Epilogue- Goodbye

"There are four questions of value in life. What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same. Only love." ~Johnny Depp

"Are you sure about this, Hermione?" Draco asked, gripping her hand.

"No… I have to do this." Hermione replied tersely. "Your offer was very kind, but this is the only way I can be sure of their safety…." Briefly, Draco wondered what she was going to do. "But…" With her free hand, she reached forward and rang the doorbell. The chimes echoed inside, a happy and repetitive tune she could easily recall. She looked up at him, biting her lip. "Stay with me, for this?"

He couldn't say no to her pleading gaze. "Of course I will… Though I doubt this will create the best first impression." He smirked, and Hermione graced him with a small smile. It was a weak attempt at a joke, but he was trying; that was what mattered.

From inside the house, there was the sound of a voice, and then the tapping of somebody rushing from the kitchen. The door in front of them opened, revealing a single figure. The woman who had opened the door looked uncannily like Hermione. She had the same shade of hair and the same nose that Draco found adorable. When her eyes focused on the two in the doorway, her eyes widened and a strangled sob came from her dry throat.

"Hi mum." Hermione greeted weakly, forcing a smile onto her face and giving an awkward wave.

"Hermione." The woman's face went ashen, and her mouth opened in a small 'o'. She stumbled, and Draco rushed forward to catch her, letting go of his girlfriend's hand to do so. The woman didn't break eye contact with her daughter. "Where… Where have you been?"

"Um… It's kind of a long story, mum. Can we come in?" Hermione asked, rubbing her wrist.

"Oh, my baby!" The lady seemed to recover from her shock, and pulled her into a death hug, tears spilling from both females eyes.

"Jean," a more masculine voice came from behind Hermione's mother. "Who was at the door; what's going o…" Hermione's father came into sight, and he became weak-kneed at the view of his daughter, home at last. "My God…"

"Dad," Hermione croaked out, emotions catching up with her. Releasing her firm grip on her mother reluctantly, Hermione ran to her father, enclosing him in a bear hug. Draco stood awkwardly in the doorway, seemingly forgotten, until Jean hugged him as well.

"Thank you for bringing her back to us." The woman cried into his shoulder. Draco patted her back uncomfortably.

"You're welcome." I guess…

"Come inside, dear." He was lead stiffly inside and into a small room with a flowery sofa, with an ugly carpet (well, ugly in Draco's opinion. Maybe it was fashionable in the Muggle world) and a box which had tiny people walking around in it. "I'm sure you're both thirsty, I'll make some tea." As she left, Draco had a look at the pictures that adorned the unpleasant-looking room. In one, which was sat proudly on the mantelpiece, a small girl with short bouncy curls was stood next to a younger version of Hermione's father. Both of them looked very happy, even though they were huddled under an umbrella in the pouring rain. Draco found it strange that none of the people moved.

"Draco…" Hermione was in the doorway as he turned. "Dad is helping Mum with the tea… could I borrow your wand?" Her voice was hollow, and Draco almost asked her what was wrong.

Trusting her, he handed her his hawthorn wand. She took a deep breath. She turned in the direction of the kitchen, steeled herself, and waved the stick, muttering the incantation under her breath. Draco spared another glance at the photograph, and was shocked to see the little Hermione fading away. He was hit with a wall of clarity as he realised exactly what Hermione was doing.

The next time Hermione saw her parents wouldn't have a clue who she was.

This sacrifice was, Draco knew, something only a Gryffindor could do, but even the bravest of people would feel emotionally strained by this. He could see her eyes tearing up as the spell finished changing her entire life. He grasped her as her knees buckled beneath her, and carefully took his wand away from her clutch. Quickly, he apparated them away, clutching her as if she was the only thing holding him to the earth.

They appeared in an enclosed grotto, the two of them sinking to their knees slowly. The only light filtered in through the criss-cross of emerald leaves, giving the space a comforting green glow. At the base of large tree-trunks, puffy marshmallows sat underneath their larger, red dotted counterparts. Fireflies mingled in the air, their light creating disco lights on the wood. The ground was covered in a soft moss, and the atmosphere was thick with an ancient magic.

Hermione tucked her head in the nook of Draco's neck, as Draco rubbed circles along her back. "Shh…" He crooned. "It's okay." A choked sob escaped her lips. "It won't be very long until you have them back. Five years at most."

"Five years." Hermione groaned through her tears.

"It'll fly by, I promise. We'll be so busy trying not to die that you won't even notice their gone."

"You aren't helping, Draco." Hermione snapped, punching his back lightly.

"I'm sorry." His apology was sincere. "Here… when the war is over, you and me will go to Australia, and we will find them together. They'll be safe over there, away from all of this. You did the right thing."

Hermione removed herself from his embrace and looked Draco in the eyes, tears still trailing down her cheeks. "I don't think that's what they will think."

"They'll understand." He comforted, pulling her back into a hug. "We'll just have to go and explain it to them when all of this is over, love. If you want, I'll even ride in one of those Muggle air-pains for you." Despite her situation, Hermione laughed. It was a beautiful laugh that melted Draco's heart into a puddle of warmth.

"An aeroplane, Draco, an aeroplane." She corrected between her giggles. Wiping the tears from her tear ducts, she took a look around. "Draco… where are we?"

"Hm?" Draco finally tore his gaze from her, and chuckled loudly when he realised where they were. "In a wood, not too far from the Manor."

"Does anybody know about this place?"

"Dobby." Draco smiled fondly. "Whenever I was sad, or having a tantrum, he would bring me here until I calmed down." Despite all the damn elf's faults, he'd been good to Draco as a child.

"Were you a naughty boy?" Hermione asked with an amused tone to her voice.

"The worst." He replied mischievously with a grin, reaching over to tickle her. "The day wasn't complete until my name was being yelled angrily through the halls." As he tickled her sides, he imitated his father. "Draco!"

"Oh Godric, Draco, stop!" She squealed, as she fell over, laughing. He obliged, but only after he had reached forward to capture her lips in a sweet, chaste kiss.

"Whatever you wish, love. Do you feel better now?" He lay down next to her, turning to face her and holding one of her hands.

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Not really. But I will be."

"You're very brave, Hermione."

"Do you think they'll be too angry with me?"

"What?" Draco literally had to do a double-take. "Merlin, no." He scoffed. "Hermione, you are the best daughter anybody could ask for."

"… Thank you." She turned her head back up to focus on the fireflies that danced around them, and moving her head closer to his shoulder.

It was dark by the time Draco apparated Hermione to the marshes near the Weasley's Burrow. The only light came from the moon and the stars that dotted the sky, and the dim lights of the large house that was behind them. It was getting colder, and Draco wrapped Hermione in his cloak to keep her warm.

"You could still swap sides, you know." Hermione was saying to him. "Come into the Burrow, and we'll explain everything to the Order, they would understand."

"I couldn't do that to my mother, Hermione." Draco disagreed. "I won't put her in danger. You understand that, don't you?" Hermione nodded. The two stood for a few moments, before Hermione hugged him tightly.

"What happens now?" Hermione asked softly, her voice muffled by his body.

"Now you go back to Pothead and Weaslbea, and I go back to the Manor. We both do our part on our side of the ar." Draco sighed. "There isn't anything else we can do now." Hermione rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes and listening to his heartbeat, humming to herself. "Hermione?"

"Mhm?"

"When the War is over, when this is done, would you consider meeting me for coffee in Diagon Alley?" Hermione looked up and grinned widely.

"It's a date." She said, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. He pulled her closer, if that was possible, and deepened the kiss. Reluctant to separate, they savoured their last passionate moment. It felt like it lasted for years, though the kiss was fleeting. "Goodbye, Draco." Hermione's cheeks were rosy and warm as she turned reluctantly and walked into the night, knowing that if she didn't leave now she never would. Draco lingered for a moment, watching her as she retreated to the house, before apparating back to his home to face the monster that was his mother.

It was very quiet in the Burrow. The news that Mad-Eye Moody was dead had hit everybody harshly, and the room was thick with a heavy atmosphere. Everybody sat in silence, sometimes opening their mouths to speak, but no words being able to form in their throats. The thick silence was broken by a neat rap on the door. The room didn't react as first, lost in thought; when the knock sounded again, Harry Potter rose and slowly opened the door.

Hermione Granger stood in front of him, smiling softly. "Hi, Harry."

The teen wizard's wand flew into a defensive stance as he spat out a security question. "What happened at the end of our third year?"

"Sirius Black broke into the castle to kill Peter Pettigrew. We went back in time using my time turner when Sirius got captured. We ended up saving Buckbeak from execution, and Sirius from the Dementors' Kiss. I pretended to howl to distract Professor Lupin from killing past us, and he almost killed us." The girls' brow furrowed. "Um… You were going on about your Dad, how he was alive, but it was just your Patronus."

The wand hand fell as the bespectacled boy pulled his best friend into a bear hug. The hug grew bigger as everybody in the Burrow joined in, the grief replaced with joy at recovering their long lost friend and ally. Suddenly, she was bombarded by questions, as Harry slipped Hermione's wand back to her.

"Hermione, where have you been?"

"Are you okay?"

"What happened to you?"

"Hermione! Where have you been all this time?"

"Are you hungry, dear? I'll fetch you a snack."

"They didn't hurt you, did they? I swear if they did I'll…"

"What happened to you?"

"Who was that person pretending to be you this year, 'Mione?"

"Are you feeling all right, Hermione? Maybe you should sit down."

"Where were you?"

"Who took you? I bet Snape had something to do with it…"

"While you were gone, did you hear any news on Voldemort?"

"Where you kept at their headquarters? Where are they?"

"Here you go dear, nice and warm; it's so cold out tonight, have you caught a chill? I'll go fetch you some warmer clothes."

"Who gave you this cloak, 'Mione? Seems expensive."

"Hermione, how did you escape?"

Hermione gave a smile, her heart giving a little flip. "I had help."

"From who?"

"My soul mate."

A/N: Wow! Finally done! I really enjoyed writing this story, even though it was hard to get through at some points. Thanks to all of you who've followed this from the beginning, and to all who have enjoyed this as much as I have!

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And the reviews I haven't answered yet: thanks to AwesomeBookwormDragon Slayer (thank you, but considering none of them go back into their final year I don't think that would happen!), KWolf909 (I hope you liked the epilogue!), Sophia Lena Duchannes (thank you!), 8. B. R. Adford (Thank you!), itsalmostxmas (I know! They're the cutest couple in Harry Potter, I think, even though they aren't canon!), Rin-anne (Thank you!), Lilliana Stone (Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!) and tigerlili99 (Thanks!) for reviewing.

Thank you to everybody; it's been a lot of fun. Bye!

~Comix