Review offering insight to the story:

"Another amazing chapter. Draco's knowledge of Hermione's schedule is just so wonderful. Something of the way I know my boyfriend's schedule better than he does. I like Winnie's character. The way you wrote her is a brilliant mix of Hermione and Draco, and I have a good feeling that the similarities will increase as the story progresses. I am excited about the coming chapters because, for once, I don't even have a prediction as to what has happened to our heroine. I hope she and the NEW baby are okay. (That makes me smile. Another mini-Malfoy.) Well done." - sasmith of FanFiction net.

Thank you to the following reviewers of chapter two: Avanell, jbadia, CrystalizedHeart, AshleyEH, kris, TheSlayerettes, babygirl36554, Caligirl-HPLVR, legolasandmeforever, ginsensu, Tamurl07, Hoshi-chan1, LNluvesHostile17, HaliJade Snape, Weaselbee, Laendra, hrfan93, smartypants91, arabella91, Aperira, classicjs, perfectedhell, bethygirl94, XxstarlightxX, Toxxic-Hugs, Sam's Firefly, dragoneyes5000, Kandygurl4, lovedrher, SeanEmma4Evr, Dizi 85, niic smiles, wasu, sasmith, Zarroc, quiet-mg and especially laugh.live.learn (Rachel) and galloping-goose (Zeus).

Secret Life

Three

Draco sat back on the beige sofa of Blaise and Ginny's living room, his throat raw and his head spinning. Every once in awhile, just to make sure he was still living, he'd kick the corner of the throw rug and watch it flip up unceremoniously. Then he'd smooth it back down with his foot, and remind himself to keep breathing. It hurt, knowing that she wasn't there but he was. It was rare to be anywhere without her. She was always by his side, holding his hand or whispering something in his ear. He swore he could feel her hand in his palm but when he tried to brush it with his thumb, he found air. He could feel the brush of her lips against his ear as her breath tickled it while she said something. But she wasn't there, nobody was beside him. He was sitting alone on a couch, wishing he knew where she was.

Ginny was currently distracting his daughter with a game of tag around the huge manor. Blaise sat across from him, a glass of Firewhiskey in his hand and a look of disgruntled confusion on his face; he was trying to figure it all out in his head but kept drawing a blank. Draco's eyes hurt, he felt out of place and wanted to say something but decided it'd be weird talking to Blaise about his feelings. Neither of them were very emotionally comfortable blokes, unless it came to the women in their lives, and it was only directed at them. They simply didn't talk about how they were feeling, even if it was obvious or they were both on similar pages. The only thing Ginny and Blaise could really offer were their reassurances that she was fine and would be back in no time.

Everything was quiet, it always seemed quiet now. If Hermione were around, the manor would be filled with animated conversation, but she wasn't there and it was desperately silent. He'd already had to suffer through three days of not having her around and he'd never felt like his house was ever as big as it was then. Every room seemed to echo, every corner seemed to draw larger, until he was swallowed by a big pit of loneliness. He had seen her every single day for six years straight; it was completely abnormal not to have her around. He already missed her laughter, her warmth, the way she sounded when she spoke. It was almost as if she were dead, like there was no hope left and he just hadn't got the message yet. He wanted to believe she was fine, but something had to have gone wrong. She would never simply not come home for three days straight, it wasn't her.

He remembered the year that made it possible for him to have his new life. Everything had been hectic during his last year of school. He thought back to how his life had changed for the better at the end of sixth year. Dumbledore had sat slumped, limp with the poison of a potion he had drunk, while Draco held a threatening wand at him. But it had all changed when his Headmaster offered to help him, to keep him and his family safe as long as he changed his mind. And in that moment, he realized he was just a seventeen year old boy who knew nothing of life or death. He had lowered his wand, deciding to take the old man up on his offer.

When the four Death Eater's had walked in on them, Draco had turned around and reacted without really thinking too much. Stunning two, hurling one, and petrifying the last, Draco had stood shocked at his actions. When Snape came billowing through the door, Draco had thanked his occlumency skills and managed to stun the man before he could attack either of them. Dumbledore had been shocked and confused at his Potions professor being knocked out, but Draco had simply assured him that he really didn't want him awake right then. It had been hard, but with the help of Potter who had been hiding somewhere, the two of them had managed to get him help.

The War had been a huge mess of destruction and blind hope. While his parents had been reluctant to let him go on as a supporter of Dumbledore, Lucius couldn't do anything and Narcissa had simply disappeared from everything when her son told her to get as far away from the War as possible. It came to a head near the end of the year, with Voldemort coming to the forefront of Hogwarts, his Death Eaters behind him and a slew of dark creatures and supporters of the Dark Lord. The majority of Hogwarts students, those able to fight and equipped to do so, had joined their Boy Wonder on the front grounds. The Order, Aurors, and all those who knew what was happening had joined the Golden Trio, Dumbledore, and the brave witches and wizards in their battle against evil. Draco had stood up front, beside Dumbledore with his wand drawn and an expression of determination.

Many died, more than any could count. Good people, bad people, all sorts. There was blood, there was dirt, there was screaming and pain. People lost their sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers. They lost their friends, girlfriends and boyfriends, wives and husbands. Professors and students, shop owners and magical creatures were killed. It was a huge, dramatic scene, where those who were brave and strong came out with wands drawn and a sense of hope that nothing could deter. And Harry Potter had come through for his side. He killed the Dark Lord, for the final time. During Draco's seventh year, a few months before Voldemort had attacked, he joined the Order and the Golden Trio in their hunt for Horcruxes. Being the son of Voldemort's second in command helped him out, and he was able to help them find the hidden items all over the world.

When it all ended, it felt surreal to go back to school, but it had to be done. Graduation had come and gone and the seventh year students went out into the world to create their own lives. Draco got a flat in central London, needing to stay away from his parents and their rage at what had transpired. Lucius bought his way out of Azkaban and nobody was able to prove he was at the Final Battle, so he was free to roam the streets with everybody else. While Narcissa made no comments about Draco's personal decision, she continued to live with Lucius, so Draco wasn't able to see her often.

He owed fate and the coffee shop on Kellington St. his happiness, since that was where he had run into his future wife, beginning what would be the best time of his life. He remembered it like yesterday and part of him rather wished it was. At least then he'd have her with him, instead of sitting on his best friend's couch in a sad state. Closing his eyes, he replayed the memory in his mind, swallowing the burn in his throat.

"Look, it's not that hard," her voice was loud and aggravated as she shouted at the man before her.

Draco watched with a smirk and a lifted brow as former Head girl Hermione Granger yelled at a middle aged man behind the counter, telling him for the fourth time what her order was. He leaned against the table by the door, his arms crossed, and one hand holding a hot cup of French Vanilla coffee, a shot of hazelnut to give it extra flavor, and a scoop of whipped cream simply because he loved the stuff.

"You are one tiny spitfire, y'know that," the man said, chuckling as he jabbed a co-worker in the ribs.

"Okay," Granger said, leaning forward, her palms pressing down into the counter top. "I don't know how incompetent you have to be not get this right. Would you like me to write it down?" she asked, grinding her teeth. "This is the third one you've screwed up and I'm in a huge hurry. Are we going to try this again, or am I going to throw this coffee in your face?" she asked, her brows lifting.

"Listen t'er, eh Joey! Tiny little thing has a bloke's attitude," he mocked, chortling, a sneer on his face.

Growling with frustration, Granger grabbed the coffee, pulling the white cap off and readying herself to throw it. Draco went into action then, he could just see the Daily Prophet headline, "War Heroine Attacks Muggle Coffee Vendor!" Wrapping his arm around Granger's shoulder, he caught her off guard. She stared up at him, surprised, her hands stilling from throwing the hot beverage she clutched. "Com'on Granger, leave these prats to deal with a huge loss in business," he said, simply. Taking the coffee from her hand, he passed his into her palm. "Drink up, darling, you'll be late for work soon." He assumed she would, as she had been sputtering about needing to get out of the coffee shop in a hurry.

She stared down at the white cup with uncertainty, but then, after shooting a sour glare that would have hell freezing over at the man behind the coffee counter, she let Draco lead her out of the shop. "Mmm," she sighed into the cup as she guzzled it back. Bringing it back from her mouth, she licked her lips, staring out in a happy daze.

Draco hadn't realized his arm was still around her shoulder and asked, "How's it taste?"

"You haven't had any?" she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I've taken your coffee from you," she exclaimed, looking nervous. "I was just upset. I mean I finally decide to try a new coffee shop because it looked like a good place, and look what I get!" she said, throwing her arm up and shaking her head. Sipping the coffee as she mumbled, she glanced up at him. Swallowing, she held the coffee up to him, urging him to have a drink. He shrugged, picking it up with his free hand and knocking back a gulp. "So, what are you doing 'round here?" she wondered.

"Saving poor coffee vendors from angry customers who attempt to scald them with messed up orders," he replied easily, shrugging.

Rolling her eyes, Granger smiled briefly, taking the coffee back from him and crossing the street while he waved at a cab for stopping for them. It was getting late into December and the winter chill had set in quite obviously. Draco noticed she was wearing a rather thick brown coat, with black gloves over her hands and a scarf that screamed Gryffindor. It was then he realized they were walking down the street like a regular couple, passing each other a coffee back and forth as if they were at least old friends.

He nearly laughed, but then his eyes caught sight of them in a store window. He frowned at how utterly apparent that they looked wonderful as a couple. He looked down at her, seeing the pink bite of cold on her cheeks and the satisfied pull of her lips as she walked with him in silence, drinking their coffee contently as if this were an everyday occurrence. It surprised him just how comfortable he was walking with her, not to mention the fact that he hadn't insulted her once. Instead of biting remarks, they had spoken comfortably and then simply fell into strolling down the street together, where to he didn't know.

"I heard Dumbledore offered you a position as a professor of DADA at Hogwarts," she interrupted his thoughts, passing the half empty coffee up to him.

Taking the cup, he nodded. "I turned it down," he told her, sipping the warm drink, running his tongue over his lips to catch the remaining drop of light brown liquid.

"Why?" she asked, shaking her head and staring up at him surprised. "I mean, he offered it to you without even considering the fact that you hadn't studied for the position. That's got to say something about your abilities in the subject," she reminded, nodding. "And, really, you loved Hogwarts! You always walked around as if you owned it."

Laughing, Draco smiled at her, shrugging. "Sometimes we have to let go of the places that we feel safe in and enjoy something that's not as secure."

"Like what?" she asked, staring up at him inquisitively as she wrapped her luscious mouth around the white cap of the French Vanilla drink.

"I'm going to be running a few businesses, investing in some that have just started. Take a few chances and hope they turn out," he said, nodding shortly. He had been offered a number of opportunities, but he really felt none of them met him properly. He liked being a supporter of other people's work, and he knew the inner workings of running his own businesses and being the backbone of small ones. His father had been doing it for years, adding more money to the Malfoy's ancient riches. He had kept a close eye on everything, picking it up as if second nature.

"But what if it doesn't work out for you?" she wondered, her brow lifting.

He almost grinned when her arm unconsciously looped around his waist, she didn't even appear to realize what she was doing. He wondered if perhaps it was because she had always been so close to Weasley and Potter that it came naturally, or if he had just won her over with his rescue attempt. "Then it doesn't work," he said, simply. "I won't know unless I try. Besides, if I don't give the businesses a little help, they'll just fall apart. For all I know, there could be a really great store out there that'll turn out an incredible profit in a few years."

"But where do you get the money?" she queried. "It's all yours, isn't it? That's like betting your survival!"

"Everything you do is taking a chance and hoping it's right, Granger," he replied, taking the coffee from her cup and downing the last of it.

"Oh?" she asked, turning to him as they stopped on a corner. "Hey, you drank the last of it," she half-whined, frowning.

Shaking his head, Draco chuckled at the look of indignation. "Tastes good, hmm?'

"Yeah," she agreed, sighing. "I was hoping the flavor would last until I get to my Healer studies, but it's already fading."

Nodding, Draco smiled at her for a moment, before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers smoothly. She seemed caught off guard at first, but she loosened up quickly, her lips sliding across his and falling open to accept his tasty tongue. They drank each other up, lapping at the French Vanilla with a hint of Hazelnut in each others mouths. They broke apart a moment later, Draco grinning down at her. "One last taste, Granger," he told her, winking as he turned to cross the street back to the other side.

"Wait, what was that?" she called out to him, confused but smiling.

"Me taking a chance," he called back, waving his hand to her.

"Well wait," she said, hurrying forward but not crossing the road. "What if... Where do you want the chance to lead?" she asked, tipping her head.

Standing on the corner across from her, he stuffed his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet, quirking his head to the side in thought. "Have dinner with me," he called over to her, loud enough to carry across the sounds of traffic.

She bit into her lip, a look on indecision on her face. It was obvious that this wasn't normal in the first place, but it appeared she wasn't used to being asked out often. He didn't know why, she was really quite beautiful in her simplicity. No frills, no makeup, just natural Hermione Granger, and she was as pretty as any made up girl he'd ever seen. "Where?" she shouted back, standing up on her tip toes because she felt too short.

"It's a surprise," he replied, nodding.

She stared at him, her eyes wide and her mind obviously running a mile a minute. "Well then where do I meet you?" she asked, shaking her head.

"A little coffee shop I know," he said, backing up. "8 o'clock, Granger."

Nodding, she let out a surprised chuckle. "What are the odds that this will work out?" she asked, smiling as she pulled her coat tighter around her.

"I don't deal in odds, puts too much pressure on chance," he called back, smirking.

"Stand me up and you'll be the one with coffee scalding you," she yelled to him in a sing-song voice.

Laughing, Draco walked off in a good mood.

It had been the best morning he'd had in a long time and he wound up thinking about her the rest of the day. Their first date had turned out great; he took her to a small, quaint restaurant that was out on the way and inexpensive, seeing as he knew she wouldn't be very impressed by money. He was rather surprised to see that they had easily moved on from the rude, negative behavior they had shown each other at Hogwarts. During seventh year, he had cooled it on her and the Trio she belonged to, but they weren't exactly friends. They accepted each other, helped one another in the War, but never really got close. They had put their past behind them though, and Draco was pleasantly surprised to see that he and Hermione got along great. They held a steady banter of jokes and light hearted conversation.

The coffee shop that managed to get on her nerves from the start became their meeting spot, though she never tried ordering coffee from them again. He never had a problem with his order oddly enough, and he met her for a shared drink every morning after their first date, walking her to the corner down the way and sharing a short but eventful conversation every time. Then she'd go off down one way, headed to her Healer training, while he went the opposite direction, back to his flat to work on papers for his business ventures.

They shared a host of different dates, ranging from light dinner to taking a walk in the park and discussing all the subjects under the sun. One of his favorite dates however, came a month after their first, and this time he was surprised to hear her order him to meet her at the coffee shop at 8 o'clock sharp. He did as he was told and found her waiting, casually dressed with her hair up in a messy bun.

"Have you ever been to a movie, Malfoy?" she asked as he approached, a smile lighting her features.

"You mean go to a Muggle cinema, or rent one to watch on the tele-thingy?" he wondered, leaning against the wall beside her.

Shrugging, she looked over at the nearly empty street ahead of her. "Either."

"My friend Blaise and I rented a movie from a store once, you can bet that was bloody difficult," he said, half-smiling. "We, of course, had to rent the tele-thingy too," he said, sighing. "Then we found out we needed something else to actually watch the bloody movie with. So we had to rent a... TCR?" he asked, glancing over at her chortling form.

"VCR," she corrected, nodding.

"Yeah. Got it all from a Muggle store called, 'Blockbuster.' I have no idea what that has to do with movies, but that's besides the point. The boy behind the counter thought we were mental. On top of that, we couldn't figure out how to put it together at all. Ended up having to use our wands and a charm. It was a mess, and then we found the movie sucked. Blaise was pissed!" he regaled.

Granger laughed, shaking her head and trying to stifle her amusement with her hand.

"Yes, it was just hilarious!" he said, rolling his eyes, unable to stifle the small grin at hearing the sweet ring of her laughter.

Sighing, she nodded, tangling her arm with his and pulling him away from the wall. "Well, now you'll enjoy all of the fantastic ways of a cinema!" she exclaimed.

"Do I have to put anything together?" he asked, his brows lifting with uncertainty.

"Not a thing," she said, smiling.

"Good," he replied, sighing. "It's already looking better than my movie escapade."

She chuckled and they walked down the street together, arms wrapped around one another as they looked for the cinema she had said she'd already found for them earlier. They spent a good twenty minutes getting lost and finally found it down the corner she said she was sure it wasn't down. She sent him a look telling him not to comment on that misinformation and he simply smirked back.

He bought the tickets, only because she was admiring a movie poster when they were supposed to go up to the ticket box. She bothered him for the next five minutes, saying it was really her date, so she should pay. He simply rolled his eyes, ignoring her and tugging her toward the delicious looking concession. She had stopped him from buying nearly everything, though his mouth was watering at the sight of so many sweets.

After collecting a large bag of popcorn, a couple of pops, and a box of Junior Mints that she promised were delicious, they made their way into the dimly lit room. They found a seat in the center, having to climb over a bunch of giggling Muggle girls. They grinned up at him, one even had the courage to wink. He nearly laughed, but felt that'd be rude since it would be right in her face.

"These seats are incredibly uncomfortable," he told her, wiggling around and leaning back to find that he felt entirely too tall.

She simply shrugged, saying she was completely fine.

"That's because you're small," he reminded, nodding. "And we're packed inside here like... what's that saying... something about smelly fish," he muttered.

"As tight as sardines in a can," she told him, an amused smile lighting her face.

"Yeah," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder simply because it was a whole lot better than having them squished by his side and not to mention the fact that it always felt as if it should be there. Surely the tight packed chair wasn't normal. He felt like he was being hugged by the tiny piece of furniture. Did they not make seats for broad shouldered men who weren't stick thin? Was it strictly small women who went to cinemas? He looked around, spotting a few men squirming around in their seats and felt a little less silly.

She held the popcorn between them and he frowned at a cup holder hanging off the other handle of his chair for his pop. The problem he had with that was that he couldn't put his arm down on the handle now. So he put it on the back of the empty seats behind him and leaned back as best he could in the chair. He felt like he was craning his neck, but said nothing, knowing she'd make a comment about him being as tall as giant. It wasn't his fault, it's not like he can control how tall he is. And really, he was about the same as Potter last time he saw him. At least he wasn't as tall as Weasley, that boy would have a helluva time cramming himself in one of these seats.

For the longest time there were just a bunch of little commercials happening, about nothing he considered important. He turned to her, finding the quiet whispering of people talking in the background unnerving. "What movie are we seeing again?" he asked.

"Armageddon," she replied, turning her head and leaning it on his arm so she could look at him.

He frowned, thinking back. "Isn't that about a group of people who save the world?" he asked, quirking his brow.

"Try to save the world, we don't know if they actually will," she told him, shaking her head and popping a Junior Mint in her mouth.

"Of course they will," he replied, leaning his head back so he was face to face with her. "One thing I've learned is that people only ever want happy endings."

"You've only seen one movie," she reminded, her mouth twitching with a smile.

"Yes, and as crappy as it was, it had a happy ending," he told her, nodding. "We also had the tele-thingy for awhile though, so I watched a couple shows on it and found that people are never happy unless it's a happy ending. They do it with books too. We can't accept that things might be sad or end badly. We have to turn it around so everything in the world is good and right."

"What's wrong with that?" she asked, her eyes running over his face.

"It's not real," he replied, frowning. "You and I both know that things don't always turn out for the better."

"Sometimes it's nice to pretend though," she told him, sighing. "If all living is always taking a chance, then why not let ourselves be hopeful? People go to a movie, or read a book, and hope for it to end well. Perhaps because they know that real life isn't so simple. But seeing that warms them, keeps them happy for that while. It gives them hope that perhaps one day they too will get a happy ending."

Draco smiled slowly, nodding at her thoughts about the whole thing. The lights began to darken the room, readying it for the movie. Her eyes glanced back at the screen but she didn't move her head. "Do you believe in happy endings?" he asked, reaching out with his hand to brush a wisp of chocolate brown hair from her cheek.

"On occasion," she replied, quietly.

"Do you want a happy ending?" he wondered, his thumb brushing her temple.

Smiling, she nodded slightly. "Yes," she whispered.

Leaning in, Draco pressed his lips to hers. His hand slipped into her soft hair and her head turned up to meet his mouth. He felt her tongue run across his bottom lip, which had him smiling as he parted his mouth. She tasted like coke and chocolaty mint, an interesting flavor. His thoughts all seemed to melt away, replaced only with her. The various colours and lights of the movie played over her face, but neither of them turned to the screen for a long while. It was the best movie experience he'd ever had.

"So Potter and Weasley are over at your house right now?" Blaise called out to him, jarring him from his thoughts.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. "I don't know what they expect to find. She would have her organizer, and it's not as if I received a ransom letter," he muttered, shaking his head.

"D'you think they suspect you?" he wondered, thinning his eyes as he leaned forward and ran a hand through his dark hair.

Snorting, Draco leaned back, resting his head on the frame of the couch. "Probably." Sighing, he crossed his arms, knowing that if she were there she'd be curled up against his side and his arm would be around her then. "You should've seen their faces when they saw me standing there," he told him, frowning at the roof.

"They were shocked, I'm sure," Blaise said, exhaling heavily. "Idiots hardly know her anymore. Six years and they still haven't figured any of it out. And they call themselves Aurors," he muttered.

"The disbelief in their faces..." Draco trailed off. "Like they couldn't ever think I was good enough to be with her. I could see it in their eyes. The way they tried to think up some reason I would be there. I bet Potter thought he had the wrong house or something," he said, sitting up and shaking his head.

"They don't know her or you," Blaise reminded, swirling his tumbler. "They have no idea how incredibly close you two are. Merlin, Draco, I've never known a couple who loved each other like you two. They don't get it, but they never had the chance to see you two together. It's clear as day, I'm tellin' you." he assured with his usual casualty, as though he couldn't really be bothered to explain it any more because it was just so obvious. It was that which rather encouraged Draco.

"I know," he said, nodding as he ran a hand over his face. "It was just a little difficult to see such distaste towards us being together. We've never really run into it before, but I guess that's because only our closest friends and family knew about us." Shrugging, he ran a hand through his hair, feeling restless.

His eyes focused off on some far part of the floor. "If this hadn't have happened, I'd be taking Winnie for a walk down by the creek right now. And in a couple hours, I'd be sitting down for dinner with her and Hermione. She'd tell us about her day, ask to see everything Winnie found by the creek, and they would spend some time together. Winnie would beg her to let her go flying with me, which she'd say no to, and I'd convince her for one short ride in the morning, with Hermione's supervision. Then she'd read her a bedtime story and tuck her in," he said, nodding.

"And we'd go back downstairs to the living room, where she'd lay down with me on the couch to read a book together. We'd pick it apart, bit by bit, and she'd tell me which parts were unbelievably romantic while I told her how unrealistic it would be. And later we'd sit in the kitchen on the floor, in nothing but our robes, and eat the pie she'd been craving all week. And she'd ask me to rub her feet but I'd bug her about how they smell, even though they don't." His eyes were filling with tears while his throat was becoming raw.

"I don't understand it," he whispered, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "I just don't get it. What reason could there be for her disappearing?" he asked, letting out a shuddering breath and covering his face with his hands. He tried to collect himself, inhaling deeply and clenching his eyes shut, but he really just wanted to crawl into a hole.

"Daddy," came the angelic voice of his daughter. He felt the couch dip and a moment later she was in his lap, her tiny hands wrapped around his wrists. "What's wrong?" she asked, sounding sincerely worried.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pulled his hands away, wiping at his eyes and looking down at his daughter. "Nothing," he told her, shaking his head. "Did you have fun with your aunt?"

She stared at him, not entirely believing him for a moment, but then nodded, smiling happily. "Aunty Gin lost, so she has to make me cookies!" she exclaimed, hopping in his lap with her eyebrows raised excitedly.

"Brilliant," he said, forcing his voice to sound happy. He glanced past her at Ginny who was smiling gently, a crease between her brows telling of her concern.

"I'm going to go start dinner," Blaise announced, standing up and crossing the den, squeezing his girlfriends shoulder as she sat slouched on the couch. "Y'wanna come help your uncle, brat?" he asked, looking over at Rowena.

She frowned, putting her hands on her hips and staring at him with fake annoyance. "Only cause Aunt Gin says you burn everything!" she told him, sticking her tongue out. Hopping off her dad, she walked over to him. "Don't worry, uncle B, I'll show you how to do it right!" she said, nodding determinedly.

Chuckling, Blaise hoisted her up into the air and onto his shoulders. "Wonderful," he said, winking back at Draco and Ginny. "I know with a teacher like you, dinner will be superb!" he said, pressing his fingertips to his lips and making a kissing motion, causing the little girl to giggle.

Draco watched her leave, a faint smile on his face before he let it drift away, replaced by a weary frown. He glanced over at Ginny, shaking his head. "I'm falling apart," he admitted, running his hands over his face and rubbing at it, feeling tired and restless. "It's been three days, and I'm completely lost," he said, shaking his head.

"You're not lost, Draco," Ginny said, sighing. "You just really miss her. She's coming back. Whatever happened... I mean, it's Hermione," she said, quietly. "I know the situation looks bad, but it'll... It'll work out," she said, nodding.

"What if it doesn't?" he asked, darkly, sitting forward. "What if... No..." he said, firmly, his eyes closing. "No, she's fine. This is just... I don't know what this is... I feel like everything is just... draining away," he told her, his voice hitching. Rubbing at his eyes, he clenched his jaw, sighing through gritted teeth. "It hurts not to have her right now," he admitted, exhaling heavily.

"Listen Draco, I know Harry and Ron weren't exactly the closest of friends to Hermione in the past few years," she said, ignoring his snort of derision. "But, they're incredible Aurors. When it comes to her, I think they just saw her as this incredibly safe person, so they never thought anything could happen in her life without them knowing. But they're here now, and as much as you don't like them, you're going to have to let them do their job. They'll find her. Whatever happened, wherever she is, they'll bring her back," she said, firmly.

Draco stared at her a moment, before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "I hope so," he said, quietly. "But I'm not putting my faith in just them. I'm looking into this myself. I'll put a couple guys I know on it. They're discreet, unknown, can do things most people is high places can't," he said, nodding, his face darkening. "I can't just sit around waiting, Ginny. I won't make it without her much longer," he said.

And though the words sounded drastic and melodramatic, he truly felt that he would keel over if he didn't get her back soon. They were just so much a part of one another, that it felt like part of him had been ripped away with her absence. He needed her, and he would get her back, no matter what it took.

TBC

A/N This is a whole other side of Draco that I had a fantastic time writing. It's very much the opposite of how he is with Ron and Harry, which proves a point. He's sharp and angry with them, while simultaneously trying to shield his pain and fear from them in the last chapter. Here, he's open and broken and I love how clear it all is in him. I realize that it might seem rather OOC for him, but I believe that with growth, love, and a marriage to Hermione, Draco would honestly feel this way if his wife had suddenly disappeared. It's real and tragic, so I hope I captured it right. From what I can tell, this story seems to be a big hit with readers, which I am very desperately proud of!

Important Notice regarding other stories:

Writing is being done on the following stories, so please expect updates soon, and understand that though they've been awhile in coming, I am not giving up on any of them:

Blood Is Thicker Than Tears, A Family Affair, Summer Haven, Growing, and The Werewolf Tamer.

For those of you who do not recognize The Werewolf Tamer, it is my new story involving Hermione and time travel. No wait, don't run off shaking your head! I quite honestly take a very different aspect of time turning and she is 23, not a simple teenager. It does involve the Marauders and changing the past to give a better future. I take a real and honest approach to it, dealing with Hermione's pain over losing her friends, family, husband (Remus), and hope in the world. It's adventurous, mysterious, dramatic, and quite romantic in every turn. Given the title, a main plot has to do with Hermione possessing the ability, which she honed and did not miraculously attain, to tame werewolves. Speak to them really, so that they wouldn't attack humans. I like to believe that I'm writing a story that is different and much more realistic than those I have read involving time travel and the like. Please, if only because you trust me as a writer, give the story a chance. I thank you for reading all of my plea, lol.

Thank you all so very much for reading, I truly appreciate every one of you!
Don't forget to review on your way out :D
Much Love,
-Amanda