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Epilogue:

How Quickly Things Change:

Sometimes honesty can be destructive. Usually it sets people free, but sometimes, just sometimes; it is not a good thing. Draco was honest with his wife when he said that he was happy being married. That was true, and so he said it. He was also honest when he said that he would gladly live at Hogwarts during the school year. It was true, for he just wanted to be wherever she was. However, he was also honest when he said that he never really wanted to be a teacher, that he only pursued it to be close to her, because it was her dream. He thought he might not come back in September, because he wanted to pursue other options. That one honest statement unraveled the fabric of their very existence.

Fine, she said. Go do whatever you feel you must, but I am going back. Hogwarts is my home.

Fine, she said. If you are not satisfied, then you should find something else to do that will fulfill you.

Fine, she said. Leave me if you must, and if you do not come back, I will be just fine.

Damn her.

He didn't mean he wanted to leave her. He just said that he didn't think he wanted to go back to Hogwarts, not as a teacher. He did not like teaching. He loved potion making, he loved her, he even, in a warped way, loved being at Hogwarts, but he felt there had to be more out there. His wanderlust was tugging at his sleeve, and who was he to ignore it. He only came back to Hogwarts after the war because his parents were both in prison, and he had nowhere else to go. Not that he would ever regret that, for that was when he fell in love with her. However, it was not where he felt he should be. He only came back the year after that, and then last year, because that was where the love of his life was. Now that they were married, and the threat that was over them for so long was gone, why couldn't he opt for some additional happiness?

Why couldn't she see that it had nothing to do with her, or him, or even them? It was just what it was.

They started the summer, after they honeymoon, living with her parents. Two weeks after their return they were expected to go back to Hogwarts, and while Hermione could not wait to be back in her element, loving every minute of their mundane life, Draco wanted more. He was honest with her, he told her that, and she said, fine. Go do whatever you want to do, but I am a teacher. It is what I was made to do.

So, he did not return to Hogwarts with her. He went to his parent's house for a while. He missed his wife terribly. He wanted to see her every single day, but for his own sake, and hers, he stayed away, for a while. He gave the Headmistress his formal resignation, and told her he would not return. He told Hermione goodbye, at the front doors of her parent's house. He would not even see her off to the train. It would be too painful. He kissed her cheek, told her he loved her, told her he would visit soon, and then he watched as she walked away from his life.

It was September 1, classes had started, and he was alone. He missed his wife so much, that it physically hurt. He had true pain, in every fiber of his being, and his heart felt empty. They wrote each other everyday, but it was not the same as seeing her, touching her, tasting her. Why couldn't she understand that none of this had to do with her? It was what he needed. He only went into teaching in the beginning because of her.

He got a job at St. Mungos, in their potions department. It was interesting work, and he excelled at it. It was not enough, however. He needed his wife.

Hermione was supposed to meet him on the second weekend after the start of the first term, at her parent's house. He was dressing, preparing to leave the Manor, when his mother knocked on the door to his room.

"Hello, Draco," Mrs. Malfoy said. She crossed over to his bed, where he was tying his shoes, and gave him a kiss on the top of his head. "What time are you leaving for the Granger's?"

"Less than ten minutes," he said, looking at his watch.

"You and Hermione will be here tomorrow for dinner, though, right?" she confirmed.

"Yes, Mother, I told you we would be here," he said, standing up to get his coat.

"So, everything is fine between you two?" she asked hesitantly. He knew what she was trying to ask. It was what everyone assumed. Everyone assumed they were 'broken up' and no longer a couple. They were only married for three months, for goodness sakes. Just because he decided to leave his job, and seek other opportunities, and just because they were not currently living together, did not mean they weren't still together…did it?

Damn, Draco Malfoy was a fool.

He kissed his mother's cheek, and walked downstairs. His father was standing in the foyer. "Son, your mother will be very upset if you don't come home for dinner tomorrow night."

"I'll be here, I just told her that," he said, somewhat peeved.

"Your wife will be here, as well, correct?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, father, Hermione will be here," he said. He really did not want to have this conversation with his father at that moment. He hurried outside and apparated to her parent's house.

He hugged her mum hello, shook her father's hand, and asked where Hermione was. Mrs. Granger looked at him sadly and said, "We received an owl just today. She said she wasn't coming home. Didn't she write you as well?"

No, she did not. Draco smiled a sad smile, and merely said, "I'll be back." He apparated to Hogsmeade. Damn Hermione. What was she doing? He didn't understand why she wouldn't come home for the weekend, as they planned, but he was not going to stand for this. He was not.

He ran all the way to the school. He opened the front gates of the grounds, and started walking over the green familiar grass when he saw her in the distance. She was sitting on 'their rock', by the black lake, her head bowed, and her hands in her lap. She was almost in the same position she was when he came to her a year ago. He strolled all the way over to her, and she looked up as she saw him approaching. She stood up and started to walk back toward the school.

"Hey, Hermione!" Draco called out to her.

She started to run. What was it with her always running away from him? He ran to catch up to her, and since he was so much faster, he caught her in no time. He pulled on the sleeve of her blouse, forcing her to halt. She turned around.

"Why aren't you at your parent's?" he asked. He really wanted to say, 'I've missed you these last two weeks,' but instead he asked the obvious.

"I didn't want to go," she said plainly.

"Were you planning on telling me?" he asked.

"I sent you an owl just a few moments ago," she explained.

"What's going on, Hermione?" he asked.

She hung her head. "Why did you leave me?"

Wow, he was not expecting that. "I didn't leave you. I told you, I needed a change. I had enough of this place for a while, and I wanted to pursue other outlets. I thought you were fine with the idea. In fact, I was holding off telling you this as a surprise, but I got a job at St. Mungos. I started just a week ago."

"Bully for you," she said. "So, do you plan on staying with your parents?"

"I hadn't really thought that far ahead," he admitted.

"We are married, Draco! We are supposed to be together!" she said, throwing her arms in the air.

"Then come with me," he said.

"NO! I want to stay here!" she answered.

He smirked and said, "Why, because it's your destiny? What a load of rubbish."

"I love it here," she tried to explain.

"More than you love me?" Okay, that was uncalled for, because he knew that was not true.

"How dare you!" she said. "Go explore your dreams, go live the single life that has been denied you, go date other witches, party and have fun, but don't you ever say something like that again!"

"The single life? Granger, that's not what this is about, and you know it," he said, taking her arm.

"My name isn't Granger, Malfoy! You seem to have forgotten that. Go home. Go to your parents, have a nice life, and just forget that I exist." She broke from his grasp, and ran inside the school. He took her advice, and left.

The First Month Was Over:

The first month of school was over, and the weekend was approaching. Hermione was in turmoil. He parents wanted her to come home for the weekend, and the Malfoys invited her to their house, but Draco had not written to her once since the incident at Hogwarts two weeks prior, therefore, she could not face any of them. The last month had been agony for her. At least during her first two weeks back, he had written to her everyday. Now, in the last two weeks, nothing, no communication from him whatsoever. She felt like an empty, walking shell of a person. She missed Draco so much. She mucked everything up, and she did not know how to fix it.

He told her during the summer that he was unhappy teaching, and she chose to ignore him. She was sure that was not the case. After all, she loved teaching so much, that she could not see how he could not love it as well. After all, wasn't this their dream? Apparently, it was not. It was her dream. He had just come along for the ride.

She was being selfish, so she decided to be the bigger person, and she told him to go and pursue his dreams. If he did not want to teach, he should resign. She never in a million years thought he would take her up on her offer.

He waited until the end of the summer to spring this on her. What was she supposed to do? Two weeks before it was time to go back, he turned in his resignation, and left. He was going to stay at his parents, and then on the second weekend after she came back, they would meet at her parents. After that, they would decide what they were going to do.

She already knew what she was going to do. She was going to give him his freedom. If he did not want to stay at Hogwarts, he did not have to. She did not want him to stay out of guilt, or obligation. She was living her dream, and she wanted him to live his. She wanted him to be happy, even if that meant she was sad. On the weekend she was supposed to meet him, she instead told him he could have his freedom. He left and that was the last she heard from him.

Now she was sad and lonely and married without a husband, and she did not know what to do.

Bill Weasley invited her to stay at Shell Cottage for a weekend. He and his family were going to France, so she could have the whole place to herself. She agreed. She arrived just that morning. She was putting the kettle on the stove, to make some tea, when there was a knock on the door. Curious. Only a wizard could find this place, but why would a wizard knock on the door.

She put the kettle down and went to the door. She opened it up, and there was her husband, Draco. She did not know what to do, so she slammed the door in his face. That was not a good idea. She stood on the other side of the door for a total of ten seconds, and then opened the door once more. He was frowning.

"Why the hell did you slam the door in my face? May I come in?"

She slammed the door again. She paced in front of the door, back and forth, for many moments. What should she do? He knocked once more, and she cursed. She opened the door again, and this time he not only grimaced and frowned, but he had drawn his wand.

"Slam the door on me again, little one, and I will hex your arse," he threaten.

She almost thought about slamming the door once more, but he looked like he was serious. Instead, she said, "Why are you here?"

"We need to talk, apparently," he said.

"We haven't talked for two weeks, why now?" she asked.

"We need to discuss our divorce," he said.

"We're getting a divorce?" she asked meekly.

"Well, aren't we?" he asked back. "Normally, married people don't live apart and they don't stop speaking or corresponding to each other." He pushed passed her and walked into the cottage.

"How is your job?" she asked. That was not what she wanted to ask. She wanted to ask, 'why haven't you come to see me?' or 'why haven't you written me?' but, she hadn't tried to see him or write to him either, so she thought it would be more prudent to start with a lighter subject.

"I like it a lot," he said. He sat down on the couch.

"Are you still living with your parents?" she asked, coming to sit next to him.

"No, I actually bought my own house," he said. "I haven't moved in yet."

She looked down at the floor. "That's nice."

"How is Hogwarts?" he asked. If she was going to make stupid small talk, so was he.

"Okay. Don has been a good friend to me, while you've been gone. The new Potions Professor is a piece of work. He's very self-centered and egotistical." She looked up at him.

"Sounds just like me," he laughed. She could not help but smile. "Tell me, Hermione, why are you ignoring me? We're married. I love you and I miss you."

She looked down at his hand. He noticed and took her hand in his. She said, "Yes, well, married people don't usually go off and buy their own homes, do they?"

"You silly girl," Draco said without a trace of smile, "I bought the house for us. It is in Hogsmeade. You will be close to school, and I can floo back and forth to work everyday," he explained.

"I didn't know that," she said softly.

"What's really wrong, Hermione. Why are you acting as if our marriage never happened? Why are you ignoring me? I had the best summer of my life, being married to you, and then you leave me," he said.

"You left me!" she said, standing.

"I did not! I just quit my job. Never once did I say that quitting my job went hand in hand with leaving you! I just wanted a job where I could make a difference. One where I could be as happy as you make me, well, made me," he said, coming to stand beside her.

"It's not too late for us, is it?" she asked.

"No, not if you don't want it to be," he said. "I suggested to Bill that he invite you here, so I could corner you and make you come to your senses. I love you, Hermione, and I want to be married to you forever. I just didn't want to stay at Hogwarts. Why can't you see that my leaving my job had nothing to do with us?"

Hermione put her hands around his waist, he reached his arms around her body as well. "I've missed you. I was confused," she started, "I guess I couldn't see how you couldn't want to stay at Hogwarts. I guess I thought your rejection of Hogwarts was a rejection of me, because I feel so intertwined with the school. It represents my past, my present and my future."

He kissed the top of her head, and said, "So do I. I am your past, your present, and your future. Hogwarts and marriage aren't synonymous with each other. They don't have to go hand-in-hand."

"I thought I was being selfless. I was living my dream, so I wanted you to live yours. I realized you never came back to Hogwarts on your own, not even during our last year of school there. You were there that year because your mother made you come. The last two years you were there just because I was. I wanted you to do what you wanted. I was foolish," she said, kissing his cheek for the first time in ages.

"As you frequently are," he laughed. "Hermione, listen to me, just because teaching at Hogwarts isn't my dream, doesn't mean that I want to give up on us. You are my dream. I will support you always."

"How did you get to be so wise?" she asked.

"Well, I am 21 now. I have matured. Speaking of which, I missed your birthday," he said. He took a box out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Happy Birthday, Granger, I mean, Hermione."

She smiled and unwrapped the present. There was her locket, the one he got her last Christmas, now inscribed with the date of their marriage, and on the inside there was now a picture from their wedding day. She reached up to her neck.

"How did you get this? I didn't even know I wasn't wearing it," she asked, confused. She slipped it back on her neck.

"Don has been a good friend to me as well. He got it for me, just this morning," Draco said, putting his hand on her face. He leaned down and kissed her lips tenderly, then passionately. "Never leave me, for I wouldn't survive. I really hate all the dramatics. If I do something, you don't like or don't understand from now on, don't try to be noble. Don't be the bigger person. Yell at me, or tell me off. Just don't let me leave you again."

She leaned into him and he put his fingers through her hair. He continued threading his fingers through her hair, as she continued holding onto his waist. Neither of them wanted to leave the other, or that moment behind.

"So, where exactly is this little house?" Hermione asked.

"First, it's not really little. It is quite large, with five bedrooms and three baths. Do you recall that large Tudor house, on the hill, right before you reach the village? Well, that is our new home."

"I love that house, although it's too large for just the two of us," she said.

"We will just have to fill it up with a large family then, won't we? Moreover, I have it on good authority that both sets of our parents will be visiting often. Our mothers have already begun to decorate the damn place." He touched her cheek once more, and drew a light trail down her cheek, to her neck, down her shoulder, and he held her hand.

"Let's go start on that large family, Malfoy," she smiled.

"Don't play with my emotions, you wicked witch," he laughed. "If you mean to make love to me, then you better be sincere." He started up the stairs. She lagged behind. "What? It was your idea. You want to renege already. That is not very gracious."

She smiled at him and said, "That's not it, it's just, well, I have something to tell you first."

"What is it?" he asked, walking down a few steps, so he was standing slightly below her.

"I want you to know that I will never, ever, leave you again, if you promise the same. I cannot go through a lifetime mourning you, or being afraid that we will not be together. When I think of how Helga and Salazar withheld information from the other, each doing things in secret, thinking they were doing what was best for the other, well, it makes me realize that I don't want to withhold anything from you. I want us to be honest, but I also don't want us to ever part."

Draco agreed. He said, "They hid things from the other, assuming each knew what was best. We won't do that, will we? I don't want a life that doesn't have you in it. I don't want to mourn you or our relationship for a thousand years." He kissed her again, and then said, "Last one upstairs is a rotten egg!" He ran up the stairs, leaving Hermione behind.

She climbed the stairs and said, "I don't mind being a rotten egg." She climbed the stairs slowly, and walked toward the guestroom. He was waiting for her at the door.

"There's my little one, now. I love you, Hermione." He bent his head and kissed her full on the mouth. "Don't leave me again. Do not ignore me. Do not disregard my feelings. I love you, and will for all of time." He kissed her again.

"I love you, too. I won't leave you, or disregard your feelings, or ever ignore you again, if you promise me something," she said, bashfully.

"Whatever you want, it is yours," he said.

She bit her bottom lip and said, "Don't ever buy a house without my knowledge, again. I think that was rude." She walked past him and sat on the bed.

He walked in the room and said, "Coming from the queen of rude, you should know." He shut the door behind him. They were back, to what was familiar, what was right, and that was how it should have been.

THE END

(A/N: The Third story in this series, "A Familiar Place III, A Future Untold" is being written right now. I hope everyone will give it a read! Thanks!)