CHAPTER 2~ A Death in the "Family"
"You have?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, since third year. I didn't want anyone to know back then, so I covered it up. I've been hoping to see you again since graduation, but I never thought it would happen."
"I've turned down so many guys in the past three years. Every time one of the asked me out I would think of you and I would pray that I'd see you again. It's been three years since I've seen you and you still look the same, but you've matured so much, and that makes me all the more attracted to you."
"Do you wanna go out with me tonight?" he asked.
"I hafta work, you know that. I'm supposed to be there right now. The other nurses are gunna be so mad at me. I'm supposed to have a high status and if they think I'm blowing off my responsibilities they won't respect me."
"You can go down there now, but I'll act like the cunning Slytherin I was and think of a way to get you out." A smirk appeared on him lips and it made Hermione think that he was up to no good.
"Alright, I'll see you later then." She walked out of the room and headed down the stairs. Of course she wanted to go out with Draco, but she had so much responsibility with her nursing, and she couldn't let her job go to hell.
When she arrived, she was met with a horrible sight-there was a wounded soldier in almost every bed. Most of them were spitting up blood and some had their insides on their outsides. No matter what their condition was, they were al crying out in agony.
She rushed to the nearest bed and gave the young man a potion to dull his pain and a potion to put him to sleep. She expertly mended his severe wounds and moved onto the next bed.
The war wasn't looking to good for the light side by the looks of this. Judging from the amount of wounded soldiers, they had probably been snuck up on at night and attacked.
After four years of training she was able to handle any amount of blood that was spurting from the soldiers. What she couldn't handle was seeing the fiery red hair that belonged to one of her best friends in the next bed with his intestines coming out of his stomach. She knew that there was absolutely nothing in the world that could be done for him. There was no spell great enough and no potion strong enough that could fix this type of injury.
Hermione knelt down next to his bed with tears flowing from her big brown eyes. "Ron?"
"Hey 'Mione."
"I'm so sorry. There's nothing I can do for you," she whispered.
"I know. Harry's still fighting though. There's still hope. He'll be the one who puts an end to all this bullshit. I want you to know that I'll never leave you. My body will die, but my spirit will live on. Always remember the good times we shared. Remember the good times, Hermione."
"I will Ron. I will never forget you. You were like the brother I never had. You were always there when I needed you. I'm going to miss you so much."
"Goodbye, Hermione."
"Goodbye, Ron."
With that Ronald Weasley closed his eyes and would never open them again. Hermione stayed by his bedside and cried and cried. When she thought she had no more tears to cry, they started all over again. She just watched her best friend die because of Death Eaters-the people she hated most.
~
Draco was walking past the room that had been turned into the hospital wing. He took a quick peek inside and basically saw what he had expected to see-a bunch of crying, bleeding soldiers. When he looked more carefully, he saw Hermione bent over a bed, crying her eyes out. As he stepped forward a few more steps, he noticed flaming red hair, and he knew at once whom she had been crying over.
He pulled her up to her feet and put his arms around her small body. She was now sobbing into his broad chest. Draco just held her close to him. He was feeling guilty because the day before he had said that both Harry and Ron could take care of themselves.
"Hermione, come on. Let's get out of here for a little while," he whispered. He tried to walk, but she didn't move, only held to him tighter. Without really thinking, he picked her up and carried her to his room.
She still hadn't finished crying when he placed her on the bed, but her sobs had become quieter. "He's dead, Draco. My best friend is dead. Why? Why Ron?"
He didn't have an answer for her. There was absolutely nothing that he could do to change what had happened, and he knew that. Hermione's tears had finally subsided, but her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were tear-streaked.
"Are you gunna be alright?" Draco asked comfortingly.
"In time," she answered. "He wants me to remember all the good times we shared. I'm gunna miss him so much. I knew this day would come, I just didn't know when."
"Is there anything I can do to help you? I'll do anything for you, I swear."
"There is. Don't leave me. Please stay with me today and tonight. Please?"
"I will." He looked into her beautiful, brown eyes and saw them become slightly happier as he said this.
Draco hated to see Hermione looking so helpless. She had always been so strong and was always able to fight back. Now, though, it looked like she was much older than twenty. Her face was hard and her eyes melancholy. No longer did Draco see the bossy eleven year old, or the witty twelve year old, or even the thirteen year old who had enough courage to bitch slap him. No, he saw the Hermione who had grown up too fast. He saw the Hermione who knew more than people who were twice her age. No longer was she the free spirited girl who cared only about her grades. She was the woman who loved her best friends dearly and was now looking for comfort in the man that was once her enemy.
When Hermione looked into Draco's deep grey eyes, she saw something that she had never seen there before-concern. It was then that she realized that he was no longer the eleven year old daddy's boy, or the twelve year old that had no problem making fun of her heritage, nor was he the thirteen or fourteen year old that would lie just to make her life a living hell. He was now a man who had acquired true feelings. He could now look at a person without judging them before he truly got to know them.
Neither of them wanted to break their eye contact with the other. They both jumped as they heard a soft knock on the door. "Who's there?" Draco asked sounding a bit annoyed.
"Ginny," came the girl's soft reply. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Draco answered, although he was pissed at her impeccable timing.
She took one look at Draco and Hermione holding each other on the bed, looking slightly disheveled. Anger and jealousy began flooding through her veins. "My brother is dead down there and all you can think about is fucking him?" Ginny yelled at Hermione.
"I did no such thing! I have been crying my eyes out for hours over Ron's death. I'm glad you finally realized it was your own brother down there. I noticed right away. It's good to know how much you truly cared for him! I would also like to know what Harry, you boyfriend would think if he knew that you were gawking over Draco's looks. I don't think he'd be happy! And don't you dare be jumping to conclusions about this!" she pointed between Draco and herself. "Draco was trying to comfort me because un-like some people, I care for my family! Yes, family! Ron was like a brother to me!" Hermione yelled back. Her thoughts had become a mess. Everything was racing back and forth across her mind like a racehorse. She had no idea what she had just yelled incoherently. A new round of tears flooded out of Hermione's eyes. Again, she leaned on Draco for comfort.
"It would be best if you leave," Draco said coldly. "You wouldn't want to witness what's happening in here, would you?"
Ginny glared at him before turning on her heal to leave.
Draco wrapped his strong arms around Hermione's frail body and drew her closer to him. Her hands were gripping tightly to his black shirt and he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt and onto his delicate skin.
A few years ago he would have never imagined that he would really be in this position. He had dreamt about it many times, but his dreams rarely ever came true. Draco moved his hand up to Hermione's pale face and wiped her last few tears away with his thumb.
She looked up into his grey eyes and saw that he really did care for her. "Why are you putting up with me?" she asked softly. "I don't deserve this kind of attention."
"You deserve more than I could ever give you," he answered sincerely. "You deserve to be happy. You shouldn't have to witness or feel all the pains that life brings. You deserve all the best and only the best."
"I don't deserve anything. I'm weak and I can't handle.anything."
"Why are you putting yourself down? It's not exactly what I would call a healthy habit."
"It's not, but I can't help it. I feel like my life is one big joke. I was born a muggle and accepted into a wizarding school, that's funny. I befriended one of the most famous wizards in the world and his best friend in my first year, rather shocking and a bit funny. Then the person who I thought hated me for ten years of my life all of a sudden comes out and says that he never really did hate me. My life is a joke. It's un-real."
"How is all that so hard to believe? Your name will be secured in the history of Hogwarts for a very long time," he reminded her.
"That's it! That's exactly what everyone will think! When someone hears the name Hermione Granger they'll say, 'Oh yeah, she's that bookworm who had the highest marks in the history of Hogwarts!' WOW! That's who I wanna be remembered as," she said sarcastically.
"Well at least people will know who you are. When someone hears the name Draco Malfoy they'll say, 'Is he the one that was disowned by his Death Eater father?' Yup, exactly how I want to be remembered."
"People don't have to be remembered to be a great person. You should only worry about what you think, not what the rest of the world thinks."
"Hypocrite," he muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes?" he answered with the most innocent look on his face.
"What did you call me?" she demanded but only half-heartedly.
"I called you a hypocrite. You tell me not to worry about what the rest of the world thinks, yet you were the one complaining about being remembered as 'bookworm Granger.' That's a bit hypocritical if you ask me."
"I didn't think you'd pick up on that." She blushed slightly.
"Oh no! I wouldn't. Was it because back in school I was as dumb as a rock?"
"I didn't mean that. It was because Harry and Ron were making fun of you and I didn't want it to look like I was defending you so I said it. Hey, how'd you know about that?"
Draco looked at her like she had three heads. His brow was furrowed and it looked like he was desperately trying to remember something.
"Oh gods! You never heard about that?" Hermione asked in pure shock. Her eyes widened as she said this. He shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"You said that?"
"Draco, I didn't mean anything by it, honestly. It-it was just." she trailed off.
In all honestly, Draco wasn't in the least bit offended. He knew he hadn't work as hard as he should have and that he only did the minimum amount of work needed to pass. The truth was, he found it quite amusing when Hermione was flustered. Her face turned a bright shade of red and she looked away from him. He began laughing out loud.
"What's so funny?" she asked defensively.
"You got all flustered even though I know what you said was true. I just find it amusing."
She hit him playfully on the arm. "That's not funny!"
"Yes it is." He continued to laugh and she eventually joined him.
Draco was happy with this result. He was glad that it had taken her mind off of her lost friend for at least a few minutes. **She has a great smile** he thought as they continued laughing together.
"You have?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, since third year. I didn't want anyone to know back then, so I covered it up. I've been hoping to see you again since graduation, but I never thought it would happen."
"I've turned down so many guys in the past three years. Every time one of the asked me out I would think of you and I would pray that I'd see you again. It's been three years since I've seen you and you still look the same, but you've matured so much, and that makes me all the more attracted to you."
"Do you wanna go out with me tonight?" he asked.
"I hafta work, you know that. I'm supposed to be there right now. The other nurses are gunna be so mad at me. I'm supposed to have a high status and if they think I'm blowing off my responsibilities they won't respect me."
"You can go down there now, but I'll act like the cunning Slytherin I was and think of a way to get you out." A smirk appeared on him lips and it made Hermione think that he was up to no good.
"Alright, I'll see you later then." She walked out of the room and headed down the stairs. Of course she wanted to go out with Draco, but she had so much responsibility with her nursing, and she couldn't let her job go to hell.
When she arrived, she was met with a horrible sight-there was a wounded soldier in almost every bed. Most of them were spitting up blood and some had their insides on their outsides. No matter what their condition was, they were al crying out in agony.
She rushed to the nearest bed and gave the young man a potion to dull his pain and a potion to put him to sleep. She expertly mended his severe wounds and moved onto the next bed.
The war wasn't looking to good for the light side by the looks of this. Judging from the amount of wounded soldiers, they had probably been snuck up on at night and attacked.
After four years of training she was able to handle any amount of blood that was spurting from the soldiers. What she couldn't handle was seeing the fiery red hair that belonged to one of her best friends in the next bed with his intestines coming out of his stomach. She knew that there was absolutely nothing in the world that could be done for him. There was no spell great enough and no potion strong enough that could fix this type of injury.
Hermione knelt down next to his bed with tears flowing from her big brown eyes. "Ron?"
"Hey 'Mione."
"I'm so sorry. There's nothing I can do for you," she whispered.
"I know. Harry's still fighting though. There's still hope. He'll be the one who puts an end to all this bullshit. I want you to know that I'll never leave you. My body will die, but my spirit will live on. Always remember the good times we shared. Remember the good times, Hermione."
"I will Ron. I will never forget you. You were like the brother I never had. You were always there when I needed you. I'm going to miss you so much."
"Goodbye, Hermione."
"Goodbye, Ron."
With that Ronald Weasley closed his eyes and would never open them again. Hermione stayed by his bedside and cried and cried. When she thought she had no more tears to cry, they started all over again. She just watched her best friend die because of Death Eaters-the people she hated most.
~
Draco was walking past the room that had been turned into the hospital wing. He took a quick peek inside and basically saw what he had expected to see-a bunch of crying, bleeding soldiers. When he looked more carefully, he saw Hermione bent over a bed, crying her eyes out. As he stepped forward a few more steps, he noticed flaming red hair, and he knew at once whom she had been crying over.
He pulled her up to her feet and put his arms around her small body. She was now sobbing into his broad chest. Draco just held her close to him. He was feeling guilty because the day before he had said that both Harry and Ron could take care of themselves.
"Hermione, come on. Let's get out of here for a little while," he whispered. He tried to walk, but she didn't move, only held to him tighter. Without really thinking, he picked her up and carried her to his room.
She still hadn't finished crying when he placed her on the bed, but her sobs had become quieter. "He's dead, Draco. My best friend is dead. Why? Why Ron?"
He didn't have an answer for her. There was absolutely nothing that he could do to change what had happened, and he knew that. Hermione's tears had finally subsided, but her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were tear-streaked.
"Are you gunna be alright?" Draco asked comfortingly.
"In time," she answered. "He wants me to remember all the good times we shared. I'm gunna miss him so much. I knew this day would come, I just didn't know when."
"Is there anything I can do to help you? I'll do anything for you, I swear."
"There is. Don't leave me. Please stay with me today and tonight. Please?"
"I will." He looked into her beautiful, brown eyes and saw them become slightly happier as he said this.
Draco hated to see Hermione looking so helpless. She had always been so strong and was always able to fight back. Now, though, it looked like she was much older than twenty. Her face was hard and her eyes melancholy. No longer did Draco see the bossy eleven year old, or the witty twelve year old, or even the thirteen year old who had enough courage to bitch slap him. No, he saw the Hermione who had grown up too fast. He saw the Hermione who knew more than people who were twice her age. No longer was she the free spirited girl who cared only about her grades. She was the woman who loved her best friends dearly and was now looking for comfort in the man that was once her enemy.
When Hermione looked into Draco's deep grey eyes, she saw something that she had never seen there before-concern. It was then that she realized that he was no longer the eleven year old daddy's boy, or the twelve year old that had no problem making fun of her heritage, nor was he the thirteen or fourteen year old that would lie just to make her life a living hell. He was now a man who had acquired true feelings. He could now look at a person without judging them before he truly got to know them.
Neither of them wanted to break their eye contact with the other. They both jumped as they heard a soft knock on the door. "Who's there?" Draco asked sounding a bit annoyed.
"Ginny," came the girl's soft reply. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Draco answered, although he was pissed at her impeccable timing.
She took one look at Draco and Hermione holding each other on the bed, looking slightly disheveled. Anger and jealousy began flooding through her veins. "My brother is dead down there and all you can think about is fucking him?" Ginny yelled at Hermione.
"I did no such thing! I have been crying my eyes out for hours over Ron's death. I'm glad you finally realized it was your own brother down there. I noticed right away. It's good to know how much you truly cared for him! I would also like to know what Harry, you boyfriend would think if he knew that you were gawking over Draco's looks. I don't think he'd be happy! And don't you dare be jumping to conclusions about this!" she pointed between Draco and herself. "Draco was trying to comfort me because un-like some people, I care for my family! Yes, family! Ron was like a brother to me!" Hermione yelled back. Her thoughts had become a mess. Everything was racing back and forth across her mind like a racehorse. She had no idea what she had just yelled incoherently. A new round of tears flooded out of Hermione's eyes. Again, she leaned on Draco for comfort.
"It would be best if you leave," Draco said coldly. "You wouldn't want to witness what's happening in here, would you?"
Ginny glared at him before turning on her heal to leave.
Draco wrapped his strong arms around Hermione's frail body and drew her closer to him. Her hands were gripping tightly to his black shirt and he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt and onto his delicate skin.
A few years ago he would have never imagined that he would really be in this position. He had dreamt about it many times, but his dreams rarely ever came true. Draco moved his hand up to Hermione's pale face and wiped her last few tears away with his thumb.
She looked up into his grey eyes and saw that he really did care for her. "Why are you putting up with me?" she asked softly. "I don't deserve this kind of attention."
"You deserve more than I could ever give you," he answered sincerely. "You deserve to be happy. You shouldn't have to witness or feel all the pains that life brings. You deserve all the best and only the best."
"I don't deserve anything. I'm weak and I can't handle.anything."
"Why are you putting yourself down? It's not exactly what I would call a healthy habit."
"It's not, but I can't help it. I feel like my life is one big joke. I was born a muggle and accepted into a wizarding school, that's funny. I befriended one of the most famous wizards in the world and his best friend in my first year, rather shocking and a bit funny. Then the person who I thought hated me for ten years of my life all of a sudden comes out and says that he never really did hate me. My life is a joke. It's un-real."
"How is all that so hard to believe? Your name will be secured in the history of Hogwarts for a very long time," he reminded her.
"That's it! That's exactly what everyone will think! When someone hears the name Hermione Granger they'll say, 'Oh yeah, she's that bookworm who had the highest marks in the history of Hogwarts!' WOW! That's who I wanna be remembered as," she said sarcastically.
"Well at least people will know who you are. When someone hears the name Draco Malfoy they'll say, 'Is he the one that was disowned by his Death Eater father?' Yup, exactly how I want to be remembered."
"People don't have to be remembered to be a great person. You should only worry about what you think, not what the rest of the world thinks."
"Hypocrite," he muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?"
"Yes?" he answered with the most innocent look on his face.
"What did you call me?" she demanded but only half-heartedly.
"I called you a hypocrite. You tell me not to worry about what the rest of the world thinks, yet you were the one complaining about being remembered as 'bookworm Granger.' That's a bit hypocritical if you ask me."
"I didn't think you'd pick up on that." She blushed slightly.
"Oh no! I wouldn't. Was it because back in school I was as dumb as a rock?"
"I didn't mean that. It was because Harry and Ron were making fun of you and I didn't want it to look like I was defending you so I said it. Hey, how'd you know about that?"
Draco looked at her like she had three heads. His brow was furrowed and it looked like he was desperately trying to remember something.
"Oh gods! You never heard about that?" Hermione asked in pure shock. Her eyes widened as she said this. He shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"You said that?"
"Draco, I didn't mean anything by it, honestly. It-it was just." she trailed off.
In all honestly, Draco wasn't in the least bit offended. He knew he hadn't work as hard as he should have and that he only did the minimum amount of work needed to pass. The truth was, he found it quite amusing when Hermione was flustered. Her face turned a bright shade of red and she looked away from him. He began laughing out loud.
"What's so funny?" she asked defensively.
"You got all flustered even though I know what you said was true. I just find it amusing."
She hit him playfully on the arm. "That's not funny!"
"Yes it is." He continued to laugh and she eventually joined him.
Draco was happy with this result. He was glad that it had taken her mind off of her lost friend for at least a few minutes. **She has a great smile** he thought as they continued laughing together.