Chapter XVII: Their Home, Their Sanctuary.
Hermione and Draco dozed on the sofa, their naked bodies hidden behind a thin cotton sheet summoned from Draco's bed, their heads side by side. Hermione's sweet breath tickled Draco's face out of his sleep and he blinked rapidly.
He looked down at the sleeping girl beside him and smiled fondly. Draco ran a delicate fingertip over her cheekbone before tracing it down the length of her arm to her knuckles, where he glanced down and spied their entangled legs. It was from Hermione's toes resting lazily on the edge of the coffee table that he acknowledged the soft tender golden sheen that seemed to radiate the dark tent like sunlight.
Draco picked up his wand from off the side of the couch and used Accio to summon the glow to his outstretched hand, having already assumed it was an object of some kind. He raised his eyebrows in astonishment when he realised it was a Galleon. He rolled it over his knuckles thoughtfully, his other hand absent mindedly running through Hermione's locks.
"Hermione." Draco called out softly but firmly as he continued to watch the glow, which he soon realised shone bright then dimmed, shone bright and dimmed, like a warning beacon. Potter.
"You need to wake up!" Draco almost bellowed frantically, panic suddenly in his throat as he snapped himself out of his frightening epiphany, untangling his legs from hers.
"Hey, you don't have to shout." Hermione gave him a sleepy smile and snuggled closer to him.
"Granger, there's a bloody Galleon in my hand and it's glowing."
Hermione shot up off the sofa like a firecracker.
"Harry! He's in danger!" Hermione shrieked, re clothing herself with a swish of her wand. Hermione frantically tried to re clothe him only half in concentration and ended up trying to put his shirt arms through his legs. Draco corrected himself with half an amused chuckle and flipped the Galleon over to her.
"How long has this been glowing for?" Hermione cried, as she zoomed all her things into her bag and flung it over her shoulder.
"I don't know, I only noticed it when I woke up." Draco shrugged, watching as she swished her wand over it, muttering an incantation.
"They're at the castle!"
Hermione and Draco apparated onto Hogwart's grounds only a minute or two later. They wasn't really surprised to find that the anti-apparation wards were down – more than likely to allow the gangs of Death Eaters onto the premises.
"God it's awful." Hermione whispered, lacing her fingers with Draco's as they stood side by side and looked up at the castle, their school, their home, their sanctuary and watched as the ancient antique architecture crumbled away. Most of the towers were ablaze with FiendFyre, the tiles and debris falling to the ground. Hermione knew as she was standing there that many of their side were burning in the towers, because not even the roar of fire could block out their tortured screams.
"I can't see this." Draco whispered, yanking his hand away from Hermione's to lean his forehead against the roughness of a nearby tree. "I can't watch this."
"You've already seen it. We can't undo what we've seen or what's happening, but we can stop it. We need to find Harry."
"No! Don't you get it Hermione? I made this happen! I told them how to get in!" Draco punches the tree, making Hermione jump with a start.
"How did they get in?"
"Vanishing cabinet. There's one in the Room of Requirement and the other's in Borgin and Burkes." Draco winced at the sound of his own mechanical voice.
"What's done is done." Hermione said resolutely, peering back at the castle, her heart breaking.
"How can you say that Hermione? How can you stand to be near me after I caused all this?" Draco yelled, and Hermione had to quickly cast a silencing charm on them before someone heard him. She stalked over to him and grabbed him sharply by the shoulders.
"Listen to me, Draco Malfoy. You did not cause this! Do you hear me?" Hermione practically yelled in his face and he visibly flinched at her tone, his jaw clenching at being yelled at. Hermione smoothed her voice; "Now, we need to find Harry. He's in danger. And my guess is the rest of the Weasley's are too. We should split up-"
Hermione's voice was drowned out over the sudden blast that ricocheted through the air, the force of the blast knocking them off their feet. They clutched at each other in fear and peered around the side of the tree, only to scream simultaneously at the sight of half the castle collapsing, leaving only a gaping, burning ruin in the midst of mass destruction.
"Oh God this is really happening isn't it?" Hermione sobbed, clutching onto the front of Draco's shirt. "Oh, Draco."
"Hermione. Harry, remember? Calm yourself down, pull yourself together and let's go." Draco only felt momentarily guilty at being so harsh, but that was quickly squashed by the sudden look of Gryffindor bloody bravery on her beautiful face that sent his heart surging with pride.
He grabbed her by the hand, their palms slick with sweat of fear and dragged her behind him carefully towards the castle.
"Draco wait. I think we should split up." Draco stared at her.
"Bloody hell Granger are you serious? I'm not letting you out of my sight for one second-"
"You know you have to. It'll be easier and quicker separate. Together we'll be constantly watching each other's backs and the whole process will take longer."
"No-"
"You don't have a sodding choice! If doing this means we save Harry then-" Hermione yelled but she was instantly cut off by the soft barely audible whisper coming form her lover.
"And what if it doesn't save us?"
"It's a risk we must take." Draco pulled a hurt look at her words. "This war is bigger than the both of us and Harry is bigger than us all. You know it's the right thing to do." They stared at each other, silent, while Draco calculated her words.
"I know, it's just...If I were to lose you..."
"I know." Hermione stroked his cheek before letting her hand drop to face the castle again. "We can apparate into the castle now- what's left of it- and I think we should meet up again in an hour."
"I'll take the west wing-"
"It's gone."
"Okay, I'll take whatever part I can get into-" Draco glanced around but by now the dust in the air was too thick to see through.
"Same here. Try the dungeons first Draco." Hermione fished around in her pocket. "Take this coin, rub it three times if you're in danger. Mine will activate. If I rub it three times, yours will activate." Hermione handed him a coin and he slips it into his pocket. "If it's rubbed twice, it lets the other know that they're alright."
"So, this is it." They stood staring at each other before Hermione fell into his open arms, clinging onto every part of him she could get. They silently took turns burning each other into their memories more and more. Each other's scent, taste when they kissed, feel when they ran their hands over every inch of each other, the sound of the other's breathing, like if they did all this then maybe, maybe they'll stay alive. Gasping for air, they tore away regretfully from each other's lips and stared at each other, drinking in each other's faces.
Hermione let out a strange squeal and removed Harry's coin from her pocket. She let out a sob.
"He's activated it again. We need to go." Hermione whispered.
"Hermione, I will see you in an hour. Make sure you're here." Draco kisses her once more before tearing his lips away from hers, his breath ghosting her lips for a moment as he whispers; "I love you."
He was gone the next second.
"And I love you." Hermione whispers to the empty air, his presence lingering but not really there before she too turns on the spot and disappears through time and space.
This is one of my favourite chapters so far and I really hope you like it :) Don't worry, we find out about Harry and the Weasleys in the next chapter :) Thanks so much for the reviews lovelies! X