Summary: Hermione consoles Draco over the loss of his mother."I don't love you out of obligation or anything of that sort. Why would you even think that? I love you because you're brilliant. You're a brilliant man who isn't perfect but still does the best you can do. You made the right choice, Draco. You cared for your parents and if they could see you now, they'd both be very proud. I'm sure of it." DMHG. Oneshot.

~DMHG~

"She's gone", tears poured down Draco's pale cheeks as he sought comfort in Hermione's arms. "She's gone."

"Draco", murmured Hermione, gently rubbing the twenty six year old Slytherin's back.

"This is my entire fault", he said", if anyone's to blame, then it's me."

"It's not your fault", replied the witch firmly. Her eyes began to water and her voice shook while she tried to console him. "Voldemort did this, not you. It's not your fault Narcissa… It's not your fault she was killed."

Draco, however, wasn't hearing any of it. "On his deathbed, Father asked me to do one thing and that was to make sure Mother was safe", he said hoarsely. "My father asked me one last thing and I've mucked that up too. I was supposed to keep her safe and would you look at how that turned out? She ended up dead!"

After Lucius' death, his wife and son decided to switch sides. The reason behind their choice wasn't due to the fact Lucius had died but in fact, as a result of Draco's new-found friendship with Hermione Granger.

Around the time Lucius was admitted to St. Mungo's, Hermione had been brought in there as well, to get treatment for the after-effects of the Cruciatus curse that could have cost her life, had it not been treated in time.

~X~

Upon seeing the redhead there, Draco had snidely spat at the ground and had a good laugh with his friend, Crabbe over how pathetic Granger and her accompanying friends were.

However things changed drastically on the day Lucius passed away. Narcissa had gone to the Manor to rest for a while and during that time, her husband suddenly died. Draco was the only one there by his father's side as the older man breathed his last breath. He'd held Lucius' hand as the Malfoy patriarch squeezed his son's hand and made the boy make a promise.

A few moments later, Draco walked out the private room, struggling to keep a straight face. How would he inform his mother of his father's death? Leaning against a wall, his hands rose to his face and he felt as if he was suffocating.

That was when a door opened and entered Hermione in a wheelchair, a small smile on her face as Ron wheeled her out for some fresh air. Her hair was tied up, she was dressed in a typical hospital gown, and some colour had returned to her cheeks; she looked better and on the mend from Yaxley's attack on her.

Her smile disappeared when she noticed the Slytherin. "Malfoy!" she said worriedly, her voice barely audible.

Ron looked confused as to why Hermione would bother speaking with their nemesis As far as he was concerned, they ought to stay as far away as possible from Death Eater scum. He whispered something to her, to which he was given a quick reply and pleadings from her to be left alone with Malfoy for a few minutes.

Although he wasn't pleased with it, Ron listened nevertheless and went away.

"Are you alright?" asked Hermione hesitantly, once she was alone with the blonde in the empty corridor.

"Do I look alright, Granger?" countered Draco with another question, starting to walk towards the exit.

"Wait."

Draco turned around. "What now?" he growled at her.

"Don't go", murmured Hermione. "Your father. Did he... finally pass on?"

"Yes", was his one worded reply. "He did."

"Oh", she said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

He snorted, shaking his head. "Really?" he asked. "You're sorry that Lucius Malfoy is dead?" his voice rose an octave. "You're sorry that a pile of dung Death Eater is dead?"

Hermione glared at him. "Whatever he did, he was still your father and I know for a fact that he loved you and you love him", she hurried out. "He didn't make the right choices, Malfoy, but that doesn't mean you completely hate him. You hate him just as much as I do for being a Death Eater but you can't forget that he cared for you and your mum."

"How does that make any bloody sense? I love the old man and hate him too? Is that what you're trying to say, eh?"

"Some things don't make sense", huffed Hermione. "Not everything has to. What I'm trying to say here is that you're not okay. You're hurting, you're confused and I've been watching you for quite some time now and I can see that you're not happy. You, Draco Malfoy, aren't happy in following your father's footsteps!"

"Then what do you suggest I do, Granger?" he said in defeat, moving towards her. "It's not that simple for me. I can't just-" He stopped mid way.

"What do you want to do?" she asked gently, looking into his conflicted grey eyes. "I can't tell you what choices you should make but I can tell you one thing, there's still time for you to change and go on a different path. You don't have to make this choice now but you should think about it. Consider it. As for now, mourn your loss and console your mother."

With that being said, Draco took one last look at the brunette and hurried down the hall, taking large steps to simply get out of there.

~X~

As he watched all the mayhem and destruction in the world around him, Draco knew that he must do something to assist. It was slowly killing him to watch as people died around him. With his father's death, he became more aware of the fact that blood status didn't hold any importance and that they, the Pure-bloods, had been wrong all along.

They weren't any different than Half-bloods or Muggle-borns and he was disgusted with himself. He was disgusted with the fact that he'd been so blinded with his prejudices that he'd not given a shit about anyone other than himself or his parents. He remorsefully wondered how life would have played out had he not taken the Dark Mark.

Hermione Granger's words rang in his head as he made his decision.

He would join the Order of the Phoenix.

After discussing his wish to join the Order with his mother, he expected a full-on argument to surface. That didn't happen as Narcissa looked at him calmly and told her only child that she'd already spoken to Harry on the topic at hand and she intended join as well.

That settled the matter and the rest is history.

~X~

"It's not your fault", repeated Hermione once more. Her stomach churned painfully as she recalled the last time she'd seen Narcissa. It had been two weeks prior ago and that too at a gathering of the Order.

She cupped Draco's face in between both her hands and forced him to look at her but he continued to avoid eye contact with her.

"Don't look at me, Granger", he spat. "Don't look at me and try to tell me that I'm not to be blamed. I don't want to listen to your weak attempts of-"

Hermione didn't allow him to complete his sentence. She placed her fingers on his lips and he instantly quieted down. "I'm not going to let you wallow in misery", she said fiercely, looking him in the eye. "If you do love me like you told Narcissa you do, then you won't hurt me by blaming yourself for something that wasn't in your hands."

"How do you know I what I said to her?" he asked in astonishment.

Hermione threw her arms around Draco's neck. "She told me herself", she said in his ear. "She said you weren't going to tell me anytime soon and she just wanted you to be happy. And if I make you happy, then we have her blessing."

"Shit", he swore under his breath. "I never thought she'd tell you. Merlin, I never ever thought my own mother would betray my trust and tell you that I…" he shook his head. "Putting that aside, I know how much you cared about her, Granger, but this is my way of saying that you don't have to make any declarations of feelings for me, as a form of obligation to her."

"You're a fool", came Hermione's angry reply. "I don't love you out of obligation or anything of that sort. Why would you even think that? I love you because you're brilliant. You're a brilliant man who isn't perfect but still does the best you can do. You made the right choice, Draco. You cared for your parents and if they could see you now, they'd both be very proud. I'm sure of it."

"You love me."

"I do", she confirmed. "More than you can imagine. Despite all our arguments, despite all our disagreements and despite all those times I've wanted to smack you for annoying me, I love you."

"I love you too, Granger. As messed up and unsure as I am, I know that I love you", he replied.

A/N: What do you think of this? Please leave a review to tell me your views. I'd love to hear from you, guys.