A/N: I appreciate all the kinds words and the welcome backs I've been getting. This is why I love this fandom so much. This chapter is going to be pretty emotion filled. Onto number twenty-nine, let me know what you think.

A special thanks goes to: SereneDreamm, emotionalrangeofateaspoonCW, MinSugaBTS420, Arriaga97, BXgirl, NoobAtTheKeys and RossxCullen for becoming followers to this story.

Another special thanks goes to: pgoodrichboggs and HarryPGinnyW4eva for the wonderful reviews.

Chapter 29:

December 28th, Draco's Flat

Draco awoke to an empty bed. Hermione was nowhere to be seen in the room. He tossed the blankets off and walked out of the room. He stepped out into the living room hoping to see her staring out the window; but she was not there. Turning to the kitchen, he could see a piece of paper on the counter.

He picked up the item and glanced at the words on the page. The note was from Hermione. It didn't take long before the anger returned and he crumpled the piece of paper in his hand. He understood her distance lately, after everything she had been through over the last couple months, he would have been distant to; but going to Azkaban to talk to Daphne was just ludicrous.

"Damnit!" He cussed before going back to the bedroom to get dressed.

Sliding the closet door harshly open, he grabbed whatever was in there first. He wondered what he needed to do to get her to talk to him about what she was feeling. Going back to work obviously wasn't helping her either.

Opening the front door, he could see his mother standing there with her hand up as if she was going to knock.

"Mum…" He stated softly.

"What's the hurry Draco?" She asked with a light smile curving her lips.

"Hermione went to talk to Daphne."

The smile faded from Narcissa's face when she realized what her son was telling her. She knew better than anyone what it was like visiting someone in Azkaban. The emotion written on Draco's face was crushing her. She hated seeing her son in such emotional agony. "This girl is quite troublesome."

"She is at that; but...she…"

"I know…"

Narcissa knew how her son felt about the muggle born witch and stepped aside to allow Draco to leave, pulling the door shut behind him. She followed closely behind, not letting him go there alone. In the back of her mind, she worried that Hermione needed more help than anyone realized.

December 28th, Azkaban

Hermione sat down across from Daphne in an interrogation room. Two guards stood outside the door, keeping alert to anything that could go wrong. Daphne's once shiny blonde hair was now deeply tangled and dirty from the floor of her cell. Hermione tried to keep her emotions in check as the pity took over upon seeing the Greengrass heiress in such a state.

"Why are you here?" Daphne asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to know why. Why target me?" Hermione answered folding her hands on her lap under the table.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Daphne's lips upturned into a coy smile that was taunting to the other woman in the room; but deep down, Hermione saw that it was a just an act. There was a lot of different emotions swirling inside the woman that had caused her a great deal of pain over the last couple of months. "Don't kid yourself, Daphne. You can act strong all you want. I can see the pain in your eyes."

"Self righteous as always, I see. The fact is, you weren't really the initial target. I just wanted to show the world that the golden trio were just as fragile as the rest of us. You didn't need all the glory and fame for being the ones to end the war."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe we didn't want the fame either?"

Daphne looked right at Hermione in that moment and saw the sincerity on her face. Perhaps she had been wrong about them being fame seekers or maybe it was her time in prison talking? She really didn't know; but looking at the woman sitting across from her, she could see that she really hadn't wanted the fame. "All we wanted was to do what was right. Harry came from a famous name. He never cared about that. All he cared about was ridding the world of the dark lord. Ron came from a line of purebloods, his father was an auror willing to sacrifice everything to make sure his family was safe…"

"And you came from muggles….yes, we know your story."

"No, I'm afraid you don't. I may have come from muggles; but they never understood me fully. Of course, they tried to...in the end, I had to obliviate them to keep them safe. Now, they don't remember me at all…"

Daphne listened, watching the emotions roll off her rival in waves. There was a lot that she hadn't known about the Gryffindor Princess. Thinking back on the battle at the Greengrass Estate, she could remember seeing the desperate look on Draco's face. He had been the worst one when it came to pointing out her lineage and now he was in love with her. It went to show that people change, no matter how dark they seem.

"I have no family left, Daphne. You at least have Astoria, so don't throw away a chance to see her again outside of these walls. Tell me the truth about what happened and maybe I can see about getting you a lighter sentence."

The door opened and both guards stepped inside. Hermione knew her time was up. Standing up from the chair, she turned to walk towards the guards. Daphne's eyes burned with tears, realizing that was her only chance to set things straight. "One more thing before you go!" She shouted.

Hermione turned around at the doorway. "I didn't kill Janey." Daphne stated affirmatively. The heart in her words made Hermione freeze with wide eyes. The fact that she brought Janey up was shocking; but now, all she wanted to do was ask more questions.

The guards pushed her out the door before any words could come out of her mouth. Hermione was frustrated that she didn't have more time with her and that she would have to set up another visit before the trial would begin next week.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Draco asked standing outside of the prison with his mother at his side.

"I had to…"

"No you didn't. You don't owe her anything." He stated interrupting her.

Hermione frowned at his response. There was so much he didn't know and now she wanted to know more. Somehow, she believed Daphne in the fact that she didn't kill Janey; but the question now was, who did kill her?

Tears burned the corners of her eyes, spilling over the sides to roll down her cheeks. Draco let the anger go in one sigh before pulling her into his arms. Narcissa placed a gentle hand on her back before looking back at the prison that housed her husband and wondered if he had played a part in all of the turmoil that surrounded their son.

"Let's get you home." Draco whispered before kissing her forehead.

Narcissa led them away from Azkaban and back into London. She didn't bother to stay long once they got back to Draco's apartment. She knew that they needed the privacy. If she was honest with herself, she needed time to think anyway.

Draco opened the door and allowed Hermione to step inside first. She immediately took off her coat and shoes, then she stepped into the living room to sit down on the sofa. Her eyes lingered on the large window overlooking the city.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized.

"Hermione, you're strong enough to take care of yourself...I just didn't understand your reasoning for going."

"I needed to know why."

He moved to sit down next to her, reaching for the side of her face. His fingers pulled her to look at him. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch more than he thought she would. The 'why' was eating away at her. He could see it. "Did you get an answer?" He asked pulling her to sit on his lap, with his arms wrapped around her tightly.

She said nothing, except for a nod of the head. He knew that she wasn't going to say anything else, so he opted for just holding onto her. Eventually she would tell him, he just had to be patient with her. "I love you…" She whispered burying her face into his chest.

"I love you to…"