Disclaimers: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: I did some editting. Still the same story line though, but changed the title.

Romance Versus Death

Chapter One: Guns With Bullets

Hermione sighed as she gazed up into Draco's stormy-grey eyes. It felt just right in his arms. Ron and Harry naturally, had objected to their relationship, but after some time at adjusting to the idea and just seeing how content Hermione was with Draco, they accepted it.

"I'll always love you," he whispered into her ear.

She smiled shyly. She still couldn't get over those three words, they held so much meaning. "I'll love you forever, Draco."

He hugged her closer to his chest. He loved her so much, and had wanted her so badly since First Year, and now, he was with her. And she loved him back.

A loud bang suddenly erupted through the room. The two looked over towards the door and saw a tall and dark silhouette. Lucius Malfoy stepped out from the dark.

"Draco, you disappoint me," Lucius snarled. "A Mudblood, I would think you knew better." He paused for a moment giving Hermione a disgusted look. "It is time Draco, the Dark Lord has risen. Come with me."

Draco had anticipated this for a long time. "No."

"You shall do as I say, boy," Lucius spat out angrily.

"I said no, Father," he replied icily. "You can be the Dark Lord's imbecile, but I will play no part in his little game of world domination." He had said this with all the courage he could muster.

"This Mudblood has been toying with your head, boy. Come with me now!" Lucius shouted, aiming his wand threateningly at Draco.

"No."

"Then say goodbye to your Mudblood," Lucius growled, now aiming his wand at Hermione. She looked at Lucius defiantly.

"Leave her alone. It's me that you came for!" he shouted at Lucius.

"The Mudblood has softened you Draco," Lucius hissed. "You've created something dear to your heart, something that can be destroyed." Draco winced at his words. "You can watch her die, Draco, knowing that you couldn't save her."

Draco looked squarely at Lucius. Before Draco could react, Lucius had already shouted, "Excessum Quietus!"

A bright blue light shot out of Lucius's wand. Draco watched as his Father's smirk grew wider. "Hermione!" Draco gasped onto Hermione's slumped body.

Before she was hit, Hermione had defiantly closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable doom, only thinking that 'Draco will be okay,' as the light enveloped her body.

Her shallow breathing only told him she was still alive, her body now was held in Draco's arms.

"You," he seethed. "You—you bastard!" He abruptedly stood up, about to curse the life out of Lucius's body. "You bastard, you killed her! I loathe you!"

Lucius cackled evilly and Disapparated, leaving Draco slumped on the floor.

He held onto her body, "Hermione! No—Hermione, don't leave me—"

2 Years Later

Draco sat beside Harry and Ron, talking about the recent Auror business. They were in the hospital, along with them was Ginny Weasley. Hermione was showing signs of waking up from her coma.

"Harry! Ron! I didn't know you were here." Ginny smiled at the two, bustling over. "It's so wonderful to see you again." She hugged Harry.

Harry smiled broadly. Ron just looked at the spot in front of him, his empty eyes holding nothing but the two years of mourning.

A nurse walked over and interrupted their conversation. "Ms. Granger is waking."

They quickly followed her, their moods brightening. They arrived, standing over Hermione's bed.

"Hermione," whispered Draco. He felt all those memories resurfacing. Ginny grimaced.

Hermione's eyelids started to quiver. Her eyelids fluttered slowly, eyes adjusting to the light. Everything was blurry. As her eyesight got sharper, she smiled when she saw Harry and Ron, and even wider when she saw Draco.

"Draco," she mouthed. Her voice wouldn't work.

"Hermione," he choked out, grasping onto her hand, bending down to embrace her.

"I missed you Draco," she mouthed. "Where am I?"

"In St. Mungo's," Harry replied. Ron shifted from one foot to the other. Ginny was on the side with her arms folded tightly across her chest.

"You need your rest now," Ron told her. "Have some rest." Hermione complied closing her eyes.

2 Weeks Later

"Ginny, I missed you a lot," Hermione exclaimed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she drawled. Ginny was being distant.As Ginny swept back a lock of hair, Hermione caught her wrist, admiring the wedding band adorning her finger.

All four of them stiffened. "Who's the lucky guy?"

Ginny grinned at her question. Draco looked hesitant, as did Harry and Ron. "Draco is," she said proudly. "Aren't you, dear?"

Hermione stopped smiling; she could feel her heart shatter. Draco shuffled beside her. "What?"

She slowly stepped backwards from them. "When? How?" She looked from one to the other.

"Draco got over you. He loves me," Ginny hissed at her. Draco stared at Ginny with disbelief.

That was what made Hermione's tears flow. "Ginny, you knew how much I loved Draco. How could you do this to me?"

"You were gone Hermione."

"I never thought I would see the day when you would give up on me. Do you remember what you said to me Draco? Do you," she shouted at him. "You said you would always love me, but I guess that was another one of your lies, right?" Anger burned through her eyes.

"I—" Draco didn't have the time to answer before Hermione Apparated.

"Ginny, how could you say such a thing to Hermione?" Draco muttered, pacing around in their living room.

"So I guess you don't love me now that Hermione's back?"

"Of course I still love you," Draco sighed.

"But not as much as Hermione, am I right? Why can't she just accept that you moved on?" Ginny ranted angrily.

Draco ruffled his hair. "I don't know Ginny, but I still love her. I still have feelings for Hermione."

"What?" Ginny screamed. "When you proposed to me, that was when you started not to love her anymore."

"The only reason I proposed to you was to forget Hermione, but I couldn't. I don't love you Ginny. I guess I never did," he muttered staring in to Ginny's blazing eyes. With that, he left the apartment.

"You might've won the battle Hermione, but you haven't won the war. And I swear, I will get Draco, whether you are alive or not," she whispered icily.

Draco Apparated into Hermione's flat. "Hermione? Are you there?"

"Get out," she seethed.

"Hermione I came here to tell you I still lo—"

"If you loved me Draco," she choked out. "You would've waited for me. No matter how long it took. But you love Ginny now. It hurts, but I understand."

He embraced her. "Hermione, you are the one I love." She pushed him away and picked up his left hand. "You're engaged Draco, does that mean nothing to you? You proved to Ginny that you didn't love me anymore when you proposed to her."

"Hermione, I love you," Draco urged.

"If you did Draco—" She bit back the urge to lash out and beat him. "You would have waited."

He walked towards her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her with all his might. He leaned down to kiss her, but she pushed him away. "I trusted you once Draco. With that trust now gone, I don't know you anymore."

She ran out the door, slamming and locking it behind her. She ran and ran to nowhere in particular. Finding herself at the park that was near her home and collapsing on a nearby bench. She then let her tears flow free.

Without warning something lashed out at her, striking her across the face. It was Ginny. Hermione placed a hand on her cheek, looking forlorn at her friend. "What do you want from me? You have what you want."

Ginny laughed then. "Draco doesn't love me. If I can't him, you can't either."

Hermione eyed the gun without flinching. "You wouldn't dare."

"Wizard means of killing is so tame, you can't see the life drain out of your victim's eye slowly. Muggle devices are so much handier." With that last sentence, she shot Hermione.

Draco arrived at the park, out of breath. He whipped around, searching for Hermione. What he saw was not something pleasant. Hermione lay on the bench, the bench and her stained with blood, with Ginny grasping the gun, smiling with triumph.

"You bitch. How could you kill your own friend?"

"She was never my friend." She turned to face Draco. "You shall love me, now that she's gone."

Draco ran over to Hermione. "Don't leave me Hermione. Not again. Not this time."

He shook her body, her head lolled forwards. He took her face in his hands and kissed her ice-cold lips.

Ginny tried to pull Draco away from Hermione.

He picked up the gun.

"That was a stupid mistake, Ginny," he said in monotone.

"That was the smartest thing I ever did."

"When you shot Hermione and killed her. You killed me as well."

He aimed the gun at his head

"I love you Hermione, wait for me." His voice shook.

A smoking gun fell from his hands, and Ginny gasped. He fell to the ground alongside Hermione.

Strangely their hands were intertwined.

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