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Chapter Text

Hermione Granger took a deep breath. There she stood, staring into the bathroom mirror at The Burrow, looking at herself in awe. Ginny and Luna had really outdone themselves.

Ginny Weasley, her soon to be sister-in-law, had put Hermione’s wild mane into a simple, but elegant bun at the top of her head. A few stray curls were left on either side of her face. How Ginny was able to tame her hair was a mystery.

Luna Lovegood did Hermione’s make-up. It was very natural with light pops of color on her eyes, cheeks, and lips. It was just enough to enhance Hermione’s features, but not too much to where you couldn’t tell it was her.

Finally, her eyes wandered down to her dress. It was pure white, covered in beautiful, intricate lace. It had see-through mesh sleeves that had some lace weaved in, flowing all the way down from her shoulders to her wrists.

This is it, she thought, I’m getting married today.

Ronald Weasley was one of the best people Hermione had ever met. He was kind, funny, brave, and handsome. Anyone would be lucky to have him. In just one hour, she would be standing with him at the altar in front of their closest family and friends. She was about to be that lucky girl.

There was a small knock at the door.

“Pumpkin, are you ready?”

Hermione took one final deep breath before she replied.

“Yes, dad. I’m coming.”

Hermione opened the door and smiled at her father. His jaw dropped and Hermione could see the start of tears forming at the corners of his eyes.

“Oh, Hermione. My dear, you are absolutely breathtaking!”

Hermione’s smile grew wider. She stood on her tippy toes and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, dad. Have you seen mom? She was looking for my shoes.”

“Right here, darling,” Mrs. Granger said, walking into the room. “They were still in Ginny’s bag. She’s waiting downstairs for you with Luna and Harry.”

Hermione’s smile faded a little. While she was happy her best friends were here, she couldn’t help but wonder about a certain someone else.

“Have you seen Draco?” Hermione asked.

Mrs. Granger shook her head, “Not yet, but I’m sure he’ll turn up. I’d love to see him, too. It’s been awhile since his last visit!”

If someone had told her ten years ago that Draco Malfoy would become one of her best friends she would have thought they were barmy. As it turns out, Draco had changed quite a bit after the war.

Actually, if you can believe it, Ron was the one who convinced everyone to let him into their circle.

*4 years ago*

Hermione carefully walked up the stony pathway to Luna’s house, carrying a meat and cheese platter. Luna was hosting her annual New Year's Eve party. Hermione never stayed long at parties. She usually came up with an excuse to leave early. She and Ron were taking yet another break, so the sooner she was able to leave the better. She did not need to ring in the New Year awkwardly watching all the other couples snogging at midnight while Ron was in the same room.

Hermione made it to the front door and knocked. Harry opened the door, greeted her with a hug, and took her meat and cheese platter from her hands. He carried it into the kitchen and placed it on the counter. As Hermione hung up her coat, she took the opportunity to look around the room. Luna, Neville, George, and Seamus were in the middle of a game of charades. Ginny was concentrating on a game of Wizard’s Chess. The seat across from her was empty, so she could only assume that Harry was her opponent. There was no sign of Ron yet. Maybe he wasn’t coming after all.

A few more guests started trickling in: Dean Thomas, Hannah Abbott, Cho Chang, and Padma Patil were among the few she recognized. Even some former Slytherin’s were there. Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were the only ones Hermione could stand to talk to. They didn’t seem so bad.

After awhile, Hermione forgot all about Ron. At least, until there was another knock on the door.

“I’ll get it!” Hermione told the room. She was NOT prepared for who was on the other side of the door.

“WHAT THE HELL?”

The whole room went silent for a moment at Hermione’s outburst. On the other side of the door stood none other than Draco Malfoy. He was carrying a couple bottles of fire whisky and a bag of chips. He stared at her with his normal sneer, but it didn’t stay very long. He rolled his shoulders, stood up straight, and replaced his sneer with a look of uneasiness.

“Hello, Granger. Nice to see you too,” Draco replied.

She was about to give him a piece of her mind and tell him to leave when another voice piped up.

“Wait, Hermione. I can vouch for him. Just let him in and hear him out.”

She couldn’t believe it. Ron Weasley, the same Ron Weasley who was always the most vocal about his disdain for the Malfoy family, was telling her to hear him out. Was he mad?

Reluctantly, Hermione opened the door all the way and let them in. She closed the door and immediately went back to her seat beside Ginny.

“Can you believe this? What is he thinking bringing Malfoy along?”

Ginny shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not surprised he did. Our paths have crossed a lot the past few years since we’re all professional Quidditch players. They were constantly at each other’s throats at first, but eventually they became less hostile towards one another. They’ve become friends.”

Hermione stared at her friend, completely dumbfounded. She glanced over at the kitchen where Ron and Draco were talking to Harry. Harry seemed to be uncomfortable, but intrigued all the same.

Draco caught Hermione looking at him just before she looked away. Next thing she knew, Draco was making his way over with a couple glasses of fire whiskey, which he offered to her and Ginny.

Ginny took her glass and smiled up at him, “Thanks, Draco. Good to see you.”

“You, too, Ginny. Good game last night. Sorry I didn’t catch you afterwards. Don’t get too comfortable. We will be winning the next one!”

Ginny snickered, “Whatever helps you sleep at night!”

Hermione looked from Ginny to Draco to the glass he was still holding out for her to take. She looked at Draco again and he was smirking at her. Hermione couldn’t detect any maliciousness in his gaze, so she cautiously took the glass.

“So,” Hermione began as Draco pulled up a chair after summoning his own glass of whiskey, “you guys are on a first name basis now?”

Draco smirked at her. “Jealous, Granger?”

Hermione crossed her arms and turned her head away, “Definitely not, Malfoy!”

Over the course of the next several hours, Hermione got a peak at the real Draco Malfoy. He was still an egotistical asshole, but a compassionate and surprisingly funny one. As more and more people started to arrive, everyone started circling the room. Ginny eventually got up to join Harry, but Draco stayed with Hermione nearly the entire night. Several people came to chat with Hermione. What surprised her was that those same people would also strike up a conversation with Draco. Were they not aware of who they were talking to, or did they push aside their differences after the war? If they could, why couldn’t Hermione?

Hermione could tell that she was reaching her alcohol limit, but she wasn’t ready to go home yet. It was difficult for her to admit, but she was actually enjoying Draco’s company. He asked her how she liked being a professor. After she finished school, she thought she wanted to work at the Ministry. Maybe even become Minister of Magic one day. However, Professor McGonagall contacted her before she accepted any Ministry job offers and presented her the opportunity to teach at Hogwarts. Now she was the Ancient Runes professor.

They talked about books, restaurants, politics (okay, more like argued over politics) and about their families. After reassuring her he was as appalled by his parents as she was, he asked about hers.

“How are your parents now that the war is over?” Draco asked. As soon as he said it, Hermione instantly fell silent and started twirling her whiskey glass around.

“Oh man, did I say something wrong?”

Hermione gave him a small smile, “No, it’s okay. You didn’t know it was a touchy subject.” She kept her eyes on her glass as she told him her story. “Before Harry, Ron, and I went on the run searching for Horcruxes, I obliviated my parents so they wouldn’t remember who I was or about the war. I was trying to keep them safe.” Hermione took a drink of her whiskey before she continued. “After the war was over, I tried to go back and undo the spell. It was unsuccessful. I tried contacting many professionals. They either tried and failed themselves, or just refused to help me. Eventually, I gave up trying.”

She paused to wipe a tear from her eye. “I feel like a failure. It’s been five years and I still haven’t been able to bring them back.”

She fought back the waterfall that threatened to escape her eyelids, “I apologize, I’m not normally this weepy. You’d think it would become easier to talk about sooner or later.”

Draco reached over and laid his hand over hers. When she looked up at him in surprise, he gave her a sad smile. “No need to apologize. I’m so sorry you had to do that, Granger.” He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “I have a friend in India who is a memory specialist. Let me contact him for you and see if he can look into it.”

“I can’t ask you to do that! It’s not your problem to worry about.”

Draco squeezed the hand he was still holding, “Think of it as me repaying you for all the nasty things I did and said to you while we were in school. Even though that won’t even begin to make up for everything you went through at the hands of my family.”

This time, Draco was the one who looked sad. Hermione started tearing up again. Here was Draco Malfoy, the boy who was so hateful to her, who put his faith in the wrong wizard, who was forced to hate her before even truly getting to know her, had turned into a decent, humble man with a change of heart. Maybe Ron and Ginny weren’t wrong about him after all.

It was almost midnight before Hermione realized she drank way too much to apparate home safely. She knew she would have to crash in one of Luna’s guest rooms. She got up, leaving Draco and Neville to their conversation about the many uses of fluxweed. When she went to find Luna to ask her permission to stay over, something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

There was Ron, sitting on the couch with Padma Patil, snogging her senselessly. Padma was the reason they broke up twice already! She could feel what was about to happen, so she sucked in a breath, quickly ran outside, and threw up all over Luna’s steps. After her stomach was empty, she lowered herself on the ground, hugged her knees, and cried.

She was crying for five minutes before someone opened the door and sat next to her on the ground. She refused to look up to see who it was, afraid it might be Ron. A familiar voice muttered, “Scourgify,” before she breathed a sigh of relief to find it was Draco.

He didn’t try to talk to her, which she was grateful for. If it had been Ginny or Harry they would be out here trying to reassure her everything would be okay and that Ron was an arse. She didn’t want to hear that right now. It was the same speech they gave her every time.

It was almost as if Draco knew she just needed to know she wasn’t alone.

Another moment passed before Hermione broke the silence.

“Thanks for checking on me. And for cleaning up my mess,” she said sheepishly.

Draco shrugged, “Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for.”

Hermione finally looked into his eyes. They were beautiful. The moon made the grey color sparkle. And even though it was cold outside, she could feel the warmth in his gaze. She felt her tummy do a summersault. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or something else entirely.

He had said they were friends. Could she call him a friend after just one night? It wouldn’t be so bad, having Draco as a friend. He was far from the bully she had known in school.

Her head was killing her from all the alcohol and from getting sick. The cold breeze made her shudder. Draco scooted closer to her and wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm. Hermione smiled and sunk into his warmth. Friends do this chivalry for one another, right? It doesn’t mean anything.

Suddenly, she could hear her friends start counting down to midnight.

“10!”

Uh-oh, she thought.

“9!”

Hermione shifted timidly in Draco’s embrace.

“8!”

Draco unwrapped his arm from Hermione’s shoulder.

“7!”

Hermione looked deep into his gorgeous eyes again.

“6!”

Draco reached for her hand.

“5!”

He lightly put a kiss on the back of her hand.

“4!”

“Draco… I..”

“3!”

He smiled sweetly at her and started to get up.

“2!”

Hermione gently put a hand on his face to stop him.

“1!”

He raised his eyebrows and started to form a question...

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!”

Hermione wasn’t sure what caused her to do it. Maybe she could blame the alcohol. Perhaps she could just blame the fact that it was a New Year's Eve tradition. She could even blame those damn eyes of his or the fact that he had been so nice to her.

She pulled him into a kiss. She could feel him tense up at first, not sure of what to do in this situation that he found himself in. Soon, he relaxed and kissed her back.

His lips were soft and she could still taste a hint of fire whiskey on his skin. Draco mirrored Hermione, putting a hand on her cheek as their kiss intensified. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and she let out a tiny gasp. It felt electric to kiss Draco. She never wanted to stop.

Alas, all too soon, Draco pulled away. Whoops and hollers could still be heard inside the house as people celebrated bringing in the new year with friends. Hermione felt like she was miles away.

Hand still on her cheek, Draco placed a soft kiss on her forehead, gave her a smile, and started walking down the stony pathway away from the house.

Before he got too far, he turned around and gave her one more smile.

“Happy New Year, Hermione.”

Chapter Text

Alas, all too soon, Draco pulled away. Whoops and hollers could still be heard inside the house as people celebrated bringing in the new year with friends. Hermione felt like she was miles away. 

Hand still on her cheek, Draco placed a soft kiss on her forehead, gave her a smile, and started walking down the stony pathway away from the house. 

Before he got too far, he turned around and gave her one more smile.

“Happy New Year, Hermione.”

*******

“Hermione? Hello?”

Hermione was jolted out of her memory with Draco by the sound of her mother’s sweet voice.

“Off in your own little world over there, eh pumpkin?” Mr. Granger laughed and gave her a soft pat on her back.

Hermione chuckled, “Yeah, wedding jitters I guess.”

"Well, I guess we will meet you outside!" Mrs. Granger said, pulling Hermione into a hug. Mr. Granger gave her a kiss on the top of her head and followed his wife downstairs.

Hermione sat down on one of the old armchairs. She had far too much on her mind to join her friends yet. Her mind drifted off to Draco again.

As it turns out, Hermione wouldn’t see Draco in person for another two years after that night. Well, with the exception of the few waves they shared while he was sitting atop his broomstick during the few Quidditch matches she attended. One match she went to wasn’t even against Ron or Ginny’s teams. In all honesty, she just wanted to see him. She even wore a jersey with Malfoy written on the back. Hermione knew this would amuse him.

When Hermione did finally see him, he was not alone. When she opened the door to find Draco in front of her, she was shocked to see him after so long. When her gaze drifted to the people behind him, she put her hand over her mouth in surprise and started to cry. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were right behind Draco, tears also welling in their eyes. This contact of Draco’s from India worked very hard those two years they were apart to find a solution to help Hermione’s parents. Deep down she knew this memory expert was probably very influenced by the Malfoy name as well as the size of his wallet. He refused to allow Hermione to pay back a single galleon. As much as she hated the fact that he spent so much money for her, she would be forever grateful to Draco.

Of course, Hermione’s parents fell in love with Draco instantly. They invited him over for supper nearly every week and included him in all holiday activities and celebrations over the next several years. He was like the son they never had. They knew, naturally, of Draco’s past with Hermione as well as the role his family played in the war. It seemed even they were able to look past all his mistakes and truly see the real Draco Malfoy.

Obviously, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were not the only ones who started to become closer to Draco. Whenever they were free, Hermione and Draco would have lunch together, attend plays, and share new books with one another that they discovered. Neither of them ever brought up what happened between them on New Year’s Eve those many years ago.

Hermione started bringing Draco along to all the get-togethers her friends would host. Some were a little weary to be in Draco’s presence, which was understandable given his history. Eventually, though, Hermione didn’t have to invite him along anymore because he would already have an invite of his own. It almost felt like he had always been apart of their group, the old Draco Malfoy from their youth long forgotten.

By the time Draco came back into her life, Hermione was already back with Ron. She had threatened Ron, stating that this was his final chance. She was exhausted from all of the heart ache he put her through for so many years. They had had a rocky on again, off again relationship for ages, breaking it off for a multitude of different reasons. The biggest problem was Ron’s loyalty. 

Ron promised Hermione that he was ready to put Padma (and all the other girls in-between) behind him. He said he was in love with her and that he didn’t want any other witch in his life. Even though many of her friends and family members tried to steer her otherwise, she gave him one last chance.

It seemed that Ron was serious this time. Two years later they were still together. No break-ups or rebounds of any sort between the pair took place. Ron proposed to her during a picnic on her birthday.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts from the past, Hermione walked out of the room to join her friends. 

When she started making her way down the stairs to the sitting room, Hermione could see Luna working on Ginny’s make-up. They were deep in conversation about different beauty tips to compliment Ginny’s fiery red hair. Ginny’s husband, Hermione’s longest friend, Harry, was by the windows looking at all the arriving guests.

Harry and Ginny got married three years ago. Hermione and Ron had been the maid of honor and best man at their wedding. Now, Harry and Ginny were theirs. Luna and Ron’s brother, George, rounded out the wedding party. 

Luna was the first to see Hermione. She stood up from her crouched position and beamed at her. 

“Wow,” she started, “Hermione, you look as beautiful as a Dirigible Plum on a sunny morning!”

Ginny turned around and squealed, forgetting about her make-up for a moment to give her best friend a hug. 

“Oh my gosh, you are so beautiful! I can’t stand it! Man, I did a damn good job on your hair!” Ginny gave her a sly, teasing smile. “I still can’t believe the day is finally here! I had given up hope that I’d ever get to have you as my sister! Honestly, I’m a little surprised Draco never stole you away. You two always seemed to have chemistry.”

Hermione’s stomach dropped. She had just managed to get Draco out of her head. While there was never anything openly romantic past their shared kiss on New Year’s Eve, she couldn’t say she disagreed about the chemistry. Hermione and Draco were constantly teasing each other. It was borderline flirting. 

She couldn’t lie to herself, Hermione had definitely thought about it before. Draco was very handsome, confident, respectful, honest, and successful (even without his family inheritance). 

But Ron was finally stepping up, so she never attempted to explore the possibility of being with Draco. Sometimes she wondered what would’ve happened if she had.

“Speaking of Draco,” Hermione said, “any sign of him?”

Harry finally detached himself from the window and joined the girls. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. 

“I haven’t seen him yet. Ron, George, and I saw him last night. He was in one of the muggle London bars we went to. He was totally pissed, not acting like himself at all. I almost went over to talk to him, but he seemed preoccupied with a petite blond. It was weird. I haven’t seen him act that way in a long time, like the old Malfoy. If he’s coming today, he will need a strong hangover potion.”

Hermione was suddenly very worried about her friend. This didn’t sound like him at all. 

What has gotten into him? Hermione thought. 

“Was he as bad as he was at Ron and Hermione’s engagement party?” Ginny interrupted, “He was a mess that day, too. I recall him acting that way due to the horrible article Rita Skeeter wrote about him, saying he had no business being friends with all of us.”

“Oh yeah, I remember that,” Luna recalled, “Draco was a bit of a wreck. He was practically screaming at Ron telling him he was a lucky bloke and he better treat Hermione right. I had to find Blaise so he could help Draco get home.”

Harry shook his head, “He was much worse last night.”

Suddenly, George walked into the house. He caught Hermione’s eye, gave her a wink and a smile, then walked up to Harry. 

“Hey, I can’t find Ron. Do you know where he is?”

Harry wrinkled his eyebrows, “Last I saw of him was when we were getting dressed. When he left he said he was going to go check on the ceremony set up.”

George shook his head. “That boy would lose his head if it wasn’t attached to his body. Mum is running around frantically looking for him. Mind helping me out?”

“Sure,” Harry replied. He gave Ginny a peck on the cheek and walked out the door with George.

Luna and Ginny made their way back to the couch to finish Ginny’s make-up. Hermione took the opportunity to step outside for some fresh air. Her mind naturally went back to Draco. What caused him to slide back into his old ways? He told her EVERYTHING! She was furious, but mostly concerned for the well-being of her friend. 

Hermione took out her wand and cast the Patronus Charm, sending him a message asking if he was coming. 

She smiled to herself, thinking back to a few months ago when Draco finally mastered casting his patronus. Hermione had been working with him for three months on it. He attempted to give up several times, telling Hermione it was useless. He believed he had too much darkness in his past, unable to pinpoint a memory happy enough to succeed.

“I believe in you,” she had told him, “you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are building a brand new life, one that is filled with lots of happy memories. If you can’t believe in yourself, then you will never be able to cast a Patronus.”

Her speech worked. Within the hour, Draco was able to cast an Incorporeal Patronus. He was so pleased with himself. So much so that he practiced for several more hours that night. Draco successfully cast his first Corporeal Patronus the very next day.

“What memory did you choose?” she had asked, just out of curiosity.

Draco just smiled at her and told her it was a secret.

Back in the present, she looked up to see Draco’s patronus, a peacock, fly up to her. She heard Draco’s melancholy voice seep out of the beak of the elegant bird.

“ I’m so sorry, Hermione. Unfortunately, I cannot attend your wedding today. Please know that I will always be there for you. Good luck to you and Ron. I wish you nothing but happiness. Love ya, my lioness.”

Hermione could feel the sting of fresh tears begin to pool at the corner of her eyes. How could she get married today without him? And why did this sound more like a good-bye than a see you later? Hermione felt uneasy.

I love you, too, my serpent.

She was about to go back inside to freshen up before the ceremony started when she saw someone quickly slip into The Burrow’s back yard. Curious, Hermione tiptoed around the house to see what was going on.

As soon as she saw who it was, she got an awful feeling in her stomach. Hermione knew for a fact that this person was NOT on the guest list today, yet there she was. Hermione watched as the witch made her way to the shed at the back of the Weasley’s property. Looking around, checking to make sure the coast was clear, Padma Patil quickly opened the door of the shed and slipped inside.

Hermione really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn’t help the fury that started to build inside of her. Gathering up all her Gryffindor courage, Hermione picked up her dress and marched straight for the shed.

Chapter Text

She was about to go back inside to freshen up before the ceremony started when she saw someone quickly slip into The Burrow’s back yard. Curious, Hermione tiptoed around the house to see what was going on.

As soon as she saw who it was, she got an awful feeling in her stomach. Hermione knew for a fact that this person was NOT on the guest list today, yet there she was. Hermione watched as the witch made her way to the shed at the back of the Weasley’s property. Looking around, checking to make sure the coast was clear, Padma Patil quickly opened the door of the shed and slipped inside.

Hermione really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but she couldn’t help the fury that started to build inside of her. Gathering up all her Gryffindor courage, Hermione picked up her dress and marched straight for the shed.

****

The door of the shed slammed against the wall with a loud crash. The couple snogging in the corner cried out, startled by the sudden noise. In the doorway, a very angry Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her wedding gown and took out her wand from the hidden pocket in her dress.

Padma looked very fearful.

Ron, however, looked ashamed.

“Padma,” Hermione said, in a surprisingly calm voice, “you have roughly five seconds to leave before I turn you into a toad.”

Hermione had barely started the countdown before Padma bolted out the door, leaving Ron alone with his furious bride.

Ron shuffled his feet, looking down at the floor. She knew he was waiting for her to start laying it on him, but she refused to be the first one to speak. 

Realizing he was delaying the inevitable, Ron looked her in the eyes and spoke. “You look beautiful, Hermione.”

She glared at him, still refusing to speak.

“Hermione, I’m so sorry. I panicked! I knew I wasn’t ready to get married, but everyone kept trying to tell me what was expected of me. Mum was the worst! She told me I would be foolish to let you get away. I knew I cared deeply for you, so I decided to try to be the man you deserved! I made the decision to propose, hoping that I would come to realize it was the right thing to do.”

Ron paused for a moment to see if Hermione would respond. When she didn’t, only continuing to hold his gaze with her glare, he continued.

“I know I should have been honest with you. I truly was happy when I was with you. Especially these last three years. I was one hundred percent loyal to you, I swear it. As the wedding day came closer, I started to lose my nerve. And while I still truly care for you, Hermione, I…” Ron choked out a sob, forcing back tears, “... I just don’t love you in that way anymore. Truthfully, I don’t think I have since the war.”

Hermione finally lowered her wand and closed her eyes. She started to take deep breaths to control her anger. As much as she wanted to hex him, she knew she needed to keep a level head.

“Please say something,” Ron begged, looking at her with pleading eyes.

She took one final deep breath. “I just wish you would have told me much sooner than this. Of all the days you could have picked to tell me how you truly felt, you had to wait for me to catch you snogging another witch on our damn wedding day ! What was your plan? To go ahead and marry me even though you knew you’d be unhappy? All our friends and family members are out there ready to celebrate with us, and don’t even get me started on all the hard work your parents went through for us to have the perfect day,” Hermione’s arms were thrown up into the air in disbelief, “You are so selfish, Ronald Weasley!” 

He took a couple steps forward, arms stretched out as if to comfort her, but Hermione stepped back. He froze, tears finally escaping down his cheek.

Hermione could feel the threat of her own tears trying to cut lose. 

“I refuse to be the one to tell everyone to go home. I’ll let you do the honors.” Hermione looked down at her engagement ring. Finally letting one tear slip away, she took off her ring and held it out for Ron to take.

Timidly, Ron took the ring from Hermione’s fingers and stuffed it in his jacket pocket. 

Ron let slip a small chuckle, “well, if you look at it this way, you can finally explore the obvious allurement that Malfoy has for you.”

Hermione gave Ron a questioning look, stunned by the gall he had to suggest such a thing.

“Wha-... what on earth are you talking about? How dare you! You are out of line and this isn’t exactly an appropriate time to be discussing such things. You’re being ridiculous.”

The corner of Ron’s mouth twitched, clearly amused by her sudden change of demeanor.

“Am I, though? I think you like him, too. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be honest with you sooner. I’ve wasted a lot of time you could have been sharing with him.”

Hermione felt frozen in place. With her mouth agape, eyebrow’s scrunched, and heart thumping loudly in her chest, she couldn’t help the warmth that started to fill her body as she thought about the possibility.

“He’s a good bloke, Hermione. He’s still a prat, but he’s much more deserving of you than I ever was.”

Quickly, Hermione stood up straight and put her nose in the air, trying to act as if his comment had no effect on her. Given the current circumstances, this was hardly what she should be thinking about right now.

Nose still in the air, Hermione stated, “I will come by the flat tomorrow to pick up my things.”

She turned around and put her hand on the door. Before she pulled it open, she took one last glance over her shoulder.

“You have broken my heart for the last time, Ron. As much as I hate you at the moment, you are still my best friend. If you don’t want that to change, I’d suggest you stay away from me until I’m ready for you to be back in my life again… as friends.”  

Not waiting for a reply, she opened the door and started racing back to the house. At some point it had started to rain. The ground was squishy underneath her feet, so her desired graceful getaway was futile. Tears were finally pouring out of her eyes now. Her vision was so blurred between the rain and her own moisture coming out of her eyes that she couldn’t see where she was going. Suddenly, she ran right into something, or someone, very hard.

“Hermione!” Harry exclaimed in surprise, catching her before she fell. After noticing her blubbering form, he tried to ask her what was wrong, but she never stopped to explain.

She shoved him out of the way and attempted to pursue her departure, but she lost her balance, and stumbled into the mud. Hermione’s shoes were firmly stuck in the muck and she felt a sharp pain on her left knee. Through her sobs and hazy vision, she tried to pull her shoes out. However, when she noticed Harry starting to make his way over to her, she jumped up and started to run again, completely abandoning her shoes.

Hermione used the back door of the house so none of the wedding guests would see her. When she burst into the house, she noticed that Ginny and Luna were no longer in the sitting room.

Thank Merlin, she thought. Hermione wasn’t ready to talk to anyone yet. She just wanted a moment to herself.

She bolted up the stairs to Ginny’s room. When she opened the door, she quickly put up a silencing charm and threw herself on the bed. She buried her face into the pillow and finally let her broken heart take over her body. She cried for the loss of her relationship. She cried knowing that they ultimately broke the hearts of the many friends and family that had been rooting for them. She cried for the embarrassment of being fooled once again. Lastly, she cried for the confusion she felt for her feelings about what Ron said about Draco. 

Hermione cried for a good ten minutes before she started to calm down. Her relentless sobs turned into tiny hiccups and she finally stopped crying. 

After another moment, Hermione sat up. Now that she had calmed down, she could feel all of her aches and pains. Her head was throbbing from crying and her hands were covered with tiny scratches from when she caught herself so she wouldn’t fall face first in the mud. Hermione fussed with her dress to get a good look at her knee. There were lines of dried up blood that had started to run down her leg. She concluded that she must have fallen on a rock after running into Harry.

What surprised her was that her heart was no longer hurting. She was surprised by what she felt now, instead of sorrow.

Relief.

She was relieved. Relieved to be free of Ron.

She meant every word she had said. She loved Ron, and she wanted to keep him in her life, but she was happy that she no longer had to question whether or not he was still dedicated to her. Relieved that she no longer had to go along with the expectations everyone had for them to be together. Relieved to finally feel like herself again and make her own decisions.

Suddenly, a large, familiar owl pushed its way through the cracked window. Primrose landed on the baseboard of Ginny’s bed, shook the rain water out of her feathers, and dropped the letter she was carrying on the comforter. She gave Hermione a friendly hoot and looked at her expectantly for a treat.

“Well, hello there, Primrose. Where is your master?” Hermione asked the elegant eagle owl. 

Hermione stood up and walked over to Ginny’s desk, knowing she kept a jar of owl treats on one of the shelves. She returned with two pellets and held out her hand for Draco’s owl to take. Hermione stroked Primrose’s head before sitting back down on the bed to inspect the letter.

There was a note taped to the envelope. She recognized Draco’s elegant penmanship right away, noticing the letter was addressed to Ginny. Taking a quick glance at the envelope, she was surprised to find her name printed on the front. Putting the envelope back down on the bed, she peered at the letter Draco wrote to Ginny.

Dear Ginny,

Please give this letter to Hermione when she returns from her honeymoon. Don’t you dare try to read it! I put a charm on the envelope which only allows the person the envelope is addressed to to open it. 

Also, thanks for being such a great friend. I will never be able to express my thanks to you and the Golden Trio for your support over the years. See you around, Red.

D.M.

Hermione picked up the letter and stared at it for a moment. She was too nervous to open it. Just like his reply to her patronus earlier, it sounded like Draco was saying goodbye to Ginny.

She opened the envelope and took out a very long letter. She recognized Draco’s elegant penmanship once again, only this time the letter was addressed to her. After she read it, Hermione had to read it two more times to make sure she wasn’t imagining what was printed on the pages.

There was a flood of emotions all at once hitting Hermione’s heart: sadness, anger, joy… it was all very confusing. She didn’t realize her body had any more energy to cry, but droplets of water fell from her nose and onto the letter.

Hermione stood up from the bed. She glanced out the window to find Ron and Harry coming out of the shed. They both looked like they had been crying. They were making their way over to Ginny and Luna, who were clearly distraught not knowing where everyone was.

Hermione turned away from the window and looked down at the letter in her hand again.

She knew what she had to do.

Hermione gave Primrose one final pat on her head before she apparated out of the house.

Chapter Text

Hermione stood up from the bed. She glanced out the window to find Ron and Harry coming out of the shed. They both looked like they had been crying. They were making their way over to Ginny and Luna, who were clearly distraught not knowing where everyone was.

Hermione turned away from the window and looked down at the letter in her hand again.

She knew what she had to do.

Hermione gave Primrose one final pat on her head before she apparated out of the house. 

*****

Dear Hermione,

I’m not really sure how to begin what it is that I need to tell you. I’m not even certain if I should tell you. One thing I know for sure though is I’m tired of hiding. Tired of keeping my feelings in the dark.

As you know, before coming to Hogwarts, I was drilled with my family’s pureblood society beliefs. I walked into that school thinking I was the shit. The Malfoy’s were at the top of the food chain. No one could touch me! 

I know I’ve said sorry for how I treated you in school a million and one times. Prepare for a million and one more throughout the future. As horrendous as I was to you, as vile as the words were that I said to you, I didn’t really mean them. Honestly, I was intrigued by you. How is it that a Muggle born witch, whom I’ve been trained to hate just because she wasn’t as “pure” as I was, could be so powerful? How could she be so brilliant… so beautiful?

I may not have liked you in school, but I didn’t really hate you. I felt like I had to be the little prat that called you names in order to appease my family. I had to put on the facade that I despised you. It was all a lie.

When you were tortured in my own home during the war, it took all my willpower not to attack my aunt. I knew if I did I could’ve ruined everything. She would have killed you on the spot. I was so relieved when you got out of there safely. I wish I could have gone with you. Maybe we would have been able to grow close much sooner than we did. 

Do you remember New Year’s Eve four years ago? As soon as I knew you were going to that party, I told myself that I would approach you. I wanted to get to know you. As the evening went on, it felt like we were becoming friends. It was easy to talk to you. Well, after you let down your walls a bit. I wasn’t prepared for what happened at the end of the night.

I’m not quite sure why we never talked about it. I’m assuming you were either embarrassed, regretful, or too drunk to remember. That kiss was… wow. I was very shocked at first, but when I realized what was happening, I had to pull away. I knew you had way too much to drink, we had only just become friendly toward one another, and you were already emotional from seeing Ron earlier. 

I figured you’d be disgusted with yourself and that you’d never want to see me again. But, then you came to my Quidditch match. I wasn’t even playing against Ron or Ginny. Plus, you had a jersey with MY name on it. I was flabbergasted. I knew then that I had made the horrible decision to avoid you the next couple of years, but the right decision about your parents.

When you finally warmed up to me that night and started talking about your parents, I knew that was the way for me to finally pay you back for all the horrible things I did to you. I was quite the pain in the neck with my memory expert buddy. I’d check in on him every week to make sure he was still working hard on returning your parents’ memories. When he finally succeeded, I stayed in a hotel across the street from the hospital they were at and slowly eased them back into reality. The look on your face when you saw them took my breath away. It was definitely one of the highlights of my life. Also, in case you were wondering, that was the memory I chose. The memory that helped me master the patronus charm was the look on your face. 

I would come to regret how long I had stayed away. Of course in the two years I was trying to atone for my sins, Ron decided to get his shit together. Your happiness means more to me than my own, so I settled on being supportive. I will say though, your wedding shower was not exactly my best moment. I think it had finally hit me that it was too late. I had waited too long to tell you how I felt. 

A couple of weeks ago, when we were eating breakfast at our favorite diner, I almost told you how I felt. You were so distressed, expressing your doubts to me about going through with the wedding. I really wanted to tell you that you didn’t have to marry him. You could be with me instead. But, I didn’t. Instead, I told you how great it was that Ron finally realized how idiotic he would be if he let you go. I said that you were just experiencing pre-wedding jitters, that it was common for brides to feel this way. That was true, of course, because it’s a big step! My heart broke telling you to marry someone else.

Hermione, you are the most amazing person I have ever met. You are selfless, wise, brave, and bighearted. You help others when they need it, you light up the room with your smile, you are forgiving even when someone doesn’t deserve it, and you are the most beautiful person on this entire planet. I know it’s too late, and I’ve come to terms with it, but I needed to tell you that I’m in love with you.

I’ve been offered a teaching position at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in America. I’m going to be the Potions Professor. I think it’ll be good for me to start fresh. Not many people know who I am over there. It’s like I’ve been given a second chance. I’ll definitely miss playing Quidditch, but I’m ready to start something new and to challenge myself. Maybe you can give me some advice on how to be a good professor!

I will miss you more than words can describe. I hope we can still keep in contact with each other. I’ll be home every once in awhile. I’ll be sure to let you know when I’m around, if you wish. I expect I’ll be home for the holidays each year.

I’m very happy for you and Ron. I hope you have a wonderful life together. No matter where you go or what you do, you are going to do great things and impact so many people. I’m so grateful to have been one of them. 

See you around, my lioness,

Draco

*****

Draco sat at a little diner in Muggle London staring into his cup of coffee. He had spent nearly the entire night writing that letter to Hermione, so he didn’t get much sleep. He was hoping coming to their favorite diner for a cup of joe would ease his hurt, but so far it wasn’t helping. He refused to touch alcohol for fear of making a fool of himself again. 

Draco had planned on attending the wedding. He was going to give the letter to Ginny when he left to give to Hermione when she got back from her honeymoon, but he couldn’t do it. 

He couldn’t watch the woman he loved get married to someone else, so Draco packed up the last of his belongings into a suitcase and sent Primrose to deliver the letter instead. He had told her to leave it on Ginny’s bed for her to find after the wedding was over. By the time Hermione would read it, he would already be in America. 

He owled the Headmaster at Ilvermorny last night asking permission to arrive a few days earlier than discussed. He received approval this morning, so the plan was to floo there as soon as he left the diner.

He placed the Muggle money to pay for his coffee on the table. As soon as he turned to grab his suitcase, he caught a glimpse of something bright white outside. Draco couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

There was Hermione, standing in the middle of the empty street in the rain, looking through the window at him. Her hair was drenched and she was wearing her wedding gown. Draco jumped out of his seat and ran outside to greet her.

Hermione met him on the sidewalk. When Draco approached her, he got a better look at her. Her updo was completely ruined and make-up was running down her face; from the rain or from crying Draco couldn’t quite tell. Her dress had mud stains, her hands were scratched up, and she wasn’t wearing any shoes. 

“What are you doing here, Hermione? Don’t you have somewhere important you’re supposed to be right now? And where are your bloody shoes? You are going to catch a cold out here in the rain!”

He tried to take her hand and pull her into the diner, but she refused to move. Draco finally looked Hermione in the eyes and he froze dead in his tracks. He could feel the intense heartache she was exuding from her gaze. When she held up her hand to show him the letter, he felt his stomach lurch. 

“How dare you,” Hermione said. “How DARE YOU try to leave without saying goodbye. What were you thinking? Why didn’t you talk to me about this new opportunity? Did you think I wouldn’t support you?”

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but Hermione didn’t stop long enough to let him.

“AND, how could you not come to my wedding? I needed you! You are one of the most important people in my life. I especially needed you when I found Ron snogging Padma again not even thirty minutes ago!”

Draco started to swell with anger. He couldn’t believe it. After Hermione had given him another chance, Ron goes and throws it all away. What was he thinking? Did he not realize he was the luckiest wizard on the planet to have won Hermione’s heart? What an idiot.

“AND, how dare you confess your love for me IN A LETTER! What the hell is wrong with you? Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, if you had told me how you felt that there was a possibility that I may reciprocate those feelings?” 

Hermione’s rant ceased, but her tears did not. It was hard to distinguish them from the rain also falling down her face, but he knew they were there. Draco looked down at the ground, too ashamed to look in her eyes again. 

“I wanted to tell you how I felt, but I didn’t want to mess up your relationship with Ron. Plus, I knew there wasn’t much of a chance that you liked me back. We may be friends now, but that doesn’t mean there’s a chance that you love me. How could you? I’m an ex-Death Eater who was your childhood bully. Not to mention the horrible reactions we would get from people if we were in a relationship. They already don’t like us as companions. I would be awful for your reputation. I didn’t want to ruin our newfound friendship that I longed for for so long.”

Draco felt his voice shaking as he tried to pull himself together. He could feel his own hot tears mixing in with the rain on his cheeks. 

“I couldn’t force myself to come to your wedding because I knew my heart would break even more seeing you marry someone else. And I couldn’t tell you about Ilvermorny because I wouldn’t be able to handle saying goodbye. It just seemed so much easier to put it all in a letter. I realize that was very cowardly of me, but I just couldn’t do it. It was awful enough writing it all down.”

After he was finished, Draco looked in Hermione’s eyes again. Her demeanor had softened. She gave him a small smile and chuckled.

“Well, this has been quite the day already!” 

Draco gave her a curious look and asked, “How did you find my letter anyway? You weren’t supposed to read that for another two weeks.”

Hermione looked at the now completely soaked letter and shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, I used Ginny’s room as refuge after what happened with Ron. Primrose let herself in when I was already there. Some luck, huh? Almost as if it was fate.”

Draco scoffed at her.

“You don’t believe in that stuff. You believe in logic. Not like it matters. It’s okay that you don’t feel the same way that I do. I’m going to go punch Ron in the face for hurting you and then take my leave. Once I get settled in America I’ll...”

For the second time in his life, Hermione pulled him into an unexpected kiss. 

It lasted a bit longer than the first one, and it was Hermione who pulled away this time. When she did, she put her forehead against Draco’s and looked deeply into his grey eyes.

“Draco Lucius Malfoy, you are one of the most intelligent people I know, but you can be so dense.”

Draco pulled back and gave her a questioning look.

She rolled her eyes at him.

“Why am I here, Draco?” Hermione’s eyebrows shot up and she smirked at him.

He had a feeling, but there was no way it could be true.

“Clearly you are upset that I wasn’t there for you, so you came here to yell at me before seeing me off. Or you wanted to laugh at me for having feelings for you. Or you just want me to be your muscles and rough up Ron, which I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

Hermione took a step back and put her hands on her hips. 

“Really, those are the only reasons you can think of? There’s no other reason I would leave my wedding, still in my gown. Those are the reasons you came up with for why I would leave suddenly without shoes on, stop you from leaving the country, and kiss you while soaking wet from this awful downpour?”

She was still angry, that much he could tell. He was afraid to say what he thought she was getting at. He didn’t want to be wrong and ruin their relationship. So he just shrugged and looked at his toes.

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh and tipped his chin up with her finger so he would look at her.

“Draco,” she said sweetly, “I’m in love with you.”

Draco closed his eyes tightly, trying to keep his emotions at bay. He let out a long, erratic breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in and opened his eyes again.

She was still looking at him, those big, beautiful, brown eyes peering into his soul.

“I think I’ve loved you for a long time, but it finally took finding your letter for me to fully realize it. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m glad Ron is a lying, cheating, bastard. If he hadn’t been, I would have never had the chance to do this again.”

When she kissed him this time, Draco didn’t hesitate to kiss her back. Hermione placed her hands on Draco’s cheeks and in return Draco wrapped his arms around her waist. 

He couldn’t believe this was real. After all this time, Hermione was finally in his arms. Draco wasn’t sure what to say or to think, so he just let himself feel. He felt Hermione’s soft lips on his own, her warm body in his embrace, the rain still steadily coming down, the ache that was in his heart disappear and replaced with joy.

She pulled away from him and gazed into his eyes again. She was breathing heavily from the intense moment they shared. He had been prepared for the kiss this time. What she said next, not so much.

“Marry me.”

Mouth gaping in surprise, Draco took a step back. She said it in a whisper, so at first he thought he had heard her wrong.

“What?” he asked.

“Marry me,” she replied, a little more confident this time. “I can come to America with you. The school year just ended. That gives Professor Mcgonagall plenty of time to find a replacement. I’ll see if Ilvermorny has another opening. If not, I can always find something else to do until there is. Maybe I can work in a little book shop. We can get married and start a family away from the judgmental eyes of everyone here. Our friends may be upset at first, but we can always visit or they can come see us in America. We’d be away from your parents so they couldn’t try to interfere. We can find a new coffee shop for us to go to on Sunday mornings. We can even adopt a cat! I miss having one.”

Hermione finally paused. She must have realized she was rambling. Draco was trying to comprehend all this new information that suddenly landed at his feet. 

When he didn’t reply right away, Draco saw Hermione’s demeanor change from confident to doubtful. 

“Of course, you may not be ready for that and I just scared you away. I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking. We aren’t even in a relationship.”

Draco took Hermione’s hand and she instantly stopped talking.

“You know, this is very Gryffindor of you. Diving head first into a situation before thinking. Recklessly throwing out your wants and desires. This further confirms my nickname for you, my lioness.”

Hermione laughed nervously. “I normally try to think things through before making irrational decisions. I guess I was just living in the moment a little bit. I understand if you still wish to leave on your own. I just thought…”

This time, Draco interrupted her by pulling her into a kiss. He felt her instantly relax and melt into his embrace.

“Maybe,” Draco purred into her ear, “you can ask me instead of saying it like a demand.”

Hermione shivered, and Draco didn’t think it was due to the cold rain.

“Draco Malfoy, will you recklessly marry me and allow me to follow you to start a brand new life in America?”

Draco smiled at her. 

“Can we get a pet snake?”

“Absolutely not!”

“No snake, no cat.”

Hermione crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Primrose isn’t enough for you?”

Draco said nothing.

“Fine!”

Draco grinned. He grabbed her hand, gave her a spin, and pulled her into another kiss.

“Hermione Jean Granger, it would make me the happiest and luckiest man in the world to marry you.”