Roses for the Dead

He had gotten there early. He wanted to be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. If anything, he wanted his pain to be taken away. After the final battle, many things had changed. Many were dead, wounded and emotional injured.

So now he sat there, drowning in his own sorrows, his head in his hands, not even realising that he was no longer alone. The person came up to him and sat next to him.

"Draco, I know we were never friends, but I want you to know something."

He looked up at the person who had interrupted him. It was no other than the great Harry Potter.

"What do you want, Potter?"

"She loved you more than you'll ever know. When you disappeared, she never doubted you once. She said that you would never turn against the Order. I said that she was crazed. But, when was Hermione ever wrong?"

He had said her name. It cut through Draco like a knife in butter. How could she be gone? How? The only person who had ever loved him and that he had loved back. She was taken from him, stolen.

---flashback---

There stood Draco, who was leaning over a young woman with brown, frizzy hair. She was now gasping for air.

"Mione, breathe, you can't die now!" a distraught Draco yelled.

"Did we – did we win?"

"Yes my dearest, we did. You were excellent."

"You know, I never lost – lost hope in you Draco."

"I know, I know."

"Draco, let me see you smile one last time."

"Mione, no. you can't leave, I love you."

"Draco, I – I love you too."

With that she was gone. Draco gathered her up into his arms and cried. He cried until he had nothing left.

---end of flashback---

"Draco, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm as right as rain."

Draco was angry at Harry because he had just said her name out loud and provoked memories. He didn't want to remember. He wanted to be with her forever.

The hall started to fill up with mourners prepared to say their last goodbye. The Weasel was in tears and Weaselette was pale and was unusually thin. Next he saw Hermione's parents. Her mother was thinner than normal; she also had limp brown hair and red puffy eyes. Her husband stood there with a blank expression on his face. Mrs. Granger walked up to Draco.

"My dear, are you Draco Malfoy?"

Draco was stunned. Had she told her parents how mean he had been to her? Or how he had continually called her a mudblood. Slowly, he answered.

"Yes, ma'am, how can I help you?"

"Are you the boy who Hermione was dating before the accident?"

Before 'the accident?' They made it sound like her death was nothing. It had been no accident. His father had killed her at the end of the battle. Draco had then killed his father and watched her die.

"Yes," he barely had whispered.

"Well, I was wondering, since you saw her last and spent a lot of time at school together, if you would like to make a speech? You don't have to, but, well, if you want to, you can."

I was totally unprepared. A speech? It could be too hard. As long as he didn't end up in tears, he'd be right.

"Okay."

I tried to sound strong but my voice was cracking under the pressure of my tears.

"You will be called up when it is your turn to speak. Thank-you, it means so much to us and I know it would mean a lot to Hermione as well."

There it was again. HER name.

---flashback---

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little mudblood Granger."

"Shut it Malfoy. That name is really getting old. Don't you have something more original?"

"How about the Virgin Gryffindor?"

"What made you think I was a virgin?"

I was stunned. Little miss goodie – goodie two shoes wasn't a virgin. What next?

"Who was it? Potty or Weasel?"

"Well, I'm sure if you ask your good friend Zabini, he'll be able to tell you all about it."

"What, Zabini wouldn't touch mudblood filth like you!"

"Wanna make a bet?"

"Sure, if I'm right, you have to give me a little of what you gave Zabini. If you're right, I'll apologize and take you on a romantic picnic."

"Deal."

That night Draco cornered Blaise.

"Hey Blaise, I needed to talk to you."

It was known that Blaise was an endless womanizer, even more so than Draco. They were best friends, but Hermione was deniably hot.

"So, what do you want Draco? Can't you see I'm busy?"

"Did you do anything 'naughty' with a certain mudblood? A certain Gryffindor mudblood?"

"N-no."

"How about I refresh your memory?"

Draco knew it was an empty threat, but Blaise didn't need to know that.

"Okay, Draco, it was – it was…Granger."

And suddenly he was stumbling with his words and stuttering.

"Go to bed Blaise. By yourself."

---end of flashback---

"And now we shall have a speech given by Draco Malfoy, who was Hermione's partner at the time."

Shit! This whole thing was going too fast. Poor Hermione. I want to be with her, I want to hold her.

I slowly stood up and made my way to the altar. Everyone was staring at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead by now. I stood in front of everyone and tried to come up with something to say. Why did I say yes to this? I wasn't ready.

"Okay, um, hi. As you know, Herm – Her – Hermione Granger was a bright and clever witch. She had many loving friends and family."

He was already on the verge of tears. He could see Dumbledore at the front, looking up at him, with a weak smile.

"For six years she was just an annoying little know it all to me and I loved it when I mad her mad. Then, in our seventh year, I grew up. I also fell in love with her. I tried to squash it and hide it, but it didn't help that we shared a common room. We had made abet on something and she won. So I was to take her on a romantic picnic and be nice. This made me happy, yet sad because I really didn't want her to know. Well, Herm – Hermi – Hermione saw straight through me. And she said – she said that she – she l-loved me too."

And I lost it. I cried. Right in front of everyone.

"Why did you – you leave m-me here, Hermione, why? I can't l-live w-without you, w-why did you have t-to go? T-tell me what I h-have to d-do to be with you!"

I was on my hands and knees, crying, clutching on to her coffin for dear life.

"Take me with you. Don't leave me. You're the only one who loves me, please come back. I'm nothing without you, kill me. Kill me now."

I screamed and yelled and cried. Potter and Dumbledore took a hold of me and dragged me off stage and outside.

"Mr. Malfoy, calm yourself down."

"Yeah Malfoy, we're all sad but you can stop the acting now."

So Potter thought that my love for her was a joke. I'd show him. I'd show them all.

"Why don't you just kill me now then, Potter? I admit it. It was all a giant act to get under your skin. Happy?"

I broke my heart to say those things.

"Mr. Malfoy, no one will be dieing today," Dumbledore said calmly.

Two hours later, everyone was leaving. Draco just stood there, looking down into the coffin. Her angelic face was pale and cold. This was not his Hermione. He couldn't live without her.

"Dear Hermione, I need you like a drought needs rain. You were my rain. But now I'm withered and dead. I love you, see you soon.

With that, Draco Malfoy took his own life.

Two days later, Harry brought the Daily Prophet. He read the headlines in shock.

'DRACO MALFOY FOUND DEAD AT LOVERS FUNERAL'

He hadn't taken Draco seriously and now he was dead. He realised that nothing was ever going to be the same again. He knew that Draco and Hermione would be happy together, re-united and accepted at last. So, two weeks later Harry and Ginny went to the cemetery.

"One rose for Hermione, one rose for Draco."

Dear friends of this academy
Oh, Romeo is bleeding to death...
To see a friend bleed to death
What for, some kind of metaphor
That I can't see...
So I'll drink until I see it.

This sky will make me sick,
So I'll give up on you,
I'll give up on this.
This sky will make me sick,
So I'll give up on this,
I'll give up on you.

Chorus
Archers in your arches,
Raise your fingers for one last salute..
And bleed this skyline dry
Your history is mine.

So you want to hold me up and bring me down?
Yes, you want to hold me up and break me downIt's all mine.. it's all mine.. It's all mine...
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Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed this. There may be a sequel as a Harry/Ginny romance. Please R/R. Even if you hated it, I want to know. I do not own Harry Potter and his world, only the plot.