Always (Dramione story)

Safe and sound

Draco was walking up to the prefect's common room. When he heard screaming. He followed it and found, Bryn dead on the floor. Lilli was crying next to him and a death eater was standing over them. "Avada Kedavra!" Draco hit the death eater without thought. Draco picked Lilli up. What the hell was he going to do?

He felt someone crash into him. He managed to not fall over. he was about to hex them when he saw it was Hermione. She hugged Draco. "I need help." He gulped urgently. "Bryn's dead. Take Lilli somewhere safe. Please." Hermione took Lilli. She apprated to her paternal grandparent's house. "Please. Take care of her." She begged her grandmother. She knew her grandma didn't like children, but she made an exception for family. "Mum! Where are we?" Lilli sniffed. "She's your daughter then?" Hermione's grandma's voice tone changed to that of a kind caring person, rather than a judgemental one. Hermione nodded desperately. This was the only way.

She went back to Hogwarts. She crashed into Draco once again. "Sorry." Draco smiled at her apology. Hermione kissed him and hugged him. Draco never thought he'd be the boyfriend of the one girl he loved. "I love you." Draco muttered. Hermione tensed and Draco was regretting his words. "I love you too." Her muscles relaxed.

Hermione led Draco away from Bryn's dead body. She led him outside. "This is what Voldemort's doing." She said defiantly. Draco looked down at his left forearm. He regretted listening to his father. 

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Draco watched the deaths of innocent people unfold around him. He felt pain burrow it's way into his forearm. 

Then the message came. It was whispered into each ear. But Draco's was different. It called him a traitor. It told him that if he wanted his life to be spared, he would bring Hermione to the forbidden forest. The message finished. He wasn't going to do it. Never. Not even for himself.

Draco watched Hermione and Ron trying to convince Harry to stay. But Harry left. 

And when he came back. He was in the arms of Hagrid. 

Everyone was grieving as they watched the procession. Ginny was screaming. 

Then Voldemort spoke. 

"Now, Harry Potter is dead. No one can do anything about that. This is the time for new recruits to join us, and the time for traitors," He looked intently at Draco, and everyone else glanced at Malfoy "To redeem themselves." 

Then a voice rang from the crowd of death eaters. "Draco." Then stared at the speaker. It was his mother. Of course, it made sense. She didn't have a dark mark. She wasn't taken for a death eater.

"Draco come here." She almost begged. "Well?" Voldemort questioned. "Are you going to redeem yourself? Or are you going to be a traitor to your blood?" 

Draco sighed shakily and looked up to face Voldemort and his mother, talking to him from the middle of the courtyard. "I'd rather be a traitor to my blood." He watched shame, sorrow and betrayal grow in his mother's eyes. Draco turned around and left. 

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After that Harry beat Voldemort. We all know that story. The dead were being grieved. He actually felt sorry for the Weasleys. They had lost a brother and a son. He glanced at them to see the other twin bawling over his dead brother. 

Draco stared at the ground. He pulled up his sleeve to see his dark mark. It would never leave him. It would be a mark of all the horrible things he had done. 

How he regretted it.

"Hi." He looked up to see Hermione. "Are you okay?" Hermione whispered. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Hermione?" 

"Yes?"

"Do you really love me? Or was that just before-the-war talk?"

She smiled and kissed him gently. 

"I love you." 

"If you love me. Would you think about becoming my wife?" 

He slipped something into her hand and left. 

She stood there. Had he just asked her to marry him?

She looked at the object in her hand. It was a simple, silver ring. 

She ran after him. Literally ran. 

When she reached him she slapped him across the face. 

"I suppose that means no?" He mumbled rubbing his cheek. 

"Never ask a question like that and leave before you have an answer. But yes, I've thought about it, and I love you. So, if you love someone, why not?"

Draco smiled. She crashed her lips into his.

She was set to become Mrs Malfoy.