My apologies to those of you who have been waiting on an update for this series. Bear with me while I dust off my creative writing skills!

For legal purposes I have no claim to the Harry Potter franchise whatsoever. I own NO Harry Potter characters.

"Happy-"

"-Blaise I don't want to hear it."

"But-"

"-Blaise, no."

With a slight groan and the audible creak of bones, the smartly dressed Italian ran a slim hand through his unruly hair as he crouched next to the unmade bed. Taking in the bloodshot eyes and dishevelled hair of his lover, he tsk'ed and swept a wayward tear from his stubbled cheek.

"We will find her you know."

"…It's been a year."

"I know."

"I'm losing hope."

"Don't, she'd be angry at you for giving up so easily."

"Then why the bloody hell did she leave me? Us!?"

"I don't know."

The blonde snorted, wiping his wrist angrily against his eyes in a futile effort to prevent his tears of frustration. How could his partner remain so calm and collected when he was quite literally dying on the inside. Heartache was a real bitch, and he was getting tired of the cramps which rung his stomach.

"I'm sorry Blaise. I just… I really am losing hope."

The early morning light pierced unforgivingly through the cracks in the drapes as Draco rolled onto his back, cringing as his pupils adjusted to the change in lighting. A year ago he was waking up to the sleepy smile and tousled hair of his favourite witch. Now, exactly one year later, on his birthday no less, he was only greeted to empty sheets and a concerned Italian on his left.

"I'm sorry my trip took so long. The Ministry promised that it would be done in three days, not six. I hurried home as fast as I could but I was too late." Standing, Blaise began to deftly remove his business attire, eager to throw on comfortable clothing and join his morose lover in bed. "I meant to be here for your birthday and for, well, today. Truly, I did."

It had been exactly one year since Hermione had disappeared. One long and challenging year with absolutely no leads or clues to her whereabouts or her disappearance.

It was literally as if Hermione Granger had never existed.

Having lost her parents in a tragic muggle accident during their last year at Hogwarts, Hermione had confessed to Draco and Blaise that she no longer had any family members left save for a great Aunt. An Aunt who, one month after Hermione's disappearance, died of apparent natural causes. Searching relentlessly throughout the wizarding world with no family members to aid their cause, neither the influence nor power of either the Malfoy family or the Zabini family had lead to any leads on Hermione's disappearance.

"I miss her Blaise."

Blaise paused, casting watchful eyes to his fair-haired lover who remained in the same position, eyes fixated on the ceiling.

"I'm beginning to forget her...her laugh, her smile, the smell of her hair and the taste of her skin," he murmured softly. "What if we don't find her-"

"-Draco, hush," finished with his robes, Blaise gave his lover a pointed stare as he crawled into bed beside him, drawing his lover into a tight embrace.

"Hermione is a fighter and she wouldn't have left if it wasn't for a good reason… we will find her."

Draco roughly rubbed his palms against his eyes, rolling over to meet his lover's watery, but fierce gaze.

"You're right. It's just...It's hard knowing it's been a year and we still haven't found anything." Voicing what had already been present in their minds, Draco sighed heavily and brushed his fingers against Blaise's bicep. "Thank god for you Blaise, without you I don't know how I would survive," he murmured gently.

"And I you love," Blaise whispered back, smiling gently as he brushed back his lover's bangs. "And I you."

Only after Draco had fallen back into a magic induced slumber did Blaise allow his tears to fall freely. It had been a year. One long bloody year without any leads. Absently flicking his wand and watching the curtains fall to completely block the sunlight, Blaise groaned.

Hermione...where are you?

1-2-3

"Payton!"

...

"Payton!"

"Mm...Five more minutes"

"Payton! It's 5:30!"

"..WHAT!"

Rolling out of bed and cracking her knee on her bedside table, Hermione, or rather, Payton, squealed while falling back into her bed with a groan.

"Are you up? Because I would really like to go back and pass out on your couch now-"

"Yes! Yes! I'm up!"

Yanking on a pair of dark nylons in record speed, Hermione dropped down on all fours, reaching blindly under her bed in search of her shoes. At times like this she missed her wand more than ever; however, considering her circumstances, her lack of a wand was the least of her worries.

"Okay good. Hey listen I'll be long gone by the time you get back tonight but thanks again for the place to crash. Also-"

"Trish, Merlin's Bear-I mean, for God's sake! If you start complaining about my lack of food one more time I'll lose it!"

Lacing up her shoes in record timing, Hermione threw open her closet and sought out her uniform. In the process of tearing her uniform away from the hanger, Hermione heard the audible creak as her battered door opened to reveal her best friend's sleepy but sceptical stare.

"You're going grocery shopping today right? I mean I worry about you honey. You're already so skinny and working these ridiculous shifts and not eating properly can't be good for your health..."

"Yes! Yes, I will go grocery shopping I promise," Hermione muttered, succeeding in pulling her hideous pink uniform off the hanger and tugging it roughly over her blonde locks. Grasping the straightened strands, she threw her hair back into a simple ponytail, turning to face her friend of one year.

"I still don't see why you work there," Tricia continued, eying Hermione's 'Flo's Diner' uniform sceptically. "I mean you're one of the smartest people I know! Why not go to school and-"

"-You forget that school costs money Trish, and between having shelter or going to school I prefer having a roof over my head," Hermione muttered, ignoring Tricia's sympathetic gaze.

"Well Payton sweetie, there are student loans and-"

"-Look Tricia, can we please talk about this some other time when I'm not running late for work and when you're not hung-over? As usual Tylenol is in the cupboard in the bathroom and as I recall it's Wednesday and you have a history lecture at 2:00,"

Busying herself by grabbing her purse and applying a light coat of mascara on her lashes, Hermione pushed past the third year student as she headed for her door. "I promise we'll have a proper chat later but for right now I really need to leave!" she called over her shoulder, grinning in satisfaction as she heard Tricia's grumbled agreement.

"Love you too!" she called in a falsely chipper voice, and left out the door.

Cringing at the even louder creak of her front door – she would have to fix that – Hermione sauntered down the dingy hall of her apartment complex and exited onto the street. Turning the corner into the dingy alley between her building and the neighbouring complex, she smiled at the coloured chalk drawings of flowers scattered along the cement. Apparently Mr. Smith's granddaughter had been visiting again and saw it fit to decorate the alley. Despite the doom and gloom of her current residence and recent lifestyle in general, it was refreshing to have Emma Smith's drawings as a reminder of the brightness she used to know.

Eyes drawn to a purple tulip on the cement, Hermione couldn't prevent the onslaught of tears which fell from her tired eyes to the ground below – staining the violet tulip a dark purple.

It had been a year.

"Happy Birthday, Draco."