Love's Enemy Rising

Moving Day

Hermione

Sliding off Draco's lap and pulling my robes closed, I look to see who opened the door. Ginny is standing there with her arms folded looking so much like her mother it is scary.

"And just what are you doing? Did you forget where you are?" The resemblance to Molly is staggering. Even Draco cowers next to me.

"We just..." I have no answers. Ginny stares us down for a second longer and then she breaks. She folds over in laughter and relief floods through me.

"You should have seen your faces," she chokes out.

"Well, you looked just like your mother," says Draco. That shuts her up.

"Take that back," she says looking offended.

"No way, Ginny. You could have been your mother's twin," I say, jumping into the fray.

"How could you say that, Hermione?" gasps Ginny, holding her hand to her chest in mock fury.

"You started it when you interrupted my kiss," I tell her.

"Please, that was way more than a kiss. If I had been any later you would have to take a pregnancy test." Both Draco and I blush a vibrant crimson. 

"Point taken. Come have a seat, Ginny," says Draco, motioning to the seat across from us.

We spend the rest of the train ride chatting happily about the future. Ginny was contacted by the Quidditch League and she is headed to meet Harry in London and then they are going to tryouts for the professional teams.  Draco was accepted into the Healer Training  program and starts next week. I am set to start work at the Ministry as a curse breaker on Monday. 

The sky around us steadily darkens as we sail through the wild landscapes. By the time the train pulls into King's Crossing, the clouds are streaked with the orange and red of sunset. The station is crowded with milling students greeting their families. I can't help but think that this is the last time I will be on the Hogwarts Express. Draco notices my hesitation to leave and wraps a comforting arm around my waist.

"Are you okay?" he asks quietly.

"I just can't believe we are really done. This is the last time we will be here, on this train," I explain.

"I know. But think of all of the brand new adventures that are coming our way. We have a whole life ahead of us. School was just the beginning," he says, kissing my temple and pulling me against his side. 

"I know. You're right. It's just a strange feeling knowing we will never be back."

"Yeah, but one day we will he dropping our kids off to go to Hogwarts," says Draco.

I just reach up to kiss him in answer before we follow Ginny off the train. With a flash of red hair, she throws herself into Harry's arms. He buries his face in her hair, holding her close. It is a sweet scene and only made more so because I can't imagine being away from my love for so long. 

We follow them away from the train to a less crowded area to catch up. Harry tells us about work while never once releasing Ginny. By the time we are ready to go, the platform is nearly empty. We say our goodbyes and watch Harry and Ginny dissapperate.

"Are you ready?" asks Draco, weaving an arm around my waist. 

"Absolutely," I say, leaning into him. We spin in place and I let Draco lead me to our new home. I have never been there before. He made all the arrangements before we even got out of school.

Draco

I can't wait to show Hermione our new place. We appear on the doorstep, her clutching my side and I fumble with the keys, suddenly nervous. When i finally manage to open the door, i can feel her smile before I look down to see it.