I looked up at my father, trying to scan his face for any slight feeling of regret in doing this. Still, just as I had expected, his cold gray eyesheld as much feeling as a rock and his mouth still held its usual, criticizing frown.
Still staring into his face, I let my father's image mold into that of a girl I knew, bushy, brown hair and honey-amber eyes reflecting brightly in the back of my head…
"Mudblood!" I called after her retreating back, making her swerve around to face me, her face still burning with anger at our most recent encounter. "Tell me: do you honestly think I love Pansy?" I can clearly remember how beautiful she looked, the setting late spring sun reflecting on her smooth skin. Even the thought of late spring had saddened me then, knowing that soon, our seventh and final year together would be ending.
She rolled her eyes at me, turning her back on me again and beginning to walk away. I watched her for another moment, eyes narrowed, before running after her.
"What?" she snapped at me as I neared her, turning around to face me again.
"I don't love Pansy, you see," I began, rubbing the back of my neck and looking at her expectantly.
"I have my own problems to worry about, Malfoy," she explained impatiently, turning her back on me yet again.
"Wait!" She looked over her shoulder at me as I yelled to her, but kept on walking anyway. She turned back to face front-forward after a few seconds, making my shoulders slouch slightly at my loss of her attention. "I love you, Mudblood," I whispered at her retreating back, letting my figure sink into the shadows of a nearby tree.
"Draco, do you understand a word I'm telling you?" my father's voice asked me in an annoyed tone, snapping me out of my memories.
"Yup," I muttered, avoiding his eyes as I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest in a bored manner.
"We have to do as the Dark Lord tells us. Anyway, what problem would you have with raiding a Muggle village?" Lucius chuckled at his words, but I simply glared at him. He was just obeying the Dark Lord to keep himself safe… pure cowardice.
&
Even now, I'm angry at my father for getting me into this. He's standing somewhere in the center of the chaos with about fifteen other hooded Death Eaters, yelling every single one of the Unforgivable Curses in every direction. Muggles are lying dead and bleeding all along the streets and yards, their houses all up in flames as far as the eye can see. And here I am, somewhere off to the side, watching it all through the shadows of my hood.
Through all the smoke and flames, something catches my eye: abushy-haired figure is standing on the other side of the war-like scene, surveying it all with disgust and hatred. It's not me, I think as if she can hear my thoughts. It's them. Only them.
Instinctively, I start walking over to her, making sure to stay out of eyesight from my father's group. Only when I was five feet away from her does she notice my presence, flashing her eyes at me.
"Kill me," she mutters, throwing her hands up in despair after a few moments of silence. "I give up." I stare at her figure, hands flung up towards the sky before she let them start sinking back down to her waist. "Go on. Get it over with. You've already ruined my life—may as well end it."
"Hermione?" I whisper, hesitantly reaching up for my hood and pulling it down to my neck. At first, she just blinks at me, trying to understand what's happening. "I… can't kill you."
"Please, just do it… for me," she whimpers. "You've always wanted to, I know."
"Granger," I begin, laughing weakly. "I… well, I love you."
& Hermione's Point of View &
At that exact moment, a green light flashes from behind him. I blind my eyes from it, only to unshield my face to find Malfoy's limp body lying in front of me. Draco had just died.
"Draco," I murmur, lying down next to him. "I'd heard you the first time… when we were still in school. It took me a while to take that in; Ron had proposed to me a week before. I wasn't sure if I loved Ron anymore. You were in my life, then, Draco, and you never left. Even now, you're dead, and I'm still not sure whom I love. And Draco, considering how much I miss you right now, I think it was you." I pause, tears welling up in my eyes."But of course, you never got to find out. I don't think I'll ever be happily married or live a happy life. I've lost everything with you, and you're only a dead body now. Goodbye." I only had onemore second to breathe my last breath and let my last tear trickle down my cheek; the green light had returned for me at that moment.
