The Similarities of Love and Hate

By Jinxd n Cursed

Disclaimer: If I owned it, would I be writing fanfiction?

Chapter Fourteen

Ending

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Draco grabbed for Hermione. "Hermione? Hermione? Are you okay? Damn it!" He shook her, trying to wake her up. "Damn it! Get up! Get up!" he shouted. He felt hot, unwanted tears course over his cheeks. His stomach clenched like he was going to be sick again. Instead, he swallowed it down, grabbed the young woman and hoisted her into his arms.

There was so much blood… so much of it on her nightgown. What was it? Where was it coming from? He wanted to scream, to panic, to find out what was going on. Trying not to scream, he pushed open the bedroom door, dashed through the common room, and made it out into the corridor, practically flying toward the hospital wing.

"Madam Pomfrey!" he shouted. "Madam Pomfrey, come quick! Someone, please help me!"

The medi-witch rushed in, wearing a flannel dressing gown with her hair in curlers. "Gracious child. What is it?"

"It's Hermione," he said, holding out the unconscious witch. "Something's wrong."

"Dear me!" she exclaimed, suddenly a flurry of activity. She gestured for him to lay her out on one of the beds. He couldn't even hear her words as she spat out a fast series of spells, wand whipping back and forth, emitting bursts of multicolored light.

"How long has she been bleeding, Mr. Malfoy?" she questioned. "I must know in order to know how strong of a blood replenishing spell she needs. Too much or too little and she will die."

"A few minutes," he said. "She collapsed and I noticed the blood and tried to wake her and brought her here. Will she be okay?"

Madam Pomfrey didn't answer as she waved her wand over the still girls form. Slowly, Hermione's color improved, the deathly white leaving her cheeks.

"Mr. Malfoy, you must wait outside. I must undress her to determine where the blood is coming from," she said.

He nodded mutely as she pulled the curtains tight around the bed. He collapsed on the edge of a bed, face in hands. Had it been something he did to cause this? Was her life in danger because of him? He desperately hoped not. Finally, he started to like the girl and then he hurt her so badly she might die. His stomach twisted at the thought.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to face the person who owned the hand.

"Do you know everything that goes on in the castle, sir?" he asked to Dumbledore, who had just walked in.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Malfoy," was his reply. "Has Poppy revealed anything about Miss Granger's condition?"

He shook his head firmly.

"Tell me what happened," he said gently.

"We were arguing about… things. It got heated and I… and I shook her and I slapped her and I think I killed her," he said shakily.

"Mr. Malfoy, do calm down. Such a show of emotion is unlike you. If things are as I suspect… well, we best wait for Poppy to tell us what is wrong," Dumbledore replied. He conjured a squishy red chair from thin air and sat down in it.

It felt like hours but Madam Pomfrey finally stepped out from behind the curtains with a grim expression. "She is sleeping," she whispered.

"What happened Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm afraid the poor girl miscarried," she informed him. "She's been through enough as it is, poor dear. And Mr. Malfoy, while I cannot condone your actions for hitting a girl, it was not your actions that caused this. I imagine she felt mild pain throughout the day and mistook it for indigestion or something similar. Mr. Malfoy, did she say anything to you about it?"

He shook his head.

"Now, if you please, now that your worries are satisfied, you should get back to your room and go to bed. She won't be up to visitors until tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey said.

He nodded mutely and walked out of the hospital wing. His head swirled. Despite what the medi-witch said, he still felt guilty about the loss of Hermione's child.

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Hermione woke up feeling strangely empty. Her head felt weak and her hands were clasped over her abdomen. However, it felt flatter. It wasn't completely flat but the pronounced bump was no longer there. Her heart clenched. Alexander? What had happened?

She sat up, clutching at the white sheets and blankets spread over her.

"You're awake!" a voice proclaimed joyously.

She looked over to see Harry sitting in a stiff white chair at her bedside. He reached over and hugged her gingerly.

"Harry, I'm pregnant, not glass," she reminded him. "You're allowed to really hug me."

His brow furrowed and she knew. He hugged her tightly.

"I lost the baby, didn't I?" she asked quietly.

He nodded against her shoulder.

Hermione did not cry. She simply wasn't ready to grieve yet. Denial seemed to be the easiest way for her to cope so deny she did. It allowed her to function. She ate the bland but nutritious meals she was served. When Ron and Harry visited, she maintained a steady stream of idle chatter about classes and quidditch. Ginny visited every day after lunch and Hermione talked about Ginny's potential boyfriends and how Harry was such a thick dunderhead for not realizing that Ginny's feelings had never truly waned. She could deal with them and pretend it was okay and that she didn't hurt and that she was glad she had lost her child.

But she couldn't pretend with him.

For four days, she waited. He had to visit her. There was no way he was going to stay away after the argument they had, all the fire and passion and anger flowing between them. He'd hit her. It hadn't really hurt that much. She knew he hadn't really intended to hurt her. If only he would come to see her, it would be fine.

Each day, she sat and waited for him to come. She'd never expected him to come in the day since he obviously couldn't go public with the information that they were friends. However, she knew he wasn't one for rules and expected him to sneak in late at night or early in the morning.

But he never came.

Ironically, her former worst enemy had become her sole confidant as to what her child truly meant to her. How it had happened, she had no idea but she needed him just the same. She waited for him but he never came.

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So yes, more depressing stuff. Hmm… this is indeed a drama so don't expect lightness anytime soon. I meant to post this yesterday but forgot. Oops! 3

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