Chapter Twenty One
A Tale of A Forbidden Love
Harry Potter
--starjade
A War Finally Fought
Hermione stared, her eyes wide open at the dragon in front of her. His silver eyes gazed back at her, an almost angry look reflecting in the deep orbs. Shock was coursing through her and she felt as if she had stepped into a world where everything was backward. It was as if every one of her bodily reactions had stopped working and she could only stare at the creature, her jaw working furiously.
This is not happening..
This is not happening..
" You're Malfoy...You're Draco...Draco Malfoy, You're him!" She stuttered, her mouth running ahead of her mind, not being able to get everything to sink in.
The dragon shifted, glaring hard at her even though his silver eyes were glazed with agony. " I think we've gotten that established," He muttered, his gaze tearing away from hers.
Her heart was beating fast against her chest and she shook her head hard, trying to shake this whole moment out of her head. " H-how is that possible? This isn't possible! I would've known, I should've known-" Hermione bubbled out, angrily, desperately...and then memories washed over her.
The dragon blinked and then quickly said , " Just call me Drake."
" Drake?"
" Drake."
" You know that sounds awfully alike to this one boy's name at my school-"
Hermione trembled but kept her eyes trained on Drake's silver eyes, searching...searching for the truth as if the one she had just realized was somehow false.
" Figured what out?" He said slowly, enunciated every word. Hermione felt a cold edge to his words but she was too far in to stop now.
" I know...I know that your not really a dragon-" Hermione was cut off by a roar.
But the longer she stared into those bright orbs she had fallen in love with, she knew that rummaging through her memories would not bring up a different possible reason. She should've known. She had prided herself for being the smartest witch for ages and yet, she had disappointed herself severely. Her feelings for the two different creatures had crowded her senses and blurred her judgment. Her love for the dragon and her confusion for Draco had remained separate for the sake of her sanity if anything else and she had never considered...hardly thought of the possibility...
Drake closed his eyes. " How do you know he wanted to hit you? What if he stopped himself, not because of the teacher, but because he himself didn't want to be like his father?"
Hermione looked at Drake, startled. " How do you know about Malfoy's father?"
Drake shifted. " Lucius Malfoy. I know him."
" You do? How?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening. " Are you a Slytherin, then?"
" I'm not a human, dammit!" Drake burst out.
" Stop it," Drake swore, his eyes flashing as he struggled to shift his position without straining the gruesome lashes and injuries on his body. " Stop staring at me."
" Oh Draco...oh god," She whispered, and without thinking, fell against the dragon limply, her hands coming up to touch his scales. She kept her eyes away from his injuries as his huge eyes looked over at her weakly.
" Wh-what ar-" He started to question but Hermione couldn't talk.
" How could you not tell me...how could you lead me on, feeding me lies, telling me things in your dragon form and informing me of completely different opinions as Draco Malfoy, getting me to trust you, betraying me..." She babbled, tears welling up in her eyes. " And then getting me to fall in love with you?"
Drake, or Draco watched her and bared his teeth, limply. " Granger...don't talk about this right now, you stupid girl."
" I'll talk about it whenever I want to!" Hermione cried, a little frantically. " You LIED to me, Draco! You lied to me for so long and how-how can I believe-how can I-did you realize how much I cared for you? How much I would've done for you and you just stood there, in all your glory, watching as I dug myself into a hole.." She gestured helplessly around her and her head hung, as she whispered, " I can't seem to get myself out of."
Drake shifted, the muscles under the skin of scales rippling as he tried to move. " Why the bloody hell are you worrying for," Draco cursed, a strange emotion flitting through his eyes, " This is my fault. I'll get us outta here and you don't have to talk to me after that."
" I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT," Hermione screamed, shocking Draco into silence. Her breathing echoed around the room and she shook, fury taking over her. " I want to know WHY! WHY you would do this to me, why you just didn't tell me when you saw that I was falling..."
" Shut up.."
" I WON'T!" Her focus completely deviated from his injuries, she began to beat him with her fists lightly but it was a source for her growing frustration. " WHY!"
" SHUT UP!" The dragon finally roared. " YOU DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND!"
Hermione's jaw closed and she felt tears well in her eyes. Drake...Drake..
" Please...help me understand," Hermione finally whispered, her heart aching. The cold, musky air around them made her shiver and the tears to dry on her cheeks. She gazed at him and her shoulders shook as she moved away from him, leaving the warmth of his body as she shifted to the cold, cement wall. Holding her arms around her knees, she let her head rest on her knees, tired from the range of emotions that had racked through her body in only a few short minutes. " I wanted-I truly loved Drake. I loved Drake." She whispered, softly.
His silver eyes trained on Hermione and he said, quietly, " But not Draco. Draco doesn't give a shit about you."
Hermione looked intently at him and nodded slowly, turning her head away from him.
In the back of her mind, Hermione knew that Drake was too dissimilar...way too different than Draco. But the emotion in his silver eyes was the same as the ones in Draco's and Hermione realized this person, this Drake alter ego was Draco all along. Behind those grey eyes were these dragon ones shining through and since all she knew of Draco Malfoy was his cruel side, she had not been able to relate the two to each other. But Drake was Draco...
And Draco was Drake.
" Cursed...all your life," Hermione whispered, her voice croaking in the silence.
" All my life," Draco finished, his silver eyes closing wearily as the only sound in the room was the steady dripping of his blood onto the dusty cement floor.
Sitting in the dimmed light and cold cement room, they remained together wrapped in their own thoughts. It was bitter and dank and she knew they had been captured by Voldemort and that she should be thinking of escape routes, but all that was going through her mind was the dragon, flying through the night sky and she was on him, holding onto his scales creaming in fright as well as delight as they soared towards the moon..
Together..
" Get the hell up, you bloody dragon!" A man with a hooded face accompanied by two enormous trolls walked noisily into the cell. One of the trolls clamped a large, barbed collar around Draco's neck and the other clipped on a leash. Hermione broke out of her daze and her eyes widened, fear and anger filling her as they began to lead the battered dragon out of the room violently.
" No...no, NO!" Hermione screamed as they lead the dragon out of the cell. " Don't hurt him! You better not-"
The hooded man turned to Hermione and laughed, uproariously. " Don't hurt him? You pathetic little mudblood, you think he's the one whose going to be worried about injuries? You, my little girl, are in for a lot more than he is." His hand came out and stroked her cheek and she stared in horror as he shuddered, " Mudbloods...can never get used to them.
She wrenched away from him and instinctively her fist came out, swinging around to punch the Death Eater in the face. However, his wand whipped out and he shouted a curse that made her jump back as pain erupted in her fist.
"Ah...you don't want to do that," The Death Eater warned, amusedly. Flicking his wand, chains appeared on Hermione's wrists and she screamed, loudly, hoping against hope..
Dragging her from a chain connected to the handcuffs, she was led behind the Death Eater through dusty hallways, creepy staircases and nasty cellars. Dread cumulated fast in her heart and she could feel her bodily reactions escaping her control. Despair was rapidly taking control of her and she fought for rational thought. Breathing heavily, she racked her brain for solutions, for ideas, for anything..
None came to her.
How could this have happened, Hermione thought desperately. This was supposed to planned out, we were supposed to have the upper hand. Who knew that it would happen so fast?
She wondered if the Order knew where they were...if they didn't, things could end up badly...and the world...
The weight of what was happening was settling over her and Hermione never felt so helpless in her life.
As she could hear the sound of unforgivable curses and screaming coming closer, Hermione began to wrench at the chain. As the sounds became louder, instincts settled in and she pulled hard, struggling against her captor, raising her chained wrists and trying to hit the Death Eater, doing anything in her physical power to escape. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she kicked and struggled, but to no avail.
" Stop bloody struggling or you'll be dead faster than you can say Harry Potter," The Death Eater snarled. Hermione spat at him and he punched her hard across the face. Her body slumped as pain exploded in her head.
" Finally giving up, eh?" The Death Eater sniggered and wrenched on the chain. " It's probably a good thing, since you want to look as pretty as possible so Malfoy would choose to save you rather than his freedom."
Her head jerked up and she stared at the hooded man. " What?" She breathed.
The hooded man shoved his head so that it was face to face with hers and she could see his chipped teeth as he cackled, " You're bait, my girl. Bait."
She stared at him for a long time, before her eyes dropped to the ground. Heart banging hard against her chest, she thought frantically, It's my fault if he joins the dark side. I'm being used as bait so if he chooses my safety over his freedom..
The dark side would win.
She walked, obediently after him, her head hung low. The large room was looming closer and she fought back waves of nausea as she was led into the room. Her wrists were bloody and chafed from the chains and her clothes just as dirty and ripped. She took in the room with wide eyes, at the circle of death eaters and supporters, Drake in the middle of the room, chained down and bloody..
Concentrate, Hermione. Concentrate.
And Voldemort, standing in the centre, watching Hermione with a certain look of triumph in his blood red eyes.
" Hello, Mudblood," Voldemort hissed, his voice like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Hermione did not acknowledge him and instead stared blankly ahead. Her eyes were unfocused and her body unreceptive as the Death Eater prodded her none too gently.
" In shock, is she?" A death eater mumbled.
The dragon shifted and his eyes blearily opened. Silver eyes took in Hermione's form and he tried to rise up to his feet, feebly. " Don't...touch...her.." Draco choked out, his breath coming out in short puffs of smoke.
Voldemort sneered at Draco. " You should hardly be making requests the way you are right now. But we will consider it...if you do join the Death Eaters. "
Draco did not say a word and Voldemort raised a vial and walked around to face Draco, his narrowed, snakelike eyes flashing malevolently. " Draco, Draco...I'm sure Lucius' Malfoy's death was a heartbreaker, no? A father, dying. From our hands, of course. But we do know that you weren't quite fond of your father. But he did have something you want..." With a look of triumph on his pasty face, he rose the vial so that Draco could see it. The vial was filled with a red liquid. " Your father's blood."
Draco's eyes flew open and she stared at Voldemort in shock. " My father's blood."
" The cure to your curse," Voldemort said nastily. " It'll be all yours...if you do join us."
Draco's eyes alighted with a distant hope. " Let her go," He rasped. " Let Granger go."
Voldemort hardly acknowledged Draco's request and instead beckoned at the Death Eater who was holding Hermione's chains. " Bring her here," Voldemort beckoned and the Death Eater yanked on the chain.
But at that moment, Hermione's eyes flew open. A whirring sound went through the air and a yelp was heard in the distance. Then, a long black wand flew through the air and Hermione's chained hands went up and caught it. In a flash, the chains were off and instead, around the Death Eater who had chained her.
" I'm not going anywhere," Hermione hissed. She looked haggard and tired and the death eaters around her stepped back, their eyes widening.
Hermione had done wand less magic. Something that wasn't that common in the wizarding world, the death eaters were shocked and appalled and more angry than fearful that a mudblood, one with filthy heritage was able to do something that many full blooded witches and wizards could hardly accomplish.
But they could hardly stand shocked for long before Hermione had turned her wand on them. Taking the element of surprise in advantage, she hurled curses, one after another and before long, the Death Eaters closed in on her and it was a battle, an unfair battle against one person.
Hermione was scared. Hermione was expecting to die and she knew it and all she wanted was to get Draco out of here...and to make sure he never joined the dark side. How she did it, she didn't care. With tears burning her eyes, she fought, dodging curses and hurling curses of her own, but it hardly lasted long until they had her surrounded.
" Bitch!" A Death Eater swore. " Filthy little whore, thinking she could beat us."
" You watch what I'm gonna do to you," A Death Eater sneered. " You'll be wishing we killed you." He shot a curse at her that made her fall over, blood spurting across her stomach and coughed up even more as she struggled to point her wand at her attacker.
However, the Death Eater in question promptly fell over, his head cracking soundly on the floor. She could hear Voldmeort's cry of outrage in the back and her weary eyes took in a much needed sight indeed.
Harry Potter stood, his eyes aflame and his wand pointed straight at the circle of death eaters.
" Sorry we're late," Harry said, his eyes angry. " If you'd forgive us-"
" Of couse, Harry," Hermione cut in, weakly and Harry nodded, shortly.
" Then let's get this on," Harry said, low as behind him, a whole rush of Order members came bursting in. The Death Eaters did not wait and cries went up as a full on war started immediately, as the Order members clashed with the Death Eaters. It was a bloody war, people falling left and right and Voldemort simply pointing his wand at the enemy and watching them fall dead with vindictive pleasure. His snake eyes were, however, trained on Harry Potter and through the throng of fighting wizards and witches, he made his way towards his sworn enemy.
Hermione was fighting her way through to Draco. Her eyes trained on his bloody scales and his dying dragon form, she pushed through the mass of jumbled bodies fighting a long awaited war. Cursing left and right, she was finally able to reach Draco and quickly grabbed his jaw, pulling his head up to hers.
The dragon's eyes opened and Hermione said, determinedly, " Draco, Drake, whoever you are. You have to get out of here, you have to get out now!"
Draco looked around and his silver eyes registered shock. " Wha-What's going on? Potter and...everybody, they're all-"
" Fighting, yes, Draco, but you must leave!" Hermione cried, urgently. " They're going to use you and if you die or go to the dark side-"
" It doesn't matter if I die," Draco said, his eyes closing as a shudder of pain drifted violently through his body. Hermione wondered briefly how much they had hurt him..
" It does matter," Hermione said, her voice hard and cold. " It does."
Suddenly, Draco's eyes widened and he rose to his feet, his claws reaching out and scraping out behind her. Wings stretching out, she watched with horrified eyes as a jolt of bright blue light came hurtling towards her, only to be deflected by the mass stretch of wing.
And even more frighteningly, watched as the skin on the wing burned into a crisp, leaving a gaping hole...and letting her see Pettigrew with his wand pointed straight at Hermione. His face was quivering with either delight or fear, Hermione could not distinguish and he was blubbering like mad.
" I told you," Draco said, a ball of fire forming in the back of his throat. " Not to touch her!"
Peter screamed, in horror, " DON'T! UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR ONE CHANCE OF BREAKING THE CURSE TO BE GONE!"
His hand held up the vial of Lucius Malfoy's blood, his hand trembling. Draco stared at him and Hermione cried, " No!"
Peter motioned towards Draco. " Come to our side...join the Dark Lord. And after your duty is done...the vial is yours."
He grinned, nastily as he raised the vial up, as if he was sensing a victory. Draco stared at him and Hermione felt a hole drill itself into her stomach and she breathed hard.
Please...don't, Draco, please don't, Hermione thought inside of herself. She looked at the dragon, tearfully.
She loved Drake. She did not deny it or try to make excuses. Sure, she knew obviously that any relationship wouldn't work out, but all she knew was that her heart loved the dragon more than she could ever say. He was there for her when she needed him and in his own way, helped her more than anyone else could.
Finding out the one creature she loved was actually Draco had nearly broken her heart.
However, now, all of that was about to go down the drain. She knew, no matter how Draco continues to surprise everyone with his random bursts of kindness, he was still a Malfoy, and Malfoys looked out for their own interests. And if it meant that his curse would be broken-
" No way in hell," Draco hissed, his voice trembling in what seemed like anger but Hermione knew was pain, " would I ever make a deal with you."
Peter shrugged, his eyes still determined. Flicking towards the dark lord, Hermione could see the greediness in her eyes. " Then I'll crush this vial. You'll have nothing."
Draco was silent and Peter was starting to grow agitated. " I'll KILL you and DESTROY THIS VIAL!" Peter screamed. " You'll BE nothing! No one will EVER want you! You'll be a creature, a thing of disgust-"
" Like you?" Draco was able to choke out and Peter screeched and in one movement, raised the vial and hurled it to the ground.
The glass broke and the blood poured out and Hermione looked at the destroyed vial in horror. " No.." She whispered and felt Draco fall, limply to his haunches, his eyes also trained on the destroyed vial.
Every chance for Draco to ever turn back human had been destroyed. But Peter was not done yet. His wand transforming into a large sword, he had plunged the sword deep into the dragon's chest. Draco roared, his head throwing back as blood spurted out of the wound.
And Hermione would not stand by and watch this. With a shriek of anger, horror and fear, she whipped out her wand and screamed, " AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Green light spurted out of her wand and hit Peter Pettigrew hard. He fell to the ground and lay there, not getting up.
A coldness swept through Hermione and she looked around herself at the fallen bodies and the fighting wizards. She had killed a man.
Falling to her knees, she felt tears wrack over her as she looked over at Draco's fallen state, at the blood pooling around his body and Peter Pettigrew's dead corpse. She was a murderer.
She had felt so much hatred at that moment, that the only curse that came to her mind was the killing curse, the most unforgivable curse in the world. It had swept through her and spilled out of her mouth...and she had meant it.
Raising shakily to her feet, she saw her bloody comrades and her own wand rose up. A coldness set into her brown eyes and she joined the Order and fought back the death eaters, her won pain and misery shoved back into the deep recesses of her mind and only thought of saving her friends...
Draco Malfoy is dead..
Draco Malfoy is dead..
Another death eater fell and cried out in pain. Another and another as the ongoing battle between Harry and Voldemort continued. The battle was bloody, painful and horror filled and she felt herself become detached and the only thought that wracked through her mind...was the image of the dragon's dead body and Peter Pettigrew's, not far away.
" I need your help,"
" My help?" Look, why do you need my help? What does this have to do with Dr-the dragon in the forest?"
"" Granger, I'm not-I'm not who you think I am-I'm really-"
"I think I love you."
Draco's heart stopped.
" This is stupid really and I know its probably just something silly and I know you probably don't care and I know your going to deny that your human even though I really wish you were, because that'll make this a whole lot easier and I don't really know if I love you, because I don't even know what love is-" She stopped and let out a nervous giggle. " So...what do you think?"
" Hey, Granger," He almost said the words but they were cut off as Hermione let out a screech of half relief and half happiness as she raced across the room and threw herself at Draco.
" Miss. Granger, please-" Professor Snape started but Hermione was nearly hysterical.
" Malfoy!" She gasped, grabbing onto his face and looking at it with utter relief. " Your alive! Your bloody alive, merlin, thank you, I've been looking for you, you bloody bastard how could you leave? Ask me for my help and leave, like that, do you know what you did to me you Slytherin git?" She bubbled out, relentlessly.
" You're just..." He replied, his voice deep and husky. " I can't believe you would...you..." He was stuttering on his words and she waited for him to talk, wondering why her heart was twisted into knots because of a boy she hated...no wait, she didn't hate him...she...
And he was getting too close.
And she knew it was way too close when soft lips landed on hers. And then her mind exploded.
Everything was so sudden. Everything was happening at once and she couldn't take it.
So she let it all go, and let her arms go up and wrap around his neck. She let her fingers trail to the back of his neck and let his body push in closer. She pressed against his lips harder and yearned for more contact as his mouth opened and nudged hers open as well and she accepted and sighed, with a hearts content she thought she'd never achieve-
These images flashing through her mind, she felt herself finally collapse as she felt a bright light surround her and she couldn't breathe anymore but the light was calling her and could do nothing but close her eyes and fade away.
a/n: VERY VERY SORRY about the late update, but the chapters here now! lol tell me what you thought about it and email me! it seems to me that no one emails me anymore...LOL if it was bad, tell me if it was good, tell me and this is now pre-half blood prince ( AHH SNAPE!) lol, and yes, i dunno if any info is incorrect in this chapter ( i dunt really...research for fanfiction...dunno, its juss for fun for me, so enh) then tell me.
see ya!
--starjade