Fresh clean light was what awoke Draco. He opened his eyes and just stared at the stone ceiling, while motes of dust fell like tiny snowflakes. Thought was slow coming and all he knew was that he was warm and the bed felt soft. Draco was slightly in awe and it felt good just to be alive. He smiled and tried to sit up and that is when the ache hit him.

Grunting he realized that a large part of him was bruised and his joints creaked.

"Oh good you are finally awake." Madame Pomfree said with a large sad smile.

"Am I?" Draco said, his voice cracking.

"Now don't try to speak yet, I am still trying to get more fluid in you." She bustled about and gave him a cup of liquid, saying, "Drink and then more rest. You are not up for much more right now."

Draco swallowed thickly at the room temperature syrup that tasted like tree sap. Coughing slightly and painfully, Draco asked, "Is everyone alright? I..I..."

Pomfree stood beside him and smoothed his hair from his forehead. "Yes, well not everyone. All the students are doing well. They were scared but unharmed. The Aurors had a time of rounding up the remaining Death Eaters. They are still after them as we speak. You, Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Headmaster Dumbledore, and Professor Snape, finally freed us from Voldemort. Things will be very busy for you very soon but for now, you have this room all to yourself. Now get some rest and I'll be back in a few hours with some more medication."

"Wait!" Draco exclaimed, coughing again. "Where is Hermione?"

"Oh, yes well she is in another private room, the same as you here. Do you want me to give her a message when she wakes again? Would that put you at ease?"

Draco schlumped back on the bed and thought. Pomfree was about to leave when he said, " Tell her...Tell her thank you for being the brightest witch in a century." He said with a smiling yawn. Pomfree nobbed and left and Draco went into a peaceful sleep.

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Days wore on and Draco regained his strength. There were interviews to do and awards to be held up for pictures. The season wained and fall came on slowly. His stay in the hospital wing had been short and he had been moved to stay in Professor Snape's private quarters. A few Slytherins had visited him, wided eyed and full of naive questions about his capture. He had thought that the article in the Daily Prophet would have explained all they needed to know about what had happened but their curiosity was heavy.

His estate was being thoroughly examined by the Ministry but that did not bother him at all. "Let them take what they want. Its no use to me." He had said late one night to Severus who had not questioned him any further. His Godfather had been wonderful support since he had come back. With his Father being gone they estate needed someone to attend it and not surprising to Draco, Severus knew a lot of attending to a large estate. It turns out that he had been slowly selling off his own and managing it quiet well for years now.

Narcissa was found very soon after all the students had been rescued. Draco was horrified to find out that an unknown curse had been put on her to prevent her from talking about anything that may have incriminated her husband. When he was finally able to see her, he read her look as saying that she was just happy that he was alive. Professor Snape left them alone while they embraced and cried. Leaving little out, Draco proceeded to tell her what had happened, and even though it hurt he felt better for it afterwords.

She was to stay with Draco in the Professors quarters until he was fully recovered. They would then go back to the Malfoy estate, and Draco would take the first semester off before coming back to take up his apprenticeship. He wanted so badly to get rid of her curse. It kept him awake at nights. Another thing that kept him awake was Hermione.

They had seen little of each other since leaving the hospital quarters. He had visited her before moving to the dungeons and she had smiled at him brilliantly. He held back a laugh as he saw the deformed hat on her head. She was sitting upright in her hospital bed with knitting needles working fast. Winking out a silent spell a chair moved over to beside the bed and Draco sat down awkwardly. Hermione put away her needles and opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out.

Draco studied his finger nails and cleared his throat.

In taking a breath they both started to speak at once. She laughed nervously and said, "Oh, um after you..."

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "Ladies first."

"Alright, " Disappointment flashed across her face before she said. "I hear you mother is alright. I am so glad."

"Yes, they have her at St. Mungo's. I will be able to see her in a couple of days. She ahh...she has been cursed."

Hermiones eyes widened in surprise. "Even though Fath...Lucious is gone, he is still hurting her."

"If you don't mind me asking what is wrong with her? Will she be alright?" She leaned forward to get a better look at him.

"Yes," He smiled ruefully. "She is tougher then anyone gives her credit for. Umm, the curse is on her vocal cords. She can't speak. Unable to tell Lucius's secrets or some rot like that." He frowned, thinking.

"You have been able to see your parents right?"

She nodded. "They thought it was great to see the school. I did ask Dumbledore to keep a lot of what happened from them though. I...I don't think I could put them through that. Its bad enough they know I was kidnapped let alone what happened to us there."

He nodded.

"So are you ready for the Order of Merlin ceremony? Getting thrown to the proverbial wolves, so to speak?"

She signed and put her pillow over her face. "Dumbledore has done wonders at keeping the reporters away, but I have been told that its a open ceremony."

He smirked. "Well if you need someone to keep those nasty rag reporters off of you I can always help."

She laughed and said, "I doubt you can make a difference considering you are even more of interest to them then I am."

He ran his fingers through his hair nervously, and he was about to comment on her hat when the door opened and Harry and Ron walked in smiling. The smiles were dropped when they noticed that Draco was there.

Draco stood abruptly and turned to Hermione to say, "I will be off then." He stiffly walked to the door and Harry held out an arm to stop him.

"Malfoy, I..." Draco looked up eyes hard and was blown away when he saw Harry's hand outstretched.

Harry managed a smile while Ron looked vaguely annoyed. Draco felt deja vu kicking him in the head. He quirked an eyebrow and Harry was starting to look anxious.

Ron let out a huff and walked around Harry and roughly grabbed Dracos hand and shoke it roughly once. Then he grabbed Draco's hand and forced it into Harry's where he said, "I still think you are a right prat but Harry here wanted to..." Ron looked to upset to continue and Harry finished. "I wanted to say Thank you. For distracting Voldemort and for keeping Hermione safe." Ron at this point walked over to Hermione in her bed and gave her a tight hug and proceeded to start talking about his twin brothers and a prank involving sarcastic muffins and fizzing blueberries.

Shaking his head Draco went to let go of Harry hand and said, "Alright. I appreciate that Potter. Whats up with him? Never mind, I don't want to know."

Harry laughed. "Besides the normal, he keeps mumbling something about you tricking Hermione. Care to shed any light on that? I honestly have no idea what he is talking about but I'm sure if you had done anything to harm her you would probably be missing teeth."

"You wish Potter." Draco glared. "No I have no idea what has Weasly's panties in a twist, but I have to go." He went to walk out the door but then turned back. "Good luck with the paparazzi next week Scarhead."

Harry through up his hands in defeat and Draco could hear him mumbling something about always getting the last word as he walked away.

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Draco looked at himself in the mirror. His robes had been sent over from some famous designer in France. He looked flawless. Perfect skin, hair and even his posture was perfect. The mirror whistled at him as he turned around to check out his back. He turned red, frowned and furiously brushed his hands through his hair. He did not want to look too much like his father today. Perfect was no longer the point anymore. His mother knocked on the door and he went to her. She smiled at him so proudly and his breath hitched in his throat. He had to clear his mind not to start crying and he felt a familiar ache behind his temples. Stress can do that to you he thought ruefully.

Relief was what he had felt when Dumbledore told him that the ceremony was to be held in the school, which successfully barred all but a handful of specially chosen reporters and photographers from the premises. There was outrage from the wizarding media but the decision was made too close to the actual time of the event that there was no time to change it. All the students were able to attend and it was to be held in the banquet hall.

Draco studied the medal now hanging from around his neck. It had been specially designed for them. It bore the Hogwarts crest and he was almost certain that it was enchanted with a cheering charm even though he could not sense a magical signature. He mentioned it quietly to his mother and she shook her head frowning.

There was a party afterwords in a transfigured part of the castle. It was a good rest from the relentless questions from the few reporters who had come. He was tired of trying to fend off questions about why Hermione had been placed in the same room as him. Answers of "Can we really understand the mind of a mad man?" and "Maybe Lucious was trying to save on space." were starting to sound robotic as opposed to the real answer of "It was the best way to hurt me, I could take the pain but I did not want to see her be hurt." Things felt very weird since coming back between them.

Whenever he had seen her she was all smiles and laughter around everyone but sometimes he caught her staring off with a haunted look in her eyes. Although they were fully healed there were some hurts that may never heal. Greyback had yet to have been caught but when it had been mentioned a plethora of people went to reassure her that they would make sure she was safe from him. Draco knew it was not the threat of them ever coming in contact again that was what to worry about right now.

Nightmares. They occurred every night and he was sure they did for her also. Their conversations had been stilted, full of cheerful banter and intentional ignorance. The night wore on and Draco was beginning to wonder if Hermione was avoiding him. He had seen her go by arm in arm with Ron to dance. She looked lovely in her champagne colored dress. Draco felt that familiar ache in behind his eyes and mentally called it off as being from the reporters.

Feeling bored with standing around and hearing condolences and getting asked to dance, Draco stood to get some fresh air and his mother nodded as he left. Outside the fall air was cold. It was slightly unpleasant but Draco did not care. The sky was dark with no stars shining out. He watched with slight amusement as a tipsy Hagrid tried to make it across the grounds to his hut with the assistance of Madame Maxime.

"Draco." He whipped around startled to see Hermione standing behind him. Embarrassed he put his had on his chest and breathed loudly.

"Bugger! Hermione you scared me..I mean..." He stood up tall and tried to play if off casually. Hermione smiled and apologized and he waved it off and turned to lean against the balcony railing.

She came up beside him and his heart skipped a beat.

"So, how has your night gone?" Hermione said as she copied his posture.

"Wonderful and you?"

"Its alright I guess, I would never tell them but it was a little insensitive for them to hold a ball. Considering what happened at the last one."

He waved it off. "Pretenses. And I don't begrudge them, anyone who was not captured thinks a little differently. Seriously I had some third year Ravenclaw at that ask if they had feed us sprouts the entire time. As if that was the worst thing they could think of."

Hermione cracked a smile and Draco looked away quickly as he tried to hide his blush.

"Well in the least Ron and Harry try to understand. I hate reliving it, but they keep asking and then beating themselves up about it. I just need to tell them to give me and them time. I don't feel like it was anyone's fault but Riddles."

Nodding Draco added, " Even I don't have the ego to put all the blame on myself. You sure have some friends there."

"They can yours too...maybe..."Hermione sounded somewhat doubtful and Draco laughed. "Don't worry about it. Right now I have what I need. Mother is coping well, Sev...I mean Professor Snape is been like a Father and you..."

Hermione cleared her throat and held out a sloppily wrapped parcel. "I was in a rush so I hope you like it. Sorry about the wrapping."

Draco blinked slowly at the gift. He opened it slowly. Inside was a very long, black and grey striped scarf. Hermione gushed.

"I have enchanted it with a few spells. One to ward off colds and chill, another for water and flame resistance, and a secret pocket for your wand." She demonstrated and then said, "I know that my knitting skills are not perfect but I tried ah yeah."

Hermione looked studiously out over the darkened landscape. Draco felt the woolly fabric under his thumb. "I...I really like it. Thank you." She smiled a bright smile and he felt a little giddy.

"So I should go back inside, I think Ron is waiting." Draco's smile fell down a notch.

"Yes go off with that twit..."Hermione failed to catch the rest of what he had said because it had faded off into grumbles.

She snapped, "He has been really worried with all that has happened, I am just trying to make him feel better."

"Oh yes run off to your little friends, they need all the taking care of that they can get."

"Yes they do, we all do." He turned his back on her.

Hermione looked taken aback. "Draco why are you being like this? Like before..."

"Like what? Speaking my mind? Since when is that against the law." Draco sneered.

"So that's it, right? Back to the way things were? Is that all that you can do now?" Hermione said frustrated.

Draco could not look her in the eye and instead looked transfixed at his gift. "Yeah I guess so." He whispered.

He glanced up to see the look on her face and his chest hurt slightly. Her eyes looked more sad then they had then entire time he had known her. Through all the pain, and all the awful things he had done to her before now, at this moment she looked purely heart broken.

He watched as a tear slipped down her cheek and she turned to leave. A humming arose in his ears and he could feel his pulse slow and a great feeling filled up his chest.

Unconsciously he took a step forward and said, "Wait."

Hermione stopped but did not turn around.

"Hermione I..." Draco angrily gathered what little courage he had. "I need you, too."

Hermione turned to look at him with tears still in her eyes. She quickly closed the space between them and enveloped him in a tight hug which he returned. That was all she had wanted, all that she had ever needed.

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Authors note

Its been years...since I was eight teen and I am twenty three now. When I started this story it was ambitious for me, I was very passionate about it and I was also lonely at the time. I was away at school, did not have much of a social life and I used to go to my school and read fan fictions to late in the night. I know I was sad then but I also loved it. It was then that I decided to write because I wanted to make something that I would want to read. I have learned a lot writing this. Like for instance, fighting is hard for me to write, and that I have issues focusing on people other then the main couple which I hope to change. This will be my official note that sometime in the future I will be going back and beefing up the first ten chapters or so. They were all really short and I believe I could add more to the story and make it more interesting because its a slow starter.

I also want to say that my plot bunny for this story does not end here. Greyback is still out there, there is Narcissa's curse and lots of angst. You can finish the story here and everything would be fine, but I did not add a lot of romance because I like a lot of angst first and so the next story will feature everyone a few years older and back at Hogwarts. If there are still readers out there suggestions are wonderful. I will attempt to write a summary here just to get a taste for it.

"What would you do if everything you cared about caused you pain? Hermione is starting her first year as the new Charms teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and her future seems bright. The war has left an impression on everyone but only one person could know how deep that was on Hermione. Everything seems alright, until a visitor from the past brings Hermiones carefully constructed life to a halt. Will Hogwarts new Potions Master be able to help Hermione or will his own demons tear them apart forever?"

Meh...I hope that will do. Anyways I will go now to upload this chapter and reread all my old ones to see where the problems lie...I know I wrote something about Hermiones feet turning blue and every time I think of it it makes me cringe...so tacky! Anyways its been fun. The more responses I get the more I will want to write part two so please be kind and type a few words of encouragement! Later Days!