Disclaimer: I don't own HP.
They stood rooted as the war raged on around them.
Their wands drawn towards each other, as tears streamed out of her eyes.
The years melted away from the both of them and their memories flew from the depths of their minds.
They both took steps forward and were now face to face.
If they were going to finish it they were going to do it right.
She pointed her wand straight to his chest now, and he did nothing to stop her.
She opened her mouth and began the curse
" Avada …"
Trembling and crying her hand wavered.
He reached out slowly so not to startle her, and steadied the wand to his chest.
She looked up once more and met his eyes, she shook her head, and mouthed the words
"I can't".
"It's the path we have chosen Hermione…Finish it." He yelled through the noise around them.
~
Hermione walked dazedly towards the Hogwarts Express when she hit something solid and fell back.
Quick hands shot out and caught her.
"Watch where you're going mudblood." The long drawl said to her for the millionth time.
"Shove it Malfoy." Hermione said glaring at him and wriggling out of his grasp.
She bent down to pick up the bag she had dropped.
"Shove it where exactly, Granger?" He questioned slyly, bending down to help pick up one of her books.
Hermione stood up straight with a look of disgust.
"You are an incredible arsehole Draco Malfoy." She said walking off without looking back.
Draco watched her walk off with a look off amusement. He shook his head, and looked around. There were a dozen girls there already heading for him, and yet all Granger never even glanced at him twice.
"Strange girl" he thought, quickly walking after her.
~
Hermione sat at the corner of the pub, downing another drink.
A tear forming in her eyes once more.
She stared straight at the table and did not bother to look up as a shadow loomed beside her.
She had been here every night since… well since THE night. It had been their place once.
" Hermione you can' t keep doing this to yourself." Harry said sitting across from her.
She wiped the tears away from her eyes. Harry did not know the whole story. Nobody did.
"I let him go Harry. I had him and I let him go. He could kill again." She sobbed.
"Hermione it's not your fault love," Harry said taking hold of her hands. "He's very powerful you know. He controls all the death-eaters Hermione, he's been their leader since he killed Voldemort. You couldn't have done more." Harry said gently rubbing her hands. Hermione looked up. Harry loved her she knew. He had loved her for a long time now. She gave him a small smile. He didn't know. No one did.
"Anyway Herm, we should be out celebrating with everyone else, even if we didn't actually catch him, he's as good as dead. His death-eaters have all been destroyed thanks to your plan," Harry said grinning at her. "And everyone knows that once you stop sulking and get your head together, you'll come up with another brilliant plan to get Malfoy." He said giving her a huge kiss on the forehead.
She laughed, her first laugh since that horrible night.
"Alright, alright! Go, I'll apparate after you in a minute." She said motioning him away.
~
He watched her silently, his hood veiling his face from the world.
He had been here every night as well.
Watching her carefully, he had been hungry for her sight all these years and now that the war was over there was nothing to keep him away.
Not even the threat of Azkaban could keep him away.
He watched on as tonight the fool Harry joined her.
And his long fingers clenched as he watched them together.
Harry Potter touch what was his, what was forever his. Tonight, he decided, tonight he would have her once more.
~
"What the hell are you doing in compartment Malfoy?" Hermione asked standing up as Malfoy walked into the room.
"Where are your boyfriends Granger?" he asked stepping closer. Hermione backed away frowning, what the hell was Malfoy playing at now?
"Where are yours?" she replied.
Malfoy smirked, clever girl.
"They've transferred to Durmstrang." He said stepping forward once more.
"Well what a shame." Hermione said sarcastically. "Well it was nice chatting with you, now get out." She said moving back. Hermione was now confused. What was he playing at?
"Yes well you still haven't told me where you're boyfriends are Granger." He now had his hands above her head trapping her between him and the wall. And to his surprise she was still calm.
"Harry and Ron are not here yet, or else they'd be kicking your arse to hell right now for even trying anything with me." She said with a confident air.
Malfoy laughed.
He had no doubt about how true her words were. Potter and Weasley had become rather protective of their little girlfriend.
"Well it's lucky for me their not here right now isn't it?" he said bending over to touch her lips with his. He smiled into the quick kiss. He broke apart and turned to leave, but before walking out of the compartment turned and said.
"You taste better than I thought."
~
Hermione shook her head at the thought.
She gripped her butterbeer harder, forgetting about Harry.
That day in seventh year had been the beginning of her own personal heaven and her tormented hell.
After that small kiss it had seemed like Draco was out to get her, and he did.
After a while Hermione too, had fallen for him, the feeling of touching something so forbidden was too much for even her to resist.
And she had fallen in love.
She had given him everything, her heart, body and soul.
And she had never gotten any of it back, even after the end came.
Hermione glanced out the window of her stall as the memory of that day pained her once more.
~
The day before their graduation, they laid peacefully in his dark green bed, simply
enjoying the silence.
Hermione turned to face him.
"What are you going to do after graduation Draco?" she asked.
He looked at her with a calm expression.
"I'm going to rule the world." He said.
Her eyes glinted as she laughed thinking it was a joke.
"Oh yeah?" she asked smiling. " And how do you plan to do that."
"I'm going to kill Voldemort then take his place." He said not a hint of laughter in his voice.
He needed her to understand this.
She smiled at him getting up.
"Then I'll become an Auror and stop you." She said laughing. She bent down and kissed his lips softly.
"Goodbye love." She said to him still smiling.
"Goodbye Hermione." He said his eyes still on her figure as she closed the door.
~
Hermione had to laugh now.
She had really thought it was a joke when he had said it.
But as she walked to her own room a sneaking suspicion caught up with her and she started to believe what he had said.
Her suspicion turned into certainty the next day, when during their graduation he failed to glance at her once, even as she had tried to say goodbye in the open.
She had bit her lips and walked away from him, running to the lake and crying the rest of the night.
Then she had cleared her thoughts. "I'll become an Auror and stop you."
She had repeated to the dead air
And she had, she had fulfilled her promise, she had stopped him.
She had wondered though why all these years he had never once tried to kill her, when it would've been so easy for him for him to keep his own dream if she had been dead.
She stood up. Sorry Harry, she thought silently.
She wasn't going to be joining any parties tonight.
Tonight her memories of him felt extremely worse.
~
He followed her as she stood. Knowing full well what was on her mind. For it had been on his mind often too. She had been thinking about their graduation. He had been there watching her in that silent night as she declared her plan to stop him. He knew then that he would protect her from the war, even as his mind told him to kill her.
~
She walked into her house and turned on the lights. They didn't help much since they had been dimmed to keep her house safer from the attention of others. If you passed by it in the night, you could barely see it.
She walked to her bathroom and turned on the shower heads, she then walked into her bedroom to get clothes.
With her mind wandering once more, she quietly muttered her question.
"Why couldn't you just have killed me Draco."
"Because my dear, it would have killed me as well."
Hermione gasped as she turned quickly around and dropped the clothes that were in her hands.
"Don't you ever wonder why you where never hurt during the war Hermione? Even the best Aurors are injured once." He asked stepping towards her.
She shook her head in confusion. What was he doing here? After all this time. What was he doing here.
"It was because I loved you." He said as her eyes widened in surprise not even once had he ever uttered those words to her. He stepped forward once more closing the distance between them and taking her mouth hungrily.
Hermione's reflexes got the better of her mind and out of habit she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her.
They fell to the bed and as the night wore on their frustrations at being apart for so long could no longer be denied.
~
The night ended.
And they were both tired.
It was useless they knew.
Their love could not save him.
The Aurors would get him and send him to Azkaban a place even he could not tolerate.
And as they laid there peacefully hearing each others heart beat, Hermione was thankful for their last night together.
They got dressed and stood together.
Hermione clutching her wand to her sides tears in her eyes once more.
"You'll always be mine Hermione, this is the path that we have chosen… Finish it." He said kissing her softly.
Her mouth trembling she brought the wand up to his chest and muttered the words as she kissed him.
"Avada Kedavra. I love you Draco Malfoy."
~
Celebrations raged on in the wizarding world as a young woman's heart died.
Well there you have it. Hope you liked it. I haven't written anything in such a long time. Tell me what you think of it.