Hermione
I sat at the edge of Harry's bed, watching him sleep. He had a gash on his cheek, a cut on his arm, and a lot of bruises all over. It didn't come to anyone's surprise that he's been dozing off a few minutes after he and Ron told me the whole story last night. I regained consciousness after drinking the powerful antidote for the Draught of Living Death. It was the first time I was ever thankful for having Professor Snape as our Potions teacher.
My bed was just next to Harry's, but I wanted to sit closer to him and Ron. The ward had surprisingly tripled its size, because as I recalled, there weren't these many beds there the last time I visited. Madam Pomfrey was elsewhere; fussing over the muggle borns Harry and Ron had rescued last night. She was at the far end of the ward, giving everybody Pepper-Up potions.
Ron was on the next bed, looking much better than he did last night, and sporting far less bruises, thanks to Madam Pomfrey. He was still in his pajamas, reading a magazine entitled, The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. Harry, on the other hand, was starting to stir. Ron heard him and looked up. I just smiled and asked, "Sleep well?" He looked up at me and grinned. "Yeah, sort of...first time in years I slept without having to worry about those wretched dreams to haunt me."
Ron chuckled. "Hey, mate. Glad you slept well. You looked like a mess last night. You look a lot better now though," Ron laughed. Harry beamed at him. Then, he turned to me. "Hey Herm, you look like you didn't sleep much last night" he said, sitting up. I sighed. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep. I had a lot on my mind" I said, my voice trailing off. Behind me, I knew Harry and Ron glanced at each other. I recalled the events that happened after I woke...
I woke up wet and cold last night, Ron's face the first thing I saw. "Hey Harry! She's awake!" I barely heard him say. I sat up slowly, everything practically a blur. "W-what happened?" I asked. Madam Pomfrey came over, giving me a towel and a nightgown. She put a screen around my bed, and waited for me to change after I dried off. After I changed, she hid the screen with a flick of her wand and allowed Harry and Ron to approach me.
I noticed they were both wearing pajamas, and they had quite a number of bruises. "Hey," Ron greeted, handing me a bottle of potion. I drank it and felt hot all over, like drinking Butterbeer. Harry grinned and handed me a cup of steaming hot chocolate. I placed it on my bedside table and waited for them to sit down before asking them what happened.
"Well..." Ron started. And they proceeded to tell me the whole story. They started when they saw me getting carried off by Crabbe and Goyle. The next part shocked me. When I heard that Draco was involved, I stared into space for the remaining part of the story, but I still listened intently. The thought of him being there to participate in what happened was simply unbelievable. I didn't even react when I heard Harry had defeated Voldemort. I knew how important this was for all of us, for the wizarding world, but the only words I could muster were "Wow Harry, that's great!"
But the moment I heard Ron mention Draco getting crushed under the gazebo's roof, I snapped out of my trance. "What?" I gasped. Harry stepped on Ron's foot. "OW!" Ron yelled. "I told you not to mention that part," Harry said exasperatedly. I got out of bed and hurried to Madam Pomfrey. "Madam Pomfrey! What happened to Draco Malfoy?" I asked urgently, Harry and Ron catching up behind me.
"Miss Granger, you shouldn't be out of bed—" she started, but I interrupted by repeating my question. "Oh...uhm...well he's in a critically bad condition I'm afraid. I had to rush him to St. Mungo's as soon as we were able to get that roof off of him. But we aren't sure whether he'll survive or not" she finished sadly. She reminded us to go to bed and walked away, tending the muggle-borns.
I covered my mouth. Tears were starting to form in my eyes. Harry placed his hands on my shoulders and led me back to my bed. He made me lie down as Ron handed me my hot chocolate. I took a sip, but the tears were starting to fall now. Ron wiped them away as he and Harry sat on either side of my bed. "Don't worry Herm. He'll be alright" Harry assured. "He risked his life to save you. Let's just hope he doesn't give it up easily," Ron said.
Ron's words rang in my head as the memory ended abruptly with Professor Dumbledore storming in and beaming at all of us. "Good morning students," he said, making a gesture to the door. As he did so, dozens of house-elves entered the room, each carrying a tray of food.
"Ah, breakfast!" Ron said, rubbing his hands together with glee. A few house-elves were now nearing our end of the ward, Professor Dumbledore following them. Two of them were Dobby and Winky. Dobby rushed by Harry's side and gave him his tray, another house-elf served Ron, and Winky gave me mine with a huge smile on her face. "Hello, Miss. Winky is happy to see young miss doing well" she said, and left along with Dobby and the others.
Although all the house-elves had left, Professor Dumbledore was still standing in front of Harry's bed. Harry and I didn't feel much like eating, so we placed our trays on our bedside tables. Ron, however, couldn't help himself so he went and ate anyway. Professor Dumbledore gave a hearty chuckle and conjured a chair between my bed and Harry's.
"Well, now. I guess you three know why I'm here," he said. Ron looked up from his meal and blushed. He quickly drank some Pumpkin Juice and also placed his tray on his bedside table. Then he looked up to join us in our conversation. "Yes Professor," Harry answered. "I'm here to get a first hand account on what happened last night, since I've been terribly busy the whole night with all the teachers reappearing all over the school," Professor Dumbledore looked around at the three of us.
"Yes, sir. But, what did happen to the teachers? And you sir..." Ron asked innocently. Professor Dumbledore stared at him through his half-moon spectacles. "Well, the teachers were captured by Death Eaters, like the muggle-borns. None of them were able to escape, since most of them were ambushed while they were walking along the corridors. Even dear Professor McGonagall was captured in her office. The ghosts, too, were captured since Voldemort knows very well that the castle ghosts are the ones who act as messengers for me in case the school is in any danger,"
"I, however, was in the London, dealing with the minister with some dark activity happening there. Apparently, Dementors had gone wreaking havoc across London last night. The whole Department of Magic Reversal Squad came to put a stop to them. However, the minister felt that with so many Dementors, they weren't enough so he contacted me and I went there right away. But I never knew leaving the school at that time would have been the worst decision I could ever make. The Dementors were just decoys to make me leave the school," Professor Dumbledore sighed.
"When I arrived, indeed, there were Dementors there, sucking the joy out of people. Of course, muggles can't see them, but they can still feel them. Thank goodness none of the Dementors went beyond that, heaven knows what could have happened if they started giving out kisses. Ah, the many happy moments I recalled just creating Patronuses to get rid of them all. The ministry officials handled the Dementors, while the squad was in charge of modifying the memories of muggles. After we rid of the last of them, I received an owl from Professor McGonagall, claiming she has just arrived at the school, safe and well. But when she told me a large number of Death Eaters were there in the school, I left hurriedly to get here as fast as I could."
"Thanks to you," he beamed at Harry and Ron, "More than twenty Death Eaters are in captivity and the muggle borns are safe. The teachers appeared exactly where they were captured last night and I've spent the whole evening searching for them. Right now, they're in the staff room, a bit shaken most of them, but alive and well. The ghosts are back, too, and I can hardly say they're alive, but they are nevertheless well" he finished.
The three of us were surprised by what Professor Dumbledore had just said, but his face rivaled ours when Harry and Ron told him what happened to them last night. His eyes twinkled like never before when Harry told him that Voldemort was finally gone. He didn't have any doubt that Harry killed Voldemort, even though he only used a simple spell. But whenever Draco was mentioned, I looked away. He smiled at the three of us when Harry and Ron finished. "You had quite an adventure," He remarked. The three of us grinned.
"So the victory is shared between you three and Mr. Malfoy," Professor Dumbledore said. That wiped the grins from our faces. "Is he okay, Professor?" I asked weakly. Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He's in a bad condition, Miss Granger. Very terrible," he answered. Harry and Ron looked at me, but I avoided eye contact by staring out the window.
Before he left, Professor Dumbledore left something in Harry's hand, a note perhaps. He reminded us to eat our breakfast, and with that he bid us farewell. I ate my food quietly, not even noticing Harry opening the note and reading it.
That afternoon, Most of us were well enough to leave so Madam Pomfrey gave in and let all of us go. We were the last to leave, helping out with some stuff in the Hospital Wing. When we were headed for Gryffindor Tower, Harry checked his watch and stopped. "Uhm, hey Hermione, why don't you go out into the grounds and check out the gazebo? Uhm...Professor Dumbledore said they had rebuilt it..." he said.
I frowned. He's acting strange. "What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously. "Nothing!" he said. Ron checked Harry's wristwatch and frowned. "What happens at three o' clock?" he asked curiously. Harry waved his hand at him and pushed me toward the end of the corridor, leading to the Entrance Hall. "Come on! Don't you trust me?" Harry asked, still pushing me forward. "What in the world are you talking about?" I asked. He stopped pushing. "Okay, tell you what. Why don't you go on ahead to the gazebo and we'll catch up with you. Professor Dumbledore wants us to get something for him in Hogsmeade," Harry said.
I frowned. "Why didn't you say so sooner? Is that what's on the note he gave you?" I asked. "Yeah! It's a list of what we're supposed to get. Ron and I will just sort out some stuff in the dormitory and we'll be there in five minutes," he said. Ron gave him a strange look but didn't say anything. "Go on!" Harry yelled, as he and Ron walked hurriedly toward the Fat Lady. I watched them as they entered the portrait hole. I sighed and walked toward the Entrance Hall. "Boys are so weird," I said to myself as I went out into the grounds.
I headed to the gazebo, just as Harry told me. He was right. They had rebuilt it, and it looked better than before. I walked up the steps and stood in the middle. The orchids were there again, and the air was filled with their scent. I sighed. This was the place where Draco...I held back the tears and prepared to leave. But as I turned around, someone stood in my way. I looked up and saw the pale blue eyes I had been longing to see for quite some time now.
I gasped. He was standing there, looking as well as he had before the whole incident happened last night. His black school robes billowed in the wind. His pale blonde hair was the same as before, and he had a small grin on his face. I stepped back. "Draco?" I asked. He grinned wider and stepped closer to me. "Surprise," he said quietly. At first, I was stunned. But after a few seconds I felt his arms surround me, and I felt his warmth. He held me tightly, but gently. At first, my arms just hung limply by my side, but after a minute I returned his embrace.
We stayed that way for what seemed to me like forever, but eventually we broke apart. Tears were already running down my cheeks. He wiped them away with one hand. "H-how—?" I asked, but he just shook his head to signal me to be quiet. "I missed you," he said.
"What happened to you? They told us you might not be able to survive," I asked tearfully. He smiled. "Actually, I heard them say the same thing to my mother. They said I wasn't likely to survive. But I fought. I told myself to keep fighting, because if I stop, I'm going to lose all the things on earth worth fighting for. I thought about you the whole time, to be able to see you again, to be able to touch you, to be able to love you. I didn't fear death, I feared losing you," he said softly.
He raised my chin, and I didn't resist. He kissed me so passionately, that I didn't want to let him go. As we broke apart I cried in his arms. "I-I thought I'd never see you again. I was shocked when I heard about you. Why did you do that? You put yourself in danger because of me...you risked your life because of me...y-you nearly died because of me..." I sobbed.
He ran his hands through my hair. "Don't worry...I'm safe now. I'm here," he whispered. I stopped crying and looked up at him. "You saved my life," I told him. He shook his head. "No. You saved mine," he replied, "Hermione, I never meant to make that bet with the other guys. That's what I've been trying to tell you that day behind the greenhouses. I never meant to hurt you, and I'm sorry for what I did. I regret it. I would have regretted it even more if I had died without telling you the truth. I love you,"
I sighed and hugged him. "Imagine my regret if you had died without knowing that I love you too," I said.
As they embraced each other, a pair of twinkling old blue eyes watched them from a window at the fifth floor, and another pair of bright green eyes could be seen at the window of the Gryffindor dormitories, each pair filled with thought, because what they were witnessing was nothing short of a miracle.
I sat at the edge of Harry's bed, watching him sleep. He had a gash on his cheek, a cut on his arm, and a lot of bruises all over. It didn't come to anyone's surprise that he's been dozing off a few minutes after he and Ron told me the whole story last night. I regained consciousness after drinking the powerful antidote for the Draught of Living Death. It was the first time I was ever thankful for having Professor Snape as our Potions teacher.
My bed was just next to Harry's, but I wanted to sit closer to him and Ron. The ward had surprisingly tripled its size, because as I recalled, there weren't these many beds there the last time I visited. Madam Pomfrey was elsewhere; fussing over the muggle borns Harry and Ron had rescued last night. She was at the far end of the ward, giving everybody Pepper-Up potions.
Ron was on the next bed, looking much better than he did last night, and sporting far less bruises, thanks to Madam Pomfrey. He was still in his pajamas, reading a magazine entitled, The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle. Harry, on the other hand, was starting to stir. Ron heard him and looked up. I just smiled and asked, "Sleep well?" He looked up at me and grinned. "Yeah, sort of...first time in years I slept without having to worry about those wretched dreams to haunt me."
Ron chuckled. "Hey, mate. Glad you slept well. You looked like a mess last night. You look a lot better now though," Ron laughed. Harry beamed at him. Then, he turned to me. "Hey Herm, you look like you didn't sleep much last night" he said, sitting up. I sighed. "Yeah. I couldn't sleep. I had a lot on my mind" I said, my voice trailing off. Behind me, I knew Harry and Ron glanced at each other. I recalled the events that happened after I woke...
I woke up wet and cold last night, Ron's face the first thing I saw. "Hey Harry! She's awake!" I barely heard him say. I sat up slowly, everything practically a blur. "W-what happened?" I asked. Madam Pomfrey came over, giving me a towel and a nightgown. She put a screen around my bed, and waited for me to change after I dried off. After I changed, she hid the screen with a flick of her wand and allowed Harry and Ron to approach me.
I noticed they were both wearing pajamas, and they had quite a number of bruises. "Hey," Ron greeted, handing me a bottle of potion. I drank it and felt hot all over, like drinking Butterbeer. Harry grinned and handed me a cup of steaming hot chocolate. I placed it on my bedside table and waited for them to sit down before asking them what happened.
"Well..." Ron started. And they proceeded to tell me the whole story. They started when they saw me getting carried off by Crabbe and Goyle. The next part shocked me. When I heard that Draco was involved, I stared into space for the remaining part of the story, but I still listened intently. The thought of him being there to participate in what happened was simply unbelievable. I didn't even react when I heard Harry had defeated Voldemort. I knew how important this was for all of us, for the wizarding world, but the only words I could muster were "Wow Harry, that's great!"
But the moment I heard Ron mention Draco getting crushed under the gazebo's roof, I snapped out of my trance. "What?" I gasped. Harry stepped on Ron's foot. "OW!" Ron yelled. "I told you not to mention that part," Harry said exasperatedly. I got out of bed and hurried to Madam Pomfrey. "Madam Pomfrey! What happened to Draco Malfoy?" I asked urgently, Harry and Ron catching up behind me.
"Miss Granger, you shouldn't be out of bed—" she started, but I interrupted by repeating my question. "Oh...uhm...well he's in a critically bad condition I'm afraid. I had to rush him to St. Mungo's as soon as we were able to get that roof off of him. But we aren't sure whether he'll survive or not" she finished sadly. She reminded us to go to bed and walked away, tending the muggle-borns.
I covered my mouth. Tears were starting to form in my eyes. Harry placed his hands on my shoulders and led me back to my bed. He made me lie down as Ron handed me my hot chocolate. I took a sip, but the tears were starting to fall now. Ron wiped them away as he and Harry sat on either side of my bed. "Don't worry Herm. He'll be alright" Harry assured. "He risked his life to save you. Let's just hope he doesn't give it up easily," Ron said.
Ron's words rang in my head as the memory ended abruptly with Professor Dumbledore storming in and beaming at all of us. "Good morning students," he said, making a gesture to the door. As he did so, dozens of house-elves entered the room, each carrying a tray of food.
"Ah, breakfast!" Ron said, rubbing his hands together with glee. A few house-elves were now nearing our end of the ward, Professor Dumbledore following them. Two of them were Dobby and Winky. Dobby rushed by Harry's side and gave him his tray, another house-elf served Ron, and Winky gave me mine with a huge smile on her face. "Hello, Miss. Winky is happy to see young miss doing well" she said, and left along with Dobby and the others.
Although all the house-elves had left, Professor Dumbledore was still standing in front of Harry's bed. Harry and I didn't feel much like eating, so we placed our trays on our bedside tables. Ron, however, couldn't help himself so he went and ate anyway. Professor Dumbledore gave a hearty chuckle and conjured a chair between my bed and Harry's.
"Well, now. I guess you three know why I'm here," he said. Ron looked up from his meal and blushed. He quickly drank some Pumpkin Juice and also placed his tray on his bedside table. Then he looked up to join us in our conversation. "Yes Professor," Harry answered. "I'm here to get a first hand account on what happened last night, since I've been terribly busy the whole night with all the teachers reappearing all over the school," Professor Dumbledore looked around at the three of us.
"Yes, sir. But, what did happen to the teachers? And you sir..." Ron asked innocently. Professor Dumbledore stared at him through his half-moon spectacles. "Well, the teachers were captured by Death Eaters, like the muggle-borns. None of them were able to escape, since most of them were ambushed while they were walking along the corridors. Even dear Professor McGonagall was captured in her office. The ghosts, too, were captured since Voldemort knows very well that the castle ghosts are the ones who act as messengers for me in case the school is in any danger,"
"I, however, was in the London, dealing with the minister with some dark activity happening there. Apparently, Dementors had gone wreaking havoc across London last night. The whole Department of Magic Reversal Squad came to put a stop to them. However, the minister felt that with so many Dementors, they weren't enough so he contacted me and I went there right away. But I never knew leaving the school at that time would have been the worst decision I could ever make. The Dementors were just decoys to make me leave the school," Professor Dumbledore sighed.
"When I arrived, indeed, there were Dementors there, sucking the joy out of people. Of course, muggles can't see them, but they can still feel them. Thank goodness none of the Dementors went beyond that, heaven knows what could have happened if they started giving out kisses. Ah, the many happy moments I recalled just creating Patronuses to get rid of them all. The ministry officials handled the Dementors, while the squad was in charge of modifying the memories of muggles. After we rid of the last of them, I received an owl from Professor McGonagall, claiming she has just arrived at the school, safe and well. But when she told me a large number of Death Eaters were there in the school, I left hurriedly to get here as fast as I could."
"Thanks to you," he beamed at Harry and Ron, "More than twenty Death Eaters are in captivity and the muggle borns are safe. The teachers appeared exactly where they were captured last night and I've spent the whole evening searching for them. Right now, they're in the staff room, a bit shaken most of them, but alive and well. The ghosts are back, too, and I can hardly say they're alive, but they are nevertheless well" he finished.
The three of us were surprised by what Professor Dumbledore had just said, but his face rivaled ours when Harry and Ron told him what happened to them last night. His eyes twinkled like never before when Harry told him that Voldemort was finally gone. He didn't have any doubt that Harry killed Voldemort, even though he only used a simple spell. But whenever Draco was mentioned, I looked away. He smiled at the three of us when Harry and Ron finished. "You had quite an adventure," He remarked. The three of us grinned.
"So the victory is shared between you three and Mr. Malfoy," Professor Dumbledore said. That wiped the grins from our faces. "Is he okay, Professor?" I asked weakly. Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm afraid not. He's in a bad condition, Miss Granger. Very terrible," he answered. Harry and Ron looked at me, but I avoided eye contact by staring out the window.
Before he left, Professor Dumbledore left something in Harry's hand, a note perhaps. He reminded us to eat our breakfast, and with that he bid us farewell. I ate my food quietly, not even noticing Harry opening the note and reading it.
That afternoon, Most of us were well enough to leave so Madam Pomfrey gave in and let all of us go. We were the last to leave, helping out with some stuff in the Hospital Wing. When we were headed for Gryffindor Tower, Harry checked his watch and stopped. "Uhm, hey Hermione, why don't you go out into the grounds and check out the gazebo? Uhm...Professor Dumbledore said they had rebuilt it..." he said.
I frowned. He's acting strange. "What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously. "Nothing!" he said. Ron checked Harry's wristwatch and frowned. "What happens at three o' clock?" he asked curiously. Harry waved his hand at him and pushed me toward the end of the corridor, leading to the Entrance Hall. "Come on! Don't you trust me?" Harry asked, still pushing me forward. "What in the world are you talking about?" I asked. He stopped pushing. "Okay, tell you what. Why don't you go on ahead to the gazebo and we'll catch up with you. Professor Dumbledore wants us to get something for him in Hogsmeade," Harry said.
I frowned. "Why didn't you say so sooner? Is that what's on the note he gave you?" I asked. "Yeah! It's a list of what we're supposed to get. Ron and I will just sort out some stuff in the dormitory and we'll be there in five minutes," he said. Ron gave him a strange look but didn't say anything. "Go on!" Harry yelled, as he and Ron walked hurriedly toward the Fat Lady. I watched them as they entered the portrait hole. I sighed and walked toward the Entrance Hall. "Boys are so weird," I said to myself as I went out into the grounds.
I headed to the gazebo, just as Harry told me. He was right. They had rebuilt it, and it looked better than before. I walked up the steps and stood in the middle. The orchids were there again, and the air was filled with their scent. I sighed. This was the place where Draco...I held back the tears and prepared to leave. But as I turned around, someone stood in my way. I looked up and saw the pale blue eyes I had been longing to see for quite some time now.
I gasped. He was standing there, looking as well as he had before the whole incident happened last night. His black school robes billowed in the wind. His pale blonde hair was the same as before, and he had a small grin on his face. I stepped back. "Draco?" I asked. He grinned wider and stepped closer to me. "Surprise," he said quietly. At first, I was stunned. But after a few seconds I felt his arms surround me, and I felt his warmth. He held me tightly, but gently. At first, my arms just hung limply by my side, but after a minute I returned his embrace.
We stayed that way for what seemed to me like forever, but eventually we broke apart. Tears were already running down my cheeks. He wiped them away with one hand. "H-how—?" I asked, but he just shook his head to signal me to be quiet. "I missed you," he said.
"What happened to you? They told us you might not be able to survive," I asked tearfully. He smiled. "Actually, I heard them say the same thing to my mother. They said I wasn't likely to survive. But I fought. I told myself to keep fighting, because if I stop, I'm going to lose all the things on earth worth fighting for. I thought about you the whole time, to be able to see you again, to be able to touch you, to be able to love you. I didn't fear death, I feared losing you," he said softly.
He raised my chin, and I didn't resist. He kissed me so passionately, that I didn't want to let him go. As we broke apart I cried in his arms. "I-I thought I'd never see you again. I was shocked when I heard about you. Why did you do that? You put yourself in danger because of me...you risked your life because of me...y-you nearly died because of me..." I sobbed.
He ran his hands through my hair. "Don't worry...I'm safe now. I'm here," he whispered. I stopped crying and looked up at him. "You saved my life," I told him. He shook his head. "No. You saved mine," he replied, "Hermione, I never meant to make that bet with the other guys. That's what I've been trying to tell you that day behind the greenhouses. I never meant to hurt you, and I'm sorry for what I did. I regret it. I would have regretted it even more if I had died without telling you the truth. I love you,"
I sighed and hugged him. "Imagine my regret if you had died without knowing that I love you too," I said.
As they embraced each other, a pair of twinkling old blue eyes watched them from a window at the fifth floor, and another pair of bright green eyes could be seen at the window of the Gryffindor dormitories, each pair filled with thought, because what they were witnessing was nothing short of a miracle.