Chapter 25: The Final Moments
After Voldemort had stated that everyone could collect their dead, Draco was sitting outside the school, tired and a little sore from the fall he had taken outside the Room of Requirement. Looking up, he saw Hermione walking up the destroyed courtyard.
Seeing Draco outside the school, she hurried over and hugged him tight. Draco hugged her back and restedh is forehead against the side of her head. "Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded her head slowly. "The baby?" he whispered into her ear.
"He's fine," she replied quietly.
Draco pressed his lips to hers, nuzzling her neck a little as they held onto each other. "He?" he asked after a minute. Smiling, she rested her head on his shoulder as he rested his hand on her stomach.
"Our son," she whispered.
He rested his forehead against the top of her head. "I promise Hermione, I promise that once this is all over you're going to get the live you deserve," he told her. Hermione sighed as she held his hand.
"Come on, I'm sure there's people who need our help," she answered.
Nodding, he followed her into the Great Hall that was being turned into the morgue/hospital wing. Looking around, Draco saw many friends or acquaintances all over the floors and benches. Looking up, he saw Ron and his family crying over the loss of his brother…Fred he believed it was. Looking over, he saw the tears in Hermione's eyes. "You need to go to him, be the friend he needs," he told her quietly. Hermione glanced at him before she went over to the Weasley family.
Looking around some more, Draco walked over and looked at Neville. "Looks like a nasty cut," he commented as he looked at the gash on Neville's head.
"Why do you care? What are you doing here Malfoy?" Neville spat.
"Believe it or not Longbottom I'm on your side," Draco replied, "have been for the last three years."
Neville stared at him curiously as Draco checked the cut on his head. After assessing his injuries, Draco looked around when Hermione walked over to him. "Is Ron alright?" he asked.
"His brother died, Draco," she answered quietly.
Feeling like an idiot, he pulled her into a tight hug. Hermione hugged him back with a small sob. "Fred was a good man, he didn't deserve this," she insisted.
"No one deserves this, it's all his fault," Draco answered, hugging her tight.
Hermione cried softly into his shirt and Draco rubbed her back. "No matter what happens, I'm going to protect you and our son," he whispered. Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Looking over, they saw Voldemort walking into the courtyard with his army of Death Eaters. Holding her hand, they walked out of the school and stood out front.
"Harry Potter…IS DEAD!" Voldemort shouted while laughing maniacally.
Draco watched as Hermione stood beside Ron with tears in her eyes as they looked at Harry's limp body in Hagrid's arms. Draco stared out at his enemy as he made a speech. "Join us and live otherwise, die," Voldemort told them.
"Draco!" he heard his father call out.
The young man stood there, not moving for a minute. Hermione looked over as Draco walked down the steps, only to stand beside her and wrap his arm tightly around her shoulders. Proving to his father he had made his decision. "You dare embarrass your family?" Bellatrix hissed. Again, he was silent when he felt Hermione wrap her arm around his back. As Neville stepped forward and started speaking out to the Dark Lord, Draco let out a deep breath.
"You afraid?" Draco asked in a whisper.
Hermione shook her head slowly, swallowing hard. "You?" she asked.
"No," he answered quietly, "For the first time in my life I'm not afraid."
Smiling at him, she looked over when Harry rolled out of Hagrid's arms and the fighting started up again. Seeing a hex go toward Hermione, Draco blocked the attack. "You stupid boy!" Bellatrix hissed when she threw the young man backwards.
"Stupefy!" he snapped, throwing a curse at her.
Bellatrix stumbled when Hermione pulled out wand, swinging it around her head. "Expelliarmus!" she called out.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix hissed.
"Protego! Incarcerous!" Hermione countered.
Draco pulled Herimone behind him when they saw Ron going after Nagini. "Stupefy!" he called out before they ran down the stairs to help Ron with the snake. Before Bellatrix could go after them, Ginny stood in front of them.
Hermione tossed Ron and Draco a couple of Basilisk fangs that were in her bag. They threw curses at the snake, but like with any other Horcrux they did nothing but anger the snake. They were chasing the snake on the stairs and they tried to ambush her with the fangs. The snake was too fast and Draco was knocked down the stairs in an attempt to dodge the charging creature. Draco went to grab the fang when a rock fell from the ceiling and broke it. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed. Getting up, he ran over to Hermione and yanked her out of the way just as the snake's teeth almost connected to her throat.
All three of them had lost their fangs and the snack was chasing them. Holding onto her arm, he turned his back in an attempt to shield her while Ron was beside him doing the same when they heard a shout. They opened their eyes to see Neville there with the Sword of Gryffindor and Nagini turning into dust. Hermione beamed. "You did it Neville!" she said beaming. Running over, she hugged him tight with a smile and kissed his cheek.
"Well done, Neville," Draco told him.
"Great work," Ron answered, shaking his hand.
Neville just grinned when they looked over to see the last of the battle, Harry was kneeling on the ground staring at whatever was left of Voldemort. "It's over," Draco murmured, feeling relief. Looking at his arm, he saw that the Dark Mark was already beginning to fade slightly.
"Draco!" he heard a voice call.
Lifting his head, he looked around. "DRACO!" the voice shouted again. He saw his mother running around searching for him.
"MUM!" he shouted.
Narcissa stopped with a relieved look on her face as her son hurried over and she happily took him into her arms. She touched his hair lightly, kissing the top of his head. "I'm so proud of you," she told him, hugging him as tight as he could, "You stood up for yourself." Draco hugged her tight with a smile. Holding onto her hand, he walked over to Hermione.
"You two should be properly introduced. Hermione Granger, my mother, Narcissa Malfoy. Mum, this is the love of my life, Hermione Granger," he told them.
Narcissa smiled as she surprised the young woman, hugging her. "You're the one who changed my son," she murmured. Hermione hugged her back awkwardly, smiling a little.
"I tried," she answered.
Harry walked up and Narcissa let her go. Harry hurried over and embraced his friends tightly. Hermione and Ron hugged him back, everyone for the first time in so long felt safe at long last.