Author's Chapter Notes:
Hermione and Draco sit for their NEWTs and meet with McGonagall one last time.
Chapter 35: The End of the School Year

Draco and Hermione were lying on the bed, experiencing the warm afterglow of their snogging session. Hermione was amazed at all the ways Draco was able to make her feel incredible without technically having intercourse. She smiled ruefully. If Draco only knew that his excellent love-making skills were actually making it completely unnecessary for her to make love to him, he’d probably kick himself.

Draco leaned over and hugged her, burying his face in her neck. He rose up on one elbow and brushed the hair out of her face. “I love you, Hermione,” he said gently.

Hermione smiled at Draco and kissed him softly. “Oh Draco, you know I’m mad about you, but, being in love, well, it’s so complicated.” She paused. “I thought I loved Ron and look what happened there. It was over almost as soon as it started. I’m not sure I know what love is.”

“Great, trust Hermione Granger to overanalyze her feelings,” Draco grumbled, good naturedly. “Do you want to know what I think?” He rolled over onto his back. “I think you and Ron waited too long. You were best friends for years and when you first felt the spark of something more, you were too young, or in the Weasel’s case too stupid, to know what it was. So you stayed friends and buried your feelings until they faded back into friendship. And then, when you finally tried to make it something more, it was too late.”

“Very insightful, Ferret.” Hermione smiled. Then her smile faded. “It’s hard to know what to do when you met your soul mate at age eleven.”

“Do you still think he’s the one?” Draco asked, concerned.

“No, not that way. He’ll always be important to me and I’ll always love him, but as a friend, I think.”

“I’d feel better if you were more certain of that. I feel as though I’ve been competing with him all year for you. If you still feel he might be ‘the one,’ after everything that’s happened, well, I might just start to give up hope.”

“Don’t give up hope.” Hermione smiled again and rolled over to hug Draco. “I fancy you like mad, but you are Draco Malfoy, reformed Death Eater. Besides, it hasn’t been all year. I’m sure you hated me for the first three months.”

“Love, hate, I felt strongly, one way or the other.” Hermione rolled her eyes at him. He continued, “And I’m fine with the status quo. But you must come study in Paris. No one needs to know we are together. Eventually, you’ll be willing to admit we’re in a relationship, and many years after that, people will figure out that if you love me, I can’t be a completely evil asshole.”

“No, just a regular old asshole,” Hermione pointed out. “But they may also simply decide that I’m mental.” Hermione smiled.




The next day, Hermione found the following note magically tacked upon her door:

There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.

--- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

“Very poetic, Draco,” Hermione said when she saw Draco lounging on the sofa. “Did you get that from Muggle Studies?”

“It’s the story of your life. It fits you and the Weasel perfectly, don’t you think? And here we are, the floodgates are open, and you’ve got the chance to find fortune.”

“With you,” Hermione said sarcastically.

“Me, Paris, the whole package.” Draco smiled, gesturing with his arms open wide. Hermione smiled as she sat on Draco’s lap and kissed him. “You know that WUP is the best university in Europe,” Draco continued when they stopped kissing. “And you are bloody brilliant. It would be completely insane for you not to go to WUP, regardless of our relationship, secret or not.”

“You’re right – I can’t argue with you on these points. But it’s so far away from my family and friends.”

“You keep saying that, but you are a witch, Hermione. You can Apparate anywhere in Europe in an instant.”

“True…”

“And I’ll be there and I’m your friend.”

“Well, we could have an ugly breakup and then you’d never speak to me again.”

“By that time, you’ll have made lots of friends at WUP.”

“So, you have our breakup planned?”

“My plan right now consists of two things. One, get you into my bed.” He smiled, so she knew he was kidding. “And two, convince you to go public with our relationship. I have no plans to ever breakup with you.”

“Give me a bit more time to think about it. I’m ninety percent convinced about Paris.”

“Ninety percent is good,” Draco said. After a moment, he said, “I have news: my mother has bought a large flat in Paris. She’s going to live there while I’m at school.”

“That’s nice for you,” Hermione said.

“If we asked, I’m sure she’d set up a room for you there, too.”

“But I want to live in the dorms,” Hermione said. “I thought you did, too.”

“Oh, I do plan on living in the dorms,” Draco said. “But it’s nice to have someplace private to escape to every once in a while, if you know what I mean.”

“Draco, I don’t imagine I’ll be comfortable, well, getting off with you in your mum’s flat.”

“Did I tell you that my mother travels a good proportion of the year?” Draco waggled his eyebrows.

“You are impossible!”

“That may be.” Draco laughed. “But you’re gonna love it, I guarantee.”

And with that, Draco provided Hermione with a sample of what fun they could have in Narcissa Malfoy’s flat, when she was away.




The next ten days were filled with last minute revising for NEWT exams and sitting for the tests themselves. Hermione panicked about every exam, while Draco put up with her tantrums with the patience of a saint.

“I can’t do this,” Hermione lamented on the night before her final exam, History of Magic. She had sat for both Arithmancy and Astronomy that day and was exhausted. “There are so many dates to remember, I just can’t go on.”

Arithmancy had been Draco’s last exam, but rather than celebrate down in Slytherin with his friends, he was waiting, in support of Hermione. “Hermione, why don’t you just rest now? You have swotted enough already. We’ve spent an entire year revising this material. You don’t even need to pass this course for either UWL or WUP, and you can earn an Acceptable in your sleep.”

“You know I want to earn nine Outstandings,” Hermione said.

“That’s mental and you know it. If the best university in Europe doesn’t expect that of you, you should not put that sort of pressure on yourself. Come here.” Draco pulled Hermione away from the desk and over to the sofa in front of the hearth. “Let’s just sit here for a while. Soon we’ll be leaving this place, you know, and I want to enjoy having you all to myself for just a few more days.”

Hermione smiled and snuggled up against Draco. “When are you leaving for Paris? Will you move straight away with your mum?”

“No, first I have to spend some time at the Manor. There is still so much repair work to be done. I think I’ll move to Paris at the beginning of August. University begins September first. That gives me a month with my mother in Paris.”

“The last few years, I’ve spent most my time with Harry and Ron at the Burrow,” Hermione said mournfully. “I haven’t even spoken to either of them since they were here last.” She thought it best not to directly refer to Draco’s father.

“I’m sure they’ve been busy, with Auror training and puffing themselves up over returning Lucius Malfoy to Azkaban,” Draco said scornfully. He had no qualms about bringing up the topic.

As the school year was nearing an end, Hermione had felt herself feeling more and more of what she had come to label ‘anticipatory longing,’ a sense of loneliness from missing Draco, even though they had not yet left school and were in fact in each other’s company. As the feelings overwhelmed her yet again, she felt compelled to ask, “So, will you come visit me at home? Before you head down to Menorca?”

“Of course! Your parents won’t mind, will they?”

“No, they are very impressed by your manners and university plans.”

“It’s too bad you can’t come visit me at the Manor,” Draco said. “I may have to find a new place to live.”

“Maybe I can visit you there, I don’t know.”

“No, there’s no reason to put you through that. I just hate the fact that my home is loathsome to you.”

“I’ve agreed to visit you in Menorca. And your mum’s flat in Paris won’t have any unhappy memories for me,” Hermione said hopefully. “I can visit you there in August.”

“Brilliant! And we can make our own happy memories there,” Draco waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Hermione shook her head, but smiled, leaning up against him as they sat peacefully together on the sofa.




On the last Friday at Hogwarts, Hermione and Draco met with Headmistress McGonagall one last time. Hermione tried not to get choked up about leaving Hogwarts and her role as Head Girl, but she had to wipe at her eyes a time or two during the meeting. Hearing the Headmistress praise Draco and her on a job well done was just too much for her to take, after two weeks of exhaustive examinations.

“I asked your professors to mark your exams immediately, so that I may send your official transcripts to UWL and WUP,” Headmistress McGonagall was saying. “I have your results here.” She handed them each a small roll of parchment. Hermione glanced at Draco, then nervously unrolled her examination results.

Miss Hermione Granger has obtained the following marks on her Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests:

Ancient Runes --- Outstanding

Arithmancy --- Outstanding

Astronomy --- Outstanding

Charms --- Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts --- Outstanding

Herbology --- Outstanding

History of Magic --- Exceeds Expectations

Potions --- Outstanding

Transfiguration --- Outstanding


Hermione smiled. If only she’d studied more for the last exam! She looked over at Draco, who passed his parchment to her. She gave him hers in exchange.

Master Draco Malfoy has obtained the following marks on his Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests:

Arithmancy --- Exceeds Expectations

Charms --- Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts --- Outstanding

Herbology --- Exceeds Expectations

Potions --- Outstanding

Transfiguration --- Outstanding


“Excellent!” Hermione said enthusiastically. “You’ve earned the marks for Paris!”

“I know you must be very disappointed about your grade in History of Magic,” Draco said, in mock seriousness. He handed her back her parchment.

Hermione ‘accidentally’ hit Draco’s arm when she returned his results to him. She smiled at him happily, then turned back to Headmistress McGonagall.

“I would like to tell you how much we both appreciate all you did as Headmistress for Hogwarts this year. I believe the school is well on its way to a complete recovery from the war,” Hermione said solemnly. “And I would like to especially thank you for giving us the encouragement and opportunity to apply to wizarding university. I believe the experience will transform my life.”

“I agree,” Draco chimed in. “And I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for having faith in me and giving me the chance to be Head Boy this year,” Draco said seriously. “I’m afraid few Headmasters would have done so.”

Headmistress McGonagall glanced up at the portrait of Dumbledore, who was smiling broadly at the pair. “I’m not so certain of that,” she said warmly. “You have both been exemplary Heads of the school. And, Draco, you have faced immense personal challenges with courage and conviction. Well done.”

Hermione could tell that even Draco was getting choked up at this point. Headmistress McGonagall continued, “Have you both decided which university you will be attending next year?”

“I’ll be attending the Wizarding University of Paris,” Draco answered. “With my NEWT marks, I’ve earned entrance into their Potions program.”

Hermione looked at Draco, then turned to Headmistress McGonagall. “I believe, that is, I’ve decided to go to Paris as well.” She looked over at Draco with trepidation and hope. His smile was immense, although he tried to compose himself. “Their multidisciplinary program is the best in Europe.”

“Very well, then. I wish you both every success in your future studies. It is a proud day for Hogwarts to send two exceptional students to such a fine institution as the Wizarding University of Paris. Do keep me informed of your progress,” she said, with a nod, dismissing them from her office for the last time.

Once they had walked down the circular staircase, Draco swept Hermione up into a big hug, twirling her around in the corridor.

“When did you decide?” he asked. “How dare you spring it on me in a meeting with McGonagall!”

“I hadn’t decided until that very moment. Not really. I was leaning towards Paris, I told you that before.”

“Yes, but you never seemed completely convinced. This is bloody brilliant!” Draco laughed and hugged Hermione again. He pulled her behind one of the eagle statues outside McGonagall’s office and started to kiss her. She kissed him back, and he pulled her to him, leaning up against the wall.

At that moment, Filch came walking down the corridor. He spied Hermione and Draco snogging by the Headmistress’s office and muttered to himself, “This happens at the end of every year, bloody Head Boy and Head Girl copping off by the Headmaster’s office.”

Hermione just giggled when she heard him, too happy at that moment to worry about appearances.
Chapter End Notes:
I know, I know, I chickened out from providing a detailed smutty scene in this chapter. I find I really struggle with the sex scenes.  I invite any experts to fill in the blanks, if they'd like.  And I'll try to add a "missing scene" for this chapter once the story is complete (only one more chapter left). 
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