The Brave at Heart

Chapter 25: An Ending

Draco leaned against the Vanishing Cabinet, sliding down to the floor in surprise and fear. It was finished now. After months and months of his hard work, he had finished the cabinet and now, he the fear was creeping up inside of him. Would Dumbledore really keep his word? Would he keep Draco and his mother safe?

Draco knew that he had grown up in a vastly different environment than his friends. He knew that his father enjoyed poisoning Draco against Dumbledore while the Weasleys had encouraged their children to trust the man without hesitation. But Draco could not. There would always be a part of him that could not seem to trust Albus Dumbledore. He did not trust that Dumbledore would really keep his mother safe.

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder. "It's all going to change now, isn't it?" Draco just nodded. They would leave the Room of Requirement to tell Dumbledore that the Cabinet had finished. Then, Draco would have to send word to Voldemort and the Death Eaters that they had a way to enter the castle. He did not want to.

He looked to Hermione. He ran a hand through her hair. He did not want for everything to change.

A part of him had expected to be saved this purgatory. He had let himself fall into the hope that Dumbledore would realize how ludicrous this whole endeavor was and fund a different way out, He had believed he would not have to go through this. But reality was inevitable.

Hermione's head disappeared from his shoulder, suddenly standing up. She reached a and out to him. Without hesitating, Draco took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet. She embraced him briefly, clearly trying her best to comfort him. "Come with me," she said. She took his hand again and led him out of the Room of Requirement.

They did not speak as they walked through the corridors of Hogwarts. Draco did not know what Hermione was planning but willingly followed her, knowing that whatever she had concocted unverified head to distract him was infinitely better than sitting beside the Vanishing Cabinet.

The spring air surrounded them, a cool breeze offering a lovely respite from the heat. She led him out to the Black Lake, locating a tree for them to sit beside. Draco sat first, drawing Hermione into his arms as she dropped to the ground beside him.

"Tell me about a good day," Hermione said, her voice quiet. A smirk appeared on his features.

"A few months ago, a know-it-all, bookworm asked me to Slughorn's Christmas party. You'll never believe it, Granger she snogged me, out of nowhere—"

"Draco!" She interrupted, but she was smiling, "You know what I mean."

He paused to think for a moment. It was true. He did know what she was referring to. She wanted him to talk about a good day, tell her a happy memory, a story she had never heard of before. She wanted happiness before they drowned in the darkness.

"Did I ever tell you that my father was the one who taught me how to fly?" She shook her head, her eyes gleaming with interest, a look he had often seen during their classes. "For a time, I wanted to be a professional Quidditch player. My father used to take me to the national Quidditch matches all the time. I was certain I would become the world's greatest Seeker. My father declared that I could never be a Quidditch player until I learned how to fly. I begged him for a broom of my own.

"For my birthday, he bought this incredible broom. It was magnificent. It was one of those training brooms, the ones that don't let you go too high. He promised to teach me how to use it. We spent hours, almost the whole day really, flying. My father has never been a particularly patient man, but that day, he did not yell at me once, even though I must have fallen off that broom a hundred times. He was kind." A smile tugged at the corners of Draco's lips. "My mother even came out and flew with us. Even at home, my mother is extremely regal. But that day, she jumped on a broom and soared around the manor, laughing like she was free."