ALMOST

Everything played out in front of me. I am close to tears. I know it. I know that this will happen.

It has become my routine to give him comfort since the moment that I've found him crying his eyes out. I simply watched him in his most vulnerable state. And no. Of course that was a lie. I didn't just watch him. I walked towards him and wrapped my arms around his neck giving him the comfort I knew that he needed without even giving it a second thought. I let him cry on my shoulders when he found out that his mother had died.

He didn't know that it was me, with that I am sure of because the moment he looked up and saw me looking at him, he quickly distanced himself and hurried away. But upon reaching the doorway, he stopped.

"Granger, Thank you..."

He said and then moved away. That is the first time I've heard those words from him. Sincerity. That is what I felt when he said that. The moment I heard that made something stirred inside of me. A stir, yes and not just that. There was also a light tug at my heart I know nothing at the time and yet, I feel as if I know.

A year had passed, and again I saw him leaning forward and looking at himself in the mirror. I saw his eyes. They were bloody red from crying. I watched him like that for a few minutes. I was at the door safely hidden as I stared at him. At that moment, something stirred inside of me again. It was the same feeling that I seem to only feel towards him. The same stir and tug inside of me resurfaced after a long time. When I can no longer take seeing him cry, I took a step as silently as possible so that he won't hear. I took a wrong step and was about to have a nasty fall. Bracing myself, I closed my eyes tightly but the fall that I was anticipating didn't come. My body never came in contact with the cold stone floor of the lavatory. Instead, two hands were tightly wrapped around me. Opening my eyes, I looked down and saw his two hands wrapped around me. I craned my neck towards him and was surprised when my stomach made flips because he was looking at me. His grey eyes that are so close to me gave me the perfect view of his soul. Looking at his grey orbs seems to drown me in its vastness. Many emotions are freely expressed by this man who is known to be so cold and hard. I saw loneliness and emptiness.

"Are you alright?" He whispered. That snapped me out of my trance.

"I-I-I'm... Fine..." I replied in a tone barely audible but he heard it anyway. "Can I ask something?"

He looked at me and I straightened myself. He seemed to have noticed that I was having a difficulty and quickly realized that his arms were still wrapped around me and placed them at his side. When he did that I seemed to have felt the coldness which is surrounding us in this place. "Sure."

"Are you alright?"

He looked at me again as if taken aback but quickly recovered. And I started explaining.

"W... Well... I... I just... Umm" I looked down but continued trying to explain even though I'm stuttering. "I just want to know if you're f... Feeling o- okay since you se..."

"Thank you."

There it was again. A flutter in my stomach. A tug in my heart and a stir inside of me. I looked at him sporting a confused expression.

"You're the only one who seemed to care. You're suppose to be my enemy but you're here for the second time." He paused and slid down to sit on the floor. I followed his example. "I still remember the first time. This is the same place. The same time and the same day my mother had died."

"Not even my father had bothered to ask if I was okay for this day. My best mate is too busy with protecting his girl from the clutches of this war." I listened to him say everything he needed to say. We talked until we had to part again.

"Granger..." I looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Umm. Meet me at the astronomy tower? Tomorrow... Same time..." He asked and demanded shyly. His head was bowed and he was fidgeting. I gave him a yes before leaving. A part of me celebrated and a part of me was confused at my response but all in all I feel complete.

We've met secretly every other day same time but always in different places. I got to know him and he got to know me. We spent those days talking. Exchanging experiences and mostly secrets. Soon those exchanges grew to something more but neither the two of us mentioned anything about it. We continued our routine until one particular night.

This night is different.

This night he asked me to dance with him after he transfigured my muggle attire into a simple black tube silk top with a flowy silk skirt. He asked me to do the same with his attire. I turned it into a black tuxedo that had complimented his eyes greatly. We danced together in the room of requirements. I was leaning on him and then he wrapped his arms around me. I looked up at him.

"Draco... What is this for?"

He was silent. He directed his gaze towards me and then he spoke.

"Hermione. I love you." He whispered then kissed my forehead and then he looked at me again. This time his face was mere millimeters from hers. He leaned closer and the the gap between us were closed. I was complete. The two of us were complete.

But not everything was that easy. Harry came in and saw us. We never noticed him. But when we did he was furious. It took me almost two months to convince him. He relented.

We celebrated but then during the night of celebration everything crumbled because at that same moment the death eaters had attacked and they were seen together. Harry did his best to back everyone but there is a limit with what a one man can do. Others were also fighting. Draco. He was also fighting. I was also fighting. The others were too busy to notice Draco and I fighting side by side. We fought until I grew exhausted. Someone from the other side had been able to take my wand and it was non other than Bellatrix. Fear crept into me as she charged forward and aimed her wand at me. She whispered the word and I prepared myself for it. Looking around, looking at them fight, I saw Harry who was running towards me.

"Goodbye."I mouthed. Turning to the other side. I saw Draco desperately running towards me. Then she uttered the words. Those dreadful words. Once uttered, green light flowed from it and everything went dark.

"This is how your life ended." Fate said as the memory turned into silver mists.

"You were already happy. It was an almost. Almost happy ending. But that was not to be for you child. The two of you were meant to be but at the same time not to be. You two are almost there in that world."

"In that world?"

"Yes. In that world."

"What do you mean?" I said drying the tears that are threatening to spill.

"Yes my child. You heard me clearly. You were almost there and it is your fate that you go away from that world early same as with the boy."

"You mean he died too? Draco died too?" I asked "Where is he? Can I see him? Please... Let me see him."

Fate turned around. "I will grant that but before that be sure that you do say what you have to say now..."

Fate dissolved into thin air and I saw a blonde man facing away from me. I stepped towards him and then I ran sure that it was him. He turned around and he smiled a beautiful smile that lit up his face and then we were hugging.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too."He replied. Our lips brushed and then rings appeared in our hands.

Now I get it... Fate told me that we were an almost in that world. This is what fate had meant. We were meant to be but we most certainly are more meant to be in this world where our story had continued. Where our story turned out to be this.

A/N: Hi there readers. :) I hope you enjoyed that. I'm not that great of a writer but a few reviews will be very appreciated. :)

oh and since I forgot to put a disclaimer on the top I'm putting it here... not a thing from Harry Potter belongs to me.