She was weak, fatigued after the war. It was finally over. Many had died from the light and dark side alike, but in the end, there is only one winner. The dark. Enemy survivors were hunted down and killed.
He saw her, standing on the outskirts of the battlefield. Looking inconspicuous, he silently walked up to her.
"Mudblood"
She looked at him, no emotion showing on her face.
"You are at my mercy, you know."
She was silent. This angered him. She was supposed to be begging for her life, or show fear at the very least.
He looked at her closely. Trying to see a spark of emotion. She stared back at him, trying to keep back the emotion showing in her eyes but he could see that there were many emotions inside her. Grief, fear, determination. Grief and fear, he could understand, but determination? The light side had already lost. There was no hope.
"Cuccio"
She didn't move, like it didn't hurt. He was surprised, but then it dawned to him, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her pain or the hurt that she felt.
"Still the same old know-it-all bookworm. Trying to be brave now are we. Face it mudblood, it's not worth it" He sneered at her
"What I do has nothing to do with you" She spat back.
"Just trying to rid you of the pain" he smirked.
She fell silent. There was a pause. Screams of pain echoed around them. Hermione listened to them. Life seemed over, there was nothing more to hope for. She had stripped her of her happiness, her friends, her family, her life. There was no way that anyone was going to strip her of her pride. She intended to keep it until her last breath.
Draco watched her. Somehow, he seemed to be able to read her mind. Her thoughts were whispers in his head. They seemed to say what he could not express. He seemed in a trance, as if suddenly becoming conscious his emotions. And he realized that she was stronger than he was. She wasn't afraid of pain, of death. She would rather endure it than let go of her pride, while he would rather forgo his pride.
Quickly tearing his eyes away from hers, he felt something indescribable. It was a feeling he wasn't familiar with. Maybe it was love, or compassion, or maybe respect. Draco knelt down and looked carefully into her eyes once more. Exploring her feelings. And then, he started to speak.
"We never knew each other. I always thought of you as the mud blood. But I was taught that. It was constantly repeated throughout my life. If I questioned it, I was to be beaten and tortured mercilessly by my father. The threat of him beating me left me alone, afraid. Accepting the fact was easier. But now, I know that blood is equal, and my blood not more superior. Killing you is not my choice, but my only option. If I left you, another death eater would kill you. There's nothing more to live for, for you and for me."
Hermione replied ever so quietly, "We may have been defeated, but what they did, it will come back. It's Karma."
Draco nodded and quietly whispered "Avada Kedava" After watching her slip away, he pointed his wand to his heart and whispered the same thing, but not before repeating the words:
"My soul has already left the earth. I wasn't living, but instead just existing. "