Disclaimer: the characters belong to JKR.
Paring: Harry/Hermione.
AN: ONE SHOT. I got bored whilst thinking of ways to tackle my writers block, I had a blank page in front of me quill in hand (Yes I use quill they're great except they cover your fingers in ink) and sat there for over an hour listening to my music, this is the result. I don't think it's up to my usual standard but I'll leave that for you to decide.
"What are you doing?" Harry spun round at the voice he was faced by pale eyes.
"I...I ..."
"Well hurry up Potter I haven't got all day!" Draco snapped. Harry shook his head and turned, disappearing down the corridor and out of site. Draco watched the boys retreating form, shrugged and whispered the password to get into the Slytherin common room. That had been the fifth time he had seen Potter down here in as many days.
"Strange boy." He muttered to himself before vanishing inside. In the shadows behind the entrance Harry watched the blonde boy go. Finally he had the password. Silently Harry began the journey back to him common room. He would be back down tomorrow night.
"Harry?" Harry looked up from the floor at the soft voice.
"I was just thinking Hermione." He replied. Kissing his friend on the cheek before moving up into his dormitory, his eyes landing on the empty bed next to his. He felt his heart ache for his best friend.
It had been four months ago but it still hurt. The burrow had been attacked and Ron, Ginny, Molly and Arthur had been trapped inside. Harry pulled his gaze away and moved over to his own bed, drawing to curtains closed around him. Slowly he pulled off his robe and looked at the three new scars that marred his left wrist. He had eight in total. One for every death he knew he had caused and failed to prevent. The were three on his right wrist too, but one of the deepest ones was on his leg, that one was for Sirius. The one for Ron was just as deep, it was a cross over his heart.
They had bled so much but Hermione had been there with him and had healed him once he had passed out. But Harry knew that she had four scars on her wrist to remember her second family. They were closer now then any other pair of friends he knew. But there was one thing Hermione could never help him with, he could never ruin her life, this he had to do by himself, to save her.
A week ago he had had another vision, except he knew it was of the past then of the future. Voldemort was there with Draco and Lucius, they were planning the deaths of the Weasleys.
Which was why Harry had taken to standing by the entrance of the Slytherin common room every night to find out their password, how ironic it was that the one he was after had given it to him.
Sighing sadly Harry pulled off his uniform and crawled under the covers fallings to sleep immediately.
The next morning he woke up, got dressed and met up with Hermione in the common room. Taking her hand in his they silently made their way down to the great hall for breakfast, and as usual neither ate anything, nor said much. Up at the teachers table Albus Dumbledore watched them sadly. There was nothing he could do. They went to their classes, answering the register and the odd question when it was directed at them. Then they returned to the Great hall for lunch, again neither ate but both managed half a goblet of water. They returned for afternoon classes, they had separate ones so Harry walked Hermione to hers and kissed her on the lips before leaving for his own class.
At first the students teased and bitched about them 'being together' but they ignored them and eventually the students stopped. Then two months after the fire at the Burrow Hermione's parents were killed too, and Harry knew that there were two scars on her leg too. He knew because he had healed her just like she had healed him. So now they only had each other as a blanket to hold onto, to cling to, to use as a life line.
Classes finished for the day and they returned to the hall for dinner. After half an hour of pushing food around his plate Harry stood and left the hall. Hermione followed him silently.
"I want to think Hermione." Harry said as she took his hand.
"I want to help." Hermione replied, "What ever you are going to do to the Slytherin, I want to help." Harry didn't ask how she knew.
"You could be expelled." He said to her softly, running his fingers down the side of her face.
"So could you." She replied, just as softly, "But this is our last year and all we are going to learn here we have already learnt. We have been taught to be Animagi and how to apparate what else is there to learn?" Harry shrugged, so Hermione spoke again, "I am sick of life as a witch, I want to be a muggle again. this world has brought pain and death, let's go back to the normal world." She leaned in and kissed him "Lets go back together" Harry nodded and pulled out his invisibility cloak from his bag and draped it over the both of them. Slowly they moved down into the dungeons to the Slytherin common room. Harry whispered the password and they snuck inside the room, moving quietly over to the male dormitories and waited for the blonde.
They didn't have to wait long, as Draco came down the corridor to his room. The two Gryffindor's snuck in after him just before he shut the door. Draco dropped his school bag by the door of his private room and took off his cloak, hanging it off the back of the chair the was in front of the desk. He glanced at a piece of parchment on the desk and sighed.
"I know you're there Potter, you too Granger." He turned around and leant casually against the desk. Harry pulled off his cloak and Hermione took it from him, they stared at Draco.
"Why did you do it?" Harry asked the blonde, arms hanging limp by his side, his wand no where in sight.
"It was an order." Draco replied calmly.
"Who's? your fathers? Or Voldemort s?" Harry asked softly.
"I know what you want to do to me Potter. You'll be expelled." Harry shrugged, Draco continued, "What about you Granger? You'll be expelled too."
Hermione shrugged too, Draco sighed again. "neither of you care." He whispered looking at the pair, he saw the dullness in the eyes of both. Eyes that once sparkled. "You don't care at all do you?" he didn't get an answer from either, "I can't stop you can I?"
Harry shook his head.
"Do you care?" Draco looked at Hermione, it had been the first time she had spoken. He looked at her then at Potter then around his room.
"No," he said quietly, "I don't either, this life, it's not mine, not what I want." He looked at them again, "Don't suppose you want to take me with you?" he asked them, a hint of hope entered his voice.
"You killed them" Harry replied.
"No, I didn't think so, but yes, yes I killed them"
Hermione sniffed and Harry took her free hand into one of his.
"What do you want me to do?" Draco asked Harry,
"Lie on the bed." He replied calmly. Draco didn't need to wonder why he wasn't fighting back. He knew. Harry had defeated Voldemort a month ago. Potter was strong, too strong to fight, but now Bellatrix had taken over from her dead master, taken over control of the Death Eaters, and she was a sadistic master, even more so then Voldemort and Draco hated her.
The blonde sat on the edge of his bed and took off his shoes before swinging his feet up onto the bed and lying down.
Slowly Harry approached him, "open your mouth" Draco did so. Harry reached into one of the pockets of his robe and pulled out a small vial filled with a dark red liquid. Draco closed his eyes and felt the poison being poured into his mouth. the floor creaked but he never heard the door being shut quietly, he was already dead.
Harry took the cloak and threw it over himself and Hermione and together they left the Slytherin common room and returned to their Gryffindor one, they collected what items were important to them, putting it all into their school bags and leaving the common room together. They weren't stopped on their exit from the castle and silently they crossed the grounds and walked through the gates. Apparating away hand in hand to a new life.