Last chapter! I just wanted to thank everyone who read this story, and a special thanks to those who reviewed, alerted, or favorited my story. Those made my day. I've included the lyrics to The Greatest Story Ever Told by ICE NINE KILLS at the end of the story. Italicized words belong to ICE NINE KILLS, and characters, spells, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling.
"Draco, honey, I've come to take you home." An older lady is crouching next to me, her hand on my shoulder. She has the same platinum blond hair as the boy who ripped out that girl's heart, as me. Is she my mum?
"Yes, dear, I'm your mother." She tries to help me stand, but I am too weak and end up almost crushing her. She sits me by the wall instead. Why does this routine seem so familiar?
My mother reaches into her robes and takes out an empty potions vial. "This will take us out of here, ok? Just hold on to it." She says as she takes my hand and gently places it on the vial. For a moment, I get the strange feeling like I'm being pulled from the navel. It stops suddenly and I fall to the floor, but the ground isn't hard and cold anymore. Actually, it's soft and fluffy and extremely comfortable. I don't bother getting up. I can lay here forever.
"Oh, no, darling, don't lie on the carpet, you're filthy! We'll just have Palmy clean you up, and then you can rest as much as you like. Palmy!" She calls out, but there's no one around to hear. Has my mother gone mad?
But then, with a loud "Pop!" a familiar-looking creature appears. "Mistress Malfoy, you called?" the creature bowed.
"Yes, I need you to make clean Draco up, then take him to his old bedroom."
"Master Draco? Oh it is you! Palmy is so excited! Palmy missed you so much!"
"I'm sorry, but who are you?"
"Master Draco doesn't remember Palmy?" The creature's ears droop and I immediately feel guilty.
"Palmy, Draco has been through a lot in the past ten years. I'm sure he'll remember us all after he gets some sleep. Draco, this is your house-elf, Palmy. It has been working for me while you were away."
I nod. Although I am still so confused, I'm too tired to ask any more questions. Hopefully my mother is right and I'll have my memories back in the morning.
I wake up the next day to the sun shining right in my face. It blinds me instantly; I'm not used to bright light yet. But the warmth… it's amazing. I haven't felt the sun's rays, or any kind of heat for that matter, in ten agonizing years. Merlin, I missed this!
I look around the room I'm in, my room back when I lived on this side of the manor. It's exactly the same: a king-sized bed with a silver bedspread in the center, several bookshelves lining emerald-green wall, a black leather reading chair in the corner, dark grey carpets, and a black dresser with numerous photos of childhood friends on top. When I came of age, I had moved to the west wing, while my parents, now just my mother, occupied the east. I'm glad that they had left this room untouched.
The sound of apparition breaks my reverie. "Yes, Palmy?"
"Master Draco, Mistress is wanting Master to meet her in the dining room for breakfast."
"Alright. Tell her I'll be down in fifteen minutes."
"Yes Master."
I go into the adjoining bathroom to get ready for the day. When I'm done, I go to grab my wand, before I realize that my wand is gone. The day I was convicted of Hermione's murder was the day that the officials at the Ministry snapped my wand. How am I going to do anything without a wand?
"How are you feeling today Draco?" My mother and I are eating the delicious breakfast that the house elves prepared. I scarf it down in a rather uncivilized manner. Hey, I haven't had a proper meal in ten years. Mother just looks on at my display in distaste.
"Much better Mother. I apologize about my behavior yesterday. I think the exhaustion was making me delirious."
"There is no need to apologize. I understand how trying an ordeal Azkaban can be. I'm just glad you're doing better." I nod in thanks.
"So I was thinking that, if you are feeling up to it, you and I could do a little shopping, and maybe get you a haircut. You are in desperate need of some new robes and a wand of course, and it would be nice if we could catch up a little."
"Mother, I can't get a new wand. Convicted felon, remember?"
She laughs- a sound I have rarely heard come from her. "Oh Draco, of course you can get a wand! We'll just have to wander a bit farther than usual."
It turns out that my mother was right. There is a large wizarding village outside of Barcelona, where a majority of the inhabitants have never even heard of the famous Hermione Granger and her killer Draco Malfoy. I am rather pleased with my new wand. Birch, Dragon Heartstring for the core, 12 inches long. It's a nice wand- shame it will be destroyed soon.
After we get everything we need, my mother Apparates home, but I have one more stop to make. I use the floo at the local pub. I don't want them to know I'm coming.
The Ministry of Magic is pretty much the same as it ten years ago. The statue of the witch and wizard sitting atop of muggles had been removed immediately after the war, replaced by a monument of Harry Potter's final face off with the Dark Lord. I pass by it on my way to the lifts. I have visited the Ministry many times with my father, so I know where almost all of the departments are located. I hit the button for level 2, and I'm off.
It's fairly late, maybe six pm, I pass few people on my way. I'm somewhat nervous that she might have left already, but she seems like the workaholic type, like Hermione.
Sure enough, when walk into Penelope Clearwater's office, I find the woman transfixed on whatever document it is that she's reading. She doesn't look up as a creep my way over to her desk.
"Hello Clearwater." I say as I stick my wand to her neck.
"Hello Draco, it's nice to see you again. I heard you were just released yesterday." She doesn't seem remotely frightened. She should be.
"You should be afraid. I could kill you right now. All I have to do is utter a few simple words, and you'd be dead."
"I don't think you'll kill me."
"That depends. I need information. If you give it to me, I'll let you go. If not… well I think you know the 'if not.'"
"What information are you looking for, exactly?"
"Chase Miller's address."
"You know, it's been ten years. He could have moved in that time."
I shove my wand deeper into her throat. "Don't care. Give it to me!"
She stands up slowly. I keep my wand pointed at her as she searches through numerous files. "Here it is." I grab the parchment with my left hand, with my wand still directed at her.
"I know what you're planning on doing Draco. You don't have to. Hermione wouldn't want you to throw your life away like this."
"You don't know anything Clearwater. And if I were you, I'd hold my tongue before the man with the wand changes his mind about sparing my life." With that, I turn on my heel and quickly make my way out of the Ministry before Clearwater has the chance to raise an alarm.
When I arrive back at the manor, I'm exhausted. I decide to skip dinner and head straight for bed.
When I wake up the next morning, I'm in the best mood that I've been in for a long time. For the first time in ten years, I didn't have nightmares about the death of the woman I love.
I get dressed quickly; I have a busy day ahead of me. I call Palmy to have it tell Mother that I will be out for the day.
As it is about to snap its fingers to Disapparate, I suddenly call for it to wait.
"Palmy, before you leave, I just wanted to say… thank you. For everything." Merlin, Hermione would be ecstatic if she could see me right now. The house elf looks confused.
"Palmy lives to serve the Malfoy name, Master." I nod and let it leave.
My first stop is Diagon Alley. The shoppers all give me a wide berth and suspicious looks when they see me, but I take no heed. I'm only here for one purpose: Salvia's Flowers, located a few stores down from the Magical Menagerie.
"Hello, dear. What can I help you with?" The shop's owner, Iris Salvia, asks when I enter the shop.
"Um, I want to buy flowers."
"Ok…Do you have anything in mind?"
"Well, she loved roses."
"Ah, roses are tricky. What color do you want? How many? These things matter, you know."
"Why would that matter?"
"Each color has a different meaning. What's the occasion?"
"She's dead."
"I'm sorry." I nod. "Well, what is the message that you want to say to her?" I'm thrown. I hadn't thought about that.
"I just wanted to say goodbye. And that I love her." She thinks for a moment.
"I think simplicity might get your message across best, then. How about intertwining a black and a red rose? It would be saying, 'I love you. Farewell.'"
"That sounds perfect."
"Alright, let me just get that for you. Would you like it to be everlasting?"
"Yes."
"Ok, that will be fourteen galleons."
My next stop is the cemetery. She was buried in a muggle one near her parents house. I search many tombstones before I come across the one that reads:
IN MEMORY OF
HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER
SEPTEMBER 19, 1979- MAY 21, 2000
BELOVED DAUGHTER AND FRIEND
AND WAR HEROINE
THE BRIGHTEST WITCH OF HER AGE
The last two lines are probably not visible to muggles. I think members of the magical community come to pay their respect to her. Her grave is overrun with flowers, many of which I recognize as magical.
I kneel and set my flowers before the gravestone, and before I could stop myself, I burst into tears. Deep in this earth, right here, is where Hermione lies.
"Oh Merlin, Hermione, I miss you so much! I still can't believe that you're gone. I'm so lost!
"You know every night, I dream of the night I lost you. That empty look in your eyes still haunts me. But last night, it was different. Last night I dreamed we had a future and you were alive. It was springtime on our wedding day; there were birds in the sky. The sun was glowing it was beautiful and everyone was there. You looked so beautiful in a wedding dress, Mione.
"Yes I dreamt of marrying you. I love you, Hermione. I have ever since our eighth year at Hogwarts. I just never had the courage to tell you- I couldn't risk losing you. Seems like I did anyways, huh? And now, I'll never see you again. Even if you're right about what comes after death, you would definitely be in Heaven right now, no doubt. Me though, I'm going to Hell. Even if all my past mistakes haven't been enough to condemn me, what I'm about to do will. But I've got to do this. I'm sorry, Hermione." I don't know what compels me to do so, but as I stand up, I kiss her headstone. "Goodbye, Hermione." I whisper softly.
My next stop is a muggle suburb outside of London. I check the parchment I got from Clearwater for the address and depart.
I apparate directly inside his house. No need for manners when I'm just gonna kill the man, right? I just hope he still lives here.
I find him in the kitchen. His back is to me as he eats his lunch. Hmm, I missed breakfast this morning. Maybe I'll have a bite when I'm done with Miller. But right now, I've got something a bit more important to focus on.
"Levicorpus!" The man flies up into the air by his ankle.
"What the fuck? Get me down!"
"You're Chase Miller, aren't you?" I'm looking closely at his face. I'm fairly confident that that it is him.
"I might be. Why?"
"You killed Hermione Granger." Even though, being upside down, all the blood is rushing to his head, he manages to turn pale.
I smirk. "You'll be sleeping with the fishes tonight, Chase Miller. But before that, I'm going to torture you. You see, I'm a wizard. I have magical powers. I can cause you more pain than you ever thought possible. And when I'm done, I'll slit your throat and drain your blood, and mail it to your mother so she'll discover what a mess you become. I think she might like that... cause I fucking do!" And I laugh. Not a chuckle or a snicker, but a full-blown laugh. One that is extremely unfamiliar to me. Sure, I've laughed a few times in my lifetime, but this one is different. This is the laugh of a madman.
My moment of humor is cut short when Miller suddenly falls to the ground, a green jet of light heading in my direction. My eyes widen and I barely have time to dodge the spell.
"Oh, you didn't know? I'm a wizard, too!"
"How? Hermione told me you were a muggle… My lawyer even thought were!"
"I'm not surprised. See, my real name isn't Chase Miller. It's Chase Romain, wanted killer in the States. So I came here and changed my name. You'd be amazed how easy it is to pass as a muggle; you don't even have to lie. If no recognizes you from work or school, or sees you in a wizarding area, or doing magic, wizards will automatically assume you're a muggle. It's perfect!"
"Well it certainly explains a lot. Expelliarmus!" Miller, or Romain, or whatever the hell he's called, blocks the spell.
"You're going to have to do better than that!" He says, sending another nonverbal spell my way. This time, it hits my left arm. I can hear the crunching and cracking as the bones in my arm get crushed, but I don't feel it. The adrenaline in my system is blocking it out.
"Stupify!" Again, he blocks it.
"Really, this is the best you can do? And you expect to be able to avenge your darling Hermione? Pathetic!" He throws another spell at me, but this time, I block it. His casual mention of Hermione has rekindled my anger. If I can't get him with the conventional attacks, I'm just going to have to think outside the box.
"Serpensortia!" This time, Miller has no idea what to do. He's trying to keep his wand fixed on both me and the snake that I have just conjured. I smirk.
"Oppugno!" I yell, and the serpent attacks. It's biting his neck, his shoulders, anywhere it can sink its teeth into. Meanwhile, I stroll over and pick up his wand, which he had so kindly dropped for me when my snake pounced. I snap it in half.
"Alright, I think that's enough of that." And I get rid of the snake. "Can't have you dying before I get the chance to torture you properly, now can I?" Miller's a right mess. I'm worried he won't hold out to much longer.
"Now that we've got your wand out of the way… Crucio!" He's withering in pain, screaming for it to stop. I realize that his neighbors might hear and quickly cast a silencing charm around on the house. I don't want them to hear, but I want to listen to every cry of pain comes out of that pathetic man on the floor.
"You are a pathetic bastard. What kind of sick man beats up a woman? Were you trying to compensate for something? Are you not man enough, so you had to find a defenseless female to make you feel bigger? And then, to kill her? Crucio!" The curse is stronger this time .
"Stop! Please stop! I'm sorry, ok? I never meant to kill her!" It looks
"Sorry isn't going to bring her back! And you were already wanted for murder in one country, why would I believe that this was an accident?"
"I just get carried away sometimes. She was going to leave me. She said she didn't love me, that she loved someone else. It just made me so angry. I couldn't help it." She was trying to get away from him?
"Did she say who it was. That she… loved?" I can barely choke out the last word.
He looks at me in confusion. "I thought you would have known. I was so pissed that she would pick you over me, so I decided to frame you. That's why I sent that owl to the Aurors. To get my revenge on you for stealing her from me." I can't believe it. Hermione Granger loved me. She actually loved me! She was leaving her boyfriend for me, but…
"That's right, Malfoy. It's your fault she's dead. If she hadn't been in love with you, she would have stayed with me, and she would still be alive. You killed her." The words continuously ring in my ears. I have always known it was my fault that she was dead, but to hear it out loud, from someone else's mouth… it's devastating.
I see that Miller is losing a lot of blood, too much. He can't die yet. He needs to beg for it first, want it more than anything else in the world, need it more than air. Then, maybe, just maybe, I'll give it to him.
I heal some of his more serious wounds. He still has the poison working through his system, but now he won't keel over from blood loss. At least yet.
I aim my wand to his chest. "Bombarda!" His piercing scream as his ribs explode is the worst one yet. It's music to my ears.
A shard of bone must have pierced an organ, because his screams get cut off by him choking and coughing up blood. Disgusting.
"Please…kill me… Please!" He manages to get out between coughs. I smirk manically. Finally!
"No, I don't think I will. I'm not done with you yet. You deserve to feel every bit of pain that you inflicted on Hermione." I pick him up off the ground, only to punch him in the face. He immediately crumbles to the ground. I kick hit him again in the side. "You." I kick him in the stomach. "Worthless." I conjure up a shard of glass and shove it into his shoulder. "Piece." I kick him in that same shoulder. "Of." I kick him where the sun don't shine. "Shit!" He's blubbering like a scared little school girl.
"I don't think you've had enough yet, do you?" I point my wand to his left leg. "Diffindo." I cut off the top layers of skin. He looks like he's in complete agony. Good. I do the same to his right leg.
Unfortunately, my arm injury is beginning to make itself known. I'm going to have to cut this session short. "Crucio!" I scream. I hold the curse for several minutes, as Miller withers on the floor. Eventually, he passes out, and I release the spell. He's got no more than half an hour before the snake's venom takes its toll. I lift the silencing spell, and sit down in the seat Miller had been occupying before I'd interrupted. I'm famished.
Miller regains consciousness at about the same time I finish eating his lunch. He starts screaming starts as soon as he wakes. The poison is taking effect. I stand over his convulsing body as he slowly dies. This is what he deserves. A slow, painful death.
It takes about fifteen minutes for his screams to end. And the whole time, I stand beside him, watching. I wonder where the Aurors or the muggle police are. Someone must have heard him.
"Freeze! Drop the wand and keep your hands where I can see them." Ah, the Aurors have finally decided to show up.
I do as told. The Aurors take me to Azkaban and lock me in a holding cell. I'm not sure how long I wait before my lawyer arrives.
"Hello again, Mr. Malfoy."
"Clearwater, what are you doing here."
"Representing you, of course." I'm shocked. I threatened her at wand point, and she wants to defend me?
"Why?"
She studies me for a moment. "Draco, I know you wouldn't have actually killed me. You were desperate. I knew you would have found a way to get that address, even if it meant hurting a few people. It was best for me just to give it to you." She leans closer to me and whispers, "And between you and me, I think that son-of-a-bitch deserved what you gave him." She smiles.
"I'm not really sure what I can do at this point. You were found at the scene of the crime, again. They did Prior Incantato on your wand, and it was shown that you had performed the Cruciatus Curse last. They-"
"Get me the Dementor's Kiss." She looks stunned.
"What?"
"You heard me. I want the Kiss."
"But why?"
"I cannot stand the thought of spending any more time being stuck in here, being forced to dwell on my very worst memories. Even outside of the dementors' influence, all I can think about is her. And it hurts. I just don't want to care anymore."
"But Draco, it's the Kiss! We're talking about you losing your soul here!"
"I know. That's what I want."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Being my lawyer, Clearwater has to comply.
"Fine. I'll see what I can do."
.
It's been two weeks since I killed Chase Miller, aka Chase Romain. I had my trial and my sentencing about a week ago. Now I am in a moderately large stone room deep within Azkaban. Countless people today turned up to watch today's spectacle. I see a teary-eyed Penelope Clearwater sitting next to a beautiful blond woman- I think that's her girlfriend. Harry and Ginny Potter also turned up to watch. Neither looks particularly excited. Blaise Zabini is here, too. I never did get the chance to ask him about his visiting me in prison.
The rest of the audience looks thrilled to finally see the infamous Draco Malfoy receive the Dementor's Kiss. Ron Weasley is one of them. He actually has a front row seat. Several members of the Wizengamot came to see the show. Reporters have their quills ready, cameramen have their cameras prepared. The room is buzzing in anticipation.
Finally, I am strapped to an iron chair, and a dementor is brought in. I can feel the despair washing over me. It glides toward me. I can hear its raspy breaths. It's in front of me now. The stench of death on its breath is overpowering. It leans in, lowering its hood. The hole where its mouth would be is open wide. It clamps over my lips...
.
.
.
How could this happen?
Am I dreaming again?
Her body's not moving I'm assuming she's dead
This isn't a fucking game
There's somebody's love at stake
She's covered in bruises
But the truth is that I never committed the crime
Cause I, I could never hurt a fly
Then how'd she lose her life?
The denial
What you've implied has BURNED and stripped
The whites of my eyes
Then what went on that night
"Listen closely as I tell you I'm not who I seem.
I'm gonna touch you cause I like it when you scream
I want to watch you when you're sleeping and thinking of me"
And that's what he told her when he killed her
That son of a bitch took away my girl
He's gonna pay for it right now.
Cause you might think you're in love,
And he might promise you the world
Don't believe what he says,
He's not real, this is it.
Prepare for the day I find you
(This is your last chance)
I'll be out in six months with his address and a shotgun
And a promise for justice that night, (all right)
I'll be standing at the crime
So they can throw me back in prison for my life
If it would bring you back to me
Last night I dreamed we had a future and you were alive
It was springtime on our wedding day
There were birds in the sky
The sun was glowing it was beautiful and everyone was there
I still can't believe that your gone I'm so lost
I'm sorry, sorry don't go
Oh please god no
Cause you might think you're in love
And he might promise you the world
Don't believe what he says
He's not real, this is it
It's murder and this is it
C'mon c'mon
I think that I've had enough
He says, "Your too late
I've got a hole to dig
And you think that I've over-reacted
She was just so cute
I couldn't resist cause I'm a sucker for promiscuous action.
Cause you might think you're in love
And he might promise you the world
Don't believe what he says
He's not real he's a murderer
Cause I've been lying awake
From this nightmare and I feel betrayed
I gave my life
But you'd took it away
Am I Dead?
Or am I Still Breathing?
Cause you've stolen the one that I like
So you'll be sleeping with the fishes tonight, sleeping with the fishes tonight.
Now listen:
"I'm not religious but I've learned to pray (for her)
I'm not a violent man but people can change
So when you're sleeping
I'll slit your throat and drain your blood
And mail it to your mother
So she'll discover what a mess you become"
I think she might like that...
Cause I fucking do!
Cause you might think you're in love
And he might promise you the world
Don't believe what he says,
He's not real
He's a murderer
And you'll be lying awake
From this nightmare, feel betrayed
I GAVE MY LIFE
And you took it away
(There's not a day that goes by)
But you took it away x3