A/N- This is my final chapter. I hope you all have liked it, and I am sad
to end it, but I needed to end it somewhere and somehow. Thanks again for
all the reviews!
LegoMyLegolas- Hey! Ummm...the song in my last chapter was from YellowCard, it's on the new Spiderman2 Cd, and it's called Gifts and Curses, it's an awesome song!! (Also an awesome Cd!) I hope you have luck finding it!
Chapter 9
"Just be quick, Miss."
Hermione looked up at the burly looking man and nodded. The man took out a wand, muttered an incantation, and the large locked door snapped open. The man held it open for her to enter.
"Ten minutes." He said before closing the door behind Hermione. She could hear the man waiting on the opposite side of the wall. She then turned her attention into the room and gave a deep breath.
"Why did you want me to come?" She asked looking at the silhouette figure sitting at a desk in the middle of the dark room. It had been five years since she had last seen Draco Malfoy, and now here he sat, his silvery blond hair glowing. His arms were wrapped around his chest as he peered at her. He grinned. She gulped, she probably should have figured that Draco would end up in Azkaban one day, but now that she looked at the man, she couldn't see the school boy bully any longer.
"You said call on you if I needed anything, right?" His voice was deep and sort of raspy; Hermione figured this to be the cause of being in this pit for so long.
"That was a long time ago, Draco." She glared at him, but also couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, besides, she had gotten to know him like none other, and it was hard for her to think it all could just disappear.
"What difference does it make; it was, what, a year ago since we graduated?" Draco shrugged.
Hermione sighed and took a seat opposite of Draco at the table, "It's been five years, Draco."
Draco cocked an eyebrow and stayed silent as if pondering this new found information. He then leaned back into his chair and stared at the dirty table top.
"Draco, I really shouldn't be here," Hermione began to stand up, but just as she did, Draco's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She let out a small gasp of surprise.
"Wait, don't go yet." He stared at her and then his gaze wandered to their hands. He quickly pulled away.
"If there is something to say, please hurry, because as far as I am concerned, we said all that there was to say that day along time ago." She tapped her foot impatiently, urging him to continue.
"Did you read your paper?" He simply asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes, Draco, I read it. Your sentence has been set," she looked down at him, "a life long sentence in Azkaban for killing twenty muggles and three Order members." Her gaze narrowed.
Draco grinned and shook his head, "Twenty, seems a bit much. Who exactly wrote that absurd article?"
"Draco, I am tired of this." Hermione sighed, causing Draco to look up at her, "You have been playing mind games since the sixth year, I just want it to be over with, and I want the truth."
Draco stared at her, his eyes burning holes into her, "You want the truth?" Hermione nodded. "Alright, I didn't kill all those people, at least not of my own free will. You know what my father is like; you knew what the Dark Lord was like. I was never supposed to kill them, but they made me do it."
Hermione bit her lip and looked at the ground, "Are you saying that you were under the Imperious Curse, Draco?" She asked.
"No," Draco looked at her, "you don't believe me, do you?"
"Draco, I can't trust you. You were a Death Eater, I am a member of the Order, and we don't trust each other."
"You would have believed me, if I never dumped you." Draco glared at her.
"This has nothing to do with us. Twenty three innocent people are dead, and it's your entire fault." Hermione shook her head to show her disapproval.
"I had no choice," Draco said harshly.
"What is your excuse then?" It was Hermione's turn to glare.
"You know what I had been through; you were the only person that knew. You should know when I tell the truth."
The two stared at each other for a few moments, and then Hermione stood, "I lost all my trust in you the day you turned your back on me." She began walking to the door, but soon, she could feel Draco next to her.
"Fine then, you do not have to believe me, just hear me out." He whispered into Hermione's ear, causing her to shiver as the chill from his voice went down her spine.
"I have been listening to you Draco," she said pushing herself away from him, "for the past five years, but you never seemed to want to talk to me."
"You know exactly why I couldn't do that." Draco folded his arms over his chest. Hermione glared at him, "It was for your protection, if my father—"
"If your father found out about me, right?" Hermione finished she shook her head and sighed. "Draco, I am leaving."
"You told me that you loved me."
Hermione stopped and turned back to him. His grey eyes shined brighter now and he had almost a look of pleading about him. She shivered; she forgot how easy it was for her to read his feelings. "That, was also a long time ago, a lot of things have changed since we were in school."
"Are you trying to tell me that feelings like that can just disappear in a few years?" Draco tilted his head slightly while staring at her.
Hermione thought for a moment, "no," she said, "Feelings like that disappeared after five years."
Draco walked back to the table and sat down on top of it, he became silent. Hermione hesitated with the door for a moment, trying to decide if she should really leave, or if she should stay. She pursed her lips together and took the few steps back to the table.
"Draco, you murdered people, you have terrorized muggles, and you were in the inner circle with Voldemort, I can't love you." Hermione stared at Draco's hair which hung in front of his face as he looked down at the floor.
"I already told you, I had no choice." He mumbled.
"Everyone has a choice, Draco. But maybe you just didn't want the other one." They were silent again for a minute or two before Draco spoke again/
"Do you have any idea what it is like to be in here?"
Hermione was taken back by his question, "what does that have anything to do with this?" she asked. Draco looked up at her, his hair still covering a majority of his face, pretty much only his grey eyes stood out.
"Everyday it seems like all your happiness is draining from you. Everyday you get more and more depressed, like you would rather die than anything."
"Yes, Draco, I have read about the effects that this place has one most prisoners."
"You may have read about it, but you don't know what it feels like. Nobody gets much sleep here, there is always some worthless wizard that can't handle anything anymore, and then you spend the rest of the night listening to their screams for help, until they are finally silenced by the dementors." Draco smiled making him look as if he had also gone mad by being here. "But I had my special ways of keeping the dementors away from me."
"Draco, I really don't want to hear this." It was true, Hermione didn't like to think about the things that went on inside Azkaban, and she knew how it had turned wizards mad.
"The point is, Hermione, I did have a choice, two actually. One was to kill those people, and be sent here, but to be rewarded by the Dark Lord for my services later. The other was to go free, and be shunned by everyone I knew." He paused and then continued, "I chose this one, to live here until I have lost my mind, or until I am dead. Why do you think I would have chosen to live like this if I could have chosen the alternative and gotten to live the rest of my life as a free man?"
Hermione had no clue what he was talking about, so she shook her head.
"It's because I didn't have a choice." Draco leaned back a little and looked into Hermione's eyes.
"What was your alternative?" She asked staring back into his eyes.
Draco smirked, but remanded silent.
Hermione sighed, "I really wished that you would have picked the other option, you would not be in this mess right now."
"Do you? Are you sure about that?" Draco still carried his smirk, it ade Hermione a bit nervous.
"Alright, you answer one of my questions," she said, "how are you going to be rewarded for all this? Voldemort is dead, and so are the majority of his followers." Draco stayed quiet, so Hermione continued, "Or where was you father when you were killing those people? Because what I know from it, you were all alone, the other Death Eaters fled when we arrived."
"What's your point?" Draco asked grimly.
"My point is, Draco, you were a tool used from the beginning. Voldemort had no intention of rewarding you, and your father cared so much for you that he let you take the blame for all of those murders while he sat at home drinking wine!" Hermione let out a breath and placed her hands onto her hips.
Draco glared at her for a second and then his eyes softened; at least they softened as much as was possible for someone like Draco Malfoy. He laughed, a deep growl better explained it, and then he smirked at Hermione again, "you're right, but I would not change it for the world."
"I really don't understand you Draco Malfoy." Hermione sighed.
"Let me help you out there," Draco dug a hand into his shirt and instantly pulled something small out. He threw it over to Hermione, who caught it. She turned it over in her hands. "Don't open it until you are outside." The present was wrapped in a sort of soft parchment, she figured. But she could not tell what was inside.
Just then, the door opened and the guard that had ushered Hermione in stood there, "time's up, miss." He said walking into the room.
Hermione nodded and watched as the guard grabbed hold of Draco and bonded his hands together using a certain charm. He pulled Draco to his feet and began leading him out of the room. He smirked at her as the guard led him out of the door.
The wind was blowing harder than it had been earlier that afternoon. The prison was located on a small island; the water surrounding it was green and sick looking. It made Hermione wince at the thought of being trapped on this place. The sand beneath her was hard and shards of glass littered the ground. She turned once more to look up at Azkaban, trying to figure out which room out of the many windows on each outside wall was Draco's. They all looked the same, and she gave up hope at finding his. She turned back and disappeared with a pop.
Draco grinned as he watched Hermione make her way to the shore line on the island. He leaned his head against the bars of his cell window and sighed. She would probably never come back, and this would be the last time he ever saw her again. She was the one girl that ever made him feel something. He narrowed his eyes at her, he hated her so much. Hermione turned and looked up at the prison. He ducked out of the way of her vision.
When he looked out of the window again, she was gone. He sighed, but she was the only thing he ever and could ever love. He made his way back to the little, almost broken completely; cot that they said was his bed. He lay down and closed his eyes. His mind began to wander back to when he was given his choices...
"Draco, we had a special job in mind for you, if you feel up to it." Lucius gripped his son's shoulder.
"Do I finally get to kill Potter?" Draco asked in a bored sort of manner.
Lucius cocked his eyebrow. "No, Draco. The Dark Lord wants you to help with killing some muggles, and any wizard or witch who stands in our way."
Draco rolled his eyes, "I have already told you, I will not kill any muggles." He turned to leave, but stopped abruptly when his father called out to him.
"You will either kill those few worthless muggle scum our Lord has demanded that we kill; or I will allow all the Death Eaters to take part in slowly killing your mudblood girlfriend, Granger, and you will also die." Lucius sounded as though he were enjoying every last bit of this.
Draco growled, he had thought that by staying away from Hermione, it meant she would be safer, but he had been wrong. He sighed, what choice did he have? He turned around, "How many muggles?" he asked.
Lucius grinned, "I knew you would see it my way, boy."
Draco ran a hand through his hair. It was true; he really didn't have a choice. He knew he would eventually be in this place anyways. It was either this, or have Hermione tortured and murdered; there really wasn't a choice for him. He let the thoughts of her face sink into his brain as he slowly fell asleep. There would be more screaming tonight, and maybe Hermione's face would be comforting enough.
Hermione appeared back at her home. It was small, but just right for someone who lived alone. She draped her cloak onto a chair and then pulled off her shoes. She sighed and walked up the stairs to her room.
Her bed was a good sized one, and very soft and comfortable. She sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the thing Draco had given her. She turned it over a few times. It was something small, soft and light. She opened up the paper around it and a small stuffed dog fell onto her lap.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the dirtying stuffed animal, Benji; she had given to Draco all those years ago. She hugged her old toy; she could smell Draco so strongly on it. She then noticed that the paper that was wrapped around Benji was covered in words. She picked it up and pressed it to get some of the crinkles out. Then she read it was defiantly in Draco's handwriting.
Hermione,
Thanks for letting me borrow the dog. Those thick prison guards here never noticed it. Hopefully he can now help you again when you are scared. It was the only thing that kept me sane in this place; otherwise, I would have been kissed by now. You were right, he really is great company.
Love,
Draco
Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She hugged the dog closer. She never realized how much she really was going to miss Draco.
She lay back onto her bed. It used to be a nice bed, now it just seemed empty. She couldn't help but think more about her school days with Draco. He was the last thing that was in her mind as she fell into sleep. She really did love him, and she still did, and she always would.
A/N- That is it!! YAY! I am so sad!! I hope you all liked it, but if you didn't, it is alright. I understand if you are angry about those two not ending up together, I am a bit peeved at myself, lol, but that was what I had decided. Well, that's it for now! LPI3
LegoMyLegolas- Hey! Ummm...the song in my last chapter was from YellowCard, it's on the new Spiderman2 Cd, and it's called Gifts and Curses, it's an awesome song!! (Also an awesome Cd!) I hope you have luck finding it!
Chapter 9
"Just be quick, Miss."
Hermione looked up at the burly looking man and nodded. The man took out a wand, muttered an incantation, and the large locked door snapped open. The man held it open for her to enter.
"Ten minutes." He said before closing the door behind Hermione. She could hear the man waiting on the opposite side of the wall. She then turned her attention into the room and gave a deep breath.
"Why did you want me to come?" She asked looking at the silhouette figure sitting at a desk in the middle of the dark room. It had been five years since she had last seen Draco Malfoy, and now here he sat, his silvery blond hair glowing. His arms were wrapped around his chest as he peered at her. He grinned. She gulped, she probably should have figured that Draco would end up in Azkaban one day, but now that she looked at the man, she couldn't see the school boy bully any longer.
"You said call on you if I needed anything, right?" His voice was deep and sort of raspy; Hermione figured this to be the cause of being in this pit for so long.
"That was a long time ago, Draco." She glared at him, but also couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him, besides, she had gotten to know him like none other, and it was hard for her to think it all could just disappear.
"What difference does it make; it was, what, a year ago since we graduated?" Draco shrugged.
Hermione sighed and took a seat opposite of Draco at the table, "It's been five years, Draco."
Draco cocked an eyebrow and stayed silent as if pondering this new found information. He then leaned back into his chair and stared at the dirty table top.
"Draco, I really shouldn't be here," Hermione began to stand up, but just as she did, Draco's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She let out a small gasp of surprise.
"Wait, don't go yet." He stared at her and then his gaze wandered to their hands. He quickly pulled away.
"If there is something to say, please hurry, because as far as I am concerned, we said all that there was to say that day along time ago." She tapped her foot impatiently, urging him to continue.
"Did you read your paper?" He simply asked.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Yes, Draco, I read it. Your sentence has been set," she looked down at him, "a life long sentence in Azkaban for killing twenty muggles and three Order members." Her gaze narrowed.
Draco grinned and shook his head, "Twenty, seems a bit much. Who exactly wrote that absurd article?"
"Draco, I am tired of this." Hermione sighed, causing Draco to look up at her, "You have been playing mind games since the sixth year, I just want it to be over with, and I want the truth."
Draco stared at her, his eyes burning holes into her, "You want the truth?" Hermione nodded. "Alright, I didn't kill all those people, at least not of my own free will. You know what my father is like; you knew what the Dark Lord was like. I was never supposed to kill them, but they made me do it."
Hermione bit her lip and looked at the ground, "Are you saying that you were under the Imperious Curse, Draco?" She asked.
"No," Draco looked at her, "you don't believe me, do you?"
"Draco, I can't trust you. You were a Death Eater, I am a member of the Order, and we don't trust each other."
"You would have believed me, if I never dumped you." Draco glared at her.
"This has nothing to do with us. Twenty three innocent people are dead, and it's your entire fault." Hermione shook her head to show her disapproval.
"I had no choice," Draco said harshly.
"What is your excuse then?" It was Hermione's turn to glare.
"You know what I had been through; you were the only person that knew. You should know when I tell the truth."
The two stared at each other for a few moments, and then Hermione stood, "I lost all my trust in you the day you turned your back on me." She began walking to the door, but soon, she could feel Draco next to her.
"Fine then, you do not have to believe me, just hear me out." He whispered into Hermione's ear, causing her to shiver as the chill from his voice went down her spine.
"I have been listening to you Draco," she said pushing herself away from him, "for the past five years, but you never seemed to want to talk to me."
"You know exactly why I couldn't do that." Draco folded his arms over his chest. Hermione glared at him, "It was for your protection, if my father—"
"If your father found out about me, right?" Hermione finished she shook her head and sighed. "Draco, I am leaving."
"You told me that you loved me."
Hermione stopped and turned back to him. His grey eyes shined brighter now and he had almost a look of pleading about him. She shivered; she forgot how easy it was for her to read his feelings. "That, was also a long time ago, a lot of things have changed since we were in school."
"Are you trying to tell me that feelings like that can just disappear in a few years?" Draco tilted his head slightly while staring at her.
Hermione thought for a moment, "no," she said, "Feelings like that disappeared after five years."
Draco walked back to the table and sat down on top of it, he became silent. Hermione hesitated with the door for a moment, trying to decide if she should really leave, or if she should stay. She pursed her lips together and took the few steps back to the table.
"Draco, you murdered people, you have terrorized muggles, and you were in the inner circle with Voldemort, I can't love you." Hermione stared at Draco's hair which hung in front of his face as he looked down at the floor.
"I already told you, I had no choice." He mumbled.
"Everyone has a choice, Draco. But maybe you just didn't want the other one." They were silent again for a minute or two before Draco spoke again/
"Do you have any idea what it is like to be in here?"
Hermione was taken back by his question, "what does that have anything to do with this?" she asked. Draco looked up at her, his hair still covering a majority of his face, pretty much only his grey eyes stood out.
"Everyday it seems like all your happiness is draining from you. Everyday you get more and more depressed, like you would rather die than anything."
"Yes, Draco, I have read about the effects that this place has one most prisoners."
"You may have read about it, but you don't know what it feels like. Nobody gets much sleep here, there is always some worthless wizard that can't handle anything anymore, and then you spend the rest of the night listening to their screams for help, until they are finally silenced by the dementors." Draco smiled making him look as if he had also gone mad by being here. "But I had my special ways of keeping the dementors away from me."
"Draco, I really don't want to hear this." It was true, Hermione didn't like to think about the things that went on inside Azkaban, and she knew how it had turned wizards mad.
"The point is, Hermione, I did have a choice, two actually. One was to kill those people, and be sent here, but to be rewarded by the Dark Lord for my services later. The other was to go free, and be shunned by everyone I knew." He paused and then continued, "I chose this one, to live here until I have lost my mind, or until I am dead. Why do you think I would have chosen to live like this if I could have chosen the alternative and gotten to live the rest of my life as a free man?"
Hermione had no clue what he was talking about, so she shook her head.
"It's because I didn't have a choice." Draco leaned back a little and looked into Hermione's eyes.
"What was your alternative?" She asked staring back into his eyes.
Draco smirked, but remanded silent.
Hermione sighed, "I really wished that you would have picked the other option, you would not be in this mess right now."
"Do you? Are you sure about that?" Draco still carried his smirk, it ade Hermione a bit nervous.
"Alright, you answer one of my questions," she said, "how are you going to be rewarded for all this? Voldemort is dead, and so are the majority of his followers." Draco stayed quiet, so Hermione continued, "Or where was you father when you were killing those people? Because what I know from it, you were all alone, the other Death Eaters fled when we arrived."
"What's your point?" Draco asked grimly.
"My point is, Draco, you were a tool used from the beginning. Voldemort had no intention of rewarding you, and your father cared so much for you that he let you take the blame for all of those murders while he sat at home drinking wine!" Hermione let out a breath and placed her hands onto her hips.
Draco glared at her for a second and then his eyes softened; at least they softened as much as was possible for someone like Draco Malfoy. He laughed, a deep growl better explained it, and then he smirked at Hermione again, "you're right, but I would not change it for the world."
"I really don't understand you Draco Malfoy." Hermione sighed.
"Let me help you out there," Draco dug a hand into his shirt and instantly pulled something small out. He threw it over to Hermione, who caught it. She turned it over in her hands. "Don't open it until you are outside." The present was wrapped in a sort of soft parchment, she figured. But she could not tell what was inside.
Just then, the door opened and the guard that had ushered Hermione in stood there, "time's up, miss." He said walking into the room.
Hermione nodded and watched as the guard grabbed hold of Draco and bonded his hands together using a certain charm. He pulled Draco to his feet and began leading him out of the room. He smirked at her as the guard led him out of the door.
The wind was blowing harder than it had been earlier that afternoon. The prison was located on a small island; the water surrounding it was green and sick looking. It made Hermione wince at the thought of being trapped on this place. The sand beneath her was hard and shards of glass littered the ground. She turned once more to look up at Azkaban, trying to figure out which room out of the many windows on each outside wall was Draco's. They all looked the same, and she gave up hope at finding his. She turned back and disappeared with a pop.
Draco grinned as he watched Hermione make her way to the shore line on the island. He leaned his head against the bars of his cell window and sighed. She would probably never come back, and this would be the last time he ever saw her again. She was the one girl that ever made him feel something. He narrowed his eyes at her, he hated her so much. Hermione turned and looked up at the prison. He ducked out of the way of her vision.
When he looked out of the window again, she was gone. He sighed, but she was the only thing he ever and could ever love. He made his way back to the little, almost broken completely; cot that they said was his bed. He lay down and closed his eyes. His mind began to wander back to when he was given his choices...
"Draco, we had a special job in mind for you, if you feel up to it." Lucius gripped his son's shoulder.
"Do I finally get to kill Potter?" Draco asked in a bored sort of manner.
Lucius cocked his eyebrow. "No, Draco. The Dark Lord wants you to help with killing some muggles, and any wizard or witch who stands in our way."
Draco rolled his eyes, "I have already told you, I will not kill any muggles." He turned to leave, but stopped abruptly when his father called out to him.
"You will either kill those few worthless muggle scum our Lord has demanded that we kill; or I will allow all the Death Eaters to take part in slowly killing your mudblood girlfriend, Granger, and you will also die." Lucius sounded as though he were enjoying every last bit of this.
Draco growled, he had thought that by staying away from Hermione, it meant she would be safer, but he had been wrong. He sighed, what choice did he have? He turned around, "How many muggles?" he asked.
Lucius grinned, "I knew you would see it my way, boy."
Draco ran a hand through his hair. It was true; he really didn't have a choice. He knew he would eventually be in this place anyways. It was either this, or have Hermione tortured and murdered; there really wasn't a choice for him. He let the thoughts of her face sink into his brain as he slowly fell asleep. There would be more screaming tonight, and maybe Hermione's face would be comforting enough.
Hermione appeared back at her home. It was small, but just right for someone who lived alone. She draped her cloak onto a chair and then pulled off her shoes. She sighed and walked up the stairs to her room.
Her bed was a good sized one, and very soft and comfortable. She sat on the edge of the mattress and pulled out the thing Draco had given her. She turned it over a few times. It was something small, soft and light. She opened up the paper around it and a small stuffed dog fell onto her lap.
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the dirtying stuffed animal, Benji; she had given to Draco all those years ago. She hugged her old toy; she could smell Draco so strongly on it. She then noticed that the paper that was wrapped around Benji was covered in words. She picked it up and pressed it to get some of the crinkles out. Then she read it was defiantly in Draco's handwriting.
Hermione,
Thanks for letting me borrow the dog. Those thick prison guards here never noticed it. Hopefully he can now help you again when you are scared. It was the only thing that kept me sane in this place; otherwise, I would have been kissed by now. You were right, he really is great company.
Love,
Draco
Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She hugged the dog closer. She never realized how much she really was going to miss Draco.
She lay back onto her bed. It used to be a nice bed, now it just seemed empty. She couldn't help but think more about her school days with Draco. He was the last thing that was in her mind as she fell into sleep. She really did love him, and she still did, and she always would.
A/N- That is it!! YAY! I am so sad!! I hope you all liked it, but if you didn't, it is alright. I understand if you are angry about those two not ending up together, I am a bit peeved at myself, lol, but that was what I had decided. Well, that's it for now! LPI3