Within the Smoke

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. Their J.K. Rowling's.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: They stood together for some moments as Hermione tried to contain her sobs. Draco patiently waited and offered the occasional comforting squeeze or pat on the back. When her tears finally slowed, she lifted her head to look solemnly into his eyes.

===Note====

I Like this next chapter. It was easy to write, it has romance, and it ends in a cliff hanger. What more can you ask for? Review when finished please!

Within the Smoke

Chapter 10: It was the End of Time

He heard his name called as if from a great distance. Draco was awoken from his serene dream by a rude shaking of his arm. He had never intended to fall asleep, but tensely waiting for the inevitable exhausted him. Draco was uncertain how long it would be before the Ministry noticed the disappearance of one of their prisoners, but he knew once it was discovered they would be charging into his tent.

When he opened his eyes and saw the Minister, he expected to be asked either his confession or alibi. With regards to the alibi, he had none. It could be a known fact that he had visited his father earlier. The Minister of Magic himself had given him permission to see the prisoner. It was impossible that he should come out of this innocent. It did surprise Draco though, when he saw a smile on the Minister's face.

"Sleeping on the job eh?" He laughed at his own joke before continuing. "Well time to get up. I have a favor to ask of you. Granger's still unwilling to talk and is now demanding to see Harry's body. We think it might bring her some closure and then she'll give us a report on the death."

Draco realized his guilt had not yet been discovered and sighed inwardly. "Oh, and what do you ask of me?"

"Well you see, Granger's a little unstable currently but she refuses to allow any of our officers to accompany her out. And, since you were the one who found her at the scene of the death, we thought maybe you could escort her to the body."

"Of course," Draco agreed promptly. He couldn't take sitting in his tent waiting for disaster any longer. This task would remove him from camp and provide him with a distraction. He realized it would be unsettling to witness Hermione's no doubt emotional farewell to Potter, but decided it would be a small improvement from the tension of his own guilt. Draco watched as the Minister stood and left the tent before leaving his bed. Taking his time, he shed his robes and donned fresh ones. Once satisfied, he made sure his wand was safely deposited into his pocket before exiting himself.

Making his way to Hermione's tent, Draco saw just why his father's disappearance had not yet been noticed. The camp was in a frenzied state of commotion. It was obvious word had gotten out that the dementors were to come here to perform the kiss. Nervous witches and wizards worked steadily in an attempt to appear occupied. But walking past them, Draco heard bits of their conversations.

"Yes, they're sending them here. Can you believe it? And, I hear that nasty Lucius Malfoy is going to be first to receive the kiss. Serves him right, I say." The witch who spoke stopped abruptly as he approached. To increase her embarrassment, Draco smirked at her as he passed.

Arriving at Hermione's tent, he saw that she was standing, but a little unsteadily. She too was dressed in clean robes and her face had been washed of dirt and tears. He approached and watched as astonishment lit her face.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"The Minister requested that I accompany you." Draco expected her to argue now, but was surprised when she simply nodded. Hermione then began to walk away, not turning to see if he was following. Jogging to her side, he mimicked her pace and anticipated another silent trek. She startled him however by initiating conversation.

"Is there any news of survivors?" She hesitated before continuing on to what she really wanted to know. "Is Ginny alive?"

"I believe so. She wasn't one of the missing."

Hermione assumed the expression of relief for a moment before realizing her friend could still have died in battle. After that dark thought emerged, the silence returned heavier than ever.

Draco saw the body at a distance and realized they that arrived at their destination. Hermione stopped when it came into view and seemed to need a moment to regain her breathe before continuing. He noticed her tears build again and turned his head uncomfortably. When he looked back to her, he realized she had already moved from her original spot and was walking ahead. Sighing with displeasure, Draco followed.

Hermione approached her friend's lifeless form tentatively. Draco watched from a few feet behind as she knelt beside Potter and permitted her tears to fall. Allowing her some privacy, he attempted to simply ignore the scene before him. Unfortunately, try as he might, he couldn't pay no heed to her irrepressible grief. She was talking to Potter, he realized. Through her tears she was whispering to the body. Forgetting his objective, Draco watched her silently. It was a miserable thing to witness.

He didn't understand the point of closure. It held no potential for contentment in his mind. And, seeing that Hermione's state was hardly improving, Draco decided it would probably be best for them to return to camp. Walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder, Draco conveyed to her his decision.

"Hermione, maybe it's time to go." He received a look in response. She stared up at him, her face tearstained once more. She stood slowly with his help and leaned on his arm.

"He's really gone isn't he?" She asked quietly.

Draco was unsure how to respond. Yes, Potter was dead. It was difficult for him to understand why some didn't have the same calm composure he had towards death. Most considered the passing of a friend to be a loss. Draco however, had learned to accept death as a part of life. Personally, he didn't see immortality as a glorious thing. What was the point in living if you were destined to exist for eternity? All joy in life would be excused as just another common occurrence.

Still unsure of how to answer her, Draco simply nodded.

"I know you two hardly enjoyed each others' company, but he was a good man." Her voice was earnest, her gaze steady.

Swallowing his bitter pride for a moment at least, Draco answered her calmly. "I'm sure he was." The statement came partially because it seemed the respectable thing to say, but mostly because he saw Hermione was about to begin sobbing again. His prediction came true when she couldn't contain her tears any longer. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Hermione cried steadily on his shoulder.

It was fair to say the action came as a shock. The level of closeness was unfamiliar and far from comfortable. Unsure of what else to do, Draco returned the hug hesitantly. He stood silently as he listened to her whimpers and realized what he had become. He was Hermione's new source of comfort. More bluntly put, he was Potter's replacement. Draco was fairly taken aback at this sudden thought. He was also partially surprised that his temper didn't immediately rise. He quickly reasoned it was difficult to feel jealousy towards a dead man.

They stood together for some moments as Hermione tried to contain her sobs. Draco patiently waited and offered the occasional comforting squeeze or pat on the back. When her tears finally slowed, she lifted her head to look solemnly into his eyes.

"You're my savior, Draco." She whispered quietly, her gaze still locked. He looked back intently with something that must have resembled amazement on his face. He still hadn't responded or moved when Hermione softly pressed her lips to his. His lack of response should have made her pull back, but she was beyond thought or reason by that point. Her persistence demanded he surrender. And, ignoring the nagging exhaustion, doubt, and guilt boiling inside him, Draco matched her action with the same desperate need.

In recalling the kiss, he would have described it as the end of time. Because for all he cared, it could have been. A sheer moment of thoughtlessness provided him with a deeper relief than he thought possible. Sense had long been discarded. His guilt became foreign to him. His pride too had been banished. The consequences of the near future were forgotten for an instant as he enjoyed eternal bliss.

Eternity however, was not meant to last. Draco found reason to be his enemy at that moment as it sarcastically spoke in his head. He wished to expel the irritating voice but found it put up a strong resistance. Fiercely the battle in his head waged. What did it matter her intentions? So what if the Ministry could at any moment realize his guilt? Draco discovered the battle lost when he finally pulled away. Contentment had escaped him again despite his best efforts to retain it.

Brushing the tears gently from her face, he looked at her calmly. "Hermione, what if I can't always be here for you?" His features were composed even as his spirit lay dying.

She looked momentarily confused. "What do you mean?"

Tensely he considered what to say. He could feel his confession building inside him. "What if something occurred which would take me away?"

Draco had known what he was doing since the act. He had purposefully allowed a highly dangerous prisoner of war to escape. He didn't expect the Ministry to simply ignore the matter. At the very least, he would be fired. But Draco knew it wouldn't end there. Rumors would circulate that he had been an accomplice of Voldemort's all along. The Ministry would be forced to take the accusation seriously and grant him a trial. If he was found guilty, he would be sent to Azkaban. If he was found innocent, the public still wouldn't believe it. Draco knew there was no winning in this situation. He had trapped himself in a cage of no escape.

Hermione curiously looked into his eyes in an attempt to decipher his words. "I don't understand." She said.

Sighing, Draco realized he couldn't bring himself to admit his guilt. He had suffered a fatal moment of weakness and would face the consequences. But admitting his actions now felt shameful.

"Never mind, it's nothing." He replied with a forced smile which Hermione returned. Her tears had stopped and Draco realized it was on account of him. He decided to allow her the belief that all was now okay. He felt unease however with the knowledge that it wouldn't last.

"Come on, let's get back to camp." He proposed as he released her. With a nod, she agreed and they turned to leave.

Hermione screamed, but he didn't hear her. The roaring in his ears was already deafening. Poised a short distance before them was a ragged creature of tangled yellow hair. Realization dawned as he heard the being laugh. His father looked almost insane as he eyed them. Draco couldn't understand his motive for returning, but saw that a change had come over the man. He wasn't the same strict composed wizard any longer. His demeanor had transformed into that of a madman's. Lucius Malfoy was feeling the full force of failure. Draco's thoughts came in a panicked rush then.

A rational person would have escaped when they had the opportunity. A sensible person would have taken their second chance and fled. But Draco saw now that the man standing before them was hardly even sane.

===Note===

And finally there's some romance. Okay, so most of you already guessed Lucius would come back. That's hardly shocking. But wait till the next chapter. I think you'll be surprised.

I'm always influenced by whatever I'm reading at the time. In the first few chapters they talked all proper because I was reading Pride and Prejudice. Now, his dad's a lunatic because I read Jane Eyre. Heh. Anyways, Review.

-Captive