A/N: the cliffy has killed you for sure. The ending is near. Well, kind of.

My eyes flickered to the man. It was Remus, shaking me lightly.

"Remus? Is everything okay?" I asked, disappointed, but sitting up in bed. Remus gave shifty looks, then bent down to my ear.

"I'm not Remus," he said in a low whisper. I jolted up, grabbing my wand from the nightstand. But he was too quick, and already had snatched it from me. I pounded my fists as hard as I could on the top mattress to wake Ginny up and just as I opened my mouth to scream for help, the man put a hand around my mouth.

"I knew you would scream. I know you all too well. Just give me a chance to explain," he said in a low voice. He flicked his wand out and I stared fearfully at it. He muttered a charm, and I closed my eyes, fearing the worst. Instead, I felt something shroud my arm, like mist. I look over and the man who I thought was Remus was covered in a white mist. He let go of me and I watched in fear, huddled against the wall.

The mist disappeared, and my eyes widened at him. No, I was imagining things..

"AAAAHHHHHHH-OOOF!" I heard a scream and a streak of blue and red from the top bunk. I looked on the floor in front of the side of my bed. Ginny was laying on the ground on her back, eyes blank as she rubbed her head. And below her was a very disgruntled Draco Malfoy.

"Ow...I fell...something broke my fall.." Ginny said, getting up. She looks down at Draco, who was on his back, trying to get up. Her eyes were two huge orbs and she clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh...oh, my God! Oh, I, I, oh, gosh!" She ran out of the room. Me and Draco looked after her, and then he looked back at me. I glared at him with all the sadness and anger I had to go through.

"I see Weaslette is out of words as much as her brother," he sneered. I looked at him with angry eyes.

"So, Malfoy, how's tricks?" I asked in my nastiest voice. I did bite my lip-that seemed like a horrible thing to say. But he deserved it.

His eyes because half lidded and cold. "We need to talk."

"Who says I want to talk to you?" I asked, huffing.

"Because, I know. I've been watching you. When I couldn't..." he paused. "I tried to find something. A little cure for the void. But I just, I....I wanted to know how you were doing. I just wanted to see what you were like without me. At first I thought you were fine, but then I saw what you'd been doing. The pills you've been taking. I could probably drown in all of your tears."

I shook my head. "Why are you here?"

"Because," he took my hands. "I want you. I've always wanted you. I need you, Hermione. Not Claire. Hermione. Maybe it's a little twisted, maybe it's a little sick. But hopefully...I just want to fall in love with you, Hermione Granger. Not Claire. Because you could say Claire is you, but she's not. She's someone else. But you, Hermione, are one of a kind. So I want to start over. Because those few weeks, I fell in love with who Claire was, not what she looked like. Not her family history, or her name. I fell in love with you. And I'd like to try it again, knowing I get to look into your eyes, and not somebody else's."

My lower lip trembled. It was too much. "Why did you leave me?"

"I don't know." He lowered his eyes. "I felt like I didn't have a choice. I was so confused. Did I like Claire? Did I like you? Or are you basically the same person? But you're not. So I left a note to those close to me. I heard my parents were dead. I visited their grave. I went to possibly ever pub in Scotland. Girls always hitting on me, and sure I'd flirt back. But then, when they wanted to, er, you know. I thought of you, and something in my head, in my heart, I don't know what the bloody hell it was, told me to stop. I couldn't bare 5 seconds without hearing your voice. I thought: "No, that was Claire." But it wasn't."

I dabbed at my eyes with a Kleenex on my nightstand. "But I'm bucktoothed, know-it-all, Mudblood Hermione Granger. I thought you hated me." What a stupid thing to say, i had to resist the urge to hit myself in the face.

"I thought I did too. But, as time went by, Claire seemed so close to you, I could feel the resemblance. Blood heritage stopped mattering-when you're on the run, you have to depend on all sorts, not just pure-bloods. Anyways, looks are quite important to me at times, but if I didn't think you're so incredibly intoxicating, who do you think I've been watching the past 6 months? Claire?" he lowered his eyes again.

"No. I honestly think you look just as great. I wanted to know what you were like. And believe me. I cant stand not looking at you for five seconds. You're just so...everything. I honestly can't get enough of your presence. Even right now. When I'm with you, I'm fulfilled. I wondered myself, why you? You saved me. My life. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you. I'm not trying to repay any debt. I just..."

He tried to start again, but the tears started to come to my eyes again. I lowered my voice to a deathly whisper. "Every tear I cried, I cried for you. Every pill I took to sleep, I took for you. Everyday I got out of bed for six months and tried to be myself, I tried for you. Everything I did to become busy, I did for you. All the pain, I suffered for you. Every night I spent, looking in the mirror thinking 'Not good enough', I thought because of you. Everything I did, I did for you." He seemed a bit taken aback from my name cold, hurtful glare.

"I know-" But I cut him off. I had to say this. Everything I'd been wanting to say, it all had to come out now.

"No, you don't. You have no damn idea. You think after six months of wearing this happy, cheery mask, I can forgive you? Fall into your arms again? I don't think so. If you wanted me, you should've come after me. You should've.." I shook my head, and felt my voice crack. "You should've done something. I don't know what, but you obvious didn't care enough. I'm only human."

"But I have!" He took my hands again. "I was scared you'd reject me, throw me out on my arse! Maybe I got to know you in a untraditional, twisted way, but I would go any length just to hear your voice."

I let out a spiteful chuckle. "I got to know you unintentionally. I wasn't supposed to be falling in love, I was supposed to be on a mission. And I failed it. Because I am one twisted individual who was desperate. Because I fell in love with you."

"And you don't still?"

"Of course I do, don't be foolish!" I waved the thought away with a hand. "But it's...hard. God damn it, Draco. I'd stare at something, think of you, and Ginny would be so freaked, she'd take the Mickey out of me!" How could I ever find the strength to forgive him?

He leaned back against my nightstand. "I can't believe I became so enamored with you. You were all I thought about, other than the necessities. It was a healthy amount of thought, but every time I thought of your face, not Claire's, my stomach jumped a foot. That's when I knew. I knew that you were who I wanted. I came to Lupin's and Tonks' wedding, just to see you laugh. When I heard you laugh..." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "It was the symphony of angels."

"Then what kept you sane when you weren't following me?" I asked. Wordlessly, he pulled out of his long cloak the moving picture of me, Harry, and Ron.

"I wanted to return this to you." I put it up on my nightstand and stared at it blankly. The only memories I had of what was left of the Golden Trio.

"After I left my parents' grave, I went to Hogwarts. It was the same, although it never seemed like it would be." He turned his head towards me, and those never ending grey eyes. I crinkled my nose and my lip quivered. Getting onto my bed and taking him down to the floor in his eyes, I felt my emotions get the better of me.

"So this is what love feels like?" He whispered, more to himself than me.

"Yes!" I cried, wiping my eyes. That feeling I got when I released Draco from a future at jail came again in floods.

"If you thought I breathed when you were gone, you were wrong." I felt the word spill out of my mouth.

"Why?" He whispered again.

"Because I kept on holding on. I wanted to see you again, but it hurt. When I imagined you coming back, it was crazy and unrealistic. It was-"

He pressed two fingers to my lips. "I know."

A/N: This is the last actual chapter. An epilogue is to follow.