Chapter 21

Draco's point of view

I knew this house. The door, the windows, the path. I knew it like the back of my hand. I had visited this house so many times as a child. We had been friends, the best of friends, well until the war when he chose another side to support. I thought he had died, he should have been dead instead he was walking around and abducting my mate.

Fury like no other I had ever experienced before coursed through me. I was going to kill him.

"Calm down, we need to think of a strategy. Blazing in there won't help, it could get Hermione hurt."

"She could already be hurt."

"But she's not dead." The certainty in his voice comforted me little. She was in danger and we were standing around as if nothing was wrong.

"Not yet."

"Shut up Malfoy. A little optimism needed here please."

"Sorry." I thought for a minute about all the defences I knew the house had. I tried to think about all the rooms that he could be using to hold her. Then a thought passed through my mind; our fathers would always go down to the cellar whilst we played to discuss their important matters. Once I had gone down there, it was full of dark magic and papers. I had read The Dark Lord's name hundreds of times- my father had been trying to find him. I was caught and punished so I never went down there again. But in the corner there was a cell, with a pallet of hay in the corner. It was built to hold a prisoner. That was where he was keeping her.

"Uh Malfoy." The front door opened, a dark hole that swallowed up all of the light. Out came two figures- one was smaller, her unruly hair matted with sweat. The other was taller, haggard, scarred. He was holding her to him, his wand digging into the soft white of her throat.

"Get your hands of her you bastard!." It was Hermione, she was safe. For now.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the infamous Draco Malfoy, and is that Potter? I wasn't expecting guests, good job I have entertainment prepared already." He dug the wand deeper into Hermione's neck, she whimpered as blood ran down her throat. The smell of her blood ignited an overwhelming anger that flared through me. I needed to kill him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, one move and she dies."

"What do you want?" He smiled the smile of a man turned savage. There was no humanity in those eyes anymore and I pitied him. And hated him.

"Revenge, for what you did to me and my family. You shouldn't have betrayed us, you BETRAYED us! How could you?!"

"There is no 'us' anymore. There never should have been, our father's forced us into that life. They were evil and cruel people, we have to move past them and become better people."

"How can you say that. My father loved me and you...YOU got him killed. YOU KILLED HIM!"

"Theo NO!" He threw Hermione to the floor and pointed his wand at her.

"Don't worry Draco, her death will be quick."

"NO!" I pulled out my wand but it was too late, a flash of green engulfed her body and I felt her absence like a... the pain was unimaginable. I stumbled to her, fresh tears still rolled down her paling cheeks. She looked at peace, her eyes closed as if she were asleep. I felt Potter fall down to his knees beside me. She would never wake up.

"Theo's dead."

I cradled her head in my hands as Potter sat there unmoving. His hair got darker and scruffier- cementing that his bond with her was gone. She was gone.

I didn't cry, I couldn't. I was in shock, I knew I was going to waste away and die soon. That was my curse, or my blessing. I didn't want to live in a world without her. Potter's silent tears turned to body-wracking sobs. His pain radiated around the grounds. His pain was almost too much to handle but I gently placed Hermione's body back on the ground and put an arm around him- he recoiled but then he let loose of all of the pain and anger he felt. I wished I could do the same but...

I was still numb with the force of her.. the force of her sudden death.

She was gone.

She would never laugh again.

She would never smile again.

I wanted to be the one dead, I would have died in her place. Gladly, willingly.

I wanted to touch her again, feel her heartbeat against my cheek. I wanted her to live and breath and find peace. I needed her to. I willed her to breath again- to open her eyes and tell me that she was alright.

My body started to burn, every thing burned- was this what death felt like. The fire condensed in my heart and my last thought was of Hermione before I blacked out.

Harry's point of view

I didn't rebuke Malfoy's touch. I welcomed the comfort as my world fell apart around me.

Suddenly, a golden light enveloped both Draco and Hermione. I leaped away in shock as the air around them got hotter and hotter. They were burning. I watched in shock as a golden light poured out of Draco's chest into Hermione's. All the while the air started to burn around me too, it was so hot. My tears evaporated off my face as I scrambled away in terror.

What was happening? I felt a wholeness in my chest as the light blinded me. Hermione? No it couldn't be.

The gold faded and what was left shook me to my very core: Draco lay on the floor, pale and unmoving. He wasn't breathing. But what shocked me more was the colour in Hermione's cheeks... and the rise and fall of her chest. She sat up and looked around in bewilderment.

"What happened?" I saw her eyes move to Draco's form, "Harry what happened?!"

"You died...you died and then there was light and now you...you...you're alive." She started to cry and crawled to Draco's body. "Hermione, I think he traded his life for yours."

"I know what he did Harry. In my spare time I researched Veelas- there was this one case where the Veela brought back their mate. It was a legend really, I didn't believe that could be possible but it is and now he's gone and I don't know what to do, he's gone Harry. I don't know what to do. I just don't know... I...I..." I pulled her into my arms and held her while she poured her soul out to me. She described their life together, their love for one another. She told me that she couldn't imagine life without her and then I was surprised at the single tear that worked its way down my cheek.

I was going to miss him too.

A/N: Please review x