A/N: 1) I don't own any of the HP characters.

2) This is a Draco/Hermione Romance. But it will take a while for them to get together considering I don't believe in the whole have-sex-one-night-get-married-the-next-day kinda thing. Although it does make a great story. ANYWAYS…. On with the prologue, hope you enjoy.

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It wouldn't be the first time for Harry to wake up in a hospital bed after days of unconsciousness. The first time was, in fact, while he was in his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This was, however, the first time he would wake up without Albus Dumbledore standing over him.

Harry felt a tiny, warm hand holding his own. He found it extremely comforting although he didn't know who the hand belonged to yet. He slowly began to open his eyes but quickly closed them again as blindingly bright light flooded into them.

"Ron, would you close the shades again real quick? We don't want it to be too bright, in case he wakes up today." Hermione! So it must be her who's holding my hand. Harry thought.

"Hermione, you've said that every day for a week and he still hasn't woken yet," Ron's voice replied, although he closed the shades anyways. Harry noticed that there was a hint of sorrow in his voice when he had said this. It made him wonder how long he had been unconscious. He gave Hermione's hand a small squeeze to let her know he was awake and began to open his eyes.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "Oh it's so good to have you back!" It took a while for Harry's eyes to adjust. When they finally did he realized that he couldn't see anyways because he didn't have his glasses on. He automatically began to reach for a bed side table to get them out of pure habit, but he was too weak to move. He told his arms to but they just wouldn't.

"Hermione, could you put my glasses on for me please?" he asked.

"Sure, Harry, anything." She grabbed his glasses off of the bedside table and put them on for him. Everything immediately came into focus for him. He recognized the room to be one in St. Mungo's. Fortunately, he had a room to himself. He looked around and noticed that the room seemed to be overflowing with gift baskets, teddy bears, flowers, and anything else you could think of.

"Hermione, Ron, what happened? How did I get here?"

"Well, actually Harry, we were hoping you could tell us. The only other person who witnessed everything was Malfoy, and he's still out cold like you were." Malfoy. Oh gosh, it can't be. Everything came flooding back to him. Voldemort. Dumbledore. Death!

Flashback

Harry was talking to Dumbledore in his office, saying goodbye. He had just graduated from Hogwarts and was reluctant to leave. It would be a bittersweet goodbye for him.

BOOM!!! The doors flew open and both were shocked to see Voldemort standing in the doorway with his wand out. Dumbledore and Harry both whipped out their wands and got over their shock rather quickly.

"Hello, Tom. It's a pleasant surprise to see you here today." Dumbledore said, surprisingly cheery.

"I'm sure it is." Voldemort hissed back.

"What are you doing here?" Harry spat.

"Tsk, tsk. You should be kind to your guests, Potter." Voldy taunted.

"What do you want with me, Tom Riddle?" Harry said slowly and calmly. You could taste the hate in his words. He knew perfectly well what Voldemort wanted, however. He just wanted to keep the talk going… and to infuriate him by using his half-blood name.

"I want your life!" He hissed back. "We've encountered each other twelve times in the last 17 years, Potter. It's you or me, this time, preferably you."

"You only wish, Tom! Today is your last day. You are going to die. You will suffer. You will be but a memory. A dead one. A weak one. People will think back to your time and say, 'He was but a hypocrite! It took long enough for the great Harry Potter to defeat him. Voldemort could not even defy death.' That's what they'll say, Voldy. Are you ready to die?" Each syllable was uttered with more hate than could be imagined. There was also determination, anger, and regret. Harry Potter's tone of voice alone brought fear into Voldemort. Yes, fear. Voldemort was afraid. And both Dumbledore and Harry could see it in his eyes.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!!!!" Voldemort bellowed out. He flicked his wand and sent green light rushing towards Harry. Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore, and Harry Potter all watched as time seemed to be going in slow motion. Would this be the end of Harry Potter? The spell grew closer and closer. Six feet away. Five feet away. Four feet away. Three feet away.

At the last minute, a great and terrible thing happened. Albus Dumbledore sacrificed his life to save Harry Potter's, the key to defeating the dark lord. He had jumped in front of Harry and took the blow full on. Dumbledore fell to the floor in a heap. Both Voldemort and Harry dropped their hands, and looked at the lifeless body in shock. Out of all the crazy and unlikely things they had expected, this was not one of them.

Fortunately, Harry came back to his senses faster than Voldemort. He was angry now. Voldemort had taken away too many things from him, and this would be the last. He took away his parents, he took away Cedric Diggory, he took away Sirius, he took away Mr. Weasley, he took away the Creevey brothers, he attempted to take away Hermione, and now Dumbledore? Voldemort would pay.

"AVADA…. KEDAVRA!!!!!!!!!!!!" Voldemort was not prepared for this. His was the second body to fall to the floor dead. Harry just stood there, staring at it, wondering whether this was really the end or not. He felt that it was too easy. That after all those years, Voldemort could not have died just like that.

BOOM! The doors opened for a second time that day, and for the second time, Harry was shocked to see who was standing there. Draco Malfoy. But what perplexed Harry even more was that he already had his wand out, prepared to fight. He didn't even look shocked to see Dumbledore and Voldemort dead on the floor.

"Potter! Listen to me, Voldemort's not dead. You haven't killed him yet! There's more to it than that!"

"Why should I trust you, Malfoy?" Harry replied calmly.

"Look, I already told you what side I was on, didn't I? I even gave you my reasoning! I want Voldemort dead! You know we're both strong wizards, Harry. Together we can destroy him forever." Draco said this pleadingly, almost begging him. And as you know, Malfoys do not beg. He even used Harry's first name as a sign that he meant business. "Look," Malfoy continued more calmly, "you can trust me or not. It's up to you. But would you mind telling me what you had in mind to defeat him on your own?"

End Flashback