Just Now

Rating: G

Reasons for Rating: There is no violence no cursing.

Shippers: Ron/Hermione…Draco/Hermione

Summary: 30 years after a deadly accident and Draco is reminiscing about the past and finds out a belated secret.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters just the plot.

47 year old Draco Malfoy was walking through a small cemetery on a sunny September day. He carried a batch of Blue Jasmines and a heavy heart. This occasion was long in the waiting and he just had to get it over with now or he will never get it done. He approached a white tombstone and very dusty tomb and brushing off the dust he placed the Jasmines on top.

"You've always kept your face clean…lets not start getting it dirty now," he gave a small laughed.

He placed his hands on top of the tomb and sighed. He looked around and saw a fresh patch of Lilies at the foot of the tomb.

"I see that Ron has been here recently…I bet he misses you a lot," he sighed and wiped more dirt off the tomb, "I miss you a lot Hermione…"

A tear went down his cheek as he started to remember that horrid day when Hermione was killed. It was their seventh year and the death eaters under leadership of the Dark Lord Voldemort invaded the school on graduation day. Draco ran to hide from the one death eater that actually scared him, his father Lucius, but he was cornered. Hermione and her fiancé Ron were not to far away dueling with four other death eaters and both had noticed that Draco was cornered, but Ron having always hated Draco didn't try anything to help out and encouraged Hermione to follow suite. Draco stared into the cold, blue eyes filled with anger and disgust for his only son had not only defied him, but he also turned against him and betrayed him.

"Father…Father, please…" Draco pleaded.

His father just glared at him, no emotions, and no signs of even being in his right mind. He took out his wand and pointed it at Draco's heart.

"FATHER DON'T!"

Draco was defenseless for he had left his wand in the Slytherin Common Room. His father raised his wand ready to strike.

"You are not my son," he murmured, "Avada Kedavera!"

Everything else happened so fast that Draco didn't know what had happened until he looked up and realized that he was still alive…but how? Then he found out how when he heard a voice scream out, "HERMIONE!" It was Ron who screamed and he ran over to a heap over in a corner.

Draco looked around the Great Hall. The fighting was over, the death eaters had retreated and everyone was now glancing over towards Draco, Ron and Hermione. Harry Potter emerged from the crowd and joined Ron. Draco looked up at Crabbe and Goyle who came to check on him.

"Crabbe, what happened? Where is my father?" Draco asked.

"Draco, are you ok? I can't believe that Granger jumped in front of the spell to save you! It happened all so fast. She saw your father raise his wand and ran in front of the spell and it hit her in the chest…as for your father he retreated with the other death eaters," Crabbe responded.

Draco couldn't believe it, she saved him, and she risked her own life to save him. Why? After all he had done to her these past 7 years, why would she risk death to save him? He stood up and dusted his robes and turned to Ron and Harry who were both crying and all of a sudden waves of emotions came over him. Hermione was dead, because of him, she died to save him it was his entire fault…no! She didn't have to do it she choose to do it, it is her fault. The heads of house instructed the students back to their common rooms and Ron picked up the now dead Hermione and supported by Harry, because Ron looked very sick and pale, took her to the hospital wing.

Draco cried himself to sleep that night. He wanted to make himself forget what just had happened but he couldn't. His own father wanted to kill him and Granger was killed trying to save him. Everyone at the school is going to blame her death on him no doubt. He had to leave, and that is what he did, that night he packed his bags and left Hogwarts and the world he once knew until now.

"I miss you so much Hermione…"

He began to cry as he ran his hands over the white tomb. He had always called her Granger in school but now he calls her Hermione because he felt like he owed to her and because after he left school new feelings came to him and he realized that deep down inside he had really liked Hermione…and that is what brings him to Hogwarts' grounds now.

"I heard that the dead can hear the thoughts of the living so I am here today to let you know, even though you probably already know considering I have thought about it a lot, that I love you and that I am glad that you saved me, but it really should have been me not you…and now I will never know why you saved me after all that I have done to you in school…Hermione, why?"

Draco started to cry and pounded his fist on the tomb. He was interrupted by someone calling his name.

"Malfoy?" the voice asked.

Draco turned around to see an aged Ronald Weasley standing by a tree in a long, brown trench coat and hat. His red hair was long and pulled back into a pony tail under the hat and his freckles were gone. Ron walked over to Draco and gazed down at the tomb. He placed a hand on it and sighed.

He faced Draco, "She knew she would die…she knew that you wouldn't understand why…and she knew you would be here at some point in time and wanted me to give this to you."

He pulled out a piece of parchment that was tied with green ribbon and on the front in Hermione's handwriting was Draco's name. Draco took the parchment with shaky hands, "she knew?" he thought to himself.

"I'll see you around Malfoy," Ron said as he turned to leave.

"Weasley, wait!" Draco yelled after him.

Ron stopped and turned around on the spot. Draco walked to him and took him into an embrace.

"I'm so sorry Ron…I know you miss her dearly as you were to be married and I don't understand why she would risk her life to save me but…anyways, she will be greatly missed," he said as he broke the embrace.

Ron was crying now. "Thanks, Draco…" and with that he left.

Draco returned to the tomb and sat by the edge. He opened the parchment, it was a letter from Hermione the day before she died, and he read it.

Dear Draco,

By the time you get this letter I would have been long gone form this world and I can't leave with out telling you something. I had a vision last night, a vision of death…my death. I am going to die at graduation because I was to save someone but I couldn't figure out who that person was, not until this morning did I have another vision showing me who it was I was suppose to save and it was you. I don't want you to blame yourself for my death for it will never be your fault, I am ready to die, I have always been ready for death the minute I befriended Harry. But I can not die without telling you my deepest thoughts…I am in love with you, have been since third year. Weird I know, but I have never been so sure of my feelings for you until now. You have caused me torment all my school life, why should I love you? Why do we love who we love? And that saying that opposites attract is so true. I guess the only reason why I said yes to Ron was to get over the fact that you may not have the same feelings about me but I guess I should have told you, I mean the worst scenario would be you turning me down and calling me names in front of the whole school…Well, I hope that this gets to you and that you understand that none of this was your fault and that I love you that is why I saved you. It was my destiny to save you and I have no regrets doing it and neither should you regret living.

With Love,

Hermione Granger

Draco wiped away the tears that were pouring out of his eyes. He reread the letter again…

"She loved me…that is the reason why she saved me…" He said as he rolled up the letter and stood up.

He placed the letter in his coat pocket and turned to the tomb and placed his hands on it and looked to the sky.

"Thanks Hermione…I do love you, always will."

He kissed the top of the tomb and left the cemetery feeling much happier then he was when he arrived.

Epilogue:

Draco lived on his life after his trip to the cemetery and died at a tender age of 87. He instructed that he be buried next to Hermione. When he arrived in Heaven he was greeted by the one person he had been longing to see for 70 years, Hermione Granger. She took him into her arms and everything that should have been 70 years ago were.