Chapter 16: The Dark Lord

Disclaimer: hehe not mine, except for what was previously stated.

( 2 years later)

The Weasley twins had flown out of Hogwarts and started their own shop, Hermione refused to talk to Draco knowing he was close with Lord Voldemort and did not want to spill any secrets about Harry. No one knew that she had rejected George for Draco except for the three boys who swore they would not tell anyone. This did cause some complications until George left, but try as he might he could not get Hermione to believe him.

Since that day, the Dark Lord had learned of Draco's success and rewarded him for it, giving him the honor of killing Dumbledore during his sixth year, but because of the few talks Hermione and him had shared he was not able to go through with it, causing Snape to step up and finish the job. Although Draco was punished for his cowardice, the fact that he had still manage to cut the ties between Hermione and George allowed him to keep his life, for now.

Hermione was now on the run, searching for the Horocruxes while Draco stayed at Hogwarts. They did not share any correspondence during that time and it wasn't until the Final Battle that they saw each other again. It was then that Hermione had to do what she had feared since she learned that Draco was her soul mate, she had to choose sides.

"Miss Granger, you belong with us, you belong with your soul mate, do not try to oppose me like your friends. Come here and take your place by my side next to Mr. Malfoy, and you shall usher in the new generation of the Magical world. Although you are a Muggle Born, you are still the only one who has any sense left, so join me, join us."

The Dark Lord stretched a bony hand out towards her, and while her friends glared evilly at the snake like man, it was Draco who she had been staring at the entire time. His normally cold grey eyes that betrayed nothing seemed to warn her to stay there, to resist if all else failed. He would not allow her to become what he himself hated and subtly shook his head to warn her further.

"I will never join you!"

It was then that she felt someone stand next to her where Ron had once been and the same where Harry once was. Looking up she noticed that she was flanked by the Weasley Twins, with Harry and Ron on either side of them. They each grabbed her hands and held them tight, and in that moment she had realized her mistake those years ago. The emptiness that had once been a huge hole in her chest seemed to fill slightly at being in contact with George again, and when she looked at him, she was shocked to see his hair start to brighten and his skin no longer seemed sunken in.

"Don't let go," he whispered to her and she nodded.

There was soon a flurry of hexes and curses flying around the Great Hall while Harry and Voldemort seemed locked in an eternal battle. During the entire thing she did not let go of George's hand, and together they took down more Death Eaters than they had previously been able to. Although Morgan's spell said he wasn't her soul mate, he was at least her friend and Hermione was glad for that during the battle.

It wasn't until the dust had fully cleared and the Dark Lord was truly dead did they start to celebrate. She let go of George's hand when they found Fred's body and allowed him a moment with his family alone while she sought out Draco. She soon found him with his family sitting at the Slytherin table hoping no one would attack them.

"May I speak with you Draco?"

The blond nodded and stood up to move away from his mother and father so they could talk. He followed her out of the Great Hall and up the stairs towards what was remaining of the Astronomy Tower. Once there, it was then that she turned to look at him and fully tried to piece together what she wasn't able to so long ago.

"I need to know something Draco."

"As do I."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, lightly kissing her mouth before stepping back to look in her eyes.

"What did you feel?"

It was a stupid question she thought, except that she hadn't felt anything. There was no fireworks, no warmth and happiness, no nothing. She looked at him confused silently asking him with her eyes why she felt the way she did if he was her soul mate.

"Professor Snape, he changed the spell, we had to make sure that Potter would be the one to kill the Dark Lord and no one else. If you and George had found each other before now, the Dark Lord would have killed you and George would have tried to kill him. Potter had to die for it to work, and when he came back he was the only one who could kill him."

"George?"

Draco nodded and in that instant the puzzle clicked together finally, not only that, but Hermione had to find and finish the last Chapter of the book before she would be able to confront him, before she would feel she had earned his trust back.

"Thank you Draco. Even if your motives were odd to say the least, thank you."

"It's no big deal, Astoria has always been my soul mate and she knew it. She wanted to protect you too so she didn't say anything."

She just hugged him at that point before rushing back down to the Gryffindor common room where her bag lay, and in it the book that was supposed to tell her that George was her true soul mate.