Author's note: LAST CHAPTER WHOOOOOOO and look at my fast update

The Missing Piece Chapter Thirty Two

Day: 77

"Pass the potatoes, Mollywobbles." Arthur Weasley directed his wife, who gave him a stern glare in return while one arm reached to her right to get the bowl of mashed potatoes. Everybody knew Molly Weasley did not like to be called such in front of company. It was a bit embarrassing for her, and all of her sons as well, for Fred, George, and Ron all turned bright red, and Hermione noticed their ears burned red as well, as that appeared to be the Weasley trademark. Arthur however, took no notice, and reached out to accept the bowl, and pour a generous amount onto his plate.

It was the first time Hermione had been at a Weasley dinner since a long time, and needless to say she felt like she did not belong. This time, however, it was different. The last time she visited, she felt somewhat disconnected and distant. There had been a piece missing, and she felt quite lost. This time, she felt more that she did not belong because she should be somewhere else. With someone who needed her, somewhere far off in a hospital. She had told Harry she would come however, and she needed to see how Ron was doing, and to make sure he was okay as well. It was quite disturbing to do so however when she would find herself thinking of Draco Malfoy, waking up all alone and to no one, or dying all alone with no one to cry over him but the healers who would shake their heads in pity and cover him in a white blanket. Whenever one of these thoughts occurred she would close her eyes, and shake her head, and do so in a way that anyone else would think she were simply shaking her head at the ongoing conversation.

"So then I wake up in the hospital and I think 'Merlin, how did I get here? Where is everybody?' Last I remembered, I was at home, watching Fred wrestle with that one garden gnome and then I'm on a bed? It's pretty crazy, but I'm okay I guess—" Ron animatedly recounted his tale to Ginny, who regarded her brother with interest and worry. Harry, who sat next to Ginny and was only half listening, caught Hermione's eyes and rolled his eyes. Hermione gave him a small smile and looked away. She knew that look. Ron had told this story before. She recalled a time during sixth year, when Ron had saved the quaffle from a goal earning the victory of the Gryffindor team. She remembered Ron never stopped bragging. It was quite in his nature to take his successes and losses and glorify them, and tell them to anyone who would listen. Hermione's guilt ebbed away a smidge at seeing the way Ron was coping.

When everyone had eaten as much as their stomachs would allow, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Ron walked out onto the yard for a while. It was a cloudless night, and the stars twinkled peacefully above them. Hermione began to wonder if Draco would ever see a night like this, but before she finished her thought she closed her eyes and shook her head, as if the physical motion would somehow make the thought disappear.

"You're not fooling anyone, you know." Ginny whispered to Hermione, placing her hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Am I that obvious, Ginny?"

"No, I can just tell when someone would rather be with the one they love." Ginny squeezed Hermione's shoulder and walked toward Harry, who took his arm and wrapped it around Ginny's shoulders. Hermione smiled to herself. Ginny had to once stay behind in the Room of Requirement for a while by order of her father than fight alongside Harry in the final battle. Hermione supposed she was right.

"Haven't heard from you since I got back, Hermione." Ron's voice was heard behind Hermione, and she turned around to face him. His face looked soft and almost childlike in the night, despite his adulthood. She had really grown distant from Ron, and this realization did not make her happy.

"I know, I'm sorry Ron. I've been…. Caught up in things. This is the first time I could actually see you." Hermione explained, occasionally looking up at the Burrow behind Ron.

"From what I heard, this happened to you too? But now you're all right. How did that happen?"

"I'd have to explain the whole thing, then."

Ron looked down at the ground and sat on it, folding his legs into a pretzel. He looked up at Hermione.

"Story time."

Hermione laughed, because Ron looked so childlike, especially after saying that. She found herself lowering to the ground, and folding her legs just like Ron's.

"Well, there were Death Eaters, after a potion—"

"Harry told me all that tell me all the other stuff." Ron interrupted.

Hermione wracked her brains for what "all the other stuff" was and when it came to her, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Okay well, I woke up one morning and I thought my house was robbed, next thing I know Draco Malfoy is my boyfriend, I got promoted to Head of Magical Law Enforcement—"

"Draco Malfoy!?" Ron interrupted once more, completely astonished.

"Yeah… I know. But now I understand. He actually changed a lot, Ron. He helped me remember. He would show me his memories, in a pensieve, in an attempt to remember. It wasn't that exactly that brought my memories back but it helped a lot. He stayed there with me the whole time, and I owe him for that." Hermione watched Ron, and counted the seconds in which Ron's eyebrows were raised and mouth hung open. Fifteen seconds passed before he closed his mouth and Hermione allowed herself to continue.

"Anyways, there was a healer who always checked up on me, and I thought she was from St. Mungo's when one day I realized she wasn't. You, Harry, Draco and I tracked her down. Turns out she had erased my memory, but in order to protect me from the Death Eater plan Harry apparently told you about. She gave me a choice. To get them back, or to forget forever. It was a very had decision but I decided to remember. And then I did. But then the Death Eaters came, and I told her to switch it back, despite her protests that it was dangerous. You didn't want me to forget again, and when she fired the spell, you jumped in her way. To save me." There was an ensuing pause. "Thank you, Ronald."

Hermione and Ron's eyes met, and a mutual understanding passed between them: He would do it again, if he had to. And in that moment, Hermione also realized another important thing: He still loved her. Perhaps he loved her for a much longer time than Hermione thought, for even after two years were robbed from his life he still had feelings for her. Guilt and dread washed over Hermione, for she did not want Ron to love her. She would never be his, and he would never be hers. Her heart belonged to someone else.

"Now this all has meaning. Thank you. I'm glad to know I did this for a reason." Ron replied after a few seconds pause. "So… where's Malfoy now?"

"Well, after your meaningful act, the rest of us had to carry you to hiding, and then we tried fighting our way out when they found us. They caught me. They kept me captive, trying to figure out how to make the potion. When I wouldn't budge they brought Draco in, I'm guessing they kidnapped him from his home. I struck a deal with Crowley, the head Death Eater. I would make him the potion to spare Draco. Then I met a vampire, Morgan, and long story short she helped me escape. Harry and I got Draco and brought him to the hospital because he suffered severely from torture, and then we tracked down Crowley, he escaped, but we caught him again and here we are. Harry filled in the details, I guess."

Ron nodded, picking at the grass with his hands.

"So, is Malfoy going to be okay?"

Hermione perceived his question as a bit odd. It was never in Ron's interest to know the fate of Draco Malfoy, so why ask? Nevertheless, Hermione answered honestly.

"I don't know. Could go either way. I am going to see him tonight, after this."

"Are you guys… you know." Ron asked, not looking at Hermione but rather at the ground. Hermione felt her insides do an uncomfortable dance. She did not like the direction this was going.

"Yes." She replied simply. She could have said more, but that was none of Ron's business.

"Oh." Was all Ron replied. Then he added, "If anything goes wrong, and you should need me, I'll be here for you."

Hermione's heart immediately began thundering. What did he mean? She felt half angry and half worried. Did he think that if Draco died she would come running to him? Did he think that was the only way to win her heart?

"Nothing is going to go wrong. He's going to get better. But thank you." Hermione replied a little more

curtly and angrier than she meant. It was too late to change the delivery of the words, they were already out of her mouth. Thankfully, that was the moment Ginny and Harry chose to go over to them, and with their company, the mood lightened considerably.

Day: 78

"Hello again Miss Granger, sorry you couldn't stay the night!" The same Healer who had kicked Hermione out of Draco's hospital room last night reappeared with a clipboard floating about her. When Hermione visited last night, she had been in the middle of telling Draco what happened at the Weasley dinner, when that same healer interrupted to inform her visiting hours were over. Hermione insisted she be allowed to stay the night as there was a rule she recalled that allowed visitors to do so, but the healer informed her it was for family members only. However, here Hermione was again, first thing in the morning, next to Draco's bed.

"Oh, it's all right, I understand." Hermione replied with a little too much kindness to be genuine. Hermione watched the healer perform her routine check-up, and a few minutes later was out of the room. Alone, Hermione walked over to Draco, tracing her fingers over his white skin. He was looking a lot better. Much of the bruises had changed from a dark blue to a yellowish color; most of the major cuts had closed and were now in the process of scarring. The bones were mended, and Draco looked a lot healthier than when Hermione had first seen him. Hermione remembered stating her observations about Draco's outward appearance to one of the healers, but they had said that what really dictated he was healing was not his outside, but his inside as he had many intestinal and brain injuries.

"He is still very fragile," Hermione recalled one of the healers saying. "There's still no telling what's what"

Hermione sighed deeply, making sure air filled up every inch of her lungs and only then did she expel the air. Her fingers still traced Draco's arm, from his bicep down and around the elbow, tracing the forearm and stopping on his hand. Hermione absentmindedly grabbed Draco's hand and just held it there, wondering if she would ever feel that hand holding hers back, giving her hands warmth on a cold winter's day somewhere in the future.

"How much longer will I have to wait, Draco?" Hermione asked him, her soft eyes gazing at his angelic, stone like face. He looked almost like a male rendition of sleeping beauty, having been in deep, peaceful slumber for one hundred years. Hermione smiled to herself. If only she could kiss him and make everything as it was. "I miss you, you know I do. Come back, please."

With her wand, she summoned a seat right where she stood, and sat there, without letting go of Draco's hand at all. Then she watched him in his sleep, watched their hands held together, watched the window, watched the walls, watched the world go by for three long hours in silence. Then, she fell asleep.

Day: 79

It was dark, when Hermione's mind rose from deep sleep and became aware of small sounds, like the clock ticking, and the curtains flapping in the breeze. She could even hear the healers outside, and her hand twitching. Still groggy, she opened her weary eyes slowly, and let them adjust to the dark. As she came to her senses, Hermione realized her hand wasn't twitching but rather something twitching against her hand. As a few more seconds passed she realized it wasn't twitching at all, but an almost pulsating clench of a hand on hers.

She sat up and gasped, her heart thundering. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't. She looked down at her hand, which still held Draco's and saw his hand move, tighten, and hang on to hers.

Heart pumping wildly, she whispered, "Draco?!"

Another gasp was emitted from the brown haired witch as she looked into his eyes and saw they were wide open.

SIX MONTHS LATER

"Welcome home." Hermione said in complete earnest, staring up to the face of Draco Malfoy. They had just spent much longer than normal climbing the set of steps leading to the entrance door due to Draco's unsteady feet despite his use of a cane. Hermione remembered he requested his father's cane, the one with a silver snake on top, which conveniently hid his wand. Draco had to go to great lengths to get that cane, but it was finally here, in his possession, and even though there weren't many good memories attached to it for Hermione, she was glad it made Draco happy.

"I was already home the minute I saw you." Draco Malfoy replied, looking down lovingly at Hermione, making her blush in turn. Since he regained consciousness Draco Malfoy had become quite the romantic. Apparently his fight for life gave him a new perspective. Not that Draco wasn't romantic before, but since his recovery his replies to Hermione were definitely sappier, not that she minded. "It's been so long." Malfoy mused, standing in the grand hall of his manor, looking over it with pride and regality. Hermione stroked his shoulder in turn, and stayed silent, to allow him to have his moment. The night he woke up, Hermione ran to the healers, and they began their work on him, to keep him conscious and pain free. In less than twenty four hours he had been perfectly fine, able to wake and sleep whenever he pleased. It took him six months, however to gain clearance from St. Mungo's to leave, but Draco still had to return for routine checkups. The healers warned Hermione he might have nightmares, and psychological problems, but this troubled her not. She knew only too well, having experienced some herself on a very low level compared to Malfoy. She would take care of him. She promised.

"Come on let's get you to a chair. I'll make you some pumpkin juice, and I'll read to you." Hermione said after a while, helping Malfoy shrug off his coat and handing it to one of the house elves who she remembered moved her furniture to her apartment a long time ago. The house elf disappeared in a blink, and once again Draco and Hermione were left alone.

"Hermione I've got to learn to do things on my own, I'll go to a chair, no need to help me."

"Draco, this is not the way to do it. You need help at first, I know you want to do it all on your own—"

"I am perfectly capable now you let me do it—"

"Draco Malfoy you are going to hurt yourself—"

"Shh"

"Do not shush me mister—"

"No, quiet." Draco said, sternly. Hermione closed her mouth, listening intently to her surroundings out of instinct.

"Do you hear that? I missed arguing with you." Draco smirked at Hermione, looking smug at her playful glare.

Hermione had nothing to say or do, but shake her head. It was going to be a long recovery period.

FOUR MONTHS LATER

Draco Malfoy had thrown a party. On a cloudless Friday night. It was small, filled with close family and friends, but it was a party, nonetheless. Hermione had nothing to do with it, in fact she didn't know about it until two hours prior, when Draco had asked her for help climbing the grand staircase. He then led her to their bedroom, where a stunning black strapless evening gown lay shining on the bed. Now she was sat at a small table in their large ballroom, watching the Weasleys and any family Draco had left try and make peace together. It looked like Arthur was trying to convince Draco's grandfather an airplane existed, by how Mr. Weasley would cast his arms in the air to each side of him and lean to one side mimicking a plane. Hermione laughed to herself. Hermione wasn't sure they were going to all get along, but Draco said that his distant family was more accepting, at least outwardly. And that was all that mattered to him. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Even Ron had taken his new girlfriend, and was flaunting her for all to see. Hermione didn't mind. Remembering her own partner, Hermione's eyes scanned for Draco, and she found him standing two tables from hers, leaning greatly on his father's cane, talking to a man who looked vaguely familiar. Hermione was sure she saw him at Hogwarts at some point, but could not tell definitely.

"Some party, huh?" Hermione heard Ginny say to her. Ginny's voice was a little bit raised in order to be heard above the classical music being played by a string quartet. Hermione once again felt a little abashed by the amount of spending Malfoy did in such short time, and for no good reason. She still had no reason why she allowed this.

"You're telling me, Ginny." Hermione replied.

"Well you might as well enjoy it, looks like Draco is." The ginger replied, nodding her head to Draco, who was now making his way slowly to the quartet, waving his hands madly to catch the conductor's attention. The strings grew quiet, and gradually so did the crowd. Hermione placed her head in her hands, in anticipated embarrassment. What was he going to do?

"May I have your attention, please" Draco Malfoy's voice sounded through the room, magnified by his wand. The entire room paused in their actions and looked over at the host. "Thank you all for coming tonight, I'm sure none of you even know why you're here, but trust me, you'll know soon enough. I say that of course, to Hermione Granger, who is sitting all the way over there…" Draco pointed to where Hermione sat, and everyone turned their heads to look at her. Hermione felt her cheeks flush, and her eyes darting to everyone in the room, who looked back with interest. "Anyway, Hermione, I need to thank you, for taking care of me. But you've done much more than that. You gave me a reason to fight, to get better, and to endure everything I did. I did it all for you. And to thank you…" Draco Malfoy placed his wand back into his cane, and dropped his cane.

Hermione gasped. There he stood, on his own, without the support of a cane to hold him up. And then he took one shaky step. Then another. And another.

Fearing he should fall, Hermione ran forward in case she needed to catch him, her arms outstretched. Her face was completely proud however, and a few joyful tears streamed down her cheeks at the sight of her Draco Malfoy. They met each other in the middle of the room, and everyone circled around them, leaving them about ten feet of clearance. When Draco and Hermione were close enough to touch each other, Draco reached out, and grabbed Hermione's shoulders.

"Hermione Jean Granger, I love you. You made me open my eyes, you helped me walk today. I want you to help me fly. I want you to take me to the stars." As Draco uttered these words with as much passion as Hermione had ever seen in him, he slowly knelt down, placing one knee on the floor. He grimaced slightly due to some pain but he recovered immediately. Knowing where this might lead, Hermione brought both her hands to her mouth in astonishment. It all felt surreal.

Sure enough, Draco Malfoy pulled out the ring. Not just any ring, but the ring he had intended for her when she had lost her memory, the ring he had given back to make her remember, and the ring he must have somehow taken back from her, so he could present it again today.

And in front of all of their friends, and family, Draco Malfoy said, "Hermione, will you, finally, marry me?"

"Yes!" Hermione said, tears streaming freely now, and with no hesitation. Yes, of course she would. And suddenly, she understood the party. He wanted to make it a night that would live in her memory forever.

A/N: SO?! HOW WAS IT?! How did you like it?! Oh please please PLEASE let me know what you think! I know there's a bunch of ya who followed this story and favorited it but I don't know your thoughts! The least you could do, right?! (;

Anyways, let me know how the ending was for you, I'm happy with it! It's cute, right? I never was going to kill off Draco, I just wanted to throw you guys off hee hee.

Wow this is such a relief to finish! I'd like to thank you all for reading! THe ones who stuck by since the beginning, the once who just discovered it three days ago, all of you! It means a lot! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and favorited it! If you like it, recommend it to a friend! Love you all, I have an idea for another story, but I'm not sure if I want it to be a dramione or part of another fandom... just saying. Anyways, thank you!