After Tonight

Chapter 22: Condolence

Hermione let out a breath as the room emptied. She felt a hand snake into hers and looked up at Pansy, interlocking their fingers and she tried to conjure a smile. Pansy smiled back painfully, then paused as she placed her other hand on her stomach.

"Goodness, she's been active today," she remarked, rubbing the spot over her shirt. "I'm going to sit down. She's giving me some aches."

Hermione settled Pansy into a spot on the couch, wrapping a blanket loosely around her swollen stomach, and proceeded to check on Fleur. The injured witch was still sleeping, her breathing steady as Hermione checked her vitals.

"Did they go?" Fleur asked, her voice thick with sleep.

Hermione sat down gingerly beside her on the bed, nodding. "Yes," she replied. "They'll be back though, I'm sure of it." She retouched the blanket around Fleur carefully, and closed the door softly behind her. Entering the living room, she began to pace.

Draco would be fine.

Ron and Ginny would be fine.

Theo would be fine.

They would all be fine. The plan seemed thoroughly processed. They would go into the manor, free the captured, destroy the written spell of the Spawning, and return safely.

Then what?

Hermione wasn't sure what she intended to do after this was all over. Was she supposed to get a job, followed by an apartment, and finally start her life? To do what, exactly? Where would Draco fit into all this?

"Hermione, what's that noise?" Pansy asked, tilting her head up as she glanced around.

Hermione looked out the window and gasped. "It's...Kelly," she replied, running to the front door. "He just Apparated on the lawn!"

She swung open the door, feeling for her wand in her back pocket. "Are you alright? Where were you?" she questioned as he approached her.

He was breathing hard, his dark hair falling into his eyes and she noticed his knuckles tighten around his wand. "Bombardo," he said, flicking his wand, shooting an explosion at Hermione's feet.

She was launched back, hitting against the hallway wall hard. She coughed, the wind knocked out of her and tried to sit up, but her head was pounding, a ringing bouncing around the cavity of her head. She could hear Pansy yell, the sound muffled, and sparks of light shot back and forth. She accioed her wand to her, leaning against the wall for support, her back aching as she stood rubbing the stars from her eyes.

"Hermione, stand up!" Pansy screamed, making a series of movements with her wand as Kelly advanced on her.

"You chose the wrong side," Kelly snickered, twisting his wand in his fingers. "Your boy isn't coming back. I'm sure Greyback will see to it."

Pansy's eyes widened, her jaw tight and she threw a spell at him. Scrambling to her feet, Hermione threw a spell as Kelly ducked from Pansy's spell, twisting so that he's pressed against the door of Fleur's room.

"Avada Kedavra!" Kelly hollered, a stream of green shooting from his wand as Hermione threw out her hand, yelling "Immobulus!"

The Killing Curse hit Pansy for the briefest of moments, but she dropped to the floor, her wand scattering across the surface and Kelly froze from being hit by Hermione's spell. Hermione runs to Pansy's side, shaking her slightly, and Pansy doesn't respond. Grasping her shoulders, Hermione pulled Pansy to her chest, the panic racing through her like lighting. She racked her brain for a spell or charm, anything that could help reduce the effects of the Killing Curse, if there were any, and she sobbed into Pansy's hair as she rocked her back and forth. Pansy moaned slightly and Hermione gasped, shaking her.

"Pansy, what is it that hurts?" she rushed out, squeezing her shoulders. "I can...I can cast a Reparifors, or a Stamina Charm? Tell me what hurts, where were you hit?" Pansy just stared as Hermione rattled on, tears forming in her eyes that slipped down her pale face. "Pansy, can you hear me?" Desperation was seeking into her voice. She glared at Kelly, frozen in his position, his eyes hard, and cupped Pansy's face. "Just take a breath, can you do that? Breathe in and out with me."

Pansy didn't respond, but breathed out deeply, mimicking Hermione's actions, then took a breath in through her nose. "There you go, just like that, nice and easy."

Gingerly, Pansy places a hand on Hermione's forearm, and says something inherently that Hermione leans forward.

"What? Say it again," she pleaded, brushing Pansy's hair from her eyes.

Pansy couldn't die. She was going to marry Theo, they had a baby coming. They were going to be a family, raise loads of pureblood babies, and be the most utterly disgustingly cute family.

Releasing her hand, it dropped to her stomach, and Pansy's bottom lip began to tremble. "I think...I think something is wrong."

It was then that Hermione noticed the blood pooling from beneath Pansy's skirt.