This is the Final Chapter.
I'm nervous, aww shucks.
This ending will be overwhelming and different, just like my crazy plot noh? :) some of you might not even like it... but i encourage you to read on... read slowly, carefully, and take in every detail. :)
STOP WHEN YOUR EYES HURT. It's 15 pages long so it's not advisable to read it all in one sitting. But it's up to you though.
Please excuse my grammar, English is my second language, just reminding you :)
Disclaimers, yeah? I don't own anything, just this plot. Don't sue me.
Happy birthday, it's october 28 here :p
Okay, here we go :)
The moon was full, its dim light illuminated the place. The numerous magical objects and books were stacked and pushed to the walls and corners to make room for the center. The cold air pierced her skin but she was numb of this, of everything else. Everything but him.
He was standing in the middle, facing the large glass, window that almost looked like an arched door, it touched the floor and was almost tall enough to reach the ceiling. It overlooked the stars. She could see the silhouette of his back, his broad shoulders, his strong arms but his hands disappeared inside his pockets. "Ready?"
"I didn't come here for that." She said in a soft voice, as if not to disturb the silence.
"Yes you did." He turned his head back to look at her and she caught a glimpse of his masked handsome face before he stared at the stars again. "You're even wearing the wedding dress I gave you."
She clutched the dress tightly in her hand. Her eyes never left him. So this was a wedding dress? The weird symbol in the bottom of the box that came with it, the Malfoy Family Crest; she remembered it now. She saw it when she was researching about him and his family.
He probably charmed it so that it was the only dress she would want to wear.
Slowly she took a few steps forward but stopped when he started walking around her, in huge circles that covered the whole room. He was staring at the checkered floor as he did. Once, twice, three times. She was waiting. Harry said to wait for the right moment.
"All this scheming and planning, the only real purpose of it was to have you."
"You don't mean that."
"Are you still so dense or are you just denying the truth?" There was an unnerving tone of disapproval in his voice. He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "From the very start it was you, Granger. Remember when I pounded the hell out of Zabini? That was because he didn't want me to force you into marriage. Or when I snogged you senseless in front of everyone? I wanted them to know you were mine."
"I don't belong to anyone. Honestly, you're just confused—"
He laughed coldly at her, its harsh sound made her tremble. "I killed Weasley because he touched you. He died because of you."
"That's not — you're lying!" Anger boiled inside her, her ragged breaths could be heard from the silence.
Because of me?
She couldn't stop the hot tears from escaping her eyes, tried her best to keep him from seeing it. Already, she was showing signs of weakness. She rubbed her eyes roughly with her hands.
Ron wouldn't have wanted this.
"What about the lot in the Great Hall? What happens to them?" She said, clearly trying to change the subject.
"Ah, but this is my birthday and our wedding, darling." He smiled sadistically, still looking at the floor and walking in circles. "I wanted to celebrate."
She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. His idea of a celebration was murder.
But Professor McGonagall would take care of them. There were Order members and Aurors stationed around Hogwarts. They wouldn't let those students die. She shouldn't worry, her job was to get the stone out of him.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of this..this is a bonding ritual." Her voice cracked and he noticed. He knew she was scared shitless. He knew she wanted to run.
And yet, here she was.
Bloody Gryffindors and their bravery.
The Malfoys were one of the pureblood families that needed to marry on the 18th year by an old bonding ritual. Soul tied to another, heart as one. No bond means no heir. "You're going to be bound to a mudblood forever. Your son won't be pure anymore, and your son's—"
"This is a really pathetic attempt to stop the unevitable." He said coldly and she met his eyes once more. She almost immediately fell silent. He had that effect on her;
He made her feel inferior and stupid, with just one gaze.
"Don't tell me what I already know. I chose to do this, I chose you."
"You can't," she started to walk towards him again, to stop him. He only pushed her back in the imaginary circle he was creating and kept walking.
"Don't you want to know the whole story, Granger?" He had one of those looks again, the one that infuriated her the most. It made her feel like he was laughing at her, or he knew something she didn't. She knew he was distracting her to keep her in the circle. A part of her was telling herself to get the hell out of there, but her curiousity got the best of her. She wanted to know.
Draco knew she would stay where she was. She was a smart and brave witch, but her thirst for knowledge was going to get her killed one day. He smirked at himself and continued. "Dumbledore predicted that Voldemort was going to give me the stone. He didn't know I already had it."
"You already had the stone when Dumbledore was still alive?"
"Yes. I never tried to kill him. You see, Voldemort told me to pretend to be a frightened little boy who was forced to kill him." He said.
"He gave you the stone and told you to pretend to kill Dumbledore?" Her eyes followed him wherever he went. She didn't let her guard down for a second. "Why would he want you to pretend?"
"He wanted to make me his heir, Granger, and he didn't want Dumbledore to know. He wanted Dumbledore to believe I was just a pawn."
So Dumbledore's letter was correct after all. Heir. Yes, it made sense. Why else would Voldemort give Malfoy the stone? Somehow Voldemort foresaw his own destruction, that's why he had a back up plan.
And if Malfoy was just pawn, Dumbledore wouldn't give him much thought.
"But it didn't work, did it? Dumbledore figured it out? That you were Voldemort's heir?"
She could almost feel the excitement coming from him. "I told him I was."
She looked back in disbelief.
"I lied to him, told him I didn't want to be the heir and that I was being forced. He made a huge mistake see...He trusted me." His eyes beamed, relishing the memory. "He told me to spy for him. He promised to help me remove the stone when Voldemort finally decides to use it on me, he never it was in me all along. I played him."
"What for? You already had the stone in your hands. You already knew Dumbledore was going to die. Why bother gaining his trust?"
She heard him click his tongue again, at her ignorance. "Because, Granger, dear old Voldie was going to fall, I knew it. I gained Dumbledore's trust so that when the war was over, I wouldn't be sent to Azkaban for being a Death Eater. I'd still be free."
"And Voldemort knew nothing about it? About Dumbledore trusting you?"
"Of course. Voldemort thought his plan worked, he thought Dumbledore didn't suspect I was heir. He never knew I became a spy for Dumbledore or that the very heir he named wanted to kill him for his self-proclaimed thrown. I played him too."
She didn't speak for a while. She was taking everything in.
He was enjoying every moment of it, telling her that his achievements were nothing short of brilliant. She didn't know what to think. All this time, it was him all along. He played both sides for his own selfish gains, and he got away with it too.
"There is no good side or bad side princess," His smirk widened. "just my side."
"What happened to you?" Her voice cracked again. Her face was sad and miserable. "You weren't always this empty, this cold."
"I was always like this, don't tell me I'm any different." He said. "Everyone thought so. Even my own parents, thought I was a monster. Me, their own son." There was no trace of sadness or regret in his voice, just eagerness. "So I asked Voldemort to kill them."
No. She gasped at his words. His lack of remorse was so frightening, so hard to imagine, that she had to let her guard down and momentarily look away.
...but please know that it is hard to love when the whole world is telling you not to.
Dumbledore had been right all along. Malfoy was a monster because the people around him made him that way. His whole world had been built with so much hatred and darkness that he seemed be ignorant of feeling and loving.
...Draco lost his way in the dark.
His cold laughter interrupted her thoughts. He brushed his hand through his hair. "Look at me now Hermione, I have what everyone desires to have, what everyone can only dream about... more power. And after this night is over, I'll have you."
"You won't." She grimaced. "Dumbledore didn't trust you completely. He said you lost your way in the dark, he told me in that letter."
"A letter from Dumbledore?" He snorted. "He's dead."
"It was his last attempt to warn me. He wrote it before he died." She musn't let him frighten her, musn't let him take control. You can do this, Hermione. You can do this. "He saw the darkness in your eyes Malfoy, but you're not going to do this, I know it. You know what else he said in that letter? He said that there was still hope left for you. He still believed you're going to change. Despite everything, he still believed in you."
"Dumbledore was a fool." He said indifferently and his face darkened. "He shouldn't have trusted in me, in anyone. Trust destroys you. He and the Dark Lord were proof of that."
He made an abrupt stop. Then he walked towards her, his footsteps getting louder and louder. Her heart raced at the sound. Then finally, he was facing her full on. His figure towered over her once again and she felt like she was seeing him for the first time. There was no denying he was handsome; his blonde hair was flawless, his black mask looked brilliant in his aristocratic face and his dress robes made him look like a god.
He was perfection.
She was tempted to back away at the sight of his intense grey orbs, but when he brushed her cheek with his hand, his touch made her legs weak. Slowly he moved to untie her mask. He was so gentle, so cautious, that she couldn't find the strength to pull away.
"But I do too." Her voice was soft and mild, and he found himself relaxing at the sound.
"What?" He whispered faintly.
"Believe in you."
Draco looked at the girl in front of him in amazement. He wanted nothing more than to plant sweet kisses in her lips. He felt a small tinge of regret in his stomach. Then there was... doubt? Doubt about going with the plan? Doubt about this marraige?
18 circles, Hermione was counting. His face held no expression, no movement. He didn't even blink. They just stood there for a long time, facing each other. She was looking for any sign in his eyes, anything that might tell her that he changed his mind, but it suddenly flashed anger and she backed away,
"Enough of this."
"He believed in you, Malfoy!" She said loudly as he moved to grab her arm. He started pulling her in the middle of his imaginary circle but she struggled. "So much that he was willing to overlook the evil in you! Doesn't that say something? Doesn't that mean there is actually good - "
"This is exactly the kind of thing I warned you about, princess." His tone was harsh and his grip tightened against her struggles. He was losing his temper. "I told you not to be vulnera— "
"I saw it too! I saw you!" Her voice was getting louder, she was desperately trying to make him understand. "Forget about what everyone said! I believe in you! You're still there somewhere! I know you a—"
"Confringo!" Malfoy pushed her to the floor the same moment she heard the voice. The Blasting curse almost hit her, but Malfoy shoved her out of the way and it hit him instead. He crashed to a bookshelf, dust and smoke everywhere.
"Hermione!" Hands started to pull her up. "I'm sorry I was aiming it at—are you alright?"
She didn't have time to answer because Malfoy was starting to get up again. Harry sent another curse at him and he crashed into the shelf again.
"Do it now!" Harry yelled at her. She grabbed her wand,
"Amoveo!"
White sparks from her wand hit his body. She took a deep breath and concentrated hard. She heard Malfoy groan and roll on his stomach but she never lowered her wand. She directed all her magic towards him when he tried to get up. He fell down again. A few minutes passed and he wasn't moving anymore.
Then she screamed as her wand burned her fingers. She dropped it immediately, white sparks vanishing.
Then silence.
Harry looked at her then at her wand. They couldn't see Malfoy's body in the dark and the dust. "Did it work?"
She moved forward to check but Harry stopped her. They couldn't see any movement, couldn't hear any sounds.
She was tempted to sigh in relief for a while, until she heard a faint, sadistic laugh that made her skin crawl.
"The Removal Spell?" His menacing voice came from the dark, she could tell he was mad again. "Impressive. Too bad it doesn't work."
Almost immediately Harry pointed his wand at her. She didn't have time to react as a spell hit her hard, the impact causing her to crash on top of one of the desks that was pushed against the wall. Protective charms surrounded her in an instant and she was trapped.
"What do you think you're doing?" She said in outrage as she pounded the transparent shield with her fists.
"I'm sorry Hermione!" Harry wasn't looking at her anymore; he wasn't sorry at all.
Numerous sparks started to come out of the dust and debris. Harry sheilded himself and sent more hexes back. She wanted to help him but she was completely trapped.
"Harry! Let me help!" She screamed.
Malfoy was on his feet again. He looked like an angel of death about to kill, ever so diabolic and handsome at the same time. The curses and hexes he was sending outnumbered Harry's by millions. Harry was having a hard time avoiding the attacks.
She watched the scene helplessly, unable to do anything. Harry sent as many curses as he could, ducked at the few darker ones coming at him. Malfoy had his hands in his pockets again as he gracefully avoided Harry's curses.
What annoyed Hermione most, however, was the slightly bored look on his face.
"Sectusempra!" Harry shouted.
The curse came close to hitting him, passing by an inch from his head and cutting his mask off in the process. His face twisted into another cold, demented smirk and he waved his hand sideways in a whip-like manner, so fast that Harry didn't have time to avoid it. His curse hit Harry square in the chest and sent him flying to the wall. Glasses shattered and objects smashed as Harry fell on them.
"Harry!"
He didn't move.
Malfoy waved his hand again and Harry was screaming and squirming. He was clutching his head and pulling his hair.
"No! No! I don't want this! Make it stop!"
"Harry!" She pounded the shield with her fists harder and she was sure she fractured her wrists but she didn't care.
Malfoy was walking towards her now, a triumphant gleam on his face. He tried to get rid of the protective charms Harry placed around her but they didn't budge. He cursed under his breath.
"Fascinating spell, isn't it?" He was walking around the sheild, ignoring Harry's screams of agony. "It's a fear spell, Timor. It makes you see things you fear the most. I got it from Dark Arts, Beauty and Power."
"Fuck you, you bastard!"
"You will after we get married princess."
The protective charms around her disappeared. She struggled as he half dragged, half carried her to the middle of the room.
"Obstringo." He said. Fire started to blaze from the invisible circle, enclosing them in both. She didn't know what to do. He was holding her hands tight, preventing any means of escape, she didn't even have her wand. Harry was still screaming.
The door burst open and Malfoy waved his hand again. She could see Blaise, Ginny and Order Members outside but they couldn't get in. Their mouths were moving but she couldn't hear them. She cried in pain. Her arm was burning. It was starting. She struggled from his grasp.
"What magic has bound togother, no man can undo—"
"Stop! Please!"
"—I bind my heart and soul to you."
She screamed as she felt like an invisible blade was cutting her arm open. She saw his blood and hers… lots of it… in her hands, on the floor, and all over her white dress. All over him. She could taste its metallic tang in her mouth and feel its sticky dampness in her skin. She was crying, her vision was blurred wet. And those stormy grey eyes... she dreamt about this before. A twisted looking M was forming in her skin and in his.
"Come on, say it!" He commanded, his voice echoing in the room. His grip on her hand tightened more. Everything Dumbledore said was suddenly clear.
"Take that spell off him!" She yelled.
He growled in anger but with a slight wave of his hand the spell was gone. Harry wasn't screaming anymore. Malfoy shouted for her to continue. She looked down in defeat and forced her lips to move.
"W-what magic has b-bound together,"
"Hermione no!" She heard Harry's distant cry somewhere in the room.
"N-no man can undo..."
"HERMIONE!" Harry looked hysterical and desperate when she met his eyes. He was still unmoving, but he was desperately trying to get up. She blinked back tears, mouthed an "I'm sorry" and looked back at Malfoy.
"...I bind my heart and soul to you."
Then the fire around them blazed into the ceilings. It covered them from everyone else. She couldn't see Harry or the others anymore.
Their arms entwined, their lips met, and she felt the magic rush between them. It felt so unreal. The kiss wasn't horrible like what she expected it to be. It was a warm, refreshing feeling, unlike any other feeling she had ever felt before. And then everything went still and quiet, reminding her of a slow-motion muggle movie scene. She could just feel him, his closeness, his demanding presence, his touch. She felt him smile against her lips. And when she caught a glimpse of his eyes,
...It was as if the whole world held its breath.
The magic was enticing. She knew she was stronger, more powerful as it rushed in her veins, because at that very moment, they were one. The right moment. She wasted no time. She took a deep breath, concentrated hard and,
"Amoveo."
White sparks emitted from their entwined, bleeding arms. It consumed them, forced both magic and power out of their bodies. And just as quickly as the magic rushed into her, it was sucked out of her and she weakened. For the first time in her life, she saw fear in Malfoy's eyes. Their arms burned as they held on to each other.
Then the magic exploded into a blinding light, separated them both into the other ends of the circle. The flames that surrounded them disappeared. She was lying on her stomach and her cheek was on the floor. She felt a sting on her arm.
The Luteus stone floated in the center for a short while until it fell down and shattered into tiny pieces, forever scattered, forever lost.
It was over?
"Hermione!" Harry was still unmoving a few feet away from her. Time seemed to have resumed its pace and they were back to reality once more.
She raised her hand slightly to tell him she was alright. She caught a glimpse of Malfoy's unconscious body on the other end...
It was over.
She could finallly...
A loud bang came from the entrance causing her to spring back to consciousness. Her eyes darted towards it. The Order members, Blaise and Ginny were trying their best to remove the barrier on the door.
The barrier?
Wasn't it suppose to have gone by now?
No. She looked in horror as Malfoy began to stir back to consciousness, but surely he was powerless now? The stone was already out of him.
Slowly, he heaved himself and stood up. He wasn't smirking anymore, and there was something in his eyes that made her want to look away.
Then a mistake; they forgot one, tiny, obvious detail that might very well cause their whole destruction,
He still had his wand.
Panicking, she tried to get up. But everytime she tried to move, dark spots appeared in her eyes. He started to limp towards her but something made him stop in his tracks.
"No! Stop Malfoy!" She yelled when she realized what he was doing. She groped the floor and crawled towards him in desperation. The damage that the Removal spell caused was too much for her body to handle and her body threatened to fall to unconsciousness again.
It's been a while since Draco used his wand and now it was for the soul purpose of killing the blasted Chosen One who he had hated so much over the years. Divide and Conquer was possible after all.
Who cares about the bloody stone? He already had her. He didn't need anything else.
"Please!" She was hysterical. She had to do something... anything to stop this.
He pointed his wand at Harry. "Avada Ked—"
"DRACO!"
Thump.
He stopped midway. He felt something... something pounding inside him. What is this? He clutched his chest tightly, to make sure he wasn't imagining it.
"Draco don't do it! Please!"
Thump. thump. thump.
Was this... her heart?
He felt the blood boil inside him, a heart? What is this madness? He had no heart. He was a monster, he wasn't like them. He was...
He lowered his wand and clutched his chest tighter. Mesmerized and confused about what was happening, it was still there. He felt it throb, stronger than ever. Was it because of the marraige? Was it because the one who caused him to feel so much was already bound to him by heart and soul?
Souls tied together, heart as one, yeah?
So Blaise was wrong after all. He-he has a heart now?
Hers and mine?
Ours?
All this time he believed he was... Everything he ever fought... Everyone was wrong... He... He wasn't a monster anymore and...
She believed in him from the very beginning.
He rubbed his hands through his hair and took a few steps backward. The whole world changed before his eyes. This wasn't what he believed in, this wasn't how he saw himself. This was different. He wasn't suppose to feel. He wasn't suppose to be human...
"Say it again."
"Draco."
He ran to the towering, door-like window and pushed it open, letting in a gush of cold wind that pierced her skin. He turned his head back and looked at her one last time, muttered something that only she could hear.
Then hands on his pockets once more, facing the stars and the full moon,
He jumped.
Some say he died from the height of the jump, his body buried somewhere in the Forbidden Forest by the centaurs who wanted their revenge. Some say he survived and was injured by the fall, healing somewhere in the Philippine islands and planning to take Harry Potter down when the time comes.
She was the only one who knew he got away, harmless.
The Daily Prophet came out with a picture of Harry and Hermione that day. The boy-who-lived and his bestfriend, once again saving the day. The issue itself was vague and short, stating the deaths of 18 people who died of poison during the ball. Harry having stopped the murderer of one Draco Malfoy.
How brave they all were.
Only a few knew about the unbelievable power Draco Malfoy had exhibited that night. None even mentioned how he was bound to Hermione Granger by an old marriage ritual. Only the members of the Order and a few Aurors saw how he dropped his wand and walked away when he had Harry Potter at wandpoint. Yes, only a few people knew the truth.
Hermione Granger lived in the heart of Godric's Hollow after the Winter Masquerade Massacre.
Harry would visit every thursday and they would watch old movies and fall asleep on the couch everytime. Sometimes, She would babysit little Ronald and Katie Zabini and read them stories of charming princes and castles and happy endings still. Even though she knew they didn't exist and one cannot truly live happily ever after, because it was better to have false hope, than no hope at all,
because she must sleep with the lights on just to forget his haunting grey eyes,
because her whole being trembles from so much beauty,
because in the end, she will never be alone again,
because in the end, they were one,
because that was how he loved.
Hands stretched to the fire,
Burned, hurt, but still reaching out to her,
Just to feel her warmth.
He was alive somewhere, this she knew. She could feel him in her blood. The crest will mark her arm forever, a reminder of the bond they shared in marriage, and one day he'll come back. Because he made a promise before he jumped off to the night sky. When he looked back and gazed at her one last time.
When he actually smiled. Draco.
When his voice resounded in her head again and again.
"I'll be back for you..."
FIN.
Dear amazing Reader,
Well! It's finally over. No more crazy plot twists, no more weird stones, removal spells, and ROSE-SCENT ACTIVATED POISONS (wtf :D). No more evil Draco. Aww. Damn, I'm going to miss writing this D: I'm going to miss you too!
Any questions you want to ask? State in a review. I will answer them :)
Want to flame because you hated the ending? State in a review. I can't say I'll like them but I'll still consider them :)
Want to show some love? Go on! I really appreiate it :D
Thanks for staying with me until the very end.
xoxo Yen.
I just made a sequel to this story . Care to read that too ? click my page then :)