imprisonment

Chapter 50; D

Love does strange things to a person. It grows roots that reach the darkest parts of them and then strangles them.

Maybe that's why he showed her the darkest part of him first—to scare her away. He figured she would cower away at the depths of his soul and run without ever turning back. He never expected her to take them in like she was his shelter. Her whole being wrapped around him like a warm hug after lingering in the cold. She thawed him. She uncovered all the parts of himself that he couldn't even face.

He was hades, feeding her pomegranate seeds, damning her with every bite. Every touch, kiss, made her fall farther and farther from grace. He promised himself he wouldn't be selfish with her, that he didn't deserve her warmth, but he couldn't help himself. He was lost in every moment they shared. They replayed like the lyrics of a song stuck in his head.

To see the worst parts, the most wicked parts of someone, and still choosing to love them, was worth more than love at first sight. The shackles that held them both, knew each other's pain. The control that latched onto them, making them be someone they never wanted to be, were matched.

Every choice he had made in his life had never been his own, except choosing to love her. From a child, he was expected to be someone. She never expected anything from him, but to be himself.

He was ruined in so many ways, far past redemption, but she still tried to redeem him. She took in every sin of his past and loved him regardless. It almost made him sick knowing that.

But to deny himself of the drug that coursed through his veins known as Hermione Granger—well that was too fucking difficult. He had been selfish with her, he savored every last bit of her, despite the fact that he was ruining her.

Maybe he was as rotten as they all claimed him to be—too far gone to be saved.

He had blood on his hands. She would never want him again, but damnit a small part of him clung to hope. The damage was irreparable. It would be so easy to give up, to let her sink beneath the waves of his mind.

So, there he stood, his wand pointed at her chest. The universe's idea of karma was cruel.

His jaw clenched as he occluded all emotion away. The wind bit as his face, blowing his pristine hair out of place. He became the darkness that he was known for. He tried to push her to the bottom of the sea that was his mind. He tried to forget the way she made his heart race or the touch of her skin against his. He tried to forget how he loved her.

Love led him to hold her life in his hands. Everyone moment that they had shared together had led to this—maybe it was his punishment.

Love was the root of his evil. Everything he had done—the people he had killed—was all for her.

Hermione's hair was tied into a ponytail, which flew in the wind. He could tell by the way her eyes were glazed over that she was scared, and she was trying to disassociate. His heart panged in grief, knowing just how betrayed and broken she must be.

Draco forced his hand to not waver, as it pointed towards her. All of his nerves seemed to light on fire, but he ignored him, steading his hand. He couldn't falter, no matter how hard his body shook and the pit in his stomach grew.

He knew what he had to do. All the years of being the disappointment, the villain, the boy who was not good enough held under the weight of his hand pointed at her.

Everything seemed to flash before his eyes—his disappointed father, the scared boy who pushed everyone away, the boy who tried to choose the right thing and ended in prison for it, the man who had fallen in love with her. It was almost too much to process.

The words flowed out of his mouth and rained into the air like a storm full of thunder.

"Avada Kadvra."

He watched the green light glint across the air, her eyes not breaking contact with his, as if she was ready to die. A tear burned its way down his cheek, hidden by the magic that erupted from him.

He pivoted his arm at the last moment, right before it was to take the life from her and aimed it at the Dark Lord. He felt the power leave his body, causing him to almost fall over from the sheer force.

Everything was in slow motion. It was as if no one had yet processed that it wasn't Hermione who was dying until Voldemort's curses filled the air.

All heads turned, facing him reach his end. His body seemed to crack like broken glass and fly away in the wind like ashes from a fire. Silence filled the courtyard and their eyes widened as if they couldn't believe what had happened.

He could barely process that Voldemort was dead—that it was all over.

Draco turned, closing his eyes, readying himself for impact. Whether it was from the death eaters or the order. He knew what he had done wouldn't free him from his past. It wouldn't make a difference.

He could feel a body crash against his, causing himself to suck in a breath. "Do what is necessary," he said in a low voice, half expecting his deed to be punished.

"Draco I—" her voice like salvation, "I know it may have been all in my head, or hell maybe it was the isolation infecting my judgment, but it was real. Draco damnit it was always real to me," she said flipping him to look into her eyes that were searching for an answer.

He couldn't seem to form words. His chest pounded as he looked at her. She interrupted him before he could respond.

"No, you don't get to think you aren't deserving of love. Draco you fucking saved me in ways that I can never forget. My soul is forever tied to yours and I can't help but think you feel the same way."

She read him like an old favorite book she had memorized.

"You saved me too, not from being on the wrong side of the war, or even from just being a shit person. You freed me from the thorns that had their grip on me. I fucking love you and for so long I've tried to convince myself out of it, but it has always been you. Don't think for a second, I ever abandoned you. Every choice I made was to ensure your safety," he said. He looked her up and down, his insides exploding just at the sight of her.

He pulled her into a kiss, filled with passion that spread throughout his body. It felt like redemption from all his sins as if they never existed in the first place. She filled him to the brim with love that he has longed for since he was a child. His fingered raked through her curls and his other hand pulled her in by her waist.

All the chains that once held them, the chains that sent them to Azkaban in the first place, seemed to break free.

"Never," she pulled from the kiss, "leave," she said colliding her lips against his, "me again," she said breathlessly into his mouth. The whole courtyard could have been empty, hell the whole world felt like it existed just for them.

Each of his hands cupped her jaw, "what are they going to say?" He tried to turn to look at the order and the rest of the death eaters who were too shocked to move, causing her to direct his eyes back on her.

"Fuck em, fuck em all," she said and her lips curled into a smirk. "We are free," she laughed like it was such a strange notion. She spun around like a child unable to stop herself from the joy that flooded her.

After all the time they both were held captive, the things that once imprisoned them died with Voldemort.

And it felt damn good. 

A/N 

I hope this was the ending you think that they deserved. I can't believe that I have finished this story. I love all of my readers and am so grateful to you all. I never expected this story to get as many reads as it has. Thank you all. 

I am hoping to write a sequel in Theo and Pansy's POV. Comment if you would like that. 

I might also write an epilogue if you guys would like. 

I love you all. Each one of you deserves the world.