Author's Note:
This is a oneshot (at the moment), set at the start of Hermione and Draco's sixth year, just after he is forced to take the Dark Mark. I may expand it into a full story in the future (maybe looking more at Dumbledore, as well as Hermione and Draco's relationship), it depends on how much feedback I get from you guys though (in the form of reviews).
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (that belongs to a certain JK Rowling).
Over seven hundred students sat solemnly in black robes, underneath the bewitched, starry ceiling of the Great Hall in Hogwarts. It was the start of year feast and, while this would usually be a source of celebration for most, maybe not all, students, this year was different. Voldemort had returned, bringing with him the combined terrors and horror of the First Wizarding War; already, countless muggles and muggleborns had been hunted down and attacks on muggles and muggleborn families were increasing by the day. It was a dark time indeed for the wizarding world.
This subdued mood was captured by the headmaster himself. The starry twinkle in his eyes, the eternal source of youthfulness and optimism was gone, what replaced the comforting blue orbs was a vast expanse of despair, grief and regret. Something had changed Albus Dumbledore over the summer. There were rumours, unsubstantiated of course, crossing the wizarding world that he had suffered a great personal tragedy, that somebody very close to him had been taken on the orders of Voldemort himself. There were even those who said that this unknown person had been killed, and that Dumbledore had been greeted by just one shattered, bloody finger on the doorstep of his holiday home when he returned there over the summer. While it was not known whether these rumours were true, anybody who saw him now could testify that, one look at the eyes and the sunken, pallid, defeated face of Albus Dumbledore was all the confirmation one could ever need to know, for sure, that these terrible things had happened to the great wizard over the summer.
When he stood to make his start of year speech, it was clear for all of Hogwarts to see this. It didn't escape the notice of anyone, not least a very observant muggleborn witch.
'Oh my, Harry, Ron, look at Dumbledore, I've never seen him so hurt, I mean, just look at his face, he looks like he's been destroyed,' Hermione Granger whispered to her two best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
'I know what you mean Hermione, he looks like his heart has been ripped out, I think those rumours are true, his face is only a bit less pale than Malfoy's.' Harry commented, while looking over at Malfoy. What they saw in Draco Malfoy shocked Harry and Ron as well. His eyes had large bags underneath them and he looked terrified and under huge pressure. Hermione, however, simply stared at him, her eyes leaking tears, before Harry and Ron shook her out of her thoughts, her thoughts on how he was right in his letters, of how he had no choice, and of how she hadn't understood and had left him. She immediately jumped and looked at both Harry and Ron, seeing the same concerned look in both of their faces. She was about to try to explain her actions regarding Draco Malfoy, but she was cut off by a certain headmaster clearing his throat.
Dumbledore began his speech, stating that there was a need for unity within Hogwarts and the Wizarding World at large and that dangerous forces were threatening to tear the world apart. He said that, 'unity is necessary to protect the ones we love.' However, this was as far as he got, as, after he had stated that, he broke down in tears, right there, on the stage, in front of the whole of the school.
'Oh, I'm sorry, it's all my fault, all my fault.' He kept repeating, his voice now mirroring the defeat seen on his face, as Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then looked at Hermione, who was now crying properly, staring straight at Draco Malfoy, who stared straight back, tears pouring out of his eyes as well.
Nobody apart from Harry and Ron had noticed this though, as they were focused on the sight on the stage before them, Dumbledore was being led away by Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall, who were each trying to calm him, even though he looked as if he would never be able to be comforted.
Seeing this, the other teachers immediately started to clear the Great Hall, sending students to their beds. The Gryffindors were led out of a different set of doors to the Slytherins, however, Hermione, who was followed, unknowingly, by Harry and Ron, managed to catch a certain blonde Slytherin in the entrance hall.
'Draco, wait,' Hermione called to him, a little louder than she intended, and suddenly, everybody in the entrance hall had turned to look at the two.
Draco gave his signature smirk and, although his eyes were still watery, and his voice trembling, he still radiated confidence (almost all of which was false), as he replied, 'Yes, Hermione.'
Hermione, suddenly noticing the silence, looked around and saw the crowd that was staring at them, at any other time she would have just backed away and tried not to make a scene, but seeing as that was impossible now, she steeled herself and said the words she should have said weeks ago, when she'd left him after he revealed he'd had to become a death eater.
'Draco, I'm so sorry. I should have believed you when you said you had no choice. I was stupid, and I know it now. Oh, I'm so sorry, Draco.' She cried, she looked up at Draco, not knowing what to expect, what she did see though, surprised her. Draco was crying too.
Before she knew what she was doing, she had run to Draco's arms and was embracing him, she was holding onto him like her life depended on it, he had his arms wrapped protectively around her as well, and as she sobbed into his chest, he was crying onto her shoulder and stroking her hair, the way he always did when she was upset. He realised right there that Hermione was all he ever needed, that he wasn't prepared to lose her again.
'Fuck Voldemort,' he thought, and he decided there, that he was no longer going to follow his family blindly, he was no longer going to serve that terribly evil man, he had realised his wrongs and it was all because of the muggle born girl embracing him, the one who had broken through his cold exterior way back in their fourth year.
He pulled her away from him gently, looked into her beautiful, deep, chocolate brown eyes, where he found nothing but love and warmth and said, in a voice that carried throughout the whole of the entrance hall, 'I love you, Hermione Granger.'
Hermione began to cry harder, although these were now tears of joy, and she replied to him, 'I love you too, Draco Malfoy.'
And then she leaned forward, and found her lips on his, and they were kissing, kissing harder and more passionately than they ever had before. His tongue pushed at her lips, and she let him into her mouth. His tongue set about exploring every inch of it, at that moment, nothing else existed in the world at all, it was just him and his beautiful, perfect Hermione.
They slowly pulled away, after what seemed like an eternity, it had been, after all, close to two minutes. Hermione suddenly remembered where they were and looked over to her two best friends, Harry was standing there, mouth so wide open, a broomstick could have been landed inside it, while Ron was, well, Ron had a very weird expression on his face, it was almost… triumphant?
Hermione opened her mouth to question Ron, but was cut off when he patted Harry's back in consolation and said, 'pay up then, mate, that's 10 Galleons, I believe.' He realised Hermione was staring at him, and simply answered, 'what, we had a bet on which Slytherin you were going out with over last year, I said Malfoy, he said, well, he didn't believe it. Don't think that just because we didn't question you we didn't notice your frequent trips to the library and the dungeons, to 'study.''
He then continued, seeing Hermione's rapidly reddening face, 'oh, by the way, we just want you to be happy, and if you find that with Malfoy, then that's fine with us.'
Hermione, overcoming her shock that they'd actually noticed, just looked back at Draco, and kissed him again. This time however, they were interrupted by a small, but perfectly audible cough, which had emanated from a shocked Professor McGonagall.
'Miss Granger, Mr Malfoy, would you care to explain what is happening here.' She asked. Hermione opened her mouth to stammer an explanation, but was cut off by Draco's voice, saying something she had never expected him to say.
'I am Draco Malfoy,' he said, 'and I am in love with Hermione Granger, I am not a death eater, even though I had this forced onto me.' At this, he rolled up his left sleeve, to reveal the Dark Mark, 'I don't support Voldemort in any way and I don't believe any of the things my family believes.'
His speech had drawn gasps from almost everyone in the entrance hall, but he didn't care anymore, he knew he was right, and besides, he had his entire world right there in his arms. He had Hermione, and that was all that mattered.