Thank you to everyone who put this on story alert. I really enjoy that people are giving the story a shot. Once again the characters are OCC, extremely so with some.
While Hermione was showering Draco paced around his office. He had a fireplace all ready for floo guests including one who would be there any minute.
After a few moments a large poof was heard and a man stood in the fireplace coughing.
"Gah, Draco I understand you finally found the girl who you fell in love with on the streets but calling me at midnight to try to figure out what to do? Really?" Blaise said.
"You don't get it. I found her on the streets, in rags, drinking, and she didn't even know who I was until people were talking. She's alive. Nobody had seen her sense the day that weasel broke up with her." Draco explained pacing.
"Technically she broke up with him." Blaise said. Draco glared. "Well what I am suppose to do? It's not like all her stuff will just appear out of nowhere. You know I would go get her things in a heartbeat but I couldn't without Gin getting suspicious of me cheating on her which I would never do." Blaise exclaimed sitting on the couch.
"I know I know. I'm just freaking out. I have a reputation. I walk in from the muggle world with some street person who happens to be Hermione Granger who hasn't been seen for 4 years." Draco was stilll pacing scared. "What will people think? What about that Rita person? This will be all over with her. 'Draco Malfoy finds missing war hero, what did he really do to her?' Everyone thinks I use to hate her, they blamed her death on me. What am I going to do?"
"Wait your reputation?" Blaise asked confused.
"Yes my reputation. I had to work with muggles to convince everyone I didn't hate muggle-borns. Now I come back with the queen of them."
"You find your lost love, and all you care about is your damn reputation?" Blaise yelled.
"Of course not. I'm just really stressed." Draco finally sat. "She's gone through hell the past few years. Not only was I charged with causing it, but I couldn't do anything to help her. If you would've seen her you would realize why I'm a bit confused!"
After a few minutes of silence Blaise just got up and headed to the fireplace.
"If it helps at all, everything of her's is the same at the Weasley house as it was a few years ago." He said softly. "Wand, head badge, books, everything. I would sugjest you help her through readjusting. You never know what will happen." And with that he left, leaving Draco alone.
After a minute he realized what he would have to do. He left his office and headed outside. He past Hermione's door where the lights were turned off.
When outside he started mumbling trying to remember the name for the Weasley house.
"The Barrow, no, the Buround, no, oh wait the Burrow, right." He quickly apparated.
As he arrived he looked around. He was in the middle of nowhere in front of a house that could fit in his library. After a deep breath or two he walked up to the door and knocked. He heard shuffling and the door opened. He looked up and saw a shocked Ginny, a pissed of Ron, and a very pregnant Lavender. Ron started yelling
"What do you want you little piece of sc-"
"I wouldn't be talking like that if I were you." Draco growled at him, quickly quieting him. "Ginny may I please come in?" He softened his voice to more of a plead. With many rejects from Ron she let him into the front room, where he sat on a chair. A toddler was playing on the rug.
"So Draco, what is it that you would want in the middle of the night? From us none the less?" Ginny asked pleasantly. The two had been on decent terms sense Blaise and her started dating a year ago. She had actually helped in his case to get him off the hook for Hermione.
"I would prefer to tell you without them around." He motioned to Ron and Lavender. Ron scowled. Lavender just shrugged, picked up the toddler, and headed upstairs.
"Why should I have to leave?" Ron asked, still not happy.
"Because in an extremely round about way you're why I'm here. Oh and congratulations on the second kid, who did you have to cheat on for this one?" Draco said sarcastically. Ron left fuming. After a quick spell to make sure nobody would be able to hear them, they started talking.
"So what do you want?" Ginny asked. Draco sighed. He pulled a ring box out of his pocket and tossed it to her.
"I found her." He whispered.
"You found Hermione?" Ginny asked surprised and confused. "But she was presumed dead after she ran away from here."
"Presumed is the word. She was in the muggle world, on the street." He whispered again, sad this time. "She was drinking, in rags, and looked nothing like the girl we knew."
"Why didn't you tell me right away? You know how much guilt I felt about her running away!" She cried.
"Because it's going to be all over the papers tomorrow. I figured if you heard it sooner than everyone else it would be fine. Plus I didn't want that jerk hearing." He nodded his head towards the stairs.
"Draco I know you were heartbroken when she disappeared." Ginny said in a comforting voice. "And I know everyone blamed you when it was his fault. But you can't just hate him. He was crushed at the memorial service."
"At least he was aloud to go!" Draco snapped. "I had the ministry on me. Fucking Potter had everyone convinced I had done it. And nobody questioned him because he was the one who ended the war. Do you know what it's like having everyone think you killed the love of your life?"
"But now, you can get her back." Ginny said handing him the ring box. "I know with our Hermione is in there somewhere, wanting to come out."
"You're right." He responded putting the ring back in his pocket.
"Now why did you come here? I know you wouldn't to come just to tell me you found her."
"Oh right. I need her stuff. At least her wand." Draco said.
"OK, that's a reasonable request. I don't know where she left in exactly so you have to come with me to look." Ginny said standing. They headed upstairs to the room Hermione had stayed in.
"I haven't been in here sense that day." She whispered. "I couldn't stand it."
"Now she's back. I'll bring her here when she's more emotionally stable. Until then I think she shouldn't be exposed to to many people."
They quietly opened the door. A quick spell lit all the candles. Once perfectly lit Draco looked around the room. There was photos, muggle and wizard alike, scattered across the walls. A bookshelf crammed with books was sitting next to a bed. There was clothes and parchment scattered everywhere. Draco started looking for the wand while Ginny looked at photos. She saw one of Draco with tiny hearts drawn around it under some others. She smirked and put it back.
Draco quickly found the wand under an old griffindor robe. It was placed neatly in it's original box. Draco picked it up and put the lid on the case.
"Thank you Ginny. I knew Blaise chose right in picking you." Draco said giving her a friendly hug. She grinned.
"That means a lot. I assume you're on you're way then?" Ginny said. He nodded.
"Yeah. Do you think I could take the fireplace? I think the storm is picking up." With Ginny's nod he headed downstairs, leaving her to look at photos.
He quickly headed home. After brushing himself off in the office Draco headed to his room. He got ready for bed and set the wand on his bed stand.
The next day (With Hermione.)
Hermione woke to the sun shining brightly on her face. She blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She looked around again and saw she was still in Malfoy manor.
She got up and headed to the bathroom. After doing her business and brushing her teeth she left the bathroom and the room. She saw Draco's door open so she assumed he was eating.
When she got down to the main hallway she started trying to find the kitchen. She found a lounge, a small library, and a few other random rooms, then she came upon a dark blue door. After looking to make sure she was alone she opened the door and headed inside, leaving the door open behind her.
Inside was a ton of bookshelves and funky shaped photo albums. She grabbed one and sat in an oversized chair and opened it. She gasped when she saw it was news articles about her, her disappearance imparticular. She set that down and flipped through another one. It had the same articles but with certain sentences highlighted. She saw one that was open with an article laying out. It looked as if someone had dripped water on it, she read it after sitting back down.
Search coming to a close.
After searching for a year and a half the search for Hermione Jean Granger has been called off. Granger was a war hero in some peoples words but just another person in her own.
The search was called off last Tuesday by Harry Potter, a long time friend of Hermione. He was quoted as saying,
"It has been 18 months at this search for her and no clues have been found to where she may be. I have a strong feeling that if she was alive she would have shown up by now. She wasn't the type of person who would let something simple put her in hiding. I still have my strong feelings that an old school mate had something to do with her disappearance but with no evidence this cannot be proven."
So now, the magical world as we know it shall go into mourning. We feel many of her school mates will not believe that the Gryffindor Princess (As she was known) has been presumed dead. Today we believe this is a sad, sad, day.
After reading the article Hermione starred at the wall in shock, a voice quickly startled her.
"It's amazing isn't it?" Draco's soft voice echoed off the walls. "Today is the 3 year anniversary of the search being called off."
"Why did everyone loose hope in me?" She whispered. Draco sighed and took a seat in the chair next to her.
"Because it hurt to much." He said. "Nobody could believe you were gone. And without a reason. Only a few people know the truth. What's worse is it was put on me, the blame that is."
"Why was it put on you?"
"Because of everything I had done. It had been a year after the war when you first disappeared. People didn't trust me yet with my past. I ended up having to go and get a muggle job for people to trust me. Potter never did though. He had it out for me. The truth of me getting that job is actually that I wanted to find you. I knew you had to be in London."
"Why did you want to find me?"
"To get people off my case." Draco said jokingly. Hermione, didn't take it as a joke.
"Oh I get it. Your stupid reputation was the only reason you gave a shit. Let me guess there was also a reward for whoever you could find me." She snapped angrily.
"Hermione, no, you don't understand. That was a-"
"I do understand. You just wanted to find me and get my filthy mudblood air off of you."
"Hermion-"
"You probably also thought you could find me a few years later and seem like some sort of hero. You probably knew exactly where I was and just let me go threw hell so you could torture me before becoming said hero."
"Herm-"
"And another thing-" She started but was cut off when a set of lips was pressed on her own. She stood there for a moment, shocked but quickly melted into the kiss. After a minute Draco pulled away, Hermione burst into tears and gripped on to him. He wrapped his arm around her and held her until she settled down.
"I'm so sorry Draco." She whispered after she was calm.
"It's ok. You've been through a lot in the past few years. And your not being dead is all over the papers. I don't think that would help you right now." He responded not letting go of her.
"You're right there." She said, resting on his chest.
"So for the next few days we're just going to stay here in the manor. When you're more stable we'll worry about that ok?" She nodded.
"Good, so would you like a tour of the manor?" He asked pulling away. She smiled and nodded again. He took her hand and lead her out of the room. They spent the rest of the day walking around the manor laughing, talking, and just spending time together.
Yeah...you might have emotional issues too after all she's been through.
Please rate and review! :)