Somewhere a Clock is Ticking

"Don't you breathe/Something happened, that I never understood/You can't leave"

Snow Patrol

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Prologue

For the sheer and depressing fact that the forest was at the time a war zone, it seemed quite peaceful.

Of course, she could hear the occasional shouts in the distance; someone who had been discovered hiding, lurking, sneaking or trying to flee…

…and possibly had met their fate…

But right now it was silent.

She had been walking…running through the forest for hours, jumping to the side whenever she saw a shadow or heard the rustle of trees. She would mentally try to calm her heart down as it pounded, praying that it didn't burst through her chest and give her away. It had only been a few weeks since the first battle…Hermione had lost track of the exact number of days. But it wouldn't finish soon.

There was a crack of a twig and she turned to look behind her.

Nothing. She turned back quickly.

And there…not more than four yards in front of her was an equally surprised Draco Malfoy. She whipped her wand around in a sudden movement, holding it straight out in front of her. Her hands were clammy; she could barely keep her grip.

It was dark, and through the moonlight coming down amongst the many dead leaves and branches above the two she could barely see his face.

Yet his wand, on the other hand, was no where to be seen…Instead he had a trunk and a broom. Was he…?

Their eyes locked suddenly as Hermione took an intake of breath. Her look of fear changed to a scowl…if anyone was the epitome of evil that the war stood for, it was Draco Malfoy. She didn't say this often, but he deserved to die. His hate was what had caused this, and her hate would end it.

She ignored the paradox and spoke.

"Malfoy," She said, addressing him, trying her best to keep her voice from quivering. There would certainly be a loathsome response.

Nothing. He didn't speak, instead he shook his head and took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily as if to breath relief before opening them again.

Hermione had seen enough of the war to know what she had never wanted to, to know the rules of life, death, battles, duels, the unspoken rules of hatred. She had seen it before…when two wizards met like this, there were never any mercies.

Only one of them could walk away alive.

And the other…well…she never let her mind wander that far. It made her sick to her stomach. The idea was still a surreal one to her innocent mind.

Only one…

She held her stance, waiting for a response. He would respond, certainly he would…it was only commonsense that something would come back toward her in the form of exactly what she expected.

Silence ensued.

His eyes closed again, turning his head quickly, this time in a much more fearful way, as if her stare had broken him. Hermione felt suddenly very alone.

Still no wand, no movement besides the beating of her heart which shook her whole body, causing her to sway slightly. The only hint that he was alive was the rising and falling of his chest which seemed to be causing him to sway as well. She cocked her head.

Two people, swaying with the trees.

"Put your wand down, Granger." He said, breaking the silence. Dropping his broom neatly besides his brown leather trunk, he ran one hand through his hair, causing Hermione to jump, "It's not worth it."

He opened his eyes as he finished and she stared into them once again, hoping that she could cause him to back down as he had before. He looked, confused, emotional…angry and sad all at once. What was going on? She felt a rush of adrenaline reach her head and found it hard not to fall over. Something was in the air, something was wrong.

Something was always wrong these days. Wrong was beginning to seem…right.

"Oh I think it would be very worth it!" She said, standing up straighter, daring him to raise his wand, send a spell…do anything to be recognizable as the Draco Malfoy she knew.

"Stop pretending you care, Granger." He spat in even tones, "You know this war has reached the point where it's no longer about us."

Hermione took a step back. What was he talking about?

"It was always about us!" She said, somewhat relieved to be arguing. At the very least that was familiar. "Besides," she continued, "you've made it about us…Dumbledore is…"

"Dead…" He cut her off and she gasped, "I am very aware of that. He is dead and so are many others…Just put it down, Granger. You don't want me to pull out my wand." She shook her head like a defiant five year old and opened her mouth to speak but he continued, "God Damn it, I don't want to pull my wand out. This war isn't worth dying for. Just put it away, please!"

Was he begging?

He hadn't once spoken the word that had left his lips so often when they attended Hogwarts. She didn't understand…it was making her apprehensive. There was a desire deep within her to avenge Harry's pain…avenge Dumbledore…but she wasn't about to make the first move.

"I don't want any favors, besides, how can I trust you?" She asked, her voice was growing louder with apprehension, "Don't you want to kill me?" she echoed through the forest, "Am I not a filthy mudblood? Haven't you made that clear for the past seven years?"

"I told you…" He said, his hands at his side. His body language was impatient, the aura about him reeked of anticipation, "It's not about that anymore…" Her hand lowered slightly, "Your side will win, Granger. Isn't it obvious? The Dark Lord will die. Now, it's your choice…we can duel…one of us will die…or you can put your wand down and let me go so that we can both have futures…"

Her wand lowered slightly again, but she didn't let down her guard. She didn't want to die, but for the first time in her life, it was no longer black and white. The actions that needed to be taken to keep herself safe weren't what they always had been. In any ordinary case, it would have been obvious, but now…something deeper…something told her to pocket her wand and walk away.

Suddenly he started to move. She immediately jumped and pulled her wand up again.

"Where are you going?" She demanded forcefully as he stepped towards his broom and mounted it.

"Away from this mess," He said as he grabbed his trunk.

"I still have my wand out. I could kill you if I wanted to."

He didn't respond to her comment, "You didn't see me, Granger," he said, pulling his hood over his head and giving her a comfortingly familiar smirk.

And then she understood. He was fleeing…Draco Malfoy was leaving.

"You are a coward." She said. He shook his head and laughed slightly.

"Whatever you say, Granger."

He was a coward, at least he was a coward when things were black and white. Yet…he had the courage to leave and save himself from ruin, and for that, Hermione applauded him.

And so she let him go. Not because she was scared to fight and not because she had particularly wanted him to live…but because she understood…

Her wand came down to her waist and she took a step back as he rose into the air.

And a part of her wished she was on that broom with him.

Two people had met in the forest, head on. And two people had walked away. She had broken every rule she had realized in the days since the war had begun.

She had let him live…

When the war ended, the wizarding world was left without a single power to guide it.

He stepped in…because she had let him live.

TBC
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