"Draco…" the name barely escaped her lips and barely passed as a whisper. When was the last time she had said that name, that memorable name? Where did it come from? It must have came from the deepest depths of her memory.
Draco furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. What was that name she had whispered? He thought. Who was this boy, this boy Draco. This boy Draco was forced to become a man before he has even understand what childhood was. The boy who was never given the chance to live as a kid- as a boy. The boy who never was. The boy who became man in a mere matter of seconds- when the mark was etched across his skin.
Tossing his mask to the floor, Draco dimmed the light from his wand and sat beside her, still hugging her. He couldn't believe it. He believed her as dead.
"I know Granger- I'm-I'm sorry. When I had left, I hardly realized I'd be gone this long. Hell, I hadn't known that I'd be doing what I'm doing now-" Draco started in a forced under control voice.
"Granger? Granger? Has it honestly been that long? Called by my surname once more?" Hermione said so weakly.
"Its not that," he snapped, "I just- well….."… Silence.
They sat silently for moments, just holding each other, taking in the moment. Hermione thought, in her weakened mind, if he didn't answer, it must've been too long.
"Has the war reached over here yet? Is-Is it on its way over here?" Hermione asked softly. Her voice seemed to become immensely dim and soft.
As though to answer her question, many people were heard stirring outside. It sounded as though people were leaving their house to take refuge somewhere else further away.
As much as possible, he avoided answering that question he also avoided seeming as though something was wrong.
" You have to leave soon," Draco said. Hermione began to say something but here voice was cut off by Draco's, " Were you bleeding? There's blood everywhere across the house. Are- Are you ok?" He looked down at her.
"Oh, yea-yes… Th-that was me… but I'm fine now… Just lost a little bit of blood…." her voice trailed away.
"But you sound so… so weak…" He said worriedly.
"I'm fine," She said softly. She smiled so softly, so beautifully, so faintly at him that it frightened him. Her presence felt as though she was clinging to life… the life was draining out of her by the second.
He let go of her out of fear and frowned. Instantaneously, he missed the feel of her light, innocent, feeble and delicate touch.
"Umm… Lets go. We need to get out of here as soon as we can. There's not much time for stay here." Draco said as he reached his hand out to help Hermione up.
"Oh," she said softly, "I cant- not right now… I'm- I'm…" She shuddered and drew in a long breath which frightened Draco so, " Fine from bleeding I just- Just am a bit weak.. Its nothing big."
The sound of people running about outside grew louder.
"We must leave now… something's happening out there." He said, his voice raising. He stood rigidly still as he listened to the voices become panicked.
"Just…. Just a-a minute…. I-" Her voice became very distant. Draco angrily and forcefully interrupted her.
"Damn it Granger! Get the hell out of here! I'll tell you what, I'm leaving with or with out you. You can stay here. I've seen what happens to mud bloods like you! I just- I just, for some reason, thought I could somehow prevent it from happening to you… What was I thinking! All mud bloods have died the same… in fear, alone and they have all died weak!" He stood there fuming, glaring at the deteriorated girl before him.
Hermione slightly gaped at him. She, with all her strength bit on her bottom lip to keep herself from falling apart. She pulled the bundle closer to her chest.
"Draco…" she said in a murmur and what seemed like a labored breath. Draco nearly winced and cringed at the sound of his own name. He hadn't been called Draco since he had last been with her… nearly six months ago. By the other Death Eaters he was either called Malfoy, Malfoy's boy, or merely, like the others, you.
"What ever happened to our love? Has all the love left you? Have you turned into a man of hate? Where is my Draco…" she drew in another long breath, "My Draco Malfoy?"
"Love isn't what it used to be." he said mostly to himself.
He averted his gaze from hers for a moment then looked back, twice as hard.
"Get the hell up if you want to live…. Now! For gods sake Granger, Get up!" He was yelling full force at her now.
She pushed herself up against the wall with her free hand and pulled the bundle, if possible, even closer to her chest. "I cant…n-not in this condition… not just yet."
Suddenly, the sound of somebody screaming, "Their coming, their coming, their right down the street! Merlin help us!" was heard in the basement.
Hermione looked at the bundle then thrust it towards him, trying to give it to Draco. He furiously raised one of his brows.
"The hell is this?" he asked staring at it nastily.
She brought the bundle back to her chest.
"Th-this is o-ours," She took her wand from his hand and flicked it at the bundle. They heard a soft babies cry. Hermione moved the blanket from the babies face.
There, in Hermiones hands was the love Hermione and Draco had showed and shared with each other several months ago. It was a very small and thin premature baby.
"No," he said as he took a step back and put his hands up as he didn't accept the child as one of his own.
"Yes, Draco," she said. He could just barely make out her words with the babies soft cries. "The blood was… When I was giving birth… I was scared, I ran around the house….. Looking for stuff….. Something….. For help." The noises outside were becoming increasingly loud.
"W-When?" he asked as though it weren't his business.
"I-I don't know…. I thought it was- well…. I've lost track of days…. Or- or it could've been hours…."
He looked down at the diminutive infants pink face. It was pinched up much like his used to be when he was young and when he cried. With the infants eyes closed, the very obvious trait that was a Malfoy's was its nose. The small, sharply pointed nose. He sighed. He could've been seeing things… Nothing came clear to him at that moment.
She waved her wand again. The infant continued to cry but it remain un heard.
"Have, have you been with another man? This isn't mine- we were always careful-" Draco panicked
"Draco, I- I would never-" Hermione began softly
"I was careful-" Draco hollered
"With a man-"
"This is a mistake-"
"Other than you- This is no mistake! It was meant to be. I wanted a child and I know that you did too… but I suppose this is too early for you."
Draco's heavy breathing was the only thing that could be heard.
"Please Draco.. Take our child-" Hermione began to plead.
"What about you?" He said harshly as he narrowed his eyes at her, "I came here for- to get you, not for any bloody child."
"Well…," she trembled, "if- if I were to leave now… I would slow us down- Just, take our child and-and, well, Merlin forgive me, hide 'em somewhere. No, no. Don't do that. Hide… hide with 'em somewhere…. Where you two wont get caught-"
"I came here to get you. I thought I made that clear the first time I said it." Draco spat.
"We'll find each other again…. Like we did just now.." she said.
"I found you."
"Then that'll make it my turn to find you." She said with a slight smile.
For a moment, they listened to the people outside, scurrying about.
"Where will we go? Where will we hide? What will you do?" he asked
She suddenly became frightened.
" I trust your judgment. As for me…" she drew in another long breath, " I'll manage.. I will see you two again… I will." She said softly.
She weakly thrust the bundle towards Draco again. He slowly and hesitatingly grabbed the bundle. He nearly dropped it from its lightness. He had prepared his arm muscles for weight. The child was as light as anything could be. He stood there stupidly, holding the bundle an arms length away from him. It was like nothing he had ever seen before.
"Its cold…. Hold 'em close to you." she said, barely audible. And indeed, it was.
He nodded as he opened his robes and put the bundle against his chest sharing his warmth with it. He wrapped his robes around the bundle, it looked as though there was merely a small lump in his robes.
"Hurry…. Don't worry…. I can care for myself. I've- I've got my wand." She said sounding nothing close to reassuring.
Picking up his mask from the floor and placing it in its rightful place, his face and grasping his wand tightly in one hand, he started to rush over to the moonlit stair case, feeling awkward as he pressed the bundle beneath his robes to his chest with other hand. He glanced one more time at Hermione in the darkness as he descended up the stair case. He wanted to make eye contact with her one last time… but somehow, he felt he couldn't.
