Intcrimgrrl: Thank you so much for your vote of confidence. I was starting to wonder if nobody liked my story and that's why I wasn't getting any reviews.
High Low: Again, I am so sorry, but I can't do that. I have already mapped out this story, and it's just filling in the minor details that I am up to now. Ron will recover, and I'm glad that you liked their stargazing. That's something I actually stole from my own life, as my soon to be hubby and I did that just before he deployed. Every time he calls home he tells me to look at that star before I go to sleep and know that he's with me. Fluffy isn't he?
PirateNinjaMonkey: I really didn't know that my anonymous review thing was disabled, but it is all better now. Unfortunately, in my quest to show how much Hermione cares for Ron (crucial plot point) I may have made Ron and Hermione too likeable together. I feel so bad, getting so many reviews from people wanting Ron and Hermione to stay together, but you read the summery people, this is eventually a Draco/Hermione, and it is too late to change that. Maybe one day I'll write you guys a nice sappy Ron/Hermione fic.
LilJuwan: Thank you!
AND OF COURSE:
To my ever-faithful Steelo, who kept me running when I wanted to chuck the story from lack of response, this chapter is dedicated to you
Ink Splash: Here is the nice long chappie you have been begging for.
"Hermione?" Draco asked cautiously, approaching the young woman gazing out the window. She turned slightly to face him.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me? The sun is out, and it's promising to be a beautiful day."
"I would love to!" she replied, pulling herself to standing, giving her body a moment to adjust to the position. She was tired of being cooped up in the shack, and the chance to walk outside; the feel of the sunshine on her face was just too tempting to turn down.
"Brilliant," he replied, quickly stepping forward to take her arm, giving her the support that she needed to make the short journey.
Draco guided Hermione out the door of the shack and they began to follow the edge of the river that flowed nearby. Listening to the birds chirping in the trees, a smile played upon her lips.
"It's so quiet out here, so peaceful," she sighed, enjoying the sounds of the water, as it made it's way downstream. Draco smiled at her, guiding her to an embankment near the water's edge.
"Oh!" Hermione gasped as she took in the scene before her eyes. Draco had managed to come out earlier, and beneath the shade of a beautiful willow lay a blanket and a wicker hamper. "A picnic!"
Draco continued to smile at her as he helped her ease into a sitting position.
"I hoped that you would like it. You just seemed to be getting a little restless, and I thought that you might want to take a break. You have been focusing so hard on your recovery that you allow yourself very little time to relax. It's not healthy for you."
"I know," she replied ruefully. "I just can't seem to help it. Every time I start to relax this tremendous feeling of guilt washes over me. I can hear my conscience nagging at me that I need to get better quickly and make it back to the front lines. It's just not fair for me to be here in this beautiful place while Ron and Harry are Merlin knows where."
"You can't feel guilty Hermione," he said softly. "You are injured. You need time to recover. Honestly, if it were Harry that were injured, how would you feel?"
"Do you mean besides panic? I don't know. I would probably be after him like a mother hen, demanding that he rest properly. Then again, I would probably be so deep in research on methods to help heal him that I probably wouldn't have time to nag at him to slow down."
"Brutally honest, even about yourself, aren't you?" Draco laughed. It was rare to see somebody admit his or her own faults, and he would be one of the last to do that. Except maybe to Hermione. It was different with her. She already knew his faults, and he was aware that if he didn't acknowledge these, Hermione might never believe him that his change of heart was definitely real and not something contrived.
"Well, it isn't like anybody is going to lie to me to spare my feelings," she laughed back. "Lying to yourself isn't any good, because you know that you are lying anyways."
"Good point," He replied reaching for the basket. "Would you care for some meat pies?" She nodded in agreement, her stomach rumbling loudly.
Draco laughed as he passed a plate laden with food in her direction. The two sat in the silence, listening to the sounds of nature as they ate their food slowly. After they had finished, Hermione's eyes started to droop, so Draco settled himself against a tree and allowed Hermione to lay her head on his lap, stretching out on her back.
"Would you like me to tell you another story?" Draco asked inquiringly.
"Oh yes please," she yawned back, now fighting to stay awake. Whenever Draco told her one of his "stories" he generally revealed so much about himself. It was a rare moment for the youngest Malfoy to drop his guard.
"Once upon a time," Draco began. "There was a handsome young prince. This handsome young prince had everything a handsome young prince could ask for. He had a large castle, many servants, plenty of money, and rich powerful friends. Then one day, the prince happened to come upon a servant girl playing. Intending to torture the girl, he sat watching her, waiting for the best moment to attack.
"Just as the prince was about to dash over, and ruin the toys she had been playing with and make her cry, he saw her parents come out to her side. The girl's father picked her up and swung her around, raining kisses upon her face as he whispered to her. The girl's mother wrapped her arms around both of them and they returned to their home.
"It was then that the prince felt his first pangs of a new emotion. Jealousy. Sure his parents gave him everything he ever asked for, but they never gave him love. For in this prince's kingdom, there were some things that were more important than love. Duty, Honor, privilege. All of these things were far more important to the King and Queen than love. But the prince could not help it; he envied the young girl and her family. He would have given up every thing he owned and then some, for just one person to smile at him the way the girl's parents had smiled upon her.
"Eventually the
young prince came to one conclusion. There was something wrong with
him. Maybe, if he just tried hard enough to be what his parents
wanted him to be, they would love him too.
"So the prince
began turning himself into a little King, or in his case, a true
tyrant. His He learned the political ideals of the court, and how to
pander to them to get his own way. He learned to dislike the ones
his father disliked, and the harder he tried to become his father,
the more he realized that his father was truly becoming proud of him,
something that the prince had never felt from his parents before.
"Eventually, the boy grew up, and it was time for him to go away to school. The king filled his head with cautionary tales and many pieces of advice on how to handle those who wouldn't accept his superiority. He was ready to go, his bags were packed, and his face filled with happiness at his plans.
"He would graduate at the top of his class, well liked and respected. His father had told him that it didn't matter if it was out of true emotion, or just fear induced; all that truly would matter would be that he was respected.
"The prince steeled himself, preparing for that first day. He was filled with fear, but he knew that if anybody saw it, they would misconstrue it as fear, and that would eventually get back to the King. Becoming absolutely miserable after being shunned by one incredibly evil little git, he saw an angel before him.
" 'This little witch knows my feelings', the prince had thought as he listened to her chatter nervously. It wasn't the appearance of this girl that made her an angel. While definitely pretty to some degree, it was her eyes that had drawn his attention. Those eyes were just as scared as his wee, and covering it up just as well."
"What happened to the witch?" Hermione inquired, knowing very well what happened.
"The prince discovered that his angel was just another servant, and his father had pressed upon him that servants were beneath him. The prince was angry that he had liked the servant girl, and took his anger out on her and her servant friends. This however, was the beginning of the end for the nobility of the prince.
"Now, the prince tried very hard to remain regal and noble to those around him, but as he lay in his bed at night, he wondered why, if he was so much better than these servants, were they happier than he was? Why was it that they could love freely while none of the things he had tried had earned him love before?
"Eventually the prince discovered some skeletons in the closet of the king, and decided that nobles were no better than the servants. He began to change, hoping that he could convince the servant girl to look at him as she looked upon her friends, but by that time it was too late. The angel had fallen in love with another. All hope was lost, and the prince discovered the truth of the situation."
"And what truth was that?" she whispered, looking into his eyes.
"The truth is that nobody, neither noble or servant gets to be loved purely on their status in life. It is all in how they act, and what they do with their status in life. Somehow, in his quest to be loved, he had made sure that his quest would never be fulfilled," Draco answered, closing his eyes, and willing himself not to show any emotion.
"Who says the story is over?" Hermione asked as she pulled Draco down into the sweetest kiss he had ever had. And for once, Hermione's mind remained free from guilt.
A/N WILL WRITE FOR REVIEWS!