Hermione's POV:

After a long train ride, we finally arrived at the platform, platform 9 ¾ that is!

Well, the ride wasn't necessarily long in the way I was bored, it just took a while, and I was excited to see Molly and Arthur!

We had talked and played games for the entire ride, laughing at each other's answers or lack thereof.

I step off the train with my trunks and look around.

"Home," I breathe, taking in every little detail. The exact angle the light hit the bricks, the way the wheels of the train fit perfectly into the rails. Everything was...amazing. It was breathtaking.

"Not quite yet," Draco mutters from beside me. I awkwardly scoot a bit away from him, knowing that he wanted to only be friends.

But what about me? I scream silently. What about what I want?

"Kids!" Molly rushes over and gives Ginny, Ron, Harry, Neville, Lavender, Luna and I a big, motherly hug. She looks over at our Slytherin friends, who awkwardly stand to the side.

"Come now, you're family too!" She beckons them over. Astoria and Pansy beam and rush over, enjoying the comfort of Molly's arms.

"Mrs. Weasley," The boys chorus, each taking their turn to kneel and kiss her hand.

Molly scoffs. "No need to be formal now, dears." She gives them a hug too, and Arthur joins us.

"Papa!" Harry, Ginny, Ron and I yell together. We run over to him and crush him in our arms. Even if Molly and Arthur weren't my biological parents, they were still the people who had raised me throughout my years in Hogwarts.

In my eyes, they were my parents.

"Kids!" Aruthur exclaims, moving to hug all of us.

"Now, I've cooked everything at home so let's get going!" Molly ushers us over to Arthur's flying car, fit with an extension charm to fit all fourteen of us.

"YES! I'm starving!" Ron yips happily, rubbing his stomach.

Lavender looks at him from the sides of her eyes. "You just ate not ten minutes ago!"

Ron nods. "Exactly!"

I laugh and leap into the car, right between Astoria and Theo. "This...is going to be interesting."
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"Whoa..." Pansy says under her breath. "It's so..." She furrows her eyebrow, looking for the right word.

The Burrow, now proudly rebuilt, stood tall and wide. It was about twice the size it was last time, so the size of an average home in America. It looked just as it did last time, perfectly imperfect.

Molly flushes a bit. "I know it's not much, but it's-"

"Wonderful!" Astoria exclaims. Molly turns to her in surprise. "It's absolutely wonderful! It's so...homey!"

Arthur laughs. "That's right. It's homey. Welcome all, to...The Burrow!" He opens the door to reveal a large dining table with a lot of places set.

"Come now, eat. Eat!" Molly shoves us all into chairs and starts to serve us.

Molly starts plopping the potatoes on everybody's plates, and the Slytherins all look confused.

"Oh!" Theo gasps. "Why thank you Missus but I can-"

"Theo!" Pansy elbows him and smiles up at Molly as she puts a scoop of mashed potatoes onto her plate. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley!"

Molly smiles at her. "Of course dear, not used to this are you?"

"Used to...er...what, Mrs.?" Blaise asks as she turns to him.

"Getting served by your mother," Ginny explains.

"Mum always does it." Harry adds.

"Makes it feel more special!" I giggle.

She picks up a steaming plate of chicken, piled up high. She uses a pair of tongs to place one on all of our plates. I yip with glee as she serves me before she serves Ron.

"Mum!" Ron whines, already digging into his potatoes. Lavender frowns at him and wipes at his mouth with a napkin, removing some gravy.

"Now Ronald, they are our guests!" She scolds him, putting some chicken onto Draco's plate.

Ron just pouts and continues to eat his potatoes.

"Molly!" Arthur calls from another room.

"Coming, dear!" She calls back. She looks at us apologetically. "Sorry dears, I should probably go help him." She scurries out of the room, leaving the feast she prepared on the table.

I smile and reach for the green beans, but Harry looks at me in the eye.

"Oh no you don't!" He too lunges for the green beans.

I grab one side of the plate as he grabs the other, and Ginny moves to help Harry. "Hey!" I whine. "Two against one isn't fair!"

She yanks the plate out from my grasp and I hiss. I thought she was my best friend!

Ginny just giggles and piles the green beans onto her plate.

"Pass me the salt please," Luna asks. She motions to the salt dispenser next to me.

I pass the salt to Lavender, who then hands it to Luna. She places a generous amount on her potatoes, stirs it in, and shrugs as she takes a bite.

I stare in awe. How can she eat that without wincing!

I pile some more food onto my plate and dig in. I first take a bite of the chicken, still steaming hot, juicy, and flavourful. I let out a small moan as I chew. "Delicious."

Ron, who has already eaten through six pieces of chicken, bites into another.

"Ronald, you and chicken is still a better love story than 'Twilight'." I sigh.

He looks at me confused. "If till a be'fr ub ori un oot?"

"Gross, chew don't talk!" Ginny gags, though it might have been real with her pregnancy.

Lavender sighs. "What am I going to do with him?"

"Fix him, hopefully," Theo mutters.

We all burst into laughter, enjoying each other's company. Though right now, I wasn't so sure if I was enjoying a certain person's company.
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"Alright so the sleeping situation," Ginny sits half way up on the stairs, staring into the mass of people in front of her.

"I'm staying with you again, right?" I ask her.

She huffs. "Obviously, and Harry is still with Ron. Lavender, Astoria and Pansy, you three will be in Fleur's old room. Theo, Draco and Blaise will be in Percy's old room. Neville join those two idiots." She points over to Harry and Ron, who both have their wands sticking out of their ears.

They both pout. "No I'm not!" They chorus.

I huff. "It's pretty obvious you are!" I point to the wands sticking out of their ears.

I follow Ginny up to her room and start unpacking with Luna as she goes to show the other girls where they'd be staying.

"It's awfully nice for Molly and Arutur to let us all stay." Luna comments, placing some of her shoes into the closet.

"It is. And we'll stay at the manor in a couple of days!" I sigh.

"And you'll be getting married to me." A cool voice calls from the doorway. I quickly spin around and see Draco casually leaning against the door frame.

I jump back and throw something over my head accidentally.

"Would you like to go on a walk?" Draco asks.

Meaning, "We need to talk." I huff.

Standing up, I brush some dirt off my skirt. "Of course."

He offers me a hand and pulls me up, dragging me through the door and into the gardens. The sweet scent of flowers wafts through the air, and it creates an almost...romantic setting.

"Well," Draco clears his throat.

"What?" I ask, bored. I walk along with him, dreading his next words more and more with every step I take.

"We ah..." He stops briefly, and I turn to look at him. "We're getting married."

"That's for stating the obvious," I mutter blatantly.

He frowns. "Are you not...nervous?"

I snort. "Why would I be."

He shifts uncomfortably. "Because we'll magically be tied together...forever. Until we die."

"And?" I ask, staring into the distance, arms crossed over my chest, and my hair whipping wildly in the wind.

"And well...." He trails off.

"And you only want to be friends so we'll just be friends who just happen to have kids with each other and just happen to be married." I seeth, letting my calm personna fall away, just to reveal my anger and annoyance.

Draco moves closer to me, but I back away. "Hermione I-"

"Don't," I warn him, shutting my eyes tight and holding up an accusing finger at him. "I let myself feel something for you, and that's my own fault. I'm sorry for being such a bother."

I turn on my heel, and once again, I run.

I run away from him, away from The Burrow, away from all my problems.

This has got to stop, I tell myself, leaping over a log expertly. Running has become almost routine.
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Draco's POV:

I just stand there like an idiot, watching after Hermione as she ran away.

"I let myself feel something for you, and that's my own fault. I'm sorry for being such a bother."

But she wasn't actually. She was the most wonderful girl I had ever met.

She always had some sort of comeback, whether it be a fact or something she came up with on the spot. We could go at it with each other for hours on end, and I would never be bored. Academically, we were the top two in the whole school, even when we were in our younger years. She was beautiful, far more beautiful than anybody I had ever met. Her eyes shone with such passion when she spoke about something she cared for, it was contagious.

"What are you doing there, standing like a bloody idiot?" A harsh and feminine voice calls.

I look over my shoulder and see Ginny, who's baby bump was now just barely showing.

"Hermione..." I whisper, turning back around to stare at the direction she ran off too.

"What about her?" Ginny replies coolly.

"She said...'I let myself feel something for you, and that's my own fault. I'm sorry for being such a bother.'..." I remember the exact way the words flowed from her lips, the way her eyes shone with hurt and tears.

Did I do that? I ask myself. Why would I do that?

Ginny's eyes widen, and she covers her mouth in shock. "Look Malfoy, you're only going to ever get a few chances with that girl. Chase after her," She walks towards me, threateningly. "Or I'll have your head."

I gulp and take a nervous step back, tripping over the small, innocent blades of grass.

"I hear you," I assure her. "Loud and clear."

Ignoring her venomous glare, I run after Hermione, looking for signs of something that could possibly tell me where she went.

I stumble upon a ring, the ring I gave her for her birthday.

She never takes it off...I wonder. I curse under my breath. How could I be so stupid? How could I let the girl I love-

Love?

Did I love Hermione Granger, Golden Girl and war heroine?

No, I shake my head, dismissing the thought. I pocket the ring, and continue to run forward. I'm just getting married to her so I feel something...yeah...that's it.

I stop when I hear sobbing coming from my right. I turn around and see Hermione, sitting all alone on a log by a small stream. She sobs into her hands, so she doesn't see me coming.

I silently sit down next to her and I wrap my arms around her. She recoils at my touch, and I swear a small part of me died when she did that.

"I think...." I admit to her. "I think I feel something too."