Chapter 8: I don't know.
Hermione woke up and looked to the nearest clock and saw that it was nearly 12 o'clock. Draco was still sleeping in the bed next to hers. Hermione tried to wake him up but after he made a loud snore Hermione got dressed and went down for lunch. Even when she came back up again Draco was still fast asleep, Hermione sat down on her bed and noticed a sort of book and a few loose sheets on the floor. These weren't hers so they had to belong to Draco who's bag had fallen open on the end of his bed.
Hermione opened the book it was filled with names with below each of them some information. She knew it was 'the list' she looked herself up in the little book and found her name scratched through in the missing section with found written underneath it. Hermione looked up some other names too, and found Harry with a big picture with in the description 'The one who saved the Wizarding world from Voldemort' and the entire Weasley family on two pages with Fred Weasley's name scratched through. The thought of Fred being killed in battle after she had left still made her feel guilty.
Hermione picked up some of the note's that lied on the floor. One of them was filled with names and it was all written in Draco's handwriting, she recognised them all. It were the names of almost every student in her year at Hogwarts. Most of them were scratched through so was hers and the bottom of the page said in a very small writing Please forgive me.
Hermione placed the book and the papers back in Draco's bag and closed it so nothing else would fall out. Hermione took out a book of her own. It was a book with spells because Hermione forgot quite a few after two years not revising them.
Draco finally woke up and after realising it was nearly two o'clock in the afternoon he rushed in and out the bathroom and was fully dressed after Hermione pointed out that he was wearing some of his Hogwarts robes (which were too small) over his pyjamas. Hermione didn't quite understand why he still carried his Hogwarts robes around.
When they were finally searching the streets for any possible wizards Hermione had to pull Draco out of an television shop because he kept shouting at a news anchor (who he thought was a portrait) on a television. Hermione finally noticed a little house people didn't seem to notice with on the door written: If you can read this you're a wizard.
Draco took out some of his papers and knocked on the door. After a minute or two a little girl around five years old opened the door and she was immediately followed by a girl who seemed to be her big sister.
"I'm sorry I'm not used to people knocking on the door." The girl said.
"Can't the people see it." Hermione asked.
"No it's invisible to any muggles and only wizards can touch the property without losing their memory."
"I'm here in name of the ministry of magic." Draco interrupted. "You should have received an owl from the ministry of magic a week ago saying 'the list' will be updated."
"Yes, and we thought you would come that same day we gathered the entire wizard community of our town in our garden." She girl said. "They've been camping there for a week."
Hermione and Draco were led through a very small house to the garden that was very large and filled with tents. Hermione counted almost 20 tents and according to the girl every tent hosted more than one family. An older woman came towards them and announced herself as the head of the wizarding community.
"Were all here every wizard you can find in this town." The woman said "There are 132 people in total."
"Do you perhaps have a list of all these people?" Draco asked.
"Oh no sorry dear I'd write down the same person ten times without noticing it."
A grin appeared on Hermione's face, she knew Draco would have to ask every single person the same set of questions and it would take a while to get it done. But Hermione offered to help and they finished in half the time, most people went back home after their names were written down so the garden became less crowded.
"Do I know you from somewhere." Asked several people afterwards to Hermione. They answered the question for themselves a few seconds later. "You're that girl, Harry potter's friend that went missing aren't you. I've seen your picture in the daily prophet it appears every once in a while."
Hermione looked startled at Draco who took another book out of his bag. It was a bigger book with articles from the daily prophet all about people who fought at the final battle at Hogwarts. Most of them were articles about Harry or announcements about people who died and a few articles were about those who went missing. Hermione and a few other people were in these articles every article featured less people and one of the articles mentioned only Hermione because it was personally written by Harry Potter who requested everyone to look for her.
"I didn't know." Hermione said with the tears running down her eyes. Moments later Hermione nearly fainted but Draco held her standing up by holding one arm around her waist.
"I thought nobody would remember me after a while." Hermione said crying. Draco kissed her on her forehead and said "Everybody remembered you."
Moments later Draco had thanked the family and had to help Hermione out and disapparated immediately with her.
Hermione arrived in a place she didn't recognise. Draco released Hermione and disapparated again to moments later appear again with their bags from the hotel.
"You stay here I'll get someone to look after you before I leave again." Draco said.
"Where are we?" Hermione asked. But he had vanished again before finishing the question.
An hour later someone entered by the floo network. It was Harry Potter. The first thing Hermione did was give him a big hug. Harry was the best friend you could imagine, he really knew what was best for her and now it was not to say too much.
"Hello." Harry said. "Missed you."
"Missed you too." Hermione said. "Would you mind telling me where I am?"
"This is Draco's apartment." Harry answered. "It's in London in a muggle street.
"I thought you wouldn't notice my disappearance."
"How can we not notice it. It was the first thing I asked someone after the war."
"I'm sorry i couldn't take all that slaughter anymore too many people died during that war."
"Don't worry, we're happy that we've got you back." Harry said
"How did you know I was here." Hermione asked Harry.
"Draco Malfoy told me he visited me at work, told me the entire story about how he found you and that you needed someone to look after you so here I am." Harry said "But I knew you were safe because about a week ago Ron came over he asked me to talk you into coming back because he thought you weren't going to be safe with Draco knowing where you live."
"What am I supposed to do here all by myself?" Hermione asked "You aren't going to stay all the time."
"Perhaps you could stay with George and Ginny in the apartment above the shop they've always got a spare room for guests.."
"Better not I don't want to see Ron all the time. He makes me a bit nervous some times."
"But he doesn't live there." Harry said "He only sleeps there when George asks him to help in the shop. It'll be just you George and Ginny."
"I should stay with them, all by myself in a strange house isn't that much fun."
Hermione took her bag that was still packed from Draco's dining table and side along apparated with Harry to Diagon Alley. Hermione saw a brightly coloured shop but the paint on the outside of the shop had worn off and the windows were full brightly coloured things except for a little card in the corner of the window asking for someone to help in the shop. Apparently Harry had a spare key and unlocked the door because it was the shop's closing day.
"Ginny is that you?" someone asked from upstairs. Hermione recognised the voice as George's.
"No, it's me Harry!" Yelled Harry back. "And I brought Hermione with me!"
"You're joking!" An instant later George came out of the door that separated the apartment with the shop on the first floor and looked down the stairs.
"Hi George." Hermione said.
"I thought you said you were going to stay in your house in that little village of yours."
"I changed my mind."
Harry told George what had happened and that Hermione needed to stay somewhere. Harry couldn't stay for much longer because he had abandoned his job to see Hermione. George showed Hermione where her bedroom was and showed her the apartment. Hermione had agreed to work in the shop for a little amount of money so that George didn't have to pay a full time employee. Hermione agreed with getting less money than a real employee because she didn't have to pay for food and other things.
The apartment was really nice it had no hallways so from the living room/kitchen you had access to all the other rooms.
After a while Hermione found herself in one of the comfortable chairs in the living room of the apartment reading the latest newspaper. George was in the shop making sure everything was in place for when they opened tomorrow.
Half an hour later Hermione heard the door of the shop open and Ginny's voice talking to George. Hermione expected George to pull a little prank on Ginny in these sort of moments. Sadly he didn't because seconds later she heard Ginny yelling "HERMIONE WHERE?" and heard her going up the stairs really fast. Ginny gave the biggest hug imaginable and so did Hermione.
They hadn't seen each other for more than two years. Ginny didn't want to know where Hermione had been or what had happened to her, she was just happy she could see her again.
"George and Ron told me about you when they visited you a week ago." Ginny said smiling "When they came back without you I thought I'd never see you again."
"I've changed my mind."Hermione said.
It was nearly seven o'clock when Ginny started cooking, Hermione had offered to help but Ginny wanted to give Hermione a self mad welcome home meal. George had also offered to help but Ginny refused to let him touch anything mainly because he had never bothered to learn how to cook and not even an omelette would survive a second in George hands.
Later that evening Harry came over from work to see Ginny and to join them at dinner. Hermione enjoyed herself and wondered why she had left to miss all this.
About a week had passed and The Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was open and it was very very busy. But with all the five employees, Ginny, Hermione and George they could manage it. Draco had entered the shop but nobody had noticed. The first on to see him was Ginny who was a bit surprised but remembered what Harry had told her about him taking good care of Hermione so she had pointed him towards the stockroom in the back where Hermione and an employee were restocking sold out items.
Hermione didn't hear Draco coming in the stockroom neither did the employee. They carried on restocking until Draco had tapped Hermione's shoulder and screamed very loud that the other employee had accidentally dropped two boxes of puking pasties and they were now spread all over the floor. With a wave of her wand the puking pasties flew back in the box and she left to dicuss what to do with George.
"I haven't finished my job yet but I came to say hello." Draco said while hugging Hermione. "I've got to leave again."
"I'm very happy to see you." Hermione said.
When Draco turned away to leave Hermione had grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her and kissed him. Draco was surprised but took a step backwards and started muttering things then disapparated.
Draco wasn't really the type to disapparated after something like that happened. But the problem was it hadn't happened before, Hermione was the first girl to kiss him without warning.
He needed time to think, Draco suddenly realized the obvious, Hermione was in love with him. He knew that they had been growing closer but didn't think it would come to this so soon. He took a few second to think and decided to go back and talk about it.
It didn't turn out as expected.
Draco had apparated in the store room when he thought that there was something wrong because he hit the wall just after apparating. It was because Hermione had slapped him very hard. She was obviously angry with him for leaving.
"I'm sorry." Said Draco while he went with his hand over his left cheek where Hermione had hit him.
Hermione kept quiet and looked angry at Draco.
"Why did you kiss me."
"Because I like you." Hermione said "Because I'm falling in love with you."
A/n: It's an extra long one, I wrote this one to be the end to the complete story but I'm not sure if this should be the end or if I should write one more chapter. Please review.