Draco's Angels

A Clean Break

Quick author's note! Check the ending of the last chapter (if you haven't already) because I added on to it!

Hermione woke happily the next morning before it all came crashing back to her. The flowers, the dinner, the confession, her kicking him out, his cold gaze as he left, everything. She slumped down under the burden it placed upon her shoulders. She knew what she had done was wrong; she wasn't an idiot. But there was absolutely no way that she would admit that.

To stop thinking about the man that she had hurt, she thought about her daughter. Hermione was absolutely stunned by how amazing her daughter seemed to be. She acknowledged the fact that every parent thought his or her child was perfect. Since she was nearly 4 months old, Leslie had developed a lot since her birth. Pale skin like porcelain and grey eyes perfectly mirrored her father's, but she had light brown curls much like her mother.

A chill swept through her as she realized that it was quiet, once again, in her tiny apartment. She bolted out of bed and across the hall to get her daughter when she saw it. The scene in front of her sent chills down her spine and burned itself into her brain. Leslie was lying in her crib, as usual, except she was deathly white. Even whiter than Draco had ever been. Walking over to the crib was a formality at this point; she already knew what she would find. Despite already knowing what she would see, the shock still hit her full force.

And all she could do was scream.

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Draco suddenly felt something snap inside of him. After sitting in his room for the past 12 hours, he was actually feeling something again. Unfortunately for him, it was almost crippling.

"Draco!" He heard his mother's voice from somewhere else in the manor. "You might want to come look at this."

He sullenly stomped down the stairs, following the sound of his mother's voice into his father's office. The young man stopped short when he saw his mother softly sobbing by the family tapestry. He went to her, comforting her to the best of his ability. Knowing that she might not want to talk about it, he didn't pry for information. To pass the time, he looked over at the family tapestry, studying it idly.

Leslie Rane Granger
1999-1999

At first, he didn't notice anything different, but then realization set in. Leslie had just been born the past January, yet there was now a death date on the tapestry.

"Mother, I'm sorry. I can't stay. I have to go."

"Go to her, Draco."

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Draco immediately apparated to Hermione's flat, knowing that she would probably be there. He popped into the living room, looking around and not seeing her anywhere. The pale man rushed around the flat, checking the kitchen, bathroom, and even the nursery. He froze when he entered the small room that used to hold their daughter, the guilt eating him from the inside. He couldn't help but feel as if he could've done something to prevent what happened. Not knowing the cause of death made it worse.

After standing in the now depressing room, he knew that there was only one place left to check. The master bedroom. Draco walked down the short hallway and up to the closed door. He could sense that Hermione was just behind this door; his body felt magnetically pulled towards hers at all times. He knocked.

"Granger?" Draco spoke quietly, not wanting to surprise her. "Are you in there?" No answer. He knew that she was in there. "Hermione, open this door. I know you're in there." He began to panic. Why isn't she answering, he asked himself, she shouldn't be alone right now. He made the decision to abandon his manners, and he reached for the doorknob. It was locked. Draco sighed and pulled out his wand, immediately unlocking the door.

The scene within the room was not anything different from what one would expect to see in the middle of the night. Except it wasn't the middle of the night; it was early in the afternoon. Hermione was lying in the bed, curled up in the fetal position and staring at the wall. It broke his heart. To see this woman, who had been vibrant with emotion less than 24 hours ago, as a shell of herself was agonizing.

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Hermione's face was blank, just like her mind. She barely wanted to live anymore. The idea of waking up and not seeing her daughter's beautiful face made her cringe in fear. So she simply didn't think about it. She didn't think about anything anymore. After she had found her daughter, she called the paramedics but it was far too late. Leslie had been gone for hours before Hermione even found her. She had then lay down on her bed, crying and crying until there were no more tears to be shed. Now she stayed still on her bed pushing everything out of her mind. Every memory ripped at her heart and her conscience, filling her with guilt and hopelessness. Her daughter had been the only thing keeping her afloat, so now she was simply drowning.

A voice woke her from her stupor, reminding her that there were other people in this world. She blinked for the first time in hours, her eyes focusing on the moving shape in front of her. Hermione's brain registered that she knew the person that stood in front of her. A man, definitely, with platinum blonde hair. Then she became aware of the pale skin and silver eyes and everything came crashing back. She pulled her arms up to cradle her head and shield her eyes from the familiar sight in front of her. Surprisingly, she didn't feel any pain or sadness. She just felt nothing.

The man reached out and pried Hermione's arms off of her face. "Hermione," he spoke softly, "you can't lie here and wallow in your pain."

Hermione found herself shaking her head. "No," she rasped, her throat sore from screaming. She didn't recognize her own voice.

"Hermione, listen," the man began. "I'm upset too. I don't know exactly how you feel, but I feel as though a section of my heart has been brutally ripped out. I would love nothing more than to curl up beside you and let numbness wash over me, but I'm done being numb. I've made myself feel nothing ever since I was little and I'm tired of it. I hate to say it, but she's gone, Hermione. But there's still something that we can do. We can continue on with our lives, and try to be as happy as possible." His hands rubbed her arms as he spoke, calming her on a subconscious level. "It's what she'd want."

"But she can't have wanted us to do anything; she was just a baby." Hermione broke into sobs on the last syllable as a whole new wave of tears came from somewhere deep within.

"No more tears, love," he practically begged her. "Hermione, please."

Hermione stiffened as she saw a small shine travel down the man's cheek. A tear.

Just like that, her world spun back in to focus. She loved this man. It was Draco. Draco was here to comfort her, and now he was crying. All of his words registered in her brain as she sobbed louder.

Hermione surprised Draco when she suddenly shot out her arms and pulled him towards her and into a warm embrace. He relaxed; she was back. "Draco, I can't do this. It hurts too much," she whispered after a while of this awkward hug. Draco pulled back and walked around to the other side of the bed, speaking as he walked.

"I know, love. It hurts me too." By this time, he had climbed in behind her and wrapped his arms around her lovingly. "But we can get through it. We just have to work together and support each other."

Hermione shook her head. "I can't do it. I just can't."

"Hermione, you are the smartest woman that I have ever known. There is nothing that you can't do." With that, they were both silent. Eventually, they each fell into a deep sleep, drawing energy and serenity from the other.

Though it was unavoidable, neither wanted to wake again.

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long, but was it worth it? I feel like y'all are going to kill me because of how sad this chapter is, but I honestly couldn't help it.

As always, I can't thank you guys enough for reading my work! I completely lost inspiration for this story a while ago, so I've ended it here. But you can always check out my new Dramione story!