disclaimer: not mine!

the broken angel

The water was cold. She took a deep breath and jumped…

Hermione could feel the water seeping through her clothes weighing her down due to the many layers she wore. The water engulfed her as she descended towards the bottom of the lake.

She finally let go of the breath she was holding but was not quite ready to inhale the icy waters which would finally cause her death. She closed her eyes, it hardly made a difference in the dark water, only gave her courage to finally let go of her life, if it could even be called that…

Suddenly strong hands grabbed her. She struggled, not wanting to be saved, but the person was strong and did not loosen his hold. He, oh! She knew who it was and hoped that she was right because if she was wrong it would be the final proof that he really was dead as everyone had told her he was… He held her close and with a few powerful strokes, brought them to the surface. Then, gasping for air, the rescuer and Hermione, still struggling, not even opening her eyes so as to hold on to hope for just a bit longer, climbed out of the lake.

"Stop it!" her rescuer commanded angrily. She was stunned to a still. It was not whom she had hoped he was, she knew this man too, had so for years, but she hadn't expected him to be there to rescue.

She opened her eyes to meet his silver-grey ones, dilated in the last lights of the day.

Worry was etched on Draco's face, worry sprinkled with fear and some annoyance too.

Hermione lost her temper. First he prevented her death and then he was rebuking her?

"What was I thinking?" she nearly shouted. "Didn't it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted to die? Maybe I didn't want to live anymore? I was thinking of how I could have lost all my life savings, my job and my husband all in one week! I was thinking of how my whole life had been nothing but misery! A childhood full of despair no thanks to you, an infant son who died of dragon pox which is said to be a disease for the elderly! And a job which I didn't even like! The only thing I loved was my husband and now he's dead too. I was thinking of how easy it would be to just let go of this pain once and for all. But no! You had to be a bloody hero and rescue me! Not caring whether I wanted to live or not! And it had to be you not Ron who pulled me out!" she cried now hysterical, tears streaming down her face.

Draco's held his sobbing friend as she cried for her lost love. He hugged her close as Hermione's body shook with sobs and it started to rain, the angels' tears mixing with her own as if to give her some comfort, to sympathize with her.

"I'm sorry. Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean that… it's just, I just, just can't take it anymore…" Hermione said between hiccups, fisting his wet shirt as her salty tears mixed with the clear drops falling from the sky. "Shh…it's ok…don't worry…we'll figure something out…don't cry and don't give up." Draco whispered in a broken voice meaningless words of comfort flowing from his tongue as he tried to calm her, and himself.

When Hermione finally raised her head from his chest, she saw how distraught he looked despite his words and wondered if she looked any better. Looking into his eyes, she remembered all the times when he'd made her laugh and the times he'd teased her, all after they became friends working in the same department of the Ministry of course. She knew that he loved, he had confessed to that a couple of years ago but they had laughed over it together as they both knew how much Hermione loved Ron. Suddenly, 'I cannot let him suffer. I know that I can't love him as I loved Ron. Not now probably never but I cannot be so selfish' was the only thought in her mind. Then, mentally squaring her shoulders, she gave him a weak smile and said, "I don't want to, but I'll try. I'll try for you if not for myself, but I will..."

"That's the strong Gryffindor bookworm I've always known." Draco said, a weak but encouraging smile forming on his face as he hugged her close again.

The rain poured and thunder shook the ground as nature tried its best to convey the still tormented feelings of the friends who held each other close by the lakeside, their joined silhouettes illuminated by a flash of lightening which pierced through the heart of the stormy night sky…

i know that it is short but i wrote it a few years ago and hadnt yet come around to posting it...its meant as a one-shot but i can continue it if you want...so review?