They sit on the beach. She's leaning her head to his shoulder, unsure what they should do next.
Unsure what this all means?
"I dreamed of this beach the night all this began." She tells him.
"So did I." He mutters silently, "But it was empty."
"So was mine."
She shakes her head, "None of this makes sense."
It's almost as if the universe is playing with them, throwing them from one scenario to another, adding details that don't really make sense.
"Are we dead?" She asks, not really waiting for an answer, "I mean what if we both died and this is some sort of in between?"
"Doesn't explain the other things. The silent castle, the clock, me going back and you staying behind."
"I know! But nothing adds up! I wish I knew what happens next." She huffs frustrated.
"Don't we all?"
She considers his words. Maybe he's right, don't we all want to know what happens next?
"So, what now?"
He gets up and offers her his hand, "Come on."
The tropical waves greet them when they walk to the clear water.
Sun shines down at them as they float on the sea.
His lips taste like salt as he kisses her.
And she wraps her legs around him letting her hands run on his hair marred with sea salt.
"We need to figure out what to do next," She whispers in between kisses.
But truthfully, she doesn't really want to stop. It's been too long since she was last able to touch him,
to be held by him.
"I wish to be just left in peace!" He mutters.
So does she!
How much she'd give to be able to not to worry all the time?
How much she'd be willing to let go of if she wouldn't have to spend all her time trying to figure out what this all means?
"Draco." She lets go of him and pauses his greedy hands.
There's no time to waste! No matter how tempting it is to just forget all their worries and let go!
"If this is a dream, we might wake up any second! We need to at least make a plan what we do if that happens!"
He groans but doesn't argue.
So, they make their way back to the beach.
"First of all, you must go to Dumbledore!"
He stares at the horizon, not saying a word.
"He'll know what to do! To keep your family safe."
He turns to her, "What about this?" He waves his hand.
Yes, maybe Dumbledore would know what all this means, but she needs to get him to safety first!
"We'll think about that later." She tells him sternly.
"When is later?"
She doesn't answer because she doesn't know. But getting him as far away from Voldemort as possible should be the number one priority.
"Get yourself and your family safe first!"
"What about you?"
"As far as everyone knows, I'm fine and nothing has changed!"
He looks at her then, long and calculating, "But it's not true."
"We don't even know if I'm real!" Her voice is desperate.
Because that's what she has started to think: Maybe she's not real at all. Maybe the real her is the girl in Gryffindor.
It might be she can't get back to life as this version of her.
But at least she can save him!
She can give him a future without the Death Eater burden.
He has turned fully to her, "You are real!"
"To you! And in this reality. But we don't know what this is!"
He's shaking his head, "Don't!"
She takes his hand, but he yanks it away, "You've given up?! You don't think you could get back!"
"I have no idea how to."
"You can't give up!" His voice sounds pleading, and it frightens her; he's never begging.
He can't be begging! He needs to stay strong and do what needs to be done!
"No! You can't" She tells him, "because you're the one living! And because this is the only way! Draco, I need you to stay strong and save yourself! You can't see me but I'm with you. I promise! You're the one living! Then live!"
She doesn't beg him. She doesn't plead. She orders! Leaves him no room for argument.
"If we wake up, and nothing has changed you go to Dumbledore! Promise me!" She takes his face in between her hands and forces him to look at her, "I want your word, Draco!"
"What good is my word to you?" He whispers.
And an image of him on top of the Astronomy tower, the night he tried to end it, flashes her mind.
"It's not what it is to me." She tells him, "It's what it is to you"
Silence follows her words.
Then he sighs, "Fine, you have my word."
She smiles at him sadly and leans in to put her forehead against his.
"You can do it! I know you can. Just don't turn back! Don't hesitate. It'll be worse if you don't try."
He nods slightly.
"And Draco…" She swallows, "I love you. No matter what happens in the real world, no matter if that version of me won't remember that I do. But she's me after all. If she would have gone through what we went through, she'd love you too! You're a good man if you let yourself be!"
She tries so hard not to cry.
So hard not to feel like she's telling him goodbye.
"We'll fix this." He lifts his hand to her cheek.
She wants to believe that too. So badly it feels like a physical pain.
"I wish…" She starts but he kisses her silent.
"Don't wish, it'll do no good to anyone."
The salt of the sea and her tears mix on their lips as she pulls him close.
Kisses him as if she might never be able to do that again.
Because she's no fool! She knows that drams end eventually.
.
.
.
They lie in each other's arms on the golden sand as the sun goes down.
And when she opens her eyes the next time, she's in the clock room, in silence, without him, once again.
The clock seems unharmed, her side still ticking, his staying silent.
So, her explosion did nothing but knock her out? Let her see him?
Was it real?
Was he really there?
She gets up and leans to the wall for support.
Her head is swimming and the images of the beach and the castle blur together.
But she has no time to stand here. He's still in the hospital wing! And she needs to go make sure he heard what she told him.
The people in the corridors make her head spin only faster but she doesn't stop.
She promised him she'll be with him and she has no intention to break that promise!
When she stumbles to the Hospital wing, he's sitting on the bed.
"Hermione?" He whispers looking around like expecting to see her.
It takes a while for her to drag herself next to his bed and fall to the empty chair.
Only then does she realize, she can hear him!?
The corridors were still silent! She couldn't hear other people.
But now! As he whispers her name again. She can hear it!
Maybe he can hear her too!
"YES," She whimpers, "I'm right here."
But it was too good to be true after all. He keeps on looking around, apparently not hearing her.
She hears him, but to him, she's still as nonexistent as before.
"Fuck." She swears and presses her head to the side of his bed.
After a while, he gives up trying to call her and lays back in the bed, staring at the ceiling.
For a moment she's grateful he doesn't rush away the moment he realizes he can't talk to her, because she isn't sure she could move just yet.
"What kind of a sleeping potion you gave me?"
She's startled from her stupor by his voice and when she lifts her head, she realizes Madam Pomfrey has entered the room.
She sees her lips move as she answers but Draco is the only person she can hear.
"Are you sure?" He asks with a disbelieving look, "I mean I did have a dream."
Pomfrey had given him Dreamless sleep?
Things just got weirder and weirder.
He stumbles up from the bed and dismisses the healer with a wave of his hand, "I need to go to Dumbledore!"
She raises to follow him as he yells across his shoulder, "I don't care if he's coming to see me! I need to see him now!"
Lucky he's not on his best condition either, otherwise, it would be impossible for her to follow him with her spinning head. His injury from last night slows him down enough.
She wonders if he realized he left in hospital robes. If he did, it doesn't seem to bother him.
People stop to stare as he dashes past though. She sees their mouths moving but doesn't know if they're talking to each other or to him.
When they finally make it to the Headmasters door it's like he's been expecting them,
or him,
or someone.
Because the gargoyle jumps from their way without even asking for a password.
Climbing up the stairs he glances once across his shoulder, like making sure she's there. But all she can do is to hope he believed what she said about her being there, even if he can't see her.
Dumbledore stands behind his desk. Again, almost like waiting for something.
She hopes to God, he'll understand.
Draco has stopped by the stairs and Dumbledore has said something.
And she's already irritated that she can't hear him.
"I don't care what Potter did, Professor!" Draco says hastily and out of breath, "I have more important things to discuss!"
Only then does she realize they didn't exchange a word about Harry last night. Almost like she forgot her best friend just tried to kill Draco with a dark curse.
But there were more important things than Harry now, Weren't there?
This was more important, wasn't it?
But she doesn't have time to think about Harry! Because Draco is really telling Dumbledore what's going on.
Not about their adventures through weird dreams and timelines but about his mission and the threat on his and his family's life.
The headmaster is listening, face serious but eyes twinkling, like he knew all this already.
And the further Draco talks she begins to suspect.
"You knew?" She whispers, disbelief filling her.
Was he just waiting for Draco's confession?
If Draco wouldn't have come, would they have let him carry on without hesitation?
She goes to stand behind Draco, who is now sitting on one of the chairs, and tries to put her hand on his shoulder for support.
But of course, she can't.
Now Dumbledore is talking, and she tries her best to read his lips. But it feels impossible, so she settles in studying the expressions on Draco's face to guess what's being said to him.
"Do nothing?" He asks after a while with disbelief.
She flicks her head back to Dumbledore.
Do nothing? Did he just tell Draco to do nothing?
"You want me to carry on like it was all normal? To fix the cabinet that makes it possible for Death Eaters to get in? To… to pretend I'm still trying to kill you?"
"WHAT?" She feels like his last words just made her lost all her self-control, "Carry on like it was normal? NO!"
She goes to stand before the Headmaster, "You can't do that! You need to help him! If he was Harry, you'd help him! Now you tell him to carry on!? He doesn't want to be on Voldemort's side! It's killing him! And you tell him to carry on!? To put himself and everyone he holds dear on the line? FOR WHAT?!"
But of course, no one hears her.
Draco has gotten up to his feet, "So you'll get them to safety?" He's asking now, "I'll do what you told me to, and you'll make sure we're safe?"
Dumbledore nods.
But she doesn't want to take it!
"No! That's not fair! Do you know what he's going through? The pressure they put on him? HE'S SIXTEEN! You're supposed to save him! Not make him your spy! HELP HIM! I PROMISED HIM, YOU'D HELP HIM OUT OF THIS! You can't do this!"
She doesn't even realize Draco already left the room.
.
.
.
Betrayed!
That's how she feels as she follows him to his dormitory.
Betrayed by the one man she thought would no doubt help them. Help him…
Dumbledore was not supposed to make Draco a double agent! He was supposed to get him and his family safe! Not in more danger!
How could he do that!?
"Not now. I need to go lie down for a bit." Draco's saying to his friends as he passes them and draws the curtains around his bed.
He lays down, breathing hard, staring at the ceiling. And she can't even begin to understand all that's going on his head.
She hopes so much she could be there for him! All she can do is to lay down next to him and hope he believed she's with him!
.
.
.
In the afternoon Snape comes to get him to tell what happened with Harry in the bathroom.
He refuses.
He tells the Professor that it was an accident and he doesn't blame Harry for it.
She sits on his bed and stares at him.
So does Snape.
Draco Malfoy doesn't want to hold Harry Potter responsible for nearly killing him? That's unheard of!
She wonders if it's because of her?
Or because of Dumbledore's recent words?
Or their time in the silence?
How she hopes he could hear her so that she could ask!
In the night she falls asleep next to him again.
Hoping to wake up on a tropical beach once more.
She doesn't, but in the dark dormitory in the middle of the night.
He's still sleeping. Uneasily tossing around the bed.
"Fuck!" She swears aloud.
Should have known it's not that easy!
Getting to that beach with him need more than just falling asleep.
She sits up.
Does one of them need to be near death? Or what?
How does she get to share a dream with him!?
Should she try to hurt herself to get to him?
Somehow it sounds unwise, to hurt herself where no one can help her.
"Think!" She orders herself, "What did you do to get there, last time?"
The clock room! Maybe it has something to do with it!
She gets up and makes her way upstairs.
Last time she tried to explode it. Should she do it again?
Or maybe sleeping here is enough?
Deciding it's worth a try she conjures a mattress for herself and lies down.
After a minute, or maybe an hour, she wakes up staring at the familiar blue sky.
"It worked!" She shoots up, looking around for him.
The beach looks deserted once again.
Maybe she celebrated too soon.
Maybe he wasn't there after all.
She stands up and starts to walk along the beach.
It's the most beautiful, serene beach she has ever seen, but she has no time to awe it.
The only reason she even wants to be here is to find him!
A little further there's a long pier reaching for the sea.
And there he is!
Sitting on the edge, waving his legs above the water, staring at the endless sea.
"Draco!" She calls for him as she makes a run for it.
He doesn't look at her as she reaches him, but keeps staring to the blue waves.
It pains her to see him like this. This broken when all she wanted to do was to make him whole again!
"Draco." She says again softly and sits next to him.
"I have to do it anyway…" He says, still not looking at her.
"I know. I heard you." She too looks to the wide offering of the sea, "It was new. I could hear you. No one else but you. And I was there, all the way. I know what happened."
They sit in silence for a while.
"I'm sorry." She tells him silently and he glances at her.
"What for?"
"For trusting him and making you trust him. I'm sorry you still have to keep on serving Voldemort."
He shrugs, "Dumbledore did promise to get me out of it eventually."
It's not enough, she thinks bitterly. I wanted you safe now! First Harry, now you.
"He's using you in the war." She shakes her head, "I don't like it."
He laughs humorlessly, "Nothing much we can do…"
Nothing much but to do what they were told to.
She takes his hand, "I won't leave you alone! I'll be with you! I think I know how I can get to this dream now! We'll get through this! Like we got through the silence!"
She's not sure if it's him or herself she tries to convince.
He huffs, "I'd take the silence over this anytime!"
"So would I! But it's not an option now." She hopes he would look at her but he still hasn't.
"I'm with you Draco! You'll get through this! I'll never give up. I promise!"
At that, he turns to her and puts his head on her shoulder, and she pulls him closer into her arms.
And they hold each other, in this half dream, this weird, twisted reality.
Family stands together.
And she'll stand with him, even if it takes all of her to do it.
Even if she'll never get back to real life again.
Even if it's the last thing she'll do, she'll make sure he survives! That he gets to live!
Because he deserves so much more!
So much better!