*Hello lovely readers! The next chapter is finally here! I wrote it when I should've been sleeping instead so I hope you enjoy it. :) This one was inspire from yet another song which some of you may be familiar with but who knows. It's from "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park. You'll see it more toward the end. Again, I hope you enjoy it and I'll do my best to write another chapter soon. ~Lily's Fireflies*
The light of the morning sun shined down on Draco and Hermione who had somehow fallen asleep in each other's arms. Neither stirred as an owl began knocking on the window of Draco's bedroom, eager to deliver a message. Finally giving up its attempt to alert the Draco and Hermione, the owl flew away. Several hours passed and the owl returned once again tapping on the window. This time, it was Draco who woke.
*tap, tap, tap*
Draco sighed and was about to get up when he realized he was still being held. He briefly smiled, then did his best to move without waking Hermione. When he was on his feet, Draco heard Hermione exhale and he worried that he woke her. To his relief, she just turned over and once again she was motionless aside from her light breathing.
*tap, tap, tap*
"Oy, I coming, I'm coming…" muttered Draco under his breath.
Draco opened the window and saw a tiny piece of parchment tied to the owl's leg. He quickly untied the parchment and gave the owl a Galleon. The owl flew off as Draco shut the window and opened the letter. It was from Ginny. She was writing to Hermione, but it only said one thing: "We need to talk about your situation, Hermione. ~Ginny"
Draco quickly put the letter back to its original form and sat it on the kitchen counter. He wondered what situation Ginny could possibly be talking about. It was none of his business, but Draco had a hunch it was about him. He chose to ignore his concerns for the time being, however, and sat on the floor next to the couch. Hermione was still sleeping peacefully and Draco was not about to disturb her over a letter.
Quietly, he watched Hermione sleep. Draco never really noticed just how beautiful she was. Sure he thought she was attractive, but when she is asleep and looks so innocent her beauty reaches beyond his expectations. Beyond that, Hermione was the only woman to ever see Draco for who he really was. He hated opening up to people, but Hermione was different. He felt like he could tell her anything and she would still be there for him. Draco felt like the luckiest guy alive to have Hermione in his life and for a split second, he truly felt like Hermione was the only woman he needed. No one else could make him feel wanted. No one else could fix him. Draco began to wish that Hermione would be his forever. He was so far into his day dream that he was oblivious to Hermione waking up.
"Well hello there, mister creepy," said Hermione with a smile on her face.
Draco was startled, and then realized he had been staring at Hermione the entire time. His face turned red with embarrassment.
Hermione laughed at Draco's embarrassment, but not because she was making fun of him. She thought it was cute. "So you were watching me sleep? Some people might say that's a little weird, don't you think. Never mind though! How did you sleep, Draco? Feeling better?"
Draco attempted to regain his composure and forced words out of his mouth, "Never been better."
They continued to smile at each other awkwardly until Hermione noticed the letter sitting on the counter.
"Is that for me?" Hermione asked.
Draco nodded.
Hermione rushed over to the counter and opened the letter. She sighed when she read it and looked up at Draco.
"I'm sorry, love, I've got to meet Ginny for lunch. I almost forgot. So I'll come back later! I promise," Hermione said as she rushed for the door. She never fixed her hair, but she figured she would do it on the way. Draco looked a little sad, but forced a smile anyway. After that, she was gone.
On her way out, Hermione conjured a patronus to tell Ginny where to meet her. Although it had been years since either of them was in Hogsmeade, Hermione believed the Three Broomsticks would be the perfect meeting place. Not only would it bring back many fond memories, it was always the best meeting place for gossip.
As expected, Ginny was already sitting in a booth with a fresh glass of Butterbeer when Hermione arrived. Hermione joined Ginny in the booth but before she could say anything, Ginny cried out, "Oh my God! Hermione what is going on with you? You have to tell me everything!"
Trying to act innocent, Hermione responded, "I don't know what you're talking about Gin… What is there to tell?"
"Oh like Hell there is nothing to tell! You know bloody well what I'm talking about, 'Mione! Harry tells me stuff too, you know. So does Ron. They've been saying you've changed. That you left Ron and now you're spending all of your time with Draco. Tell me all the details! Is he good in bed?" asked Ginny almost too excitedly.
"What? No! Why would you even go there? You obviously have it all wrong!" shouted Hermione. She was shocked that Ginny would even suggest such a thing.
Ginny smiled and said, "Oh, I don't think I do. You may not be sleeping together, but I know there's something going on that you've been keeping to yourself. So, spill."
Hermione sat there quietly as she thought about the past few months. If anything was certain it was the fact that Draco and Hermione had indeed become much closer than anyone could have expected. Their relationship was growing intimate and they were sharing things that no one else knew about them with each other. The situation was an interesting one at the very least. There was no way Hermione was going to get out of this one and both she and Ginny knew this. Finally, Hermione was ready to talk.
"Okay, Gin, you're right. Things have gotten a little bit… weird between Draco and me. I don't know if I'd say we're intimate in a romantic way or not, but there is definitely something there. He's just… so different! I never imagined what it must be like to have his life. There is just so much to him that people seem to ignore and it's just so sad. I think he just needs someone to show they care," said Hermione.
Ginny replied, "Well that's all fair enough, but do you think… do you think something could develop between the two of you? I promise not to tell, 'Mione! I just want to know."
Hermione thought for a moment and then gave Ginny a simple but honest answer, "I don't know."
Draco was still waiting at home for Hermione to come back and he slowly grew impatient. He wanted to know what it was Ginny and Hermione was talking about, but waiting around was boring. After awhile he decided to take a nap to pass the time.
His dreams were different this time. Instead of dreaming of the massacre of witches and wizards everywhere, the slaughter of his friends, and the torture of his body, he dreamt was some might call a sweet relief of a dream. For him, however, it was far from a relief; it was the more torturous dream he had ever had. In this dream, Draco was alone.
Trapped in darkness with no way of escaping, Draco cried out. He yearned for someone to find him, to save him. He needed someone, anyone, to help him but no one cared. He was simply ignored. Some people noticed him in the shadows, but all they did was sneer and kept walking. Why would anyone want to help a pitiful person like himself? They all knew what he had done. They didn't need any more proof and believed that he deserved anything he got. The walls began caving in around him and pain seared through his body. Every muscle and every bone felt like they were being torn apart. He didn't know how much more he could take. He was just about to break when suddenly he heard a voice in the distance.
"Somebody help me! Somebody, please! You've got to help!"
The voice sounded familiar to Draco. Somehow, despite the scared and panicked tone to the voice, it was comforting. The pain in his body left as he was soothed and healed by the voice. The voice then cried out again.
"I can't find Draco! Has anyone seen him? Sir, please, if you could just help me find him… I'm so scared that something terrible has happened to him…"
How odd. The voice was crying out for him. That's when he realized who the owner of the voice was. It was Hermione's. She was beginning to sob. He wanted so greatly to reach out and comfort her, but he was stuck. It would be impossible to shout out to her and tell her he was there the whole time. There was something else, however, that concerned him more. Why was no one helping her? Why did it seem that no one else cared? Hermione was one of the most beloved witches out there yet no one was helping her. That's when he realized it. No one was helping her because she was looking for him and all he could do was sit and stare at her. This time, the walls were crumbling around her instead of him and for the rest of the dream he heard her screams and cries as he sat there feeling lonelier and more helpless than he had ever felt in his life.
When Hermione got back to Draco's apartment, soft sobs could be heard coming from his bedroom. Worried, she went to check on Draco only to find that he was sleeping. She figured he was probably just having another one of his nightmares, but something about his behavior now seemed different than his usual nightmare behaviors. As Draco continued to sob, Hermione thought it best to carefully wake him up.
Hermione gently caressed Draco's face and whispered carefully into his ear, "Draco… Draco, it is okay. Just wake up and everything will be alright. Draco…"
Draco's sobs began to subside as he regained consciousness. Although he was finally awake, the nightmare still felt real and he was uncertain as to whether or not Hermione was actually there. Hermione continued to caress his face as to comfort him and within a short time he convinced himself that he was no longer dreaming.
"I told you everything would be okay, Draco," said Hermione, softly.
Draco exhaled, "Yes… it's much better now. It had the worst dream, 'Mione."
"Was it not like your others? What happened?" Hermione asked.
Draco tried to recall the dream the best he could. Some details were hazy, but he still remembered the general idea. He looked up into Hermione's eyes and said, "I had this dream… this nightmare really… that I had gone missing. It wasn't like I was kidnapped or anything… I was just gone. I was surrounded in darkness and had no way out. No one knew where I was and no one could help me. Then you were there suddenly. You were scared… so very scared. You cried out for help because you wanted to find me. You were afraid for me… but no one listened to you… no one cared that I was missing."
"Oh, Draco, you poor thing! I'm so sorry. It was just a dream though. Nothing more," Hermione said attempting to comfort Draco.
Draco sighed and shook his head, "There's more though Hermione… when you woke me… I woke with this thought; a fear more so than anything. When I'm done here… when my life ends… what am I leaving? You have all the memories of fighting in the Great War and being part of the Golden Trio. People adore you, Harry, and Ron. All I've got are people remember the terrible things I've done. They have no reason to miss me… no reason to care."
"That's not true! Draco, plenty of people care about you," Hermione replied.
Draco shook his head again, "No. They really don't. The only person who seems to ever care anymore is you. Believe me, it makes me happy that you care, but I need to ask for one thing from you."
Concerned, Hermione asked, "What's that?"
"When my time comes…. When it's my turn to die or leave everything behind… forget all the wrong I've done. Help me, Hermione… help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. You've done so much for me, 'Mione and I really don't want to be that same boy I was back at Hogwarts. I want people to forgive my past sins and have reasons to miss me. Please though… don't resent me if you're ever feeling empty. I promise to do everything I can for you. I will always be there for you even if I can't physically be there… just keep me in your memory and leave out all the rest."
"Draco… I'll always be here for you. I promise that people will see you for who you are… they just need time. I'm just afraid that one day someone might say something that puts you over the edge," admitted Hermione.
Draco gave a slight smile and said, "Don't be. Don't be afraid because there is no reason to be. I've taken my beatings. I mean sure… I'm strong on the surface. That's why everyone thinks I don't care. That's what I want them to think, but I'm not strong all the way through. Deep down I'm terrified. I've never been perfect, but neither have you. Which, really, is what inspires me to keep going. Having you here with me every day is my drive through each day. I can't be who you are, but you can always help me become a better me."
Hermione was speechless. She could feel her cheeks flush as Draco continued to stare deeply into her brown eyes. This feeling was unusual to her. Her heart was beating faster than the wings of a butterfly and she wanted to run away from it. The only problem was, the person she would want to run away to was already here.
Before Hermione could register what was happening, Draco pulled her down for the sweetest, most gentle kiss she ever had and for that moment all of time froze and the only people left in the world were them.