One Song
"One Song: Glory. One song before I go. Glory: one song to leave behind. Find one song, one last refrain, glory from the pretty boy front man who wasted opportunity. One song he had the world at his feet. Glory in the eyes of a young girl.
Hermione sat in her favorite arm chair with a book tucked into her arms. Sighing gently she looked out of the window and wondered about everything and nothing all at once. The fire in front of her failed to warm her bones even as it blazed with strong flames. Alone in her cabin Hermione couldn't escape her wandering thoughts. The moon was full and shining through her window as her mind drifted. Biting her lip Hermione fought to hold back tears. At night it was most painful. When the moon shone so bright with silver light she couldn't help to remember him. His orb like eyes and silver irises. It was too much to bear.
Draco Malfoy sat in a cold dark room with only a mattress, a table, and a bookcase full of books to keep him company. A grimy window barely let any of the sunlight in the room and made it seem even stuffier. He didn't know where this room was but he knew he was far from home. A lumpy pillow and moth eaten blanket lay on the mattress that was placed in the corner of the floor. Grunting with disgust Draco lifted his robe off of his sticky torso. His whitish blonde hair was nearly brown with grime and lack of cleaning. His once bright eyes were dull and gray. His dirty robes clung and grabbed at flesh that was covered in stale sweat. He was no longer that self-important, arrogant, pureblood wizard he once was. He was diminished to a grimy prisoner, a rat that was dirty and disgusting, living in a shelled up hole.
Suddenly the door opened and a young woman about twenty years old with light brown hair and eyes walked in. She was averaged size with a pert lightly freckled nose and piercing inquisitive eyes. Her lips were soft and full, her jaw, stubborn. Her once bushy hair had tamed somewhat though her curls still hung wildly around her face. She wore muggle clothing that looked strange to the man in the tattered robes. In her thin piano player hands she held a tin tray with a plate piled with food. She closed and locked the door magically behind her and set the tray down on the small table. Taking one scrutinizing look at her prisoner she made her way for the door.
"If you're lucky Malfoy, I might be able to convince Dumbledore to let you have some new clothes and a warm bath." The woman said not unkindly. Draco stared at her bewildered. He deserved no such kindness from this woman yet here she was treating him as a human being.
"I'd rather not hold my breath Granger," Draco sneered. "I don't need your silly favors." For a moment she paused and took another calculating glance at him. Hermione was always one for human and creature rights, but Malfoy really pushed her buttons. She always tried to do the right thing and he threw it back in her face. Calming herself Hermione opened her mouth to reply.
"I wasn't doing it for you, Malfoy. We can smell you all the way down stairs now. I'm doing myself a favor." She told him before walking out the door and locking him in behind her. It was the first of many encounters they had had since he was taken in by the Order.
Hermione sat her book gently on the table and left the room after extinguishing the lights. Slowly she made her way through her small cabin and up to her personal bathroom lit only by moonlight. She turned on the tap and poured liquid bubble soap into the large bathtub. Taking a little green jar out of her medicine cabinet Hermione poured the tiniest amount in the water. Inhaling deeply Hermione shed her clothes and sank into the hot suds. Soon the entire bathroom smelled of rain and pine. It was the last reminder she had of him. Sighing, Hermione submerged herself into the hot water and her vivid smelling memories.
Draco stepped from the bathtub with a small splash and wrapped the fluffy white towel around his waist. Hermione sat positioned uncomfortably on the closed toilet seat reading a muggle magazine and ignoring the fact that she was baby-sitting a full grown man that was taking a shower. On a counter top by the sink lay clothes that fit Draco perfectly. Next to those sat a tooth brush, some toothpaste, and a green bottle of his cologne. Picking up the bottle he stared at Granger in disbelief. He hadn't asked her for the cologne nor had he told her that it was his favorite. It smelled like pine needles and reminded him of the forest behind his house where he had spent the majority of his childhood. To him the cologne smelled like home.
"I recognized the smell. My uncle uses the same cologne." Hermione told him before he could spout the obvious question. Draco looked up from the bottle startled by the woman reading a magazine. He had almost forgotten she was there. But why had she done it? He never asked her for a favor, never asked her for these things she had given him without any indication of wanting something in return. She had just given, as simple as that, yet it confused Draco to no end.
"It's just an act of kindness, Malfoy, there's no hidden meaning. I just thought you might appreciate it." She said as if reading his thoughts. He did appreciate it but he wasn't really going to admit that. He gave her a hollow "thank you" and got dressed in the clothes she had laid out for him. When he was done Hermione stood and stretched her stiff muscles. Draco had taken forever in the shower. She meticulously tied his hands with a simple spell and unlocked the bathroom. She led him through the dim hallways that seemed distantly familiar to Draco. He had been there before; he just didn't know where exactly it was.
Through the halls she led him into a different door than that which he came out of. The room was considerably larger than the first one was. It had a large king sized bed, three bookcases filled with books, a dart board, and a telly (which Hermione had to explain how to use). The wardrobe was a considerable size though Draco doubted he would need the space. It even had its own personal bathroom. Draco was stunned. He wasn't expecting something comfortable. He had been expecting the disgusting and forgotten room where he had first stayed. To assume otherwise would just be raising his hopes up. Slowly he turned on his heels to face Hermione who was watching him curiously from the threshold.
"You're not a prisoner you know. This is more for your protection than it is for ours. Last night was just Harry and Ron's sick idea of a joke. You'll be staying here now. You'll still have to be locked in and you won't get your wand back unless it's an emergency." she told his surprised face. He knew he wasn't a prisoner but still he felt like one. He had come to the Order for help. He knew his father was wrong, but he had been to afraid and cowardly. When Lucius had killed Draco's mother on Voldemort's orders, Draco knew he had to get free before his life was taken from him too. It stung to know that the only person who had cared for him was gone and so in his anger and desperation he turned to the only people he could turn to. Unfortunately they didn't trust him and he was treated like a captive. It seemed though, that Granger thought that they were wrong, that he could be trusted to some extent.
Draco took another look around the room as Hermione watched him. He was pleased with it. More than pleased. Draco huffed and turned to Hermione with a sneer on his face. He didn't know what made him do it but he scoffed. Old habits died hard and he didn't like the unknown. To him, Hermione was the unknown. It was reflex to sneer at her and to put her down. A reflex he couldn't control.
"It's small, and a bit dirty. But I guess it'll do," he told her snobbishly.
"Oh well I'm sure we can fix that." She said with a sickly sweet smile on her face. She was seething and Draco could tell. He was such an ungrateful git, he knew it. "I'm sure you'd feel more comfortable in your old room. I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll show you the way back to your previous arrangements ." She motioned out the door and down the hall.
"I said 'it'll do'," he ground his teeth together and wrinkled his nose at her. Hermione rolled her eyes and closed the door as she left. It was her second act of kindness and he knew it. Draco Malfoy was a proud young man. He would not show appreciation to someone as "unworthy" as Hermione Granger. No matter how wrong he knew it was.
With a gasp for air Hermione emerged from the hot liquid and stepped from the tub. Using a fluffy white towel she dried herself off and clothed herself in creamy silk pajamas. Slowly she entered her moonlit bedroom and surrounded herself in the warmth of her blankets. Her breath came out in short white puffs of air as she drifted slowly off to sleep. Her consciousness slipped away from her and she was lost to the world. The sandman had kissed her eyes and gave her the freedom of dreams. Once again she was back with him and everything seemed ok.
"Are you bored?" a smiling Hermione asked as she entered Draco's room. Draco huffed and switched off the T.V. with his remote control. He was laying over the covers on his bed and looking very bored indeed.
"Of course I'm bored. I can't do anything but sit here and try to entertain myself." He replied and looked at her slightly amused face.
"That sounded just a tad bit sexual Malfoy. And I for one do not need to know about any personal business you might have." Hermione laughed. She could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile but it faded quickly and was replaced with a scowl.
"What do you want exactly?" he asked her rather rudely as she conjured a chair and sat back.
"I want a game of wizard's chess. You against me," a deviant smile graced her features and she seemed to hum happiness. Nothing in the world could ruin her mood. She was going to be a bridesmaid for Ginny! She was going to help Molly Weasley plan a wedding and Harry was finally getting the family he always wanted. Not only that but the war effort was going very well. Missions were becoming more and more successful. Spies in the Order were being weeded out and Lord Voldemort was being thwarted at almost every turn. Everything was perfect for the moment and Hermione was intent on playing a fair game of wizards chess.
"Wizard's chess?" Draco repeated with a look of confusion. Why on earth would she want to play wizard's chess with him?
"Yes, that's what I said. I'll have you know I was taught by the best," her grin broadened and her white pearly teeth shone through her thinned lips. "If you're not up to it I guess that's ok. I just didn't think you'd be the type to run from a challenge." She stood up and began to walk to the door.
"Me? Run from a challenge? You must be out of your mind, Granger." He called from behind her. Hermione stifled a giggle and turned back to him. He was too easy. She sat down in her chair and faced him confidently. It was an on-going battle. Hours passed as the two played out their strategies. Close to midnight the last move was made and Hermione smiled as the word," Checkmate," rolled off her tongue. Draco stared at the board and at his battered borrowed pieces. Then he smiled; it was slow at first, unsure and unaccustomed to his features. It spread warmth to his face and he seemed to glow. Just as suddenly as the smiled began it ended and Draco looked back at Hermione's large chocolate eyes. For a moment they connected and chocolate melted under his icy gaze. Hermione's smile vanished in all but one moment as she saw the despair consume his crystalline orbs.
"Why?" Draco Malfoy had never understood the concept of kindness though he struggled desperately to grasp the idea. Hermione was clearly showing him kindness without an ulterior motive. There was no hidden desire that she had in her mind. It was plain and simple yet his mind could not wrap around it. Hermione's small smiled returned but her eyes remained cloudy and pained.
"Because, a friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out." With that Hermione turned her back and closed the door behind her. For days Draco sat in his room doing nothing but pondering her words, over and over they played in his head as if a broken vinyl had recorded her words. It took him hours upon hours to get her words through his thick skull, but every time he thought about what she said he understood them a bit more. Draco Malfoy had a friend and he hadn't even realized it.
Hermione tossed as she slept. Slowly, unconsciously, the dream was fading into a nightmarish terror. Her memories collided and blended in together to make one miserable horror that she couldn't escape. She tried to run, every night she tried to run but it was no use. It wasn't a problem she could solve with dreamless sleep potions or an arcane concoction. The nightmare was there to stay. The worst part was that it wasn't just a nightmare, it was a reality as well. A memory that was too vivid to forget. And every night it replayed over and over again in her mind.
Hermione ran through the almost empty Grimmauld place. Lights flashed behind her, green sparks flew inches from her face, yet she dodged and blocked the spells with an undefined grace. Making her way up the long stairways and through the house Hermione burst through a door and shut it behind her. Draco Malfoy stood dressed and ready to go. His eyes were wide and his blood rushed through his veins carrying adrenalin to his heart. The noise coming from below them escalated and thunder sounded as though it would tear the house apart from the inside out. Hermione opened her mouth to say something but stopped short, unsure of what to say.
"I need my wand," he told her. His blue icy eyes locked on hers and read the doubt behind them. Hermione reached into her pocket and paused before taking out the long spindling piece of wood. Her delicate fingers rolled the wand in her hand contemplating her options. On one hand, he could kill her in an instant, all of this desperation a hoax. On the other, she could trust him and hope that he wouldn't betray her. Seconds ticked by as her mind worked furiously for a decision.
"Glory, Hermione, one song to redeem my empty life, that's all I ask," his breath hit his lungs heavily, his desperation was sincere as he stared into Hermione's eyes and to the depths of her soul. Eyes still on Draco's, Hermione reached out and put the wand firm in his grasp. Draco mouthed a quick "thank you," and the ran out the door. Quickly they worked their way to the roof.
On the roof the wind whipped Hermione's hair around her face and neck. Clouds rolled overhead and threatened a black and heavy rain. High above Grimmauld place, the sick and appalling snake slithered its way in and out of a dull horrifying gray skull that glowed in the lightning. Death had come to the Order, life had been drained from the sky, and both Hermione and Draco hoped like heaven and hell that Harry could face the Dark Lord. Draco looked to Hermione on his left as the latch blocking them from the battle underneath rattled and shook. With a silent nod Hermione readied herself and Draco followed her example.
As the latch broke shouts and scream sounded in the pair's ears. With all too quick movements the Death Eaters were upon them, shouting curses and spells, violently and mercilessly attacking the traitor and the mudblood. Yet they both fought well, blocking and dodging, desperately and accurately throwing curses of their own. On the roof top the fight lasted for what seemed like hours to Hermione, but in reality it was only moments until Ron and Harry broke through the ranks of the malicious Death Eaters. Among the Dark Lord's followers, was Bellatrix Lestrange wrapped in long, rag-like robes, and her matching greasy hair.
Her smile was daunting and maniacal as she fought her way to where Hermione was desperately fight off two death eaters at once. She watched as her nephew fought beside the mudblood with honor and ferocious pride. He seemed to glow with it and the sight sickened Bellatrix. She had once cared for the boy, she had cared for her sister too, but then they had betrayed her and her brother-in-law, they had betrayed the Dark Lord. Anger boiled in her as she watched Draco protect the mudblood. He was quick and powerful, a good match for the intelligent and witty creature battling for her life next to him.
Bellatrix took three quick strides pushing easily passed anything that got in her way. It was her time to collect his fee. It was time for him to pay for what he had cost her and everything she stood for. It was his turn to have something taken from him. She stretched her arm and pointed her light and spindly wand. Taking aim she breathed the one Unforgivable that would make Draco Malfoy pay. A green and sickly spark erupted from the end of her wand. Through the air towards it's target, the curse flew with speed almost rivaling that of light itself. Draco only had split seconds to see the curse flying in his general direction. His eyes followed the invisible line of fire to Hermione, with her back turned and fighting off other threats.
He had one quick moment to think. Draco thought of his life and what he now had to live for. Draco thought of nothing. His life, his future, was nothing. He had nothing to be proud of, nothing to be remembered by, his life was one black swirl of None. His death however would not be in vain. He had one friend to mourn him, that's all he really ever needed, and she would have something to remember him by, something to be proud of him for. Deftly he jumped. He wondered if Death hurt and then it hurdled into his chest making him limp and cold.
Hermione woke in a cold sweat with wide eyes and a startled cry. The blazing sunrise blinded her for a brief moment and filled her with a calmness she always forgot that she possessed. His death still hurt, the fact that he died for her made it all the harder to deal with. Hermione rose and walked to the sliding glass door that failed to block out the sun and all its glory. She slid the door open and slipped through, breathing in fresh damp air. The dew still glimmered on the grass below her. The forest hummed and thrived in the early morning song. On her balcony, Hermione reminded herself every morning that this was his song. His glory. With his one unselfish deed, he had redeemed himself in the eyes of a young girl. That's all that mattered: his one song. His glory.