WELL. It feels like ages since I've uploaded, and I'm so sorry to all you guys- school started for me on the 17th, so I've been chock-full when it comes to my schedule. I've barely been able to get onto the internet lately, and that NEVER happens! lol Anyways, this is the last chapter of my story. O.O Yeah, I know... I'm pretty sad. I've had a great time writing and seeing reviews and meeting complete strangers that I've come to care about. A huge thanks to everyone who has read and review, and a very special thank you to my biggest reviewers: If my scatterbrained ways missed anyone, feel completely free to PM me saying "WTF you totally skipped me!!!" XD But everyone has been kind and supportive... I feel sad to be saying good-bye to all of you... :( Now, for those of you who now hate Draco because of what he did to Hermione, well... keep reading.... And for those of you who guessed what Hermione's brilliant plan is... keep reading!!! ;P And I apologize in advance if anyone thinks that this chapter is sappy, predictable, or out-of-character. Feel free to tell me your opinions... or, for that matter, tell me if your teacher's face popped up while reading this (for those of you who are now chained to school like me). ;)
lilmisspoppets, Magpie93, JadeLovesDracoMalfoy, voldyismyfather, tinker-time, iamlegend42, Noir Lime Canuto, bethdelusional, DracoFTW
Chapter Ten: For You
Draco Malfoy stalked down the hall, finding it very difficult to ignore the snickers and jeers of people around him, and all the nasty looks thrown his way.
"Could you taste the mud in her blood, Malfoy?" a student jeered. Everyone laughed, and Malfoy just closed his eyes, forcing himself to move on and not look at the student.
If he looked at him, he might just hex him.
"Was Parkinson not enough for your desires, mate?" another snickered, and everyone laughed.
Malfoy just growled low in his throat, almost like an animal, and forced his way through a wall of leering, laughing students.
He had to force a cold look upon his face, of otherwise Draco Malfoy might have just broke down.
His heart was still thudding painfully from his words with Hermione. He hated himself. His blood pulsed with anger at his utter stupidity, his cruelty. Draco would gladly go leap off a building at the moment.
The pureblood was hopeless. He had never before so desperately wanted to be someone, anyone, else. He felt utterly trapped and helpless in this disgusting body, and he hated it more than anything in the world right now. How could he have done that to her? How? The girl who walked in his dreams... the girl he cherished over even his father.... his father.... he would stab
Draco with his walking stick the moment he saw him again, Draco knew it. He'd kick him, torture him, shout at him...
Draco had lied to Hermione. He loved her. Merlin, it was amazing that he could feel this strongly about someone else. He loved her more fiercely, more passionately, than he had ever loved anyone.
But he had to lie to her. He had to. His whole life was ruined, and there was no chance he would ever find happiness again. Why should he be selfish and drag Hermione, the girl he loved, into this mess he called a life? To save them both from further humiliation, tears, anger, and any kind of hostility in any form (particularly his father), Draco had lied to her.
He had done so very well, too. It had made his heart stop to see Hermione's frozen look of horror when he told her that he never cared about her. Merlin, that had been hard. Harder than anything he had ever experienced.
Draco wondered what the hell he was going to do now. His House disowned him, Snape hated him, Hermione probably hated him now, and his father would want his head on a silver platter.
There was literally no point to life. It was over.
He felt overwhelmed with his churning feelings, and felt disgusted, like he might throw up.
Maybe, he thought, I can change my name, die my hair, leave my parents, and start a shop in Diagon Alley. A broom shop. Yes, that seemed like the only way to go.
Of course, there was also the other choice- going to his dorm and turning his wand around and screaming Avada Kedavra, but he didn't want to kill himself.
Merlin, he was such a bloody coward.
Draco didn't want to kill himself because, if he did, he'd probably never see Hermione's beautiful face again. Even like this, he had the sliver of a chance of seeing her again. But dead? He was more likely to kiss a cat's bum than see Hermione again, even from a distance.
Furiously stalking down the hallway, Draco was blind with red rage, and he didn't see Potter and Weasley until the last second, when he had a near fatal collision with them.
"Watch it, you- oh." Weasley blinked at Draco as he took a step back, glaring at him and Potter.
"Yeah. Me. Get out of the way!" Draco snarled.
"You bastard," Weasley said quietly.
"Knock it off, Ron," Potter muttered.
"I know, okay?" Draco hissed. "I know I'm a bloody, selfish bastard. Now would you just get out of my way before I hex you?"
"Not unless I hex you first!" Ron snarled, whipping out his wand. Draco groped for his, then let his hand fall at his side.
"Whatever, Weasley," he said dully. "I don't care anymore."
Potter stared at Draco incredulously. "You're not going to hex us? Here's your chance- no teachers, just you and us!"
"I'm not going to hurt you, Potter, now get!" Draco snarled.
"Shut up, you bloody ferret!" Weasley shrieked, pointing his wand at Draco's face. Draco jumped back, startled.
"What do you want with me?" Draco snapped, eying Weasley's wand fearfully.
"What did you do with Hermione?" he screeched. Harry glanced quickly at Draco and back at Weasley.
"Ron, seriously, you're mad, he probably doesn't-"
"WHERE IS HERMIONE?" Weasley bellowed, completely ignoring Potter.
Draco's heart began to thud uneasily. "You- you mean she's not with you?"
"Of course she's not, you prat, because you took her!" Weasley shrieked. Potter's eyes snapped towards Draco, and a look of bitterness was on his face.
"What the- you're mad, Weasel, I didn't kidnap your precious Granger! I- I left her awhile ago, back in Myrtle's bathroom... she's not with you?"
"She's not- what did you say to her?" Potter growled.
Malfoy goggled at him, looking between the two furious faces. "I- I just-" He felt furious shame at stammering in front of Harry bloody Potter, but all he could think of was Hermione. Surely she would have gone to her closest friends after their little chat?
"The- er- library? She took a walk? She went to see a teacher?" Draco asked quickly, mind racing.
"We've already looked!" Ron hissed, wand still pointed at Draco, and it wasn't wavering.
Draco blinked, shocked. "Well- okay, maybe she's just alone in the halls! She's not a child, you know, she- she can walk off by herself-"
"If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll blast your head off!" Ron spat.
"No, if you've hurt her, I'll rip off your hands and feet and make you eat them!" Potter snarled.
"Don't go blowing up on me!" Draco exclaimed, shaking. "I don't think-"
He stopped suddenly.
Potter and Weasley blinked and glanced around.
There was a noisy screaming going off. All three boys spun around, wondering what the heck could possibly be happening now.
Without warning, a wave of first-years rounded the corner and poured past them, looking frantic. Weasley furiously grabbed one by his collar and shoved his face close to the boy's.
"What's going on?" he shouted over the sudden loud noise.
The boy looked quite frightened at being handled so roughly, and he squeaked, "I d- don't really kn- know. I m- mean, a g- ghost was screaming that th- there's a student on the tower... everyone's gone b- berserk-"
"Student on the tower?" Potter asked sharply, staring at the boy. "That's nothing new, why is everyone freaking out?"
The boy gulped, his eyes wide. "Th- the teachers th- think that the student will j- jump!"
Weasley let the boy go, and the first-year scrambled away, racing after his peers.
Draco's mind was racing wildly as he put two and two together. Slowly, he looked up at Potter in horror.
"Hermione," he croaked.
***
Hermione stared blankly down at the Hogwarts grounds. It was very, very far away from up here... in fact, everyone looked like blots of ink from here.
A cold breeze riffled Hermione's hair, and she swallowed hard, trying not to think.
She was on top of a tower that held her dorm room. She had crawled out the window and managed to claw her way up top, but then she was noticed and now everyone was running around, frantic, to see what on earth was going on.
Most of the school was out there, far, far below her. People were calling up at her, probably telling her not to jump, but their words got carried away by the wind. And in any case, Hermione wouldn't have listened.
She knew exactly what needed to be done.
This burning, raging, biting pain that infected every inch of her body was incurable. Nothing could make the pain go away while she lived. Moving on after Draco's shocking revelation was impossible.
There was one way to get rid of the pain.
She could die, and in death, life would be forgotten. She could exist without pain, without memories of Draco and his betrayal to her. She could be in bliss.
All she had to do was jump.
Hermione swallowed hard again. She was quite in the wrong mind- she was not Hermione. The wild pain that Draco had caused her seemed to have engulfed her, and was now controlling her every action. It was the pain telling her to jump, the pain that made her get up here, the pain that had given her the idea in the first place.
But Hermione didn't care. She knew it was a terribly crazy idea, to even consider killing herself. A shocking blow it would be to Hogwarts, and to all her friends... and family... Hermione cringed, her conflicted mind buzzing. Was this really the right choice? Was she over-reacting? Would the pain ever leave, even in death?
Trembling, Hermione took a deep breath and forced herself to look over the edge of the tower.
She gasped and crawled back. All she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, the wild thudding of her heart, the screams from down below.
She was sitting, and the rough shingles scraped painfully against Hermione's hands, and she trembled, tears leaking down her face. She was in so much pain... but surely... sure this would stop it... she'd forget everything...
Hermione shut her eyes tight and slowly, ever so slowly, began to stand up.
Shaking horribly, wondering if she would loose her balance so high up, Hermione forced herself to open her eyes, and she let out a strangled cry.
No, no, no, no...
Tears falling quickly now, Hermione felt her chest heave with a silent sob as she took a very tentative step towards the end of the tower. It was slanted, and standing was enough of a challenge, never mind walking. She had to be very careful not to slip... if she was truly going to end her life like this, she didn't want to accidentally slip...
Finally, after several long minutes, Hermione found herself on the very edge of the tower. She was sobbing now, feeling her whole body numb, and she felt blank. She was nothing. She was nothing. Everything was nothing to her now. She would die and be in bliss.
She was on the brink of agony. Draco broke her apart, and there was no possible way of living after that. Hermione told herself this for perhaps the billionth time before biting her lip fiercely, wondering how this day could have possible gone so haywire...
It seemed like only seconds ago she had been talking to Ginny and Harry, prepared to face the inevitable, ready to start moving on.
Hermione felt like there was a stone clogging her throat. She was empty, hollow... Nothing. She was nothing.
Now. Do it now. It's perfect, just a little crack before she was released of her pain...
But do I really want this? Hermione cringed at what an upheaval she would cause. Her parents would be devastated... Ron and Harry would probably go crazy... and the whole of Hogwarts would be stunned by her tragic death... Draco would realize what a fool he'd been, and wish more than anything that he'd never spoken so harshly to her...
But no. He would never feel that. Because he hated her. He had played her all along. His cold words came ringing back to her. I was just using you.
As if his words were hands, forcing Hermione over the tower, Hermione's eyes blazed suddenly, and she felt herself sag as she shut her eyes tight and stepped over the edge.
For fleeting seconds, Hermione was suspended into nothingness. She felt complete terror and shock at her decision clawing at her heart. No! No! She didn't want this! She didn't want to die!
She had been over-reacting! NO!
It was too late- things were wildly blurred, she was falling quickly... this was really the end... Good bye, Hogwarts... Good bye, Draco...
Hermione felt like a pathetic rag-doll as she splayed out in the air, tossing and whirling as the crowd screamed.
There was a sudden cry that was very close to her ear that made Hermione's heart do a somersault, a voice that was hauntingly familiar, the one that had made her step off of the tower...
"HERMIONE!" Draco screamed, and there was a whooshing sound as Hermione felt someone grasp her collar and hoist her out of the air. Suddenly, she was in strong arms, and there was a stick holding her up. Air was rushing at her face, and she screamed. The crowd screamed, too, but there were cheers as well...
"What the- D- Draco? What-" Hermione gasped, the cold air slicing at her face wildly, as she slowly realized that Draco Malfoy had her firmly gripped in his arms, and he was riding a broom. It was carrying Hermione as well, and she felt shocked.
She was saved.
Tears began to leak down her face, and she didn't care about her utter confusion as to why Draco, the boy who hated her, had suddenly saved her from the wrong ending to her story.
She was saved!
She was so overjoyed that she let out a whoop, and tears spurted wildly now. "Draco! Draco, thank you! I- you- I didn't want that- oh my god, I can't believe it-"
Hermione was back, the real Hermione. She felt lighter than air as Draco soared over the heads of the cheering crowd, and she knew that she was fine. Hell, she felt great, considering she'd almost killed herself.
She was SAVED!
The whole thing, which seemed to have taken a century, had really only taken several seconds, and Draco continued to swoop around the magnificent castle, looking for a place to land.
Finally, a balcony came into sight, and he soared towards it. At last, they touched down, and went rolling off of the broom.
Hermione came to a stop and gasped, vision blurred and head spinning, and she slowly propped herself up, gasping again.
Draco had rolled over to the other side of the balcony, and he shook himself, dropping the broomstick, and jumped up, racing over to Hermione. He kneeled by her, face flushed, breath coming in gasps.
"Hermione!" he gasped. "I am such an- an idiot! I'm so sorry- I had no idea- I never thought you'd do that-"
Hermione's heart began to resume to its normal speed as she stared into Draco's face, which was whiter than ever. "Draco- why- why the heck did you save me-"
"Because I love you!" Draco blurted, grasping her hand.
Hermione blinked, staring at him in shock. "What- you- I don't-" she stammered stupidly, mind reeling from confusion. This had been one hell of a day for her.
"I lied to you!" Draco exclaimed, eyes blazing. "I- I thought it would be better if you and I just- just separated, we're too different! I was a jerk, Hermione, please, I know! I hate myself for
doing that to you! I'm so, so sorry- Hermione, I love you. Merlin, I was terrified I'd never be able to tell you that again-"
"Draco," Hermione said slowly, blinking rapidly. "You- I can't believe this. You are such an idiot!"
"I know!" Draco exclaimed, helping her sit up and gazing into her eyes. "Hermione," he said softly, "I have always loved you. I know that we used to be enemies, and it's pretty weird that I'd suddenly love you, but I truly do! I would have never said those things back there if I'd known you'd- you'd try to jump off a tower! I had no clue! But I found out about the- the student on the roof- and I grabbed my broom and got up here. Hermione... I... I thought I'd lost you!"
Hermione stared at him, flabbergasted. "So you lied to me? Everything you said in the bathroom was all a big lie?"
Draco swallowed hard and nodded.
To his shock, Hermione reached out and in one swift movement, slapped him. Really hard, too, and it gave a biting sting. Draco clutched at it, eyes wide. "Ow! What the-"
But then, Hermione's gaze softened. "That was for being such a moron," she whispered, reaching up and stroking his pale blond hair. "And this," she murmured, "is for being my hero."
Slowly, she dipped her face very closer to Draco's, and pressed her lips against his.
Draco's eyes closed, and Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands slipping to her shoulders. They kissed again and again, and finally drew back, faces so close that Hermione could feel Draco's warm breath.
"I love you, Draco, even though you are a complete idiot." Hermione smiled slightly at him.
Draco's face broke into a huge smile. He had almost lost Hermione. For a short, terrible moment, he had thought she would die, and he'd never see her again. And the thought of losing her had convinced Draco that nothing worse could happen. They would have struggled, but they'd get past them. All he knew right now was that the girl was was madly in love with had just said that she loved him, even though he didn't deserve her in the least.
"I love you too, Hermione," he said softly, and they touched their foreheads together, grinning, as someone used their wand and shot off fireworks high in the sky, the beautiful colors screeching and sparkling as they lit up the sky.
Down below them, the whole of Hogwarts had found out where Draco had taken Hermione, and everyone was cheering, clapping, and hooting. Among the many faces of the crowd were
Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, who were all clapping and whistling for Hermione. They'd never really understand why she loved Draco, but she was alive, and she was happy. To them, that was all that mattered.
Most all of the Houses were screaming and whistling and clapping, and even some of the teachers joined in. And off to the side of the crowd were Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. Crabbe and Goyle looked rather dumbfounded, and Pansy looked furious. Slowly, Crabbe began clapping, too, but Goyle shoved him hard in the ribs.
And up on the balcony, Hermione and Draco didn't even hear the crowd or the exploding fireworks, because, as far as they were considered, they were in their own happily ever after.
*blows into tissue* Th- that was so sw- sweet!!! lol... just kidding. Well, I know that last line was a little cheesy, but it's a good ending to a love story... Wow. I feel pretty sad... it's really over. So a final thanks to you all.... *passes out ice-cream to everyone*... and with that, I bid you farewell. ( bid? bid? What century are we in, again? XD ) Luv ya, ~~~Sarafina~~~