A/N: This will be the final chapter. I do hope you all enjoyed reading it and I definitely enjoyed writing it for all of you. Hopefully someday soon, I will return with something new. So, until then, enjoy the last chapter and let me know what you think.
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Chapter 30:
December 31th, Early A.M, Draco's Flat
Hermione tossed her head side to side in her sleep. The haunting nightmares of being alone were consuming her from all directions now. She feared being alone more than anything else in the last few months, ever since Draco entered her life. Clenching the silk of the sheet that she was wrapped in, she bit down on her bottom lip and shot up from her sleep.
"Hermione?" Draco's voice called with concern next to her.
She looked over at him, who was still laying down with eyes wide open. He was studying her. It had been three days since she had gone to visit Daphne at Azkaban. After some time, Hermione did tell him about Daphne speaking of Janey and the fact that she claimed that she hadn't killed her.
Draco felt obligated to tell Harry about the development and had him look into whatever truth there was to the statement, only for the sake of clearing Hermione's conscious of the death weighing heavily upon her shoulders.
"Just a dream, I'm okay." She answered sliding back down into bed.
"You've been having alot of those lately…"
"I know...I guess I've just have some doubts."
He wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. His lips found the hollow of her neck. Hermione closed her eyes, soaking up the sensation he always seemed to leave when he touched her. "There is no need for doubts. We've overcome far too much for that. You are not alone. There are too many people who care for you."
A smile upturned her lips, realizing that he was right in that fact. She closed her eyes, holding onto his arm tighter. The wonder of what would be in store for them next got the butterflies in her stomach fluttering and that feeling was more than enough to satisfy her to keep going without the answers to the greatest mystery of them all even though that answer would soon come to light in Daphne's questioning. Who had really killed Janey?
December 31st, Azkaban
Harry passed through the first of two guard stations before being able to start the interrogation of Daphne Greengrass. He was determined to get the answers his best friend so desperately needed. With a nod of the head, he was granted access to the room. A mass of dirty blonde hair was the first thing he saw when he stepped inside.
"Oh great...I get interrogated by Harry fucking Potter." Daphne stated rolling her eyes in the chair she was currently strapped into.
"She's been injected with truth serum ten minutes ago, you should be good to go." The guard informed before taking several steps back towards the closed door.
"Why target Hermione Granger?" Harry asked.
Daphne groaned as she struggled against the confines of the chair. Her blonde hair fell into her face, hiding the expression on her features. "I already told her this. She wasn't the true target. I just wasn't to make the so called 'Golden Trio' look fragile. She happened to have stepped into the wrong situations."
"Then why wasn't Ron Weasley or I harmed in any way?"
"As I just said, she walked into the wrong situations."
"Am I to assume that you weren't the mastermind behind the whole thing?"
"Ha...you're not as dumb as you look. I wasn't behind Janey's death. She was the catalyst to everything that happened."
Harry thought about what was said. If Daphne hadn't been the mastermind behind the death threat in the first place, then who could it be? Narrowing his eyes a little, he leaned forward in his own chair to stare directly at her. "Then who is it? Who killed Janey and who started this whole thing?"
"The mastermind should be obvious as for Janey...she killed by Stewart simply because she found him out as a former Death Eater."
"They why help us if he killed her?"
"To shut me up and because he knows that Pansy will die simply for changing sides."
It made sense that Stewart would change sides if he knew that his failures would result in Pansy losing her life; but it doesn't change the fact that he killed a fellow witch in cold blood. He would pay for his crime as well. Daphne groaned even louder, she struggled once again against the restraints. The truth serum was going to wear off soon and he knew that he needed to find out who exactly was behind the death threats right from the beginning.
"How did you get your orders? Who gave them to you?"
"Letters...they were always letters…"
"Who gave them to you, Daphne?"
Harry leaned in closer to her just as she whispered one name. It should have come to a surprise to him; but when he really thought about it, it really didn't surprise him as much as he thought. He got up from the chair and released the buckles that held Daphne's arms in place. She had exhausted herself from fighting against the truth within herself.
The guard escorted him outside. With the interrogation over, he would leave the rest to the prosecuting team to take care of the trial. Now he had a New Years Eve party to get to and tell Hermione exactly what she needed to know.
December 31st, Harry's Home
Ginny sat a warm pie on the table next to all the other foods she had prepared. Ron assisted with the carrying since she also had to tend her son James. She smiled at him, knowing that soon enough he would become a father. The thought of becoming an aunt got her excited. Lavender sat on the floor playing with James as she crawled through the living area.
"I'm home." Harry announced, coming through the front door.
"How did it go?" Ginny asked coming around the corner from the kitchen.
"We finally got all the answers and so did Hermione."
"Is she coming?" Ron asked sitting another pie on the table.
Harry stepped aside to show the still open door. Hermione and Draco entered hand in hand. Lavender got up from the floor to see what everyone was looking at. James continued to crawl across the floor to stop right at Hermione's feet.
Looking down, Hermione smiled and reached down to pick up the small child into her arms. He cooed happily at who was holding him.
"Hermione…" Ginny said at a loss for words.
Looking up from James, she met Ginny's gaze. Harry took his son from Hermione just as Ginny passed through the living room to get to Hermione only for arms to wrap around her tightly. Happy tears trickled down their cheeks. Separating, she turned to look at Ron and Lavender. The bump of her stomach was starting to clearly show her pregnancy.
"Thank you, all of you...for everything."
"There is no need to thanks us. You are family and we do anything for family." Harry said pushing Draco into the group.
Ron stared at him a moment before extending his hand out to him. Draco was surprised for a brief moment before accepting the gesture. "You've proven that you care for her more than I ever thought possible. I have no doubt that you will keep her safe."
"You have my word on that." Draco answered.
Hermione smiled. Despite knowing that Draco's father had been the mastermind behind her death threat and Stewart being the one who killed Janey, there was some closure to some of the haunting feelings that had surrounded her for so long. Harry had assured her that everything was taken care of when it came to Janey's death and Lucius in not being allowed any visitors or ability to send letters to anyone.
"It's almost midnight." Draco said coming to stand beside her.
Ginny came around to hand them glasses of champagne. Hermione took the glass and smiled. James was sleeping on a blanket on the floor just as the lights outside began to flicker to begin the countdown to midnight.
Draco twined his fingers through Hermione's, reminding her that she wasn't alone nor would she ever leaned in to place his lips onto hers ever so gently. She took a step closer to him, feeling his chest against hers. The pounding his heart against hers. There was no better feeling than knowing how much you are loved by another.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Midnight, a new year and new beginnings; but nothing shinned more than Hermione and Draco in that moment.
E/N: Thank you all for taking the time to read. Until next time….