~Draco’s POV~
I curse and stare at the spot where the trio just apparated from. The Dark Lord stalks away, but doesn’t say anything to me. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but right now I’m more upset at myself for letting them get away. Furious, I apparate back to where I found her. They can’t hide forever and I will get them when they come out or I’ll take them by force. I will not fail and I will get my revenge. One way or another.
~Hermione’s POV~
I open my eyes and groan in pain. Harry and Ron run over instantly. They start asking me a million questions and cover my face with my hands. I can understand that they’re both worried, but can’t they leave me alone. Sighing, I sit up and try not to cry out in pain. Ron and Harry are instantly by my side.
“I’m fine.” I lie.
“Are you sure?” Harry asks.
“Yes.”
“Alright. Do you want to be left alone?”
“Please.”
“Okay. Call if you need anything.”
I nod and lean my head back against the couch. If I’m being honest the pain of seeing Draco enjoy torturing me hurts worse than the physical pain. Did he really become a monster like his father? Am I the one that did this to him? Suddenly I’m seriously questioning my decision to break up with him. We never would have been able to see each other, but would he be like this if I hadn’t broken his heart? Would he have turned into this cruel monster?
There’s a knock at the door and I instantly grab my wand from beside the couch. I stand up and walk towards the door. Harry and Ron are already standing there with their wands pointed at the door. Ron reaches for the handle, but I stop his hand. If there’s a Death Eater behind that door, they’ll be prepared to kill us as soon as we open the door. Sighing, I wait for the person to knock again.
“Open up Potter!” the person yells and knocks louder.
The voice makes my heart stop. Harry and Ron growl and reach to open the door. I stop both of them and move to stand in front of them. They look at me like I’m crazy and maybe I am. Biting my lip, I know that I have to talk to Draco alone. I’ll never be able to do that if Ron and Harry are still conscious. They’ll never allow it. Sighing, I do the only thing I can think of. I stun them both and open the door.
I close the door behind me and turn to face Draco. He instantly disarms me and pockets my wand. His wand is at my throat and I’m starting to think that my plan isn’t going to work. Draco looks at me and his eyes are full of hatred. Taking a deep breath, I decide that I’m doing the right thing. Gathering as much courage as I can, I knock Draco’s wand out of his hand and kiss him. I’m surprised when he doesn’t hesitate to kiss me back. Instead of pushing me away, he pulls me closer and kisses me with a passion that I had almost forgotten.
We stand there in the open, too wrapped up in each other to care that we’re completed exposed and unarmed. I tangle my fingers in Draco’s hair, loving the feel after so long. He pins me against the door and starts kissing my neck. Suddenly Draco pulls away. His eyes are wide and he looks like he’s seen a ghost. Draco bends down, grabs his wand and then pushes the door open behind me. As I fall backwards, he catches me and spins me around before closing the door. Now I’m breathless and pinned against the door again.
“Why did you kiss me?” Draco asks with that cold, hard mask back on his face.
“Because I love you.” I answer honestly.
“You left me.”
“I left you because I knew we couldn’t get out of this war together.”
“How could you be so sure?”
“Draco if You-Know-Who wins do you really think I’d be allowed to live? If he loses, you’ll be locked up in Azkaban.”
“I could get out of being locked up.”
“Not without lying.”
“It’s possible. I could defect at the last moment.”
“Maybe you’re right, but what happens now?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s obvious that we both still have feelings for each other.”
“Yes, but I don’t understand what the problem is.”
“You’re a Death Eater, Draco! What happens if you return empty handed again?”
“Oh.”
Draco looks down at his shoes and I can tell that he is thinking. If he goes back empty handed, there’s a good chance that he probably won’t survive. I don’t know what I’ll do if he dies. I’m not completely sure if I can live without him. His face changes to one of joy and his hand plunges into his pocket. He pulls out a small vial.
“What’s that?” I ask.
“It’s a potion that will make it appear that I’m dead.” He grins.
“How does that help the situation?”
“Here’s what my plan is. We go and apparate to a random place, it’s not really important where. I take the potion and then you’ll have to call the Dark Lord once I’m out. Whatever you do, get out of there quickly.”
“How do I…”
“You already know.”
I nod my head and a shiver runs down my spine at the thought. Draco pulls me into a hug. He kisses the top of my head and I hug him back. Sighing, I pull away and we walk out of the house. We apparate to a place that I don’t recognize. There’s a small house that looks like it’s been abandoned for years.
“Ready?” Draco asks.
“Hold on.” I say.
I kiss him and tangle my hands in his hair. He wraps his arms around me and we have our moment. Once we pull away, I nod. Draco un-stoppers the potion and drains the vial. He hands it to me and I put it in my pocket. I have no idea how long he’ll be awake for, but I’ll stay here as long as it takes.
“I’m really sorry.” Draco whispers.
“For what?” I say even though I know the answer.
“For hurting you.”
“Apology accepted.”
“I love you Hermione. More than anything.”
“I love you too, Draco.”
He smiles at me before lying down. I watch as he poses like he’d been hit by a curse. Slowly, his eyes close and the rise and fall of his chest stops. Taking a deep breath, I walk over and roll up his sleeve. For a moment, I hesitate but I know what I have to do. Holding my breath, I draw my wand and touch the dark mark. As quickly as possible, I apparate out of there and straight to Grimmauld Place.
