To a Better End

Chapter 26

June 5th 1944

Malfoy stopped waiting for Hermione. He stopped preparing her coffee or adding an extra slice of bacon to her plate. He dropped all study sessions with her. He began sitting next to Ab and Alphie, so far away that Hermione could barely hear his voice when he spoke.

Instead of making conversation with Malfoy in the mornings, she was staring at him. Close but still far. Occasionally, he would glance over at her. But it was quick and rare and hardly with the same soft tones she was used to.

Hermione left the Great hall to make her way to her class early. Mondays were always strange for her since her class schedule hardly matched up with Tom's. Hermione had become accustomed to walking with him to her classes. She clutched her necklace as she walked to class, hoping to catch him before his lunch period.

"Granger!" The call came from behind her.

Hermione didn't bother to stop walking at the sound of her name or the hurried footsteps behind her. "Happy Birthday, Draco," she called. It was his actual birthday, not the fake one he picked out. Someone should wish him a happy one, even if they were drifting apart.

"Wait." The desperation for her to stop was in his voice. She turned around, looking at him expectantly. Malfoy was panting, catching his breath as he said, "I'm not giving up on you or this."

"Okay," she said, drawing the word out. She wasn't really sure if she cared at this point.

"Please. Hermione, you have to trust me. Whatever secrets I'm keeping right now, I'll explain them all to you when the time is right. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

"Right," she let out a vicious laugh. "Because you have a perfect track record of that."

Pain flashed in his eyes. "I don't, and it's because I don't that I'm so hell-bent on saving you from yourself."

"I don't need saving," she said, turning around and walking away.

She barely made it two steps before Malfoy calmly said, "Maybe not right now, but you will. And I'll always be here to save you. I haven't abandoned you, Granger. I'll never abandon you."

*****

July 3rd 1944

Hermione found herself actually feeling sad to say goodbye to her friends for the summer. She and Dru had grown quite close, and even hearing the cheerful laugh of Alphie was comforting.

Saying goodbye to Tom was the hardest, and a part of Hermione hated that she let herself feel that way. There had been an indescribable pull between them since his birthday. They seemed to understand each other more, almost in sync with each other. And even though Hermione had trapped him in a broom closet a few times since then, he had insisted that this was not how he envisioned their first time.

Instead, they let their hands roam over each other's bodies, learning and memorising each other in a way that was intimate but not always sexual. Hermione knew almost every scar and the stories that accompanied them. The way he tasted was imprinted on her memory. He made promises of today, tomorrow, and forever. Promises she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to see.

Malfoy and Hermione had a tense and short summer, ending before it had truly even begun. The night before, he had brought up the idea of jumping to the next school year. No sense in sitting idly was his reason, but Hermione knew there was more to it. They prepped their house for the vacancy before readying to leave.

"Got everything packed, Granger?" His words were short as he avoided her eyes.

"Malfoy, I really think we should talk." There was desperation in her voice.