Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter Franchise. Nor do I own the rights to Neil Diamond's song Sugar Mountain. I don't own Hermione's hate quote, that is Shakespeare's.
Sugar Mountain
By Melody H.
February 27, 2007
He is obviously dying as she kneels before him. The blood next to him mixes with the dirt, causing a river of sorts. His breath is short and ragged. His blonde hair is caked in sweat and blood.
"So, Mudblood, come to gloat over my coming death?" Draco asks his voice weak and low. Despite herself, Hermione smiles, Malfoy insults even when she can help him.
"No, in fact, I'm actually on orders from Harry to heal the people on this list he gave me," she says it with poise as she holds up a handwritten list, years of Malfoy teasing and harassing her as made her immune to him.
"I see, so I can be locked away in Azkaban for information? No thanks, I'd rather die than betray what I believe," he says it with a considerable amount of force for someone who is near death.
"Well, if you don't want me to then I won't, but honestly I was never going to heal you anyway, wouldn't waste my time on you, much more important people to heal, like Pettigrew."
"Honestly, Peter Pettigrew is not more important than me, why would Potter want him alive?" he asks while trying to hide his growing curiosity.
She doesn't reply, she disagrees with Harry's reasoning for Pettigrew alive. Vengeful is not something she wants Harry to be. She changes the subject to a morbid question that she can't help but ask. "So who used sectumsempra on you?"
"Well, if you must know, Weasley and Weaselette both did," he says as clear as he can be. Hermione can tell by the way his voice is fading that he is nearer to death with each breath.
"Well, I knew that you wouldn't be this badly cut up with just one use of the spell, I might be able to heal you if you want, but I'd only be doing it on Harry's orders."
"Like I said before Mudblood, I don't want you healing me, I'd rather die," he says his voice even more faded but just as cruel as ever. "But even though I hate mudbloods like you, I do not want to die alone."
"In time we hate that which we often fear," she says quietly as he begins to cough up blood. She grabs for his hand and holds it and he doesn't pull away. A tear springs to her eye as she looks across the landscape at the people who she still has to go through this with. It's too beautiful a day to deal with all this.
When she is sure he is dead, she releases her hand from his and closes his eyes. "Goodbye, Malfoy. I never hated you, I found it a waste of space in my heart to hate someone like you when I can give my love to someone else." With this she stands and walks away to look for the next person on Harry's list.