"I don't remember a thing," she muttered harshly, "I've told you so many times. How long will I have to repeat myself?"
"Please Miss Granger, we need to know and you were the only person who could have witnessed," the young woman replied,
"But I didn't! I told you, I didn't witness a thing! I was unconscious when you found me; whoever it was must have used a stupefying spell."
"But Miss Granger-"
"No! I don't want to hear it. I don't remember, I won't remember, he's dead, no matter what I saw it won't bring him back."
"Miss Granger," an authorial voice spoke from the corner, the angry brunette quickly quietened. "The hero of the wizarding world is dead; somebody needs to be held accountable." She started to protest but he silenced her with a look, "Miss Granger if you won't do this for the wizarding world then do it for Harry, do it for your friend." She shook her head violently and looked away clearly hiding the saline drops from her superior. "It's only five minutes every day, we just ask a few questions Miss Granger, don't you owe him at least that?" she looked back at the Minister for Magic with angry eyes,
"You have no right," she pushed through gritted teeth. He ignored this statement and slung his travelling cloak over his arm,
"I'll see you again tomorrow Miss Granger," it wasn't a question, it was an order. She nodded her head at him as he and the new Head Auror left her apartment.
"I stood on the tower with him, it's very blurry," The young Head Auror nodded and jotted down some notes. "We were talking, the war was just finished and Voldemort was dead and…we were talking about something, I can't remember what but he looked rather sombre." She nodded again, "He started shouting about something, then" The Auror started writing quicker almost excitedly "then it goes black." She looked up at Hermione in concern.
"Are you positive there is nothing else you can remember?" Hermione nodded, "Maybe what Mr Potter was shouting about?" she shook her head. The young woman looked down at her notes then nodded and packed away her belongings, the older man crossed the room and gave Hermione a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder,
"Thankyou for your cooperation Miss Granger," Hermione nodded.
"Miss Granger we've decided to do something different today, to try to stimulate your memory about the night in question."
"What?" she feared the answer,
"We're going to take you to the tower," she shook her head and grabbed the arms of the chair with white knuckles.
"I-I'm not ready, I don't want to go there."
"Please Miss Granger, don't you want to find out who did this?" she looked slightly torn, the Head order decided to seal the deal. "You can bring someone, anyone you want…for moral support." Hermione suddenly looked at the young woman angrily,
"Who? Who the hell would I take?"
"Anyone you trust Miss Granger, anyone."
"Thankyou for meeting us here Mr Malfoy,"
"Do you have any idea why she asked for me?" The Head Auror shook her head, "Of all people, Why me?"
"I'm not sure she trusts anyone else Mr Malfoy," he looked confused at this but followed her nonetheless. They walked up a large spiralling staircase to the top of a tower, there the Minister for magic and Hermione Granger stood in thick woollen cloaks to protect themselves from the freezing wind.
"Malfoy," Hermione acknowledged him,
"Granger," he nodded in return. He walked over to stand next to her like any 'moral support person' should do. "Why me Granger?"
"You know why."
"No I really don't." She turned away obviously not going to answer. She faced the head Auror. "He was standing there," she was already crying as she pointed to a spot on the other side of the tower, she moved to a spot opposite the first, "And I was standing here."
"What do you mean Hermione?"
"I mean I was in love with him."
"No Hermione, that's impossible,"
"I assure you it is not. I loved him Harry and you killed him! It's all your fault that he's dead." Harry took a sharp intake of breath,
"Don't do this Hermione, stop saying these things."
"No Harry, it's all your fault."
"Why? What did I do?"
"You led him into that battle!" she screamed, "You knew it was bad information, you led him into that trap. You killed all of them and I'm not just going to shut up about it!"
"You traitor, how dare you Hermione?"
"I'm not going to say I'm sorry Harry, because I'm not. I'm going to tell everyone."
"And you think they'll believe you?"
"I-I"
"See sense Hermione, I couldn't have done anything." he was screaming at her now, trying so hard to keep his containment but failing so blatantly. "The Wizengamot will not sentence me."
She gasped lightly as she opened her eyes, Draco Malfoy looked down at her,
"What?"
"I remember what we were talking about."
"What?"
"We were having an argument…about the death of Fred Weasley." He looked down at her alarmed,
"Why?"
"Because Harry Potter sent him into a trap…knowingly." Draco looked down at her very hard, the minister was shocked and the Head Auror's hand flinched instinctively to her wand. "I was in love with him…Harry was the reason he's dead."
"No he wasn't."
"Harry led them into battle on bad information." They all continued silently looking at her.
"Well then someone else will have to make you pay for what you did." She paused, "I'll tell the Newspaper's and all the magazines,"
"And no one will believe it."
"Someone has to be held accountable!" She screamed, he examined her for a moment before drawing his wand, she was too quick and already had hers drawn. "No Harry!" tears escaped her eyes and ran down her face, red and chaffed with cold. "You have no idea how much I have hated you in these last months, you point your wand at me and it just may be the thing that pushes me over that edge."
"Now Hermione," he gently placed his wand on the floor, "Don't do anything rash," he spoke in a calm manner.
"Don't patronize me!" She shrieked as she held her wand steady and pointed at her best friend.
"What are you going to do Hermione?"
"I don't know." He looked hopeful for a moment, "Just shut-up!" she shouted. He looked at her penetratingly,
"You won't kill me Hermione; you don't have it in you,"
"Don't pretend to know me Harry! You don't know me anymore, Fred knew me…you can't even claim to know me!"
"But Hermione! Fred wouldn't want you to do this!"
"And your final excuse is the man that you killed…the very reason you're here."
He looked at her shocked one final time before she said the last words he would ever hear, the killing curse.
"I-I killed Harry Potter." Again everyone looked at her…this time quite startled. Draco Malfoy was the first to respond,
"No you didn't,"
"Yes, yes I did," she looked around her surroundings again, "It's so clear now. I killed him on this tower with my wand and then…I must've suppressed the memory."
"But you're Hermione freaking Granger, you can't have killed him." Next the Minister spoke up,
"Why?"
She was watching through a small crack in the door, "How do I know what you're telling me is true?" Harry asked the cloaked masked stranger,
"I guess you'll just have to go and find out." Harry examined the parchment in his hands before handing it back to the stranger,
"I'm sorry, it's too risky,"
"It would be unwise not to take advantage of this opportunity," Harry looked desperately towards the parchment then back at the door, "One of it's kind may not present itself again," with an apologetic look towards the crack in the door as if he knew she was cowering beyond he turned back around and took the parchment,
"I'll have somebody check it out."
"Miss Granger?" she was shook from her reverie by the voice of the Minister for Magic, exhausted, frustrated and impatient…with a hint of desperation. "Why did you kill him?"
"Be careful?"
"I'm always careful," she laughed at this, "What?"
"In the years I've known you Fred, you have been anything but careful," he laughed too until she gave him a rather deep look, "Please, make sure you come home?"
"If it's my time, it's my time." He pulled his dragon-hide jacket on and hugged her tightly,
"That wasn't exactly comforting," he pulled away from her,
"It wasn't meant to be," he gently planted a kiss on her lips before tenderly caressing her stomach, lingering a moment he muttered those words she'd come to adore, "I'll be home soon," he turned and walked out the door,
"I love you," she called after him; he turned and smiled broadly before trotting down the path through the snow. And that was the last time she'd ever see him.
"Please Miss Granger," the minister pleaded, "I need a reason, I need to know why the hero of the wizarding world is dead!" she shook her head and turned away as tears silently drifted down her face.
"Fred's dead Hermione…Mum took it really hard, the whole family's here." Ginny cried from the other end of the floo,
"What do you mean dead?"
"He died on a mission," Hermione started crying,
"I'm sorry Ginny, I have to go,"
"I could really use your help here,"
"I have to go," and without further ado she closed the floo gate and collapsed to the floor in tears.
"Granger?" she shooed him aside still silently crying.
"Where are you going?" she asked as they left the room, she suddenly felt very empty and extremely alone. A single healer returned to the room with a wheelchair.
"You have to come with me now," she looked concerned at the older man, "Your daughter is dying Miss Granger," she nodded silently before quickly wrapping herself in a gown and settling in the chair. The man took her to a different ward and stopped in front of a small baby capsule, the kind most hospitals have. There was her daughter, medicine had given up on her, magic forsaken her…she was all that she was and she was dying,
"There's nothing you can do?" she asked looking down at the tiny child.
"I'm afraid not Miss Granger, we've done all we can,"
"How long do you think?" her answer sounded choked,
"Hours, only a few hours." They left then, left mother and child to bond…to do whatever it is that mothers do with a dying child. Make peace, apologise, say goodbye to the last remnants of your old life and the man you loved. And as Hermione felt her child dying next to her she reached out her hand to stroke that beautiful face and looked deep into those brown eyes. The last time she would see those eyes.
"Granger," someone had hold of her arms and was shaking her like a doll. "Granger, wake up damn it!" She looked around again dazedly until her eyes fell onto another pair, a trenchant grey.
"I killed him didn't I?" she muttered softly before breaking down into a miserable heap on the ground. "I didn't want to; I only wanted him to pay for what he did."
"Why?"
"He killed the love of my life; he killed my child, the last bit of Fred left on this Earth, I'm sad for how it ended but I'm not sorry. I hated him." The Head Auror had raised her wand and pointed it at Hermione; she held her hand out however and motioned to stand. She stood next to Harry's memorial plaque and spat on it before the Head Auror took her into custody. Draco Malfoy followed her closely down the stairs and through the apparition and down corridors in the ministry until they got to the interrogation room when he sat himself beside her.
"You're dismissed Mr Malfoy,"
"I'm Miss Granger's legal representation; she will be pleading not guilty due to temporary insanity." And as she looked around the room she saw a light, she looked at Draco Malfoy and realised that light was her final hope, everything she had left in the world now relied on this man and his competence as a lawyer.
"Thankyou," she muttered half-heartedly before resting her head on the table and falling into an overdue slumber.
In any case at least Draco Malfoy now knew why she'd asked for him.