IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ FOLLOWING BEFORE YOU READ THE STORY!

I write this story on Microsoft Word. It's not the first story that I've started on word because I have disks full of them. But something very special has occured with this chapter. This chapter has caused my story to reach page one hundred in word! This is something that rarely occurs for me because I normally don't get this far in the stories. Out of the sixteen or so stories I am currently writing I've only reached one hundred in three. I want to thank all the reviewers for this. If you all didn't review I would have given up on the story and never strived to get this far. THANKYOU!

I know you'll all love this chapter...so now you may continue on and read it...lol...and thanks again...

Disclaimer: Not mine...I only own Marie...

Perfect End

Draco stood from the sofa and walked over to the corner where a house elf stood. Draco was still furious at Pansy and the way she was treating Granger. He had told her to be nice and what did she do?

"Bring me a strong cup of coffee. Then begin preparing the dinner, we'll eat a little early." Draco said softly. He turned around. "Would anyone else like a coffee?"

The others nodded and Draco told the elf to bring coffee for everyone instead. The elf bowed and disappeared as he turned around and started back to the couch that Hermione sat on.

'Marie was right. She is shaken. I guess I underestimated Pansy.' Draco said contemplating what to do about it.

"What happened to you over the last few days umm…Granger? You said you were sick." Blaise said trying to sound normal. Draco could tell that he was uncomfortable but appreciated his friend's attempts to be civil.

Hermione looked up her eyes a bit wide still. She turned and looked at Draco. His eyes weren't harsh any longer but were a bit gentle. She saw however that was because he wasn't looking at her but at Marie. His eyes were soft because of her not Hermione.

"Someone has been trying to kill me." Hermione replied softly.

"Someone used a voodoo doll to try to kill her. They would have too, but I revived her and the Dark Lord stopped the voodoo witch. Then we got a surgeon to fix her up. They've still tried to kill her but the Dark Lord gave her some of his power to protect her. She's perfectly fine now." Draco said looking down at Hermione who was looking at her hands.

"Did you discover who it was?" Marie asked taking the coffee offered by the house elf that had reappeared.

"No but the Dark Lord said that they can no longer use their magic to harm her."

"Well they're obviously trying to stop you and Granger from getting married. But why would they think they'd be able to kill her. She's in the Dark Lord's care. He wouldn't let anything happen to her." Marie said softly contemplating.

The elf had made its way around the group only having one cup left. It scurried over to Hermione and held out the cup. She took it and Draco saw it shaking slightly in her hands. The black liquid rippled as she brought it slowly to her lips. She sipped cautiously almost as if she were afraid the cup would hurt her. The warm coffee made her lips redden as she took the cup away. He watched her tongue slide innocently over her lips.

"Do you think it's one of the Death Eaters?" Blaise asked sipping at his coffee as well.

"Why would any of them be stupid enough to try to kill her?" Crabbe said sitting his cup down on the table.

"They might just be trying to torture her? Who knows?" Blaise said softly his eyes straying away from Hermione. He couldn't look at her as they talked about someone attempting to kill her.

"When's the wedding?" Millicent asking speaking for the first time.

"Three days." Draco said his attention turning from Hermione to his friends again.

"That's soon. Have you picked out a dress Hermione?" Marie asked as if she and Hermione had known each other forever.

Hermione felt comfortable with Marie for some reason. Maybe it was the way that she seemed to be so understanding of her fear of Pansy or maybe it was because she was the first one out of them all, including her fiancé, to call her by her first name and treat her nicely.

"No. Today is the first day I've been allowed to leave my room." She said taking another dainty sip of her coffee.

"Are you going to go soon?" Millicent asked seemingly interested.

As the girls began a conversation about the wedding Blaise motioned to Draco to stand and walk with him to another part of the room. Draco did and Crabbe and Goyle followed. When they were far enough away Draco turned to look at Blaise wondering what exactly he wanted.

"Draco what's going on with you and Granger?" Blaise asked using her last name just to be safe.

"We're getting married in three days." Draco said unhappily.

"But you're sticking up for her mate. You've changed toward her. What's happened between you two?"

"She died right in front of me Blaise." Draco said staring at his friend right in the face. "Whoever tried to kill her succeeded for a few minutes. She wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped. It was the scariest moment of my life. She was lying on her bed a hole in her stomach."

"The Dark Lord looked pissed when I told him she was dead. Then he said to bring her back. Do you know what it's like to have to figure out a way to bring someone who's been dead for at least three minutes back? It was so hard having to try to figure it out all the while telling myself I shouldn't help her. I could have decided right there, not to help her and let her stay dead. I couldn't take her life."

"I had to save her the muggle way. CPR. Then I had to clean and bandage the wound, which wasn't just a wound but a bloody hole. Her stomach was completely ripped apart and blood was everywhere. When it was all over I looked down at my hands. They were covered in her blood." Draco shivered. He remembered the feeling of the warm sticky thick liquid covering his fingers and palms. It had been like his own blood.

"She's just like me Blaise. She's stuck in this too. She doesn't want to be here and I've found that treating her somewhat civilly has made things go smoother between us. Not to mention a dream I had." Draco then commenced to talk about the dream leaving no detail out.

The boys had founds seats in their secluded corner as Draco talked. The girls however chatted about the wedding. Hermione still sounded a little nervous but was beginning to become comfortable with Marie and Millicent. It turns out that Millicent wasn't that bad of a person. She only did the things she did to Hermione because Pansy told her to. But Hermione didn't fully trust any of them. She knew it was to good to be true for them to suddenly accept her. She was still wary of them and would be ready to run if something happened. Where she would run to she had no clue.

"Have you heard anything about the wedding at all?" Marie asked.

"I only know it's three days from now. I don't get to plan it his mother is." Hermione said sitting properly again.

"Have you met Mrs. Malfoy?" Marie asked.

"Not yet."

"Oh you'll love her. She's so nice." Millicent said. "She would seem like she'd be really snobby and stuck up but she's completely the opposite. She's kind and really sweet."

'How sweet would she be to me, a Mudblood.' Hermione thought trying to fight the tears back.

The boys were heading back over when Blaise overheard Millicent's comment.

"Who's so sweet?" he asked sitting down beside Millicent.

"Mrs. Malfoy. We were just talking about her because Hermione said that she's planning the wedding."

"Yeah. She's been picking out flowers and china and all types of things." Draco said gracefully sitting beside Hermione, a little closer than he'd meant to.

"Does Hermione even get to pick her dress?" Marie asked a slight frown appearing on her face. For some reason that hit him hard. He hated to see Marie frown, especially over Granger's wedding dress.

"We go the day before the wedding to pick out attire. Then she'll meet my mother." Draco said turning to Hermione to see her reaction to this. He was surprised to see that her eyes were watery. Was she sad that she'd not get to plan her wedding or was it something about his mother?

The rest of the visit was spent talking about everyone else's summers. Marie was going to be going on vacation just after the wedding. Blaise was planning on starting a little Quidditch tournament in his backyard pitch. Millicent was going to France to visit an aunt for a few weeks. Crabbe and Goyle had no plans but were going to play the summer by ear.

It made Draco so happy to get off the subject of he and Granger and get lost in his friend's lives. He was taken away from his own troubles and got caught up in helping Blaise plan out the tournament with Crabbe and Goyle. Hermione he saw was getting on with Millicent and Marie quite well talking about both their vacations in wonderful places.

'She doesn't seem so afraid anymore. Marie really helped out, I'll have to thank her before she goes.' Draco thought a small smile forming on his lips as he watched the girl's talk of clothes and things.

But Draco was a little excited about this tournament. He loved to play Quidditch. Blaise was planning on having all their friends from Slytherin form teams of four people and play games until their was one team left. It would take place over two days. The teams would stay at his house and it would just be a great time.

"So you're gonna be on my team with Crabbe and Goyle right?" Blaise asked.

"Sure what position?" he asked. Since they would be teams of four they would have one Keeper, two Chasers, and one Beater.

"You can play a chaser. I'm going to be Keeper." Blaise said smiling.

"We're gonna win you know that right."

"Win what?" Millicent asked the girls tuning into what the boys were saying.

"My Quidditch tournament." Blaise said smiling.

"When is it?" Marie asked.

"Not until at least the beginning July." Blaise said. "You will both be home in time to watch."

"Good. I wouldn't want to miss that." Millicent said smiling.

At that point a house elf popped into the room and announced dinner was served. They adjourned to the dinning room where they sat and ate. They talked more about the things that they were planning for the summer. Then they started talking about their seventh year of school. That discussion got everyone involved.

"Well of course you two will be the Heads." Blaise said to Draco and Hermione who sat beside one another.

"Most likely." Draco said nodding.

"And of course they'll have to trade those Heads rooms in the common rooms for a single dorm because you'll be married." Millicent said smiling.

'Oh how I hope not.' Hermione thought. 'It'll be hard enough to tell Harry and Ron about this without having to explain that I have to stay in a dorm with him.'

"But who do you think the new Headmaster will be?" Crabbe asked.

That question made everyone stop eating. The room went very quiet. Eyes landed on Hermione then Draco everyone knowing one was involved with Dumbledore's death and the other had been close to Dumbledore.

Hermione kept her eyes on her plate. She didn't want to look up and see the eyes upon her, questioning. She wondered if Draco was looking at them. Or was he looking at her?

"Probably McGonigall." Said Marie softly.

The discussion moved away from the Headmaster to all the things that could happen in their seventh and final year at Hogwarts. They talked about balls and Hogsmeade trips and exams and classes. Hermione even participated in a discussion on History of Magic and whether the class was even worth paying attention in. Of course she argued for the class.

It was close to nine o' clock when their fathers entered.

"I'm afraid it's time for everyone to leave." Lucius said to the group of teenagers.

"It was nice to meet all of you." Hermione said softly as they rose. She struggled to keep from turning around to see the disgusted stares of the parents waiting just outside the door to the sitting room that they were in again.

"We'll all be at the wedding. We can talk more then." Marie said giving Hermione a reassuring smile. Then she pulled Hermione aside while Draco said his good-byes to the others.

"You mustn't fear Draco Hermione. He really is a good person when you get to know him. He is more like his mother than his father, remember that. Just try to help him understand you and try to understand him. Trust me." She said in a whisper. "Goodbye."

Hermione turned around as Marie past her. She watched the strawberry blonde walk to the door where her father waited. She didn't turn back to give Hermione a look but continued on. Hermione could tell just by the way that she walked that she was confident her message had gotten across to Hermione.

Hermione walked over to the others. Her mind still filed with Marie's words. She said a warm goodbye to Millicent, whom Hermione was beginning to consider as a friend, though she couldn't be entirely sure yet.

"Goodbye Granger." Blaise said. "It was nice meeting you formally."

He reached out a hand and gently shook hers. Draco stood beside him smirking. He was proud his friends could be so civilly to someone they considered dirt. He looked around wanting to say good bye to Marie but saw she was nowhere in sight.

"Where did Marie go?" he asked as Blaise turned and started away with the others.

"She was the first to leave." Hermione said simply. He looked down at her as she continued to watch the others leave.

Draco noticed then just how much shorter Hermione compared to him. The top of her head barely reached his chin. It might have been because he was in proper shoes and she was wearing flip-flops but he was fairly sure that she'd be that short even if she were wearing regular shoes.

Draco and Hermione were the only two left, standing side by side in the room. Lucius had gone to the living room where people were double Apparating to the Goyle's home. From there they would Floo to their own homes.

"Come on, let's go upstairs." Draco said softly not looking at Hermione.

"Can we talk first?" Hermione asked.

"About what Granger." He said turning.

"There are a lot of things."

"Can't we do it upstairs. I want to change out of these clothes." He said.

"All right." She said giving in.

They started out of the room and down the hall. All the while Hermione wondered what Marie had meant by he's more like his mother. What was his mother like? Was she sweet in a Slytherin way or sweet in a Gryffindor way? Would she be nice in Hermione's terms?

They started up the stairs Hermione staring at Draco's back. He had been so angry earlier over the things that Pansy had said to her. Did he really care about her or was he just doing it because he didn't like to be disobeyed. She followed him down the hall to his room. When he reached the door he turned and looked at her.

"Why don't you go to your room and wait?" he suggested.

"I want to talk to you immediately. Please." She said looking into his eyes.

He turned and opened his door stepping back so she could enter first. She walked past him entering his room. She stopped and waited for him to tell her where to sit.

"Just wait over there." He said pointing to the bed.

Hermione walked over and sat down. She watched him walk into his closet and start going through the clothes. She watched as he walked all the way to the back of the closet. He picked out a shirt and pulled it off the hanger. He started to unbutton his dress shirt. Hermione turned away.

Draco turned around and saw Granger was sitting with her head turned away. He smirked as he pulled off his shirt. He started to pull on the emerald green T-shirt.

"So what did you want to talk about Granger?" he asked as he grabbed a pair of back sweatpants.

"A lot of things Malfoy." She said.

Draco unbuttoned his pants first kicking off his shoes as he continued to talk.

"Why so eager Granger?" he asked looking up. Her head still faced away from him. He took off his dress pants and put on his sweat pants. He grabbed sneakers and socks and started out of the closet.

Hermione turned to look at him when she heard the door click shut. She watched as he approached her carrying his shoes in his hand. He sat down beside her on the bed sitting his shoes and socks between them.

"Well you can begin whenever you want Granger." He said looking at her.

"I was wondering why you yelled so much at Pansy when she was talking to me." Hermione said picking up the bundle of socks. She pulled them apart and handed one to Draco.

He sat there watching her. He wondered why she was doing it as she held out a sock for him. He took it and put it on his foot then took the other one and did the same. He put on his shoes then turned to look at her.

"Because she was disrespecting you after I told her not to."

"You yelled an awful lot."

"Yes." He said.

"Was it because she disrespected me or because she disobeyed you?" Hermione asked carefully.

Draco could tell by her tone that she didn't want to start a fight but did want an answer. He thought about it. It had pissed him off greatly that Pansy had the audacity to ignore what he told her. She was disrespectful and rude. But had he really been angry about Granger being personally insulted?

"A little of both maybe. You're not just Granger anymore. You and I will be together so if she insults you she's insulting me."

"Do you and Marie have a relationship that's being broken up because of me?" she asked her eyes filled with curiosity.

"No. We had a relationship last summer but it ended. It had nothing to do with you." He said running a hand through his hair.

"Did you love her?" Hermione asked. Draco's head snapped to her. He stared at her, just stared, unable to speak.

"I know it's not my place to ask, but something she told me makes a little sense."

"What'd she tell you?" he asked.

"She told me to try to understand you, and to help you understand me. I think she's right. I think maybe if we get to know each other better than maybe we could get along. Then maybe this marriage could be a little more bearable, you know?" she said turning her head and looking down at her hands.

"That sounds like something she'd say." Draco said standing. Both of his hands reached up and went through his hair. His fingers laced behind his head as he stopped and stood still. Suddenly he dropped his hands and turned around to look at Hermione. "Yeah. I loved her."

"I could tell. Do you still love her?"

"In a different way now. Did you ever love someone?" he asked turning the tables on Hermione.

"No."

"Not even Weasley?" Draco asked lying down on his bed beside her.

"I like Ron. But we fight so easily and certain things he does or says just drive me crazy. I'll always love him and Harry, but it's like you said, in a different way." As she spoke she reached up and pulled the band out of her hair, It cascaded down her back in brown waves.

"Did you like my friends?" he asked.

"I did. I was surprised that they were being so nice. It makes me wish I was pureblood." She said softly keeping her head turned away from him.

"You know that's not true Granger." Draco said sitting up. "You fight so hard against me because of your blood. You're proud to be Muggleborn."

"Not all the time. Sometimes I wish I were pureblood just so life would be a little easier. Everyone would accept me. You would even accept me, though you still wouldn't like me because I'm a Gryffindor and friends with Harry. But at least it'd be one less thing to think about constantly." She said slowly. "But that's only times when I'm really depressed."

They sat together in silence. Draco was lying with his hands beneath his head his feet dangling off the side of the bed. He was staring at Hermione's back. He could tell that she was sad and unhappy. But there was nothing that he could do to help her. They were both stuck in a situation that they couldn't get out of. They would never be able to escape. It was impossible.

Hermione sat on the edge of the bed her feet crossed at the ankles. Her flip-flops had fallen off long ago. She locked her fingers together in her lap trying to keep from crying. She was tired and overwhelmed. So many things were happening; she couldn't deal with it.

"Why were you so interested in why I yelled at Pansy?" he asked her softly.

"Nothing." She said making to stand but Draco sat up and stopped her.

"Just tell me Granger. It's not like I'm going to laugh at you." He said as her deep brown eyes turned on him.

"Do you care about me?"

"What?" he asked taking his hand from her shoulder.

"Do you care about me?" she repeated.

"Don't change the subject. I asked you a question." He said trying to hide the confusion on his face.

"I'm not changing the subject. I thought you were yelling at Pansy because you might care about me, even if it were just the tiniest bit."

They both stared at one another. Draco was completely astonished. She was asking him if he cared about her just because he stuck up for her. Her brown eyes sparkled with hope. She was hoping that he did care if only at minuscule amount, about her. She was in a strange place, captured, afraid. She was about to marry him and enter a relationship where she wouldn't be loved. She had never been loved, or been able to love, and he and his father and the Dark Lord were taking all that away from her. Now she was sitting before him, her wild hair hanging down in a curtain behind her shoulders, her sweet face with her piercing brown eyes staring at him, waiting to see if he could give her the one thing that she wanted now more than anything. She realized she would never have love, but she wanted anything, anything that might make the relationship bearable.

Draco asked himself if he cared about her. Of course his first answer was 'Absolutely not! She's a Mudblood.' But something deeper within him told him that it wasn't true. Though she was a Mudblood she was different. She was special. That part of him that his father had taught him to keep way down deep in the recesses of his mind told him that she was important to him. She was much more than just a mere Mudblood. It didn't tell him why he felt that way but it did show him that in that small minuscule way, he did care.

"It's all right. I knew the answer already, I really shouldn't have asked." He heard her say. The sound of her voice brought him back. His eyes focused again on her small form sliding off the bed. He watched as she slipped her feet into the flip-flops and started for the door. Her fingers had just closed around the doorknob when he called out to her.

"Wait."

Hermione turned around. She was surprised to see Draco Malfoy hurrying over to her. He stopped before her as she looked up into his eyes.

"And what, if I may ask, is the answer?" he asked.

"Don't play with me. I feel enough pain already." But he still stared at her. He wanted and answer. "You don't care."

"You're wrong Granger. Though you might think I'm nothing but a heartless git, you're wrong. I do care about you. I care about your safety and your feelings. Sometimes I act like a prat, but I do care. You cant be engaged and not have some degree of caring for the other, even if you are enemies."

"You care about me?" she asked turning to face him. Her hand fell from the doorknob to rest at her side.

"Yeah, but let's not make a huge deal of it all right." He said.

Hermione just looked at him for a moment. So many things were flying through her mind that she didn't think before she acted. She had no control of her body. She smiled lifting her arms and encircling them around his neck. She pulled herself against him in a hug.

Draco was completely blown away by her actions. Her skinny body was pressed against him. Her arms were wrapped about his neck and her head lay against his chest just below his chin. He could feel her breaths as she took them against his chest. She had to be standing on her tiptoes to reach around his neck.

He responded the only way that he knew how. His arms lifted a bit and he slowly and gently touched her sides with his hands. He could feel the soft material of the dress against his hands and the curves of her body as well. His mind went completely blank as his hands slid behind her back and encircled her. His chin rested lightly on the top of her head.

Hermione's heart began to pound hard in her chest. She couldn't understand what was making it do that. It was only a hug. It wasn't like she liked Malfoy; it was just the only way that she knew to thank him for the words he'd just said. She had hugged plenty of guys and not felt this way.

The hug seemed to last forever to the two of them, but in reality it only lasted a moment or two. Hermione was the one to break it as her arms unattached themselves from him. She slowly got off her tiptoes her body sliding down his front. She looked up into his eyes and saw something else within them. Something that she couldn't explain. He didn't look happy but not mad. He looked almost content, yet sad. What could that look mean?

Her hands rested on his shoulders as his barely touched her hips. Her heart was still racing. She knew that she should let him go and go to her room but something kept her there. Maybe it was the fact that he hadn't let her go either.

Draco's mind was still blank as he stared at her. It was almost as if he'd forgotten who her was. She didn't look like the girl that he was supposed to hate at the moment. Instead she looked like any other girl, anyone. That little part of him, the one that he wasn't supposed to listen to told him to do something that the normal him wouldn't really consider. Something he'd almost done earlier that day.

But earlier he had been controlled by pure curiosity. He had been curious to see her reaction. He'd also wanted to do something that he knew would scare confuse and anger her all at once. But this time he was driven by that same part of him that cared for her. Slowly he inclined his head.

The kiss was soft and simple. But with that simple kiss the world was changed for the two forever. It last only a sweet second and when it ended both seemed to come to their senses. Hermione turned away and opened the door slipping through without another word. Draco stood fixed to his spot staring with surprise at the door.

A few minutes later Hermione lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She lightly touched her lips where she could still feel his. She could still smell his cologne on her, feel his hands touching her hips with gentleness previously unknown.

Draco also lay in his bed. He had removed his shoes and pulled down the covers in a complete daze as the feel of Granger's lips on his played over in his mind.

'I kissed Granger.' He thought to himself closing his eyes and remembering the feel of her body against his. In her own room Hermione was thinking the same thing about Draco.

As if planned by some all-seeing being in heaven above both Draco and Hermione, at the same moment uttered exactly the same words.

"And I think I liked it."

didn't I tell you you'd like this one...lol...let me know just how much you liked it...

Starry