#hdth

She was so relieved to see them all there and that they all made it through the battle at Malfoy Manor. She thought they were all dead when she saw the blast cloud but somehow they all managed to make it back safely.

 She searched the faces that were all smiling down on her but Draco was nowhere to be found. She felt a lump form in her throat and she had to fight back the burning tears that were forming in her eyes.

 “What happened?” She asked quietly and wasn’t sure anyone had heard her until Harry finally grabbed her hand and answered back.

 “It was a curse. You’ve been out for some time now, we were all really worried for you.”

 He paused and glanced around as if to emphasize the fact that her friends cared about her.

 He cleared his throat and continued, “We didn’t think you were going to wake up... It’s been a long time.”

 “A long time?” She asked surprised and still confused. Had the blast really knocked them out for so long?

 “Yea, you passed out on the train during the ride here and you haven’t woken up since. We thought you were coming out of it a couple of weeks ago but then you got dragged back in.”

 Her face frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand… and where’s Malfoy?”

She didn’t understand what the hell was happening or why Draco was nowhere to be seen.

 “Malfoy?” He asked.

 He paused for a moment and then continued.

 “Malfoy was under the same curse but he hasn’t woken up yet. How did you know he was cursed too?”

 She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

 She let her hands drop in her lap.

“I don’t understand what your saying…”

 Before she could continue, she heard a commotion across the room and she heard a nurse yell out, “He’s awake! Mr. Malfoy is finally awake!”

 The other medical staff ran over to check him out and she could hear his friends talking excitedly and telling him how happy they are that he was finally awake.

 “Explain to me again. What exactly happened?” She said, looking over to Harry.

 “Okay.” He paused.

 He stood up and looked at all their friends.

 “Let’s give her some space. You all can come back to visit later.” He spoke softly but with a tone that they all took seriously because they all started walking out of the hospital wing without argument. Ginny gave an aggravated look but Harry shrugged at her and she kept walking.

 He sat back down next to Hermione and grabbed her hand into his again and gave a gentle squeeze. As he was about to start talking he was interrupted by a yelling Malfoy across the room.

 “Would you all just leave me the hell alone already! Get out!”

He threw a pillow that hit Crabbe square in the face and would’ve been funny if it all wasn’t so confusing. Harry thought it was funny anyway and let out a small snicker before turning back to Hermione.

 The room got quiet as the last of their friends exited the room. Hermione thought the whole room would be able to hear her heart pounding in her chest. She had a sick feeling and squeezed Harry’s hand to encourage him to continue.

 He took the hint and continued in a soft and steady tone.

 “We were all on the Hogwarts Express, on our way here for the start of the year.”

She nodded at him in understanding.

 “While we were on the train, something happened. Somehow you and Malfoy were hit by a curse. You have both been unconscious ever since.”

 He cleared his throat. “That was two months ago.”

 “Two months.” She whispered.

 She couldn’t contain the tears any longer and her cheeks felt hot and flushed.

 “It’s okay. You can make up the classwork, probably pretty easy for you and at least you are finally awake. We were really worried about you.”

 She felt sick. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Everything that happened to them since the train was all a figment of some stupid curse.

 ‘Was it all in my head?’ She thought to herself.

‘Maybe Malfoy experienced something completely different.’

 Harry startled her when he spoke again. “We all knew you were finally coming out of it, that’s why we were all here. We wanted to be here when you woke up.” He smiled at her.

 “How did you know?” She asked dumbly, not fully caring about the answer.

 “Madam Pomfrey, she found a way to monitor the curse. That’s how we knew you were coming out of it a couple of weeks ago. We don’t know why you didn’t fully wake up then.”

 They were both suddenly distracted by the loud noise happening across the room. Malfoy stood up and was getting dressed. The nurses were fighting with him to get back in bed but he was ignoring them. He pulled a pair of pants up under his gown and started to remove the gown.

 “Mr. Malfoy, for your own safety, please get back in bed. We still need to run some tests.”

 He stood up, now wearing a dark pair of trousers, and started pulling on a white button-up shirt. He tossed the hospital gown on the bed and grabbed a pair of robes from the chair next to his bed. Without buttoning his shirt, he threw on the robe and started walking out of the room.

 “Mr. Malfoy, please come back. We need to make sure you are fully out of the curse and safe to leave.”

 He glanced back and replied, “I’m out and I’m fine, now leave me alone.”

 As he started walking again, Hermione could have sworn that she heard him say to himself, “I’m definitely cursed.” Then he left the hospital wing and could no longer be seen.

 Hermione sat back against the bed and started crying harder. She was in love with someone who can’t possibly feel the same. She knew what she felt and experienced but what did he experience in his cursed state?

 Harry tried to comfort her. He moved to the edge of the bed and pulled her into a hug.

 “Hermione, it’s okay. Everything is going to be okay now.”

 All that Hermione could feel though was heartbreak as she thought to herself, ‘How did this happen?’

 A/N 3: ‘The End’  ... or is it?

 She wished she could have made him suffer before killing him but either way she was happy that he finally met his end and was no more. He would never again threaten her or Draco and never again would he ever hurt or murder anyone.

 Just as the army of death eaters started raising their wands, spells started to hit them from the back, from the manor.

 Looking past all the shocked faces, she could see Draco and Harry run out of the Malfoy manor with a full army of their own. It was filled with their friends, parents, and teachers. It was the perfect plan. She was able to distract them long enough for Draco to release everyone and launch a sneak attack from the back.

 When she and Draco planned everything out, they knew that the surprise attack was their only real chance and they knew they couldn’t waste it. So, they decided that everyone should attack with the killing curse. There was no room for angry death eaters retaliating against them while they were in the middle of a battle for their lives.

 Green sparks lit up the yard and death eaters started to drop to the ground as death hit them. The group with Draco was able to make a pretty big dent in death eaters by the time they realized what was happening to them. Surprise had definitely been a smart move for them.

 “You.” Voldemort looked at her surprised.

 Hermione pointed her wand at him and he raised his own to meet hers. A loud pop echoed around her and without looking, she knew that Draco was by her side. He pulled her hand into hers and as they held hands, they pointed their wands at Voldemort. He looked disgusted at them and angry.

 “Blood traitor!” He yelled at Draco.

 Draco looked furious. He squeezed Hermione's hand and flicked his wand behind Voldemort.

“I think you have more important things to worry about.”

 Harry slowly walked around Voldemort while pointing his wand at him. He never took his eyes off him as he gradually made his way to stand in front of Draco and Hermione.

“Let’s finish this!” Harry shouted as he lunged at Voldemort and they both disappeared in a cloud of black smoke which went flying through the air.

 Draco and Hermione shared a quick embrace before pulling apart and looking at each other intently.

 “I so glad you’re okay.” He told her.

 “Me? What about you. I hated hurting you like that.” She replied while rubbing a gentle hand over the bruised and torn flesh on his neck.

 He flinched slightly at her touch but grabbed her hand and held it in place.

 “It was worth it. I would do it again if I had to. Now let’s go help our friends.”

He smiled at her and they took each other’s hands once again before heading off into the battle.

 Every death eater they saw, they used the killing curse without hesitation. They knew it was their best chance of making it out alive. To have no remorse, just resolve in making it home together.

 Not everyone on either side was so convinced that using the killing curse was the best plan apparently as they both saw different colored sparks of light flying through the air and hitting people. Some were using torture curses or spells to bind their opponent.

 One of these random curses grazed Hermione’s cheek and she felt blood leak down her face. She kept going like it never happened and kept throwing curses out wherever she could.

 Draco was doing his best to block any curses he saw coming their way but unfortunately a few made it past. He was bruised and bleeding from the hits and he knew at least one curse had made it past him and hit Hermione. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. If he lost her again, this would all be for nothing. He couldn’t and wouldn’t live without her.

 He quickly turned to her and kissed her quick on the lips and whispered in her ear.

 “I love you, always.” He said softly.

 Then he whispered something inaudible and she felt herself being sucked away.

With a loud pop, she disappeared from the battlefield and reappeared at the edge of the forest.

She looked around frantically. It wouldn’t take her long to get back but by then it could be over and Draco could be dead.

 Tears started falling from her eyes as she took off as fast as she could towards the manor. She felt angry at him for sending her away and she felt destroyed at the thought of losing him.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 He knew that if he managed to make it through this fight alive that he would have to deal with her anger but it was worth it. At least she would be safe for a little while.

 He knew that she would try to get back as fast as she could but he needed the time to focus on the battle and not protecting her. It was what was needed to make sure they both made it out together in the end.

 He felt more focused and strong. He blocked curses with ease and he was hitting death eaters with the killing curse all around him. He thought he was doing pretty well and making real progress when someone tackled him to the ground. He felt the air get knocked out of him as he hit the ground with a hard thud.

 The man held him down and started hitting him. Hard blows landed painfully on Draco’s face. He tried to block the hits the best he could but he was pinned and having trouble breathing.

 A green light hit the man in the back and he slumped forward on top of Draco. It took him a minute to be able to push the dead weight off of him and when he did, he was surprised to see who had saved him.

 Ron Weasley nodded to Draco and he nodded back as a silent thank you. Ron ran off into the crowd and rejoined the fight while Draco slowly got back to his feet. He could feel blood running down his face and the back of his neck. He knew there was a gash on the back of his head and busted up nose from all the hits he took.

 He looked around and he could see that the death eaters were losing. Their numbers were dwindling fast and he felt hope fill his emotions. ‘We might actually win.’ He thought to himself.

 Just then he saw Hermione run through the crowd towards him. He was expecting her to slap him but instead, she ran straight into his arms.

 The battle was starting to die down and there was a group forming behind them of their friends.

 “I was so worried about you.” She cried into his arms.

 When they finally pulled apart, they could see the crowd looking past them. They turned to see what they were all looking at. They were surprised to turn around and see Harry and Voldemort still battling each other. Their wands had locked on to each other with sparks from their spells shooting out everywhere. Red light was shooting from Harry’s wand and Green was shooting from Voldemorts.

 The spells were tangled together and they were both fighting for dominance. The sparks turned into what looked like lava spilling from the lines of light with a great white ball of power stuck in the middle.

 Slowly the red lava and light started to take over the green and push towards Voldemort. Harry was winning. Harry gripped his wand with both hands and gritted his teeth. Voldemort started to lose composure and even he knew this was the end.

 The red light enveloped the green and hit Voldemort hard with a loud thud. Everything became silent and Voldemort dropped to the ground dead. It was finally over.

 The crowd started to cheer and everyone hugged everyone. Hermione and Draco kissed each other and everyone was happy.

 Slowly they felt the wind pick up and started to swirl around them. It was pulling hard at them and they had to hold each other so they wouldn’t fall over.

 There was a groaning sound that came with the wind and it got louder and louder until they couldn’t hear anything else. There was a tornado of wind and sound pulling from every direction and into Voldemort's body.

 The sky turned dark and red with lightning striking nearby. Then just as suddenly as it all had appeared, it stopped. The wind halted and the loud groan went completely quiet.

 The sky remained dark and red but the lightning stopped. Everyone breathed heavily and looked at each other not knowing what had just happened.

 Then, a loud bang and crack were sent through the air and the ground began to shake. Some people started screaming but no one knew what was happening or what to do.

 Slowly a bright cloud of lightning and smoke started to gather around Voldemort and shot out towards everyone. It hit Harry first because he was the closest and he immediately disappeared with a loud scream.

 The cloud was like a forcefield that was being sent out in every direction. It was moving so fast that it would hit all of them in a matter of seconds. There was no escape.

 Draco pulled Hermione so tight into a hug that it hurt both their ribs but he would never let go. “I love you so much, Hermione.” He cried into her ear.

 “I love you too.” She managed to gasp out through sobs.

“What?” She could feel her face sweating and she felt like she would be sick.

 He noticed her complexion pale at this thought and pulled her tight against him in a warm embrace. He wanted to hold her there against him forever.

 “It will be okay. Last time, we went wrong by being trapped inside the manor. This time, we need to pull them out to us where we can control where we are and not have the threat of being confined to a room.”

 She nodded her head in agreement. It made sense to her but she was terrified. She was so afraid of something happening to them. She couldn’t live without Draco and as soon as the thought hit her mind, she knew deep down that she did love Draco. She finally admitted it to herself and her eyes filled with tears.

 “Draco, I love you.”

 He pulled back from her and he looked deep into her eyes. He could feel his heart beating rapidly inside his chest and he wished they were anywhere in the world but there.

 “Hermione, we are going to be fine. We will make it through this. Together.”

He cleared his throat, his emotions were starting to overwhelm him.

 He continued, “You don’t have..”

He was cut off by Hermione placing a soft kiss on his lips.

 “I know and I’m not saying it because we might die. I am saying it because it’s true and I want you to know how I feel.”

 She smiled softly at him.

 “I love you too.” He said simply and they kissed each other again.

 When they broke the kiss, they both knelt down and started devising a plan. They had to be smart and they had to trust each other. Thankfully they had both.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 Hermione stepped out of the trees and she pushed Draco in front of her while holding her wand against his neck. She was pressing it hard into his neck as she pushed him further away from the trees and closer to their final destination.

 “I have your boy!!” She yelled.

 She waited a minute and just when she didn’t think anyone heard her, she saw a thin, pale, blonde man step out of the front doors of the manor. He slowly walked towards them until he was about halfway between them and the broken-down house.

 “Stop right there!” She yelled at him and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

 Lucius Malfoy grinned devilishly at her.

 “What exactly do you want Ms. Granger?” He spoke clearly and loud enough for her and anyone inside to hear him.

 She noticed other death eaters slowly started making their way out of the building and slinking their way forwards.

 She pushed Draco to his knees and jabbed him in the neck again with her wand which made him groan in pain.

 “You all stay back! Stop where you are!” She screamed.

 Lucius put his hand up and they all stopped moving. He motioned to Hermione, “What exactly do you think you are accomplishing here?”

 “Tell all of your buddies to join us outside. ALL OF THEM.” She said through gritted teeth.

 “Or what?” He asked calmly.

 Hermione cocked her head and whispered a spell under her breath. It looked as if sparks shot from the end of her wand and into Draco’s neck causing him to scream out in pain.

 “Or I kill him!” She shouted loudly at Lucius over Draco’s moans and screams of pain.

 “Okay, okay!” He shouted back and waved at the house.

 She broke the spell and Draco slumped over slightly with a small groan. He was breathing heavily and sweating. He stayed motionless while the other death eaters slowly came out of their hiding places and all joined together behind Lucius.

 “They’re all out here. Now what?” He asked with a sneer.

 Hermione once again hit Draco with the spell and he screamed out in agony. She stared at Lucius and could see an internal struggle happening. She kept her wand placed firmly against Draco’s neck and she could feel the heat from the sparks coming off her wand and entering his neck, burning his flesh and magically sending searing pain through his body.

 It was a torture spell that she read about but had never intended to use on anyone. Unfortunately, circumstances forced her to do things that she never dreamed possible. The spell is supposed to feel like lightning being sent into your body and electrocuting you all over and burning the flesh from the inside out.

 “Stop! I did as you asked!” Lucius yelled at her.

 She pulled her wand away and Draco fell forward onto his chest. He laid unmoving on the ground, breathing heavily.

 “I said ALL of your buddies!” She yelled angrily at him.

 “I assure you, this is everyone.” He replied calmly, waving his hand towards the death eaters.

 “Really?” She responded with an angry look.

 She yanked Draco back up to his knees and placed her wand against his neck again. Just as she was about to start the spell again, she heard Lucius start to move towards her. She looked up at him and pointed her wand at him. He stopped walking and held his arms up in defense.

 “I said, EVERYONE!” She yelled.

 He let his arms drop and he looked around.

 “This is everyone. Perhaps you could just tell me who you are looking for.”

 A dark figure emerged from the manor.

 “I believe she is looking for me.” The figure said clearly.

 Voldemort had finally come out of hiding. He wore a dark robe and he grinned menacingly at her. He slowly walked forward with bare feet and eventually stopped just ahead of Lucius.

 “What do you want child?” He spoke to her.

 She whispered something inaudible and Draco disappeared with a loud pop.

 The crowd gasped and Lucius looked shocked.

 “Where is he? What did you do with him? He shouted at her.

His calm demeanor was starting to fall apart. His hair was now starting to fall from place and into his face.

 Hermione shrugged her shoulders and smirked in a way that would make Draco proud.

 “If anything happens to me, you will never find him.”

 Voldemort and Lucius both raised their wands towards her.

“What makes you think that we care about what happens to the boy?” Voldemort said matter of factly.

 Lucius glanced briefly at his master in question but returned his gaze to Hermione.

 “Is that how you feel about all of your death eaters or just the ones who are sons of disappointments?” She looked pointedly at Lucius.

 “How dare you, you filthy little mudblood!” Lucius yelled at her.

 Voldemort raised his hand to quiet him.

 “Tell me, girl. What is the plan here? You cannot hope to defeat all of us and holding a boy hostage isn’t enough to ensure your safety or a getaway.”

He smiled a crooked evil grin at her. He knew there was no way for her to win. One girl against an army of death eaters wasn’t exactly a fair fight and they all knew it.

 Hermione slowly started to back away. She wanted to put some distance between herself and the army in front of her. She held her head high and never showed them the fear that she felt gripping her emotions.

 “Where do you think you’re going, you little bitch!” Lucius yelled at her.

 She paused. She suddenly felt anger surge inside of her. She locked eyes with Lucius and it took all self-control not to let her rage take over and kill him on the spot.

 “If anyone is the bitch here…” She paused for a moment before continuing, “It’s you.”

 She grinned like a joker as she saw his anger boil over. He started to march towards her when she put up a hand to stop him.

 “Only I know where your son is. Do you really want him to disappear forever because that is what will happen if you hurt me.”

 He stopped walking again and if looks could kill, she would be dead. He was beyond furious. She wasn’t sure that he truly cared at all about what would happen to Draco but now she knew. Maybe it was because he was his only child or maybe it was because he didn’t want to have to deal with Narcissa if she lost her child. Either way, it was working in her favor. For the moment.

She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep them at bay but she didn’t think she had much time left.

 Just as she thought her plan had failed, she saw a shimmer from one of the broken windows of the manor. It was the signal.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 Earlier that day…

 “Draco, I don’t think I can do that.”

They were holding each other's hands tightly and looking intently at each other.

 “Hermione, you are the strongest person I know and I know that you can do this.”

He pulled her into a hug and lowered his voice.

 “I trust you. This is the only way to pull this off.”

 She nodded her head and tears fell silently down her cheeks. She pulled back from the hug and kissed him again. Her tears fell from her eyes and hit his face, leaving trails of water down both their faces.

“This is how we trick them. They are too smart for anything else and this is how we can get our friends out. We need all of them if we have any chance at beating them.”

 She nodded again. She felt like she couldn’t talk, her emotions were overwhelming and she felt a lump in her throat. She cleared her throat and pulled away from him.

 “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t know if I can do that.”

 He grabbed her hands back into his and squeezed tightly.

 He sighed. “I don’t want this any more than you do but we need them to believe that we are against each other. We need them focused on you so I can get inside and release everyone.”

 She took a deep breath and she wiped the tears away. She had to be strong for both of them. This was the only way for them to have even the slightest chance of making it out alive. They knew they couldn't face everyone by themselves, they needed help. This was how they would get it.

 He could see that she was accepting the plan and knew she would pull it off. He just had to be able to be tortured a bit without breaking and then get in without being seen. If all went according to plan, they would deceive everyone into thinking he was taken by her. Then while they were distracted by her, he would be inside releasing all their friends. Together, they could take the battle outside the manor and hopefully end this once and for all.

 Draco pressed his lips tight against hers. They started kissing each other frantically like it was the last time they would ever see one another. They pressed their bodies tightly together and he tangled his hand in her long brown curls, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.

 He wished so desperately for them to be anywhere else in the world. He wanted so badly to make love to her right then and now but knew they had more important things to deal with.

 He broke away from the kiss and they were both out of breath. They still had their hands on each other and their faces were hot with passion.

 “When this is all over, I am taking you to my bed and never letting you leave.” He smirked at her.

 She grinned like a fool and felt a familiar flutter low in her belly. She wanted him badly but knew it would be a mistake to try and be intimate in their current situation. She took a deep breath and pulled back a little to put some much-needed space between their bodies.

 “I’ll hold you to that.” She said huskily and bit her lip.

 Draco stood up and grabbed her hand to pull her up in front of him. They had been crouched down behind the trees and bushes while they laid out their plan. Now it was time to put their plan into action.

 Draco never let go of her hand. He squeezed it tightly again and started to turn towards the manor when Hermione stopped him.

 “Wait.” She said. She looked him deep in his beautiful eyes, “I love you Draco Malfoy.”

They smiled at each other.

 “I love you too Hermione Granger.”

He placed a quick peck on her lips and then they started to walk together towards the manor and out of their hiding place. It was time.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 As soon as she saw the flicker of light from the window, she knew their plan had worked and it was all worth it. Even if they didn’t make it out, their friends were free and that’s all that mattered. Everyone now had a chance. No more being trapped and tortured. No more being beaten down by the bad guy. This was their chance to finally end things.