Must Be Hell Freezing Over

MUST BE HELL FREEZING OVER

EPILOGUE

Hermione was extremely, completely, and utterly bored. Trying not to yawn, she idly flipped another page of the seemingly innocent book, Hogwarts: A History.

It was the last week of classes which meant it was her last week at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It had been a very- interesting year, she decided; very eventful, but also fulfilling.

Stifling another yawn, Hermione began to think about the future as she often had in those last few days.

She and Draco would be moving in together in a flat near Hogsmeade. There they'd carve out there future together and begin to plan their wedding, which wouldn't take place for at least another year; she was, after all, only seventeen. And no matter what Wizard Law said or how much she loved Draco she simply wasn't ready for that leap of faith.

Frowning slightly as she recalled that she was in fact engaged, Hermione thought, not for the first time, about how impulsive and sudden everything had happened. One day she and Draco hated each other and then the next they were betrothed. Her frown turned into a silly grin; impulsive and sudden described Draco down to the tee.

She could still remember everyone's faces when they saw her and Draco together after that night in the Infirmary. The shock stamped on their foreheads as they realized she had accepted Draco, their engagement, and that they were very much in love.

A small laugh threatened to escape her when she remembered Harry and Ron threatening to castrate poor Draco, and then their scandalized faces when she told them that they'd better not since her mum wanted grandkids.

She'd be taking Draco to meet her parents for the first week of the summer, and to say she was worried about the impression he'd make would be quite the understatement. She loved Draco dearly, but she was not blinded to his faults. She knew he was a bloody pain in the arse; it was one of the things she loved most about him. She also was aware that Draco could muck up a perfectly good conversation like no other.

And then there was the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Granger were still in the dark when it came to Hermione's engaged status. If nothing else, she had to console herself, it would be a very interesting visit.

Smiling fondly at that prospect, Hermione looked down to skim the page she had randomly flipped to. She was about to turn the page when her hand stilled. A certain paragraph seemed to jump out at her, causing her eyes to widen in astonishment.

'In a school as old as Hogwarts... magical entanglements... interesting tale between a male professor and a seventh year female student...harmless herb that was only undone when they proclaimed there love for another, breaking the seal with another kiss; the contract made between them underneath the mistletoe was then declared void...'

Hermione mentally slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead.

Of course, her mind raged. Magical entanglements, chapter six in Hogwarts: A History, page 75, fifth paragraph! How could I have been so stupid!

She knew that book better than the back of her hand, and yet, she didn't even bother to check it when she was trying to undo the situation she was now so comfortably situated in.

Looking up from her book and across the table, Hermione studied Draco, who was bent over a last minute make-up essay, in a new light. A fond, loving smile slowly stretched out across her face.

I guess I should consider myself lucky that I never thought to check in here, she admitted to herself, allowing the pages of the book to fall over. She looked down and found herself staring at the title page, and the words scribbled there.

'Come to the Transfiguration classroom again, tonight at midnight. I will, once again, be awaiting your arrival.

~Draco Malfoy'

And then she realized something. She never did find out what Draco had been doing in the Transfiguration room at midnight, going through her book.

She looked up from the book again to address this matter to Draco. "Hey, Malfoy, what did you mean 'waiting for you'?"

Draco Malfoy looked up from predicting his death by a huge boulder falling on just his head and focused his eyes on Hermione. He looked blank for a second, but then slightly dropped his eyes to rest on the note scrawled in her book.

A sheepish grin crawled across his face and his eyes shifted guiltily. "Well, err, some of the, uh, other Slytherins and I had a little bet going," he cautiously began.

Hermione raised a suspicious brow. "About what?"

Draco visibly swallowed. "About how long it would take for you to notice that your Hogwarts: A History book was still in the Transfiguration room. We, uh, snuck out of the Common Room to wait for you to come and get it, but once the other's allotted time went by, they, uh, just left."

An amused smile lit up her face. "And?"

Again, Draco looked blank. "And what?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Did you win?"

Draco looked at her a moment before a dazzling, charismatic grin stole across his features, the earlier wariness behind him. "As a matter of fact I did. I had you down for midnight, arriving in a skimpy ruby red night negligee."

His grin only widened at her blush.

"I had to borrow it from Lavender," she said by way of explanation. "I gave Dobby my night clothes earlier that day so he could make a special gift for Winky."

Draco snorted dubiously. "Sure you did," he allowed.

Hermione resisted the urge to fling her book at his maddeningly grinning face. "I did!" she proclaimed.

"Well," he began in his characteristic drawl. "I certainly hope you didn't give it back."

Her eyes narrowed at the implication. "Of course I did," she huffed.

Draco gave a mock sigh of disappointment. "That's too bad; do you think she'd let you borrow it?" He sounded desperate.

She tried; she really did, not to laugh at his hopeful eyes. "Draco, you're a pig, do you know that?"

He gave a laugh. "Of course I do, you tell me quite frequently."

Hermione felt the smile tugging insistently at her lips. "You're insufferable," she announced airily.

"That's right, dear, I'm that, too. You love me anyway," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I do, do I?" she asked.

Draco gave a nod. "That's right, you can hardly keep your hands off of me," he puffed out his chest in arrogance.

The smile finally won and Hermione grinned widely. "You complete, utter wanker."

Draco gave a similar smile. "You dreadful, know-it-all bore."

Never taking her eyes away from his she said next, "I love you."

Draco grinned stupidly; no matter how many times she said that she loved him, he never got tired of hearing it and, he realized, he never would.

He continued to hold her gaze, returning those three little, but very important, words with a slight twist for good measure. "And I love you, more than you'll ever know."