Part Nine
Draco gazed at Hermione, his eyes hungrily consuming her form. Afraid that this could be the last time he would ever see her, he tried to take in as much as possible. Through the reflection in the mirror he could see her face. Her beautiful face, that he had fallen so in love with, had a sad expression across it, her eyes were the colour of chocolate and filled with regret, and as she coiled some of her smooth, brown hair around her finger she nervously bit her lip. Draco smiled as he remembered what it was like to kiss those lips. She looked almost angelic in her simple white satin wedding dress, which hugged her womanly figure perfectly and gleamed as the sunlight from the window hit it.
He was reminded of a line from Romeo and Juliet – he practically knew it off by heart now – where Romeo sees Juliet for the first time and says "she doth teach the torches to burn bright". Draco couldn't think of anything better to describe just how radiant Hermione looked. She seemed to light up the entire room with her beauty, an immense beauty that he had dreamt of for six years.
Hermione sighed and looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. Draco was surprised at just how nice it was – Weasley seemed to have really outdone himself. He stood right behind Hermione, who was completely unaware of his presence, and hesitated as to whether or not he should reveal himself. He was scared of her reaction. It was, after all, her wedding day. But she didn't look particularly happy, considering it was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. He'd gotten this far. It would be a shame to waste the opportunity, and he just had to know if she had truly moved on.
He reversed the Disillusionment Charm without speaking, and his reflection appeared in the mirror in front of him. Hermione looked back up at the mirror, let out a shriek and quickly turned around to face Draco, backing into the dressing table. Her eyes were wide with shock and her heart was throwing itself against her chest.
"Draco!" she cried, her voice sounding shrill and hysterical. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you," he replied.
The sound of his voice sent pleasant shivers down her spine. Her cheeks flushed with pink, which made the corners of Draco's mouth twitch. He's almost forgotten how cute she looked when she blushed.
"You shouldn't have come here," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I'm getting married."
Draco unconsciously stepped forward and put his hands around her waist. Encouraged by the fact that she didn't stop him, he pulled her closer. She sighed and shut her eyes as he leaned in and kissed her ever so gently. All her dreams faded into nothing, the fantasies of the past six years paled in comparison to the feel of Draco's soft lips against her own. She could feel herself melting into him, but her conscience was telling her that this was all wrong. She reluctantly pushed him away.
"Stop it, Draco!" she said, breathless from the kiss. "You can't just show up after six years and expect me to drop everything for you. I'm getting married!"
"I know!" Draco burst. "That's why I'm here."
"Why, so you can stop me?" she scoffed. "You're unbelievable! You may not have moved on, Draco, but I have and nothing you say or do is going to change that. You were the one who said we weren't meant to be together. What happened to 'You live your life and I'll live mine'?"
"I was wrong," he said desperately. "I thought I could just get over you, but I couldn't... I haven't. Haven't you ever thought that maybe we were supposed to be together?"
"For Merlin's sake, Draco, don't do this to me!" she said, close to tears. "I don't deserve this."
"You're right, Hermione," he said sadly. "You deserve a lot better than me, and I certainly never deserved you. You should have just left me to die that night. I never deserved your humanity. I'm such a terrible person."
Hermione looked up at him. Draco looked as if he was about to cry.
"You're not a terrible person, Draco," she whispered.
He looked deep into her chocolaty brown eyes, wanting so much to kiss her again.
"I miss you, Hermione," he said softly. "And I don't want to lose you again. I can't sit back and watch while you get married to Weasley. I..."
"Don't say it," she cut in.
He paused for a second, before saying "...love you. I love you, Hermione, more than anything in the world. You're my reason for living. I would do anything for you... die for you."
Hermione could feel herself beginning to cry. She had wanted for so long to hear him say that to her, but it was just too late now. Draco's grey eyes were shining with tears and she could tell he was struggling to hold them back. She knew he hated crying in front of people.
"Getting over you was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do," she said, her voice shaking. "These past six years have seemed to go on forever, and every single day the only thing I've ever been able to think about it you. My dreams are full of memories of all those amazing nights we spent together. I hoped that one day you would come back and we could try and be together properly, because I really do love you, Draco. But you have terrible timing! I agreed to marry Ron because I didn't think you would ever come back, and I don't want to break he heart..."
"But what about my heart, Hermione?" he interrupted, and a single tear escaped his eye. "You're so worried about hurting Weasley, and yet you have no trouble hurting me!"
"It's not like that at all!" she said, her voice cracking as she cried. "Please, Draco, just go."
Draco quickly wiped the tears from his face. He hated crying in front of people, especially her.
"Fine, I'll go. But..." He felt foolish asking, but he was desperate. "Will you kiss me again? Just one last time, please? And then I swear I'll leave you alone for good."
Hermione was unsure at first, but then she took his face in her both he hands and looked deep into his eyes, wiping a fresh tear from his cheek with her thumb. She pulled him towards her and kissed him. Draco held her close, resting one hand on the small of her back and the other on the back of her head. When their lips separated they were both trembling, their faces wet with tears. He gave her one last tight hug, burying his face in her jasmine scented hair.
"Goodbye, Draco," Hermione whispered in his ear, making his whole body tingle.
He continued to hold her close.
"I'll love you forever, Hermione," he whispered.
"I know," she said in between sobs. "So will I."
She let go and, without looking at him, left the room, frantically wiping the tears from her face as she went and hoping that her make-up wasn't too messed up. If anyone asked she could just say they were tears of joy. No one needed to know that she was still hopelessly in love with Draco and that seeing him again and hearing how much he loved her too was making her feel insanely guilty. No, she was doing the right thing by going through with the wedding. Draco would understand.
But he didn't understand. He stood exactly where she'd left him in Ginny's room, crying and not bothering to wipe away his tears. How could she do this? How could she say she still loved him and yet continue to go through with this sham of a wedding? It was just because she was afraid of breaking Weasley's heart, but wouldn't it break his heart more if she lied to him and pretended to love him when she didn't? The longer she left it, the longer she kid herself, the worse it would be. His mother had been right, Draco thought. Hermione was marrying for convenience, and she hadn't moved on at all. But it was too late to stop her. She's made her choice.
