Dear Readers,
I'm proud and sad at the same time to say that I have finally finished this story. For the first time, I could actually mark a story that I have written, complete. It has been such a joy to write this story and it truly brought me happiness when I saw reviews, good and bad, that people actually took their time to read it. I thank the readers that stuck with me from the beginning till the very end, even when I was rewriting and changing so many things in between. The lyrics of the songs that I put up in the beginning of every chapter relates to what is happening in that chapter. From chapter 20 until now, in my opinion, the songs fit perfectly with the chapters. The songs are sad but they are beautiful. I wondered if any readers actually read the story with the song I mentioned in the beginning. The song in this chapter is my all time favorite, go ahead listen to it, maybe you'll fall in love with it like me :) I'm very curious to read what many people think about this chapter and honestly I'm a tad bit worried. Please review. If you have any suggestions on what I should write next, tell me. I'm all open for some ideas :D Once again, thank you for taking some time out of your day to read my story, it truly means a lot.
-Natalya
PS: I am writing a new story called 'Shadow'. Check it out if your interested :D
PSS: Also, Check out 'Light with a touch of Darkness' by MsBlackPotter it's going to be one awesome story. The story is on my favorite's list =)
(August 06, 2010)
"I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven
'Cause you're my, you're my, my
My true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away"
Your Guardian Angel- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
~Draco Malfoy~
The room started to heat up, really heat up. Concern started to rise within me. I looked at the barred peeping window. There was so much light, and it was moving. I squinted my eyes to get a better view and I noticed that there were many different shades of orange.
-That's odd.
My stomach was grumbling and I was just hoping that someone with a lantern was walking this way with my plate of food. Small sweat drops were now dripping down my face. I picked up my chained hand to wipe away my sweat.
-What was going on?
After a few moments I saw a black silhouette walk towards my door.
"Move back. Now!" someone yelled outside of the door.
I crawled the farthest I could from the door until I hit the brick wall with my back.
The next thing I knew, the door burst into many pieces. I barely had enough time to cover up my face from the metal pieces. I felt the hot metal scrape my bare skin and somehow there was so much heat that for a split second I thought Azkaban was on fire. But when I opened my face when I felt that the coast was clear, I saw that there was a fire and it was moving rapidly towards me. My skin started to burn around my wrists and my feet. I looked down and saw that it was the chains that were burning my skin. I started to panic and screamed the loudest I could.
"Aguamenti!"
A whole splash of water hit me and soon I was drenched. I looked up and saw that a man was standing before me.
"What ever you do, do not scream."
The fire was so strong that I could barely figure out who was standing right in front of me. The man held out his wand and said a spell that unlocked the chains around my wrists and legs. I took the chains off me and stood up. I was now face to face with the man. I starred in shock as I recognized the face that was in front of mine. My father.
"Father?"
-What was he doing here?
"Don't just stand here. We need to leave, now." He turned around and his long hair barely missed hitting my face.
I stayed still not bothering to even move a muscle.
"Are you going to follow me or what? We don't have enough time." He once again turned around but only to face me. He looked impatient and I knew that he was. I looked at him for a second and then at the scene behind him. The fire was so high that it reached the ceiling. Black smoke started to fill my cell and I felt my eyes starting to sting. Before I could ask him anything, he extended his hand and threw me a wand, my wand. I quickly caught it with my seeker skills and stood dazed.
"You started the fire didn't you?" I asked.
"I did it for you," my father said slowly.
"I could have died here father," I said.
"I won't let you die here. I couldn't let you go through the same damn experience I went through. You are my only son and I care for you. Your mother and I want you back where you belong, with us. I know how horrible this place gets. Soon you'll go insane like how I was and start to hate everything that crossed your path. I'm sorry son for all of the hatred and pain I have caused you. When they placed me back to Azkaban after that Christmas night, I regretted everything that I did to you and your mother. You two are the one's that I love. Now I beg you, follow me. The fire is getting way worse than how I planned it to be." My father urged me on. With out a word I followed my father out. I don't care if he apologized for what he had done, I don't forgive him. He caused my life pain for way to long and I wasn't going to give him satisfaction for finally doing something right in his life. Well half right. He is the one saving me right now, but that involves in killing other people. I tightened my wand in my hand as I saw all the burnt dead bodies that lay before me.
~Hermione Granger~
I have no clue how I got to the place I am standing on right now. Honestly I didn't care. Everything that lead me to this place was a blur. I saw huge amounts of smoke in the air above me and I saw enormous flames just a few blocks away from me. I mounted my broomstick and flew across the air. I started to cough uncontrollably as I got closer to Azkaban. The dark smoke was making it hard for me to see and breath. I decided to get off my broomstick and walk to Azkaban. It was now only a few yards away from me and I felt the fire overpower me. People started to run in all kinds of direction, but none of them were walking to the source of the fire, other than me. I started to panic when I saw so many dead bodies lay on the ground. I was so scared, I started to think this wasn't worth it and return back to Hogwarts. I shook my head and urged my self to keep going. I didn't know where to go, all I knew what that I had to get inside. The fire was so strong that it caused a whole sheet of blackness around me. I turned in circles searching for a way out of this darkness.
"Finally we meet," someone snarled from behind me. I quickly turned around with my wand poised at the ready. I was shaking way to much as I tried to figure out where that person was. The smoke made it so hard for me to see. Then suddenly I felt strong hands wrap around my neck. With his other hand he yanked away my wand from my hand and held it pointed to my neck. I tried to get his arm off my neck but he was too strong. With all of the air I could get in my lungs, I screamed.
~Draco Malfoy~
We finally manged to make it through the dark smoke and exited Azkaban. When walking through the hallways, I won't be surprised if I became psychotic. Never in my life have I seen so many people dead. But those I could live with, the ones that were alive I couldn't. The ones that were alive were in so much pain. Their skin was burnt, some had no flesh what so ever, others looked like they just wanted to die. I couldn't look into their eyes because I saw so much pleading in them. Every time we passed them they all pleaded to me, begged for me to save them. I couldn't save them even if I tried. One managed to cling to my leg and wouldn't let go until I said that I would help him. I shut my eyes the whole time as I tried to kick him off my leg. My father on the other hand, quickly said 'avada kedavra' pointing his wand at him. Soon he died and loosened him hands on my leg. I quickly set my leg free and tried my hardest to hide the fear that showed on my face. My father just kept on walking as if the building wasn't going to burn down in any instant. I walked behind him the whole time until I finally saw an opening. I didn't understand why we couldn't just apparate out of here. My father knew how to do it and so did it. He taught me how to many years before even though I was underage.
The smoke outside of Azkaban was just as strong in the inside. I couldn't see a thing and any second I would just myself apparate the hell out of here. My father grabbed my arm and pulled me forward.
"Pay attention Draco," he hissed.
I shook my arm away from his grasp.
"Don't you dare touch me. I don't care if you apologized to me back there. I don't care if you either let me rot back at my cell or if you continued trying to save me. Nothing pays back to what you did to me. You ruined my whole life so far. Because of you I had to be cruel to the one person I truly like now," I yelled at my father.
My father stood before me shocked.
"How dare you speak to me like that," he started. "After what I had done for you. Didn't you hear me? I don't want you to go through the same thing I had to go through. And I didn't force you to be inhumanly cruel to this person that you suddenly have feelings for."
"You told me mudbloods were just filthy nobodies. Well not all of them are."
He shook his head trying so hard to understand what I was talking about.
"What does all of this have to do with mudbloods?" he asked.
I shook my head looking down at the ground.
"Nothing. Forget what I told you," I said.
I heard my father let out a irritated sigh. We began walking again, but I quickly stopped when I heard a scream. It felt like deja vu had just hit me. Why does all of this seem so familiar to me? I heard a scream once again and I felt my body go in full alert. That scream, I heard it before. Images started to fill my head from a dream I had a couple of months before.
-Hermione!
I started to run, not really knowing where to since I couldn't see a thing. I heard my father bellow behind me. I knew that he was running after me and I didn't care. All I knew was that Hermione was in trouble.
I don't know why I followed my dream. It could be anybody screaming from the fire, but something pulled me towards this direction I was running too. It was as if the place that I was running off to was a magnet and I was the metal.
~Hermione Granger~
"Let go of me!" I screamed but he only tightened his arm around me tighter. I started sobbing and screaming at the same time. Who was this man? I pierced my longs nails into his arm and this time he screamed, next I kicked him behind me and I heard him groan.
"You little bitch," he moaned.
Whatever I did, he still didn't let me go. Tears started to stream down my face and the smoke was making it so hard for me to breath. I started to gasp for air as he turned around and he gripped onto my neck. He faced me and this time I finally saw who this man was. Antonin Dolohov. He was the same man that captured me at the Battle of Department of Mysteries in my fifth year and was a former Death Eater. I thought he was dead.
"I thought Professor Flitwick finished you," I managed to choke out.
"You thought wrong," He sneered. He loosened his grip around my neck and he pointed my wand at my neck. "Now you're going to be the one that's finished."
I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for death to overtake me.
~Draco Malfoy~
I firmly stood standing in front of Hermione and a former Death Eater named Antonin Dolohov. He had his wand pointed to her neck and when he just parted his lips, I let him know I was here.
"Antonin Dolohov let her go!" I said warningly pointing my wand at him but he didn't listen.
"No, she ruined everything with her lousy friends. She needs to be dead. Better yet tortured then dead," he said. My father finally caught up to me and he stood beside me panting.
"Draco, don't you ever listen," he reached to grab my arm but I shook him off while still fixing my eyes at Antonin. My father looked at the direction I was looking at and he stopped reaching for me.
"Antonin, I'm glad your safe," my father said taking a step closer to them. Antonin looked at my father surprised that he was in his presence and bowed his head. I still had my wand pointed at him. I knew he was going to do something incredibly wrong.
"What are you doing here?" Antonin asked my father.
My father quickly glanced at me.
"Saving Draco of course."
My father and Antonin got side tracked and started to have a small discussion about what was going on with the other former Death Eaters.
My eyes moved away from Antonin's face and met Hermione's. Even though her face was covered with dirt and black smoke, she looked beautiful as ever. She looked at me and I could tell she was scared even if she wouldn't admit it. Tears started to fill her eyes as Antonin dug her wand harder into her neck. A shriek of pain escaped her mouth and it railed in my ears.
"Let her go. Now!" I ordered but he didn't listen. Hermione slowly blinked when a trail of blood lingered down the side of her neck.
"Stop!" I screamed taking a few steps closer to him.
"Draco, what are you doing?" my father asked, puzzled.
"I'm not going to let her die like how she did in my dream," I said slowly while glaring at Antonin.
"Draco, do you know who you're talking about. A Mudblood. A filth that shouldn't be in this world."
I ignored what my father just said.
"I love her."
Everything went silence except for the few screams that were far away and the crackling of wood from the fire.
"What?" my father whispered. He shook his head like he just heard the most absurd thing ever.
Hermione locked eyes with me and she mouthed I love you. Then this small moment was interrupted when Antonin started to laugh. I picked up my wand and pointed at him once again.
"I'm warning you, let her go."
"Oh this is perfect, now I know what will torture her the most. She being dead when you live your life in misery without her," Antonin said.
I looked at my father but he just starred at them in confusion. He was in another world, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Obviously he was thinking about what I just said way to hard.
"Father! Do something!" I yelled at my father, but he only squeezed his lips together into a fine line.
"Father please. Control your friend,"
"Your father can't help you now, young boy. You don't understand how long I have waited for this very moment. And now that it actually happened nothing will stop me from doing what I need to do." Antonin snarled.
~Hermione Granger~
Draco just admitted his love for me in front of his father. I glared at Antonin as he grabbed my arm. I knew that when he would let me go, if he lets me go, I will have many bruise marks from his firm grip. God, how I hated this man. Why is it that when ever me and Draco are together something bad always had to happen. My neck was sore from his previous gripping and from the stabbing that he made into my neck from my wand. Yes, I very much hated this man. From the look of his eyes, I knew that deep down he won't let me go. I was weak, helpless even with Draco and his father standing before me. I hated the feeling of knowing that death was on it's way. I have had that feeling many times with the war but this one I wasn't ready for. I wanted to live, with him. I looked at Draco. He was dreadful but extremely handsome at the same time. He wore his best suit but by now it looked more like rags, his hair grew from these three months apart, he was so skinny. I'm surprised that he could position himself strong and firmly like that. His eyes flickered to me and I saw his breathtaking gray eyes. If anything, I could loose my self in his eyes. I wanted to cry but I forced my tears back into my eyes. I love you, I mouthed to him. I knew what he was thinking. He wasn't going to give up. I hanged my head low in dismay as Antonin continued talking. My friends, I promised them that I would be back.
-Please, I beg you don't let me die.
I looked up and I saw Draco getting furious. Lucius was now also pointing his wand at Antonin. I wonder what made him change his mind. For the next few moments I didn't take my eyes off of Draco, let him be the last thing I look at.
~Draco Malfoy~
"Dolohov, lower your wand now!" my father ordered.
"You're not the boss of me anymore Lucius."
I felt Hermione's eyes on me and when I faced her she was looking at me. I took in a big gulp.
Antonin formed a smile from his lips.
"Avada Kedavra." A flash of green light escaped his wand and in an instant Hermione lay motionless on the ground.
"Hermione! N-" I begun to sob but I couldn't finish my sentence because I jumped in front of my father's wand at the same time he was saying the killing curse at Antonin Dolohov.
~Lucius Malfoy~
My one and only son is now dead because of me. I fell down on the ground right beside my lifeless son. I couldn't stop the sign of weakness when the tears started to fall down my face. Anger boiling inside me, I slowly looked up at Antonin. He starred down at Granger over there and Draco with a damn smile on his face.
"Does this make you happy?" I bellowed at Antonin. He jumped as I startled him. I saw him tighten his grip on Granger's wand.
"Now look here Lucius, I'm not the one that killed your son. You did that all by yourself. Now Mudblood over here, " Antonin looked down at Granger and picked her up with her lifeless arm and then drops it. "I did and proud of it. She deserves to be dead."
I got up slowly and lifted my wand.
"Yes, and so do you. Avada Kedavra!" A flash of green light once again hit Antonin's chest and I saw him fall on the floor. I knelled back down at my at my son. So young, he didn't deserve this.
I slowly walked to Granger's unmoving body and leaned down and took a look at her. My eyes stopped moving once I saw a green emerald twinkle. I leaned down some more to get a better look. Barely touching her hand, I starred down at Draco's ring that was now placed at her left engagement finger. I turned my head and looked back at Draco.
"So, he did love her," I said slowly to myself.
~Epilogue~
Everyone that knew Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy sat in the Great Hall with sorrow filled hearts. Harry and Ron sat the the first row sobbing their eyes out. Their smartest witch, the one that they gained respect for, the one that they though they would grow old together with now lay in a coffin before them, dead. As much as Harry hated Draco Malfoy he felt pity when only Pansy, Blaise and the Malfoys came to Draco's coffin to say their goodbyes. No other students bothered walking up to his coffin, saying that he deserved to die because of his vast attitude towards other and his evil ways. Harry felt Ginny squeeze his hand as she came up to him. She looked up at him with eyes swollen and face being all red from crying.
"She promised us, Harry, that she would be back," Ginny sobbed into Harry's arm. "Why did we let her go. I feel horrible. If we only stopped her, none of this would've happened."
Harry glided his hand up and down her arm to comfort her. He looked at Draco's coffin not knowing what to say to that. She was right and guilt struck him.
A few moments later when most people were making their way to the food, Harry walked up to Draco's coffin.
"She was happy to be with you. You off all people made her happy. I saw her face lighten up when ever you looked at her. On the night that she died, I let her go because I knew that she would just want to take one last look at you even if you were already dead. I don't know what happened on the night of your guys death, but I know that you guys from now on will always be together." Harry finished talking and took a one last look of the photograph that a student took of Hermione and Draco kissing. They looked so happy.