When Lightning Strikes Twice

A Spark of Hope

Draco's P.O.V
Hermione had been given detention by Dumbledore for standing up for him. He felt so bad because he knew how much she hated getting in trouble.

He felt so on edge walking the corridors alone. At any moment Potter and Weasley could jump out of the darkness and catch him off guard.

He was constantly looking behind him, making sure no one was there. But he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

Just as he had that thought, there was the sound of footsteps growing closer. Draco didn't even have time to react before he had curses shot at him. He dodged them as fast as he could, but there were just too many. He was stunned, and by the time he registered what was happening, he was being dragged into an old classroom.

Draco sat in the corner shaking. He would never be found in here and it was locked. His head was throbbing and his thoughts were jumbled.

He decided to stand up and look around. He surveyed the room and saw an old mirror at the back. He started towards it to get a closer look. As the image became less blurry, Draco saw that it was not just his own reflection.

In the mirror stood Draco and Hermione standing together as adults, looks of pure adoration on their faces. Now he knew what the mirror was. It was the Mirror of Erised. His deepest desire was to be with her forever.

Draco didn't know how long he sat there in front of the mirror, immersed in the illusion of happiness it provided. He was filled with longing. He wanted to stay here forever, imagining what it would be like if this was real. He wondered if he should tell Severus. Surely he would understand.

After what seemed like hours, he startled as someone pulled him onto an embrace. "Draco! I thought they had killed you! Why did you stay in here, you could have escaped!" she sounded worried, but he felt warmth at the fact that the worry was for him.
"Hermiome, this is the Mirror of Erised. It shows you your heart's greatest desire. Look." Draco said simply. Hermione looked amazed. She didn't say a word, just looked into the mirror.

Hermione's P.O.V
She was so relieved to find Draco, but when he told her what the mirror did, she looked at him in amazement. The way he looked at the mirror was scary. It was like he thought that if he took his eyes off it for too long all happiness would disappear from the world.

Hermione knew this could be dangerous, but she just couldn't resist looking at it. She honestly didn't know what her heart's greatest desire was. She finally had the chance to find out.

She looked at the mirror, and what she saw took her breath away. She saw herself and Draco as adults, holding each other. So this was her greatest desire. Her greatest desire was him. She truly loved him, but what did he see in the mirror. "So what do you see?" whispered Draco after a long moment of silence.
"I-uh- it doesn't matter" she stuttered. She couldn't bring herself to tell him. What if he didn't feel the same way? If she told him then, she might just lose him forever, even as a friend. He looked defeated at her statement, was he wondering what she saw?  "What do you see?" she asked him nervously.
"I see myself with someone. Someone who is  very special to me" as Draco spoke he looked down at the ground. So he did have someone. Somewhere deep inside her, Hermione hoped it was her. But she knew that she had no chance now. Who could it possibly be?

As they walked back to their dorms, neither of them dared to say a word. It was a tense sort of silence. Not the peaceful one they usually shared. It was as if something had broken between them.

Hermione couldn't sleep that night. Draco was the only one she ever had feelings for, but he had someone else. Would things ever get better?

Draco's P.O.V
His heart was crushed. He couldn't believe that the only person he ever cared about didn't feel the same way. They were still great friends, but it wasn't the same. He thought they could tell each other anything, but what could be so bad that Hermione didn't want to tell him?