They were both breathless.
They've been running for what felt like hours now, and they're still in this damn forest.
Draco was starting to think that they were running in circles.
Hermione's hand felt sweaty on his, and he was sure that his hand probably wasn't much better.
The blood on his leg felt cold and the pain from the wound was getting worse, and he wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to continue running.
He was so tired, and in so much pain, but he knew that they couldn't stop. There were too many death eaters behind them for them to stop.
When the sun was starting to come up they found a cave to stay. During the day they will surely be seen.
Draco was leaning against Hermione's head.
Wordlessly Draco took her hand and kissed it, and she smiled a little.
"We're gonna be okay," she said. "We always are."
"One of these days we are going to run out of luck Hermione, it's our third time escaping, they said that if we did it again they would kill us."
"You prefer torture to death? Draco, we've been there for seven months now, maybe even more!"
Seven months. That's how long it takes to fall endlessly in love with someone, Draco thought.
Hermione leaned against Draco's shoulder and her breathing was starting to slow down a bit.
After some time of sitting like that and not moving Hermoine turned her head a little and kissed Draco.
Hermione's familiar lips felt cold and chapped against his, and he could also taste blood, but it felt so good to kiss her that the taste of blood didn't even bother him.
The cave was dark and cold, but they were too scared to make a fire, or maybe they were too weak, maybe it was both, but one thing they were sure of, where ever they were going, they were going together.
Draco couldn't imagine his life without Hermione.
For seven long months they were tortured by Voldemort and his death eaters.
Draco's father was there too. Torturing them, with a smile on his face.
But through all of the torture and sadness, they were together, supporting each other, holding the other up even when they were too weak to hold themselves.
Funny how from being the person that he wanted as far away from him as possible Hermione became the one he wanted next to him for the rest of his life, however long that might be.
'Together'. The one word that helped them overcome any pain, for that word reminded them that no matter in how much pain they were, they were never alone.
Draco wished he had his wand, and not for the first time.
His dear aunt Bella had taken great pleasure in snapping their wands, right before snapping their minds.
There wasn't really much to say except that their minds weren't the best at the moment. Both were prone to nightmares everytime they closed their eyes and even when they were awake.
It's pretty easy to say that his life had become a nightmare, the only light in it was Hermione.
Beautiful, sweet and caring Hermione.
She was there everytime that Draco needed a hug to remind him that they were still alive, and later a kiss, and soon she was his life line. The one thing giving him the strength to live.
"I love you." He suddenly said.
It felt like it was his last chance to say it.
Hermione's lips were on his instantly, "I love you too," she said when they broke their kiss.
The sun was starting to set, so they both got ready to go out of the cave to continue looking for the way out of the forest, even though they were tempted to live the rest of their lives in that cave.
The ground was wet underneath their bare feet, and the sound of their steps felt too loud, and the fear came creeping back again, just like the way that water flowed to shore, but insted of flowing back to where it came from, the fear stayed.
Maybe it was a good thing. Nothing makes you run faster than fear. That was something that Draco learned from the last times they tried to escape, he only hoped that this time they could run fast enough.
Footsteps could be heard from behind them, and Draco thought that he was imagining the sound, but one look into Hermione's frightened eyes proved him wrong.
Draco has never run that fast and he felt that if he went faster he would fly off his feet.
He could see the fog of his breath. Damn that cold. Damn Voldemort and damn his father for not feeling like he was important enough to him anymore
He just wanted to go home. Where ever that is. If there even is.
In front of them there was a cliff, and beyond the cliff was black fog that appeared to continue forever.
They tried to turm back but it was too late.
"There!"
They were spotted. They were going to die. This time Draco was sure of it.
Soon they were surrounded by cloaked figures, all with wands pointed towards them, and the only escape was that cliff. Either way they were going to die.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A lost pair of kids. Oh my, what shall we do?"
Draco was never more terrified of his aunt's voice as he was at the moment.
"I told you what would happen if you tried that little trick of yours again," she started to say, "I thought it was pretty clear, was it not?" She had a grin on her maskless face, and her voice had a tint of a mad laughter in it.
She raised her wand a little higher and pointed it right towards them, he could feel Hermione gasp and grab his hand, and he held on a little tighter.
Around them all of the figures laughed.
A figure with white blonde hair came closer to them, "The dark lord wants the girl for himself, but you," he looked right at Draco's eyes, "you are mine."
That's it. He always knew it, his death was going to be by his own father, just like his mother, who had died trying to protect Draco from being taken to the dark lord's torture cells.
They both started walking back, until they were too close to the edge of the cliff that they had no more space to back away, and the cloaked figures started closing in on them more than before.
The green light felt like it was coming his way in slow motion. He felt as if time was slowing down just for him to get one last look into Hermione's eyes, but before he had the chance he felt Hermione shove him aside and by doing so, jumping in front of the light.
"No!" Draco screamed, but it was too late.
She was no where to be seen, only the slight shift of the fog as proof that she was once here.
Tears came to Draco's eyes, and he felt like his heart was being crushed by boulders of ice.
He couldn't do anything but stare at that black fog that has claimed her body.
All around him was quiet.
"You idiot! You are dead! Master wanted her for himself!"
His aunt kept screaming at his father but all the sound felt foggy to Draco.
Hermione. His Hermione. The one person that he loved, gone.
If Draco had felt pain before it was nothing compared to now, now it was unbearable, and entirely consuming.
Why had she done it? Why had she pushed Draco? But Draco knew that he would have done the same thing for her.
But Hermione shouldn't have died. Draco should've.
Hermione was too good. Too kind. Too lovely, to die.
She shouldn't die, anyone can die, but just not her.
But it was too late, and it was Draco's fault for not being smart enough to know that Hermione would've done what she did.
He should have pushed her away from him as soon as his father pointed his wand at him.
But he didn't push her away, and so he was still here, with pain as his only companion.
But not for long.
'Together' Draco thought, and jumped into the black fog.