Chapter 6 – Only Hope
Disclaimer: We do not own in any way shape or form the characters or settings of J.K.Rowling's book. Only she has that privilege. Also, none of the songs we use in these stories belong to us either. We thank the directors of the "Walk to Remember" soundtrack for writing such awesome lyrics.
Author's Note: We are sincerely sorry for the wait…one of us is not quite the responsible one, so glares to the childish partner in crime. Again, and we can't emphasize this enough, THESE STORIES ARE NOT RELATED! They are each a story in themselves, to the lyrics of the song. Enjoy!
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There's a song that's inside of my soul
It's the one that I've tried to write
Over and over again
Hermione lay awake in her bed, staring at the crimson material of her canopy above her. She was counting the minutes in her head until the time when she would meet him. He was the only thing that made sense to her anymore and yet was what confused her the most.
For weeks they had been playing this game of cat and mouse, and each time the prey would give in to the hunter. They had short, secret meetings in secluded parts of the castle. The meetings were always rushed and filled with the silent love they possess for one another but didn't dare to speak of.
I'm awake in the infinite cold
Would you sing to me over and
Over and over again
She shivered as her feet made contact with the cold stone of the floor. Quietly, she clicked the door shut and tiptoed her way down the spiral staircase.
She soundlessly closed the portrait hole and exited the common room without a backwards glance. As she made her way to the trophy room, her mind spun with memories of him. She passed dark corners and crevices in the hallways and recalled stolen kisses and hushed promises that it wouldn't always be this way.
Hermione opened the trophy room door. He was leaning against the opposite wall, looking at the ground. He looked up when she entered and smiled. In five steps, he crossed the room and enveloped her in his arms, resting his chin on the crown of her head. She could feel his breath winding its way through her hair when he exhaled.
"You came," He said and kissed her forehead lightly.
"I always come." She reached up and pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes. The stormy gray that looked back at her was red and bloodshot. "Draco, what's wrong?"
"A blessing in disguise," he told her quietly. "My father was killed; poisoned. The funeral is tomorrow, but I'm not going."
"How is that a blessing?" She asked and pulled out of his embrace.
"Hermione, he was the only threat we had to our relationship. We don't have to hide it anymore." He took a step towards her, closing the distance between them, but she moved away. "What's the matter? I thought you'd be happy."
Hermione was stunned. She finally had exactly what she wanted and now she was pushing it away. When she should be happy she was terrified. For so long they had kept their relationship a secret because of what Lucius might have done to his son had he known. Now she was paralyzed at the thought of what her peers and friends would think.
So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands
"Draco, what about everyone else? What will they think?" She crossed her arms over her chest as a barrier between them.
"I don't care what they think! Let them make up their stories and spread their rumors. Why would I care when I know the truth?" He asked and then paused. "Do you care?"
For the first time in her life Hermione didn't know the answer to a question. The silence in the room became almost unbearable. She knew what answer he wanted, and his eyes were pleading with her to give it, but she couldn't.
"Draco…I…" she stuttered, but he held out a hand to stop her.
"Don't make up an excuse." He said, sounding harsher than he had meant to. "I get it. You're afraid of what I'll do to your perfect reputation. How stupid could I have been to think you could ever care for me? I didn't think you were that shallow."
He turned towards the door and began to walk away, but she reached out and grabbed his arm.
And pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head before she could say anything.
"One more thing before I go…" he said and closed the distance between them. He gripped her upper arms with his pale hands and lowered his lips to hers.
Draco looked at her, an unbelievable sadness sweeping over him. He swallowed thickly, lowering his mouth to hers and capturing a mournful kiss. She returned it desperately, hooking her arm around his neck. He kissed her slowly, concentrating what would be their last embrace. Hermione's tongue gently flicked his mouth, eager to savor what little they had left. He welcomed it sadly, squeezing his eyes shut as their departing kiss ended, leaving them with nothing.
"Vanilla and spearmint." He said and looked at her with mournful gray eyes.
"What?" She questioned.
"That's what you taste like and that's how I want to remember you." He cupped her face in his palms. "Goodbye, Hermione."
I know now you're my only hope
Hermione's legs crumpled from under her as the sound of the door shutting behind him echoed through the room as well as her own mind. She felt the hot tears streaming in rivers down her cheeks but didn't bother to brush them away. She knew that she had to get out of the trophy room for it held far too many memories. Stumbling to her feet, she clumsily fled the room. Absentmindedly staggering back to the Gryffindor common room, she collapsed into an armchair and cried herself to sleep.
The next morning she opened her eyes to see the curious faces of her housemates huddled around her. She knew she must look a sight, eyes still red and puffy from crying and her hair lying in every which way from her awkward sleeping positions.
"Hermione," came Harry's calm voice to her left, "what are you doing asleep in a chair? You were the first one up to the dorms last night."
"Couldn't sleep," she lied in a groggy voice. She had always prided herself on her ability to think on her feet. "I thought I'd come back down and read for a bit. Must have drifted off."
Sing to me the song of the stars
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing
And laughing again
"I'm going to go get dressed." She faked a yawn and climbed the spiral staircase. Haphazardly, she pulled on articles of clothing and grabbed her bookbag. She was almost out the door before she realized she had put her shoes on the wrong feet. Laughing quietly to herself, she sat down on the stone floor and corrected them. Lavender and Parvati watched from the doorway.
"Guy trouble?" Parvati whispered to her friend. Lavender's face lit up with a smile, and she nodded. "But who?"
"I don't know, but we can find out." Lavender said, a hint of mischief in her voice. The two girls happily bounced into the room. Situating themselves on either side of Hermione, they linked arms with her and escorted her out of the room.
"Hermione, we just want you to know that whoever he is, we're behind you one hundred percent." Parvati said overenthusiastically with fake assurance dripping from every word.
"But, just so we know who we're mad at, who is he?" Lavender piped. Hermione stopped walking and shook them both off her arms.
"There is no he and even if there was it wouldn't be any of your business!" She shouted, shooting daggers at them through her glare. Angrily, she went down the stairs two at a time and stormed past a very surprised Harry and Ron on her way out of the common room.
The two girls remained at the top of the staircase, watching her leave. Parvati turned to her friend with a knowing smile. "She's got it bad."
When it feels like my dreams are so far
Sing to me of the plans that you have
For me over again
She was the first person to arrive in Potions class. She silently took her seat in the center of the room, and her heart sank as she realized that for the next two hours she would have to stare at the back of his head. She knew her fingertips would tingle as she recalled what it felt like to fist his silky hair and run her hands through the long blonde strands. She would be able to smell his now familiar scent of the expensive cologne he wore and something else she had never been able to place, that combined were essentially Draco.
The class was going to be torture for her. The only occupant of the room apart from herself was the moody potions master who hadn't even looked up when she entered the class. He was immersed in the Daily Prophet, and only paused to take a bite our of the jelly doughnut next to the paper.
So I lay my hands back down
And I lift my hands
After what seemed like an eternity, the rest of the class began filing in. Draco was one of the last ones to arrive. When he entered the room her eyes locked onto his silver ones, and he stopped dead in his tracks as their gazes melded together. For a moment it was as if they were the only two in the room, and her heart soared at the thought that everything might be alright. His eyes quickly glazed over with anger and he averted his gaze, ripping her heart into pieces all over again.
The class was even more horrible than she had imagined it would be. She couldn't concentrate, and she received the lowest grade she had gotten in any class since her arrival at Hogwarts. On top of everything else, she had to watch Pansy shower him with attention. By the time they were dismissed, all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and never see the light again.
Harry and Ron had sensed something was wrong and left her alone all morning. She silently thanked them for not prying about what was the matter, although deep down she knew they were dying to know. Hermione could hear Parvati and Lavender chattering away about who it was that had broken her heart, but she knew that she was actually the one who had destroyed them both.
And pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
The rest of the day passed by much like the morning had. Draco was glad it was Friday and that he wouldn't have to be in class with her for two more days. They say time heals all wounds, and that's what he was counting on. Being around her all day had been horrible. He could feel her eyes on his back and smell her sweet perfume whenever they came close to each other.
He missed her, needed her, but she was the one who had been ashamed of him, and she was the one who would have to put them back together.
I know now you're my only hope
Hermione must have walked past the doors of the trophy room twenty times. Sighing, she lowered herself to the ground and leaned back against the wall. She watched the stillness of the hall through the silvery material of Harry's invisibility cloak. She had told him that she needed to visit Hagrid about one of the animals they had been studying in class. She knew that he hadn't believed her story, but he had lent her the cloak anyway.
She had come hoping that Draco would be there, but after two hours she was starting to loose hope. Just as she was standing to leave, the sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor. Knowing that she was probably getting her hopes up for nothing, she turned to face the noise. Draco was walking towards her. Not me, she told herself, I'm invisible. His blonde hair was free of gel and falling every which way, exactly how she liked it. He watched his feet as he lumbered down the hall, coming to a halt before the trophy room doors. There were but two feet from one another, and Hermione longed to reach out and hold him, to have him touch her again.
"I always hoped it wouldn't be this way." He whispered to himself, his words breaking the silence. He reached out with one hand to caress the engraved Hogwarts crest on the door, first the lion and then the snake. "Thought it would all be okay now. Guess I was wrong." He let his fingernails scratch the wood as his arm fell to his side.
I give you my destiny
I'm giving you all of me
Long after he had gone, Hermione remained in her position, frozen by his words. Her mind whirled with what she had seen and heard. For the rest of the night she wandered the castle, visiting every place where they had shared a kiss, a touch, a whisper. Each time she stopped to remember something her heart launched itself into her throat. She didn't even realize when the tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
She was nothing without him by her side. He was her source of happiness, what filled her with life. Without him she felt empty, distraught, like a puzzle without the final piece.
She knew what she had to do.
I want you symphony
Singing in all that I am
The next morning when Hermione pushed open the heavy doors of the Great Hall, Draco was standing in the center of the room with a bored _expression on his face listening to Pansy. Taking a deep breath she slowly walked towards him. She could feel her heartbeat quickening with every step she took.
"Excuse me Parkinson." She said and used one arm to shove the girl out of the way. Putting a hand on either side of Draco's head, she turned him to her and guided his face towards hers.
Their lips met in a hesitant embrace as she wound her arms around his neck and pull him closer to her. She pressed her lips more firmly against his and let her tongue glide over his bottom lip before sliding it in between them and gently massaging his own. Draco had been non-respondent up until this point, but with a soft moan in the back of his throat he gave into her embrace and brought one hand up to fist in her long, brown hair and let the other press against the small of her back, closing the remaining distance between them.
Their tongues playfully battled one another while their embrace became more intimate. Hermione shifted slightly to the left and gasped as their bodies perfectly alined with each other. She slowly pulled her head back and looked into his molten silver eyes.
At the top of my lungs I'm giving it back
"I'm sorry Draco, so sorry." She said between chaste kisses. Pulling him close to her she whispered the words that were screaming in her mind. "I love you."
His face lit up in the biggest smile she had ever seen from him. He lowered his head so that his forehead was resting on hers. "I love you too," he said quietly before capturing her lips in a slow, passionate kiss once again.
Neither of them heard the various cat calls being shouted across the hall or saw the shocked expressions of their classmates and the knowing twinkle in the headmaster's eye. There were in another place entirely. A place only people who are truly in love can ever witness. A place called bliss.
So I lay my my head back down
And I lift my hands
And pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I know now you're my only hope
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