Harry Potter

She awoke to blinding whiteness. Blinking, she felt her body automatically check every limb in her body and as it did so, pain started to explode in her head, in tiny firecrackers. She tried to make a sound, but it seemed as if something was choking her, preventing her from speaking.

Rolling her head from side to side, to diminish the pain, she felt words begin to infiltrate the silence she had been residing in for some time now.

" He's dead."

" Harry-"

" He's dead. It's done. The war is over. No one has to go through this pain anymore but-"

" Hermione is unconscious, Harry, she's not dead."

" We should've gotten there sooner. We should've-never let them-"

" There's nothing we can do now, Harry."

And that's when the memories clicked into her brain and her eyes flew open as jolted pictures flew into her line of sight one after another, whirring by as fast as a cyclone.

Draco...he was Drake.

Voldemort's dungeon..

Drake...dead...Draco...he was dead, covered in blood, Peter Pettigrew, his sword covered to the hilt in blood-

And the green curse, flying from her wand, exploding from her body in a chaotic wave of hatred-

And she awoke, into the real word, with a piercing scream that shook the walls of the infirmary and had Harry, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape rushing to her side. But they could not calm her until Pomfrey forced a liquid down her throat that made her fall asleep. Yet her screams still echoed around the castle and no one could shake off the feeling that Hermione was going through hell.

---------

Her mind was awhirl. She kept waking up, intervals of time through a span of days she was not aware of. Every time she did stir, she awoke with sweat, screams and panting breaths. And each of those times, she learned at least something new.

A few of the Order had died, such as Lupin, Tonks and Mad Eye.

Most of the students of Hogwarts had lived.

All of the death eaters were either dead or in Azkaban.

Voldemort was finished.

The war was finished.

Draco...

Every time she awoke, she could never ask about him. The dragon in the forest, with the silver eyes. His expansive body curling into itself every time she came upon the clearing, those beautiful wings folding in on its back and his eyes wide, and watching her every movement.

The feeling of being on his back, flying through the skies..

And the feeling that came upon her when she realized Draco Malfoy and Drake were one...and the same. Relief. Betrayal. Hope. Anger.

Harry, Ginny and Luna had lived. Bill Weasley had died. Neville and Ron were both in a coma. No one knew when they would wake up.

No one knew when Hermione would wake up either.

Hermione didn't know if she wanted to wake up.

She didn't want to go back to life...back to reality. Back to the reality where she had killed a person, a human being with the very unforgivable curse she had loathed throughout her years. Back to the reality where things were not what they seemed.

She wanted to stay here, in her dreams, reliving every moment of the past. Every moment she was happy.

She couldn't let these dreams go...just for the pain of reality.

---------

It had come unbidden. The feeling of absolute completeness, the feeling that everything would be right again. She had awoken, once again to the white walls that was the infirmary and she felt so strange, so light, she had no idea what was going on. It was dark, moonlight spilling into the windows in small shafts and she felt her body move.

It had not moved in the last two weeks.

Her legs swung over the bedside and she felt her body get up and her bare feet touch the cold floor. And slowly she began to walk.

" Harry?" She whispered into the darkness. " Ron? Neville?"

She had no idea why she could move and why she was moving. But all she knew was that it was happening...and no one was here.

" Madame Pompfrey?" She tried again. No answer. Her eyes swivelled to the doorway and she walked towards it, hesitatingly. Opening it, she looked out into the darkened hallway. About two or three in the morning, she judged.

Too late for patrollers to see her.

Where could she go?

Her mind set on the Gryffindor common room, she started her trek down the hallways. Fingers trailing on the walls and taking in the old school she had loved so much, she walked and walked, her mind loosing itself in the repetitive movement her weary body was making.

Then she realized, as she came upon the grand doors, that she had walked straight outside.

The doors opened, with a slight push from her hands and the cool, night air blew on her face with a calming effect that made her inhale deeply the magic of the night.

And automatically, she began to walk. Across the dewy grass and into the forbidden forest. The soles of her feet ached from the twigs and rocks on the forest floor, but her movements were so mechanical she hardly realized the pain.

The familiar route was both relieving and painful to her. She had not taken this route in so long...and she had missed it, running through the forest for just another talk with a dragon whose origins she did not know. And then she came upon the clearing.

And her eyes searched it out, hopefully, wishing-

But there was no dragon sitting there, his scales reflecting the luminosity of the moon.

No dragon stretching out his wings or angrily blowing fire into the sky.

No dragon..

He was dead.

And she fell to her knees and she felt the tears come, finally. Finally.

--------

" Hermione," Harry murmured as Hermione kept on reading. Her eyes followed the words ritually but Harry knew from the years they had been together, she wasn't taking in those words.

It had been two months since that fateful day in Lord Voldemort's lair. When Draco Malfoy and Hermione were kidnapped from school...and everyone found out that Draco was the monster in the forest.

He was a boy who was cursed to be a dragon forever.

Hermione had told them all monotonously about the events that had occurred. Their nightly meetings, her discovery of the dragon...everything. Ron and Harry had felt betrayed when they heard how much was going on behind their backs but had quickly gotten over it after realizing how affected Hermione still was.

He had disappeared after that day. His dragon body gone after all the bodies were cleared away and the only remnants was the blood on the floor. The blood...Harry could never get that out of his mind.

There was so much blood.

Harry didn't think he would ever recover from that day. The power flooding through his veins, the deaths of everyone around him and the pain...the pain that had enveloped him in a choking cape and all he felt was a sense of drowning..

But he had gotten them through it.

Yet Hermione was still...still..

" Talk to me, Hermione, please?" Harry pleaded.

" Harry," Hermione said quietly. " I'm not in the mood. I'm sorry."

She turned back to her book and Harry sensed the apologetic aura but he was too tired to push at it. Getting to his feet, he sighed.

" Well if you need anything...you know where to find me," Harry said, quietly as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked out the door. He had to go see Neville and Ron in the infirmary, where they had awoken from their coma but were still in need of medical treatment.

Hermione kept her eyes on the book she was reading but out of the corner of her eye, she watched him walk away. As he walked out of the common room, she sunk into the couch she was reading on and sighed, a tired sigh.

She wanted to go back to normal. Be the same person she was before all of this mess...

Bu something was holding her back..

Getting to her feet, she walked out of the common room and down to the Great Hall. It was empty, save two students studying at the tables. The exams were coming up soon and studying seemed to be the only thing Hermione could do that didn't result in thoughts of him.

" Hermione?"

Hermione turned around and her eyes met a pair of twinkling ones. Professor Dumbledore stood behind her, adjusting his glasses as he peered down at her.

" Yes?" She asked, her voice tired.

" I would like to have a talk with you. I would've had someone else come fetch you but I...wanted to do this myself," Professor Dumbledore said, his words mysterious. Turning on his heel, he walked a few steps before saying, " Follow me."

Hermione walked obediently in his shadow, as they walked up through the corridor and towards Dumbledore's office. Muttering the password, Dumbledore spread his hands as the doors moved open.

" You first," He said, politely. Hermione walked up the darkened stairs and heard the doors close behind her. Turning around, Hermione searched the darkness, warily.

Dumbledore was not in sight.

" P-Professor?" Hermione stuttered, for the first time in weeks, feeling a tumultuous wave of emotion spread through her. Turning back around, she tapped on the door.

" Professor Dumbledore?"

No answer. Hermione's taps turned into bangs but it was in futile. No one was answering her knocks. Slowly, Hermione turned and looked up the stairs which led to Dumbledore's office. Not knowing what else to do, she walked up the stairs, hoping that there was someway there that she could contact someone and get out of the office.

Maybe he had locked himself out? That wouldn't be possible, since Dumbledore had opened the door for Hermione and he knew the password...

Or maybe some sort of dark forces were at work and Voldemort was still alive and-

As soon as she walked into the office, a feeling washed over her, the strangest feeling she had ever felt before. Someone who had been sitting in the chair that faced Dumbledore's desk, got up and turned around.

And with a stifled shriek, Hermione backed up.

" ARGHHH!" Hermione screamed, her hands flying up in defence.

" Calm d-"

" YOU'RE DEAD!"

" Would you w-"

" GET AWAY FROM ME!"

" What the-" The man growled, his hands raising up. " This wasn't exactly the reunion I was hoping for."

Hermione had fallen to her butt and was staring up at the blond haired man in fear. " What-who-are you a ghost?"

The man kneeled down and it was then that Hermione saw his eyes. Those grey eyes, so deep and alive...and so fully..

" Draco.." She breathed but before she could say anything else he was around her and surrounding her, so close she could feel his breath on her face and every speck of colour in his eyes.

She had never felt so alive.

" Hey, Hermione," Draco whispered. " Finally realizing its me, eh?"

" How are you still alive?" Hermione whispered, nearly melting as she felt his touch on her cheek.

" I almost died. Dumbledore had saved me, but I was in such bad condition, he had sent me to Africa to get healed with the medicine men over there. People believed that I was with the dark side here, so I was proclaimed missing until Dumbledore could prove that I was working for the light," Draco muttered as his fingertips whispered over her arms and back.

" But you're...you're human," She choked out and looked up into his eyes. A spark of silver and he grinned.

" Come on, smart ass," He whispered. " You, of all people, should know."

Hermione stared at him and then she gasped. The curse... The only cure for the curse varies for every person. The blood of the person who has made the potion, true love, a phoenix's tears or unicorn's blood.

They looked at each other and Hermione slowly nodded in comprehension.

" So...did Fawkes cry on you?" Hermione asked and Draco stared at her.

Then Hermione let out a peal of giggles and Draco's eyes softened and he wrapped her in a tight hug. Chuckling with her, he shook his head. " Hermione...You know, for one of the smartest witches in centuries...you are seriously dim witted."

a/n: YEP the story is done! Took a long while getting here but I'm guessing it was worth it. A strange story, with a strange plot, hopefully carried out well. The love story was...sort of concluded at the end but I didn't have any major make out scenes cuz..it didn't feel right. But yeah anyways, I hope you guys did like this story and are happy with the ending( HE"S ALIVVVVVE) Lol, and I would love it if you guys would tell me what you thought of it. Thanks though, for reading my story, putting up with the long waits and putting up with my lack of knowledge with Harry Potter and grammar (and damn rights it pre-half blood sobs dumbeldore..) lol but anyways, thank you guys and i lubve you.

no seriously.

i do.

starjade