The Animagi training that night had been exhausting and none of them could feel their limbs. Hermione had to sit down and drink the last drop of water they had left. Water. They were always chasing after water and Death Eaters, and now that they had added the Animagi training too, the search of water became like a hunt. Unlike her, Draco was silent and never complained. It seemed as if water had been always enough for him and food also. His wish to track Voldemort's followers down, grew stronger every day and every minute they were marching on, Draco's hatred against them seemed to become more and more deeper. She wasn't curious to know what made him change the sides so quickly and drastically, she was just happy he did and whatever his reasons were, she respected them.
"You're starting to catch an animagus form, Granger.", he told her that night as they quietly sat on a log, Hermione's brown eyes scanning the map they had got from McGonagall. If her calculations were right, and they usually were, the next net of Death Eaters was somewhere near Harrogate, Yorkshire.
"Is it really?", the girl asked, her finger tracing down the old parchment. She could feel his ice-cold, grey-coloured eyes piercing down at her as she was finishing their research. It was strange that in such a short while they had managed to not only live together but also to suffer each other without any hate. Remus was right: War changed people.
"Sialia currucoides", was the only thing he said, turning around and sitting on the cold earth of the forrest. She finally looked up at him, cocking her eyebrows in confusion.
"I beg your pardon? I must've not caught that."
"Weren't you supposed to be the smart one, Granger? Your shape is that of a Sialia currucoides, which is a Mountain Bluebird.", he explained, a smirk showding his pale features.
"Well, strange enough yours is that of a a Sialia sialis.", Hermione said breaking the eye contact and finally looking back down at her map.
"An Eastern Bluebird you say? What a strange coincidence.", he laughed and if Hermione wouldn't have spent her past months along in company of the Slytherin she would have never realized what he truly meant.
after We are too late,
She knew she couldn't run anymore the moment she stopped to take a deep breath, but Draco let her hesistate no second. He came running behind her and as she was standing there, her arms hanging useless around her body he caught her hand in a firm grip, dragging her after him. There was no way he would leave her behind, not after all they've been through.
None would have expected Harry to die. None would have expected the battle to take for so long. They were all dying around them. Something told her they were the next ones the night Draco came into the small fortress Hogwarts had become, telling her, "You must be ready every second, Hermione." She had no time to be struck by the use of her name or the fact that he seemed to be so protective lately, she knew very well what their feelings were.
"Prepared for what?", she asked, raising from her seat, taking her wand out. "They killed the Hocrux. The snake. Voldemort plans to attack us again.", he said with a sigh, removing her wand out of his way. "But we're the last ones left. And some other wizards that still fight around here. We're not enough to keep strength to a fight against him", Hermione exclaimed, looking around at the dead bodies, but no tears would fall anymore, she had cried for too much of a long time.
"To kill him."
now
No one knew who shot the killing curse. It didn't even matter anymore, they had won, Voldemort was dead and the last survivers were screaming in joy as the Dark Lord's body fell dead to the ground. One witch turned around from where the ray of green light have come from, but all she could see where two little Bluebirds flying around the castle and then vanish into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest. It was over. And the bluebirds flew away, flew away from their past, flew to their lives now full of the joy of freedom and victory.
