Draco's heartbeat was thudding in his ears. He was sitting bare chested on some kind of a stretcher. The atmosphere in this place was grim enough even without Hermione's nervous fumbling around that diabolical machine. She kept frowning at the numerous knobs and handles and then checking something in a large textbook with the human vascular system drawn on the cover.
'What did you say this particular type of vehicle was called again?'
'An ambulance. Relax, it's not going to be in use for the next couple of hours and there is everything we need in here. Sneaking into an actual hospital would be far more difficult.' Yeah, very relaxing indeed. Especially considering she was supposed to stop his heart and then restart it with that terrible contraption.
'Are you sure it wouldn't be safer if we asked someone magical to help? Or one my house elves?'
'Right, like there is anyone to whom I would entrust both my life and yours. From our large pool of mutual friends. And house elf magic doesn't have the necessary precision. Don't be so condescending towards muggle inventions! They are quite ingenious. This here is called a defibrillator. It delivers a specific dose of electric current…'
'Please, Granger, I don't need to know. I trust you. Also don't tell me why I had to remove my chest hair.' She chuckled briefly. He had always loved seeing her so consumed in solving a puzzle. He only wished it wasn't a question of life and death this time… His affairs were set in order for some time now. Should anything go wrong, Scorpius would receive his will and a profound farewell letter.
Draco felt the numbness radiating from his core spread a little further. It seemed like the physical effects of the broken core strings were beginning to manifest with increasing power. Hermione was feeling it too. Like your insides are slowly turning to stone, as she described it. He had volunteered for the first attempt. Maybe if the procedure was unsuccessful she would find another way for herself. Hermione approached him and put her delicate hands on his shoulders.
'Are you ready?'
'Yes. No, wait. There's something I need to tell you.' She looked at him expectantly with those warm, passionate eyes. It was too early to say I love you. And also far, far too late.
'I wanted everything with you. To drink coffee in the morning and share the paper. To just tell you about my day at work or contrive some kind of grandiose plans. To have those tedious dialogues about what to eat. To fight or make love till morning. To raise a child. Watch your hair grow white…' His voice trembled. 'I wanted you in my life, Hermione.' She looked down and moved her fingers along his collar bone.
'I like your shoulders…'
'Really, Granger?! That's what I get for my heartfelt confession? You like my shoulders?!' She had the audacity to snort at him.
'Shut up for a second, will you. I like your shoulders, and your lips and your hands… every piece of you and the whole. When I touch you, it feels like a revelation every time. Since you came back in my life, something clicked into place and I.. .don't want to lose it. But I don't want to drive you deeper into this, if it will cause you suffering when I…"
"You won't. We'll find a way.' She feigned a smile and blinked to remove the tears from her eyes. Her lips pressed into his and he let her push him back to lay on the stretcher.
'Close your eyes, Draco.' Another kiss landed on his lips and then flew away, as Hermione walked back to handle the machine. There was pain, sharpness, thunder and then an endless brightness ceased him.
…..
Draco opened his eyes to a blurry image of Hermione. He heard a sudden intake of breath and she spoke softly.
'I'm here, it's ok. Don't hurry, just breathe for a while'. She sat next to him, holding his hand as his consciousness regained clarity. He managed to sit upwards, feeling dizzy and thirsty, but otherwise quite lively.
'Do you think it worked? I don't feel the coldness inside anymore. But it could just be the electrocution.'
'Let's see.' She said and passed along his wand. Draco hesitated for a second.
'Lumos'. A ray of light appeared from the top of it. Blessed, beautiful light. He almost cried from sheer joy. Hermione was smiling brightly at him, that marvelously altruistic woman. She didn't believe she would survive, but was still happy for him. He focused on the intense positive emotion of regaining his magic for the moment. 'Expecto Patronum!'
A silver dragon appeared, flapping his wings graciously. It could only mean one thing.
'My mother.' He answered Hermione's silent question. 'She used to display a swan, when she was younger, but it transformed into a dragon after she had me. I think it always made my father feel emasculated. His Patronus is a hyena. Not very manly, one might say.' She laughed and started to gather her things.
'She loved you very much. I'm still sorry that it had to happen, but I think what was left of her in that magical being would be glad to endow you with its essence.' Not a trace of envy in her voice. He would have enough time to contemplate his mother's sacrifice. Now he had to take care of the other woman of his life.
'Where do you think you're going? It's your turn. Don't give me that look, Granger, we'll still try.' He needed her to agree. Desperately.
'Draco, there is no point…'
'We'll try anyway. Please, talk me through this, I don't want to kill you out of ignorance.' She sighed and began the lecture on muggle urgent medicine. He listened attentively, while she was explaining the mechanics and the measurements he had to memorize.
'After that you wait two minutes and reapply it to my chest. If the line remains straight, you increase the voltage to this level. If it still doesn't change... here is the maximum. Understood?' He nodded and observed her as she removed her shirt and bra and settled on the stretcher. Really not the context he would prefer to see her breasts in. He gathered every ounce of composure he had and took hold of the two metallic plates.
'You'll live, Granger. Promise me with all of that stubborn Gryffindor heart of yours.'
'I promise.' She whispered and he touched the plates to her chest. He watched in horror as her body seized for a moment and lay motionless, breathless.
Those were the two longest, most gruesome minutes of his life. And that included enduring the Cruciatus, having the Death Mark burnt in his flesh and looking at his mother's coffin be lowered into the ground.
'Come back to me.' He heard himself mutter in her hair, over and over. Then it was time. The electricity buzzed in the machine, he pressed the plates into one another, the way Hermione explained, and then to her chest. Her body jumped again, but the line remained flat. No.. oh, no.
Cold sweat was dripping in his eyes, as he adjusted the measurement on the machine and tried again. This time Hermione's eyes flew open. Shaking, he hurried to her, clutching her, placing his hand over her heart to treasure its beating.
'Are you okay, how do you feel?' It took a minute for her to answer.
'A little shaken, but mostly the same.' He took out her wand from her purse and put it in her hand.
'Lumos'. Her voice was so quiet and scared. Not that it mattered for this spell. Especially not for her, who used to be so incredibly adept at wordless magic. At anything, really. But there was only darkness this time. He held her tightly as she wept, her whole body shuddering against him. No matter how hard he tried, he alone wouldn't be able to warm her. To save her. Neither with his hands, nor with this cursed love he was feeling. And he hated himself a little for it, but his mind was already calculating the next steps of the plan he had already set in motion.
Author's note: Expect the last chapter on Tuesday. The past few weeks have been quite turbulent for me, but I think there aren't going to be delays. Thank you for reading!
