imprisonment

Chapter 45; H

It was near the end of September when the end of the war hung in the air. It could be felt by everyone that the end was coming. Whether that was good or bad depended on who you asked. For Hermione, it made her a wreck.

She could jump with any sound, from the anticipation and sheer dread of the final battle. She was scared to meet Voldemort face to face, for the first time since Harry had died. The image was burned in her memory, just like the feeling of being paralyzed and drug away from life as she knew it.

Draco's face came to mind. The thought of seeing him again left a pit in her stomach and a knot in her throat. As much as she wanted to hate him, as much as she should have hated him for what he had done, she couldn't. She couldn't forget how it felt when he touched her or how the taste of his lips still lingered on her own. Every time she closed her eyes she tried to forget. She tried to rid herself of the disease that was Draco Malfoy. He lingered in her veins, circulating without faltering.

She needed to see him again. She couldn't handle the lack of closure his departure gave her. Even if he never loved her, she needed to hear it from him. Even if they were standing opposite on the battlefield, she would use her last breath to demand the truth.

Love did that to a person. It gripped itself around you, choking and immobilizing you until you had to give in and let go.

It was inevitable that they were going back to Hogwarts—that she would see him again. She imagined him in a dark cloak appearing with a cloud of black smoke, telling her that her time was up—telling her it was a sick game that she lost. The devil always had a way of offering you your wildest dreams before managing to collect his debt later.

She knew her time would come. She knew her luck would soon run out. Nothing good lasted forever. It was like a comet, flashing by the earth, waiting a millennium before returning again. Draco was her comet. He was an enigma she could never explain to another soul.

The final battle would soon reveal itself. The whole order knew that. Days had passed filled with plans and promises, none of which she knew would work out. She simply sat quietly, wondering who fate would take from her next. This was the real world. There were no happy endings or tales of the hero's defeating evil. Reality set in, its dismal and darkening presence reminding her that she wasn't guaranteed survival—no one was.

That morning when she had woken up, she knew it felt off. When she pushed the duvet off of her and rested her bare feet against the cold floor, she could feel it in her bones. It was an instinctual feeling that rose inside of her, warning her the end was near.

Her prediction had been correct. She could hear fast footsteps pounding against the floor nearing her room. "Hermione, get up," Theo said bursting into the room, panting. She stood up, still in a daze from just waking up. She wished he could have waited, allowing her more time to stay in bed.

"Theo what is it—" Hermione said looking confused. She quickly looked around and rubbed her eyes, trying to will herself awake. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately, awake all hours of the night theorizing.

Theo walked over to her, grazing his arm on her shoulder. She could tell there was an urgency in his eyes. She could feel it in her gut something was to come. Her heart started to burn in her chest, afraid of what he was going to say next.

"They know where we are. It's happening," he said, making her notice how he had a satchel on his arm, seemingly ready to be on the run. She nodded her head in shock. She always knew the day was coming, but in the moment, she felt unprepared and uncertain.

She didn't have the time to discuss how he knew that they knew where they were, she just trusted him. They had to rely on trusting each other, no one else in the order seemed to trust them.

"We have to go to Hogwarts. We have to get the fang and the sword..." she began to say frantically. Her mind seemed to race, tangling itself up in their plans and a million 'what ifs.'

"The rest of the Order knows nothing about the sword, just that we need the fang to kill Nagini. The plan is to lure the Death Eaters back to the castle after we get to Hogwarts," Theo spoke.

He was right. They couldn't let the rest of the order parish. They would have to use the Taboo when they arrived. That way they would be confused on whether to go to their safe house or Hogwarts. They had to act fast.

She quickly got out of bed, gripping her wand off of the nightstand. She didn't have time to even think straight. "Do you know if there are any wards preventing us from apparating to Hogwarts?"

"I don't think there is. It has been pretty much abandoned since..." he didn't finish his sentence, but she understood.

She turned to Theo. She knew this would be their only chance. Part of her didn't even feel bad knowing that they would be leaving without the rest of the Order.

"They can just meet us there. We have to try and find the sword without anyone knowing," he said pulling his wand out from his trouser pocket. Hermione knew he was right. She couldn't trust them anymore. She knew they would have to go on a solo mission.

Theo turned to her, "those fuckers don't have anything on us" he said trying to break the tension. He awkwardly laughed trying to make her feel better.

"Theo this is serious," she groaned rolling her eyes. She tried to muster a weak smile.

"I can't help but try and lighten up the mood sunshine," he said winking in an ever-so-Theo way that she couldn't help but stifle a laugh at.

She knew that she was just as nervous as she was, that he had a pit in his stomach ready to see Pansy again.

For a moment she felt guilty leaving the rest of the order to fend for themselves against the Death Eaters who were coming to their safehouse. She was confident that they would be safe though. She just hoped they would fall for her trap.

And with that, she linked her hand in his and they both apparated with a flash.

She could feel the air swirl around her, her fingers still clasped in his. She could feel everything changing around them before landing on the ground.

They both peeled their eyes open, anxious for what they were to see. For all they knew there would be Death Eaters ready to kill them then and there. She took a deep breath before taking in the scene.

She stared at her once school, her home, in shambles. Her eyes went wide in shock. It had been worse off than when she last saw it months ago. Harry's dead body still lingered in the air, reminding her of why she was there.

She knew she would fight—maybe even to the death. But anything worth having was worth dying for.

A part of her strung, not knowing if she would ever lay her eyes on Draco again if their time spent together would just be some distant memory. Sometimes she wondered if she made it all up.

If she died. She will have died knowing she had known what it meant to love and be loved, whether it be a lie, it felt unequivocally real to her. And that meant something.

She took a deep breath, the cold autumn wind sharp against her cheeks, as she said the Taboo aloud.

"Voldemort." 

A/N

Sorry I have been slower with updating. College has been kind of hard lately and I have been very busy.  I'm hoping I can get another chapter out within the next couple of days.