The inevitable

Final hour

After two hours at the ball, Hermione was sat at the table. The dizziness had returned and the head splitting pain from before. Draco was watching Blaise and Luna dance, laughing as Blaise did the Muggle move called the Chicken to make Luna laugh.

He turned his head and frowned when he saw Hermione. "Hermione, are you alright?"

"My head." Hermione whimpered.
"Do you want to go to the Room of Requirement?"
"Please."
"Okay. I'll let Blaise and Pansy know."

Draco ran off to the dance floor, leaving Hermione silently crying in pain at the table.

"Hey." He greeted, arriving next to Blaise and Luna.

"Hey Man. What's up?" Blaise smiled.

"Hermione's got a headache and that. I'm taking her to the Room of Requirement."

"Okay. Make sure she gets better." Luna told him.

"Yeah. We'll let Pansy know." Blaise added.

"Thanks guys, see you tomorrow."

"Night." The couple replied as Draco ran off to where Hermione remained slumped at the table.

Draco crouched next to Hermione and stroked her hair. "Come on, love. Let's get you up to the Room of Requirement."
Hermione looked up at him with unfocussed eyes. "I don't think I can walk." She whispered.

Draco frowned with worry and swung her into his arms. Hermione's head lolled weakly forward and leant on his chest. Draco walked out of the Hall and climbed the stairs to the seventh floor.

Once there he located the image of the dancing trolls and paced in front of the wall opposite.

'I need somewhere to relax with Hermione, I need somewhere to relax with Hermione, I need somewhere to relax with Hermione.' He thought as he walked back and forth.

The door slowly appeared in the wall and Draco managed to pull it open one handed. He slipped inside and lights immediately turned on. The room had taken the form of the Ski Lodge as it always did when they went to relax there or hang out. It was their place.

Draco placed Hermione on the sofa and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Hermione's eyes slid open and she looked at him.

"Sleep. You need it." Draco whispered.

Hermione hummed in agreement and soon drifted into a deep sleep. Draco settled himself on the other sofa and watched her sleep. She looked so angelic and carefree when she slept.

Downstairs, Pansy returned to the table. "Hey guys. Where's Draco and Hermione?" She said with a small wave.

"Hermione wasn't feeling well so Draco took her to the Room." Blaise replied as he fiddled with a piece of Luna's hair.

"Do you think she's okay?"
"I don't know." Blaise sighed sadly.

After a while, Hermione woke up with a small moan. The noise and sudden movement made Draco jump a bit.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Rested." Hermione replied sleepily.

"Good."

"What time is it?"
"Eleven."

"Oh. I never danced that slow dance that I promised you, did I?" Hermione mused.

"We could always dance now."
"Okay." Hermione got to her feet, swaying lightly, and Draco started the romantic music.

The two moved together and Draco took her into his arms, swaying gently with her to the music.

All of a sudden, the colour drained from Hermione's face and she crumpled to the floor, out cold.

"Hermione!" Draco cried, kneeling down beside her. He scooped her up into his arms. "Hold on, Hermione. I'll get help."
Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over the still unconscious figure of Hermione. She had luckily returned at the same moment that Draco had arrived with Hermione in his arms.

Madam Pomfrey's face turned grim as she looked over the girl lying limply on the cot. "We need to summon her friends. It seems these are her final hours."

Blaise, Luna and Pansy were on the dance floor when a silver dog ran towards them. The dog's mouth opened and Madam Pomfrey's voice rang out. "Come to the Hosptial Wing. Hermione's last hours are here. Hurry."

The three didn't need telling twice and ran to the Hospital Wing. Half way there, Luna's heel snapped. She took them off and threw them to one side. Pansy had been sensible and had worn flat shoes.

They burst into the Hospital wing and soon located Hermione's bed. Pansy threw herself at Draco as soon as she arrived. "Oh Draco, I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Draco looked devastated. He was losing the love of his life. "I...I can't lose her yet, Pans." He whispered.

Draco stared at Hermione's face. It looked so pale and the rings under her eyes looked so dark right then. She looked at deaths door. 'Which she is.' His mind cruelly reminded him.

Draco crumpled and he fell to his knees. The door burst open and Harry and Ron ran in. They had managed to shake Ginny, thankfully, and had made it there as fast as they could.

"What happened?" Harry asked, paling as his emerald eyes fell on the lifeless form of one of his oldest friends.

"She felt ill during the ball. I took her to the Room of Requirement. She was asleep for an hour and then when she woke up, we danced. We were dancing when she collapsed." Draco relayed in a monotone as he stared at his girlfriend.

"Oh god. I'm going to lose her." He whimpered, the truth finally hitting home as he looked at Hermione's still form. Draco bowed his head and began to weep.

Pansy knelt down beside him and hugged him. Draco gripped Pansy's arms and buried his head in her lap. Pansy's own eyes were filled with tears at the thought of losing the girl who had become one of her closest friends in the space of a couple of months.

Harry fell into the seat next to Hermione's bed and put his head in his hands. He ran his hand through his hair before gently taking Hermione's hand into his own.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. You don't deserve this. If only we weren't so blinded by Ginny then you would have had someone with you through these last months." He whispered.

Hermione's eyes slid open a tiny bit. "I forgive you." She whispered before she descended deeper into the blackness.

Harry bent his head as he wept. Hermione had forgiven him. 'I don't deserve her forgiveness. Ron and I have been awful friends. I just hope she gets through this so Ron and I can make it up to her.' He thought, his eyes sad.

"Tomorrow we shall show Ginny for who she really is." Harry stated, his eyes blazing with fury as he lifted his head.

"How do you plan to do that?" Ron asked, frowning.

Harry grinned darkly, his eyes glittering with malice. "Oh, I have my ways Ron. I have my ways."

'This is for you, Hermione.' Harry vowed silently, fingering a bottle he kept in his robes.