𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐈𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐀

☾ Chapter 29

☾ 

She was back behind the trees with Ginny, the grounds of Hogwarts a mere 50 feet in the distance.

Harry and Ronald were pushed to their knees, executioners positioned at their sides as the surviving witches and wizards were forced to watch the fall of The Order of the Phoenix.

What she couldn't make sense of was his added presence.

"Granger..."

The blonde was bruised and battered in between her two childhood best friends, blood dribbling down his temple, mumbling under his breath.

"...Please help me."

She would scream as the blade sliced through his heart.

Hermione ran and ran, until her feet were sore and blistered. By the time she'd reached his body he had already bled out onto the concrete, a deadened look in his frigid eyes.

It was both a recurring and terrifying dream.

The strong arms wrapped around her waist were a reminder of the truth; that he was indeed alive, and they were both safe, for now.

She prayed her nightmares weren't a reflection of a future reality.

The rising and falling of his chest and soft even breaths made her eyes flutter open. When she looked upwards he was already awake, staring down at her with a gentle look.

"I hoped I wouldn't wake you."

She gazed up at him with softened eyes, "You stayed."

He shifted slightly as she lay her head back on his shoulder, shielding her eyes from the beams of sunlight filtering through the front window panes.

"Yes, I did."

They sat in a peaceful silence, the chirping of songbirds filling the crisp morning air.

"Before I leave, there's something I want you to have," he picked her up by the waist, plopping her back down on the couch as he crossed the room to his satchel, "Theodore told me not to give it to you, but I've chosen to ignore the prick's advice."

She watched him dig through the bag for his journal, untying the moonstone from it's string before placing it in her palm.

"Isn't this from your Mother?" Hermione asked peculiarly, the stone soaking in the sunlight with a glowing aura.

"Yes, but it's no ordinary stone, Granger," Draco exclaimed, crouching down in front of her as she gently rolled it between her fingertips, "It's enchanted. It senses the emotions of the owner. My Mother gifted it to me so she could sense if I was in danger during my task when we were still in school. The owner can gift it to someone else, and it will have the same effect. It has protective properties as well."

Hermione gazed at him as he brushed a curl behind her ear, handing her a black leather cord.

"I can't take a gift from your Mother," she whispered, wanting to place the stone back in his palm, but instead he put his hands over hers, cradling it between her fingers.