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The Inner Peace	By : Katay Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 16048 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
A/N: So I didn�t realize
I was leaving you all on such a cliff � good heavens perhaps I should have left
a bungee cord?

Chapter 23:

Hermione felt like she was drifting on the open sea. She
couldn�t make out anything due to her closed eyes, but the warmth she felt
seemed like the sun as she rocked on the waves. As the rhythm continued, she
reluctantly regained consciousness, the floating feeling slowly slipping away
as she felt a mattress beneath her and warm blankets covering her.

She attempted to open her eyes but felt them bound shut and
frowned. She moved to sit up, but whimpered at the effort and sunk back down
quickly. Everything in her body hurt, now that she paid attention to it. A
voice nearby snorted and she wiggled her fingers in the direction of the sound.
She heard an �oomph� and grinned.

A familiar voice said, �Really V,
was that necessary?� She sensed her father�s presence and recognized Lucius
Malfoy�s as well.

�Yes it was. Tell Lucius not to laugh without a warning; I
might have passed out again due to shock. Now explain to me why I can�t open my
eyes and why I feel like I got hit by a bloody train.� She felt a shock of
remembrance run through her and before anyone could answer her first statement,
she questioned, �Is everyone ok? Who did we lose? Who�s missing? How�s Harry?
Where�s Draco? � Oh my god Father, I didn�t �?� She
was working herself into a frenzy.

She felt a soothing hand cover hers and a calm reply of, �No,
darling you didn�t. You will be fine; you were hit by a conjunctivitis curse
which has caused you to lose your sight for a fair amount of time. Madame Pomfrey also said that the assortment of hexes and curses you
had been subjected to overtaxed your pain tolerance, and you should be resting
the next few months.� She huffed at him and he grinned.

�Aaaand?�

�And what dear?� He dodged a slap, �Fine.
Harry will recover, but lost a lot of strength due to the Dark Lord�s death. The
Ministry is having a field day with the Death Eaters and Draco left your side
for the first time a little bit ago to take your mother up to bed. You were out
for,� he paused,� about three days, 5 hours, 10 minutes, and 57 seconds to be
exact.�

She growled at him slightly and he laughed, �I�m � we�re
dealing with the Ministry. We�re doing well, V. You�d be proud of what the
Order and we have accomplished.�

She nodded, �And you and mother made it out ok?�

She heard him sigh slightly, �I did just fine. Your mother
is not the witch she used to be and she was hit during the fight by the Longbottom boy.� He growled and Hermione waited, �the boy
cast a Crucio on her, but was interrupted when a
stray spell hit him and he fell.�

She sighed and nodded, then yawned, �I think I need a naa�� She drifted back into the comfortable floating
feeling.

She awoke a few hours later, the same darkness surrounding
her. Her eyes were freed now, but the darkness didn�t change. She sensed Draco�s
presence next to her, but judged him to be asleep by his deep and even
breathing. She was so thankful that he, her family, Harry, had made it out
alive; but there were so many others that she didn�t know anything about. She
wondered about Tonks and Lupin
or Moody and the Weasleys. She cursed herself for
being so weak and stuck in a bed unable to see. If only she could move around
and make herself useful. A thought slipped into her active mind, You know darling, it wouldn�t hurt to just be
cared for, for a few days at least. It would save me a lot of worrying. What
you did was so stupid! Why on earth would you ever jump in front of me like
that V?!

She heard Draco rustling around next to her and felt his
hands caressing her damp cheeks. She hadn�t realised
she was crying. You honestly don�t know?
I couldn�t let you go like that Draco! I didn�t even think. It was one moment I
was watching it all happen, letting you fight and the next I was intercepting
something I knew might kill you.

A cold hand clutched her wrist tightly and she heard a
something akin to a hiss comeout of his mouth, But you could have died too! V, I couldn�t have
done it without you, and I�m touched that you care enough about me to jump in
front of an unknown curse, but I would. Not. Have. Lived.
If you had died that night.

She ran her hand softly over his own
cheeks, trying to memorize their texture and outline. She felt his body quiver
and the wetness on his own cheeks. Draco, I think �care� is a bit of a mis-nomer. He stiffened. I more than care. Dammit
I love you, you prat. I wouldn�t have been out of my
mind with worry the whole battle if I only �cared!� Can�t you see that?! And we
thought I was the blind one.

He gave a dry chuckle, You love me?

How can you even ask?
Everything I did was so we could be together. I pulled you and your father away
in an elaborate scheme that did not have to happen. I knew he meant more to you
than the world. I know I can�t compete with many of the other gorgeous witches
out there, but Draco I love you more than life, magic, hell even my books.
She turned her face towards his own and searched with her hands, guiding his
lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

Your
books, huh. I guess that means
that if I told you, that you make my world spin on a� different axis, I would have no foundation
without you in my life, and I love you from the bottom of my very screwed up
heart, that you wouldn�t hit me?

She nibbled his lip lightly and thought back, No, I doubt that I would hit you if you were
to say that.

He licked her lips and thought, Well good to know then, glad I asked.

She giggled and smacked his hand lightly, You git!

They sat there, in the darkness, thinking over how the
battle had gone and who the war had claimed. All of the Weasleys
had come out unscathed, except for Ginny, who had been found outside of the
Ministry raving like a lunatic about �bat-bogeys� and a �stark white room.�

Hermione had a feeling the boys took some of her muggle forms of torture to heart. Ginny Weasley
was institutionalized and would be for a long time.

The Order had lost few of its older members; most of its
casualties were younger recruits who had not been ready. Most of the Death
Eaters had been rounded up, but there were still rumors of vagabonds leaving
the country to settle and seethe in far-away lands. Hermione wasn�t too worried
about them quite yet. She knew that in time, they would be brought to justice,
whether human or natural, it didn�t really matter.

The two stayed up until the sun rose, Draco sharing thoughts
of the beautiful sunset, until Hermione could almost see it through his eyes.

Two months later showed a still mostly blind V, cane in
hand, making her way to the Minister�s office. She was a well-known figure in
the Ministry and most knew to stay out of her way for fear of a sharp tap with
her walking cane. Rumors were that Lucius Malfoy, her fiancee�s
father, had taught her the use of a cane himself. Somehow, they mused, she
always manages to know where we are.

She burst into the Minister�s office, barely nodding to the
smirking Undersecretary Susan Bones, and said in a deathly calm voice, �What in
Hecate�s name do you think you�re doing Kingsley?! I will not stand for it! You�ve
heard my testimony and Harry�s for each and every one of the rebel Death Eater�s
that you plan on �questioning.� They. Are. Innocent.�

The Minister stood and attempted to interrupt, �Miss Lestrange, ��

�Don�t you even try that on me! I
saved your arse Shacklebolt;
don�t make me regret it. Without them you wouldn�t even be alive! Give up the
mad hunt and let us be at peace! Pay some of this attention to the new bills
being passed in the Wizengamut each day. Get the
people to participate!� She paused to catch her breath and calm her swirling
hair.

She heard the Minister sigh and respond quietly, �Alright �Mi.
I�ll stop the aurors today.�

She bowed her head slightly and walked back out the door,
saying loudly, �Stop smirking Malfoy or you get no dinner from me!� She heard
Kingsley�s deep booming laugh and walked back to the Apparition Hall.

A few hours later, she was swaying to the music, working in
her study by dictating a new idea to her quill and parchment, when she felt two
strong arms encircle her waist. She grinned and turned her face up for a kiss.

She felt Draco frown slightly, �How do you always bloody
know?�

She giggled, �Because your right shoe squeaks slightly and
you tap your fingers when you are waiting to talk.�

He snorted and replied, �Hmm, I�ll have to look into that. What
are you working on now, love?� He pulled her into a light dance step, following
the classical music that flowed through the room.

�Nothing really, just a few sketches of ideas.� She laid her
head on his shoulder and let him lead her completely, him knowing that it was
practically her� biggest show of faith,
letting him lead her. �I heard you were successful at the Ministry today after
I left you with the Minister. Susan flooed me up
after I got home and gave me a summary,� she said in respose
to his raised eyebrows. She rambled, �Did you hear that Susan is taking up with
Blaise? And apparently Luna and Harry have been seen out
in public, in a few rather intimate positions. I always thought her lightness
would ease him up a little. Not that I approve, mind you, but there you are. Oh!
The Weasley�s invited us over to supper on Saturday, I think Molly�s taken a bit of a shine to you and
your father. Probably think you�re underfed. Oh and darling did I mention I�m
pregnant? Now, what would you like for me to whip up for tonight? It�s just you
and me.�

Her only response was a loud thump as Draco hit the floor in
a dead faint.

A/N: Gotta love her. Oh well, the last chapter will be up
tomorrow! I�m not sure if I�ll spread it into a 2-part epilogue or not, but it�s
not likely. �However, I have loved taking
you all through this story with me and appreciate everyone who has been so kind
to me in their reviews � you all truly made it worth writing.
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The Inner Peace