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Thumping music surrounded the cramped full common room, some of the seventh years had charmed the radios to play party music that they'd heard at Muggle clubs, glasses clinking together and being thrown down people's throats in the clear desperation to get drunk quickly.
It was the first monumental Gryffindor party of the year, a celebration because of their recent Quidditch team victory against the Slytherins. They had been starting to lose hope before today. Ronald, of course, had played a massive part in the achievement and success, everyone showing their gratitude by crowding around the boy and celebrating just him instead of the team as a whole. Though, looking closer, Harry and the others didn't really seem to mind too much. They were nice to the boy, knowing how much this would give Ron the confidence boost that he very much needed. And Hermione desperately needed air away from the party, and it definitely had nothing to do with the Lavender Brown sized leech hanging off the poor ginger's lips. However, Ron didn't seem too bothered by the witch snogging his face off.
The silence surrounded her as Hermione swiftly slid out through the Fat Lady portrait door and quietly stepped through the door corridors. She lapped up the stark difference and was more content now that the silence was apparent in front of her. Hermione was carrying a couple of bottles of butterbeer in her hand for herself to drink alone in one of her favourite shadowy alcoves.
She found herself humming semi-loudly, feeling the steady buzz of alcohol settling down in her stomach as she let herself lap up how tipsy she had gotten. She hadn't realised until the sharp coldness of the corridor had hit her as she left the warm fire that was the Gryffindor common room. The glass bottles clinked together as she walked, the sound echoing and bouncing off the castle walls, hopefully, no professors would find her. Hermione's steps wavered as she moved towards her usual alcove.
"Granger?" The slurred voice hit her senses first before she slowly realised that she had walked straight into the hard chest of Draco Malfoy. He cleared his throat, the noise closer than she thought. He had leaned his face down and closer towards her. He wasn't someone that Hermione had expected to see out on this dark night, his slurring and heavy breathing something that was also unexpected for this night. He was drunk, it was as clear as the night around them, and that was why he was slurring in his questioning. Hermione's head moved leisurely as she finally looked up towards the blond's glaring grey eyes.
There was a deep silence between the two teenagers; an off feeling could be felt in the air, but neither of them recognised that feeling. Draco's body swayed unsteadily as Hermione watched, trying not to get dizzy at the sight of his wavering movements. Hermione's golden-brown eyes narrowed at his slate grey ones, each of them staring at the other as if that would answer any of the questions that they had for each other.
"Granger?" Draco's voice called out towards Hermione once again. She was trying to ignore his overwhelming presence but it wasn't really working. "Granger." He slurred, Draco's voice hovering over her body as she found herself frowning in confusion, suddenly feeling a lot more drunk than she was before. Hermione blinked a couple of times at the blond, hoping that she could get herself under control before speaking any words to Draco.
"What are you doing out here so late?" Hermione finally found her swotty voice and moved into the alcove, but unfortunately, so did Draco. Now, the two of them were cuddled and squished together in the skinny alcove. Draco hovering over her with a slight height difference.
"Could ask you the same question, Granger." Draco's voice got closer as he bent his knees and looked down at Hermione's face, his signature Slytherin smirk written across his face. "So, Granger, what are you doing out here so late?" Draco's smirk grew larger, repeating Hermione's question back at her, hitting her like a slap. But before Hermione could answer, the butterbeer bottles in her hand clinked together, the sound echoing, answering Draco's question for her.
The two of them looked down at the butterbeer bottles clutched semi tightly in Hermione's hand as she slipped down against the alcove wall and crumbled down onto the stone flooring. She crossed her lengths beneath herself and sat down, staring up at Draco with a silent invitation floating within the air. Before anything was spoken between the two or said about the alcohol that Hermione was carrying, Draco sighed heavily and joined the curly-haired girl on the cold alcove floor. He sighed again, louder, raising his eyebrows up at Hermione in defeat. He had joined her on the floor as she had wanted.
"You are drunk, you are so drunk," Hermione stated. No hint of questioning in her voice, it was clear as the fucking night that the blond Malfoy teen in front of her was really fucking drunk. She smirked, copying the mark from earlier and staring daggers into Draco's face. "You can basically smell the alcohol dripping off you, Malfoy. That could land you in detention if a Professor or a prefect catches you out here. Not exactly screaming role models for the younger students. Mr Slytherin Prince." Hermione rolled her eyes, bumbling pure nonsense out of her mouth as the alcohol seemed to be affecting her more and more as the evening continued on. She knew that some of the words didn't make sense but Hermione couldn't care less, she wasn't expecting to be grilled or grilling anyone else tonight.
"Yes." Draco nods, his head bouncing up and down too much. Another sign, even if Hermione didn't already know that he was drunk. "Yes, I am drunk and who the fuck cares? None of the Professors are going to be roaming the halls, and even if there were any then Professor Snape always seems to come to my rescue." Draco slurs as his body sways. He wasn't sure what he was even saying anymore but he could tell that Granger was hooked on his every word.
"Why?" Hermione questioned, finally opening up one of the first butterbeer bottles. She takes a sip before thrusting the bottle in front of her and offering the drink to Draco. "What are you always nervous about, Draco? You look ill. It's worrying." Hermione furrows her brows.
She watches as Draco takes a huge gulp of the alcohol before offering the bottle back to the girl. He is silent for a few moments, staring and analysing Hermione's face. What was he thinking?
"Well, Snape is my godfather," Draco answered what he thought was Hermione's first question. He reached forward for the bottle again and took another large gulp, swallowing slowly before speaking again. "And... fine." Draco sighed, admitting defeat once again this evening. "I have been given a task from You Know Who and I am struggling. I don't want to do this, any of this. I want to leave and take my mother far from here, where no one can ever hurt her again. She... She's not safe in the Manor. No one is fucking safe anymore. There is an insane snake man living in my family home and torturing my mother, and I can't do anything until I have killed Dumbledore." Draco spewed everything out, holding tightly onto the butterbeer bottle and staring daggers at Hermione. He quickly drank another gulp, trying to distract from how much he had just drunkenly slipped out.
Hermione tried to hide the shock that was trickling down her face but it was too late, Draco had already seen and recognised the emotions that were written on her face. He stood up, placing the bottle down before swiftly leaving the alcove and strutting down the corridor. Hermione couldn't move. She couldn't think. Nothing was moving. Just the last words that Draco had spoken: "...until I have killed Dumbledore..." were roaming around her head and bouncing and echoing off the walls of her brain.
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A few weeks later since the alcove incident and Hermione couldn't get Draco's leaving statement out of her head. She didn't exactly favour the old Headmaster for all the ways that he has treated Harry throughout all of their years as friends but she didn't exactly wish death on anyone, even some Death Eaters didn't deserve death. Hermione supposed that she felt sorry for the blond wizard, he was still a child and he wasn't even sixteen yet. So, stupidly, Hermione had vowed to herself that she would try to help Draco in any way that she possibly could.
She'd thought about it every morning, every night, and basically every time that Hermione had time alone. She needed to help him, that was why he had told her about it right? Hermione knew that yes, he was very, very drunk and that had played a part in his confession, but he was practically there and begging for some help from the curly-haired Gryffindor.
Hermione wasn't even sure how she could help the pureblood, he could ask anyone for help and they would probably rush to his aid. He had Professor Snape at his beck and call, always helping him out of situations so why couldn't he just ask Snape for help with his task? But couldn't his mother and father find someone else to help him? His father may be in Azkaban, and that's why he was given this ridiculous task, but he knew people, he knew other Death Eaters that could help Draco.
She sighed, drawing the curtains around her bed and grabbing her pieces of parchment. Hermione had already started writing out everything she remembered from what Draco had said that night and then proceeded to just write out all her emotions and feelings regarding his task. Hermione reread what she had written, frowning at how messy her handwriting had gotten when she was scribbling out all those weeks ago, she was so anxious and full of energy when she was writing everything that she didn't care about the state of her handwriting.
Hermione closed her eyes, searching her memories and trying to remember every single thing that Draco had said. She could hear his posh tone echoing around her, almost as if he was in the bed with her. Her face warmed, her cheeks blushing at the thought of Draco fucking Malfoy secretly in her bed.
"I have been given a task from You Know Who and I am struggling. I don't want to do this, any of this. I want to leave and take my mother far from here, where no one can ever hurt her again. She... She's not safe in the Manor. No one is fucking safe anymore. There is an insane snake man living in my family home and torturing my mother, and I can't do anything until I have killed Dumbledore." The Draco Malfoy within her memory repeated.
Her stomach clenched at the emotions she remembered that wavered through his voice, she had never heard anything like it from the Slytherin. Hermione had never felt like this for someone in the Slytherin house. She had felt sorry for her friends and her family but never someone who practically hated her guts. Hated her entire existence. But Draco needed help and she was willing to forgive everything to help him. She opened her eyes, staring at the parchment and the words that she had written. Draco was crying and reaching out for help, and Hermione was going to be the one to actually go out and help him.
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Hermione stood outside the prefect's office, impatiently waiting, tapping her foot against the stone flooring. She had folded the piece of parchment and was keeping it safe within her pocket, ready to give her ideas to Draco. But, whether he took them into account or not was all up to him. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall as she continued waiting for the blond to arrive, annoyingly he always seemed to be late.
A loud clearing of a throat disturbed her silent thoughts. Looking up, she found the tall blond staring at her and raising his eyebrows. Hermione stepped away from the wall and quietly sighed, already annoyed that he had now made the both of them late for their duties. She didn't even know what he gained from doing that. Such an arsehole, why the fuck did she think that helping him was a good idea?
"Granger." Draco nodded at Hermione, and at least he was being polite like he always was with some things. They walked side by side as they start on their school prefect duties for the evening. Hermione checked in the alcoves, behind statues and paintings, looking for any sneaky students that thought they could hide and make out with others and then not be caught by them. He turned to her slightly, looking down at her. "Why the silent treatment all of a sudden? Usually, we can't ever get you to shut up, Granger." Draco commented, walking but keeping his eyes on her.
As Hermione walked a couple of steps ahead, she grabbed the parchment from her pocket and unfolded it in front of her before thrusting it behind and shoving it into Draco's chest. She stared silently at him, watching as he took the parchment in his hands before reading over her handwriting. His eyes hovered over her writing a couple of times before slowly looking up and connecting with her eyes.
"What is this?" He questioned. Draco stared at Hermione.
"Ideas. Some on how to escape and the others are ideas for how to complete your task." Hermione stared back at him. "I know of a safehouse in Australia, you and your mother would be safe away from everything there and I am sure that the Death Eaters and You Know Who would never be able to find you." Hermione continued, her brows furrowing as she looked down towards the floor, unsure what else to say to him.
"Granger, you didn't need to do all of this." Draco frowned. "I've been repairing the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, it has a twin." He nodded before walking faster and quickly checking the final alcoves and paintings. "Mother says that she won't leave the country without me and my father." Draco continued before finishing, turning around and staring at Hermione. She was stopped in the middle of the corridor.
"You can't be seriously contemplating doing it?" Hermione screeched.
"Granger, if I don't go through with this then he is going to kill me and my mother." Draco shook his head. "I can't risk losing her, my mother doesn't deserve this." Draco's voice showed how tired and emotional he had been lately. He clearly had had enough of all of this and yet was still trying to push through and complete the task.
"Then let me help you." Hermione was contemplating getting on her knees and practically begging him to listen to her and talk about the ideas that she had thought of. "Let me help you, Draco. I can't let you sentence yourself with a fucking death sentence, that cannot sit on your shoulders. No person should deal with this amount of stress." Hermione stared at him, tears bubbling up in the corner of her eyes as she kept her eyes remaining on him and his figure. "Don't do this, there are so many options for you," Hermione begged, her voice cracking.
"Granger, let's not get into this all right now." Draco finished their conversation and walked away from her, leaving her standing in the middle of the corridor.
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Hermione cuddled her legs closer to her body as she stared at the red and gold curtains that she had drawn across her bed again. She wanted to cry but no tears were leaving her eyes. Her heart was bounding and her brain wouldn't shut the fuck up. Of course, she had only gone and bloody fallen for Draco Malfoy. Her heart was constantly thinking and praying for him and her brain betrayed her by constantly reminding her of his face, his hands, his arms. Just everything about him was constantly playing out in her mind, and she hated it. Hermione was supposed to fall for Ron, that's how her story was supposed to go, right? That's how everyone expected her story to be written, and here she was, constantly daydreaming about the blond, Pureblood Slytherin.
She caught herself watching his hands during Potions, and then later that night she found herself remembering how he had handled things during the lesson. Hermione sighed to herself but admitted then and there that this was happening and she was falling for him. She hated herself, but also could stop anything from happening. This was bound to happen at some point.
Hermione stared at him instead of studying for Defense Against the Dark Arts in the library.
She assessed the way he walked around the corridors, and move throughout classrooms. The way that he held himself, even though on the inside he must have been an anxious mess.
Hermione also watched his movements during meal times in the Great Hall, instead of actually eating anything herself.
It was becoming obvious, really fucking obvious that Harry and Ron had commented on it. It had surprised her at first, usually, Ron never notices anything when it comes to Hermione but annoyingly he had noticed that she was staring at someone on the Slytherin table. But, luckily things were in her corner because Ron hadn't noticed that all her attention was on Draco. He would be so mad if he knew who she was staring at her. Hermione would never hear the end of it.
"'Mione, everything alright?" Harry tapped her shoulder at breakfast, disturbing her whirring brain from all the noise it was making. She turned toward her best friend and blinked a couple of times. "You feeling okay, you look quite pale." Harry stared at Hermione's face, trying to read the expression that was across her body but he couldn't gain what she was feeling, all he knew was that something was off with the girl.
"Mhm?" Hermione shook her head, blinking again. "Yes, I'm all good, Harry. I just haven't really been sleeping very well recently, feeling stressed about a lot of things." Hermione smiled, sipping on her morning cup of tea, the only thing that she had been able to stomach lately. If Hermione was feeling like this in regards to Draco's task, then how the fuck must he be feeling because she couldn't eat anything. Tea was the only thing she could barely drink, water was her main thing.
"You know that you can talk to us about anything, right?" Harry reminded Hermione, smiling warmly at her. She nodded, finishing her tea before walking silently out of the Great Hall, ignoring the stares that came from her house table and ignoring the deep glares she felt from the looming blond.
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Hermione stared at her reflection in the mirror, she knew what tonight held but she didn't want to face the truth. One last night, that was all she had to try and get Draco to escape with her. Beg for Draco to listen to her and join the good side of the war. Join the Order and get the help that he and his mother desperately needed right now. She brushed her hands against her weekend jeans, feeling like she was sweating out all of her nerves and anxiety. Hermione didn't know what tomorrow held, she could wake up tomorrow and no longer be in a world where Draco Malfoy lived.
She grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak, which she had borrowed earlier in the week, and snuck out of the Gryffindor dorm and moved out of the common room. Hermione crept quietly as possible and wandered towards the empty classroom where Draco and she had arranged earlier in the week to meet up tonight. She stared at the door, knowing that Draco was already there waiting for her. Hermione had watched him leave dinner early and knew that he must have come straight here. Finally, Hermione walked into the darkened classroom.
I will leave my heart at the door.
Draco was already there, like she had predicted, and was sitting on top of the table. He had been waiting for her, in the dark and the quiet. He smiled at her, noticing the array of emotions written across Hermione's face whereas Draco was nothing. His true emotions were hidden behind his occlumency walls. They must have been like towers, tall and so fucking overbearing, quite like himself. The both of them just stared at each other, no words were uttered for quite a few moments and they just lapped up the silence that had been created around them.
I won't say a word.
"Hermione..." Draco started speaking, his voice cracking slightly under all the pressure and stress he must be truthfully feeling right now and she hated it. Her breath hitched at the way he said her first name and her knees buckled. She really wanted to hug the boy but knew that she couldn't, that wouldn't help anything. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply before opening them back up again. He looked like death. "Granger, I know what you're going to say." His voice now was how she expected it to be, devoid of all emotions, matching the mask that he was wearing on the front of his face.
They've all been said before, you know.
Hermione shook her head, blinking as she moved. She couldn't do this, she had said to herself that she wouldn't get emotional but she could already feel the tears wanting to bubble and burst free. Hermione breathed deeply, getting her heartbeat in time with the blond's heartbeat as they continued staring at each other. Draco stepped closer, placing his hands delicately onto Hermione's arms, stroking them up and down, trying to communicate something, anything to the curly-haired girl.
So why don't we just play pretend?
"Hermione, please," Draco begged, furrowing his brows as he stared into the deep golden-brown eyes. He shook his head lightly as he tried to get his own emotions under control. "Don't do this. You know that I won't be able to run, not anymore. We have gone through too much at this point for you to be your usual Gryffindor self. I cannot run away with you, I wish I could but I can't." Draco frowned, sighing as he moved both of them back into the chairs so they could sit together, and have their final moments together.
Like we're not scared of what's coming next.
She stood in front of the seated Draco before nervously sitting on his lap and cuddling her face into his neck, hiding how scared she was truthfully feeling. Hermione felt him sigh and his body relaxed underneath her. She felt at home with the both of them together like this. She just wished it was under better circumstances and that they didn't have to hide away like this. Hermione felt his arms wrap around her waist and was squeezing her closer, hugging her tighter towards his body.
Or scared of having nothing left.
Hermione finally moved her face away from his neck, staring into his eyes, hoping that he would let the walls down a little bit so they could talk with each other before they had to leave. She sighed, letting the tears finally drop from her eyes. Hermione couldn't hold it in any longer. Finally, Hermione found her voice.
"Look, don't get me wrong." Her voice came out all timid and shy, croaking as she addressed Draco. She placed her hand underneath his chin, making sure that his eyes remained on hers. "I know there is no tomorrow. But all I ask is if this is my last night with you, hold me like I'm more than just a friend." Hermione finished, tears now flowing from her eyes that were usually so bright and full of love.
"Hermione, please," Draco begged, brushing his finger against his cheek and getting rid of the tears that were very quickly replaced by more salty tears. "Let's have just one normal final night together," Draco admitted but what was normal? They didn't have a normal with each other, their relationship wasn't normal.
"Give me a memory I can use. Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do." Hermione begged him, she pleaded with her eyes. She then planted her lips carefully against his and kissed him as Draco took her hand into his. He squeezed her hand tighter as she planted another gentle kiss against his soft lips before moving her face back, resting her forehead against his forehead, and feeling the slight sweat that was there. She felt tears leaving her eyes again. "It matters how this ends. 'Cause what if I never love again?" Hermione admitted as her final words, finally being able to show how fucking scared that she was right now, her voice really told how scared she was.
Draco shook his head, holding her chin and staring into her eyes. "I don't need your honesty, it's already in your eyes." Draco kissed her nose, before leaning back and staring deeply into Hermione's gorgeous golden-brown eyes. "And I'm sure my eyes, they speak for me. No one knows me like you do and since you're the only one that matters, tell me who do I run to?" Draco stared at Hermione, placing his head onto her shoulders and trying to absorb any of the positive energy and Gryffindor spirit that he could. He needed all the energy right now.
"Look, don't get me wrong. I know there is no tomorrow." Hermione admitted, kissing Draco once again before climbing off his lap and standing up properly. She wiped away the last remaining tears and hid everything from her face, placing a mask on top and looking back towards the blond boy who was still sitting down on the chair. Hermione frowned at him as he stood up and took her body into his arms, hugging her tighter and closer to him. Neither of them not wanting this moment to be over but they knew he had to leave soon and go towards the Room of Requirement.
All I ask is.
Hermione and Draco pulled apart, their hands still clasped together and the silence was brought back. She smiled sadly at him before she grabbed up the Invisibility Cloak and held it in her free hand. Draco stared, watching the cloak, and then moved his eyes back up towards Hermione. He sighed.
If this is my last night with you.
"Hermione, I love you," Draco admitted. "Regardless of the outcome tonight, remember that I love you and that we always had this time together to just be us. You are the strongest witch that I have ever met, and don't let anyone tell you that you aren't because fucking hell I couldn't have gotten through this year without you. I don't regret drunkenly telling you all those months ago about my task, I am so glad that I told you." Draco kissed Hermione, thrusting all of the passion and love that he had for her through the motion.
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend.
Give me a memory I can use.
"I love you." Hermione kissed the words back into his mouth, hoping that he listened and absorbed them because she needed him to know that what she was saying was true. "I love you so much Draco Lucius Malfoy. I love you. We shouldn't have connected like this but we did, and don't ever let anyone say that you are a heartless coward because you are incredible. You are so strong." Hermione kissed the words into his cheeks and onto his lips.
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do.
It matters how this ends.
They held hands, Draco brushing his thumb across her knuckles as they swayed in the silence. They were stuck in a dance together around the darkened classroom. Draco hummed a classical piece of music as they moved together and just lapped up the moment they were having. Draco smiled, a true smile that actually had emotions. Hermione kissed it gently before moving back and letting him dance her around the room.
'Cause what if I never love again?
Draco and Hermione moved towards the classroom door, their hands still tightly remained together because neither of them wanted to leave. She turned her body towards Draco, whipping the cloak around her shoulders, only having her face and hands on show. She smiled before breathing deeply.
"Let this be our lesson in love." Hermione swayed their hands between their bodies and she smiled at Draco. He started to speak but Hermione shook her head and continued speaking her mind. "Let this be the way we remember us. I don't want to be cruel or vicious. And I ain't asking for forgiveness." Hermione moved closer and pressed her lips against his. One final kiss. One final moment before she flicked up the rest of the cloak, hiding herself away and running out of the classroom, being the one to walk away from them.
All I ask is.
If this is my last night with you.
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend.
Give me a memory I can use.
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do.
It matters how this ends.
'Cause what if I never love again?
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