the miracle of us || drarry

20 | goodbye

a/n: love you guys. my apologies in advance.

Draco was the last person to leave the courtroom, and by the time he got out, the hallway was practically empty, save for Harry on the other side, eyes bright and shining, smile big. Draco felt the happiness engulfing him in a show of light, his heart beating steadily and a rush of adrenaline in his veins.

He gets to spend the rest of his life with Harry Potter.

Draco began to make his way towards Harry, only wanting to hug him and thank him. His thoughts were blurred and rushed, and Harry was the only thing he was sure of.

Then a voice came from his left: a venomous voice coupled with ragged breathing. "Don't move another inch."

Draco stopped in his tracks, jerking his head to his side. There, standing with a shaky hand and wild eyes, was Inigo, wand extended and pointed straight at Draco's chest.

"Inigo," Harry said warningly. He outstretched his hand, taking one step towards them. Draco was suddenly all too aware of how far away he was from Harry.

"They might've pronounced you innocent, you might've fooled everyone else, but I know different," Inigo hissed. His hands gripped the wand so hard that his knuckles turned white. Harry took another cautious step towards Draco, trying desperately to calm his heart, but to no avail. It beat out of his chest, so loud he was afraid everyone could hear it. "You're a coward," Inigo continued. "And you're evil, and you deserve to die."

The hallway had begun to fill with spectators now, some with their wands out, but all afraid to cast any spell before Inigo made a move.

"Put down the wand, Inigo," said Harry. "This is not what you want to do."

"You have no idea what I want, Harry Potter. I want the last few years back. I want my damn wife back."

Draco's body was tense, and though he knew he should be scared, the only thing he could think of was Harry, standing across from him, eyes frantic and fearful. Draco wasn't scared. He was sad.

"Harry," he muttered. He cleared his throat, then said it louder. "Harry, look at me."

Inigo looked back at the people around him, as if he was just realizing that the hallway had begun to fill up.

"Drop the wand, Inigo," Harry yelled. "Drop it!" Harry had begun to cry, silent tears that slipped down his cheek. He didn't want to resort to begging. Draco took a breath.

"Damn it, Harry, look at me."

When Harry finally looked at him, the blonde wanted to hold his gaze for as long as possible. For all he knew, this would be the last time he saw him.

"I love you," said Draco, and his voice broke. "I wouldn't trade this, what we have, what has happened, for anything."

Harry shook his head. "Don't you dare talk like you're saying goodbye. This is not goodbye, Draco."

Inigo laughed shakily. "You think I can't kill him? You may be a moral compass, but I sure as hell am not."

"Harry, I love you," Draco said again, and his voice was level. Calm. Accepting of what was coming.

"Shut UP!" Harry shouted, voice frenzied. "You can't kill him, he has done nothing wrong, do you really want that on your hands?!"

Inigo looked at Harry then, and his eyes were clear, as if he had gained a bit of clarity.

"I just want Andrea back," he whispered.

"This isn't going to bring her back. He did nothing. Are you hearing me, Inigo? Draco did nothing," Harry said.

For a second, Inigo seemed to want to listen to Harry. Then, Draco drew a breath in, locked eyes with Harry for one last second, and Inigo shook his head violently.

Draco was glad the last thing he saw was Harry. When it came, at least he could remember them. The miracle of how they met. He closed his eyes.

Inigo snapped his gaze back to the blonde, leveled his aim again, and the two words rang out, too loud for comfort, the flash of green light all too familiar for both of them; and Draco was on the ground before the word "No" even left Harry's mouth.

The next few moments were a blur. Harry's first instinct was to scream, then he raced to Draco's side, sight blurred by tears. He could hear commotion around him, but in that moment, he didn't care what happened to Inigo. He wanted to get to Draco. When he finally got there, he slid down to his side, his chest heavier than it had ever been, the word no on a repetitive loop in his mind.

"Fuck, Draco," he cried, cradling the blonde's head in his arms. He brushed away Draco's hair from his forehead, and let his hand rest on his cheek. Draco's skin was still warm, his eyelashes still every bit as long, his lips still stunningly pink against his pale face. Harry pulled him closer to his chest, unable to stop crying. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Draco, I'm sorry."

Harry didn't know how long he sat there, holding Draco against his chest, but by the time he felt someone's hand on his shoulder, Draco's body had gone cold.

Harry felt Ron's arms pull him up, but he didn't want to leave him. How could he leave him? It was Draco, beautiful, brave Draco who had survived everything terrible the world had thrown at him, but had died because Harry had made some kind of mistake. He had died because of Harry.

"Cmon, Harry," Hermione said, her voice low and sympathetic. "We've gotta go."

"No," Harry cried. "No, he's gone. He's fucking gone, just like that, Hermione."

"I know," she replied, but she helped Ron pull him up anyway. "I know."

"He's dead," Harry whispered, his words coming out in short, shaking breaths. He felt everything go weak, and he let himself get pulled away from Draco, let himself get pulled away forever, and he twisted away from Ron's arms to look at him one last time.

He looked peaceful, but he didn't look like himself. He didn't look like Draco; it wasn't him. His body was limp, his skin white as snow, and Harry knew he was gone. He knew he was gone, but he didn't want to leave him, but this was it, and everyone knew it.

This was it, and there was nothing left to say except goodbye.

—
wheewwww. i'm signing off quickly this time cause i know everyone's gonna kill me i am so sorry i love sad endings and i really contemplated ending it happily for a while but i had this all planned out and AAAAAAA i'm sorry but i am THAT kind of author PLEASE DONT KILL ME

i love u guys and stay tuned for my next update!!! my apologies to you guys and my little lovebirds who almost had a happy ending but couldn't <33

thank you for sticking around even though i know this isn't the ending any of you were hoping for

rena