"Hermione look out!" Ron yelled. Hermione spun round and caught sight of a red spell shaped like a bullet heading towards her. She didn't have time to react before the spell collided with her. She let out a gasp of pain. "NOOO!" Ron screamed as he saw Hermione fall to floor amidst the final battle. He ran to her side and gathered her into his lap, tears running down his cheeks.
Harry heard a pain filled gasp followed by Ron's scream. He stunned the death eater he was battling and turned to see what had happened. Ron was cradling Hermione and shouting for help, but no-one could hear him for the noise of the battle. He ran to his best friends and stared at Hermione.
Hermione winced and smiled at her friends. "Wow, that spell really was like a bullet." She said, her breath quivering in pain. She laughed and began to cough violently. The boys stared in shock at their smart friend. "Hermione, are you ok? Are you going to…you know?" Ron asked. Harry shot him a filthy glare. "Harry, it's alright, He was just asking." Hermione sighed, before wincing as another wave of agony washed over her. Harry's face softened and he looked at her, eyes full of concern. "In answer to your question Ron, unless a wizard or witch that can do the magic to reverse this comes to help then, yes, I'm going to die." Hermione told her friends. As if to emphasise her point, she began to cough up blood. The boys stared in horror at their dying friend. Neither heard the footsteps approaching them or the dull thud as the person knelt down beside them. "Hermione?" It was the voice that wrenched Harry and Ron from their trance. Harry turned to glare at the newcomer while Ron held Hermione closer to him.
"Malfoy!" Spat Harry glaring at the pale faced boy. Hermione smiled a little, it lighting up her eyes. But the light was extinguished and she gasped in pain. The boys turned their attention to Hermione. Their eyes widened when Draco Malfoy bent down and kissed her lightly. He drew back and a small smile danced on their lips. Ron looked livid but Harry was still in a state of shock. Draco turned to them. "Potter, Weasley, what happened?" He asked urgently. Hermione went to tell him, but Draco shushed her. "You need your strength." He soothed. Hermione nodded weakly and clenched her teeth together. Harry found his voice first. "A death eater cursed her and she said she's going to die." He said, his voice cracking as it hit home that his beautiful, smart friend was dying. Draco gasped in horror. Hermione nodded. "Draco, only you can save me. It's the curse we studied." She rasped. The blond haired boy looked down at his lover, his grey eyes full of shock.
A gasp behind them made the boys turn round sharply. Ginny was standing there, staring at her friends and enemy. "'Mione?" She asked. Hermione looked up at Ginny and smiled weakly. "You heard the whole story?" She asked. Ginny nodded meekly. "Oh, Hermione!" She wept throwing her arms round her best friend. Tears ran down Ginny's cheeks as she clung to Hermione. Draco took Hermione's head from Ron and rested it in his own lap, stroking her brown hair. Ginny back off and looked up at Draco as if seeing him for the first time. "What's he doing here?" She hissed. "He's…He's…" Hermione began, her voice shaking now. She stopped and grunted in pain again. Draco looked down at her and then back at Ginny. "She's my girlfriend." He announced. The small group froze, stunned by the news. "WHAT?" Ron yelled. Ginny preformed a silencing charm on her brother as he began to curse. Hermione and Draco looked at her gratefully. They sat in silence and were still apart from Ron who was making obscene gestures at Draco. The silence was broken by harsh coughs from Hermione. Blood came with every cough and Draco frowned in concern. "You…have…to find…the cure." Hermione gasped between coughs. Draco nodded. They both knew only the professors or themselves could cast the charm as it was very powerful. It was so powerful that only adults and the brightest students could perform it. Hermione knew that she and Draco were the smartest in the school and this charm would be complicated even for them.
The friends and Hermione's lover were torn out of their thoughts and sorrow by a harsh call. Voldemort's voice echoed round the battlefield and the fighting stopped. Harry rose to his feet. "Harry Potter, come fight me! Lets see which one of us fate smiles upon!" He shouted. Hermione looked up at Harry. "Good Luck." She whispered weakly. Harry smiled briefly at her then turned back to face the battle. Ginny jumped up and kissed Harry passionately. She drew back, whispered 'Good Luck' in his ear and removed the silencing spell on Ron. Ron clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Good Luck, Mate. You can beat him." He smiled. Harry nodded and Draco looked up at the Boy-Who-Lived. They nodded curtly at each other. "Potter, good luck." Draco uttered. Harry turned away from his friends and strode away to meet his fate.
Draco watched Harry walked away. "Time to go." He smiled grimly as another fit of bloody coughs rack Hermione's weak body. He looked from Ron to Ginny. Ron's fists were clenched and he was glaring at him. Draco turned to Ginny. "Ginny come with me, Ron stay with Hermione." He ordered. "Since when did you call us by our first names?" Ron growled. Draco rolled his eyes. "Since there are two of you!" He answered as if it was obvious. Ron looked away defeated and took Hermione from Draco and watched as the slytherin bent down and placed what could be his last kiss on Hermione's lips, tears sliding down his face. He then straightened up and glared at Ron. "Take care of her." He threatened. Ron nodded and watched as the slytherin prince ran off with his sister. "Hurry back." He whispered as they left, he didn't think Hermione had long left.
Draco and Ginny tore into the castle while the final battle between Voldemort and Harry began, distracting everyone. Ginny caught up with Draco. "So what are we looking for?" She asked. Draco's eyes were narrowed in concentration as he ran. "A book about serious curses." He answered looking around. Ginny nodded and began to run towards the library. She hadn't noticed Draco running down a staircase. "Ginny!" He yelled. Ginny stopped and turned to face him. "Aren't we going to the library?" She asked. Draco shook his head. "We're going to Snape's private library." He grinned. Ginny's eyes widened. "We can't that's rude!" She exclaimed. Draco rolled his eyes. "Do you want to save Hermione or not?" He sighed. Ginny groaned. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She muttered as she jogged over to Draco. "You'd better be right, Malfoy!" She snapped. Draco chuckled, a rare occurrence for him. "Have faith Weasley."
The two students burst into Snape's classroom and Draco ran over to a door and opened it, walking into Snape's office. Ginny followed nervously. "Malfoy, why are we here? I see no library!" She moaned. Draco rolled his eyes again and pulled a potions bottle of the shelf. It didn't move that far, but tilted slightly. Ginny stared bewildered for a moment, then the wall swung open to reveal Snape's quarters. "How did you know?" She gasped. Draco grinned. "Snape's my godfather and we sometimes talk in here. Plus me and Hermione did some research in here, that's how we got together." He smiled at the memory. He snapped out of his thoughts and ran over to a bookcase. He ran a hand over the various titles and, finding the book he needed, stood back up. "We need to move quickly, the spell acts very quickly, I'm guessing Hermione only has two minutes." He said, running past Ginny. Ginny turned and followed him out, hoping they weren't to late. As they got to the field they saw Voldemort fall and Harry let out a scream of pain. Draco glanced at Ginny and saw concern flash across her eyes for her boyfriend.
Ron looked up and saw his friend let out a scream. Ron blinked back tears. He couldn't lose his best friends, it wasn't fair. Hermione coughed weakly and a tear rolled down her pale face. "Ron…I'm sorry." She moaned, her voice barely above a whisper. Ron looked down in horror. "Hermione hold on, please hold on!" He begged. Hermione's eyes slid shut. "NO! HERMIONE!" Ron yelled. His voice echoed around the silent battlefield and people stared in sorrow as he clutched his best friend close to him.
Draco and Ginny spun round at Ron's anguished cry. The exchanged a look and ran over. Draco flicked open the book and raised his wand. Choking back tears, Draco preformed the charm, praying it would work. Ron looked up at him, tears in his eyes. "You were too late. YOU WERE TOO LATE!" He yelled, his voice full of grief. Draco dropped to his knees and buried his head in hands and allowed tears to fall from his grey eyes.
Harry limped over, victory the last thing on his mind now. He walked over behind Ginny and stared at Hermione's lifeless body. He gasped and began to feel numb. Ginny let out a sob and buried her face in Harry's chest. "Harry, it didn't work." She wept. Harry couldn't move. It wasn't happening, she couldn't be dead.
The group didn't notice the Weasleys running over to them. They stopped, Mrs Weasley's hand flying to her mouth. They watched sadly as Draco took Hermione from Ron and rocked back and forth. He cried into her hair and kissed her head gently. Molly Weasley stared at the sight before her. Draco Malfoy was holding Hermione and crying for her. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes she would never had believed it. She let out a sob and Arthur placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. They stood in silence for a moment before he shooed the group away. But Draco refused to leave. "I can't leave her, I won't! She can't be dead. I don't believe it!" He wept. Arthur placed a hand on the boys shoulder but he shook it of angrily. "Do you know what it feels like to lose someone you love?" Draco demanded. Arthur stood there stunned. Draco Malfoy loved her. Despite of his shock, he shook his head sadly. "Then you won't know how I feel now. I'm NOT leaving!" Draco growled. Arthur sighed and left the boy to mourn his loved one. He returned to his family, sorrow on his face. "He loved her." He sighed. The family's eyes widened. "You mean that ferret loved Hermione?" Fred asked shocked. Arthur nodded grimly. "Poor kid." George murmured. They all nodded in agreement. "Malfoy's had a hard life and he's just lost the only thing he truly loved, it's going to crush him." Arthur sighed, watching Draco grieve. "Life's not fair." Ginny said, sniffing sadly.
Draco looked down at Hermione's face, it was so peaceful. He allowed himself the illusion she was only sleeping. But he knew she wasn't. He got up to leave her, but not before planting a departing kiss on her perfect lips. He sighed heavily and looked down at his angel. "Goodnight Hermione, sleep well." He murmured before walking towards the Weasleys and Harry.
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