The next morning, I woke up refreshed, and my hope was back. McGonagall had destroyed it when she announced who the new Head Boy was, but I was determined that things were going to work out, just as I always was.

According to McGonagall, Malfoy already knew that he was Head Boy but obviously had no idea about my parents or my desperate need for him to agree to go with me, My plan was to approach him sometime during the next day and get him to accompany me on my mission. Then, I would tell Ron, Harry and Ginny of what transpired and leave the next day, with my bags and Malfoy in tow.

I rose out of bed, took a quick shower, and applied make up for the first time in what seemed like ages. After throwing on a pair of shorts and a big t-shirt I had acquired from a vacation, I was ready to go down and somehow find a way to visit with Malfoy.

Walking from the Gryffindor tower to the Great Hall gave me time to breathe and pray about what was going to happen next. Was he going to agree easily? Was he going to spit in my face and completely reject me? I had no idea, but I was praying for the best and expecting the worse.

I waltzed into the Great Hall and noticed Malfoy sitting completely by himself at the Slytherin table. Now or never, I thought, before I approached him. I was maybe five feet away when he looked up and smirked at me. "Coming to kiss me without hesitations, my lovely Granger?"

I ignored and straddled the bench beside him. "Ohhhh, I see you, you've come back for more than a kiss!" he exclaimed, letting his long finger run up the inside of my thigh. I slapped his hand away from my crotch. "Now, Draco, that's no way you should be treating your future partner and roommate!"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm the Head Girl, remember!"

"Oh, must have slipped my mind!" he said, before turning back to breakfast.

"Actually, Malfoy, in all seriousness, I have something I'd like to discuss with you..." I muttered, and he turned to me with confused eyes. He set his fork down and faced me. "I'm listening, Granger."

"Well, right after we left Hogwarts after sixth year, I knew that I was going to have to leave everything behind and help Harry on his missions. So I started making preparations, getting ready to leave. The last and most important thing I did was to protect my parents. I wiped their memories clean and sent them to live in Australia. I knew that if I died through all of this, they would be safe and happy for the rest of their lives" I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I noticed Malfoy's face contort in sympathy, which was odd. I continued with my story: "So now, that I've made it through this whole mess, I need to go to Australia, and... I need you to come with me."

His face looked like the wind was kicked out of him.

"Me? Why do you need me? Why not Potter or your lover, Weaslebee?"

"Well, Professor McGonagall suggested this, actually. She said that the only way I could keep my position as Head Girl was to have you come with me. We need to be making plans for the upcoming school year this summer, and we have to be together for that to work, whether we're staying here or in a hotel in Australia.

"So, Draco Malfoy, I'm begging for you to come with me to Australia," I concluded, hoping and praying that he would say yes.

He looked at me for a long time, trying to decide what to do. After about three minutes of thought, he asked, "What's in it for me?"

I exhaled. I hadn't thought about that part. "Honestly, anything you want that I can give to you. I'm so desperate to keep my position as Head Girl and find my parents. We both know this rests completely on you and what I can give you, but I'll try to give you whatever you want if you help me."

He twirled his fork in his porridge, surveying his options. He looked at me, his eyes shining but his mouth indicating nothing. "Alright, I'll go with you!"

I literally leaped on him and squeezed his neck, before I realized I was on top of him in the Great Hall with tons of people watching. I backed off him quickly and blubbered around awkwardly, trying to find the right words to thank him. Finally, I jumped back towards him and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders.

"What is this for?" he whispered in my ear as he patted my back.

I pulled away from him with tears in my eyes; I was too happy to stop them or to hide them. "I am just so thankful that you would agree to this! Who would have thought that you could be so-"

"Nice?" he finished for me with a scowl on his face.

"Well, yeah, actually!"

"Well, Granger, I know it's hard to imagine, but it happens more often than once in a blue moon." With that, he stood and huffed out of the Great Hall.

I didn't really have time to try and sort that one out, so I left the Slytherin table and met my friends at the Gryffindor table. Ron and Harry were discussing some Quidditch match, while Ginny was absentmindedly scratching Harry's back. I came up to the table and she snapped out of her trance. "Hermione! Hi! We haven't seen you in such a long time!"

"I know, Gin! I've just been busy! But, Ron, are you done with breakfast? I need to talk to you!" I said, my heartbeat quickening in anxiousness.

"Yeah of course! Ready to go now?" I nodded and he stood. Harry and Ginny exchanged worried glances at each other and then at me, but Ron seemed to not notice anything. He followed me out of the Great Hall and sat next to me on a bench across the corridor.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I have something I need to tell you."

"Mione, I thought we got everything out yesterday when we told each other we loved each other?" he asked, confused.

"Well, Ron, that's just it... I think we may have rushed into things too fast. We're about to go completely separate directions; I'm going to Australia to find my parents with Malfoy and you're going into the Ministry, and I don't think things are going to work out for us right now. So, I think we need to-"

"Wait, wait, wait," he exclaimed, cutting me off. "Malfoy is going with you to Australia?"

"Well... yes!"

"Is that part of the reason you're breaking things off with me? To go to Australia and be with that slimy git? You're going with that... that bloody Death Eater?" he yelled, standing up and causing a commotion.

"Ronald Weasley, sit down. You are embarrassing yourself. Regardless of his past, he needs forgiveness in order to begin his future! So I'm giving that to him. And besides, I'm not breaking off things with you because of him, I'm doing it because of myself! I don't have feelings for you in that way!" I harshly whispered at him. Tears sprung up in his eyes and were about to spill over.

"So all of those times we snogged, when you told me you loved me, it was all a lie?"

I sadly nodded and looked at him with blurred vision because of my tears. Even though I knew that I did not have feelings for him, I still felt sad. He was my best friend and I didn't want to ruin that or see him sad. "Ronald, I'm so sorry. I hope you'll understand someday." He completely shook his head, wiped tears from his eyes, and turned his back on me.

I composed myself and headed straight for the dungeons in search for Malfoy. I arrived down in the pits of Hogwarts and pounded on the door to the Slytherin common room. He opened the door and leaned against the doorframe. "What do you want, Granger?"

"How would you feel about leaving tonight?"