A Piercing Kiss
No one was safe for the crumbling pieces of the castle. Just a second ago Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived once again, had faced of Tom Riddle, better known as Voldemort. They had been circling each other for a few minutes, jeering at each other. When all the talking ended, Harry had been ready to attack. Voldemort had however in his fear, not attacked Harry, but his surroundings. With a blue-purple spell bursting out of the Elder Wand like a lightning jet, a shield surrounded the Dark Lord, vibrating so intensely it made the walls of the castle tremor. Everybody had been forced back and Harry, standing nearest, had flown through the room and hit his head against the wall. Ginny Weasley and Madam Pomfrey had gone for his aid, while the Hogwarts professors and the Order of the Phoenix had done their best in protecting the students from the shattered glass and falling stone.
Hermione Granger, brightest witch of her age, had come to the conclusion however that the protective charms wouldn't be enough once the whole castle would fall down. They had to break the shield, so Harry could finish it once and for all. Hermione watched as every witch and wizard in the room tried and failed to fracture the transparent wall.
"Hermione, what do we do?"Ron asked beside her.
She looked at him, and noticed several others were expecting her to come with a solution. She frowned at that thought. How could she know something that the Aurors and Professors didn't? She surveyed the room further. Some had made it out of the door before it had collapsed. Most of them were trapped in the Great Hall however, like she was. They were hiding behind bricks and tables hoping to avoid the inevitable, while simultaneously trying to break the barricade Voldemort had formed. Harry had recovered from his head bump and was desperately trying to near Voldemort again. She turned away from Harry and noticed the Malfoy family mere meters away. Lucius sat against the wall, looking defeated and empty. His wife stood beside with a hand on his shoulder. With her other hand she held Draco's wrist, as if afraid he would run towards the danger. And finally there was Draco, staring at the man he was forced to follow with contempt and fear. It seemed as if he was itching to do something, but was unsure of what to do. And then an idea popped into her head.
Hiding behind a pillar she contemplated her options and quickly came to the conclusion she didn't have any. Some of the brightest witches and wizards were fighting side by side, trying to break through the shield, but nothing seemed to work. But the incantation she had in mind was ludicrous, it could never work. Could it? She had found it many months ago in the Black library at Grimmauld Place. The old magic, similar to the magic Lily Potter had performed, mere minutes for her doom in order to protect her son. Luckily, the magic she had come across wasn't as sacrificing as Lily's. It was however a spell to protect your loved ones. Hermione sighed, Harry had just said it a few minutes ago, love was the most powerful magic existing.
The problem was that she couldn't cast the spell alone, it had to be done with another witch or wizard. Preferably, one that knew the incantation. She feared however, that she was one of few who knew it by heart. She looked back at the platinum haired man. If anyone knew the enchantment, it would be him. He was a reader, just like her, and if the book could be found in the Black library, surely it could also been found in the Malfoy's book collection? This faced her with yet another complication as the magic was usually performed with a lover since it had to be sealed with a kiss. A kiss filled with love nonetheless. But they didn't love each other, they hated each other. He had bullied her for years, even watched as she got tortured by her aunt. She shook her head. No, it could never work, she had to figure out something else. Still, a voice kept nagging her subconscious. Her mother had always said that there was a thin line between love and hate.
"Hermione, we have to do something!" Ron exclaimed. Neville seemed to agree with red-haired boy. "The castle will fall down soon."
She huffed. "How should I know what to do?" But she stood nonetheless and called over the falling to her schoolyard bully. "MALFOY." The three Slytherins turned their heads. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm down a little. "Draco," She said gaining his attention once again, "kiss me." His pale eyebrows rose and his familiar smirk fell over his face. "This really isn't the time to declare your love for me, Granger." Ignoring the surprised gasps around her she snarled back. "I'm not telling you I love you, I just want you to kiss me in order to stop him." Pointing in the direction Voldemort. His face showed no emotion, but she knew he understood what she was saying. "Only you, Granger, would know pureblood magic. You do realize a kiss isn't enough though? You actually need to care about the other." She nodded. "I am hoping a teenage crush will suffice." For a second, she thought he would just smirk and taunt her for admitting her crush. Instead he seemed to admit to himself that the crush was mutual. Gritting his teeth he hissed. "Fine, but you better make sure Potter is ready." Nodding, she locked eyes with Harry, all the while ignoring the hurt and confused face of the boy she had kissed a number of hours ago.
Harry, who was out of hearing range, didn't know what was going on. All he saw was the determined look in Hermione's eyes and he knew something was about to happen. So he focused his energy, ready to attack and end the war.
Meanwhile, Hermione and Draco stood across from each other, both pocketing their wands as it wasn't needed with this kind of magic. They walked towards each other, all the while chanting the mantra over and over again: "Cum dilectione mea, et securos vos faciemus."(1)
Hermione came to a halt, not sure how to proceed, and stared into grey eyes. She heard Draco whisper the mantra one final time before he closed the distance. Fireworks erupted inside of her when his hand found her waist and his lips found hers. She felt the magic erupt from within them and burst out of their skin. She ignored the screams and the cries and focused on him. She focused on the smoothness of his lips, the warmth of his hands that embraced her and the softness of his hair which she stroked with her own hands. She didn't feel her teenage hormones pulsing through her body like she expected. She didn't care much for the pale blond looks and his bad-boy image. Rather, she felt respect and empathy for the man who's hand had been forced. For the man who couldn't kill, despite the prejudices and hatred he had been taught as a child. For the man who was her intellectual equal in every way, the man who had pushed her to her limits. Their kiss heated as she remembered the warnings Draco had given her through the years and the joy she felt whenever they bantered. She smiled when he tugged on her lower lip, opening her mouth and welcoming him with her tongue. She relished the feeling of him, completely ignorant of her surroundings.
"Hermione." The voice calling her name sounded far away and her mind was foggy as Draco explored her mouth. "HERMIONE!" She jumped at the sudden noise near her ear. She reluctantly pulled away from the kiss and came face to face with Harry. Slowly letting go of Draco, she took in her surroundings. She noticed how the walls and the ceiling had been repaired, not a piece out of place. She saw people hugging and laughing and then she saw the lifeless body of the Dark Lord on the ground. She inhaled sharply and turned back to her best friend, who was grinning like a fool. "It worked?" she asked hesitantly. Harry barked out a laugh. "Obviously it worked. I don't know what you did, but the moment you kissed Malfoy," his face scrunched in disgust, "everything stopped trembling and then it all went back to its original place. Riddle's shield came down and well, we won." He exclaimed happily. His joy was contagious and soon she was smiling as well. She hugged Harry and cheered with him. Friends and family surrounded them, celebrating the end of the war.
When her friends finally let go of her, she turned back around and saw Draco staring at the ground. He seemed to be confused, yet a small smile could be found. Carefully, she touched his arm, gaining his attention. She smiled. "It worked. We did it." He nodded. "It appears so." He replied thoughtfully. "You know, that didn't feel as if it was just a teenage crush." She blushed, uncertain what to say. "No, it felt like more. Maybe it was the spell?" she asked unconvinced. He frowned. "You know it wasn't, Granger. That's not how it works. The stronger the love, the stronger the spell. Not the other way around." She dipped her head. "Well, I guess my mother was right then. There really is a very thin line between love and hate." He smirked. "Yes, I guess so."
The End
(1) It should mean: "With my love, I will protect you." But I've never taken Latin in my life, so if it's wrong please correct me and I will adjust it.
So I was suppossed to study, when this story came to me. I hope you all like it :)