No Matter What

Oh, this is the start of something good
Don't you agree?
I haven't felt like this in so many moons
You know what I mean?

At the mouth of a cave, hidden high in the mountains, every star in the sky could be seen for miles in any direction. Beside a low fire of mostly dying embers--one that had of course when spell-bound to not give away their location--sat the world's happiest and saddest couple. Two lovers who had never had a chance to be lovers, whose kisses were precious the way smiles are to the parents of a terminally ill child, and whose lives were about to change forever, so much more than they already had.

Hermione Granger didn't need to have eyes to know her new boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, was upset. Well, upset wasn't the right would to describe the raw feelings he was sending out, because that's what they were: feelings. And, even with the world's biggest dictionary, no words can explain such a complex emotion.

"Did you receive a new mission?" she asked, trying to start the unstartable conversation. The look on his face could have stopped her heart.

"I don't want to discuss my 'missions' with you, Hermione," he said shortly. "I do enough of that with Potter."

"Then are you going to tell me what's wrong? Or do I have to sit up all night and worry?"

He ignored her questions and instead posed one of his own.

"Do you really think this is going to work?"

She didn't need to ask to know what he was talking about. He meant them. Would they last as a couple? Any other time she might have been quick to answer with a definite, without a doubt 'yes'. But, in the turmoil of war, anything could happen.

"There's no way to know that," she said, taking his hand. To her surprise, he let her. "What I do know, however, is that I am willing to do anything to make it work."

"No matter what?"

The question wasn't entirely unexpected, and yet the way he asked it, the tone he used and the expression on his face--it gave her pause.

"Yes." She said after a moment, moving a little closer to him. "No matter what."

And we can build through this destruction
As we are standing on our feet
So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
You to stick around
I'll see you everyday
But you have to follow through
You have to follow through

"Hermione?"

The couple looked up to see Ginny standing in a blanket at the cave's entrance. Hermione stood, gave Draco a quick peck on the cheek, and promised to be back soon.

When she was out of sight, he closed his eyes and sighed. He tried to picture his life if he hadn't become a spy for the Order, if Voldemort hadn't sent him to infiltrate them with a cock-and-bull story about how terribly sorry he was for everything he'd done and how he would do anything to make it up to them. When he'd first been given the task, he was all too ready to make Harry and the others pay for all the times he'd been humiliated at school on their behave. It only took him a few short months, however, to see how wrong he'd been and how true his once big-fat-lie story now was. Because, after seeing the war from the good side, there was no two ways about it. Voldemort was evil and, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, Draco was not.

If he had never come to them, forced as he was, he would have never fallen for Hermione, or her for him. And he still had no clue how that happened. How could she possibly love him after all he'd done to her and those she loved? She truely was a one-of-a-kind girl. And now, through some great mercy, she was his girl. He couldn't even begin to explain, even to himself, how incredible the sensation was. To love and be loved? It was greater than anything in this world. Power, he'd once thought, was the greatest thing a man could achieve. How dreadfully wrong he'd been. And it had almost cost him everything. Not that he would have known, however. How can one miss true happiness when one has never felt it?

With a heavy sigh he stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff's edge, which was only a few yards from the fire, that being only a few yards from the cave. The forest below, bathed in moon- and starlight, was like nothing he'd ever seen before. Sure he'd been to beautiful places, seen beautiful sites. But never with the eyes he possessed now. Clear, focused eyes. If only he and Hermione could somehow build a home here, away from everything and everyone and live out their lives in humble peace.

He laughed out loud at the thought before he could stop himself. Who would have thought Draco Malfoy, a pureblood of high society, would one day be standing on a mountain and wishing to live a humble life with a Muggle-born witch? Not him, that's for damn sure.

"Draco?"

He turned to see Hermione's form silhouetted by the firelight. Her hair was down, and he smiled.

These reeling emotions they just keep me alive
They keep me in tune
Oh, look what I'm holding here in my fire
This is for you
Am I too obvious to preach it?
You're so hypnotic on my heart

"What did she want?" he asked when she was finally beside him, looking out on the forest. He knew by the way she kept her eyes trained on the treetops that she found them as beautiful as he had. He also knew that whatever Ginny had wanted was serious.

"It's nothing," she said, none-too-assuredly. This was Hermione language for: "It's between us." He didn't push the subject. After all, he had his own problems to worry about. He didn't need other people's to think about too. "Girl stuff," she added, as if she needed to further explain herself, when she knew full well that he wouldn't ask again.

Without turning his head, he reached over and took Hermione's small hand in his. For close to ten minutes they simply stood there, just enjoying each other's company, as if nothing in the world could ever break them, or ever had. It was a moment Hermione knew she would look back on for the rest of her life, however long that might be. It was time standing still, and, once the silence was broken, there was no undoing it.

And Draco knew he had to be the one to do it.

He pulled her to him with such urgency that she never thought to say a word.

So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
You to stick around
I'll see you everyday
But you have to follow through
You have to follow through

"Did you truely mean it?" he whispered into her neck, using all his strength to keep from crying and crushing her to death with how close he needed to be to her right then. It was unbearable how badly he needed her. Like a disease. And yet, he would gladly go through the pain if only they could be happy together.

"Mean what?" But she knew.

"You'll be with me no matter what."

He felt her smile.

"Of course," she whispered back, picking his head up to look into his eyes. Bad idea. He shook his head, turning away, praying that she hadn't caught sight of the would-be tears. "No matter what."

"Even if I...Even if...Oh God..."

"Draco--"

"Don't." He held his arm up, keeping her at bay. For the time being. He couldn't begin to think of what she was capable of when provoked the right way. She threw a damn good punch, that was for sure. But when her heart was on the line? He wasn't stupid enough to mess with that. "Hermione, there are things you need to know about me if...if this is going to continue." He bit his lip in anger, thankful that she couldn't see him do so. It would have been a dead give-away. What the hell was he talking about? Continue? Continue what? They'd barely started. It had taken him so damn long to pluck up the courage to kiss her, and far too long before that for him to climb off his high horse and admit he had any sort of feelings for her other than hate and contempt. By then, it had taken him so long to realize how amazing she was that she'd already been with Ron Weasley for several months. It was nearly a year later that he was desparate enough to steal a kiss from her one night at the fire after Ron, Harry, Neville, Luna, and Ginny had gone to sleep. She slapped him so hard across the face he swore he could still feel it today.

That was less than two weeks ago. Since then, their world has turned upside down and inside out. So much blood has been spilt, so many lives lost. It seemed no one made room for love anymore. Even Ron, who swore his undying love for Hermione, merely nodded when she told him she was leaving him for Draco. To be fair, he had quite a bit more on his plate--his parents were captured, his brother Charlie was missing, his sister-in-law Fleur was under the Imperius Curse and had killed Bill; Hermione leaving him for his life-long enemy was only one more thing to add on.

"Draco, I already know everyth--"

"No," he insisted harshly. "You don't. Not everything. You couldn't possibly know."

The words you say to me are unlike anything
That's ever been said
And what you do to me is unlike anything
That's ever been
Am I too obvious to preach it?
You're so hypnotic on my heart

"Everything you do goes through Harry, Draco. Everything. He runs the show around here, and he tells me what I need to know to feel safe about you playing spy for us."

"Yes, well, this is information Potter isn't privy to, alright?"

She touched his shoulder gently, but he shrugged her off and stepped forward as if she'd meant to strike him.

"Draco, please. Don't shut me out."

"Hermione, listen to me." He turned around and the look in his eyes was so fierce that she actually gasped, low as it might be. "If you want to be with me, if you truely want to, then you have to know everything, every terrible thing. And, if after I tell you, you still want me, then you have to promise me you won't change your mind later when I do what it is I have to do."

"If I'm with you," she said, touching his face, her thumb on his cheek. Merlin, he loved when she touched him like that, "then I'm with you. End of story."

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"I...love you."

Her lips parted to say something, but she stopped when he held up a hand.

"I want to kiss you," he said, looking her directly in the eye, "once more before you know."

She nodded slowly.

The jolt of purity that rushed through her in that one kiss was nearly too much to handle. By the time he pulled back, her face was streaked with salty tears.

"Oh Draco!" She collapsed against him; he didn't attempt to get free. After what was to come next, he wouldn't need to. She'd throw herself off the cliff to get away from him.

"Hermione, listen to me," he said slowly, rubbing the small of her back in slow circles the way she liked it. "I...have to...I-I'm going to...I'm going to kill Ginny Weasley."

If she didn't love him after that then she never would.

So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
(For) you to stick around
I'll see you everyday
But you'll have to follow through
With every word you say
An I, all I really want is you
(For) you to stick around
I'll see everyday
But you have to follow through
You have to follow through
You're gonna have to follow

"I know."

Draco stumbled back, his mouth actually hanging open in shock.

"You-You know?"

"And so does she."

"But-But--"

"Now it's your turn to listen to me," Hermione said sharply, grasping the front of his shirt as if she were angry. And, honestly, he didn't know what she was feeling. "Nothing in this world could cause me to sit back and watch my friend be murdered by my boyfriend, by the man I love. And I know you have no choice in the matter, Draco. I know that it's your life or hers, and you made your decision, you chose yours."

"Hermione--"

"No, let me finish," she warned. "You made a choice, Draco. And so did I. I chose hers."

It was enough to keep him silent for the rest of his life.

She smiled softly and for an instant he thought this was all some terribly nightmare.

"And yours," she added, finally comnig up close to him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"But--"

"Tonight might be the last peaceful night we'll have for a long time, Draco. Suffice it to say that, to Voldemort, Ginny Weasley will be dead."

He still couldn't believe it.

"Draco?"

"Yes?" he whispered, unable to bring his voice any higher.

"Get over it and kiss me."

And he did just that.

Oh, this is the start of something good
Don't you agree?

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Ok, that was random. And totally did not end how I planned. I was originally going to end it right after Draco tells Hermione that he's going to kill Ginny. But, because of the song lyrics, I decided to go on. Let me know if I made the right choice.

REVIEW!

P.S. The song is "Follow Through" by Gavin DeGraw.