Isolation - a Dramione Fanfiction

17. A Second Battle

Draco blinked back the tears that were forming in his eyes. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that they were real tears. He would much rather like to believe that it was simply the harsh cold wind, that pushed against him, forcing his eyes to water. Draco blinked again, harder this time, as he gripped his broom tighter than before. His knuckles nearly turned white from the tight hold, but he continued on.

Glancing behind him, he looked to the castle, the place he called home for most of his life, Hogwarts. Taking a final look at it, he saw as someone emerged from where he had previously left on his broom.

He knew only one person would go up there. It had to be her. His broom came to a screeching halt. Could he really go through with this? Leave her? As if nothing had ever happened.
He was far enough away that she was as small as a Golden Snitch. He wondered how he could have even noticed her in the first place. Perhaps his Seeker eye. But whatever the case may be, he did notice her, much to his dismay.

He wanted to turn around. He wanted to go back and beg for her forgiveness that he had left in the first place. But he couldn't. He had to protect her.

"Draco!" A distant voice called.

Her voice.

Draco wondered if she had spotted him, but he soon realized she was looking in an entirely different direction. He watched her for a moment more as she called his name. But finally he turned, looking at the path in front of him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered under his breath. "I have to protect you." He reminded himself yet again. Without another glance, he sped off, praying it would keep her safe.

-*-

"Draco!" She yelled again. Hermione sighed aloud, another tear making its way down her face.

She let out a hell of frustration, kicking the ground with her foot. How could she miss him?

One thing was for sure, she had to find him. Before the ministry finds out, before the holiday break gets over.

Fiddling with the locket he gave her, she knew what she had to do. She had to bring him home.

-*-

"Reducio," Hermione whispered the spell and her bag shrunk to a manageable size. She had been on the run once, she knew exactly what she was doing. Hermione had found a spell in the library the night Draco left, a locator spell. All it needed was an item that the person who you wanted to find, had touched and it would act as a portkey to them. And lucky for her, she had an elegant necklace looped around her neck. 

Taking a deep breath, she secured her furry rimmed coat hood over her head as she tromped through the snow along the path. She was headed to the gate leading out of  Hogwarts where she would be able to portkey out of the grounds. This had to work. Once Hermione arrived at the gates she breathed deeply. She carefully reached to the back of her neck to unclasp the necklace, when she heard it. 

Hermione gasped, whipped around at the sudden noise, shock filling her entire being. She watched in horror as smoke rose from the side of the castle. Not again. At that moment, she forgot everything. The portkey, finding Draco, all she could think about was the visible flames and swarm of dementors around the castle. 

She ran as fast as her feet could carry her to the back, courtyard, entrance. After throwing a few patronus' with her built up adrenaline, Hermione made it to the entrance. She flew up the starts to the Great Hall and couldn't believe her eyes when she got there. Dementors everywhere, the remaining students at the school throwing spells everywhere she turned. 

But the most worrisome thing she thought, was the black clouds of smoke that appeared, revealing a Death Eater. That's definitely what they were, ragged and dirty, clearly fresh from coming out of hiding. These were the ones the Minestry never caught. That was the only explanation. 

Hermione heard screaming and turned just in time to see some Death Eater apparate out with some young girl. No doubt someone important to a defective ex-Death Eater. Before she could do anything something latched onto her arm. She looked to see a hazardous looking woman trying to apparate away with her. But Hermione was able to easily shake her with a spell her way. 

Hermione turned to run into the fight when she heard her name. 

"Miss Granger!" She heard Head Mistress McGonagall call to her. The older witch jogged over to her before speaking. "Get out of here, Hermione." She was surprised when the professor ditched the formalities. 

"What?" Hermione cut it, "but I need to help! There are students in there who-"

"Who teachers can help." The woman stopped her, "you need to get out of here, they'll be after you, Hermione." McGonagall sighed, "you need to go. Now. Somewhere you know you won't be found for a while." She explained. "I'll send an owl when things are safe but you need to go." 

Hermione hesitated, her head pounding from all the noises of a war zone.  But finally, she nodded, knowing it would do no good for her to get caught. She would risk more lives to save her, Harry and the Weasely's couldn't take another loss and she wouldn't be able to help Draco. 

"Go, dear. Be safe." The Head Mistress shooed her off before she, herself, made her way into the fight. 

Hermione ran to the back exit once more, this time, descending the stairs to the courtyard. Once outside she only had to cast a few curses before she reached the gate once more. She thought of the safest place she could and after a moment, she was gone. 

-*- 

Hermione gasped a breath of cold air as she arrived. It was silent. Dramatically different from where she previously was. She looked around the snow-covered woods around her, thinking it looked very different in the winter. She had only seen these woods in the summer and fall. With Harry and Ron in the tent while hunting Horcruxes, and with her parents as a child. 

Hermione took a step, her foot crunching in the thin layer of snow over the leaves. But suddenly, her thoughts switched tracks. Her hand flew up to the locket still safely around her neck. She thought for a moment, the pros and cons of searching for him. But in the end, her feelings for him won, as she wondered if they always would. 

Without further hesitation, she carefully unclasped the necklace and held it in her hand. After whispering the incantation she tapped the locket three times with her wand and held it tight. A smile twinged on her lips as it worked it's magic in front of her. The world began spinning around herand her feet lifted from the ground. 

This was it.