A Chance is All One Needs

Part One: A Chance is All One Needs

Hermione Granger sat up in her four-poster bed and swung her legs off to the side. She slowly stretched her arms over her head. With a heavy sigh, she read the time on her clock to be ten in the evening. Hermione lifted herself out of bed and walked over to her standing mirror.

"Considering I only slept an hour, I feel rested. My hair always seems to get three times worse once my head hits the pillow," she voiced her frustration with her unruly brown hair, a black scrunchy from her vanity was the weapon of choice against it. After pulling her hair into a ponytail at the nape of her neck, she looked again at the mirror. Hermione was not a frilly girl; occasionally, she wore a maroon silk slip nightgown but tonight she wore her favorite nightwear, a pair of comfy hip-hugging black sweatpants and her favorite shirt made of stretchy cotton material with spaghetti straps. Between the low-riding pants and the cropped shirt, her lean stomach showed itself off very nicely.

Many mornings the Head Boy complained about her choice in sleepwear. She wasn't sure why he truly hated the outfit. He said it was the color of the shirt--ok, it was dark green, no big deal. She figured either it was really the display of her navel in front of him or it wasn't sexy enough for his taste. Either way, he never said what he truly disliked about it. Nothing of a romantic nature had ever happened between them; she just didn't see him like that, but she loved to make him uncomfortable when she wore this outfit. It was also one sure way of clearing Ron from their shared living area throughout the year. He would always blush; then state that he needed to get ready for class and leave the room rather quickly.

On her well-used desk, she saw the wide black shoebox she'd placed there earlier before she turned in for bed. Hermione strolled over to the desk to grab the box and then headed for the private living room. These rooms had been her home for a year and she was truly going to miss them--actually, she was going to miss everything about Hogwarts. Earlier that morning, Hermione had graduated with her friends of the past seven years. It was her last year at Hogwarts and her last night in this castle, but she hoped to come back some day in the future.

She sat her body down on the soft red rug on the floor in front of the fireplace; with a quick flick of her wand, a fire started and she felt the warmth start to surround her. The top of the cardboard box came off with a swift movement. The it held a few of her keepsakes from her seventh year, the first item she pulled out of the box was a folded newspaper clipping from last June, a couple weeks after she had left Hogwarts. Her heart started to tighten as she opened to read it for the hundredth time since its publication:

FUDGE MURDERED, PRISONERS ESCAPED,

Yesterday afternoon, our Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge went to Azkaban Fortress to conduct his monthly rounds to check on the security measures placed in and around the prison. The Minister personally checked on several different prisoners, the last being Lucius Malfoy, sentenced to ten years for his role in Voldemort's return, at which time it was discovered that he had been an active Death Eater since the Dark Lord's first reign of terror. During a conversation, Malfoy managed to obtain the Minister's wand and with it used the Unforgivable killing Curse on him.

After slaying the Minister, Malfoy killed the few Aurors near his cell, freed the other known Death Eater and then he approached a select dozen inmates for recruitment. His offer was of lifetime service to his lord or instant death; only three people turned him down. The escaped prisoners' whereabouts are currently unknown.

The Assistant Minister of Magic, Barnabas Collins, is already stepping into the position of Minister of Magic for the time being. He states," I know this comes as a great shock to all, but we need to remain calm in this situation. My heart goes out to the families of the fallen Aurors. Also, the three prisoners who died by Lucius Malfoy's hand were pardoned and their families have their honor back, as their debt has been repaid to the highest degree.

"Now, everyone needs to keep their eyes and ears open for evidence of any of the escaped prisoners. Their names, ages and descriptions will be in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. If you do see any of them, please inform the Ministry at once. Do not attempt to capture these very dangerous men and women, as we assume they are already armed and dangerous. I will be meeting with foreign leaders, as well as the muggle Prime Minster, later this afternoon."

Hermione refolded the slightly faded clipping and placed it back into the box. The public had finally started to deal with the fact Voldemort was back and had grieved for their murdered Minister of Magic. Barnabas Collins exceeded Fudge in most ways; not only had he proven he was wise and levelheaded, but he was obviously not out to keep the public happy yet naïve. Their safety was his first concern; he did not turn a blind eye to the things going on in the world, instead putting policies and procedures in place for the public and the Ministry itself in case of attack. People respected him a great deal. After a meeting (shortly after the prison escape) with all Ministry department heads, he had been officially named Minister of Magic. Mr. Weasley had been appointed Assistant Minister of Magic.

The Ministry and the Order of the Phoenix started to work together hand-in-hand. Most of the hush-hush spy business was still up to the Order, but the new Minister and his assistant were kept aware of everything. Death Eater-related incidents had begun occurring throughout the country, but they had been small with no heavy death tolls. In each case, it was not a question of who had done it... but rather why? Even the Order's insiders saw no rhyme or reasons for the deaths, thefts, abductions, etc.

Voldemort's planners were within a new, tight inner circle around him and the Order had no way to get the information from there, as even Professor Snape wasn't high up enough in Voldemort's ranks. Dumbledore had one hope for a connection to the pulse of the Death Eaters: Draco Malfoy.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron (whose mother completely objected) all had become members of the Order first thing that summer. Dumbledore had asked Hermione to join McGonagall at Hogwarts during the summer to get the school ready for a brand new year and to do whatever was needed for the Order at the castle. After two final weeks at the Dursley's, Harry had left for good and began staying at Grimmauld Place with Ron and the rest of the Order. Hermione had moved into her new Head Girl dorms at the castle two days after Harry came back.

Hermione had seen Draco Malfoy a few times that summer inside the halls of Hogwarts, usually as he walked down the dungeons to Professor Snape's office. The Order had found out that Narcissa had moved to one of the family's private villas, located in Sweden; Draco had stayed at the manor alone during the summer holiday. Lucius Malfoy had not been seen that summer since his breakout; many had assumed that he was hiding out at the manor, even though it had been raided many times both before and after his escape, with no clues as to his location afterwards. His own son did not know where to find him.

Only a select few members of the Order knew that Draco Malfoy had turned to Dumbledore's side at the end of his sixth year. Since most people thought Lucius was with his son, many Death Eaters not in Voldemort's inner circle came to him for help. Draco came periodically to Hogwarts to pass along any information that came his way to Snape. When he and Hermione saw each other, Draco never said anything to her. He gave a simple nod of the head to acknowledge her and she would return it... sometimes with a slight smile.

Hermione still sat on the floor with the box on her lap. Then she pulled out a long green ribbon and, while weaving it in between her fingers, closed her eyes and thought back to the night before the rest of the students had arrived back at Hogwarts. She'd dropped off some supplies for Snape from Professor Sprout...

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As she put the supplies down on his black lab desk and attached a note, she heard a noise come from Snape's office.

She called out, "Are you all right, Professor?"

However, no answer came.

Hermione gently pushed the wooden door open a little bit more, but did not see anyone in the room. As she turned to leave, she heard a barely recognizable sound of breathing. She walked around Snape's desk and found Draco Malfoy on the floor in front of the fireplace.

He seemed unconscious, with a trace of Floo Powder on his black cloak. His arms clutched around his stomach, and Hermione noticed that the area around his entire left eye had started to turn a purple hue. Her assessment was that he must have arrived by the Floo Network; then collapsed on the stone floor. She shook him by his shoulders but he did not respond. As Hermione didn't know how bad his injuries were, she decided that it was too risky to move him down or to call Madam Pomfrey. There were only two men that could help the younger Malfoy.

With a handful of Floo Powder thrown in, she leaned into the fireplace and shouted, "Headmaster's office." Her head looked into the room, then she spoke, "Professor Dumbledore, are you there?"

The Headmaster appeared from around a sidewall of his office. His gentle smile appeared and he spoke, "Yes, my dear child, I am here. What ..."

She interrupted him. "Sir, please come here immediately. I am in Professor's Snape's office," She saw Snape come into view behind Dumbledore with a confused look on his face. Hermione decided to use Draco's code name just in case anyone else was there and continued, "Silverfox is here and badly hurt."

The Headmaster nodded and her head pulled back out of the fireplace. A minute later when her head had stopped spinning, both professors entered Snape's office; Dumbledore stopped short when he saw Draco Malfoy on the floor next to Hermione. Both looked surprised and concerned to see the young man on the floor.

Snape pointed his wand at one of the stone walls, revealing a hallway that appeared to lead to his private rooms. He muttered, "We'll use the first guest room to the right." He levitated Malfoy into the air and both professors followed his body into the room.

Dumbledore turned to Hermione before entering. "Please wait right outside the office door. Professor Snape is going to need some supplies. If anyone comes in, please tell him or her that we will get back to them later. Do not mention what you found, or who else is in this room with us." He stepped into the guestroom and closed the door behind him. Hermione walked into the hallway and stood by the door to await instructions.

After about ten minutes, Professor Snape came out of the room and handed her a list; she went to the potion storeroom and brought back to the office everything requested, as well as some other things she thought they might need.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," Snape intoned, "please come with me," and walked back into the guestroom. He conjured up a table next to the bed, "Place everything here and go get some towels from the bathroom." Hermione placed the necessities on the metal table. Before heading in the direction he had pointed out for the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy's body on the bed. His clothes had been removed, and he lay still with a white blanket covering him up to just above his hips.

Dumbledore said, "I want to be informed the moment young Mr. Malfoy wakes. I know I am leaving him in good hands." He gave her a wink and left the room.

Snape remarked, "Miss Granger, I could use some help here." She went to stand next to him as he muttered some spells to heal the cuts and abrasions. "All of the wounds are now taken care of, though is still temperature is dangerously high and needs to be manually lowered. I need to go to my office.... I am sure you are quite capable of doing this uncomplicated task. Simply wipe down Mr. Malfoy's face, arms, and chest with cold water until you get his temperature lowered," he instructed her and left the room to go to his office.

"Yes, Professor Pain-in-the-Arse," muttered Hermione under her breath as she sat on the soft bed next to the pale Slytherin. She took his temperature with her wand, as she had learned from Madam Pomfrey over the summer. She was extremely worried about him but refused to let her emotions get in the way of things, so she started to wipe him down, noticing his well-defined physique as she moved the cold damp cloth in her hand. His lean build and hard muscles ...

"Hermione, pull yourself together. The guy is on his sick bed and you're thinking about his hot body. You need to get out more, girl," she chastised herself.

While she wiped down his left arm, Hermione noticed the Dark Mark. She had never seen one up close before, and she mentally compared it to the one she'd seen on Snape when he'd revealed his to Fudge after Voldemort's true return. The symbol was a very dark black.

"I wonder when he got this," she whispered while she ever so lightly traced the outline with her fingers. It gave her chills at first, but she understood that he had to have it to be a double-agent like Professor Snape; the knowledge and information that the two men provided helped their side tremendously. As she worked, she decided to talk to Draco aloud, as she had once heard that talking to people in comas helped bring them around. Therefore, that might work for him as well. She talked about the new things she had learned from the different professors during the summer holiday, as he lay there still unconscious.

Hermione rose from the bedside to rinse out the bowl and wash out the white terry cloth towel in the small bathroom adjacent to the guestroom. With the bowl half-filled with more ice-cold water, Hermione re-entered back into the room and placed the bowl on the table by the bed, noticing as she did so that there was also a green ribbon with some blood on it laid there. She found herself compelled to touch it. This ribbon held his hair back somewhat when he arrived; it was soft as silk except for where the few small spots of blood stiffened it. She placed the ribbon in her pocket and resumed wiping him down with the fresh cold water.

Malfoy's temperature finally broke after an hour's worth of her work. She began reading out loud to him from a book she'd found on a shelf in the room. Snape came in about an hour later and stopped to lean on the doorframe as he commented on the scene.

"Miss Granger, it is not necessary to read to him as though he were a child... though perhaps he might wake just to tell you to shut up."

Why thank you, snarky bastard

. She shrugged her shoulders at his comment. Snape stalked across the room to the bed and said, "I shall stay here with him for the remainder of the night or until he wakes."

"That's not necessary, Professor. I'm still quite awake and I'm comfortable here. I would prefer to stay, sir.... since I'd just be awake and worried up in my room, I might as well make myself useful here," she stated as she rose from the bed to stand before him.

After a few moments of silence, Professor Snape gave his decision with a raised eyebrow, "Very well. I shall be lying down in the room across from this one with the door open. You are to wake me the moment Mr. Malfoy wakes up. You are not to ask any questions of him, just come and get me immediately. Do you understand?"

She tried her best not to look overly pleased that he was letting her stay and only replied, "I understand completely." With this said her snarky professor and his billowing black robes left the room.

Four more hours passed, as Hermione remained seated next to the young man on the bed. Somewhere during that time, she ended up with her hand holding his hand as she read to him. When he awoke at five am and gently squeezed her hand, she was startled but happy. He had a sly smile on his face, but his eyes were still closed.

She spoke softly to him, "Don't try to move; I have to go tell Snape that you're awake, if I don't he'll have my head." His smile grew and he gave her hand a hard squeeze before releasing it. Hermione's body felt a lot lighter and her heart felt very relieved.

She left and came back into the room with Snape, who instructed, "Call Dumbledore from my room, and stay put in there until I come back for you." Hermione quickly went to call Dumbledore to tell him Malfoy had awakened. After she delivered the message, she sat in Snape's black leather chair by the fire to wait for an update. Due to the chair's being so comfortable and her having stayed up all night, she fell asleep there. She awoke around one o'clock in the afternoon and found Snape at his desk in his office. She asked, "Sir how is Malfoy?"

Professor Snape looked up at her and then went back to writing. "Mr. Malfoy is just a little sore, but he will be fine. He is on the train back to Hogwarts, as though nothing happened. And as far as everyone else is concerned, nothing did happened."

After a minute, she found the nerve to ask, "What did happen, sir?"

A long silence followed, after which he raised his head to stare at her, probably hoping this would make her back down. She decided to clarify her previous question, "I don't need to know any secrets or the gory details, but a brief summary... something... anything."

The professor leaned back into his chair and folded his hands together. "Mr. Malfoy's father finally made an appearance to him at the manor last night. Lucius wanted to remind his son about being a proper Malfoy at school and to not let him down. He also made it a point that he was very disappointed in Draco for not being made Head Boy and allowing a Weasley to receive the honor instead.

"Thank you for your helpful services last night. Now, go get something to eat from the kitchens and get ready for the students' arrival tonight."

Hermione left the dark dungeons, ate a snack in the kitchens, and went to her Head Girl's room for a quick shower. When she arrived in her room, she found a small note from Draco Malfoy.

Granger,

Thanks.... Oh, by the way, you have my word I won't tell Professor Snape you called him Professor Pain-In-the-Arse.

DM

Her breath caught in her chest. "He heard me say that. Oh Merlin, I hope he missed the comment about him having a hot body." She flung herself back upon the bed and hid her eyes with her arm. Then a smile appeared on her mouth that matched the one he had given when he had awoken.

In the days that followed, Malfoy acted like nothing had happened. He did not acknowledge her in the halls as much as he had when they'd been the only students in the castle. But he would show a smile from time to time when he seemed to think it was safe.

Being Head Girl, Hermione found herself quite busy; she managed to spend some time with Ron, but he tended to be most focused on being the best at Quidditch team captain and Head Boy. He mentioned after he received the letter, that he didn't want to screw it up; he worked harder on his studies, really trying hard to figure things out before he asked for her help. She was very impressed by his new attitude toward schoolwork, but also felt lonelier as a result.

Hermione and Harry spent some time talking right after meals, but he also seemed very busy. Harry now trained one-on-one with the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher two nights a week, plus Quidditch practices on top of that. When he wasn't doing either of those, Harry studied with Ginny. They actually made a good study pair, as she had a knack for being able to tell when he needed a study break, during which they go for a short walk on the castle grounds or grab a bite to eat in the kitchens.

Ginny had mentioned once that Harry gave the best foot rubs while she read. They made a nice couple, though Harry made it very clear that he didn't want to take it to a more romantic level yet since he was concerned about the whole Voldemort thing. At first he'd refused to have any girlfriend at all because she would be a target, but Ginny had reminded him that she'd already been a target of Tom once, and said that no one could be more understanding about the whole situation than she could. Which the girl had a point.

Hermione had to study in her own room or in the library; Ron studied a lot now also, but he talked to himself when he had to work through a concept or memorize a spell and this drove her nuts. Often, she would end up by herself in the library. Malfoy sometimes came in but did not sit next to her, only close enough for her to feel his presence, and somehow soothed her heart. He hadn't had his two thugs around since the beginning of their sixth year; they now hung around Pansy Parkinson and became her cronies.

He seemed to have withdrawn himself from the other Slytherins; the only time she noticed him talking with them was during meals or before class started. The rest of the time she saw him he was alone, either with his nose in a book or writing notes. She wondered if he was as lonely as she was.

One night before Halloween, after a few hours of study time in the library with Malfoy near her, she remembered that she had once found a spell to make two separate pieces of paper communicate with each other. As soon as one person would write or draw something, the other parchment would automatically reveal it. She decided to enlist Mrs. Weasley's help and asked her to send two matching non-magical journals, perfectly plain set of journals with two quills to match; Mrs. Weasley did not ask any questions and said that she was happy to help.

After receiving them, Hermione enchanted the journals to only be able to communicate with the companion journal, and saw to it that only the designated owner could use their special quill to make an entry. For anyone else using the quills or journals, they would simply write like normal journals. She also made sure that the pages would only show what was actually written to the owner of the journal so that if Ron or a random Slytherin happened to pick up either journal, all they would see would be false journal entries. Only Malfoy or herself could simply touch any page to reveal the true contents.

Before a Prefect meeting, she planted one of the journals under Malfoy's usual seat. Afterwards as he got up to leave, she spoke, "Malfoy, you dropped something."

He bent down to pick it up and saw his name on it. With a raised eyebrow he said, "Thanks." and shoved it into his school bag.

Malfoy was not totally open to the idea at first but after laying down a ground rule of no bringing up Death Eaters or his family, he rather liked the idea of having private conversations with someone who possessed intelligence matching his own. They wrote back and forth about professors, Quidditch, and who was going to get the highest grades on tests or homework assignments. Sometimes one would write an entry just to vent feelings, after which the other would write back with understanding, advice, comfort, or a witty comment.

From time to time, Draco doodled in his journal. He possessed a lot of artistic talent and would draw birds, scenery, shapes, and especially roses. He'd draw quick little versions of a single rose in the corners whenever he wrote. When Hermione asked him why, he replied that they had been the first thing he'd learned he could draw well, so whenever he needed to concentrate or found his mind was wandering, he found he unconsciously drew them.

Hermione noticed she'd write lyrics of the songs that were stuck in her head. Sometimes she'd write quotes from books that she'd suddenly remember. There were times he'd ask where they were from if curiosity got to him, but usually he didn't mention it. Neither saw the journals as an obligation to write; they seemed more like an escape from the daily life. If one of them didn't write for days, not a word would be said about it.

Hermione's favorite time for writing happened to be when they would be a desk or two apart in the library and carrying on conversations through the journals. He'd make his arrogant, typical-Draco Malfoy statements and she'd write down her witty comebacks. Once after about an hour's worth of funny insults and putdowns, they were cracking up so hard that Madame Pince approached each separately and threaten to throw them out, if they could not control themselves.

Since it was her last year there, Hermione decided to stay at Hogwarts that Christmas. The fact that Harry, Ron and Draco were also staying for the holidays helped her make the decision, and she knew her parents would understand her sentimental reasoning. On Christmas morning, a school owl delivered a box wrapped in brown paper with a small hand-drawn rose as the signature; Ron and Harry spent several minutes going through a list of possible suspects but got nowhere near the true identity of the sender. Draco had given her two old books--What is the deal with everyone getting me books? Well, I guess it makes me all that much easier to shop for. They were a leather-bound first-edition copy of Moste Potente Potions, and the hardbound copy of her favorite musical, Camelot. I guess he figures I liked it since I kept writing the lyrics throughout the journal. She anonymously sent Draco a black sketchbook with his monogram in silver on the back. It was enchanted so that when the artist tapped their complete sketch with their wand, it would be projected on to the wall in front of them.

The 'relationship' they shared made their year go by much easier. Draco stayed the serious student all through the year; they become each other's competition in the educational aspects of Hogwarts (though no one else knew just how smart Draco was except his professors and Hermione) and they would compare assignment grades from their shared classes in journal entries. She noticed that he spoke up more in the few classes they shared, though it was usually to give more specific details to an answer that Hermione had just finished giving. Once in Transfigurations they had a heated debate over the practical uses of transfiguring colors of an object. The debate got so bad that Professor McGonagall stated that she would not allow them to waste any more class time, and told them to write their arguments in essay form and to turn them into her by that Friday.

She knew of the things happening in the world outside Hogwarts, but that was a forbidden subject in the personal getaways of their journals. Deep within, Hermione knew that as a spy Draco had to do things any other Death Eater was expected to do; his personal demons had to be just as bad as Snape's. She realized how much it must have been killing him to take part in the vile goings-on. She could tell when he had been to one of their revels; it was usually the first Saturday night of the month and he wouldn't write the next day, only read what she wrote and make little doodles along the margin.

It pained her to know that he was hurting and that she couldn't go to him. Hermione often wanted to go to Draco's room and simply hold him while telling him everything was going to be ok, yet she had to be strong for his sake. She knew she couldn't let her concern about his spy work show in the journal, so she would write things to get his mind off the activities from the night before. When she couldn't find those words; she let the songs that filled her mind flow into the journal, hopefully into his heart. Neither spoke of love, yet they knew it was there; if another could have read their entries, they would have see between the lines and known something was going on between the pair.

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Hermione pulled out her purple journal out from the cardboard box. She flipped through the journal and came across the magical rose he had drawn for her on Valentine's Day. The rose would start off as a bud then slowly open till it was in full bloom, at which point the process would start again. While the rose was full, a single droplet of water laid on an outer petal; she knew that it symbolized a tear. He had never written directly of love or his feelings for her, but he had spoke of them between the lines in his entries and through drawings...

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When spring arrived with the warm weather, Hermione decided to take her studies for NEWTs down by the lake to her favorite spot down by the lake, where she alternated between the shade from a tree and the smooth surface of a large flagstone rock. One day after last class, she pulled her Arithmacy book out of her bag and began to settle down with it before she noticed something new on the stone underneath. She lifted her book to reveal a painted white rose on the stone. Smiling, she gently traced the outline of the rose with her fingers; she knew this rose and the artist well.

Gradually, the smile transformed into a slight frown. Her heart felt like a weight in her chest as she came upon a realization, and decided to express it with the rose. She pulled out a quill with ink and wrote above the beautiful rose 'Against All Reasons' and below 'There Stands a Chance.' She then put her tools and books away and pulled her knees up to her chest to stare over the lake.

Hermione spent the rest of the day contemplating when they might get their chance.

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Hermione found herself brought back to the present; it was her last night at Hogwarts and they still had not gotten their chance. They all had officially graduated and were considered fully trained witches and wizards. That wasn't too reassuring now as the next day would change their lives forever.... She shook her head to stop that train of thought, she wasn't thinking of that now. Instead she opened the parchment she had received from the ceremony earlier that day. She couldn't help but smile at the first few lines:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Class of 1998

Head Boy:

Ronald Weasley (Gryffindor Quidditch Captain)

Head Girl:

Hermione Granger (highest number of OWLs and NEWTs in fifty years)

Valedictorian

: Draco Malfoy (Slytherin Prefect)

Hermione felt so proud of all of them. It may have taken her years to get her best friends to study, but she was glad they both came around in the end. All three of them worked very hard, and Ron finally had become the person he wanted to be as well as Head Boy and Quidditch Captain; now once he realized he wanted something that bad enough, he did anything he could to achieve his goal.

When class valedictorian Draco Malfoy stood at the podium to give his speech to the crowded Great Hall, the room silenced immediately. Professor Snape looked like a proud papa; not only did the Slytherin House have the valedictorian, but also the House Cup for the first time in six years by five points. Professor McGonagall was equally pleased that Gryffindor held both Head Boy and Head Girl as well as the Quidditch Cup.

Hermione could not remember Draco's entire speech. The speech was simply beautiful and masterfully written; he spoke of a time of change, chances, and of the unknown future. Avoiding details, he let the audience conclude which chances and future he meant, as he no doubt knew he had to please both sides of the war: he couldn't proclaim right there on the stage against Voldemort and the Death Eaters, but neither would he push Voldemort's values and ideals. She almost thought the speech might be about their 'chance' at a relationship and their 'future'. But only the speaker knew the real thought behind it.

She scanned down the paper and laughed when she got to some of the lines at the bottom.

Next Minister of Magic-Anthony Goldstein (Ravenclaw)

Most told her she was a close second; she figured it was because she was muggle-born. Oh well, I wouldn't want the job anyway. They can keep the fame and glory, thank you very much.

Most Changed- Neville Longbottom (Gryffindor)

Yes, he certainly was- he'd gone from a boy most had suspected to be a squib to the first picked to go into Auror training. Neville was fast with his wand that year, second only to Harry. He was also the quiet know-it-all of the class, second only to her.

Hermione started laughing when she when it suddenly occurred to her how much Goyle had changed too. It was due to the fact sometime in the sixth year he had announced he was in love-- with Crabbe. Then he'd used an irreversible spell to turn himself into a girl. The only thing uglier than Goyle as a guy, as it turned out, was Goyle as a girl. Professor Snape had been so pissed off, he'd actually been speechless. It had been a hilarious sight, with the head of Slytherin House regarding Goyle with shock, rage, and disgust all at once on his face. She was glad Colin had gotten a picture of that for their common room bulletin board.

Most Likely to Succeed -Hermione Granger (Gryffindor)

She had many choices on what to do with her future-- two universities had assured her a full scholarship, and the ministry had offered her an apprenticeship to the department head of her choice. Dumbledore had even hinted that she would be the first person he would contact for the next open professor position.

Most likely to be featured in a Witch Weekly Scandal-Pansy Parkinson (Slytherin)

There was no doubt about that; she had slept with tons of boys from all four houses, her only standard having been that the guys had to already have a girlfriend as she preferred the excitement of being the other woman. As a result of that, she'd also spent more time in the hospital wing than all the Quidditch players from all four houses put together, recovering from hexes from furious girlfriends.

Most Likely to Play Professional Quidditch-Harry Potter (Gryffindor)

Her best friend was a natural at it. He'd managed to catch allbut three of the snitches in his seven years of being Seeker, and already had three offers from professional teams who'd wanted him right then and there before the year had even begun. He'd told them he would let them know as soon as the war was over, due to the fact he wasn't sure if he'd....

She placed the flyer from the ceremony in her keepsake box. Hermione then muttered a spell to shrink all her packed belongings, and placed them in a small denim purse hanging on her bedroom door. The clock near her four-poster bed read twelve a.m. She rubbed her neck as she proceeded into the living area, glad she'd taken that nap before dinner as it had been a painfully long day.

The Order's sources had told Dumbledore right after the leaving feast that Voldemort was going to start the last battle of the war by attacking Hogwarts at dawn. Dumbledore had called a meeting right before that to inform the prefects as well as Ron, Harry, and her. Harry seemed a little shaky but determined; he'd place a kiss on her check and said he was going to stay in the Headmaster's office, which was now the Headquarters within Hogwarts.

Ron had told him that he was going to come back later to check on him, that he would be right there for him, Head Boy or no-- he was a best friend first. Hermione was proud of how Ron had taken all of this; he may have been the 'sidekick' of The Boy Who Lived, but he could be a leader when he needed to be.

She helped the headmaster place the security wards on all the entrances into the castle and from the towers' tops, and the Heads of all four houses were told to send all DA members (Hermione was now glad they'd continued it) fifth year and up down to the Great Hall. With the professors flanking him, Dumbledore relayed the news to the gathered students in order to prepare them for the events they were about to go through. The plan was that any DA members willing and able to fight would be allowed on the back lines on the school grounds; all other DA members not outside would be stationed throughout the castle.

All members had received a special device with which to alert the Order if they saw any trouble-- it was slightly bigger than a galleon with the thickness of a heavy cracker and dark blue with the letters DA on it. Besides acting as a locator for other students, one could alert Headquarters with it by breaking the device and someone would be there very shortly. Hermione herself had created those devices and had hid them for the past eighteen months in Dumbledore's office; only the highest-ranking members of the DA known about them. She had prudently made enough for all of the student body, fearing an invasion upon the castle such as they were now facing.

The remainder of the students, largely unaware what the dawn might bring, had been given hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies with a sleeping potion in them. The Slytherin common room received more tempting goodies of butterbeer and brownies to ensure they were in a sedated slumber. The sleeping children were then brought together and relocated to a very heavily guarded, second and secret Room of Requirement. Only the Heads of houses, Madam Pomfrey, and those in the Order of the Phoenix knew its location. Hermione had helped to prepare the room over the summer with emergency supplies and enough cots for the entire student body. Professor McGonagall had been stationed there and kept watch within the room. The student would not be woken until everything was clear.

All students deciding to fight outside were to sign up with the Head Boy, Head Girl, any Prefect or any professor. It was understood that they could later change their mind, and that is was considered no less brave to be stationed on the inside than it was to be on the outside. In any case, they all were to stay in the Great Hall until the younger students had been taken care of, after which the house elves provided them with pumpkin juice and sandwiches while they mingled and conferred with the professors. The Ministry already arrives with their Aurors, who were patrolling around the castle, the grounds and the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione settled herself into the warm red lounge in the Head Students' living room. She wondered what Draco was doing tonight; he had written yesterday that he wouldn't be able to write on this day, giving no reasons why. She hadn't seen him since the graduation ceremony had ended, after which he had quickly followed Professor Snape out of the Great Hall. He'd given her a fleeting glance as he walked out and their eyes had held each other's only for a few seconds which seemed like an eternity and yet still not long enough. Their eyes had said all the things they had not spoken.

She wanted him to hold her and tell her he was going to make it back. She wanted him to speak what his heart felt.

Hermione was very worried about what tomorrow-- no, it was past midnight-- what today might bring. Tears started to roll down her checks but she made no effort to stop them. She tucked her cold feet under her and leaned over the arm of the furniture. Hermione refused to think about the fact Draco might not survive this war-- instead, she let herself ruminate on things she had forbidden herself to think of since their relationship started. Her mind went through all the things she had not said to him, all the things she had not done with him.

She and Draco balanced each other out, and she could never exchange sarcastic comments with her two best friends the way she did with Draco. Who was going to challenge her mind, if he never came back? Nothing else made her face light up like the sight of him in the room.

Draco made her feel special by ... well, just by the little things, like the comments he would never make to anyone else. He'd shared his insecurities with her--before this year, she'd thought the arrogant prat never would've had any doubts about himself. Then there were also the touching things he did without words to show her how he thought of her and cared about her. That rock by the lake-- she would have to speak to Dumbledore about taking it with her. Hermione often found herself outside to just see that white rose. How can I go on living knowing I may never hold or kiss the man I love with all my heart?

Her body shook with the heavy sobs she had held in for so many months. Hermione felt as though every bit of her strength had left her body. She needed to calm herself down because this was getting her nowhere, so she spoke aloud to herself, "Granger, pull yourself together. You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. You need to be brave for your sake and Draco's."

She was so swept up in the grief that clenched her heart that she did not hear a noise come from inside her bedroom. As her hands reached up to dry the tear lines on her face, a firm hand stopped them. She closed her eyes and made a silent prayer that it was him with her now; not just her imagination playing a cruel joke on her. The she felt her head being raised by a warm hand lifting her chin. "Hermione, open your eyes," his voice huskily requested as he called her by her name for the first time.

She opened her eyes to immediately see her only love kneeling in front of her. His silver orbs looked deeply into her chocolate ones and she felt him reach her very soul by his deep gaze. Draco's pale hand moved to caress her soft cheek. She nuzzled her face into his soft hand and brought her own hand up to hold it in place. She could hardly believe Draco Malfoy was finally with her tonight.

He still wore the clothes he had had on for the graduation, his gray silk dress shirt and black slacks. The sight of him on his knees in front of her took her breath away. Her Quidditch-bodied companion looked incredibly sexy. The expression in his eyes spoke of compassion and love, and this sent a surge of heat through her body.

His trademark smirk appeared on his lips as she looked at him, knowing how good he looked to her. He was still arrogant, but that was now one of the many reasons she loved him.

Draco maneuvered himself next to her on the red lounger. His arms snaked their way around her body and pulled her close against him. She placed her hands on the silky material, feeling his heart beating quickly under his shirt. He ran his long thin fingers through her curly locks as she rested her head on his chest, as

Hermione could have stayed there in Draco's arms forever. The sound of his heart sounded like a lullaby made only for her. She wanted to take in every detail of being in his arms; the smell of his expensive cologne, the warmth his body gave off, the soft hum that came from him to sooth her and the perfect way their bodies fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle interlocked together.

When he leaned back slightly from her, she lifted her head off his chest to look at him. Draco moved his hand to the back of her neck and whispered, as he pulled her forward, "This is my last chance."

With this statement, he captured her mouth with his. The feel of his soft thin lips against her own was heavenly to say the least. He pulled his lips off hers only a little, just to recapture them, again and again, leaving her craving more. Hermione felt a slight moan escape from the back of her throat as he began deepening the kisses. This seemed to encourage him and his hold on her tightened. She could tell he was making an effort to vary his kisses from soft and gentle, to hard and demanding, to light and tender again.

Moments later, they pulled apart breathlessly. His hand slowly ran up and down her side as they silently held each other and looked out her window to the starry sky.

Suddenly, Draco pulled himself out of her arms. His face was drawn with pain as he grasped his left forearm. Oh no, he's being summoned. She saw the pain in his face start to subside; they said nothing to each other, as though in such a fragile moment one word might shatter the magic of the night. He rose from the lounger and offered his hands to her to help her up.

Once on her feet, he gave Hermione a mischievous smile and bent over to pick her up into his arms. He carried her back into her bedroom and laid her down on her bed. She started to speak but he silenced her with a single finger to her lips, taking her hand and holding it in his, as he had done upon awaking, after his father's attack upon him. He raised her hand to his lips and delicately placed a kiss on her hand, whispering, "My love."

With that, he turned around, swung his cloak over his shoulders, and walked over to the fireplace. Without looking back, he threw the powder into it and spoke, "Professor Snape's private office." With a flash of green flames, Draco Malfoy left behind Hermione's warmth and love to address the cold future unknown.

Hermione sadly watched him disappear. She let out a heavy sigh and wrapped her arms around herself on the cozy bed. In her mind, she replayed the short time period that they were together and cherished it. As she turned over to face away from the fireplace, she heard a small clink from beside her head. She lifted her head and found a small silver box next to her.

She lifted the lid of the box to reveal a round silver pendant on a long chain. On the front, his white rose was engraved; she turned it over to read the inscription, 'Against All Reasons-- There stands a Chance.' She pulled the chain over her head, letting the pendant fall to right above her bosom. She spoke in a soft tone, with a slight smile, "A chance is all one needs."