A/N: Ah! Finally finished this. Hope you enjoy and begin to understand Draco's inner turmoils :)
Chapter 2: Sodding Granger, that's who!
Draco opened his eyes, blinking rapidly. He stared upwards at the grey stone ceiling and took a deep breath, turning his head to the right to see what he would describe as an atrocious sight.
"Malfoy." Harry said, "I'm... glad to see you awake." Draco jumped in shock just by the sight of Potter and his irritatingly annoying voice. It's not every day that a Malfoy gets struck by a dark curse by their own damn father and wake up to find themselves in the company of their childhood enemy no less. Draco's eyes shifted around the room quickly as he took in his surroundings. He was in a light room with oak wood floors, there was a large window that looked out to the beach and to the right of that was a simple wardrobe.
"I got caught in the apparation didn't I?" He spoke bluntly.
"Yes. You did. That's not the point Malfoy. Why did you do it?"
"Do what Potter, wha-?"
"You know what!" Potter hissed, interrupting Malfoy.
"I don't believe I do." He retorted. Enjoying winding up the boy.
"Bloody hell, you'd think you'd have matured after all this time Malfoy. But once again, you've proved me wrong. Do I have to bring Veritaserum to get the answer out of you? Or will you tell me why you saved Hermione?"
Draco glanced at the dark mark on his arm. Seeing the jet black colour now slightly faded made him feel less disgusted by the fact he had actually pledged his loyalty to a dark lord who was the biggest mistake ever. A half-blood who expects the wizarding world to be all pure-blooded...really? He gulped as he realised what he'd done. By saving Potters band of merry do-gooders, he had essentially disowned his family. Wave bye bye to the 30 million Galleon inheritance Draco, because you're not a Malfoy any more! No money, no home - not that he would call the Manor a home anyway. Nothing. He was buggered. The only possession he had was his wand...
"POTTER! Give. Me. My. Wand." Draco pronounced each word slowly, and jumped up from the bed he had been lying on, holding the palm of his hand out expectantly. Draco smirked as Harry handed over his wand, but then stiffened as Potters wand was raised at him, instantly Draco raised his back.
"Now Draco, I can easily disarm you, as we've seen before. I gave you your wand to make you feel more comfortable. Now, will you please shed some light as to why you saved Hermione?"
"Granger, is she...is she safe?" Draco asked, avoiding the previous question. "Yes, thanks to you. I guess." Harry responded. Peering at him carefully, making Draco feel very cautious.
"I saved Granger because she's sodding Granger, that's who!" Draco started frantically pacing around the room, "You wouldn't understand! Perfect Potter! You had no idea what was going on right underneath your damn heroic nose! We were...together." Draco spared a harsh glance at Harry and saw his pale face in shock, before he could reply Draco was straight back to his agitated rant.
"Sixth Year. The year of my task. I told her... I told her I loved her. To forgive me just before I had to kill Dumbledore. Then she..." Draco stopped and look Potter dead in the eye. Moving closer towards him until he stood over the shorter boy at what he hoped in his frenzied state at least looked threatening.
"She ran. Said all kinds of bollocks and ran! Is it obvious enough for you Potter? Do I have to spell it out for you. I couldn't watch her die, because in that dark period of my life where I was forced to do a task I didn't want to do. She was my light."
Draco could remember the day of Dumbledore's death as if it was just happening.
"Draco, you look terribly ill, I wish you would tell me what is happening with you." She asked, biting her lip worryingly. Draco wrapped his arms around his gryffindor and smiled. Inhaling her scented shampoo from her curls he wished he could stay like this forever.
"Granger, I have something to tell you." Draco murmured into her hair.
"Oh um, well tell me? Wait - is it bad?" Hermione lifted her head and gazed at his silver eyes, she peppered his face with small kisses and then kissed his mouth for a few moments. Draco returned the kiss, but pulled away first. Cupping both her cheeks he looked straight at her. Taking a deep breath to calm himself he admitted to his girlfriend how he truly felt about her.
"I love you." He smiled widely. It was the best feeling. The relief of finally admitting his feelings that he had been keeping bottled up inside him for weeks. The love he had for Hermione crept up on him like a vine, tightening around his body until he felt like he would explode if he did not tell her. Draco couldn't fathom how he hadn't said this earlier, expressing his love for his witch felt amazing. His expression of pure happiness faltered as he realised she only stared at him wide-eyed. Her mouth opened slightly in shock.
"Draco. You don't love me. We can't love each other! We are fighting for different sides. I can't raise my wand at you in a battle and watch you fall while loving you. Not that I would do that anyway, but you know what I mean! It won't work Draco. Draco, are you even listening to me?" He had heard enough. He was being rejected. He clutched at his chest where beneath, his heart lied and there was an unsettling feeling clawing at him. Is this what having your heart broken feels like?
"It's true Granger, I do. I need you to forgive me right now. Something is going to happen tonight. I can't prevent it. I told you about my task, do you remember? I want you to know that I love you. I love you so much and I wish I could've told you earlier than today. We are so imperfect that it makes it perfect. We come from different worlds, my parents loathe everything about you and have raised me to also. But I don't care. I don't care about your blood. I am disregarding blood from this whole fucked up equation. I need you to tell me you love me too and when this war is over we'll be together." Draco rushed out, shaking her lightly, his mind was racing with thoughts.
"This is what I mean Draco, you can't possibly love me. You're a Death Eater, I've tried to overlook it, I really have." Hermione's tears trailed down her face each one felt like a punch to his gut, "Yet I can't. I'm sorry. I don't love you, I can't love you." She choked on her sobs and began to back away from him. Draco turned quickly. Hiding his hurt expression from her.
"If that's how you feel Granger, then there's nothing I can do. Goodbye." He heard the door of the room of requirement slam shut and he rubbed his face roughly. He was broken, she had shattered him. Ripped him to shreds just with her words and daring to deny her love for him. Is that what he got? For loving a mudblood? Of course he didn't believe in that shit but at the moment, he wasn't thinking very rationally. After standing still and torturing himself for an hour with his thoughts in the cold cluttered Room Of Requirement, Draco slowly opened the door of the vanishing cabinet he had fixed and watched as Voldemort's followers filed out. Bellatrix grinned at him, exposing her yellowing disgusting teeth and placed a kiss on his cheek.
"Well done, Draco." She cooed. As they terrorized the Order, Draco walked up the steps of the tower, each one another step towards doom. He disarmed Dumbledore. He couldn't kill him. He imagined him having to raise his own wand at Granger. Snape saved him from speaking the words of death and he watched as Dumbledore fell off the edge of the tower. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. He chanted in his head as Snape grabbed him roughly by his collar and threw him out the door.
"Come with me Malfoy." Potter's voice pulled him out of his memories. Draco nodded and followed Harry out of the room. Harry pushed open another door of the cottage and the room looked almost as similar as the one Draco had woken up in. Draco's breath hitched in his throat as he saw Hermione lying on the bed sleeping and covered in bandages, his heart broke as he saw what was engraved into her arm by his pathetic excuse of an aunt - 'Mudblood.' Draco instantly ran to her side. Gently touching her face, wiping away a few stray pieces of dirt he whispered apologies over and over. He hadn't touched her in so long, he'd missed her so much. Harry watched Draco carefully, he could tell the ferret loved her. There was no doubt about it. But that didn't mean he was okay with it.
Hermione shifted slightly in the bed as she felt a touch, she sighed in content, this touch felt eerily familiar and she'd dare say she'd missed it. Her eyes opened slowly and she stared up at who was caressing her in disbelief, "Draco?"