Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Once again, this saddens me but I'll get over it.
Chapter 14: All Good Things Must Come to an End
The day of Graduation came quickly. Hermione and Draco got up early to go over their speech. The ceremony was at ten thirty in the morning. This way, they had plenty of time afterwards to get ready for the ball.
They got into their school robes for the last time, the only thing separating them from any other day were the caps they wore on their heads. They appeared to be dunce caps but in truth, they were the graduation caps that every Hogwarts student wore on this important day.
Hermione sat in the common room, going over the speech but Draco didn't seem to be paying attention. "Draco? Are you listening to me?"
"What? Oh, yeah... I'm listening," he lied. His thoughts were busy on the events that would happen later that evening.
When they went down to the great Hall, the seats were filled with parents who had come to watch their children graduate. Neither Hermione nor Draco had a person there for them, but it didn't matter to either of them. They had each other there and he was all that she needed (and vice versa.)
When it was time to read their speech, Hermione was neither nervous nor excited. She stood up and began speaking from the heart, not even bothering to read from the paper.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Hermione Granger and this," she motioned towards the platinum blonde haired boy standing beside her. "Is Draco Malfoy. We were the Head students this year. If you know anything about us, you are probably wondering how we survived living together. For those of you who don't know us, I'll sum our relationship up for you. We were enemies. We have fought and bickered at every change we got. He teased me and I mocked him and we both loathed each other.
But the war changed that for us. WE both wound up in St. Mungo's in critical condition. I was paralyzed and he was in a coma. When he woke up, we began to speak and become civil. Then we were brought back to Hogwarts and made the mistake of listening to our friends who were telling us we were too different and that we should be enemies. So we started over again once more with the fighting and name-calling. But then, something happened. We were forced into spending more time together and we stopped hating each other for the second time."
They were standing behind a podium so Draco was able to hold her hand without anyone noticing. He squeezed it lovingly and began to talk. "I wouldn't say that we are friends now but enemies... we aren't enemies any longer. You see, there were three reasons for me hating her. One, she was a Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin. The two houses despise each other. Two, she was a muggle born and I was taught that they were inferior to me. And three, she was better than me at everything which meant that reason number two couldn't be true about her because she was superior to me."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"She's modest as well," he said with a smirk. "Anyway, I hope that people learn from us. Don't make the same mistake that we did. I missed out on knowing a nice person for so many years and it was almost too late."
"Moving on..." she hinted for Draco to get on with the rest of the speech as soon as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Moving on from inter-house relations," he said, catching her drift, "We'd like to discuss the significance of our graduating class. Our class helped bring down the Dark Lord in a battle that will be remembered forever as the greatest war in all of history. We have the Boy-Who-Lived in our year. We have the smartest witch to ever come to Hogwarts in our year. In our fifth year, we had a crazy lady replace our headmaster and watched as the Weasley twins brought a swamp in the school. In fourth year, we had the triwizard tournament and lost Cedric Diggory. In third year, an accused murderer escaped from Azkaban and the Dementors began to practically LIVE at the school, scaring everyone, mostly Potter, out of their minds," he said looking at Harry who was laughing along with it. "And also that year, we had a D.A.D.A. teacher that was actually a werewolf. Then, in second year, muggle borns kept getting attacked and the Chamber of Secrets was opened and our D.A.D.A. teacher was a fraud. Oh and let's not forget in first year, we had an evil Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that Potter saved us from who actually carried around the Dark Lord on the back of his head. All in all, this class has been through a lot together."
"Good recapping, Draco," Hermione said with a smile. "But you failed to mention how you were attacked by a hippogriff back in third year and then you tried to get him executed."
"I tried to block that out," he admitted. "The point is..."
"Yes, the point is that our class is 'special.' We're talented and we're going places. The Wizarding Community expects great things from the class, considering all that we've been through. Now don't go getting intimidated 'cause I know that the future is scary, but trust me, you'll do great. I know each and every one of you will go out there and make a good name for yourself. The thing is..." she said, getting a little more serious. "The thing is that NO ONE and I do mean NO ONE, ever expected us to come this far. With everything we've been through, we should be dead or in a mental institute, trying to recover from the emotional scars. But look around you. What do you see? With everything that's happened, I'm surprised we're all still here. But even though I'm surprised, I'm not totally blown away. You guys are the greatest witches and wizards that Hogwarts has ever seen. Never doubt that. This class, our graduating class, we've been through so much together."
"You can say that again," Draco joked.
"We've been through so much together," she replied with a smirk that she had picked up from Draco.
"Granger, I was joking."
"I know but I couldn't resist. They both laughed but he rolled his eyes in the meanwhile and then continued on.
"This year was one of the toughest years. I myself struggled through it."
"Yes, well, we did have a lot on our plates. We had the N.E.W.T.S. and we had the loss of one of the greatest Professors ever." A silent tear strode down her cheek but she urged herself to finish what she had started. "I'd like to dedicate the statue that you will find in the Gryffindor Common Room, to Professor Minerva McGonagall. It's a statue of her and we put it there to show our appreciation to everything that she's done. I'd also like to dedicate this entire ceremony to her. She was a great professor, a great witch, a wonderful woman, and a fabulous role model. I hope I become just like her. Every day, she is missed and I wish so badly that she was here to hand us our diplomas... but we can't get everything we wish for now can we?" Draco gave her a nudge in the shoulder as if to say 'Stop it. You don't need to make yourself depressed on the last day here.' She smiled warmly at him, wishing so badly to just reach up and kiss him for knowing her so well.
Draco saw this inner turmoil in her and decided to wrap it up. "Before we sit down, we'd like to leave you with this one saying. Live every moment as though it was your last. You never know when it actually will be."
He sat down and she followed soon after, letting their hands drop to their sides.
Now it was time for Dumbledore's speech, which was considerably shorter. "In years past, I have always loved my students and cared for them as though they were my own children. But this year, I feel a special connection with you all. You will always hold a special place in place in my heart and I love you all more than any students I have ever taught. Thank you for being so great." With a swoosh of his hand, a diploma fell into everyone's lap. "Usually, the diplomas are given to you by Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, but Professor Snape has requested that they are given to you via magic, because the pain is still too near. Now, I am sure you will go off and make Hogwarts proud. Now, you may all go to the Great Hall for lunch."
Hermione beamed with pride as she as she walked down to where Harry and Ron were. They began walking all together, Hermione in the middle. Harry and Ron took turns giving her a kiss on the cheek to congratulate her. She looked over to where Draco stood, talking with Blaise and his parents, and saw him go red with anger. She knew how possessive he was but she couldn't help but to smile. He was such a jealous boyfriend. Ron ran off and found Parvati and his parents while Hermione linked arms with Harry.
"I'm glad I have you, Harry. This way I'm not the only one without anyone here to see them graduate. We'll stick together, right? Even after school? We'll still see each other, won't we?"
Harry smiled and faced her. "Of course, 'Mione. I could never live without seeing you all the time. You're one of my two best friends."
They embraced and soon, Hermione began to notice that her stomach was making odd noises. "Um... Harry, do you want to go and get something to eat with m? I was so nervous this morning that I could've even THINK about food."
They walked to the Great Hall and found ALL of the Weasley's standing around with Parvati attached to Ron's arms. "Hey you guys," Hermione said.
"Hermione, that speech was excellent!" Fred exclaimed.
"Yeah," George agreed. "You almost had US fooled, thinking you actually didn't hate Malfoy. You should win an Oscar!"
She laughed but inside, it wasn't funny to her. She knew she had them fooled alright, but it was the opposite was around. They thought that she still hated him but in reality, it was the exact opposite. "Thanks you guys!" she forced herself to reply.
They spent hours talking and eating. When all the parents left, it was four in the afternoon and every girl, besides Hermione, began to complain that they didn't have enough time to prepare. When Harry asked her why she wasn't running around and becoming frantic, he response was basically that the girls were forgetting that they could use magic to do their hair and make up as opposed to doing it the muggle way.
Hermione and Draco had come up with a way to make sure no one recognized one another. They were placing disillusionment charms on the entire grade, along with the masks that would be magically glued on until the ball was over. Hermione loved the idea, thinking that it would make it more fun.
As it came time for Hermione to go and begin to get ready, she hugged Harry tightly and whispered into his ear. "I know that something is going to happen tonight. I can feel it. Please do me this favor and don't go causing trouble. I couldn't handle losing ANYONE that is important to me." She kissed his cheek and walked away before Harry could say anything.
When she got back to the Head Tower, she saw Draco sitting in a chair with his back towards her. He was reading a book. No sooner has she entered, before he was standing up and retreating to his room.
"Draco, wait," she said quickly before he could get a chance to leave. "Where are you going? Are you mad at me?"
He looked at her calmly. It scared her to find no emotion on his face. "I'm not mad but I'm not happy either. What were you doing with Potter and Weasel, letting them kiss you?"
"ON THE CHEEK!" she screamed in her own defense. "THEY KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK!"
"STILL! You know I don't like other people touching my things!"
"Well it's a good thing I'm not yours then, isn't it?"
"What do you mean by that? Of course you are mine! You're my girlfriend."
"That doesn't mean that I'm yours. I love you but I'm not property."
"You're mine, sweetheart. Just as I am yours."
"As long as it works both ways," she said with a smile. She sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now I have to go and get dressed. Shall we meet here in say one hour? I want to show you my outfit before we put the charms on ourselves."
"Sounds good to me." He kissed her cheek, mostly just to annoy her and then he went back to his room to go and get ready on his own.
She was mort than annoyed by the kiss on the cheek. He had just pointed out that she was his girlfriend, but then turned around and did something that only a friend would do? 'How dare he?' she thought, though she didn't let him know exactly how she felt.
An hour later, she appeared in the common room and Draco's jaw dropped. She looked amazing. He dress was black and strapless. It had a low cut v-neck hugged her body, showing all of her curves. Her hair was left down and it appeared as though she had spent hours on it. It fell in ringlets down her back. She wore no makeup, only a lip-gloss. She hadn't put on her mask yet and he was thrilled to be able to see her before she put it on.
Hermione stared at Draco in wonder. Who would have thought that a man who hated muggles so much would look so good in their clothes? He wore a black tuxedo, nothing fancy but still, he looked wonderful.
"Woah," they both said simultaneously. They didn't bother saying anything else. They shared a kiss full of lust and passion and they each knew how badly they wanted one another. She pulled away after a few minutes with a sad face on.
"We have to go. We have to place the disillusionment charm on all of the seventh years. The ball starts in fifteen minutes," she said.
"Okay. Put your mask on and we'll be going." She followed his instructions and once again he was in awe of her beauty. Her mask was simple, only covering her eyes. It was attached by way of magic and nothing else, no strings attached. It was encrusted with diamonds circling around the eyes. Even with a mask on, she still looked like an angel. "How can you do it?"
"Do what?" she asked innocently, really not knowing what he was asking.
"How can you look so beautiful no matter what you do? Even with a mask, I can see that you are the most gorgeous woman alive. How is that possible? Masks are supposed to hide your appearance but even with yours on, I can still see your beauty."
She blushed furiously, though her mask hid it. "You're just saying that," she replied modestly.
"No, I'm not. I love you. Why would I lie to you? I'm telling you now that you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. Just take the compliment and stop denying it."
She hugged him and said, "Thank you, Draco. I love you so much." Finally, she was ready to go after she took one last look in the mirror. "We'd better get going." Draco took this as his time to put on his mask.
"The ball can't start without us," he joked.
In order to do the spell without any mistakes, they were to go around to each house common room while the seventh years were still in their rooms. Then, they would say the spell. They did so quickly, not wanting to waste any time. When they were finished, they left Hogwarts grounds and headed towards the carriages, watching everyone trying to find a place to sit while not knowing anyone.
Then, they performed the spell on each other. When it was complete, they looked around as unfamiliar people hidden under masks hopped inside the beautiful carriages that Hermione had ordered special for the evening. They were shaped like pumpkins and were driven by ACTUAL horses, not invisible ones. It gave it a much more Cinderella feel.
Hermione quickly walked into the crowd of swarming students so as to lose Draco and she succeeded.
Draco stood in front of an empty carriage, turning around to search through the crowds. Somewhere out there was his fiancé, the woman he loved more than life itself and he was going to find her. Also out there were at least twenty Death Eaters that he planned on killing that evening and sometime soon, he would find them as well. He had talked to Potter and the D.A. and they had agreed to attack at eleven o'clock. Draco was to call the Death Eaters to a meeting at ten thirty at the Shrieking Shack. It was abandoned now. Then, they would discuss attacking the Ball. At eleven, the D.A. would show up and then a second war would start. He only prayed tat Hermione wouldn't get suspicious of the disappearance of so any of the students. At least a quarter of the students would be missing. He got on the carriage and waited impatiently for someone to join him but soon rested his eyes and went over how the evening could play out.
Hermione searched through all of the carriages, searching for an empty one. She finally found one that had just one boy in it and he appeared to be sleeping. She didn't want to sit with anyone of the way there. She feared that the people she would wind up sitting with would either be her friends or death eaters. She didn't want to sit with her friends because she had this feeling like her friends were all keeping something from her and she certainly didn't want to sit with the evil Death Eaters. That left this one boy, who was sleeping so she didn't think he would bother her.
She sat in the carriage and watched the boy sleep. The carriage suddenly began to move and he appeared to be awoken by the movement. He looked at her with curiosity in his eyes and she just smiled at him. "Hello," she said. "You must've been tired. I hope you enjoyed your nap. Do you feel rested enough for the ball now?"
He smirked, knowing that the only person in the whole world that would be so kind to a stranger was the woman that he had fallen in love with. "I wasn't really sleeping," he replied. "I was just resting my eyes and thinking about the future." Her smile faded.
"The future," she said, suddenly staring off into space. "Now that's a scary thought," she admitted, practically forgetting the presence of another in the carriage. She had never admitted just how scared she was of the future to anyone, even Draco. Now, she was opening up. "Terrifying," she whispered. Her hands began to shake and she got chills up and down her spine.
Draco, though she didn't know it was him, stood up and sat down next to her, placing his arm around her shoulder. "There's nothing to be scared of," he said trying to comfort her. "The future may be unclear but I promise things will work themselves out."
THAT was when she knew it was him. He took her shaking hands in his and kissed each finger one at a time. She smiled at him and ran her index finger along his mask. "You're amazing," she said to the masked man. "Please don't ever leave me," she pleaded.
"I'm right here, not going anywhere." They both fell into a comfortable silence, though Draco's thoughts were far from comfortable. He was so scared. He knew there would be a battle and he was going to be fighting on the light side but he also knew how he got when he was around Death Eaters... evil. He was always consumed by hate when they were near and it was possible that he would fight for them that evening.
When the carriage stopped, they were at the Eiffel Tower. Draco and Hermione got out and entered. There were tons of students already there and dancing with their friends. It seemed that a bunch of them had disregarded the charm and told each other their true identities, enabling them to find their friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends.
Harry had asked her earlier to do so but she had said no. She wanted to meet new people, which of course was a lie, one that she hated to tell but it was necessary if she wanted to be with Draco without worrying about what others would say, think, or do.
Hermione and Draco walked in hand in hand and everyone stared. They were the best looking people in the room, even without their identity being known. They walked out on the dance floor and began dancing to the music. It was muggle music that Draco had never heard of but if had been Hermione who booked the band.
They danced for hours, enjoying the feel of one another's bodies against theirs. When Draco glanced at the time, it was ten twenty-nine, and he began t get frantic. He hadn't planned on how to leave her. He knew it was quite possible the last time he could see her so he decided to make his goodbye sweet yet simple and very unsuspicious. He didn't want Hermione to wonder where he was going. She, he took her hand and kissed it. Then, he let one of the many men who had been dying to cut in, to whisk her away. She was unpleased by this but figured Draco just didn't want to risk getting found out by any Death Eaters that had attended the ball.
Draco walked away and towards the Shrieking Shack, summoning the Death Eaters to a meeting. Their scars burned and they knew that their master was calling them. This pleased Blaise for it was the first time Draco had used this power of his. All of the Death Eaters apparated to their master.
Harry watched as a large amount of students disappeared from the ball and he nodded to Ron to begin to get ready. Ron, who had been dancing with Parvati, began to say his goodbye to her and searched the room for Hermione, though it was no use. She was wearing the disillusionment charm and he couldn't recognize her no matter how hard her tried.
Draco watched as all of the Death Eaters appeared. He said a simple spell and the disillusionment charm was broken. Now he could recognize every single one of his followers. Draco saw many of them bow in respect and for a few seconds, he loved being the dark lord. So much power, respect, and...NO! H shook his head furiously, in an attempt to get the evil thoughts out of his head.
"My Lord," Zambini said as he approached. "What is the meaning of this meeting, if I may ask?" he said cautiously, obviously not wanting for Draco to attack him.
"It's a fair question," Draco responded. "I've been thinking a lot about the attack you told me about. You explained to me that many of you wanted to attack. All I can see is danger and a poorly thought out plan, which doesn't get you far in my book. This had been weighing heavily on my mind. I want an explanation to your stupidity. One of you shall now explain to me HOW you could be so daft as to plan to attack at Hogsmeade with the ministry of magic already watching over the ball, making sure now seventh year gets out of hand.
Pansy stepped forwards and Draco laughed. Only she would ever step forward to admit she was an idiot. "Draco..."
"Miss Parkinson, do not insult me with such an informal title."
"My apologies, my Lord. You see, attacking the ball is in fact an excellent idea. Potter is rumored to be taking over as head of the Order beings Dumbledore has gotten too old. We should squash him before he has the chance."
"Yes but at the ball? That'd be suicide!"
"NO, My Lord!" Zambini said. "It wouldn't. They're in formal muggle wear. There's no pocket for a wand in a tux." Everyone laughed except for Draco who was growing angrier by the second. The problem was that he wasn't growing angry with anyone in particular. He was just getting angry. He could feel Voldemort and Slytherin breaking to the surface and it was becoming too hard to fight against. Zambini continued speaking. "We can attack them now, while they're unprepared and we can catch them off guard. They'd never know what hit them."
"You're starting to make sense, Blaise," Draco admitted. "An attack actually would have been a great idea."
"Would have been?" Pansy questioned. "The ball is still going on for another two hours!"
"It WOULD have been but we cannot now. They are on their way."
"WHO?"
"Potter and his new army. I can hear their footsteps approaching. They'll be here in a matter of minutes. Get ready for battle."
"My lord, we could hide behind bushes," a death eater suggested. "Attack them from behind."
"Good but I want them to think we're here and attack the illusions first." He cast a spell that gave the illusion of a meeting still going on. "Now go and hid and be ready for them when they come." Everyone began to move and find their hiding spots except for Draco.
"My Lord, will you not hide?" Blaise asked.
"I need not hide, Blaise. If I die tonight, it won't be because I didn't hide in a bush. If I am going to die tonight, a bush won't make the difference. Now go! Hide!" Blaise reluctantly followed his orders.
The D.A. assembled outside of the Eiffel Tower and began walking to the Shrieking Shack not saying a word. Harry led the way confidently but inside, he was terrified. He had never gone into battle without Hermione by his side or at least without consulting her first. In a way, he wished that she had discovered their little plan, not only because she could have pointed out all of its flaws, but also because she may have talked him out of it and right now, that sounded like a good thing. For all he knew, Malfoy was leading them into a trap.
He was still having trouble digesting the information Malfoy had given them but they knew for the most part that he was right. Why would he make up that he and Hermione were dating? That's not a typical lie for a man who claims to hate muggle borns.
But if Malfoy had really been truthful, then Harry's heart was broken. For years now, Harry had watched Hermione blossom into a beautiful young lady and now... she was taken? Harry was crushed. Not only that she was taken, but that she had never known his true feelings. He knew that if she had only been AWARE of how much he loved her, then there would have at least been a shot for them. He knew he could make her happy, but apparently Malfoy could as well. Of course, it helped that Malfoy had SHARED his feelings with her, as opposed to Harry's method of winning her heart (which was to keep his love for her bottled up inside until the day that she ever showed him any interest at all.) Now Harry felt as though it was too late. She was in love with someone else. How could she ever truly be his.
They approached the hill that led up to the Shrieking shack and walked up quietly and quickly When they got to the top, Harry turned around and looked into all of the faces of the men and women that he would be fighting with.
He whispered a speech to them, trying to be uplifting. "Listen here, all of you. I have been working with you all since fifth year and I commend you on all of your achievements. I feel better knowing that I am fighting with the best. But what lies beyond this hill is a scary vision. There are at least twenty death eaters from seventh years at Hogwarts ALONE. Take into account all of the Death Eaters that are already out of school and have been practicing magic since way before we were born. So let's say that there are at least fifty of them. There's forty of us. I know we can take them. We just have to believe in ourselves. Now I want you to go out there, and fight... not just for yourselves but for everyone in this world who had been told that they were inferior simply because of their blood. Fight for the existence of mankind and the freedom of magic. Fight for the world tonight."
He wasn't sure if he had actually inspired them to do any better but he felt like he was speaking true words. They weren't fighting simply because they held a grudge against a specific group. They were fighting for muggle borns and their right to study magic freely. HE was fighting for Hermione, the girl he loved but would never tell. HE was fighting for the right to love her. And before that night was through, he wanted to make sure Malfoy had not survived. It was his only way of being able to be with her. Once Malfoy, the love of her life, was out of the picture, he could be there to comfort her. And after a while, he would tell her how he felt and she would feel the same for him... he hoped.
Harry nodded for the D.A. to follow him and before any of them could really get a chance to say anything, Harry was charging a group of Death Eaters that were gathered around in a semi circle. He saw that they weren't really moving, or making much noise and couldn't help but to become confused. The D.A. was right behind him, but they were as perplexed as he was. The group stopped in their tracks as the real death eaters came out from behind bushes and circled around them. There were about fifty, as Harry had predicted.
They all produced their wands and Harry gulped, knowing that many families would be crying tomorrow. He watched as one man pushed his way from the center of the circling death eaters. It was Malfoy.
"Malfoy, you tricked us!" Harry shouted.
Draco smirked. "Of course I did. Dark Lord... HELLO! Did you really expect me to try and fight for YOU?"
"Why not? You fought in the war against Voldemort!"
"That was different. Voldemort was an imbecile and coward. He hid behind his death eaters and I hated my father for ever cowering at his feet. I refused to do the same, so I fought against him. I loved seeing him fail. And then, killing my father was an added bonus. It just guaranteed me a spot as the Dark Lord. Now I have taken over that position and I am ready to kill you. Are you FINALLY ready to die, Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Stupid-Prat?"
Harry glared at him with cold green eyes and nodded. The D.A. rose their wands and the battle began. Green and red sparks flew all over, hitting the first person to come in contact with them. Harry was aiming for Malfoy, but Draco was just too fast for him. Draco expertly dodged every hex thrown his way.
After what seemed like an eternity, Harry ceased his attacks on Draco for just a moment to see how many had fallen and how his side was doing. It wasn't good. Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchey were lying on the floor, dead. Susan Bones was backed into a corner but Harry stupefied her attacker and she continued to fight.
Quickly, Harry turned his attention back to Malfoy who was just standing there cackling, apparently enjoying the idea of not really having to fight. He seemed as though he intended to just stand there and watch the scene unfold before him. Harry immediately pointed his wand in Draco's direction but it was no use. Draco once again avoided being hit thanks to his fast maneuvering skills.
With one swift motion, Draco reached for his wand and produced it from the inside pocket of his robes. He ran towards Harry and in a matter of two seconds, had him in a head lock, unconscious. Once again, he reached inside his pocket, but this time, he produced a small dagger. He placed it on Harry's throat and hollered for everyone to watch him.
"THIS IS YOUR LEADER! WATCH AS I SLIT HIS THROAT AND THEN I SHALL MOVE ON TO YOU!" He screamed. They all watched in horror as Malfoy prepared to slice through Harry's skin.
"STOP!" a voice yelled. Draco stopped, along with everyone else who was still battling, and looked around to see who it was. He nearly fainted at the sight. There Hermione stood, gown and mask and all.
A/N... okay so first of all... a few of you, in the last chapter actually picked up on when I had Hermione yell for the students to go and speak to McGonagall... great job. I was wondering who would pick up on that. I kind of wanted to display Hermione as a little on edge, a little nervous, her nerves are shot. When she screamed this, she was so flustered with the swarm of students surrounding her that she just got all confused and shouted out the first thing that came to her mind. I'm sorry if I confused you. I really didn't mean to and I realized as soon as I got your reviews that I probably should have added something about that in the story to explain. Sorry for making it that way.
So what did you guys think of the cliff hanger. Harry could die? Hermione found a way to be in the battle? What's going to happen? I'm so excited to write the end it's not even funny. I love it so much.
I'm contemplating writing a really sad ending. Do you guys like sad? I have one ending already written and I'm writing up an alternate ending. I'll decide depending on the reviews that I get. Right now, it could go either way.
I make no guarantees on how many chapters are left. I kept trying to put a number on it but it just kept growing so I decided to stop predicting. I'll leave that to the people who actually are seers (like Trelawney even though she sucks at it. Hehehe... I can't wait til the third movie comes out. Seven days and counting!)
PLEASE REVIEW! I love you guys so much. I look forward to your reviews. They're the best part of my day. If you have any questions, ask in your review.
Chapter 14: All Good Things Must Come to an End
The day of Graduation came quickly. Hermione and Draco got up early to go over their speech. The ceremony was at ten thirty in the morning. This way, they had plenty of time afterwards to get ready for the ball.
They got into their school robes for the last time, the only thing separating them from any other day were the caps they wore on their heads. They appeared to be dunce caps but in truth, they were the graduation caps that every Hogwarts student wore on this important day.
Hermione sat in the common room, going over the speech but Draco didn't seem to be paying attention. "Draco? Are you listening to me?"
"What? Oh, yeah... I'm listening," he lied. His thoughts were busy on the events that would happen later that evening.
When they went down to the great Hall, the seats were filled with parents who had come to watch their children graduate. Neither Hermione nor Draco had a person there for them, but it didn't matter to either of them. They had each other there and he was all that she needed (and vice versa.)
When it was time to read their speech, Hermione was neither nervous nor excited. She stood up and began speaking from the heart, not even bothering to read from the paper.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Hermione Granger and this," she motioned towards the platinum blonde haired boy standing beside her. "Is Draco Malfoy. We were the Head students this year. If you know anything about us, you are probably wondering how we survived living together. For those of you who don't know us, I'll sum our relationship up for you. We were enemies. We have fought and bickered at every change we got. He teased me and I mocked him and we both loathed each other.
But the war changed that for us. WE both wound up in St. Mungo's in critical condition. I was paralyzed and he was in a coma. When he woke up, we began to speak and become civil. Then we were brought back to Hogwarts and made the mistake of listening to our friends who were telling us we were too different and that we should be enemies. So we started over again once more with the fighting and name-calling. But then, something happened. We were forced into spending more time together and we stopped hating each other for the second time."
They were standing behind a podium so Draco was able to hold her hand without anyone noticing. He squeezed it lovingly and began to talk. "I wouldn't say that we are friends now but enemies... we aren't enemies any longer. You see, there were three reasons for me hating her. One, she was a Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin. The two houses despise each other. Two, she was a muggle born and I was taught that they were inferior to me. And three, she was better than me at everything which meant that reason number two couldn't be true about her because she was superior to me."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"She's modest as well," he said with a smirk. "Anyway, I hope that people learn from us. Don't make the same mistake that we did. I missed out on knowing a nice person for so many years and it was almost too late."
"Moving on..." she hinted for Draco to get on with the rest of the speech as soon as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Moving on from inter-house relations," he said, catching her drift, "We'd like to discuss the significance of our graduating class. Our class helped bring down the Dark Lord in a battle that will be remembered forever as the greatest war in all of history. We have the Boy-Who-Lived in our year. We have the smartest witch to ever come to Hogwarts in our year. In our fifth year, we had a crazy lady replace our headmaster and watched as the Weasley twins brought a swamp in the school. In fourth year, we had the triwizard tournament and lost Cedric Diggory. In third year, an accused murderer escaped from Azkaban and the Dementors began to practically LIVE at the school, scaring everyone, mostly Potter, out of their minds," he said looking at Harry who was laughing along with it. "And also that year, we had a D.A.D.A. teacher that was actually a werewolf. Then, in second year, muggle borns kept getting attacked and the Chamber of Secrets was opened and our D.A.D.A. teacher was a fraud. Oh and let's not forget in first year, we had an evil Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that Potter saved us from who actually carried around the Dark Lord on the back of his head. All in all, this class has been through a lot together."
"Good recapping, Draco," Hermione said with a smile. "But you failed to mention how you were attacked by a hippogriff back in third year and then you tried to get him executed."
"I tried to block that out," he admitted. "The point is..."
"Yes, the point is that our class is 'special.' We're talented and we're going places. The Wizarding Community expects great things from the class, considering all that we've been through. Now don't go getting intimidated 'cause I know that the future is scary, but trust me, you'll do great. I know each and every one of you will go out there and make a good name for yourself. The thing is..." she said, getting a little more serious. "The thing is that NO ONE and I do mean NO ONE, ever expected us to come this far. With everything we've been through, we should be dead or in a mental institute, trying to recover from the emotional scars. But look around you. What do you see? With everything that's happened, I'm surprised we're all still here. But even though I'm surprised, I'm not totally blown away. You guys are the greatest witches and wizards that Hogwarts has ever seen. Never doubt that. This class, our graduating class, we've been through so much together."
"You can say that again," Draco joked.
"We've been through so much together," she replied with a smirk that she had picked up from Draco.
"Granger, I was joking."
"I know but I couldn't resist. They both laughed but he rolled his eyes in the meanwhile and then continued on.
"This year was one of the toughest years. I myself struggled through it."
"Yes, well, we did have a lot on our plates. We had the N.E.W.T.S. and we had the loss of one of the greatest Professors ever." A silent tear strode down her cheek but she urged herself to finish what she had started. "I'd like to dedicate the statue that you will find in the Gryffindor Common Room, to Professor Minerva McGonagall. It's a statue of her and we put it there to show our appreciation to everything that she's done. I'd also like to dedicate this entire ceremony to her. She was a great professor, a great witch, a wonderful woman, and a fabulous role model. I hope I become just like her. Every day, she is missed and I wish so badly that she was here to hand us our diplomas... but we can't get everything we wish for now can we?" Draco gave her a nudge in the shoulder as if to say 'Stop it. You don't need to make yourself depressed on the last day here.' She smiled warmly at him, wishing so badly to just reach up and kiss him for knowing her so well.
Draco saw this inner turmoil in her and decided to wrap it up. "Before we sit down, we'd like to leave you with this one saying. Live every moment as though it was your last. You never know when it actually will be."
He sat down and she followed soon after, letting their hands drop to their sides.
Now it was time for Dumbledore's speech, which was considerably shorter. "In years past, I have always loved my students and cared for them as though they were my own children. But this year, I feel a special connection with you all. You will always hold a special place in place in my heart and I love you all more than any students I have ever taught. Thank you for being so great." With a swoosh of his hand, a diploma fell into everyone's lap. "Usually, the diplomas are given to you by Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, but Professor Snape has requested that they are given to you via magic, because the pain is still too near. Now, I am sure you will go off and make Hogwarts proud. Now, you may all go to the Great Hall for lunch."
Hermione beamed with pride as she as she walked down to where Harry and Ron were. They began walking all together, Hermione in the middle. Harry and Ron took turns giving her a kiss on the cheek to congratulate her. She looked over to where Draco stood, talking with Blaise and his parents, and saw him go red with anger. She knew how possessive he was but she couldn't help but to smile. He was such a jealous boyfriend. Ron ran off and found Parvati and his parents while Hermione linked arms with Harry.
"I'm glad I have you, Harry. This way I'm not the only one without anyone here to see them graduate. We'll stick together, right? Even after school? We'll still see each other, won't we?"
Harry smiled and faced her. "Of course, 'Mione. I could never live without seeing you all the time. You're one of my two best friends."
They embraced and soon, Hermione began to notice that her stomach was making odd noises. "Um... Harry, do you want to go and get something to eat with m? I was so nervous this morning that I could've even THINK about food."
They walked to the Great Hall and found ALL of the Weasley's standing around with Parvati attached to Ron's arms. "Hey you guys," Hermione said.
"Hermione, that speech was excellent!" Fred exclaimed.
"Yeah," George agreed. "You almost had US fooled, thinking you actually didn't hate Malfoy. You should win an Oscar!"
She laughed but inside, it wasn't funny to her. She knew she had them fooled alright, but it was the opposite was around. They thought that she still hated him but in reality, it was the exact opposite. "Thanks you guys!" she forced herself to reply.
They spent hours talking and eating. When all the parents left, it was four in the afternoon and every girl, besides Hermione, began to complain that they didn't have enough time to prepare. When Harry asked her why she wasn't running around and becoming frantic, he response was basically that the girls were forgetting that they could use magic to do their hair and make up as opposed to doing it the muggle way.
Hermione and Draco had come up with a way to make sure no one recognized one another. They were placing disillusionment charms on the entire grade, along with the masks that would be magically glued on until the ball was over. Hermione loved the idea, thinking that it would make it more fun.
As it came time for Hermione to go and begin to get ready, she hugged Harry tightly and whispered into his ear. "I know that something is going to happen tonight. I can feel it. Please do me this favor and don't go causing trouble. I couldn't handle losing ANYONE that is important to me." She kissed his cheek and walked away before Harry could say anything.
When she got back to the Head Tower, she saw Draco sitting in a chair with his back towards her. He was reading a book. No sooner has she entered, before he was standing up and retreating to his room.
"Draco, wait," she said quickly before he could get a chance to leave. "Where are you going? Are you mad at me?"
He looked at her calmly. It scared her to find no emotion on his face. "I'm not mad but I'm not happy either. What were you doing with Potter and Weasel, letting them kiss you?"
"ON THE CHEEK!" she screamed in her own defense. "THEY KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK!"
"STILL! You know I don't like other people touching my things!"
"Well it's a good thing I'm not yours then, isn't it?"
"What do you mean by that? Of course you are mine! You're my girlfriend."
"That doesn't mean that I'm yours. I love you but I'm not property."
"You're mine, sweetheart. Just as I am yours."
"As long as it works both ways," she said with a smile. She sauntered over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now I have to go and get dressed. Shall we meet here in say one hour? I want to show you my outfit before we put the charms on ourselves."
"Sounds good to me." He kissed her cheek, mostly just to annoy her and then he went back to his room to go and get ready on his own.
She was mort than annoyed by the kiss on the cheek. He had just pointed out that she was his girlfriend, but then turned around and did something that only a friend would do? 'How dare he?' she thought, though she didn't let him know exactly how she felt.
An hour later, she appeared in the common room and Draco's jaw dropped. She looked amazing. He dress was black and strapless. It had a low cut v-neck hugged her body, showing all of her curves. Her hair was left down and it appeared as though she had spent hours on it. It fell in ringlets down her back. She wore no makeup, only a lip-gloss. She hadn't put on her mask yet and he was thrilled to be able to see her before she put it on.
Hermione stared at Draco in wonder. Who would have thought that a man who hated muggles so much would look so good in their clothes? He wore a black tuxedo, nothing fancy but still, he looked wonderful.
"Woah," they both said simultaneously. They didn't bother saying anything else. They shared a kiss full of lust and passion and they each knew how badly they wanted one another. She pulled away after a few minutes with a sad face on.
"We have to go. We have to place the disillusionment charm on all of the seventh years. The ball starts in fifteen minutes," she said.
"Okay. Put your mask on and we'll be going." She followed his instructions and once again he was in awe of her beauty. Her mask was simple, only covering her eyes. It was attached by way of magic and nothing else, no strings attached. It was encrusted with diamonds circling around the eyes. Even with a mask on, she still looked like an angel. "How can you do it?"
"Do what?" she asked innocently, really not knowing what he was asking.
"How can you look so beautiful no matter what you do? Even with a mask, I can see that you are the most gorgeous woman alive. How is that possible? Masks are supposed to hide your appearance but even with yours on, I can still see your beauty."
She blushed furiously, though her mask hid it. "You're just saying that," she replied modestly.
"No, I'm not. I love you. Why would I lie to you? I'm telling you now that you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen. Just take the compliment and stop denying it."
She hugged him and said, "Thank you, Draco. I love you so much." Finally, she was ready to go after she took one last look in the mirror. "We'd better get going." Draco took this as his time to put on his mask.
"The ball can't start without us," he joked.
In order to do the spell without any mistakes, they were to go around to each house common room while the seventh years were still in their rooms. Then, they would say the spell. They did so quickly, not wanting to waste any time. When they were finished, they left Hogwarts grounds and headed towards the carriages, watching everyone trying to find a place to sit while not knowing anyone.
Then, they performed the spell on each other. When it was complete, they looked around as unfamiliar people hidden under masks hopped inside the beautiful carriages that Hermione had ordered special for the evening. They were shaped like pumpkins and were driven by ACTUAL horses, not invisible ones. It gave it a much more Cinderella feel.
Hermione quickly walked into the crowd of swarming students so as to lose Draco and she succeeded.
Draco stood in front of an empty carriage, turning around to search through the crowds. Somewhere out there was his fiancé, the woman he loved more than life itself and he was going to find her. Also out there were at least twenty Death Eaters that he planned on killing that evening and sometime soon, he would find them as well. He had talked to Potter and the D.A. and they had agreed to attack at eleven o'clock. Draco was to call the Death Eaters to a meeting at ten thirty at the Shrieking Shack. It was abandoned now. Then, they would discuss attacking the Ball. At eleven, the D.A. would show up and then a second war would start. He only prayed tat Hermione wouldn't get suspicious of the disappearance of so any of the students. At least a quarter of the students would be missing. He got on the carriage and waited impatiently for someone to join him but soon rested his eyes and went over how the evening could play out.
Hermione searched through all of the carriages, searching for an empty one. She finally found one that had just one boy in it and he appeared to be sleeping. She didn't want to sit with anyone of the way there. She feared that the people she would wind up sitting with would either be her friends or death eaters. She didn't want to sit with her friends because she had this feeling like her friends were all keeping something from her and she certainly didn't want to sit with the evil Death Eaters. That left this one boy, who was sleeping so she didn't think he would bother her.
She sat in the carriage and watched the boy sleep. The carriage suddenly began to move and he appeared to be awoken by the movement. He looked at her with curiosity in his eyes and she just smiled at him. "Hello," she said. "You must've been tired. I hope you enjoyed your nap. Do you feel rested enough for the ball now?"
He smirked, knowing that the only person in the whole world that would be so kind to a stranger was the woman that he had fallen in love with. "I wasn't really sleeping," he replied. "I was just resting my eyes and thinking about the future." Her smile faded.
"The future," she said, suddenly staring off into space. "Now that's a scary thought," she admitted, practically forgetting the presence of another in the carriage. She had never admitted just how scared she was of the future to anyone, even Draco. Now, she was opening up. "Terrifying," she whispered. Her hands began to shake and she got chills up and down her spine.
Draco, though she didn't know it was him, stood up and sat down next to her, placing his arm around her shoulder. "There's nothing to be scared of," he said trying to comfort her. "The future may be unclear but I promise things will work themselves out."
THAT was when she knew it was him. He took her shaking hands in his and kissed each finger one at a time. She smiled at him and ran her index finger along his mask. "You're amazing," she said to the masked man. "Please don't ever leave me," she pleaded.
"I'm right here, not going anywhere." They both fell into a comfortable silence, though Draco's thoughts were far from comfortable. He was so scared. He knew there would be a battle and he was going to be fighting on the light side but he also knew how he got when he was around Death Eaters... evil. He was always consumed by hate when they were near and it was possible that he would fight for them that evening.
When the carriage stopped, they were at the Eiffel Tower. Draco and Hermione got out and entered. There were tons of students already there and dancing with their friends. It seemed that a bunch of them had disregarded the charm and told each other their true identities, enabling them to find their friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends.
Harry had asked her earlier to do so but she had said no. She wanted to meet new people, which of course was a lie, one that she hated to tell but it was necessary if she wanted to be with Draco without worrying about what others would say, think, or do.
Hermione and Draco walked in hand in hand and everyone stared. They were the best looking people in the room, even without their identity being known. They walked out on the dance floor and began dancing to the music. It was muggle music that Draco had never heard of but if had been Hermione who booked the band.
They danced for hours, enjoying the feel of one another's bodies against theirs. When Draco glanced at the time, it was ten twenty-nine, and he began t get frantic. He hadn't planned on how to leave her. He knew it was quite possible the last time he could see her so he decided to make his goodbye sweet yet simple and very unsuspicious. He didn't want Hermione to wonder where he was going. She, he took her hand and kissed it. Then, he let one of the many men who had been dying to cut in, to whisk her away. She was unpleased by this but figured Draco just didn't want to risk getting found out by any Death Eaters that had attended the ball.
Draco walked away and towards the Shrieking Shack, summoning the Death Eaters to a meeting. Their scars burned and they knew that their master was calling them. This pleased Blaise for it was the first time Draco had used this power of his. All of the Death Eaters apparated to their master.
Harry watched as a large amount of students disappeared from the ball and he nodded to Ron to begin to get ready. Ron, who had been dancing with Parvati, began to say his goodbye to her and searched the room for Hermione, though it was no use. She was wearing the disillusionment charm and he couldn't recognize her no matter how hard her tried.
Draco watched as all of the Death Eaters appeared. He said a simple spell and the disillusionment charm was broken. Now he could recognize every single one of his followers. Draco saw many of them bow in respect and for a few seconds, he loved being the dark lord. So much power, respect, and...NO! H shook his head furiously, in an attempt to get the evil thoughts out of his head.
"My Lord," Zambini said as he approached. "What is the meaning of this meeting, if I may ask?" he said cautiously, obviously not wanting for Draco to attack him.
"It's a fair question," Draco responded. "I've been thinking a lot about the attack you told me about. You explained to me that many of you wanted to attack. All I can see is danger and a poorly thought out plan, which doesn't get you far in my book. This had been weighing heavily on my mind. I want an explanation to your stupidity. One of you shall now explain to me HOW you could be so daft as to plan to attack at Hogsmeade with the ministry of magic already watching over the ball, making sure now seventh year gets out of hand.
Pansy stepped forwards and Draco laughed. Only she would ever step forward to admit she was an idiot. "Draco..."
"Miss Parkinson, do not insult me with such an informal title."
"My apologies, my Lord. You see, attacking the ball is in fact an excellent idea. Potter is rumored to be taking over as head of the Order beings Dumbledore has gotten too old. We should squash him before he has the chance."
"Yes but at the ball? That'd be suicide!"
"NO, My Lord!" Zambini said. "It wouldn't. They're in formal muggle wear. There's no pocket for a wand in a tux." Everyone laughed except for Draco who was growing angrier by the second. The problem was that he wasn't growing angry with anyone in particular. He was just getting angry. He could feel Voldemort and Slytherin breaking to the surface and it was becoming too hard to fight against. Zambini continued speaking. "We can attack them now, while they're unprepared and we can catch them off guard. They'd never know what hit them."
"You're starting to make sense, Blaise," Draco admitted. "An attack actually would have been a great idea."
"Would have been?" Pansy questioned. "The ball is still going on for another two hours!"
"It WOULD have been but we cannot now. They are on their way."
"WHO?"
"Potter and his new army. I can hear their footsteps approaching. They'll be here in a matter of minutes. Get ready for battle."
"My lord, we could hide behind bushes," a death eater suggested. "Attack them from behind."
"Good but I want them to think we're here and attack the illusions first." He cast a spell that gave the illusion of a meeting still going on. "Now go and hid and be ready for them when they come." Everyone began to move and find their hiding spots except for Draco.
"My Lord, will you not hide?" Blaise asked.
"I need not hide, Blaise. If I die tonight, it won't be because I didn't hide in a bush. If I am going to die tonight, a bush won't make the difference. Now go! Hide!" Blaise reluctantly followed his orders.
The D.A. assembled outside of the Eiffel Tower and began walking to the Shrieking Shack not saying a word. Harry led the way confidently but inside, he was terrified. He had never gone into battle without Hermione by his side or at least without consulting her first. In a way, he wished that she had discovered their little plan, not only because she could have pointed out all of its flaws, but also because she may have talked him out of it and right now, that sounded like a good thing. For all he knew, Malfoy was leading them into a trap.
He was still having trouble digesting the information Malfoy had given them but they knew for the most part that he was right. Why would he make up that he and Hermione were dating? That's not a typical lie for a man who claims to hate muggle borns.
But if Malfoy had really been truthful, then Harry's heart was broken. For years now, Harry had watched Hermione blossom into a beautiful young lady and now... she was taken? Harry was crushed. Not only that she was taken, but that she had never known his true feelings. He knew that if she had only been AWARE of how much he loved her, then there would have at least been a shot for them. He knew he could make her happy, but apparently Malfoy could as well. Of course, it helped that Malfoy had SHARED his feelings with her, as opposed to Harry's method of winning her heart (which was to keep his love for her bottled up inside until the day that she ever showed him any interest at all.) Now Harry felt as though it was too late. She was in love with someone else. How could she ever truly be his.
They approached the hill that led up to the Shrieking shack and walked up quietly and quickly When they got to the top, Harry turned around and looked into all of the faces of the men and women that he would be fighting with.
He whispered a speech to them, trying to be uplifting. "Listen here, all of you. I have been working with you all since fifth year and I commend you on all of your achievements. I feel better knowing that I am fighting with the best. But what lies beyond this hill is a scary vision. There are at least twenty death eaters from seventh years at Hogwarts ALONE. Take into account all of the Death Eaters that are already out of school and have been practicing magic since way before we were born. So let's say that there are at least fifty of them. There's forty of us. I know we can take them. We just have to believe in ourselves. Now I want you to go out there, and fight... not just for yourselves but for everyone in this world who had been told that they were inferior simply because of their blood. Fight for the existence of mankind and the freedom of magic. Fight for the world tonight."
He wasn't sure if he had actually inspired them to do any better but he felt like he was speaking true words. They weren't fighting simply because they held a grudge against a specific group. They were fighting for muggle borns and their right to study magic freely. HE was fighting for Hermione, the girl he loved but would never tell. HE was fighting for the right to love her. And before that night was through, he wanted to make sure Malfoy had not survived. It was his only way of being able to be with her. Once Malfoy, the love of her life, was out of the picture, he could be there to comfort her. And after a while, he would tell her how he felt and she would feel the same for him... he hoped.
Harry nodded for the D.A. to follow him and before any of them could really get a chance to say anything, Harry was charging a group of Death Eaters that were gathered around in a semi circle. He saw that they weren't really moving, or making much noise and couldn't help but to become confused. The D.A. was right behind him, but they were as perplexed as he was. The group stopped in their tracks as the real death eaters came out from behind bushes and circled around them. There were about fifty, as Harry had predicted.
They all produced their wands and Harry gulped, knowing that many families would be crying tomorrow. He watched as one man pushed his way from the center of the circling death eaters. It was Malfoy.
"Malfoy, you tricked us!" Harry shouted.
Draco smirked. "Of course I did. Dark Lord... HELLO! Did you really expect me to try and fight for YOU?"
"Why not? You fought in the war against Voldemort!"
"That was different. Voldemort was an imbecile and coward. He hid behind his death eaters and I hated my father for ever cowering at his feet. I refused to do the same, so I fought against him. I loved seeing him fail. And then, killing my father was an added bonus. It just guaranteed me a spot as the Dark Lord. Now I have taken over that position and I am ready to kill you. Are you FINALLY ready to die, Boy-Who-Lived-To-Be-A-Stupid-Prat?"
Harry glared at him with cold green eyes and nodded. The D.A. rose their wands and the battle began. Green and red sparks flew all over, hitting the first person to come in contact with them. Harry was aiming for Malfoy, but Draco was just too fast for him. Draco expertly dodged every hex thrown his way.
After what seemed like an eternity, Harry ceased his attacks on Draco for just a moment to see how many had fallen and how his side was doing. It wasn't good. Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchey were lying on the floor, dead. Susan Bones was backed into a corner but Harry stupefied her attacker and she continued to fight.
Quickly, Harry turned his attention back to Malfoy who was just standing there cackling, apparently enjoying the idea of not really having to fight. He seemed as though he intended to just stand there and watch the scene unfold before him. Harry immediately pointed his wand in Draco's direction but it was no use. Draco once again avoided being hit thanks to his fast maneuvering skills.
With one swift motion, Draco reached for his wand and produced it from the inside pocket of his robes. He ran towards Harry and in a matter of two seconds, had him in a head lock, unconscious. Once again, he reached inside his pocket, but this time, he produced a small dagger. He placed it on Harry's throat and hollered for everyone to watch him.
"THIS IS YOUR LEADER! WATCH AS I SLIT HIS THROAT AND THEN I SHALL MOVE ON TO YOU!" He screamed. They all watched in horror as Malfoy prepared to slice through Harry's skin.
"STOP!" a voice yelled. Draco stopped, along with everyone else who was still battling, and looked around to see who it was. He nearly fainted at the sight. There Hermione stood, gown and mask and all.
A/N... okay so first of all... a few of you, in the last chapter actually picked up on when I had Hermione yell for the students to go and speak to McGonagall... great job. I was wondering who would pick up on that. I kind of wanted to display Hermione as a little on edge, a little nervous, her nerves are shot. When she screamed this, she was so flustered with the swarm of students surrounding her that she just got all confused and shouted out the first thing that came to her mind. I'm sorry if I confused you. I really didn't mean to and I realized as soon as I got your reviews that I probably should have added something about that in the story to explain. Sorry for making it that way.
So what did you guys think of the cliff hanger. Harry could die? Hermione found a way to be in the battle? What's going to happen? I'm so excited to write the end it's not even funny. I love it so much.
I'm contemplating writing a really sad ending. Do you guys like sad? I have one ending already written and I'm writing up an alternate ending. I'll decide depending on the reviews that I get. Right now, it could go either way.
I make no guarantees on how many chapters are left. I kept trying to put a number on it but it just kept growing so I decided to stop predicting. I'll leave that to the people who actually are seers (like Trelawney even though she sucks at it. Hehehe... I can't wait til the third movie comes out. Seven days and counting!)
PLEASE REVIEW! I love you guys so much. I look forward to your reviews. They're the best part of my day. If you have any questions, ask in your review.