Chapter 29- The Prophesy Comes A Knockin'

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It has been months and I am so unbelievably sorry. This is the last chapter but I am going to write a short little epilogue which will probably be up either later today or tomorrow. This story has been awesome to write and I thank each and every one of you for reading it and lending me your support. You all rock!

Disclaimer: Absolutely not mine, I can't wait until the real and fantastic authoresses book comes out on the 21st!

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"Duck Draco!" the Slytherin flattened himself and Hermione down into the snow and a blast of green light shot over his head. He stood, helped the shivering Hermione up and nodded at Harry in thanks for the warning. Things were not going at all well. Since he had no magic Draco had appointed himself as a human shield in front of Hermione. Every time he saw a curse being hurled towards him he pushed Hermione out of the way whilst Harry and Ron battled it with magic. They were all beginning to tire; they wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

"Ron they have to get out of here. They're going to stop playing and kill us any minute and Hermione doesn't have any defences."

Ron nodded and blasted another unfriendly spell which was headed their way from Lucius' wand. "What do you suggest?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Let's go on the defensive for a while and see if Hermione and Draco can make a run for it."

"Right, did you hear that Draco?"

"Yes. Just do it!" he yelled back through clenched teeth.

"Okay." Both boys took deep breaths, "For Hermione." Ron whispered.

"For Hermione." Harry echoed and they launched themselves forward in flashes of bright lights from their wands. As soon as they had moved forward Draco had grabbed Hermione about the waist and began dragging her towards the edge of the calm magical circle. They were both soaking wet from throwing themselves down in the snow and their bodies ached all over. As they burst free into the storm Hermione tried to turn back to see if Ron and Harry were alright but Draco knew that if they weren't she would lose her remaining strength and he forced her on, ignoring her protests.

"Draco! Stop! We have to go back for them!"

She was pulling away from him now and he had to grip her with all his might to prevent her from breaking away from him.

"We-can't" he grunted out trying to keep pulling her forward but she struggled still harder.

"Draco, please." She begged

"No!"

"But…." She let out a scream as she saw the apparition of Voldemort suddenly glide through the group of trees in to their right and head towards them. She seemed frozen in fear and Draco couldn't get her to move. He grabbed her face between his hands and tried to get her to look at him but her eyes seemed fixed upon the Voldemort ghost almost as if she was in a trance. Draco looked back and forth between them and then pulled her face towards him. His lips covered Hermione's and he kissed her with everything he had left in him. She blinked and pushed Draco away.

"Not now Draco!" she cried in disbelief, "Can't you see he's coming for us? We've got to run!"

Draco rolled his eyes and ran after her. Although they were going as fast as they could the sleeting rain was turning the ground beneath them into mush and they were unintentionally slowing down, finding it more difficult to drag their legs through it. The ghostly form was simply gliding across the surface and gaining on them with every puff of breath they exhaled. Suddenly Hermione stopped right in front of him and he smacked straight into her.

"Why have you stopped?" he asked frantically looking behind him.

"There's a cliff." She whispered her face growing still more pale, "God there's a cliff what are we going to do Draco?"

He shook his head and then they both looked around as Voldemort came towards them. Hermione put out her hand and Draco gripped it tightly thinking in the back of his mind that this might be the last time he felt her soft skin against his.

"Did you think you could escape the Dark Lord by running?"

Draco glared at him, "Did you think you could get me on your side? Because you can't. I told you long ago that I had finished with you and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Well in that case." The Voldemort-like shape flew suddenly at Draco red eyes glowing in the translucent face. Draco took a step back in shock and his foot slipped off the edge of the cliff. He cried out in surprise and pain as he fell but managed to grip the icy edge of the precipice. Hermione's face came into view holding their clamped hands up for him to see.

"I've got you." She whispered fiercely but she was interrupted by a high cackle from behind them.

"Haven't you been reading your history books mudblood? Draco won't survive the fall below and a great curse will fall upon Hogwarts castle. Things may have been disrupted for a while but the prophesy will come full circle with or without your co-operation."

"So that was what this was all about." Draco said with difficulty, "If the prophesy works you'll be able to cast dark magic over Hogwarts and kill most of the inhabitants, including Dumbledore."

"Exactly right, them who will be able to stop me? I'll be the strongest wizard in the world."

The image of Voldemort began to flicker and fade, "I'll leave you now. You won't be able to hold on for much longer in this cold so I bid you a goodbye. Oh yes and I owe you a thankyou for making my take-over possible. If you didn't have to die you would be honoured above all my other death eaters."

"What a pity I won't get that chance." Draco spat sarcastically.

"You're a bastard." Hermione yelled through cracked lips, "You won't succeed, the world will never be yours. Good always triumphs over evil that's just the way it is and you can't change that."

"You're a silly girl but you'll soon see. Everyone will see that evil is not so bad once you get used to it."

Voldemort began to fade in and out more quickly then before and with a last evil smile he disappeared completely, a pair of bright red eyes hanging in the air before they too vanished.

The strength that Draco had been using to keep at eye level with the cliff top drained from him at his mortal enemy's disappearance and he fell further down towards the sharp rocks below. Hermione cried out and gripped their combined hands with her other hand.

"I'm not letting you go, I won't!" she said desperately locking her eyes with his.

"Hermione you have to promise me that if I start to fall you won't hold on. You have to let me go because it's not going to help anyone if we both die."

"Don't say stupid things like that." She begged, "You won't fall, I won't let you."

"I'm serious Hermione." His voice was weaker and she couldn't see his face anymore as he had dropped his head, "When I become too heavy for you to stay safe you have to run up to the castle and get help. Explain what is going to happen and get Dumbledore out of there if you can."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Hermione screamed gripping him still more tightly.

Draco lifted his face, the expression on it was unbearably sad.

"Oh Hermione," he whispered, "I'm sorry this happened, I wish it hadn't. But maybe, maybe we weren't meant to ever be together. Perhaps it was just the prophesy and our feelings weren't real."

"How can you say that?" Hermione whimpered, "What I feel is real, it will always be real and you don't believe that it is just the prophesy, I know you don't."

"I'm sorry." He sounded weak now and Hermione felt his hand in hers begin to slip.

"No, no Draco talk to me, keep talking to me. Can you get a foothold? Is there anyway I can pull you back up?"

She dragged on his arm but she wasn't strong enough to deal with his dead weight and it was taking all she had just to make sure he didn't fall completely.

Draco remained silent and Hermione felt something snap within her.

"HELP ME!" she screamed but the sound was muffled by the torrential rain. Rivulets of water were pouring off the cliff on either side of her and the lightning was directly over head throwing everything into stark daylight before leaving the world dark again.

"Hermione?!" the voice was faint and faraway but hope swelled inside her and she replied hurriedly,

"I'm here! Quick come and help me!"

After an agonising couple of moments Harry and Ron emerged out of the dark and ploughed through the mushy snow towards her.

"You're alive!" All three of them said at once and Ron and Harry swooped down onto her.

"Quick help me pull him up." Hermione said her voice cracking in relief.

Harry and Ron stood on either side of her looking down over the cliff.

"Come one then." she said urgently then suddenly she remembered her dream and the prophesy. "No!" she wanted to reach up to them but her hands were locked onto Draco's. "Ron, Harry listen to me. You have to fight the hatred inside of you. It's the prophesy trying to stop you from doing what is right. Try, please try and break through it."

Neither of them seemed to be listening to her. She had a horrible feeling they couldn't even hear her. "BREAK THORUGH IT DAMN YOU!" she screamed at them "I LOVE YOU TWO I NEED YOU." Slowly, agonisingly slowly, Harry blinked and seemed to come to his senses. He kneeled on the soggy ground next to his best friend and placed his hand atop hers on Draco's. They both pulled as Ron stood stock still staring down at Malfoy.

"We're not strong enough, we keep slipping." Harry said after they had attempted to pull Draco over the cliff lip.

"We need you Ron, I need you." Hermione begged. "Ron, I love you and I know you love me. I can't live without Draco, I won't. If you love me you'll help me now!"

She could almost see the mask cracking and breaking and then Ron was down beside her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry!" he cried his chest heaving with emotion, "I don't know what happened."

"It doesn't matter. Help us!" Hermione shouted.

Ron added his hands to theirs and the three of them pulled with all their might. Draco's head appeared followed by his shoulders and Ron grabbed him around the waist. Before long Draco lay gasping and choking fully on land. Hermione threw herself over him and kissed his cold lips. His eyes fluttered open and he cupped her wet face and held her to him. After a few minutes Hermione leapt up and grabbed first Harry then Ron in tight hugs. She kissed each of them upon their cheeks and then threw herself back down beside Draco. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her waist and she entangled her hands in his sodden hair. Their lips met in their most passionate kiss yet and warmth shot through their bodies. Their tongues met and danced and they didn't notice as the ground beneath them became warm and dry or when Harry and Ron let out gasps of surprise or even when the sun broke through the clouds and shone a single warm beam down upon the pair of them. When they finally broke apart their eyes widened at the different scenery. The snow was completely melted and the storm clouds had been wiped from the sky as if by a giant hand and the sun was blinding them.

"Well how about that! I think we've got our magic back!" Hermione laughed. Draco scrambled to his feet and reached down for Hermione's hand. He pulled her up beside him then turned to Harry and Ron.

"I guess I owe you a thankyou." He said gruffly

"Don't mention it." Harry replied just as uncomfortably

Ron stood to one side his face contorted in guilt. Hermione walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, snuggling her face into his chest.

"I know that wasn't you. It was just the prophesy you couldn't help it."

"Well why did Harry manage to break free before me, I'm evil. I would've let him die. I'm as good as a murderer."

Hermione knew it was going to take him a while to get over his shame so she said nothing just kissed him again on the cheek and gave him a tight squeeze.

Draco joined them at their side.

"I'd be dead if it wasn't for you Weasley. Thankyou and," Draco smiled "give me my girlfriend back."

Ron grinned and released Hermione giving her a little wink and a shove. Draco grabbed her and held her tight against him.

"It's really over isn't it." she whispered happily against him.

She could feel him smiling above her.

"Yes Hermione I think it really is."

She tilted her chin up for a kiss and then the four of them turned towards Hogwarts and home.

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Excuse me while I die of all the fluffiness and sicking clichés! I can't help myself I'm a stickler for romance and happy endings! Well I hope you liked it and as I said before the epilogue will be up soon.

Thankyou to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I'm not going to thank each of you separately because I want to get this up quickly. Just know that each and every one of you has given me the ambition to finish this story and I love you all : )

Smiles,

Jess/star123

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