1 All the Love in the World 2

1.1 A/n: As all of you have so desperately wanted, here's the second part of this fic, Unlike the last part, this is told from the authors point of view. *Thanks for all those reviews*



Chapter 3

The wind blew strappingly by Hermione that day. It was freezing cold and she pulled her cloak tighter on her body.

"Herm, its cold and its getting dark out here, you better get in." said a voice behind the coldness.

Hermione turned around to find Ron approaching, with a worried look on his face.

"What are you doing in this cold?" He asked as he pulled a furry cloak over her back and held her in his embrace to keep her warm.

"Nothing,"

"We better get in Hermione, this blizzard's getting stronger by the second.

Hermione nodded, and together they walked towards the Hogwarts castle.

~~*

Crash! Went the door, as it slammed open when Ron and Hermione entered the empty Great Hall. Ron rushed behind the door and struggled to close it.

"Ah," he breathed when he finally managed to lock it. "That was some blizzard,"

"Yeah," sighed Hermione. She walked over to the fireplace and pointed her wand at the ashes.

"Lacardum Inflamore," she whispered. Sure enough there, was the roaring warm flame burning before her. She stood up, walked to a relaxing red chair, and stood before the fire. 'Draco could always make blazes in to dancing multihued flames, yes beautiful ones, hypnotizing and inviting streaks of light dancing in the fireplace.' she thought. 'Why am I thinking about him anyway, yes, I know he loves me, and I him. Yet, I know that I will loose him eventually, tomorrow exactly; tomorrow is the ceremony. That blasted Voldemort. Why does he have to come between Draco and me? Typical, the bastard doesn't know how to love, how could he understa-'

"Hermione? Hello," her thoughts were cut of by Ron, he was waving his hand in front of her face when she was apparently staring in to space.

"Uh, Huh?"

"Hermione, I was talking to you, weren't you listening?"

"Uhm, Yes? What were you talking about again?"

"Hermione, your not yourself today, what's going on?"

"I. I was just thinking, I'm sorry Ron, I'm just tired, I better get on to bed," with that, she left the hall leaving a slightly shocked Ron gaping after her.

"Ah," he sighed and looked down on the carpet. He sauntered over to the chair and crashed down on to it.

"Did you do it?" said a voice from behind him.

"I tried to, but she just didn't listen. What am I supposed to do Harry?"

"How hard could it be to ask Hermione to marry you? I mean, you've been friends for a long time and until now, were practically nineteen and your ready to marry, your ready to marry Hermione," Harry said.

"Yeah, but what if she doesn't love me?"

"Doesn't love you?" Harry said in disbelief. "How could you say that? Its obvious that she does Ron, she gets jealous over every girl you get involved with and badmouths all of them in fact, remember Fleur in the fourth year, Lavander in the fifth year, Parvati in the sixth, and uhm. that rumor over at the Slytherin house about Pansy?"

Ron looked at Harry and in a split second; they burst in to fits of silly giggles.

"How could ANYONE forget that? Hermione had Pansy's cheeks swollen for a week and served detention for hurting a Slytherin,"

"You see?"

"Yeah, Yeah Harry don't worry I'll try again.tomorrow."

~~*

Hermione got up to one of the many rooms of Hogwarts, the one where she stayed. She wasn't really tired, that was just an excuse; an excuse for her to get out of their conversation (Whatever they were talking about). Hermione just wanted to think.

Tomorrow was the day Draco would swear to Voldemort; that he would uphold evil and commit to the Dark Side as long as he lived. Hermione knew that he never wanted to. She knew perfectly well that he was at the status of the dark side, and his family was a loyal follower of Voldemort, and who knows he might be the soon to be heir of all that vile, despicable, repugnant, empire of evil of his.

Hermione knew that she had found the love she most wanted, and she was not about to let something so perfect and beautiful slip away because of anything. She knew that she had to do something if she wanted to keep it. She already promised to herself that she would never let go and so she would not.

~~*



Draco Malfoy, the most successful deatheater wouldn't you think? NOT. If evil were an element he would meet Draco with a destruction he thought never imaginable.

He was so pitiable, sitting there in his study at the Malfoy Manor, defeated. And yet, he could not do anything, but to meet the fate that was built around him even before he was born. The day was ending quickly and with that the next day would meet him. Doomsday. Draco found this rather awkward. What an extremely inappropriate time for love to come, at the time he would never have the chance to protect and allow it to flourish when all round him detests the very idea.

Tomorrow he would come to meet the Dark Lord, and swear all he is worth to him. To him he would rather die than to let him carve that accursed mark on to his arm, but there was too much; too much to loose. Her.

Hermione, yes, to him she was the only reason he was still living right now. From the start, a perfect little needle pierced deeply in to his skin, offering pain; yes pain, he was so jealous of her perfection, oh how she was perfect at everything, everything even in her family- something he would never have. But in the end, she seemed the only one who was to remove all the pain from his life, if only blood hadn't been thicker than water.

~~*

It was about dawn, snow was falling intensely over the roofs of the Hogwarts castle. At the seventh floor of a timid guestroom a bear candle was lit.

'It's today,' thought Hermione as she got up suddenly from bed about three o' clock in the morning. Yes, today would be the day that she would loose Draco forever. 'Call it destiny,' Destiny, destiny for him that was built as his world even before he was brought in to this world. Destiny, he wished so much to get rid of. Hermione knew that Draco would do anything to be in someone else's shoes right about now, but she felt more pity for herself, than for him, because she couldn't do anything. As her mother said, 'It's not what you can't do, It's what you can do' Hermione was about to believe that, if only she knew what she could do.

"Hermione, you awake" came Ron's voice through her door.

"Ron? It's three in the morning, honestly what are you doing here?" Hermione whispered through the coldness, she was holding back heavy tears that were starting to roll down her face, struggling to keep a firm tone in her voice.

"Its good you're awake," said Ron in a hoarse voice as Hermione heard the door creak open wider and felt Ron enter the room. "Hermione, we need to talk."

Hermione looked up from her bed and turned her back to him; making sure that he would not see her tears.

"I'm sorry Ron but this is really not the time-" before she knew what was happening, she was pinned down on to her bed by Ron who was holding her arms over her head.

"Ron," Hermione began as she looked away from his obviously shocked face.

"What happened Hermione? Have you been crying?"

"No, it's nothing,"

"Hermione, I care about you so much. You're not about to hide something from me," he said finally letting her sit up on the bed; letting his grip loosen.

"You, don't understand-" Hermione was cut off once again when Ron placed his lips over hers and sealed her words in a passionate kiss. Hermione didn't pull away, she was just consumed in the kiss, that seemed to cross the threshold on all her problems.

"The only thing I don't understand Hermione," began Ron as he broke the kiss. "is why you can't tell me what is perturbing you. For goodness sakes Hermione, I'm your friend and. and. I l-love you."

Hermione was shocked. She couldn't be more shocked of her friend's feelings for her.

"I-I'm sorry Ron, b-but, I," her voice was trembling, she was still trying to get over the shock.

"Why Hermione," he said in a soft tone "Why can't you love me?"

"I-I can't love you, I'm sorry"

Without a word, Ron stood up from his knees and walked out of Hermione's bedroom door. Hermione crashed down on her bed, sobbing all she was worth.

~~*

Draco took the quill, and started scribbling a note.a last note.

Hermione,

Today is the day, the day I say goodbye. I'm sorry Hermione, I'm sorry if I made you cry. I'm sorry for all the things that we could have had.together. I'm sorry for all the perfection this love could have brought us.

I'm letting you go Hermione, I'm letting you go. for now. I love you, I will always. forever.

~Draco

With that, he folded the note and tied it miserably on his eagle owls leg. 'Send it, with love' he whispered.

~~*

"Hermione, you have to get up,"

"Huh?"

"The ministry, requests our presence, we're going to defeat Voldemort, at last.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Hermione said from under her covers

" Tonight, will be the swearing of the new deatheaters to him, and we're going to be there."

"WHAT?" Hermione sat up suddenly from her bed.

"We're going to raid them out and we will finally capture the whole lot. Ha, ha" Hermione knw that this might have been great news for Harry, but she was sure that this would be the same ceremony that Draco would be in, and it they kill him.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked ignorantly, suddenly recognizing that fact that she still had to answer him.

"You, you look like you came out of new years eve, look at your hair"

"Oh, Harry, when will you learn to shut up?"

"So Hermione,"

"So what? Harry"

"I heard Ron and you had a little chat last night"

"That, apparently, was NOT a chat," she muttered.

"So did he ask you?"

"Ask me what?"

"To marry him of course,"

"WHAT!?"

"Obviously, not"

"No, seriously Harry, he was really going to ask me that?"

"He was about to as it seems,"

"I-I'm-"

Hermione heard a tapping coming from the outside. It was an owl.

"Isn't that Malfoy's owl?" said Harry

It *was* Malfoy's owl. Hermione rushed over to the window and let the owl pass through, she saw a letter, strapped to his leg. She stripped it off quickly as to make sure Harry would not see it and then sent the owl off.

"What does he want?"

"Nothing, just wanted to find out if that stone he gave us worked."

"Oh, then ask him why the hell he would give it to us"

"He already did you a favor by the fact that he saved your life and besides Harry, maybe he can't say" said Hermione as she gazed out the window after the owl.

~~*

That afternoon, Hermione walked in to the Great Hall and looked over the sight. Some students were sitting on their tables and p



et the fate that was built around him even before he was born. The day was ending quickly and with that the next day would meet him. Doomsday. Draco foundaying games. Some Gryffindor third years were there playing exploding snap, also, some Ravenclaws were playing wizards chess. It was not that which Hermione noticed. It was Ron, he was sitting on that same red chair that she had been on that night they were in the Great hall, watching the flames dancing in the fireplace. Even though his back was turned to her, she knew it was he. Hermione approached him quietly.

"Flames, so powerful as it seems; and yet a little stream of water can kill its power in a moment." Hermione stated as she stood beside Ron's chair; only focusing on the hypnotizing blazes by the hearth.

"What do you want?" snapped Ron in an obviously irritated voice. He din't even bother to look at her; Hermione however noticed the flames reflections in his eyes was auspiciously matching his mood.

"You know what I'm doing here Ron," she stated firmly supremacy in her voice; finally focusing on Ron.

"Let me guess, you want to.apologize maybe? Or plead?"

"I'm not that fraught," Hermione said before she took a deep breath and continued, "What I said to you, is not entirely truthful."

"What?" he said in shock 'How could she be so right to the point?' he thought.

"I love you Ron, but not as much as you want me to."

"Is there someone else?" He said as he turned to Hermione, the fire in his eyes gone.

Hermione took a deep breath, "I don't know Ron, I just don't. I can't say there is; nor can I say that there isn't. I just can't answer you at this time."

Hermione turned to the flames in the hearth. As Ron looked at her with questioning a gaze.

"Perhaps. When the time is right"

~~*