Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. I do enjoy bending them to the way that I want to though. I also don't own the lyrics to the song, Rascal Flatts does. I do own the plot in which I put them together.

A/N: This is my first attempt at something a little angsty, so I hope you like it.

Enjoy!

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The Meaning of Life

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It was late October and the leaves were rustling up, spinning with the wind. It was cold and as he stood there, Draco Malfoy held his coat tighter around his body. He looked around at the crowd that had showed up. Pansy Parkinson was wailing, muttering things under her breath about it being her fault, after all, they had been married.

On the right side of Pansy was her best friend Ginny Weasley-Finnigan, she was holding Pansy's hand tight, trying to relieve the pain of Pansy losing her husband. And of course Seamus was there, dragged along by his over-controlling wife no doubt.

The other side of Pansy was Millicent, a long time friend of hers from school, Millicent had always had something about her that Draco never quite liked but he wouldn't hold her to it, Pansy was one of his best friends after all and he trusted her judgment.

He gazed in the circle around the grave that they were standing by, Blaise Zabini was a well loved man, guests including the famous Harry Potter. Blaise and Potter had become friends two years after school ended when they worked in the Ministry together. Through Potter, Blaise had also become friends with the remaining two thirds of the golden trio.

How Draco had ever become friends with the trio was beyond him. He really only tolerated Potter. After all, he still called him Potter. Weasley he could give a damn about, he never liked him and was not happy at all with him being part of the trio. And Hermione, well, she was still the bossy know-it-all that she had been in school, but she was the most tolerable out of them.

Most of them worked at the Ministry together, Draco and Harry being in the same department along with Blaise. Hermione and Ginny were both teachers at Hogwarts.

Pansy was staying at home from work by now; she was after all six months along with Blaise's child. At least she would have something to remember him by.

There were many other people here, over a hundred by the looks of it. Most of the important, closer ones in the centre and touched acquaintances farther out near the circumference.

Draco swept away a tear with his robe sleeve, his best friend was dead. Blaise Zabini had died, gone with the wind. But Malfoy's would not show emotion; Draco forced himself to stop crying as the eulogy started.

"Blaise was a good man; he never cared for himself, always putting others before his very life. There is nothing that would make me happier than having him back here, but he's gone. I just wished he could have gone a better way. I will always miss him, he will never know how much." The extent of what Pansy could get out before she burst into tears and had to be ushered away from the grave.

"Blaise was the best friend that any person could have, no doubt about that. He was always at work early when you needed him. He never did anything for himself when he could help someone else. He was the noblest person that I have ever met and I hope he's happy wherever he is now." Harry Potter's wonderful speech.

"I know Blaise wouldn't want us to mourn. We just need to run with the happy memories that we had with him. The wonderful things that he taught us through his charisma. He should be remembered as the person who brought all of us together. The one who mixed Slytherins with Gryffindors with Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Not only that, but add some Beauxbatons characters in as well. Blaise is the reason that we are all here, yes. But he is also the reason that we are all here together." Hermione finished her speech and stood down to stand by her friends.

"Your turn," she muttered to Draco, wiping away her tears.

"Blaise was as we have all said, a good man. He was always the best at everything he did, though he never even as much got on a broom because he was afraid of heights. He has changed things in all of our lives and without him around things will be different again. Hopefully Blaise's spirit will live on through his child. At least we still have something left of him." Draco finished his speech with tears forming in his eyes. He returned to his spot and Hermione gave him a gentle hug and he relaxed in the warmth of that hug.

All of the others present said their eulogies and each threw a handful of dirt on the coffin before it was lowered six feet down into the grave. Each person then tossed a daffodil onto the coffin, Blaise's favourite flower.

Soon all that were left were Pansy, Draco and Hermione. Pansy sat down at the foot of the grave and cried. Draco knew that he could now let himself go. He could not remember the last time that he had cried, but now the dam broke and he could not seem to help them. His best friend was gone, the man that he had grown up with.

Hermione took his big hand with her smaller one, lacing her fingers into it. Draco looked down at her and saw that she was crying as well. He wrapped her in a tight hug and she hugged him back, wanting only to take solace in each other. Hermione stuck her face in the front of Draco's robes. "I just can't believe he's really gone," she muttered into his chest.

"Me neither, Hermione," Draco mumbled.

Draco stood entranced in Hermione's hug until he could no longer bear his heart to more pain. He slowly stole Hermione away from the grave. She followed reluctantly. Blaise was one of the best friends that she had ever had. Better even than Harry or Ron. More understanding than Draco. More caring than Ginny.

"I'm going to miss him so much," Hermione muttered, walking next to him and holding his hand steady in hers.

"Come on. I'll take you home," Draco muttered as he grabbed his miniature broom out of his pocket.

Hermione merely nodded. She couldn't say anything through her sobs and just wanted to go to bed. Merlin, why did life have to give you such turns? Why does everything have to change with a blink of an eye?

Time was short of this earth, Draco realised. Time that you have to make the most of. Today was one of his last days left on this earth, before he would go on to another world, another place. He didn't know how much time he had left, but time cannot be measured by lifetimes. No one knows exactly how long they will live.

In that case, Draco was going to live the time he had remaining in the best ways he could.

Now, don't get me wrong, Draco was still the cruel-hearted bastard that he was back in school. There was much of the scared little kid left, but only in the presence of the one person that Draco was ever intimidated by.

His father.

Yes, Lucius Malfoy was still very much alive. Living alone in his overly-large manor. Draco's mother had died the year after he got out of school. They said that she fell down the stairs, that she had broken her neck, that those bruises and marks were caused by the fall.

But Draco knew the truth.

And he hated his father for it.

Draco never saw his father on purpose. He usually only ran into him once in a while, the British wizarding world being not that large.

His father still worked at the ministry. His work being higher up as Draco was in the law division with Potter and Blaise. Now just Potter, he reminded himself sadly.

His grip on the broom held tighter as he lowered down into Hermione's front yard, he dismounted and waited for Hermione to get off the hovering broom. Hermione stepped off and Draco made to mount it again when he felt Hermione's small hand on his arm.

"Please don't go," she mumbled. "Please, I need someone tonight," she said softly, looking into his eyes.

Draco just looked at her quizzically, was she really asking what he thought she was.

"Hermione, I can't stay," he muttered.

"Please Draco," she said again, ever so softly. Draco just stared at her longer. "Please?" she pleaded again.

"All right," he gave in, shrinking his broom and shoving it into his robe pocket. He held Hermione around the waist and led her into her small flat.

Hermione walked into her bedroom and immediately took off her robes. She then shed her sweater and tank-top. She was pulling her pants down when Draco interrupted with an 'Ahem.'

Hermione turned around to face him wearing only a bra and with her pants halfway over her hips. "I don't sleep naked, I'm just changing," she said.

"I understand that, do you want me to sleep on the couch?" he asked, expecting the answer to be yes.

"No, I want you over here, in my bed," she said bitterly.

"And what am I supposed to wear?" he asked.

"Sleep naked," she said matter-of-factly.

"Naked?" he asked.

"Yes," she muttered, pulling down her dress pants the rest of the way and tossing them towards a corner with her foot. She then unsnapped her bra and walked over to the wardrobe to get some pyjamas. She dressed quickly into a purple tank-top and boxers, ones that didn't match in the least.

She crawled under the covers and lay her head down on the pillow. "Come on," she said, motioning to Draco who was still staring at her, amazed that he had just watched Hermione Granger undress almost completely.

He crawled under the covers as well with his robes still on. Hermione rolled over into his body and he put an arm around her. Hermione lifted her head to his face and left a small, loving kiss on his lips.

She put her head back down on his chest and fell asleep almost immediately. Draco was too stunned by what she had just done to ask her about it before she fell asleep in his arms. Why had she just kissed him?

It must be the pain, the misery of losing someone. Maybe she just wished that she had someone to love and cherish, and with him being the only person available at the moment, took advantage of him.

Or maybe she felt something for him like he had felt for the last 7 years.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Draco arose in the wee hours of the morning with his arms still wrapped tightly around Hermione. He didn't know why this felt so comfortable, that this felt right. It did though; he wanted to stay like this forever.

He bent his head down to smell her hair; he identified the smell as lilac. She was so beautiful, he thought. That was until she opened her loud mouth usually. But here, peacefully sleeping in her bed, she was the most gorgeous thing that Draco had ever seen.

Hermione mumbled and moved her head against Draco's chest trying to snuggle closer to his body. She snaked her arm across his stomach to the other side of him and buried her face in his chest while still sleeping.

Draco made a sound in his throat that resembled a growl. She was so sexy without even realising it, without anyone realising it, it seemed. She had only dated a couple of guys and Draco was pretty sure that, amazingly enough at the age of 25, she was still a virgin.

She was just such a cuddly person, he never imagined her as such with her loud mouth and barking orders at everyone, even her friends. She didn't seem like much of an affectionate type of person. But when it came down to it, she was more like a teddy bear than a witch.

Hermione shifted again in her sleep as Draco watched. She tried curling tighter to him but it was impossible since they were already so close they were like one. She wrapped one of her long legs around his and pressed her body flush against his. "Draco," she muttered.

He looked down at her beautiful face and realised that she had just said his name. Was she dreaming about him? He wondered.

"Hermione," he said in the same soft tone. She made a contented hmm-ing sound in her throat and smiled.

Draco drifted off to sleep again just watching her make her little movements, purring in her throat when he caressed her side with his fingers and finally making little snoring noises.

Merlin, he wished he could lay here every night with her.

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Hours later when it was light, Draco awoke but Hermione was no where to be seen. He got out of Hermione's bed and took off his annoying robe, leaving him donned in a pair of black pants and a button-up maroon shirt.

He walked out of the door and inspected Hermione's small flat. "Hermione?" he called out.

No answer.

He walked into the living room and saw that the TV was turned on; he made to walk into the kitchen when he caught sight of her. She was bending over in front of the refrigerator, getting something off the bottom shelf.

He leaned against the doorway and took in the view of the boxer-clad Hermione. When she straightened herself up and turned around with the bottle of milk in her hand she jumped at the sight of him there. She dropped the milk bottle on the ground and it crashed all over the floor.

"Great, now you owe me milk, Draco," she murmured, grabbing her wand off the counter and saying a cleaning spell. The milk flew into the sink and the shards of glass into the trash can.

"Of course," he said.

Hermione just turned back around and opened the refrigerator back up, grabbing another bottle.

She walked to the counter and poured the milk in her cereal. "Want some?" she asked Draco.

"Sure, what do you got?" he asked.

"Frosted Flakes," she said softly, she walked to the sink and grabbed a bowl from the drying rack on the side of it and a spoon from the drawer, she set them both down on the counter and then seated herself and went to eat her cereal.

Draco sat down next to her and poured himself some Frosted Flakes and milk. He looked across the island counter to the living room where the TV was on.

The news was on and they were talking about a shooting that had happened in downtown London just three days ago. There was a mass investigation on who the culprit was in the crime. Two people were wounded and one killed. Holly Heatherwood and Mary Goodhouse were shot and wounded, Blaise Zabini died.

Draco looked back over to Hermione and tears were running down her cheeks as she ate her cereal. Draco could feel the dam bursting once again as he watched with scenes from the drive-by. The most loved man in the wizarding world was killed by a Muggle.

"I still can't believe it," Hermione sobbed, taking another bite of her Frosted Flakes. "I can't believe that some bastard like that would kill our Blaise. I'm sorry Draco; I know Blaise was your best friend."

"He was, and I shall never forget him," Draco muttered, trying to keep his tears in check.

Suddenly Draco felt a cold wind on the back of his neck and turned around.

"You know, it really does suck to die," Blaise said.

Draco felt his world spin at seeing his friend once more. He jumped up and tried to give his friend a hug but fell right through him instead. He was merely an image, not the real thing.

"Just go for it, Draco. Life is short; make the best of what you have left," the image said.

"What are you talking about, Blaise?" Draco asked.

"Look at her," he said, motioning his head in Hermione's direction. Hermione seemed undisturbed by the presence of Blaise being there. Draco figured that he was the only on that could see or hear him.

"What about her?" Draco asked.

"Go for it, you aren't going to live a happy life if you are alone through it," Blaise said.

"But she doesn't like me," Draco said sadly.

"She never will if you don't take the chance, my friend. I'm off to see Pansy before I go back," Blaise said. "Just live life for what it's worth, Draco. You never know when it may end."

"Don't go, Blaise. I miss you so much, why did you have to leave?"

"All things are explained in death. You understand the meaning of life when you die, and the meaning of my life was to help people overcome differences and be together in this world."

"But why do you have to leave now, there are so many things that we haven't done," Draco pleaded.

"Sometimes life isn't fair, Draco. And sometimes you have a good thing sitting right in front of you without you knowing it," and with that he disappeared.

Draco shook his head to find himself seated next to Hermione, looking down at his soggy Frosted Flakes. He looked over at Hermione who was drinking her milk from her bowl. He watched the way her perfectly shaped neck moved while she swallowed, he loved watching her when she had no idea that he was doing so. Blaise was right; he needed to take this chance.

She set down the bowl on the counter and made to wipe her face off with a napkin, but Draco caught her hand. "Allow me," he said, leaning over to her and licking her lips of milk then pressing his lips against hers.

Hermione sat still for a moment as he kissed her, still too shocked to do anything about it. Then she felt Draco's hand go to the back of her head and pull her mouth closer to his. She gave in and opened her mouth, letting him slide his tongue in, he tasted like Frosted Flakes. She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

They snogged for a good ten minutes before Hermione moved away from him, her body shaking. She wiped off her mouth with her arm and looked up at Draco. "What was that for?" she asked him expectantly.

"I love you," he said suddenly. He had no idea where it came from, but as soon as the words passed his lips he knew they were true.

Hermione stood up from her stool and moved backwards away from him. "You what?" she asked.

Draco got up as well, moving towards her as she backed herself into a corner. "I do, Hermione. I never realised it until now, but I do love you. Don't you see that there is no time in this world to dawdle about things? I figured that after seven years it was finally time to let you know how I feel," Draco said. "And I know you feel something for me too, because you were kissing me back."

Hermione just averted her eyes and backed herself further into the corner of the kitchen, seeing that there was no route of escape. "You're a good kisser," she tried as an excuse.

"You wouldn't have let me kiss you," he said softly.

"I like to experiment," she murmured.

"Liar," Draco said quietly. Hermione was flush against the wall now and still Draco moved towards her. There was no way of escape now for her.

"I…"

"I don't care if you don't love me, Hermione. But do you feel anything towards me?"

"I wouldn't be dreaming about you if I didn't," she muttered soft enough for what she hoped only she could hear.

"Dreams that make you horny?" Draco asked. "Dreams that make you hold me tighter in your sleep and say my name, make you purr and smile?"

"I do not do any of those things," she said defensively.

"I slept in your bed last night, Hermione. I saw and heard everything you did. You were so tight against me that I could feel every curve of what you are hiding under your clothes, though I already got to see them last night when you got dressed."

"Well, if I had any idea that you were interested, I would have gone into my bathroom to change," she said.

"Liar," Draco smirked. "You would have done it just the same, because you want me, too," he said.

"So what if I do?" she said loudly.

"Well if you do then I was planning on kissing you again and never stopping, and if you don't then I will be content in being your friend and never stop loving you, but know deep down inside that at least I took the chance."

Hermione stood stunned. She looked up into his eyes and searched them, wanting to know if he was sincere. She took a deep breath and smiled; she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his mouth down on hers. "Of course I feel something for you, Draco."

Draco felt a smile tug at his lips as he kissed her again, harder than before. He brought his hand up her side and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her in closer. Hermione kissed back just as feverishly and her hands caught tightly in his hair.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"I can't believe it's been three years," Hermione muttered as she looked down at the two overgrown graves. She kissed the yellow daffodil in her hand and dropped it down on the right grave.

"Daddy, why are we here?" the small dark-haired boy on Draco's shoulder asked.

"Because it's tradition," Draco said, taking his own daffodil and kissing it. He then held it up to the boy on his shoulders, where the child kissed it too. He threw it down on the other grave.

Hermione hoisted their one-year old daughter against her and smiled at her husband. "Let's go," she said with tears in her eyes.

Draco let Blaise down from his perch on his shoulder and held his hand, letting him walk back to the car.

When Pansy had decided that she could no longer take the memory of her husband through her son, she had committed suicide. She just wanted to be with her husband again. Blaise was given to Draco, and Draco adopted him as his own.

Draco was sad enough at the loss of his two best friends and this was a way that in a way he could have both of them.

After dating for a year, being engaged for a mere month and then being married, Draco and Hermione also had a daughter, Emilie. Emilie was a blonde, resembling a Malfoy very much in build and had both of her parents' brains; she was very intelligent for a one-year old. She had spoken her first word when she was nine-months old, and Hermione wasn't even sure if that was possible.

When Lucius found out that Draco was engaged to a Muggle-born he couldn't stand the shame, he locked himself in his manor and starved himself to death, never wanting anyone to see his shameful face again. No one bothered to look for him and he was still rotting away in his huge house, surrounded by his greed and possessions.

They walked away from the graveyard. A cold wind whipped around them and Draco held Hermione with Emilie and Blaise close to both his sides. His family. Who needs mundane possessions when you have this?

A/N: I wanted this to be a really angsty story but it ended up with a happy ending, but I'm working on another one that is more angsty. But how did you all like this? Please review, I thrive on them!

I love you all.

Hugs and Kisses

Brittany