Aunt Bella's shrill shriek echo through the manor as she lunged herself onto Hermione. Fuck, I couldn't just stand there.
Thoughts barraged my mind: 'What if I had stood up for our relationship from the beginning? God, what if I wasn't such a coward? Maybe she wouldn't have ended up here.'
As I met her warm, honey eyes for what I prayed was not the last time, I saw her as the eleven-year-old I first met:
"You're lowly and ugly; just like a bloody beaver, you filthy mudblood."
Suddenly, I was a first year in the potions classroom giving her beaver teeth and sneaking into the dark hospital wing to make sure she was okay that night. I was a second year, helping her figure out the basilisk was hiding in the pipes, owling her a flower every morning when she laid petrified. I was a third year who worked up the courage to kiss his brilliant best friend, only to be punched in return. I was a fourth year who couldn't keep his eyes off of her at the Yule Ball, who took her dancing at a snow-dusted clearing in the Forbidden Forest after Ron broke her heart. I was a fifth year excited to take her on their first real date. I was a sixth year, distraught and broken, healed by the hours we spent hidden in the Room of Requirements.
"Malfoy-" She spoke softly.
"Call me Draco." Her eyes glimmered with emotion, as he leaned in and…
Just then I knew what I had to do: Love was worth fighting for. I felt myself hollowly shake my head. No, my Hermione was worth fighting for.
"I love you."
She reached her hand up and delicately caressed my cheek. "Draco, I love you, too."
I leaned down and kissed her, pulling away and resting my forehead against hers to say, "'Mione, don't do anything stupid. Remember, this is a goodbye for now, not forever. This war… It won't last forever."
All of a sudden, a voice rang from down the hall, "Hermione! Where are you? We need to leave now!"
She jumped at this, and swiftly pulled me into her embrace.
"Goodbye for now, Hermione."
As she turned, I heard her whisper, "Not forever."
No more cowardice. I looked up to find Bellatrix mid-curse. Time stood still as I lunged myself between Bellatrix and Hermione, praying I could take whatever spell was cast at Hermione in her place.
Searing pain ripped through my chest, but though I writhed on the floor, I didn't break eye contact with the woman I loved. She was my hope.
This sent Bellatrix into a raging fit. There was nothing left I could do, except watch as I heard the dreaded words, "AVADA KEDAVRA."
Those honey-colored eyes, fierce and determined, seemed to say goodbye. 'Not forever, just for now. I'll be in every love you feel. I'll be in every flower, on every soft breeze, eternally in your heart whispering how I love you.'
She was gone.
A/N: Hi, fabulous reader! I wrote this originally as part of the '50 Ways to Say Goodbye' challenge when I was a freshman in high school. I just kind of semi-edited out major grammatical errors and left it be, but I am interested now in maybe eventually making this a full story. Let me know what you think! (Maybe I'll let it have a happier ending) Anyway, thank you so much for reading and, please, let me know what you thought!
With love,
DivergentVeela