Chapter Twenty-Four
Draco awoke to his alarm he had set on his wand. He pulled himself from bed, struggling to avoid jostling Hermione. He shut off his alarm and glanced back at the sleeping witch on the bed. They had fallen asleep naked, and the sheets were bunched around her waist. He let himself admire her breasts and flat stomach before resting his eyes on her face, nearly hidden by her wild curls. He leaned over to smooth her hair away from her face just as she opened her eyes.
"What time is it?" Hermione yawned.
"Just after six in the morning," He responded.
Hermione nodded at him and stood from the bed. Once again, Draco took in her breasts, but his eyes also trailed lower. He grabbed her hand and twirled her to get the full view before pulling her into his arms, tightly hugging her.
"I love you," he mumbled into her hair.
"I love you too," she whispered back. He could hear her voice breaking and knew she was beginning to cry.
Twenty minutes later, Draco seated himself at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall for breakfast, discreetly watching Hermione do the same. She always sat facing him these days. She made eye contact as she filled her plate. Her eyes were sad and still slightly red rimmed.
He didn't hold eye contact with her long as he too filled his plate with food he knew he wouldn't eat. He had to sit through classes today, all while knowing tonight would be a turning point in the war. He had to pretend to be normal, while knowing it would be his last day seeing Hermione.
Despite what he promised her, Draco was under no delusions that he would survive the coming months. There was only a slim chance he would survive tonight. He was really hoping Snape and Dumbledore had a plan to save Draco from becoming a casuality. He was positive he couldn't kill Dumbledore and if he didn't, Draco himself would die.
As it were, he wasn't even sure he wouldn't be killed in Snape did the job for him. He wasn't sure if the Dark Lord had told Snape of this part of Draco's task, or that Draco would die if he didn't complete it. As far as Draco knew, Snape was only aware of the plan from being present that first night in Dumbledore's office.
Draco barely managed his classes that day, and he was sure Professor McGonagall noticed him staring absently at her a few times. Miraculously, she didn't call him out on it. The only good thing about her class is that he and Hermione had continued sitting together since the first time he had slammed himself into the seat next to her.
She held his knee under the table the whole class, not bothering with notes. She kept her eyes dry and away from his gaze, but he knew she was burning on the inside with sadness and nerves.
As they were leaving class, Draco his himself in a broom closet he knew Hermione would be passing. He kept the door cracked, watching for her to pass. She had been the last out of the class, stopping to talk to McGonagall before exiting. Just as she walked by, he reached out, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her into the closet. He quickly shut the door, the small area illuminated by the Lumos on the tip of his wand.
"Hi," she breathed, still spooked from being pulled into the closet.
"Hi," he smiled down at her. "I just wanted to have a moment with you before… I mean, just to tell you, I love you," he leaned to kiss her and she eagerly met his lips, winding her arms around his waist. They broke the kiss after a moment and she settled her head onto his chest. He stroked her hair as he held her tightly. He could feel her crying again, and a few tears slipped from his own eyes onto her head.
Draco knew that he was only being selfish, that prolonging this would only hurt her more in the long run. He knew that giving her that ring was also a selfish decision. He knew it would break her heart when the inevitable happened. But for this moment, he didn't care. He gently rocked her as they cried together, locked away in a broom closet on the fourth floor of a castle that he would help to destroy later tonight.
"Are you prepared for tonight? Will you be staying safe?" Draco asked her. He had her right hand enveloped in his left, absently fiddling with her glamored Malfoy ring. To others, it appeared to be a gold ring with her birthstone set into the middle, but he could feel the real ring underneath the glamors.
He felt her nod into his shirt. "I will stay as safe as I can be, but you know if a fight breaks out, I won't be sitting by the side."
"I know," Draco muttered. "I know."
Nine o'clock curfew came quickly that night. Draco made his way to the seventh floor, almost hoping to run into Filch and prolong the entrance of the Death Eaters. Despite his hope of being caught, Draco made it to the seventh floor with no diversions. Before opening the door that would begin terror, he quickly sent a message to Hermione.
Please be careful. I love you.
As soon as he sent it, he paced the wall. When the door appeared, he entered, finding the familiar path that wound back to the Vanishing Cabinet. At precisely nine thirty, there was a soft knock radiating out of the cabinet. He took a deep breath and pulled the knob to open the door.
Bellatrix appeared with a wicked grin on her face, wand already grasped in her right hand. Draco extended his hand to help her step from the cabinet to the floor and she grimaced.
"Sweaty hands; are you nervous dear nephew?"
Draco grinned. "I was only nervous about trekking 8 flights of stairs from the dungeons without getting caught, Aunt Bella. I want to make this happen without a hitch."
Bellatrix nodded her head and resumed her evil smile. She waved a hand and several more Death Eaters, including Fenrir Greyback, slipped through.
"Cause as much damage as you can. You have an hour before I send up the Mark to draw the headmaster back," Draco heard Bellatrix saying to the others. "You're coming with me," she grabbed his arm and pulled him from the room. He heard the others exit and scatter.
She led him through the halls of the seventh floor, setting fire to portraits and tapestries, stopping at every classroom and upturning the desks and chairs. After a scathing look from his aunt, Draco joined in, pretending to relish destroying the castle. Draco could hear the screaming starting and see many students running for the staircases in their pajamas. He watched as Bellatrix felled many of them with Stunners.
After destroying every classroom they could find, and smashing desks through several windows, Bellatrix led him to the Astromony tower. Together they climbed the spirals stairs to the top. At the top, she stared out of the window, watching the carnage reach the grounds as students and Death Eaters poured out of the front doors to the castle.
Draco watched as she glanced around the grounds, biting her lip. "Draco… I am going to trust you with this. I will send up the Mark to draw Dumbledore back. When he gets here, you must finish your task. I am supposed to remain with you. But I think you can do this."
Draco only nodded. Bellatrix sent up the Mark, glared at him, and fled back down the staircase. He heard her cackle and saw a glow of green from underneath and winced, wondering who had just passed. He was shaking, wondering how long it would take for Dumbledore to appear. He was still staring at the stair case when he heard noises behind him. Draco whipped around to see Dumbledore grasping the railing on the balcony, next to two broomsticks. Two?
