On the Way to the End - Dramione

Chapter 19

Draco sighed deeply and sat down next to Hermione. She looked up to him and gave a sad smile when he did. He had just returned from telling his mother the news. She was distraught. She stood and hugged him for what felt like ever and sobbed into his shoulder. Between her, Hermione and Blaise, that's what would break his heart about dying. 

The apartment was now empty other than Draco and Hermione. Harry and Ron had left to inform the Order and promised to be back at sunset, where Harry would locate Voldemort in his dreams. After that, Harry, Ron, and Blaise would go and kill Voldemort. Hermione was instructed to kill Draco when the clock struck seven. At that time, Harry would know it would be time to make the final blow.

It was a good plan. Just a painful one. Hermione sat beside Draco, silently crying. "This whole thing... it's not fair. It's a nightmare." Draco chuckled. She turned and furrowed her eyebrows, "what's so funny?" She asked. 

He looked at her for a long moment, "why do you even care?" He asked seriously. 

"Are you serious?" She asked. How could he not get it? 

He just looked at her, unamused. Hermione shook her head and sighed. How could he not see why? To be fair, she wasn't totally sure why herself... But she knew that it was because she didn't want to lose him. 

"Yeah?" It was more of a question. 

"Why do you?" She asked in return. 

"What?" 

"About my safety? You said you'd tell me when you got back. So why?" Hermione looked at him expectantly. 

Little minx. He shook his head. Draco suddenly remembered why she was the Brightest Witch of their Age. He supposed it didn't matter anyway because, within a few hours, he would be dead. "Because I care about you. Shocker huh?" His voice was scratchy. He didn't know what else to tell her. 

She just stared at him for a moment. "I care about you too." She whispered. He looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. She knew it was more than nothing. 

"You're just saying that." Draco looked away. 

Hermione took his face in her hand and for just a moment, he leaned into her touch. "I am not just saying that." Hermione leaned in slightly, but he stopped her,

 "I told you, I don't want you kissing me just because I'm a deadman." 

"I wanted to kiss you before I knew you were a deadman, you dolt!" She punched his shoulder. 

"I guess you did..." Draco muttered and closed the distance between them, his lips gently pressing against hers. Hermione melted into him once again and this time he didn't pull away. Her lips moved with his and for a moment, she forgot about the rest. 

It was just them for now. Right there, his hand on the side of her face. Her heart pounding in her head. Draco let the rest slip away. It was just her now, she was right there, within reach, he finally was able to grab on. 

He wasn't sure how he got here, or how she was accepting him, but he took it. 

He'd take it. 

-*- 

"The woods." Harry gasped awake. He was previously sleeping on the couch in the apartment, trying to locate Voldemort. "He's in the woods by Malfoy Manor. It'll work." 

"This is it then." Draco turned to Blaise, who was fighting back tears. 

"Fuck man." He walked over to his friend and hugged him tightly. 

Hermione wiped away the tears that were streaking her face. She watched the two friends hug and sighed as she watched the tears fall down Blaise's face. They parted and Blaise wiped his face with his sleeve. 

"Thank you, Malfoy," Harry said and shook Draco's hand. Draco nodded.

Next was Ron, "this won't be for nothin'," Ron shook his hand as well. 

"We should go," Harry looked around, "Hermione," He handed her the sword of Gryffindor. 

Hermione nodded and took the blade into her hands, "end this thing, okay?" She sniffled. Harry nodded. 

Blaise gave Draco another hug, his tears were now free-flowing. She heard Blaise mutter somethings she couldn't catch. This really wasn't fair. Once they parted the trio stood and apparated away. 

"Alone at last." Draco sat next to her and raised his eyebrows. 

Hermione smiled and looked to the clock on the wall, ten till seven. They had ten minutes together. Those ten minutes might be the hardest of her life. She looked down the sword of Gryffindor and felt her heart pull apart. 

"Draco, I don't know if I can do this." She confessed. Her hands were shaking. 

"I know you can," Draco told her, putting a hand over hers. "Hermione, I'm not going to lie to you, I didn't know where I was going with this whole thing the night I broke you out." He looked at her, "I just knew I wanted you safe." 

Hermione looked up at him, more tears spilling over onto her cheeks. 

"I killed Mcnair the night of Grimmauld." He whispered. No more secrets. "But then it became more. I really fucking care about you, Granger." He wiped her cheeks with his thumb. 

"Malfoy you what?" She wasn't sure how to feel. 

"No just listen, I care," he continued, "and one of the hardest parts about dying is that I know I'm never going to get to see where this could have gone." He smiled sadly at her. 

Hermione smiled through her tears and nodded.

"Yeah, I care about you too. I don't know when it happened but I do. I do so much, Draco." Hermione sniffled. "I don't want you to go..." She crashed herself into his arms, her head resting on his chest. Draco put his arms around her and hugged her tightly. 

"I don't wanna go either." He fought back tears of his own, "but... It's okay, Granger. Because life is going to be so much better once this war is over. And you're gonna live such a great life. Probably become some snobbish professor or some bigshot in the Ministry of Magic. And continue to be so fucking annoying." He teased. 

She laughed and pulled back to look at him. "You're gonna do great things, Granger. The wars almost over." Brown bore into gray. Hermione leaned forward and kissed him. Deeply. Her hands knitted themselves around his neck and into his hair. Draco held her face in his hands and savored the feeling while it was still there. They pulled back. 

Draco looked to the clock, there were only moments till seven. "It's time, Granger." He looked at her sadly.

Hermione shook her head, "I can't, Draco I can't. I want more time." She sobbed, her hands cupping his face, "I want more time." 

"We're always going to want more time." He kissed her again. 

Even after they pulled away, Hermione's eyes remained closed. She knew she had to do this, to end the whole bloody war. But it's the hardest thing she's ever done. Hermione didn't know when she had fallen for him, but she did, and now she had to let go. 

The clock chimed. 

Hermione shook her head. But Draco nodded, "It's okay. Do it, Hermione." 

Tears flowed down her cheeks and sobs poured out of her mouth. Draco nodded again and she drew back the sword. Hermione looked at him one final time, before plunging the sword through his stomach. 

Draco cried out in pain and she withdrew the sword. She whispered quiet apologies as black smoke from the Horcrux's magic floated away from Draco's body. Sobs wracked her whole being and Draco laid back onto the couch, she leaned over him, her hands on his face as his breathing shallowed. 

She pushed the hair out of his face as the last of the Dark Magic left his body. Blood seeped out from the stab and Draco's eyes fluttered shut. Her quiet protests to his sleep slowly muffled. And slowly the pain subsided, replaced with nothingness.