ITS THE FINAL CHAPTER! Thank you so much to everyone who stuck through this ridiculously long journey with ridiculously sporadic updates. 'Tis done! Just like to make a note, there will be no epilogue or sequel so please don't ask for one. It ain't happening. I'm switching gears and going back to finish When Time Turns so I can move on to my LotR crossover. Loves!

The following morning Hermione had little difficulty finding the dining room, only getting turned around once. Thank Merlin the Rosier's hadn't been as pretentious as many of their circle seemed to be with unreasonably large homes. Theo was already at the heavy wooden table though he hadn't put anything on his plate. Instead he had his elbows on the table, hands supporting his head as his palms pushed against his eyes.

Upon hearing her enter the room he snapped into a straight position, his face an unreadable mask as if he hadn't just been mourning his best friend. Hermione gave him a small, sad smile before she took a seat as well. The house elves had really outdone themselves after being left alone for so long. The food all looked wonderful but the uncomfortable twisting in her stomach just wouldn't let her attempt to eat any of it. Instead, she poured herself and Theo a cup of tea. Her mother had always said a warm cup of tea could make any situation a little more bearable. She desperately hoped that was true with what they needed to get done today. Theo didn't give her any verbal thanks for the tea, but nodded his head in her direction as he grasped it in both hands. He stared blankly into the steaming cup for a few moments before gingerly bringing it to his lips. It seemed that was the small push he needed because after only a few more sips he put the cup down and stood.

"There's no point in putting off the inevitable. Let's get this over with." He ran a hand down his face before quickly striding from the room. Hermione jumped out of her seat to follow as he was moving at a fast pace and she didn't want to lose him. After a short jog she was able to catch up with him, though his longer strides made it more of a jog than a brisk walk and Hermione found herself trying desperately to keep her breathing even so as not to alert Theo to just how out of breath she was by the time they reached a pair of doors.

Throwing them open wide without slowing down Theo continued out into the garden. He hadn't been exaggerating about the roses. They were everywhere. All different shades and varieties with well kept brick paths winding between the beds. Hermione tried not to get too caught up in looking around as it would be all too easy to lose Theo in the hedges. It was a good thing she was paying close attention as he stopped suddenly and she would have bumped them both into a thorny bush if she hadn't stopped herself from colliding with him.

They had come to an area that broke off from the rose garden. There was a decent sized pond surrounded by short green grass. A willow tree on the far side, its trunk bent and twisted so it reached out over the water, had its branches lazily skimming the water's surface. There was a wooden table with benches on their side of the pond and a dock. Hermione could just imagine Theo as a boy coming here to enjoy the summer warmth, jumping off the tree or the dock into the cool water.

"Draco would sometimes visit while we were here. His mother appreciated the freedom it provided him to just be a child once and awhile. Our mother's would bring out a blanket and maybe a book to read as they reclined on the shores ." At his comment Hermione's imagining changed to include a small blonde boy splashing about with his dark haired friend.

It was a beautiful image, one that had a single tear slowly roll down her cheek. She didn't bother trying to stop it. This was part of her tribute. Though she may not have known Draco well, it was obvious that he had dearly loved Theo as the brother he didn't have. She would mourn for him, for Theo, for those happy times that must have been so fleeting but were held with such reverence. When she heard Theo take a deep, shuddering breath she decided she would give him all the time he needed. She would make this as easy on him as possible. She remembered the soul crushing agony that had gripped her chest when she had been sure Harry was dead during the fight at Hogwarts and that had been replaced by absolute relief when she saw Harry spring back into the frey. Theo would never get that relief. Draco was never coming back.

Hermione wrapped her arm through Theo's as he continued to walk around the perimeter of the pond. His pace had slowed and she was sure he was reliving memories that had been made here. She didn't bother trying to talk to him as she didn't want to interrupt his thoughts, she just wanted to remind him he wasn't alone with her touch.

Once they reached the other side of the pond Theo pulled aside some of the willow's branches and motioned for her to duck in. It was considerably dimmer but the light playing through the leaves was beautiful and Hermione couldn't help but turn all the way around once Theo had steeped under as well so she could appreciate it from every angle.

Hermione stopped her perusal when she felt Theo's hand grab hold of his. It wasn't hard enough to hurt but it was definitely firm. When she looked in the same direction she understood why.

Draco's body had been laid out on an altar. At first the sight made Hermione uncomfortable with the memories of what happened with the last altar they had been around, but slowly she recognized the differences. This one was new. There were no chips and the white marble shone in the dim light. There were runes carved around the base that she couldn't quite make out from their distance but they seemed to flow together making the bottom look like it was swirling like mist.

Theo must have caught the confused expression on her face because he was quick to give her an explanation. "Elf a wizard or witch dies their house elf, along with surviving members of the immediate family, will come together and perform a ritual that collects their magic, their feelings towards the deceased, and creates the altar. It's almost impossible to recreate without the addition of the elf magic as they are the ones that control the shape of the magic. They communicate the intent so the magic the morning the funeral will be held and the spell will be completed once everyone has had a chance to say their goodbyes. Most of the wizarding community doesn't bury their dead this way anymore. It fell out of fashion years ago, but there are a few that still hold to the old ways." His voice had become rough by the end of his explanation and Hermione knew he would have tears in his eyes. She wanted to give him some semblance of privacy so she didn't bother turning to look directly at him as he spoke.

She wouldn't be Hermione Granger if she didn't have a million questions, but now was not the time to badger the poor boy. Man. You couldn't go through what they had and still be a child. They had all grown up far sooner than they should have. She mentally sifted through her questions settling on only one for now. "You said the ritual was performed by immediate family, how could you have managed it?"

She heard Theo snort softly and did turn her head at that. There was a small smile on his lips, though it held no joy and his eyes were still trained straight ahead of them. "We made a blood pact before going to Hogwarts. Nothing would ever get between us. Ever. We were each other's family."

The tears were flowing freely down his face now as he firmly pulled on her hand to make Hermione walk forward with him. She wasn't sure who was trying to pull strength from whom at this point but decided it didn't really matter.

Coming to a stop a few paces from the altar Hermione took in the scene before her. Draco had been cleaned up. His hair was combed, his face cleanly shaved. While his robes were black they had gold embroidery around the edges. She couldn't make out the design but it was clearly intricate and detailed. She knew these were traditional robes for a wizard to be buried in having studied up on the topic in third year when her grandmother had passed away. She had been curious if things were done differently in the magical world.

"Do you know what happens next?" Theo's question made Hermione jump slightly as she had become lost in her own thoughts but she nodded her throat becoming too choked to speak with the realization that this was really happening.

She released Theo's hand and moved around to the far side of the altar so she was standing directly across from Theo and tried to maintain the same distance. Once she was in place Theo clapped his hands together and there was a deafening POP as a dozen house elves came into existence. Immediately they began to sing. Hermione was surprised at how beautiful the tune was considering the octave elf voices all seemed to be in. Though she didn't understand the words, the emotion behind them was clear. They were mourning too. They had loved this Slytherin whom she had thought was just a spoiled bully for so many years.

As the song swelled Hermione could feel her own magic being called into action. Bringing her hands up in front of her chest, palms together, fingertips towards the sky, she felt the magic become grounded with the earth. She felt as it rose up through her body until it coalesced between her hands. Watching Theo for the cue she realized that he was openly sobbing now and her heart broke that much more. Just as she was sure Theo was too lost in his grief to remember what needed to happen, he opened his hands, palms facing the altar, thumbs still touching. Following his lead Hermione did the same and immediately felt the magic release into the space between them. She watched as her magic, Theo's and that of the house elves all came together. At first it swirled around like it was exploring the others before it began to murge. Soon it was all one golden shimmer of magic that hung above Draco's body.

Hermione watched in awe as the magic settled over the altar before solidifying into a marble covering that hid the blond's body from view completely. On the top was a golden plaque that upon closer inspection she could read his full name and his birth and death date. She remembered it was a muggle tradition to include an epitaph as wizards found it pointless when they had talking portraits to remember people by.

The conclusion of the spell had Hermione feeling drained and judging by the slight swaying, Theo was feeling it as well. The house elves had all disappeared again once the spell had been completed leaving the two of them alone again. Moving back around the altar-turned-tomb, Hermione put her arm around Theo's waist and began to guide him back towards the house. It was obvious her friend hadn't gotten any rest in the time they had been here and she was determined to make sure he got some now, even if she had to force a Dreamless Sleep down his throat herself.

It was moments like this that Hermione regretted how much she loved reading. She had been so engrossed in the book she had been reading the night before that she had forgotten to shut the wonderfully heavy, thick curtains and then proceeded to fall asleep on the window seat. The sun was now beating full force on her and a quick tempus told her it was much too early to be conscious. Rubbing at her tired eyes she pulled the curtains closed before stumbling over to her bed and flopped down bonelessly. She had just made herself a wonderfully comfortable nest with the blankets when her brain reminded her that she still hadn't asked Theo where exactly Rose Hedge House was located.

Over the last few days she had tried to give him space while silently letting him know she was there if he needed her. They took walks through the garden together, avoiding the willow pond, brewed potions together in the lab, shared meals and read companionably in front of a cozy fire. All of this was done in silence. Hermione was at a complete loss as to what she could possibly say to help bring Theo out of his funk. She realized she didn't know him well enough to know what to do to help him.

Hermione tried to push all the turbulent thoughts from her mind and go back to sleep but knew it would be fruitless. She was awake now, and her brain was already working. Cursing quietly to herself she decided she may as well get up and get some tea and something to eat.

She always felt slightly guilty whenever she came into the dining room and found the table already set no matter what time she came in but her experience with Sprinkles made her leery of approaching the elves here about it. At least for now. Deciding to put thoughts of house elf liberation on a back burner, Hermione turned her attention to making herself a cup of tea and slathering her toast in jam.

As she was dusting her fingers of any remaining crumbs, Theo finally made an appearance. To say Hermione was surprised would be an understatement. She hadn't seen Theo before lunch since they had held Draco's funeral. She decided to make herself another cup of tea to see if he would be in the mood for conversation.

Hermione continued to surreptitiously watch Theo for any indication he would be open to answering a few questions but as time passed and he hadn't even acknowledged her sitting there her hopes began to dwindle. Just as she opened her mouth to try drawing him out of his shell there was a small pop as a newspaper and letter materialized beside her teacup.

The elves must have realized Theo wouldn't be responsive enough at this point to read the mail and had decided to direct it to her instead. At least, that's what she had thought until she noticed the messy scrawl on the front that she instantly recognized. After correcting his essays for six years she would know Harry Potter's atrocious handwriting anywhere.

Her throat felt tight as she ripped open the envelope, desperate to see what her friend had to say. After the arrival of the Aurors at the Lestrange's she and Theo had decided it was too risky to make their whereabouts known until they had more information and so hadn't made an attempt to contact anyone, not knowing if it was safe to do so.

Hermione,

I hope you and Theo are alright. You haven't been caught obviously so that's good news in and of itself. It would have been a front page headline otherwise I'm sure. I wanted to warn you before you read The Prophet because I felt like this is something you should hear from a friend instead of reading a sensationalized version by some idiot reporter.

After the Aurors swept the area at Lestrange's and realized you were no longer on the premises they decided to put out a warrant for both you and Theo. I'm sorry Hermione, while they did take everyone's statement they didn't believe a word of it. The general belief is that you got mixed up in some seriously Dark shit and were in the middle of some necromantic ritual that they managed to interrupt. Not the brightest lot of you ask me since nobody bothered looking up the runes used in the ritual. They just assumed any kind of magical transference can't be anything legal. They are just too stupid to realize you weren't a willing participant in it.

I'm sorry, Hermione. We are doing everything we can to get the charges dropped but it's not looking good. It looks like Daphne had some kind of memory wipe done by Lestrange so she doesn't remember anything which means she can't testify at Lestrange's trial. We are trying to shift all the blame to him but it's an uphill battle.

For now you and Theo need to stay wherever you are. They haven't been able to track you so far which means the odds are very slim that they ever will as long as you are careful. While I hate not knowing how or where you are it's safer if you don't reply to this letter or send any indication of where you are. If you can keep us safe from Voldemort for a year, hiding from this lot should be a piece of cake.

We love you Hermione and will miss you so much but we all know this is the only way to keep you both safe for now. I'll send along more information when I have it. Keep safe.

Harry

P.S. don't try taking Draco to Malfoy Manor. They are watching the property hoping you'll try to bury him there. Idiots. As if you'd ever be that stuipid.

While the content of the letter brought tears to her eyes, Hermione couldn't help a watery smile from forming as she imagined Harry rolling his eyes at the incompetence the Ministry seemed famous for. Deciding that she couldn't put it off she turned her attention to the newspaper. Sure enough, splashed across the front page was a photo of her and one of Theo. Both were obviously taken years earlier. Why The Prophet seemed incapable of ever finding an up-to-date photograph was a mystery to her. They were a bloody newspaper for goodness sake! Though calling it a newspaper always felt like a stretch- gossip rag would be much more apt a description.

"What's got your feathers ruffled this morning?" Hermione looked up in shock that Theo had finally broken the silence unprompted. Desperate to keep him interested in conversation she read the contents of Harry's letter to him instead of just handing it over.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing we came to France then as the British Ministry has next to no influence or jurisdiction here." At her confused look, Theo clarified, "The French Prime Minister was murdered by Death Eaters in Voldemort's first rise to power. They never really got over the fact the British swept it under the rug as an accident. There's no chance of the French assisting the British in their manhunt as long as we keep our noses clean."

Hermione's nose scrunched in thought as she processed what Theo had just told her. If they were in France it made sense why their Ministry was having difficulty locating them and if the French didn't care about them as long as they didn't get up to anything nefarious then maybe life hadn't completely ended for them like she thought it had. Maybe they could start a new life here. Hermione looked over at Theo and saw he was watching her with a small smile on his face. Maybe she could have that new life with him. If you had told her a year ago that she would be looking forward to a life with a Death Eater convict she would have personally escorted that person to the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo's. But now, now she was actually looking forward to it.

As if he could see her resolve and acceptance on her face Theo stood from his chair and approached her. Holding out his hand to her he gave her another small smile and, "So, have you ever seen the wizarding side of the Louvre?"

Looking into his eyes she could see his acceptance of their situation as well as genuine affection for her. Smiling back Hermione accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Neither of them released the others hand and as they stood face to face Hermione gave his fingers a gentle squeeze. "Show me everything."

Fin

Friendly reminder that there will be no epilogue or sequel no matter how much you badger and beg. This is where I planned to have it end since the beginning. Thanks for reading!