Chapter Twenty-Four

Two days later...

He wanted to pull his hair out. Slytherin was playing Ravenclaw in a week and they were playing like they'd be facing Hufflepuff. Draco blew his whistle and called for the team to land. "This just won't do," he said when the team was gathered around him; "We can't face Ravenclaw playing like this!"

Crabbe and Goyle scowled. "Maybe if you weren't so focused on that Mudblood you'd be a better captain," Goyle retorted.

Blaise whipped out his wand. "Say one more word about my sister, Goyle; I dare you!"

Goyle took a step toward him but Draco got between the two before anything could happen. "Will you all just stop?!" he bellowed, pushing the two apart.

"You heard what he said about Hermione!" Blaise argued.

"Blaise, enough!" Draco commanded. He then turned his attention to Goyle. "My lack of captaining has tied us for the lead with Gryffindor, and it's the lack of your trust in me as captain that's going to lose us the Cup this year, not my choices. But by all means; If you think my being captain of this team is being affected by my relationship with Hermione, then you're free to leave."

Goyle threw down his Beater's club and removed his Quidditch robes. "You're forgetting who your friends are, Malfoy," he said before turning and stalking off.

Draco looked around at the rest of his teammates. "Anyone else?"

Crabbe quickly followed Goyle's lead and threw in his Quidditch gear. He was then followed by Adrien Pucey. "Gits," muttered Blaise.

Looking at the remaining members of the Slytherin team, Draco cleared his throat. "All right, let me make something perfectly clear," he began, "I don't care that Hermione was raised by Muggles, I don't even care that she's a Gryffindor. What I do care about is that she's my fiancée, and Blaise's sister. If you can't get on board with those two things, then get off my pitch!"

Theodore Nott sighed heavily. "I don't want to quit the team, Draco, but you've got to admit that you've been different ever since Granger became a Zabini," he stated, "You spend all of your time with her and you act like she's not the same Muggle lover she's always been."

"She was never a Granger," Blaise argued, "Not really. For Merlin's sake, you lot, she's my TWIN!"

Draco wanted to punch the lot of them. However, he realized that he couldn't exactly hold their feelings against them. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that he had begun thinking differently about Hermione, and they had had less time to deal with their relationship than he had. "Listen, if you still want to play, then leave your thoughts about Hermione and me out of the Quidditch pitch and play the game, all right?"

The team nodded.

"All right, I'm calling practice for tonight. We can't very well finish without Beaters and a Chaser."

While Blaise and Draco gathered up the discarded uniforms, Nott and their third Chaser headed for the locker room. Blaise was still fuming, muttering insults under his breath. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Draco joked, attempting to put him in a better mood.

"I don't know how you can be so calm about the things they were saying."

"In all the years you've known me, you think this is calm?"

"I don't know, mate; it's hard to tell with you sometimes."

"Believe me, I'm just as angry as you, but I'm beginning to learn that I can't expect everyone to be supportive. Before your birthday, we all believed Hermione to be someone else and then suddenly she's your twin sister. That's not an easy thing to adjust to, Blaise."

Blaise huffed and clenched his fists. "It was easy enough for you," he argued, "and you're one of the most close-minded people I know."

Draco actually laughed at that. "I used to be, true enough. Hermione's changed me though. I mean; just a few minutes ago I wanted to throttle those bastards, or cast some spell on them, but then I thought about what Hermione said before we left for Hogsmeade about setting an example and being responsible, and I just… I don't know, changed my approach."

"She really has changed you; hasn't she?" Blaise questioned thoughtfully.

"Without a doubt," Draco agreed, "Before Hermione was suddenly a part of my life; I didn't think I was actually capable of being loved, or loving anyone for that matter. She's changed my life in ways I didn't think were possible."

Blaise took that in. He remembered when he'd first seen Hermione. She had been standing in line with all the other first years, all bushy brown hair and a look of pure nerves, waiting to be sorted. They had locked eyes for just a second, a mere glance, but he remembered feeling something odd. It was strange, but he had felt like he had known her, like she was a part of his life that he had simply forgotten about. Of course, now he understood the reason behind that feeling.

"Speaking of the one who changed your life; she's coming this way."

Draco turned to see that Hermione was, indeed, walking toward them. She smiled warmly at the both of them and looked around at the empty stadium. "Did I miss your practice?" she asked.

"We had some… technical difficulties," Blaise said.

"That's putting it mildly," Draco groaned.

It was then that Hermione noticed the pile of uniforms in Draco's arms and the Beater's clubs in Blaise's. "Dissention amongst the ranks, I take it?"

"Crabbe, Goyle, and Pucey quit. It seems they don't approve of our relationship."

Hermione sighed. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I've been getting the cold shoulder from some of the Gryffindors as well."

Draco was surprised, though only slightly. He had known from the second he had found out that Hermione Granger was actually Hermione Zabini that there would be a lot of trouble from his fellow Slytherins. All of Slytherin House was pure blood so, of course, it wouldn't sit right with them that Hermione was his fiancée.

Never mind that she was actually a pureblood and not the Muggle born everyone thought she was. Just the fact that she had been raised by Muggles and was best friends with a half-blood and blood traitor was enough to cause issues between the houses, as well as some of their fellow housemates. Hermione was smart enough to figure that out as well. She had probably figured it out long before Draco ever had.

He was also aware that some of his decisions would cause some backlash from Slytherin House. He dismissed it, though. It was his life; not theirs. He had nothing to prove to them, nor did he care to try. He didn't feel that he had any loyalties to uphold, apart from Blaise, of course. Most of the Slytherins only wanted to be around him because of his name and money. Blaise was the only one that really hung around him because they were friends.

Besides, so many of his house were cowards so if they were to start any trouble with him, it wouldn't get too far. He knew that the second he stood his ground his so-called friends would back down and walk away. Then, when the trouble had passed, they would come crawling back. It was just what they did. They were all bark and no bite, as the saying went.

He jerked his head to the side indicating that they should continue walking. "We're going to have to practice twice as hard this week if we're going to have any chance of beating Ravenclaw."

"You can say that again," Blaise agreed, "and that's only if you can find replacement Beaters and a Chaser."

"That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?" Hermione questioned, "Draco, didn't you tell me you had loads of better players at tryouts?"

Draco chuckled. "I didn't think you were actually paying attention, your nose was stuck in a book and you kept giving me vague replies."

Hermione grinned. "I've had enough practice listening to Harry and Ron talk about Quidditch while I'm studying to be an expert in picking up key words."

Blaise laughed. "The ultimate multi-tasker."

Hermione nudged him, her green eyes sparkling with humor. "You laugh, but I've seen you do the same thing, Blaise Zabini!"

Blaise just smiled. "Can we hurry up? I'm starving!"

As they continued toward the Great Hall, the boys began discussing the prospective replacements for the team. Hermione rolled her eyes and giggled softly as she searched her bag for a book. "Where is my copy of Hogwarts, A History when I need it?"

Harry sighed as he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. He had spent the better part of his free period searching through books about visions. Ron was supposed to be helping him but he had fallen asleep on a stack of books. Harry nudged him but he didn't move.

With the racket Ron was making, Harry was surprised no one was complaining. He was even more surprised that Madame Pince hadn't been over to shut him up. He sounds like a pipe that's about to burst, he thought.

He pushed his glasses back onto his face and yanked a book out from under Ron's cheek. That caused him to jerk awake. "What the…?" he spotted Harry and the piles of books around them, "Oh, right… research."

"Yeah, so are you going to help me sort through this stuff, or are you going to continue snoring at me?"

Ron rubbed his face and stretched his tired muscles. "I'm sorry, mate," he said, "I just don't know how we're going to make sense of any of this when we've been over it all a thousand times and still haven't gotten any closer to figuring anything out."

Harry sighed in frustration. "So we just give up?"

"You know that's not what I meant," Ron said with a slightly hurt tone, "It's just; we've searched through just about every book the school library has on the subject of visions and we've found nothing."

"That's not completely true," Harry argued, "Hermione found all that stuff and…"

"The stuff Hermione found is as useless as Professor Trelawney."

Harry rubbed his forehead. "You're right; but we can't just stop looking. This connection between Blaise and Hermione seems to be so powerful that I have to believe they aren't the first people to have had it. There's got to be something somewhere that explains all of this. And we owe it to Hermione not to give up. If it were us, she wouldn't let us down, so we can't let her down."

Ron picked up one of the books he had been sleeping on and opened it. "Constant vigilance," he said.

Harry nodded in agreement and opened the book he'd taken from under Ron's cheek. He had never been that great at research, or studying, that was Hermione's area of expertise. Every time he had come up against Lord Voldemort, it had been Hermione that had come up with the solutions. Somehow she always managed to figure things out just in the knick of time to help him and there was no way he was going to fail her. She was one of his best friends and he wanted to be there for her the way she was there for him.

Dumbledore sat with his fingers pressed together. He had been racking his brain for hours on end in search of a way to stop the plans of Lord Voldemort. The problem was that he had no idea as to what those plans were. He hadn't been able to piece together what little he did know, either.

He had known for quite some time that Lord Voldemort wanted The Bearer dead, he just hadn't realized that the prophesied Bearer was Hermione. Not until recently, anyway. Of course, there was a part of him that felt he should have known. He had felt the power within her from the moment she had stepped up to be sorted on her first evening at Hogwarts.

There had also been a small part of him that had sensed the magic cloaking her true identity. Blood magic had a very unique marker and only those that were experienced in the workings of such magic could sense it. It was a wonder to him that Lord Voldemort hadn't sensed it. Then again, regardless of the fact that Lord Voldemort had been around for some time, there were still things he did not know or understand. It was his arrogance that clouded his mind; Dumbledore had told him so on occasion.

He walked over to his pensieve and swirled the memories around with the tip of his wand. When he found the one he was looking for, he brought it to the surface. As the figures voices echoed quietly throughout his office, he closed his eyes and listened carefully.

The words he was listening to weren't exactly words; they were a story. A story he had heard long ago, told to him by his mother. She had heard the story from her mother, who had heard the story from her mother, and so on. This memory he brought forth was not one of his own making; it was his mother's. She had left it for him to find, and when he had, he had clung to it.

When the memory finished, it sank back into the pensieve. Dumbledore opened his eyes and turned to his bookshelf. The memory had reminded him of something. His eyes scanned the numerous volumes until he found the one he was looking for. It was a rare volume, old and tattered, but he felt that it might hold some answers. A moment later, the book was laying on his desk, open to the pages he wished to read.

This wasn't just any book either; it was a book of spells mixed with the histories of a particular witch and wizard. A brother and sister, twins to be exact, said to have the most unusual of powers.

He had read the stories thousands of times, had memorized them, if truth be told. These twins, the Beecher siblings, each had a rare gift. Dahlia, the female, had the ability to see things happening all over the world, while Geoffry, the male, could see the future. It was rumored that, when together, the twins were more powerful than anyone had ever seen.

Seers, true seers, were rare, practically unheard of in their time so they became feared. The villagers they had lived near hunted them down. Their fate, however was unknown. The story simply ended. Of course, there were rumors that Dahlia and Geoffry escaped the villagers and went into hiding. No one really knew the truth, though. The one thing that was known, however, was that powers like theirs were never seen again.

Until now, Dumbledore thought.

He closed the book and went to his window. He thought of Hermione. The power he sensed in her overwhelmed and impressed him. It was Blaise's power that had remained a mystery to him, however. At least until his stay in the hospital wing.

It was this event that had brought the stories of the Beecher siblings to his mind. Abilities such as theirs hadn't been seen in centuries, and suddenly, they were front and center in the bodies of two young siblings that had long been separated.

He sighed and turned away from the window. What does it all mean, he wondered? He paced around his office, hands behind his back. He glanced at his book and tilted his head.

This book was merely a replica of the original. It had been said that the original spell book had been lost after the disappearance of Dahlia and Geoffry. Whether it was true, or not, he didn't know, though he suspected that it had found its way into the hands of Hermione. Of course, he could be wrong, he had been in the past, but he didn't think that he was in this instance.

He went back to his desk and opened the book again, pondering over its pages for the millionth time.

Eleven o'clock. Hermione sighed. Had she really been reading for so long? She stood, raising her arms over her head and arching her back to work out the kinks of having sat for such a long period of time. Had she even eaten dinner? She couldn't recall.

She tilted her head from side to side and winced a little when her neck cracked. Her head was aching from all the reading she had done. She was so determined to find something, anything, to help Blaise and herself with their visions. She had even checked out some books from the library that Professor Firenze had suggested, which conveniently related to the lessons he was giving her.

Well, I can't just stand here walking around, wasting time, she thought. She sat down at her desk again, pulled another book toward her, and began to read. It wasn't too long before the words began to blur together. She blinked and rubbed at her eyes but they didn't clear.

Then, she realized that the mountains of books she had been surrounded by were gone. The only thing in front of her was a single, ancient text.

Hermione pushed her hair out of her eyes as she leaned closer to the page. She was so tired that she couldn't be certain of what she was reading. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the page again. A smile came to her face as she read the words over and over.

She rubbed her forehead as she continued staring at the pages before her. Her fingers reached for the quill that stood in the elaborate ink pot and blinked when they didn't grasp it. She blinked again and things became clear. She sighed heavily and rubbed at her eyes before closing the book that was actually in front of her.

She closed the book forcefully and stood. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times before pulling it into a ponytail. This is so useless, she thought, pacing in front of the fireplace. I'm so desperate that I'm dreaming of finding the answers.

A dull pain started to flow through her head, beginning behind her eyes and travelling from there, to the rest of her head. She rubbed her temples in an attempt to lessen the growing pain, but it did nothing to help.

A slight movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked over to see Draco coming down the stairs from his dormitory. He noticed her pained expression right off and went over to her. He cupped her cheeks, raising her face so that he could see her properly. "You've had another vision."

Hermione took his hands from her face and shook her head. "It's just a headache. I've been staring at these books for hours."

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "Hermione, I've been around you enough to know when you've had a vision."

"No, I was just… dreaming." Her voice had taken on a dreamy tone.

He watched her as she began searching through the piles of books she had accumulated in the Common Room. She threw books this way and that, sometimes narrowly missing hitting some part of his body. "Hermione, would you care to share what's going on in that brilliant head of yours?"

"Where did I…?" she turned to look at him. "Huh? Oh! What I saw… I was reading a book… I've read the book before but it just didn't make sense because I wasn't really reading it and I've only just made the connection and…" She continued searching through the stacks of books as she spoke. Then suddenly she darted upstairs.

Draco watched as she disappeared and shook his head. It was obvious to him, regardless of whether or not she admitted it, that she had had a vision. It seems that her lessons with the centaur are going well, he thought. It hadn't escaped his notice that she wasn't screaming in pain, and it didn't look like there was even the slightest of bother in her. In fact; she seemed rather excited.

When she came back down several minutes later, she was carrying a familiar looking book. Draco furrowed his brow when she handed him the book. "The spellbook I gave you for your birthday? This is the book you saw?"

"Yes," she took the book from him and began flipping through it, "Specifically these pages, here."

She found the pages she was looking for and motioned for him to follow her over to her desk. She set the book down and pointed to the section she had seen in her dream, or vision, or whatever it was. "Draco, it's all coming together," she said with a grin, "Well, bits of it, anyway."

Draco thought for a moment as he looked over the pages Hermione had shown him. "Dumbledore told us to look a little closer to home," he mused, "How did he know?"

Hermione smiled fondly. "How does Professor Dumbledore know anything?"

Saturday… Quidditch Match… Slytherin vs. Ravenclaw…

Slytherin was up by fifty points, a miracle considering the lack of time they had had to pull themselves together after losing so many of their teammates at the previous Saturday's practice. Draco honestly wasn't sure how they had managed to score against Ravenclaw at all, if he was being honest with himself. And he really didn't want to be honest with himself.

He flew over the pitch, searching for that hint of glittering gold that was the Snitch. Catch the Snitch, win the game, he thought. He had grown up knowing this, and yet, for some reason, he really needed to tell himself that bit of information today. Perhaps it was because he had been so distracted with helping Blaise and Hermione, or maybe he just needed the extra pep talk because Ravenclaw was such a good team.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and focusing. He was Draco Malfoy, damn it, and he was better than this. Ravenclaw was good, but Slytherin was better, and he was about to prove it. He had just spotted the Snitch!

Down in the stands below, Harry saw what Draco had seen. He nudged Ron and pointed at the action. "Malfoy's going to catch the Snitch!" he yelled over the roar of the crowd to Hermione.

Hermione smiled and cheered Slytherin, or rather, Draco and Blaise, on. "Is it wrong that I actually want Slytherin to win this one?"

Harry shrugged and gave her a teasing glare. "Just make sure you're cheering for Gryffindor when we meet Slytherin in a month."

A mixture of cheers and groans rose up as one of the Ravenclaw Beaters hit a Bludger at Draco, causing him to swerve and lose sight of the Snitch. He swore and punched the air angrily. "Rotten luck!" Hermione said, watching him as he began circling the pitch.

Harry shrugged. "Draco's the better Seeker in this match. He'll find the Snitch again in no time."

Ron huffed, and then cheered as Ravenclaw scored, narrowing the point gap between the two teams. Then, moments later, Draco raised his arms in triumph as he closed his fist around the Snitch. "Slytherin wins!" Cheered Hermione, "Never thought I'd be happy to say those words."

Draco searched the crowd as the team did a victory lap. He gave a rare smile when he saw Hermione and winked at her. She blew a kiss in return and waved at Blaise as he flew by. Blaise made her laugh by making a face at her.

Hermione took Ginny's hand and the two girls made their way down from the stands with the rest of the crowd. "Draco played well today," Ginny said, linking arms with Hermione.

"Yes, he did," Hermione agreed, "Blaise made some spectacular saves, as well."

"Yes. You know, I'd never actually noticed how well he played. I'd always been too busy trying to score against him, but he does have a sort of grace."

"Oi, let's not forget who you're snogging."

The girls giggled at Harry's remark and Ginny took his hand. "Wouldn't forget that, even if I wanted to," she said as Harry kissed her knuckles.

"Hermione!"

She turned and saw Blaise running toward her, grinning broadly. When he reached her, he lifted her into a hug and spun her around. "Blaise put me down before I vomit from altitude sickness!" she said with a laugh.

"We actually won! Can you believe it?" Blaise asked, setting her back on her feet.

"I had no doubt that you could do it," she told him.

"Well, I'm glad someone believed in us," he said.

Harry patted Blaise on the back. "Nice one, Blaise."

Blaise looked a little shocked at the gesture. "Thanks, Potter," he replied, nodding respectfully.

"Blaise!"

He turned and waved at Draco. "Well, better change, see you in a bit!"

"Okay, we'll meet you and Draco by the Black Lake."

"Hermione, it's freezing!" Blaise complained, "Pick somewhere else!"

"All right, the Head's tower, I have something I want to discuss with you and Draco."

Blaise nodded and kissed her cheek before running off. "See you in a bit!"

Hermione waved him off and the group made their way up to the castle. Harry and Ron went on ahead while she and Ginny took a slower pace. "So what do you need to talk to Draco and Blaise about?"

"My parents have invited them for Christmas."

Ginny smiled. "That should be interesting," she said, "Those two in a Muggle house."

Hermione nodded her agreement and giggled. "I think it will be a turning point in our relationship. Both Draco's and mine, and Blaise's and mine."

Draco blinked at Hermione. He stood and began pacing the floor nervously. He had met the parents of girls he'd dated in the past with ease, but this was different. He hadn't actually cared about the previous girls he'd dated so he didn't care about meeting their parents. Hermione's parents, however…

Sure, he knew Pietro and Marjorie, but they weren't truly Hermione's parents. Biologically, yes, of course they were, but they hadn't raised her. If they had, she probably would have turned out more like… Well, like him.

Hermione couldn't help noticing Draco's nervousness. "Draco?"

"Huh? What?"

She smiled tenderly at him. "Why are you so nervous?" she questioned, "You've met my parents before."

"It all gets sort of a bit… confusing, doesn't it?" Blaise chimed, "You having two sets of parents."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly as she nodded. "You're telling me."

She turned her attention back to Draco. "Like I said; you've met my parents, you've spent time at their house, and you know my biological parents," she stated, "I'm only asking you to come and stay for one night, so what's got you so nervous?"

Draco looked at her, his eyes wary. "Your parents, have you, um…" he cleared his throat, "You haven't told them about me, have you?"

Hermione furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about, Draco?"

"Well, I haven't exactly been gentleman of the year when it comes to you, have I?"

She shook her head. "Not at all," she said, "Showering me with gifts and words of endearment."

Blaise chuckled, but quickly turned it into a cough at Draco's glare. "Come on, mate, don't beat yourself up over the past," he said.

Draco sighed. "Not to sound like a whiny prat, but, I can't help it. I've been so horrible."

Hermione stood and clapped her hands together. "Okay, I've had enough of this. You're coming to my parents' for Christmas, and you're going to stop beating yourself up over things that you've more than made up for; is that clear?"

He gave her the hint of a smile. "All right."

First day of Christmas Holiday…

The Hogsmeade platform for the Hogwarts Express was bustling with students heading home for the holidays. Their excitement seemed to fill the air with electricity. However, there was one student who wasn't exactly excited to be returning home. Draco.

As he loaded his trunk onto the train, he sighed heavily. Hermione came up beside him and linked her arm through his. "Cheer up, Draco, it's only for a few weeks."

He turned to her and kissed her forehead as he wrapped both arms around her. "Just promise me that we can spend time together," he said, "I don't want to be stuck in that house any longer than I have to be."

She smiled tenderly and placed her hands on his cheeks. "I promise."

"Oi! Will you two hurry up? We're going to miss all the good compartments!" Blaise shouted above the train's whistle.

Hermione kissed Draco briefly. "I'm going to find Ginny. I haven't spent much time with her and my other friends lately and I won't see them over the holiday."

"All right," Draco agreed, "I'll see you on platform nine and three-quarters."

She nodded and boarded the train. Draco boarded shortly after her, but he didn't follow in the same direction. He headed toward Blaise. "So, are you ready to see your parents?" Blaise asked.

"It'll be nice to see Mother; and Rookin," he chuckled, thinking of the little elf, "I'm sure he'll have some enormous feast prepared for my arrival tonight."

"Ah, yes, I imagine Gripa will for us, as well," Blaise agreed, "Amazing how they seem to think we starve while we're away, isn't it?"

"Well, if they aren't looking after us, then who is? That's Rookin's logic anyway."

They found an empty compartment and went in. "So, have you heard anything else from your father about that dinner he wants you to attend at Goyle's?"

Draco sat and stared out the window. "He wrote me last week. He didn't really say much more than I'm expected to go, and there'll be consequences if I don't," he replied with a sigh, "He asks as though I haven't already written and told him I would be there."

"Well, he's never really listened to you, so that shouldn't be a surprise."

"It doesn't. What does, however, is how uncharacteristically quiet my mother has been on the matter. She's written a letter a week since I've been at school, she's done that since first year, but not once has she mentioned dinner at Goyle's."

Blaise furrowed his brow. "That is unusual. Do you think she doesn't know about it?"

"Knowing my father, that's highly likely."

The boys were silent for a while as they both stared out the window. Draco just knew that his father was up to something, but what, he didn't know. Why would his father, who had never been great friends with Mr. Goyle, suddenly want to share a meal with him? And at his home no less. It was a curious thing and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

The train began to move then and the boys settled in for the long ride to King's Cross. They entertained themselves with games of wizard's chess, exploding snap, and anything else they could think of. It was comfortable and relaxing, which was precisely what Draco needed at that moment.

"Blaise, how are you doing with your visions?" he asked after a long while.

"Well, I don't believe I've had any in several days."

"You don't believe?" Draco questioned.

"I haven't had any dreams, or nightmares, or whatever, about that girl, so…" He made a gesture with his hand as though to say, "Make your own conclusion."

"Hermione told me you went with her to see the centaur?"

Blaise sat back and eyed him. "Are you just making small talk, or are you genuinely curious?"

Draco looked slightly affronted. "Blaise, you're my best mate. You know I care about you and with these new abilities you and Hermione have; I'm worried, as well."

"Sorry. Um, yes; I went to see Professor Firenze."

"And did you find him useful?"

Blaise smiled. "Actually, yes. He and Hermione are helping me learn to control this new power of mine. Oh, and did you know that Hermione and I can talk to each other, inside our minds?"

Draco was shocked. Hermione hadn't told him that. "How did that happen?" he questioned.

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug, "I just know that the first time it happened, I was sitting in detention with McGonagall and I heard Hermione call my name. Scared me half to death, it did. Then, she said my name again and I could answer her! We could hear each other."

"And how long ago was this?"

"Um… about two weeks."

"Two weeks? And neither of you told me, or Potter, or anyone?"

Draco stood and threw open the compartment door. He looked at Blaise. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To find your sister."

"Oh."

"Yeah; "oh" is right."

Blaise followed him out of the compartment, know that there was no sense in arguing with him. He breathed deep and reached out with his mind, something he had only had little success with in his lesson with Firenze. Hermione? Hermione, are you there?

He tried a couple more times before he finally got a response. Yes, Blaise, what is it?

I did it! He exclaimed.

Ow! Blaise, not so loud.

Sorry… Um, just thought you should know; Draco's looking for you and he's not very happy.

He could sense Hermione's curiosity. Apparently someone failed to tell him about this particular ability of ours.

Hermione sighed. And I suppose I'm to blame? She questioned with slight sass. You could have told him.

Yes, well I've just done that and he seems upset that he wasn't told sooner.

All right. I'm in the fifth car from the engine.

Thank you.

Blaise felt himself snap back to his own mind and blinked. "She's in car five," he told Draco.

"This… telepathy… you two have, does it work with anyone else?"

"I haven't tried. Hell, I can barely manage the connection with Hermione. It took me about ten tries just now."

They came to car five and a compartment door slid open. Hermione poked her head out and waved her hand at them. They entered the compartment and Hermione cast the Muffliato charm on the room. Harry looked at her in amazement. "Again with that spell? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you like it."

"Desperate times, Harry, call for desperate measures," she retorted, "We all need to talk, and we need privacy to do it."

Ginny furrowed her brow. "What is it that we need to discuss?" she asked, "Have you had a vision?"

"Actually, Weasley, what needs discussing is the new telepathic ability Blaise and Hermione have developed and didn't tell us about," Draco answered, with a slight glare at his fiancée.

All eyes turned to the twins. "Oh, sod off, the lot of you," Blaise snapped in response to their accusing glares.

"Blaise, there's no need for that," Hermione said gently. She then looked at her friends and Draco. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you. I suppose we should have, but what matters is that you know now."

"Hermione's right," Harry said, "We don't have the right to be angry that she and Blaise kept this from us. Besides, we've all kept something to ourselves at some point; haven't we?"

They all agreed. Hermione cleared her throat. "There's something else that you don't know… Well, Draco knows because he was with me when I made the discovery, but the rest of you don't know yet."

"What is it?" Ron asked.

Hermione reached up and took her travel case from the shelf above Harry's and Ginny's head. She set the case down on the bench beside Harry and opened it. She pulled out the spell book that Draco had given her for her birthday and opened it to the page that she had shown him before. She then handed the book to Blaise. "Considering this is about our abilities, I think you should get to read it first."

Luna scooted closer to Ron so that Blaise could sit down. He took the book from Hermione and sat as he began to read. Ginny nudged Harry and they both scooted to make room for Hermione and Draco. There's wasn't too much room left so Draco just pulled Hermione into his lap.

Blaise looked up after a few minutes, his brow furrowed questioningly. "The Beecher twins?"

"Who are they?" Harry asked.

"They're a set of twins that had the same abilities that Blaise and I have. The visions, the telepathy; they were powerful. More powerful, I think, than us," she said, looking at Blaise.

Hermione took the book and flipped through the pages until she found the page she was looking for. "I'm not sure, but I think the Beecher twins, Dahlia and Geoffry, might be distantly related to us. I read in another book that abilities like ours are only passed down through bloodlines."

"I read that they were hunted down by villagers," Blaise said, "Does it say what happened to them?"

"No, but I think if we all put our heads together we might be able to figure it out. In any case, I think we need to learn all we can about these Beecher twins; don't you?"

They all agreed and set to work on gathering up every piece of information they could. They even managed to piece together a few things, but then they arrived at King's Cross. Hermione packed the book away in her travel case and stood. "I'll keep working on this over the holiday," she told them, "Blaise, you'll help?"

"Of course."

"Excellent. All right, well, I guess we should be going."

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Draco followed Hermione and Blaise onto the platform and caught sight of his mother almost immediately. "Well, I guess I'd better be off, before Mother comes tracking me down," he said, "I'll see you both soon, yeah?"

"Yes," Hermione and Blaise answered in unison.

Draco grasped Hermione's hand and kissed her knuckles just above her engagement ring. "See you," he whispered before walking away to join his mother.

Mrs. Malfoy smiled brightly and held her arms open. "Draco, darling!" she said, giving him a warm hug.

He couldn't help smiling a little as he reciprocated her hug. "Hello, Mother," he returned, brushing his lips against her cheek.

She cupped his cheeks and looked his face over. "You look different," she observed as she waved her wand at his trunk, causing it to disappear, "Happy."

He chuckled and allowed her to link her arm through his. "I am," he confirmed.

She gripped him tight and a few seconds later they were standing in the foyer of Malfoy Manor. "I don't suppose a certain young woman with raven hair and green eyes has anything to do with that," she said, continuing their conversation.

"Suppose all you like, Mother, because Hermione has everything to do with it," Draco noted, "And you'll be happy to know that she's been happily going through all the wedding magazines and such that you and Mrs. Zabini have been sending her."

Mrs. Malfoy beamed. "Oh, I'm so glad!" She guided him into her special little sitting room and gestured for him to sit. "That reminds me, I must send an invitation to her and Marjorie to join me for tea next week."

"I'm sure she'll enjoy that," he said, a gentle smile tugging at his lips.

Her eyes sparkled as she stared at her son. It was these little stolen moments, when it was just the two of them, that she enjoyed most. Having these chats with him was her way of ensuring that the light in his eyes didn't completely go out. Draco was a sweet boy, in her opinion, and she had only ever wanted the best for him, but never at the cost of his happiness.

That was where she and her husband differed. Lucius wanted the best for him, sure, but he was willing to sacrifice their son's happiness, whereas she was not. Especially now that the twinkle that she had always loved in his eyes was finally back in full force. She was not going to allow anyone to snuff that brightness out.

Rookin bustled in with a tray of tea and a plate of Draco's favorite biscuits. "Thank you, Rookin," Draco said kindly, "I sure have missed your spoiling ways."

The house elf's bat-like ears flapped cheerily. "Rookin, would you please bring some of the raspberry tarts?"

"Yes, Mrs."

He quickly scurried off to get the tarts while Draco munched on a biscuit. "You know, they serve these at Hogwarts, but somehow they never taste as good as when Rookin makes them."

"I'll be sure to have him make some for a care package when you go back to school after the holidays. He'll be thrilled."

Draco took a sip of his tea and glanced at his mother questioningly. "Mother, do you know anything about this dinner I'm supposed to attend with Father at the Goyle's?"

Mrs. Malfoy set her teacup down and shook her head. "I don't, Darling, I'm sorry."

He waved her off politely. "It's no matter."

Three days later…

Astoria lazily drummed her long fingers on the armrest of her chair. She was getting really tired of Lucius Malfoy's endless stalling. He had invited her here to discuss breaking Draco's engagement and he was being completely rude. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes when she saw that he was still going through those blasted papers.

She wanted Draco to herself and she knew that the only way she was going to get him was if Lucius went back on his arrangement with Pietro Zabini. She had arrived at Malfoy Manor, per Lucius' request, thirty minutes ago with a carefully laid out plan of wooing him to her way of thinking. It was a great plan, but she was never going to be able to use it if he didn't acknowledge her presence!

She knew from Lucius' response to her letter that, while he completely believed Pietro about Hermione's long absence, there was something bothering him about it all; and she really only knew this, not because of anything he had stated, but because she was good at reading between the lines of what people said. She also knew that he was a man that took family duty very seriously.

Getting Lucius Malfoy to agree to breaking an agreement of any kind was going to be difficult, at best, so she had spent hours and hours devising the most perfect plan she had ever created. She had begun thinking about it the very day she had written to him, something she had known would be a longshot, which was why she had been baffled when she had received his letter that morning requesting that they meet. To be honest, she hadn't even expected him to answer her, let alone invite her to the Manor, but she was glad that he had and that the wait had given her the chance to think of not only her initial plan, but contingencies as well.

From what Draco had once told her, magical contracts, such as marriage betrothals, were very difficult to break. That just meant that it was going to take her best scheming and planning in order to convince Lucius to break his word, and thus, Draco's engagement. Of course, he would have to stop looking over those… what are those papers? Oh, articles, or something, she mused. Though she really wanted to pipe up and say something to get his attention, her best behavior was an absolute must; especially if she wanted to get her way. She needed to tread very carefully with Lucius or her plan would never work.

She was desperate enough to do anything in order to accomplish her task, even if it meant she had to gravel at the Malfoy's' feet, she would do it. She preferred that she didn't have to do that, but if it came to it, she would. Thankfully, however, Lucius' invitation had provided her with the opening, however small it was, that she needed.

She had had her eyes set on Draco from the moment they had met and she wasn't going to stop until she had him. She was dead set on the fact that they were perfect together. They looked great together, they both came from wealthy pureblood families, and they were sure to make beautiful babies.

"Astoria, will you please stop that incessant noise?" Lucius snapped, "I'm trying to work and your presence is making it difficult enough without that tapping."

She stopped tapping and gave him an apologetic look. "Forgive me, Mr. Malfoy, I didn't mean to interrupt your work," she said politely, "it's just… I'm sorry, but… may I inquire as to whether those papers in front of you have anything to do with your inviting me here? I only ask because I know we both have Draco's best interests at heart and I wish to help with anything I can."

He looked up with an annoyed expression. "Miss Greengrass, the fact that you have feelings for my son has not escaped my notice," he told her, "Now, if you would please allow me to finish my work, then we can discuss my son."

Astoria was quiet for only a minute. "So, it's important; this work?" she questioned sweetly.

"Yes, it's something a man does to make a living and support his family, which you will undoubtedly find out one day."

"So, I take it you're opposed to the proposal I suggested?" Astoria questioned, feeling as though she'd lost.

Lucius sighed and set down his quill. It was clear to him that he wasn't going to get any more work done while she was there. He then opened his desk drawer and pulled out the letter she had sent him. "This," he said, letting the letter drop onto his desk, "is not a proposal; it's the begging of a child that feels her favorite toy has been taken away."

Astoria blinked. She hadn't expected that. She hadn't exactly expected a positive response either, but a complete rejection? That was just unacceptable. "The beggings of a child?" she asked, "Mr. Malfoy,..."

He held up his hand, quieting her. "Regardless of that, I will admit that you made some intriguing points that I am willing to discuss."

"Oh… Well, I'm glad to hear that."

He opened her letter and scanned it briefly. "For instance; you state that you feel that you would make a far better match for Draco due to your 'knowledge of his wants and needs'," he read.

"Yes."

"While I admire your persistence, I fail to see how your knowledge of my sons wants and needs merits a consideration of marriage."

This was what she had prepared for. "Well, I think you'll agree that when one can anticipate their significant other's wants and needs, things can be much less complicated," she began, "There would be considerably less arguments and there would be nothing to worry about because everything would already be taken care of. I can offer that to your son. I can anticipate his needs because I know him, Mr. Malfoy. If you give me a chance, you'll see that I'm a perfect match for Draco.""

"Hm… And you think that Miss Zabini incapable of attending to Draco's wants and needs?"

"Hermione Zabini isn't from the same world as Draco," Astoria argued, "Sure, she's brilliant and comes from a good family, but she wasn't raised by that family. She was raised by Muggles and as such will never understand Draco's way of thinking."

Lucius cleared his throat. "I am well aware that Miss Zabini was raised by Muggles, the whole Wizarding community is aware of that, Miss Greengrass," he said, "And she is, as you put it, brilliant, so I believe she would figure things out."

"Yes, but she doesn't understand the way our world truly works. She's very secretive," she informed him, "She sneaks about the castle, having secret meetings with Professor Firenze, cavorting with Potter, the Weasleys, and that insane Lovegood girl."

He showed no emotion when he heard this news, but inside, he was seething, and intrigued about what Hermione could be doing. "Interesting."

Astoria gave him a knowing look. "Lucius, you clearly have reservations about her."

"Do I?" he questioned, arching his brow.

"I know your history with her, with her friends, it's no secret that you dislike each other," she stated.

"Perhaps not, but that is not your business," he stated, narrowing his eyes at her.

She scooted up to the edge of her chair. "But wouldn't you rather have a daughter-in-law that you actually like, and that respects you?"

"Miss Greengrass, if I was inclined to care enough about such things," he said, giving her a once over, "I would still choose Miss Zabini."

"Why?!" Astorian questioned with the beginnings of a pout.

"For starters, because I made an agreement with my best friend many years ago and I honor my agreements," he told her, "Because Hermione Zabini is a good match for my son. Because it is what my wife wishes."

"Since when does Lucius Malfoy bow to the will of his wife?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Please, you're far too respectable to beg. You are the master of this house and as such, your word is law," Astoria pointed out, "So, if you wished for Draco to marry me instead of Hermione Zabini, then she would have to agree."

"Breaking an arrangement such as a marriage betrothal isn't as easy as breaking a wand or simply telling one's wife it is your will, Miss Greengrass," he told her, "There are many things that must be considered and thought out."

She gave him a bored look. "Such as?"

Lucius shoved some of the papers on his desk aside, which resulted in several papers flying off of his desk and fluttering to the floor. "Such as the fact that you have not yet given me any reason to even think of considering what you're asking," he practically shouted.

Astoria stood and placed her hands on the desk, narrowing her cool blue eyes at the man in front of her. "Don't get all high and mighty with me, Lucius Malfoy!" she said menacingly, "You and I both know that your friendship with Pietro Zabini has been shaky, at best, since the return of their daughter; so don't pretend as though you're still as loyal to him as you were before the end of this past summer."

The instant she had let her polite façade slip, she was filled with regret. She had been so careful, until now, but he was being so arrogant and condescending. It was more than she could handle and she just couldn't bite her tongue.

Lucius's gray eyes blazed with anger as he eyed the young woman. "Don't presume to think you know me," he seethed, "Pietro has explained everything to me and… Why am I explaining this to you?"

Astoria let go of her anger and quickly slipped back into polite mode. "Because there's something inside of you that agrees that Draco marrying Hermione is a bad idea. Lucius, I know you; you sense that something is off, just as I do."

He thought about that. It was certainly true that, while he believed the explanation that Pietro had given him, there was still something about it all that bothered him. He had known Pietro for a very long time, so he knew when he was hiding things, and he was definitely hiding something. However, that didn't seem like a reasonable excuse to break their agreement.

He had always been a man that honored his agreements, regardless of the reasons not to. He had thought about finding other prospects for Draco many times over the years. He had even met with several well off families in secret to discuss possibilities. It was only fitting considering he didn't know whether his first choice would be available. However, he never even considered Astoria Greengrass. He still didn't consider her. He would consider the loathsome Pansy Parkinson before anyone in the Greengrass family.

Her comments about Hermione sneaking about the castle and having secret meetings had intrigued him. It was obvious that Hermione was less harmless than he had originally thought. He had known all along that she would be tricky, especially considering all the times she had fought against him and his fellow Death Eaters over the years. Not to mention the fact that she was best friends with that Harry Potter.

Those had been concerns of his from the moment Pietro had told him. He had hoped that Draco might have persuaded her to join The Dark Lord, but after having him home for a few days, it was obvious that she was changing him. That was something he had not expected, nor did he accept it. Not after the lengths he had gone through to secure his son a spot in The Dark Lord's inner circle.

"Yes," he finally said, "Something is off.

Astoria leaned forward and gave him a pleading look. "Then help me to get Draco back on my side and I promise you that your son will want for nothing."

Lucius sat back and rested his arms comfortably on the armrests of his chair. "Tell me more about these secret meetings."

His interest was piqued and Astoria could see that she had finally gained his attention. With an air of triumph, she grinned and began telling him everything she had witnessed.

Christmas Eve…

"Mrs. Granger, that was, without a doubt, the best Christmas goose I've ever had."

Mrs. Granger blushed at Blaise's complement. "Thank you, Blaise, that's very sweet of you."

Hermione smiled brightly. "Don't let her modesty fool you, Blaise. That goose has won her first prize in county fairs!"

Her mother waved her hand at her. "Oh stop. Blaise, does your mother do much cooking?"

Blaise chuckled. "Mum never mastered the cooking stuff, though I'm pretty sure she was raised with house elves her whole life so…"

"Ahem, Blaise, I don't think house elves are such a great topic of conversation."

He gave his sister an apologetic look. "Sorry, I'm not used to being around Muggles."

Mr. Granger smiled kindly. "Well, we're not used to being around Wizards, so I think we're on even footing; don't you?"

"Thank you, Sir."

Mrs. Granger stood, smoothed her pants and smiled. "Can I get anyone anything else? More black pudding? Cranberry sauce?"

Draco stood. "Mrs. Granger, you've been on your feet all day, please, would you allow me?"

She sat back down and graciously allowed Draco to serve everyone more drinks and dessert. The conversation flowed effortlessly as the night progressed and everyone's stomach filled with delicious food.

When dinner was over, Blaise went with Mr. Granger to watch some football match or other while Hermione and Draco began clearing the table. "You two don't need to do that," Mrs. Granger said, "You go on and enjoy the match."

"I'm not much for Muggle sports," Draco said politely, "Really, Mrs. Granger, I don't mind helping clear."

"Mum, you've worked so hard on everything today, let us worry about clearing up. You go on and rest."

Mrs. Granger looked at the two of them questioningly. "Are you sure?"

Hermione turned her mother and gently pushed her out of the kitchen. "I'm positive. We've got this sorted."

"All right, well, I suppose I could catch up on a bit of reading. Don't stay up too late."

She kissed Hermione's cheek and headed up the stairs to put her feet up. Draco smiled at Hermione when she was back beside him. She gave him a questioning look. "What? Do I have food on my face?" she asked.

He chuckled. "No, I'm just admiring your family," he told her.

"Oh?"

"It's obvious that this house has seen love. The walls are literally overflowing with it."

Hermione smiled fondly as she handed him a plate to dry. "I never lacked for love," she agreed, "I guess your childhood wasn't so joyous?"

Draco arched his brow at her. "You've met my father," he said, "He's not exactly a Weasley. Far from it, actually."

"That doesn't mean that he doesn't love you, Draco."

"Hermione, the only person that man loves, is You-Know-Who."

"I don't believe that," Hermione stated, "I've seen the way he looks at your mother; he loves her."

Draco sighed and took the next plate she handed him. "Perhaps."

There was a scraping sound that seemed off from the usual noises that came with her parents' house. The scraping was followed by a soft thump.

"Did you hear that?" Hermione questioned, pausing as she reached to pick up another plate from the table.

Draco looked over his shoulder at her. "Hear what?"

Hermione chewed on her lip as she glanced around and then shook her head. "I thought I heard…" she started to say before dismissing it, "Never mind."

He dried his hands on a towel and walked over to her. He took the plate out of her hand and set it down on the table. He then took her hand with one of his and with his other hand he cupped her cheek and ran his thumb under her eye. "You're tired, love, why don't you go on up to bed? I can finish the dishes."

Hermione reached up and removed his hand from her cheek with a light squeeze. "That's sweet of you, but really, I'm all right," she told him, "You don't need to be doing this."

He stopped her from picking up the plate again. "Honestly, Hermione, I can manage Muggle cleaning a few dishes."

"I don't doubt that."

"Then please let me finish up in here while you go to bed; you look dead on your feet."

"I'm really not that tired."

Draco folded his arms over his chest and raised his brow. Hermione's cheeks flushed a light shade of pink as she stifled a yawn. A satisfied smirk pulled at Draco's lips. "I think that settles it," he said.

"It most certainly does not!" Hermione argued.

"I think it does."

Hermione huffed and narrowed her eyes for a brief moment before breaking out into a small fit of giggles. "This is so stupid."

"I agree," Draco stated, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the top of her head, "Honestly though, love; you've been running yourself ragged since Blaise was in the hospital wing at school."

He rubbed his hand along her back as she snuggled into him. "You're trying to do too much, you're not eating much, and you're barely sleeping. Now come on, go on up to bed and let me take care of cleaning up the rest of these dishes, please."

Hermione sighed and yawned again. She knew he was right but she didn't feel right about just leaving him to clean up, especially in her parents' house. On the other hand; she felt like she was about to drop at any second. "Okay, but you don't have to do the dishes," she tried, "If you just put them in the sink, I'll wash them in the morning."

"All right."

Hermione looked up at him and he placed a kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his mouth back to hers. Draco grinned against her lips. "You're stalling," he said, "Are you going to make me put you in bed myself?"

"You wouldn't!" Hermione shot back with shock.

Draco gave her a sexy grin and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Don't tempt me," he told her, "I think I'd quite enjoy putting you to bed."

A brilliant shade of pink crept into Hermione's cheeks at the implied act. She knew that Draco wouldn't actually follow through with it while at her parents' house; at least she hoped he wouldn't follow through with it.

Draco was thoroughly enjoying this reaction from Hermione. He liked the fact that it was he who was causing the reaction. He licked his lips and chuckled softly. Then, standing there, looking into her sparkling green eyes, he suddenly grew serious. He brushed some of her hair away from her face. "You are so beautiful."

"Stop," Hermione said with quiet admonition.

He shook his head. "I mean it; you are, and I don't just mean your looks," he told her, "You have the most wonderful heart of anyone I know, and I find your goodness… staggering. You have completely changed my life in such a way that I will forever wonder how I was anything other than the dashing young scoundrel you now see before you."

That made Hermione giggle. "You are quite the scoundrel," she teased.

"And dashing, don't forget dashing."

"How could I?"

Draco chuckled. "I mean it though; you've changed my life and I am so happy to be marrying you," he told her, "I have now successfully fulfilled my romantic quota of the day."

"You did quite well," she noted with a grin.

He kissed her forehead. "All right, off to bed with you."

Hermione kissed him quickly on the lips and said, "Good night," before heading out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her old bedroom. Moments later, she was in her pajamas and tucked into her warm bed.

As he cleared the table of the rest of the dishes, Draco happened to look out the window. He wasn't sure if it was his eyes playing tricks on him, or not, but he thought he saw the glimpse of a shadow.

He shook his head and blinked. There's nothing out there, he told himself, dismissing what he thought he'd seen. He was pretty sure that it had just been a shadow of a tree limb caused by a streetlamp.

He went about finishing the cleaning, but the entire time he had this feeling that something wasn't right. It was the kind of stomach churning, knot inducing kind of feeling that he usually got when he was being reprimanded by his father, but far more intense. Again, he looked outside, but he could see nothing that warned of danger.

Just as he was putting the last of the dishes in the draining board, there was a loud crash that sounded like a breaking window. Blaise was suddenly standing in the kitchen doorway. "Did you hear…?" he began to ask.

BANG!

Hermione screamed. Blaise and Draco looked at each other for a split second before they darted up the stairs with Mr. and Mrs. Granger right behind them. "Hermione!" They all yelled intermittently.

There were shouts and more various sounds of things breaking. "Draco!" Hermione screamed.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Draco and Blaise drew their wands and pointed them at Hermione's bedroom door. The wood splintered with the sound of a canon and Draco lunged into the room. Blaise followed after him, but the second he tried crossing the threshold, he was thrown back as though an invisible barrier had been placed in Hermione's doorway. Mr. and Mrs. Granger screamed as Blaise flew into them and they all went tumbling down the stairs.

As Draco moved further into the room, he saw two figures pulling an unconscious Hermione out the window. He pointed his wand at the figures but before he could cast any spells, the room was filled with a heavy darkness. This unexpected cloud of darkness caused him to lose sight of Hermione, which also hindered his abilities to properly cast a spell that might otherwise free her. He wasn't about to send any Stunning Spells, or anything else that would incapacitate someone, as long as there was the danger of hitting Hermione. This was a diversion, and a well thought out one at that. "Hermione!" he yelled as the blackness surrounded him.

There was no answer, just the tell tale pop of Disapparation.

The sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs filled his ears and Blaise's voice called out, "Draco, I can't sense Hermione! Did you find her? Is she all right? Blast this damn Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder!"

Blaise waved his wand and the darkness disappeared. The sight that awaited them was devastating.

Hermione had obviously put up quite a struggle. There was glass everywhere. Books, pictures, and various other personal items had been knocked about and broken. Draco even spotted some spatterings of what looked like blood. Her wand lay on her nightstand, untouched, which told him that she had been caught off guard.

He went to the window and looked out. It was pointless, however, because he had clearly heard someone, multiple someones even, Disapparate. Glass crunched and he whirled around. Blaise was standing in the center of the room with a frightened expression on his face. "I… I can't sense her, Draco," he said, tears forming in his eyes, "I've reached out and reached out and, one second she was scared and then… nothing. The Grangers are knocked out at the bottom of the stairs, and Draco… I can't sense Hermione."

His world was spinning faster and faster out of control. This couldn't be happening. He looked around blankly. Glass… Blood… Wand… Hermione… Hermione… Where? Nothing was making sense.

Shaking. He blinked. More shaking. Was someone calling his name? Did he even have a name? He didn't think so. New sounds entered the realm of his hearing, but he didn't actually hear anything going on around him. He was completely useless.

Draco fell to his knees as what he didn't want to believe sank in.

Hermione was gone.

Author's note- Hello everyone! Talk about a cliff hanger, huh? :) I want to thank you all for taking the time to read The Pureblood! This particular part of the story is over, but don't worry, there is more to come! Yes, there is a sequel! Now, I have a couple of other projects in the works right now, but I promise that the conclusion of this story will come! In the mean time, I hope you will be patient with me while I finish Lycan Love and my original fiction, She Will be Loved (found on fictionpress. My author name is SAWilson). There will be lots of excitement when The Pureblood Part Two is available! :) Also, if you're interested in updates about my projects, feel free to check out my author page on Facebook! Just search for JustAGirlThatLovesToWrite and you'll find it!

Much love to you all and I will be seeing you again soon! -Sarah