Bring me to Life
Draco watched Hermione Granger across the Great Hall through half-closed eyelids. Ever since he had glimpsed her during the Sorting Ceremony, she fascinated him. Like a memory that wouldn't fade with time, her face was always in his mind. Even after he had found out what she was, she still filled him with a fascination and inquisitiveness that was only broken momentarily when he harassed her. Although he had this… interest in her, he still resented her for what she was. A know-it-all mudblood.
It didn't help matters when they were both selected, among other students, as Prefects. It was enough that she distracted him during their classes together, but now he had to contend with being in her presence during their regular meetings with the Headmaster.
It wasn't love, he decided, love was a waste of time, and wastes of time were not for Malfoys. It was more of a fascination, like the kind that disgrace Arthur Weasely had for his muggle objects, the kind that just bordered on the edge of obsession.
He suddenly realized that classes were about to start. Clearing his head of his thoughts, he narrowed his eyes in contempt and his lips curled into a sneer as he passed her on the way to class, while she looked coldly at him, her eyes regarding him in indifference.
~*~
Hermione Granger had already decided that this year was not going to be pleasant. She could tell that when she realized that she would not spend a lot of time with Harry and Ron, her two closest friends. Not as if they had any time to spend with her, she thought ruefully. Ron had resigned the post of Prefect, needing time to practice his Quidditch and to study. Harry had realized that he loved Ginny Weasely, and spent all his free time with her. This broke Hermione's heart, because she was secretly in love with him.
Her studies had finally begun to take its toll on her, leaving her drained and lifeless, no matter how much sleep she got. And the war was making her scared and feeling helpless, afraid for her parent's safety and wishing that she was able to do something to protect them.
What had just happened between her and Malfoy was forgotten almost instantly; she had more important things to concern herself with.
It was only during her studies did she manage to forget her troubles. The quest for the post of Head girl seemed to her the only thing that was keeping her sane. If one could call it sanity. Hermione felt that there was very little keeping her from becoming completely depressed and sick with life.
Scratch that, she thought, she was depressed.
One would think that this was uncharacteristic of Hermione Granger, but then, no one actually knew what she was like. Harry and Ron usually only spoke to her for her knowledge on some matter or other, either that or they wanted to copy off her homework.
As for Krum, ah yes, Krum. The jock who couldn't string a sentence together using words with more than two syllables. She had had enough of the letters she received in his god-awful English, and simply stopped writing to him during the last summer.
All her thoughts quickly disappeared as she entered her Ancient Runes class and prepared to take notes on what the professor was saying. After all, she did have to keep up appearances.
When she fell asleep late that night, she didn't know what horrors awaited her in her dreams.
Alex and Linda Granger were standing in front of a dark, cloaked figure that Hermione couldn't identify. As the figure muttered inaudible words, a green light enveloped the couple, and the only sounds Hermione heard were the creature laughing and her own terrified screams as she saw her parent's cold, dead bodies lying on the floor.
She wasn't sure if it was her own screams that woke her up or Crookshanks' sudden weight when he jumped on to her bed, it didn't really matter. Either way, she wasn't able to fall asleep after seeing Voldemort kill her parents, even if it was a nightmare.
At least it was nothing more than that. A nightmare.
After spending the rest of the night tossing and turning, Hermione tried to keep focused on a textbook during breakfast and ignore Harry sweet-talking Ginny, while Ron was engrossed in a conversation with the Quidditch captain.
She looked up and saw a black owl, the only black owl in the Hall, fly towards her with something in its beak.
Before she the owl landed before her, she knew what it would be carrying, and her sobs echoed throughout the Hall when her worst fears were confirmed.
As the Great Hall erupted into noise when the students realized what had happened, all Hermione could see was what the Owl had carried.
When Ginny tried to comfort her, Hermione didn't notice the grey eyes taking in the scene.
~*~
When Draco looked up from his conversation to read the letter his father has sent, he noticed the black owl, and smirked as he remembered what his father said it would be carrying to that mudblood.
Since Draco was nearing the age where he could become a Death Eater and join Voldemort's inner circle, his father had thought it appropriate that he inform Draco of any news that might help him.
He had just received a letter from his father informing him of the Dark Lord's latest victims, and the news that Granger would receive her mother's wedding ring with The Mark etched on it as a sign that her parents were murdered.
As the mudblood was bawling her eyes out, he turned to Blaise and continued his conversation with him.
He didn't worry about the mud blood's parent's death; they were just another kill to the Dark Lord.
He looked up again to see Granger walk out of he Hall while being comforted by Ginny and a few of the other Gryffindor girls. He quietly watched her until she left the hall, and then began to pack up to get to class.
Months later, the incident already forgotten, Draco stood at the entrance to the Quidditch pitch.
The cold wind stung his cheeks as he walked on to the pitch, and the sound of the crowd was deafening. When he was up in the air on his broomstick, he looked at Harry Potter, his rival in Quidditch, and waited for the moment when the game would begin, and everything would come down to one thing. Winning.
The referee blew her whistle, and everything seemed to explode around Draco. He flew above the crowd, and scanned the air. Potter was doing the same, staying on the opposite end of the pitch, watching Draco out of the corner of his eye to see if he had seen anything.
Suddenly, a glimpse of gold caught Draco's eyes, and he instantly flew towards it, willing his broom to go as fast as he could. Potter had seemed to have seen it as well, and he was racing Draco to get to the Snitch.
Draco followed the Snitch in it's erratic course, dodging the Bludgers, blind to all emotions and thought except for the need to win, to defeat Potter.
He was so close, his fingers almost touching the Snitch, when it suddenly dived towards the ground. Cursing, Draco jerked his broom in the direction of the Snitch, and blindly flew after it, Potter close behind him.
The wind stung his eyes, and everything around him became a blend of noise and colour. The roar of the crowd filled his ears, and he could see Potter out of the corner of his eye, a gold and maroon blur.
Draco narrowed his eyes in determination, and he tried to fly faster than Potter, who was now right next to him.
The ground seemed to fly up towards him, and he was now inches from the Snitch, when the roar of the crowd deafened him.
He stopped, and realized what had just happened. He looked up, and saw Harry potter flying high above him, holding the Snitch high, as though it was a trophy. Harry was grinning in triumph, and seemed that he was laughing at Draco. Draco gripped his broom in anger, wishing that he was able to do something, anything, to wipe that grin off his face.
Draco hung his head in defeat, and floated to the ground. He looked up at the crowd, and something caught his eye. Hermione was standing high up in the stands, and she, like the other Gryffindor students, was celebrating their victory. Although there was something that separated her from the others, Draco realized.
He scanned her face, using his training to try and detect it.
It hit him. Although her face was happy, her eyes were empty, yet filled with sorrow.
She can't still be grieving for her parents, he thought scornfully, and he silently mocked her weakness. But didn't she have that same look when he had seen her in the beginning of the year? He frowned, and studied her face closer. He realized that her eyes were like most of the other Death Eater's that he had met.
He pondered the thought for a moment, and decided to let his father know of Hermione. The Dark Lord could use an intelligent person like her in his service. On that note, he turned his back on her, shot a disdainful look at Potter being congratulated, and joined his team-mates on the other side of the pitch.
~*~
As Hermione walked back to the castle behind her celebrating students, she had this… feeling. A feeling that she couldn't describe, it felt like neglect, but was mixed with sadness.
She looked at her fellow students, who were either congratulating Harry or the other team members, or talking to a friend. No-one seemed to notice her, or care about her existence.
She sensed, rather than knew, what she had to do. It was better to leave like this, while everyone was happy; they wouldn't notice her absence for some time if they were celebrating. She quietly broke off from the crowd of Gryffindors, and walked away, not knowing where she was going. Everyone else continued in their noisy parade through the corridor, unaware of what Hermione's intentions were.
~*~
The Slytherin's walk back to their dungeon was quiet. No-one had said anything since they had left the pitch, but the agony of defeat hung in the air, like an invisible mist. Draco knew that the Slytherins resented him for letting Potter win, and he was alert for any attempt to punish him.
He looked around the castle, trying to find anything to distract him from the sight of the Slytherins, and saw Hermione break off from the crowd of Gryffindors, and walk away to a rarely-visited part of the castle. Without knowing what he was doing, Draco quietly left the group and followed her, not noticing that he was still tightly gripping his broom. He followed Hermione through the different corridors, careful as to not make any movements or sounds that would get her attention.
Not as though she would notice, she seemed to be in a deep trance. He watched her go up a long flight of stairs, and waited for a few moments before he followed her.
~*~
The walk to the tower passed in a blur. Hermione didn't know how long she was walking, all sense of time ceased to exist. She found her self before a flight of stairs, and continued to walk sedately up them.
When she reached the top of the tower, she made her way to a large window and looked out. It seemed to be the highest tower in the castle, but it didn't stop the butterflies that started to invade her stomach. Despite what she was about to do, Hermione was still afraid of heights. She slipped off her shoes and took f her Prefect's badge and flung it in a corner with her shoes; it seemed to be the only reasonable thing to do. She looked at the view the window gave. The sun was setting, and the birds were returning to their nests in the Forbidden Forest, creating slight chaos with the sounds of their screeching and the fluttering of their wings.
She turned her back to the window, and positioned her feet on the ledge, her arms the only things keeping her from falling. She did not want to see the ground as fell towards it.
Just as she was about to let go, the door opened, and Draco was about to enter. He stopped when he saw what Hermione was about to do, and as their eyes met, Hermione gave a small smile of triumph, and let go.
~*~
As Draco was walking after Hermione up the stairs, he wondered at what she was about to do.
He suddenly stopped in shock as the pieces fell together. All those months of sorrow and grief had come to something. He broke into a run the remainder of the stairway, and was about to enter the room.
He opened the door, and his eyes met Hermione's. Time seemed to slow down as she slowly let go of her grip on the edges of he window. She seemed to be suspended in the air for a moment, and she fell out of his sight. He ran to the window, trying to grab hold of her, to stop her, but she was already out of his grasp, falling with her eyes closed, not uttering a sound.
He shouted her name, desperately thinking of something to do. He realized that he still was holding on to his broom, and before he knew what he was doing, he quickly rode it and jumped out the window after her.
He flew faster that he had ever flown before, the wind singing in his ears and stinging his eyes, causing tears to slightly blur his vision.
His hair came out of the style he had set earlier that day, and flew about his face as he tried to reach her before she hit the ground.
He stretched his had out as he neared her. Just as Hermione was a few feet from hitting the ground, he managed to grab her hand and pull her on to his broom. She had fallen silently, but she gave a gasp when he yanked her up. He righted his broom, but the sudden unbalanced weight made them fall the few harmless feet to the ground, Draco protecting Hermione from the blow with his body. The broom fell a few feet away, still intact. The impact made them roll, and they ended up with Draco pinning Hermione to the ground as she tried to hit him with her fists, while crying in frustration at not accomplishing what she had tried to do.
He watched her struggle against him, his face expressionless, not betraying the fact that he was filled with an immense relief at her safety. When Hermione had finally calmed down, with tears still streaming her face, he couldn't think of anything to say.
Without a word, he bent his head and kissed her forehead, then got up and walked away, picking up his broom on his way back to the castle.
~*~
The sun had set, and it had begun to grow cold, but Hermione still lay there, speechless. Her tears were still fresh, and more were creeping out the corners of he eyes, but they had lessened. The birds were still creating havoc in the forest with their screeches, and the grounds were empty.
She sat up, and wiped her tears away. She then got up, dusted off her robes, and made her way back to the castle. She didn't think it necessary that anyone knew of what had happened.
~*~
Draco stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting for his future bride. Five years had passed since the incident, and he had graduated from Hogwarts with his fellow students.
He was now of age to join his father in Voldemort's inner circle of Death Eaters, and today was to be the day he would be inducted. The Dark Lord had also decided to mark the date with Draco's marriage, as it would be the first time there would be a married couple who be both Death Eaters at the same time.
As for the Dark Lord himself, he was at the height of his power, and more people were joining his ranks.
Draco aced the foot of the staircase, nervously waiting for his bride. He could see the magnificent doors that would open to the chambers, where the ceremony would take place.
Draco's father noticed the boy's agitation, and allowed himself a private smile. Draco reminded him of his own youth, when he was about to become a Death Eater. But Draco's father sensed that it wasn't becoming a Death Eater that worried Draco.
Five minutes had passed, and Draco's future bride had still not come out of her room. Draco looked up at her door and frowned.
~*~
Hermione looked away from the mirror and pulled herself out of the memories that were distracting her from her preparations.
Once she had graduated from Hogwarts with top honours, she had immediately begun her training. Now, after five years, she was ready.
The whole idea seemed impossible at first, when she had approached the Malfoys. A muggle born had never became a Death Eater, and Draco's father was quick to remind her that. But when she had insisted, and the Dark Lord himself had seen the determination in her eyes, Voldemort realized that having Hermione's knowledge would benefit them. Besides, he had felt slight sympathy for her, because he himself was a muggle born as well.
After many years of training alongside with Draco in secret, Hermione was ready to receive the Mark. She smoothed the black dress over her hips, and walked out the door.
Today was to be the day that she would complete her union, both with Draco and the Dark Lord.
~*~
Draco stopped his pacing when he had heard the sound of the door open, and looked at Hermione. Five years had made a great change in her. Her skin had paled, and she had found a spell that would straighten her bushy hair. Yet her face still had that hidden beauty that had attracted him to her, many years ago.
The love that he had admitted many years ago made it's presence known, and his eyes met Hermione's which was reflecting the same emotion.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, and she placed her hand on his arm.
They walked into the chamber, and all eyes were reverted to them. As they walked to the front of the chamber, where the Dark Lord was standing, he felt Hermione slightly tighten her grip on his arm. He turned his face to her, and smiled a small smile at her, reassuring her with his eyes; she smiled back, looking slightly relived at his concern for her feelings.
They reached the front, and Voldemort preformed he ceremony that would make them husband and wife.
They spoke the oath before the Mark was burned on to their arms, their lips moving as one, both voices steady.
As the mark was burned into Hermione's arm, she griped her husband's hand in pain, yet her face was emotionless. Draco then received the Mark, and he felt the same pain that Hermione had felt only moments before.
When the ceremony was over, the couple turned to walk out of the chamber. Before they could take their first step, the doors burst open, and a swarm of Aurors attacked the chamber. Draco and Hermione were ready, their wands pointing towards the attackers. The battle was long, and Aurors were falling in droves, yet Draco and Hermione never left each others sides.
Suddenly, two people that Hermione never expected to see were before her. Draco saw the expression of surprise that passed her face momentarily, and turned towards the two who had caused it.
Harry Potter and Ronald Weasely were standing before them, motionless with shock, their arms falling limply at their sides, still holding their wands.
Draco and Hermione stood calmly before them, their faces identical in calm and composure. They both raised their wands and pointed it at Harry and Ron.
It was hard to say whose spell hit who, but Harry and Ron fell down, dead, while Draco and Hermione lowered their wands, still glowing a slight green from the Unforgivable spell they had just cast.
After a few moments of standing there, looking at the bodies, they turned to their task of protecting themselves and forcing the invaders to retreat.
An hour later, the bodies of slain Aurors lay around the chamber. The few remaining had retreated after realizing they were fighting a loosing battle, and the death Eaters were regrouping after scattering about. They were clearly the victors in the short battle, and all were accounted for.
Draco and Hermione were still standing where they had been when the battle had begun, and Lord Voldemort smile at their strength. As the crowd around them celebrated their victory, Draco smiled and pulled Hermione to him and kissed her, both oblivious to the cheers of the other Death Eaters.
~*~
A/N: Whoa, I can't believe I just wrote all this!
Yeah, I know I should be working on "A Cosmic Wager", but the song "Bring me to life" (Evascence) was stuck in my head! Besides, I was in an angst mood, and the plot was the only thing I could think of.
Kudos to my favorite beta-reader, McG, you rock!
Hope you guys like reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
MiChA