Disclaimer: After 27 chapters of this fic I would hope everyone got the fact that I am not JK Rowling, but just in case, I'll say it one more time. I am not JK Rowling, so I do not own Harry Potter. I do however own the plot to this fic, which after nearly 9 months of work is finally complete.
A/N: First off, allow me to express my sincerest condolences to all who were affected in any way by the events in London. My thoughts are with you.
Now back to the fic: I think I am going to cry! (Both happy and sad tears) I am going to miss writing this fic so much, but at the same time I am so excited that it is finished. I hope everyone likes how I decided to end it, I had a lot of different options in my head, but to me this was the best one, so I hope you all agree. I would like to thank everyone who reviewed chapter 27:
SharkAttak – I'm so happy that you like the replies I write to the reviewers! I think it's important to thank everyone who reviews my chapters because honestly the reviews are what inspire me to try to write better. And plus, I'm always so happy to get the reviews that I think they deserve an answer :o) So I'm happy that you appreciate it! And yes, I am continuing the series, complete with Pansy and Voldemort stuff, so you can look forward to thank if you like. I'm so happy you liked the chapter, and I hope you like how I ended it. Thanks so much for the review!
Cindy, Ginny-W13, midnightwanderer01, Chantal J, Sunflower18, zuvalupa, Miri, steelo, southernsweetdevil, lsmyth – thank you very much for the reviews!
DrStrangelove007 – lol I know what you mean, but this is the end and I hope you like it. Thank you very much for the review!
Sayaku-chan – Thanks! Yup, this will be part of a trilogy, although since I've only just started thinking about it, it may take quite a while for me to start posting the third one. Thank you for the review. And I hope you update your fic soon, cause I like it and I want to read more!
anIme-prYncess – I hope everything's all fixed with your computer! Thanks for the review!
Clear Black Glass – aww I'm sorry the last couple chapters and the fic ending made you sad, but I hope you like the ending anyway. Thanks for the review!
comedy gal – lol I know what you mean, I have to reread the real books every once and a while to remind myself what the characters are really supposed to be like after having seen them portrayed so differently in fan fics. I hope I have not turned everyone off from the idea of HG/RW in the real books, cause I think it's bound to happen, and as for Draco . . . .I think I'm gonna have to cry if he becomes a DE in the real books after writing these fics! Anyway, thanks for the review, and I hope you like the ending!
elektra30 – stupid schoolwork! How dare it keep you from updating. Oh well, I suppose it is important (that's what the teachers say anyway). I'm very happy that you liked the tension and the imagery, and I hope you like the way it ends in this chapter. Thanks for always giving me such great comments and helpful criticism, I think it's really helped me improve my writing. So thank you for the review!
I wish your heart was mine – lol yup, surprisingly enough, nothingness is a word. I hope you like the end, and thank you for the review!
So now, after months of hard work, Serpent Fangs and Lion Hearts is complete. I present to you, the final chapter:
Chapter 28: So This is the End
Hermione awoke in a very awkward mood the next morning. At first, as she was beginning her morning routine, she did not recall her dreams at all. The remainder of her sleep the night before had been much more restful than it had been at first. She seemed to have settled into a sense of completion. On the whole she felt prepared for the world ahead of her, Hogwarts had taught her all it could and now it was time to move on. She dressed, and then walked to the common room. She walked over to the study area and ran her fingers across all the books sitting on one of the shelves.
"Thinking of packing the whole library in your trunk?" Harry was leaning across the entrance to his room with his arms crossed over his chest, and he was watching her with an amused grin.
"So what if I was?" Hermione played along, but left the books in their places on the shelf behind her as she moved to stand by one of the chairs in the center of the room.
"I'm sure you'll find plenty to read outside of Hogwarts" Harry insisted, "plus, I doubt that you'd be able to fit them in your trunk anyway," he added as an afterthought.
Hermione tried to laugh, but just could not muster the humor inside her.
"Come on Hermione, cheer up. Today's a happy day, tomorrow we're beginning our lives as adults, it's supposed to be a good and exciting time!"
"I know" Hermione smiled, "I am excited, and I really am happy. I'm just, going to miss it you know?"
Harry moved forward and put his arm around Hermione's shoulders, "I know. We have a lot of memories here. But just think of all the great memories we have to make, all the adventures we have yet to face!"
Hermione smiled wider, "you're right; we do have a lot to look forward to, don't we." She let out a sentimental sigh, "I just can't help it. While a part of me is excited to me, another part isn't ready to say goodbye."
"I know, I feel the same way, so does Ron and everyone else. But that's part of it. I don't think anyone ever feels completely ready for the big changes they face. But we all face them, and we'll all be together, so you've got nothing to worry about."
"Thanks Harry, you're right. As long as I've got you and Ron a . . ." she took a breath as if she was going to add another name, but instead finished with "I'm sure I'll be alright."
Harry didn't appear to notice the awkward pause, for which Hermione was thankful. She had almost said Draco's name as well, however at the last second she decided against it. But that hadn't stopped her from thinking it. There in the middle of the common room, the dreams she had dreamt the night before came back to her. She recalled seeing him come towards her through the parting crowd. She did her best not to get her hopes up for a scene like that to occur in reality, but it was exceedingly difficult now that the image was so realistically imprinted in her mind.
She closed her eyes, 'No!' she ordered herself, 'he already told you that he's not going to the Ball, so don't even imagine it. You're only setting yourself up for disappointment!'
But it seemed that the harder she tried to force the fantasy away, the more determined it was to maintain a solid hold on her mind. After a moment, she gave into the struggle, and allowed the dream to replay itself in her mind up until the part where they kissed, it was perfect. Harry was studying his friend, and she stood there with her eyes closed, seeming to be remembering something very sweet. She sighed once, but did not seem aware that she had done so. When she finally opened her eyes, Harry did not ask her what she had been thinking of, sadly he thought he knew who she had been thinking of, because he sigh had been one of longing, and Harry knew she was still longing for Malfoy. Harry put on a smile, but in reality, it pained her to know she still felt that way toward his enemy. Yes, Malfoy was, and forever would be in Harry's mind, his arch rival and sworn enemy, nothing would ever change that, but it was equally unlikely that anything would change the way Hermione felt about Malfoy, a thought which was still difficult for Harry to swallow.
"So," Hermione said after snapping out of her daydream, " are you ready for the Ball tonight? With your speech and all?"
"Yeah, you?"
"I think so. I mean, there is so much to say, but I don't want to bore everyone by saying too much. And at the same time I want to say something important . . ."
Harry interrupted before she could go on in one of her endless rants, "I'm sure whatever you are going to say will be perfect." Inside Harry was praying that Hermione had made her speech short and sweet, although he doubted it. This was Hermione after all, and she did have a tendency to ramble on so much that she became annoying.
- - - - - - - - - -
That night, Hermione, Ginny (who was going to the Ball with Harry), and Luna got ready in Hermione's room while Harry and Ron prepared in Harry's room. The boys were finished long before the girls, and were now enjoying a game of wizard's chess in the common room.
Hermione was in the bathroom preparing her hair, Luna was dazedly sitting on the bed, and Ginny meanwhile was examining herself in the mirror. Her dress was deep blue silk-like material, which looked marvelous on her. Luna was wearing a pale purple dress, which hung off her in a breezy way, making her look even dreamier than she normally did.
"Hermione, you almost ready?" Ginny called as she was smoothing at the nonexistent wrinkles on the bottom of her dress.
"One second!" Hermione's voice answered. From inside the bathroom she critiqued her hair one last time. Through a combination of hair products and a couple rather complicated spells, she had made her bushy locks elegantly wavy. She had pinned most of it up in a delicate knot towards the top of her head, but some of it she left down so that it framed her face, and cascaded down the back of her neck and he shoulders.
Decidedly pleased with the result of all her hard work, she joined Ginny and Luna in her room. "Oh Ginny, you look wonderful!" she said when she saw Ginny looking in the mirror, "and you look lovely too Luna," she added so as not to be rude, though she couldn't tell if Luna had heard her or not.
Ginny turned and lit up when she saw Hermione, "Oh my God! Hermione you look amazing! That dress is perfect, and your hair is beautiful!"
"Thanks," a pink natural blush was added to the make up blush Hermione was already wearing. Ginny had insisted that she put on at least a small amount of make-up, and as she viewed herself in the mirror, Hermione had to admit that the make-up was a good touch. She could hardly believe that the girl looking back at her and mimicking all her movements in the glass of the mirror was really her.
Her dress was scarlet, and made of a very soft and delicate material. She loved the way the fabric flowed with her as she moved. She imagined it would look perfect as she was gliding across the dance floor in the arms of a stunningly handsome man, (one who unsurprisingly had platinum blonde hair which framed the most enchanting silver eyes she'd ever seen). She shook the image from her mind because she did not want to get her hopes up. But even as she tried to forget it, she had to admit that the idea did seem perfect in her mind. After all, what could be more romantic than the fantasy she had dreamed of?
"Shall we go then" asked Ginny, who was rather eager to get to the Ball and begin dancing.
Hermione postponed her answer by pretending to adjust her dress, but as it clearly fit her perfectly, she could not put off the inevitable for long. She turned to Ginny and nodded, then followed the red head out of the room. Luna, who despite appearing as if she were asleep with her eyes open, seemed to have heard them, for she got up and followed after Hermione.
As soon as Harry and Ron heard the door open, they abandoned their chess game (despite angry protests from the chess pieces) and gawked at the girls. "Whoa," breathed Ron when he saw how beautiful they all looked. Harry stood with his mouth agape, equally as speechless as Ron.
The five of them just stood there for a moment staring at each other until Ginny spoke up, "Well, are you guys just gonna stand there or are you going to take us to the Ball?"
That comment seemed to snap the boys back into reality. They each stepped forward and held out their arm to their partner, leading them out the portrait door. Hermione's heart seemed to have leapt from her chest to her throat and was now blocking her airways as she watched the four of them walking in front of her. She almost gave into the urge to turn back and lock herself in the common room for the rest of the night. She felt terribly lonely without a partner, but the problem was that there was nothing any of her friends could do about it. She didn't want their pity, she didn't want their sympathy, and she didn't want their company. No, there was only one who could cure this loneliness. And she only kept walking by clinging to the hope that he would have changed his mind and would be waiting for her in the Great Hall when she arrived.
When she walked through the doors to the marvelously decorated Great Hall, her eyes instantly scanned the sea of people for him. But she saw nothing, no intense silver eyes, no flash of platinum blonde. 'He really isn't coming' she realized as she took her seat at a table with her friends, 'he really isn't here.'
- - - - - - - - - -
The day of the Leaving Ball, Draco seemed inordinately aware of what time it was all day. So when the time for the Ball to begin finally came, he was rather restless, and in the mood to punch something. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so restless, he had never planned on going to the Ball anyway.
'It's because you want to see Hermione you idiot' he chided himself. But then his brain went back to the morning before, and how everyone had been watching him and pointing and whispering as he walked across the Great Hall, 'I can't stand dealing with that again.'
To take his mind off the Ball, Draco retreated to his dormitory to pack his trunk. He neatly placed all his books on the bottom, and then came his clothes, and then any miscellaneous items, including the dragon pendant and broken picture of him and Hermione that he could not bring himself to throw away. They lay there, atop all his things, staring at him, taunting him with sweet memories of Hermione, and causing him to sink further into his pit of despair.
For some reason, he had been compelled to leave his yearbook unpacked. Now it was lying on the ground next to the trunk. Something had been nagging at him about the yearbook for a few days now, and he could not figure out what it was.
So, with his curiosity peaked, and nothing better to do with his time other than sleep, he opened the book, and for the first time since he'd gotten it, he flipped through the pages. One by one he looked through them, rather impressed with the how the spells had come out. He even half smiled to himself when he saw the quidditch page.
But his smile vanished when he turned to the Head Boy and Girl page. He was rather startled to see a picture of himself staring back at him. He had figured that Hermione would have removed him from the yearbook entirely and replaced his picture with Potter's. He looked at his impressive image in the photograph, and then glanced at himself now. In the picture he was strong, confident, and ready to take over the world should he feel the desire to. 'Now look at me,' he thought with a sneer at himself. 'Sitting here like a bloody fool feeling sorry for myself.'
He hastily turned the page, but he did not seem to really see the rest of the yearbook. Yes, he was looking at the images, reading what was written, but none of it was processing. He was only using the yearbook as a means to block out the unpleasant thoughts he knew were lurking in the back of his mind, but it was only half working. He was almost to the end of the yearbook, and after that, there would be nothing to distract him from his misery nor from his own stupidity.
He grit his teeth harder with every turn of the page. He was now no longer even seeing what was in front of him, he was focusing all his energy on biting back his anger with himself, but he was not being very successful.
- - - - - - - - - -
Back at the Ball, dinner went along just fine, apparently Hermione was doing a great job faking a smile because no one seemed to notice that she was miserable, then again that could have been just because they were too busy being happy themselves to notice her.
Once dinner was finished, both Harry and Hermione gave their speeches, Hermione cut quite a bit out of hers because she wasn't entirely sure she could say everything she had planned without crying halfway through. So rather than talk about everything, she stuck to the general points like Harry did. No one seemed to mind, and once the speeches were over, she and Harry received a hearty round of applause from their audience. Once the speeches were done, the new Head Boy (a Gryffindor) and Head Girl (a Ravenclaw) were announced, and finally the dancing portion of the evening began.
Just as it had in her dream, the lights dimmed and the music began to play a sort of waltz tune. After assuring her friends that she would be fine, Hermione fell back to the outskirts of the dance floor. Everyone was dancing and clearly having a delightful time exactly as they had in her dream, (although now their faces were properly in focus as opposed to how blurry they had been in the dream.)
The waltz finished and was followed by a fast party song. Ron and Luna moved to the side and sat at the table next to Hermione. They took to watching and talking with each other. Hermione meanwhile continued scanning the sea of couples, 'he just has to come' her mind insisted, 'this is exactly like my dream, so he has to be here!'
But the fast song finished, and a slow song followed, then another, and another. Pain and disappointment consumed Hermione with every beat of every song that played. After three more songs, Harry and Ginny had also decided to take a break, but Hermione paid them no attention. She was breathing so hard that she was on the verge of hyperventilating, and she felt as if she was going to suffocate if she stayed in the room any longer. Without a word to anyone, she pushed herself passed the dancing couples, completely ignoring the sounds of annoyance from the people she shoved out of her way.
She didn't know whether she would rather lock herself in her room and spend the whole night miserable, or if she would rather find Draco and slap him hard in the face. The latter seemed like a good idea, except she didn't want him to see her crying.
A moment later as Hermione was nearing the exit to the Entrance Hall, Harry and Ron, who had been getting drinks for themselves and their dates, returned. Harry was carrying a third glass for Hermione even though she hadn't responded when he asked her if she'd like one. He passed one of the cups to Ginny and then looked around, "where'd Hermione go?"
"She left and I don't think she's coming back, she looked really upset," answered Ginny with worry in her voice.
Harry looked to the doors, and then placed the two glasses he was still holding onto the nearby table, "I'll be back, but I have to make sure she's ok."
"Alright, I'll wait here," Ginny responded.
- - - - - - - - - -
Draco had finally turned to the last page in his yearbook. But it was entirely blank. Unlike his housemates he had never asked anyone to sign his book, so the area reserved for signatures was perfectly white. Or not, as Draco had been closing the book, his eyes had caught a drawing in the bottom corner of the last page. Was it, a paw print? Draco gaped silently at it, deep down he knew it had to be from Hermione because it was the same thing he had done to her book, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. Besides, when could she have done it? In a rush he pulled his wand from his pocket and jabbed it at the drawing. He watched with mounting excitement as the paw print turned into a lioness which prowled across the page before fading into her message.
Draco,
I wish I could say these things to you in person, but I am afraid I do not have the courage. So I hope you don't mind, but as you lay in your uneasy sleep I will tell you what I wish I could say aloud.
As I'm sure you have guessed by now, I got your message. Thank you. I forgive you, and I want you to know that I am always here for you. I only hope that you can forgive me as well. You have no idea how much you have given me over the past two years. You made me see things in myself that I never even knew were there. No one has given me more than that, and for that I thank you.
I miss you,
Hermione Granger
Draco gazed in disbelief and touched his fingers to the message as if to prove to himself it was real. "I miss you too," he whispered aloud.
Upon reading her note, everything seemed to suddenly become clear, he scanned the dormitory, all of the things he would never be seeing again after tomorrow. Was he really going to let Hermione disappear from his life just because he was afraid of what might happen? Just because he felt sorry for himself? The only time he had ever been truly happy was when he was with her, was he really going to let her slip through his fingers so easily?
The answer was obvious and he couldn't believe it had taken him so long to figure it out. With a fierce determination flowing through him, and only the thought of Hermione in his mind, he dropped the yearbook, charged out of the dormitory and raced through the dungeons. So what if he wasn't dressed in fancy robes for the Ball, so what if everyone saw, he didn't care. He was going to that Ball, and he was going to tell Hermione the truth, he was not going to let her go without finally telling her how he felt.
He was slightly out of breath by the time he reached thee stairs, but that didn't slow him down. As he ran up them, he heard the opening and closing of a large door accompanied by a swell of voices and music. When he reached the top, he saw who had just left the Ball. His heart began pumping ten times faster as he saw her lift a hand to her eye (was that a tear she was wiping away?) He raced halfway to her, stopped in the middle of the Entrance Hall and shouted "Hermione!"
Hermione stopped and turned wearing a look of complete shock on her face. "Draco," her voice was breathy and surprised.
She took some tentative steps towards him, and at the same he closed most of the distance between them. For a long moment, the two stared at each other, Draco could see the remains of tears in Hermione's eyes, and she could see the fiery passion in his. The distance between them was killing Draco, he had to touch her, to hold her in his arms and feel her warmth, to kiss her, and feel as though every second they were together lasted a lifetime.
He lifted a hand to her cheek and wiped away the trail left behind by the tear. He then moved his hand to the back of her head and laced his fingers through her wavy tendrils. The anger that Hermione had felt towards Draco mere seconds ago had evaporated as soon as he called her name. She breathed in deep; eagerly anticipating what she was hoping would come.
Thankfully it did, almost as if in slow motion, Draco tentatively lowered his lips to hers. They touched softly, but even so, it felt as if an explosion of emotions surged between them. Hermione instinctively circled her arms around Draco's neck, encouraging the kiss further. Draco placed his other hand at the small of Hermione's back. His fingers felt the soft delicate fabric of her dress moving beneath them as she moved her body closer to his. He firmly pressed her even closer so that there was absolutely no space left between them, and they were locked in each others embrace.
It had been far too long since either of them had felt these wonderful sensations that were consuming them now. Hermione moaned with pleasure at the feel of Draco's lips on hers and Draco took the opportunity to slide his tongue into her mouth. The passions flowing through both of them were so intoxicating that they could not think of anything else. Nothing else mattered anymore, they were together and they both knew that this was right.
They were so swept up the each others emotions, that neither of them heard the opening of the door to the Great Hall. Harry stopped short then he saw his friend in the arms of the platinum haired Slytherin. Any other time Harry would have probably snapped and succumbed to the urge to hex Malfoy senseless, but he knew that Hermione had been craving this for so long, and he couldn't interrupt her happiness, even if it revolted him. So instead of walking forward, he silently returned to the Great Hall, with an expression of acceptance on his face.
Harry returned to the table where Ginny, Ron, and Luna were still sitting. "Did you find Hermione?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, and she's fine," answered Harry as he seated himself next to Ginny. He didn't feel the need to tell them what she had been doing when he found her, so he just let it go.
Outside the Great Hall, Hermione finally pulled away from Draco with a desperate need for air. He allowed her to move only enough to breathe, but he then pulled her into a tight embrace and placed soft kissed on her neck and hair. Hermione was breathing heavily against Draco's robes, and surprisingly she felt tears in her eyes again. But these were tears of happiness and relief. She sobbed once and Draco pulled back so that he could see her face. He lifted her chin up with his hand, held her face securely and for the second time that night, he wiped away her tears. "Why are you crying?" he whispered gently.
"I've missed you so much. Ever since I found out the truth, this is what I've wanted, and I was so afraid that we would never be together again, and . . ."
Draco placed his thumbs over her mouth to silence her; he then followed with a sweet kiss. When it broke, he looked deeply into her eyes, "I've wanted it too."
Hermione beamed up into Draco's silvery eyes. Her own eyes were sparkling with both happiness and the wetness of unshed tears.
Draco leaned in closer so that their noses were touching, "I'm only angry with myself for being so afraid to tell you until now."
This time Hermione initiated the kiss, Draco groaned with longing as he tasted her lips on his once again. Being so close to her, so open with her felt so right, so natural, that he couldn't understand how he had managed to survive without her for so long.
For a long time they stood there holding each other, never wanting to let go, until the music in the Great Hall became loud and distracting. "Do you want to go back to the Ball?" Draco whispered into Hermione's ear.
"No, I just want to be alone with you."
Draco grinned with a hint of mischief, "alright, follow me." He took Hermione's hand, and led her though the hallways, all the way to the secret library room.
Hermione grinned as she stepped inside first, "where it all began."
Draco stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her burying his face in her soft brunette locks, "where it all began," he agreed.
The two moved over to the couch, and Draco sat in the corner while Hermione curled up against him, kissing him as she did. After several more passionate kisses, she hugged him tight and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her so that she felt like he could never let go. She hugged his arms tighter to her and closed her eyes to she could permanently imprint these wondrous feelings of happiness in her mind forever.
Once she opened her eyes again, she absentmindedly began stroking her hands across his lower arm. Her hand traveled all the way down to his hand and on its return up, it went beneath the sleeve of his robes, softly caressing his pale skin. It was a completely harmless action, but when she reached the middle of his lower arm Draco jumped as if he had been hit by lightning.
Hermione was thrown to the other side of the couch, while Draco quickly moved away towards the wall. He kept his back to her, his head was down and he was clutching the arm she had touched with his right hand.
Hermione was ready to tell him off for startling her like that until she realized what he was really reacting to. She moved over to the side of the couch closest to him, but remained seated. She gulped and bravely opened her mouth to talk, "does it hurt to touch it?" Her voice was very quiet and it quavered a bit as she spoke.
Draco took in a long breath and let it out just as slowly, "no," he answered without looking at her. He had been enjoying the feel of their bodies together on the couch, but something that he couldn't control snapped when she had touched the Mark. It was almost as if he feared that if she touched it, she would be tainted too.
Long seconds ticked away in silence before Draco turned and seated himself on the other side of the couch. Hermione felt terrible when she saw his face. The deadened look in his eyes was more pronounced than ever. "I'm sorry" she choked. She cautiously moved closer and brought her hand to Draco's shoulder.
Draco shook his head, "don't be," he muttered. Hermione was surprised how physically exhausted he seemed all of a sudden.
Hermione gulped, now that she was thinking about it, her curiosity was peaked. She knew that she didn't want to see the horrible Mark which befouled Draco's otherwise flawless skin. Clearly the Mark had done more damage to his pride and confidence than she had ever realized, and perhaps that was why it seemed important to her to see it now. She didn't want him to feel that he had to hide anything from her, including the Mark. Ever so slowly, she slid her hand down Draco's arm from his shoulder. Beneath the fabric she could feel his muscles tense the closer she got to his lower arm. When she finally touched the area of his robes where the Mark was, he jerked away again, though not as violently as before.
Hermione grabbed his upper arm and gazed at him with pleading eyes, "please." He only looked back at her with a stony expression, "Draco you don't have to hide it from me, you don't have to hide anything."
He maintained the same stony expression in his face, but Hermione felt his muscles relax, so she took that to mean that she had permission. With exceeding care, she slid her hand over the fabric of his robes until she reached the end of the sleeve. Once there, she paused and held her breath. With both hands, she gently inched his sleeve up until it was passed his elbow, and she finally released the breath she was holding. Somehow the Mark seemed ten times more repulsive and evil than it ever had before.
The fear this Mark inspired was legendary, and to prove she was not going to be afraid of it, she ran her thumbs up and down it. Then she traced the serpent with her index finger. This Mark symbolized hatred for all that she was and all that she believed in. It repulsed her.
But then her eyes turned up to his face. His eyes were cold, nearly black with hatred and they were locked on the Mark. The look of hatred she saw now was far beyond any look she had ever seen on his face. Hermione's chest felt pained and at the same time, her heart seemed to swell with emotion. She moved her hands up to his face and held him firmly so that he was forced to look at her. But instead of speaking words, she spoke in a language they both seemed to understand best around each other. She kissed him with all the passion she could, but even so, he didn't begin to respond until just before she pulled away.
She backed away so slightly that their lips could still brush up against each other. That was when she spoke. "Draco, I love you, because of who I know youare, that stupid Mark never changed that, and it never will." While she spoke she brought her hands from his face to his hands. Now she held them tight to show that she meant what she said.
Draco's head sank so that their foreheads were touching and stray strands of his hair tickled her cheeks. He closed his eyes and laced his fingers into hers. "I don't deserve a girl like you," he whispered.
"Yes you do," Hermione assured as she locked her eyes with his, "because you know me, I demand the best in everything." She smiled and pulled away a little, "And I demand you."
Draco allowed those words to hang for a moment before responding, but when he did, he wrapped his arms around her and flashed her his old mischievous smirk, "who am I to deny an order like that?"
Hermione giggled playfully and hugged him back. Draco directed her chin up towards his face and with a fiery urgency he pressed his lips to hers again. He lost himself in the tingling sensations she brought to him. And every touch seemed to set his nerves on fire with desire.
Soon, they were both out of breath, and Draco (who had somehow managed to get on top of Hermione) lay back on the opposite side of the couch. She sat up, curled up beside him and buried her face against his chest. Neither felt the need for words at the moment, so instead of speaking, they simply held each other. Hermione, for once, was not thinking ahead, her mind was only in the present, in this room, beside the one she loved. The thoughts of concern for her future after Hogwarts which had plagued her all day were the furthest thing from her mind right now. And with only sweet thoughts filling her head, she calmly drifted into a gentle slumber.
Draco on the other hand did not find it as easy to chase other thoughts away. Sure, when she had assured him that the Mark meant nothing to her, then her had been relieved, ecstatic even. But what would happen after tomorrow? They were still going to be leading very different lives; Hermione, as always, seemed to have her life all planned out. But Draco on the other hand, felt completely lost, what was he to do now that his whole reason for existence, the very purpose he had been born to fulfill was gone? He couldn't picture himself doing anything with the Ministry; it seemed much too, for lack of a better term, below his standards. Maybe he would travel a bit, he had the money to do it after all, and though he had gone on holiday with his parents tons of times, he had never been allowed to go where he wanted or do as he pleased. Perhaps it would be good for him to see the world a bit; maybe it would provide him with some direction in his life. But if he was off traveling, and she was here training to become an auror, what would happen to them? What if they were to grow apart? Draco did not enjoy that thought, and though he did his best to chase it from his mind, it still lingered in the very back of his conscience. 'Don't think about it,' he demanded to himself. 'Just think about now, she's right here, in your arms,' Draco tightened his hold on Hermione. 'Concentrate on her, how beautiful she is, how sweet she smells, how delicate she feels, listen to her soft breathing.' Draco found that concentrating fully on Hermione did help him to relax quite a bit, and eventually, he joined her in sleep.
- - - - - - - - - -
Draco woke up first the next morning, the sun was rising through the window and it pulled him from his slumber. For a while, as the sun continued to rise, sending more golden beams through the window and onto his face, Draco lay still on the couch. He stroked Hermione's hair, which had come undone from the elegant knot she had put it in for the Ball, and was now in a rather messy tangle.
Gradually, the feel of Draco's hand moving along her hair and back caused Hermione to slip from pleasant dreams into reality. At first she kept her eyes closed, unsure of which events she could now recall were dreams, and which had actually happened. With her eyes closed she noticed that the fabric beneath her cheek was not that of a pillow, rather she was laying on something firm, yet comfortable. Once she was more awake, she consciously registered the hand stroking her. She smiled in spite of herself, it had not been a dream, she really had met with Draco last night, and the memories were real. She did not want their time together to end so rather than speak; she merely tightened her hold of him. He stopped stroking her, and instead held her tighter in return.
Finally, Hermione lifted her head so that she could look at his face. "So what do we do now?" she whispered.
Draco took a moment to respond, "I don't know."
Hermione lifted herself off of Draco, who followed her into a sitting position. "Draco I don't want this to be over."
"Neither do I."
"Then we will see each other again, after we leave Hogwarts?"
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we didn't."
Hermione smiled at that. She placed her hand delicately on his cheek and leaned in for a soft kiss, "I love you."
There lips were barely a millimeter apart, "I love you too." Draco's hot breath sent chills of desire through Hermione's nerves, but she forced herself to ignore them. Instead of prolonging the good-bye any longer, she took one more look into his eyes, and then walked out of the room.
Draco watched her go with a mixture of feelings swirling within him. The way they had parted felt so up in the air, so unsure and unsettled. They both loved each other, yet he did not know when he would see her again after they left school. He did not like the feeling unsettled, and as he walked through the halls to the Slytherin common room, all he could think about was her and when he would see her again.
- - - - - - - - - -
The journey on the Hogwarts Express began cheerful as always, but one the end of the ride neared the mood for the seventh years turned rather sorrowful. Everyone was saying goodbye to their friends because they did not know when, if ever, they would get to see them again.
When the scarlet engine pulled into the station, Harry lugged his trunk down end exited to the platform. Hermione however needed to take some time to reflect before she got off the train for the last time. She could hardly believe how much had changed since she had gotten her first Hogwarts letter telling her that she was a witch. Back then she did all she could to learn as much as possible and prove that she belonged here. Now here she was, she had graduated as Head Girl and the number one student in her year. And in the summer, she Harry and Ron were to begin auror training. Everything seemed to have gone by so fast, in the blink of an eye.
She sighed with a smile; her life was just about perfect. At that point there was a soft knock at the door. "Come in," Hermione said as she turned to pull her trunk down. But as she was heaving it, two strong and pale hands grabbed the trunk and pulled it down for her. Once the trunk was on the ground, she turned to face the owner of the hands with an even bigger smile on her face.
Draco Malfoy, the man who had surprisingly and unexpectedly inspired more confidence in her than anyone else ever had. She gazed into his eyes; the silver flecks within them were glittering back at her.
"I wanted to be sure I got to say goodbye properly before you left the platform," he began quietly as he moved his hands to her hips.
"I don't want to have to say goodbye," she whispered hopefully, as she looped her arms around Draco's torso, encouraging him to come closer.
"Well," Draco stepped forward so that there bodies were barely millimeters apart, "I got an owl from mother this morning after you left, and she'll be in France until August, so the Manor is empty except for me. I was hoping that you might like to come to stay for a while."
Hermione beamed and kissed him fully on the lips, "I would love to."
Draco smiled against her lips, lifting her up as he did it. Hermione half laughed and half screamed when she felt her feet leave the floor, and on instinct she held Draco tighter. Once he placed her back down, he took a step back; this was the hardest part of the train ride for both of them. They had finally gotten back together, and now they had to leave each other again.
Draco stepped back and lowered his hand into his pocket, "before I forget, I found something that I think you might have lost." He spoke in a curious manner, which caused Hermione look rather confused. She hadn't found anything missing when she packed her trunk.
In answer to her silent question, Draco pulled out the dragon pendant he had found in his trunk. Hermione let out a small gasp, as she reached for it. "Oh Draco," was all she could say. The pendant was just as beautiful as it had been the first time he'd given it to her, but for some reason now it seemed to mean so much more. For a few moments, she merely gazed at it, marveling as she always had at the intricate detail and beauty of it.
As she examined the pendant, Draco gazed at her. Everything about her was beautiful when her eyes were sparkling as they were now. He was very relieved at her reaction, because he honestly had not been sure if he should return the pendant to her or not. What if it reminded her of the bad stuff instead of the good? But her reaction relieved his concerns in an instant, and he was glad he'd made the right decision.
"Do you think you could put it on for me?" She asked, her voice filled with shy sweetness.
Draco gladly obliged, and stepped behind her. He gently moved her hair to one side, and she handed him the necklace, feeling a tingling as their fingers touched.
He easily clasped the necklace, but held her in place a moment longer, gently kissing the area between her neck and her shoulder before letting her go.
Draco's kiss sent shivers of excitement down her spine, and she could feel her eyes begin to water, "I love you Draco, and I always will."
Draco turned her around so that they were once again facing each other and smiled the smile that he reserved only for Hermione, "I love you too, and we'll see each other soon, I promise." Unable to resist, Draco stepped forward and gave Hermione one more deep kiss. But when it was over, he turned and swept through the corridor without looking back.
Hermione let out a contented sigh, and finally gathered her stuff to leave. She waited in the line to pass through the barrier with Harry, Ron, and Ginny. When she was finally next in line to leave, she looked back at the Hogwarts Express one last time, 'So this is the end,' she thought with a bit of remorse. But then she touched her finger to her lips, she could still taste him and she could almost feel him holding her in that way that made her feel as if she he would never let go. Her hand slowly traveled from her lips down to the dragon pendant, bringing a loving smile to her face, 'or maybe this is just the beginning.'
And there you have it. It has been a pleasure writing this fic, and I would like to thank all the people who submitted reviews for any/all of the chapters. You all inspired and encouraged me to continue writing even when I felt like I was completely lost, you always made me eager to write more, and you all are the reason that I enjoy writing fan fictions. So thank you to all of you:
zuvalupa, elektra30, jesska-14, Sunflower18, Chantal J, Sayaku-chan, Ginny-W13, Karma Chameleon, I wish your heart was mine, anIme-prYncess, FalconWing, Alcapacien, Sirius-harry-n-remus, Fire Angel, steelo, unknown, fieryred20, HarryPotterFan670, FallenBrokenAngel, roundrockrules, Hermione Weasley192, CB, comedy gal, Jaezi, shadow-n-the-dark, Anonymous-139, Lee, JessicaDracoMalfoy, aurora black, KCGryffindor, Phoebe Telumetar, TheAngelOfDarkness, SwTnDrEaMyPnAy03, lhearttomfelton, SharkAttak, melia, Jessie, ilovetom88, Cold -eyes-for-you, melovedraco, purple pixie, scorpiogrrll, the mask he wears, southernsweetdevil, terratasha, Twistedtwin, ydole3343, Kara Black, BleedingHeart14, hotskittles, torn to pieces, cardmajic, Buck-A-Beak, midnightwanderer01, openhearted, sissified, Kyra Malfoy, sad-soulz, Macking About, Alberta, DemonicFairie, attention, cindy, SweetSummerSun31, sprinkles.over.glass, dancerfreak1991, stranger who loves your story, Dumdumditz23, Me, bigred20, random gal, Shuggr-holic, llama, SCInfinity, Krazy Krysia ,NeVeRmInD2, Stella, angelchic4ever, cargarbinx, Echo Levano, Siria, POPsicle-HP4EVER07, tom-felton–luver1-2-2, Cait, Miss Morg Malfoy, ZippyRox, AvidPotterFan, calgal, Brielle Lupin, A Luminous Lily, MrsTomFelton007, Elle Felton922, Ice Queen, Danni Felton, LizMo721, Emily, Benji Girl, PITBULL55, LaurenJohnson924, tr, You Rock, LJ924, mickey823, cute lil girl, dark girl, Crstalline Sacchrine, emzgurl, huga, Cappuccino and Kittens, dracosgirl2007, Laendra, KrispySteph, DrStrangelove007, Clear Black Glass, Miri, lsmyth, mAlFoYiSaWeSoMe, Danik, gabsadd, Tinka Shimmer Belle, luna
I would love to hear what everyone thought of the fic now that it is complete, and since there are no further chapters, I will thank everyone now ahead of time for their reviews.
For anyone who is interested, as I have mentioned before, I am working on 2 more fics. One is the sequel to this fic, and the other is a separate DM/HG story (check out my profile for the teasers). If you would like me to e-mail you a notice when I post either/both of the fics, just include your e-mail address in your review. If you give me your e-mail address, I promise that the only time I will e-mail you will be when I post one of the fics, so you won't have to worry about random spam e-mails or anything. Of course the other option is to just add me to your author alert list. Whatever you decide to do, I will not be posting either fic for at least a month, just so you know.
Finally, I have learned so much through writing this fic, and I thank everyone who helped and supported me along the way, it has been an awesome journey.
Slytherin-KittyCat