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I'd like to say a big thankyou to my Beta, WickedlyAwesomeMe , You've helped me so much !

Also a thankyou to my first reviewer! you are so encouraging!

I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER- JK OWNS ALL.

Chapter 2

He flew forward, spinning slightly before landing with a thump. His hood came away, revealing the dishevelled platinum hair of Draco Malfoy.

Harry strode towards me saying only two words.

"He's here."

"Who?" I asked. I knew he meant Voldermort. I just wanted to verify, being away from everyone for so long. One begins to wonder what is real and what is a fantasy. This seemed all too real. It seemed like the end.

"Tom Riddle." Harry wasn't afraid of speaking Voldemort's real name. He and Dumbledore weren't afraid of anything. If only Dumbledore was here… my eyes glistened at the memory of our beloved Headmaster.

"Ah, just the person I've been searching for!" a menacing voice called behind us. It seemed to echo around the entire forest, which hindered the revelation of his exact whereabouts.

I did a full spin, pointing my wand at every tree; my heart thumped loudly in my ears - a deafening sound. There was a strange movement in my sight of a particular tree and I quickly flicked my wand, casting a spell to reveal the being under the Disillusionment Charm.

Antonin Dolohov flickered before my eyes, a sick smirk on his face. My eyes widened, thinking he might disappear if I stared hard enough. Suddenly, an arm wrapped around my throat from behind.

"Hermione!" I heard Harry shout a few paces behind me. The Death Eater pulled me roughly against him and turned around back to Harry. He was facing away from me, watching Malfoy get to his feet with a bewildered look on his face.

I frowned and bit my tongue inside my mouth. What must I do? I slid my wand up my sleeve with my fingers, making it seem like I had been disarmed.

It's the end.

Isn't it?

A strange black smoke exploded before us – Voldemort's trademark entrance.

"Avada Kedavra!" The green light blinded me; it was pointed directly at Harry. "Harry, NO!" I screamed, trying to lunge forward, but the Death Eater only ripped me back, clutching me even tighter.

I felt a cold breath on my neck before the menacing words "Crucio".

The pain was unbearable… excruciating… agonizing… It was indescribable. I passed out.

I looked down at the wooden table; the memory would haunt me forever. We would never forget that day.

My eyes slowly opened, immediately blinded by the blaring light. My legs were bent in an awkward angle and I seemed to be dumped at the edge of the opening. The opening…? Harry!

I thrust myself upright, lifting my head from the obscurity of the ground. I heard muffled voices; they sounded sinister. I decided not to draw attention to myself and tried to shuffle farther into the bushes. On my hands and knees, I crawled across the forest floor, protected from the view of the opening by bushes and berry trees. I carefully poked my head between two bushes to get a better view.

There standing menacingly was Lord Voldermort, his wand pointed at a figure I couldn't see from my position. A wide smile was on his face that reminded me of a cat that just got the mouse.

I tried to get a little closer to see who he seemed to be taunting. Suddenly a hand came down on my shoulder. I screamed.

Voldemort's head snapped to my direction.

"Who's there? Show yourself! I will show no mercy upon cowards!" His hideous voice pierced the misty forest air.

I turned around quickly to see the monster behind me. Ron was crouching, his face pale and sickly as he clutched his injured, bleeding arm.

"Merlin, Hermione! It's just me, Ron," he whispered as he looked towards the clearing in fear.

"I thought I told you to stay in the tent!" I snapped quietly, my eyebrows pulled together as I looked at his tired form.

"Where's Harry?" he asked. His face turned serious.

I gasped at the memory of him before I passed out; tears glistened in my eyes at the realisation.

He shook my shoulders, "Where is he? Hermione!" He grew more hysterical.

"He's gone."

He just looked at me before striding out into the opening.

"Ron! Wait!" I scrambled to my feet, trying to catch up. He was pointing his wand at a very amused Tom Riddle. I tried to grab at his arm and look at the figure Voldemort had been taunting before. A few paces away near a large oak tree, Malfoy stood, his face contorted into a grimace and in his arms was a very limp Harry.

"I'm going to kill you! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Ron screamed. The Dark Lord seemed to cackle at the idea – too amused with Ron to become angry.

"Pathetic blood-traitor. This is the end, don't you see? The Order lost. The-Boy-Who-Lived is dead." He smirked at the irony, his crimson eyes glittering with evil. "Now it's your turn. Crucio!"

We both dropped to the ground, screaming and convulsing at the curse. I tried to control my mind, to block the pain and concentrate. I looked over at Malfoy who seemed to be in a trance-like state, tears trickling down his cheeks.

Voldermort ended the curse with a flick of the Elder Wand before muttering more menacing words.

"Avada-"

He didn't finish. He was blasted away right before our eyes, I stared in shock for a few seconds, I had been so prepared for death. I looked back at were Harry should have been dead only to see him standing- his chest puffed out and his wand pointed directly at were Voldemort once stood.

"Harry!" I scrambled to my feet. I wanted to embrace my best friend, my best friend who seemed to defy death to all odds.

Harry defeated Voldemort with pure luck and careful thinking, I remembered the words he said to me minutes after Voldemorts death.

"I'm putting the Elder Wand back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it."

We got all the horcuxes in the end. All was well. Hogwarts was being rebuilt and Harry, Ron and I came often to see the place coming back together over the summer. Only half the school was almost done, so they decided to not accept any first years this year due to the lack of working space and professors.

I sighed, I still got flashbacks, and I still wondered why Draco decided to help us in the end, though he would never admit it to anyone but me. I looked up at Draco, who seemed to be watching me daydream.

"Daydreaming again?" he asked knowing very well what I was thinking about.

"Yes, I'm feeling a little tired. I might go to bed." I shuffled on the bench. I wasn't welcome here on the Slytherin table; I could tell by the evil looks I was getting and whispers of "mudblood". Even after the war, there was still prejudice. It was almost an ancient past-time for the snakes.

"Don't leave me." His grey eyes bored into my brown. Sympathy washed through me as I looked into his eyes at his tortured soul

I smiled meekly and said, "Ten more minutes."

I sighed and placed my pale hands upon the table, my elbows sitting just on the edge. Suddenly I remembered my Grandmother on my mother's side, scolding me for doing such an unladylike action during one of the many dinners we had when visiting her. I quickly recoiled from my position as if she could see me.

I dared to glance over at my best friends, only to see Ron meet my eyes with a glare, shoving his mashed potatoes angrily into his mouth. Biting my lip, I looked away as my eyes began to glisten with tears, I hated the separation I had created between us-the worst part was it was my fault. I felt a tear on my cheek and I turned to Draco.

"I can't stay here any longer," I said, pushing myself up off the bench.

His head snapped up to study my face; He nodded once and slid off the bench as well.

"Alright lets go for a walk," he decided, he pretended not to notice the glares across the room from both Harry and Ron following my lead like a lost puppy.

I felt more tears dance down my cheeks and I sped up, whipping round the corner of the hall doors. Wiping them away with the tips of my fingers didn't seem to make a difference; I gave up, scolding myself for being so weak. Come on Hermione, Be brave! I repeated to myself like a broken record.

"Slow down! ... Hermione!" Draco grabbed my arm, his fingers similar to icicles. I looked up at him, almost expecting sympathy.

"Why are you crying?" He asked his voice was cold and held no feeling. I bit the inside of my cheek in embarrassment and shuffled from one foot to the other.

"I'm just tired," I looked down at the stone floor; His face was like stone, chiselled by angels but held no emotion, no passion.

He ignored me, and walked ahead leaving me rooted in my spot. I watched his lanky form, his hands were shoved deep inside their pockets and his clothes were immaculate- as usual. He stopped suddenly and took one hand out of his pocket, turning back to face me slightly.

"Well?" He announced into the echoing corridor. I quickly caught up with him and folded my arms knowing it would be chilly in the courtyard. Whenever we did a walk, it would be once around the courtyard and then he would escort me to my common room. I remembered He told me once or twice that when he was alone His thoughts would turn dark If I wasn't there babbling on about new books I had read about or interesting facts, He said he enjoyed my integrity.

We walked together into the broken courtyard, It was better than when I had last seen it, but rubble still collected around the outskirts. It would never be perfect, like it was before...

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