They'd done it. Despite all of Hermione's doubt, they'd actually done it.

The news story was plastered across the papers throughout Britain that following Monday morning. Hermione knew that McGonagall was duty bound to tell the Ministry everything she discovered from Lavender, and Harry took matters into his own hands when he heard the news.

The Carrows never even saw it coming. They were too comfortable with the progress they'd made. They were less planners, more dreamers. Sweeping the building took a few hours tops, and now St. Mungo's was overflowing with drugged-out adults.

But Ron wasn't there. By evening there was no sign of him, and Hermione couldn't shake the bad feeling setting in.

Hermione was told he was either out on a mission or not staying in that grovel, but it didn't really matter either way. He wasn't there, Molly wasn't happy, and Ginny and Harry remained upset and tense.

There were too many missing people to figure out where they all were all at once. Monday night Hermione found herself standing in St. Mungo's with the others to discuss a sweep she wasn't part of, to miss a boy who wasn't there.

Draco was there though, hanging off to the side with Theo. The pair kept watching different people being carried into the emergency ward, and she had a hunch they were looking for people they recognized.

So far, no Ron.

She'd literally worked herself to the bone since yesterday after her kiss with Draco, running every last test and combination that she could. She'd skipped her classes today, so into her work that she hadn't slept the night before. It wasn't until Draco had to go find Harry to make her stop working and eat that she took a breather.

Stopping wasn't an option, she was so close to the answer.

Then the call came in that the hideout was raided, and her train of thought was derailed. Thinking back maybe she should've been less eager to run out and see where things sat, especially when she nearly darted out of the dorm to go to the hospital.

"A little eager, aren't we?"

Hermione stopped halfway to the door, turning back with a sheepish grin. They just discussed where Ron rested on her list of importance, and it probably seemed pretty rotten of her to try to fly out the door at the drop of a hat. Clasping her hands behind her back, she shot him a shy smile.

"I at least want to know that he's okay."

Draco tilted his head, not moving from the space in front of his door. "Running off to him right now isn't your best option. You don't even have the potion finished yet. You don't know if he'll be happy to see you or not."

She debated arguing. After all Lavender mentioned Ron's infatuation with her, so he couldn't have completely forgotten their failed relationship. Instead she bit her tongue, knowing she was already placing the blond in a difficult situation.

At least he came with. She might want to see if Ron was okay, but she wasn't ready to face him yet. What would she even say? 'I'm sorry you went on a drug-crazed rampage but we can't get back together and I just wanted to know if you were alive'.

"They said they will call when they find him," the girl said, interrupting her thoughts. Turning, she realized Ginny had come back. She'd gone down the hall to talk with one of the Healer's and her parents, but apparently they had nothing new to report. "They… they don't know how long that will be."

"I'm sure they'll find him," Hermione replied, forcing a smile. Within so much chaos, she looked pretty out of place like that, standing in a hospital fighting overdosing and death. "And I'll have my cure when he gets here."

Ginny gave her a skeptical look, glancing around. "Hermione, don't kill yourself over that cure. Harry told me a lot of what's going on… you can't work yourself to the bone. This is a medical conundrum that has stumped wizards for centuries. You've been working for a couple months. It'd be nothing short of a miracle if you found the solution."

"Well, I'm not known as a brilliant witch for nothing. Have faith, I'll help all of these people when I succeed."

Looking skeptical, the redhead looked back over her shoulder again to check something. In the distance Hermione could make out Harry talking with the Weasley's, who kept glancing her way. Well, at least she was avoiding that.

"I'm being serious," Ginny said quietly, glaring towards her friend. "Close or not, the easiest answers elude us moments before success. You're emotionally connected to this problem like the rest of us. Beating yourself up won't change anything."

"I'm not-"

"I asked Malfoy," she continued, straightening a little. "You can't do this to yourself. What would your parents say right now?"

She couldn't help herself. Her hand flew up before she knew it, the slap echoing in the hallway. Her only saving grace was all the chaos around them that seemed to dull the tension of the moment.

Unfortunately, Harry and Ginny's parents did not fail to notice. Just before the ginger went off, she caught a glimpse of the duo's irate expressions.

"I didn't say it to be rude!" Ginny hissed, crossing her arms. She didn't reach towards her cheek, didn't acknowledge the sting there. "I'm not an idiot is all. I know you've been looking for them. We told you over the summer to stop beating yourself up over not locating them in Australia yet. They are good people Hermione, but you cannot please everyone. Trying to help everyone at once will be your downfall, I guarantee it."

"That's not true," she seethed, momentarily losing her cool. "I'm not trying to please everyone! I'm just trying to help those that I promised. I told Ron I would help him come back from this way back in May, and I meant it."

"Hermione-"

"And I promised my parents I would find them again," she continued, feeling the tears slip out. "I'm not about to let anyone down! You'll see Ginny, I promise you. I'll save Ron from himself, and I'll see my parents again."

Ginny didn't say anything to that, her eyes shifting from the brunette to somewhere past her. She didn't bother looking at what she was, feeling Draco's arm slip around her a moment later. No one else would've come up behind her like that, even Ron.

He would be in no condition to anyway.

Draco kissed the side of her head, and if anyone thought it was weird they didn't comment. Her boyfriend said something to Ginny that she didn't catch, her mind drifting away.

Her parents… nobody had broached that topic in months save for Draco, and he did it on accident. It was a touchy subject, one more everyone was smart enough to avoid. Her attentions were diverted the moment Ron picked up this nasty addiction, and she didn't see that changing for some time still. She had to force herself to complete one task before taking on another. It was the only way she'd ever complete anything.

She'd left too many things unfinished, and now they were catching up to her. If she could just complete the potion, the cure… she'd save Ron like she said. He wouldn't be a prisoner to his own addiction, and he might actually be able to heal given proper medicine and time.

If Ron could come out of this funk, maybe his parents could too, and Molly wouldn't cry so much.

And if she could accomplish that, she wouldn't feel so guilty taking time for herself to look for her parents she hadn't seen in over a year. She didn't know where that quest would lead her, or where or when she'd have to go to Australia. It was an adventure she wasn't mentally or physically prepared to have.

Her body turned, and she realized she was being led away. It was probably for the best, she didn't have anything to give the suffering addicts, and Ron was nowhere to be found. She was just taking up space there with Draco, not looking for anyone in particular unless they found her ex.

Hermione took a breath, trying to quiet her rushing mind. She needed to focus, and overthinking wouldn't help her do that.

He didn't necessarily mind how empty the school was with half the occupants either laid up at St. Mungo's or there visiting friends, but he did mind how dreary it made the remaining students.

Seriously, it was like the war just ended yesterday. The Carrows got arrested, but everyone affected and controlled by their drug still had to be accounted for and somehow rehabilitated. It stirred up a lot of unpleasant old memories.

Thankfully, he had enough to focus on presently that he couldn't even focus on his friends affected by the drug. At least any of his immediate friends weren't among the idiots who ran off to keep getting high. He recalled Pansy mentioning Millicent being found at the hideout, but that didn't really affect him. He wasn't close to the girl anyways.

He was close to Pansy, and Theo, and Astoria, all of who had a problem. They were his main concern, right after making sure Hermione didn't drive herself crazy reading books and trying potion combinations.

She was so close, and still nothing they investigated led them to the overall cure. Until they found it, Draco had come to realize she wouldn't let it go.

Maybe that was a good thing, at least for everyone else.

It wasn't so great for him, especially when she finally snapped and the local bookworm extraordinaire threw an extra-heavy book past his head into the wall.

Draco blinked, looking over his shoulder from his place on the couch to the desk behind him, where Hermione was fuming about something. The book I question landed with a heavy thud, the distinct sound of the binding snapping echoing in the room as she screamed.

He flinched. A frustrated Hermione was indeed a scary one.

"I don't understand," she groaned, looking towards the ceiling. "I've mixed everything I can think of together. The antidote I gave Pansy provided temporary relief, but it isn't enough. What am I supposed to add to make it long-lasting? Everything I combine eventually dissolves each other and cancels out the affects. But I have to have certain ingredients in there to counteract the addictive nature of Willow's Weep!"

Draco held up a very thick stack of parchment. "It's not like you haven't been trying," he reminded. "You've made more lists than I have in my life to keep track of all the failed combinations. You'll get there, and I could always try helping again."

"But the last three combinations you tried exploded."

"Hey, I'm great at potions. But this is more than just your everyday recipe. There are a lot of factors to consider, a lot that you've memorized and I haven't."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it doesn't change anything. It's been two days since they busted the Carrows, and still nothing. Those people are still living with the problem and suffering. Even Pansy and Theo said they are having issues, and they aren't as strong of addicts!"

"You can't rush these things," he reminded, setting aside what he'd been doing. "You told me that a week ago."

"Well, I thought the solution would come to me faster than this."

"It'll come."

She scoffed, throwing back her chair as she stood to retrieve the book. "Yeah, sure. Like they will find Ron, right? Or the thirty some-odd people who are still missing and probably lying half dead around Britain."

Draco scowled, grabbing her waist as she passed. Hermione paused, looking down at him. "Weasley is a stubborn fuck Hermione, quit worrying about him. He's not going to let himself die, that's about the only thing I' certain of with him."

"You're right, he's probably dead anyway."

He groaned, grabbing the other side of her hips to drag her down on his lap, despite her protects. "You're just saying that because you're frustrated, cut it out."

"No, I'm saying it because Ron makes poor enough decisions to actually end up that way."

Draco rolled his eyes, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Maybe, but I doubt he's dead. He's probably too high and delirious to get up, but it's doubtful he's dead. We wouldn't get that lucky."

She huffed, gently smacking his chest. "You shouldn't say things like that," she whispered, resting her forehead against his. He wasn't sure if it was due to the added amount of stress or simply her need for affection but Hermione was a lot more accepting of his touch recently, especially since their kiss.

Besides, he had to constantly remind her he was that much better than the Weasel. He didn't want anything to confuse her when dumbass number one was finally found and they got to see each other again. He'd spiraled way too far out of control to deserve a second chance, and given their history Draco still had a small inkling of fear that she'd actually give him one.

"I guess," he muttered, tilting his chin up, "We'd be getting off too easy that way."

He caught her lips in a kiss, resisting the urge to smirk when she willingly accepted him. She wasn't overly anxious to move kissing along, and given her divided mind he didn't exactly blame her. Once they stopped being romantic and loving and real life set in again, she would slip back into her constant whirlwind of ideas, looking for a solution. He wanted to keep her out of that void a while longer here in his lap, making sure she remembered all the other parts of her life that were just as important (or more so) than her research.

She deepened the kiss, leaning further into him as her arms wrapped around his neck. He reveled in the feel of her looking for more from him whenever he got the opportunity, the occasion rare indeed.

He let his tongue slip into her mouth, one had rubbing against the small of her back before slipping beneath the shirt, enjoying the feel of her soft ski against calloused fingers. He sank into the couch, content with letting her get lost in his kisses.

For a moment, they pretended nothing important was going on around them and let themselves believe that their relationship wasn't the complex whirlwind of chaos it really was.

A/n: Here comes a long one.

The point of this chapter was to get something out there to motivate me to continue this story. I have a hard time reading the chapters and continuing to write updates when I've grown to hate the plot development of Breaking Skin. This story drastically detoured from what my original concept was, and maybe that's why I have such a hard time finding the desire to finish it.

I don't know what will happen from here. I don't know how and if the next chapter will go. I'm just very annoyed with the plot decisions I made may chapters back, and the lack of enthusiasm I have in taking this story to completion isn't helping. I'm trying not to abandon stories that are a long time coming but… this one is really difficult for me.

I thank everyone who has read this story thus far and I'm sorry I don't know what will happen from here. I'd like to say that I will force this story through to completion, but at this time I just don't know. It has nothing to do with you wonderful readers, and more with this personal vendetta I have with myself over the plotline of this story. So I hope to see you all for additional chapters and some thrilling conclusion to this story, but I just don't know anymore. It's a disappointment to myself that I've grown to feel so distant from my writing.

Again, thank you to everyone, and we will see what happens from here.