Authors note: Sadly I own nothing of the Harry Potter realm...*Sigh* All contents, save the plot, belong to the lovely J.K. Rowling. Some parts in this story are from the 6th book only from Draco's POV and the ending of the 6th book is completely different as is the 7th book.
This is a short and very sad chapter. Just a warning, I cried while writing it!
Chapter 19 – Memoir of a Great Man
It had been 59 years since I met him. We met at age 11. We were now 70. I woke on the morning of January 15th and climbed out of bed. I glanced out the window, smiling when I saw my great grandchildren playing in the snow. I took a hurried shower and dressed quickly then I walked down the hall to Draco's bedroom. I walked over to his bed quietly and took his hand. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled weakly when he saw me.
"Good morning, love." He said in a raspy voice. I smiled and kissed his forehead.
"Anna will be here today. She promised." He nodded slowly. "A Healer is coming by today to see how you're doing as well." He turned his head a stared out the window.
"What day is it?" He asked.
"January 15th." He nodded just before going into a coughing fit. A girl with flaming red hair came running in and helped him sit up. "Thank you Melanie." I said. The 32 year old girl smiled at me.
"No problem, Grandmum. Mum said she'll be here today. Dad too." I nodded, rubbing Draco's back.
"I know. Be a dear and get him a glass of water." Melanie, my granddaughter, nodded and left the room. I brushed Draco's hair back and kissed his forehead. "Hold on just a little longer, love. Anna promised she'd be here today." Draco nodded. I sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand, until Melanie came back in with a glass of water. Draco drank a bit and then fell asleep. I started thinking about the past few years.
Draco had gotten sick 3 years ago. At first it was nothing but a bad cough. But when his body started shaking occasionally, I hired a Healer to find out what was wrong. He had a magical disease that had begun to spring up 5 years ago. The Healer predicted that he'd only live a year or so, and here we were, 3 years later. The whole family was here, except for our daughter Anna and her husband James. They had moved to the United States about 8 years ago and only came to visit on Holidays. They had 3 children; Melanie, who was 32, Draco, who was 30, and Darius, who just turned 28.
A week ago, the Healer had told us that he had less than a month to live. The thought of being without him after all this time, is almost impossible to think about.
"Mrs. Malfoy?" I turned towards the door to see a Healer standing there. "May I come in?" I nodded. He walked towards the bed and started casting spells over Draco. When he was done, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but it won't be much longer. I said a month last time. I'm changing that to a week now." A tear slipped down my face and I nodded. The Healer left and I laid down beside Draco, wrapping my arm around his waist. He stirred and opened his eyes.
"Hey." I whispered. He smiled. The simple movement seemed to cause him pain. I sat up and looked down at him. "I need to say something. Now. In case I don't get the chance to later." He nodded and I took a deep breath and continued. "You have made my life incredible, Draco Malfoy. You've given me 8 beautiful, amazing children and almost 55 years of pure happiness. You are the love of my life and I don't know-" My voice broke horribly and tears slid down my face. Draco reached a hand up and brushed them away weakly. I grabbed his hand and held it to my face, trying to memorize the feeling. "I don't know what I'll do when you're gone. I love you so very much." He placed a finger over my lips to stop my talking.
"I love you too, Hermione." He said weakly. "Whatever is waiting for me, after death, if there's anyway I can wait for you, I will. We will be together again. A great man said that death is nothing more than the next great adventure. And I'll do everything I can to take that adventure with you." I broke out in coughs again and I helped him sit up, with some difficulty. "Water." He said quietly, between coughs. I handed him the glass and he took a sip out of it. I took the glass from him and helped him lay back down.
"Daddy?" A voice came from the door. We both looked over to see our daughter Anna standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her face, with her arms wrapped around herself. I held out my hand to her and she walked towards the bed. Even though she was 52 years old now, she had called Draco daddy all her life. She walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down, gripping Draco's hand. I smiled at Anna and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead.
"Sing to me." Draco said, weakly. Anna smiled.
"What do you want me to sing daddy?" She asked, her voice wavering.
"Sing me the song we danced to at your wedding." He said. She smiled.
"You loved that song." He nodded, smiling weakly. I got up and stepped out of the room.
"Melanie?" I called. She came out of a room down the hall.
"Yeah, Grandmum?"
"I need you to go get yours aunts and uncles. You're mother is here and I want Draco to have some time with just his children." She nodded and ran down the stairs. I went back in the room and sat down on the bed as Anna got to the end of the song. Even at her age, her voice was beautiful. The words she sang made me want to break down and cry, but I couldn't. I had to be strong for my children.
"It was killin' me to see You can let go now, Daddy
The strongest man I ever knew
Wastin' away to nothin'
In that hospital room
'You know he's only hangin' on for you'
That's what the night nurse said
My voice and heart were breakin'
As I crawled up in his bed, and said
You can let go
Your little girl is ready
To do this on my own
It's gonna be a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be ok now, Daddy
You can let go
You can let go.
"Hey guys." He whispered. There were choruses of 'Hi dad's. "The 9 of you have made my life amazing. You'll never know how much I love you. I don't want to leave but apparently it's my time." I looked around at our children and a tear slipped down my face. I had a feeling that Draco wouldn't get more than an hour with them before… I couldn't even think about the word. "I don't have much time. But I'd like to see each of you alone for just a few moments, starting with the youngest." He tried to laugh but it came out as a couching fit. Anna and I sat him up and gave him some water. We all left the room and let Draco have a moment with Jennifer. Anna gave me a hug when we reached the hallway.
"How are you doing, mum?" She asked. I sighed and wiped my face.
"I've been better." I said. She nodded and grabbed my hand.
"James and I are moving back here. He's transporting all our things now. I want to be here when daddy…" I nodded quickly.
"I know. You can stay here if you'd like, as long as you'd like." She nodded. Everyone was silent until Jennifer came out of the room. Tears were streaming down her face. She didn't say anything, she just crossed the hall and sat down on the floor leaning against the wall. Katrina went in next and came out looking the same as Jenn. She went over and sat next to her younger sister, linking arms with her. An hour later, 7 of my children were lined up along the wall, arms linked, sitting on the floor, silently crying. Alex came out of the room last and pulled me into a hug.
"Dad wants to see you." He said. I nodded. I walked into the room and shut the door softly.
"Draco?" I whispered. He raised a hand slightly and I rushed to the bed.
"Hermione, love. I don't have much time. I can feel it. The Healer said a week but I doubt I'll even get another hour." He coughed but held his hand up and shook his head when I tried to sit him up. "I'm fine. I just need to tell you that you don't have to be strong for our children. They know that you'll be a mess after I pass and they've all promised me to take care of you after I'm gone." I smiled softly.
"Even when you're this close to death you don't think of yourself." He tried to laugh.
"There's not much about me to think of. I'm dying Hermione." He said bluntly. "It's a fact of life. The only thing I can do is wait and hope that you will all be ok after I leave." I nodded. "Now listen. When you have my funeral, I want to be buried in the garden with Mum. I want Anna to sing our song and I want the song Holes in the Floor of Heaven to be played as well. It's an American muggle song but I love it." I nodded. "I want to do one last thing before I pass, Hermione." He whispered.
"What, love?" I asked, trying desperately to keep the trembling out of my voice.
"I want to go outside. By Mum's grave. And I want all our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren around me. And I suppose Harry and Ginny too."
"It's too cold out there, Draco." I argued. He chuckled.
"I'm already dying. What more can be done?" I considered this for a moment. This was the last thing he wanted to do before he died. I would do it if it killed me.
"Ok, Draco. We'll go outside. But only for a moment." He nodded. I sat his bed up and started pushing him out of the room.
"Your father wants to go outside." I told our children when we came out. Slowly but surely, we got him down to the ground floor and out to the garden. When he was situated next to Narcissa's grave with our family around us, he started talking. Harry sat down beside me and took my hand. I smiled at him gratefully and leaned my head against his shoulder. We sat in the garden for 30 minutes listening to Draco talk about absolutely nothing. When his cough got too bad, I ordered him back inside.
"Hermione?" He whispered, as I got him back upstairs.
"Yes, love?" I said.
"It's almost time. I only want you and Harry in the room when I pass. I don't want my children to see me die."
"Anything you want." I told him gently, pushing his bed back into the room. I went back to the door. "Anna, go get Harry." She nodded and went back downstairs. I closed the bedroom door and sat on the side of Draco's bed once more and grasped his hand. It scared me how cold it was. A moment later there was a knock on the door and Harry walked in, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, Potter." Draco said, smiling weakly. Harry smiled back and sat on the other side of the bed, grabbing his other hand.
"Hey, Malfoy."
"I have a few…" He took a deep shuttering breath. "A few things to ask of you." Harry gripped his hand harder.
"What is it, mate?" He asked.
"Make sure 'Mione is okay after I pass, and the kids. Especially Anna. It will be hardest on them." Harry nodded.
"Yeah. I can do that."
"Good." Draco's eyes drifted closed. He turned his head towards me. "Hermione?"
"Yes?"
"I have one last request."
"Anything." I replied quickly. He smiled, eyes still closed.
"Kiss me." I cupped his face with my left hand and bent down to kiss him. I pressed my lips to his, trying to pour my emotions into that one kiss. I pulled away and looked down at him.
"I love you, Draco Malfoy." I said softly.
Just before his chest stopped rising and falling, before his hands fell limp in mine and Harry's hands, just before my life shattered, Draco said his last words.
"I love you too, Hermione Granger."
Author's Note: This was a hard chapter for me to write as I was crying the entire time. I know this was a horribly sad chapter, but I felt it needed to be done. I apologize if I made anyone cry!
This story has been great to write, but I'm finally done! I'm still working on a story called "A Lifetime Of Choices" and I have the first 2 chapters of a new story called "Convinced". Convinced is not posted yet, but will be soon :)
Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Alice Lupin