The two of them walked down a secluded alleyway, removing their cloak hoods when they were sure that no one was watching them.
"I hate this feeling of running away from everyone," Hermione shook her head in disgust. "Why was I sent to kill you? You're my best friend! I don't want to kill my best friend!"
"I hear you, Hermione, but the world acts in crazy ways sometimes. I don't want to kill you either…you are the first person I could call my best friend…"
"Oh, don't pull out the gushy stuff on me…I'm a sucker for that."
"No, really…you are the first best friend I have ever had. I just wanted to tell you that…it seemed like the right time, I guess."
"Well, you are the greatest friend I have ever had. Guess since we're getting all lovey-dovey and all that, I figure it's the right thing to say."
Draco chuckled. "I always admired your sarcastic humor. Made me work at mine every once and awhile at first…I sort of gave up at the end."
"Thank you…you are just full of comments today, aren't you?"
"I was amazed by your work with that young child…the one who played the flute…you changed his life…"
"I bet he forgets after awhile…his mum will mention me, but he'll be like, 'What girl? No one ever told me anything like that!' It happens all the time…I help young children just like him almost every single chance I can get, but they never remember me…"
"Then why do you keep doing it?"
"Because I keep hoping that some child will end up doing something with themselves someday after I helped them…"
"This young boy might be the one who remembers him."
Hermione smiled. "You really think so?"
Draco nodded. "I don't want to say I know so because you just said that to that little boy and I said it to someone as well…I don't want to copy you."
"What do you mean?"
"Jacob asked me if he would make a good Death Eater when he got older and I told him he would be the best Death Eater the world has ever seen. He asked me, "Do you really think so?" I said back to him, "I know so." And in truth…I don't really think he will make a good Death Eater…now that I think back on it."
"Why?"
"He studied with me."
Hermione stared at Draco with a look of utter confusion. "You would have made him a wonderful Death Eater…even though we really don't want any more wonderful Death Eaters…"
"True. I guess that's why I left…I would have ended up killing someone I really care about."
"Like who?"
"Well…you, for one."
"Anyone else?"
"No…I would have hurt some people that you care about as well…"
"The only person that I truly care about is you."
Draco was silent for a moment, and then he looked up at Hermione. "You really care about me?"
"No, Draco, I absolutely hate you! Are you kidding me? You think I would have saved your life if I hated you?"
"Well…I guess I see what you mean."
"You are my best friend! Best friends save their friend's lives, even if they loose everything they worked so hard to achieve."
"I agree…"
Hermione peeked around the corner, checking to see if anyone was coming. "We're still alone…"
"Good. I want to tell you something that no one else can hear."
"What do you mean…?"
"Hermione…I think you really should leave the Ministry. Leave your team of Aurors behind…they're only destroying you. I do think that you should go back, say you killed me, and then leave. Run away. Forget they ever existed…"
"It's not as easy as you say it is…I will be sent to trial…I could be killed."
"For leaving a mission that the Ministry didn't even agree with in the first place? That's fucking stupid, Hermione! Tell them that they had to have special permission before you were even supposed to complete this mission! The only reason they wanted you to kill me was because you are my best friend. You are close to someone who is the enemy…they found out about our friendship somehow and now they want to destroy it. Don't you see? They want you to stop being my friend! The Ministry caters its employees to become the way they want them to! You are all robots and the Minister is the main computer. The computer programs each and every one of its robot servants to be the way it wants them to be. You are not supposed to have friends outside the circle of employees you work with every single day, but you rebelled against them the entire time and now, they know about it! And they are fucking pissed! They are so fucking pissed that they want you to kill me to remove me from your life. I know the Ministry, Hermione. I've had to spy on them multiple times. Every single person there has no real life outside the Ministry. It used to be different, but it's the twenty first century now. Times have changed. You have to get yourself out of there before anything else happens to you."
Hermione just stood there in awe. For someone who had kept themselves bottled up for so long…to come out and say something as amazing as this…
"You have kept feelings like that inside of you for this long?"
"I sent you messages every once and awhile. I told you to leave the Ministry…get away from there before it was too late. If you leave now, everything will go back to normal. You will reunite with the friends you lost the moment you joined the training…you will have a real life again."
"The Ministry destroyed those messages. They sent me Howlers every once and awhile to tell me that a message was sent to me that was not to Ministry standards…"
"You see what I mean? They warped you into thinking that their way is the right way and no other way is correct. You are a rebel in their eyes, and they want you to change your ways. Leave them, Hermione. Say goodbye to everyone you have to, then go."
"But…I don't want to forget the life that I had once before…"
Draco looked at Hermione. She looked strong on the outside, but in reality, she was weak. She had no clue how to stand up for herself.
"Listen…this is what we have to do. We'll stage this…it'll come out exactly as I tell you it will. The moment you leave this alleyway, you are an actress. You are a fake. You are not who you really are. Play their game for a little while, then get the hell out of there."
Hermione nodded. "What do I have to do?"
"First of all, the moment you leave this alleyway, remove your cloak. It will smell of all the places you've just been the people you have been with. That is evidence. In fact, remove it now so you don't have it with you. I'll keep it for you until I meet up with you again. Then, make some small cuts all over your body. Hands, legs, face…make sure they are bleeding when you get into the Ministry. Remember, I am a horrible person. I attacked you and you fought back, almost sparing your life. If you have to slam your head against a building to get a lump on your head like I punched you in the face, go right ahead. Anything that will make it more believable."
"Why don't you do that for me? I hate inflicting pain upon myself…"
"I'll do it once I'm done explaining. Now, where was I?"
"Cutting myself everywhere to make it seem like you attacked me."
Draco nodded. "Right. Now, run back into the Ministry and breathe really heavy. Like abnormally heavy as if you were just in a fight."
"Excuse me for interrupting, but how do you know all of this?"
"I learned it from the streets. You can figure out just about anything from anyone if you want to."
"I see…you can continue now."
"All right, now, once you are in the Ministry, scream really loudly and then fall. Just fall. When you fall to the ground, fake that you passed out. People will come rushing for you, taking you to a warm safe place."
"What if they take me to St. Mungo's?"
"PLAY THEIR GAME. I don't care where they take you, you have to do this!"
"All right, all right, just tell me what I have to do."
"Anyway, when they take you to that warm safe place of theirs, they will try to wake you up. When they start doing that, just miraculously wake up! Somehow, you just woke up! Then, when they ask you what happened, weave them this tale of how you fought me to my death. Show them the cuts on your hands…make yourself cry if you have to. I don't care what you do; just make them feel really bad for you. When they ask you if I am dead, pause for a moment. Make the suspense build, then take a deep breath and tell them that I am dead. They will immediately make you a hero. You will be the best Auror in the entire Ministry. Once you are paraded back to your brand new office room with lots of singing and cheering, lock the door. Do not ask me why, just lock the door. I will tell you your next instructions when I can."
"When will you come?"
"Oh, I'll find you. I'll slip into the Ministry as a casual worker wearing a totally different cloak. I have about twenty of them in my possession, and all of them look completely different. I'll be wearing a lime green cloak. I will walk down to your office area, and don't worry…I know where your office will be. I have ways of figuring it out."
"They'll give me an office?"
"Um, yeah! You will become the second highest Auror in the league. Shadow will never be beaten. He will keep his position."
"All right, go on."
"When I come to your office door, I will knock three times on it. That is your cue to stand by the door and grab the paper that I slip under your door, which will have further instructions on it. Once you get that paper, unlock your door, but do not leave. Do you understand what you have to do?"
"Yes."
"Hermione…I don't want to make it seem like you have to do this…but I think this is in your best interest."
"I'm going to do it…I want to be with you."
Draco smiled. "All right, here." He grabbed a small pocketknife and began to slice up Hermione's body. He made a few cuts on her face, her arms, and her legs. He cut her hands a little deeper so she can have blood on her hands when she entered the Ministry to make them think that he cut her hands, but the blood was his.
"Draco?"
"What is it?"
"I'm scared…"
"Don't be scared…just do what I say, and you can see me again…"
"Draco?"
"Yes?"
"This will work, right?"
"Of course it will…"
"Good…I don't want to be there anymore…" Hermione smiled at Draco one last time, then walked out onto the sidewalk and back to the Ministry.
Draco watched her leave, then turned down a different street and began his slow march down his empty road.