A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to get up. I had writer's block, as I didn't have any clue how this was going to play out. And then...well, my life kinda sucks right now, but I'm working on getting over it. Anyway. This chapter began to get way too long, so I had to cut it off...I've got about half of chapter 8 now, because of what was leftover from this. This is still 13 whole pages on ms word, though, so...yeah. It was pretty long.
Enjoy!
Chapter 7: Godric's Hollow Part II
Eventually her muffin was gone, her anger was cooled, and the wind was too chilly for Hermione to remain on the roof. "I think it's time to go back in," she said wanly to her companion.
Malfoy shrugged and led the way across the rooftop. He pulled open the door and walked onto the stairwell, not bothering to hold the door open for her. Hermione smiled wryly—despite his promise, he was still the same self-centered Malfoy she had always known. That reassured her some, and so she descended the stairs with a sense of calm that everything was back to normal in her world.
Ron sat sulkily at the breakfast table, and Harry was looking guilty beside him. They both glared suspiciously at Malfoy before turning to her. "We'll go to Godric's Hollow," Harry acceded.
She hesitated—if she was wrong about this, Ron would never let her forget it. On the other hand, it could gain them a Horcrux. "Okay. We'll leave after breakfast."
They did just that, and when the four teenagers settled into the car there was an uneasy tension in the air. Ron was still sullen, but he now had a frustrated, embarrassed air, as if he wanted to apologize but couldn't find the words. Harry was restless because of the quarrel between Ron and Hermione, while Hermione was unnaturally calm. Malfoy was the only one who seemed completely unaffected, and leaned up against the window per usual.
Hermione began to drive, and about an hour after, the charged feeling had become more relaxed. "I'm sorry," Ron muttered behind her.
She adjusted the rearview mirror to look back at him. "It's fine, Ron."
He shrugged uncomfortably and settled into his seat. Not long after, he was asleep. Hermione grinned and turned to Harry instead. "Some people can't help but sleep in a car, I suppose," she said to him.
Harry was almost as amused as she was, "It would seem so," he agreed, glancing at Ron sheepishly. "Hermione, I really don't know if you're right. Going back to Godric's Hollow was just the only real idea any of us had as to where it could be."
"We've got to start someplace," Hermione said philosophically. "I'd rather have us double-check your parent's house and not find anything than have us not check it and realize later that there was a Horcrux there. Harry, tell me again about the one in the cave."
"Well…" Harry began, retelling the tale. "…then I wiped my arm across the stone—it was bleeding, remember, and the archway opened up. Dumbledore and I walked through, and then we went out into the water and we got out to the rocks outside and I Apparated us to Hogsmeade. You know the rest of the story from there."
Hermione frowned in thought. Malfoy's cold mask was back in place, she noticed. Apparently he didn't like to remember that night very much. She didn't blame him.
"Hmm," she hummed. "So there was a hidden door. I don't know how to…did Dumbledore say anything about the door? How he found it, perhaps?"
Harry was silent for a long time—Hermione almost thought that he'd fallen asleep, but then he answered. "He ran his hands over the wall a lot and then…he said it was…primitive?" There was another pause. "Crude. He said it was crude. It was almost as if he was…disappointed that Voldemort was asking for blood."
"Okay, so if he did put one at Godric's Hollow it might be more or less complex than that, but we should probably expect it to need payment."
"He always asks for payment," Malfoy said unexpectedly next to her.
Hermione turned to him in surprise but he was still looking out the window at the countryside rolling past.
Ron gave a soft snore in the backseat, breaking the awkward silence that followed Malfoy's comment. "Then…" Hermione said slowly, "I guess we'll have to be prepared for that." She hesitated, and then asked, "Is it always blood?"
Malfoy shifted his head slightly and she barely glimpsed his face before he looked out the window again. "Not always," he answered in a voice that was stone cold and brooked no response.
Suddenly everything became uncomfortable in the car. Harry squirmed in his seat and Hermione focused on her driving while Malfoy laid his forehead against the window with a soft thud. Hermione didn't dare ask what Voldemort's payment was when he wasn't asking for blood and Malfoy's tone had made it clear he wouldn't expand on what he'd said.
Ron groaned and blinked sleepily. He looked out the window drowsily and then tapped Hermione on the shoulder. She looked up at him in the rearview mirror. "Yes?"
"Is it time for lunch yet?"
Hermione couldn't help but chuckle and mentally praise Ron his ability to break the ice. "I think now would be a good time to stop. Is anyone else hungry?" she asked. They'd only been driving for a few hours, but getting out of the car for a bit would probably help to clear the air.
"I can eat," Harry quickly offered. Apparently he hadn't liked the silence any more than she.
Malfoy said nothing, as expected, and Hermione drove another five minutes before coming up on a town. She drove around slowly until Ron suddenly shouted, "There!"
Hermione came to a stop and got out of the car to look at the place Ron had picked. "Here?" she asked dubiously. The restaurant was small and nondescript except for a large flashing sign in the window. "Waffles so good they're like magic!" the sign shimmered at them.
"Ron, you're not just coming here because of that sign, are you?" Hermione asked dubiously.
"Of course I am," he said, "I want waffles."
"But—" Hermione began, then stopped. "Okay. Waffles sound good," she said, letting Ron lead them into the restaurant. They sat down and ordered, and Ron and Harry began discussing the new broom that was due to come out, the Lightningbolt.
"It's supposed to be even faster than your Firebolt, Harry," Ron said in awe.
"I know. Did you see the picture of it? The handle's going to be made out of ebony. It's going to be beautiful."
"Hey, think I can get the twins to buy me one?" Ron mused.
Harry wrinkled his nose dubiously. "Probably not, but you may as well try."
"Yeah," Ron said with a heavy sigh.
"Why do you need a new broom? You won't be playing quidditch for a long while," Hermione pointed out. "And if you ever do, it won't be at Hogwarts, where you're playing for real competition. At most, you'll probably just be playing with Ginny and maybe some of your brothers."
Ron gave her a sour look for ruining his fantasies, and then sighed again. "I suppose you're right."
Their second breakfasts came and the four dug in heartily. "These are good waffles," Hermione said in an attempt to soothe Ron's bruised ego. "Good choice, Ron."
He flicked his gaze up at her in acknowledgement and continued to scarf down his waffles.
They got into the car and continued on the way to Godric's Hollow. It was dark before they reached the small muggle town, so they settled into a hotel for the night.
The morning dawned and Hermione rose with the sun. She showered and dressed, then woke up her three companions. Soon they all left the hotel, went and got a quick breakfast, and then, armed with their wands, progressed to the post office. "This may be a fool's mission," Hermione mumbled as they approached the witch. "But if it's not…"
The three boys nodded, their faces turning grim and the woman showed them again the dance steps they needed to get into the wizarding part of Godric's Hollow. After watching the Golden Trio attempt to open the door, Malfoy roughly pushed Hermione away and opened the gateway on his first try. Harry and Ron glared at him, looking half-angry and half-miffed, but Hermione cocked her head slightly to the side, wondering.
Recovering, Harry led them into the little lane, gazing at the seven cozy cottages. Nothing had changed in the few weeks they'd spent away. The four walked straight toward the third house on their left, not bothering to admire the other homes as previously. Right outside the decaying Potter house they paused simultaneously. Harry reached over and opened the door. The scene had a surreal air to it and try as she might to contain herself, Hermione couldn't help but snicker. It's almost like we're in a movie. This is ridiculous, we're being so overdramatic about this.
Everyone's eyes turned to her and she shrugged guiltily. No one had said a word the whole time, and it seemed wrong to begin now, so in silence the four walked into the cottage. They hesitated again, unsure of where to begin.
Hermione cleared her throat and looked around nervously. "I think we should check first to see if there are any locked doors or doors we can't open," she whispered.
They nodded and her group dispersed around her, leaving her standing alone in the immaculate, if dusty, front room. Hermione approached the fireplace and cast a quick revealing charm. Nothing showed up, so she straightened and looked around the room. There weren't other doors or obvious places for secret passages, so Hermione retreated into the destroyed room beyond.
Stepping over piano keys, Hermione approached the lonely, unharmed chair in the corner and examined the wall behind it. Since she didn't find anything, she bit her lip and peered into the next room, the one with the bookcase. A door was open in the corner, with nothing but a softly illuminated blackness beyond. Hermione approached it and peered down the steps into the basement. "Did you find anything?" she asked to whomever may be down there.
Malfoy came to the foot of the steps and shook his head. "I'm still looking."
Hermione stepped back again, beginning to think bringing everyone back to Godric's Hollow was a bad idea. She spared a glance for the kitchen, but Ron was in there so she instead moved up the stairs. A door was open at the end of the hall, and she approached it warily. "Anything?" she asked Harry. He shook his head and she moved down the hall.
A bathroom, dusty but unharmed, was the first door she opened. Though Slytherin had once used a bathroom as the portal to his secret chamber, she didn't think Voldemort would do so. Hermione moved on.
The next door was a bedroom with a small bed on it. Hermione stepped in, feeling suddenly melancholy. This was probably the room Lily and James had planned for Harry, if the decorating scheme said anything. Footsteps passed behind her in the hall, making Hermione jump, but then she swallowed her fear and pried open the closet doors. Nothing was inside except for a few baby clothes hanging. She reached out and touched one just as someone called out, "Here!"
Jumping again, Hermione chastised herself for being so edgy and went out into the hall. Harry was already halfway down the steps and she followed him downstairs and to the door of the basement. They saw Ron's red hair disappearing into the darkness below and, after lighting the tips of their wands they went down after him.
Malfoy was standing before a blank wall, looking at it with consternation. Ron was staring at him incredulously. Even with the light of the four wands, Hermione couldn't see anything special about the wall. "Are you sure?" Harry dubiously ventured first.
The blond boy turned and sneered at him. "I grew up in Malfoy Manor. I know how to tell where there's a hidden opening," he snapped. His brows knit together and he approached the wall again and put his hand to it, closing his eyes. Ron, Harry, and Hermione all exchanged a glance.
"Okay, then," Harry said after a silence, "Let's go."
Malfoy looked at him in alarm, then went back to the wall and placed both his palms on it. "Not that easy, Potter. This door…" he muttered, eyes closed. He looked as though he were concentrating very hard, and then his eyes opened wide in surprise and he stepped back. "I see," he murmured. Hermione looked at him in confusion but Malfoy didn't offer up his insight to anyone.
"Granger," Malfoy said slowly, not looking at her, but at the wall. "You know healing charms, right?"
"Of course, but—"
Malfoy's hand was shaking and he pressed it flat against the cold, stone wall. "Don't close the door," he commanded them. "If you do, I won't make any effort to open it again."
Hermione's eyes widened, but then narrowed. "You're not coming?" she asked suspiciously.
He looked at her, a smirk playing about his lips, as he said, in a maddeningly patient tone, "Someone has to pay the price for opening the door, don't they?"
"Malfoy, what is going to happen?" Hermione asked cautiously.
His smirk widened but he said nothing for a minute, letting her imagination run amok with horrible things. "Just hurry up in there, okay?" he said at last. Hermione nodded slowly. "Good," Malfoy muttered. Harry and Ron were still watching him suspiciously as he pulled a knife out of his pocket and pulled off his shirt.
"What are you—" Hermione asked in alarm. She fought the urge to look away from him, worried that he might take off more clothing next. Malfoy snickered at her and unfolded the pocketknife, then twisted around, examining his back. He pressed the blade to the skin of his back and flicked it across the flesh, making a cut about eight centimeters long. Blood welled to the skin and began to drip. Malfoy put his finger slightly below the cut and waited until it was red with blood before taking it away and pressing it to the wall in a half-circle.
Nothing happened. Malfoy had his finger against his back again, catching more blood as he smeared it on the wall, completing the circle. A line came next, and Hermione realized he was spelling something. Everyone waited with bated breath for what would come next. The flow of blood was slowing, so he lengthened the cut and continued. By the end Malfoy was hard pressed to finish but at last he drew one final line.
Hermione looked at the wall, the word "OPEN" shining oddly in the wandlight. Nothing happened for a long moment and then there was a soft rasp of stone grating on stone and two handles appeared on the wall, a small crack appearing between. Harry and Ron grasped the handles and pulled the doors open.
Malfoy released a deep shuddering breath and sat down cross-legged. "Are you okay?" Hermione muttered.
"Go," Malfoy snapped.
Hermione gathered up her wand and her courage and met Harry and Ron at the gaping opening of the wall. The trio walked down the stairs at their feet, Hermione casting one last worried glance at Malfoy just before he disappeared from view.
They entered a room where torches glowed softly. A table sat in the middle of the room with an unlit candle, and there were five doors in the wall across. The trio approached the scrap of parchment on the table.
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind
Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,
One among us five will let you move ahead,
Another will transport you elsewhere instead,
Two among our number conceal certain demise,
One of us will be eternal darkness before your eyes,
Choose, unless you wish to this task ignore,
To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four:
First, however slyly help tries to hide,
You will always find some on certain death's right side;
Second, different are those who stand at either end,
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;
Third, as you see, not all handles the shape sustain,
Neither up nor down contain pain;
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are different once you open them, though twins at first sight.
Hermione looked at the paper and burst into a short-lived giggle. Harry and Ron were looking at her like she was insane. "Don't you see?" she said with a grin, "It's Snape! The wording is almost exactly the same as in the logic puzzle to get to the mirror back in our first year."
The two boys looked at each other, then at the paper again. "Oh, yes, we see quite clearly," Ron muttered sarcastically. Frowning, Hermione snatched the paper from them and read it again, then looked up at the doors. They were all the same size and shape, but as in the puzzle, the handles were different. The two farthest to the left had round knobs, as did the second on the right. The middle door had a vertical handle, and the farthest on the right had a horizontal one.
Hermione leaned on the table to think.
There was a strangled cry above, and the trio startled, looking up the stairs behind them. Hermione shivered but looked back to the paper. It had been Malfoy's choice, although she was curious as to what was happening.
"So the ones that lead to death have to be ones with knobs," Hermione mumbled under her breath. "And the dark one and transporting one and the one we want are the last one on the right and the middle and the second on the left. To get to the Horcrux, we don't want either of the ends, that's clear enough. So the door we want is either in the middle or second on the left."
She paused at the next bit of the puzzle. 'Neither up nor down contain pain'… so the middle and the one on the right won't hurt us if we go in them. And if the second right is certain death then the second left isn't. Which means the far left has to be certain death…
Hermione hesitated. The far right was out of the question—it had to be the transportation door, though she didn't know where it transported you to. She was examining the second left and middle door, trying to work out which one they wanted from the conflicting clues. It wouldn't hurt to go through the middle door, but help was always on death's right side—the second door on the left.
"Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Think it'll hurt somehow to get the Horcrux?" Hermione asked, beginning to understand. That would mean that the middle door held eternal darkness. Snape is losing his touch, she thought. Or perhaps he wanted us to be able to get through. Why else would he have even bothered to leave the note? But if we could solve it, surely someone else could as well… Shaking her head, her attention returned to her friends long enough to hear Harry's answer to her question.
"Probably," he said with a shrug.
Hermione smirked and went to the second door on the left. "Then let's go." She hesitated, then twisted the knob and pulled open the door….
…Darkness loomed before her, and Hermione felt a sinking in the pit of her stomach. But, no, there was a light in the darkness, a shimmering blue light. She smiled and cocked her head to the side, following the fluctuating blue orb. "Hermione!" someone snapped, grabbing her arm forcibly. "Pay attention," Harry snapped at her.
Ron released his grip on her arm and the three of them began their way down a steep path. Hermione saw the glittering orb again. It seemed to call to her, taunting her, promising her knowledge she could never find in books. Her feet slowed and she took a step toward the light. Soft muck came up and enveloped her foot, seeping into her shoe instantly. Hermione wouldn't have even noticed, so entranced was she by the light, except that Ron once again grabbed her arm and hauled her back onto the path.
"But it's so pretty," Hermione complained, dimly wondering what was happening to her. It wasn't like her at all to be so empty-headed, and Harry…Harry needed her. The orb fluttered into her vision again, and she smiled softly at it. "It's all right," she told it in a singsong voice. "I'll come to you, I promise."
Hermione tried to step off the path again, but Ron wrapped her in his arms tight. His eyes looked wildly to Harry. "What's wrong with her?" he demanded.
Harry looked at Hermione, who giggled and reached out to touch an orb neither of the boys could see. "Come back!" she exclaimed as it floated away from her. She struggled in Ron's grip, refusing to let all that knowledge get away from her. He held her tighter.
"She opened a door," Harry said quietly as he realized. "She paid the price for opening a door."
"Fuck," Ron growled, then snatched the wand from Hermione's hand before she could use it on him and handed it to Harry. Hermione pouted at him, but forgot her irritation as she saw the orb again. Ron took a firm grip on one of her arms and indicated that Harry should continue. Harry's attention, however, was out to the side of the path.
For a sickening moment, Hermione was conscious enough to hope that Harry wasn't afflicted with whatever she was. Then the orb wiped away all of her thoughts and she squirmed against Ron again, whose hold on her seemed unbreakable.
"Is that…moving?" Ron asked in awe, staring at the muck on either side of the path.
"Yes. We need to keep going," Harry said.
"Inferi," Ron muttered in recognition. He gave Hermione a sharp yank as she tried to get away again and then followed Harry. Hermione's feet made a squelching noise with every other step, and it made both Harry and Ron jumpy.
The path sloped down and stopped abruptly. Hermione squirmed out of Ron's grip and almost managed to get away but Ron tackled her, sending them both crashing to the floor. He half got up, then thought better of it and sat on her. Hermione wriggled around on the floor, trying to get out from under Ron, to follow the light, but his weight was too much. She didn't stop trying, though. Harry, ignoring the struggle between the two, looked around the room.
It was high-ceilinged, and appeared to be made mostly of dirt. As of yet, nothing was attacking him, which was fortunate, but he knew that would change as soon as he tried to get the Horcrux. Then they would have to get outside, with the inferi lying in wait for them in the muck that lined the path.
"Ron, do you know how to transfigure a jar?" Harry asked.
"Of course," Ron replied, mildly offended.
"And you know those floating fires Hermione does so well?"
"I don't think I—"
"See if you can get Hermione to do it. We're going to need to get out of here somehow, and with her in this state, there's no way we'll make it up that path unless we're prepared."
Ron nodded grimly and picked up a pebble, transforming it into a thin glass jar. He created twenty of these, and then turned to Hermione and asked her to help him. "I'll let you go if you help me," he coaxed her sweetly. She refused, and he continued to cajole her into helping.
Meanwhile, Harry was approaching the small dais in front of him. He paused just before stepping up on it and was relieved that he had when he saw the surface. It was porous, with glittering, needle-like things beneath. If he had stepped up onto it…Harry shuddered to think of that outcome.
"Accio Horcrux," he tried, though he didn't really think it would help.
Nothing happened; Harry sighed. Pulling off one of his shoes, he lightly tossed it onto the platform. Immediately the needles beneath shot up, drilling holes straight through the soles of his shoe, and then raining back down to land lightly in their individual compartments. "So much for that," Harry muttered. In the background he heard Ron coaxing Hermione into making him little fires.
"Accio shoe," he said, and his shoe slid back to him. Harry put it on his foot even though it was ruined and sat about thinking how to get the Horcrux. "Ron, I know you're busy, but can you do that levicorpus charm on me? Then while I'm upside down I need you to move me over to the middle of this platform."
Hermione looked up at Harry. She was now lying on the floor on her belly, with Ron straddling her back so she wouldn't get away. "He's going to let me go once I've filled all of these," she said proudly. "He promised. And then I'm going to go and catch it, and I'll know everything."
Ron looked down at her with a grimace. "Hermione, I need my wand back for a minute, but I'll give it to you again after I'm done."
"No!" she cried frantically, "You're never going to give it back, and then I won't fill them all up, and you'll never let me go," she said, bursting into tears.
Looking shocked but recovering quickly, Ron reached down and snatched the wand from her grip. "Levicorpus," he said, and watched as Harry flipped upside-down. "Locomotor," he cast, then directed Harry with his wand.
Harry looked down at the bowl below him. It had a shiny cover over it, but beneath that was something golden. "Okay, this is good, if you could just lower me a little bit…"
Ron did so, and Harry pulled out his wand. The blood was rushing to his head, making it hard to think. "Diffindo!" Nothing happened, and he sighed again. Voldemort certainly didn't like to make things easy for him.
Harry reached down and poked the surface with his wand. It gave under pressure, bowing inward. Deeming it safe to touch, he reached down and tentatively poked it with his finger and found it to be as hard as glass. Harry tried again with his wand, and it dipped in, then tried with his hand, finding it immobile. "Well, then," he muttered to himself. "That was easier than I expected."
Carefully, he put his wand into the bowl and pushed the Horcrux up the side. At one point it wobbled dangerously and he was worried it would fall back to the middle of the bowl, but he was lucky. "Ron," he called out, "I need you to move me over to your left just a little."
Hermione squirmed beneath him, causing sweat to break out on Ron's forehead. Despite the fact that he was simply sitting on Hermione, filling jars with fire, Ron knew that what Harry was doing was dangerous and if he messed up even slightly, it could mean the death of the Boy Who Lived. Pinning Hermione with his knees more securely, Ron twitched his wand a little bit. "A little more," Harry instructed him. Ron did so. "There! Stop," Harry said.
Relaxing a bit, Ron looked down. Only sixteen jars were filled with fire, but it would have to do.
Harry had the Horcrux almost at the edge. Once it was outside the surface he could grab it and pull it the rest of the way out. Being upside down was making his head pound, but he had to keep up his concentration. A curl of gold breached the shiny top and Harry reached down and pulled the object the rest of the way out.
All at once, the needles in the floor shot up into the air. Had Harry somehow been standing beside the bowl he would have been killed instantly. As it was, he was hanging over the basin, and because the needles weren't meant to destroy that, Harry was safe. The needles rained back down around Harry, who clasped his arms to his torso and tried to make himself as small as possible. The needles fell silent in their respective holes and Harry was levitated over to the ground and righted.
There were squelching sounds outside as the inferi rose from the muck. Ron levitated the jars of fire and got to his feet, pulling Hermione up with him. Harry had a grim look on his face and they met eyes for a brief second before they both began to run. "Flagrate!" Harry shouted, slashing at the inferi that blocked his path.
Ron flicked his wand and four jars of fire hit the ground to either side of them. He and Harry sprinted up the slope, Ron towing Hermione behind him as best he could. "The light!" she shrieked, adding to the plethora of noises. "The light!"
More fire-jars exploded around them, and by then Ron was out. "Incendio!" he shouted, and flames burst out of the tip of his wand. There was a rectangle of light before them, and he and Harry sprinted for it, the inferi clawing at their clothing but their only thought was for getting out the door. Hermione yanked Ron backward and they fell together as Ron still gripped Hermione's arm. "Fuck, Hermione!" he growled, quickly getting to his feet as the inferi swarmed over them. Hermione was sobbing, and with effort Ron managed to tightly grab her arm again and right her, constantly casting spells to keep the inferi off of them. Ron began to run again, and Hermione stumbled along behind him, still screaming but by now her words were unintelligible.
"No!" Hermione screeched, clawing at the doorframe, but Ron gave an almighty jerk and tumbled to the floor with her once again. "The light!" she yelled as Harry pushed his weight into the door and it shut with a loud snap.
Harry slid his back down the door, looking at his two friends on the floor. Hermione was kneeling on the floor, one hand on Ron's knee and her other on the ground. She stared at the door, tears running down her cheeks at her loss. "I—I" she stammered. There was a long pause, and then, "I think it's time to go," she said, still crying.
Ron groaned from the floor and Harry helped him to his feet. Hermione was standing, looking lost, but when they gazed to her expectantly she led the way up the stairs.
Hermione stopped abruptly. "Malfoy!" she yelped, rushing toward him. The boy was lying on his stomach in a puddle of red blood. His torso barely rose and fell, but at least he was breathing. His back was a welter of cuts, and though most were approximately the same size as the one he had originally cut, others were longer, and all were far deeper. "Oh, no, Merlin, no," Hermione said, frantically reaching through her clothes. "My wand!" she snapped at Harry, who scrambled to give it to her.
"Episkey! Episkey, episkey!" Hermione said in a rush, trying to heal all the scratches. It looked like Malfoy had been whipped. Before her eyes, another scratch opened up and began to bleed. She continued to run the healing spell over all the wounds. "Close the fucking doors!" She yelled at Harry and Ron, who were standing there and gaping.
They did so, and then came to kneel beside Malfoy's body also. "Episkey," they all said, and the work went much quicker. After the wounds were healed, Hermione rolled him over onto his back. Malfoy was far paler than he should have been, but he still breathed. "Bloody hell," Hermione growled, "We need help."
"We can't. There's no way to explain this to a normal doctor, and any mediwitch we run into is going to recognize us. The wizarding world can't find us—we can't afford for them to," Harry said rationally.
"But—"
"Malfoy knew that he was getting into," Ron said harshly. Hermione looked at them, eyes blazing, but she knew they were right.
Turning back to the pale boy in front of her, she snapped, "Malfoy, don't you dare die on me. I will not forgive you for that."
A soft smile curled Malfoy's lips as his eyes fluttered open. "Granger," he sighed. "Knew you'd…come…" he said with effort, and then his eyes closed again as he fainted.
--
This could be a movie
and this could be our final act
We don't need these happy endings
--Funeral For A Friend, "Drive"