Until We Meet Again, is a story written to explore the relationship between Draco and Hermione. It will feature five different chapters at completely different points in their lives, and under completely different circumstances. Updates will be during the weekends. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it!
I do not own any of the Harry Potter franchise
Note 1/28/19: If for some reason this chapter seemed to post twice, I apologize. I had fixed a couple of grammatical errors and the site thought I had added another chapter when I went to update it. Sorry.
The first time she'd seen him was three years after the war that had shaken the wizarding world.
The moon shone dimly through the clouds as Hermione stepped out onto the streets of Diagon Alley, a paper bag clutched in her hand. Few people crept about at this time for which she felt grateful. Her mind felt muddled and her throat ached as she swallowed miserably.
Her hold on the bag tightened. Peppermint leaves were the only thing that seemed to soothe her throat when it was sore, and so that's why she found herself traversing the dark pathways of Diagon Alley this late at night. Hermione could only be thankful that she'd been able to find someone that sold them fresh.
With the way she'd been feeling, she wasn't that surprised that she hadn't heard the steps that pounded the ground behind her. Hands grabbed her waist and pulled her into a run. Panicked, she tried to tug free from the grasp . It was then that the first set of curses sailed overhead. Startled into submission, she gave into their push and started to run alongside them.
The familiarity of situations such as these made a shiver race down her back. In an instance, everything became clear. Hermione didn't have to look to know that the people behind her were part of the last remaining group of people that took stock in Voldemort's teachings. Though they were rare uprisings did happen, and despite the efforts made by the Ministry to stop them, she knew innocent people were still killed.
A piercing scream confirmed her thoughts. Dread curled in her stomach as sweat formed on her forehead. She was pitifully unprepared for the confrontation that was sure to come. Her only hope was that Aurors would arrive soon and take control of the situation. The original figure that had pulled her along grabbed her wrist. They tugged her into an empty shop along the side of the street.
The dusty windows showed that it hadn't been used for a while. Hermione followed willingly though, and gratefully leaned against a wall once inside. Her throat burned as she felt her stomach clench uncomfortably. "Thanks." she panted to her companion.
They didn't answer immediately to which she narrowed her eyes at. She reached for her wand, and held it between her fingers as she mentally berated herself. Tired or not, you've fought in a war! You should know better than to willingly follow a random person to a secluded area. "Do you always threaten the people who save your life?" The other said after a moment of intense silence. Hermione ground her teeth and cursed quietly.
"Malfoy?" She spat incredulously. He smirked as he stepped out of the shadows. His silver eyes gleamed with scorn. Her face flushed in anger. The wand shook in her hand. "I don't know what the bloody-"
His eyes widened in something akin to fear. He slapped a pale hand to her mouth to cut off her words. She made a sound of indignation. "Unless you want to be killed, Granger, I suggest you lower your voice." He growled. Embarrassment took the place of anger as Hermione nodded. He removed his hand, but her skin still burned in the places where it had rested.
Her heavy breaths filled the resentful silence. "As much as I've enjoyed your presence, Malfoy, I think it's time I leave." She stated finally. He watched her for a moment before he snorted.
"In case you haven't noticed, Granger, the streets are crawling with people who would love to kill you." Her nose wrinkled. She could see that his arrogant manners hadn't suffered in the few years that had passed.
"I know that." She said, irritated. "But if you had any brains at all, you'd realize that you were a wizard and can apparate." Draco stared at her in bemusement, before shaking his head. Hermione furrowed her brow. "What?"
"These people aren't idiots. They've placed an Anti-Apparition charm on the area."
Hermione paused before gazing at him in genuine puzzlement. Her disgust at meeting him momentarily faded. "I've never heard of them doing that before. They wouldn't be able to leave otherwise." Draco narrowed his eyes at her before seeming to deflate. He sagged against the wall, and for the first time Hermione noticed the dark bruising under his eyes.
"They're searching for me. That's why." He said quietly.
Hermione stared at him in confusion. Slowly, as she looked first at the windows and then back at him, she understood. "Is it because of your father?" She asked hesitantly. The look in his eyes was all the affirmation she needed. It made sense, she reasoned. Lucius Malfoy had been a dedicated follower of Voldemort. His son was a valuable asset. Her brown eyes flickered up to meet his grey ones.
Breaking the interaction that seemed far to intimate for childhood enemies, she raised her gaze back to the windows. They dirt and grime made them hard to see out of, which Hermione realized made it equally as hard to see in. Grateful for small miracles, she laid her head back against a wall. Pain pounded through it causing her vision to blur, and it only seemed to get worse as time progressed.
"Not going to try and play hero, Granger?" Draco sneered obviously having recovered from whatever somber mood he'd been stuck in. She opened eyes that she hadn't remembered closing to glare at him.
No, she wasn't going to play hero as he'd so eloquently put it. Nausea roiled through her stomach at the thought of even having to move. He seemed to sense her discomfort. "Granger-"
He paused at the shuffling sound that could be heard on the other side of the door. She forced herself to hold her wand steady. The door swung open to reveal a figure who's face was hidden in shadows. They held their wand aloft as they advanced forward. Hermione didn't receive a warning as she felt herself thrown backwards against a wall. Another resounding thump told her Draco had met the same fate.
Her head swam dizzily as she lifted her it. Everte Statum, she mumbled. The offender was blown from his spot in the doorway into the street. She waved her wand to cast a shield spell before muttering another that she hoped would strengthen it. She dragged herself over to Draco who lay seemingly unconscious on the floor. She cursed before frowning grimly. She supposed she really would be playing hero after all.
"Rennervate." She muttered. Draco groaned as his eyes fluttered open, obviously in pain. Hermione wrinkled her nose, but said nothing. "We can't stay here." She whispered. His jaw stiffened as he pushed himself to his feet. A small cut from an unknown source stretched above his brow. "Episkey." She said automatically.
Draco winced as the cut closed itself. He looked at her strangely. Later, she'd look back and find that a sparkle of appreciation had lain in his gaze. "We can't leave." He said quietly in response to her first statement.
"They'll be here any minute!" She argued softly. "We're too vulnerable!" On impulse, she tugged his arm. He shook her grasp off with a sharp look. Hermione blinked away hurt before stepping backwards in frustration. "Do you want to die?" He looked away in silence. She swallowed in shock.
"Go ahead and leave, Granger."
Hermione bit her lower lip. "I'm not leaving without you." She said firmly after a few moments of indecision. The words rolled off her tongue with an ease that surprised even her. Harry and Ron had often told her that she was fiercely loyal to the people she cared about. But before now she thought, confused, Malfoy had done nothing to deserve any such loyalty.
Draco looked up at her before throwing up his hands. "Bloody hell, Granger!" He hissed. "I'm giving you a chance to save yourself! Even Weasley could understand that!" She returned his glare with her own. His hands clenched into fists as he stepped forward. "You don't deserve this." He whispered harshly as he gestured around the room. "I do. Go."
"But you don't!" She protested. For some unexplainable reason she felt despair well up inside her. "I'm will not leave you." Resolutely, she strengthened the shield she'd placed before. Draco watched her in faint disbelief. "Help me." She ordered.
"You're completely mad." He mumbled. Privately, she agreed with him, but she said nothing. To her pleasure he eventually gave in. After doing as much as they could to protect themselves, Hermione allowed herself to fall to a sitting position. The nausea that she'd had before returned full force. She felt Draco's gaze on the back of her head.
The blissful silence that had befallen them was shattered as the floorboards creaked outside of their hiding place. Gingerly, Hermione stood. Draco stepped to her side. Both of their wands were raised as they waited with bated breath. She ran threw a list of curses and hexes in her head.
Their shield trembled. Hermione felt her skin tingle in trepidation. The room was cast in shadow as the moon slid behind the clouds. Draco's only sign of discomfort was that he shifted slightly. It was funny, she thought absentmindedly, that both of them were willing to unite for this one moment. It felt like the friendships that had formed long ago and fallen once the war was over. She wondered how long theirs would last.
Their shield fell.
Together, as if it was planned they both cast their spells. Hermione only vaguely recognized his. Their target pitifully unprepared for both of them collapsed with a resounding thud onto the dusty floor. Her relief at the short confrontation clouded the caution she should have had.
Too late, she realized their victim hadn't been alone.
The pain that sliced up her arm brought a cry from her lips. Her wand dropped with a clatter from now numb fingers. Hermione's eyes stung as she clapped a hand over the wound. Blood gushed nauseatingly from between her fingers. Draco shouted something unrecognizable as another cut opened across her shoulders. Her knees hit the floor as fresh pain bloomed.
There was a crash before the air was silent once more. A shadow fell over her. Hermione looked upwards. The face was hooded and unrecognizable. Her left hand struggled to find her wand. She didn't know what happened to Draco, but couldn't afford to think about it.
The tip of a wand was forced against her throat.
She leaned away, and it followed. Her back hit the floor, and she lay there disbelieving as the wand pressed triumphantly at her neck. She swallowed. The glee with which her own wand was held up and thrown aside was almost palpable. A tendril of hopelessness squeezed her heart and took her breath away. Wandless magic required a strength she didn't have to spare. Her body burned in pain, and to her horror she felt a tear settle in the corner of her eye.
The breath of her captor blew past her. "Crying now are we?" They whispered. She shivered even as fury warmed her face. The voice was male, and the distaste it carried within it's deep baritone was terrifying. The wand softly caressed the cut on her shoulder. She bit back tears of pain. Even in the face of death, he would not have the pleasure of watching her cry.
"If you expect me to beg for life I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you." She spat. The words flew past her dry lips with bleak satisfaction. The wand was back at her throat in an instant and was thrust punishingly against it. She choked.
"Quiet!" They hissed. Their was silence until Hermione felt the hair stir next to her ear. She twisted her head away in horror. Pain prevented her from a complete escape. "Mudblood." They crooned softly afterwards. A chill ran up her spine. He knew. The reminder of Bellatrix made both of her arms burn.
The wand was raised, and she wondered if maybe she would be on the receiving end of an unforgivable. She closed her eyes. At the same time, she heard the faint mumble of the voice that had tormented her since childhood. Her eyes remained closed as she felt the man next to her vanish and then fall to the ground with a thud.
A ghost of a smile brushed her face.
Their was a new presence, and a touch that was surprisingly gentle pried her fingers away from their hold on her wound. Hermione opened her eyes. Draco's face was expressionless as he waved his wand. The furrow of his brow was the only indication of his nervousness. Her breath caught as he moved to the cut on her shoulder. He pulled away the fabric near it and began to wave his wand again. Her nails bit into her palms as the skin drew closed.
He finished and leaned backwards. His hand darted into the pocket of his robes. Hermione involuntarily tensed. He didn't comment as he withdrew a bottle of brown liquid that she immediately recognized as dittany. "Do you always carry Essence of Dittany on you?" The question was tinged with disdain.
A smirk lifted his lips. He tilted his head to a paper bag beside her. Its contents had spilled out and onto the floor. "Do you always carry peppermint leaves with you?" Hermione grimaced as she eyed them. They were crushed and useless.
"No." She admitted. The silence that ensued as he touched a drop of dittany to each of her wounds was surprisingly pleasant. "I suppose I won't be able to make the meeting tomorrow without them." She said suddenly.
Draco snorted as he finished. "I save your life, and you worry about a bloody meeting?" His nose wrinkled in a sneer. "Typical Granger." The words ignited the bit of fire Hermione had left as she frowned at him.
"I needed them so I'd be able to meet with my friends for my birthday without a sore throat." She defended herself. Draco huffed as he stood. Hermione imagined his silence was more to anger her than anything. He walked to the window as she forced herself to a sitting position. She blinked as her vision blurred.
"The Aurors have arrived." He said suddenly. Hermione felt her muscles loosen. "They must've lifted the Anti-Apparition charm by now." She nodded in agreement. The idea of leaving their dusty prison was a welcome thought. He turned to her. "We should go."
She stared blankly. "Where?"
He blew out a breath. "I need to leave. You know the Daily Prophet will have a field day if I'm found here." The meaning crashed over her in a wave of understanding. Sympathy followed soon after, but already foreseeing Draco's reaction if she said something, she stayed silent.
"I can apparate by myself." Hermione said quietly. A touch of regret claimed a spot in her heart as he nodded. She watched as the grip on his wand tightened. Words spilled from her mouth in a curious stream. "Why did you do it?" He looked up sharply. "Save me, I mean."
He seemed to completely still. She felt her breath slow. His grey eyes locked with hers as he spoke. "Because my beliefs have changed." He said simply. "Until we meet again, Granger." Draco tipped his head towards her in an awkward goodbye as he vanished.
Later, as Hermione stumbled wearily into her bedroom she realized that that was the first civil goodbye he'd ever said to her.
Morning brought a steady stream of sunlight through her windows. Hermione's body ached as she slipped from her bed. She'd decided before she'd fallen asleep that the cuts she'd suffered hadn't warranted a trip to St. Mungos, but the stiffness still bothered her somewhat.
Freshly showered and dressed, she sat at her kitchen table looking through a couple letters that had arrived that morning. A sudden sound at her window interrupted her reading. An owl hovered outside holding a small package. Hermione stood and moved to let it in. She accepted the gift and offered a treat in return. She studied it for moment. Its eyes held a deep intelligence, and it held itself with a pride she only recognized from one person. After a few moments it soared out of her home and back into the sky.
She watched it for minute before untying the string wrapping the package. Inside she found a small paper bag. Upon opening it the familiar scent of peppermint overwhelmed her senses. A slip of paper caught her attention. She plucked it from the bottom of the package. In a messy but somehow elegant scrawl a single sentence was written across it. She read it with a warm smile.
Happy Birthday, Granger.
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