Author Note: I'm so thankful for all the wonderful responses I've been getting with this story. I'm actually on my way back from Florida for vacation; but I couldn't help but get a new chapter out for all of while on this long car ride down. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.

A special thanks goes to: Legolas' Girl 31, Malibu Baybreeze, LightofEvolution, zoesheppard, moraine9, Cat130, Snowflake Dazzle, HarryPGinnyW4eva and Green Eyed Lana Lee for the wondeful reviews.

Another special thanks goes to: mezy, smaltbey, eyeswideshut88, latind1403, d3d, krichards25, riaroo400, paredescharlene, Cat130, BoredRavenvlaw620, Princessrutherella, mlmrl, Kt the pastel princess, lambotran, Quirky74747, kdrac and SnowApple91 for becoming followers to this story.

Chapter 16:

December 16th

Hermione leaned her head against the glass of the window on the train she was riding in. There was so much on her mind and no destination in sight. She just wanted to keep running and not look back at the things she left behind. Her heart was shattered with the loss of Draco's safety. The decision to leave wasn't an easy one to make; but a necessary one. The fact that Draco spent a lot of time protecting her instead of looking out for himself was unsettling to her.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to." A voice inched into her mind severing the link to her personal thoughts.

She looked over to see a familiar face, one she hadn't seen in a couple of years. Minerva McGonagall, current headmistress of Hogwarts School of Wizardry. It was weird to see her outside of the walls of the school, which meant something must be happening that required Ministry help. "Possibly...I really don't know..." Hermione replied softly.

"You know...I don't blame you for not wanting to take the job at Hogwarts. After what you've been through, I was actually going to be surprised if you would have taken it."

"It was about the children. I didn't want to bring danger along with me."

"What about the danger you are in?"

Hermione was a little stunned by Minerva's statement and it made her more curious as to why she was even there in the first place. Minerva noticed her former student's hesitation and figured she'd better say something. "Yes, I know about the threats made on your life, which is why I think you need to be someplace safe until the Ministry figures things out."

"Thanks kind of the problem..."

XxXxXxXx

"I can't sit in bed all day, mother!" Draco shouted.

"You are still hurt, Draco. You must rest." Narcissa argued.

"She's still missing!"

Narcissa knew who her son was talking about without even asking. Hermione Granger had become a big thing in his life and after his injuries happened, she pulled away and ran. No one has heard from her in two days. Madame Pomfrey released Draco from her care later that night; but it had been too late. All of Hermione's things were gone. All that was left was the singed dress that she had worn to the Christmas Party.

"I know...and I am sorry she left; but you need to worry about yourself."

"I can't do that..."

"Draco..."

"Don't! Nothing you say is going to change my mind."

Draco struggled to his feet from the oversized chair in his bedroom. He was determined to get to the Ministry and talk to Harry personally about the status of their search. He stood before his mother in defiance. She narrowed her eyes, knowing that her words meant nothing. He was already in love with the muggle born witch that had helped defeat Voldemort in the war. "Where do you plan to go?" She asked.

"The Ministry. I'm hoping Potter will have some news on her whereabouts."

"Please be careful. I don't want to see you end up like your father."

Narcissa couldn't help but feel proud of how much her son had grown into his own person; but also feared what would happen to him in the future due to his choices. He had very few traits that resembled his father and in some ways, she was grateful for that. Draco slipped on a shirt from the closet and kissed his mother's cheek before gingerly walking out of the room and out of the manor entirely.

It didn't take him long to get to his destination; but his thoughts were clouded and unfocused on what was needed to find Hermione. He wanted her back safely in his arms. He wanted to kiss her lips until they bruised and bury himself in her scent. He craved her presence.

"What on earth are you bloody doing here, Draco?" Harry asked crossing his arms over his chest unimpressed with him showing up.

"I'm fine. Any word on Hermione?"

"I wish there was something I could tell you. We haven't seen her since she left you in the infirmary."

"Damnit!"

Draco clenched both hands into fists at his sides. He was beating himself up on the inside for not trying to convince her to stay that day. Harry could understand his best Auror's frustration. There had been moments before he actually had Ginny to himself that he wandered if they actually belonged together.

It was obvious to him that Draco was struggling with how he was feeling towards Hermione. He was also sure his mother was trying to steer him away from the idea of being with a muggle born witch entirely.

"We will find her. I'm in the process of contacting Hogwarts to see if she went there." Harry stated.

"Okay; but I really doubt she's there. Then again, maybe she did just to hide away from everything."

They both stood in silence, neither ready to speak the unthinkable. Neither wanted to say the worst case scenario. Draco refused to think that she was dead somewhere or even hurt begging for help like he had heard her do once before. It wasn't until there was a knock on the door did they finally look up from the floor.

"Come in!" Harry shouted.

Draco turned to see Stewart Lyons step into the room. He instantly narrowed his brows the second his eyes met his. "Didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Malfoy. I heard your injuries were pretty significant." Stewart stated before upturning his lips into a grin. Harry knew that Draco wasn't in the mood to be taunted and would no doubt lash out at the American Auror. In attempts to prevent a fight, he stepped between them and looked Stewart in the eyes directly.

"What do you need, Lyons?" Harry asked.

"Brought the file you asked for on the Christmas Party incident." He answered holding up a manila colored folder.

The folder was snatched quickly by Draco's hand. Not saying a word to either man, he opened the folder to scan the contents. Most he already knew from witnessing it first hand; but the fact that they determined that it had to have been done from the inside surprised him a little. Thinking back on that night, Lyons had made comments to Hermione along with his former flame, Pansy.

Shifting the folder to Harry's direction, he took a small step out around his boss to stare Stewart directly in the face. "Is there a problem?" Stewart asked with the same grin that only seemed to fuel Draco's anger further.

"Draco." Harry warned.

"I see." Stewart commented closing his eyes briefly. "You think because I don't like your little mudblood princess that I would be the one behind the death threats and the Chimaera attack."

"It crossed my mind." Draco finally answered after a few seconds of silence.

"Sorry to disappoint, I'm not behind it. Now if you excuse me I have things to do."

Stewart left the room, leaving a very annoyed Draco alone with Harry. Draco let out a frustrated groan before turning heel to leave the room as well. "You stay focused, Malfoy. We can't do anything for her if we have clouded thoughts and judgments." Harry said trying to be the voice of reason.

"You know that it doesn't mean that he wasn't involved in some way." Draco said ignoring Harry's suggestion.

"I know..."

XxXxXxXx

Hermione followed Minerva off the train. A wooden bench sat ahead of them. She moved to sit down on it, not realizing that her former teacher was going to do the same. "I don't understand why this hurts so much." She said softly.

"I may be able to give you a better answer if you told me exactly what you're running from."

She contemplated the notion; but there was piece of her that was whispering that she wasn't ready to talk about it. There was also a part of her that was ready, an internal war battling deep within her. "It's complicated."

"From the look on your face, I'd say you miss someone very dear to your heart. I may be old; but I know the look of longing because I've seen it on my face many years ago."

Hermione clenched her hand on the handle of her bag even tighter. A flash of Draco's face appeared inside her mind. His soft blue-gray eyes so serene and calming to the point a sigh escaped her lips. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. There has been three deaths and one seriously injured already...it's all my fault."

"Is the reason you're running because someone you cared about died or got injured?"

"Both actually. Janey was killed and left to burn in my apartment. Draco...was severely burned trying to protect me."

Now Minerva understood. Hermione cared for Draco Malfoy, a pure blood that had a family that would forbid a union of any kind between them. From how she heard it, Draco also cared for her. That was indeed complicated and something completely unexpected, especially given the hostility between them in their days at Hogwarts.

Though she knew that people changed as time passed, it still surprised her to see such a look of longing on her face. "There is a lot going on inside my head. I wish I could explain it better to you. All I know it that it hurts like hell to not have him around, even though I know it's for the best if he stays away from me."

"You are speaking of Draco, are you not?" Minerva asked.

"Yes."

Leaning forward, she let out a sigh. Hundreds of muggles swarmed the train station as they continued to sit on the bench in silence. Hermione thought back on the first day he had come to her office, then their kiss under the mistletoe and of course, the Christmas party when he had admitted that he wanted her. All the memories took her breath away and a burning sensation to form at the corners of her eyes. "I think you need to go back to the Ministry." Minerva suggested.

"What good will that do?" Hermione asked standing up from the bench.

"It's probably the safest place for you right now. I'll even accompany you there if you wish."

Minerva stood up and inched her way towards the shorter woman. Touching the tip of her wand into the middle of Hermione's back, soft words caressed her ears and soon she fell asleep. Slumping back into the seasoned witch. "I am sorry for doing this to you; but it's for the best." She said just as Kingsley stepped out around the corner.

"I thank you Minerva for your assistance in locating her. This whole process has been agonizing. She will be safe in the Ministry while we try to figure out who is behind the threats. If you will continue to work on your end, it would be greatly appreciated."

Kingsley picked up Hermione's limp body and proceeded to carry her away from the Headmistress of Hogwarts. "She better be, Kingsley. That girl has a bright future." Minerva commented just as they disappeared from sight.

December 17th, Ministry of Magic Infirmary

Hermione slowly opened her eyes to see the familiar scenery of the Infirmary located inside the Ministry of Magic. Running a hand over her face, she turned her head to see that the room was empty from everyone. Not even a nurse in sight, which was good for her. Tossing the covers off her body, she shifted to place her bare feet on the cool floor.

"Oh, you're awake." A voice stated behind her.

Turning around, her chestnut eyes came in contact with a soft green ones. The nurse had to be a new one. She had never seen her before. "What am I doing here?" Hermione asked trying to figure out how she had even gotten there. Judging from the look of things, she had been put under a sleeping spell.

"You were brought in yesterday asleep from Kingsley himself. I know nothing else about what the reason you were put under that sleeping spell. All I do know is that he will be in shortly to check on your progress."

"Thanks..."

Pushing herself to stand up, her head became dizzy. Falling back down in the bed, she closed her eyes to shield them from the spinning room. A side-effect to using the spell in such a large dose. She had no doubt that it had come from Minerva McGonagall herself. Harry must have had asked for her help when she took off without warning.

The door opened, startling her to look up at who entered. Who was standing there completely took her breath away. Bleach blonde hair with blue-gray eyes and a form fitting pair of black slacks with a white button-up shirt. Two of the buttons were left open, revealing a little skin of his chest to her viewing.

"Draco..."

End Note: I apologize for the cliff hanger; but this chapter is kind of two parts. Hopefully I'll get the seconds part posted soon.