Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Harry Potter . . . or a certain Draco Malfoy . . . I do not and will never own a thing.
Within A Soul
Show me what it's like
to be the last one standing
And teach me wrong from right
And I'll show you what I can be
Say it for me
Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth saving me.
Chapter Seven
Mounds of storm clouds passed through the sky as Draco lay in bed that night, a haunting dream roaming through his mind.
"Draco," the radiant young woman before him whispered through the depths of her black cape.
"Who are you?" He said, softly, slowly approaching her. Reaching out, Draco took the cloth in his fingers, letting it drop to her shoulders. He stepped back in shock.
Hermione, as beautiful as the sun, stood before him, her large chocolate eyes sparkling in the moonlight.
"Hermione," he said, "I-It's you," Pulling her into his arms, Draco hugged her to his chest, breathing in her enchanting scent.
Almost in an instant, Hermione's smile seemed to fade from her face. "How could you?" she whispered, tears streaming down her scarlet colored cheeks.
Draco pulled away from the embrace, looking deep into her tear filled eyes. "W-What are you talking about?"
"How could you do this to me?" she cried, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Hermione," he reached for her hand but she pulled it away. "What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to you."
Her chest heaving, Hermione grasped the cloth that covered her heart. "You never loved me!" she cried. "You did it all for revenge!"
"No," he said, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "No, no I didn't mean it! I didn't do it on purpose!"
She lowered her head, her tears sparkling on her cheeks. "You'll never change, Draco. Your heart will always be as cold as ice." she said, her skin beginning to fade away.
Draco shook his head. "No, please don't go. I didn't mean to do it! I didn't mean for things to be this way!"
"Goodbye, Draco." she said, and in an instant, she was gone.
A bolt of lightning struck outside of Draco's window as sat up in bed, his heart racing and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Wiping away the sweat, he dropped his head back on the pillow, running a hand through his hair. This dream had seemed so incredibly real. Whether it was a glimpse into the near future or a message from an unknown source, Draco didn't know, but what he did know was that now, the only thing to do was to tell her as soon as possible.
That next afternoon, Hermione hurried down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Plopping down her books, Hermione smiled at her two best friends, reaching across the table and shoveling a helping of eggs on to her plate.
"Someone's hungry today," Ron said, watching her in amazement.
She picked up her fork, jabbing it into the food. "Just getting some food before I go back up to the common room."
Ron rolled his eyes. "That's all you've been doing lately." he said, grumpily.
"Yeah," Harry said, "When are you ever going to hang out with us again?"
She shrugged. "Don't let it worry you." she said, smiling. "Things will be better soon. I promise."
After breakfast that morning, Hermione hurried off to her common room, throwing her books down on the couch and hurrying up the steps to Draco's room.
"Draco," she said, softly, as she entered his room. Noticing that he was sleeping, Hermione tip-toed to the other side of the bed, carefully sneaking next to him, making sure that she didn't wake him.
It was strange watching him sleep. All of those years, he had kept that bad boy image, and now as she watched him sleep, she couldn't help but smile as the innocence that had been buried deep within him was reflected on the outside.
"Do you really think you're that sneaky?" Draco mumbled, his alluring silver eyes opening. Grabbing Hermione by the waist, he brought her down to his level, her head pressing against his chest.
This was one of the situations where Hermione could have never pictured herself. Laying there in Draco Malfoy's bed, listening to his heart thumping his chest, his thin white shirt so soft under her fingertips.
Turning her head so that she could look into his eyes, she smiled. "This is nice," she said, softly.
Draco smiled weakly, brushing a stray piece of hair from her eyes. "It is," he said, resting his hand on her cheek.
She slightly tilted her head, noticing the strange look on his face. "Is something wrong?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No." Liar.
"Are you sure?" she said, resting her chin on his chest.
He nodded.
She smiled. "Do you have any plans for Christmas?"
"I don't think so. Why do you ask?"
She looked down at his shirt, shrugging. "I was just wondering if you wanted to come with my parents and I to Egypt?"
Oh great. What was he supposed to say to that?
He nodded, smiling uneasy. "That would be nice," he said.
She smiled warmly, making him feel as terrible as ever. "Great." she said. "I'm more than sure that mum and dad will love to meet you. My mum will probably force you to try a few dozen of her cookies, and my dad, well, you have to watch out for him. He's sort of overprotective of his only daughter."
"I'd love to meet them," he said softly, knowing too well that he would never get the chance.
"Draco," Hermione said as she softly traced her fingertip around his cheek. "Are you sure there isn't something bothering you?"
The words were at the tip of his tongue. I lied to you. I lied about everything. No. He couldn't bring himself to do it. It was just too much.
"It's nothing, really." he said, frowning.
She smiled wearily. "D-Do you think that I would be of any help? I mean, I'm a really good listener."
He smiled, shaking his head. "This is something that I need to figure out for myself."
What was he waiting for? Dumbledore is bound tell her sometime soon. Is he waiting till then, to let Dumbledore break the news to her? Did he really just want to sit back and hope that it would all be forgotten?
She sighed. "When do you suppose I should tell Harry and Ron about us?
He shrugged, a smile plastered on his face. "I don't know, but when you do, make sure that I'm close by."
"Why do you say that?" she said, laughing.
"Come on, Hermione, think about it. How long have they despised me?"
She shrugged. "For as long as they have known you."
"All right, now how do you think they'll react when they hear that their best friend is dating their enemy?"
"Horribly," she said, smiling.
He let out a laugh. "I can just picture it now. Potty and Weasel, both of them turning a lovely shade of red . . . the color of Weasel's hair, of course. It's guaranteed to be a priceless moment."
Hermione playfully hit Draco's arm. "Hey now, they're still my best friends." she said. "I hope they don't react horribly."
"They won't, love. Trust me." he said, running a hand through her hair.
Her head turning in the direction of the door, Hermione jumped up from the bed. "I'll be right back," she said, hurrying down to the common room.
Draco continued to lay there in his bed, his eyes shifted towards the window. Thousands of sparkling snowflakes floated past the window, landing gracefully among the snow covered grounds. It was all so beautiful, just like Hermione. She was so innocent and pure, just like the snowflakes that drifted by his window. How could he have been so stupid to do something so cruel to someone as sweet and wonderful as her?
He smiled as Hermione returned to the room, an envelop in her hands. "What's that?" he said, eyeing it suspicially.
"Professor McGonagall just delivered it to me," she said.
Taking a seat on his bed, Hermione tore open the envelope, pulling out the letter and holding it in front of her.
Miss Granger,
If it is possible, I would like to meet with you later this evening to discuss your memory loss. I am more than sure that you have many unanswered questions, and now, I feel as though it is the perfect time to provide you with the answers.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
Author's Note: Hmm . . . interesting. Ah, well, I'm almost done with the next chapter, just need to fix a few things and then I'll get it posted! Thanks to everything that has read, and the very few that have reviewed! As always, be kind and review!
Jess
