Chapter 12 – Quake
I close my eyes and lean my head back against his chest.
We're in the field, surrounded by flowers, sitting on the soft, imaginary picnic blanket.
And he holds me.
This is beauty.
This is pleasure.
This is perfect.
And I don't want to leave.
But I know I must.
I must help my friends prevent the return of the most evil wizard to ever live. I must save Draco.
Even though I am safe and at peace in his arms, my mind is still at work, worrying in the background, questioning the things I'm experiencing.
"Will you explain it to me?" I ask, turning to face him. "How it is that you're real and everything else is only a figment of my imagination. How are you here with me?"
He takes a deep breath.
"I was desperate," he tells me. "I needed something." He pauses for a moment. "I needed something to distract myself." Because he was alone. He was going through that alone. "I practised wandless magic. Every minute I was alone, I practised. At first it was just small things, like levitation and tiny flames. And then I tried to reach out in my mind, to separate myself, my magical consciousness, from my body." He shakes his head. "The first time it worked I felt such relief. The pain was gone, if only for that moment. And I thought maybe, just maybe, I could reach out far enough to find someone."
Draco reaches out and gently brushes some hair behind my ear, letting his fingertips drag across my cheek.
"And I thought of you," he continues. "I needed to know what happened to you. I had no idea how any of this would work." He gestures to the world around us. "But I had to try. I needed to know if I had any hope of seeing you again, if you were alright."
"I wasn't, was I," I add softly. "Alright, I mean."
"No. I was quite surprised to find anything. I didn't think it would really work, didn't think I was strong enough. But you." He smiles, "You make me strong, Hermione. I would never have been able to do any of this if it wasn't for you. I was a coward; a scared, weak little boy who was too afraid to do anything about my situation, about anyone's situation. I didn't know what to do, so I did nothing. And I wanted to change after the war ended. But I don't think that would have really happened if not for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Could you imagine the old me taking a curse for anyone?" he asks.
I admit, I can't.
But there is so much more in what he's telling me.
And I'm not sure if I'm understanding correctly.
Because he did do something.
He did something that started this whole thing.
He sent me the package.
"I was selfish. But you changed me, gave me something else other than myself to lose. And I think it was because of that I'm able to be here."
There's something more.
I want him to tell me.
And he knows I do.
He just shakes his head and goes on with his story.
"Somehow, you made the perfect contact point. Well, except for the whole not waking up part," Draco admits.
I sigh.
So many thoughts are running through my head and I don't even know where to start.
Maybe he'll tell me.
Eventually.
One day, he'll tell me what he meant.
But for right now, I'll focus on this.
On my curiosity for how this came into being.
"How did it all work exactly?" I ask. "Did you see me?"
"It was different than seeing you. I couldn't; I wasn't physically there, but I could feel you. And I felt it the moment we connected. It was strange, like you almost accepted me into your mind. Then I was here and things have just been happening."
"And you went back there? Where you are physically?"
"A couple times," he says. "Not very pleasant."
"Are they still hurting you?" I inquire.
"Most of the time they're focused on their task, but I'm the betrayer," he tells me softly.
"I'm sorry," I whisper.
"Don't be."
"They're going to kill you."
"That's why I have you," he says jokingly.
"Stop it. It's not something to joke about. I don't know how much longer I'll be in this coma, and I can't just sit here and wait while you're being tortured and have a good possibility of being killed," I express.
"You won't have to wait much longer," he tells me.
"What? How do you know?"
"I can feel it. I can feel something changing," he says. "Fast."
"Will I remember?" I ask. "Will I remember what happened here? What happened to us?"
"I don't know," he replies. "Really hope so."
"Will you go back to that place?" I question.
"Well, I'll go back to where I already am if that's what you're asking," he says.
My head begins to hurt. The pain builds, it throbs.
"It's starting," he states.
"I'll send Harry. He knows where we were, he'll come get you," I promise.
"Hermione, they moved me," Draco reveals.
"Where?"
He shakes his head. "I don't know."
The world begins to shake around us and I cling to him.
"This is a good thing," he assures me.
"I'll find you, save you," I say.
"Of course you will. You're Hermione Granger." Though I can hear doubt in his voice. "Destroy the pieces and you destroy the spell. I know you can do this."
"Oh, Draco," I whisper, tears in my eyes.
And he kisses me, strong, yet gentle, tender, loving, soft.
Like it's the last time.
"I love you," I breathe against his lips.
And he is ripped away from me.
The world crumbles; it shatters.
And once more fades to black.
Author's Note:
Hello my wonderful readers! I'm sorry I didn't update last week. I had an assignment due practically every day this past week at Uni including a 20 page paper. But it's finished now! Things are still busy, but I had some time to edit on Saturday.
Thank-you so much to those of you who reviewed the last chapter and I'm really sorry I never got around to replying. I'll do better this week! Taking into consideration what you guys said about going back to look at their growing relationship, I think I might wait until everything is pretty much revealed and then do that chapter. Let me know what you think about that as well as your thoughts on this chapter!
I hope you have a great week!
