"It's not safe here," gasped Hermione, tugging Draco's arm until they were practically embracing, her hands on his shoulders.
"But 'Mione, we can't go to the Order. They'd kill me on sight," he answered, frantically pulling her arms off him, but she held on. Footsteps drew nearer and nearer, soon to breach the simple protective charms they had set up.
"I'll tell them, I'll tell them that you're all right, I won't let them hurt you, I won't─"
"Just let me be, I'll be fine. Go!" yelled Draco, preparing to jinx them apart.
"No," cried Hermione. "I can't leave you, Draco!"
"Please!"
In one final attempt to let go of his girlfriend, Draco forcibly shoved her away; but as the door fell away and shouted curses ricocheted about the room, filling it with green light, two hands still touching at the fingertips allowed the pair to disappear into thin air by Apparition.
The man wearing a black hood over his face yanked it off, screaming in fury about his son's betrayal.
They were gone.
That night, the house where Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy made their final stand against the Death Eaters was nothing but rubble. Tendrils of smoke rose towards the moon from the gleaming wreckage, filling the air with the stench of death. Local fire departments had arrived at the scene hours earlier, dousing the lingering flames, but a crowd was still gathered to await any survivors.
There were none, the fire chief told them. I'm sorry.
In Ottery St. Catchpole, two figures appeared in a field, where a lopsided house only supported by magic (it seemed) could be seen in the distance. One was hunched over, crying in pain, as the other tried to steady his shaking wand hand to fix the splinched girl. Looking closer, he could see a square inch of skin and muscle missing from her side, the injury that affected her so. The teenager muttered a healing spell, flicking his wand in a tight semicircle, then dropping it to the ground and examining the results. Immediately the wound closed up. The girl shuddered, breathing in deeply, and slumped unconscious in his arms.
Draco breathed in relief. Although he was weary, he levitated the girl, gently supporting her through fields of flowers and grain to the doorstep of the odd-shaped house, limping on his broken leg all the while.
It was just before dawn. A rooster crowed in the distance, a baritone wail that echoed throughout the valley below. Having reached his destination, Draco whispered "Enneverate" while pointing his wand and the girl's eyes opened.
"Draco ─ where are we? What happened?"
She tried to stand, but fell. Aiming her wand, which remained tucked in her back pocket, she charmed her legs to support her, and finally she was able to stay upright. "Are you all right?"
Through the gashes in his jeans, Hermione saw his leg which was badly swelled. "You're hurt! I've got to get you something, some medicine, some dittany. But I forgot my bag! Damn!"
Draco bit his lip. "The people inside will have some," he told her, knowing full well what their response would be. Outrage. Fear. Rash actions, based on assumptions and prejudice.
"Draco, I know I brought us here, but we can't let them see you! They'll try to kill you or something. look, I've got a plan. I'll go in, and you wait out here and─"
"And sleep in the bushes all night? 'Mione, that's not going to work. My leg, it's not feeling too good. If we explain, they'll understand," he said. Hermione hesitated. "For me?" he asked desperately.
"We've got no choice," she said. "All right."
She shook her head slowly, then after looking into his eyes again, hesitantly swung the knocker against the wood-paneled door. Three knocks.
One. Nothing.
Two. Nothing. Hermione, glanced back at Draco, who was holding his wand in front of him protectively. He nodded.
Three.
There was an infinitesimal pause. Then the door swung open, and Hermione looked up into the face of Ron Weasley.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed. He suddenly became aware of the blond figure behind her, favoring his left leg. "Stupefy!" he yelled, enraged. Draco ducked the curse, rolling to the ground and crying out in pain from moving his injured leg. Others appeared at the door, as Ron continued to aim misfired, angry curses at the panicked pair.
"Stop, stop," shrieked Mrs. Weasley, appearing from the shadows of the house wearing her nightgown. "I wasn't awake ─ Arthur gone ─ who is that?!"
Mrs. Weasley realized who was at the door and pulled out her wand, unsure. She stared at Hermione, who was also frozen, watching Ron's look of fury towards Draco. Ron aimed his wand at Draco's unprotected neck. The wizard's wand had fallen from his grasp and rolled away from him.
"Don't─ move─ a muscle," he said him. "Or I swear I will kill you."
"No, Ron, you don't understand," cried Hermione, pushing herself in between the two wizards who gazing at each other with fury. "Don't hurt him, please don't!"
Ron stared, still pointing his wand threateningly. "Hermione, Hermione, don't you know who you're with? It's Malfoy!" His mouth dropped open. "What did that, that dirty scum do to you?! If he laid one finger on you, I swear I'll─"
"Ron!" yelled Ginny. Hermione hadn't seen her before, but now she stepped outside, out of the shadows. "Stop, can't you see she's trying to tell you something?!"
"I don't care, he's obviously threatened her, we have to get her to safety! Help me get her inside!"
"I can walk by myself!" retorted Hermione. She turned to Draco. "Can you walk?" she asked him quietly, fearful.
"I'll be fine," he stuttered, but his face was turning red and his face scrunched up into pained wrinkles. Ron was practically shaking with confusion and anger. "What?!" he muttered. "Why?!"
Ginny silently, hesitantly offered her arm to Hermione's, on the side opposite Draco's. Without a sound, the five entered the house and stood stiffly, all facing each other. The youngest witch helped support Hermione, whose shoulder was keeping Draco upright. Both of them looked as though they were ready to collapse any second.
"I'm getting ice for Mister Malfoy," said Mrs. Weasley, without any inflection. She walked strangely into the kitchen, trying to keep her reserve.
"How─" said Ron, still seething, "Can you act that way towards," he pointed towards Draco, "Him?! He's horrible, Hermione! You remember what he did to us in school? You remember what his father did to all of us? For Merlin's sake, 'Mione, he was a Slytherin!"
"Don't you dare call me ''Mione', Ronald Weasley!" shouted Hermione. She fought for breath. "And I suppose you're too prejudiced and stupid and selfish to realize this, but houses don't matter! They never did! Draco is a good person, and he loves me, and─ and I love him!"
Ginny gasped. Mrs. Weasley hurried back in, placing an ice pack on Hermione's lap to give to Draco, and waving her wand at his leg. It clicked back into place, and Draco yelled at the sensation. But soon, the swelling began to reduce. Ron stared at Hermione all the while.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Do you actually mean that? If Dad were here, he'd get rid of the git for good. Should I...?" he muttered to himself, uncomprehending.
"Your dad? Where is everyone?" asked Hermione, noting the absence of many Weasleys.
"Clean up work. They need it everywhere," said Mrs. Weasley, saddened.
Ginny extended an arm to Hermione. "Okay," she said simply. "I can't say I like it, but it's happened either way." She shook her head, but looked Hermione in the eyes and told her, "The war is over." She glanced at Ron. "For most of us at least. Let's agree that the old ways of thinking ended with it."
"But him!" I don't see how he..." interrupted Ron, completely blinded by his beliefs. "Forget it. You're never getting my blessing, or whatever you came here for. In fact, you know what? Get out. Now!"
He pushed Draco forward with his wand, then Hermione until they were standing at the door frame, feeling the chilled morning air and sunrise at their backs.
"Ron!" yelled Hermione and Ginny together, shocked. Draco was dead silent.
"What?" Ron snarled at them.
"I've got one word for you," said Hermione fiercely, feeling and looking utterly betrayed. "Rude. You're so horribly prejudiced, and unbelievably rude, that even when I come to your doorstep at five in the morning you yell at me for loving someone you once had a problem with. You're immature, and idiotic, and, and─" Hermione shook her fists─ "and Ronald Bilius Weasley I'll hate you forever for it!"
She pulled the now fully healed Draco out the door and slammed it in her jealous ex-boyfriend's face.
They didn't know where they would go. But honestly, it didn't matter. They would go anywhere but the one place they thought they could find refuge and safety, love and acceptance. Anywhere but the one place where they were rejected, by the one who mattered most.