Hello, my darlings, hope you're enjoying this story. Just a quick side note that . Instead, will drop next week, and Draconian will resume the week after.

What is book #4.3? It's the (after Finite). It's basically about... You know what, I'm not even going to spoil it. You'll see.

x Noelle

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Transforms objects into dragons.

kitchen the next morning to find her Slytherin friends having breakfast. Draco, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found. She stopped in her tracks. "Where's Draco?"

Blaise jerked his head in the direction of the front porch. "Over there."

Hermione craned her neck and caught a glimpse of Draco through the open window. He was sitting on the steps, with Teddy on his lap and Andromeda next to him. They appeared to be in deep conversation and Hermione wondered if it had anything to do with what Draco had done to save her in the prison cell.

"He's probably feeling guilty about killing off his Uncle," Blaise said to Hermione. "Even though Draco's always hated the Lestranges, and he'd do practically anything to save you – I think there's this guilt that comes whenever you kill someone. More so when it's someone you actually know."

Hermione nodded and settled down next to Pansy. They ate in silence for awhile, until her curiosity got the better of her. "Can Draco really turn into a snake?" she asked at last.

"Wait." Blaise frowned. "Draco can turn into a snake?"

"Weren't you there yesterday?"

"Well, yes," Pansy interjected, looking equally as confused. "We kept hearing people yell 'there's a snake! There's a snake!' but we didn't expect the snake to be Draco. Although," and she grinned now, shrugging lightly, "it kind of makes sense that he'd turn into a snake. He's slippery and stealthy as anything."

"So he is really an Animagus?"

Only Theo nodded. He didn't look surprised at all, just smirking with a general air of amusement. "Yeah. He's been one for almost three years now. Back when I was practicing duelling, Draco got me to help him. Took a bloody long time too."

"Wait, Theo, so you knew?" Blaise asked, glaring at him somewhat accusatorially.

"Of course."

"And you didn't tell us?"

"Why should I? It's not my accomplishment."

Hermione laughed at that. Theo was so freshly candid that she couldn't help but feel amused by whatever he said. "But why a snake?" she pressed.

"Because the animal form takes on the traits of the person," Blaise explained. "So do Patronuses, for that matter. If Draco could cast a Patronus, it'd probably be in the form of a snake too."

"But Draco can't cast a Patronus," added Pansy. "Most Death-Eaters can't. Blaise is one of the rare exceptions. I can just barely manage a non-corporeal one."

Theo sighed dramatically. "See, the problem with Patronuses is that it's always in the shape of an animal. Like, why can't it be something cooler – like a hand with a middle finger pointing up, maybe? I'd have a blast waving around a middle-finger Patronus at the bloody Dementors," he finished, grinning widely when Hermione burst out laughing.

Blaise shook his head in mirth, trying but failing to keep a straight face. "You know what Draco's Animagus should've been?" He said at last, with an impish grin of his own. "It shouldn't have been a snake, it should've been – "

"A fucking ferret, yeah, I know." A familiar voice sliced its way into their conversation and Draco strode in, rolling his eyes at the lot of them. He pulled out a chair next to Hermione and sat down, glaring heatedly at Blaise. "It's been six fucking years, would you just let that go?"

Pansy chuckled. "I remember that! It was classic. A stroke of genius."

"Best transfiguration ever," Theo declared. "Remember the way Moody... Wait, no, it was Barty Crouch as Moody. Yeah, anyway, he used his wand to – "

" – bounce Draco-the-Ferret around the room!" Blaise finished, with a laugh, ignoring the aggravated growl from Draco.

"I remember this!" Hermione chimed in, doubled up in laughter as she stared at Draco's annoyed face. "And Ron was calling him 'the Amazing Bouncing Ferret' – "

The room fell silent. Everyone at the table had turned to her with stunned expressions on their faces. Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard.

"I..." Her voice felt strangled. "What did I say?"

No one spoke.

"What did I say?" Hermione repeated vehemently, sounding shrill and almost hysterical now, "What did I say?"

"The Amazing Bouncing Ferret," Theo was the only one who dared to answer. "You just remembered something the Weasel said."

Hermione dragged in a sharp breath and stood up. "I, um..." She searched for the right words to say but her mind was blank, and Draco's gaze was painful to meet. There was an unusual emotion in his eyes that made her chest clench. "I have to – "

She didn't know. She didn't know what she had to do.

Pushing herself away from the table, she hastily hurried out of the room. She brushed past Draco on the way and felt her breath catch as her skin glossed his briefly. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in his arms, but he was staring at her like she was a complete stranger.

The mere thought was excruciating. It was as though something had sucked all the oxygen out of her, leaving her nothing but empty.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

"That's a nice picture."

Hermione glanced up as Andromeda settled down beside her on the front porch. She smiled and looked back at the picture on her lap. It was the moving-photograph that Blaise had taken that last day in the old flat. She saw herself wrap a scarf around Draco's neck, before they turned to face the camera. "Isn't it?" she mused.

"Yes. I especially like the way Draco's looking at you. My husband used to look at me the same way." Andromeda paused. "If there's one thing I've learnt in this war, it's that life's too short to gloss past the things that matter most to you – including past memories."

Hermione cast a surprised glance at Andromeda.

"Draco told me," the older witch explained, her voice carrying a measure of apology. "He's just worried, Hermione. You have to understand that Draco's terrified of losing you once you regain your memories."

Hermione blinked. "Is that what he thinks? That I'd start hating him if I remember everything?"

But when Andromeda seemed to hesitate, a slow realisation dawned on Hermione and she shook her head, finally understanding what she'd seen in Draco's eyes earlier. While the four Slytherins had always skirted round the issue of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, Luna had been frank about it. Over the weeks, Hermione had learnt that she once was in love with Ron – or, at least, everyone assumed they were in love.

"Draco's worried that I'll remember how much I used to like Ron and that I'll go back to him," she breathed.

"And will you?"

The answer came in a heartbeat. "No. It's never crossed my mind."

Andromeda smiled. "I hope this doesn't sound too forward, Hermione, but exactly how do you feel about Draco?"

She bit her lip and hugged the photograph to her chest. "I can't tell you how much I've thought about that. In the early months, I've thought that it was just a kind of dependence. You know? Latching onto him because I simply had no one else?"

"And now?"

"Now?" Hermione let a tiny smile flit across her face. "Now, I remember all the bad things he did. I know all the bad things he does. I think of all the bad things he will do. And in spite of it all – I still want to be with him. I still want him in my life." She looked up at Andromeda, an almost curious expression on her face. "That's a kind of love, right?"

"Yes, it is." Andromeda seemed almost teary-eyed as she drew her arms around Hermione, embracing her in a brief hug before letting her go. "But you'll have to be patient with Draco – I'm afraid he has far too many monsters in his head to battle."

"The phials?"

"Just be patient with him," Andromeda said kindly. "Just as he's patient with you."

Hermione nodded. After a lengthy pause, she let out a slow breath. "'Dromeda, do you know what scares me most?"

"What is it?"

"The fact that I'm remembering," Hermione felt a shudder wrack through her body as she murmured that word. "It's not a bad thing, but it charges up so many – negative emotions in me, 'Dromeda. Each time I remember something about someone important from the past – like Luna, or even Ron and Harry – it just...it makes me sad. And mad. Draco tells me that I used to be close to them, that they were my best friends. And I keep thinking that – if they were my friends and if I meant at least something to them...then why didn't they find me?"

"I don't know, Hermione. I really don't know."

Hermione bit her lip, swallowing the sob that threatened to escape her throat. "Why didn't they look for me? Draco did – and Draco and I hated each other for years. You did, 'Dromeda, and you didn't even know me well enough. Or did they just give up, because they thought I had died?"

She brushed the back of her hand across her eyes. Merlin, this was ridiculous. She shouldn't blame her friends. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered and the sadder she became.

"I'm really sorry things turned out this way," Andromeda said softly.

Hermione wanted to assure her that it wasn't her fault. But the sudden click of the front door made the both of them turn.

It was Draco, and he looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment as he stared in surprise at the two of them. Then his gaze turned to Hermione and his eyes sharpened. "What's wrong, Granger?"

Andromeda immediately stood and patted Hermione on her shoulder before leaving. The door swung shut and then it was just the two of them.

Draco moved to settle down next to her. He glanced down at the photograph and he shook his head. "Blaise can't work the camera to save his life," he mused. "Everything's blurred."

In spite of her tears, Hermione smiled. Even though the picture was blurred, that was a day she would never forget. She sidled closer to him and felt him wrap an arm around her. He pulled her against his side and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

He was right. Everything was blurred. The past, their moral compasses, even the picture. Draco, however, was that one person in her life who made perfect sense.

"Everything's blurred," she agreed softly, feeling his grip tighten around her almost instinctively. "But some things are crystal clear."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

The next full moon came.

And this time, there was no hiding Pansy's condition.

Hermione heard the screams sometime close to midnight, felt Draco stumble out of bed and wave her away. He had just lifted his hand to cast silencing charms on their room when Hermione shoved the covers aside and went to him.

"I want to help," she said.

His features softened. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and took her hand to lead her down the stairs. The living room was filled with chaos. Pansy shrieked as Blaise pinned her down. Theo was in the midst of casting silencing charms around the room. Andromeda stood by the doorway of the kitchen, soothing a terrified Teddy, while Grus hovered near them in clear anxiety.

"Get the Wolfsbane potion," Draco told Hermione.

She immediately rushed to the trunk of potions. After locating the small phial, she hurried back to help Draco and Blaise pour the potion into Pansy's mouth. When the Slytherin witch finally stopped struggling, Hermione sat back. "Will she be fine?"

"Soon." Draco stood up and strode towards the door to yank it open. "Take her outside."

Blaise's eyes widened. "It's not safe. She needs to be in an open area — the front yard isn't enough. If the potion doesn't take effect in time, she'll tear this place apart."

"Where else are we going to leave her? We can't leave the bloody premises – "

"Hold on, Draco," Andromeda said calmly, stepping into the living room with Teddy on her hip. She paused along the way, turning to Theo and holding out Teddy to him. "Would you put Teddy to bed?"

Theo's mouth fell open in horror. And if the tension in the room weren't so palpable, Hermione would've burst out laughing. "What?"

"Please."

"Fine," Theo grumbled, taking Teddy from her begrudgingly and holding the toddler at arm's length. "Come on, you salivating git – "

"Language, Theo!"

Hermione stifled a laugh as Theo huffed and headed up the stairs with Teddy. Andromeda summoned her wand and held it out to Draco. "Here, take this."

"'Dromeda – "

"Grus will take down the charms, won't he, Grus?" Andromeda turned to her house-elf, who nodded eagerly. Hermione's eyes widened as the house-elf ambled outside, casting silent magic over the premises that presumably took down the shields that Shacklebolt had put into place. Andromeda noticed the girl's surprise and smiled. "House-elves can perform magic that far surpasses our own. Did you really think I'd agree to Shacklebolt's terms of a lockdown without finding a loophole myself?"

Draco smirked and took the wand. "I see you haven't lost touch with your Slytherin side."

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree now, does it?" Andromeda shot back, with a smile that could only be described as sly. "Just go over to that hill and stay hidden, just in case."

Hermione took a step forward. "Can I come?" Andromeda and Blaise exchanged worried glances, but she focused on Draco. "Please. She's my friend too."

He nodded and grabbed her coat off the rack. "Come on."

Her eyes lit up. With a hasty goodbye to the others, she followed him. Draco levitated Pansy's still form out of the house, and she kept a brisk pace alongside him as they trekked up the hill. They were halfway up when Pansy began to convulse.

He stopped and pulled Hermione behind him. "Don't move. Just watch."

And so Hermione held her breath and watched.

The transformation was nothing like anything she'd ever seen before. Hermione shivered as she heard bones cracking and snarling noises. Pansy's form curved and lengthened and distorted like a puppet tampered by invisible strings, until she was a mass of dark fur howling at the moon.

"Merlin," Hermione breathed. She'd suspected it all this while, of course. But to see it happening right in front of her – this was something else altogether.

Draco didn't let his guard down. He stood in front of Hermione with the wand still in hand. "Pansy?" His voice was low. She suddenly realised that this was the first time he'd ever addressed Pansy by her name. "Can you hear me?"

Still trembling, the werewolf turned to them. Pansy's eyes latched onto them, bright and predatory. Hermione's breath caught. But then the wolf sank down to the ground and tucked its front paws under its chin.

Draco sighed and pulled Hermione down onto the grass next to him. "She's safe now, Granger."

She sidled close and felt him wrap an arm around her. "Is she ever...dangerous?"

"Sometimes. When the potion doesn't take effect in time, or when she misses a dose during the week before her transformation."

"What happens then?"

"She becomes – deadly. She'll start attacking anyone she sees, especially during the first watch. That's why I take it. I can prevent her from hurting anyone, including herself. Blaise is too soft, he'd much rather she bite him than hex her to keep her at bay; while Theo's attacks are too strong and might injure her by accident."

"How did she..." Hermione faltered. "When did she..."

"Become a werewolf?"

She nodded. His expression turned grim.

"Fenrir Greyback," Draco said, spitting out the syllables like they were a sour taste in his mouth. "He bit her within a month of her initiation into the Dark Lord's inner circle. I didn't even find out until three months later. And by then," he paused, swallowing roughly before continuing, "it was too late."

Hermione intertwined her fingers with his. "It wasn't your fault."

"Actually, it was. I knew that she always wanted the Dark Mark ever since she saw it on me during our sixth year. If I hadn't boasted about it or lied about how great it was, she would never have wanted it. Then she wouldn't have been sent on a mission with Greyback and she wouldn't have gotten bitten."

But if Draco thought that he had done wrong by Pansy, the Slytherin witch seemed to think otherwise. Hermione found the girl sleeping in the living room the next morning. After making some tea, she set a cup down for Pansy and moved to drape a blanket over her. But Pansy reached up and caught her by the wrist.

"Draco didn't tell you everything," Pansy said softly. "He didn't tell you that I owe him my life."

Hermione stared at her in surprise. "What?"

"The thing is – " Pansy began quietly, pulling herself up slowly into a sitting position. She huddled up, tucking her knees to her chest, the blanket draped over her tired frame. "Becoming a werewolf tore me apart. And not just physically – emotionally, too. For months after, I was just a shell of myself. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I just wanted to die. And I lost so much of myself that one day, I found myself just - wanting to give up. For good."

Hermione reached out to grasp Pansy's hands. She'd seen her friend in a lot of moods before. But devastated and suicidal was new.

"Draco found me that day," Pansy continued. "He told me that he'd used Legilimency on me several weeks ago and found out about my condition. He'd been trailing me ever since. He told me that there were other ways to treat it – with a potion, or with a phial. He made this for me."

She drew out the thin gold cord where a familiar-looking phial hung at the bottom.

"Draco extracted my best memories and kept them in this phial," Pansy explained, with a tiny smile playing on her lips. "He said that I could view them whenever I needed to remind myself that there were things that made my life worthwhile, and people worthy enough to live for."

Hermione gave Pansy a hug right after that, and she stayed awhile longer to chat with the girl. But later, she headed back upstairs and curled beside Draco on the bed, smiling to herself when he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in his hair and mumbling incoherent words in his sleep. She felt his chest warm against her back, his long legs tangled up with hers beneath the sheets, his steady breath against her neck.

And she realised, at that moment, that she had been right all along. She was in love with Draco Malfoy.

No second-guessing there.