Thank you all for your support and reviews. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far and I hope this chapter won't disappoint. Luckily for you guys, I needed to vent and writing this story is a great stress reliever for me. Something from the past that I've casually mentioned in this story is going to happen, so it's not coming from nowhere =).

Chapter Fifteen

Friday had finally arrived and Hermione was beyond excited. Ever since her and Draco had agreed to go on a date, he had been dropping hints about it. Draco knew how much she despised surprises which is why he always gave her hints and teased her about it. Things had been going extremely well with them for once and Hermione was completely happy. Draco had a way of making her feel important and loved even though they weren't dating yet. He was everything she had ever wanted and needed. At some point, she thought that Ron was the one that was going to fill the hole in her heart created by Draco. Clearly she was wrong and this was the only time Hermione didn't mind.

The weird thing was the tension between Blaise and Pansy the past couple months. Usually they were the perfect couple and that just proved to Hermione that even the perfect couples fall and somehow find ways to piece it together. Hermione understood where her brother and Pansy were both coming from. It was a difficult situation all around and she still felt a little guilty for dragging Pansy into the adoption. The night that they had resolved things, Pansy came and found her. She filled Hermione in on the whole night and she was ecstatic that her idea had worked out. Pansy didn't need to know that her and Draco helped Blaise out with his little picnic. Hermione wondered how they would continue from now on. Hopefully Ginny had the good sense to stay away from them for good now. It was about time her brother regained his common sense.

Thinking of her brother made her think of her biological family. It was strange that Blaise was already family to her, but she didn't know how it would be like with everyone else. Hermione thought that she was easy to get along with, but there were those few people that you couldn't. At least she had Blaise, Pansy, and Draco to back her up. She knew that their families were really close, so she was nervous. Hermione didn't know how Lucius Malfoy was going to handle seeing his son potentially date a mudblood. Hermione knew she was a pureblood, but she also knew that everyone would remember her as the muggleborn first.

The dismissal bell went off waking her from her thoughts. Hermione immediately felt guilty. She had been looking forward to her date tonight so much that she had completely drifted off in class. It wasn't like her at all and she swore that she would work harder on her homework tonight. Hermione picked up her books slowly and made her way out of the door. The hallways were completely full by this time much to her annoyance and she waited impatiently for the crowd to start walking at a relatively normal pace. She saw Draco at the other end of the hallway going in the opposite direction and caught his eye. He smiled at her frustration and winked at her. Hermione smiled at him and then stuck her tongue out at him. The line finally started moving and he disappeared from her sight.

Hermione finally made it to the Gryffindor common room and went up to her room to put all her books down. She was puzzled because she noticed a piece of parchment on her neat bed. Cautiously, she opened it up.

Hermione,

I need to talk to you. Meet me at the Black Lake after classes.

Harry

She grabbed a cloak and rushed through the school. Her promise to focus on her homework before her date had completely left her mind as she made her way outside. The weather was actually nice for once she noticed. Hermione saw that Harry's form by the lake and joined him.

"Hey," Hermione said awkwardly as she sat down.

"Hey," Harry replied, "I've been thinking about this for months, so I'm just going to be blunt. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you this year. I was your best friend and I completely let you down."

"You should be," she replied a bit angry, "I've imagined this conversation a million times in my head. You were my best friend, Harry! I stood by you when even Ron left you. I thought that we were better friends then that."

Harry sighed, "I know you have and I always appreciated it. I got caught up in the drama and I feel terrible about it. We are better friends then that."

"I didn't trust Emma from day one. I'm so angry even now that you guys believed her word over mine. You were so hypocritical. You're angry that I'm hanging out with Slytherins, but she did the exact same thing. I understand that you believed Ron to some extent, but you didn't even care to hear my side of the story! I was crushed and he made everyone hate me. All my friends that I thought would stick by me through anything left me. My enemies became my true friends. How is that even possible?" Hermione asked rhetorically.

"I know and I feel awful. I was a terrible friend, but I'm trying to fix it now. I'm not perfect and I make mistakes. Is there ever a chance that you would forgive me? I don't know about you, but I need you in my life. It feels not having a sister around anymore," he told her.

"I miss you too Harry, but where do we even begin? You betrayed my trust and that's going to take so much time to build no matter how quickly I want to jump back into how things were," she asked him.

"I think it's possible if we both try. I'm not asking for today, I know that's impossible. I'm just asking if we could ever be close again some day," Harry asked.

Hermione was quiet for a few minutes, 'If Ginny or Ron had asked me, I would say no right off the back. It's a good thing you're not them, because I think it's possible. What's going on with you that you needed to reach out to me though?"

"I don't know where to start. So many things have happened since we last talked. I'm going to be a father apparently," Harry informed her.

Her jaw dropped at the news, "What?! How and who?"

"Let's just say that you were right about Emma. Apparently I'm the dad, but I can't exactly be too sure. It's also a dangerous time for anyone to find out so can you keep this on the down low?" he told her.

"Wow, I didn't expect that at all. Yeah, I won't tell anyone don't worry about it. I finally found out who my biological family is," Hermione said quietly.

"I wondered about that a lot actually. Who is it?" Harry asked her.

"It's the Zabinis actually. It's funny, because Blaise is one of my best friends now that I thought of as a brother. It turns out he actually is my brother. I haven't met the family yet though," she replied.

"I'm sure you'll be fine and they'll love you. You are after all Hermione Granger. So it makes sense that you're a pureblood after all," he laughed.

"Yeah, I'm so blessed to have had the parents that I did have. They were so amazing and I wouldn't be who I am without them. I actually understand the muggle world unlike most purebloods," Hermione laughed sadly.

"What do you mean they were amazing? Did something happen to them?" Harry asked worried.

She looked out at the lake for a bit, "They passed away in a car crash this year."

"You're kidding," he stated, "I'm the biggest ass you'll ever meet. Feel free to punch me."

"I'm good," Hermione told him.

"No seriously. What kind of friend doesn't even know? Are you okay?" Harry asked her concerned.

"I miss them obviously," she said uncomfortably, "Look Harry, I wasn't kidding when I said I missed you. As much as I loved catching up with you, I can't just be the same person I was before. Too much has happened and I've changed. I think you'll make a great dad if Emma's kid is really yours, but I need some time."

"I understand," Harry said giving her a hand up, "If you ever need anything, I'm here."

"I know, thanks," Hermione told him as she gave him a quick hug and left for her common room.

Hermione was happy that she had had that much needed talk with Harry, but she was now in a sad mood. He had brought up her parents and even though she had been busy, she still thought of them constantly. Her mother was her best friend and it was hard to lose that. Hermione was disappointed that she was in this mood before her date with Draco. She tried as hard as she could to shake it, but she struggled.

When Hermione was finally in her dorm, she quickly looked through her clothes to decide what she would wear. She couldn't think of anything that would be versatile enough for a date. Deciding to do her hair first, she grabbed her wand and muttered a couple spells she had learnt from Pansy. Her hair started curling perfectly and she smiled. She decided to leave it down so it could pass as casual. Hermione applied some blush on her cheeks as well as some eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara. She usually didn't wear this much makeup, but it was a special occasion and she felt like going all out.

She stood in front of her trunk and looked through all the clothes she had. Going through all of them, she couldn't think of anything that would look good. Deciding to give up she sat on her bed with a huff.

"Is anything wrong?" Pavarti asked as she entered the room.

"I'm alright thanks," Hermione replied quietly.

She sighed, "I know I haven't been the greatest friend, Hermione. I never believed the rumours about you and I know that you know that as well. I'm sorry for not sticking up for you the way Pansy did, but let me help you out now. What seems to be the trouble?"

"i know and I forgive you. I can't find anything to wear for my date tonight. I don't even know what I should be wearing," she replied exasperated.

"Does this date happen to be with Draco Malfoy?" Pavarti asked smiling, "I'm sure we can find something. What are you guys doing tonight?"

"Yeah it's with Draco and I'm not sure. He wants to keep it a surprise," Hermione answered starting to smile.

"Finally a smile! You're quite lucky, he's quite the catch. A surprise...." she trailed off, "Wait let me see your clothes."

Pavarti started looking through her clothes carefully setting some clothes to the side. Hermione was thankful she was getting help, because she had been starting to become frustrated. It was the the impression she wanted to make on Draco after they've come all this way. Finally Pavarti made a sound of delight and gave Hermione a white dress. Hermione remembered getting that dress with her mother during the summer. It was a casual spring/summer dress that she had never worn before.

"Pavarti are you sure?" Hermione asked unsure.

"Yes, now go put it on," she told Hermione as she pushed her towards the bathroom.

After changing into it, she stepped out of the bathroom to a smiling Pavarti.

"You look gorgeous. He's not going to be able to keep his hands off of you tonight," Pavarti commented.

Hermione turned to look in a mirror and was surprised at her reflection. The white dress complimented her naturally tanned skin and dark hair. It was a beautiful empire waist dress and she was thankful for Pavarti's help.

"Thank you so much for helping me. I couldn't think of anything to wear," Hermione told her.

"Don't worry about it. Now hurry and leave before you're late. Don't forget to fill me in on Malfoy's reaction," Pavarti smiled as she walked Hermione out of the dorms.

Everyone in the dorms seemed to stop to look at Hermione with Pavarti. It had been so long since they had seen her with a fellow Gryffindor. Hermione saw Harry in the corner of the room and gave him a nod of acknowledgement. Pavarti told her to hurry and Hermione walked quickly to her meeting spot with Draco. Huge butterflies had developed in her stomach even though she knew that it was only Draco. That part made her excited. Hermione was finally getting her chance with him and her heart stopped when she saw him in front of their common room. He looked amazing and she knew he hadn't noticed her yet.

Draco finally turned to her and a smile lit up his face that matched her goofy grin.

"I thought you were going to stand me up," Draco joked.

"I was thinking about it, but then I thought of the free food," Hermione joked back.

"You look amazing," he said as he grabbed her hand to lead her.

She smiled, "You don't look so bad yourself."

"Come on, we both know that I look incredible," Draco said cockily.

"Yeah sure whatever you say," Hermione replied laughing.

Draco lead her around the school ignoring her questions. She hated not knowing something and she knew that he had done it on purpose. He just knew her too well she guessed. After walking through a million hallways, Draco finally lead her to a door. Covering her eyes, he lead her into the room.

"Okay, can I see where we are?" Hermione asked impatiently.

Draco laughed, "Yes, you can finally see where we are."

As Hermione opened her eyes, she was in awe at what she saw. It looked like they were in another common room. Huge windows let the sun shine in illuminating the room. If that wasn't better, there was a table filled with food right beside the window. The room was filled with furniture and she was surprised to see it empty.

"Where are we?" she asked amazed.

"We're in an abandoned part of the castle. I'm assuming this use to be a common room, but I've never seen anyone even near this end of the castle. The house elves still continually clean it though, so it's safe," Draco explained, "I've been using this as a get away for the past few years. I know we've gone through some rough patches, but I believe that we're both here for a reason. This is the only thing I haven't told you. Shall we eat before it gets cold?"

"Yes please, I'm famished. Thank you for bringing me here, Draco. It really means the world to me," Hermione told him as they sat down, "You really went all out here."

"You deserve to be pampered," he explained.

"Thanks?" Hermione said as they began eating.

They ate the delicious food slowly while talking about everything and anything. Hermione loved the way that Draco talked to her. It was like he wasn't scared of being judged and acted completely like himself. It was one of the things she loved about him. She loved that he was able to understand her love of books and keep up with any kind of intellectual conversation. It was something she couldn't do with Harry or Ron and she realized that if had ended up with either of them, she wouldn't have been happy. A house elf came in to light the fire in the fireplace as the sun started to go down. Finishing their meal, they decided to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace. Draco sat down pulling Hermione on him so that she was leaning against him.

"What's on your mind?" Draco asked her.

Hermione smiled, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Come on, you know you can trust me," he said gently.

"I know I can. I just had a conversation with Harry before our date. He apologized for the way he treated me," she explained.

"He should, he didn't treat you very well. Did you forgive him?" Draco asked curiously.

"I know he's truly sorry, so yes I did. I told him I couldn't go back to the way we were for right now. We caught up on everything going on each others' lives," Hermione told him, "Talking with him kind of reminded me of my parents though."

He held her tighter, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I never wanted you to be able to relate to that part of my life. It's normal to be sad when you think of them though. That won't ever go away."

"I know it won't. I know that they're looking out for me. I'm lucky that I have Blaise as my brother though. I'm so nervous to meet them," Hermione confessed.

"Don't be, his parents are amazing people. They're going to welcome you right away. It might be awkward at first when you don't know how to act around each other,but that'll fade. I'll be there with Pansy and Blaise if you ever need anything," Draco promised.

"Thanks, I honestly appreciate everything you've done for me," she smiled up at him and kissed him slowly.

Hermione was kind of surprised when he ended it as quickly as he did, but shrugged it off.

"I know we said we would take it slow, but I couldn't stand the thought of another guy thinking he could have you. I love you Hermione and I want the whole world to know this time instead of it being hidden. I want nothing, but to be with you. Will you be my girlfriend?" Draco asked her quietly.

"Of course I would love to. We're not rushing into things either. We've been on the verge of dating for two years, it's about time it happened," Hermione smiled.

Draco looked happier than she had seen him in a long time and he kissed her deeply and Hermione felt like melting in his arms. She smiled at the thought of finally being his girlfriend and felt him smile as well. It had taken them two years to get to this point, but in her opinion he was worth the wait.

HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG

"So, what should we do?" Pansy asked Blaise awkwardly.

"No idea," he said as he sunk into the Slytherin chair.

"How do you think Draco and Hermione's date is going?" she asked him.

Blaise sighed at the tension still apparent between them, "I'm guessing she's his girlfriend at this point unless he messed it up. Then I would have to beat him up."

"He's asking Hermione out?" Pansy said happily, "It's about time those two got together! They both deserve to be happy, especially with the past two years being what they have been. I still can't believe their history."

"Me neither, I can't even imagine Draco not being there. Can you even imagine Draco falling in love with Hermione of all people last year? He was such an ass to her," he commented.

"I know it's strange. I'm happy though. They're pretty much the perfect couple by the way they balance each other out," she said.

"You're such a girl," Blaise laughed, "I hope you're not expecting to reply to that."

"Not really actually," she giggled, "I'm going to go take a walk."

"Want me to join you?" Blaise asked her.

"No thanks, it'll be a short one don't worry about it," Pansy said as she got up, "I'll see you later."

Pansy walked out of the Slytherin common room to stretch her legs. She was feeling quite restless and she could only handle Blaise in small doses at the moment. Too much awkwardness isn't good for you, well it was just too uncomfortable. If someone would have told her that her life would turn out this way, Pansy wouldn't have believed them and cursed them silly. This had actually been a good year despite her fight with Blaise. They would turn out alright though, she just knew it. It was starting to get late so the castle looked quite eerie. For a softie like Dumbledore, it was weird how cold this castle could look. Pansy turned to the abandoned hallway that her and Harry started talking for the first time. .That was something else that was hard to believe. She could tolerate the Boy Wonder.

"So who do we have here," a voice came down the hallway.

Pansy froze, "What are you doing here?"

"Is that how you greet an old friend Pansy? I wanted to see how you were doing. I haven't been able to see you for quite some time," he smirked as he approached her.

"Get away from me before I call a teacher Flint," Pansy spat.

Marcus Flint sneered, "You know what would happen if you did that. Now where is my hello kiss?"

"Why are you here," she trembled, "I'm with Blaise. Don't you think of touching me."

"You need a real man. Don't tell me you've forgotten all about us?" he asked her.

"How did you get in here? I would gladly forget it you if I could," Pansy retorted, "Blaise and Draco know now so you're not going to get away with this."

"I can do whatever the hell I want and you better believe it," Flint told her as he approached her.

Pansy's eyes were wide as she tried backing up, but he was quickly gaining on her. She tried running, but he quickly caught up to her and slammed her against a wall. He smirked as he kissed her roughly against her struggles. It reminded her of last year and she could feel tears starting. She kneed him and quickly ran for her life. She didn't stop running until she got to the common room. Blaise was still sitting on the couch and looked up when she arrived.

"Pansy, what happened?" he asked concerned.

"Nothing," Pansy said in a flat voice.

"Come on, what's wrong?" Blaise repeated himself.

"Nothing, get away from me," she screeched as he tried to touch her.

Blaise looked shocked, "What is wrong with you?"

Pansy started to cry again, "I'm so sorry Blaise. I didn't mean to do that."

"What's going on?" Blaise asked.

"He's back," she said quietly,

"Who?" he asked nervously fearing the answer.

Pansy took a breath, "Marcus Flint."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me right?" Blaise said angrily.

"No," she said weakly.

"What did he do?" he asked.

When Pansy didn't answer, he repeated himself.

Pansy just looked at him with her sad hazel eyes before promptly passing out.

Blaise sighed as he brought the girl he loved to her dorm and put her gently in her bed. He remembered last year vividly and how broken Pansy had become. It was just like Flint to come back and terrorize her one last time before they went to war. He would have to wait until she woke up before she could get the details. Blaise knew that going to Draco wouldn't be a good idea, because then Hermione would need to know. They trusted her, it was just a hard subject to discuss. He looked at Pansy promising to keep her safe this time. There was no way that pig was getting close to her again.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What exactly happened between Flint and Pansy? The adoption will become a focus next chapter as well as Pansy's little problem. Let me know what you think =).

Please review!