Chapter 39
He felt his feet hit the ground hard, as he lost his balance and fell onto the wet grass. He smelled rain, and felt mud beneath legs. Beside him, he subconsciously felt Snape land as well, perhaps with more grace than him.
Suddenly, it was all registering right then.
He had left Granger behind at Hogwarts.
Fuck.
He got too emotional in the spur of the moment, and agreed to do what she was asking him to. He realized how stupid it had been, as he got up from the ground, brushing off dirt.
"Fuck!"
He picked up a rock from the ground, and through it as far as he could, his profanities getting louder and louder.
"It would be good if you stopped yelling."
"Shut the fuck up! I shouldn't have fucking come—"
"I know what you are—"
"No you fucking don't! You're always too engrossed in your own world to give a fuck about what—"
"But maybe I do, Draco. Maybe I am aware of your...relationship with a certain witch named Hermione Granger?"
He doubled back, his words caught in his throat.
He knew?
"What do you know about Granger and I?" he hissed. "How do you know—"
"How is not very relevant. However, I am aware that you seem to have fallen for a muggle born witch—"
"Fallen? What the fuck—"
"I don't know how much denial you are still in, but I made the conclusions I needed to after seeing you in the halls earlier today. I need to leave quickly, I don't have much time, but before I go, I need you to hear this."
He raised his eyebrows, breathing deeply, waiting for the dark haired man to speak.
"Falling in love with a muggleborn is possibly the most stupid thing you could have done for yourself. It's foolishness. And her, of all people—"
"What's your fucking point—"
"It will all come back to bite you one day. Things will not end well. It never does, for the bad guy. However...I see that Miss Granger seems to return these feelings...for which you must realize, how lucky you are. Being loved back is something you should cherish until your dying breath, because not everyone is as lucky."
He had no idea why he was telling him these things. It made no sense to him. Somehow, within the older wizard's features, there was an unknown sadness hidden in his movements. He couldn't exactly pinpoint it.
"Value her, Malfoy," he said, turning to face away from him, "don't let her slip away. You'll regret it."
"What?"
"SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE HERMIONE!"
"Harry you must be mistaken—"
"I saw it with my own fucking eyes! That's why he ran away with Malfoy! He killed him, Hermione…"
His voice trailed off, as Hermione stared into the distance, towards the Forbidden Forest, where she had seen Draco running just moments ago.
"Dumbledore...is gone?"
"He looked him in the eye, and just killed him. Dumbledore was pleading, Hermione, but he wouldn't listen."
"How come you were there?"
"I was with Dumbledore, Hermione! That's why I was going to his office before the Death Eaters broke in! He took me to this cave...Riddle's cave. We went looking for the locket."
"You destroyed the horcrux?"
"We couldn't! It wasn't there! The one there was just a replica. Someone had been there before us Hermione! Someone has it. Or had it. We don't know if it's been destroyed."
"And then you came back?"
"We did. But to get the locket Dumbledore had to drink some potion...and then he started saying all these things..."
"Harry! Hermione! Here you are!"
They turned around immediately, hearing the voice from behind them.
"Remus! Dumbledore—"
"We found his body. He was below the Astronomy Tower."
"Is it...true?" asked Hermione, timidly.
The expression on the man's face became grave, before an unknown sadness washed over him.
"Yes."
"I must leave now. Behave, Draco."
He didn't bother to respond, as he watched the man leave, his cloak gliding with him. He heard the snap of apparition in the distance, and he knew he was finally left to be on his own.
With a mad man.
"I welcome you to my home, Draco." exclaimed Xenophilius Lovegood, with a friendly expression on his face. "Dumbledore contacted me recently and spoke to me about you. I was wary at first, but after hearing your quite admirable story, I had to say yes. Seems like the snartlenees like you."
Quite admirable story? Fucking great.
"You know, you and I might not be so different. My wife was in Slytherin. Back when I was in school, it was right after the first wizarding war. Slytherins weren't looked greatly upon, after what many of them did then."
He chose not to talk, simply because he didn't feel the need to. His mouth couldn't even form words to begin with. All he could think about was Granger back at Hogwarts. Suddenly, an owl tapped at the window.
"I wonder who this is from." said Xenophilius, striding towards the owl.
He stood planted in his spot, not moving.
Suddenly, something that slipped out of Xenophilius's mouth caught his attention.
"Dead…"
"Who's dead? Who died?" said Draco, suddenly anxious.
The elder man rose from his spot, the expression on his face serious and solemn, before looking directly towards his guest, his words coming out as a whisper.
"Albus Dumbledore."
She sat with a blanket wrapped around her, huddled close to the fire, seated beside Ron. Harry had told them about everything that had happened. The cave, the fake locket, Dumbledore's confession, how they came back, and everything else that led up to their headmaster's death.
The entire castle, at this point, was awake. Everyone had heard the news. It was washing over the entire wizarding world like a blast of chilly wind, whipping them across the face. Hogwarts's beloved headmaster. The greatest wizard of all time. The kind man that had given so much to their community and beyond.
Dead.
Killed by none other than Severus Snape.
Anxiety and fear coursed through her veins, as Draco's face drifted in and out of her memory. Snape had taken him with him.
Yet, even after it all, one thing Dumbledore had said to her had stuck in her head.
"I want you to know, that no matter what may happen, Severus will keep Draco safe. No matter what. Remember this."
Was he trying to imply something to her? Could he possibly have been hinting at what she thought he might have been? She knew Snape was like a father figure to Draco, regardless of the distance between them around then. You could say...Snape loved Draco.
Love.
Something between pain and bliss. Somewhere in between.
It made her feel like she could do anything. Anything for him. Seeing him smile would make her day, and being in his arms would leave her content. It gave her the most secure feeling. He made her feel safe. He made her feel beautiful.
She couldn't characterize it with words. Seeing him in the hall with her, in the middle of their world that was slowly crumbling apart.
It hurt. So much.
She didn't want to make him go. It tore her apart. She felt as though she had been splinched.
But it was necessary.
Having him stay in Hogwarts wouldn't have been safe for either of them. She heard it herself...they wanted to kill him.
The pain was unbearable. But she was forced to bear it.
As she always had.
She would have to stay strong. Stay fighting. That is what was expected of her. That is what she would do.
"Hermione?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you listening?"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry, I just drifted away for a second."
"It's alright." began Harry. "We all need time to heal. This is only the beginning of it."
"Harry, are you okay—"
"I am. I am…"
"We know what Dumbledore was to you. We know what's going on, Harry. We want to help you through this." exclaimed Ron.
"That's why we're coming with you, Harry. Ron and I, the both of us. You can't go hunting for horcruxes by yourself. We're here for you. Always. No matter what."
She sat with a mug of tea, staring out of the small window. Her husband, as usual, sat silently in his corner of the hut, not uttering a single word. It had been raining that day, as she listened to the patters of the raindrops hitting the window sill. Suddenly, she heard a sound from outside the cottage, as she saw a figure in the distance.
"Someone's here." she whispered to her husband.
"Is it Dumbledore?" he asked.
"No...it's…I can't tell from here."
Suddenly, the door opened.
"Good evening, Lucius, Narcissa" he nodded.
"Severus. We weren't expecting you." said Narcissa.
"I am aware of that. I came to drop off your food. There is a lot, so I won't be visiting for a long time."
"Why are you here," hissed Lucius, "where's Dumbledore?"
"Albus Dumbledore is dead."
A cold silence hit them, as no one in the room dared to speak. Finally, it was Snape who spoke.
"I must go. Stay safe."
Just as he turned to open the door, Narcissa spoke.
"What about my—"
"Draco," he paused, turning to look to the mother, "is absolutely safe."
And with one last look at the two of them, he was off.
"Are you sure nothing has happened to anyone else?"
"No, no one else is hurt...oh," said the man, pausing with realization, "Harry Potter and his friends are okay."
Internally, Draco breathed a sigh of relief, even if he didn't let it show on his face. To the man in front of him, he was already a weak, cowardly, fool. He couldn't become more vulnerable.
"That's all the information I have so far. Come along, I'll take you to your room. It seems like you might be staying here for a while."
He hesitantly followed the man upstairs, as he led them to a hallway, which led them to four doors.
"The one at the end is yours. This one," he said, pausing, while pointing to a door with an odd looking wreath on it, "is my daughter's. She's in your year. You know her, I suppose?"
He didn't want to answer, but felt as though cooperating would allow him to be alone as soon as possible.
"Yes," he grumbled out.
"She'll be here in the summer. She told me she's bringing her boyfriend, so I was hoping to ask you about him as well. You should know him..."
Sensing the boy's disinterest, he trailed off, realizing it would be best for him to stay alone for a bit.
"Oh my, I've held you back for too long. I'll ask about it another time. Go along then, I won't bother you. Be careful of the bartlezingers."
Not wanting to spend a single extra second with the man, Draco rushed to the room he was directed to, and closed the door for privacy.
The room wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. It had a queen size bed in the centre of the room, with a dresser and wardrobe. There was a small window in the corner of the room, that was covered by eye piercing bright yellow curtains. There was a dark blue rug, and a pitcher of water as well.
He felt trapped. Useless. As he had always been.
He was once again, doing absolutely nothing. Running away. Hiding. All while Granger was probably planning a suicide mission right at that second.
He was so fucking stupid.
Albus Dumbledore was dead. The greatest wizard ever. Gone.
Fuck.
If he hadn't done it, who had?
What if something happened to her…
If he never saw her again, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.
He wouldn't be staying there for long. He needed to get out. Having tea parties with this crazy man and his looney daughter was fucking stupid.
He would have to do something.
But after everything that had happened the entire day, he was tired. He felt as though his legs couldn't keep him standing.
Before he knew it, his eyes had shut, sending him into a peaceful world of slumber.
Right before he had knocked out, subconsciously, his arm shifted over to the left side of the bed, deluding himself into believing that Granger was there.
"We must close the school! We can't keep it open...now that Albus is gone…"
"Minerva, we must discuss this with the Board of Governors. We can't just close the school." exclaimed Slughorn.
"Albus Dumbledore's death remains as a mark on the face of our history forever—"
"Keep the school open." said a dark haired boy, from the chair.
"What are you talking about, Potter?"
"Albus Dumbledore was loved by all of his students. He was loved by the entire wizarding community. He served his best years in this castle. Hogwarts is his home."
"Yes but—"
"Everyone," he paused, his voice wavering for a moment, "should have the right to attend his funeral. I think he would love to be buried in the grounds…"
Everyone took a moment to think about his statement, before the potions master finally broke the silence.
"He's right, Minerva."
They watched as the elderly lady wiped off a lone tear trickling down her cheek, before walking up to Harry Potter, and awkwardly patting him on the back, as a gesture of comfort.
"Okay," she nodded, "Albus Dumbledore will be buried in the Hogwarts grounds. I must go now, I have to prepare the funeral, and reach out to some people."
Slowly, all the professors left, saying goodnight to them, leaving them to be alone in the Gryffindor common room.
Looking over at her best friend, she moved from her spot, and walked directly to him. She grabbed Ron's arm, and pulled both of her best friends into a big hug.
And they stood there. Like that. She didn't even know how long.
They hadn't been like this in so long. Just when the pain of losing someone had begun to fade, it came back at them, hitting them like a whip.
"Hermione, Ron...we should sleep now. It's getting late."
Craning her neck to look at the time, she saw the clock strike three am.
She nodded to her friends, pulling both of them in for another hug, before her legs finally dragged her up the stairs, and into her dormitory.
She climbed into her four poster bed, before pulling the curtains closed. Somehow, the comfort and safety of her four poster bed was gone. Nowhere was safe. Not in a Hogwarts where Dumbledore wasn't alive.
They would come for her. People like her. She was probably a prize in their eyes.
But she would think about all of that later.
She rolled over to the left side of the bed, before her eyes closed, and she drifted off to a different world.
She dreamed of writing an essay for ancient runes, sitting in the calm, peaceful, Hogwarts grounds, the grass around her freshly mown and fragrant.
While a blonde haired wizard teased her.
He shifted in his bed, hearing a shuffle of feet in his room. He had been hearing knocks on his door for a while.
Looking over to his right, he found a tall, blonde haired wizard towering over him.
"I had been calling you for a while, but I figured you'd ignore me for a few days. However, you must eat breakfast, so I advise you to come down."
"I don't care—"
"But I do. This is my house, you're staying in. Regardless of what sign the thumplemeres have given to you, you must follow certain rules in this house. I'm sure Miss Granger would want you to be cooperative." he added in in the end, smiling.
Draco hated his use of mentioning Granger to make him feel guilty.
But it worked.
He shrugged himself out of bed, finally moving to get up.
"Thank you. I'll see you downstairs in fifteen minutes." said the wizard, leaving him alone once more.
Draco looked over to find a trunk, inside which was clean, folded clothes. He picked out a grey v-necked t-shirt, and some black sweatpants. Pulling them on, he quickly brushed his teeth, and splashed some water on his face, before trudging his way down, uneager to meet the crazy man downstairs for breakfast.
"Thank you for going through the trouble of coming down. Dumbledore told me you would be stubborn, but you're not so bad. Dumbledore...it's such a tragedy. He truly was the greatest wizard to have walked this planet."
He listened, as he grabbed a slice of toast, spreading marmalade on it. Orange marmalade. Granger's favourite.
As they ate, an owl knocked at the window, seemingly holding a newspaper. A copy of the Daily Prophet, to be exact.
"I have my own newspaper business, for your information," he said, as he rose from his seat, "It's called the Quibbler. We haven't been supplying for about three months, I've been busy with a couple of other projects. I don't know if you remember, but we were the ones that reported Harry Potter's famous interview in his fourth year. He's quite good friends with my daughter. Even better friends with your girlfriend, I might add."
He petted the owl gently, before watching it soar away.
"Let's take a look at what's going on today..."
Suddenly, the man's face turned white. It seemed as though he was taken aback by what he had read."
"What happened?" questioned Draco.
"Severus Snape..."
"What happened to—"
"He killed Dumbledore."
"What?"
"Severus Snape is the one who killed Albus Dumbledore. Right after...he had come here…"
He couldn't even process what was being said to him. He didn't know whether or not to believe it.
Snape?
Wasn't he a double agent for Dumbledore?
He was the traitor all along…
And Dumbledore had been fooled.
The greatest wizard ever had been tricked. He had been too trusting. Ultimately, it brought his end.
He needed to think about all of this alone. He needed time to piece things together. So, he excused himself from the table, and made his way to his room.
Everything was a mess.
Draco needed time to...process it all.
So, that's what he got.
Time.
In a place with only a looney old man to talk to, time seemed to be at a standstill.
a/n: doneeeeeee! Finished up interviews, I'll begin to hear back from my schools starting mid-ish May. Wish me luck! I've been so busy with everything, thus the late update. Will begin the next chapter RIGHT NOW!
Now, I know I might be late in joining this discussion, but I feel that it's never not the time to talk about issues like this. In recent times, we have seen a resurgence, or a highlight, if you might say, on anti Asian racism. As a small little author, who maybe receives a handful of views, even bringing this issue to light here is spreading a message, and personally, I think it is important to spread this message and take advantage of every platform I have available to me. Racism, be it anti black, anti Asian, or against any other community, remains as a mark on our society, and will remain as a mark for as long as we fail to educate our youth. So please, do your part in spreading love, and making everyone feel comfortable. This is a large theme in the story I'm writing right now as well: we all bleed red.
This is where the story takes a turn. Until now, I had the two together at Hogwarts, but now, they're torn apart, both in completely different places. I can't wait for you guys to see where I take this!
I know there might be a handful of spelling and/or grammatical mistakes in this story, because just yesterday, I read over some previous chapters. To be honest...until now, I have not reread any of my chapters after writing them...I know! I'm just so in a rush, I don't have time to reread! The spelling mistakes and other errors present are mostly all typos...ugh. I am a grammar police myself, so I hate it! After I finish writing this story, I'm going to be editing the entire thing. So if you see me writing "you" as "yo," just bear with me!
Super long author's notes section today...what else do I say...oh, right! Review and comment. I love them!
Love you guys,
Sydney