Review offering insight to the story:

"That was simply enchanting the way you wrote that. I teared up a few times, especially when he was proposing. I found that you kept it simple yet beautiful and it was by far my favourite chapter/interlude. None of my words seem to be fitting for this, they just don't measure up to the way you word things so that it draws the reader in, emotionally you can practically feel the way the characters do, hence my little tearing scene. I found Draco's nerves to be utterly hilarious, I mean I could actually picture it all in my head. Needless to say when I started laughing randomly the other people in the library looked at me like I was insane, also when I began tearing did I see their curious looks. lol, well I am supposed to be researching for my psychology paper but I needed a break so I logged on here and was delighted to find that you had updated my FAVOURITE story at this present time. I think that you are doing wonders with this story and plot line. It amazes me that one person can have such a creative mind and be able to come up with so many unique stories, I have to say that I am somewhat jealous of your amazing writing talents. I mean this story has it all, intrigue, mystery, romance, drama...it in my eyes is perfect, as is this chapter. It was great and I don't really think that anyone can tell you otherwise. I hope that you can update soon:D -" - CrystalizedHeart of FanFiction net.

Thank you to the following reviewers: quiet-mg, PurpleRose22, cmtaylor531, MsRisa, WitchAllonby, dragoneyes5000, xmizundazt00d, arabella91, Galleon-to-Galleon, Danielle, Steelo, Toxxic-hugs, Jester08, hanvu, Caligirl-HPLVR, AnaDry, J-R-R13, Life is Truely Great, Weaselbee, sarahyyy, carly, blondiexoxo, MiKaYGiRl, lily1121, Stelmaria of the Tigers, bethygirl94, grace, pheydre, wasu, Sarra's wildchild, Zarroc, SeanEmma4Evr, ProperT, lilmzhln18, LovelyInc, mskiti, silverlovedragoness, ginnyginny, CrypticSarcasm, angel17712, CraZYDuCKIE and especially CrystallizedHeart, laugh.live.learn, and galloping-goose (Zeus).

Secret Life

Chapter Six

Harry found himself waking up bright and early. The day before had been a minor disaster and a major disappointment. Searching through Hermione's house only led them to believe that they had known almost nothing about her real life. It also told them that they had no idea who Draco Malfoy was at all. Both he and Ron had believed they had a pretty good understanding of why Malfoy ended up helping during the last battle with Voldemort, and it was simply self-preservation. They didn't believe he had moved past any prejudiced feelings towards muggleborns or half-bloods, they thought he was simply looking out for himself and realized which would be the winning side. However, getting an inside look at his home life, his family, it became quite obvious that what they thought they knew about Draco was nothing but the shell of a snotty little boy at Hogwarts. He had grown up and changed, while they had never taken the time to notice that, still believing him to be the same old Malfoy.

When seen with his daughter, he was a completely different person; it was obvious that Rowena was his pride and joy and that they have an ideal father-daughter relationship. Then there was when he spoke of Hermione, with a glazed look in his eyes and a smile waiting to brighten his face, and Harry couldn't believe just how much love was present in the man's life. He was so used to seeing Draco sneer, glare, smirk and scowl, that it was like seeing a completely different person. But there was a haunting in his face too, and it was quite clear that being without his wife was a terrible burden he couldn't handle.

It was so hard to accept at first; realizing that the girl he'd thought he'd known inside out was someone else completely. He could remember thinking of Hermione as a Plain Jane, librarian type, who loved her books far more than having a social life. He'd never really thought about her perhaps falling in love and getting married, or starting a family and creating a whole other life for herself. He sort of expected that when he returned from missions, she would always be the same. She'd meet them for a brief lunch, talk about the usual, go home and probably read a book, and spend her time thinking of homely things to do. Read, work on becoming a Healer, have strong beliefs on how the world should be a better place. But she wasn't just thinking of doing things, she had already done them. She'd fallen madly in love, created her own family, mastered her job, done wonders for the Wizarding world, and still had time for a nice read at home and a comfortable homely existence with her husband.

He could vividly remember the last time he realized there was any change in Hermione's life. It was back in 1998 when he and her were out for the afternoon at a nice little diner, having a light lunch and catching up with each other. They had those meetings every couple of months, when Harry would return from Auror business and want to see a friendly and familiar face. He had asked her what was new in her life, expecting her to say the usual reply of 'nothing really, how 'bout you?' But instead, she cleared her throat and averted her gaze when she said, "I'm seeing someone."

Now it wasn't exactly shocking, nothing that would be headline news, but to him it was quite huge. Hermione, his best friend who was like a sister to him, had started dating someone. And it wasn't Ron! Now, he guessed that one day she would begin dating, he had just assumed it would be with someone he knew well. Okay, he rather believed it would be Ron. Sure, they broke up shortly before the last battle, but Harry thought they'd eventually get their act together and start up what they had. But here she was, telling him straight out, her and Ron were over and she was seeing someone else.

Harry couldn't get much information out of her about him, which made him a little uneasy, but he assumed it was because she worried that he might do something to scare the bloke off. Now he realized it was because she had been dating Draco Malfoy at the time, and he most likely would not have approved it at all. He remembered the fond look on her face with what little information she did give, like how he ran his own company, he was the same age as her, he was very intelligent and loved books nearly as much as her. And then there was a pause in her explanation before she said, "He's a wonderful man, one I'm very happy with and can see being with... long term." She said it with a peculiar look on her face, as if she were trying to tell him something important but at the same time, just coming to realize it herself.

He never heard of her mysterious boyfriend after that and he simply assumed that they had broken up at some point. Now he knew that they had not suffered any break up, but instead married a couple years later. Harry wasn't informed let alone invited, and that left him feeling quite empty really. He still couldn't understand why she would want to hide her husband from him, when she knew that Malfoy wasn't a Death Eater and had been on their side in the end. Okay, so neither Harry or Ron would've liked it at first, but they were bound to get used it... weren't they?

Ron came traipsing into the kitchen, his hands running through his messy red hair as he looked around with heavy lidded eyes and a hanging jaw as he yawned. "What're we doin' t'day?"

"We're going to see the Granger's," Harry told him, lifting his mug of hot coffee to his mouth and sipping it as he stared blankly at the table top. "See what they know, find out if they have any information. Maybe they've been sent a letter about her, given that nobody really knew she was with Draco," he said, nodding.

"Right," Ron replied, tiredly, as he searched through the fridge for something to eat. He closed it after a couple minutes, opening it a second later to peruse the empty shelves once more as if he thought food would appear all on its own. "Okay, well I'm gonna take a shower and get ready. We should stop somewhere to eat and then go to her parent's place," he told Harry, looking annoyed at the lack of food.

"Sounds good," Harry replied, bleakly. As Ron walked off to get ready, Harry had a thought. Making his way into the living room, he searched around the messy book shelves for the photo album Hermione had given him a few years back. He knew there were pictures of her back during the time she was pregnant and he wanted to know if he was at all blind. Flipping through the pages, he tried to pin point exactly when it would be that she'd be showing quite dramatically. He found a bunch of pictures all around the same time, when he and Ron had been given time off in December. Rowena was born in April, so Hermione would've been nearly six months pregnant at the time. He stared at the pictures with thin eyes, taking in every angle and watching as the picture-Hermione would turn and laugh or smile and wave.

He could see her body fully, and there it was like a blinking sign. She was wearing an ankle length red dress, loose around her middle, but still grazing a nice sized bump. She had a small frame, so her stomach didn't protrude as much as some might, but it was still obvious. The dress ran across her stomach quite nicely actually, and she tended to wrap her palms around it often. She was even glowing, like they often said pregnant women do, and he hated that he had been so oblivious. Now that he thought about it, he remembered Ron saying that she had put on weight, but he assumed it was from all the Christmas sweets. When he really looked back though, he could firmly remember Mr. Weasley helping her off the couch at every turn, Ginny rubbing Hermione's stomach at random intervals, and Mrs. Weasley was more than a little attentive to her all throughout the visit.

He stared at the photo for a long while, watching as Hermione would turn and wave at the camera as she talked to Ginny. Her hand was sitting beneath her stomach, cradling it lightly, and Ginny would reach out to pat it on occasion. They both looked terribly excited, and he was sure they were talking about when the baby came and everything it entailed. He wished he had known, wished he could've been around to see Rowena when she was first born. Perhaps it was selfish of him to expect her to stay the same old, bookish Hermione, when she could be having a real life. He should have let her know that growing and evolving to be a mother and a wife were wonderful things and that he would have liked to have been there to join in her life.

"Ready to go, mate?" Ron asked, running a towel over his hair as he stood by the couch.

Harry, startled over his thoughts, looked over confused. Then, realizing what they had planned for the day, put the album back on the shelf and nodded. They apparated to the backyard of the Granger house. There was no Floo connection, but the Granger's were most likely used to having Hermione and her family come to visit. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been to see Elizabeth and Bill Granger with Hermione, but he was fairly sure it had been before she got married. He felt mildly nervous as he walked up the backyard to the door, his palms began to sweat and his heartbeat sped up on him. If they did know where Hermione was, then everything was just a misunderstanding with her husband. If they had no idea, then there was a minor problem. If they had received a ransom note or some kind of letter telling them that someone had their daughter, then there was a huge issue.

Ron looked over at him, appearing a little out of sorts himself. They knocked on the door, hoping it wasn't too early or that the two dentists hadn't gone off to work already. A few short moments later, a woman with curly brown hair, wearing a sea foam bathrobe and holding a spatula, opened the door to peer at them suspiciously, before it seemed to dawn on her who they were.

"Ron, Harry," Elizabeth exclaimed, opening the door wide and smiling warmly at them. "Please, come in, it's been ages since I've seen you two," she said, cheerily. "Bill," she called out, walking into the dining room as she left them to enter. "Darling, Ron and Harry are here. You know, Hermione's good friends."

"Oh?" called back a thick, male voice. "Is Hermione with them?" he wondered.

It was then that Harry's heart sank, along with his slumping shoulders. Now he knew, they had no better idea where Hermione was than he did. He looked over to Ron to see the frown present on the pale, freckled face. He too knew that visiting the Granger's on a search for information had been verging on pointless. Apparently, Draco hadn't informed them of her disappearance either and Harry wondered briefly if he should still be suspicious of Malfoy.

"No dear, they seem to be alone. Maybe this has something to do with all those owls Draco's been sending us," she replied, sighing. Her voice appeared to be quiet, as if she knew that Ron and Harry had no idea that he and Hermione were married, which was true 24 hours ago. "Five in two days. I keep meaning to read them, but then I get distracted by work or you."

"Actually it likely is about what Mr. Malfoy wrote you," Harry replied, alerting them that he had heard them speaking. "Y'see, we've been put on a special case as Head Aurors and friends of Hermione's," he told them slowly as he walked into the kitchen to stand before them. He locked his arms behind his back, standing at his full height and trying to look as professional as possible. "We need to ask you a few questions, if that's all right."

"What's this about?" Bill asked, looking skeptical. "Has something happened to Draco? Is that why he's been writing? Elizabeth," he said, turning to her. "Get the post, dear." She nodded, before hurrying off to grab her son-in-law's letters.

"Mr. Granger, could you tell me when the last time you saw Hermione was?" Ron asked, his tone level.

"Well, a few weeks ago I guess. We had dinner with her and..." He cleared his throat, looking at them warily.

"It's all right sir, we know she's married to Mr. Malfoy and that they have a daughter together," Harry assured, feeling the words clog in his throat all the same. Now we do, he wanted to add, no thanks to those involved.

"Right," Bill said, nodding shortly. "Well, we had dinner with her, Draco, and Rowena a few weeks ago. She wrote us almost a week back, keeping us updated on work and family things. What is this about?" he asked, staring at them hard, wanting answers.

"Oh no," Elizabeth shrieked as she came stumbling into the kitchen, her hands shaking as she held a letter in her grasp. "Hermione is missing. That's what Draco's been trying to talk to us about. She hasn't been home in three days and nobody has seen her at work. No wonder he was writing so much. He's frantic, Bill. He has no idea what's happened," she cried, her face curling into despair and worry. One of her hands reached up to press into her chest, as if willing her heart to stop racing from the news.

Bill turned quickly to Ron and Harry, disbelief and anger in his face. "Is that true? Is my little girl missing?" he queried, his voice barely covering his terror.

"Yes, sir," Harry replied, swallowing the dryness of his throat. "Mr. Malfoy has told us that she didn't return home one night, but he wasn't too worried because she often stays late at work. But when she didn't come back a second night, he wrote to Auror Headquarters stating that something was wrong, as she is very meticulous and organized, and she wouldn't sway from the schedule like she had. On the third day, Auror Weasley and I arrived to take the case and find Hermione," he told them, feeling rather awkward seeing as he knew these people, rather than having taken on a case for people who he had no connection to at all.

He wondered if it bothered them that he was being so vague and clipped. He was, after all, supposed to be Hermione's best friend, so he should be showing more emotion. But if he was going to work this case, he had to start putting his emotions away, as they wouldn't do anything to help.

"And?" Bill demanded, his eyes dark. "What have you found? Where is she? Who's taken her?"

"We don't know, sir," Ron replied, betraying no worry of his own, as his training had taught him. "We are doing all that we can. The reason we came here is in case she may have decided to leave Mr. Malfoy and needed a respite from her marriage. We wanted to know if you had--"

He was cut off my Elizabeth's sputtering. "Leave Draco? Are you mad?" she exclaimed, staring at them like they'd grown three heads. "Hermione and Draco have a wonderful marriage! There were no problems that would support your theory on their getting a divorce or even taking a break," she told them, loudly, clearly affronted by the insinuation. "They love each other and there is nothing wrong between them."

"We must explore all avenues, ma'am," Ron replied, looking unfazed by the reaction.

"No," she told them, stiffly, shaking her head with disbelief. "You're just looking it in the view of two boys who don't know him. You want to think that Draco did this to her, that he had something to do with her disappearance. It's an easy out then, isn't it?" she accused, her eyes clouded with tears. "It would prove a few things. Perhaps that her marriage was bad and so she didn't want you to know about it, because it would only fan the fire of her being inadequate. Or maybe you'd rather think that he did it simply because you could continue in your beliefs that he never changed and you were right to think it was wrong for them to be together. Whatever little thoughts you have about Draco and Hermione having a bad marriage, you can forget them," she spat, vehemently. "That boy..." she said, her voice beginning to shake. She lifted her hand, covering her mouth and turning her eyes up for a minute.

"Liz, dear," Bill stopped her, reaching out to take her hand.

She shook her head at him, gathering her anger once more. "Draco loves our daughter," she told them, her eyes burning with annoyance for the two Aurors before her. "You don't know him or her. You don't know what their marriage is like, what their relationship is like. But I can tell you from personal experience, that Draco Malfoy is the best man I could ever ask to be my daughter's husband and my son-in-law," she told them, glaring at them darkly. "Now, if you have logical questions about my daughter, I'm willing to answer them. But I will not help you make a pointless case against Draco!" she shouted, turning on her heel and half running away from them as she burst into tears.

The room was left in silence for a moment, both Ron and Harry stood shocked at the outburst and strong denial that Draco could've done anything to Hermione. Harry wondered if it was simply because he really believed Draco had something to do with it, or if perhaps he was just surprised that anybody could have such a lasting belief that Draco Malfoy truly loved Hermione. He had seen it the night before, hadn't he? He had seen it in Malfoy's eyes, heard it in every word he spoke. If Draco did something to her, then he was willing to hurt someone he loved desperately. There was no way Harry could deny it, Malfoy loved Hermione.

"I'm sorry," Bill told them, though he didn't sound sincere in his apology. "You have to understand that over the years, Draco has become part of the family."

"How long have you known him?" Ron asked, looking at him curiously, though still keeping the outward appearance of a professional Auror asking questions for a case, rather than out of personal interest.

"Hermione brought him home..." He squinted his eyes, thinking back as he stroked his bearded chin. "Well, I believe it was about a year, maybe a year and a half before they were married," he told them, nodding. "Yeah, he was a real gentleman. Nervous as heck though. Couldn't make eye contact for the first half of dinner, looked scared we were going to shout at him to leave or something. But he settled in pretty easy after that. Got into talking about his businesses and he talked to us a little about whether we ever thought about expanding our office. Turns out he was right. We now own the most prominent Dentist surgery in all of London," he told them with a grin.

"So both you and your wife are close to Draco?" Harry asked, unable to hide the skepticism in his voice. He cleared hist throat quietly, averting his gaze in hopes that he hadn't set Mr. Granger off like Ron had Mrs. Granger.

"Look boys," he said, gruffly, sitting forward and staring at them with a level gaze. "I understand that you two don't know Draco all that well. In fact, neither of you knew anything about his and Hermione's marriage or relationship up until what... yesterday? Day before?" he said, his brow cocking. "Thing is, Liz and I have known that boy for over eight years. We've seen him with Hermione, with Rowena, with his friends and the people that surround him," he nodded, smiling briefly. "Now I know he's seen some bad days in the past, but he rectified those. Anything that's happening with my baby girl... Draco doesn't know about it." His face hardened as he stared at them, "D'you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Harry replied, sighing. "But just as you want us to understand that you know him and don't believe he has anything to do with this, you must also understand that this is our job," he told him, firmly. "If Draco has nothing to hide, then he will be stricken as a suspect. However, until he can prove that, we have to suspect everyone. So, if you could answer us a few questions..."

Bill nodded, though the set of his jaw told Harry he didn't appreciate being put into his place at all. Harry had always been a little scared of Hermione's father. He was a strong man, in features and in personality. He had always been quite overprotective of his daughter, and had a tendency of coming off a little harsh to any male that entered his house beside his daughter. On the opposite, Elizabeth Granger tended to be quite lighthearted and nice. They balanced each other out nicely. He had just seen the other side of her though; the side that could be angry and borderline hysterical. While Bill kept his cool, never let his feelings or emotions get in the way of saying his thoughts and getting what needed to be said out there.

They asked him the usual, who her friends were, what her schedule was like, if he knew of any complications in his life, and were given the same answers as Draco, albeit less informed. Her friends were Ginny, Blaise, Patti, Neville, and, still surprising, Pansy Parkinson. Her schedule involved going to work fairly early, coming home for lunch and dinner on set times, sometimes returning to work on papers, and then coming back home for bed. As for complications, there were none that Bill Granger knew of. And so, Harry felt he hit a brick wall, getting nowhere. They left the Granger's not long after, stating that they would be in touch and would return if they had anymore questions. Bill bid them goodbye, and Liz never returned to speak to them.

Ron and Harry apparated back to their shared flat, both resigned and annoyed. "What now?" the ginger-haired Weasley asked.

Sighing, Harry shook his head, picking up a drink from the kitchen and returning to the living room. "We talk to her friends," he told him, shrugging.

"Oh you mean the friends we had no idea she had?" Ron asked, his face beginning to redden with anger. "What happened, Harry? When did Hermione get this life that we aren't part of? With the Longbottom's as her family friends. And with Ginny and her boyfriend, Blaise Zabini," he spat, "as her best mates!" He growled, shaking his head and beginning to pace, his arms crossing with frustration. "And when in blazes did she marry Draco Malfoy and have a daughter! Why weren't we allowed to be a part of that? We were good friends, weren't we?" he asked, grimacing. He didn't wait for Harry to reply, but simply continued on his rampage. "Okay, so we worked a lot, and we weren't around much, but we were there when it counted, weren't we? All right, so we weren't there for her ceremonies where she got them awards and stuff, but we didn't know about 'em. If she'd told us, I'm sure we would'a gone!" He nodded agreeably, but his expression said wonders about how unsure he really was. "What did we do that was so wrong that she just didn't want to involve us?" he asked, finally sounding bereft of anger.

"I dunno," Harry replied, shaking his head as he rested his mouth against his fisted hands while his arms sat atop his knees. "If we wanna know, we'll have to find Hermione."

Sighing, Ron plopped down on the sofa beside Harry. "How are we gonna do that?" he asked, looking at him sadly. "We don't know her, let alone how to find her."

"Then I guess this is like any other missing persons case, isn't it?" Harry snapped, sourly.

"Sorry mate, didn't mean to upset ya," Ron told him, looking rather flustered.

"No, I'm sorry. I just... Whatever. Let's just go see Hermione's friends, figure out what they know," he said, rising from the couch. "How 'bout the Longbottom's first?" he asked, looking over to Ron, who nodded submissively.

Seeing as Harry and Ron had been to visit Neville Longbottom at his home before, they had no trouble apparating to the front gates. Longbottom Manor sat atop a vast grassy hill, quite far out from the closest city. The property was nice and groomed to beautiful proportions. While it wasn't a regal and overly obvious place, it did say wonders of the people inside. The house and its property was welcoming and warm, just as both Neville and Patricia Longbottom always had been.

Harry and Ron had both met Patti many times before because of Auror gatherings, such as celebratory parties and the annual family picnic. She was really quite nice, though very shy in the beginning and a little awkward when first getting to know her. But, like Neville, she has a certain personality about her, and most can't help but enjoy her company.

The front gates asked them who they were, or at least the little gargoyle on the pillar beside the gates did. Stating their names, it nodded and allowed them inside to walk across the wide pathway to the house. When they reached the front, they brought out their professionalism and straightened to stand tall, as if overlooking all that is before them. Ron used the lion paw knocker on the door to alert the Longbottom's of their guests.

After hearing Patti call out, "I'm coming," and, "Just hold on," a few times each, they couldn't help but chuckle. Patti was a firm believer that house elves were wrongfully enslaved and Neville didn't like the idea of having some wizard in his house all day while he was away. So they answered their own doors, even if their house had three floors and it took them a great deal of time to get to the front entrance.

Finally, the door swung open and they were met with a panting, flushed Patti. "Hi," she gasped, nodding as she held one hand against her chest. Her long dark brown hair fell in thick curls, reaching her waist. She smiled up at them when she regained her breath; a warm, beautiful smile that had them both a little off kilter. She was a curvy woman, with a long body and moderately wide hips. She was very obviously an attractive woman, with high, round cheeks, a tanned complexion, and a an aura about her that just pulled people in.

"Hullo Patti," Harry greeted, grinning. He had to admit, when he first met Patti, he was a little surprised to see that she was with Neville, of all people. Although, the years after Hogwarts had been very good to him. He had worked off that little bit of chub still hanging around his middle and he had worked hard to get past his clumsiness to become one very sought out Auror. Seeing them together, Harry had to admit they were practically made for each other. Their personalities melded perfectly.

"Hullo Harry, Ron," she replied, smiling. "I'm afraid Neville's not here right now. He's out with friends."

"Friends?" Harry asked, wondering if she was going to let it be known that she knew Hermione quite well, and that she was quite familiar with Malfoy too, seeing as they were family friends.

"Yes," she replied, nodding easily. "You know how it is when you finally get some time off. He got together with his partner Blaise and another chap, I believe. Who knows what they're up to, I just hope he's having fun," she said, chortling. She wasn't giving away any indication that she knew something they didn't. She certainly was an asset at keeping secrets.

"Right," Ron replied shortly. "Well, we need to talk to you about Hermione."

"Hermione?" she asked, stepping back and holding open the door. "Well, she hasn't been to work much lately," she told them, her voice shaking just the smallest bit.

Harry realized that this was her falling point; she had a close relationship with Hermione and the fact that she was missing, was weighing heavily. She didn't have to worry about her husband, therefore she could lie for him. But when faced with the sudden disappearance of a friend and colleague, it's a little harder to lie and say she doesn't know anything.

"Patti, we know that you and Hermione are very good friends. We also know that your husband, you, and your daughter, spend time with her, her husband, and their daughter. We'd just like to talk to you about her and the last day you saw her," Harry told her, his voice level.

She stared at him a moment, betraying no real emotion to what he was saying until she finally nodded. "Yes, all right," she complied, motioning her arm back. "We can talk in the living room. I just put Kelsi down for her afternoon nap. She gets cranky if she doesn't lay down for a little while."

"I heard you were getting your full Healer license. Why aren't you at St. Mungo's?" Harry said, looking at her curiously.

"It hasn't been the same since Hermione's been missing," she replied, sighing as she sat down on a burgundy and gold sofa; very Gryffindor, thought Harry. "I asked Neville to come home when I realized what had happened and I decided to take some time off from St. Mungo's. I guess I just..."

Shaking her head, she fiddled with her hands in her lap for a moment. "You know, Hermione is so close to her daughter. I mean, she really makes time for her little girl. It's been so hectic lately, that I really don't see Kelsi very often. And when I found out that Hermione was missing, it was kind of like a slap in the face." Her eyes turned off, glazing as she fell into her thoughts. "Here is a woman who has managed to put all of herself into everything. She's the top Healer in all of the Wizarding world, she's a wonderful mother, a loving wife, a Rights Activist, and an incredible friend. I mean, she's really done it all, you know. And she made time for all of it, only to have it all ripped away from her. And me? Well I'm only now becoming a full Healer, and because of her, I'm following in the most incredible footsteps." Letting out a shaky sigh, she shook her head. "She was going to retire soon, you know. She wanted to spend more time at home and less at work. She has a little boy on the way, so she wanted to put more into being a mum. She told me that when she was gone, she was going to make sure that everybody knew I had been her apprentice. She was going to make my career, because she believes I could really do it. That I could accomplish what she had," she said, her voice full of awe.

"She's planning on retiring?" Ron asked, shocked. "But she's only 26!"

"Yes, but she's accomplished more than most," Patti reminded, nodding. "She said she was going to put more into being a mother and maybe work a little harder at getting her Laws passed," she told them, swallowing as she began to tear up. "Have you found anything out? Is she okay? She has to be... She just has to be..." she told them, rather frantically.

"The Law she was passing, can you tell us anything about it?" Harry wondered, tipping his head.

Ron pulled a handkerchief from his Auror robes, handing it to her awkwardly as she sniffled and wiped at tears. She took it gratefully, nodding at him in thanks. She cleared her face with the orange and black hankie, her eyes turning up to the side as she thought back. "Well, I know she got her last Law passed, which states that all House Elves must be given the opportunity to be paid for their services and given time off if they want it. She wanted them to have complete freedom, but not even the elves wanted that. They agreed to the possibility of pay, meaning they don't actually have to accept money and they can set the amount as small as they want," she told them, nodding.

Tapping her chin, she licked her lips as she leaned back in her seat. "Recently though, her most prized Law has been kept a secret from most everyone. Even the Ministry has said that it's under such controversial review, that it won't become public until the Wizengamot has really thought it through."

"So she didn't tell you?" Ron asked, slumping back in the chair he was sitting comfortably in.

Shaking her head, she sighed. "No, she doesn't tell us much about her being an R.A. She tells us later, when things have passed. Neville says it's because when she was doing S.P.E.W nobody cared, so she doesn't want to get her hopes up until things happen. That way she doesn't look foolish," she told them, shrugging. "If anybody knows about her newest law, it'll be Draco," she said, nodding. "He knows extensively about her work. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd make a great Healer himself, just by paying attention to what Hermione's said about it." She smiled, nodding. "The other day, we were all having lunch at this diner in London, when Hermione starts talking about one of her patients, Mr. Conrils, and she's explaining that he has Stroenophichal, from the plant of the same name," she explained. "Draco immediately says, 'So you gave him Phalenidap, right?' and both Hermione and I were shocked and excited. I mean that is Level Four Healer information, he must really be paying attention when she talks." Sighing in what could only be called wistful, she shook her head, smiling. "Those two. I mean, there are people you just can't help but be jealous of in some respects. Their work, their family, their relationship; it's all like an incredible dream." She looked up at him, her eyes wide as she lifted her arms to emphasize her point. "They're so close. I mean, Neville and I have a wonderful marriage and we share most everything. But those two... There is nothing you can ask either of them about each other that they wouldn't know. Really, I can't help but hope that my marriage gets to be as close as theirs."

Harry stared at her with interest in his eyes. He kept hearing this from everyone. That Hermione and Draco's relationship was close and strong, that they were madly in love and there were no problems. So why did he keep trying to figure out ways for it to be Draco's fault that Hermione was missing. Even with the information of Malfoy being knowledgeable in the work of a Healer so much that he could be one, Harry couldn't help but think that it could be used against Hermione in some way. Why was he thinking like this?

"What can you tell us about the last day you saw her?" Ron asked, looking over at her with a small frown.

"Not much. Everything was pretty usual. She showed up at around nine and we did our morning rounds on each floor. At about quarter to eleven, she takes her break, which is almost always with Ginny in the cafeteria. She's back on the floor with me at almost eleven, a little after if she runs into old Mr. Benedict. She goes home at noon for lunch with Draco and Rowena, and then she's back at about one. Work is over at five-thirty, where I leave almost immediately. She goes home for dinner, but there have been occasions where I know she comes back for paperwork. They've been getting her to do a lot of it lately, because she's leaving soon. They think they're losing a celebrity, so they want to keep her around as much as possible," she told them, shrugging. "That day was like every other."

"Did you talk about anything out of the ordinary? Were there any topics that she hadn't brought up before?" Harry asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

Shaking her head slowly, Patti frowned. "Sorry, no. I mean we talked about the usual. How Rowena is doing with her reading and how Draco's going to start homeschooling her soon. How Blaise was planning the propos--" She stopped herself, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she stared at the two men in front of her with surprise. "I mean, well, that is..." Clearing her throat, she shook her head. "And she mentioned that she was going to stop in to the Ministry that afternoon, drop off a slip to talk to the Minister. She also said something about how she couldn't wait to get home and take a nice, long bubble bath," she said, shrugging. "Work off some of her building tension from work," she told them innocently.

Seeing as both Harry and Ron knew Malfoy was an added person to the bathtub, they squirmed in their seats at the information. Work off her building tension is right, Harry thought, his mouth curling with disgust.

"I can completely agree with her on that one," Patti said with a long sigh, her eyes turning up and a smile blooming on her lips.

Harry had the feeling that Patti knew what kind of bubble bath Hermione was going to have, and that she was now considering one for her and Neville. Which further threw Harry off and he found himself blushing madly at the beautiful woman in front of him. Clearing his throat, he looked away, trying to gather himself. "All right, and do you know if Hermione stayed late that night to do paperwork?" He was doing his best to figure out a time line as to when Hermione would've gone missing.

"Hmm," she said, leaning back in her seat. "You know, Neville asked me the same thing this morning, right before he went out with Draco and Blaise. Like I told him, I don't know. But I can find out. I'm going in to St. Mungo's this afternoon to pick up a few papers. I can stop by her office and see if she put it on her calender. She always marks when she leaves and arrives," she explained, nodding.

"That'd be great, thank you," Harry said, standing up. "Well, if we have any more questions, we'll be sure to get back to you."

Ron followed him, standing from his chair and reaching over to shake Patti's hand.

She walked them to the front door, smiled at them briefly and told them to have a nice afternoon. After she closed the door, the two Aurors made their way to the front gates, both with their heads bowed and hands stuffed in their pockets.

"That was interesting," Ron said, exhaling loudly.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, nodding shortly. "Well, I guess we're off to see Ginny then."

"Yeah," Ron replied, glowering. "Only thing is, I have no idea where she lives."

"Oh... well then I guess we're going to The Burrow to ask your mum then, huh?" he responded, shrugging.

"This'll be fun," Ron said sarcastically.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a very long day," Harry sighed, shaking his head.

A/N BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WROTE ME TO SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was going to post it late last night, but I was so tired I just couldn't type out all the names of my incredible reviewers. I didn't want to not credit you, that'd be unfair! Don't forget to check out the chapter images for this story on my profile page. And if you haven't already, I'd love for you to read my new 4-part story (already complete and posted), "Survivor." It's a romantic/tradedy between Harry/Hermione, told from Ron's POV. I've received wonderful feedback so far. Without giving the plot away, I'll only warn: TISSUES! Thanks for reading, please leave a review before you go!

Much Love,
-Amanda