“Run!”
“No!”
“Hermione, run!”
Hermione looked at his bruised and bleeding face.
“Come with me,” she pleaded.
He shook his head. “I can’t, you have to go back. You won’t be safe...It has to be this way.” He pushed her in the direction he intended for her to go. Fighting could be heard echoing throughout the castle. “They’re almost here, go back.”
Hermione started down the hall. She turned back momentarily to look at him, but he had already vanished up the astronomy tower stairs.
*~*~
“Potter!” Draco ran over to where Harry was standing, trying to hold up an obviously weakened Dumbledore.
“We found it, the Horcrux, but Dumbledore had to drink this potion. It’s done something to him, we have to get him help.”
“The Death Eaters are almost here! This isn’t the way things were supposed to go.” Draco ran his hand through his hair.
“If everyone would calm down, I will tell you what we need to do,” Dumbledore said, in a frighteningly feeble voice.
“Professor, we will get you help,” Harry began, but was interrupted.
“No,” Dumbledore said. “There are things that the two of you do not know, things that cannot be changed. Harry, I need you and Draco to hide under your-”
“Professor, we will find some help,” Draco said.
Dumbledore smiled weakly. “Draco, when this is over, you need to go with Professor Snape, he will be able to help you.”
“But Professor, what are you talking about?” Harry was more than a little nervous with the way this conversation was heading.
“There is not time to explain, I am sorry,” Dumbledore paused, clutching at his chest. “Harry, I need you to hide with Draco under your invisibility cloaks.”
Harry and Draco exchanged looks.
“Cloaks? Professor, I don’t have one,” Draco said.
“Why?” Harry asked at the same time.
“I need you to go stand in that corner, under the invisibility cloak, Draco, here,” Dumbledore reached into his robes and produced a silvery fluid like material. “And no matter what happens, you must give me your word that you will not take off the cloak.”
“Professor, I-”
A loud bang issued from the castle; the fighting was getting ever closer to the astronomy tower.
“Harry, we are out of time, give me your word.”
Harry hesitated; he had already been asked once to give Dumbledore his word that he would follow through with making him drink that potion, and he didn’t like where that had landed them.
“You have my word, Professor,” Harry said with a grimace.
Dumbledore looked to Draco, silently asking him to make the same promise.
“I won’t remove the cloak,” Draco said.
“Good, now go,” Dumbledore said, while taking out his wand.
Voices could now be heard near the bottom of the astronomy tower stairs. Both Harry and Draco ran to the corner as instructed and threw on their invisibility cloaks. Almost immediately they felt themselves enclosed on all sides, as if some invisible box had formed around them.
“What is this?” Draco asked, feeling the invisible smooth walls around them.
“I don’t know, but I can’t hear anything outside anymore.”
Suddenly, the door to the astronomy tower burst open, and Snape walked through. They saw him look right through them and then around and down to Dumbledore. Snape leaned down to inspect Dumbledore.
Without warning Snape snapped up, wand out, just as a group of Death Eaters burst through the door to join them.
“No!” Harry and Draco shouted, but their voices fell strangely flat, and the others on the astronomy tower didn’t seem to hear them.
*~*
“Where is the Malfoy boy, Severus? The Dark Lord wants us to deal with him as well,” Fenrir Greyback said, with a wolf like growl.
“Draco is gone, I have searched for him but I believe he has escaped with a member of the Order of the Phoenix,” Snape answered curtly.
Greyback’s eyes gleamed wickedly as he stared at Dumbledore sitting propped against the tower wall.
“Well then, lets finish it,” he growled, the other Death Eaters adding their own votes to complete the deed.
“Forgive my interruption,” Dumbledore said. “But it is getting rather late, and I do have several important things to tend to, so if you don’t mind…” Dumbledore’s voice trailed off as he again clutched as his chest.
A howl of a laugh escaped Greyback. “Dumbledore, do you actually think you are going to live?” Greyback looked to Snape. “The Dark Lord gave us orders. You are to do it. But you better be quick, I am becoming impatient.”
Snape looked down at Dumbledore’s helpless body. The wand he had taken from him felt heavy in the pocket of his robes.
“Severus…please,” Dumbledore said, his voice weaker than it had been the whole night.
Snape felt as though he was going to vomit. He heard the sounds of the Order down below, desperately trying to get through the barrier that he had placed on the stairs. He heard Greyback’s low growl. He heard the wind and felt his black hair being whipped in front of his eyes. And he felt the eyes of Harry and Draco boring into his back.
Then there was silence. Nothing. He no longer heard the sounds around him. No wind, no voices, no fighting.
Snape slowly raised his wand arm, his face pale and drawn.
“Avada Kadavra!”
There was a blinding flash of green light, and Dumbledore was thrown up into the air, and fell limp over the edge of the astronomy tower wall.
*~*
Both Harry and Draco watching from the corner could not bring themselves to move. They hadn’t heard a word of what was said, but when they saw the flash of green light, they knew that it could only be one thing.
Neither of them realized that the invisible box that had been holding them had suddenly vanished as the Killing Curse had done its deed. Neither of them noticed that sound had returned.
“Lets go, it is finished,” Snape said, and he led the way through the door, and down the stairs.
When the door closed behind them Harry snapped out of his shock. He pulled off his cloak and ran to the door.
“Traitor!” he yelled. “We have to go after him! He…he…” Harry couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
“No,” came Draco’s voice, as he pulled off his newly acquired invisibility cloak.
“What!” Harry exclaimed, turning to face him, anger flaring in his green eyes.
“No, he’s not a traitor, he had to do it.”
“What?”
Draco took a deep breath and swallowed. Although he had known what had just happened was what Dumbledore had planned, he couldn’t shake the sick feeling that had washed over him as he watched Snape kill Dumbledore.
“Dumbledore knew that this was how it would play out. He…he instructed Snape to kill him…if it proved necessary.”
“No!” Harry yelled, drawing his wand. “You’re lying!”
“I’m not!” Draco yelled, also drawing his wand.
They both stood there, facing each other, neither one moving, neither one blinking.
Tears rimming his eyes, Harry slowly began to lower his wand.
“We…we have to go. We have to get to him.”
Before Draco could stop him, Harry was running down the Astronomy Tower stairs.
*~*~*~*~
The whole of Hogwarts felt empty and cold. The students walked quietly to the Great Hall, where they had been told Professor McGonagall was going to be making an announcement.
Harry, Draco, Hermione, and Ron all sat together at the Gryffindor table, waiting for McGonagall to announce what they already knew, what most of the school already knew but wouldn’t accept until someone like McGonagall admitted it.
Professor McGonagall held up her hand to silence the few whispers that had broken out in the hall.
“Students,” she began. “As all of you are aware, Voldemort has returned, and his Death Eaters invaded the castle four days ago.”
The whispers inevitably began to spread again, but they quieted down when they saw the pained look on Professor McGonagall’s face.
“And,” she began again, this time a slight tremble evident in her voice. “As many of you have heard, our headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, has died.”
The hall was quiet for a very long time. Several students wiped tears from their eyes, while others (mostly Slytherins) merely rolled their eyes.
“There will be a funeral later this afternoon,” Professor McGonagall went on. “I want you all to wear your dress robes. It was Professor Dumbledore’s wish to be buried at Hogwarts.”
With that Professor McGonagall left the Great Hall. The whispers started again.
“Come on,” Harry said, and he got up and left, Hermione, Ron and Draco trailing after him.
“Where are we going?” Hermione asked.
“You all are going to get ready,” Harry said, looking down at his hands. “I need to find Ginny. I’ll just be a minute.”
Hermione frowned and put a hand on Harry’s shoulder. He smiled a weak smile at her and then turned around to look for Ginny.
Hermione, Ron and Draco continued on to Gryffindor Tower; Harry had convinced Draco to stay in Gryffindor Tower feeling that it wouldn’t be safe for him to go back to the Slytherin common room after openly defying Voldemort.
“Hermione, can I talk to you for a minute?” Draco said, grabbing hold of her arm gently after they had entered the common room.
“Sure,” she said and looked at Ron.
“Right,” Ron said. “I’ll just be upstairs getting ready.”
Hermione turned back around to face Draco.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I can’t go to the Burrow with the rest of you.”
“What? Why not? It’s all planned. No one minds, and it’s the safest place for-”
“No,” Draco said, shaking his head. “I am going into hiding with Snape. It was arranged with Dumbledore before…”
Hermione just stared at him.
“I…I don’t understand. I thought Snape was going to pretend to be on Voldemort’s side?”
“No, he went into hiding almost immediately after leaving the castle that night.”
Hermione looked around the empty common room. “But, I don’t see why you have to go into hiding. What’s the difference?”
“The difference,” Draco said, putting his hands lightly on Hermione’s shoulder. “Is that I won’t be attracting even more danger towards you guys than there already is. The Dark Lord wants me dead, even more so than Harry, he doesn’t forgive traitors.”
A tear began to trail its way down Hermione’s face.
“But…what about me?”
Draco grimaced, but was resolved to go through with it.
“Hermione, I was right before. You deserve better than me, we can’t work.”
“But, we haven’t even tried,” Hermione protested, another tear rolling down her cheek.
“Hermione, we both are going to have to be watching our backs as it is, and…and I won’t be of any use to anyone if I am constantly worried about you…I can’t do this.”
Hermione stared into his blue eyes for a few long minutes. She knew he was right, but she was scared and wanted to keep the people she cared about close.
After a few moments, she reached up and wiped the tears from her face and nodded.
“Ok,” she said.
“Have you used the potion?”
“What?”
“The potion I made you, have you used it yet?”
Hermione thought for a moment, and then remembered the Your Eyes potion that she hid in her trunk.
“No, not yet,” she said.
“Use it,” Draco said. “I hope it will make things easier.”
Draco turned and headed for the portrait hole.
“Wait! Where are you going?” Hermione asked, startled to see that he was leaving the common room.
“I have to go,” he said.
“Now? But the funeral, and-”
“I have to go now, Hermione,” he said, and turned to leave.
“Wait,” Hermione said again, grabbing his arm and turning him around into her waiting kiss.
They broke apart and Hermione, tears in her eyes, looked up at him.
“I love you, Draco.”
Draco looked at her for a minute.
“I’ll write to you when I can, that’s the only thing I can give you,” he said, and he turned around and left the common room…left Hogwarts…left Hermione.
*~*~*~*~
“What are you doing?”
Hermione looked up from the piece of parchment she had been writing on, at Ron who was sitting with Harry, across from her on the Hogwarts Express. They were on their way to the Burrow. Snape and Draco were in hiding. Harry had taken control of the Order of the Phoenix. The final battle was approaching.
“I’m finishing the letter I started to Angerona,” she said, looking back down at the now five page long letter.
“Oh, you’re American friend?”
“That’s the one,” Hermione said, nodding.
“You’re telling her everything?” Harry asked.
“Yeah.”
“Well she’s going to love that,” Ron said.
“Keeping something from her would be worse, trust me,” Hermione said, and looked up. “In all honesty I don’t even expect her to write me a reply.”
“What? Why not?” Harry asked.
Hermione smiled a rueful smile. “Because, the second she reads it, she’ll probably come barging through Mrs. Weasley’s kitchen demanding to know why I didn’t contact her sooner.”
“Well,” Ron said, with a slight chuckle. “I guess I’ll just have to tell her to set an extra place for dinner.”
Hermione smiled at him. A genuine smile; something she hadn’t done in a few weeks.
Suddenly there was a noise at the window, and a large tawny owl was seen carrying a letter and trying desperately to keep up with the train.
Ron opened the window and let the owl inside, which proceeded to fly once around the compartment and land next to Hermione holding out its leg.
Hermione looked to the others, who merely shrugged and then proceeded to remove the letter. At once the owl took off out the open compartment window.
“Who’s it from?” Harry asked.
Hermione looked down at the envelope and immediately recognized the handwriting.
She looked up at Harry. “It’s from Draco.”
Ron exchanged a glance with Harry, then looked back to Hermione.
“You going to open it?” he asked.
Hermione looked back down at the envelope then shook her head.
“No, not right now. Later, when we get to your house,” she said, and tucked the letter into the back pocket of her jeans.
The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes and Hermione continued writing her letter. When they were nearing Kings Cross, Hermione folded the now six and a half page letter, put it inside an envelope and addressed it.
“Harry,” she said, as they were gathering their things to get ready to get off the train. “Can I use Hedwig to send this?”
“Sure, I’ll take her out when we get on the platform.”
Ten minutes later, they were lugging their trunks to the platform where a waiting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood, accompanied by an escort from the Order.
Hermione turned to Harry who was already taking Hedwig out of her cage. She took out her wand and pointed it at Hedwig, who glowed blue for a moment and then ruffled her feathers.
“What was that?” Harry asked, slightly startled.
“It’s a traveling spell. They are used when you have to send post over seas. It will keep Hedwig from getting tired as she’s flying over the ocean and it will help her fly faster,” Hermione said, already tying the letter for Angerona onto Hedwig's leg.
“You’re going all the way to America,” she said, as she stroked Hedwig’s feathers. “Do you think you’re up for it?”
Hedwig hooted in response, nipped Hermione’s finger affectionately, and took off.
Harry chuckled behind her.
“What?” she said, turning to look at him.
“Where do you learn this stuff?”
She smiled. “Well, there are these things called books.”
They both chuckled and headed to where the rest of the Weasleys were waiting for them. Both glad for the momentary distraction from what they knew they all were walking into.
Author's Note:
ok, this is the end of part one. i hope you guys enjoyed it, because i sure enjoyed writing it. the sequel is in the works and i hope to have the first chapter of part 2 up within the next few months.
A special announcment: while you all are waiting for the sequel to this story, i will be posting some of my Hermione/Draco one shot song fics. so keep an eye out for those and enjoy while you are waiting for the next installment.
again, thank you so much for reading and giving all the great feedback :)