Enjoy!
Tale as old as time
"I'm going with you. We both are" Hermione insisted as I began to pack. "Harry you can't just leave. Not alone, not like this…Harr…STOP" She said exasperated. "Say something"
"Look 'Mione. I can't allow it. You have to stay here. Be with everyone else. Protect everyone else"
"Whose gonna protect you mate?" Ron said annoyed. "We know what we are signing up for. We can't just send you off…ALONE…to find these horcruxes. We are going. All three of us" He said determined. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Guys try to understand." I tried once again knowing that it was a moot point. "Who will protect everyone else here? I need someone to stay here. Someone to protect Ginny" I said at last. My eyes showing that vulnerable fear for Ginny. Damn her for being my weakness.
"Aww Dad! That's so sweet!" Lily Potter said from her seat next to Winter. Ginny shushed her even as her own face had split into a beautiful smile.
"I know right?" Harry agreed with his daughter.
"Dad! The story?" James reminded.
"Yeah. Where was I?" He asked.
"Damn her for being my weakness" Damien said. Winter turned to face him and saw his eyes on her. A feeling akin to a shiver ran down her spine. She shook her head before submerging back into Harry's story.
Hermione sighed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She must have understood. Logic always won when it came to Hermione. "Harry…" She began.
"I need someone to stay here "I said again.
"I guess today's your lucky day, then…Potter." Drawled out a voice before the door to the room opened.
In came Kreacher with the last person I had wanted to see. Actually no, the last person would have been Voldermort. Second last then. This person…this wizard was tall, blonde haired with eyes that of silver. He was probably strong but I preferred to think of him as a coward. And he was a Death Eater.
"Malfoy!" Ron spat.
"Wait Wait! Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater?" Winter asked.
"Yes" Harry smiled in an obvious sort of way.
"You named your son after a Death Eater?" She turned and asked James. He chuckled. "Yes. I guess I did"
"Explains a lot" Winter murmured. Lily laughed aloud hearing her not so silent whisper.
"Pop. The story?" Damien reminded Harry completely ignoring Winter.
Within seconds the three of us had our wands held at him. Not Malfoy, though. His hands were raised in surrender.
"How the hell did you find this place?" I asked.
"I came with cousin Nymphadora" He said with a slight stretch on the cousin part.
"Expelliarmus" Hermione said.
"Tonks? Where is she now?" She said after she got his wand in her hand.
"I suspect that she is informing the rest of the Order about my arrival"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Hermione went face to face with Malfoy. Ron and I were too flabbergasted to react in any sort of way. Why would Tonks bring him here?
"I'm not here to fight Granger."
"Then what the hell are you here for?" Her wand now poking his chin. Draco Malfoy actually looked a little scared then. He gently put his hand into his pocket.
"Malfoy get your hands out of your pocket" Hermione demanded. "It's just this" He said cautiously taking a small vial filled with a clear liquid.
"Water?" Ron asked, a little confused. Malfoy rolled his eyes before levelling them with Ron's. "Are you for real Weaselbee?"
"Veritesarium" Hermione breathed. Malfoy turned to face her. His face softened for a bit. Hermione was staring at the bottle too intently to notice.
"Yes" He simply said. "Test it on me"
"Why?" She asked.
"I'm on your side. I've always been"
I wanted to kill him then. Really, really kill him. How dare he say that when all he had done was bad. Since the day we met. How dare he say that while he still had his Death Eater Mark on his wrist? How dare he say that after he tried to kill Dumbledore?
"Right" Ron scoffed. "Coz that's just sooo believable."
"I don't care about what you think Weasel" Draco said not even bothering to look in his direction. His eyes still fixed on Hermione's.
"Too bad. The present company you're in…yeah my opinion counts here." I grinned at my best friend.
"How do we know whether the Veritesarium is not tainted?" I asked. He turned towards me then and smirked.
"Well you're welcome to try it Potter. Maybe confess that love you have got for Weaselbee here. I'd love to ask more…intimate questions if you'd like" He said.
"Sound like a real charmer, this Draco" Winter said, accidently interrupting Harry.
"That he is my girl. That he is"
"Did you believe him then?" Lily asked.
"Harry, no!" Hermione said before I could have a go at him. "I know how to check whether it is correct WITHOUT either of you testing it on yourself. Honestly, didn't any of you ever concentrate in potions?"
"Of course I did. I nearly beat you last year Granger. The Verifying Spell, isn't it?" Malfoy said with confidence.
"Uhh yeah"
"I'm not like these two dunderheads Granger"
I bristled. Hermione looked at me in a way which only meant one thing. "He's right, you know?"
So then Hermione used the Verifying spell on the Veritesarium. It turned out that Malfoy was right. It was a pure potion.
"Sit" She demanded. Malfoy smirked before he did as he was told. "Open your mouth" She said again in the same tone. Again, he did as he was told. Hermione moved closer to him before pouring three drops of the silky liquid into his mouth. She forced his mouth close. "Swallow" She said.
"Done"
"What's your name?"
"Draco Abraxas Malfoy" He grinned.
"What's my name?"
"Hermione. Hermione Jean Granger" He said.
"How did you know my middle name?" Hermione asked a little puzzled.
"Because I-" Malfoy began.
"Those are stupid questions 'Mione" Ron interrupted. I silently agreed.
"What are you really doing here?" I asked.
"I told you. I am one of you. Both me and Snape"
If I was angry before, now I was blistering mad. Severus Snape had killed Dumbledore. There was no way…absolutely no way he could convince me that Snape was one of the good guys. That he was one of us. In my haste, in my absolute desire for vengeance I stormed towards him with my wand raised high, ready to attack.
"Expelliarmus" Hermione said before I was able to do anything else. "Now is not the time"
"We don't believe you" She told Malfoy. He simply shrugged.
"Can you explain why you think Snape is not one of them? Not one of the Death Eater?"
"He is" I roared and for the lack of anything to do, I punched the wall closest to me…and then deeply regretted doing so.
Hermione shot me one of her 'Professor McGonagall look' that was enough to mute both me and Ron. She then shot that look at Malfoy.
"I'm not saying that he isn't a Death Eater. Even I am. Anyone who has this mark-" He showed his mark on his left hand. "-Is a Death Eater, Granger. But that's not how you differentiate people now, is it?" He asked.
"Actually it is" I interrupted.
"No. The important thing is what's in your heart, Granger" He said softly. I snickered. Malfoy getting soft? Now that was one thing I never thought I would see. He shot me a look and then smirked. "You really don't want to know what's in Snape's heart, Potter"
"Yep. You really didn't" Ginny chuckled.
"The idea that my Professor had a deep undying love for my mother? Yes. I was better off not knowing that" Harry grinned.
"I think it's sweet" Said the youngest son of Harry Potter who had recently joined the discussion. Albus Severus.
"You would. You're named after him" James shot back.
"James!" Ginny chided. "Harry continue"
"Tell me what you did after...after you left Hogwarts" Hermione asked carefully avoiding the mention of Dumbledore.
"We ran. After we reached the apparition point, Bellatrix instructed us to go to the Manor. Only…only we didn't. We apparated to Aunt Andromeda's cottage. That's where we stayed. I was so worried about my…parents. But then Snape gave me the letter. The letter from my mother. She begged me not to come back. She wanted me to fight for the…well…good. She wanted me to be good. She risked her life for it. So that's what I'll be. Good. And all this time I've been at Andromeda's"
"And Tonks knew about this all along? Where is Snape anyway?"
"No she just learnt about it. That's why she brought me here. As for Snape…he had to leave. He wanted to be there for my parents. He told Voldermort that I had turned on him and that after hitting him with his own spell, I fled"
"His own spell?" I asked, chill settling in my bones. "Yes Potter. Sectumsempra. The spell must be giving you good memories. I know it does to me" He said glaring up at me. For a second, I felt bad for him. But just for a second.
"Malfoy" Hermione whispered sitting next to him. He looked at her with a soft smile on his lips. "Do you believe me now?" He asked.
She turned to us and then nodded. "Yeah. We do" She simply said.
"Did Snape really get hit by the spell?" Ron asked. Malfoy nodded. "Oh man. Are you sure?"
"I hit him with that spell so yeah Weasel, I am pretty sure" Malfoy snapped at him.
And that was how Malfoy became one of us. We weren't the ideal group. Far from it actually. None of us trusted Malfoy fully, but we were getting there. Plus I really needed someone to stay here to protect the rest of the Order. To protect Ginny. Who better than Malfoy? Despite what I'd like to think, Malfoy was good with duels. And potions. That man could concoct a potions which sometimes made Hermione speechless. And that was saying a lot.
"From what I've read…and well…I've read a lot-" Winter began. Damien scoffed. She ignored him and continued. "Well...none of it ever included any part of Malfoy in the war"
"No…no it wouldn't have" Harry agreed. "He didn't go with us for the hunt of the Horcruxes, maybe that's the reason he's not included in it. He may not have been actively involved in the hunt but he was ah…well…something..."
"Something of a hero" Damien completed.
"Something of a hero" Harry agreed.
"Then what happened?"
Hermione devised a method for us to keep contact with Draco. It was also a way to check up on Ginny so I was all up for it. There was no other way for me since I had broken up with her. Hermione made two lockets. One for her and one for Malfoy. After giving it to Malfoy she closed her hand over her own locket.
"What the hell?" Malfoy shouted letting go of it. It was placed in the silver chain around his neck so it didn't fall to the ground.
"Read what it says" Hermione said without any explanation for both me and Ron.
"'Malfoy is a ferret' Seriously Granger?" He asked while we both started laughing heartily.
"Good, then it works" She simply said.
"How does it work anyway?" He asked.
"Close your hand over the locket like this and just think of the sentence or phrase that you wish to tell me" She told Malfoy. He did as he was told.
"Ouch. It does hurt" Hermione said upon receiving his message. He shot her an incensed look. Ignoring that Hermione opened her locket to read what it said.
"Bookworm? You couldn't come up with something better? Thank you Malfoy" She sniggered.
"That was meant as an insult" he tried to explain.
"It clearly worked" She said sarcastically.
What none of us realized at that time was that he didn't use that one phrase that could actually hurt her. He didn't call her a 'Mudblood'. In fact I've never heard him say that ever again.
"She still has it" Winter said suddenly.
"What?" Harry asked.
"The locket…" Winter mumbled.
"Yes. She still has it" Damien confirmed.
A few days after that we left for the hunt in the middle of the night. Only one person was there to say farewell to us. Not that he said so in so many words. He was simply there. Hermione was the only one who waved him bye and he acknowledged that with a nod. That was the last time I saw him before the battle of Hogwarts. Of course while we were on the hunt Hermione kept contact with Malfoy. We were able to find what was happening over at the Order.
"We were attacked multiple times while they were away. Somehow the Death Eaters kept discovering our secret location. If not for Draco we wouldn't have survived those attacks" Ginny added.
During our search Hermione was as impeccable as ever. But what I realized was that she always had her hand wrapped around the locket andand when asked about it she would say that it was out of habit. Ron bought it. I didn't. Still I gave her the space that I suspected she needed.
"Hermione inform others" I shouted as we ran towards the old man standing in front of Hog's head.
"Stupefy!" She shouted sending a flash of red light towards the man charging at her. She grabbed her locket and closed her eyes in desperation. A while later she opened her eyes and looked at the locket. She then look at me. In her eyes I saw fear and anticipation. "They are coming" She told me as I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the pub.
"Coming where?" Winter asked.
"Hogwarts" Everyone chanted.
"Oh…Is it-"
"The final battle. Yes" Damien confirmed.
"You both go. I'll stay for the rest of them to come through" Hermione said after getting inside the Room of Requirements. I was already on my way to find the last Horcrux with Luna when Hermione stopped me again. She ran up to me with and hugged me tightly.
"Please be careful" She whispered.
"You too" I said holding her against me. To say that I was worried about her, about all of them would be an understatement. Ron had already left in search of Ginny. Hermione would be the only one inside the room and hence the most vulnerable. Yes, I was worried. "I'm counting on Malfoy to come to get you to safety" I said.
"I'm kind of counting on him too" She smiled through her tears. With a tight smile I ran towards where Luna was patiently waiting for me.
It was a while later that I saw the rest of the Order members with Malfoy and Hermione. They were leading the pack. I could only nod at them before I was swept away in a flurry of activity. By then the battle had truly begun. I didn't see either of them after that. It was after my – well death- when Voldermort brought me for everyone to see that I saw them again. Hermione was screaming my name trying to dash towards me, her body rocking with sobs. Malfoy was holding her tightly against him, his own face grief-stricken. And Ginny was a blubbering, bawling snot-faced mess.
"I was NOT!" Ginny retorted her face getting angry red splotches in them.
"You were so. She really was" Harry said to the group at large.
"You were DEAD, you old baboon"
"Grandma! Pop!" Damien interrupted.
"Let them be. They are adorable" Winter said without thinking.
"They are fighting. That doesn't make them adorable"
"Uh-you're fighting. I find you both adorable" Lily interrupted with a smirk.
"Ha-ha Aunt Lil. Very funny" Damien said sarcastically.
"The beast has a sense of humor. NOT" Winter whispered again not so quietly.
"Where was I?" Harry interrupted before Damien could say anything.
"Ginny was a snot-faced mess" Terry Boot answered all too willingly. He was hit by a small cushion sent from the above mentioned snot-faced lady.
That was the first time I saw them so close. Yet seeing Hermione's mental state, I guess it was vital that someone held her back and Ron was in no state to do so. Then the final battle began and I saw glimpses of them fighting against the Death Eaters but they were always side by side. Malfoy never left her side throughout the battle. I was grateful for that.
When the battle ended all that we ever wanted to do was be with the loved ones. We were all gathered around Fred's body, mourning the loss of a great friend, a dear brother. It was then that Malfoy joined us after a small reunion with his parents. None of us really paid attention to him. None of us except Hermione. She smiled at him through her tears and he gently took her hand in his. I was the only one that noticed that. It felt like I was intruding in on some intimate secret.
"It was sweet" Winter breathed out.
"Yeah" Damien agreed unknowingly.
After that I waited for Hermione to tell me whether anything was going on between the two of them. She didn't say anything though. Week, months and even years went by and there wasn't even a peep from her. Of course by that time we were not living under the same roof. Ginny and I we got our own place and Ron had just started dating Lavender Brown again. This time for real. Hermione never mentioned to any one of us what was going on in her life. She had taken a year off from all the madness and went on an extended holiday to Venice. After doing NEWTS and passing with O's from all the subjects of course. How she managed that without attending school for a whole year is beyond me. But that's our Hermione.
After the trip when she came back she was a much more cheerful and blissful Hermione. I only suspected the reason behind it. One could never be sure after all. Then one day I received her letter asking both Ron and I to meet her for lunch the next day. And that's what we did. We had lunch.
"How's the Auror training so far?" Hermione asked as she took another bite of her lasagna. "Oh god! You should taste this. Its heaven" She exclaimed.
"Uh you okay there 'Mione? Food is kind of my specialty" Ron joked. She laughed while shaking her head. "You wouldn't say that if you had seen me in Venice" She stated.
"Well the Auror training is going marvelous! In fact Kingsley told us today that we'll get to be in field training by next week"
"Field training?" Hermione asked a little confused.
"Apparently being the chosen one does not mean one get to skip mundane training to become an Auror" I grinned.
"One should hope not" She returned the grin.
"Pathetic" Ron said shaking his head in amazement. "We are the golden trio"
"You're pathetic" Hermione shot back good naturedly.
"So what brought us here 'Mione?" I asked.
"Lunch" She replied. I gave her an exasperated look. She then grinned at me.
"Okay. You caught me" She said. Then she got a serious look in her face and took both our hands in each of hers.
"I love you both very very much. And I trust you to not make a scene in here in public. So please please don't ok? I want you to keep in mind that I know what I'm doing and finally, finally I am happy. Extremely so"
"Ok" Ron said a little confused. I understood though. Sort of.
"What is it 'Mione?" I asked gently.
"There's someone. And I love him" She whispered hesitantly. She cautiously looked at us both almost expecting us to lash out.
"…well…that's great. Isn't it?" Ron turned to me still a little confused. Having a faint idea on who that someone was I wasn't quite so sure. I couldn't say anything regarding it though…yet.
"There's more" She added. "Venice…I wasn't alone there" Hermione confessed.
"You lied to us?" Ron said incredulously.
"Well no…not at first. I did go alone. He – he came later" She finished lamely.
"Ah. So he is an Italian?" Ron asked.
"No Ron. He's…you know him. Both of you" She said first looking at Ron, then at me. My expression must not have been pleasant because suddenly as if an invisible cover had shielded her, her face became guarded.
"Who is it then?" Ron demanded.
"You have to promise me that you won't get mad"
"Of course" Ron said instantly. I didn't say anything. Hermione seemed to realize that. Her eyes kept begging me to not to do anything rash.
"It's… Draco. Draco Malfoy"
"She loves him!" Winter exclaimed.
"That's kind of where we were going with this story, genius" Damien said sarcastically.
"Still…that's just so romantic. Isn't it?" She said to the room at large. It was Damien who answered though.
"Yes. I suppose it is"
"How did our Ron take the news" Terry asked with a chuckle.
"He wasn't pleased" Harry grinned.
"You love WHAT?" Ron almost screamed.
"Who, NOT what! And Ron, you promised!" Hermione moaned.
"Well I'm sorry but you can't just drop something like that on us" He said.
Hermione turned her attention to me. Her eyes begging me to say something. So I did.
"You really love him?"
"Yes"
"When did this happen?" She knew I was talking about their whole…well…thing.
"Uhh – since Hogwarts sixth year I guess" Hermione said scrunching her nose in concentration.
"SINCE WHEN?!" This time Ron did scream. Hermione shushed him, her own face getting the tell-tale sign of anger.
"He kissed me once. In sixth year" She clarified.
"He did WHAT?" Ron asked incensed. "When?" He continued a little softly.
"When we were out patrolling one night. But that was the extent of it. In Hogwarts. I didn't tell you for obvious reasons" She explained. "After that it all began again when-"
"When he came to our side and you decided to communicate through the locket" I finished her sentence. She nodded.
"You're taking this surprisingly well" Ron turned to me then. "You KNEW" He realized when I didn't say anything.
"I suspected" I said shrugging.
"During this vacation, it kind of happened" She simply said.
"You're really happy" It was not a question. She nodded again.
"Damn it" Ron said already knowing the direction of my thoughts.
"I guess that's all that matters then." I said. "But if he ever, EVER hurt you, then I can't promise that I won't refrain from using an unforgivable curse"
"Or that I won't beat him to a bloody pulp" Ron added, accepting the relationship in his own way. Hermione actually laughed at that and forgetting where we were she came and hugged us both.
"Oh thank you guys!" She said finally letting us go. "It means a lot to me. Give him time, I know that you will like him"
"Hey we are accepting him. Saying that we'll like him is just asking for too much! " Ron grumbled.
"So did you?" Winter asked. "Like him?"
Harry shrugged. "He wasn't bad" He then winked at her.
It wasn't an easy adjustment. Accepting him and getting….associated with him proved to be a hardship. One that we were not ready to face. But Hermione was happy. There was a twinkle in her eyes which I hadn't seen before. Even Malfoy seemed like a less pompous ass than before. They were both good for each other. Like two pieces of puzzles that fit perfectly. It was very, very weird.
"Merlin I don't think I've heard him laugh like that ever before" Ron said coming to stand beside me opting the same expression that I had; bewilderment. We all had gathered for a Sunday brunch at the burrows that Mrs. Weasley had insisted everyone to join. Which was the reason why Malfoy was in the house, in the room with Hermione. The same room from which the sound of laughter was coming from.
"I don't think I've heard him laugh ever" I replied.
"What do you think they are doing in there?" Ron asked.
"I'd rather not think about that" I said suddenly feeling dizzy at the thought.
"We should go" Ron suggested before turning to head downstairs. I turned to follow suit. It was then that door swung open.
"Harry! Ron!" Hermione shrieked and it was just mere luck that we didn't fall down the stairs in a cluster of arms and legs when she ran to us and grabbed us both in one big bear hug.
"Hey—uh enthusiastic are we?" Ron asked bemused.
We both turned our question filled gaze at Malfoy who was standing at the doorway. He only managed to confuse us more; Draco Malfoy was grinning at us. Not the evil grin we have all been objected to at one point or another. No, this was a VERY happy grin.
"What happened 'Mione" I asked her, gently untangling myself from her.
Hermione grinned at me before lifting her left hand up for both of us to see. There placed in her ring finger was a silver ring which was adorned with a beautiful Emerald stone.
"He proposed!" Hermione almost shrieked giddy with happiness.
"And you said yes…?" Ron asked still staring at her ring.
"Isn't it a little too soon?" I asked dumbfounded, struck with the knowledge that this was a real thing. Which meant that I would have to endure him for the rest of my life.
"It's been more than 6 years since the battle Harry. You got married. You have James! It definitely isn't too soon. I know that there isn't any other man that I want to spend the rest of my life with anyway. Draco…he's a real deal" She grinned before turning back to face Malfoy. As if it was his cue to join our little not-so-silent conversation Malfoy moved forward and clasped her hand in his.
"I love her" He told me directly.
Despite the many years that had passed and the number of threats we sent his way it was the first time that Malfoy told me that openly. Man to man. And damn it, I respected that.
"You should" I said simply.
"Silver and Green. Figures" Ron said with disgust. It was then that I realized the significance of the colors. The Syltherin color. Ferret gave our Hermione a Slytherin ring.
"Pathetic" I said glaring at the ring as if it was something foul. Which for us Gryffindors, that's what it really was. A foul evil menace.
"It's a family heirloom boys" Hermione said before Malfoy could come up with a good retort. "And I love this. Thank you" She said turning to face her fiancé, her eyes turning soft. It seemed like Malfoy had just as easily dismissed us as he gently placed a chaste kiss on her nose. "It's yours" He whispered.
"That's so-" Winter stopped at a loss for words to describe how she felt. The smile on her face spoke volumes, though.
"Romantic..?" Damien supplied. A soft smile playing on his lips.
"Very much so" Winter agreed. "She never got married though, did she?" She asked suddenly remembering her grandfather's words.
Harry stared at her with a sad smile on his face. He then reached out and took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.
"My dear, sometimes things does not work out the way we plan them to. Sometimes we learn that fate has its own twisted ways. And the lessons are not always pleasant" He said.
"What happened?" She asked.
During the past six years, Malfoy had worked vigorously to bring the Malfoy name to shine again. To get back the respect they previously had. Being the long term boyfriend of the Brain of the Golden Trio helped his case. However, it was his work that finally gave them the recognition they needed.
He became a healer. In fact he was one of the very best in St. Mango's. It seemed like the kind of job that could use his skill in potions. His dedication and interest in the field earned my respect. Not that I ever told him that. Due to his background the Minister thought it prudent that he deal with the criminals that were admitted to the hospital. The reason; he had been a Death Eater once. Nothing, no one could ever terrify him. It was true. It didn't. Draco Malfoy was made of a tougher shell than that I assumed.
They didn't terrify him. No.
"Dark Devotees' strikes again. Get ready. I got us some major criminals to fight with, guys!" Lee Jordan said as he entered the Auror department.
"Finally" Ron said grabbing his wand and moving towards the counter.
"They've been dormant for quite a while. Why now? Why tonight?" I said following Ron.
"Beats me" Lee shrugged.
"Where are we going?" Dennis Creevey said as he joined the group.
"Georgiana's Inn. The one near St. Mungo's"
We got orders from our Head and then apparated to the site. It was hideous to say the least. When the Dark Devotees attack, they attack with a vengeance. This time was no different. The whole club was in ruins.
"We are a little too late" I said, anger bringing an edge to my voice.
We were. There were none of the Dark Devotees in sight and but the damage they did was painfully evident. Bodies were lying clustered across the floor and with a sinking heart I realized that none of them had survived the vile attack. I walked across the room, careful to avoid stepping on the bodies and sent a patronus to the Ministry requesting back up.
"Anything?" I heard Dennis asked. I didn't hear the answer to that question as something caught my eyes. A small boy was trapped under the dead body of a male, his eyes wide, unbridled horror in them. For a second my heart beat increased, a slight hope that there was at least one who had survived this inhuman attack. As I got closer though, the empty thudding in my heart increased a double fold. He hadn't survived. The little boy had been a victim of the killing curse. His eyes showing the fear he must have felt as he came face to face with his death.
"Is that his father?" Ron said from behind me. I shrugged unable to tear my eyes from the boy. In a few years James would be his age. That was the only thought that kept running through my mind. He was just a child.
"Seems like he was a fighter" He continued still talking about the father. I shrugged again. It was possibly true. His shirt was torn and there were purple bruises on his fair skin. The back of his head was all bloodied and I noticed a large pool of blood spreading from the right side of his head. His hand was still wrapped around the small boy. Yes, he was a fighter.
For some reason I didn't want him to lie there, face down. My heart kept telling me that he deserved much more respect than that. And so I gradually unwrapped his hand from the boy's and tried to turn him to lie on his supine position, as gently as I could.
"Mer…" Ron had begun and it seemed as if he had lost his voice in mid-sentence. I paid no attention to him as I finally looked at the face of the fighter. A whoosh of air rushed through my lips as I recognized the man. No, the boy was definitely not his. And yes, the man was a fighter.
It was funny how all through my life I had wished this exact fate on him, but now that my wish had 'come true', the only thing that kept chanting in my head was one word. One single word. "NO" It cannot be happening. It must be some sick joke. It had to be. I heard someone, Ron probably, give in to the urge to break anything within the vicinity that wasn't already damaged. Which wasn't much. He then resort to swearing.
I kept still, staring into the eyes that I knew so well. Those eyes that had glared at me in anger, had had that merriness when he bullied us, had held the honesty when he confessed his love. I was staring into the familiar silver eyes. The eyes that now held no life. The eyes of Draco Malfoy.
"NO!" Winter said suddenly standing up. Harry Potter stared at her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Winter" Terry Boot tried to get his Granddaughter to sit.
"No. I…I need some fresh air" Winter said. Harry just nodded at her. She went out the backyard to stand near the red maple tree. Her heart constraining with pain. She was crying for Hermione Granger. For the loss she must have had to endure. The girl Harry Potter had described had been so happy. How can fate be so cruel as to snatch her one true love from her?
They were going to get married. The thought brought a new set of tears to flow down her face. She was helpless to stop the sobs that accompanied the tears.
It was wrong. Unfair. SO so wrong. It shouldn't have happened. Yet it did. Draco Malfoy had died. Hermione Granger had been left alone.
She heard someone come to stand beside her. She tried to stop her hysterical tears and failed miserably. Finally she turned to face the intruder.
"Go away" She said through her sobs seeing the face of Damien Draco. He handed her a handkerchief instead. He then took hold of her hand and led her to sit in the bench on the opposite side.
"Go away" She said again sitting down. Again he didn't comment. He sat beside her. Winter wasn't able to stop the tears from running down her face, despite the many attempts with the handkerchief.
"It's just…it's not fair" She said when her sobs finally bade her goodbye.
"It not" Damien agreed.
"No one must go through that"
"I know" Again he agreed.
"Why are you being nice to me?" She said eyeing him with disbelief.
"I'm not" He smiled.
"I want to see her again" Winter said after a while of silence. She knew it was useless asking this from him. But she had to meet Hermione Granger. She just had to. "Your Grandfather had alr-"
"OK" Damien agreed before she was able to say her piece.
"Oh…thanks" Winter said a little dumbfounded.
"Don't. And don't ever cry" Damien said. Her face snapped in his direction, eyes showing incredulity as she stared at him.
"You look like a blubbering, bawling snot-faced mess" He said standing up and leaving Winter with an outrageous cry stuck in her throat.
I just got one thing to say. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME.
LOVE ZC
