30. Before Sunrise

Thanks once again for all of the reviews/cookies/other assorted baked goods! You are all truly the wind beneath my wings.

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The next three months flew by fairly quickly.

The same day Hermione returned to her classes, so did Draco. He was almost as far behind in his classes as she was, but once he started attending them again, it barely took him any time at all to catch up – mostly due to the late night study sessions he had with Hermione every evening in their common room. He was lucky all of his professors agreed to let him make up the work. He figured he most likely had Dumbledore to thank for that.

He and Harry had received an O for their Veritaserum project. He could only imagine how hard it had been for Snape to give them such a good grade, but the quality of their potion could not be denied, since it had worked beautifully on the other Hermione. Draco had expected Harry to inform Snape of the fact he hadn't helped at all with the development of the potion, but he didn't. When Draco asked him why he hadn't, he had just shrugged and said simply, "Because you gave me back my best friend."

The students were all surprised by Hermione's return, but perhaps not as much as they would have been, had the other Hermione never shown up. Most of the students from the other houses seemed disinterested at best in her return, but the Gryfinndor house threw a huge party in her honor - one that Draco was not invited to, of course.

All of Hermione's friends were thrilled with the fact she was still alive, but no one more so than Ginny, who had practically attached herself to Hermione's hip as soon as she returned. In fact, the only times Draco ever saw Hermione without Ginny hanging around her was when she was in class, and when she was alone with him at night, studying. As much as it annoyed Draco, Hermione didn't seem to mind at all. She said Ginny's sudden attachment to her most likely had a lot to do with the argument they'd had before the attack, when Ginny had said some pretty horrible things to her. Draco thought that theory made a lot of sense, because it was the same one he'd had when Ginny had welcomed the other Hermione with open arms.

Draco and Hermione's relationship proceeded to be an interesting one. In the comfort of their own tower, they considered themselves to be a couple. However, they chose to keep their relationship a secret in public, just to be on the safe side. When they passed by each other in the hallways, they would not acknowledge each other. They would not speak to each other unless a class assignment required they do so. Occasionally, for fun, they would throw a glare each other's way during meals in the Great Hall, hoping that they wouldn't appear too fake to anyone who might have been watching them at the moment. Not even Hermione's friends knew of their relationship…until late one evening in mid-April, when Ron had stumbled upon them kissing in a secluded section of the library. The horrified and disgusted expression on his face had been priceless, but he hadn't looked surprised in the least. He had just rolled his eyes, groaned, and stomped off without saying a word, leaving both Draco and Hermione in a hysterical fit of laughter. Ron, of course, had gone right back to Ginny and Harry and told them. They didn't seem too surprised about it, either.

The rest of the year had played out remarkably well. Nothing seemed to pose a threat to Hermione. Draco wasn't sure if it was because of the protective spells Dumbledore had cooked up for her, or if it was because no one was interested in harming her anymore. He figured it was the former, rather than the latter – although he would have loved to believe that she was no longer a target to anyone. It was helpful that Blaise was no longer attending the school, though Draco was sure many of the Slytherins were still close with him and kept him well informed. But Hermione was right – as long as she was inside the castle, there was very little chance anyone could harm her. Especially with Draco around, since he had become her unofficial bodyguard. After she'd resumed her Head Girl duties, he'd kept a firm hold on her hand every night they patrolled the dark halls – a major improvement from the times he used to leave her alone in the dark. And most nights, he would make her sleep in his bedroom – he'd give her the bed, while he slept on the floor.

Every night, they would both fall asleep to the soft sound of the music box he had given her for Christmas.

They both worked extremely hard on their schoolwork for the remaining three months, and despite the fact they had been so far behind, they both managed to come out on top, as Valedictorian and Salutatorian of their class - Hermione, of course, being the Valedictorian. A few years ago, Draco hated her for being one rank above him in grades, but now he couldn't have been more proud of her. And just a few hours before, they had both received their diplomas, and were now official graduates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The ceremony had been long and boring – not that Draco had paid much attention to it, anyway. He'd been too busy sneaking glances at the Head Girl, who sat next to him, grinning from ear to ear. But despite the happy occasion, Draco was having a hard time mustering up any sort of happy feelings at all, because the very next day, Hermione would be leaving – going back to live as a Muggle, traveling to who-knows-where for who-knows-how-long. Sure, this was what Draco had thought he had wanted for her months ago, because it seemed like the safest choice. But now that she was actually going to be leaving, he was having a very difficult time dealing with the reality of it.

But there he was, hours after the graduation ceremony, acting as though he didn't have a care in the world – because if he didn't act that way, he probably would have gone insane.

The Hogwarts staff had arranged for a post-graduation party in the Room of Requirement that night that would stretch out until early the next morning. The room looked a lot different than it had three months before. It was now tripled in size, and full of the entire graduating class – Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs alike. There was a live band – one that Draco had never heard of before – located on a stage at the far end of the room, and some of the students were dancing, while others were either huddled in groups talking, or finding other ways to entertain themselves. Although alcoholic beverages had been strictly prohibited, many of the students (mostly Slytherins) had found a way around the rule, simply sneaking their own beverages in and disguising them as water. None of the professors caught on, because none of the professors were even there. Apparently, it was their gift to the graduating class: an unsupervised celebration.

As Draco watched Crabbe and Goyle – who were completely wasted – falling over each other and into other students repeatedly, he realized that their gift had been a really unwise one.

But perhaps not as unwise as Draco's choice to spend the evening hanging out at one of the tables with Hermione and her little group of friends, who couldn't have been any duller if they had been asleep. Of course, Draco wanted to spend as much time with Hermione as possible, but her friends were driving him absolutely nuts, discussing their big plans of becoming Aurors and what they were going to do over the summer, and blah blah blah. And of course, Hermione wanted to spend as much time as she could with her friends, because it would be the last time she'd be seeing them for a while.

Draco was practically falling asleep at the table, when Parvati Patil ran over to them, squealing, "A bunch of us are about to play spin-the-goblet! Who's in?"

Ginny's face lit up. "That sounds fantastic!" She turned to Hermione and grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Hermione, let's join!"

Draco's hand automatically shot out and grabbed Hermione's arm before she could get up and join Ginny. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to object," he said sternly.

Harry glanced at him from the other side of the table and nodded. "Me too," he said to Ginny. "The only boy you will be kissing tonight will be me."

He pulled her face down to his and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. She smiled briefly, and then pouted. "You guys are no fun. It's just a harmless game."

Draco sighed in annoyance. "Weaslette, what are you even doing here? You didn't graduate."

Ginny glared at him and said, "Excuse me, ferret, but my brother just graduated, not to mention my boyfriend and my best friend, so I have every right to be here. Besides, I was invited."

Draco smirked. "How wonderful for you. But that does not give you permission to whisk my girlfriend away to play kissing games with other boys."

Ginny giggled and turned to Hermione. "He just called you his girlfriend," she said in a singsong voice, playfully poking Hermione's arm.

Hermione blushed and smiled over at Draco. He hadn't meant to refer to her as his girlfriend, even though she very much was, and even though everyone at the table was aware that she was. But still, he usually tried to refrain from using the term, because it always made Ron groan miserably.

Ron groaned miserably. "Why must you insist on calling her that?"

"Because considering how much she and I make out, it would be weird to refer to her as anything else," Draco replied, very much enjoying watching Ron's complexion turn slightly green.

Now it was Harry's turn to groan. "Where's an obliviate memory spell when you need one? I'd really like to forget you just said that."

Hermione playfully punched Draco's arm. "He was joking, Harry."

Draco arched an eyebrow at her seductively. "I joke about a lot of things, Granger, but kissing you is not one of them." He reached out and took her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers.

Hermione grinned, squeezing his hand slightly.

As Ginny sat back down, and everyone quickly changed the subject, Draco glanced down at his watch. When he realized what time it was, he glanced up at Ginny and said, "Hey, Weaslette, would you mind if I borrowed your conjoined twin for a little while?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Very funny, ferret," she said wryly, but then blushed when she realized she had absentmindedly locked arms with Hermione just moments before. Quickly, she let go and shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. If she'd prefer to spend time with you."

Draco would have never admitted it out loud, but he thought Ginny's tendency to cling to Hermione was cute – and he could certainly relate. It was a protective thing, as if holding onto her in some way would keep her safe. And for that reason, it was hard to let go.

Hermione giggled. "Thanks, Gin."

Ron scowled. "So you would prefer to spend time with him!"

Draco reached over and tousled Ron's red locks. "No offense, Weasley, but I have something better to offer her than you guys do."

Hermione glanced at him curiously. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

"It's a surprise," he said, standing up from the table. He tugged at her arm, helping her up from her chair. Turning to everyone at the table, he said, "Don't worry, I'll get her back to you before the train ride tomorrow."

Ron grumbled, while Harry and Ginny just shrugged, trying to pretend like they didn't care. Hermione waved cheerfully to them as he quickly whisked her away.

She trailed behind him, struggling to keep up with him as he took quick, long strides. He headed straight out of the Room of Requirement and began to lead her down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Draco glanced back at her with a smirk. "Do you need a dictionary to define the word 'surprise' for you? Honestly, Granger."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Have I ever mentioned I don't like surprises?"

"Have I ever mentioned that I really don't care whether you do or not?"

"Why are you such a git?"

Draco stopped suddenly in his tracks – so suddenly, that Hermione had no time to slow down, and she ran right into him.

"Why don't you stop talking," he hissed in a mocking tone.

"Why don't you make me," she said teasingly; a hint of a smile played at her lips.

Draco stared down at those lips and suddenly felt the urge to kiss her. He grabbed onto her shoulders lightly and began to back her up against the stone wall until her back was flat against it. He wasted no time in capturing her lips with his, in a deep, intoxicating kiss that a few minutes later left them breathless when they parted.

Hermione giggled as he moved lower, placing soft kisses on her neck. "Is this your surprise? Seducing me in the hallway?"

"No," Draco replied, kissing her lips once again. "But I'm currently considering changing my plan."

"No way," she said, abruptly pushing him away. "You've got me too curious now."

Draco sighed. "Okay, fine. Let's go."

Grabbing her hand once again, he led her through the dark halls, with only the light on his wand to guide them. A few minutes later, they reached their destination, and they found themselves standing at the foot of a tall, winding staircase.

Hermione glanced up at him with an amused expression. "The Astronomy Tower? That's your surprise? Sorry to disappoint you, Malfoy, but I've already seen the Astronomy – many times, in fact. So it's not really going to be a surprise at all -"

"You're talking too much again," he said simply, pulling her up the stairs.

"Sorry," she mumbled, not sounding sorry in the least. In fact, he could have sworn he could hear her struggling to stifle a giggle.

When they finally made it to the top, he swung open the door and motioned for her to go inside.

The room looked as it always had – only darker. Hermione stepped inside and glanced all around, as if searching for something.

"So where is my surprise?" she asked. "Is there a puppy hiding in here somewhere?"

"I thought you were more of a cat person."

She gasped. "You got me a kitten?"

Draco ignored her teasing and grabbed her hand once again, leading her over to the tower's window.

She faltered a bit in her steps. "Wait…you're not going to make me jump out the window, are you?"

Draco arched an eyebrow. "So you do remember your dreams!"

"Just bits and pieces, really," she said. "But yes, I do remember the part where you made me jump. I'm still mad at you for that, you know."

"For crying out loud, Granger, it was just a dream. Get over it."

"Make me."

"You do realize that every time you say 'make me', I'm going to kiss you."

"That's what I was hoping for."

Seeing as though, judging from the darkness of the room, they still had some time left, he pulled her close and kissed her gently…sweetly…savoring every moment as though it were their last.

Hermione sighed as she laced her fingers through his hair. She pulled away from him slightly and whispered, "I really like your surprise."

He chuckled softly and briefly captured her lips again. "You're so easy to please. But this isn't your surprise. I can't give it to you yet."

She pouted as she buried her face in his chest. They held onto each other tightly, feeling the soft pounding of their hearts against their chests. Draco could have sworn at one point the beats matched, as if their hearts were perfectly in synch.

He sighed as he embraced her tightly, pulling her in as close to him as he could. He could smell the sweet, fruity scent of her hair, he could feel the soft curves of her body, and he could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed in deeply. He could have stayed like that forever. And he began to wonder how in hell he would be able to let her walk out of his life in the next few hours.

Suddenly, she stiffened against him. She lifted up her head to gaze up at him, and he noticed a slightly apprehensive look on her face.

"Draco," she said softly. "What are you doing?"

He glanced down at her curiously. "Right now? I'm enjoying the feel of your body up against mine." He smirked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't mean right now. I mean…after this. In less than ten hours, we'll be boarding the Hogwarts Express - and then what? Where are you going? What do you plan on doing?"

Draco sighed, releasing his hold on her. He'd been hoping she wouldn't ask that question. In fact, he'd been trying very hard not to ask it himself.

"I honestly have no idea," he replied softly. He moved away from her slightly and stared out the window at the world that was still dark, yet on the verge of light. "My whole life, I was so sure I'd grow up to be a Death Eater, like my father. It was pretty much a given that I would. But then he died, and suddenly I wasn't so interested in that prospect anymore. So now…now I have no idea what I'll do. To be honest, I really haven't given it all that much thought."

"Then come with me," Hermione blurted out.

He spun around to face her, not sure if he'd heard her correctly. "What?"

She took a step closer to him. "I've given this a lot of thought – three months worth, to be exact. At first, when I returned as Head Girl, I wasn't sure where things would lead to between you and me. I wasn't sure if it was just a momentary thing – something I would be able to give up in the end…or if it was something special – something I don't think I could live without for the rest of my life."

Draco's breath hitched in his throat. "And? Which did it turn out to be?"

"Well, I just asked you to come with me, didn't I? You figure it out." She smirked.

Draco let out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding. He ran a hand through his hair and began to pace. "You're asking me to go with you…to the Muggle world?"

"That's exactly what I'm asking," she replied with a nod. "Look, I know this is a long shot. I know how you feel about Muggles, and everything having to do with them, but I just know that if I didn't at least ask you, I would regret it for the rest of my life -"

"Yes," Draco said suddenly, the word popping out before he even realized he was going to say it.

Hermione blinked in shock. "Yes? You mean…"

Draco nodded. "Hermione, I spent two whole months this year knowing what it's like to live without you. And to be perfectly honest, I don't like it very much at all. And now that I have you back, the thought of never seeing you again, or never being able to touch or kiss you again…I don't like that, either. So if you're asking me to go with you – wherever – then my answer is yes."

Hermione brought a hand up to her mouth and stifled a squeal. "Really?" she asked, blinking back tears.

"Yes, really."

"Oh!" she cried, literally jumping into his arms and planting a kiss firmly on his lips. He picked her up and twirled her around, grinning like a fool the entire time.

"I'm so glad you said yes!" she exclaimed. "I already talked to my parents about it, just in case, and they agreed to let you stay at our house for the summer, until the fall when…well, when we go do whatever we decide to do. And I already -"

"Granger, be quiet," he demanded, suffocating her words with a kiss. She didn't seem to mind.

A few moments later, they broke apart. Draco glanced over at the window and realized that his surprise was almost ready.

"Come here," he said to her softly, leading her over to the large window. "Take a seat," he instructed her, motioning to the windowsill.

She obeyed, all the while glancing over at him curiously. "What are we doing?"

"We," he replied, sitting down next to her, "are going to watch the sunrise."

Hermione smiled. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"Our dream," he replied. "I was going to show you the sunrise, but we were pressed for time."

"Ah," she said, glancing out the window. She smiled. "I like this surprise."

Draco leaned up against the side of the window and stared at the horizon, which had lightened up considerably since they'd arrived up at the tower. The early hours of the morning were upon them.

They sat in silence, watching, waiting. As soon as the sky began to light up with deep hues of purple, blue and pink, Hermione gasped and said, "This is so beautiful. The view from here is amazing."

Draco nodded in agreement, glancing over at her as she stared ahead in awe. The sunrise was indeed beautiful, but it paled in comparison to the girl who was so enthralled by it.

"I know this isn't the most exciting surprise in the world," he said sheepishly. "I just needed you to see this. I knew you would appreciate it."

"I do," she said softly. "I appreciate it on so many levels." She glanced sideways at him and shook her head slightly. "What did I ever do to get so lucky?"

Draco almost snorted, but stopped himself. She thought she was lucky? He had just been asking himself the same question, regarding himself.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Granger."

She sighed happily. "And I love you, Malfoy."

"All of our similarities are really starting to creep me out," he murmured into her hair. "It's just not normal."

She giggled and gave him a quick kiss. "You'd better return me to my friends now, before they send out a search party."

Draco groaned. "Do you really need to see them again?"

"Of course I do!" she said, jumping down from the window. "And then after that, I'll need to pack. So will you. We don't want to miss our train ride home."

"You're right about that," he said, getting down from the window himself. "I really don't want to have to spend any more time in this place than I have to. I'm through with this school."

Hermione smirked and took his hand. "You know you're going to miss it when we're gone."

Draco snorted. "I highly doubt that."

Hand in hand, they walked over to the door. Glancing back at the window, Draco noticed that the colors in the sky had dimmed remarkably as the sky brightened instead to a pale blue, bringing in the new day.

A few minutes later he dropped her off with her friends, who had returned to the Gryffindor tower, and proceeded to head back to his own tower to begin packing. He was surprised to find Dumbledore waiting for him outside the portrait hole.

"Sir," he said, greeting him.

"Draco," the old man said pleasantly. "I was just having a pleasant conversation with Marius here. He was telling me what a pleasure it was being your portrait this year."

Draco narrowed his eyes at the knight. "You're kidding."

Marius laughed. "Oh, I am surely going to miss you, Mr. Malfoy. I have enjoyed our quips and banter back and forth. You have certainly been the most entertaining Head Boy in years. Although, I must say, I will miss the Head Girl just a little bit more."

Dumbledore smiled at Marius. He turned to Draco and said, "I wanted to let you know that I received some news last night, regarding the Death Eater that attacked Miss Granger."

That peaked Draco's interest. "What news?"

"He was found dead in his cell earlier yesterday," Dumbledore replied. "Apparently Azkaban was too much for him to handle. He obviously was one of the Dark Lord's weaker minions."

A wave of relief washed over Draco. He had been afraid Dumbledore was going to tell him that the Death Eater had escaped. "That's great news, sir."

Dumbledore nodded. "But I don't want this news giving anyone a false sense of security. Miss Granger is still planning on taking time off, correct?"

"Yes sir," Draco replied. "And I, uh…I'm going with her."

The old man's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that so? Well splendid – I am very happy to hear that. She will have a lot less to worry about, having you around to protect her."

"Yeah," Draco agreed. He glanced awkwardly at the portrait, then back to Dumbledore. "Well, I should go start packing…"

"Yes. Yes, indeed you should." Dumbledore extended his hand. "Goodbye, Mr. Malfoy. I wish you all the luck in the world."

"Thank you, sir," Draco said, shaking the Headmaster's hand firmly. And before he could stop himself, he hugged the old man – a very quick embrace, as he said, "Thank you for everything."

They both knew what Draco was thanking him for, which was for saving Hermione's life, and for keeping her safe. He would never forget that, and he vowed to someday find a proper way to repay him.

Dumbledore seemed touch by the gesture, but was nice enough not to acknowledge it as anything special. Instead, he just smiled, turned around and headed down the hall.

"Oh, I always knew you were all soft inside," Marius cooed from the portrait.

Draco glared at him. "Oh shut the hell up," he snapped. And one last time, he spoke the password. As he headed inside, he heard the sound of Marius chuckling softly.

Draco stood awkwardly a few feet away, watching as Hermione said her tearful goodbyes to her best friends. None of them were certain when they would see each other again, so it was really a heartbreaking scene to watch. The Weaslette had turned on the waterworks during the train ride, and had yet to shut them off. She clung to Hermione for dear life, muttering incoherantly. Ron stood stone-faced, trying not to show any emotions – but it was obvious to Draco that he was quite affected by Hermione's departure. Luna looked like her normal, spacey self, though perhaps a bit more solemn. And Harry…well, Harry looked like he was losing his best friend.

Draco had not viewed Harry as a threat to his relationship with Hermione at all since she had returned. He was beginning to wonder if those feelings he was so sure that Harry had had, perhaps had just been a figment of his imagination all along. He'd seemed closer to Ginny the past three months than he ever had before, and when Ginny wasn't clinging onto Hermione, she was attached to Harry's lips. And Draco never once detected any sort of romantic feelings from Hermione toward Harry at all during those three months. She had appeared to be completely over him – and Draco hoped he'd maybe had a little something to do with that.

He watched as the two of them hugged now, and he was envious of Harry. Hermione may have been Draco's girlfriend now, but he still had a ways to go before he was as close to her heart as Harry was. But that fact didn't bother him anymore. He had the rest of his life with her to get there, and he would. One day.

A finger suddenly tapped him lightly on his shoulder, breaking him out of his reverie. He spun around to find Pansy standing there, a sheepish look on her face.

"Pansy," he said, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. "Hey."

"Hi, Draco. I uh…" Her voice trailed off, as her eyes darted around the platform. She appeared to be nervous or uncomfortable. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that they hadn't spoken much in the last three months, ever since Hermione had returned.

She cleared her throat and stood up straight, as if trying desperately to work up the nerve to say what she wanted to say. "I heard that you were going away. W-with Hermione."

"Yes…" Draco said hesitantly, not sure how she even knew about that. News apparently traveled very quickly at Hogwarts.

"Well, I…I just wanted to say that…I hope everything goes well for you in life. And…and I just wanted to say that Hermione Granger is a lucky girl." She blushed and glanced down at the ground. "And you're a very lucky guy. I'd say you two are perfect for each other."

He noticed tears beginning to form in her eyes, and Draco couldn't help but have an overwhelming urge to hug the girl. He knew it must have taken a lot for her to come over to speak to him, and to say those words to him. He suddenly found himself having a lot of respect for Pansy Parkinson.

"Thank you, Pansy," he said, and he reached out and pulled her into a friendly embrace. "And I hope everything goes well for you in life, too."

Pansy sniffled as she pulled away. "I'll never forget you, Draco Malfoy." And with that, she kissed him gently on the cheek, and quickly jogged away to join her parents without looking back.

He felt the presence of someone standing behind him, and felt a small, smooth hand slip into his. Hermione leaned her head on his shoulder and stared over in Pansy's direction.

"Are you ready?" she asked him.

Draco quickly swallowed a lump that had begun to form in his throat. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Harry came over him with an extended hand. "Malfoy."

"Potter," he said, shaking the boy's hand.

"This is the part where I'm supposed to tell you to take good care of her, but something tells me that I don't need to."

Draco nodded. "Not to worry, Potter. She's in good hands."

"I know," Harry said simply. "I trust you."

Draco smirked. Harry Potter trusted him. Hell had officially frozen over.

"This, of course, doesn't mean that we're friends now or anything," Harry added.

"Oh, thank Merlin," Draco said, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Everyone around them chuckled.

Draco turned around to face the rest of Hermione's friends. "Weasel, Weaslette."

"We're not friends either, Malfoy," Ron said. "Ouch! Ginny, what the hell?"

Ginny, who had just pinched her brother's arm, stuck out her tongue at him, and then turned to Draco. "Malfoy, I honestly can't think of anyone I'd rather have Hermione travel the world with. Take care of her – and yourself." And to his surprise, she walked over to him and gave him a quick hug.

"Now leave – the both of you! Get out of our sights!" she said in a teasing voice, though the tears continued to flow.

Hermione grinned and hugged each and every one of her friends once more before returning to Draco and taking his hand. "Let's go."

Her parents were waiting for them on the other side of Platform 9¾ - the Muggle side. When the Grangers saw them, they immediately beamed and waved at them excitedly.

"My mother is so thrilled you're coming to stay with us," Hermione informed him as they made their way over to her parents. "I think she has a bit of a crush on you."

Draco chuckled. He continued to watch as her parents eagerly awaited their arrival, and he felt a pang of regret. He'd never experienced such a warm welcome from a parent figure before. His own parents used to send servants to pick him up at the platform, instead of coming themselves. And his mother hadn't even shown up at the graduation ceremony the day before – perhaps she'd been too drunk to remember. Or perhaps, she just wasn't interested. Either way, Draco took it as a sign that she really didn't care, so instead of telling her about his plans in person, he sent her a note by owl. All it said was that he would be leaving for a long time, and he might never be coming back. He did not mention Hermione, he did not mention traveling the world. He had simply written that he was leaving, and then signed his name.

But it certainly looked as though the Grangers had enough parental love to go around. Needless to say, it would be an interesting summer.

And surprisingly enough, Draco couldn't wait to experience it.