Author: Olga LaLa

Disclamer: Do not own ALYTHING.

Summery:

Draco's Boggart

The war had ended a few months ago with the light side triumphing over the dark. Draco Malfoy breathed a sigh of relief and thanked Merlin that he had enough wits and cunningness to sway his father to the winning side at the end of his seventh year of Hogwarts. He didn't want to think of any other outcomes that might have been if Lucius didn't see his son's reason.

Draco became a secret spy for the light side at the end of his third year at Hogwarts and passed all he knew of the dark side to Dumbledore and Harry Potter. He was only thirteen when he started to lead a double life. A decade later, he still had no regrets.

At twenty-three years of age, Draco finally had the guts to tell his parents the exact reason why he did what he did to aid the light side and go against everything his father has worked so hard for. To Draco, the reason was simple – Hermione Granger.

Looking out into one of his mother's gardens from the massive library window of the Malfoy Manor, Draco waited patiently for his parents to come to terms of what he had just informed them of.

"You have done all this for that Granger girl?" Lucius Malfoy asked. "How could she have swayed you back then, Draco? I thought you hated her and everything that she represented." It wasn't every day Lucius felt bewildered. The imposing wizard wanted some answers and he wanted the yesterday!

Truth be told, Lucius held no more grudges against the muggle-born witch ever since she had protected his wife from her crazy sister, when she and her friends had sneaked into Malfoy Manor in their seventh year of Hogwarts. It was just shocking for Malfoy Sr. to comprehend how the witch managed to turn his son against their primary cause.

"You are right, father. I did hate her," he agreed. "Until I met my boggart, that is."

"Your what?" Narcissa asked confused.

"A boggart, mother." Draco explained impatiently. "You know, a shape shifter that takes on the form of its intended victim's worst fear. It generally likes to hide in dark, enclosed places, such as in cupboards, under beds, or in hollow trees."

"I know its proporties, Draco," his mother snapped at him.

"I appoligize, mother." Draco inclined his head at her direction.

"What did your boggart produce, son?" Luciuse asked calmly.

"Hermione," Draco visibly swallowed as he remembered. "Dead at my feet."

Flashback

"I'm going to get that jumped-up mudblood. Mark my words." A young Draco Malfoy said to his friends as he and his housemates made their way into the castle. Hermione Granger had dared to do something that no one had ever dared before. She had actually stuck Malfoy and in front of witnesses no less.

Draco had been fuming over that encounter for weeks. He desperately wanted her to pay in the worst way possible. And what is better than having her face her worst fear?

Draco had managed to enter DADA room one night while everyone sat at dinner. Magically lighting candles around the classroom, he saw the cupboard where he knew the boggart rested from what he remembered Professor Lupin's earlier class. Draco had it all planned out. He would open the cupboard door and trap the boggart inside the little treasure chest he had brought with him with a nifty little spell he knew. He knew that the boggart will try to turn into one of his worst fears, and he was ready with a 'Riddikulus' on the tip of his tongue.

Waiving his wand at the door, Draco let the boggart out. Even though, Draco knew he had to 'Riddikulus' it, he could not let the spell come out of his mouth bacause of the confusing sight that had greated him.

Hermione Granger herself stood in front of him, shily smiling. Not understanding why the boggart would produce the Gryffendor princess as his worst nightmare, Draco couldn't help as his feet took him toward her.

Draco couldn't help but be mesmerized at the carefree smile and the light that radiated from her eyes. She looked so happy to see him and he felt his heart jolt at her happiness. For some reason he wanted to be a part of that happiness. Be the actual reason for that happiness. He couldn't help but reach out his hand toward her and gently trace her cheek with the tips of his fingers.

However, Hermione's smile desapeared the moment he touched her and Draco felt his breath leave his body at the grusome new sight that greeted him. Suddenly a thin line appeare in the center of her throat and blood started to escape from her body. It was red in color. Just like the color of his own blood.

"Stop it," he whispered to the boggart. The red filled the sclara of Hermione's eyes before more blood spilled out of them.

"Stop it!" Draco stated louder. Turning his head side to side, he took a few steps back the moment the blood pooled around Hermione on the floor and a second later moved in his direction.

Draco's heart hammered against his ribcage and his breathing became too fast for his brain to feed on air. He felt lightheaded as he watched helplessly as Hermione fell to her knees and then down, face first, drowning in her own pool of crimson blood.

"No!" Draco yelled as he fell to his own knees. "Granger!" He tried to move forward, wanting to cradle her corpse in his arms but found that he couldn't move.

Suddenly Hermione's grusome vision turned into a huge, black form of a dementor before Draco heard a "Riddikulus!" from behind him, that said dementor turned into a bat and flew back into the cupboard. Turning his head to the side, Draco saw his savior, Harry Potter standing next to their headmaster, before he fainted.

When Draco came about, he was in the headmaster's office. Slowly sitting up, Draco saw a confused Harry Potter staring back at him. "What are you playing at, Malfoy?" He asked impatiently. "Why would Hermione's death be your worst fear?"

"I…don't know…" his throat dry, Draco answered nervously and then looked at the headmaster whom was standing next to his familiar bird, gently scratching his neck. "Professor?"

"Lucky for you, Mr. Malfoy that Harry and I followed you," Dumbledore began. "If you would have been subjected to that sight for a little longer, I am sure your heart would not have survived of what your subconscious thought was the loss of Hermione Granger."

"Why would I care whether or not Granger was dead or alive?" Draco was looking back and forth at the two Gryffindors. "I hate Granger."

"You may think you hate Ms. Granger but your heart knows different." At Draco's confused look, the wise wizard continued. "In this world there is a very few people whom are gifted to have their own soul mate. You, Mr. Malfoy, are one of the lucky few."

"Are you saying that Hermione is his soul mate?" Harry interrupted.

"Yes, she is, Harry."

"How could this be true? He is always finding a way to do something to hurt her." Harry interjected again.

"Only because he doesn't know any other way to act around her." They looked at Draco again.

"So are you saying that if Granger would truly die," Draco began.

"You would closely follow behind her because your soul does not know how to function in this world without her." Before Draco could ask, Dumbledore answered. "Yes, Hermione would also follow if something would happen to you as well."

"I need some time to think about this," said Draco in despair. How could he try to destroy Granger after what he now knew?

Nodding in understanding, Dumbledore let Draco leave to the sanctuary of his Slytherin house.

"How could you be so calm about this, Professor?" Harry was too aggravated to think rationally.

"This is a very good development, Harry." Dumbledore contradicted. "Having young Mr. Malfoy fight for our side in order to keep Ms. Granger safe, will do us much good in the years to come."

And it has.

As it turned out, when Draco had fainted, so did Hermione in the Great Hall. She was taken to the infirmary and stayed there over night to insure there was nothing seriously wrong with her health. Draco, thanks to the invisible cloak that his father had let him barrow, was able to sneak into the infirmary in the dead of the night and watched over the Gryffindor princess…who was also his…soul mate…

Since that point on, Draco Malfoy led a double life. Each time he managed to find out anything of deatheater activities, he would always report it to Harry or Dumbledore. No one knew of the role that Draco played in order to secure Hermione's well-being, not even she herself.

Hermione had eventually found out everything in her sixth year. Professor Dumbledore had called her to his office and explained everything to her. Severus Snape murdered him two days later.

Even though the dark side seemed to triumph for a few years, Draco and Hermione grew closer together. Dumbledore would have wanted that. A few years later, Harry had finally killed Voldemort.

End of Flashback

"So," Narcissa said quietly. "Ms. Granger is actually your sole mate."

"Yes, mother. But she isn't a Granger anymore."

"Oh?" His father prodded,

Here Draco smirked. "She is a Malfoy, now." At his parents' shocked features Draco continued. "She has become a Malfoy the night before the final battle."

"Please tell me that you are jesting."

"I assure you father, that I am most certainly am not jesting."

"But why?" His mother wrinkled her nose at this information.

"Why?" Draco asked incredulous. "Because, I love her, mother. She is my soul mate, not to mention that she will be the only mother of any Malfoy heirs that I should ever sire." At their solemn expression, Draco continued. "Please let me know whether you can accept my wife into this family."

"And if we don't?" His father asked.

"Than you, father, shall be the last of Malfoys. I will denounce my self as a Malfoy." He declared.

"Are you threatening me, boy?" Lucius snapped.

"No, father, I am making you a promise."

Sighing deeply, Lucius looked at his son. "I have no intentions of letting you go, Draco. The Malfoy line needs to continue." He sighed. "If it is Hermione Granger you want, I suppose I cannot fault you as she is the brightest witch of our generation."

"I am glad you feel that way, father." He looked out at the gardens once more and pointed at the vision of loveliness. "Now what would make me really happy is that if you would welcome her into our family."

Both Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy looked out the window to see their daughter-in-law. Narcissa smiled gently as she noticed a tiny swell of her belly where she knew the new generation of Malfoy steadily grew. "Let's go welcome that bookworm into our family, Lucius," she pulled at his arm. "I have no intentions of having the Malfoy heir growing anywhere but the Malfoy Manor."

"Yes." Lucius agreed.

Draco sighed with relief and fallowed his parents to officially welcome his wife into their family.

Author's Note: I always pictured Draco's boggart had to do something with Hermione so this was my version of it. I honestly haven't read any other fiction on the net with such a theme so if there are any similarities, I appoligize.

I also think that this ending is really corny. Lucius is totally out of character. Oh well.

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Thank you for reading!