There might be a little bit of an 'R' rating on this chapter, so watch out!
Chapter 23: Graduation
Hermione sat in a chair at a vanity in the seventh-year girls' dormitories. It was graduation night and Lavender and Parvati were toying with her hair, chattering about the latest piece of gossip. Hermione wasn't listening. Today was the day she was to leave Hogwarts and go on to the real world. She had already been offered a job at the Ministry as an apprentice in the Improper Use of Magic Office. She was looking forward to it, yes, but she didn't feel excited or nervous. If fact, she didn't feel anything. All she felt was pain. It had been about a month since the Initiation Ceremony. In that one month, everyone noticed a change in their Head Girl. She poured all of her effort into her schoolwork; she never spoke to anyone (unless you counted all those times she came up to see Harry, or sometimes Ron, just so she could have a good cry). It seemed all she did was cry, by the looks of her face. It seemed that she simply put herself into auto-drive, just getting through each day.
Now it was the day they would all leave their childhood behind. Hermione walked down to the common room and all eyes turned on her, though she hardly noticed. She was dressed in beautiful dark green dress robes. The girls fixed her hair so that it fell in graceful spirals around her head. She pinned her hair to one side so it all stayed out of her face. She gave a faint smile to Harry, Ginny and Ron and made her way over to them.
All three smiled sadly back at her. It seemed gone were the days where Hermione Granger came bouncing up to them and that spark ever present in her eye. Nowadays, she barely ever talked, she kept to herself mostly and spent her time studying and weeping. Harry, Ron and Ginny missed their friend, but they also understood her grief. All they could do for now was wait for time to heal her wounds.
"Hey Hermione!" Harry greeted. "You look lovely tonight." Hermione blushed slightly.
"Thank you, Harry. So do you." Indeed, Harry did. He wore green dress robes to match Hermione's and they really brought out his eyes. His hair was still messy, but it looked more tamed that night than any other day. He held his arm out to her and escorted her to the Great Hall. Soon, the Great Hall was filled with seventh-years and Dumbledore clapped his hands for attention. The Hall went silent and focused their eyes on the Headmaster they had all learned to respect (ok...most of them, anyway) and admire for the past seven years. He cleared his throat before beginning.
"Another year of Hogwarts had come and gone and now it's time for me to say goodbye to another promising group of young adults. I must say, I am very proud of all of you. Never before had a graduating class been through as much as this class had gone through. I believe we have a certain Mr. Potter to thank for that." Dumbledore eyed Harry, who grinned back sheepishly.
"Without further ado, I would like to present your Head Girl, Miss Hermione Granger!" The whole room roared as Hermione stood. Even some of the Slytherins were cheering. When they all found out how Draco died, they began to respect her. They could almost relate to her loss, and they took pity on her. The week of his memorial ceremony, she received many gifts from those that she used to call her enemies. She smiled at everyone as she took the podium. Sadly, but nonetheless, more of a smile than anyone had seen on her face in a month.
"My fellow classmates," she began, "I stand before you today, as your Head Girl, to congratulate you for making it this far. After today, we will go out into the real world and use the skills we learned within these stone walls in our everyday lives. Today we are children. Tomorrow, we become adults.
"Now, we should be glad to have even made it this far. Dumbledore was right; we all have been through a lot while attending this school. We lived through attacks from a basilisk, mountain tolls running amok through the corridors, escaped convicts trying to break into our dorms..." Here, Harry elbowed Ron. "...And the resurrection, then the downfall of Lord Voldemort." A few collective gasps were emitted.
"The last two...they're really worth mentioning, are they not? In fourth year, we saw Harry Potter come out of the Triwizard Maze with the dead corpse of Cedric Diggory in tow, courtesy of Death Eaters. This year..." She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing. "This year, we saw Draco Malfoy, our late Head Boy, suffer the same fate." She looked down and held back the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Draco Malfoy was a brave young man, for he took that curse for me. I'll never be able to repay him for that. If he were here listening, I'd tell him that I thank him for his bravery. I'd tell him..." She paused, wondering what to say, then finally exploded. "I'd tell him that I hate that he left me here without saying goodbye and that...and that I love him too!" The tears finally began to fall and those who weren't in the loop began to whisper. "I love him and I always will."
"I suppose that if Draco was here, he'd tell you all that he's not the same boy that walked through those doors almost eight years ago. He'd want to tell you that seven years of attending this school changed him, as it changed me."
"So, if you don't mind, let us all lift out glasses..." Everyone did so. "First, in remembrance of Draco Malfoy, and second, to this year's graduating class. Congratulations." She stepped down from the podium and joined Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore passed out a few house points then announced that the ball was to begin. Everyone stood up and the four long house table became little round tables, just as they did at the Yule Ball in fourth year. Ron went to join his date, Lavender, and Harry held his arm out to his own date...Hermione. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly as she took his arm. He led her to the dance floor and they danced to some songs, occasionally getting separated by someone wanting to cut in.
After a while, Hermione actually felt like she was enjoying herself. Both her and Harry sat down at a nearby table to rest. He gave a sigh of relief as she fanned herself with her hand and was actually smiling! Not her old smile, that went all the way up to her eyes, making them sparkle a bit, but Harry supposed that maybe all she needed was more time. He excused himself to get drinks, leaving Hermione to sit alone at the table. She thought, once again, about everything that happened in the last month.
Voldemort was gone, thanks to Harry. Most of the Death Eater, including Lucius, had been killed in combat. The others had been taken to Azkaban. But the Dark Side was not the only side to have casualties. Many fighting on the Light Side had perished as well. And of course, there was Draco. Hermione tried to hold back tears as she thought of him, she even closed her eyes, but it was no use. The tears still came.
As her eyes were closed, she heard collective gasps and the hisses of whispering all around her. She paid them no mind and continued to sit there with her eyes shut, crying. She felt the presence of someone sitting next to her. She assumed it was Harry. He wiped away her tears gently, his fingers lingering to caress her cheek. She gasped. These were not Harry's hands. Harry's were rough and callused from having to do yard work for the Dursleys'. These were soft and smooth, but strong. These were Draco's hands! 'But how can this be?' she thought. She reached up to her face and held his hand in her own, lacing her fingers through his. She brought their hands down in her lap and finally opened her eyes. She stared at their hands, entwine with each other. If the pale quality of the skin was anything to go by, it was quite possible that this hand belonged to Draco. She flipped his hand over and traced the line on the palm of his hand. This hand could be Draco's...but that was impossible, wasn't it? A new wave of tears ran down her cheeks. She cursed this person for having hands so similar to Draco's. He reached up again to wipe away her tears. Then he spoke, causing Hermione's breath to catch in her chest.
"I made a promise to you that you'd never lose me, Hermione." She looked up into the face of her love...Draco Malfoy. She lifted a shaking hand to his face and held it there. He looked just as beautiful as the last time she spoke to him. He took both her hands in his and looked into her honey brown eyes.
"I love you, Hermione," he said loudly and clearly. She smiled...a real genuine smile that went all the way up to her eyes.
"I love you too, Draco! I never stopped." He returned her smile, then stood up, taking her with him and held her close, never wanting to let her go again.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione...for everything," he whispered into her ear. She pulled back a little and looked straight into his silver-gray eyes.
"I already forgave you a long time ago." He smiled again and kissed her. A kiss that meant, "this is for all the moths we weren't together." He broke the kiss and took her to the dance floor. It was then that they noticed that everyone had been watching and were now applauding them. They both laughed happily and danced together, glad they found each other again.
****************************************************************
Harry looked on contentedly at Draco and Hermione on the dance floor. She was smiling again and it made him smile too. Ron came up beside Harry, his arm around Lavender.
"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked. Harry nodded towards the blissfully happy couple on the dance floor.
"Them," he said simply. Ron looked at Draco and Hermione and scowled.
"Malfoy," he spat out. "I don't know why you planned all this, Harry. It's really disgusting to watch." Lavender snapped to attention.
"You planned this?" she asked. Harry shot Ron a look, then nodded sheepishly.
"He owled me a couple weeks ago that he was alive, but not to tell Hermione. He wanted to surprise her. So we planned it all out. He would attend the Graduation Ceremony under and Invisibility Cloak. Then I'd dance with her for a while, excuse myself to get drinks, then he'd show up. He was the one who told me to ask her to be my date, but the way. He said he would've killed anyone else." Harry looked sadly back at the couple. Ron noticed.
"You all right, mate?" he asked, concerned. Harry nodded, then sighed.
"Yeah. It's just that...it makes me said when I realize that his is our last night in this castle. Well, tomorrow, actually, is our last night, but still. It's a really depressing thought. We're all grown up, you're with Lavender, I finally fulfilled the stupid prophesy and Malfoy and Hermione are getting married soon..." Harry trailed off as he realized what he just said. "Ah, shit."
"They're WHAT?"
*****************************************************************
Draco and Hermione continued dancing to a slow song, tears silently falling down her face. They danced so close together, he whispering sweet nothings into her ear.
"I love you so much, Draco," she whispered. He held her closer.
"I know. I love you too." He pulled away from her and dragged her to the stage just as the band finished their song. Everyone fixed their attention on the fair-haired young man who was supposed to be dead.
"Hi, can I have your attention please?" The whole hall went silent. Hermione looked at him curiously. He grinned back at her.
"Draco, love, what are you doing?" He simply smiled at her then turned back towards the crowd.
"I know, I know...I'm supposed to be dead. But, I'm not. And it's all because of this girl." He turned back towards Hermione.
"What is all this about, Draco?" she asked.
"I'm just trying to make this night memorable, love." She smiled again.
"Draco, it already is. What are you playing at?" Draco smiled again and dropped to one knee. She gasped as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box.
"Hermione, I haven't been the best boyfriend in the past few months, but believe me, I really do love you. I can't imagine my life without you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He opened the box and she looked down to see the most beautiful (and possibly, the most expensive) engagement ring she had ever seen.
"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" Tears of joy began to flow down her cheeks.
"Yes, Draco. Yes! I will marry you!" She pulled him up and kissed him passionately. He picked her up and spun her around. Everyone in the room, with the exception of Ron, who was still in shock, applauded enthusiastically and some even cheered. The teachers looked on in approval and Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey were wiping away tears. Professor Dumbledore took the podium again.
"Wasn't that a pleasant turn of events? It turns out our Head Boy IS alive! Let me be the first to congratulate you both personally. I expect an invitation to your wedding!" Draco and Hermione both beamed. Draco shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Will do, Professor. By the way, thank you...for everything." Dumbledore nodded.
"Of course. Help is always available to those who need it." Draco nodded, then remembered something.
"Oh, Professor? If you don't mind me asking, you said, before, that I reminded you of someone. May I ask whom?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
"Oh, just someone." He looked pointedly over in the direction of Snape. Draco and Hermione followed the Headmaster's gaze.
"Oh..." Draco said in understanding.
"Well, I'll take my leave. I do believe that you both have some catching up to do." The Headmaster winked at them and Hermione blushed.
"How does he always know?" Draco asked, not sure if he should be admiring the Headmaster or loathing him. Hermione shook her head.
"Old men can be such perverts sometimes." She looked back to Draco, who was smirking at her mischievously.
"Well...you heard the old man. Shall we 'catch up?'" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Of course. I ALWAYS listen to my elders," she said sarcastically, giving him a wink.
"Oh? Well, I guess we should go. Knowing Dumbledore, he might give us detention." Hermione playfully smacked him.
"You're sick." Without another word, Draco scooped Hermione into his arms and made a very public and dramatic exit. Ron made a move to follow them, but Harry held him back.
"Wait 'til I get my hands on that prick!" Ron seethed. Harry pushed Ron into a chair.
"Ron, Hermione is a big girl now. She can handle herself." Ron sighed.
"Yeah...I guess you're right," he said moodily. He was obviously still not happy with Hermione's choice for a love interest.
"Besides, I think we can trust her with Malfoy," Harry said. "You saw what he did to that Nott bloke." Ron nodded again, his expression turning grave.
"I still can't figure out how he managed to clamp so hard on his neck like that," he said, putting a hand on his own neck. "Nott's neck is pretty thick." Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head.
*******************************************************
Hermione stated the password to the Head Dorms and Draco immediately carried her up to his room. He set her down gently on the bed, then bent down to un-strap her high-heeled sandals. He unclasped his cloak and kicked off his own shoes before settling onto the bed next to her. She lay back onto the pillows and he leaned down to plant a tender kiss on her lips. She sighed against his mouth and he smiled as he tasted her warm breath. He pulled away and just stared down at her, a contented smile playing at his lips.
"What?" she asked, his smile contagious.
"Nothing. I just missed you," he said simply. She ran her fingers through his short, tousled hair...just as she liked it.
"I missed you too." Her tone then turned sad. "I missed you so much, Draco, that my heart hurt. I thought that you were really dead." He rested his head on her chest and she continued to rake her fingers through his hair. He listened to the steady beat of her heart, beating in synch with his own.
"Draco?" she called. He could feel the rumble of her voice in her chest.
"Hmm?" he answered back.
"How did you do it?" He lifted his head to look at her properly.
"How did I do what?"
"How did you come back? I saw you, Draco. You were dead! How did you come back?" Draco sighed and sat up straight.
"You," he said quietly. "You brought me back." Hermione looked puzzled and sat up so she could look at him properly. He held her hand in his.
"Hermione, when I took that curse for you, it wasn't the full curse. Harry had broke Lucius' contact when he pushed him over. True, it was still the Killing Curse, just not as strong. So when I fell, I was still alive, but just barely.
"When the Healers came about, one of them saw that I was still living and they took me by the Portkey to a special ward in St. Mungo's. My mother paid for the finest Healers to attend to me and after two weeks, I was fine again. But I credit my recovery to you, Hermione. I thought about you everyday and hoped to see you again. Just that hope to see your face again gave me the strength I needed to recover." Hermione began to cry again. He was still the same, sweet Draco that she fell in love with. He wiped away her tears, but then looked down at his hands, examining them.
"Of course, it'll take a while for me fully regain my motor skills. I don't think that I'll be playing professional Quidditch at this point." He eyed Hermione. "But then, I'm sure you'd get bored of me since you dated that Krum bloke and look where that got him. I figure that if I want to keep you, maybe sports isn't the best way to go." She smacked him playfully.
"Nice to know that you at least still have your sense of humor," she said sarcastically. He leaned forwards to kiss her.
"Now it's your turn to humor me." She cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh? And how exactly can I go about doing so, Mr. Malfoy?" He kissed her again.
"I believe we have some... 'catching up' to do, Miss Granger." He grinned mischievously. She smirked back seductively.
"Actually, how about we go with 'Mrs. Malfoy' tonight, just to test it out, hmm?" He leaned in closer to her, causing her to lay back onto the pillows again. He hovered inches above her face.
"As you wish...Mrs. Malfoy." He began to kiss her passionately, his hand finding their way to the clasps of her dress robes and slipping them off, leaving her in just her undergarments. Her hands, meanwhile, were pulling his dress shirt form his pants and she began unbuttoning it. She slid it off form his shoulders, and gasped as she saw a rose, similar to her dragon, emblazoned on his right shoulder blade. On a banner wrapped around the rose, it read: "Amor Vincit Omnia." Love conquers all. She smirked knowingly and opened her mouth to say something, but Draco shushed her with his own mouth. She finished removing his shirt, then began to fumble with his belt buckle. He pulled away to finish removing his pants then crawled back into the bed. They continued "catching up," then finally, both collapsed back onto the bed, out of breath and bodies slick with sweat. Draco pulled the covers around both himself and Hermione. She snuggled next to him and he wrapped his arms about her.
"I love you," he whispered. She nuzzled his chest.
"I love you, too," she replied back before falling into a blissful slumber.
Back by popular demand...Draco! Yeah, yeah...I got all your reviews. Are you guys nuts? Did you really think that I was going to let Draco DIE? Puh-lease! I hate sad endings, so I made sure that this story didn't have one. Thanks for the reviews, though. I BROKE 100!!! Whoo! Stay tuned for the epilogue! Later days!
Chapter 23: Graduation
Hermione sat in a chair at a vanity in the seventh-year girls' dormitories. It was graduation night and Lavender and Parvati were toying with her hair, chattering about the latest piece of gossip. Hermione wasn't listening. Today was the day she was to leave Hogwarts and go on to the real world. She had already been offered a job at the Ministry as an apprentice in the Improper Use of Magic Office. She was looking forward to it, yes, but she didn't feel excited or nervous. If fact, she didn't feel anything. All she felt was pain. It had been about a month since the Initiation Ceremony. In that one month, everyone noticed a change in their Head Girl. She poured all of her effort into her schoolwork; she never spoke to anyone (unless you counted all those times she came up to see Harry, or sometimes Ron, just so she could have a good cry). It seemed all she did was cry, by the looks of her face. It seemed that she simply put herself into auto-drive, just getting through each day.
Now it was the day they would all leave their childhood behind. Hermione walked down to the common room and all eyes turned on her, though she hardly noticed. She was dressed in beautiful dark green dress robes. The girls fixed her hair so that it fell in graceful spirals around her head. She pinned her hair to one side so it all stayed out of her face. She gave a faint smile to Harry, Ginny and Ron and made her way over to them.
All three smiled sadly back at her. It seemed gone were the days where Hermione Granger came bouncing up to them and that spark ever present in her eye. Nowadays, she barely ever talked, she kept to herself mostly and spent her time studying and weeping. Harry, Ron and Ginny missed their friend, but they also understood her grief. All they could do for now was wait for time to heal her wounds.
"Hey Hermione!" Harry greeted. "You look lovely tonight." Hermione blushed slightly.
"Thank you, Harry. So do you." Indeed, Harry did. He wore green dress robes to match Hermione's and they really brought out his eyes. His hair was still messy, but it looked more tamed that night than any other day. He held his arm out to her and escorted her to the Great Hall. Soon, the Great Hall was filled with seventh-years and Dumbledore clapped his hands for attention. The Hall went silent and focused their eyes on the Headmaster they had all learned to respect (ok...most of them, anyway) and admire for the past seven years. He cleared his throat before beginning.
"Another year of Hogwarts had come and gone and now it's time for me to say goodbye to another promising group of young adults. I must say, I am very proud of all of you. Never before had a graduating class been through as much as this class had gone through. I believe we have a certain Mr. Potter to thank for that." Dumbledore eyed Harry, who grinned back sheepishly.
"Without further ado, I would like to present your Head Girl, Miss Hermione Granger!" The whole room roared as Hermione stood. Even some of the Slytherins were cheering. When they all found out how Draco died, they began to respect her. They could almost relate to her loss, and they took pity on her. The week of his memorial ceremony, she received many gifts from those that she used to call her enemies. She smiled at everyone as she took the podium. Sadly, but nonetheless, more of a smile than anyone had seen on her face in a month.
"My fellow classmates," she began, "I stand before you today, as your Head Girl, to congratulate you for making it this far. After today, we will go out into the real world and use the skills we learned within these stone walls in our everyday lives. Today we are children. Tomorrow, we become adults.
"Now, we should be glad to have even made it this far. Dumbledore was right; we all have been through a lot while attending this school. We lived through attacks from a basilisk, mountain tolls running amok through the corridors, escaped convicts trying to break into our dorms..." Here, Harry elbowed Ron. "...And the resurrection, then the downfall of Lord Voldemort." A few collective gasps were emitted.
"The last two...they're really worth mentioning, are they not? In fourth year, we saw Harry Potter come out of the Triwizard Maze with the dead corpse of Cedric Diggory in tow, courtesy of Death Eaters. This year..." She took a deep, steadying breath before continuing. "This year, we saw Draco Malfoy, our late Head Boy, suffer the same fate." She looked down and held back the tears that were threatening to fall.
"Draco Malfoy was a brave young man, for he took that curse for me. I'll never be able to repay him for that. If he were here listening, I'd tell him that I thank him for his bravery. I'd tell him..." She paused, wondering what to say, then finally exploded. "I'd tell him that I hate that he left me here without saying goodbye and that...and that I love him too!" The tears finally began to fall and those who weren't in the loop began to whisper. "I love him and I always will."
"I suppose that if Draco was here, he'd tell you all that he's not the same boy that walked through those doors almost eight years ago. He'd want to tell you that seven years of attending this school changed him, as it changed me."
"So, if you don't mind, let us all lift out glasses..." Everyone did so. "First, in remembrance of Draco Malfoy, and second, to this year's graduating class. Congratulations." She stepped down from the podium and joined Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore passed out a few house points then announced that the ball was to begin. Everyone stood up and the four long house table became little round tables, just as they did at the Yule Ball in fourth year. Ron went to join his date, Lavender, and Harry held his arm out to his own date...Hermione. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly as she took his arm. He led her to the dance floor and they danced to some songs, occasionally getting separated by someone wanting to cut in.
After a while, Hermione actually felt like she was enjoying herself. Both her and Harry sat down at a nearby table to rest. He gave a sigh of relief as she fanned herself with her hand and was actually smiling! Not her old smile, that went all the way up to her eyes, making them sparkle a bit, but Harry supposed that maybe all she needed was more time. He excused himself to get drinks, leaving Hermione to sit alone at the table. She thought, once again, about everything that happened in the last month.
Voldemort was gone, thanks to Harry. Most of the Death Eater, including Lucius, had been killed in combat. The others had been taken to Azkaban. But the Dark Side was not the only side to have casualties. Many fighting on the Light Side had perished as well. And of course, there was Draco. Hermione tried to hold back tears as she thought of him, she even closed her eyes, but it was no use. The tears still came.
As her eyes were closed, she heard collective gasps and the hisses of whispering all around her. She paid them no mind and continued to sit there with her eyes shut, crying. She felt the presence of someone sitting next to her. She assumed it was Harry. He wiped away her tears gently, his fingers lingering to caress her cheek. She gasped. These were not Harry's hands. Harry's were rough and callused from having to do yard work for the Dursleys'. These were soft and smooth, but strong. These were Draco's hands! 'But how can this be?' she thought. She reached up to her face and held his hand in her own, lacing her fingers through his. She brought their hands down in her lap and finally opened her eyes. She stared at their hands, entwine with each other. If the pale quality of the skin was anything to go by, it was quite possible that this hand belonged to Draco. She flipped his hand over and traced the line on the palm of his hand. This hand could be Draco's...but that was impossible, wasn't it? A new wave of tears ran down her cheeks. She cursed this person for having hands so similar to Draco's. He reached up again to wipe away her tears. Then he spoke, causing Hermione's breath to catch in her chest.
"I made a promise to you that you'd never lose me, Hermione." She looked up into the face of her love...Draco Malfoy. She lifted a shaking hand to his face and held it there. He looked just as beautiful as the last time she spoke to him. He took both her hands in his and looked into her honey brown eyes.
"I love you, Hermione," he said loudly and clearly. She smiled...a real genuine smile that went all the way up to her eyes.
"I love you too, Draco! I never stopped." He returned her smile, then stood up, taking her with him and held her close, never wanting to let her go again.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione...for everything," he whispered into her ear. She pulled back a little and looked straight into his silver-gray eyes.
"I already forgave you a long time ago." He smiled again and kissed her. A kiss that meant, "this is for all the moths we weren't together." He broke the kiss and took her to the dance floor. It was then that they noticed that everyone had been watching and were now applauding them. They both laughed happily and danced together, glad they found each other again.
****************************************************************
Harry looked on contentedly at Draco and Hermione on the dance floor. She was smiling again and it made him smile too. Ron came up beside Harry, his arm around Lavender.
"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked. Harry nodded towards the blissfully happy couple on the dance floor.
"Them," he said simply. Ron looked at Draco and Hermione and scowled.
"Malfoy," he spat out. "I don't know why you planned all this, Harry. It's really disgusting to watch." Lavender snapped to attention.
"You planned this?" she asked. Harry shot Ron a look, then nodded sheepishly.
"He owled me a couple weeks ago that he was alive, but not to tell Hermione. He wanted to surprise her. So we planned it all out. He would attend the Graduation Ceremony under and Invisibility Cloak. Then I'd dance with her for a while, excuse myself to get drinks, then he'd show up. He was the one who told me to ask her to be my date, but the way. He said he would've killed anyone else." Harry looked sadly back at the couple. Ron noticed.
"You all right, mate?" he asked, concerned. Harry nodded, then sighed.
"Yeah. It's just that...it makes me said when I realize that his is our last night in this castle. Well, tomorrow, actually, is our last night, but still. It's a really depressing thought. We're all grown up, you're with Lavender, I finally fulfilled the stupid prophesy and Malfoy and Hermione are getting married soon..." Harry trailed off as he realized what he just said. "Ah, shit."
"They're WHAT?"
*****************************************************************
Draco and Hermione continued dancing to a slow song, tears silently falling down her face. They danced so close together, he whispering sweet nothings into her ear.
"I love you so much, Draco," she whispered. He held her closer.
"I know. I love you too." He pulled away from her and dragged her to the stage just as the band finished their song. Everyone fixed their attention on the fair-haired young man who was supposed to be dead.
"Hi, can I have your attention please?" The whole hall went silent. Hermione looked at him curiously. He grinned back at her.
"Draco, love, what are you doing?" He simply smiled at her then turned back towards the crowd.
"I know, I know...I'm supposed to be dead. But, I'm not. And it's all because of this girl." He turned back towards Hermione.
"What is all this about, Draco?" she asked.
"I'm just trying to make this night memorable, love." She smiled again.
"Draco, it already is. What are you playing at?" Draco smiled again and dropped to one knee. She gasped as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box.
"Hermione, I haven't been the best boyfriend in the past few months, but believe me, I really do love you. I can't imagine my life without you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He opened the box and she looked down to see the most beautiful (and possibly, the most expensive) engagement ring she had ever seen.
"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" Tears of joy began to flow down her cheeks.
"Yes, Draco. Yes! I will marry you!" She pulled him up and kissed him passionately. He picked her up and spun her around. Everyone in the room, with the exception of Ron, who was still in shock, applauded enthusiastically and some even cheered. The teachers looked on in approval and Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey were wiping away tears. Professor Dumbledore took the podium again.
"Wasn't that a pleasant turn of events? It turns out our Head Boy IS alive! Let me be the first to congratulate you both personally. I expect an invitation to your wedding!" Draco and Hermione both beamed. Draco shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Will do, Professor. By the way, thank you...for everything." Dumbledore nodded.
"Of course. Help is always available to those who need it." Draco nodded, then remembered something.
"Oh, Professor? If you don't mind me asking, you said, before, that I reminded you of someone. May I ask whom?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.
"Oh, just someone." He looked pointedly over in the direction of Snape. Draco and Hermione followed the Headmaster's gaze.
"Oh..." Draco said in understanding.
"Well, I'll take my leave. I do believe that you both have some catching up to do." The Headmaster winked at them and Hermione blushed.
"How does he always know?" Draco asked, not sure if he should be admiring the Headmaster or loathing him. Hermione shook her head.
"Old men can be such perverts sometimes." She looked back to Draco, who was smirking at her mischievously.
"Well...you heard the old man. Shall we 'catch up?'" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Of course. I ALWAYS listen to my elders," she said sarcastically, giving him a wink.
"Oh? Well, I guess we should go. Knowing Dumbledore, he might give us detention." Hermione playfully smacked him.
"You're sick." Without another word, Draco scooped Hermione into his arms and made a very public and dramatic exit. Ron made a move to follow them, but Harry held him back.
"Wait 'til I get my hands on that prick!" Ron seethed. Harry pushed Ron into a chair.
"Ron, Hermione is a big girl now. She can handle herself." Ron sighed.
"Yeah...I guess you're right," he said moodily. He was obviously still not happy with Hermione's choice for a love interest.
"Besides, I think we can trust her with Malfoy," Harry said. "You saw what he did to that Nott bloke." Ron nodded again, his expression turning grave.
"I still can't figure out how he managed to clamp so hard on his neck like that," he said, putting a hand on his own neck. "Nott's neck is pretty thick." Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head.
*******************************************************
Hermione stated the password to the Head Dorms and Draco immediately carried her up to his room. He set her down gently on the bed, then bent down to un-strap her high-heeled sandals. He unclasped his cloak and kicked off his own shoes before settling onto the bed next to her. She lay back onto the pillows and he leaned down to plant a tender kiss on her lips. She sighed against his mouth and he smiled as he tasted her warm breath. He pulled away and just stared down at her, a contented smile playing at his lips.
"What?" she asked, his smile contagious.
"Nothing. I just missed you," he said simply. She ran her fingers through his short, tousled hair...just as she liked it.
"I missed you too." Her tone then turned sad. "I missed you so much, Draco, that my heart hurt. I thought that you were really dead." He rested his head on her chest and she continued to rake her fingers through his hair. He listened to the steady beat of her heart, beating in synch with his own.
"Draco?" she called. He could feel the rumble of her voice in her chest.
"Hmm?" he answered back.
"How did you do it?" He lifted his head to look at her properly.
"How did I do what?"
"How did you come back? I saw you, Draco. You were dead! How did you come back?" Draco sighed and sat up straight.
"You," he said quietly. "You brought me back." Hermione looked puzzled and sat up so she could look at him properly. He held her hand in his.
"Hermione, when I took that curse for you, it wasn't the full curse. Harry had broke Lucius' contact when he pushed him over. True, it was still the Killing Curse, just not as strong. So when I fell, I was still alive, but just barely.
"When the Healers came about, one of them saw that I was still living and they took me by the Portkey to a special ward in St. Mungo's. My mother paid for the finest Healers to attend to me and after two weeks, I was fine again. But I credit my recovery to you, Hermione. I thought about you everyday and hoped to see you again. Just that hope to see your face again gave me the strength I needed to recover." Hermione began to cry again. He was still the same, sweet Draco that she fell in love with. He wiped away her tears, but then looked down at his hands, examining them.
"Of course, it'll take a while for me fully regain my motor skills. I don't think that I'll be playing professional Quidditch at this point." He eyed Hermione. "But then, I'm sure you'd get bored of me since you dated that Krum bloke and look where that got him. I figure that if I want to keep you, maybe sports isn't the best way to go." She smacked him playfully.
"Nice to know that you at least still have your sense of humor," she said sarcastically. He leaned forwards to kiss her.
"Now it's your turn to humor me." She cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh? And how exactly can I go about doing so, Mr. Malfoy?" He kissed her again.
"I believe we have some... 'catching up' to do, Miss Granger." He grinned mischievously. She smirked back seductively.
"Actually, how about we go with 'Mrs. Malfoy' tonight, just to test it out, hmm?" He leaned in closer to her, causing her to lay back onto the pillows again. He hovered inches above her face.
"As you wish...Mrs. Malfoy." He began to kiss her passionately, his hand finding their way to the clasps of her dress robes and slipping them off, leaving her in just her undergarments. Her hands, meanwhile, were pulling his dress shirt form his pants and she began unbuttoning it. She slid it off form his shoulders, and gasped as she saw a rose, similar to her dragon, emblazoned on his right shoulder blade. On a banner wrapped around the rose, it read: "Amor Vincit Omnia." Love conquers all. She smirked knowingly and opened her mouth to say something, but Draco shushed her with his own mouth. She finished removing his shirt, then began to fumble with his belt buckle. He pulled away to finish removing his pants then crawled back into the bed. They continued "catching up," then finally, both collapsed back onto the bed, out of breath and bodies slick with sweat. Draco pulled the covers around both himself and Hermione. She snuggled next to him and he wrapped his arms about her.
"I love you," he whispered. She nuzzled his chest.
"I love you, too," she replied back before falling into a blissful slumber.
Back by popular demand...Draco! Yeah, yeah...I got all your reviews. Are you guys nuts? Did you really think that I was going to let Draco DIE? Puh-lease! I hate sad endings, so I made sure that this story didn't have one. Thanks for the reviews, though. I BROKE 100!!! Whoo! Stay tuned for the epilogue! Later days!