Once Draco had dressed and Hermione had slipped into her dress, minus her bra, they climbed up the hill back to the black SUV, where a white ticket stood out boldly against the windshield. Draco quickly snatched it off and scanned over the messy writing.
"£100! (About 175) That bastard is fining me £100! Goddamn it! I don't even know how to pay it the Muggle way…" He finished unhappily.
"I can help you Drakes! That's at least one good thing about being muggleborn- I know the Muggle systems…" She rested her head on his upper arm as he reread it.
"What is the 'Drakes' thing about?"
"I thought it would be an absolutely adorable pet name for you!" She said, forming kissy-lips as she stood on her tiptoes and pecked his cheek. He frowned slightly for a second and raised his eyebrows.
"Let's get in the car, it's getting cold. Tell me more about how to pay this…" he though for a moment, "…please."
For some reason, they climbed in the backseat rather than the front and Hermione leaned in close to point out things to him on the paper ticket.
"See, that's where you need to send the money, by Muggle post and in a regular envelope with stamps and all…"
"So now I have to go to the store and get these things? Are there even any Muggle stores open at this hour? It's almost two am."
"We can go to my house… it's not far from here and my mum's probably gone- since she divorced dad, she's never home…"
Draco sighed, "I guess. You'll have to give me directions." He climbed out of the back and into the driver's seat. Hermione, with disappointment, reluctantly took her place next to him in the front. After driving back onto the road, she began to explain what way to go.
Finally, the Mercedes pulled to a stop in the dirt driveway of a could-be charming little house. Unfortunately, the owner (whom he assumed was her mum) had really let the place go and weeds overtook the lawn, which was also in need of a trim. A window in the garage door was broken out, and some overflowing garbage cans sat next to the side door. Draco actually felt some sympathy for her, and was happy for the moment that she was living temporarily with him. She pulled a key out of her purse and went up the front steps to open the door.
"Sorry about the mess… Mum's too thick to care about anything but herself." Hermione said apologetically.
"It's uh… ok."
The door swung open with a creak, and he followed her in. The living room was messy and more garbage was scattered around the tabletops and the floor, with empty beer cans stacked near a lamp. She frowned and led him down an extremely narrow hallway- Draco had to turn his shoulders to go down it. Now she swung open a door on his right and went in.
It was apparently her room, considering the stack of Hogwarts schoolbooks, Gryffindor tie and feminine motif. He came up behind her as she stood at her desk and rested his hands on her shoulders.
"Don't mind my mess either…" She said, and quickly slid a stack of pictures under a binder. She wasn't fast enough though- he saw that the subject of the photographs was him, and that the top one must have been taken in second or third year; he had had on an evil-looking smirk. He saw her blushing and gave her a kiss to make her feel better. He truly felt sorry for her; what she had to live in and about how mean he'd been to her in the past, it wasn't really her fault she was a mudblood, she didn't choose to have Muggle parents… He gave a glance to the bed behind him- it was a full-sized with a lacy dust ruffle and a pink cotton comforter. Picking up her chin, he ever so gently brushed his lips to hers. She softened and allowed his to kiss her again without protest.
A moment later they fell to the bed with a creak, quite reminiscent of the lake make out. Hermione could sense his change in feeling- it was evident in the way he touched her, the way his tongue curled with hers, the way he caressed her- as if he wanted to pleasure her rather than himself for once. 'Could it be he finally feels love for me?' She thought hopefully. Perhaps, though he never got around to saying it because as soon as his passion arose, he remembered the ticket business and stood up immediately.
"Draco?"
"We need to finish the ticket shit; when we get home, I promise."
She soaked up his words, over-thinking them, as was the female way. 'When we get home! It's like we're actually dating!' Glee made her want to jump, but she restrained and managed to find an envelope on her desk. She grabbed a book of stamps and led him out.
"Do you want to do this here, or at your house?"
"My house. Let's go." He answered briefly and without hesitation.
He was seated at his desk and Hermione leaned over him to instruct him what to do after the car was returned to the garage and they came into the house.
"Now you need to write this address here, on the envelope and yours goes up here in this corner, ok? Oh, don't forget we need to get £100 (about 175) to put in there too. I have £50 (about 87.50) if you need it…"
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." He pulled out his fat wallet and removed the sum of money from a thick stack, appearing to be made of a mix of wizard and British Muggle money. She was impressed but was careful as to not let it show on her face. After cramming it into the envelope, he handed it to her due to the fact he had no idea how to seal it. He watched in curiosity as her pink tongue ran along an adhesive strip on the underside of the flap. She tossed it onto the desk, ready to send.
"Now all we have to do is drop it in the post…"
"Thanks for your help… now what I promised- still interested?"
"Of course…if you are…"
"Yup." They were in each other's arms only a few seconds after his reply.
Over the weeks that follow, Draco felt odd. It was one of the strangest sensations he had felt in his life. Thoughts of Hermione made him feel wonderful, and every time he saw her, he felt warm and…good. He loved to fill his eyes with her; it wasn't just her physical appearance like it was in the beginning- now it was if he could see past that, and into her soul. These feelings confused him, so he turned to the only place he knew of to help him.
"Mum… can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked once when they were alone.
"What is it baby?" Though she knew better, she still reverted to calling him 'her baby'.
"Lately, I've felt differently about Hermione. It used to be all- "Oh, she's hot, I want to shag her" but now…"
Narcissa was surprised at his lack of shame when he said this, earning her this reaction from her son.
"Mum, she's lived in this house all summer, she sleeps in my bed- with me, and you're surprised when I just say 'shag'? I thought I could talk to you like a mature adult…maybe not."
"Sorry honey. I truly am. It's just hard to get over how fast you grew up! Well back to your matter…"
"It's mostly about how I feel about her…it's not the same as it was in June…"
"Do you love her?"
"What? I don't know! How would I know?" He said defensively.
"Would you rather talk to her, be close, hold hands rather than have sex?"
He pondered this for a moment. "…Maybe…I'm not sure."
"I've seen the way you look at her, mostly when we eat dinner. I think you're in love, Draco."
He was silent. This was all going horrible wrong- by now his father and the death eaters had decided on the day of the whole kill-potter thing…and he had already agreed that if Hermione got in the way, he would have to kill her too…But if he was in love…he'd probably chicken out- and they had made these plans soon after he got that parking ticket with the Mercedes…and that was before the whole change in feelings… He didn't want Hermione dead; she had never done anything wrong to him…
"Draco? Are you ok?" His mother peered at him worriedly.
"Uh yeah…see you later Mum, thanks." He got up and left in a hurry.
Now, faced with the bleak possibility that he might have to kill his girlfriend, time seemed to fly by faster than ever. Hermione noticed Draco withdrawing, and often times tried to comfort him for unknown reasons when she found him, sitting alone- tense and wringing his hands.
Too soon, it was the night before the plan was to be put into action. Draco couldn't even shut his eyes he was so nervous.
"Draco? Aren't you tired?" Hermione questioned lovingly.
"…I…uh, don't feel well. Don't feel well at all."
"Can I get you anything? Water?"
"Just please stop talking…" He begged.
"Ok, fine. Goodnight- I love you…" She said it every night, and thus far Draco hadn't said it back, being meaningful.
"I love you too." A weak voice sounded loudly in his bedroom.
This time it echoed in her ears, making her want to cry out from the mountains, sing out her joy- he had meant it! He loved her! She attempted to hold in a joyous sob, but failed. Draco rolled over, to see what was the matter.
"What's wrong Hermi?"
"You love me… oh god…" She began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I mean it, I truly do- with all my heart." He sat up and pulled her into a genuine hug. She sniffed and hugged back, leaning and planting a kiss on his warm lips.
This had led to real sex, not the sham called the same they performed before. They both expressed love, rather than blind lust and both could feel it with every soft caress, in every nook and cranny of their beings. It was the single best moment in Draco's life when they had become one; the heat and passion of their desires satisfied and the anomalous way that it bound them further together. They didn't bother to separate themselves and soon Hermione was curled in his arms, still full of Draco as she slept. He was still plagued with the insomnia from before the enlightening experience, and now had to bear the uncomfortable fact that he couldn't move.
As dawn broke through the night sky, Draco slipped into an uneasy doze, only to wake up a few moments later at the touch of someone unknown.
"Come with me for a while son." Lucius Malfoy looked odd against the background of Draco's personal belongings. It was a strange position he had now put his son in- if he was to flip back the covers, he was still naked, though if he denied he'd no doubt be punished.
"Uh…" Draco started.
"Would you like me to wait in the hall?" Lucius had an idea of what he was to find under the sheets.
"Yes, thank you sir." he expressed his gratitude very respectfully.
Once the door shut behind his father, Draco ever so carefully pulled himself from Hermione and quickly got dressed. He tiptoed out the door and turned to face Lucius.
Without a word, they both began to walk- Draco following slightly. Once they had left the house, he began to talk.
"Draco… are you ready for tonight? You know the plan…"
"Yes sir. We are going to lure out the family- leaving Potter, surround the house and we'll eventually slip in, unnoticed. The one to deliver the kill hasn't been decided yet, but after entering, we'll corner him and the designated killer will perform the Avada Kedavra curse."
"Excellent, as well as the reason I wanted to speak to you. It was your plan and you found out the necessary information. The death eaters and I also feel as though the hatred of Potter running through your veins is stronger than any of ours. You will be the one to execute the spell."
"I'm underage though…I'll be caught…they can trace my wand to it…"
"I've taken care of that. You will kill him using Lord Voldemort's wand."
Draco was scared out of his wits. He was going to have to kill one of his classmates, his lover's friend… His heartbeat increased under his ribs.
"Father…what if he fights back?"
"One seventeen year old wizard against as many of the death eaters that will fit into the shitty Muggle house? I doubt we'll be more than scratched."
He started to leave but turned around and said, "I'm proud of you Draco."
As soon as Draco could no longer see his father's retreating back, he slumped to the lawn in a dead faint.
Draco vomited violently as he shook uncontrollably in the bathroom. Luckily, Hermione only knew that he and his father had business to do, and that she was going to spend the evening with Narcissa.
When he finished, Lucius walked with him to the garage, where they both climbed into the Porsche. It was the first time he'd ever been in it, though he didn't enjoy it- he was more occupied on holding his flip-flopping stomach from emptying its contents all over the nearly £35,000 (about 61,250) interior.
Finally, after a ride that seemed to last forever, Lucius stopped the car but remained in his seat for a moment.
"Here's the wand…" He said, handing a thin box to his son, who took it but didn't say anything. He also handed him a black mask and instructed him to put it on. A flicker issued from Lucius' pocket so he removed his wand and allowed an image to display itself, apparently from another of the death eaters.
"The muggles are out of the house." A phrase so simple, yet so monumental in Draco's life. As if in slow motion, both Malfoy males got out of the car and walked down the sidewalk to number four. The familiar house sat menacingly near the curb; Draco closed his eyes, though the image was permanently etched into his brain.
The door was already open when they made their way up the walk; other death eaters were already mulling around silently in the kitchen. Upon the arrival of Draco and Lucius, they turned and looked for instruction. The eldest Malfoy nodded his head towards the stairs and they began to ascend them.
With a quivering hand, Draco held the wand of the most powerful dark wizard in front of him as he followed his father.
A door swung open on his right and a group of people aimed wands at the death eaters.
"Drop your wands, now!" The people in the room yelled. Draco vaguely recognised one of the people- it was their old defence against the dark arts teacher Mad-Eye Moody. He was an auror…, which would mean someone had found out about the plan… None of the black-masked group listened, and it all began with the casting of one simple 'expelliarmus'. The battle to kill Potter had begun.
It was complete pandemonium as everywhere in the house spells flew wildly through the air, smashing things and hitting people. Through the chaos, Draco felt a tug on his clothes that pulled him out of danger- for the moment.
Lucius pushed his son back into the wall and told him to kill the boy- no matter what. Draco panted in fear, though he knew he had no choice but to obey. He dodged many spells, searching throughout the upstairs of the house, until he saw his nemesis standing behind Remus Lupin (another defence teacher).
He raised his arm, "Avad…" Unfortunately, as Draco attempted to finish the job, some of the aurors heard him and his body fell to the floor after being bombarded with an assortment of powerful spells.
Draco's head pounded, and pain screamed from every region of his body. Attempting to sit up, he only succeeded in almost passing out. Using the last of his strength, he wrenched his eyes open, only to wince from the lights overhead. Once the room came back into focus, he saw a familiar head sitting at his bedside.
"Draco, you're awake…" Hermione's voice sounded fuzzy in his head.
He tried to respond, but was surprised when his tongue and jaw didn't seem to want to follow the commands from his brain. The result was a sort of low moan coming from deep in his throat. Hermione was quietly sobbing, and when she noticed him watching she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.
"I was so scared…I thought you were…de... dead…You've been in a coma or something for the past th-three days…You got hit by a s-s-spell- no one knows who did it… or w-what it w-was…" She peered at him with shimmering eyes. He suddenly felt very tired again, and closed his eyes. Hermione continued to talk, but her voice sounded farther and farther away. Everything began to spin wildly, and before he knew it he threw up all over himself. He heard her jump up, and yell to someone else. The footsteps of others sounded, coming closer to his beside and whispering over him. He passed out before he heard anything else.
Hermione simply couldn't believe it. The past few days had dragged by, mostly due to the fact she rarely left Draco's side. 'I never said I loved him before he left!' She thought desperately, 'What if he never wakes up?'
Narcissa was often there to comfort her when thoughts like this struck, but couldn't bear to look at her son lying there like that. Unfortunately, Lucius was rare to be seen, though he sat in a wheelchair at the bedside for the whole first day… and Narcissa had seen him sitting alone near him sometimes when neither she nor Hermione were around. This was a change from his usual bedside behaviours- when his father died; he had sat in a chair the whole time with his arms crossed- just waiting to get the inheritance… Though this upset her, she didn't reprimand her husband; she could see him growing weaker everyday…
It was several more days before Draco's body had recovered enough for him to be conscious again. The pain tore through his body still, but he was able to open his eyes without much effort. He again took note that Hermione was at his side. He blinked several times and looked down at what he could see of his body.
A heavy white blanket covered most of him, but he could see that covering his arm were oozy-looking scabs, surrounded by violent purple bruises on almost every visible inch.
Hermione saw him staring at himself, and took it upon herself to explain again, assuming he didn't remember from a few days ago.
"It was a spell someone cast. We don't know what one it is, which makes me think it's some kind of combination of several. By the way, the healers say you can't move… not that you'd want to…those sores are everywhere…" A tear slid down her cheek, falling past her smile. "I thought you weren't going to wake up… and so did everyone else…but you did…Oh Draco, I love you so much! More than you'll ever know… Oh god, Draco…" She burst into tears, sobbing into her hands.
He hovered on the edge of being awake when his mother came into focus behind her.
"My little boy…I love you…" Narcissa remained slightly more composed, though tears glistened in her eyes as well, as she laid her hand lightly on his stomach. "Your father was in here too… he was afraid you were uh… dead…before he…He saved you too. He apparated your body away- or else the aurors would have killed you…"
Draco tried to analyse her face to see if she was making it up as she so often did when she spoke of his father… but she wasn't… did he really care? His head spun painfully, making him feel nauseous again. Colours from around the room blended into a blindingly painful spectrum, and again, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he blacked out.
This time it was only a matter of moments before he was revived; his mother and his girlfriend were both standing over him, looking anxious. He stared upwards, past their worried faces to the off-white ceiling. It hurt to breath, and they were making him feel claustrophobic. Finally, both women backed off a little and he took a few deeper breaths, despite the unbearable stabbing feeling greeting his ribs and lungs.
He tried to talk; something his throat hadn't been forced to do for a week. "Her…Hermione. Mum."
"My precious baby boy! I love you so much!" Narcissa cried out, and nearly flung herself onto his chest in a hug. Pain bombarded his senses, causing him to lose his breath. She noticed and quickly stood back up, straightening her sweater. "Sorry honey…"
Over the next few weeks, he recovered- slowly but steadily until he was finally allowed to go home. It was only a week until the next school term, and he seriously debated whether or not to go back… but he would. For Hermione. Anything for her- if there was anything he learned in his recovery process, it was that love is stronger than any spell. Hermione had always been there for him, and yet, before his injury he was to blind to see it.
The morning he was due back at school he waited for Hermione, who was going back with him. It was still an hour before she said she was leaving the house, so he wandered around the Malfoy property aimlessly.
A small rusty squeak escaped the hinge of the gate as he stepped into the private Malfoy cemetery. The grass grabbed at his heels as he walked to the back, where a semi-recently dug grave was, with a large shining headstone.
"Good day Father…" He stooped down, squatting next to the final resting spot of Lucius Malfoy. The breeze rustled eerily. "I'm going back to school again today…and I won't be back for a while… I was tempted to take my inheritance and leave, but I have to carry on the Malfoy bloodline… so I might as well finish my education first…" He faded off, and just sat in silence for a bit. He finally looked up when Hermione's feminine voice called to him from the gate.
"Draco, are you ready?" She asked gently.
"Yeah, let's go." He took her hand, and with one final glance in the direction of his father, turned and left.
Hermione forgave Draco about the Harry-thing, after all he IS a Malfoy and because she was in love, was understanding about it, besides, after the near-death experience and his father's death, he wasn't interested in killing Potter anymore. His mother defended him at a hearing, which could have sent him to Azkaban for life; luckily, she was able to convince the judges he was under the Imperious Curse and was innocent.
Epilogue: When Hermione and Draco returned to school, they remained a couple until after graduation, after which Draco proposed. She moved in (officially), and a few months later they had an extravagant wedding. A child was next in line, and the next May, the Malfoy male heir was born. Happily, they lived together for several decades until they both died of old age, leaving their only child the Malfoy fortune.
