On the Way to the End - Dramione

Chapter 17

Draco hung his head, no longer having the energy to keep it up. His arms being pulled by the chains were the only thing holding him in place. His head was throbbing, every muscle in his body was tired. He had taken so many cruciatus curses he lost track. The pain had drained him and his limbs gave out. 

Draco didn't know how long he had been there because he kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Not that it mattered, he knew he wasn't going anywhere. Not now. Voldemort had preformed so many curses he didn't know what he had dreamed up and what was real. 

The Dark Lord raised his wand again, but someone came running in. Draco didn't know who, but they whispered something to Bellatrix. "My lord," he heard his aunt's voice call out. Voldemort whipped around, angry at being interrupted. "The potential allies in Germany have replied to your offer." 

Voldemort nodded and sent another curse Draco's way. He had taken so much pain, his body could no longer fight it. So he just let himself hang, waiting for his conciseness to fade and nothingness to take him once again. Just before it did, he heard a small pop. 

But before he could think anything of it, he was out. 

-*- 

"Good riddance." Ron looked down at the pile of ash that once was the rolled letter from Voldemort's parents. The Horcrux was destroyed. Finally. "So, now we just need to kill him." 

Harry nodded, "we need to plan an attack." 

"We need to get Draco before we do anything else," Blaise spoke up, looking at Hermione. 

"He's right, Malfoy got us this far." She explained to her two friends. 

"We should go back to the apartment, we can see if we can contact Narissa and see what she knows," Blaise told Hermione, she nodded. 

"So what, you're just taking off again?" Ron asked, "we just found you." He frowned. 

"I know. But I owe it to him," she looked to her friends, Harry nodded in understanding and Ron sighed, clearly understanding too. "As soon as we get him out we can finish things, okay?" 

Harry nodded and hugged Hermione, Ron joined and she smiled. For a moment they were children again, parting after their first year, so upset to spend the summer apart. She missed the simpler times when all she had to worry about was grades and fighting trolls in bathrooms. Well, she supposed it never really was simple with those two. 

They parted and she nodded to Blaise, "keep in touch," she smiled at them both before taking Blaise's arm. They nodded and Blaise apparated them into Draco's apartment, since he, Draco and Narissa were the only ones who could pass the wards. 

Hermione was impressed with Blaise's smooth side apparating skills, but she didn't take much time to think about it because he was already at the fire. "Narissa." He called, waiting for her reply. 

The Gryffindor looked around the apartment that had become so familiar to her. In the past few days, it had provided a very safe, homey feeling to her. But she frowned because it didn't feel that way at all now. It felt cold and the dark shadows in the corners seemed intimidating now. 

Hermione suddenly realized that it wasn't the apartment at all. It was who inhabited the apartment that made it feel safe and homey to her. She couldn't wait to get that feeling back. Was it wrong for her to feel that way? Either way, she felt it, and she wished for the void in her chest to just go away.

"She's not answering." Blaise huffed loudly, breaking Hermione's thoughts. 

"Why not?" Hermione furrowed her brows and walked over to the wizard.