Day 26

"So what do you think it will be Granger?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, Draco was still going on about his patronus, it was mid morning and they had been walking once more since dawn.

Draco had continued to practice the patronus while they walk, it was still only in shield form, but Hermione saw how it strengthened with each cast; she wouldn't be surprised if he cast a corporeal one within the next day or two if he could continue practising like he has done the last couple of days.

"Probably a snake Draco. You know, just as sneaky as you."

She laughed at her own observation, then saw his satisfied smirk, obviously he would feel honoured if his patronus were to be a snake, yet looking at him she somehow didn't get the impression of a snake.

He was a lot more noble and braver, she felt his patronus would be something that symbolised something more noble, something stronger.

But she smiled to herself and kept her thoughts private, let him bask in the thought of having a patronus that symbolised his Hogwarts House, and be surprised when it turns out to be something even better.

"How far do you think it is still?"

Her voice sounded out of breath, she still felt tired, and she woke up with that same nausea, but she wasn't throwing up or anything, after thinking about it, she decided it was stress of the unknown and what lay ahead of them.

"We should be there by noon I think Granger."

Sighing she wearily trudged ahead, after a while Draco fell into step once more next to her, she kept glancing at him sideways, memorising his features, he had truly become a man that any woman could be proud of.

He was loyal and caring, but then again, the Malfoy's had been many things, but family had always been their number one priority, so loyalty had always been there, just shrouded in all the bigotry and prejudices, so you couldn't always see the better attributes.

But now, the prejudice had somehow been stripped off from him, as well as the bigotry, now remained the loyal and caring man, albeit still cocky and obnoxious, but that was just part of the parcel, and it actually just made him a more fun and interesting wizard.

"Granger... You're staring at me."

She flushed scarlet and immediately returned her gaze forward once more, she can't believe he had actually caught her studying him.

"Shove it Malfoy."

The mumble was barely audible, but Draco heard it and his laughter rolled out of him in a rich baritone, she had never realised how his voice has changed from the boy she knew at school, he was a definite man now.

"Like what you see Granger?"

His smirk was fixed now, and he was now the one looking at her expectantly, rolling her eyes once more she decided to be her brave and honest Gryffindor of old self.

"In truth Malfoy, yes. I like very much what I see. I've been liking it for some time now."

It was her turn to grin at his now flabbergasted face, he had not expected this, he had completely gotten used to the secretive and full of self denial Hermione of late, to say he was speechless was at this point of time a moot point.

He leaned in close to her grinning face and whispered into her ear, they had stopped somewhere in their exchange, he didn't want the microphones to pick up what he was saying.

"Granger... When this is over, when everything is finished, I'm taking you away, just you and me. A vacation far from here."

She smiled at him, then leaned forward to rest her forehead against his shoulder, she interpreted his remark as wishful speaking, pretend plans to make themselves feel better.

"Yes, take me far away. We can travel a bit, just us. No Voldemort, no death eaters. We can go to some islands, exotic sun and waters... South America... Rio de Janeiro, the carnival there...we can dance under the moonlight, get drunk with the party goers... Attend a masquerade ball and find each other all over again between the masked masses..."

Her voice trailed off and her eyes took on a far off wistful look as she lifted her head from his shoulder, it was obvious she had been transported in her mind to those places she mentioned.

Draco smiled at her, then lifted his hand to trace a knuckle down her cheek, leaning in he pressed his lips to her forehead in a tender kiss.

"Yes, wherever you want to go. You can teach me muggle and I'll show you how a Malfoy loves the woman he chooses to be his lady."

She pulled away from him and smiled once more in that wistful manner, then she locked her arm through his and turned them to once more continue their walk to the castle, this time around arm in arm and with thoughts full of dreams of places and a life that could never be.

Xxx

"Well Granger, we need to decide what we want to do. It's already dark."

They were sitting on their bums beneath the tree line edge, looking out over the castle in front of them. They had already been there for hours now, throwing ideas back and forth and yet not deciding on any of them.

They knew one thing, there were no wards in place, as if the occupants knew that it would be useless against them, and probably also just wanted this to end and get it over with.

"We are still tired. Maybe we should sleep and then enter pre dawn while they will still be in morning slumber... "

her voice trailed of in thought, they needed sleep, her leg was still aching and she had thrown up once more earlier that day, her nerves were shot in all truthfulness.

"Alright, I agree. We need rest, especially you. Granger..."

She heard the question in his voice and turned her head to look enquiringly at him.

"Are you... Up to this? I mean I know your leg hurts, and that you've got some bug or something...?"

She nodded resignedly, she knew this had to be done, they couldn't prolong any longer, and she couldn't figure out how to escape with Draco, all her thoughts, all her ideas kept hitting the dead end of how to get them both out here and how to remove the trace on her.

Which meant she was back to her original plan, get Draco out, which meant it didn't matter if she died being sick and in pain.

"I'm fine Draco."

Xxx

"Granger... You need to wake up..."

It was the urgency of the whisper that penetrated the fog of sleep, Hermione's eyes fluttered open to see darkness around her, she saw the urgent face of Draco hovering over her, but as she made to sit up he pressed her down, glancing around them nervously.

Hermione felt deja vu with this exact moment replaying in her mind in a different night and incident, shaking her thoughts free she glanced around them, her mouth dropping open at the realisation of the dark cloaked like creatures surrounding them.

There were at least ten to twenty of them!

This time they apparently didn't care that their victims weren't asleep, they were more bold now.

As she struggled upright she she saw Draco brandishing his wand and jumping upright, she was still on her way to her feet when she heard his "Expecto Patronum!" Being yelled loud and clear, and to her utter amazement a fully corporeal patronus jumped from his wand.

But that wasn't what amazed her, what amazed her was the form of his patronus, for the creature that swam happily in front of them and pushing the Lethifold back, were nothing other than a playful otter, exactly like her patronus.

Without waiting a moment they both ran after the otter, as it cleared the way ahead for them into the castle, they barged over the wooden bridge, not caring that the noise would wake the other two inside the castle.

They just knew that almost twenty Lethifold were behind them, with every intention of killing them and then consuming them, and the one thought prevalent was that they would be safe inside the castle, and so they burst into the tower door, slamming the door behind them and leaning heavily against the closed door.

They were breathing heavily, their throats dry and parched, Hermione realised they were without their rucksacks, but knew that didn't matter anymore, they had their blades on their belts and their wands in their hands, it was all that they needed in this final show down.

"An otter! A bloody playful otter? What the fuck is that all about?"

Hermione giggled at his highly annoyed exclamation, then she rolled her head against the door to the side to look at him, a very gentle smile on her face, for anyone seeing that smile they would realise it was a loving smile.

"Snape's patronus was a doe.."

She remembered the memories she saw in the pensieve, she had went to view them herself when Harry had went into the forest, intent on finding out why Harry had decided to go to Voldemort alone.

"And pray why should that make me feel better?"

He sounded completely put out, but were looking at her, taking in the smile she still had in awe.

"He loved Harry's mother, Lily, from school right up till his own death. That's why he was loyal to Dumpledore, why he agreed to spy. For Lily, for his love of her. Her patronus was a doe."

She didn't care that the whole wizarding world heard it, most of it had come out anyway after the final battle, Snape was publicly disgraced after his death by Voldemort, but to her he was a hero now, and she felt a tremor of respect upon telling that small and perfectly beautiful truth about him.

She saw the comprehension dawn on Draco's pale features, his eyes sparkling as they rested on her, if she had ever wondered about the depth of his professed love for her, she now did not, somehow she felt released, as if this beautiful and pure proof of his love for her, had somehow set her free, free of the chains that had held her captive, she knew now that she won't die for him because he had a family to return to.

She would die for him because he loved her in the purest form there is, she would die for him because she could give her gratitude for his love in that way, because to be loved in such a pure form was a gift that so few received, and she was so thankful, so enamoured with that gift, she would do anything to preserve it, to preserve him.

After looking into each other's eyes for the longest time, they suddenly felt the doorknob rattling, and then the door was being pushed open, sliding them as if their weight against the door was nothing but feather light.

They gasped and then knew, the show down would be now, because the Lethifold could now enter the castle, they game makers had forced their hands officially.

Then without another thought, they both ran inside, since they knew that, that tower steps were blocked with the collapsed wall and its subsequent rubble.