and pulled out her chair for her. "Happy birthday, Granger."

Standing dumbfounded by the door, Hermione came back to herself and settled herself in the chair and sat down as he pushed it in. "You didn't have to do this."

"And leave you home alone with a book tonight?" he scoffed.

A wry smile crossed her face.

"That's exactly what you were going to do, isn't it?" he accused.

She gave in and chuckled, watching as he uncorked the wine. "That's what I'd already been in the middle of doing actually. Though I'd thought about taking myself out to eat."

He tipped the bottle and poured them each a mug. He really was going to have to purchase some wine glasses. Wine itself had seemed like more of a priority than glasses last month, especially as his wallet got lighter and lighter. "Well, I hope this will suffice."

She found herself smirking, a mirror image of the expression on his face. "Any company is welcome tonight, even yours."

He raised mug and offered her a toast. "To being slightly better company than a book."

"Some of the time, anyway," she conceded. "Thank you. You didn't have to do this."

He shrugged. "Eat. It's already getting cold because you were late."

Hermione began to eat. "How long before you have to catch the tube?"

"I don't," he said. He'd put his phone to use and called the restaurant to say he was ill and wouldn't be in. Tony hadn't been happy, but Draco had endeavored to sound properly miserably on the phone. He realized the look she was giving him meant she wanted more information. He simply smiled and motioned at her to eat.

And so they ate and drank, and talked.

When the plates were empty at last, Hermione started to stand and take them to the kitchen.

"Sit, there's something else." He took the plates and went into the kitchen. He only having to handle dishes for 2 instead of 50 was a welcome relief tonight. He set the plates in the sink and brought out the small cake he'd seen at the store. He glanced at the package on his counter. It wasn't particularly well wrapped. Scotch tape was a lot more difficult to work with than Spell-o-tape, and the paper had kept trying to twist the wrong way. When she was late coming over, he had half-hoped that Potter might have come through for her with some sort of plan, but evidently not. Granger's post-war life had left her quite alone. Draco knew his solitude was only temporary. Everything would go back to normal in a little over 10 months.

He gathered the cake in one hand, tucked his package under his arm, and grabbed plates, forks, and a knife with the other hand. He lifted his elbow and dropped the package unceremoniously in Granger's lap, spreading the other things out on the table.

She looked across at him as he settled into his seat. "What's this?"

"I thought it'd be obvious, Granger. It's a birthday present. People give them to one another on the anniversary of their birth, to celebrate another year of breathing."

Hermione shook her head, carefully opening the envelope on top of the package. It was a Muggle card, with a couple of animals on the front, and a lame joke inside. She chuckled, standing it up on the table.

Curiously, she began opening the package, not sure what to expect.

"It's nothing much. I just thought, maybe it would be useful in the next few months, with your apprenticeship," he said, suddenly finding himself a little nervous about whether or not she'd like it. "I couldn't exactly get potions ingredients for you, or a new cauldron or anything like that."

Hermione finished opening it, and found a small box with an image on the front. "Hand chopper."

"For mincing worrywort and lacewing flies, and that sort of thing."

"It's perfect. Thank you," she said sincerely.

He was pleased that she genuinely seemed to like it and find it useful. He didn't have much experience with buying gifts for other people. "How did things go today?"

"Really well. I don't know how long it will take them to get my results to me, but…it was draining, but I did it. And I think I did it well. Do you think you'll go back and take any of your NEWTs?"

Draco cut each of them a slice of cake and lifted it onto their respective plates. "Doubtful. Even if I wanted to, I'd have to wait a year before I'd even be allowed to start learning the material."

"What do you think you'll do when you can go back to the wizarding world then?"

Draco shrugged, sitting back in his chair. "I hadn't given it much thought. My parents don't exactly hold a nine to five at the Ministry. My father's just always been involved in…all the politics. I can live off the money of the Malfoy estate."

"But don't you want to do something with your life?" she persisted.

He snorted and took a bite of his cake. "Like what? None of the major departments at the Ministry would take me on these days. I don't want to deal with the training necessary to be a healer. There's no business I want to create." He shrugged. Right now he was most concerned with getting through the next year. Everything else could wait. It would have to—it's not like was permitted to send owls to anyone.

"Well, you have a lot of days ahead of you. It's worth thinking about what you might want to do with them. I don't imagine you want to carry plates of food forever."

He shuddered at that thought.

The pair of them sat in silence and ate their cake for a little while. Hermione even indulged in a second piece. They poured the last of the bottle into their mugs and moved over to the couch.

"Have you decided what you'll say to Belby yet? You can't let him forget about you if you're serious about wanting to do this."

"You show touching concern."

"Granger, I'm the only person you still speak to. If I don't tell you to keep your life moving, no one will."

She pursed her lips, but it was hard to argue with that. Their acquaintanceship? Alliance? Whatever it was, under these circumstances meant that—despite the unlikelihood of it all—they told one another difficult truths sometimes. "Oh, other people might try to tell me," she argued.

"If you were willing to be in the same room as them long enough to hear anything."

"Fair point." Between dinner and the wine and her general exhaustion, she was feeling fairly good. "And that's why I can sit here and tell you that you'd better start thinking about what you want to do when your sentence is up." She gave him a level look. "You've got to do something with your life."

"Touché."

They sat in companionable silence on opposite ends of the couch for a while.

"Is going back strange?"

She turned and looked at him. "To Hogwarts?" He nodded. "Yes and no. I didn't really talk to anyone. It was good to see it full of students again. But…it's strange to see the damage…the repairs. Have I told you that Neville is teaching there?"

"Longbottom?"

"He's Head of Gryffindor. And he's helping Professor Sprout with her classes."

"Those poor students."

She chuckled. "He's really quite capable."

He looked contemplatively into his mug of wine. "I suppose none of stay who we are forever."

Hermione caught sight of the clock and was surprised at how much time had passed. "I suppose I ought to go back, get some rest. And tomorrow, try to get in contact with Belby again."

He nodded approvingly.

Hermione stood up and went to the table to gather her gift and card. She came back to the couch and hugged Draco with one arm. He didn't hug her back, but he didn't exactly resist either—which was about as good as you could expect from someone who wasn't really the hugging type. "Thank you, Draco, you didn't have to do this."

"Don't mention it." He felt her pull away and watched her leave. Yes, this had been a better idea than going into work tonight. glanced at the cake on the table and decided that as soon as he could convince himself to get up, he'd have another slice. And then maybe an extra long run in the morning.

Hermione went back to her flat and set Draco's card over the mantle. She took her chopper out of the box and found a place for it with her potions tools. After making herself a cup of tea, she settled herself at the kitchen table and began opening her birthday cards.

Ginny had sent her a card with a picture of a rose that budded and bloomed and reset itself. Surprisingly, the closet Ginny got to nagging was to say that she hoped she'd see her soon.

McGonagall's card wished her a happy birthday and invited her back to Hogwarts at any time. The package contained a NEWT level transfiguration book, as well as a NEWT level charm book.

Molly had sent a parcel of meat pies, and some of her fudge. Her card wished Hermione a happy birthday and reminded her that she would always be family and have a place at the table.

Hermione put her other cards on the mantel with Draco's, and began to tidy up. She threw away the wrapping paper, put her books on the shelf, and set the pies and fudge in the fridge. She wandered around the flat for a few more minutes, cleaning her teacup, washing the spoon. She locked her door and went to bed.

Hermione watched Athena leave with her latest letter to Belby. She hadn't received her NEWT score yet, but if Belby didn't respond soon, she was going to have to think of a more creative way to get his attention. She had a lot to learn and she wanted to learn it now.

She sighed and laced up her sneakers. She'd agreed to go to the park today with Malfoy and perhaps see a little daylight. She'd already told him she'd walk, but she certainly wasn't going to run. He could run all he liked, and she'd find a shady spot to sit and read.

A week after her birthday, Hermione received another owl. There was no name on the envelope outside. She opened it and unfolded a small piece of parchment.

Hermione,

Happy birthday. I'm sorry this is late. I've kind of lost track of the days, and just saw a paper that said it's almost October already. The days all kind of blend together. I miss you, but I'm not ready to come back yet.

Harry

Hermione reread the letter half a dozen times before setting it on the mantle with her other birthday cards. He was alive. It was something.