The Price to Pay for Loving a Dragon

By Lemust

Chapter 6- Miracles  

Everybody stared in shock at the sight right before their eyes.

Lucius tightened his grip on his cane, and almost made an attempt to reach a little closer, had it not been Voldemort's hand that shot right up to stop him. The pale, blonde man stiffened his back, rolled his eyes around, before targeting them right at the young brunette.

Her eyes were averted from Lucius, and she plunged herself on his son's lifeless body. Hermione kneeled down, grabbing Draco's hand before squeezing it tight.

God, it was so cold.

It was ever so cold and lifeless.

Tears started dribbling down her cheeks, and she swallowed loudly, before wailing again. Everybody in the room stopped to watch the scene. It was almost heartbreaking. Here, a girl by the mere age of 16 had just lost her love to a naive, young boy. She squeezed it more, before pressing her head down to his chest. "Don't leave me, Draco. Please!" she whispered. "I want to feel you. I need you, Draco." She breathed in the faint smell of his cologne. She relaxed ever so gently, for it comforted her. Hermione wanted to feel Draco's hand placed on her Hermione's waist. She needed to see their hands enclosed with one another. She wanted to feel herself melt against the heat of Draco's body. She wanted to gently lean her head against his shoulder, all the while when he slides arm further around her waist, pulling her up against him. She needed to relax and move her hand to the back of his neck. She wanted to feel his fingers tangled in her hair. It would have been the perfect moment she had once, and she'd never have once again. It was the only kind of reality found in dreams.

Clutching his robes tighter, she hugged him more like a little bairn. She interlaced fingers, although he couldn't do anything about it. She clasped her hands shakily once more to his blonde head, tracing the outline of his head. Hermione ignored the strange sounds coming from the Death Eaters, who were witnessing this scene. 

"How sad," Voldemort said sarcastically all the while smirking, finally breaking everybody's quiet silence. He brought his long, slimy fingers up together and clasped them around one another. "Lucius, your son was weakling. Like a little piglet. He died a virgin."

Lucius immediately snapped his head up to Voldemort. 'How dare he say that,' Lucius thought. He could not believe that his master, his Lord, had actually affronted his son. A soft place in his heart had chilled to the bone. It was as if… as if he had insulted him, for he had insulted a part of him. Lucius had never known this, but deep down, in that precious heart of his, he had actually cared for his son. Draco, who had never known it and shall never know now hadn't been aware of it. He recalled the very moment in which he had spoken his first word: Daddy. I've loved you ever since the day you clutched at my robes and wanted me to hold you. I've loved you ever since you called my name. I've loved you before you preferred me to your mother. It was that night, back in the Malfoy Manor a few years ago when Draco was born. It was almost yesterday, it seemed to Lucius.

"How do you know if he was a virgin?" Lucius shot back.

Voldemort rose up from his throne, standing extremely straight. He raised his eyebrows from his hood. "Excuse me?"

Lucius swallowed. "How do you know if he was a virgin?" he repeated.  Hermione turned around and focused her attention on the two, just like everybody else in the room. The Death Eaters gasped, as they stared at the second most powerful man in the room talk back to the Dark Lord.

"Lucius, you will not speak out of turn. If you ever do again, you'll have to pay the price." Voldemort replied.

"No, I won't." Lucius insisted calmly. "You may not tell me what I can and cannot do."

"Nonsense!" Voldemort retorted. "What has gotten into you, Lucius?"

Before he could answer, there was a loud pop! noise in the middle of the room. A tall, thin, old man appeared. He had a long beard that reached past his waist. A pair of sparkling eyes behind full-moon spectacles and a pert nose immediately gave him away.

"What is he doing here? Dumbledore." Voldemort hissed. He took out his wand, prepared to fight. But it was too late. A curse was thrown well too soon for Voldemort's liking. A thin jet light started from the tip of Dumbledore's wand all the way to Voldemort's left breast. Dumbledore had drawn his wand up again after that, bringing about a long thin flame. It ran around towards Voldemort, shielding itself around him. The Demon himself finally collapsed in front of everybody. Before Dumbledore could do anything about it though, Lucius suddenly pushed him and straddled the old man's waist. The Death Eaters watched an awe, as if almost this was some illusory stage scene. Lucius threw a punch at the older wizard, before clasping both his hands to enclose around Dumbledore's neck. With one squeeze, the air was sucked out from the old wizard.

Nobody moved.

They couldn't believe it.

One minute, Draco was dead. The next, Voldemort. And shortly after, Dumbledore. Dumbledore, for Merlin's sake!

Mr. Parkinson sighed. "This is wrong. This is very wrong," he said.

And he was right. Because within a few minutes, another thing happened. The room had started glowing. Everything was white, and it was so bright. There were no longer shadows creeping around the corners, and every little detail of the small room had finally brought itself out. But the light had started from the core of the room, where Draco was lying with Hermione next to him.

"What's happening?" said a death eater.

"This is scary!" exclaimed another one.

"You foul cowards!" retorted the next.

"What is it…?"

The question lingered on in the air until the glowing finally stopped. Hermione gasped. Could it be… resurrection? No! There was just no way that Draco had gone back to life…

Or was there?

Hermione pressed her head down to Draco's heart, and she swore she heard a faint beat. The air was still around the room. The only sounds were the quiet cadences coming from the other people in the room. Suddenly, a tear drop escaped from her eye. She should have been happy, yet now she was sad. She then replayed everything. Everything that had happened, everything that had brought her to life. And that only came down to one person: Draco. He had showed her everything. He had been her solace, as had she been his. 'Why am I thinking this? Aren't I supposed to be happy now that the place where I've wanted to stand ever since I've been brought here… the place where I wanted to see and feel once more is back? Hermione turned to look at Draco again. He…was breathing. She saw the rise and fall of his chest. Gently, ever so carefully, she reached up a finger and gently rubbed him against the chest. She made little circles, tickling him until he came to an awake.

"Mia?" he asked.

"Draco?" she echoed, except in a different word. Hermione's eyes started to glow, her face began to flush.

"Don't leave me," he croaked.

"Draco! I won't! Don't leave me!" she cried into his chest. He gingerly brought his hands up to the dagger that was still placed inside his heart, and swiftly brought it out.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know…" she stared at everybody else. She took his hand in hers. "Do you remember the day that we've met?"

"How can I forget?" he whispered.

"You know, the first day that I've thought about you, it was early in the morning when I awoke. The sun had not risen yet, and there was a definite chill in the air that sent shivers through my body. It was always like this at the beginning of the school year, you know. So, I pulled the blankets up under my chin. For some reason, I was not tired at all even though I had been up very late the night before helping Ron and Harry with their divination homework. Actually, I hadn't really helped them at all." She said with a short laugh. She turned to look back at Draco. He was watching her intently, still holding her hand. So Hermione continued.

"I had spent the majority of the evening researching something that, even now, I was too embarrassed to admit I was actually interested in: love potions. Can you believe that, Draco? Harry and Ron had been too busy discussing the new Quidditch strategy that England's team had come up with to even notice me reading from the tiny little book. It had a red cover and was simply entitled Love: Make Your Dreams Come True. You know, I wasn't quite sure what had driven me to check it out of the library. It hadn't been very much help, either. Most of the potions lasted only for a short duration and many had incantations, which needed to be performed in close proximity to the 'object of desire.'"

"Go on…" he said weakly.

The other Death Eaters listened closely as well, peering in as if listening to a little love story. Hermione ignored them, as did Draco. Lucius stared at his son in awe.

"Iwas thinking about him again, Draco. I was thinking about every little detail I could remember, such as the way that you moved when you walked. You were so confident, so poised. Your body was lean and muscular. I loved the way you brushed your blond hair out of your eyes whenever it tumbled into them. Your eyes, I loved them too, and I often wondered what lay beyond those bluish-grey spheres. Your face was angular, your skin pale, your lips a blushing shade of rose. Whenever you walked into a room, my breath would catch in my throat. You dazzled me." She stopped twirling with their hands and looked at him, fully embarrassed.

He smirked weakly at her, tugging her hand to continue.  

"But… it saddened me. You did not know that I existed; at least, not in the sense I hoped you would. To you, I was another filthy-I had hated to even think the word. Ordinarily, I could shake off those insults, possibly ignore it. But not when you spoke to me. Your words cut at my heart. And I can hear your voice now, your beautiful mellifluous voice: 'Filthy mudblood.'"

"I'm sorry for calling you that," he said quietly.

"I know you are." And she continued. "After breakfast, Harry and Ron were heading toward Snape's classroom with me in tow.

"I'm just so excited to be going to potions I can't even begin to tell you," remarked Ron sarcastically. He was in good spirits that day.

"I agree," joked Harry. "It is definitely the high point of my day. Especially the fact that Slytherin will be there."

"You know what, Harry? Potions wouldn't be at all bad if we weren't with Slytherin. Well, except for the fact that Snape would still be there." Ron grinned. He hated Snape, but probably not as much as Neville did. "What do you think, Hermione?" Ron waited for an answer. "Hermione?" He turned around and caught me daydreaming. And you know who it was?" She didn't want for an answer. "'Yes, you.

"What? Oh, sorry." I blushed slightly. "Did you ask me something?"

"I was just saying to Harry that potions would be a much better class if we didn't have it with Slytherin, don't you think so?" I felt my face redden even more. The only reason that I tolerated potions was because it was my chance to see you, Draco. But I didn't want to say that in front of Ron or Harry.

"Much, much better," I mumbled. I know they were staring at me strangely, for I had a far-off look in my eyes.

"Hermione, are you okay?" asked Harry, a puzzled expression on his face. I could get lost in thought, but once spoken to, I usually snapped right out of it.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I'm just tired." They neared the classroom door.

"Ladies first," Ron said grandly, making a sweeping motion with his arm.

"I guess that would mean you then, Weasley," came a voice from behind them. Yup, you. I felt a tingle shoot up my spine at the sound of it. Remember, I glanced behind me? You were standing with Crabbe and Goyle, arms folded in front of you. Also, you wore a smug look on his face. Crabbe and Goyle were laughing.

"You know what, Malfoy?" Ron started, but I intervened.

"Ron, come on." I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the room before he could get into trouble. Snape would love nothing more than to catch Ron in a fight with you and take fifty points from Gryffindor. You know that, sweetheart. Harry followed after us.

Crabbe and Goyle hi-fived each other, still laughing at your comment to Ron.

"Saved by a girl! If you can call that a girl!" Goyle managed between laughs. "God, you're funny Dra-" But before he could finish his sentence, you had pushed past the two of them and walked into the potions classroom. With his head hung, he crossed the room and took his seat." Hermione sighed, and Draco smiled.

"I remember that day grandly," Draco pronounced. "You know, I had feelings for you too."

"I know." Hermione whispered, bringing back a loose strand of hair behind Draco's ear.

"Do you remember the letter?" he murmured. Hermione leapt down and hugged him tightly.

"How can I ever forget?" she whispered in his ear. Hermione inhaled his scent, sighing blissfully for now. And she lay down, continuing her story. "Later that day, Harry, Ron, and I were walking toward the Great Hall for lunch. Ron had been complaining for the last half hour about his stomach pains, and Harry had chimed in as well. I often wondered why she put up with the two of them the way that I did.

"I hope that lunch is good today," Ron said hungrily. He patted his stomach with his left hand.

"Lunch is always good here," replied Harry. "Where do you think we are? One of those American schools?" He and Ron laughed a bit before they realized I wasn't joining them. "Hermione," Harry called, trying to be helpful, "Snap out of it, will you?" When I didn't respond, he shrugged and continued talking with Ron. They turned a corner.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Great Harry Potter and his sidekick, Weasel." Crabbe somehow always managed to find this an amusing thing to say. As usual, Goyle waddled up next to him.

"So Weasley, is your girlfriend going to rescue you this time, too?"

"Rescue me from what?" Ron had a look of utter annoyance on his face. "Wait," he said, pointing at me, "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Oh, so you can't get a girl either, eh?" The two continued to laugh. "Not that I'd call her a girl." Crabbe said the same thing to her almost daily, usually followed by something like a bucktoothed or a puffy haired-- something or other. I felt a sting in my eyes. It hurt so much, Draco. So much. "More like a-"

"Can it, Crabbe," came an unexpected voice. You stepped out of the shadowy hallway, coming as my knight in shining armor. You brushed your blond hair out of your eyes as you continued to speak. "She didn't do anything to you, leave her alone." Ron, Harry, Crabbe, Goyle, and I stared at you in amazement. Not one of us spoke.

You looked rather uncomfortable, Draco. Still as handsome as ever, nonetheless. You shifted your weight from one foot to the other. You watched as I brushed away the tears that had spilled onto my bright, fat, red cheeks. You felt--." She was interrupted.

"You're not fat. And if you were the size of a whale, I'd still find you the most beautiful creature living." Draco said. Hermione blushed.

"As I was saying, you seemed as if you felt a stab of guilt. By then, the silence was unnerving. Finally, yuou spoke again. "Come on, I'm starving." You led Crabbe and Goyle into the Great Hall, glancing at me as you passed by. Your smooth hand brushed against mine, and I felt a small piece of paper pressed into my palm; my fingers closed tightly around it. My heart was beating so loudly I was surprised that the house elves down in the kitchen hadn't come to ask what all the noise was about. I couldn't even concentrate on eating during lunch. I just kept pushing the food around the plate, tapping my feet on the floor, and glancing up at the clock, trying to pass the time quickly. Lunch had never lasted this long before, of this I was absolutely certain. I was dying to see what the piece of paper was about but I couldn't very well open it right here in front of everyone.

"Hermione, for God's sake, eat something, will you?" Ron took another bite of his roll. "I mean," he swallowed and took another bite, "Crabbe is just…an insufferable git." He took a long drink of punch before continuing. "They all are. Don't even worry about those blasted Slytherins." I nodded and took a small bite of my shepherd's pie. As the food rolled around in my mouth, she went over and over the situation that had just occurred in the corridor. Draco Malfoy, you, came to my rescue. The thought put the largest smile on my face. I've wondered if you seen. She could not control it, though. Harry and Ron looked at me as if I had suddenly gone mad.

"Girls," Ron mouthed at Harry, and the two of them laughed it off as they stood to go back to the Gryffindor common room. "Are you coming with us or are you just going to go completely insane right here?" Ron wanted to know.

"I'll be along in a moment," I started. "Oh, actually, I forgot. There is a book I need to return to the library. I'll meet you back there." Sometimes, when you have to lie, you have to lie." Hermione said with a smile. "And then, Ron nodded and walked off after Harry who already halfway across the room. Once they were out of sight, I stood and walked briskly toward the hallway. I found an empty classroom and went inside.

I pulled the small piece of paper from my pocket. It was actually much larger than I had thought; you had merely folded it carefully. My hands shaking with anticipation and excitement, as well as dread that it might contain something awful, I slowly opened it.

Dear Hermione,

I want to start out by saying how sorry I am for everything I have ever done to you. I'd like a chance to explain myself, if you'll give me that, but Lord knows I don't deserve it.

If by some small miracle you decide you will hear me out, meet me tonight after dinner in the Great Hall. I know a place where we can talk.

Sincerely yours,
Draco

P.S. Crabbe is a git. You're a beautiful girl.

You know, Draco, I sank to the floor, trying to hold back her tears as I read and reread the note. Could it really be true? Yes, and it was. I ran my fingers over the last line, "You're a beautiful girl." I hugged the note to my chest and closed my eyes, leaning back against the wall. As inconceivable as it may seem, my dreams were coming true."

She pulled back from Draco and stared at him. There were a few tears from his eyes that slid down his cheeks, and she looked up and kissed them away.

"I love you."

"And I you." Draco smiled.

All the Death Eaters took off their mask, as if in surrendering. Lucius inhaled sharply. He couldn't believe it. His son, his son was really in love.

The other Death Eaters were, in fact so surprised at Draco and Hermione's story that they didn't even notice the loud popping sounds coming in.

As if on cue, right after she ended the story, Harry, Ron, and all the rest of the Order popped in. It looked as if things were going to be back to normal again…

Epilogue:

Draco supposed there were advantages to having Ginny as an assistant midwife. It saved him the worry of transporting his wife to St. Mungo's, although Harry had offered to call up the Knight Bus. It had, surprisingly, listened to him and waited patiently outside the Malfoy Manor. Ginny was waiting just as patiently, ignoring his pacing, and especially, Hermione's swearing.

"Don't worry! The doctor will be here any minute!" Ginny exclaimed.

"What the hell was I thinking?" Hermione gasped as she clutched the side of a birthing tub Ginny had demanded be imported. She looked around desperately. "This is just too much!"

"It's transition," Ginny said serenely. She then patted Hermione's arm lightly. "You just hang on."

"Hang on?" Hermione shouted. "You go through this and then tell me to hang on, you-." Draco listene, openmouthed to a very long list of names his wife called her beloved friend. He gaped at Ginny as she turned and smiled at him.

"Would you believe," she said, unruffled, "that Hermione worried that women in labor didn't have enough breath for long sentences?"

"That wasn't exactly a long sentence," Draco ventured. "It was a very long list of foul names." He smirked, looking at his wife. "Really, Hermione… perhaps you should-"

"And you," she said, gasping, with tears streaming down her face. "I hate you! You did this to me you miserable piece of dick-brained, horseshit slime-sucking son of a whore bitch!"

Draco smirked again, before sitting down next to Hermione. He breathed gentle words of comfort soothingly into her hair, before straightening it with his finger, only to let the curl bounce back up again. "Hermione, don't swear. The baby will hear you. You want him to remember this day, don't you?"

Hermione stared at him in horror. "It's a girl!"

"Will not be."

"Yes it will!"

"Mia, you know a Malfoy always gets what he wants. And I want a son, and that is what I will get."

"Sometimes you can be the foulest man on Earth, others, the sweetest. How I ever fell in love with you is a miracle." Hermione then puffed out, long, deep breaths.

"It's okay, my love." Draco whispered, taking her hand in his. "We're in this together. The doctor will come soon, I promise." Draco had heard stories about the joy of childbirth, the overwhelming nature of the experience, the bonding that occurred between husband and wife. He wanted that to happen in his own life. Yet, now he suspected his lover wanted to kill him.

Nay, he didn't suspect it. He knew it.

Just then, the doctor appeared in the room. He had a long beard, and simply resembled a man everybody in the room once knew.

He beckoned the father to follow him out of the room, where they could talk in private.

"I want to wish you on your lovely wife and her wonderful process during childbirth," he started, looking deeply into Draco's eyes.

The now blonde man nodded.

"Yes?"

"And… I wanted to say something concerning those many years ago, during the last and final war. I wanted to say that what you have with your wife is very rare. It's called 'true love', which happens to be the most powerful kind of magic in all. That because you were both willing to sacrifice your own lives for each other, you two young ones were given a second chance. Just remember this, love is magic in and of itself."

Before Draco could respond, he walked back into the room. There was something very odd about him, Draco thought. Perhaps it was the lovely twinkle in those very light blue eyes of his.

Shaking his head, Draco walked back into the delivery room.

But seven hours later, after the work was done, his daughter had made her entrance into the world, and his wife was looking up at him with love in her eyes and tears streaming down her face. Ginny and the Doctor handed him the baby.

Draco accepted her, that small, helpless little creature that had lived nestled under his wife's heart for a shy nine months, stared down into her fathomless grey eyes and found himself rendered quite speechless. His life even shuddered from the joy of it. His eyes met Hermione's.

"She's beautiful, Mia. Just like you. Just like how I promised you our children will be." Hermione smiled even more through her tears, nodding.

"She is."

Draco held the baby as Ginny and the doctor tended to Hermione, gave her up to Ginny's loving arms to help Hermione out of the tub, then knelt down by the bed. Hermione then held her ten-minute-old daughter and put her to her swollen breast. She looked at Draco.

"What should we call her?"

He'd thought about it for a good amount of months. Almost nine. A name for the first flower to bloom in their garden. He only hoped that Hermione would agree wit h him.

"I have a name in mind," he said slowly, almost drawling.

"What is it?" she looked up at him with shining, cinnamon eyes.

Draco paused, looking at the wee babe, and then back at his love. "I think," he continued, "that we should call her Hope."

"Oh, Draco." She whispered.

"It's what you brought me," he said, kneeling down next to her. "Twice now, my love. First when you came into my life, and now again with the gift of my daughter." Draco bent down to kiss Hermione passionately, before pecking his daughter's forehead.

"I told you it'd be a girl," Hermione said teasingly.

Draco smirked, as his heart settled within him and whispered contently of peace. Also of beautiful things blossoming in his life. And of hope.

For now, it was enough.

…the end…

Author's Note- Argh! I hope this chapter turned out to be how you peeps wanted it to be. Damn, it still doenst make sense. Please forgive me. I might remove it if you people hate it. Yet, now I'm back in the fanfiction world and I'll start a new story soon, perhaps. Well, please pass this fic on to others and you'll be greatly rewarded? Besides, didn't you know that kindness means that you have a special place in your heart in which you keep your most deepest desires in? I know that doesn't make any sense, but if you think about it methodically, you'd value it. Please review!

Oh God I cried when I wrote this. Actually, truth be told I was listening to the 'Love Theme' from the old classic movie Romeo and Juliet from 1973 or something. This was made in the balcony scene. It just warmed my heart. And I hope this fic warmed yours. Please review!

God bless everybody who read it.

God bless everybody who reviewed!