To a Better End

Chapter 49

July 12th 1977

Sirius needed time to prepare and plan. He guaranteed it would be safe and she would get what she needed. But none of that calmed her nerves.

Draco had tried to calm her repeatedly since the meeting with Sirius. He attempted to distract her with wedding planning, insisting that they needed to find a colour scheme that complimented both of them. Hermione merely waved her hand and said whatever you like most.

"Yes, dear," was his continuous response.

"Do you have a favourite flower?"

Of course, she did, but she didn't want to sort through the feelings that came with those flowers. She waved her hand again. "I don't have a preference."

"Whatever you say, dear," he replied, resigning.

By the time they got through all of the wedding topics, Draco handed her some parchment and told her she needed to think about the vows.

"Be careful with your words," he warned. "Can't have you regretting what you vow."

Hermione nodded. She already knew what she would say. She didn't need to think about it. Draco was it for her, and she wouldn't regret a single syllable.

But none of those thoughts lived in the forefront of her mind. Especially when she got a letter last night from Sirius. He was smart enough to use few words and signed off with Padfoot. That's what led her to pacing the shop after dark, building up her mental walls. Her heart was racing for a solid five minutes until she was able to get her Occlumency in check.

She was absentmindedly spinning her ring around her finger when Sirius entered with a timid Peter Pettigrew behind him. Her instincts told her to grab her wand and kill the wizard while she had the opportunity. After all, he was the catalyst that led to Harry's life being filled with abuse, neglect, and pain beyond measure. She had to remind herself that he hadn't betrayed his friends and their baby yet. Harry hadn't even been born yet.

But at the same time, if he died now...

"We got it, Mina." Sirius pulled her gaze away from the rat.

"And no one saw you?" she replied with an intense tone.

From behind Sirius, Peter spoke up, still with a cowardly look about him. "You'd be surprised how many rats are at the Ministry." His eyes barely met hers for a moment, quickly retreating back to the floor.

"I'm sure," she deadpanned.

She could feel Sirius' gaze while her eyes penetrated Peter, studying him for signs of his inevitable treachery.

Clearing his throat, Sirius said, "Anyways, we didn't look at it." Hermione looked over to her faux cousin. His usual air of confidence seemed to dissipate. "We figured you deserved to see it first since he was your father."

What a web of lies she found herself in. With a deep breath in, Hermione took the folder from Sirius and held it loosely in her hands. It begged her to open it, but at the same time, she felt a warning.

Hermione knew Tom. She knew what he was capable of before knowing the man, but now she was privy to the thoughts and emotions that controlled his every move. Her fingers skirted around the edges of the crisp folder.

"Take your time, Mina." She looked up to find compassion in Sirius' eyes. " And if you need me, I'm only an owl away."

*****

July 15th 1977

Now that the file was in her possession, she didn't know if she wanted to read it. Her hands shook each time she grabbed it. So the file lived on top of their dresser next to the folded paper from Abraxas that was still annoyingly blank. She walked by it every day, ignoring the existence of both. It didn't take long for Draco to get annoyed with the delay. He got up in the middle of dinner, stormed into the bedroom, and came back with Alphard Black's file.

Dropping it next to her barely touched dinner plate, he spoke with a demanding tone, "You've been a mess. It's time to read it."

Hermione was already shaking her head. "Draco-"

Both of his hands were on the table in an instant and his face was inches away from her. "No, Hermione." She looked into his silver eyes, finding them darker than usual. It was now that s realised how tired he looked. "We're going to sit down and read this together - like we will do all things. Alphie was my friend too and we deserve to know the truth. He deserves to have his truth known."

Turning her head away, she tried to pull an excuse from her brain. "I just-"

Draco would have none of that. His hand came to her chin, moving her head to look at him once more. It was with gentle hands and a gentle voice that he said, "Tell me what you're scared of?"

She blinked at him. "I'm not scared. I'm just not ready to face it..." Draco was waiting for more. Searching for the word, Hermione finally found what had been holding her back. "The guilt."

"Guilt?" His brow knitted together.

"I'm the reason he's dead," she said with a shaky breath. Ever since his death, her Occlumency struggled. She struggled. She shouldn't be here.

Draco cupped her cheek and leaned in, touching his forehead to hers. "You didn't kill him," he whispered. "You had no hand in it. Alphie was fully aware of what he was getting into when he agreed to help us."

Shaking her head, Hermine stood up and distanced herself from Draco. "He couldn't have known exactly what would happen to him."

Expelling a sigh, Draco pulled the hair tie that was on his wrist and began to put his hair up into a bun. How did she not realise how long his hair was? "But he did," he confessed. "I showed him and Abraxas my memories over that Christmas break. He knew he was going to die and when."

Hermione gasped. The amount of trouble he could be in, the repercussions of those actions... "Draco-"

He held up a hand to halt her from continuing whatever admonishment she was going to berate him with. "I did what I had to do, Hermione. Now, open the file."

Hermione took one more look at Draco. His face was stern, but there was still a softness to his eyes. With a deep breath in, she cleared her mind and opened the file with Draco standing right by her side. But in the end, it didn't matter how strong her mental walls were or how much support her betrothed offered her. They didn't stand a chance against what she saw. It was the words that startled her at first, shaking her to her core.

Torture.

Nerve damage.

Mangled.

Closed by order of the Minister.

Ultimately, it was the pictures that brought Hermione to tears. His lifeless body was on the floor with blood dried around his eyes. His right arm was ripped completely off, still gripping his wand tightly. Bites all over his body - his body that had been lying in his workplace for days. The open wounds festered with decay and darkness. The moving pictures showed the dark magic oozing from his body.

And his eyes. They were open and blank.

"Granger?" She felt Draco wipe away her silent tears.

Her voice trembled with each word, but she forced herself to speak them into existence. "He was tortured and maimed and killed without mercy. Tom made him suffer until he was bored and killed him."

Draco seemed unsure what to do. He decided the best move was to wrap his arms around her. Hermione leaned into the touch. "It's alright," he said in an attempt to comfort her.

"It's not alright!" she screamed into his chest, letting her tears dampen his shirt. "I hate him, Draco. I hate him. I want to see him die. I need to."

His hands rubbed her back as he said some of the most comforting words she ever heard. "You will, Granger. I'll make sure of it."

She wasn't sure what plans Draco had in mind, but she did know that she trusted him without a single doubt. He would make sure that Hermione would see the death of her old lover, life ruiner, and murderer. She would watch Tom Riddle perish.