Disclaimer: JK Rowling is the master

1997 – March 24

Hermione looked so fragile and broken. She lay on the bed, unmoving, her eyes surrounded by dark circles.

"Draco?" she asked softly.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry," he couldn't help the feeling that he had done this to her. He tried to go to her side, but Potter held him back.

"No, do not blame yourself for this," she ordered him. "And Harry, please, he's not going to hurt me."

"Will somebody please explain to me what is going on here?" Harry asked, confused.

"Draco, what did you tell them in your message?" Hermione questioned.

Draco sighed knowing she was not going to be happy with his vagueness. It wasn't as if the boys would believe anything he told them anyway, it had to come from Hermione.

"I just told them that I didn't kill you, I kidnapped you and that you were now in horrible danger and would only make it out alive if they rescued you. I had a feeling my aunt would be a bit too quick with destroying the cabin, she always did enjoy destruction. I told them the location of the cabin as well as told them we would probably be at the Manor. I really didn't say all that much," he described.

Hermione sighed. "That explains why they have been treating you like a criminal. Harry, what he told you wasn't even close to being the full story. Draco kidnapped me because it was the only way to save my life."

Potter seemed even more confused.

"I was ordered to kill her and the only way to attempt to keep her alive was to kidnap her," Draco said, eyes on the floor. He had to make it clear that he was not some hero, but had been the one sent to kill her, had been the reason why she had been targeted in the first place.

"Draco knew that if anyone found out I was still alive they would hunt me down, that it would be much worse for me if I were discovered. He did his best to keep me safe Harry. But Voldemort was too powerful and learned that I was alive and where we were through some sort of legilimency. Draco couldn't have done anything to prevent what happened to me," Hermione explained.

"Why would Voldemort want you dead Hermione? He was after me," Potter wondered.

"Well," Draco took a deep breath. He really didn't want to share his feelings with the boy. "I didn't hate her as much as everyone thought I did. The Dark Lord found out and felt the need to eliminate the source of my inappropriate . . . not hating."

"But, I don't understand. Of course you hated her; you hated all of us. You were always horrible." Potter was still bewildered by all of this. Draco was beginning to get frustrated by his lack of comprehension of the matter.

"It was all an act, alright?! At least with her. It was necessary to make people believe that I hated her or else… this would happen!" he shouted, fed up with all of this and just wanting to be by Hermione's side.

Potter's jaw dropped and his eyes grew a bit wider. He had finally figured out what was going on. He looked between Draco and Hermione, probably trying to find some sort of clue that his realization was incorrect.

"You … You're…" Potter struggled to make out.

"Harry, I'm in love with Draco," Hermione told him.

Hearing those words come out of her mouth warmed Draco's entire being. How long had he waited? How long had he thought he would never hear her utter even his first name let alone the amazing words that came before it. Potter looked as if he was about to pass out.

Without waiting another moment, Draco went to Hermione's side and took her hand in his. "I'm sorry," he whispered again.

"Stop it. Stop apologizing. You did all you could. It isn't your fault," she reprimanded him. Hermione seemed very tired, as if all this was completely exhausting. She needed to rest.

"No, this isn't right," Potter said, coming to his senses. "You've obviously done something to her to make her think that…"

Draco sighed.

"No, Harry. Please believe me. Draco didn't do anything to me. Let him stay," Hermione pleaded.

"What do you think I could have done? And why? If I am really the horrible muggle hating wizard you think I am, why would I want to make Hermione fall in love with me?" Draco questioned, turning back to face Potter. "Do you think this is some big conspiracy to get inside the Order, to lead the Dark Lord to victory? If you do, then you are more thick than I thought you were. That man is insane and all I've wanted ever since he came back was for him to disappear again! He took over my house, threatened my family, destroyed my life, my soul! You think I want him to be alive?"

"Wait, you never told him?" Hermione asked, looking at her friend.

"Tell me what?" Draco asked.

Potter sheepishly looked at the floor. "Hadn't gotten to it yet."

"Harry! How could you keep this from him?" Hermione scolded. "Draco, Voldemort's dead."

Draco froze.

He's dead.

The Dark Lord is gone.

Potter did it.

His eyes went wide. Did he believe it? Hermione had told him it was true, so it must be, right? It was over?

Draco's body gradually relaxed as the words continued to sink in.

It was over. The war was done.

"Why didn't I notice it?" he asked, more to himself than to anyone else. The mark; he should have felt something. His hand absentmindedly came to rest over his left forearm.

"You had a lot on your mind," Hermione answered softly.

He needed to know for sure. Draco closed his eyes and pushed up his sleeve. Once he opened them, he would know for certain if the evil man was gone. Slowly, he looked down.

The mark was still there, but it had noticeably faded. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

He glanced up to see Potter staring at his arm. Draco sighed, realizing he had just shown him the Dark Mark.

"Hermione –" Potter started, but she interrupted.

"Harry, I don't want to hear it."

"Potter, she needs to rest and she's not going to be able to do that with you arguing with her. You need to let her recover and stop trying to find a reason why this isn't real. Whether you accept it or not, it is, so just let her rest," Draco told him.

"Fine, but I'm not leaving you alone with her," Potter said, leaning against the corner of the room.

Draco wanted to be able to freely talk to her and comfort her, but he wasn't being forced to leave so he would take what he could get.

"I'm not going to leave you," he said softly, sitting down beside her. After everything that had happened, he wasn't going to let anyone separate him from her side until he was dragged off to Azkaban. "Everything is going to be alright," he whispered, finally being able to say the words truthfully.

1997 – March 30

"Come on! Please?"

"No, Hermione," Draco replied with a small laugh. "The healer said you have to stay in bed. Your body needs to recover."

"It's been nearly a week! I don't think I can take much more of this. I am fine! What I need is to get out of this house, get some fresh air. I need to move my legs and stretch my muscles," Hermione stated.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, but I'm sure it won't be much longer," he assured her.

"I hope you're right because I'm about to hex that healer into oblivion if she keeps me tied to this bed for even another day!" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and lay back against the pillows stacked up behind her.

She had been sitting up, and eating proper meals for a few days now. All she wanted was to go for a walk; somewhere out of thought she couldn't hear what went on downstairs, but the voices carried plain as day. There was so much arguing going on about Draco, it was driving her mad! She knew they were only trying to protect her, but they needed to cut back that protection, just a bit.

Hermione was glad Draco had a couple people on his side. It made her smile to hear Lupin, and sometimes Mrs. Weasley standing by him. Harry was starting to come around, beginning to see that Draco wasn't trying to hurt her but attempting to keep her safe and do what was best for her. But no one fully trusted him, leading to yelling matches every time Draco wanted to see her. Of course nobody ever asked for her thoughts on the matter. Most of them didn't even believe what she said.

Ron hadn't been in to visit, but Hermione knew what that curse could do and understood that he needed to recover as well. Everyone said he was alright and was recovering quickly, but it was as if they were candy coating everything for her, as though she were some fragile doll who would break if the wrong thing was said.

She wished they would let Draco see her more often as he was the only one who treated her like she wasn't half dead.

Hermione sighed and took Draco's hand in both of hers, giving him a tight squeeze. There wasn't much use being angry with him when they had such a short time together. She missed the nights they had spent side by side, being able to wake up from a nightmare with his arms already around her. Now, he wasn't even on the same floor.

Yes, the Voldemort-induced nightmares had disappeared, but in their place remained dreams reliving that night. Every time she went to sleep, she was transported back, surrounded by Death Eaters, entertainment for Voldemort himself, in constant agony at the mercy – or lack thereof – of Bellatrix Lestrange. She wished that her friends could see that she was telling the truth, that Draco was trustworthy, and let him comfort her when she woke up absolutely terrified.

Hermione felt a tear roll down her cheek and quickly wiped it away. But not before Draco noticed it's presence.

"Hey, everything will be alright," he told her softly.

"You keep saying that."

"Because now I know it's true."

"You can't know for certain. You can't ever know that," she argued.

Draco bobbed his head to gesture for her to move over in the bed. Hermione gave him a small smile and scooted over a bit, giving him room to join her. He pulled her into an embrace and she rested her head on his chest, hearing his heart beating beneath her ear. It was very soothing to hear the constant thud keeping the man she loved alive. Hermione closed her eyes as Draco's soft lips touched the top of her head.

Changing her position a small bit, she looked up at him, snaked one hand behind his neck, and gently pulled his head down so that the his next kiss would meet her lips. She moaned softly against him as he brought them closer, winding her fingers into his hair. They had not had enough time along lately and she missed having that freedom. Just when she realized how much she loved him, he was being kept from her.

The door slammed open, making Draco groan. "Again?" he whispered. It seemed as if every time they started to snog, they got interrupted.

"What is this?! Get out!" It was Ron. Of all the times to visit, he had to choose now.

"Will he hurt you?" Draco asked quietly.

"No, but he might hurt you," she replied honestly.

"Get out!" Ron yelled again.

"Alright mate, I'm leaving!" Draco responded, holding his hands up defensively as he slid off the bed and headed to the door. "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

Hermione wasn't sure if she had ever seen Ron this angry before, his face beet red.

"Well? Explain yourself!" he ordered. "We think you're dead and all this time you're off somewhere snogging the enemy? I don't understand Hermione!"

"That's not what happened and I think you know that," she told him, trying to keep her voice calm. She hated seeing the hurt and fury welling in his eyes.

"That's bloody well what it looks like!" he countered.

Hermione sighed sadly. "Ron, if it hadn't been for Draco, I would have actually been killed a while ago."

"That's what they keep saying."

"Why are you blaming me for this? I know that you were hurt, you thought I had been killed and I'm sorry for that, I really am. But the truth is that Draco isn't the evil prick you think he is. He was taught to believe certain things and when those beliefs started to fall apart, he couldn't talk to anyone, couldn't even let anyone know that he was questioning them. It would have been horrible for him if he had, and then when Voldemort returned, it would have been dangerous. You know what would have happened to him if any of the Death Eaters found out about his changing opinions," she tried to explain.

"He's still a Death Eater himself and nothing makes up for that."

"That wasn't his choice Ron! His father was a Death Eater and so he was forced to take the mark as well."

"I don't believe that he didn't want that mark in the first place."

"Oh, Ronald. Stop being so thick headed and for once open your mind to the possibility that Draco isn't the enemy you should be fighting."

"Stop calling him Draco! He's Malfoy! He's a Death Eater from a family of Death Eaters and has done something to you to make you think that he changed!"

"Am I your friend?" Hermione asked.

"Of course you're my friend Hermione; one of my best friends," his eyes started to soften.

"And do you trust me?"

"With my life."

"Then why won't you trust my judgement of him? He didn't hurt me. He didn't do anything to me to make my feelings change about him. Everything he did was to protect me, even when it meant putting his own life in danger."

"But Hermione, he took you . . . he took you away from us. Now I come in here and you're all over him like one of his school girl sluts!"

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "Ron," she nearly whispered. "Do you really believe that?"

"Again, that's what it looked like!"

Tears started to gather in her eyes but she took a deep breath and held them back.

"He's not who you accuse him of being. Ron, I told Harry, and now I'm telling you. I'm in love with him."

"What?! No, you're not!" Ron argued.

Hermione sighed. "I am. And I know, I know it seems insane, and too soon to be making such claims, but it's true."

"But. . . what if . . . what if I'm in love with you?" he asked.

"Aren't you dating Lavender Brown?"

"Was. Broke up," he said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You don't. You don't love me that way Ron. We're friends, best friends, but we could never be more than that." She sighed. "I don't want to lose you."

"And how do you think we felt?" he asked solemnly. "I don't know if you realize Hermione, but you put us through hell thinking you were dead. I don't want to lose you either, but I'm afraid I already have."

"No, I'm right here. I'm still me, we're still friends-"

"But you're different. You've changed . . . somehow," he told her.

"We can't help who we fall in love with. I'm still the same person I was before all this happened."

"And I can't help still being in love with you. You have changed Hermione, but for some reason that doesn't change the way I feel about you."

"Ron – "

"And I don't trust him. I don't believe Malfoy is the saint you make him out to be. I can't believe Harry left you alone with him. Someone should be watching him every second he's with you."

Hermione shook her head, bewildered. "I don't understand you right now. One moment you come barging in here, yelling, calling me a slut, and the next you are telling me you love me and want to protect me? This past month and a half has been hard on all of us and I think each of us has changed. But that doesn't mean we can't be friends. That also doesn't mean I have become Draco's . . . slut. Can we put this behind us for just a moment? Please? I missed you so much. Now will you please stop pacing around, arguing and come give me a hug?"

Ron sighed. "Alright, but this isn't over."

Hermione knew it wouldn't be; he had always been good at holding grudges, but for now, he resigned to embracing the friend he had thought he'd lost.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Another chapter here, I hope you enjoyed it. I feel like the part with Ron was a bit all over the place, but I think that is also part of his character so I hope it was alright. Let me know what you thought! I love hearing from you!

Thanks so much to bennettfan84 and WolfGrigoryPassionSoulmate for the reviews.

Thanks everyone for reading, and have a great week!