A/N: This is another attempt at a Dark/Angst. Hope you like it!


You don’t remember me, but I remember you…

I walked down the hall, very well aware that the prisoners of Azkaban were watching my every move. They trusted no one, not even their own kind. There were many people who had been sent to Azkaban after the War. Even innocent people. I hated Azkaban, and all those who had anything to do with sending people there. So what was I doing there? I asked myself.

The guard who had led me this far into the prison suddenly stopped. I tore my eyes away from the cells and looked ahead to see a black door. He pulled out a ring of keys from his pocket. He fumbled for the right one. It took him a minute or two. He pulled out a key each time, tried the lock, and when the doorknob wouldn’t twist, he pulled out a different one. You could tell that not many people visited this section.

He finally found the right key and opened the door. The hall was dimly lit, and a few lights flickered on and off. The walls were pure white, as well as the floor. I followed the man, careful not to look at these cells. I was afraid of what I might see. Can you really blame me? For these cells were people who had received the Kiss. They were empty shells; forgotten by families, abandoned here to rot. The victims were kept in individual cells, for whatever reason. There was a little window at each door, to look into from the outside.

The cells were numbered. One…two…three… I lost count after ten. There were just so many of them! The guard stopped at the door. He turned to the side, as if to give me a clear path to the door. I stood on my tiptoes, looking through the window. I identified him and turned to the guard. “That’s him.”

He just looked at me. Like he was expecting me to turn around and walk out. “May I go in?” I prompted him.

He paused to look at me, as if I had three heads. I raised an eyebrow. He turned around and pulled out another key. He inserted it into the door and turned it. He twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

I walked past him briskly. I shut the door behind me, ensuring my privacy. It took me a minute to find his body. Then I saw it. His knees were drawn to his chest, and his chin was tucked into his chest as well. His blond hair had grown quite long and it covered the top of his head. “Draco?” I asked.

No reply. Then I remembered that he wouldn’t respond to a name. After all, he had no soul.

I squatted down and touched his wrist. It was so cold. I could remember when they weren’t cold at all.

--------------------

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed.

I knew that he wouldn’t comply. He made another motion to touch my arm.

I had just been marched through the snow by Death Eaters, and I wasn’t about to let one of them touch me in any way shape or form.

“You have frostbite, Granger, in case you didn’t notice,” he spat back.

I looked down; I hadn’t noticed. Sure enough, there were the black and blue marks on my elbow. I knew the perfect spell to heal it. Except-

“You don’t have a wand,” Malfoy eloquently stated.

“Trust you to state the obvious, Malfoy,” I replied, still inspecting my arm. It was numb as it could be.

He made another motion to touch my arm. He stopped two inches from my hand and locked eyes with me, as if to ask my permission. I nodded and he took my arm in his hand. I gasped; his hand was so warm. He put it on my wound, and almost instantly the feeling started to creep back into my arm.
He pulled out his wand and uttered the spell. The black circle on my arm started to shrink in size.

I looked at him, curious. He saw me looking at him.

“What?”

“Why do you care so much?”

“Well, I have to make sure you stay alive, Granger. I can’t just have you dying. What use would you be to the Dark Lord if you did?”

I looked down, feeling foolish. I looked up. For a minute, there, I thought he was actually turning into a decent human being.

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That memory stuck out among all the others. It was then that I realized that I might have feelings for him. I think I saw something in him that could be saved. So despite being with Ron - Oh Merlin, poor Ron - I still tried. Somewhere along the way, my heart got tangled up in the mess.

That look was familiar to me. I remember when I tried to convince him to join the Order. I told him that he would be well protected.
--------------------

“Yeah, right. Your friends would sure help me.” He said to me.

There was probably a grain of truth to that statement. “I could convince them,” I told him.

Malfoy scoffed. “I’m not sure that even you could accomplish that, Granger.”

There was a long moment of silence. We avoided each other’s eyes.

Finally I decided to say something. “We’re winning,” I started, referring to the Order. “If you don’t come to the right side, now, while you still can, you’ll end up in Azkaban for the rest of your life.”

It was the truth, and we both knew it. “I can’t,” he said, as he looked up at me.

I stood up. “And why the hell not?” Maybe me saying the curse would save him from the real thing. I was so angry, so frustrated with his stubbornness that even I could manage to say "hell."

“The Order could give you protection beyond imagination, Malfoy.”

“That’s what Dumbledore said,” he replied.

I could see the wheels turning in his head. Had I convinced him? Then, he looked me in the eye. “I can’t.”

I pleaded with my eyes, even dared to reach out a hand and touch him. “No,” he said firmly.

I looked down. “Draco, I lo-"

“No!” he yelled. “If anyone finds out about what has happened, here, between us...no, Hermione. This isn't right. I know you want me to be there for you, and Merlin knows that I..."

He reached out a hand and touched my cheek, tracing it gently, lips parted slightly. I shut my eyes tightly, relishing the gesture.

Who would have ever guessed that a prisoner could gain such insight into her keeper? Draco had revealed more of himself to me than he should - tears brushed off his cheeks with trembling fingers.

Who would have thought a prisoner would trust her keeper so much? I had given him more than I should - desperate kisses, hands in scattered places.

Now...I wanted him to come with me back home - where we both belonged.

"Please, Draco..." My voice cracked, and I looked down in shame.

Draco growled, his voice ragged. "No, Hermione. What I'm doing is enough. If anyone finds out about what has happened between you and me, both of us will be killed, and that’s a fact. So do yourself a favor, Granger, and shut up.”

"What you're doing?"

He sighed, running a hand over his eyes. "You're a liability, Hermione - you know too much about me for your own good." He glanced around once. "They're coming for you...and I'm letting them."

I fought a smile. I can't just leave him here. But Harry and Ron were coming. If I couldn’t convince him now, it would be too late.
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He raised his head to look at me. His eyes, once a blue-grey color, were now grey and lifeless. His pupils were bottomless pits; empty and cold. They had lost their light.

“Are you in there?” I asked. I knew there was going to be no answer. Tears started to well up in my eyes.

“Do you remember me?” I said with a cracked voice. A tear slid down my cheek.

There was no facial expression on his face. Just a blank stare, the kind people got when they start to daydream. He wouldn’t recognize anyone ever again.

Why can't you feel me calling your name?

I tucked a piece of frizzy hair behind one ear. I looked to one side, to be sure that no one was watching.

“I didn’t get to say goodbye,” I whispered to him. “I’m sorry.”

I touched his bony face. His skin was still perfect; still so pale. His hair still as blond. I felt another hot tear fall into my lap. “I really am sorry.” I was sorry for everything. Sorry for him, sorry for not stopping the Dementor from doing it, sorry that I couldn’t convince him to come to the right side.

I wondered that if I had convinced him to do the right thing, if he would still be here. Would he have been sitting with me right then, having a cup of tea?

I did one thing I never thought I would do. I put my lips to his. Though I should have not felt anything from it, I did. It was…it was a spurt of warmth in the endless cold. I had never been filled with as much relief. But there was something wrong. He couldn’t feel; he was an empty shell.

I pulled away, realizing this. I stared at him, trying to find a sign of him in his eyes. After all, eyes are what define a person. I knew that it was hopeless. No one was there. I stroked his hand, knowing that this was to be the last time I saw him.

I got up and turned away. I touched the doorknob, and turned to look back at him once more. I did a double take. For a moment, I was sure that there was some color in his eyes again. I looked back again. Nothing. I sighed and turned away, knowing that it could never have happened. I turned to the steel door and opened it.

Goodbye, Draco Malfoy.


A/N: This was an exam for DADA First years class. Lyrics courtesy of Evanescence. The first set was from ‘Taking Over Me’, the second was from ‘Your Star’. Thanks for reading!