a/n Thank you for the reviews. I decided to put most of my attention on this fic for the moment. I will add chapters to the Falling For You when I need a brake. But right now, this fic is my main priority.
Hermione stayed awake that night tossing and turning, she had a choice to make and for once Hermione didn't have an answer. Who was she supposed to choose? She liked Draco a lot; sometimes she even thought that she loved him. Who would have thought Hermione had fallen in love with the enemy? But Harry, Harry was a different story. He was her best friend, and she really thought that she should be there for him. It was safe to say that Hermione had never felt so split and confused before. Finally she fell into a fitful sleep, and the answer was firmly set in her mind.
Draco waited for Hermione anxiously outside of the Gryffindor common rooms; he didn't want her to feel rushed so he didn't go in. Weasley had passed him a numerous amount of times, always giving him dirty looks. By the time the Fat Lady opened for the seventh time, Draco was ready to face Weasel. It wasn't Weasel though who stepped through the portrait hole, it was Hermione.
"Hey," she said smiling weakly and going over to hug him. Draco wrapped his arms firmly around her, by the bags under here eyes, he could tell that she hadn't gotten much sleep.
"Hey," Draco said back automatically holding her closer as she opened her mouth to speak again. She gently pulled from his grasp and looked up at him, her smile gone.
"I have an answer," Draco searched her eyes hoping that her answer would be reflected in them, but it wasn't. "I'm going to go with Harry," she said and Draco felt like his heart had been ripped from him and his stomach constricted by invisible ropes.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Hermione asked after a long pause.
He took one more long look at her. "Good luck and good bye Hermione," with that he spun on his heels and left.
"Draco wait!" She sobbed after him, but he kept on walking, not once looking back.
Hermione fell to the floor tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as she watched Draco recede and disappear from her life. She didn't understand why was he so mad at her? Well she did pick Harry over him, but he shouldn't have asked her to choose. It wasn't right. Everything was wrong!
Harry eventually found her staring at the direction Draco had gone, still no tears had fallen. Without one word he picked her up and brought her to the common room. Hermione, Ron and Harry sat on the couch the rest of the morning, neither saying anything. They all knew what was to come, and they all were ready. All too soon for Hermione, Dumbledore had come and gotten them.
"I don't need I think to tell you three to be careful," no amusement had shone in his face as he said this. There was no twinkle in his eye and Hermione's heart seemed to stop. For the first time she realized, this was war.
They followed Dumbledore outside to the edge of the Forbidden Forest; Hermione looked quizzically in Dumbledore's direction. He knew that she wanted an answer to why they were here.
"The battle will take place in a clearing inside the heart of the forest. I'll see you at the battle later; I have something to deal with here." Dumbledore walked a few feet into the forest and then took out a small bottle cap. He handed it to Harry and he held it out so that everyone could touch it. Hermione looked up in time to see Dumbledore looking at someone who had just come into the small clearing where they were. Before she could see who it was she felt a familiar tug behind her naval. Within seconds they were standing in the middle of an active battle.
"Duck!" George Weasley came out of no where brining Hermione down with him. "Oh sorry 'bout that Hermione," he shot a stunning spell at a Death Eater, then helped her up. Before she could open her mouth he was gone again into the whirling battle.
Suddenly a spell was sent at Hermione and she reflected it, she had joined the battle. Stunning the first Death Eater, she moved onto the next. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing right in front of her.
"So if it isn't Potter's little friend, does she think she can stand a chance against a Death Eater like me?" She taunted and Hermione's hand tightened on her wand.
"I can beat you any time," and Hermione's free hand clenched in and out of a fist. After what Bellatrix had done to Harry, she dared show her face around her?
"Oh, is the little Mudblood thinking? How cute?" Bellatrix said in a taunting voice.
"You're going to regret what you just said!" Hermione growled at the older woman. Just before Hermione raised her wand, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She met emerald green eyes before the hand was off her shoulder, Harry was gone a second later, but not before leaving Hermione a message.
"Don't kill her, or bang her up too bad. I want to kill her," his voice was deadly low and Hermione barley had time to nod before he was gone and Bellatrix had started the duel. Hermione dodged the first curse sent her way.
"Do you think that you can kill me little girl?" She gave a shrill laugh.
Hermione smirked at the immature adult in front of her. "Me? Why would I kill you? I'm just going to wear you down a bit, then let Harry pass judgment on you after this is all over." Bellatrix looked at her pale for a moment before simmering with anger.
"What makes you think that you will this war? From what I have heard, you haven't been very good at picking the right choice lately." Hermione looked at her anger glinting in her eyes. What the hell was she talking about? Hermione thought angrily to herself.
"What the hell do you mean?" Bellatrix looked at her and smiled shaking her head in fake sympathy.
"Oh, no one has told you? How sad," Hermione was getting really annoyed with the taunting, babyish Death Eater.
"What?" Hermione asked her annoyance etched in each syllable.
"Come dance with me Mudblood, then maybe I'll tell you. If you last long enough that is," Hermione barely dodged another curse before plunging into the forest and away from the clearing following Bellatrix.
Draco couldn't believe that Hermione had picked Potter over him! Why the nerve of her! It was unusual for Draco to not get what he wanted, and the one time he didn't, it was something that mattered the most. Sighing he reached Slytherin tower and suddenly realization about what he had just done fell upon him.
He had ended it with Hermione, just as she was going into the last battle. Turning around Draco started to run flat out back up to Gryffindor tower. If she died, he would never forgive himself. Hell, he was finding it hard to forgive himself at the moment. He had left Hermione, when she most needed his support. It was just that he was so angry, and… jealous actually that she had chosen Potter that he had done the one thing that could hurt Hermione the most.
How many times had he seen Hermione mad? A lot, most of the time he was the reason of that anger too. She threw herself into what ever obstacle was in her way when she was angry, hurt or upset. She threw herself into what ever it was without thought to herself or anything else. He and made her upset, possibly even angry. To top it off her current obstacle was the last battle. Sprinting to the Fat Lady's portrait he gasped his question to her out of breath.
"Hermione – still – in – common – room?" He looked pleadingly at the Fat Lady, who looked at him snobbishly.
"No, she just left with Dumbledore," Draco's heart plummeted. Quickly he spun around and headed to the Entrance Hall, and out to the grounds. Dashing to the movement by the Forbidden Forest, which was really stupid, but at the time he wasn't thinking rationally. When he ran into the forest he got there just in time to see them take a port key to the site of the last battle.
Dumbledore stood looking sadly it seemed at him. "No, you can not go after her. If you do, then you could ruin the whole thing." Draco looked angrily at him.
"So it doesn't matter if she dies? If she is the one that makes the choice, then I might not ever see her again!"
"The choice is actually more then one Draco, and it appears that she had already made the first choice, or should I say you made the first choice." There was no amusement in Dumbledore's eyes. "You see, the choice was meant to be one, for one person. Then you came into the picture, now the choice is many, and for you and Hermione. I hope that your choices are done with though; I'd rather like you not to involve yourself in this battle anymore. Just concern yourself with the battle that will take place here."
"Are you saying, you knew? You knew that she was going to make the choice, and you just let her go? If she dies I swear…" Draco couldn't even finish his threat, as full weight of the truth crashed down upon him. Helplessly he looked up at Dumbledore; he had never felt so weak before.
"Love does that," Dumbledore said and Draco looked at him confused. "Love makes you feel weak and vulnerable."
"What choice did I make?" Draco asked feebly.
"Why don't you know? You fell in love with Hermione, and then left her. You imbedded that anger and hurt in her that will drive her to the final decision. The final choice. Hopefully she will choose right."
"Even if that means she dies?"
"I would hate for such a brilliant witch to be lost, but it would be all for the greater good." With that Draco watched Dumbledore leave the forest, one thing on his mind.
He had never told Hermione that he loved her.
a/n I hope you liked it! Review and tell me what you think. I pretty much have the rest of the story outlined in my head, so I'm going full steam ahead!