Chapter Thirty

Draco

My eyes open and my head spins for a moment before focusing on the blue, cloudless sky above me. We're on the boat back to the island. Hermione's head is laying on my chest, and her arms are wrapped tightly around me. Her eyes are closed, and her breathing is steady; she is finally getting some sleep. As much as I want to wake her, I do not.

I try my best to distract myself from thinking about what happened before I passed out. The fear I felt in those moments was greater than any other fear I've ever experienced. However, I did it for Hermione, and that made it all worth it. Obviously, she saved me, but I have no idea how she did it. That doesn't matter, anyway; the only thing that matters is that we are finally here, together, and nothing stands between us in this moment.

My hands absentmindedly brush through her hair, which is frizzier right now than it ever was in our first year at Hogwarts. I scoop up some water from the sea to wipe the dirt off of her face. Once I finish, I kiss her on the forehead, waiting for her to wake up.

A few minutes later, I hear her stomach growling. I think to myself. She begins to shift, trying to get comfortable. She switches her head to face the other side, and when she does, her eyes open for only a moment. She's looking straight at me before her eyes close once again, but only for a moment; once she realizes that I'm awake, her eyes pop open again, and she sits up.

"Draco! I am so glad you're alive... I-I was so worried," She exclaims, wrapping me in a tight hug. A tear falls from her face and onto my shoulder, causing me to pull away from the hug.

"Sweetheart," I whisper, wiping the other tears off of her face, "don't cry. We're alright. It's all over now." She lays her head on my shoulder as I pat her shoulder.

"I know. I just never thought I would see this moment. I didn't even know if you were going to live just a few minutes ago," Something inside of her seems to break as tears fall from her face much faster, and she continues, "Everything just went downhill so quickly. You're the only reason I haven't gone insane. I thought about you every second in that horrid place, and I didn't even know if you were going to-"

"You didn't know if I was going to rescue you?" I ask, "Hermione, if you thought that I wasn't spending every second, every breath trying to find you, then you have gone insane."

"No, not like that. I just didn't think that you would know that I was in Azkaban. Even I don't know how I ended up in there."

"A man can do anything when he's in love, I suppose," I laugh, and she smiles her sweet smile. Oh, how I've missed that.

The mood darkens once again as a moment of complete silence passes. She looks at me and asks, "Do you know, Draco? Do you know how I ended up there?"

Although she has every right to know, I don't want to tell her; the more I think about it, the more I know that it is all my fault. But I could never keep it from her.

"I know how it happened, Hermione. It was my father," I admit, and she nods her head. As I explain to her what happened, she doesn't say a word; in fact, she doesn't react at all. I'm sure she's thinking it is all my fault as well, which couldn't be more true. It just hurts because I know what is necessary to keep her safe.

"Hermione, all of this stuff that has happened to you recently... It's all because of me. Surely you realize that," I pause as she tries to think of what to say. As she opens her mouth, I speak again, "I can't bear to see you go through this anymore. Without me, your life would be so much safer, and a lot less complicated." I half-expected her to interject at this point, but she doesn't. She just continues to listen, expecting me to go on.

God, this is the hardest thing I have ever done.

"I think it would be best for you if I wasn't in your life anymore." I tell her, and it feels as if my heart stops beating. She looks away from me, staring into the endless sea we're traveling through. I eagerly await her response. Is she going to agree with me? Although I'm the one who suggested it, it would break my heart. But if she disagrees, I couldn't stand to see her heart break. Either way, it has to happen. My father won't stop until one of us is dead, and I'm not going to let it be her.

Finally, she looks up at me. To my surprise, she is smiling and shaking her head. She even laughs.

"You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach. Remember that?" Her unexpected reaction confuses me, but my confusion leads to a smile. How can someone who has been through this much be this happy?

"How could I forget," I ask, "But why on Earth are you thinking about that?"

"It's just... silly, that I had suppressed these feelings for you for seven years. I loved you then, but I hid it so well, I didn't even know it myself."

"That punch in the face sure made me feel loved," I joke, and she playfully punches me in the arm. Shortly afterward, the smile disappears from her face, making mine disappear as well. She looks at me with a serious look in her eyes.

"Draco, I mean it. I've told you this before. Ever since I saw that little blonde 'Malfoy' boy for the first time on our first trip to Hogwarts, I've been in love. But you hated me, so I acted like I hated you. Acted so well, I might add, that I convinced myself that I hated you, too... But feelings always find a way to show themselves." There is a long pause before she continues, saying, "Listen, Draco. It doesn't matter how hard things have been. I need you, you need me, and that will never change. I'd spend years in Azkaban if it meant I got to spend one minute with you," She sighs, and I can feel tears forming in my eyes, "It's you and me, Malfoy. It always has been, and it always will be," She laughs; not joyously, but nostalgically, "After all, we've come too far to just quit- Draco, why are you crying?" She reaches up to wipe the tears from my face. I don't know how to explain what I feel.

"How do I deserve you? I've been such an evil, cruel guy my whole life, but somehow, I still got you: a caring, intelligent, beautiful woman. I thought I'd been doing everything wrong my whole life, but now that I have you, I know I'm not all bad."

"You're not bad, Draco. You're not your father's mistakes," She gently strokes the   scar on my arm, which I didn't realize she had noticed.

"And you're not your blood status," I grab her hand, the one with the scar.

She smiles tenderly, "I guess we both have bad blood."

* * *

"I'm starving," Hermione says as I open the door to The Leaky Cauldron. As the door opens, the smell of butterbeer and firewhiskey is imminent. Hermione takes a deep breath.

The crowd isn't nearly as large as it was the last time I was here. The people who are in here now are gathered at one large table playing a card game. The bell on the door rings as we walk inside, causing them to look over at us. Each one has a blatant look on their face except for one old wizard, who jumps up.

"Aren't you the Head Girl at Hogwarts?" The scraggly, ancient-looking man asks. Hermione nods her head and squeezes my hand, unsure of what's about to happen.

"Bloody hell," The man exclaims, gazing at me in awe, "How ever did ya' find her?"

I smile, relieved, even though it was not an easy question to answer. I respond, "It wasn't easy, and I doubt you'd believe me if I told you," I admit. He sits down on the bench, patting the empty space beside him. Hermione and I sit there.