Here we go with the last chapter
what ever happens, just remember that there's gonna be a sequal
Love Undestined
A Year ago
Hermione only had two more apparition lessons before she had to undergo the apparition test. As usual, she was already a master apparitionist; she just had to get licensed.
"As you know," the teacher began. "We've only got two more lessons until you will all have to take the apparition test. Some of you have mastered the art of apparition." She eyed Hermione, who couldn't stop smiling. "Most of you seem to be good shape for the test. And a few of you still need some work." She eyed Ron who tried to hide behind Harry. Hermione giggled.
"For that reason," he continued. "We will now begin to focus on the abstract and technical concepts of apparition instead of the practical. Now who can tell me how apparition works?"
"Oh, oh, I know, I know!" Hermione raised her hand immediately, jumping up and down, madly waving her hand.
"It seems that you have studied ahead again, Hermione," he allowed her to answer, a little annoyed. "You may answer the question."
"Apparition, from the spectator's point of view, is an immediate process. This is because apparition involves moving against time. To a spectator, one may be disappearing and reappearing in an instant; but, to the one using the apparition technique, he is actually spending a short period of time traveling.
"Once the wizard disapparates, he enters the fourth dimension, or the stream of time. Most people do not realize this because they usually fly against the time stream for only an instant. Human body is designed to move along the flow of the time stream, not against it; and because of this, apparition may cause a person's body to be ripped apart in the process. Therefore, apparating through a great distance is tremendously dangerous.
"But conquering this danger allows one to witness one of the greatest magical phenomena of all time. When one apparates across the continents, one will remain in the time stream for several seconds, or even minutes. Despite the danger, this will allow one to have voluntary movements within the stream of time. He can move his body and even cast spells. And the most fantastic of all, if the wizard is experienced enough, he doesn't even need to think of the place he is going; he can simply fly against the stream long enough until he finds his desired location. This is especially useful if the wizard is trying to find something or trying to hide from the three dimensional reality."
Most of the students stared at Hermione as they did not know what in the world she was talking about.
"In simpler words," the teacher sighed and decided to provide his answer. "Apparition involves moving in the fourth dimension and you can control your actions there."
The class continued on.
Side Story
October 1st, 2005, 3 weeks before the Homecoming Dance
Katy sat in the hospital room, nervously waiting. She should have been used to this; she had been here many times before. She sat here for an entire day when her best friend broke her leg. When her grandpa died, she was here again and cried her eyes out. When her father suffered a stroke, she had sat next to his bed for two straight days, ignoring the hospital attendants trying to kick her out, praying that he would be alright. When nothing was wrong, she'd come visit her favorite doctor, Dr. McFarley, Josh's father. But this wasn't something she was used to. This was something completely different. She was the sick one this time.
Katy flipped through an old issue of the Seventeen Magazine. It ran an article about how a girl should impress her boyfriend. Annoyed, she tossed the interesting, yet waste of paper away.
Damn it, I don't need to impress Josh. He practically worships the ground I walk on. I need the newest issue.
Just in time, Dr. McFarley walked in.
"Dr. McFarley!" Katy jumped up and hugged him. "It's so good to see you! I haven't seen you in ages!" She had seen him only a week ago.
She released her hold only to realize that her doctor wasn't smiling. He looked as if he was about to cry.
"What's going on?" Katy asked, full of concern.
Katy had been experiencing many strange incidents lately. She had been tripping randomly while dancing with the marching band for no reason. She was one of the best dancers; there was no reason for her to experience that every so often. Occasionally, she would have head-splitting headaches. And sometimes, she couldn't even hold a pen. Her parents and friends thought it was just fatigue from school, and she agreed with them. But one day, she passed out under the Sun, hit her head, and was sent to the hospital, the hospital where Dr. McFarley was in charge.
"I have some bad news, Katy." Dr. McFarley said, trying to hold back the tears for a girl who was like a daughter to him. "You see, the CAT scan has revealed that you have a rare disease called Ataxia."
"What is that?" Katy asked. She had never heard of the disease before; most people hadn't.
"You see," Dr. McFarley sighed, wishing she wasn't in the situation so that he wouldn't have to explain the disease to her. "Ataxia is a form of cerebellar and spinocerebellar degeneration. The initial symptoms are dizziness, stumbling, having trouble picking things up, and trouble with depth perception."
"Yes," Katy agreed. "I've experienced all of those symptoms. But that sounds like your regular old high school fatigue to me."
"I know," the doctor sighed. "But tragically, you will get worse. What I am about to tell you will not make anything better nor will it make you feel any better. Eventually, you will become unable to write, walk, or talk. Finally, you will be bed-bound and unable to do anything."
"There's no cure?" Katy put her hands over her mouth.
"I'm sorry, honey," the doctor sat down along with her. "There's no known cure for this disease. Bluntly saying, you. . . you have less than a year to live."
Oh, my God! What am I going to do?
"Sadly," the doctor eyed Katy's dismayed face. "The only advice I can give you in this matter is that you should enjoy your life as much as possible with your family, with your friends, with Josh. When it comes down to it, I will take care of you. I will make sure that this hospital takes care of you."
Suddenly, Dr. McFarley's beeper began ringing. He annoyingly grabbed it and looked at the screen.
"I'm sorry, Katy," he eyed her apologetically. "But I have to go to the emergency room. Too many patients from Hurricane Katrina and Rita, you see."
As he opened the door, Katy grabbed his arm, prompting him to stop.
"Sir," Katy tried to hold back her tears. "Please don't tell Josh about this."
"Katy," the doctor smiled. "When I am here, my son, my healthy, perfectly fine son's emotional needs comes last to you, my patient's need."
December, 2005
Katy's health was deteriorating rapidly now. She couldn't hide her secret forever. She had to get out of Josh's life. She didn't want him to be emotionally attached to her and watch her die. She needed an excuse to break up with him.
"Josh," Katy eyed Josh with seriousness. "Where do you think our relationship is going?"
It was the perfect question. Katy thought it was failure proof for break ups. If he had given her an answer involving them being together lovingly, she would say he was moving too fast. If he had said something else, she would have used that as an excuse to break up, because she expected the other answers to be bad answers.
"What do you mean?" Josh replied.
"I mean, what do you see us doing in the future?"
With this, Josh's face seemed to light up as if he had come up with the perfect reply. Katy smiled inside; with this, she would find an excuse to break up with him, saving him from future misery like she should have done during the Homecoming Dance. The arrogant-faced Josh provided the worst answer possible.
With a cocky tone he said, "Well, I see myself sleeping with you."
So Josh only wanted to have sex with me. That hurts. I loved him so much; I thought he loved me even more. What's going on here? Since when did Josh, my Josh, become a sex addict?
Great sadness filled Katy's heart as she looked down, almost breaking into tears by the fact that Josh didn't provide the perfect answer, the perfect reason for Katy to break up with him.
"I didn't mean sex, you know" Josh warmly interrupted her emotional breakdown.
"I see myself, a few days from now, on Christmas day. I'd be lying on a comfortable couch, with you in my arms, head on my shoulders. We'd be next to a warm fire, covered in comfortable blankets, drinking hot chocolate. You might have fallen asleep while I read you some romance book. Not one of those trashy ones filled with sex and passion, but something about a couple who ended up together against all odds. I'd stroke your hair while you're asleep and see your dad walking in asking 'what the hell are you doing to my daughter?' and I'd just reply 'shh, she's just sleeping' and I'd fall asleep too, with you in my arms. That's what I see us doing in the future. Was that the answer you were looking for?"
Katy only stared at him in bewilderment.
"Of course," Josh laughed. "The whole fireplace thing probably won't work because it ain't that cold down here in Texas. But that was a pretty good answer, don't you think?"
"No," Katy broke down and wept, "What are you trying to do to me? Why aren't you giving me terrible answers? I'm trying to break up with you here! How am I supposed to break up with you if you say something as sweet as that?"
"Then," Josh chuckled. "Don't break up with me. That's quite obvious I believe."
I have to do this, now.
"Josh," Katy changed her tone to a tough, unwavering voice. "Look, Josh, I'm moving. I'm moving out of state."
"You're gonna break up with me because of that?" Josh laughed. "We can still keep in touch you know. Long-distance relationships do work."
"Josh," Katy looked annoyed. "You don't understand. I am not going to tell you where I am going."
"What?" Josh was outraged. "Why can't we stay in touch at least? You can't do that to me! Not after everything we've been through!"
"I'm sorry Josh," Katy sighed. "You're just going to have to make peace with it."
I should never have run after him that night at Homecoming.
Katy walked away. She would cry on her bed the whole weekend for she knew she had to move the next Monday. She didn't move very far, actually; she just didn't want her friends to know where she had moved to.
At the same time, Draco stood in middle of Hermione's living room, trying to figure out what to do. Draco knew that to get to England, Hermione had to apparate across America and the Atlantic Ocean. That meant that if he went back in time and disapparated the moment Hermione did, he would be able to stop her. He apparated back to his house and grabbed his time turner. Immediately, he apparated back to the Hermione's apartment. Situating himself in a location where he would be able to watch unnoticed, he turned the time back by ten minutes, moments before Hermione disapparated.
Time turned all around him. He saw himself moving backwards, disappearing, and reappearing right in front of the Pensieve. Soon enough, Hermione reappeared. Turning of time stopped and Draco prepared himself to disapparate.
Hermione and Draco disapparated together.
Draco had absolutely no clue how to stop Hermione in the fourth dimension. It was only his second time traveling a long distance after all. He flew closely behind her, unnoticed, against the whirling stream of time. He could see the three dimensional world underneath him, under the thick barrier that separated the two dimensions. They were already crossing the Atlantic.
I have to do something, but how? I'm in the fourth dimension.
"He can move his body and even cast spells. . ."
"Hermione!" Draco called out. "Wait!"
Hermione looked back, surprised to see Draco behind her. She accelerated, attempting to outrun him, but Draco accelerated even more, risking his body being torn apart; a piece of his shirt sleeve ripped away from him, torn into smithereens.
"Hermione!" Draco screamed for her. "Please wait! You can't run away from me forever; I'm a better flyer than you! Please just stop and let me explain!"
Hermione slowed down, seemingly given up on running away from him. But she turned around and started casting spells at him instead.
"Hermione, stop!" Draco screamed, dodging and deflecting the red rays of light that came his way. "It's too dangerous! You can get yourself killed!"
Hermione didn't say a word; she just kept on throwing curses and jinxes at him. Realizing that he couldn't convince Hermione to stop, Draco only accelerated, dodging and deflecting at the same time, until he was flying right on top of Hermione. Before Hermione could react, Draco bear-hugged Hermione, preventing her from casting another spell. Hermione struggled hard, trying to free herself from him, but more she struggled, harder he held on to her.
"Gettof me!" Hermione screamed, but Draco wasn't listening.
"Hermione," Draco whispered to her ears, eyes teary. "I'm sorry you had to watch that. But there's more to the story than what I've just showed to you. Please, let me explain, Hermione. I'm not a cold blooded killer, you know that."
They flew in that position for what seemed to be hours with Draco holding onto Hermione's body. They were close to England now. Draco knew if he set foot on England, he would be caught. They still had a chance to turn back and change their final destination.
"I only have one question for you, Draco," Hermione muttered.
"Ask me anything." Draco tried to smile, hoping things would end happily.
"Were you responsible for Ron's death?" Hermione asked.
Why is she asking me that? She already knows the answer!
"Yes," Draco answered. "But there's more to it than what you saw."
"No," Hermione muttered. "That's the only thing that matters."
That moment, Hermione kneed Draco where it hurts. Immediately, Draco lost hold of Hermione and got swept away with the stream of time. Hermione, on the other hand, flew on and disappeared into her desired destination.
Outside Hermione's Apartment
"Sir," Captain Weaver walked over to Agent Michaels. "There's no one in the apartment. They're gone."
"It seems so," Agent Michaels agreed, looking slightly irritated. "But either way, we must stay here."
"Would you like us to break in and search the apartment, sir?" Captain Weaver asked knowing constitutional rights may be revoked for the safety of the National Security.
"Not now," Agent Michaels answered. "The witch may still come back. The apartment is the only place we can safely trap her."
"But sir," Captain Weaver argued. "The last time we tried to trap her in a room, she overwhelmed us and escaped."
"That's because we underestimated her; she was a witch and none of you were a wizard." Agent Michaels answered. "This time, there is a full blown wizard amongst our ranks."
With that statement, Agent Michaels drew his wand and waved it at the direction of the apartment. A silvery mist surrounded the apartment complex.
"I have cast an enchantment around this complex so that people can apparate into this place, but can't disapparate out. Along with that, all enchanted items are now useless. She shouldn't be able to use the time turner this time."
"So what do you want us to do now, sir?" Captain Weaver asked.
"Set up the perimeter like you always do." Agent Michaels commanded. "I will set a trap for her in the apartment. Inform me if she comes back."
"Yes, sir!" Captain Weaver nodded and walked away.
What the hell are we getting ourselves into?
Draco couldn't stop the current of time from sweeping him away. He was being torn apart by the mighty, unstoppable power of time. Draco could still feel himself though, and still had voluntary control over his body. But he looked down, only to find that his body was almost non-existent; he had been torn apart. His body parts were no where to be seen as he realized that his head was the only thing that remained of him.
Well, I suppose it's safe to say that I'm screwed.
As time swept him away, he sank deeper and deeper to the bottom of the current, closer to the barrier that separated time from the real world. If he crossed that barrier, he would most certainly be dead as his head was separated from the rest of his body parts. Draco prepared himself for a quick, painful death.
Hermione reappeared in the real world at the front porch of the Burrow. Upon taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door of her second family, the Weasleys. Ginny answered the door with the utmost shock.
"Hermione!" She exclaimed. "You're back!"
"Can I come in?" Hermione muttered, too emotionally exhausted to speak loudly.
"Oh!" Ginny got out of Hermione's way. "Of course; come in!"
Hermione entered the house and immediately embraced the sister she never had. Hermione broke into tears.
Soon enough, Draco came up with a plan.
I can still feel and move my body parts. I can still use magic. It might be possible for me to drag my body back to one place and reconstruct myself.
"Accio head," Draco chanted, carefully waving his right hand that held the wand.
It worked. Soon enough, a magical force moved Draco's head against the current of time, back to where his right arm was.
"Accio body, accio left arm, accio right leg, accio left leg!" ecstatic Draco called out for whatever body part he was missing, gradually reconstructing himself by placing his body parts into their proper places with his hands. Draco was so busy fixing himself that he failed to realize he was about to cross the barrier. Upon crossing the barrier, Draco crashed onto the floor and hit a wall.
"Gah!" Draco screamed in pain. "Buggers! That hurt!"
He got up and looked around the room. He saw a Pensieve, boringly white walls, and an overly organized kitchen. He realized that he had come back right where he started from, Hermione's apartment. He felt an urge to go back and chase Hermione again, but he soon realized that he couldn't.
Bloody hell, an hour had passed.
Draco quickly realized the reason. He had been swept away along with the current of time. The time doesn't change only if he flew against the stream. While trying to reconstruct his body, he hadactually let the time pass. Hermione had already been in England for an hour; it would be impossible for Draco to find her now.
Draco had no choice but to give up. Putting his wand away, he walked around the room, reminiscing upon the memory of Hermione. He was surprised to see a picture frame of Hermione and him together because he hadn't noticed it before. He wondered if it had been there all along. It was a picture of them at their first date.
Never again, Draco thought, almost breaking into tears. He reached for the frame.
Immediately after he touched the picture frame, an overwhelming amount of electrical shock paralyzed him.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Draco screamed out in pain only to be replied by an unfamiliar voice behind him.
"Humans, wizards, and muggles, always notice the unfamiliar," the voice behind him said. "Placing that picture frame there sure worked its charm. Sorry about the enchantment I placed on it though, we couldn't afford you getting away again."
As the owner voice walked toward Draco, he soon realized that he had caught the wrong person. But the face of realization wasn't that of disappointment, it was that of pleasant surprise.
"Well, well, well," He chuckled. "It seems that by trying to capture the Hooded Girl, we have caught you, Draco Malfoy, one of the most wanted criminals in the wizarding world, instead.
"What do you want from me," Draco grumbled.
"How rude," the man said in a condescending tone. "How can we proceed without proper introductions? I'm Agent Michaels. We know that you're Draco Malfoy, a death-eater."
"I'm not a death-eater!" Draco screamed out.
"Calm yourself," Agent Michaels laughed. "Our records say that you are. You can't lie to us Mr. Malfoy. That's very rude."
I can't lie, you sonovabitch!
"What do you want from me?" Draco asked again.
"Captain Weaver," Agent Michaels spoke into his radio transmitter. "It wasn't the Hooded Girl, but I've captured the subject of this bust. Come in with your team and secure the area."
As a hand full of black ops came in to the apartment, knocking down doors, Agent Michaels finally decided to answer Draco's question with an obvious answer. "Well, we're going to put you in a tiny cell and interrogate you." Agent Michaels gave an evil smile.
Later that night, handcuffed Draco was escorted into an unmarked black sedan by several black ops. Several of the apartment residents, surprised to find out that they had been living close to a known terrorist, came out to watch. Draco felt no embarrassment seeing so many people staring at him; he had gone below the point of embarrassment. All he could think of was the day he fought against Ron in the grand ballroom of his house. All he could think of was what happened after he knocked Ron down to the floor. The memory was as clear as it could ever be.
Ron woke up in a small grass field surrounded by a forest. He noticed Draco sitting close to him. Ron tried to jump at Draco, but realized he couldn't get up.
"Did you think I'd just let you attack me?" Draco laughed condescendingly.
"Where am I?" Ron demanded.
"Well," Draco answered. "Physically, we're still in my grand ballroom. Mentally, we're in your head."
"My head is a forest?" Ron thought out loud.
"Well," Draco replied to the rhetorical question. "With you being unconscious, I can control your mind. This environment was the most convenient for me to achieve my goal."
"And what is your goal?" Ron asked, confused by Draco's actions.
"My goal is to kill that horcrux trying to take over your body."
"Why do you need me?"
"Well, that's a complicated story."
"Why are you trying to destroy a horcrux in the first place? You're a death-eater."
"Well, I suppose I'm not really one of them" Draco chuckled.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Now, this is the hardest part." Draco became serious. "I have to ask you to sacrifice yourself to destroy the horcrux."
"What? Why?"
"Because even if I destroy the locket, the horcrux can still survive by taking over a body. The only way to truly kill it is for the soul of the body's owner, you, to kill it while it is in your mind. You will be able to use magic in your mind just as you can use magic in the real world. The horcrux is still weak; you can definitely kill it."
"But why do I have to sacrifice myself?"
"Because the usual Avada Kedavra doesn't work on the Dark Lord. He survived it once, he will survive again. This means that you will have to sacrifice your own soul and drag him down with you."
"I see." Ron stared at the ground dreadfully.
"I was gonna do this on my own you know?" Draco sighed. "The Dark Lord assigned me to have my body taken over by the horcrux. I was going to take him down myself. But once you showed up, the Dark Lord didn't want to use my body anymore. He said 'why waste the body of a follower when I could use the body of an enemy?' I had no choice but to take you down."
"I see." Ron sighed as he realized that his desire to prove to Hermione that he could destroy a horcrux will ultimately kill him.
"I'm sorry I have to put you through this." Draco looked at him sympathetically. "I really wish there was another way."
"It's alright; I'll do what ever necessary to get the job done."
"Thank you." Draco released Ron from his binding and shook his hand.
As Draco got up to leave, he turned around to say one more thing. "You know, the things I said about Hermione, it's not true. I will never do that to Hermione."
Ron gave Draco a warm smile for the first time as Draco disapparated out of his mind.
Hermione never knew the whole story. And that became my ruin.
The black sedan drove off, taking Draco to face his destiny.
Yeah, sorry for such a tragic conclusion to this whole story.
The good news is that I'm making a sequal to this. It's gonna be a new story and not a new chapter because... well... I didn't like the way this story was going and thought this is the only way I can add a HUGE twist to this.
Give me like a week to get the new story posted.
And also give me some reviews. Come on, it's the last one. lol