Are you people still here?!
A/N: AHHHHHHHH!! Sorry for such the long update. School had started and I'm getting homework! .... Suck. Ass! Anyway... it's Friday and I decided to write again... Sorry sorry!!! Thanks to all the reviewers!!
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Chapter 31: No escape
"You're nothing like Lucius Malfoy. You know that, Draco, you're nothing like him!" Hermione told him. Because they hadn't finished their meal, Draco invited Hermione to his own home. Hermione was now sitting behind him, squeezing a warm towel over his shirtless back. It had a dark swollen scar, from Lucius himself before Draco left the dinner table that day.
"You heard him..."
Hermione sighed. "I... It's all my fault!" She sighed again, "It's my fault this is happening. interrupted! I told you it was a bad idea. This is all.. this is all.. Oh I don't even know what to do anymore! I'm sor—"
"No!" said Draco in a high voice, causing Hermione to almost drop the towel, making Draco's back sting. He calmed down a little... "It's not your fault. It's... it's mine."
Draco told Hermione about the conversation, which made Hermione feel even guiltier. She bit her lip, "Y-you s-said that?"
Draco nodded, "And he said... so be it. I... don't know what ... if he meant it..." he looked down to his shoes. "Then he did thi- OW!"
Hermione had dropped the towel again, causing Draco's back to sting once more.
"AND I GOT YOU KICKED OUT!?" Hermione said, almost close to tears.
"No!" Draco hissed with pain, "I did. I did it because it was the right thing to do... " he held in the pain and turned to face Hermione. He lifted her chin up and looked straight in her eyes, "That's what you always told me."
Hermione didn't speak for a while. She didn't even know what to do... she's so confused... She didn't want to end her relationship with him now just because of that... and she could tell he didn't either.
Hermione looked up at his eyes and noticed him leaning towards her. Who knows if they'll do this long enough... who knows how long it'll last?
After a few moments of silence, Hermione finally spoke. "You know... everything was so normal. Everything was...fine... until I...until I found you..." she breathed, "I don't know if I'll ever feel the same way I do to you, to anyone ever... I never expected myself to feel so happy around you, Draco. Never..." Hermione flung herself onto him and clutched him tight.
Draco hugged her back and just smiled. "Then let's leave it that way," he smelt her hair and ran his hands around her back, "There will be times that I won't understand you at all, you know. But no matter what happens... you'll always be one of the few who made me... a better me."
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Draco never did what his parents told him, this time. So what if he wanted to be with Hermione? Like he said, nobody can stop him! Nobody can stop them...
It was destiny...
He believed it...
Hermione had taught Draco how to believe in other things and care... This was the exactly the time.
Draco had no problem about his mother... but he can let Lucius hurt him all he wants but he wasn't going to let him stop their relationship.
He loved her...
Without Hermione... there was nothing else...
Her, on the other hand, was having trouble seeing things. She still thinks it's her fault and yet she's stuck in between of right and wrong.
She loved him...
They can't let go now... they've only started.
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The two had just ended a wonderful time at Diagon Alley that cool afternoon, and they Floo'd back to Draco's house.
It wasn't long until a large black owl swooped inside the kitchen, where Darla was making some tea. The owl had a parchment attached to its leg...
Darla walked over to the creature and took the parchment.
"What you got there, Darla?" Draco walked over to her. Darla shook her head and handed the letter to her master.
"Darla can't read, sir."
Draco sat down beside Hermione as they both read aloud.
To the proprietor of the house,
Hermione, of course, as a fast reader, read beyond Draco. She gasped and told Draco to stop reading out loud at once. He raised a brow and read along....
--
Hermione followed behind Draco as he rushed into the ward, panting.
A man from a table stood up and pointed, "Sir, you're not suppose to be here. Leave at once- "
Ignoring the man and looking around, Draco found a bed surrounded by purple curtains and ran over to it.
"Mother! It's me... It's me Draco..." he said behind the curtains. Then he heard murmurs from inside.
"Sir, you are not authorize-"
"That's my mother in there!" Draco yelled at the man. Hermione bit her lip again and stared at the curtain anxiously.
"It's my son...please, let my son in." Draco heard his mother say from inside. She didn't have the soft flowing voice... it was cracky and quiet.
A plump looking woman opened the curtains. Draco kneeled in front of his mother's bed... she lyed there looking sick. Pale. And her eyes were dark. Many papers floated behind her bed and there were many potions on her bedside table.
"Oh, darling..." she said quietly. Draco hugged her.
"What's wrong, mom? What happened? Who did this to y-" at that, Draco stopped dead. His eyes widened and looked at the also horrified Hermione, then back at Narcissa.
Narcissa simply nodded slowly, but she was smiling.
"He loves you, honey. He loves you..."
Draco was raging with anger again. How could Lucius do this? If there was anyone he's got to hurt it was Draco! It was he, not Narcissa! She had nothing to do with it...
Hermione felt like leaving the room, but she chose not to. She tried to calm down, breathing...slowly...
Draco, too, was trying to keep calm. "Why? Why, mother?"
Narcissa shook her head, "It's ok Draco, dear..."
"No! No mom, it's not!" Draco stood up and had raised his voice, "How could you let him do this to you?"
"He's a very stressed and busy man, sweetheart. He's growing old as well as I, and he doesn't want anything intruding with his work."
"Which has nothing to do with you! It's my fault mom. I should've left after you did..."
Hermione nodded her head, but Narcissa shook it.
"No, baby. You got a responsibility now." She looked weakly at Hermione, and for the first time, she smiled at her. Hermione felt funny and did nothing but smile back. She walked over beside Draco ... but she smiled back...
She smiled...
"He knows it's not healthy!" Draco continued, "Where is he now?"
Draco's mother didn't speak.
"Mom, where is he?"
Nobody spoke...
Narcissa looked down at her chin. "Your father," she pulled Draco down gently and knelt down, "had been sent to Azkaban." She sighed depressedly, "I still love him, Draco. And you too."
Draco blanked out. He didn't know what to think.... So many mixed emotions.... Surprised, angry... and yet... grateful.
...Lucius had been sent to Azkaban.
Draco and Hermione sighed in relief. And then again, nobody spoke...
"He deserves it. You know he deserves it, mother." Draco said darkly, "He's done so many-" Draco rubbed his back shoulder and felt the engraved scar, "And it's about time.. He deserves it."
He stared at his mother, then at Hermione. Hermione kept quiet this whole time...
After a while, the plump healer had entered and shoo'd Draco and Hermione off.
"Madame needs to rest." She said. Narcissa nodded and said no more. She closed her eyes as the curtains closed themselves.
"How long do you think he's in Azkaban?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Hopefully his whole life." Draco said angrilly, "But if not-"
Draco and Hermione slowly walked out of the ward. Quietly...
"I'll be waiting."