A/N: Hi guys! I've managed to finish another chapter! I would really like to thank everyone that took the time to write a review or leave a follow! You guys keep me going!
Chapter 26
Hermione woke one night when it was still dark out. A stabbing pain had woken her and when she cast the blankets off her body, she found they were stained with blood. She yelled for her guards and then everything started happening very fast. She felt a pain so strong she was sure her body would rip in half. A handful of physicians gathered around her bed and ordered her to do several things. They were whispering too, but she was in too much pain to care.
"There is something wrong," she breathed, her hands pressed against her belly. "Please, he's in trouble!" she yelled at them. She wanted them to save her child, she wanted them to save the last part of Draco still in this world. Finally, it was Anna who jumped into action, grabbing one of Hermione's hands and guiding her.
"Push, Hermione, one more." She screamed as another wave ran through her body. And then she heard it, a crying baby. One of the doctors grabbed the small infant and wrapped it in a blanket.
"Give him to me," she ordered, she knew it was a boy before they told her. It was the queen mother who handed her the small boy with silver eyes.
"What will you name him?" they asked. Hermione was aware of the people around her rushing and worrying. She felt her body grow weaker by the second and she felt her consciousness fade. She knew this was the moment. Her body was too tired to take this and she wasn't going to make it.
"Draco, his name is Draco," she whispered and pressed a kiss on the small boy's head. "Remember that your parents loved you so much, your grandmother will tell you. Your father was the bravest man I have ever met and he saved me in every possible way. You don't have to worry about me, I'll find him and we'll always be with you" She pressed her forehead against his and felt tears fall down her cheek. She grabbed the necklace she had been wearing with both hers and Draco's ring on it and tied it around the tiny baby's wrist. "One day, you'll find a girl and you'll love her the way I loved your father, and you'll know it's right. These rings stand for everything that is love, and you should have them." She bit her lip to fight the tears and the black spots appearing in her vision. "Take him," she ordered the queen mother. The older woman complied and grabbed the infant from her weakening arms. "You have to raise him, you have to tell him about his father and mother and you'll have to take care of him because we can't." She was firm and clear. In her dying moments, she appointed the older woman regent until her son was of age. The physicians, the queen mother and Anna all watched as their queen slowly faded from the bloodloss. They heard her whisper one final word. "Draco."
Draco had spent another night cuddled up with the book Hermione gave him. He usually spent his nights quietly whispering to her as if she was still here. He told her about his day, about his mission but above all he told her he missed her more than words could say. If she were here, everything would be different. Maybe he wouldn't be so beyond help.
"Ready to go, mate?" Blaise poked his head into Draco's tiny curtain fortress.
"Yeah, sure, just give me a sec," he answered, jumping out of the bed and packing his bag, making sure the book was in there, safe and sound. He dressed in his robes and splashed some water in his face. He missed the velvet suits he got to wear back home. Home. He thought of the past as home now, because that's where he left her.
"Man, I'm so hungry," Blaise groaned as they made their way to the great hall.
"Yeah," Draco absentmindedly answered.
"Hi, Dracey," Pansy sweetly purred as she joined them.
"Hey, Pans." He wasn't too keen on having the girl around, but he was too exhausted to do much about it. At least she wasn't drugging him so Weasley could take Hermione away from him, that sort of thing only happened in the good old days. If he thought about it, their medieval times were filled with drama and danger, but it had given him the opportunity to finally be the prince on a white horse instead of the villain for once and he couldn't imagine a better princess to save. Blaise and Pansy quickly joined in a conversation about Lavender Brown and Draco tuned out. Not really in the mood to hear about the guy fawning over the girl he loved. They walked into the great hall and Draco's heart fell. There, in the middle, was Harry Potter talking to the girl he cursed, Katie Bell.
His heart was racing, his mind fogging up. The girl was probably telling him that he did it, he would probably be dead by morning. He ran out, his friends staring after him with a confused look in his eyes. He ran as far as his feet would carry him and collapsed against one of the sinks in the girl's lavatory, grasping it so tightly his knuckles went white. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He felt the tears run hot against his cheek.
"I know what you did, Malfoy." He looked up, finding the raven haired boy looking in the same mirror, standing a little further. In that moment, Malfoy retorted to a flight or fight reflex, he would fight for that was what he was trained to do. He would fight to survive, he would fight for the slightest chance of a future with Hermione, even if there was none. He would fight for his mother, he would fight for his sanity and he would fight to die. Because he knew he would, there was no way he could win against a boy who still had everything to lose, while he had nothing left. He had lost everything and if it were to be this way, he would gladly accept his faith and die, for at least then he would be free of this terrible feeling. So he turned and threw a jinx at the other boy, starting the fight. He would always remember that he was the one that did that. They threw spells back and forth, shattering the sinks and causing debris and water to spill everywhere, Draco noticed that they were pretty closely matched. Neither gaining the upper hand. But then something snagged his attention.
Hermione woke up late that morning, or so she noticed. It had been quite the shock when she realised she was back in her dorm at Hogwarts, wearing her pajamas. The dorm was already empty and she couldn't find anything better to do than to dress in her robes and get down to the great hall, where everybody else would be. Nothing had changed. She was ready to leave if that meant that she got to be with Draco or if she would have ceased to exist. Enduring in a world where he was no longer alive wasn't what she wanted, it wasn't what she left her child for. She walked down the stairs, ignoring everyone that said hello. She didn't feel like being friendly, she didn't feel like herself anymore, not when a part of her was missing. She wrapped her arms around her frame, hugging herself and urging herself to continue. That's when she heard the noise coming from one of the bathrooms. It sounded like a series of small explosions and crashes and Hermione knew this to be the sound of a fight. Her feet picked up the pace and she ran towards the large double doors. The room was covered in debris and water, and even some smoke. the explosions continued until a boy emerged from the stalls, not just any boy, however, her boy.
"Draco," she whispered, softly, barely audible. The moment his name left her lips, he turned towards her and time seemed to slow down so much it almost felt like it had stopped. His grey eyes found hers and she saw a small smile form on his lips. He felt warmth engulf his heart as he looked at her, for he felt like looking at the past. This was her, this was his Hermione and she had come back for him somehow. He felt like everything was going to be alright, he felt like he finally had something to live for again. She smiled softly at him and he whispered her name, his hand reaching out to her. Just when she wanted to run to him and grab hold of him, a spell hit him square in his chest, sending him flying backwards. Time started moving again, faster than it had before and Hermione gasped as she saw Draco laying in the water, desperately trying to breathe. She ran towards him and sank down on her knees next to him, into the water spilled over the entire floor. His white shirt was slowly turning crimson, like it had before.
"No, please," she whispered. Draco's hand came up to her face and he made her look at him.
"You can't do this do me again, please," she begged, her small hands desperately trying to put pressure on the wounds that appeared on his chest, there were just too many. Hermione didn't see Harry standing behind her, witnessing what he had caused.
"You're here," Draco whispered softly through his tears.
"I'm here, so you can't go, okay, please don't leave me again," her tears were rolling down her cheeks and she was panicking. "Please," she whispered, the fabric of his shirt bunched in her hands as she tried to hold on for dear life. "Please, I love you," she whispered. Draco didn't care that he was dying, he didn't care that all the blood was running out of his body, if that was the price he had to pay to see her once more, he would gladly pay it.
"Hermione," he whispered softly before drifting away.
"No, no, no, please, wake up, Draco," Hermione grasped his face and gently shook him. "Don't you dare do this, wake up!" She was yelling at him now.
"Step away from him, Miss Granger," She barely even heard the low voice behind her. Otherwise she would have recognized it as Snape. He repeated his request, but Hermione didn't seem to be able to register it. It was Harry who grabbed her and pulled her away.
"Take her to your common room and find me after," Snape ordered Harry before he dragged kicking and screaming from the bathroom. She watched as Snape knelt over Malfoy and whispered something, she watched until the doors fell closed, blocking her view.
It was a miracle that Harry got her back to the common room, where he finally let her go. He quickly ordered everyone but Ron out of the room before Hermione had a chance to react. As he turned to her once more, she charged at him, Ron barely managed to catch her around the waist and hold her back.
"You killed him!" she shrieked, fighting against Ron. "You killed him! Do you realize what happened to the previous guy who tried to do so? I killed him," she spat, very aware of the venom in her voice.
"Hermione, calm down," Ron was whispering against her ear as he held on to her, not knowing what all this was about.
"I didn't mean to," Harry finally responded.
"Who are we talking about here?" Ron asked, sounding very confused.
"Malfoy," Harry responded.
"I used one of the prince's spells and it.." he didn't finish.
"It cut him open, there were cuts all over his body," Hermione struggled against Ron as she spoke, still desperately trying to get her hands on Harry.
"I didn't know it would do that," Harry defended himself.
"You can't really be that stupid, Harry, sectum literally means cuts and semper means always." She knew she sounded like a crazed bookworm right now but she didn't care. "You killed him," she hissed.
"We're talking about Malfoy, right?" Ron recapitulated.
"Yes, Ronald, keep up," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Let me go," she demanded. Ron glanced at Harry who carefully nodded. She felt his arms retreat.
"Why are you this upset about Malfoy?" Ron finally asked, naming the elephant in the room.
"He's a git, Hermione," Harry finally spoke. This time, Ron didn't catch her in time. She ran towards Harry and slapped him as hard as she could.
"Shut up, Harry," she hissed as he grabbed her tiny hands to protect himself.
"I don't even recognize you anymore," she finally said before storming out, leaving two very confused boys behind.
There you have it, please leave a review! I love to hear from you guys and don't worry, I've still got plenty planned for this story!