Staying Strong
Chapter 8
Disclaimer: As much as I would absolutely love to own Draco Malfoy, I do not own a thing.
Author's Note: Just to let you know, this first part is a dream. Now on with the story!
"Hermione," Draco whispered as he took Hermione's hands in his. "Please be strong for me. Please, please don't give up hope."
"I can't keep going like this, Draco. I'm not going to wait much longer."
"No," Draco squeezed Hermione's hand. "Don't say that, love. Don't give up hope just yet."
Hermione lowered her head. "I just can't keep wasting my time, sitting here in this house waiting for you to come back to me."
Draco lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "I promise that you will not have to wait much longer. I will be back to you, I promise you that." Draco's words seemed to echo as the room began to slowly fade away around her, leaving nothing but darkness in it's place.
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"Hermione," Remus said softly as he woke Hermione from her sleep. "Hermione, it's all right to go back upstairs."
Hermione lifted her head from the arm of the couch and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She had fallen asleep on the couch in the basement a couple of hours before, waiting for her chance to finally talk to Draco. "Professor," She said in a soft voice. "Is he still here?"
Remus nodded. "He is indeed still in this house. If you still would like to see him, I would be more than happy to talk to the guards."
Hermione smiled brightly. "That would be nice." Getting to her feet, she grabbed the quilt that she had beeen wrapped in and threw it over her shoulder, finding her way through the dark basement and to the cobweb filled stairway. Walking slowly in front of Remus, she reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the door. The room was silent as Hermione and Remus shut the door behind them. Snape and Dumbledore sat at the other side of the room, both looking tired and irritated. Guards blocked a door next to Hermione's room; Hermione knew right away that Draco was behind it.
Pulling on Remus's sleeve, Hermione nodded towards the door. "Are you sure that they would let me see him?"
"I will try my very best." Remus said before he strode over to Dumbledore, leaving Hermione clutching on to the quilt, a look of hope in her eyes. It was a few minutes before Remus returned to Hermione, giving her a look that instantly made her smile. "You may see him for only but a few minutes. A guard will be at the door if he attempts to hurt you."
Hermione nodded, not completely listening to what he was saying. Her body shook with anticipation as she gradually reached for the door. Turning the rusted doorknob, she slowly turned it, the light that poured from the moon just outside the window, filling the room. One of the guards gave her a small nod before he shut the door behind her, leaving just Hermione and Draco to be alone.
Hermione stood still as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Pressing her back against the wall, her eyes scanned the floor for Draco. She let out a small gasp as she noticed Draco sitting in the corner of the room, his upper half held together by a white coat that wrapped around him. His dirty platinum blonde hair fell to his enticing silver eyes, scratches and cuts covered his arms, a smirk spread across his face. "Hermione," he said hoarsely.
"D-Draco," Hermione said, sobs escaping from her throat. "Why did you have to go? Why did you leave me?" She said, the questions instantly spilling from her mouth.
Draco lowered his head. "I didn't do it to hurt you, love. I did it for my own protection."
"Your own protection? Bloody hell, Draco, what an idiotic decision that was! What, did you actually think that you wouldn't get in trouble if you took off like a scared little coward?"
Draco tried to stay calm as Hermione's words hit a nerve. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Hermione." He said through his teeth.
Hermione let out a laugh. "Well, it's too late for that. Draco," she stopped to brush away the hot tears that streamed down her cheeks. "You really don't know how much that hurt me to hear that my boyfriend has run away from Hogwarts, that he has killed someone."
"No," Draco closed his eyes. "Don't tell me that you believed the rubbish that they had told you?"
"Of course I did! Did you actually believe that things would just go back to normal, that everyone would just forget that you had just left?"
Draco shook his head. "No, Hermione, I didn't think that." he spat. "You know, maybe it would have been better if I would have stayed where I was. At least it was quiet there."
"What the bloody hell was that for?" Hermione asked, her hands on her hips.
"Forget about it, Hermione. I didn't mean it." Draco said blankly.
"Well, you know what, Draco?" Hermione's eyes grew cold. "I didn't have to stay here, wasting all of my time crying over you, waiting for you to come back...but I did." With that, Hermione turned on her heel, storming out of the room in a huff.
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"What did I ever see in him? He's still the bloody, inconsiderate, selfish fool that he was before!" Hermione cried as she plopped down on her bed, Remus following from behind.
"Hermione," Remus sat down next to her, her body shaking with fury. "He needs some time to recooperate. He is probably under a lot of stress right now."
Hermione shook her head. "No, no he is fine, just fine. He just thinks about himself, no one else. He doesn't even care what I think!"
Remus sighed. "Of course he cares what you think. Trust me, I have seen how he is when he is around you. He is a completely different young man when you are at his side."
"I just don't understand why he had to do this to me?" Hermione said in a soft voice. "I mean, he didn't even care that I was upset."
"He does care, Hermione. Draco has his ways of hiding his emotions, just as his father and grandfather have. I am more than sure that once this situation is settled, Draco will be back to normal. Right now, he just needs you to be strong for him. That is all he can ask for."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked, looking at the wall across from her.
"Well," sighed Remus. "I don't, but I am more than sure that that's what I would do if I were in his shoes."
Hermione looked over at Remus and smiled. "Thank you, Professor. I honestly feel a little better."
Remus let out a small chuckle. "It's quite all right, Hermione. I really do enjoy making someone feel better." he said, leaning forward and placing a small kiss upon Hermione's forehead. Hermione leaned towards him, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling him in for a hug. Remus softly patted her back, taking in the moment.
Author's Note: Hey there! Gosh, Draco is such a jerk. Sorry Kyp, I decided not to use your battle idea, although it was pretty funny. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed or is planning on reviewing!
Love
Jess