The Battle of the Highest (Dramione)

Chapter 23: Coming Home

Last chapter, guys, ahhhhhhhh. It's taken such a long time to write this and I hope you all like it! I'll be writing a sequel sometime in the future, but in the mean time, after you read this, check out my other stories if you haven't already!

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*HERMIONE*

I wake up slowly, stretching my arms out across the bed and flexing out my fingers over the cold side of the bed. I sit up from my Gryffindor-patterned bed and side off the side. Today is my last day at Hogwarts.

I dress in my robes and brush my hair, then walk out to the prefect common room. The trays of food have still been arriving, even though The Battle of the Highest has ended.

I shake my head quickly. I don't want to think about that.

I hear a door click and I turn to see Draco. I smile. "Good morning," I say.

"Morning, love." He grabs a green apple from the fruit bowl and takes a bite into it, then sits down beside me on the couch.

"You ready to leave Hogwarts?" he asks.

"Yes," I admit. "This year hasn't exactly been my favorite."

"Has any?" he says with a laugh, for every one of our years at Hogwarts had ended in disasters.

"Should we go to the Great Hall?" I ask.

He shrugs. At that, McGonagall walks through the entrance portal.

"Good morning, prefects," she says. "And should I say, congratulations on your engagement."

"Thank you," we say in unison.

"I just came down to fetch you for breakfast, if you'd like to eat in the Great Hall for your last meal."

I look at Draco, and he shrugs. I turn to McGonagall. "Sure, we'll come," I tell her.

"Brilliant," she says. "Are you ready to go down now, or do you need to finish getting ready? Also, you don't need to bring your luggage at the moment, of course."

"We're ready," I reply. I take Draco's hand.

"All right," McGonagall says, "let's go."

We get to the Great Hall, and the students turn their unwanted attention to us as we walk down the center of the room. Memories start flooding back: my first year and being sorted, running back to embrace Harry and Ron after I had been petrified, the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament...the times outside the castle; Hogsmeade, the Shrieking Shack, saving Sirius Black from the cell on the Astronomy Tower, saving Buckbeak from being capitated...punching Draco in the face. I smile at that memory, but all of them jumble and make my head hurt.

Draco releases my hand and walks to the Slytherin table, which I know he now hates going to sit over there. I walk over to the Gryffindor table and slide into the seat beside Ginny, with Harry and Ron across from us.

"Hey Hermione," Harry says. "Decided to sit with us today?" I know he's teasing.

"McGonagall said that we should sit with our house and our friends today," I reply. I turn back to look at the Slytherin table and so does Ginny, following my gaze.

"It doesn't look like Malfoy is sitting with his friends today," she observes. She's right. Draco is all alone at his table, the other Slytherins at the other end while Draco nibbles on an apple. I turn back around.

"Let's just worry about us right now," I say. "We haven't talked much this year."

***

I lay the last sweater in my trunk, then snap the latches closed. I roll my trunk out into the common room to wait for Draco, and he appears a couple minutes later.

"You ready?" I ask.

He nods, and we walk out together, out the doors of Hogwarts.

"Are you going to miss it at all?" he asks me.

I think for a moment. "Most of it, no."

"What do you mean, most of it?"

"Well, I want to remember some things that happened," I say, and look up at him.

He sends his lop-sided smile down to me.

We arrive to the boarding area and wait with the other students until the train arrives, then we all board. Draco and I walk into the prefects' compartment. He puts his trunk overhead and then sits on the left bench. I follow suit, but sit across from him.

"Why not sit with me, love?"

I look over at him. He's bent forward with his elbows on his knees and his fingers laced together in front of his knees. I smile.

"Sorry," I say.

"No you're not," he teases.

I roll my eyes. "I don't know. I just...I don't know..."

"Embarrassed to be caught sitting with Malfoy?" he says a lot more quietly. "You know, it won't be long until you're a Malfoy."

"I know that," I retort. "And I'm not embarrassed, not the slightest bit." I stand and walk over to sit beside him. I rest my head on his shoulder. "See?"

He laughs. "Yes, I see, my love." He kisses my head and wraps an arm around me.

***

I wake up from my nap to the screech of the train whistle. We must be back in London. I stand and stretch and Draco stands too. He pulls our luggage down from the overhead compartment, pulling both of them off the train and onto the platform. We go through the wall, me first and him behind, and appear onto the muggle side of King's Cross.

"Hermione!"

I turn towards the person calling me, and see my father and mother. I take Draco's hand and guide him through the crowd and over to my parents.

"Hello darling," Mum says. She hugs me.

"It's good to have you back, pumpkin," Dad says. I feel my cheeks heat up slightly at the name. "Hello there, Draco." He extends his hand and Draco shakes it.

"I'll be just a second," I tell them, and I lead Draco over a little ways.

"So are you going back to see your mother?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Most likely. I'll visit though, and I'll find the perfect home for us and-"

"Thank you, Draco," I say. I kiss him for a few seconds, then break away.

"Promise you'll write?" I say.

"Of course, love." He kisses me one last time, then Disapparates from our secluded spot. I walk back over to my parents.

"Is Draco coming?" Mum asks.

I shake my head. "He went home to visit his mother."

 "I bet he needs to deliver the news," Dad says. He takes my trunk and then we walk together out of King's Cross Station.