Unofficial Portkey Archive

Title: All Roads Lead Back

Keywords: Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Draco and the rest of the gang. H/Hr, but a whole lot of ships thrown in. Post-HBP

Summary: Harry Potter always figured that once he had fulfilled his destiny he could finally have a happy, normal life. Unfortunately for him he fell in love with his best friend...and everything went straight to hell. Set 7 years after the final battle.

Spoilers: All six books.

A/N: I am a Harmony shipper thru and thru. HBP almost sent me into a fit until I realized that I was throwing a tizzy over a book and told myself to get over it. Hee. I then decided to throw my hat in the fanfiction ring and see if I could come up with a realistic (at least to me) story of my favorite couple getting together that adheres to canon. This is my first attempt at writing a fanfic. I have the whole story already plotted out, but would appreciate it if you would tell me if writing the rest is worth it or not.

I'm sorry for not giving ample enough warning in that last chapter. I honestly thought that I was being subtle with the R/Hr. I edited down the original version like crazy, but I will try harder to be cautious with the non-H/Hr stuff. I just really wanted to explore the dynamics of the R/Hr relationship because it does play it's part in the upcoming H/Hr relationship. It's funny, even though I am H/Hr all the way the R/Hr interaction in HBP didn't bother me. Kinda shocked me actually. I read the other five books thinking that sure the hints were anvil sized, anvil sized that they pointed to a one sided R/Hr. She just never seemed that into him. Then in book 6 I was like, oh snap, Hr likes Ron? Wild! But be that as it may I can't help but see something deeper going on between H/Hr. So that's how I wrote the story, that she felt something for Ron but nothing like she felt for Harry. Speaking in the past sense the poor thing just hasn't realized it yet. But when she does...oh boy!

Warning: This chapter contains flashbacks of some ONE SIDED D/Hr. I repeat this chapter contains some one sided D/Hr. And it ain't coming from her side. Just wanted y'all to be clear on that before you come after me with the torches and the pitchforks. There is also mention of D/Lu. Because I know y'all want some H/Hr I've thrown in the next chapter as well. Even though I'm not happy with it. At all! But once I finally figure out what I want to do with it I'll just re-edit it.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! They really have been helping me.

Disclaimer: If it looks like it's JKR's, well, that's because it is. She's provided me with the canvas and I'm truly enjoying painting on it.

He had finally decided to do it. He was going to do it! He was going to walk right in to that store and buy that ring for her. I'm going to walk right in, buy that ring, and by Merlin I'm not going to loose my nerve, the little voice in Draco's head assured himself. Of course if he hadn't been so agitated he would have asked himself why the hell he was hearing little voices where there shouldn't be little voices. But Draco didn't have time for all that self analysis mumbo jumbo. He was about to make a very important commitment to the woman who he was almost certain he was in love with. Scratch that, he was sure he was in love with Luna. This was serious business! It wasn't everyday you asked a girl to think about marrying you.

Draco had come to the little town of Hogsmeade to reinterview a witness for his current case. His division of Aurors were tracking some pureblood nutjob who had a hard-on for torching people. The problem however was that no one was exactly sure what Cadmus, the nut in question, looked like or where the hell he was.

They knew basics. According to Ministry records he was born in a small Devon village, Denbury, around 1890 to a witch and wizard of apparently low status. Neither had ever been students at Hogwarts it would appear even though Cadmus was a very ancient wizarding name. Ptolemy Cadmus never crossed those hollowed halls himself. Instead sometime around 1904 he was employed as a stable boy for a family in St. Catchpole, the Stonefeathers. The Stonefeathers were a very old, very powerful, very rich wizarding family that only employed human servants. The patriarch, Elias Stonefeather, once lost a card game to his elf valet and since that heinous transgression no house-elves were allowed near him. Cadmus apparently stayed with the family for only a few years before disappearing from the world.

The next time he showed up on any wizarding radar was when his daughter entered Hogwarts in 1923. There was no record of Cadmus marrying, but according to the daughter's schoolmates she was very proud of her paternal name and always maintained that both her parents were of magical birth. It was assumed that Cadmus had simply lived muggle for all those missing years. They were still waiting for paper work from Arthur Weasley's office to determine if this was fact. They did know that by time the daughter married her muggle husband the unnamed mother was dead. The cause of death was uncertain, but Draco wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't been tuned in to a crispy bit herself.

Some years after his daughter's death he married a stupid bint by the name of Cady Bishop who had been a barmaid at the the Haggling Hag. From what Draco had been able to gather Cady had also been a small time whore who picked up her tricks from the Hag's clientèle. If Cadmus knew this when he married her he apparently didn't care. After the 1952 wedding, that shockingly enough took place in the Ministry it's self, Cadmus once again laid low.

That is until he killed Kevin and Whitney Whitby right in their Hogsmeade shop. It would seem that for Cadmus, Whitney was too much of a muggle for his taste, though they didn't find that fact out til later. At first there were no suspects. The few eyewitnesses they had to the crime could only report seeing a dragon leaving the scene shortly after the shop began to burn to the ground. The thinking was that it was all some freak, random, dragon attack. Experts from the Magical Creature department were called in to investigate. But when the second couple, a Cloinda and Desmond Forbes, were torched in the husband's home the Ministry knew that something was up.

The Second Squad, Potter's Posse as they were secretly called much to their department head's chagrin, were officially put on the case and called out to Peckham to investigate. Before a dispatchment of Obliviators went to work on them, the Forbes' neighbors reported seeing a dragon flying away. That now made for two random dragon attacks. And what was more confusing was that from the descriptions they were able to attain the dragon was a breed that wasn't known to live in Europe.

For weeks the Aurors were stumped as to what was going on. That is until Langdon Moon and his new bride of 2 weeks, Sarah, died while trying to escape from the blazing inferno that had been their Diagon Alley flat. As was usual the witnesses reported seeing a copper colored dragon, a Vipertooth. For the first time Draco and his partner Potter were able to fit a pattern to the crimes. They both realized what all three couples had in common: they were all newlyweds and they all were mixed marriages. Kevin and Langdon were wizards, Cloinda was a witch. Their respective spouses were muggles.

But the pièce de résistance came in the form of a ring that was found in the wreckage of the Moon's home. It was a woman's class ring. A gold Hogwarts class ring with the Ravenclaw seal embossed on it, class of 1930.

Of course they naturally assumed that the ring was a Moon family heirloom, Langdon came from a Ravenclaw legacy. But after the ring was thoroughly examined the name Cadmus was found scrawled in a fancy script along the inside of it. That was when Harry's researchers went to work. They found the name of Harmonia Cadmus, Ravenclaw, listed as one of Hogwarts former Head Girls. They found out that Harmonia left school that Christmas break of her last year to marry a muggle named Heinz Andrews and that her husband killed her not too long after the wedding. They also learned that Andrews died in a freak fire in 1998. The mental clinic the old man still lived in since he killed his wife burned to ashes with him in it. He was the only casualty.

Soon after the ring was identified an article, published without the Department's consent, appeared in The Daily Prophet detailing the gruesome murders of the Moons. The ring was mentioned and a few scant hours after hitting the stands Cady Cadmus was at the Ministry headquarters to claim her family's possession. The sapphire ring was priceless, or so she said. It rightfully belonged to her husband Toley she told Whitmer, the Auror who took her statement. From what the slightly inebriated wench told them her husband Ptolemy wore the ring on a gold chain around his neck and never took it off. She gabbled on for hours more, but it didn't matter. They finally had their man!

Or so they thought. The problem was that Cadmus seemed to always be three steps ahead of Potter's Posse. They would arrive at a country B&B and find simply "Cadmus" written in the ledger days after the man had already left. They would find "Cadmus" written on slips of paper in the drawers of pawn shops the man unloaded one item after another in. The biggest problem of them all was that no one could give them a clear idea of what the elusive Cadmus looked like. Not even his wife. And she slept with him for Merlin's sake, Draco was known to grumble. All they knew was that they were looking for a rather large man, about 6 feet tall, 6 inches who was built like a manticore. Although he was of a considerable age, well over 100 years he supposedly didn't look a day over 75. According to Mrs. Cadmus he walked with a limp due to a run-in he had with an abraxan when he was a young teen and he wore his long white hair in a plait down his back. He also had an equally long snow white beard that he kept immaculately clean. Harry called in a sketch artist to do a rendering of what the lunatic could look like. There didn't seem to be a single photograph of the man in existence. The wife told them it was probably a pretty good depiction. If you asked him, Draco thought the barmy eejit looked like the muggle Father Christmas on steroids. When he mentioned this to his partner Potter told him, rather nastily, that he in fact did not ask him his opinion..

They had a good sketch and they had a few good leads, that should have been enough. From the description they were given Cadmus was the sort of gent you would remember if you ran into him. But an odd thing happened. Every person the man came in contact with seemed to remember speaking to him, but couldn't quite recall anything else. What they talked about, what he was wearing, if there was anyone else with him. Nothing. Harry had surmised that Cadmus was either using a strong cloaking charm or was confunding these people. Draco was quick to agree. Draco also believed that whatever screws might be loose in the loon's head they were also dealing with a very powerful wizard. The man could control a Vipertooth! A fucking Vipertooth! They were mean little buggers. A Peruvian would rather have a human for lunch then allow one to trot it about like some over grown St. Bernard. This bloke however seemed to be able to command and ride one.

And how else to explain his apparent control over so many people's mind, even months after the fact? The witness that Draco had just spoken with, an Winnona Bettany, still seemed to be slightly mentally frazzled. Winnona contacted the Ministry to tell them that she was remembering some more details of the day she watched Kevin Whitby's bakery burn. Harry dispatched Draco to Hogsmeade to get her testimony, but when the young Auror arrived at the tiny old woman's cottage she appeared surprised to see him. She didn't recall floo'ing the Ministry that morning at all. She then promptly offered Draco a plate of cookies that looked like they were covered in kneazle hair. Draco graciously declined and hot tailed it of there. Winnona still seemed to be confunded and Draco wouldn't be surprised if they found most of Cadmus' second hand victims in the same condition.

Although this fact finding mission had been a wash Draco did find something else to do with his day. He was currently standing in front of Magical Moments, an antique shop next to Madame Puddifoot's. Magical Moments specialized in one of a kind pieces of furniture and jewelry. It was a piece of jewelry in fact that held his attention.

He had first spotted the ring after leaving Puddifoot's one day a few weeks ago. He had met Pepper Warrington, one of the few Slytherin housemates of his that would still associate with him, there for lunch. Back in his fifth year Pepper had been a member of the Inquisitional Squad that he, and a bunch of the other kid's Draco ran with, joined. The slightly older black haired, turquoise eyed girl was also the hot piece of ass that introduced young Draco to the world of sex. Luckily for him right under Pansy's nose. The two of them remained acquaintances even after she married the man she had been betrothed to, Sylvain Warrington. Warrington was another fellow Slytherin and Inquisitional Squad member. Pepper had asked Draco to lunch because she needed a shoulder to cry on. She was afraid that Sylvy had a mistress. Over scones and tea Draco patted her hand and reassured her that he was almost certain that Warrington wasn't stepping out on her with another woman. Draco neglected to inform her that the Warrington he remembered from school seemed to prefer blokes. Once Pepper was calmed down Draco exited the little cafe.

Merlin how he hated Puddifoot's! The tacky decor always seemed to him to look like a muggle greeting card exploded inside. Pepper is going to have to choose a better locale next time, he thought to himself. As he walked pass the Madame's neighboring shop he just happened to glance over and look in the window. He caught the gleam off of a silver object lying on a purple velvet pillow. As he walked closer to inspect he saw that it was a ring. The ring was a shiny sterling silver with a ebony onyx stone in the center of it. The sides had some kind of engravings on them, but from his vantage point Draco couldn't tell what they were. With his curiosity piqued, Draco entered the store to investigate. Upon hearing the little bell that went off, the shops owner came rushing up to him.

"Can I help you fine sir," the rather plump middle aged witch asked him. She was dressed in dark gray robes that seemed to match her up-swept hair. She had a rather pleasant face that looked like it gave easily to smiles, like the one she was giving him now.

"Oh it's nothing really. I was just curious about that ring in your window. It kind of caught my eye," he said, sending her a sexy little smirk that made most women want to fling their knickers at him.

Apparently this witch was no exception. She giggled as she waddled quickly over to the window. Draco did a quick survey of the neat little shop and saw that although the items in it appeared to be old, they also seemed to be quite pricey.

"This is a rather nice little place. How long has it been here," he asked conversationally as she came walking back to him, ring in palm.

"Oh, I just moved in here not too long ago," she shared as she handed the ring to Draco. "I had a lot in Diagon, but the rent was just far too much for me."

Draco listened to her talk as he examined the ring closely. It was truly an exquisite thing. The large onyx stone almost seemed to entrance him and the silver brilliantly gleamed as if it had it's own inner shine.

"Gorgeous, isn't it? And right clever too! It reshapes it's self to fit perfectly whose ever finger it is on."

Draco looked down at the woman who was standing right in front of him. He felt as if he were in a daze. She smiled back up at him and clucked her tongue.

"That right there is the last remaining bit of the Swinhufvud treasure."

"Swinhufvud," Draco asked, pronouncing the name awkwardly.

The woman gave a small laugh. "An old Swedish noble family. Well, they lived as nobles rather. They all were wizards though. The line died out unfortunately."

Draco nodded his head although he had barely heard her. He was still looking at the intricate design on the sides. It sort of looked like a...pig. A very odd looking pig with weirdly shaped horns.

"A poor young wizard, hard on his luck, sold it to me a few years ago," she continued. "Not a member of the family of course. He probably got it from a past relative who worked as a servant for them. But in my line of business you don't tend to ask questions, eh?"

Draco nodded affirmatively and then held the side of the ring out to the woman. "It's something special all right. But what the devil are these things," he asked.

The woman giggled again and took the ring gingerly out of Draco's hand. "You wouldn't be the first person to ask that question. It's a snorkack."

Draco, who had been looking at the ring longingly, quickly brought his eyes back to the witch. Surely she didn't say what he thought she said.

"Come again?"

"I said it's a snorkack. At least that's what that young man told me when I asked him. The Swinhufvud's seemed to raise the things," she answered him.

Draco looked at the the woman in comical disbelief for a moment before he doubled over in laughter. The woman looked at him confusedly.

"Well yes, I gather it is a rather odd looking beastie," she said. She gave a half hearted, nervous laugh.

When the attractive blond first strode in to her store Lucretzia Boothe had taken one look at the well groomed man in his expensive looking robes and rather prideful air and smelled a sale in the air. Lucretzia could spot money when she saw it and this well built Adonis with the light gray eyes had bucket loads.

But she didn't count on him being a nutter.

Draco, still laughing, ran his fingers thru his shortly shorn head of hair as he looked in to the perplexed face of the store's owner.

"I'm sorry. It just really is an odd looking...beastie," he said. Seconds later he was out the door.

For weeks afterwards Draco would find some reason or another to come to Hogsmeade and walk by Magical Moments. Each time he would hope against hope that the ring would still be in the window, and each time he would be pleased to see that it was. He figured the reason for this was that there weren't many woman who would wear a bauble decorated with a pig. Well, maybe there was one woman, Draco thought affectionately.

No one would have ever expected Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood to get together. Sure she came from a good pureblood family, but that didn't negate the fact that the woman was a few bats short of a belfry. Draco had known her in school of course. You couldn't miss her, what with her bottle cap necklaces, radish earrings, hats that would roar or flap about. She wasn't just eccentric, she was bloody mad. Draco and his gang took great pleasure in harassing her when she showed up at Hogwarts for her first year. That is until they realized that the shoddy treatment didn't seem to phase her. It was no fun kicking someone in the teeth if they didn't at least acknowledge that their mouths were a bit sore, Draco mused. It was so much more fun to have a go at Potty and the Weasel King. Now there were two people who made teasing worth the while. Draco soon lost interest in Luna.

After the war he would still run in to her occasionally, but she wasn't really a person who was on his radar. That all changed one fine spring day. Chief Hanes had told him the day prior that a brand new reporter from a fine and reputable paper was coming to do a personality piece about a young man's first few months as a new Auror. Hanes volunteered Draco. Draco didn't mind much, he rather liked the idea of reading an article in the Prophet or even the International Seer detailing all of his daring exploits and heroics.

The day of the interview Draco came to work dressed in a pair of finely tailored black trousers and a black cashmere pullover. His platinum hair set against his usual dark apparel made him look like a sinisterly sexy angel. As he waited for the reporter at his neatly ordered desk during his lunch break he briefly wondered if he was going to be interviewed by a woman. And if said woman would be yummy enough to bed. That should get him a front page exclusive surely! All these thoughts were dashed however when the the journalist herself walked in.

"You," he exclaimed accusingly, voice dripping in disdain.

Luna Lovegood looked much the same as she did way back in school. Her hair was still dirty blonde, although now she wore it in large curls that hung to her shoulders. Her eyes looked like molten silver. The way they bulged gave her a constant look of surprise. Her straight thin nose and thin pale lips were features found commonly on pureblood girls. She was slightly pale as well, but she didn't look washed out. Her complexion went well with her rather waifishly thin prettiness. Luna Lovegood was in a word, cute. This fact was not lost on Draco as she stood at the entryway of his cubicle dressed in stylishly cut chocolate brown robes. But she still is mad as ever, he thought as he noted the far off look on her face.

"You," Draco sputtered again.

"Yes me," she said in a low and dreamy, melodious voice. "At least I think I'm still me. I was when I first walked in here. I think."

Draco gaped at her, mouth opened wide. He was slightly relieved that most of his office mates had gone out to lunch and were not around to witness this. He would have never lived it down.

"You should be careful, you know. Although a wrackspurt usually comes in thru the ears you never know when they might adapt and jump in any old hole." She then placed her hand on his chin and closed his mouth for him.

Draco was so annoyed that he didn't even notice the slight tingle he felt where she touched him. He jerked his chin away. This was not how he expected his day to go.

"What the hell are you doing here Loony," he demanded, his temper steadily rising.

"I'm here to interview you. Didn't Uncle Army arrange all this?"

At this point Draco didn't care who Uncle Army, Uncle Navy or Uncle bloody Royal Air Force was. He wanted the woman out of his office!

"He and daddy played chess together just a few days ago. When I told Uncle Army about the article I wanted to write he said he would handle it. Armistead Hanes is your boss is he not," she asked, silver eyes boring in to his own similarly colored ones.

"Hang on, Chief Hanes is your uncle?"

She gave a disturbingly loud laugh, more like the bray of a horse, and shook her head. "No. Uncle Army and Dad are just good friends. Dad even lets him cheat at chess."

Draco silently cursed under his breath. Hanes in the Arse had set him up. Fine and reputable paper indeed! The Quibbler was a piece of garbage that most people used to line their pets cages. It advertised spells to help you raise a sphinx army and published feature articles on goblin/Vampire secret alliances. It was a joke and just so happened to be the paper that Linus Lovegood, Luna's father, owned and edited. Draco sighed. There would be no front page exclusive to look forward to now.

"Look Loony, I think there has been a mistake," Draco said as he slowly stood from his chair.

"Is there? Did I come on the wrong day? I can come back," she said, her voice for the first time diverging from it's whimsical tone.

Draco gritted his teeth in agitation. Why couldn't this loon get the picture and just leave, he thought moodily.

"It's not that," he said. "I just don't think I'm the right person for you to write your little story on. I'm not in some torrid love affair with one of the Gorgons and I don't know anything about Scrimgeour's pet Golem." He said the last bit rather nastily.

"Oh," Luna said in a slightly soft, slightly dismayed voice.

Draco looked at Luna again and was almost horrified to discover that her eyes were wet. He hated a crying woman. Unless she was a drunk crying woman. Those he knew how to handle. Lovegood on the other hand was a different story.

"Loony, please do not cry. I just don't think you will get the story you want from me."

Luna sniffed loudly. "Maybe your right," she admitted. "I told Uncle Army that I wanted to write a story on how people can change. For the better that is. And that it is possible to get a clean slate. But I guess your are right. You aren't the person I wanted to write about," she said pointedly. She then turned on her low booted heel and proceeded to walk away.

Draco stared dumbly at her turned back for a split second before he grabbed her arm and turned her back around to face him.

"You wanted to write what?"

Luna gazed strait at him and tilted her head proudly. "I know that my father's paper has a reputation for publishing rubbish. But there is a lot of good in there if people would take the time to read it. I wanted to write an article about you."

Draco let go of her arm and tugged distractedly on his ear. He felt like Loony Lovegood was turning his brain to mush.

"You mean to tell me you asked Hanes specifically for me? For your interview?" Luna gave a little nod. "But why?"

A small smile appeared on his face. "Because you fascinate me." Draco snorted. Her smile grew larger. "You don't even realize just how interesting you are, do you?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Listen hon, there are over a half dozen of Aurors you could have gotten for your little piece," he said. And most of them wouldn't have made you cry he added in his head.

"Oh, I'm not talking about the fact that you are an Auror. Daddy says that half you lot are nothing more then glorified babysitters for Fudge's...well, I guess now Scrimgeour's secret heliopath stash."

Draco made a loud noise in his throat that was half way between a laugh and a scoff of derision.

"What I'm talking about is what you have done with your life. And not even the fact that you helped bring down Voldykins."

At this Draco did laugh. He had never heard Lord Voldemort referred to as such.

"What's so special about me Loony? I mean, I know I'm rather gorgeous but..."

"Oh, are you," she asked just as innocent as could be. Draco didn't detect a hint of malice in the question. "You see I always sort of went for redheads."

Draco recalled that this was true. Luna dated the Weasel King not too long ago. And if he was remembering right it did not end well. At all.

"Back in school I always wondered if that," she looked up at his short blonde buzz cut, "was your real hair color. It makes you look rather peaky doesn't it."

Draco's feathers were ruffled. He did not look peaky! He was a handsome enough fellow, if he said so himself. And he did.

"But that is neither here nor there," Luna added as she clasped her hands in front of her. "I actually admire you Draco Malfoy."

Draco was so astounded at this revelation. Luna Lovegood admired him? What the devil for? And why did her her revelation sound eerily like another pronouncement he'd heard before?

I'm very, very proud of you Draco Malfoy.

Draco shook his head as if to clear it. He found that Luna was staring him steadily in his eyes. He cleared his throat."You um....admire me," he asked.

Luna smiled."Well, yes. Are you feeling ok? Did a mugumpwa bite you? They are rather nasty things, pixies. They bite you and all you hear in your head is Celestina Warbeck warbling away til it drives you mad. I'm not sure why Celestina though. Do you figure she put them up to it?"

"Listen Loony you lost me at mugumpwa." Draco closed his eyes as he placed his hand to his brow line. He felt a headache rapidly approaching.

Luna gave that horse like laugh again. "Very well, very well. You just looked so confused when I said that I admired you," she replied.

At this time some of the other Aurors were making their way back in to the office. Draco opened his eyes and watched them as they filed in.

"I do, you know."

Draco turned his attention back on Luna.

"I find people who defy conventions interesting," she said. "You were born in to a world where you were taught that you were better then most. Where you were taught to despise that which was different then yourself. You learned these lessons from the people that gave you life so you shouldn't have questioned them"

Draco swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, headache forgotten. Why did he think Loony was so loony again?

"But you did question them. You turned against everything that was programmed into your head because you knew deep down it was wrong. Do you know how hard it is to do that? It would have been easier for you to turn to the Death Eaters...."

"Which would have had me dead now or in Azkaban..."

"But you didn't know that then did you?" Draco shook his head. "Of course not. Back then none of us knew who would come out on top in the end. But you knew that you could no longer fall in step with whatever Voldykins had planed. It's a very hard thing, to think on our own sometimes. We go to this restaurant because were told that it's the so called spot to be seen. We glorify certain people because we are told that they should be put on pedestals. We degrade others because we are told they should be scorned." She said this last bit not without a touch of bitterness in her voice.

"But to think for one's own self? Some fear that more then death. If you die your are just dead. Nothing else can be done about that. But when you think for yourself you have to live with that decision and accept the consequences. For most that can be a terrifying thing."

"Ok Loony, now you've really lost me. I think my head hurts."

Luna covered her mouth to hold back the laugh (thank Merlin) that wanted to bubble out. "I'm simply saying that it was brave of you to side with Harry. Especially since you hated him once. You made a decision that has seemed to change your life for the better. But that change never would have come if you hadn't made the first step. That took courage."

Draco tried to fight the blush of embarrassment that he feared was spreading across his face. Luna was assigning motivations to his deeds and actions that were not necessarily true, but they sure sounded good to hear her tell it. He could almost believe them himself.

"And then the way you fought the Ministry when they didn't want to let you into the Department to train! Holy cricket that took erumpent sized balls!"

Draco was quite certain his face was boiling now. Not too many people knew that last bit. After the war, even after all that Draco had done to help bring down Voldemort, he still wasn't trusted. He was a Malfoy and as such was considered a traitor to the Ministry. That little incident back in 6th year where he let a horde of homicidal followers of the Dark Lord into Hogwarts, an act which resulted in Headmaster Dumbledore's death, also did not help his standing. So unsurprisingly when Draco suddenly decided that this whole saving people gig might not be so bad and wanted to become an Auror there were many people in positions of power who were determined that Draco would not get his wish. Everything worked it's self out in the end and Draco eventually got to join the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. There was one person who wouldn't have had it any other way.

"You could have taken all the Malfoy galleons and been done with it. But you stuck to your guns and you fought for your right to do so."

When Luna noticed Draco's questioning look she simply said, "Hermione told me. She was very proud of you, you know."

"Yes. Yes she was," Draco said, heart swelling as it did every he thought of a certain brunette or someone even said her name.

"Well, I should be going now," Luna said as she looked around the room and saw that it was almost full. "I'm sorry for wasting your time Mr. Malfoy."

Luna turned around and made for the exit of the office again. Draco watched her go until he heard a small voice chide him to stop her. He couldn't be certain, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the voice sounded like Hermione's.

"Loony wait!"

Heads all over the department turned to see who was making the racket. Luna who had been half way out the door turned to look at him, that dreamy look returning to her face. Draco shyly shuffled over to where Luna was standing and stood before her.

"Listen Loony, um...if you still want to do the interview I'm for it. Just say when," he said as he stared at the floor, too scared to meet her eyes. Because of this he missed the huge smile that spread across her face.

"Well now would be just lovely," Luna said, beaming.

"Sadly I'm a working stiff and we have frittered away what little break I had," said Draco jokingly.

Luna grabbed one of Draco's hands and wound her arm thru his own. Draco was slightly startled by this move of intimacy, but shrugged it off. It felt nice.

"Uncle Army will understand if I steal you away for another hour. This is going to be my first big feature article and I'm sure that he will want it to turn out well."

"Sounds good enough to me," Draco said as he steered Luna towards the door. "Why don't we get something to eat so our stomachs will be full as I tell you how wonderful I am."

Luna gave a girlish giggle that was tons better then that horsey thing she did.

"That sounds just marvy. Oh I know! We could go to Madame Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade. I haven't been there in ages. I always loved the decor when I was a little girl."

You would, Draco thought in bemusement.

Draco ended up taking a 2 hour lunch that day. Luna turned out to be a pretty excellent reporter. She asked questions that no other journalist would generally ask and for the trouble got insightful answers out of Draco. When the article was published a few days later it caused such a sensation that The Daily Prophet and The International Seer payed The Quibbler a nice sized amount to run the piece in both of their publications. There was just something so juicy about a son who could turn his back on his family in order to fight for the Side of Light. And the personal demons he dealt with in order to do so...sexy. Draco became a minor celebrity over night. He practically had to beat the women off of him with a stick. Which he almost invested in seeing as how he was now dating Luna.

He didn't end up in bed with Luna the night of his interview. Luna was after all a pureblood girl and they tended to be uptight when it came to premarital sex. But after sharing cozy lunches for two and heading out to the muggle cinema just about every night for a couple of weeks it seemed a far gone conclusion that they would end up sleeping together. Draco was almost terrified of the prospect. He was shocked to discover that he actually liked spending time with Luna. Sure she was off beat, but he kind of liked that aspect of her. She also was one of the least judgmental people he had ever met. She respected the fact that he could be sarcastic and surly. He liked the fact that she was slightly insane. She loved it when he called her Loony Love, said she had never had a pet name before. He would nearly jump her every time she called him her lover in that low dream like tone of hers. Draco feared that once they eventually had sex he would loose all interest in her. That was his usual pattern.

In fact when he and Luna first started dating he had been seeing Pristine Pringle. She was a auburn haired, pureblood princess he had been dating on and off for years. His mother had introduced Draco to Pristine at a luncheon she hosted. It would be too kind to call her simply a husband hunting harpy. Hermione hated her! Said she was silly, mean spirited, and most importantly could afford to eat a sandwich a time or two. Pristy was very pretty though and was good for a lay every now and then. Draco barely tolerated her! When Draco dumped Pristine for Luna he was almost certain that she would soon follow her predecessor. But it never happened. Nearly a year and half to the date of that fated interview Draco ended up moving in to the Lovegood home in St. Catchpole. He had never been so happy in his life!

Two years later found him still ridiculously happy. That was why he was still standing in front of Magical Moments. As soon as he had seen the ring he knew that he wanted to give it to his Loony Love. Once the shopkeeper told him about the snorkacks (crumple-horned snorkacks lover, his girlfriend would have said had she been there) that were engraved on it he knew that he had to give it to Luna. It was made for her. He didn't even care about the price, 2200 galleons. Nothing was too good for his Loony.

In fact what he really wanted to give her was the Malfoy Pearl. The Malfoy Pearl was the family heirloom that was passed down to each first son of the family. Upon choosing a bride the heir would place it on the young lady in question's finger and thus begin the Rites. The Pearl was currently sitting on his mother's vanity table waiting patiently for Draco to choose his future bride. As far as Draco was concerned he had found her. The problem was was that he knew that Luna was slightly gun shy at the prospect of another wedding. For this reason above all Draco wanted to curse the Weasel King and turn him in to a self swallowing flobberworm. He had read in the Prophet that the Weasel was planning on marrying the very same bint that had disrupted the redhead's wedding to Luna almost 4 years ago. Good riddance, Draco thought to himself. I hope she wrecks his fucking life! Draco sometimes forgot the fact that it was his own good luck that Ron called off the wedding. If he hadn't Draco wouldn't have his Loony now.

No, Luna wasn't ready for the Malfoy Pearl. But the Swinhufvud gem was just right. They could consider it a pre-engagement engagement ring. A promise of a promise. Draco knew he was good for fulfilling that pledge. He had never felt this way about any other woman before...save one.

Draco could never be sure when he and the walking Spellopedia named Granger had actually become friends. He knew it was before she almost launched her one witch campaign against the Ministry to get him into the Auror program. He thought it might have been that Christmas, trapped at Hogwarts as the Second War raged on outside, that she knitted (badly) a jumper for him. She said that he deserved a present too, but the truth was that her big heart couldn't stand to see him be the only Order member empty handed that year. He was sure it wasn't the time he slapped her silly for calling his father a monster. She was quite sore (literally and figuratively) for days after that incident. She had been right, but at the time Draco didn't want to hear it. No, Draco could never say for certain when the bushy haired swot that he had teased and berated all thru school had become his closest friend and confidant. But he did remember the night, in vivid detail, when he figured out that he wanted to shag the living daylights out of her.

In a way Draco had always been unconsciously attracted to the girl back when they were younger, though he would have rather died then admit it back then. She sort of reminded him of his mother, fiercely intelligent, crafty, and obviously not above using her feminine wiles to get her own way. When Hermione had threatened him with a vial of Veritaserum the night he defected to the Order she mounted his very lap and deftly grinded herself on him to get a reaction. Of course Potty missed all of that, the blind git! Hermione taunted him with cruel threats and when Draco vehemently denied her claim that he wanted to shag her she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Your wand says otherwise". He knew she wasn't talking about his beech wood. It was positively Slytherin of her and well played. Draco had to wonder if the girl had been sorted into the wrong house. Against his will Draco's esteem of the Gryffindor girl went up many notches that night. But he didn't think he wanted her in his bed just then. That revelation came not too long after.

It happened a couple of weeks after what they were calling "the cup incident". Hermione was wide awake and grumpier then usual while Draco had just become a member of the Order of the Phoenix, much to the surprise of all.

It was late September, and Draco felt the first chill of the season in the air as he walked around the nearly deserted Hogwarts castle late one night. Once upon a time Draco had been able to sleep like a baby secure in the knowledge that he was a little prince and that his fairy godmother dark lord would banish all the muggles in the world so that everything could be perfect. Draco never realized that for this to happen some people would have to die. A great deal of people to be exact. The point was driven home when he was called on to murder his headmaster, an act that should have never been left to a child. Draco couldn't do it! He had always thought that Dumbledore was a dithering old fool, but that didn't mean he wanted the dithering old fool dead. Even with the fates of his parents swinging in the balance before him Draco could not throw the Unforgivable at the professor. In fact what he had done to Katie Bell, even unintentionally, secretly weighed heavily on his mind. Draco Malfoy was a lot of things, but he was no killer. And because of that simple fact Draco was now holed up in Hogwarts with a rag tag group of rebels who were relying on a near sighted, barely 17 year old ponce to defeat quite possibly the greatest dark lord ever known to wizarding kind. Yes, Draco was having a hell of a time getting to sleep these days.

Draco decided to head up to the Astronomy Tower to think. Well technically he went there to relive some of his former glory. Draco had become a man in that tower. Draco had deflowered Pansy and a lovely little Ravenclaw named Su Li back in his 5th year there as well. This was no small feat. Most well bred witches learn at their mother's knees early that no man wants the mooncalf if he can get it's dung for free. Luckily for him Pans and Su missed the lesson. Pepper was a slut so she just didn't care. He once tried to get his housemate Daphne up there, she had legs that seemed to go on for days, but she always seemed disinterested. He tried to sooth his battered ego with the knowledge that she and all her family were blood traitors and would eventually meet their preferably gruesome end at the feet of the Dark Lord.

As Draco walked out on to the ramparts of the tower he was shocked to see that he wasn't alone. Granger, dressed in a red satiny dressing robe, was leaning against the rampart walls, her back turned to him. Briefly Draco entertained a sick dark fantasy of just pushing the cranky, know-it-all mudblood over. No one would ever know it was him. He could almost hear the splat her body would make as it hit the ground. He smiled to himself before he noticed the up and down jerking moves her shoulders were making. Shit! The bitch was crying. Draco tried to silently make his way back out the door, but unfortunately for him his shoes made a sound on the stone that attracted her attention. She whirled around to face him, face wet with tears sporting a look of utter shock and bewilderment. Draco did not miss the fact that her wand was drawn on him. Still.

"Malfoy? What in Circe's name are you doing up," she asked as she fiercely wiped at her face.

"I could ask you the same question Granger," he sneered. "At least I had the good sense to put on some appropriate clothing." Draco had changed in to a pair of slacks and a shirt before he had gone wandering.

"Just because your bumbling buffoon of a boyfriend gets to see all of your little girlie bits doesn't mean that you have to subject the rest of us to such torture."

"Fuck you Malfoy!" But she put the wand back in her gowns pocket.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I will have to decline," he said snottily.

He practically wanted to rub his hands in glee. An enraged Hermione Granger was truly a sight to see. Her pert little nose would get all red and runny. The faint dusting of freckles across it would stand out. Her already large round eyes would appear to double in size and the coil of tight brown spiral curls that ran riotously all over her head would damn near stand on end. Although she was of average height when she got hacked off, like she was now, she always seemed to draw herself up in such a manner that she resembled a fierce Valkyrie. Draco wondered just how far he could push her as he swaggered on to the parapet.

"In your dreams ferret!"

"More like nightmares," he scoffed. "Actually I'm surprised that the whole castle isn't greatly disturbed by you and Weasel King's antics. You're loud enough about it."

Although he, Granger, Potty, and Weasel were all sleeping in the Head's suite in the South Tower (neutral territory) it was a lie that he could hear the two when they snuck away to plan 'strategy'. Ha! He didn't have to let her know that though.

"Bastard," she hissed, one hand clutching the side of her robe while the other held on to the rampart wall.

"No, my parents were married thanks."

He grinned evilly. This was fun! That is until she broke out in a fresh gale of tears

"You...I...just..." she spluttered as she turned her back to him once again.

"Sod off Malfoy! Just leave me the hell alone." Her shoulders shook with the great force of her sobbing.

Draco was at a loss for what to do. Although Granger was providing him with ample material to taunt her with he could never stand the sight of a crying female. His mother tended to throw crying fits whenever she wanted his father to buy her something expensive. Pansy would give into tears whenever she felt that Draco wasn't paying her ample attention. But somehow Draco felt confidant that Granger didn't want those things. The girl was weeping as if her heart was being cleaved in half.

"Ummm...do you want me to get Potty or Weasleby for you," Draco nervously asked. She shook her head firmly as she tried to control her crying.

"No. Don't bother them. Harry barely sleeps thru the night as is. Don't wake them, please."

Draco slowly walked up to the rampart wall and stood next to her. Although he was looking at her, her face was turned to the night's sky.

"The boys worry about me so. The last thing I need is for them to see is me loosing it like this," she said as her tears began to slacken.

"Well what do you expect after that stunt you pulled with the cup," he asked while noticing for the first time that her plain brown eyes were actually almost a dark amber shade.

"Yes, yes I know," she said tartly. "Brilliant Hermione did a really dumb thing didn't she? I've heard that enough from Harry, Ron, Professors Lupin and McGonagall, thanks. Even Hagrid wanted to get in on the act."

"Well it serves you right! You really had no idea what was going to happen to you after you drank from it. Those two dunderheads you call best mates hardly left your bedside, they were so worried. They were like little girls. Little bawling girls."

"I know," she said, a hint of remorse in her voice. "But something had to be done. We really have no more leisure time to sit and wait for Voldemort to make the next move. He's playing for keeps now."

"Yes," Draco muttered bitterly turning his gaze to the same skyline she was looking at. "I know."

She turned to look at him. "Yes, I suppose you do," she said.

For a moment the two stood there in silence, each stewing in their own thoughts, until Draco broke it.

"For the record I think what you did was ballsy," he said begrudgingly. "Mental. But ballsy."

Hermione cracked a small smile. He could actually hear it in her voice.

"Well gee Malfoy, I think somewhere in that insult was a compliment."

"Yes, well...don't let it go to your head." His tone was only slightly condescending. Hermione chuckled softly.

"I wouldn't think of it."

Draco glanced over at her and saw the smile on her face slowly turn into a grimace. For the first time he wondered what had brought the girl out on this tower at such a late hour to have a cry.

"So," he queried in a mock disinterested voice, "are you going to tell me why you were blubbering up here like some little ninny?"

She looked at him searchingly as if trying to figure out a complex problem.

"I mean you don't have to if..."

"I'm scared," she said.

Draco looked at Granger as if she just told him she was going on tour with The Weird Sisters. That would almost be as preposterous as what he thought she said. The gutsy lioness herself, scared? He must have misheard.

"I've been up here for hours actually. I came up shortly after I got dressed for bed. I'm not sure exactly when I started crying," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess it just sort of hit me all at once. I'm fucking terrified."

Draco was shocked at how candid Granger was being with him. He wanted her to continue talking so he silently nodded his head to assure her that he was listening.

"When I was 12 and first became friend's with Harry I knew that he had a great destiny to fulfill. I didn't know the specifics of it, but I knew what ever that destiny entailed I would be right by his side helping him all the way. I would carry him if need be."

Draco tried his best to hide the amusement he felt at the image of Hermione Granger carrying Potter the Prat on her back like a old pack mule.

"But you know what I'm starting to figure out," she asked, voice choked in so much sorrow that Draco quickly got over the mental picture. "Some of us just might not make it out of this."

She was voicing concerns that Draco had gone over in his own head nearly a dozen times. No matter what side he chose the prospect of him dying was pretty high. He tried to assure her the best way he could.

"Such is war Granger."

She rolled her eyes disgustedly. "I know that. Don't you think I know that," she asked. "I'm fully prepared to sacrifice my own life for Harry if I have to.""

Draco didn't doubt her statement.

"But I can't loose...them," she said haltingly. Big tears started to well up in her eyes again. "I would gladly die a million times over if it meant that I could spare them any pain."

Draco thought to himself that Potty and the Weasel didn't even half deserve devotion like this. He wondered what it would be like for someone to care so deeply about him.

"But that's just it," she continued, "they could die and the realization of that fact is sending me around the twist. I'm cracking up Malfoy," she confided in a conspiratorial whisper. She even looked over her shoulder as if she was fully expecting to see the men there ready to cart her away.

"Bah! Your not going crazy Granger."

"But I am," she insisted. "Why do you think I did what I did with that bloody cup! My mind completely shut down Malfoy. I...I was running off of pure adrenaline. When the three of you stood there...there bitching..."

"I do not bitch!"

"...about who was going to destroy the damned thing all I could hear in my head was a pounding voice telling me over and over again to end this, end it now. I-I didn't even know what I had done until I woke up."

Hermione dropped her head into her upturned palms. Her voice came out muffled and Draco had to get closer to her to hear her.

"My head is a mess and I can't afford for it to be that way right now."

She raised her head up and looked Draco directly in his eyes. "I'd do anything for Harry Potter, but I'm scared that that's just not going to be enough."

Amber eyes met gray and held each other's gaze for a moment. Forget those daydreams of flinging the Mudblood Queen off the tower, Draco was now worried that the tortured soul would take care of that herself. And Draco knew that he couldn't allow that to happen. Hate it or not, Granger was the whole brains of this operation. Potty might be The Chosen One, but without her they might as well just hand themselves over to the Dark Lord tied with a neat little bow. He knew that drinking from Hufflepuff's cup would induce dreams, he had been warned about that. He wondered what she could have saw to set her off so.

"What about you Malfoy," she asked, breaking Malfoy out of his reverie. "What are you scared of?"

Draco looked down at the girl, the rather pretty girl whose hair seemed to form a halo around her head, and weighed his answer. He could tell her that he was scared that he would never see his mother again. She was a good mum, for all her pretenses, and Draco missed her with all of his heart. The thought of never seeing her face again nearly wrecked him inside.

He could tell her that by virtue of him being a Gooder now the Light was bound to loose this war. He was a curse, an abomination. He was almost certain of this fact. People died because of him; Dumbledore, his father. The list might be short now, but he was sure it would grow.

Or he could tell her his deepest fear, that no matter what he did he would always be his father's son. Draco loved his father. All he ever wanted was the older Malfoy's approval. But Draco was smart enough to know that it was because of men like his father that monsters like Lord Voldemort thrived and made it possible that children would have to fight an adult war. Draco could tell her any of this.

"Clowns," he said instead.

Hermione looked at him for one moment in slack jawed surprise before she huffed and turned to walk away from Draco.

"I don't even know why I bloody well bother," she angrily seethed. Draco grabbed her arm to hold her in place.

"Hang on a tic," said Draco moodily. "You just can't get your knickers in a twist because you don't like my answer."

"Clowns Malfoy? Honestly," she retorted.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and went in to her Perfect Prefect pose. Her chin was held at an imperiously high height..

"Yes Granger, clowns. I can't stand the buggers! When I was 7 my nanny, this great she-hulk of an Austrian my mother picked up some where, snuck me out of the Manor to go to a muggle fun fair not too far from where my family lived. Grizzelda was a halfblood so she was used to going to the things. I was so excited to be at the place that at first when we walked in I didn't even notice the grinning fool making his way to me. That is until he got in my face. That false demonic grin still haunts me til this day. I got so agitated that I began unconsciously flinging people and things about. The Accidental Magic Reversal Squad probably had one hell of a mess to clean up after Zelda threw me over her shoulders and got me back home."

As Hermione listened to Draco's story she fought down the belly aching laugh that wanted to escape from her mouth. She even clamped her hand over it as if that could keep it in. She could almost see the blond little tyke that Draco must surely have been once loosing his shit over the sight of a harmless red nose.

"Yuck it up Granger, but it really isn't all that funny. If I ever needed further proof that muggles were dotty it's the fact that they let those painted demons around their children," said Draco snidely. He turned around so he could lean his back against the wall and folded his arms across his chest.

At this Hermione finally let out a loud and mighty guffaw. She wiped a tear of mirth from her eyes.

"You do realize Malfoy that there are 3 year olds who would probably think you are a bit of a chinless wonder, don't you?"

"I don't care. I still can't stand the ruddy things."

The two of them shared a companionable laugh. Draco wasn't sure what a chinless wonder was, he had suspicions that it wasn't quite a compliment, but he didn't care. Standing up on that parapet, high above the world, laughing over some silly childhood fear with Granger seemed the perfect place to be at the moment. In all the craziness that had followed the attack on this very school only a few months ago he had almost feared that he would never hear laughter again. The sound was almost balm for his soul.

"You know I know, right?"

Draco cocked his head at her, his lips still bearing a smile. His face barely had time to change in to a confused expression before she dropped a bombshell.

"I know that someone is helping you."

Draco's whole body froze. Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocks! Bollocksy-bollock-bollocks!

"Er...I, um...don't know what you are talking about."

She smiled at Draco ruefully. "Come now Malfoy, did you think I had come over stupid all of a sudden? I've know from day one that someone was helping you. How else could you have gotten the cup and found out how to destroy it? And how else did you know what it was and to come to us with it?"

"I'm a fairly brilliant boy," he said, puffing his chest out too cover up the fact that his mind was a riot inside. She knew! She fucking knew!

"While I don't doubt that," she tittered, "I also know that you knew too much about the inner workings of the Order when you first got here. No need to hide the fact. I'm pretty clever, or so they tell me."

Of course she was. She was Hermione-fucking-Granger, Draco thought to himself sourly, smartest bitch of her age. How did they ever think they could get one past her?

"I also know that whoever this person is, they appear to be on our side. And for whatever reasons they need to keep their identity a secret...."

Draco turned to face her and stared her intently in the eye. "Damned good reasons," he insisted.

"Yes, damned good reasons...I think it would be best if this remains our little secret for the moment."

Draco could hardly believe it, Granger was actually taking him into her confidence. Had the world gone mad?

"You mean you aren't going to mention this to your precious Potty," asked Draco.

She bit at the corner of her lip, a pained expression on her face. It was a rather cute expression. "Not just yet," she said slowly as if weighing her words. "We have bigger things on our plate at the moment."

Hermione then did something that almost knocked Draco on his own ass. She got up close enough to him that he could feel her breath on his face. It had a minty smell, as if she had recently charmed her teeth clean. He could also smell some flowery scent on her skin and in her hair. Her close proximity to him nearly made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"But eventually Malfoy Harry is going to need to know about him. Bad things might happen if he doesn't."

The way she was looking at Draco and the way she emphasized the word him let Draco know that she had sussed everything out.

"I understand," he said. "But as you said so yourself there are bigger things."

She sighed. "Yes there are."

The two of them stood in silence once again, each weighing their own thoughts. Then suddenly Hermione let out a long, lazy yawn and stretched her arms, feline like, to the sky. Draco couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Well, I think it's time for little witches to be in bed. I'm going to turn in."

Hermione walked to the exit of the parapet without a glance backward at Draco. Which was a good thing since at the moment Draco was admiring her nicely round arse. He caught himself in mid-ogle and reluctantly brought his eyes up higher.

"Um...Granger," he said. Hermione, who had reached the door at this point, turned back to look at him. "Since were all sharing tonight, what did you really see when you drank out of that cup?"

Draco didn't particularly want to hear her answer, he just wanted to keep her up on the tower with him chatting for a little while longer. He was bored, he told himself.

Hermione stared at him hard for a moment, as if weighing what she was going to say. Then all of a sudden a sad yet endearingly pretty smile crossed her face.

"It doesn't really matter Malfoy. It can't ever happen. I won't let it."

Draco had no clue what would make her so melancholy, but as the light of the moon crossed her face he was almost astounded at just how lovely she actually was. Had she always looked like this or was it just a trick of the lighting, he wondered. Before he could ponder the question further he saw her inch closer out the door.

"Why don't you get some sleep too Malfoy. I'm sure we are going to have another long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"When don't we," he grumbled.

She merely smiled saucily. "Night Malfoy. Don't let the bed pixies bite," she said in a low husky voice as she winked her eye and was out of his sight.

Draco never figured out if it was the smile or the wink that did him in, but once he was alone out on the tower he had to control his urge to plunge his hands in his pants and have a wank right there on the spot. Draco had fallen in lust.

Which he found odd. Prior to that chilly autumn evening he had always thought of Granger as some sexless creature. She hardly was even a separate entity in his mind. He always grouped them together in his head pottyweaselmudblood, the Tiresome Threesome, the Terrible Trifecta. But that next day in the Great Hall during breakfast he was so enthralled by the beauty of the girl sitting across from him that he could barely eat his porridge. Had her eyes always been that large and sparkling? Had her lips always worn that sexy little pout? Was her skin really that flawless? The ridiculous brown bush he was used to seeing on her head suddenly turned in to a mass of coppery, chestnut colored, cinnamon, and chocolate hued tendrils battling it out for dominance over her head. Draco had always prided himself on his long and silky blond locks, but for the first time he truly understood the term crowning glory. She was goddess! Draco quickly looked around the table to make sure he hadn't said it out loud.

As a general rule everyone usually ate at the High Table, the table the professors sat at during the school year, although now it was placed level with the other tables so everyone could sit around it. Across from him Granger was slowly stirring her spoon in her tea cup as she read from a book propped up on the table entitled Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes. Potty and the Werewolf were having some intense discussion a few seats down to his left. The brown skinned, older Weasel was sharing a laugh on the other side of the table to Draco's right with that Moody bastard who had embarrassed him back in 4th and a young-ish looking witch who he could have sworn had neon pink hair just the other day. It was now an electric blue with white streaks. Bah! He couldn't keep up with Potty's Merry Band of Do Gooders.

But where was King Weasel? He wasn't in his usual spot, spellotaped to Granger's hip. Seriously, how was the poor girl supposed to breathe? And just like that, as if Draco had called his name out loud, the redheaded idiot came striding thru the entrance door and bumbled his way up to Granger's side. Draco watched them like a hawk. Hermione, unaware of Weasel's presence, continued to read her book and stir her tea. The prat then snuck up behind her and plucked the book out of her hand. Granger, spinning around in her seat, grinned up into the face of the gangly red head when she saw it was he who filched her book. But her eyes didn't smile. At least Draco tried to convince himself of that, but had to admit he could have been inventing it. King Weasel plopped down in the seat next to her and shyly handed the book back to her. For his reward she placed a soft, chaste kiss on his cheek. The idiot turned almost as red as his hair. They both made cow eyes at each other. Draco told himself that she was just over doing it. Draco wanted to empty his stomach on the table. He quickly stood up from his seat, tossed a few insults at the lovebirds (and Potty for good measure) and grumpily stalked away from the table.

When Draco was 7 or 8 his mother took him into Twillfit's to buy him a dress robe for a party she was throwing. As the diminutive store owner Thimbalina Twillfit measured him, his mother's attention was caught by a family of red mopped children being led by a rather plump looking woman with similarly colored hair. The troop marched into the second hand robe shop across the street from them. His mother turned back around to face him and said in her cultured, posh voice "poor". She said it with the same sneer she would have uttered "house-elf" or "mudblood". That was the first time he knew the Weasleys for what they were, lower then him. However, nearly ten years later, a Weasley would have something that he was shocked to discover he wanted. Granger.

And he did want her. Sometimes he imagined himself rogering her good and proper all over the school. No place was sacred: The Slytherin common room, the Quidditch Pitch, the Potions dungeon classroom, Greenhouse Number 3, the Astronomy Tower. Especially the Astronomy Tower. One time he woke up during an Order meeting surprised to see Hermione looking at him queerly across the room. Only moments before he could have sworn she had been sitting on his lap. Heh.

When he told Hermione about these dreams years later he was treated to a playful, yet slightly painful, swat to the head followed by a prissy declaration of "perv". They were friends by this time. That didn't negate the fact that Draco still found her quite beddable. He just wouldn't mind cuddling afterwards now.

For Draco, Hermione became the first woman, besides his mother, that he ever respected and honestly liked as a person. And most importantly wanted to shag rotten. All at the same time! It was an interesting conundrum. He thought she was one of the most brilliant witches he would ever meet. Her knowledge of obscure potions and charms often astounded him and she would often take standard spells and improve on them to suit her needs. Power radiated off of her in waves. Her mind came monstrously in handy when he was taking the tests to get into the Department. She would often tutor him for hours if he needed it.

Draco also discovered not too long after he joined up with the Gooders that Granger was actually quite fun to be around. As long as she wasn't stressed that they were all going to die any minute. She had a clever personality and a quick witted sense of humor that could be right cheeky. She was always good company to have if you wanted to go for a pint at the Cauldron.

And to top it all off she was sex walking! The cute young girl matured into an attractive looking woman. And the most alluring part was that she didn't even seem to recognize the fact.

In actuality a bloke would probably think her plain if they just gave her a passing glance. There were far prettier faces, but Hermione Granger had more sex appeal in her pinky then half a dozen other witches combined. Sometimes Draco wondered if she didn't have some distant veela ancestor that she didn't know about. He didn't know how else to explain the effect she had on men. Maybe it was the way she would stare intently into your eyes, looking up from hooded lids, as she talked to you. Maybe it was the naughty little way she would nibble on the corner of her full lips as she puzzled something out. It might have been the way she would throw her head back and let out a full throaty laugh, exposing mile after mile of her creamy neck, when she found something particularly humorous.

Or it could have been the ass, Draco thought. Definitely the ass. And the hips. And the thighs. And the calves. And the gloriously ample sized chest. Granger was all curves. Her baby fat had worked it's self in to a nice little pattern that gave her a drool worthy hour glass figure. In Draco's opinion her body was made for sex, a fact that she could not hide as she strode boldly thru wizarding society in her muggle clothing. He might not have that high of an opinion of muggles, but Draco surely wanted to thank the fellow who had come up with the idea for tight, low slung designer jeans. They were truly a wondrous thing to behold! Most trendy young witches liked to be waifishly thin, slim figures went well with French cut robes, but not Hermione. Despite her best efforts to slim down; eating like a bird, running in the mornings, cutting out sweets entirely she steadily maintained her pleasingly rounded figure. Draco didn't see why she bothered to go to all the trouble to try and look like all the other sickle a dozen witches anyways. In his opinion she always looked like a million galleons.

Without a doubt he was captivated by her. Sometimes he would almost get the impression that she felt something for him too. A lingering stare here. A seemingly more then platonic caress there. But he could never be sure. That is until the night of Scrimgeour's party, nearly six and a half years ago.

Rufus Scrimgeour had decided to throw a little fete for the the people in the Ministry he deemed his Rising Stars. In truth the shrewd Minister of Magic was determined to keep tabs on the heads of his various departments. He was not above using the young and impressionable new recruits under those heads to do so. Scrimgeour rented out a section of a fancy restaurant in Diagon Alley and invited a few select people and their dates to attend.

Hermione was most definitely a star at the Ministry. She and Arthur Weasley were making great and exciting strives in the MMBA office. She also had a formidable reputation due to the work she did with the Order during the war. Draco figured that he had been invited because Scrimgeour wanted to make it look like there was no hard feelings about the hassle they had given him when he joined up. Bunch of divs! Nadia Fallowes was there from the Magical Creature Department, while Terry Boot and McLaggen were representing Games&Sports and Cooperation, respectively. Amy Kitterey was there for the Accident&Catastrophe office, though unsurprisingly not one Unspeakable bothered to show up. Fabian Bole and Roger Davies were both mover and shakers in Transportation, but Draco knew that the only reason the latter was at this dinner party was because he was currently dating the Ministry's Golden Girl.

Hermione had been going out with Davies for only a few months. Draco thought that Davies was a tosser. He was a notorious brown noser who Draco was sure was using Hermione to improve his standing at the Ministry. When he shared these suspicions with Hermione however she didn't seem too fussed.

"He's pretty and he's a nice distraction," she told him in a bored sounding voice. "I don't really care about the rest."

"So you would have taken up with any old pretty face then," Draco asked, trying desperately not to sound bitter.

"Maybe," she said innocently.

She then smiled slyly at him. The woman was such a bloody tease!

Hermione took up with Davies a few months after the Weasel dumped her. At least that's what the Prophet said, but since they seemed to take glee at putting Hermione down Draco payed them no heed. Although Hermione never quite gave him a solid reason for the break (we grew a part) Draco wasn't able to take advantage of the situation for his own ends because he was on his first go round with Pringle at the time. He had tried to dump the simpering miss once Hermione had become free, but it was no good. Pristy was determined to marry and she was determined to marry a Malfoy. She had practically invited herself to this dinner in fact. Pristy, even with her longish face was pretty enough to turn heads whenever she walked into a room. But to Draco, in comparison to Hermione, she didn't stand a chance.

The Golden Girl had come dressed to the gathering in a strapless silky coral colored dress with a low cut bodice. The skirt of the dress clung to her as it drifted down to the floor. It would have been a miracle for her to be able to move in it if not for the slit that started indecently high on her right thigh and allowed her luscious leg to peek thru. She topped the outfit off with a pair of fashionably strappy matching heels.

When Hermione first walked in the restaurant Draco had nearly been made speechless at the sight of so much skin. It was December so the temperature was cold. He figured she must have used a heating charm on pretty boy Davies and herself. He was very thankful for heating charms. As she slid into a seat next to Draco and smiled sweetly at him he felt an overwhelming urge to punch out Davies, throw Hermione over his shoulder, and make for the nearest room with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door knob. Who was he kidding, he would do her right here on this very table in front of Scrimgeour himself if she would let him get away with it.

Draco felt like slapping himself. He had to get over these wild fantasies of his. He decided to turn his full attention to Pristine and ignore Hermione the rest of the evening. It almost worked too. That was until he felt Hermione go stiff beside him. He looked at her face and saw that her attention was drawn across the room at a table where two couples were being seated. One of the couples was She Weasel and the Prat Who Lived. Unfortunately the other couple was Hermione's ex and the scattered brained tart he had been dating since the split. What was her name again, Draco tried to recall. Beige? Lavender Beige? Blue? That wasn't it. All he knew was that the blonde bubble head had been in the same year as them back at school.

Draco turned to look back at Hermione and was surprised to see that she was trembling. She wasn't quite angry, he knew full well what a hacked off Hermione looked like, but she did seem extremely upset as she gazed steadily at the two currently cozy couples. They each were so wrapped up in one another that they didn't notice the Ministry party table at all. She Weasel was currently trying to make her way into Potty's lap so she could put her tongue down his throat.

Draco was about to ask Hermione if she was ok, when suddenly she rose up quickly from her seat and stalked across the floor in her high click clacking heels. For a moment Draco wasn't even sure what had happened. No one at the table even blinked an eye at the brunette's hasty departure. Her own boyfriend was too busy forcing all of his nose up Scrimgeour tight arse. Her friends were in their own world and probably didn't even know that she was in the same restaurant. Draco quickly got up from his chair and made for the direction that Hermione exited. Pristy was so busy being entertained by the overgrown behemoth McLaggen that she didn't pay Draco the slightest attention.

Draco eventually found himself in a a dimly lit hallway walking pass a door that said Witches and another one that said Wizards. He could smell Hermione's scent near by. Chanel No.5, she once told him. He had gone into muggle London and purchased a bottle of the fragrance for Pristy, but it never quite smelled the same on her. Like a mix of wild flowers and newly bought parchment. The same scent that was getting stronger and stronger as Draco continued to walk down the hall as it veered right.

"Hermione," he asked tentatively. "Are you back here?"

Draco heard not a peep, although he was certain that Hermione was indeed near. Just last month Shacklebot, one of his trainers at the Department, had taught Draco's Auror class the subtle signs of detecting a disillusionment charm. It was one of those times when you really had to rely on your senses instead of your wand. He could hear the faint ruffle of silk on skin. He imagined he could almost hear the soft staccato beat of a heart that wasn't his own. As he neared the end of the hall he suddenly turned to the wall on his right side and stuck his hand out. He came in contact with something warm and firm yet at the same time deliciously squidgy. He had his hand on Hermione Granger's silk clothed breast.

"Get your bloody hands off of me Draco before I hex them into hooves!"

Draco reluctantly pulled back his hand.

"You can be such an enormous prat sometimes you know," she said irritably as she cast the charm to make herself appear again. Seconds later Draco was looking in to a set of furious angry eyes. The lovely dark amber that fascinated him seemed to turn a murky shade that went well with her cheesed off demeanor.

"What the bleeding hell do you think you're doing feeling me up like that," she yelled as she dropped her wand down the front of her dress. Lucky wand!

"No need to throw a wobbly pet," Draco said nonchalantly. "I just came out here to make sure you were ok. That's what friends do."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Gee Draco, thanks for the lesson. I don't know how I ever got along with out you sharing your worldly wisdom."

"Now see here Miss, no need to get all shirty with me," he said barely holding back the aggravated tone in his voice. "I was just worried about you."

"Well you needn't be. I'm a big girl, thanks," she said nastily. "I just came out here cause I needed to go to the loo."

"Oh of course," snickered Draco condescendingly. "That's all it was. Had nothing to do at all with a certain wanker who walked in."

Hermione's eyes went up two sizes when he said this. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said.

But she did know. He could tell by the way her teeth went to work on her mouth!

"C'mon Hermione, you are far too smart to play dumb. I saw Weasley and the little blonde of his walk in. You don't have to pretend with me."

Hermione looked at him oddly for a second before shaking her head and leaning back dejectedly against the hard sea foam green wall.

"Go away Draco," she said miserably as she threw her head back. "You have no clue what your talking about."

Draco took a step towards her. "I don't, do I," he asked. "Weasley only dropped you like so much rubbish and is currently tap dancing all over your heart. Beside that fact you still love him. Am I right?"

"Draco," Hermione said in a pained voice, "you don't understand. I almost don't understand!" She turned her head to the side and willed herself not to cry. "It's not Ron. Not really."

"I know what it's like," he said getting so close to her that he could count every single freckle on her nose. His voice was low and thick, choked up with an emotion he was afraid would over power him soon.

"I know what it's like to want someone, even though you know that that person might never feel the same way about you."

Hermione turned her large round eyes to his. Though she struggled to remain aloof a riot of emotions played themselves on her face. Fear, confusion, loneliness. But most importantly there was relief. Sweet relief. Draco did know what she was going thru.

"I know what it's like to try and talk yourself out of what you know you feel."

Hermione slowly closed her eyes as Draco's words washed over her.

"And most importantly I know what it's like to think you'll go mad if you never tell."

Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she let out a gasp. Draco's right hand had somehow found it's way to her left shoulder and was gently messaging it. She looked up into his eyes and nervously swallowed as she saw them burning with desire, desire for her. She chuckled awkwardly trying to defuse the situation before Roger or Pristine came in to the hall. Or worse, Harry and Ron.

"Methinks you've mistaken my friendship for something else Draco," she said coyly.

"No," he drawled as he innocently gave a squeeze to her shoulder and for his trouble watched Hermione swallow, "I think I know exactly what this is."

He placed his body slightly against hers and leaned his head on her forehead. Their noses were almost touching.

"We can not do this Draco," Hermione whispered, her voice sounding very fragile. She seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Why not," he asked huskily as a hand crept into her hair.

"Damn, damn, damn..." she whispered as Draco's thumb began to slowly rub at her temple. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as they closed.

"I want you Hermione. Merlin only knows how I want you! I have for a long time."

She opened her eyes and looked at him intensely. It was that moment that he knew that she had known how he felt all along.

"And I know you want me too," he pressed boldly. "If you didn't you would have had your wand out ages ago."

Hermione swallowed the meek denial she was going to make. He was right, in a way. She could have stopped it a long time ago, years ago if she had wanted to. It's just that some sick, twisted part of her reveled in seeing someone else go thru the same hell she continuously occupied.

But she honestly never thought it would go this far.

She grabbed his wrist to stop his hands movement."No Draco. We could never work. We just won't fit," she said firmly.

By this time Draco was inching his lips towards her neck.

"I think we could fit just fine," he said in as he began to trace his other hand up the inside of her barely clothed thigh. It was about to go up her dress. "If you give it a chance."

"And then what?"

Draco stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, a bewildered expression on his face. His hand however remained on her thigh.

"Why won't you just let this happen," he pleaded petulantly. His hand left her shoulder and he placed his palm on the wall next to her head instead.

"You didn't answer the question Draco. And then what," she questioned him again as she tried to push her body closer to the wall, arms laid limp by her sides. "We shag once. Probably enjoy it. Shag again."

"Yes, and," he said in a terse, obstinate voice.

"And we might even get together."

Draco removed his hand from her thigh and brought both of them to her face. He looked at her beseechingly. "Would that be so bad?"

Hermione's eyes burned from the achings in her heart. It was all there to read if anyone took the time to do so. Desperation, anxiety, fear, reluctance and something else. Regret?

"No," she said. "Not at first at least. We'd probably have a few wonderful months of dinners, and dancing, trips to the cinema. Picnics. And then inevitably it would all come to an end."

"You don't know that," he countered. "You don't Hermione. The Know-it All doesn't always have the answer. We could be perfect together. I...I care for you."

Draco hadn't even realized the truth of his words until he spoke them. But he knew he couldn't take them back. He was tired of the charade.

"So much."

"And I care about you," she exclaimed, grabbing his wrists in a tight grip. "Just not like that. That's why I know this could never happen. When this would eventually end, and it will, I would end up loosing you. Us. This thing we have between us. You would come to hate me because I could never give you what you wanted."

Draco felt as if he was drowning in desperation. "Are you confusing me with Weasley now? I'm not him Hermione. This is different!"

"Is it," she asked. "Ron and I were the best of friends until we let a relationship bugger it all up! Things are so weird between us now. Our flat is like a war zone. Poor Harry...."

"Fuck Harry," he shouted irately.

He wrenched himself from her hold and backed away from her. He was so angry that he felt as though he couldn't look at her face. He turned his back to her.

"This isn't about Harry bloody Potter. Not everything is about Potter!"

"No," she said, voice strained. "It's not,"she said, thankful that his back was turned.

She crossed the short distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her right cheek against his muscular back. She could feel him tense at her touch.

"It's about me being selfish. And not wanting to loose a friend. A friend who I didn't ask for," Draco grunted, "Merlin knows I didn't ask for, but who I got none the less. You are my friend Draco. A friend I've been thru hell and back with. A friend that I couldn't bare to loose."

A few tears fell from her eyes and soaked thru his slate blue robes.

"You mean that," Draco said, voice thick.

He felt her gently nod her head against him. He turned to face her, wrapping his own arms around her small waist and pulling her flush against him.

"Can we at least be dear friends with benefits," he asked innocently.

"Honestly!" She slapped his arm. One day he was going to be black and blue if she kept that up.

Draco chuckled. "You can't blame a bloke for trying, can you?"

She giggled as she pulled Draco into a bear hug. He couldn't help putting his face in her hair and breathing in it's jasmine scent.

"You know it could have been brilliant," he whispered into her ear.

"I think this is brilliant," she said pulling back from him and looking him squarely in his eyes. She meant it.

"Yes, well...I guess it is."

They stood there for a moment, gazing regretfully at one another, before Draco loosened his hold around her and grabbed her left hand.

"Let's head back in. I think Cormac McLaggen is trying to make off with my date," he said, making her laugh.

They began to walk back up the hall, their linked hands swinging freely between them.

"I wouldn't be surprised. The man is a sex fiend. Though he could do better."

"Come now pet, jealousy does not become you," Draco teased.

"Jealous," she exclaimed. "Of that cow? Please! If she turns sideways she's liable to slip right thru a crack!"

Draco guffawed. They were almost to the door.

"No Draco, I can't say that I'm envious of a girl who prides herself on the fact that her weight and her her I.Q. match, thanks," she said in that tart little voice that always made his John Thomas stand to attention. Like it was doing now. Thank Merlin for robes!

"You could do so much better then her. I don't know why you let your mother bully you in to dating these prissy little princesses. I swear if you would just..."

Before she could heat up on one of her favorite topics to lecture him about, his sex life, he stopped her at the door of the restaurants main room and turned her to face him.

"Are we ok, I mean..." he asked.

He knew he couldn't help the fact that he still was attracted to her. That he still wanted to know her spirit and her body in every possible way that law would allow. But he also knew that he would rather die then do anything to endanger their friendship. He hoped his momentary slip hadn't done that.

As if knowing that he needed the extra added assurance she squeezed his hand and said, "We're ok."

For years Draco would play that scene over and over in his head. He knew something held her back. Sure it was partly because she felt that they had a good thing in the dynamics of their relationship. She was telling the truth when she said she was scared that adding sex to the mix would ruin it. But Draco sensed something else. Something deeper that Hermione wasn't willing to share with him. He wondered if Hermione was even aware of it herself.

At first he assumed it was that she still loved King Weasel, but wasn't willing to admit it. He wasn't surprised, no one really was, when the two sweethearts reunited later that summer. But he quickly changed his mind when they broke up again just a few months after the reunion. Draco began to wonder just what their problem was. It was like they couldn't figure out if they really wanted to be with each other or not. No, it wasn't Weasley. But whatever that unnamed thing was it didn't stop him from still wanting her. For Draco, the platonic lines that were drawn around their friendship would get blurred time and time again until she finally left England.

Draco never felt the same way about another woman until he finally found himself with his Loony Love. He dated gaggles of attractive witches of course. Women threw themselves at the sexy Slytherin on a daily basis. He dated women from the office. He dated women he met out at local pubs. He dated women his mother set him up with. He dated Pristy so often that the girl naturally assumed that she was destined to be the next Mrs. Malfoy. She even went so far as to have the engagement announcement written up and ready to owl over to The Prophet as soon as Draco asked. Unfortunately for her all of that hard work would be in vain. He unceremoniously chucked her for Luna as soon as he got the chance. Hermione had been right, the silly bint wasn't that bright.

In Luna Draco found what he had been searching for without even knowing it. Luna met all of his needs, physically and emotionally. She challenged him, whether it was debating the existence of her beloved snorkacks or opening his eyes to the prejudices that his parents instilled in him and he unwittingly still held. She took care of him, making sure he was warmly dressed in the winter or properly fed at night. She made him laugh; with her, never at her. Luna was his lover. But most importantly Luna was his friend.

And Luna was the woman he believed he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"'Scuse us buddy."

Draco was roused from his deep thoughts and turned to see a squat, scruffy man in a brown bowler hat and matching patched robes staring at him irritably.

"Whaaa....," Draco said, a confused expression on his face.

"Your blocking the way Guv'."

"Sorry," he said as he turned his back to the window he had been staring at and stepped back to allow the man to pass. The fellow walked by, still brassed off.

Draco watched him walk away before turning back to the display. Draco wasn't sure how long he had been standing in front of Magical Moments. He was sure that when he got back to the office Potter would be none too pleased to find out that he had not made head way on their case. He would also be annoyed to learn that Draco had spent all day in Hogsmeade for no good reason. But Draco didn't care. This was his life he was deciding here. By buying that ring he was about to make a huge, monumental move. If Luna wasn't quite ready yet to be the next Mrs. Malfoy he believed that he was at least ready to let her know that he wanted her in his life long term. He was prepared to wait for her. He loved her. He was certain of the fact. Even if sometimes, late at night with Luna fast asleep and curled in his arms, he still remembered amber eyes.

Draco walked into the store.

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