Never in his life had he seen a creature as magnificent as her. She was a vision, her red her shining in the sun with all it's glory. Her eyes were broken, yet so strong. How could a person who had been through so much still be so strong? He often found himself wondering if he was even worthy of her. He always came up with the same answer; no. He would never be worthy of her and that is why she was with the-boy-who-lived. Although he wanted it, he knew that they could never be. Draco sighed. He just wanted Ginny to be happy and if she was happy with Harry, then he would try to be okay with that.
Just then a cold chill ran down Draco's spine as he heard footsteps coming towards him. He quickly stood from his seat against the stone wall of the Leaky Cauldron and drew his wand. As the footsteps grew closer and closer Draco gripped his wand tighter. He was ready for anything.
Out of the corner of his eye Draco saw the figure of a woman walking toward him. He slowly loosened his grip on his wand and relaxed himself as he realized who it was.
"Hello, Hermione." Draco said with his head to the ground.
"Sorry to sneak up on you," Hermione said, "but I need to talk to you about something without the others overhearing it."
Draco looked Hermione in the eye for the first time since he and Ginny had wound up in St. Mungo's. He never realized how pretty Hermione actually was. She had pretty dark brown eyes and soft curls. He wondered why he had always thought of her as ugly.
"What do you need to tell me?" Draco asked.
"Well, it's about Ginny." Hermione sat down against the wall.
"Is she hurt?" Draco asked as he joined Hermione on the cold concrete.
"No, she's fine. She's just…changed."
"How so?"
"She's lost that innocence that she once had. The sparkle is gone from her eyes. The only time I ever see her truly smile is when she's with you."
Draco blushed and was thankful for the dark alley, "I don't know what you mean…"
"What I mean is that I think…I know that she loves you. I can see it in her eyes and her smile, even the way she talks when you're around. Only she's too stubborn and too afraid to admit it. And I know that you feel the same way—don't try to deny it! There are certain things that a woman can tell about a man just by looking at him. And I can tell that you are head-over-heals in love with Ginny."
Draco sighed. There was no point in denying it now, "You're right. I love her so. But she's with Harry. She will always be with Harry and there is nothing that I can do about that."
"Tell her that you love her!"
"And ruin her future?" Draco stood and Hermione followed suit, "She has stability with Harry. He's rich. The only thing I have is my father's and he's sure to take that away from me now. Why would she want to be with a soon to be poor ferret boy when she could be with the boy-who-lived?"
"Draco, it's not about stability. It's about love. And if I could choose an unhappy marriage for one friend or true love for another, I would choose true love!"
"Oh! So, I'm a friend now?"
"Yes you are! Draco—" Hermione was suddenly interrupted as a flash of light hit her in the center of her back. She fell forward, eyes wide, into Draco's arms. Draco held Hermione up and looked around, panicked, to find the culprit. Walking out of an old shop about three buildings down were three men dressed in black. Draco knew who they were the moment he saw the red X's on their coats; the Hunters. Draco's heart began to beat faster and faster as he wondered what to do.
"Well, well, well," one of the men said, "what have we here? Is it a lover's quarrel? No, it couldn't be. But what would two young people be doing out here in the dead of night? This is out turf. I believe we should punish them severely. What do you think, boys?"
The men on either side of him nodded and said words of approval. They were merely feet away from Draco and Hermione now.
"You bloody Muggles," Draco spat, "you don't belong here! Leave us alone!"
The men laughed. It didn't seem as though they were going to back down.
"Don't worry," said the one in the middle, "she's just been stunned. She'll wake up soon. We aren't after you anyway. There is a girl, a young red haired girl by the name of Ginny Weasley. We've been sent to find her…and kill her."
Draco's heart dropped. "Wh-what do you want with her?"
"Oh? You stutter…you must love this girl, am I right?"
Draco stood still, weakening under Hermione's weight, with his jaw clenched. He wasn't going to let them hurt her.
"She's not here," Draco said, "she went back to her home…to say goodbye."
The Hunter in the middle stepped closer to Draco, "You'd best not be lying to me, boy. If I find out that you are, I will hunt you down and kill the girl slowly…right in front of you."
Draco could feel the hatred for this man rise in him but he said nothing. The three men simply laughed and with a snap of their fingers they disappeared.
Draco stood for a moment to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Then he quickly cradled Hermione in his arms and ran into The Leaky Cauldron to tell everyone the news; they must flee.