A/N: This is the final chapter of the story. Thank you to everyone who has read it for staying with it until the end. I really appreciate it. Dx

Harry had been watching Hermione all evening and knew she wasn't any happier. Her excuse for moving had obviously been just that and he was even more convinced now that his theory was right. He had given her plenty of time this evening to open up to him of her own accord, subtly suggesting ways she could begin the conversation, but he wasn't prepared to wait any longer.

'What's going on, Hermione?' he asked as he stared at her intently.

Hermione shrugged. 'Nothing's going on, Harry. I'm fine.'

Harry snorted. 'I've known you for seventeen years so there's no point in you lying to me because I know when you're doing it. Come on, tell me what's going on. I know there's something wrong. You're really unhappy.'

Hermione's heart beat faster as she spent a few seconds considering what to say. She would be fine just as long as she didn't mention Draco at all. She ran through several possible responses before settling on one that wasn't actually a lie.

'I don't really like this new flat very much,' she admitted. 'It's taking me a while to get used to it. Longer than I expected, actually. For somewhere that's so safe, it seems awfully claustrophobic and restrictive.'

Harry shrugged. 'Surely that's the whole point of living somewhere where they keep an eye on you twenty-four hours a day.' He waited for a moment, then added, 'Perhaps you shouldn't have moved from your old flat after all. Your neighbour said you were wrong to run away.'

Hermione stared at him worriedly, wondering what Mrs Hamblin had said to Harry and hoping desperately that she hadn't mentioned Draco at all. As long as he was still only her dirty little secret she could lay the blame on Michael.

'I needed to leave,' Hermione said quietly. 'You know I did. I might not be completely settled here but I'm much happier.'

Harry almost responded to that lie, but instead, he asked, 'Who are you running away from, Hermione?'

Hermione could feel her heart clattering and her palms felt cold and clammy as she clenched her fists.

'I told you, I didn't feel comfortable there after Michael—'

'He's not the reason you shipped out so suddenly,' Harry cut in accusingly.

'I just couldn't settle,' Hermione retorted defensively.

Harry stared at her for a moment. More gently he said, 'Come on, Hermione, talk to me. I know you didn't leave your flat because you were scared of Michael or because you felt you needed protecting. You left because of something to do with Draco Malfoy, didn't you?'

A look of panic crossed Hermione's face for a moment, then she shook her head. Harry got up and moved to sit next to her on the sofa. He took hold of her hands, gripping them gently as he looked at her.

'I've worked it out, you know,' he told her kindly. 'You were really happy when you first came back to work. You didn't seem at all scared when you came to see me — if anything you were pretty flippant and dismissive of what had happened to you. But after I told you Draco was married your manner changed completely and you were really upset.

'Of course, at the time I put it down to mood swings associated with what you had been through, but then suddenly you wanted to move out of your flat because you were frightened, when that's quite obviously not the case, and you've been running scared the whole time as if you're hiding from someone. With Michael safely locked away and with no reason to be scared of Ron or me, that someone can only be Draco as he's the only other man you've come into contact with recently.'

'I don't want to talk about it,' Hermione mumbled unhappily. She looked as if she was about to cry.

'But maybe you need to,' Harry suggested gently.

Hermione shook her head forcefully. 'No. It doesn't matter, Harry. I was a stupid idiot and I won't let it happen again.'

Harry squeezed her hands. 'Tell me what happened, Hermione.'

Hermione stared at him for several seconds, her eyes full of tears. 'You know what happened,' she whispered unhappily.

Keeping his voice as sympathetic as he could manage, Harry posited, 'You slept with him, didn't you?'

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to block out what Harry was saying, but then gave a small, sad nod.

'And you really didn't know he was married when you slept with him?' Harry asked.

Hermione shook her head again. 'No, I didn't have a clue and Draco never said anything.'

'Well he wasn't really likely to, was he?' Harry said honestly. 'I mean, especially if he thought you knew.'

'I know. But I feel so bloody stupid. I honestly thought he liked me, that there was something special between us. But the truth was that he was just using me for sex, Harry. He probably hates me as much as he did at school and thought it was funny that he got me into bed with him straight after I'd been abducted.' Hermione's voice was almost a sob as she finally admitted to Harry how she felt. 'I bet he had a really good laugh about it with his mates, and I bet he tells his wife all the same crap he spouted to me.'

'Did you hate him at school?' Harry asked gently.

Hermione stared at him in astonishment. 'You know I did, Harry. You know how badly he always treated me. Of course I hated him.'

Harry nodded. 'You know that's very interesting, Hermione. Because I remember how the two of you treated each other at school — all that fighting and arguing all the time — but at no point did either of you ever try to keep away from the other. It was almost like you both did it on purpose so you were always together. I don't believe either of you really hated each other. In fact, I think you actually fancied each other but neither of you wanted to believe or admit it. Draco couldn't because of his family, and you didn't want to because of his stupid ignorant views.'

'No. That's not true,' Hermione said, her voice too loud, the denial coming out too fast.

Harry paused for a moment, then shrugged. 'Okay, I'm sure you know best. But I think Draco fancied you at school and I think that attraction was rekindled when he saved you.' He looked into Hermione's eyes to make sure she could see he was being serious. 'Hermione, I don't believe for one minute that he was using you or doing it to be mean, and I think that anything he told you he honestly meant.'

'Why are you defending him? You hated him as much as I did. We all hated him,' Hermione reminded him unhappily.

Harry shrugged. 'You're right, I did dislike Draco and so did Ron, although for totally different reasons from yours. But as you told me, we've all grown up and we've all changed, and what you told me about Draco before you discovered he was married made me realise that he had obviously changed for the better . . . much better. I think there's a very good chance he's in love with you, just as you're quite clearly in love with him. Your unhappiness is a testament to that, whether you want to admit it or not.'

'But it doesn't matter even if he does love me as you say. He's still married and I can't go there,' Hermione pointed out.

'Yes, it's true that he's married at the moment, but what's his home life like? Is he in love with his wife or do they hate each other?' Harry asked.

Hermione shrugged dismissively and Harry knew that she had no idea what Draco's home life was like because she hadn't given him a chance to explain.

'It doesn't matter,' she said.

Harry sighed. 'Of course it does, Hermione. There's a lot of difference between him being happily married and wanting a bit on the side and being unhappily married and ready to give it all up for you. How can you know for sure which one it is unless you talk to him and find out?'

'It doesn't matter how he feels about me, he's still married. Anyway, if he didn't want to be with her he would have got divorced, wouldn't he?' Hermione said.

'You know it doesn't always work like that. Especially with those old Pure-blood families. You don't even know whether they married for love or because of some sort of arrangement between their families.'

'Well, it should work like that,' Hermione snapped. 'Anyway, I don't care. I'm not interested in Draco Malfoy. It was a mistake that I just want to forget.'

'Well, you're not very happy for someone who doesn't care,' Harry pointed out.

'Are you honestly surprised? Think of the way he's treated me,' Hermione retorted.

Harry sighed again. 'Maybe you should give him a chance to explain his side of things. It might not be what you think.'

Hermione glared at him. 'Draco had sex with me, and then when I told him I'd found out he was married he told me he loved me and was going to get a divorce. Of course, that's what he was going to say. He was hardly going to tell me the truth, was he?'

'So is he?' Harry asked bluntly.

'Is he what?' Hermione asked tetchily.

'Is he getting a divorce?'

Hermione snorted. 'No, of course not. That's just what he said to try to calm me down once he knew I knew about his wife. It was just cheap talk designed to get me back into bed with him.'

'But how do you know it isn't true?' Harry asked.

Hermione sighed wearily. 'It's Draco Malfoy, Harry. You know what he's like. He'll say anything if it gets him what he wants. The truth is something he's never been on very good terms with.'

'So he told you he was getting a divorce and you ran away from him,' Harry said, trying to get his head round it. 'You never bothered to find out whether it was true first?'

'He didn't say he was getting a divorce. He said he was going to tell his wife that he wanted a divorce. That's a completely different thing. I'm not stupid. I know what that means,' Hermione said miserably.

'So because you were the only person in the wizarding world not to know Draco was married, you automatically believed he was lying to you when he told you that he wasn't aware you didn't know, and then that he was lying when he said he was going to get a divorce because he loves you,' Harry said in disbelief. 'Hermione, why have you made yourself so unhappy? If you'd given him the benefit of the doubt you would know one way or another whether he was telling the truth by now. Instead, you've got no idea and are punishing yourself and him for something Draco might not even have done.'

'You think I was wrong to want to get away from him,' Hermione said, her voice flat and cold.

'I think your neighbour was right and you should have stayed in your old flat and sorted things out with Draco rather than running away from him,' Harry answered. 'Why don't you talk to him? You can meet somewhere in public if you feel uncomfortable inviting him round here. At least you'll find out one way or another and you can stop being so bloody miserable.'

'Do you think finding out that he used me is going to make me feel less miserable?' Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. 'No, but finding out that he really is in love with you and is willing to divorce his wife to be with you would cheer you up a bit, I would think. Come on, Hermione, just talk to him. You don't have to agree to anything if you don't want to — just talk it through.'

Hermione thought for several seconds, then shook her head. 'No, Harry. I'm sorry, but no. I don't want to see or speak to Draco ever again.'

Harry sighed. 'All right. If that's the way you feel I won't mention it anymore. But I honestly think you're making a huge mistake.'

'No, I'm not,' Hermione told him adamantly, unwilling to discuss or even think about Draco any further.

'Well, you were right, Harry. They definitely slept together,' Ron said.

He took the beer his friend offered him and took a generous mouthful, leaving a foamy moustache around his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.

Harry sighed loudly. 'I know, and the reason she ran away to that awful new flat she's so unhappy in is because he's married and she thinks he's a liar. She won't even concede there's any possibility that she's wrong about him.'

'Draco told me he honestly didn't realise that she didn't know about his wife. He was adamant about that. He said he thought everyone knew about it,' Ron replied.

'I still think he's got a fair point,' Harry said.

'Yeah, I suppose, but you'd think he'd have said something, wouldn't you?' Ron mused.

Harry looked at him interestedly. 'Really? Would you have said anything if you were in his shoes, especially if you thought she knew and wasn't saying anything because she didn't want to remind you? Don't forget they were only actually together for a couple of days, and I get the impression that it was all passion rather than rational talk.'

Ron looked uncomfortable for a moment. 'No, I suppose not. I expect he probably didn't want to think about his wife waiting at home, especially if he doesn't like her very much.'

'I honestly don't think she even entered his brain for one minute,' Harry said. 'I think he's completely taken up with Hermione. Certainly, from what she told me he seems completely smitten.'

'He definitely is,' Ron confirmed. 'He told me what Hermione did was a major shock as he thought things were going really well between them. They had arranged to meet the night she came to yours. That's why she was so desperate not to stay at the flat, I suppose, and why she didn't want to go back after work to get her stuff. Before he went round there he went home to ask his wife for a divorce, which she apparently agreed to, but when he got to Hermione's to tell her the good news she had disappeared and had given that neighbour of hers a letter for him telling him to leave her alone.'

Harry sighed. 'So he really is serious about this, then?'

'Yeah, very. He moved back in with his parents rather than live with his wife any longer. He's going through with the divorce even though he's not with Hermione. He begged me to talk to her about it, to try to get her to give him another chance. It was really embarrassing actually, Harry. I thought he was going to cry when I told him I'd see what I could do,' Ron said sounding uncomfortable.

'Well, unfortunately, that's never going to happen because I've already tried to talk her into meeting him and she's refused point-blank to even consider it,' Harry said. 'She's completely convinced herself that he was just using her for sex and won't even consider for one moment that he was telling the truth. It's totally ridiculous. After everything she said about people growing up and changing she's still judging Draco on what he was like at school.'

'Well, he's a real mess,' Ron stated honestly. 'He's working Merlin knows how many hours a week and he's obviously drinking a lot, too, which I assume is a misguided and not very good attempt at trying to forget about Hermione. I was asking him about his job. He told me how dangerous it is, but I don't think he cares at the moment. He just wants Hermione but doesn't dare try to speak to her, because she told him to leave her alone and he doesn't want to be seen as another stalker. He seems a pretty good guy these days and I felt really sorry for him, actually. I honestly reckon if we don't do something to sort them out soon he's going to end up killing himself . . . and I don't think that would make Hermione any happier, would it?'

Harry gave a brittle laugh. 'Hardly. I expect she would blame herself then. God, I can't even begin to imagine how awful that would be.'

'I can,' Ron said flatly. 'So we need to do something bring them together if they're not going to do it themselves. We need to do this for our own sanity and peace of mind as well as theirs.'

'And how do you suggest we manage that, exactly? You know how suspicious Hermione is,' Harry said.

Ron considered Harry's question while he was at the bar waiting to buy more drinks. When he returned he placed Harry's pint in front of him, then took a swig of his own as he sat down.

'Okay, I've got it. What we need to do is get Hermione into your office for some reason and then once she's there I'll bring Draco in. She won't be able to run away from there and they'll be forced to finally talk it out, with us there to break it up if it turns into a fight . . . although hopefully, it won't.'

Harry looked at him uncertainly. 'Hermione won't be very happy when she finds out what we've done, especially as she told me there was no way she wanted to see him.'

'Not at first, maybe. But she will once she realises Draco is serious about her. He wants to marry her, Harry, so surely that's got to be worth risking her being a bit upset, isn't it?' Ron took another sip of his beer and said, 'Anyway, do you honestly want Hermione hanging around like a wet weekend all the time, moping because she's in love with Draco and won't do anything about it? You know it's not going to go away unless we do something to force the issue.'

'No, of course I don't. Even Ginny's had enough of her — although I haven't told her why Hermione's so upset. She thinks it's because of Michael still, and she can't understand why Hermione's reacting this way when he's locked up and she's living in the equivalent of Azkaban herself.'

'All right, so let's do this, Ron said keenly. 'We'll arrange to go for lunch but we'll meet in your office first. I'm sure you can think of a reason why we need to do that — say you've got a meeting or something and we can wait for you, you know the sort of thing.' Harry nodded, although he looked less enthusiastic at the idea than Ron. 'Get Hermione there first, then I'll get there a couple of minutes after her and bring Draco with me — one of those "look who I bumped into, I thought I'd bring him along so we can say thank you for what he did in rescuing Hermione" type of things. As long as we don't let her leave the office it should go like clockwork.'

'What about Dean?' Harry asked worriedly. 'Although he knows about the abduction he doesn't know about Hermione and Draco, and I'm pretty sure she's not going to want him there taking notes.'

'That's okay. When I get Draco there you can mediate between him and Hermione while I take Dean outside. I'll explain to him that you need a private chat with them both. That way it won't look like it's them talking, but you. I'm sure he'll understand, he's a decent enough bloke, and I'm sure I can come up with some blarney to cover it.'

'Why do I have to be the one that mediates, Ron?' Harry moaned. 'You get the easy bit and I have to deal with the arguing lovers. How's that fair?'

'It's your office, Harry. Dean's not going to understand why I want to talk to Draco and Hermione alone in your office — I could do that elsewhere,' Ron pointed out sensibly. He sighed. 'Look, I know it's not ideal but we're never going to get Hermione to Draco's office, even if we could get in there, which is pretty unlikely knowing that what that section's like. And you know how busy my office is. She definitely wouldn't appreciate the crowd in there watching and I'd never be able to get rid of them all. If we attempt to take him to her office we'll all end up hexed into the back end of next week, so it's got to be your office and that means you have to mediate, I'm afraid. Unless you can think of a better idea?'

Harry thought about it for a couple of minutes while he drank his pint but unfortunately, couldn't think of anything better.

'Okay,' he conceded with a sigh. 'Let's arrange it. When are we going to do it?'

Ron shrugged. 'The sooner the better, I say. How about the day after tomorrow?'

Harry sighed again. 'All right. But if it goes wrong, you're the one who can take the flak, Ron. I'm just the mediator so you'd better not do a disappearing act on me when you get rid of Dean.'

'I can't see how it can possibly go wrong,' Ron told him confidently. 'You were right about them being in love with each other, we know that's true, and if Hermione wasn't so bloody stubborn they would already be together. We're just giving them a little helping hand to straighten things out; giving Hermione the push in the right direction that she needs to realise that she's been an idiot. So she thinks he's a liar — the divorce has got to help change her mind on that, surely.'

'Yeah, but you've only got his word for it that it's actually happening,' Harry reminded him.

'We're just going to have to trust him,' Ron said.

Harry looked at him in astonishment. 'I never ever thought I'd hear the day when you defended Draco Malfoy.'

'I know, it's weird, isn't it?' Ron said with a grin. 'But I honestly think he's sincere. As I said, he was almost crying when I talked to him.'

'Yeah, Hermione was like that as well,' Harry said.

'So we're agreed for the day after tomorrow, then?' Ron asked.

Harry nodded his head. 'Okay. Let's do it . . . and let's hope it works otherwise, Merlin only knows what we're going to do because Hermione will kill us.'

Harry stared at the front page of the Daily Prophet. Unusually for them, the whole page was taken up by one story. Splashed across it in gigantic letters were the words 'Draco and Caroline Malfoy to divorce,' with the story written in much smaller type below two large pictures of the unhappy couple, which the paper had thoughtfully tampered with to make it look like one photo being ripped apart when it was quite obviously two separate ones. The picture of Draco showed him in his work robes leaving the Ministry of Magic, a stressed look on his face. The picture of Caroline showed a smartly-dressed, beautiful, but unhappy-looking tall, thin blonde wearing big sunglasses who had clearly been snapped from a distance while out shopping with her friends.

He gave a Knut to the paper vendor and took a copy of the newspaper, wondering whether Draco had somehow arranged this. The timing seemed particularly fortuitous considering what was going to happen later. Before he had a chance to read the story further he was squashed into the lift, unable to raise the paper. He gave up, intending to wait until he got to his desk and had a cup of tea in front of him.

'Did you see this?' Dean asked gleefully. He was sitting at his desk and flashed the newspaper at Harry as he walked through the door of the office, heading towards his own desk. 'I bet old Malfoy's kicking himself. Serves the bastard right.'

'Why would you think that?' Harry asked, sounding confused. He placed his own newspaper on the desk and took off his outer robe, moving to hang it on the coat stand in the corner of the room.

'Think about all the money he'll be losing when she divorces him,' Dean said happily. 'And she's a good-looking woman, too. She probably got fed up with him being such an arsehole.'

'I don't think Draco's worried about the money. He's plenty rich enough with the Malfoy fortune,' Harry pointed out. He indicated the paper. 'I haven't had a chance to look at it yet. What does it say they're getting divorced for?'

Dean squinted at the newspaper for a few seconds and shrugged. 'Irreconcilable differences, it says. I dunno what that means.'

Harry released the breath he had been holding, relieved that adultery hadn't been stated as the cause of their break-up. He didn't want Hermione being dragged through the courts, and no doubt the newspapers, for being the woman who ended Draco Malfoy's marriage.

'That just means they can't stand each other,' Harry told Dean.

Dean looked vindicated. 'See? I told you she got fed up with him. It's still one in the eye for old Malfoy, though.'

'What do you mean?' Harry asked.

'Well, it's got to be pretty embarrassing for him knowing his old lady is so desperate to get rid of him,' Dean confided. 'Especially as it's made the papers . . . although that makes up for all the weeks of crap we had when they got married.' He stopped and grimaced. 'Oh god, you don't think they're going to give us in-depth coverage of the divorce, do you?'

Harry found himself thinking that he hoped not, otherwise Hermione was bound to get dragged into it eventually. If he and Ron succeeded in their plan it wasn't going to be hard for a newspaper photographer to get a picture of Hermione and Draco together. He wondered for a moment whether they should stop the lunchtime confrontation that was planned but knew it was too late.

Ron had already arranged for Draco to come in, even though he wasn't on shift, and it was doubtful they would be able to contact him to stop it as he was so eager for it to go ahead. They just had to hope the newspapers would decide the story wasn't sufficiently interesting, or that they would focus on Caroline and her pain rather than on Draco. It was possible they might get away with it as the Ministry of Magic wouldn't be too happy about the face of one of their Extractors, one of the most secret branches in the Ministry, being splashed all over the newspapers.

'Perhaps he's the one who wanted the divorce,' Harry pointed out sensibly.

'Do you think?' Dean studied the photo of Caroline again. 'If that's true, he must be mad. I wouldn't want to divorce someone like her. She's fine . . . and got loads of money.'

'Money and looks aren't everything, though, Dean. Not if she's got a really crap personality. She might be really nasty. She was a Slytherin, remember.'

'I don't think I'd care, with that amount of money and those legs,' Dean said with a grin.

'That's 'cos you're just a perverted gold digger,' Harry retorted with a chuckle.

Dean laughed. 'I definitely wouldn't say no.'

'Well, she's back on the market. Maybe now's the time for you to make your play. Have a word with Draco and maybe he'll put in a good word for you.'

Dean looked sour. 'I don't think that will help if she's divorcing him. Although maybe it is time for Dean Thomas to grab a piece of the limelight.'

'Good luck with that,' Harry said, grinning. 'Do you want a cuppa? I'm just about to make one.'

'Go on, then.' Dean picked up his West Ham mug and held it out to Harry, who took it as he walked past.

As Harry walked down the corridor he thought again about the article in the newspaper. Had Hermione seen it? If so, what was she thinking at the moment? Was she excited because Draco was getting a divorce and would now be free to have a relationship with her and wasn't the liar she had thought him to be, or was she unhappy because she had cut Draco out of her life and was now worried that he wouldn't let her back in? Harry couldn't help feeling that regardless of what he and Ron had planned it was a good thing they were meeting Hermione for lunch because it was possible she might be in a real state.

'So you really did it, then?'

Draco looked at Ron with surprise.

'Didn't you believe I would?' he asked coldly. 'I told you it was all agreed — and I told you I'm not a liar.'

Ron shrugged. 'Actually, I did. As astonishing as it seems, I think you really are genuinely in love with Hermione.'

'Oh, I really am,' Draco agreed fervently.

'Well let's just hope the front page of the Prophet goes some way towards helping you with talking to her,' Ron said.

'I'm going to ask her to marry me,' Draco confided.

Ron stared at him. 'You're not divorced yet and Hermione's not even speaking to you. Plus you've only . . . well, you know . . . a couple of times. Are you sure a marriage proposal is the right thing to go in with?'

'Definitely,' Draco replied confidently. 'I love Hermione and I've no intention of letting her get away. I know that despite what she said, she loves me, too. Anyway, I'm not talking about getting married immediately, obviously. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other better.'

He grinned lasciviously as Ron shook his head.

'Just don't muck it up,' Ron warned sternly. 'You're only going to get this one shot with Hermione. If you don't do it right you'll lose her forever this time, and there won't be anything Harry or I can do to bail you out.'

'I'm touched by your concern,' Draco said sincerely.

'I'm not worried about you,' Ron retorted. 'It's Hermione I'm worried about. I want her to be happy and unfortunately, it looks like you're the one who's going to do that for her, so I want you to get it right and not cock it up again.'

'I appreciate it anyway,' Draco said, then he smiled. 'Don't worry, I won't do anything to upset or hurt Hermione. I promise.'

'You'd better not, otherwise you'll have me and Harry to deal with,' Ron told him gruffly.

'Hermione should be glad she's got such good friends in you. I'm certainly glad,' Draco told him.

Ron followed Draco through the door of the canteen and they walked slowly down the corridor. A few minutes later they were in the atrium, heading for the lifts.

'Did you say that Hermione doesn't know I'm coming?' Draco asked.

Ron shook his head. 'We didn't tell her otherwise she probably would have done a runner again. She definitely wouldn't have agreed to it. We've arranged to meet Harry for lunch and we're going to meet him in his office. Hermione should be there in about—' he broke off and looked at his watch — 'five minutes or so. We'll wait another few minutes to make sure she's in there and then we'll go and join them. Harry will distract her until we get there. They'll probably be talking about the article in the Prophet, I expect.'

He pressed the button on the lift and they waited for it to arrive.

Draco looked around him, watching the various people wandering the halls of the Ministry of Magic. He actually felt quite nervous, which was strange because he didn't usually worry about anything. But he couldn't help wondering what would happen if Hermione still refused to talk to him. What would he do then? He was hopeful that wouldn't happen. He wanted to believe that with the divorce announcement she would be happy to see him, but nothing was guaranteed. Not until he had Hermione in his arms again and was kissing her.

As they rode in the lift he thought of the front page of the Daily Prophet. Caro had obviously given them the story because she knew it would annoy him, and also probably because her father wanted it made clear that she was in no way to blame for the split, although fortunately, so far at least, she hadn't mentioned Hermione. Citing irreconcilable differences was very good of her when she could have made it adultery — although to be fair, Draco had been extremely generous with the divorce settlement, so she could afford to be beneficent.

Caroline didn't need money — she already had more than enough of her own — but there were lots of things she didn't want to give up, so there had been some hard bargaining. Well, she thought there had anyway. Draco actually didn't care. All he could think about was Hermione. If need be he would have gone to her barefoot with only the clothes he stood up in, if it meant he would finally get to make her his wife.

He hoped the newspapers weren't going to make as big a deal about their divorce as they had about the wedding, although he suspected it would be just a flash in the pan apart from some later magazine articles on how the lovely Caroline was coping in the aftermath. There was nothing for the press to drool over the way they had over the wedding decorations and Caro's dress, and the Ministry would probably make sure he was kept out of it as much as possible because of his job. They had no idea he was going to leave if Hermione agreed to marry him and he intended to keep it that way for the moment, as it would be useful to him to be protected for a while longer. He just hoped this morning's headline would be as useful in bringing Hermione back into his arms.

'Don't blow it,' Ron said again, just before they reached Harry's office.

Draco looked at him archly. 'I get the idea, Weasley, thanks all the same.'

'Good luck, then,' Ron said, and he knocked on the door before opening it and entering.

Draco took a deep breath, then followed him through the door. Hermione was in the office talking to Dean as Harry busied himself with something at his desk. She smiled when she saw Ron but her smile faded a little when Draco entered behind him. Draco felt his stomach roil with anxiety.

'Not too late, am I?' Ron asked loudly, completely ignoring the look on Hermione's face. He grabbed hold of Draco's arm and pulled him forward. 'Look who I bumped into on the way down to you. I thought I'd bring Draco along as well so we can have a little commiseration . . . or should that be celebration?' He winked. 'Anyway, the more the merrier, eh? It'll do us all good to have a nice lunch and a catch-up.'

Hermione looked like she was about to run. Her eyes darted towards the door and Draco wondered whether he should move there to try to cut her off. But after a moment she seemed to deflate a little as if accepting that she was stuck with him.

'I see you're on the front page today, Draco,' Dean said with a grin. He held up the newspaper.

Draco shrugged and said dismissively, 'I'm not sure how they found out. I assume Caro must have told them. It doesn't really affect the outcome one way or another, it's all already been agreed and decided, we just need it to go through legally.'

'So what happened, then?' Dean asked avidly. 'Did she get fed up with you and chuck you out?'

Draco knew Hermione was watching him carefully and that his reply to Dean was going to be important. It was clear the man was after salacious gossip, and although Draco was inclined to be dismissive and tell him to mind his own business he was sure that wouldn't impress Hermione.

'Caro and I were a good match statistically but it never really worked out for us. She's a nice woman but not really my type. The relationship wasn't going anywhere but down, so we decided to cut our losses and separate.'

'So she's not got someone else, then?' Dean asked a little too eagerly.

Hermione looked worried for a moment in case he should ask about Draco's love life, too, but it seemed her friend was only interested in Draco's wife.

Draco chuckled. 'Not unless you know something I don't, Dean.' He looked squarely at him. 'Why, are you interested in her?'

Dean laughed, too. 'She's definitely a beautiful woman. But I think she's a bit out of my league.'

Draco studied him for a few seconds. Actually, Dean was probably someone Caroline would go for. She would certainly be interested enough to talk to him if he was brave enough to chat her up.

'Oh, I don't know. You'd be amazed at the sort of things Caro likes.' He looked at his watch. 'She'll be at the National Gallery at the moment. She always goes there on a Thursday. She walks round the gallery for an hour or so — she's got a real thing about Monet — then she has lunch in their dining room. She's usually alone, so if you go now you can probably catch her as she goes in to dine. I warn you now that you'll need to do all the running, Dean, as she's pretty old-fashioned and definitely not into making the first move. But you stand a pretty good chance, and if nothing else you'll have a decent lunch with a pretty woman.' Draco winked at Dean.

'You mean I should go and see her?' Dean said, sounding amazed. 'And you don't mind?'

'Absolutely not. Nothing ventured nothing gained, eh? I told you, it was an amicable split. If you're interested, go and get her,' Draco told him.

'Right, well, I'll do that then,' Dean said, sounding a little stunned. He dropped the newspaper onto the desk and picked up his jacket from the back of his chair.

'I wouldn't talk about the divorce, though,' Draco warned. 'Not unless she mentions it first. Otherwise, she'll think you're just trying to cash in and not flirting with her because she's a pretty woman.'

'Good advice,' Dean said, sounding pleased. 'Thanks for that. I'll see you guys later. Have a good lunch.'

He hurried out the door with the others looking after him.

'Did you just set him up for a fall?' Ron asked accusingly.

Draco saw Hermione looking at him again with a frown on her face.

He shook his head. 'No. Actually, I think Caro would rather like Dean. He's good-looking and seems an uncomplicated sort of chap and he'd treat her as something special, which I'm sure she would rather enjoy because I certainly never treated her that way. I was right in what I said, though. He does need to make the first move. She'll never talk to him first, even if she fancied the pants off him.'

'That was a pretty decent thing you did for him, then,' Harry said, sounding approving.

'Well, hopefully.' Draco looked directly at Hermione. 'Hullo, Hermione, it's so good to see you. I've really missed you.'

Hermione flushed slightly. 'Why are you here?'

Draco smiled. 'You know why.'

'To have lunch with us,' Hermione said.

'I wanted to see you,' Draco shot back.

Ron and Harry looked at each other, feeling the tension already beginning to build between the couple. With Dean gone, there was no need for either of them to leave, but they both decided there was no need for a mediator. Draco and Hermione could sort this one out for themselves.

'Well, we'll just leave you two kids to talk,' Ron said, turning towards the door.

'Yeah, we'll go to lunch on our own. We'll see you later,' Harry added as he slid out from behind the desk to join Ron. 'Take your time. We'll be gone for an hour or so.'

'You shouldn't have come. I told you I didn't want to see you,' Hermione said, completely ignoring her friends as she stared at Draco.

'I wasn't going to let you run away from me, Hermione,' Draco told her.

Harry and Ron took one final look at the couple, then left the room, closing the door firmly behind them.

'You saw I'm getting a divorce,' Draco said quietly. He took a step towards Hermione and held out his hand to her.

She shrugged. 'So what? It doesn't matter to me what you do. I don't own you.'

'Yes, you do. You know you do,' Draco told her emphatically. 'I love you, Hermione. I told you that before. I thought you loved me, too.'

Hermione didn't say anything. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure Draco must be able to hear it. She couldn't believe he was here, not really. She had seen the front page of the Daily Prophet on her way into work and realised with a sinking heart that Draco had been telling her the truth all the time, but that didn't make things any better. Sadly she recalled how she had told him to leave her alone, annoyed with him for making her feel stupid. And yet here he was, offering her his hand and expecting her to take it.

'You do love me, I know you do,' Draco said softly as he moved the last few feet between them and pulled Hermione into his arms.

His heart was beating like a drum as he pulled her to him, his mouth finding hers for a kiss that was more important and more beautiful than any they had ever shared before.

'Marry me,' he uttered quietly, his lips leaving hers for a just a moment before claiming them again.

Hermione's heart danced wildly, a strange feeling in her stomach at the words Draco had just spoken. Was he serious? She knew he was. Hadn't he told her the last time they were together that he wanted her as his wife rather than the one he already had? And he was getting rid of her. Soon she would be able to be Mrs Draco Malfoy if she wanted. But did she want that?

'Please, darling. Do you want me on my knees? I'll do anything you want . . . but please agree to be my wife.'

Hermione could feel tears forming. 'But you're still married at the moment.'

'Yes, but only for another couple of months. Caro agreed to the divorce so it's just a formality. It'll take about another two months for the final paperwork to go through. Then we can get married.' He saw the thoughtful look on Hermione's face and added, 'We don't have to get married straight away if you don't want to, but I really want to know that you will marry me one day.'

'What about your job?' Hermione asked. She was frowning again.

'What about my job?' Draco asked. He looked confused.

'That's a pretty dangerous job you do, Draco. I don't know if I can cope with all that worry. Every time you went on shift I'd be forever panicking that you were going to get hurt . . . or worse. I'm sorry I know it's selfish, especially after you rescued me, but I don't think I can—'

'I'm going to find another job,' Draco told her. Hermione looked at him hopefully. 'Everyone in the world has pointed out that it's too dangerous for me to continue with, especially when I've got someone as wonderful as you that I want to spend time with rather than working or being on call.' He smiled at her. 'Anyway, I believe I had an interview for a job fairly recently. I'm just waiting to see if I've got it or not. I know the money isn't great, but the perks are amazing. It's the perfect job for me . . . if it's still available.'

Hermione smiled, her eyes glistening with tears as she nodded her head.

'Yes,' she whispered, almost too quietly to hear. 'Oh, yes, it is.' She smiled at him as she added, 'and yes, I will marry you, Draco.'

Draco grabbed her and kissed her again, a feeling of joy spreading throughout his entire body. Hermione was finally his and he was without a doubt the happiest man in the entire world.

'We should go somewhere to celebrate,' he told her once they finally stopped kissing for long enough to talk.

'What, like lunch or something?' Hermione asked. 'I suppose we could go and see if we can find Harry and Ron.'

'I was thinking more like going home and going to bed,' Draco said with a wicked grin. 'I haven't made love to you for such a long time and it's driving me insane, wanting to touch you so much.'

Hermione's face fell a little and the champagne feeling that had been rushing through Draco dulled.

'You don't want to?' he asked gently, hoping his disappointment wasn't too visible. The last thing he wanted was to make Hermione feel guilty for not wanting to make love.

'I don't know where home is,' Hermione admitted.

'Well, what about your new place?' Draco asked.

Hermione shook her head. 'I haven't been able to settle in and call it home. I know it's only been a few months and Harry and Ron have both told me I've got to give it time, but to be honest I don't really like it there.'

'Well, in that case, it's lucky I rented your old flat, then, isn't it?' Draco said with a grin.

Hermione looked at him in amazement. 'You did?'

Draco nodded.

'But why did you do that?' Hermione asked.

Draco shrugged and pulled her close again.

'I love that flat. It was the first place where I finally got to be with you, so it has real sentimental value. I also needed somewhere to live as I gave Caro the house in the divorce settlement and I didn't want to continue living with her, not once she'd agreed. And there was no way I could stay living with my parents for long — that almost drove me mad. Anyway, your neighbour, Mrs Hamblin, is fantastic.'

'Have you moved in?' Hermione asked.

Draco nodded. 'Yep, although to be honest there isn't much in there. I think it could use a woman's touch . . . and your furniture.' He smiled hopefully.

Hermione stared at him appraisingly. 'So what have you got in there at the moment?'

'Only a bed,' Draco admitted.

Hermione smiled. 'Well, I think that's enough to be going on with.' She pulled Draco closer and kissed him. 'I think I'd better take the afternoon off.'

'The rest of the week would be better,' Draco said. 'It'll give us a chance to move all your stuff back.'

Hermione giggled. 'Harry and Ron are going to be so angry with me.'

'Why?'

'Because I made them move it all in the first place. I was so worried you'd turn up while I was moving, so I got them to do it for me. They moaned like hell because they didn't understand why I wanted to move and they said I had too much stuff.' Hermione shook her head as she thought about the moaning they had done at the time.

'I didn't understand either,' Draco said.

'I thought you were using me,' Hermione admitted.

'But I told you I wasn't, Hermione. I explained about the marriage thing and I thought you understood,' Draco told her, stroking her face.

Hermione sighed. 'I know you did, Draco. But I thought you were lying because you'd been caught out. I'm sorry I couldn't really believe that you loved me and wanted me, not after such a short time together. I felt stupid and embarrassed and I needed to get away.'

'Please don't ever leave me again,' Draco said.

'Will I have cause to?' Hermione asked worriedly.

Draco shook his head. 'Absolutely not. Everything is going to be perfect. We were meant to be together, Hermione. I told you that before.'

'I know, but it was hard to believe . . . especially after what happened with Michael.'

'You can forget all about him,' Draco advised gently. 'I rescued you from him and now you're mine. He's locked away in Azkaban and he's never coming back.' He kissed her gently. 'Now . . . let's go home.'

'Yes, please, Hot Boy,' Hermione said with a smile.