Chapter 4

Draco whispered," she can't die". His mind snapped and he asked, "what happened to her?"

Luna dried her eyes and replied," she came home early and found Ron cheating on her. Then when I met her she was totally drunk and was talking nonsense about not being able to live without Ron. Before I could calm her, she disapparated."

Draco looked furious but said in a calm voice," that bastard! We need to find her and fast"

The other two had a determined look on their faces and Luna asked," but where? There are hundreds of places where she could be."Blaise still had one protective arm around Luna's waist and was giving Draco a confused look.

Draco replied," well think of a place where a drunk and extremely sad Hermione granger would go. There can't be many places. I say we split up to find her and whoever finds her will send their patronus to the other two.

Blaise seemed hesitant in letting Luna go on her own but she gave him a stern look and said," don't even think about it Blaise. She is one of my best friends; I am going to look for her and that is final. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She gave him a reassuring smile and Blaise knew he had lost the battle, no one could change Luna's mind if she decided something.

Blaise sighed in defeat and asked," So where should we go first?"

Luna said," I'll check the graveyard where her parents are buried, you go and see if she has gone to her parents house and Draco you can…".

Before she could finish Draco said," I know a place where she could be. I am not sure but it's worth a try. All three nodded towards each other and disapparated in search of Hermione.

/slash scene/

Even in her drunken state Hermione wondered how she had apparated without getting splinched. Maybe it was due to the fact that as soon as she thought about killing herself, her destination was clear. If she was going to die, it would be here.

After the war had been won, a weight had been lifted from Hermione's shoulders but she still couldn't find a moment of peace. Everywhere she went people surrounded her for autographs and photos. She had needed a place where she could think without being interrupted, so she had taken her car and had taken off on a long drive. After many hours she had come across a beach that had a huge cliff near it, the place had been beautiful as well as peaceful; from then on it had been her secret hide out, Not even harry, Ron or even ginny knew about it.

She had apparated on the beach and in her drunken state even the beauty of the evening sky combining with the waves of the ocean made her cry. Such beauty made her realize what she had lost and could never have again. She looked at the cliff and wondered how painful it would be to fall from such height. She gave a sarcastic laugh and then mumbled," definitely not more than what I already feel". She stared at the cliff for some time and then apparated on top of it.

Had she not been so out of her mind with grief, she would have seen the beauty from the top of that cliff. Cold wind blew and the waves in the ocean crashed loudly; Hermione found it ironic that how the weather was changing according to her mood. A sort of Darkness had crept inside her soul that made her feel as if there was no light in this world. She stood at the edge of the cliff and for the last time replayed all the happy moments of her life,' the time when she had won her first spelling bee competition, her mother teaching her how to bake, the day she got her Hogwarts letter, first trip to diagon alley and her parents reaction, spending Christmas with her mom and dad, the Yule ball in fourth year, watching voldemort die, her first kiss with Ron, the day she moved in with Ron, harry and ginny's wedding' …..

She tried to block her mind from the memories that were bound to cause her pain but they flooded her mind,' Ron having sex with the blonde, Ron blaming her for his inability to keep his pants on, Ron's hateful words,' you are so selfish…you are the reason I cheated'. She couldn't bear the pain she felt on remembering his words, and she knew she couldn't live. The memories made it difficult for her to even breathe. She took a deep breath, maybe her last, and jumped, leaving a life full of pain and despair…

/slash scene/

Draco remembered the place clearly, how could he not; it had been one of the most serene places he had ever seen. As soon as the war was over Draco had felt years of burden evaporate. He had been terrified for his and his mother's life but they had survived; he had lost his father, in fact he had himself killed the man, for reasons he never told a soul. Lucius Malfoy had once loved his family but his loyalty was with his lord; in the event where he had to make a choice between family and his loyalty to voldemort, he had chosen his loyalty. That had been the end of Draco's relationship with the man who was his father.

So after the war, Draco had felt like a free bird; he used to take his broomstick and fly endlessly. On one such occasion, when he had been flying, he had come across an area which had seemed deserted but beautiful. Draco had felt a sudden urge to get a closer look and he had landed from his broom in a place which seemed like heaven to him. He started walking on the beach and taking in all the beauty around him when he saw someone lying on the beach. It was a girl wearing a blue sundress, but he couldn't see her face. Before the person could see him, he ducked behind a rock and kept his eyes on the girl who was now singing softly.

He suddenly focused on her hair that had fallen from a bun, he could recognize that hair anywhere, "Hermione granger " he had murmured.

He had watched her for 2 hours as she sang, danced and played. She had looked so different with her guard down, so serene, and so beautiful. He had berated his mind for thinking of her as beautiful, but in his heart he had known she was very beautiful, from the inside as well as outside.

After what had seemed like a short while she had packed her things and apparated. That was the last time he had seen her. He had never forgotten that day and had often thought about her. And now, on his first day back home he had heard that she was committing suicide.

He wanted to strangle that bastard Ron Weasley. How could anyone hurt such a sweet girl. Even he had seen her love for that ass, he always knew Weasley didn't deserve her. Was Weasley blind? Hermione was what most people desired in their partner; a caring, intelligent and beautiful girl who loved them. Weasley was a bigger idiot than he had previously assumed.

He quickly apparated to the same beach where 3 years ago he had last seen Hermione. He had gotten a strong feeling that she would come here. Without even giving the beautiful scenery a glance he started looking for her. Thank god he had worn a jacket, the day had turned out to be windy and cold. He looked in every direction but couldn't find her; he was about to leave when a figure on the edge of the cliff caught his attention. On taking a better look he recognized the figure to be Hermione. Before he could even utter a word, Hermione jumped off the cliff right into the stormy cold ocean.

Dread filled Draco's heart at what he had just witnessed; he went numb for a few seconds. When he regained his senses he ran right into the ocean to save her. As soon as he entered the water, it felt like a thousand needles were piercing him, the water was freezing cold. He used all his strength to reach the area where Hermione had fallen. As he got closer he saw a scarf floating, he strengthened his strokes and went underwater. He saw Hermione getting deeper in the ocean and dived to save her; he caught her arm and pulled with full force, as soon as her body came above the water level Draco swam her to the shore.

Her body felt cold and she was not breathing. Luckily Draco had learnt some muggle methods of first aid. He started pressing the area of her lungs forcefully and shouted," come on granger, come on; breathe". The more force he applied, the more water came out of Hermione's lungs. Draco kept up this procedure till no water was left in her lungs, but still she was not breathing.

Draco hesitated for only a second then pressed his lips to Hermione's in an attempt to give mouth to mouth respiration. He kept on trying but to no avail.

He had almost lost hope when suddenly she coughed and then took a huge gulp of air. She opened her eyes, looked at Draco as if she was dreaming and whispered in a barely audible voice, "Draco?" and then she fainted.

A/n: I was very nervous about writing this chapter; it was the real start of Dramione

Also if anyone thinks that I need a beta, please suggest someone who works fast as I wish to update daily.

Although it's a Dramione story, I will keep giving snippets of the life of other characters also (like Blaise and luna)

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I appreciate your support so please keep reviewing…

lots of luv

Ash