Author's Note: This is just a quick one-shot I had floating around in my head. This is mostly DH compliant, definitely not Epilogue compliant. I absolutely love Dramione, so here goes!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but this Dramione dream, everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.
Everything was going according to plan. They had infiltrated the castle, and had just driven Snape out. While everyone was preparing for battle, Harry, Ron and Hermione were devising a plan to find the final Horcruxes.
"I'm going to head to Ravenclaw common room. Have to start somewhere, don't I?" Harry asked, while managing a nervous grin.
"Well Harry, Hermione and I were thinking-" Ron started.
"It's Ron's idea Harry. A brilliant idea, really," Hermione interrupted with a smile.
"We were going to go down to the Chamber of Secrets and get a Basilisk fang. What's the point in finding the other Horcruxes if we have no way to kill them?" Ron finished with an excited smile.
While Harry and Ron discussed this, Hermione had a quick moment to reflect on how far Ronald Weasley had come since first year. He'd certainly become more quick-witted, and he could hold his own in a duel. He'd grown a lot, but then they all had. She was trying to picture a life with him after the war when, in her mind's eye, she saw herself in a flash snogging someone with a head of gorgeous platinum blonde hair. She shook her head to try to remove the image from her mind, but couldn't help the blush creeping up her cheeks.
She had probably been in love with him since she punched him square in the face third year. He was arrogant, cowardly, privileged, and rude. But he was also highly intelligent, handsome, and could debate her on endless subjects. They could go back and forth for hours. She had only had a handful of debates with Draco Malfoy, and most of those were in some class or another, but he always had a counterpoint to her point; he always kept her on her toes and kept the wheels in her head turning. He was by no means an easy man to figure out, and Hermione found that to be extremely attractive. Not to mention he had quite the reputation among the female students at Hogwarts, and even Beauxbatons, or so she had heard.
'If only he hadn't chosen the wrong side,' she thought as she felt her shoulders and heart drop. But, she knew he was only doing it because that was how he was raised. Children develop based on the interactions of the people who raised them, and who they spent their childhoods with. Unfortunately for Draco, she thought, he had been raised by a prejudicial, pureblood supremacist, and a woman that was there to simply look pretty.
Hermione shook her head again. 'I know there's light in him, somewhere.' Dumbledore had said before, "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." Surely that could be applied to the current situation. After all, Draco was shrouded in darkness, but he didn't have to be. All Hermione needed to do was turn on the light within him.
But before her mind could form another thought about Draco, Ron said, "'Mione, are you okay?"
Determination shining bright in her eyes, she replied, "Yes. Let's do this."
And so the trio split, Harry to find the Lost Diadem, and Ron and Hermione to get a Basilisk fang.
Hermione and Ron had made it into the Chamber, where Hermione was astonished to find out that Ron had picked up some Parseltongue from Harry while the latter slept. Once inside, Ron broke off a fang and handed it to her.
"You have to be the one to do it, Hermione," he told her.
"I-I don't know if I can."
"You can do it. Just be brave," he replied with confidence.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione put the cup on the ground, and raised her arms above her head, fang poised to strike. 'If I can do this, surely I can convince Draco to switch sides,' she thought, before swiftly bringing the fang down and stabbing the cup.
It let out an ear-piercing screech before Ron kicked it into the water, and before either of them could move, they were drenched by a Voldemort-shaped tidal wave.
Surprise turned to triumph as Ron grabbed Hermione and spun her around, before planting a kiss on her lips.
She pulled back, surprised. "Ron…I-I can't…"
As rejection blossomed on his face, she had to look away. It was enough to break her heart. She couldn't kiss him, not when her heart belonged to another.
"'Mione…I always thought…you and me…I thought you had feelings for me…?" he whispered.
"I'm so sorry, Ronald. You're one of my dearest friends," she began, "I thought I loved you…once…but I realized it's as a sister loves a brother. I'm so-" she started to apologize again when he interrupted her.
"It's okay, 'Mione. I love you, I really do. I wish you could love me back. One day, I'll make you love me the way that I love you. You'll see," he said seriously.
"No, Ron, I can't I love-" she tried, before her covered his ears.
"NO! If you're going to try and tell me you love someone else, I don't want to hear it! How could you? It's only been the three of us for so long. Unless… no! Not Harry?!" he exclaimed, as his ears turned red.
"No! I love Harry in the way that I love you! You two are like brothers to me! It's so very complicated, Ron, but I can't be with you romantically. If we were to try, we'd both be deceiving ourselves," she said, eye shining with unshed tears. This was so hard for her. She didn't want to break her best friend's heart, but she also couldn't be in a sham of a relationship with him either. This was the only way.
"…let's go find Harry," he muttered, pulling out the Marauder's Map.
Sometime later they met up with Harry, outside the Room of Requirement. He told them of his conversation with Helena Ravenclaw, the Grey Lady, just as the door appeared to them. As they disappeared into the room, they didn't notice the Slytherin trio that followed them in.
Hours ago Draco had received a message from his father, saying that Harry Potter had infiltrated Hogwarts and that he needed to bring him, alive, to the Dark Lord, or else the punishment for his family would be the death of his mother.
Voldemort knew that Narcissa was the neutral one in the family, only doing what she did to protect her family. He knew that the only way to get Draco and Lucius to act was to threaten her life. And he knew it would work. Both men loved Narcissa fiercely, and would do anything to protect her.
And so, Draco apparated into the castle, and stole away to the dungeons, where he snatched Blaise Zabini and Gregory Goyle to help him do his bidding. Sure Potter would have Weasley and Granger with him, and Draco would never be able to stop Potter if he was outnumbered.
He knew the Golden Trio would be heading to the Room of Requirement, because it was the room where everything was hidden. Of course if they were looking for something, it would be there. So they hunkered down into the shadows and waited. Sure enough, shortly thereafter, the trio arrived.
Draco observed that they looked dirtier, more battle-worn, and older, much like he imagined himself to look. Potter still wore the same stupid round frames, and Weasley still had the same awful red hair. But when he spotted Granger, his breath caught in his throat.
She too was battle-worn, in tattered clothing, with messy hair, but it wasn't the same bushy mane he remembered from their former years. It was tamer somehow, and she was taller now. Not as tall as himself, not even close, but he could glean that she had long, shapely legs, and her womanly curves had filled out also. She was proportionate, but he decided that if he were to cup her breast or her rear, it would be a nice handful. He watched, transfixed as she licked her lips, and he felt his blood flow shift to his groin. It was so erotic. He never realized how plump and pleasingly shaped her lips were until now. It was most inconvenient for him, considering what he was planning on doing to her friend.
Goyle nudged him out of his reverie, saying, "They're on the move! Let's go, Draco."
Draco, Blaise and Goyle rose, and followed the trio into the room.
Harry had quickly located the diadem, but just as he raised it up to look at it, a spell blasted it out of his hands. Three heads snapped to the left, where Malfoy, Zabini and Goyle were standing, wands pointed. No words were exchanged before Hermione's voice rang out with a quick "expelliarmus" and Draco's wand flew from his hands.
Brown eyes melt silver as she gave him a pleading look that felt like it lasted a lifetime, but was only a few seconds, before Ron roared and chased them away, proclaiming, "Those are my friends, you slimy gits!"
Harry and Hermione sprang into action, climbing the stack of discarded furniture that the diadem flew into. They retrieved it quickly & jumped back to the floor when Ron rounded the corner screaming, "RUN! GOYLE'S SET THE BLOODY PLACE ON FIRE!"
True enough, Goyle let slip a spell he couldn't handle, that had quickly gotten out of control, and engulfed the room in flames. The Slytherin trio set to climbing a particularly tall pile of wardrobes and chairs, to escape the flames, but not before Goyle grabbed the wrong chair, lost his footing and fell into the flames. Draco and Blaise continued to climb to the top, holding on for dear life.
Meanwhile, the Golden trio found a set of brooms and flew up and away from the flames, towards the safety of the exit, but not before Hermione noticed Draco and Zabini hanging down from the mountain of furniture.
"HARRY! RON! We have to go back for them!" she screamed frantically.
"Are you bloody mad?! They tried to kill us! I'm not going back for them!" Ron shouted back.
"Hermione, we can't-" Harry began before being cut off by the witch.
"HARRY! We can't just leave them here! PLEASE!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face.
Harry only nodded before angling his broom back towards then, Ron begrudgingly following, while Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Harry and Ron quickly grabbed Draco and Zabini and sped off again for the exit, the flames close behind.
Hermione was first out, followed closely by Ron and Zabini and Harry and Draco, who had lost control of their broom and landed hard on the ground. Draco and Zabini scrambled up and started dashing down the hallway, but not before Hermione caught Draco gazing at her as he raced by.
The look they shared made her heart skip a beat. It was a look filled with lust, longing, and a wish to be able to stay, even though they both knew that at that moment, he couldn't. He broke eye contact as he rounded the corner, and like that, he was gone.
Harry made quick work of disposing of the diadem, and almost as soon as it was gone, Harry had a vision of Voldemort talking to Snape. Knowing Nagini was going to be with the Dark Lord, the three made their way down to the boathouse, not quite knowing what they expected to happen.
Sometime later, after watching Snape's painful death at the hands of the power-crazed Voldemort, and receiving from him a tear-filled memory, the trio made their way back to the castle, as a lull had come over the battle. Voldemort's words were heard in everyone's minds, telling them to collect their dead, and for Harry Potter to meet him in the Dark Forest for their final duel.
And so, Harry went off to the pensive in Dumbledore's office, while Ron and Hermione rejoined the Weasley family in the Great Hall to mourn the losses of many, including Fred Weasley. So much grief made Hermione feel uncomfortable, along with not really knowing where she fit in the scheme of things, since she and Ron hadn't worked out the way she knew everyone had hoped they would, though no one knew about it yet. So, she asked Ron to borrow the Marauder's Map. When prompted as to why, she simply answered, "There's someone I need to speak to, and I'm hoping to locate them on the map."
Wordlessly, he handed her the map, and she walked several paces away before opening it and scanning it for a certain name.
Ron had quietly walked up behind her and was looking over her shoulder, just as she caressed Draco Malfoy's name, which was stationary in Snape's old Potion's classroom.
"Him?!" Ron whispered angrily. As much as it pissed him off, he didn't want to attract too much attention.
"Ron!" she exclaimed, "It's not what you think…" she started, before he stopped her with his hand.
"I don't want to know what you see in him, or why you want to see him," he said hotly, "and I don't want to know. I'm going back to my family. Do whatever you want." And with a last glare, he stomped away.
She let out a heavy sigh before turning the other way, her steely resolve to speak to him, at least one time before whatever outcome the war brought, driving her on.
She opened the door as quietly as possible, though the squealing of the hinges made that almost impossible. The room was fairly dark, lit only by the few candles scattered about desks, but she spotted his blonde head immediately.
He was seated on the windowsill, gazing out at the Black Lake. He turned when she entered, and watched silently as she shut the door behind her.
Neither of them said anything for the longest time, and Hermione could feel tears building up in her eyes. The weight of everything was crashing down around her. The war, the uncertain future, her spat with Ron, and her feelings for Draco. She whimpered as she made a dash for him, throwing her arms around him in a most familiar way, as if their former years as enemies had only been a dream. His arms circled her body protectively, and he buried his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent like he had dreamed he never would.
"Draco…" she whispered.
"Mmm?" he replied.
"Oh Draco. Why is this happening now? It's so illogical, so inopportune, so inappropriate-" she ranted, before he interrupted her.
"They say it always happens unexpectedly. But this could never work, Granger," he stated bluntly.
She pulled back, feeling the same sting of rejection she supposed she gave to Ron earlier in the day. "What do you mean? Why couldn't it work? If it's truly meant to be… We must both be feeling this way for a reason…"
He stared into her chocolate eyes, willing her to understand that it hurt him too. "We're on two different sides, Granger. You're light, and I'm dark. Even if Potter defeats the Dark Lord, I'll always be marked as a dark wizard," he said, as she began to vigorously shake her head, "Yes, Granger! If I don't get killed or sent to Azkaban, I'll always have a stain on my soul. I was brought up differently than you were! We're two different kinds of people," he finished, holding her away from him.
She broke out of his grasp, walked a few steps away, and turned to face him, a single tear tracking down her cheek and fire in her eyes.
"No, Draco Malfoy. You're wrong. We are the same. We're both magical, and we both have blood as red as the Gryffindor common room. Yes, you chose the wrong side, but you were made to do so by your father! You. Are. Not. Lucius!" she shouted, before continuing, "I love you, Draco Malfoy. I think I may have loved you since third year, when I punched you for being a git. I can help you blot out that darkness! You are not lost to the light, Draco. You never have been. I know you didn't want to do all those terrible things. If you were truly evil, you would have killed Harry and Dumbledore yourself, without so much as batting an eye. But you couldn't. Good men can't murder others."
She locked eyes with him, just before he looked away. "You're too good for me, Granger. I could never deserve the Gryffindor Princess. I…"
"Draco, look at me," she commanded softly, as he met her eyes again, "I'm asking you to come with me now. If you show them you've had a change of heart, if they see us hand-in-hand, a Malfoy and a Mudblood, I know they'll understand. Just…please…" she trailed off, holding out her hand.
He stared at her hand for a long time, before his own reached out. But before he could place his hand in hers, he dropped it, suddenly feeling defeated. He knew if the Dark Lord won, she would be killed, or worse. And if Harry Potter won, surely they wouldn't let him be with her. Hearing her choke back a sob, he looked at her once more.
She walked until she was standing directly in front of him, and then reached into her jumper, where she pulled a necklace from around her neck to show him. It was a simple gold chain, and hanging from it was a deep blue gem in the shape of a heart. "This is my birthstone, a sapphire. They say that it's supposed to protect your loved ones from harm, which is why my parents gave it to me before my first year here. I've charmed it, and I'm giving it to you," she said, as she placed it around his neck.
"I know that there's more to us than this single conversation and a goodbye, Draco. I can feel it," she told him. Placing her hands on either side of his face, she whispered, "I love you, Draco Malfoy. I don't know how, or why, but I know it's special, and it won't just go away. If you ever desire to find me again, and I hope you do, that necklace will lead you to me."
She leaned down, and kissed him. It was only a fleeting moment before he had his hands tangled in her hair and he was kissing her back. The kiss was a kiss of love, of understanding, and of parting, tinged with hope, the way he knew only her kisses could be.
They drew back from each other, and Hermione turned away to cross the room towards the door. With a hand on the knob, she said softly, "Just once, please call me by my given name. Just once." She held her breath for a few seconds and then,
"Hermione…" he tenderly breathed. His utterance of her name caressed her like a warm summer breeze, and somehow, she knew it would work out.
The last thing Draco heard was the door clicking softly shut.
Some months later, things were finally getting back to normal. Harry had defeated Voldemort, and he Ron ran right out to join the aurors. Their new goal was to catch any Deatheaters that had escaped, and bring them in for punishment of their crimes. Many of Voldemort's servents had already been sentenced to Azkaban, which was now being patrolled by witches and wizards hand-picked by the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt.
The Malfoy family, of whom Lucius was head, were in the process of having their trials. Lucius had gone first, and it went rather quickly. He had no one there to speak for him, aside from his wife and son, and only the former plead for a light sentence. However, Lucius was found guilty of his many crimes, and sentenced to life in Azkaban, with a possibility of parole in 10 years.
Narcissa's trial followed. Her son spoke vehemently for her, and to everyone's surprise, so did her estranged sister, Andromeda. It was Andromeda's testimony, Narcissa's un-marked forearm, and Harry's clear confirmation that she had lied to the Dark Lord in telling him that Harry was dead after he was struck with the killing curse, which bought her a light sentence of only two years' probation, and 1000 hours of community service, to be carried out in St. Mungo's hospital.
Draco's hearing was last. Narcissa and Lucius both spoke for the young man, as did Blaise Zabini, but it didn't help his case very much. He had taken the mark, had tried to kill Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, and had cursed many others. His future was looking grim, until Hermione stepped in to vouch for him.
The entire Wizengamot sat silently as Hermione Granger spoke on behalf of Draco Malfoy. It was common knowledge that the two never got along in school, Malfoy referring to her as 'mudblood' and Hermione referring to him as 'ferret.' However, they knew that if war-heroine Hermione Granger believed him to be changed, then he must be. That didn't mean they would let him off free without punishment though. Draco Malfoy, for crimes against the Wizarding World, was sentenced to two years' house arrest at Malfoy Manor, starting in two days' time, in which he would only be allowed to leave for work at the Ministry, where he would be supervised, and 3000 hours of community service to be carried out at Azkaban Prison, so that he may be reminded as to the consequences of any slip-ups.
After the sentencing, Draco was led away, but not before spotting Hermione in the crowd. She gave a smile, and a small wave, as he walked past her. Outside of the courtroom, Harry Potter was waiting.
"I don't know why she spoke for you, Malfoy. And I don't think I'll ever understand, but you should be thankful to her, after everything you put her through," he said, coldly.
"What are you on about, Potter? Who spoke for me?" Draco asked, genuinely confused.
"Hermione did, you tosser!" he all but shouted.
Draco was silent as his mind digested this information.
"Enjoy your last two days of freedom, Malfoy," Harry began, "But remember, we'll be watching you. One toe out of line, and we'll put you in a cell so dark, you won't even be able to see your hand in front of your face."
Draco scowled as Harry moved away from him, but not before Ron Weasley bumped his shoulder roughly, and shot him a menacing look.
It seemed as though Draco owed a certain bushy-haired witch some gratitude.
After the events of the war, Hermione had moved out of her parents' home, and into a comfortable flat, set up with all things magical and muggle that she could possibly want. She lived there alone, with Crookshanks, but would sometimes entertain her friends for tea.
It had been a day since Draco was sentenced, and she had felt hurt that he hadn't thought to thank her. Surely he knew that she had spoken for him, otherwise his punishment would not have been so light. But, much to her disappointment, she hadn't received an owl, or any form of contact, from him.
A knock at the door brought her back to the present, and she opened it without her usual gusto. However, her heart stopped for a moment when she realized who was at her door. It was none other than Draco Malfoy himself, her necklace visible around his neck, with a bouquet of red roses, and a leather-bound book in hand.
"Grang-" he began, before correcting himself, "Hermione… I came here to thank you."
Tears began to well up in her eyes, as a radiant smile broke across her face. She opened the door wide and gestured inside.
"What took you so long, Draco?"
THE END.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I think I like the way it came out. And who knows? Maybe this little (long) one-shot will turn into something more. :)