Epilogue

"Now don't you worry. You can come back and visit anytime."

"Yes Miss – Winky will do that," Winky said as the tears started to swell in large glassy eyes.

"And if Narcissa treats you badly, you be sure and let me know," Hermione explained. "Matter of fact, it might be best if we get together after a few weeks."

"Yes Miss Hermione. Winky will come back for sure. You is a fine person, you is. Gilbert says, he wants to thank you too. We is both hoping you and Mister Draco will be happy," said Winky, drying her eyes on the pillowcase she was wearing.

"Why, thank you Winky – that's sweet," Hermione said and bent down to give the house-elf a hug.

As Hermione nodded approval and waved a little wave goodbye, the house-elf disapparated with a little swoosh. It had been very difficult to get Winky on at Malfoy Manor. Draco had been perfectly happy with the idea but Narcissa had fought it tooth and nail. Since they were barely on speaking terms at all and it had taken threatening efforts from Draco to get Winky on the Malfoy Manor staff of house-elves. All Narcissa really knew about Winky is that she had been dismissed from the Crouch family several years ago. Narcissa didn't know, but was very suspicious Winky and Gilbert had played a hand in getting Hermione and Draco together as a couple. If Narcissa ever found out for sure then things could get very difficult for Winky.

After saying her goodbye to Winky, Hermione was running a few minutes late for work. She disapparated after finishing her coffee and quickly made it to the long queue for the Ministry entrance. She was hoping for a nicer flat with a fireplace and a connection to the floo network to the Ministry. The toilets were flushing normally this morning and within a few minutes she was clacking in heels down the long marble floored halls in the Atrium. Entering the lift, she instructed the operator to stop at the level for her new job. To make it easier on Ron and herself she had put in for a transfer. She had moved to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Kingsley threw a fit, but finally consented when she threatened to quit. It was the job she had wanted when she joined the Ministry, but Kingsley had insisted she start with Magical Law Enforcement.

Ron had been upset enough when she broke off their engagement and left the Leaky Cauldron, that day, with Gilbert and Winky. When he found out why, and who she was with, he went ballistic. Their encounters in the hall had been dreadful. So much so, that within a week she insisted she be transferred. So far, things were working out well and she really enjoyed the job. The new office was much nicer and more spacious. Taking her work robes off the hanger, she noticed a interdepartmental message on her desk.

Hermione,

Can I tempt you for lunch?

Don't think I seen you in an age.

Harry -

She scribbled a quick reply telling him yes and gave the magical note a throw back in his direction. Held up by air and propelled by magic, the message quickly disappeared. Within a few minutes the note crash landed on her desk again. She opened it and for her amusement read it out aloud.

'Great – let's meet in the canteen then – say eleven thirty before the crowd arrives.'

She smiled and pulled the robes over her head to start the day. Since Harry was best friends with Ron, she had the right to be a little suspicious. But since he was her best friend too, she was completely looking forward to the lunch date.

‡‡‡‡‡

"I thought you'd fell off the ends of the earth," Harry said, sitting his lunch tray on a table Hermione had found.

She laughed at this and thought about the observation. "You're not far from wrong," she said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we've been traveling – whenever we get the chance. We've been to Paris and then to Rome."

"Wow – so it was the end of the earth then," he said.

"Almost," she said. "Who would have ever thought this a year ago?"

Harry looked down at her lunch which consisted of a small salad with bread sticks and water, spiced with a wedge of lemon.

"You call that lunch?" Harry asked and pulled a face. "It wouldn't keep a bird alive."

"Well, I've put on weight," she said and blushed.

"You don't mean..."

"No, nothing like that," she said and giggled. "Draco has this thing about going out to all kinds of restaurants – and very late at night I might add."

"Oh, I see," Harry said and bit the end off a muffin.

"So, enough of me. How are you – and have you seen Ginny?" she asked and gave him a hard look.

"Oh – it's been a while back."

"Yeah, how'd it go?" she asked and forked a slice of carrot.

Harry shook his head and then chuckled. "Hell, we tried, I guess. But it didn't go so well."

"Why not Harry?" she asked and drew her eyes onto tiny slits.

"We're not ready yet. At least – that's what I finally figured out," he said and exhaled a deep lungful of air. "She's good looking still, and she's getting plenty of dates. She doesn't need a guy like me – a guy with issues."

"You don't have issues," she said and sat the fork down. "You're a bit more complex now – that's all. And Ginny still cares for you. You're just not ready to see that yet," she added and reached for the fork.

"Well anyway – she's off to play for the Holyhead Harpies," he said, matter of factly.

"You should go see her games," she said excitedly. Harry gave her a wry smile and didn't respond.

There was a period of silence that Harry finally broke. "It's been hard on Ron, you know," he finally said.

Hermione dipped her head a little before responding. "I'm sorry to hear that. I really am, but it's part his fault, you know," she said and looked sternly.

"Yeah – he told me about it. He said he knows he shouldn't have done that."

"You bet he shouldn't. You don't send an innocent person to Azkaban just to get them out of the way," she said and angrily stabbed at a lettuce leaf. "That's borderline criminal Harry."

"He knows – and he damn well feels bad about it," Harry explained.

A look of relief washed over Hermione's face and she went back to the salad.

"Is he seeing anyone?" she asked without looking up from the salad.

Harry thought about the question – but just briefly.

"Yeah, I think so, but I'm not really sure," he said and busied himself with his lunch.

"Well maybe, you two should go out. Clubbing I mean," she said, nodding and stirred the last bit of the salad in the oil and vinegar along the bottom of the plate.

"Yeah maybe," Harry said and laughed. "We can cry in each others beer," he quipped.

"I didn't mean it that way and you know it," she said with a smile.

"Sure," he said and threw down his fork. "So this thing – this thing with you and Draco. How long will it last? Do you know?"

She threw the napkin on the table and pulled a face to Harry's question.

"I really don't know. And the way things have been going – well, I really haven't had time to think about it."

‡‡‡‡‡

Granger – he still called her Granger after all this time. Occasionally, 'Hermione' would roll off his tongue but Granger seemed easier and more natural. They had gone straight to her flat after leaving Prisoners Point that day. It took two days of 'recovery' to feel normal again and to replace what the Dementors had stripped in twenty minutes. But, it worked and Hermione had helped replace feelings of depression and despair with good feelings and hope. The funny thing about it was the good memories of Narcissa and Astoria were gone. All that was left was what Hermione had given him.

It wasn't a picnic with Granger every day. If you crossed her, she'd let you know about, and if you treated her right, well, she'd let you know about that too. She was fair and that was the important realization he'd come to understand in the many weeks over their lunches together. He'd known from the beginning Astoria wasn't right for him. Astoria wanted estates, titles, and riches, and she'd let Draco run over her to get it. He needed someone to stand up to him and keep him in line, to enforce a little moderation in his life and Granger could do that.

He had tried to explain these things to Narcissa but she couldn't or wouldn't hear a word of it. She couldn't get the pureblood mania out of her head for a minute.

'When you come to your senses, I'm sure you'll understand – it's the way of your family. It's always been the way.'

'But I have come to my senses.'

And this would always infuriate her to madness. But, he would hold his ground, even though he wasn't sure exactly where it was going. There was a possibility that Narcissa might try and disown him and cut him off. But he really doubted that she would ever resort to that. With Lucius in Azkaban, she needed a man around the house, even if it was one she despised at the moment.

He was trying to think of a way to introduce Hermione. He was convinced Narcissa's hard heart would soften if she could only meet her and see them together. He could never bring Hermione to Malfoy Manor, even if he could persuade her to try it. Narcissa would throw her out. He had thought of arranging a dinner date with just the three of them, but didn't know if Narcissa would accept. Oh well, it wouldn't hurt to ask and it would be on neutral ground.

‡‡‡‡‡

Hermione's had experienced a sharp falloff in her reading schedule. Between cleaning her flat, evenings of entertaining, or dining out, her private time had pretty much become a thing of the past. On this night she had insisted upon a little quiet time to herself and she was following her feet to Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley. She had been to the Alley several times to return the amulet to Old Alice but never found her. She was beginning to worry about the old witch, when she saw the wildly colorful and patched woolen frock, just around the corner. Walking up to the old witch and knowing she could read footsteps was a bit disconcerting.

"Hermione? Is that you Hermione?"

"Alice... it's so good to see you," she said with a smile.

"Yes Child," the old witch nodded expectantly.

"Things have worked out – they're much better now," Hermione said and grinned ear to ear.

"I'm so glad to hear it – I really am – but I always knew they would," the old witch said as she looked toward Hermione with empty eyes.

"Well, I glad you did, because I was very much in doubt," she said and chuckled.

Old Alice smiled a toothless smile but said nothing.

"Well, I do thank you, and I've come to give it back," she said and reached in her bag for the amulet.

"Give it back?" Alice asked as if not quite sure what Hermione was referring to.

"The amulet – I've come to return the amulet," Hermione said and stretched out her hand, only to remember Alice couldn't see and relaxed it by her side.

Old Alice extended a gnarly finger and scratched an ear under a grey bun of hair. If she had eyes, they would have glanced heavenward.

"I'm an old woman. And luck – good or bad – well it all fares the same. You keep it Hermione. And I'm glad it helped you."

"Alice – are you sure – it's a personal item of yours," pleaded Hermione.

"A little good luck in my life will amount to nothing – But a little good luck in yours could be something special. Yes, I'm sure – you keep it dear."

"Thank you Alice," Hermione said and put the amulet over her head while removing a Galleon from her bag. She picked up a bundle of potpourri and dropped the heavy coin in Alice's cup.

"God bless you child," Old Alice said and nodded.

"Good night Alice," she said, softly and continued on her way.

Maybe she had tipped Alice too much for an old worthless medallion. She didn't know, but she felt a little better wearing it and had a funny little feeling things would work out just fine. If Alice's keen ears were still listening, she would probably hear a little skip to Hermione's step.

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A/N: As promised a short epilogue. It's not too far out, I know. But please vote in the Draco/Hermione poll in my profile. Remember, it's completely anonymous and will help me re-write or the extend the epilogue.

Thanks for reading...