Aftermath

CHAPTER 22: A DIFFERENT FLIGHT

"There!" Blaise yelled as he caught sight of the land where Draco's patronus led them. Draco and Ron leaned closer to their castaways and onto their brooms, sporting it to be faster.

Everyone arrived and set foot on shore, quickly coming to the aid of their friends.

"Hermione," Draco mumbled shaking as he laid her on the sand quickly brushing off strands of her hair to the side. "Hermione," He called again as he felt slow pulse on her neck. He had begun flicking his wand shakily and mumbled healing spells, and liquid began to transport itself out of Hermione's system.

"You need to pump for her heart Draco!" Harry said seriously and took out his wand. "Let me do this," He said and started to mumble healing spells.

Draco doesn't hear anything else, he felt dumbfounded. He barely heard a thing around him.

Draco placed his palms on Hermione's chest and started to pump for her heart. He counted in his thoughts, "Come on," he yelled. "Come on, Granger!" He pumped again. "Don't bloody die on me now." He cried still pumping.

In between pumps, Draco blew air inside Hermione's mouth.

"Draco! Easy! You'll break her bones!" Harry glared. Draco closed his eyes and eased his mind. He started to pump again. "Please — Please. Godric, Salazar, please. God." Draco cried, as he was still pumping by the second.

Hermione's face paled and her lips was swollen and now purple. There's no colour evident in her face. Draco's starting to snap.

Blaise held his friend's shoulder. "Draco —" He called as he lowered his gaze. "Draco — stop." He called again, now holding Draco's both shoulders.

"Get off of me!" He screamed, pushing Blaise away and immediately got back to pumping Hermione back to life. "No. You don't do this to me, Granger." He cried.

"Malfoy — stop." Harry started to cry. "She didn't make it." Harry stumbled on his words, looking over Hermione as he held two fingers on her neck. "Hermione." He whispered. "Stop. Draco. Please." He pleaded. There was no use.

Ron emerged, "No. No. No. No. Hermione. No. No. No. Hey. Hey. Wake up." He kneeled next to Harry. "Hermione, please. No. Please. Wake up." Ron held Hermione's cold hand.

Theo watched, tears welling in his eyes, as he held Astoria in his arms who's now weakly and barely awake. He lied about him not being afraid of losing friends. He damned well was afraid. Ron had managed to pump the woman in his arms back to life but for Hermione — it was hazy.

Draco was devastated in Theo and Blaise's eyes. Harry and Ron were too. They felt like their hearts were being crumpled a thousand times over. The last time they felt like this was during the war as they watched their friends die in a flick of a wand and they only had to bat an eye and back to deflecting
an incoming curse again but this was worst — because they had time to actually endure the pain and watch someone fall in deep sleep.

"You don't. Don't you dare. If you don't open those goddamned eyes —" Draco heaved a deep breath and pushed his mouth down to hers. He pumped twice again. Draco leaned closer to Hermione.

"No." He whispered near her neck. "You're not—" His brain is telling him that it's over but his heart does not. "You can't be." He whispered again. His shoulders heaved up and down, crying.

A cough.

Draco widened his eyes at the sound. He shot up his head and saw a coughing Hermione. Harry, Ron, Blaise and Theo held their mouth agape. The gape turned into a relieved smile.

"Hermione, hey, Granger." Draco whispered as he caressed the nape of Hermione's neck to elevate her body. "Hey, you're back. You're back, Granger. You came back." Draco beamed, tears streaming down on his pretty face.