A/N: You readers had best be gracious with the reviews you send (Say Anything… reference! Who got it?). Yes, after your very long wait here is the epilogue! I hope it is acceptable for all you hounders ;). Thanks SOO much for the support!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I am not taking credit for it. The plot is also base loosely on Warner Bro's A Cinderella Story.

Updated On: August 14, 2009

Chapter Eleven (Epilogue: Closure)

"I'm surprised you came." Draco was sitting comfortably on the highest bleacher in the Ravenclaw stands of the Quidditch Pitch, watching the final rays of the sun fall behind the horizon. His broom was standing upright against the empty bench beside him.

"I'm not the one who's prone to avoiding things," Hermione said without malice to the blond. "What've you got the broom for?"

"I told you I'd get you on one, didn't I?" he said with a sly smirk.

Hermione smiled incredulously. "You've gone mad if you're trying to persuade me to get on that thing." He merely shrugged but the shadow of his smirk didn't leave his face. She took a seat beside him and cast a warming charm on the both of them so they wouldn't be chilled by the winter night's air. Draco's eyes flashed to the rather large gap between the two but didn't comment.

"How have you been?" Hermione asked casually, but genuinely curious since they hadn't written to each other for a couple of months. It was the night after the quidditch match and Draco had asked her to meet him in the stands to chat more. The previous day they had only made it to the castle doors before going their own ways which hadn't given them much time to discuss things.

"Fair," he said honestly. "I've missed writing with you." He was looking down at this hands which were in his lap. A shy Malfoy was not one known to her, so this was new.

"Me too," she admitted with a meaningful voice. "It's different on paper, don't you think? With a familiar face, name, and… bloodlines to consider,you never would have replied. But without it you gave me a chance, which I can honestly say I'm grateful for."

"It goes both ways though; you also gave me a chance. Petty as it is, this schoolyard discrimination runs well beyond these walls and works in reverse as well. While you think I would never knowingly speak to a muggleborn Gryffindor, what would your peers say if you spoke to a pureblood Slytherin on friendly terms? Family expectations may have an impact on my life but you've got your expectations to live up to, too."

Hermione sat in silence, contemplating his words. He was right, of course, but then again the results would have two very different outcomes if they did openly associate. They came from two different worlds and while one side may be accepting of outsiders, the other would never be.

Neither said more on the subject, having enough to consider now that the few words said would be plastered in their minds: if they wanted to be together, there would be trouble.

Silence followed the conversation which was more calming than hostile.

"You said your favorite color was navy blue," Hermione turned and gave him an inquisitive look.

"Can't a Slytherin's favorite color be something other than green, silver, or black?" he said with a hint of amusement.

"Point taken; I'll keep that in mind."

There was another bout of silence before Hermione spoke up again. "What were you and Harry arguing about during the game when you pulled a… whatsit-feint… thing?" She blushed when he laughed at her lack of knowledge in the quidditch department.

"Wronski Feint," he said with a chuckle (Hermione scowled). "And I told you earlier – he mentioned how downcast you were due to my (he phrased this quite eloquently), 'lack of understanding human feelings to an extent that was equivalent to that of a baboon.'" Hermione blushed again at this and made a mental note to thank Harry for sticking up for her (despite how childish he may have gone about it).

"Well, it worked didn't it?" Hermione said in small voice.

"Yes and no. I was planning on approaching you soon regardless of what he said to me. I suppose you could say that he pushed me to do it earlier than I was planning."

"Why?" Hermione wondered how something Harry, who Draco was known to detest, had said could convince him to talk to her.

"I couldn't allow someone who didn't like me to gather up the nerve to speak to me when I couldn't even do the same and talk to you, who I actually like," he said as if it was the most obvious reason in the world.

"You did it to soothe your pride," Hermione said bitterly, but accepted it as it was. His pride was one thing that Draco had even shown throughout his letters. It was a part of him that would never be changed, no matter who he may insult along the way.

"What did the two of them say when you told them you were meeting me here, anyways?" Draco asked smugly. She was ditching them to be with him… ha!

"They protested but finally gave up and reluctantly let me leave. Can you believe Ron gave me a curfew?" she pouted slightly and gave a small exasperated sigh.

"Well if you happen to get in late let them know you were in good hands…" He laughed at the thought of their faces and Hermione rolled her eyes.

They settled back into their seats comfortably and Hermione noticed that the gap between them had shrunk, which she didn't mind. The sky had turned dark by now and they were staring up at the dark sky together, both bewitched by the vast emptiness littered with stars above them.

"Did you see that?" Malfoy said suddenly, sounding somewhat excited. He pointed up to the sky as if Hermione could pinpoint the exact area to which he was pointing.

Lucky for him, his idiocy was lost in the moment because what he was pointing at she just happened to see.

"The shooting star, yes," she said with a smile, knowing where this was going.

"I suppose something has gained the closure it needed…"

"Want to hear a secret?" Hermione said, eyes dancing with amusement in the moonlight, a smile on her lips. Draco looked at her suspiciously but of course nodded.

"I made that story up," she laughed lightly and looked up at the sky, smiling.

"And why would you have fed me that story, then?" He sounded somewhat annoyed, which Hermione brushed off because quite frankly it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Everyone can use a bit of hope, right? Might as well spread the fable around," she said pleasantly.

"Not if it's a load of rubbish. Now, because I know it wasn't true, I sounded like a nutter when I made a reference to it."

"Hope is always necessary at some point, even if it is false; reassurance that it will be alright even when we're positive it won't be. If the star means there is closure, it means that disputes have been settled and now… all is well."

"But the truth would be the opposite, which I'd much rather have than a load of falsified happiness." Draco was adamant about this.

"If you look at it as a lie then you can't really understand the concept. Maybe in the future you'll understand that some things require hope or else… you'll break," she concluded.

Malfoy thought about the words but didn't fully grasp what she was trying to say. How could fluff be better than the truth in any circumstances? If you asked him it was the fluffed-up story that would break someone in the long-run.

They talked for a while longer, discussing what they'd been up to the past few months, what they had in store for the rest of the school year, and where they'd end up in the summer.

"I'm going to France with my parents for a vacation. Mother was persistent about it this past summer and when it never happened she went straight ahead and rented a lakeshore house for us in late June. After that… I'm not sure." He didn't explain further. To be honest, he didn't want to know for himself. He knew of his expectations from his father and he also figured that Hermione knew as well.

"Since I haven't got anywhere else to go I'll end up back at my father's house with my stepmother. Then again, now that Ron and Ginny know about that they'll probably end up inviting me to stay with them halfway through vacation, which I'd accept. I'm planning on getting a part-time job somewhere, too."

"Didn't your father leave you any money?" Draco piped in unexpectedly.

"Well, yes, but it went to my stepmother. They couldn't find his exact will – which didn't surprise me to be honest, considering he married that hag – so everything went to his wife of the time since I'm not yet of age."

"Will you get any in September?"

"I should… I think, that would make sense, wouldn't it? I never heard that directly from my father's attorney but I'd assume that is how the legalities go…" She furrowed her brow in concentration. "I should contact him this summer and ask him. I'm positive my stepmother won't bother taking any steps towards giving me my rightful funds."

Draco watched as her faced screwed up in concentration and she unconsciously bit at her bottom lip, thinking. She was cute.

When he noticed that she was looking up at him with an inquisitive expression he figured he'd been caught in the act of staring at her. She surprised him with what she said next.

"What if someone were to walk up and see us right now?" Hermione turned to Draco and looked him straight in the eye. He didn't answer for a few moments.

"I would ask you for permission to kiss you, and before you could answer, I'd do it anyways." She looked surprised by his answer but when his face lit up with a smile she couldn't help but follow along.

"Why would you have to wait for a person to arrive to do that?" she said slyly. He smirked at her in approval and didn't waste another moment before scooting slightly closer to her on the bench, his faces getting nearer.

"Hermione Granger," he said in a near-whisper that drifted away with the winter's wind. "May I kiss you?" His eyes did not leave hers and the tantalizing smirk on his face was enough to make her return the sultry look he was giving her.

She was about to open her mouth to answer but before she could he had leaned down enough, allowing their lips to finally meet.

Absolutely FIN.

Extremely lengthy A/N that you can ignore…

Okay, okay. I know it isn't completely tied up but I kind of got myself in a pickle when I wrote this without thinking it through all the way. I wrote in a lot of hints that pointed to certain issues that I didn't close up and won't be able to unless I wrote a thorough, ten chapter sequel, which I don't plan on doing.

1) Madam Hazen was related to Mr. Granger's death – that was the entire point of all the foreshadowing that I never quite tied up. I do not plan on it either. I have no patience for war scenes and dark themes in this story. It was meant to be fluffy but due to my moronic wording I dug that hole that won't be filled.

2) Draco + Hermione = Secret Relationship after Epilogue? – Earlier in the story Draco's thoughts point to the fact that Hermione would never be up for a secret relationship, which hinted to you readers that there would be NO secrecy if they every ended up together. However, due to the fact that there is a war and we all know Draco Malfoy has expectations (I think I stated this five times in the last chapter alone lol), it would be completely unsafe if they DID have a well-known relationship. So where does this leave the story? I have no idea. If I were to write more, it would include something secretive with a few close friends knowing of their relationship. Alas, I don't plan on writing it because it would no longer be A Tale of Cinderella, but a "Spankin' new AU fanfic." That's that.

Thanks EVERYONE who read and review and encouraged me to write the story. I wouldn't have written this epilogue without your encouragement (seriously, I wouldn't have).