DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter. Nor the song that inspired it, which you shall later find out. Just this short story... A/N at the bottom! :)
Tower of Memories
"Hey, Draco?"
Hermione opened the doors of her old school, Hogwarts. It was summer, so no one was there except for the headmaster and the other teachers who stayed there, along with the house elves and ghosts. Hermione and Draco had asked Professor Dumbledore if they may visit Hogwarts one more time before going to their new jobs the next day. Hermione was surprised however, that upon waking up that morning in a Hogsmeade inn, she was alone inside the room, save for the other furniture and a note beside her wand.
Dear Hermione,
Good morning sweetheart! I'm sorry for not waking you up, you were just sleeping so soundly and peacefully that not even the coldest of hearts may find the will to move you. You were so much like an angel when sleeping. Anyway, I also decided that I wanted some time for a while to visit my old dorm, for there are a few more things I have yet to pack and do.
I also thought that you'd probably want to have some alone time as well, especially to explore the places you went to without me- particularly during those adventures you had with Potter and Weasel Weasley that I regretfully missed because of my foolish ignorance. Perhaps we could meet at… The Astronomy Tower before sunset?
Love,
Draco
The inn's clock told her that she had woken up late: 9am.
Draco and Hermione were now dating for 5 years. Their relationship started when Ron chose Lavender over Hermione after the war. Hermione fled to the Astronomy Tower to seek refuge under the star filled skies because of one of her secret, "illogical" beliefs: That stars stood for the people who have just passed away. When she got out that night, sure enough the sky was dotted with innumerable stars making it look like a magnificent painting that not even the Great Hall of Hogwarts could capture its beauty. However, there was also one other figure present that night…
Their lips met and touched as the cheers of the crowd filled the atmosphere. What hurt the most was the fact that it looked like it fit in perfectly with the scene: a pair of what was thought to be star-crossed lovers had finally triumphed against all odds, and were now met with inexpressible joy. It was as if Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown had been meant to be even before time. At that moment, there was only one Hermione Granger thought of: running.
She ran away from the scene as her tears ran down and streaked her wounded face. Surprisingly, she only wished for one thing, and it was not the thought of being the girl in Ronald Weasley's arms. She wished that she was a phoenix.
A phoenix can live a long life then burst into flames and disintegrate into ashes. Soon after, they are reborn and they start anew. Their songs can pierce through solid walls, crush the thickest block of ice and explain what cannot be said by words. Their tears can, above all, heal. It was all she needed.
The star-flooded sky and her tear-flooded eyes merged together and caused a catharsis of her emotions. For the first time that night, she cried. And for the first time that night, human tears brought healing.
"Here, take my handkerchief," said a voice.
Hermione took it and wiped away her tears. She looked up and the owner and said, "Malfoy."
"Granger."
She half expected him to retort and add a side comment, but he didn't. So she said, "thank you."
"You're welcome."
They sat for a while in silence, watching the small white dots twinkle innocently back at them.
"My mother told me that when a loved one passes on, you will find them amongst the stars." Draco whispered.
Hermione looked down guiltily. After they had saved Draco from the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement, Narcissa met them and immediately went over to their side. Unfortunately, her sister Bellatrix did not take this lightly, and so Narcissa sacrificed her life for them, particularly Hermione since she was the "filthy mudblood."
"My mother told me that too," she replied.
And that night, under the stars, the impossible was made: a boy triumphed over the immortal Dark Lord, star-crossed lovers had overcome fate, and the fine line between love and hate was overcome by two broken souls: Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.
Hermione put her bag over her shoulder as she gave back the keys to their room by the inn's counter after eating brunch. Right after she got out of the building, she Disapparated to the train station where the Hogwarts Express waited for her.
She then went to look into one of the few empty compartments and decided to stay there. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she recognized it as the first compartment she entered when she, herself, was just a first year.
"Hey, 'Ermione!" cried a familiar face, Hagrid.
"Hagrid!" she rushed forward and gave him a huge hug which the half-giant wholeheartedly returned.
"So good 'ter see yah," he said. "Now, why don't yer go 'head eh? I've still got some stuff ter do out here. Some Blast-Ended Skrewts are spawning... And I don't want ter' get in between yer' eh—I mean…" Hagrid stuttered.
"Yes, Hagrid?"
"I—er, nothing! See yer Hermione!"
"Alright. See you Hagrid!"
Hermione thanked goodness that he didn't ask her for help. She was still puzzled by his behavior however, and she silently hoped that Hagrid wasn't keeping another illegal magical creature like Norbert—or rather Norberta.
She decided to slow down a bit as she reached the grounds near the lake. She remembered her sweet—and also dangerous—memories when they were still kids. Her eyes also caught sight of the rocks by the overlooking near Hagrid's house. She chuckled to herself as she remembered the time she punched Draco right smack in his face when they were in their third year.
She glanced at her watch. It was still 12 at noon. She looked around her and suddenly thought that she should have brought her camera to Hogwarts like Colin Creevey. There were so many memories that she could have captured, so many of them that she wanted to keep, to look back to. She firmly decided then and there that right after that, she'd take pictures of every special moment, every simple but special happening, and she'd hang them somewhere in a room.
"That would be nice," she thought.
She went through the infamous doors of Hogwarts and attempted to go into the Great Hall, but surprisingly it was locked. A post-it note, however, was stuck to the doors. "Come back at 4:30pm." She decided that she'd go back to the Great Hall right before going up the Astronomy Tower, where she was going to meet Draco.
After a few hours, Hermione finally finished going around Hogwarts. She went up to their common room, to the old girl's bathroom where she, Harry and Ron finally became friends, to all of their classrooms except for Divination. She hated that "old bat" and her smelly old room. She also saw some of her old teachers like Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick. She sort of regretted it though, because the wish she had made earlier was nagging at her and was not leaving her mind to peace. Unvisited were the library, the kitchens and the upper floors by the Astronomy Tower though.
It was already 4:29pm and the doors of the Great Hall still wouldn't open. As she started to walk up the stairs, she heard a click behind her and she saw the doors open as her watch told her that it was 4:30pm sharp. When she opened the doors and looked inside, her eyes grew wider than it ever had, and her mouth was big enough for a quaffle to go through. She had just caught her first sight of the Great Hall—which is now a garden instead of a hall.
She went back outside to make sure that she was in the right place and not in the room that changed every time you visit it. She looked inside again, but this time she also looked up at the ceiling. It was the usual afternoon sky that was also the ceiling of the Great Hall— if you can call it that.
What shocked her was that it was like her wish had come to life. Hanging on the branches of the various trees and plants were pictures: still, Muggle pictures and the moving, magical ones. Luckily there were no carnivorous or dangerous plants, but creepily all of the plants there were her favorite plants: daffodils, orchids, roses, the bushes that were formed into different shapes like the four house animals and many others. There were also some friendly small pixies that showered the place with their "pixie dust." The ground was strewn with various flower petals as well. The most amazing thing about it was that it was like it had been arranged just for her by an artist. Unbeknownst to her, the pathway was shaped in a way that if you look at it through the top view, it spelled out her name in script.
At the end of the path was the door that led to the kitchens. The portrait door was already open, and since the flower petals went through it, she went inside. The house elves surprisingly weren't there, but column upon column of sweets and various kinds of food were lined up on one side, though the ends had some extra food that went past the other columns. Unnoticed was the fact that it was shaped like a letter "I."
Next was the library. Now the rearrangement of the shelves on one side was not unnoticed. She went up on one of the ladders and then saw that the rearranged part spelled out "love." Though puzzled, she left it alone, but this time with a feeling that Draco was behind it. What distracted her was the faint sound of a guitar somewhere in the castle.
All that was left unvisited was the Astronomy Tower. After closing the library door behind her, she heard music louder, the strumming of a guitar, which intrigued her because of its familiarity.
"I know that song!" she cried. She ran up the stairs and the music grew louder.
When I was younger I saw
my daddy cry and curse at the wind
He broke his own heart and I watched
as he tried to reassemble it.
Hermione knew only one person who could have sung that song with so much passion and innocence.
And my momma swore that
She would never let herself forget…
She ran faster and faster until now she was up in the tower, absent-mindedly ignoring the sign "you" at the door. Her eyes then met those of the creator of all those arrangements.
But darling you are the only exception
You are the only exception…
She looked at him, smiling, and feeling the blush that went up from her cheeks down to her neck. She noticed the other things around him, like the perfect timing of sunset, the candle on the table beside him, a sort of small garden with more pictures. Closely, however, these pictures were mainly their pictures together, in love.
And up until now I had sworn to myself
that I'm content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
But darling…
Hermione now sat beside him and they gazed into each other's eyes. Then she sang along.
You are the only exception
You are the only exception…
Draco took out his wand and the guitar started strumming itself. As they continued to sing, Draco kneeled down and reached into his pocket, then he took out what looked like a small…
"Oh my goodness!" Hermione cried. She put her hands over her mouth. It was her mother's ring that had been lost during the war. Her mother told her that only the lucky man who would marry her daughter would ever take hold of it aside from Hermione. It was her parents' way of telling her that they are giving them their blessing.
"Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"
The brunette's arms found their way, and tightly hugged the blonde.
"Yes, yes, yes, Draco Lucius Malfoy," she cried.
And with all that's said and done, the impossible happened once more that night up on that Tower of Memories: two broken hearts united and became whole as one.
A/N I wrote this when I was faced with the question: if ever you were a guy and you would propose, how would you do it? Oh yeah, and for those who read this after reading my other story "Meeting a Computer", it was meant to be a oneshot too, but since a couple of you guys put it on alert and asked me to update, I will TRY to write another chapter, but I can't make any promises on when. Please rate and review and THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D ~Iris