Title: Set Fire to the Rain
Rated T
Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Prompt: Adele's Set Fire to the Rain
Summary: "What do you do when you you think you won't live to see the next day?" Draco and Hermione ask each other this question after he rescues her from Malfoy Manor.
NOTE: This was originally written as a gift for torigingerfox's project, Sounds Good Enough. It has been almost five years since I wrote this. It is shared on Ao3 and here on ffn as part of her collection, but I wanted to add it as part of mine as well so that it is never lost. The prompt was her idea, but I wrote the actual story. SO IF YOU RECOGNIZE THIS, IT IS NOT STOLEN. WE WORKED ON THIS TOGETHER. THANK YOU.
Unknown Location, Wiltshire - England
Slamming the door behind them, Draco didn't let go of her hand, his grip unrelenting. He was panting from the exertion of running through the forest had entailed, and she too found herself taking gasping breaths to try and get enough air to her brain. Lightning flashed outside, followed by a loud rumble of thunder, causing them both to jump nearly out of their skin. Flashes of the last few hours flickered through her mind as she watched Draco stand in the middle of the rickety old cabin they'd somehow managed to find.
Hermione finally forced him to release the grip on her hand, stepping back to observe him as he assessed what the small cabin had to offer them in regards to safety, food, and other necessities. As she watched him peer out the window, she couldn't help but wonder why he'd saved her. Somehow she'd not disappeared when Dobby took Harry, Ron, and the others, leaving her there to Bellatrix's mercy. Surprisingly, Draco had swooped in at the last possible second and grabbed her hand, never letting go as he ran them out of Malfoy Manor and through the forest beyond.
"What?" She asked when she realized he said something while she was reminiscing about earlier. She shook her head to try and clear her befuddled mind.
"I said, we can't stay here long. Just overnight. They'll find us if we stay any longer that that. Just until the rain lets up."
"Okay." Finally taking her eyes off the blonde, she looked down at herself; soaked to the bone, bloody, and covered in mud. She wanted to ask more questions...like where did Harry and Ron go, what were they going to do for warmth, and most importantly, why did he save her? Instead, she wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stop the shivering that was both a combination from the cold and the after effects of the Cruciatus curse Bellatrix tortured her with numerous times.
Later, after determining that there was no food to be eaten, Draco decided they'd better get some sleep at the very least, so the two of them crawled into the single bed in the corner and shared the tattered quilt. He'd told her that using magic was out of the question, so they were going to share body heat to keep warm. While still slightly damp, Hermione had to admit she felt much better wrapped up in the blanket with the right side of her body snuggled up against Draco's left. He took the side closest to the door, explaining that if anyone came inside, he would make sure no harm came to her.
The entire scenario was mind boggling, and Hermione finally decided she couldn't stay quiet any longer. She needed answers to the questions that were raging a fire within her heart. Turning onto her side so she could just barely see his outline in the darkness, she gently prodded his shoulder, wondering if he was still awake.
"Draco?"
"You should be sleeping, Granger."
"I can't...I need answers." Biting her lip, she waited patiently, her heart thudding in her chest as he took a deep breath.
"She was going to kill you, so I saved you. What else is there to tell, Granger? Now, go to sleep."
She flinched at the hostile tone he used, but ignored his words, needing to know more. Draco Malfoy, the boy who tormented her since first year at Hogwarts, called her Mudblood, and made her life a living hell just didn't save her for no reason. No, there was more to his story, and she was going to find it out. Especially, since they were now on the run together, fleeing from the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor.
"Draco?" This time he didn't respond, but she heard him inhale sharply, so she knew he was awake. Smiling to herself, she propped her head up on her hand, elbow sinking into the old mattress. "Why did you do it? Run away from it all, I mean. They're going to be looking for you now too...not just me."
"You're not going to let this go, are you, Granger?"
"What do you think?"
"Damn it." There was a shifting on the bed, and then Draco was facing her, replicating her position so they could stare into each other's faces. "I don't care if they come after me. I've been having doubts about this entire thing for a while now. Why are we all following some mental halfblood who wants to exterminate his own people? Sounds a lot like that dictator we learned about in Muggle Studies...Anyway, I was sick of it all. Sick of the fighting. Sick of the torturing. Sick of watching my schoolmates and their families dying...I just...I can't do that anymore."
In the darkness, Hermione listened as Draco revealed his deepest secrets to her. She couldn't help but remember what Harry told her, about how he found him crying in the bathroom in sixth year, about how he couldn't kill Dumbledore. She's wondered why he didn't identify their true identities when they were brought into Malfoy Manor. The pieces were starting to fall into place, but she still couldn't bring herself to speak. She knew he had more to say, and she was afraid that if she said anything, the spell would be broken and he'd bottle everything up once more.
Sighing, Draco rolled onto his back, the bed lurching slightly and the sheets rustling as he relaxed. Hermione remained leaning overtop of him, watching him silently and nibbling at her chapped lip. Draco rubbed a hand over his face before sliding it through his blonde hair, tugging slightly.
"What do you do when you think you won't live to see the next day?"
The question surprised her, and she felt her brow wrinkle with confusion as she tried to come up with a proper answer. Closing her eyes briefly, she imagined what life would be life after the war. Who would survive, who might not. What she wanted to do, who she wanted to be with. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see Draco's piercing blue ones staring at her with an such intensity it nearly took her breath away. With a pounding heart, she exhaled, the rush of air causing his blonde hair to flicker about his forehead.
"You fight with everything you have. You give it your all in the hopes that you can make a difference to those that need it." She paused, contemplating what else to say. "You do what I've been doing-fighting the good fight." She watched as a smile overcame his face, his eyes falling shut. Curiosity taking over once again, she repeated the question he'd asked. "What do you do when you think you won't live to see the next day?"
Silence permeated the small cabin, the only sound their hushed breaths and the pounding of the rain on the flimsy roof keeping them dry. She waited, and waited, and waited for an answer until she was almost certain he'd fallen asleep. Just as she was about to flop back onto the hard pillows and attempt to get a few hours of sleep, his whispered answer reached her sensitive ears.
"You save the person you love from a fate worse than death, even if it means sealing your fate and severing all ties from your past."
His confession rocked her to the core, more so than the crack of thunder that resounded after lightning lit the small cabin. The puzzle pieces that she was struggling to put together earlier suddenly fell into place entirely, and she understood why Draco risked everything to save her from his twisted aunt. He loved her. Somehow, Draco Malfoy had fallen in love with her at some point over the course of the seven years they'd known each other, and crazily enough, she wasn't even surprised. She was more intrigued, and her chest ached with a tightness she couldn't explain.
Edging even closer to Draco, she used her free hand to touch his face in the darkness, unsurprised to find his cheeks wet with tears. Tentatively, she bent down, her eyes asking him permission for something she knew not of. In response, his own hand came up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. Draco had risked everything to save her, and if she let him go now, there was no telling what would happen to him. Throwing caution to the wind, Hermione opened her heart to the man lying beneath her, closing the distance between them until her chapped lips brushed against his.
He opened his mouth to her willingly, allowing her tongue to slide inside. He whimpered in response to her ministrations, sending shivers down her spine. As the kiss became more heated, Hermione felt herself losing control; felt herself falling for this man who so selflessly risked everything for her. Just as she was beginning to climb atop Draco as his hands tangled in her curls, a commotion from outside met their ears.
As they broke apart, terror shining in both their eyes at knowing who was most likely outside, a smile slid onto Hermione's kiss-swollen lips. She held out her hand like he'd done for her earlier that day, and Draco returned the smile as his fingers intertwined with her own. In a flash of lightning, or a spell, neither truly knew, they were up out of the bed. Draco flung open the door, and then they were running; running and running in the pouring rain away from the past and towards a future where they could be together.