Take a Breath

One single face, sweat stricken and pale. The pallor of the skin is almost disgusting to look at. I know its not healthy, but I can't take my eyes off of it. The eyes haven't closed. Instead of a peaceful look I can see the fear in the doe brown eyes. With her eyebrows still knit together there's a full-blown hatred radiating from the dying body. There's a kind of intensity that can't be reached by other means… I know that I've just killed her and that she's going to die not knowing anything. She's going to die thinking of me as a monster… but do I really deserve better, Mr. Murderer?

"Draco, what's wrong?" faintly I can hear people speaking, but I can't focus on anything other than those mauve limp lips that are taking their final shaky breaths. I regret that I can't say that I know they feel silky smooth. There's blood dripping on her face and congealing into her mess of hair. She doesn't move against it, but her legs are still kicking feebly in pain. Her shirt is bloodied as well and the rips in it are showing far to much skin.

"Hey, Malfoy… he's calling. We have to go."

It takes a ridiculously long time to realize that blood continuously dripping is coming from me. Why did she have to trust me? Why is it that she thought that I wasn't dangerous, unless I wasn't. This notion confuses me, its when I notice that she'd known me better than I'd known myself. I wipe my lip and blood is covers my wrist. It'd been a messy fight. I didn't mean to kill her, but fighting her off had caused her a more traumatic death than was necessary and now I was just watching her painfully fade away… I wasn't enjoying it, but I couldn't bring myself to put her out of her misery.

"Are you okay?" Until its said I don't even know that I've fallen onto my knees. My hand is unconsciously reaching for her face, but I pull it back before it can succeed. If I've ever known pain, this is it. Someone rests their hand on my shoulder and that's when I see the movement leave her body and the light come from her eyes. I know that she's dead and I can't help from crying. There are saltwater tracks down my cheeks and whoever has been watching me noticed.

"Draco I'll meet you outside," they say, I feel myself nodding in agreement. I slip my hand into her dead one and hold it until it is no longer warm. When I finally decide to get up a chill comes over me. She's standing in front of me, but she's still dead on the ground.

"Why are you still here?" a very soft voice asks.

"I couldn't let you go."

"Where have I gone?" she inquired, while her face got younger and younger. She was the most beautiful creature that I had ever seen.

"You've died," I answer with a thick throat.

"Meaning you've killed me," she said as a statement and not as a question. I want to respond to the girl floating and circling you, but I can't seem to. "Why would you do that to me?"

I take a breath, I'm hallucinating. She couldn't actually be back from the dead, she of course would have chosen to move on. Remembering to breath I look into her fathomless doe eyes and feel automatically monstrous and murderous. I just killed the only woman I ever loved.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. I'm so sorry," I wail letting my façade of a hard Death Eater drip away with my tears.

"Why?" she whispered with her face very close to mine.

"I had to, but I… Hermione, I love you," I tell her with as much sincerity as I can muster.

"I know. You loved me and I loved Ron, but I didn't kill him," she said with a kind of hurt in her face.

"Hermione," I manage to choke out while finally turning to look at her soul leaving her body. She makes a scornful expression of disgust then floats away as I reach out to stroke her cheek. Its not like I didn't know… I never deserved her.

"Draco, are you ready?" I look down afraid to look at where the voice was coming from. Her body is no longer there, I realize that I'd been asleep. "Draco, its time to storm Hogwarts," Bellatrix laughed.

Its time to kill her.

The one you love.