Stylistic Harmony

Chapter Twenty-Three
The last class that day was Potions, the only class that Hermione shared with both Harry and Ron, and Blaise and Draco. She had spent all of third, and half of fourth in bed with Draco, they had been oblivious to the world, shutting out everything. The storm had raged outside, fueled by their passion for each other and their hatred of the world they lived in. As she entered the classroom, she stole a look at him, he looked relaxed, but alert at the same time. His eyes were always searching, surveying the room, until they rested on her, only then did they show more, in them was an understanding and adoration. They told her that all they had to do was bide their time, and everything would be alright and she believed him. She felt a prod in the small of her back, Harry, urging her forward to her seat, she looked back at her friend. There was something wrong, he didn't look right and it scared her. They took their seats, awaiting Slughorn, who bumbled into the room about two minutes later. Addressing his pupils he rubbed his hands together and said,
"Right then, seeing as we are speeding up your N.E.W.T preparations, I've decided to bring forward the ultimate test of your skills, Veritserum. I have taken the liberty of doing the preliminary preparations, all you lot have to do is finish up," He waved his wand and a small cauldron and stand appeared next to each student, the potion was a dark, black colour and smoke was curling from it, creating sinister symbols in the air. Slughorn continued, "Now, can anyone tell me why the last half an hour of the brewing of Veritserum is vitally important to its effectiveness?" The class was silent, not even Hermione knew, though it probably had something to do with the fact that she was not concentrating. After a minute of complete silence, a loud huff was heard, followed by a clipped drawl,
"The last component has to be added, drop by drop every five minutes. Six drops." The class was slightly shocked, since last year Draco had been strangely silent in class, most had almost forgotten he was actually in this class. Even Slughorn was a little taken aback, he cleared his throat to hide his surprise,
"That's, er, correct Mr. Malfoy. The Dragon's blood must be added drop by drop. I have timed it perfectly that the last half hour will occur in approximately ten minutes. You have that time to collect a vial of Dragon's blood from my desk. Once the potion is ready, you shall partner up and each take two drops. Your partner will then ask you one simple question to which you cannot lie, such as 'What class is this?', is that clear everyone?" The class returned a resounding 'yes' and lined up to collect their vials. Hermione was in line behind Draco, and in front of Harry. Her proximity to her lover was slightly overwhelming her, her mind kept flashing back to the last two hours they had spent together, it made her weak at the knees. She almost tripped into him but Harry caught her arm pulling her back. His eyes caught hers, and she smiled, his face remained impassive. When she regained her footing, she found Draco looking at them, his brow knotted together. There were two words in his eyes, 'He knows.' She watched Harry make his way back to his seat, and when he sat, his eyes trailed to Draco, then back to her. She tore her gaze away, feelings of nausea waving over her, she picked up the vial of Dragon's blood from the desk intending to go back to her seat. She never made it. The vial smashed on the floor as she fainted, the blood pooling around her, creating an image that cut through Draco's heart like a knife. Blaise rushed forward, kneeling beside her. Draco stood still, his eyes met Harry's across the room. He held his gaze steadily, then broke away watching as Hermione was carried from the room.

He paced back and forth, wearing a hole in the stone floor. He knew she had been taken to the hospital wing, but he hadn't followed, trouble was coming and he did not want to fuel it. After she had been taken out of the Potions classroom, Potter had come over to him and said very clearly and in a low dangerous tone,
"This ends now, are we clear?" Draco had never heard Potter seem so sure about something, the menace in his tone worried him somewhat. If Potter laid one finger on Hermione, he would break him. He was waiting for him now, outside Gryffindor common room, the students milling around were looking at him apprehensively. They had never seen Draco look so positively unhinged, he was now leaning against the wall smoking, twiddling the cigarette in his long fingers. Potter came around the corner, Draco kicked off from the wall and stood his ground. Potter pointedly ignored him, walking past him, Draco grabbed his arm and threw him against the stone.
"I am not going to do this here, alright? But we need to have a conversation, now." He spat at him, Without looking at him, Potter nodded and they made their way to an empty classroom. Standing arms folded, at each end of the room, neither of them willing to break the silence. Draco glared at his nemesis menacingly, then said,
"I don't know how much you know Potter, but you don't tell me what to do. Now, I want to discuss this like adults, alright? No violence or anything." Draco laid his wand on the desk in front of him, appreciating the gesture, Harry did the same, then said,
"Okay, we'll discuss this like adults. Stay the fuck away from Hermione. I know there is something going on between you two. Frankly it makes me sick to think of it. You may not like me telling you what to do but to be honest I've had it with you. You should never have come back here, not after what you did last year. Coupled with what you're doing to Hermione, it makes for an unimpressive record. If I had had my way you would have been rotting in Azkaban, as it were you're not. But now, I'm here to tell you, you're leaving Hogwarts tonight. If you don't leave here now, your Father and all his cronies will find out that you're a traitor to them and I know you can't afford for that to happen. So I'm telling you again, stay away from Hermione and leave." Draco laughed,
"You're all talk Potter, you think my Father will believe you? You're tripping." Harry sneered at the blond,
"He's more likely to believe me then you, ain't that right Draco? You're Father doesn't exactly trust you, does he? Anyway, I have friends in high places who can ensure that the right people find out the right things. So don't you go worrying about that. You see, in the end Malfoy, I will always beat you, just like I do in every single Quidditch match." Draco knew that Potter meant business, if his Father got wind of any of his activities recently, he would make sure that Draco paid for it. He knew that he had to bow out, for now, if only to protect the woman he loved. Suddenly realising that all this was about Hermione he said,
"What about Hermione? Have you thought about what this is going to do to her? She'll never let me go." Harry snorted,
"She'll be pleased. At least you won't be able to manipulate her and God knows what else." Now it was Draco's turn to laugh,
"I did nothing to her that she wasn't willing to participate in Potter. As for her being pleased I'm gone, unlikely. She will hate you for the rest of time, and God help you Potter, because then, she'll be the one that kills you, not me." Draco left the room, Harry stared at the spot where he had stood, more worried now then he had been when he discovered Hermione and Draco's secret. If Malfoy was saying what he thought he had been saying, then Hermione had willing entered into this with Malfoy, and that she may actually love the bastard.

*****She watched him walk off into the distance, a gaping hole in her chest, where her heart once beat. A hand laid on her shoulder,
"Its for the best Cara." Blaise, next to her. Then Harry and Ron stood in front of her, Blaise had disappeared, Harry hugged her,
"Its okay, he can't hurt you now. He's gone and you can get on with your life." Ron kissed her,
"Marry me?" The scene shifted again, and she was standing by a gravestone, flowers and candles littered the ground,

Draco Lucius Malfoy.
Died, 23rd October, 2010.
Traitor.

The last word had been carved into the stone, the letters jagged and crude. She collapsed to the ground, grasping at the grass surrounding his grave site. Utter despair engulfed her, and she felt the world slipping away. The skies opened, blood red rain drops stained the earth, burning everything they touched. Her grief overwhelmed the world, and every living soul felt her pain.*****

She awoke screaming. Madame Pomfrey bustled around her, Ron on her heels, whining,
"Hermione? Baby its okay, you're okay." Her screaming stopped abruptly, rounding her gaze on her idiotic 'boyfriend' she said with malice in her voice,
"Shut the fuck up Weasel." The matron gasped,
"Miss Granger! There is no need for that language!" Hermione's head cleared and the feelings the dream had evoked had dissipated, she felt herself calm,
"Oh! Madame Pomfrey I'm so sorry, you to Ron. I don't know what came over me! What happened, why am I in the hospital wing?" Ron sat by her side, taking her hand,
"You fainted in Potions. I brought you here straight away, you've been out for about three hours." She looked up in alarm, reminded that Harry knew about Draco and her,
"Where's Harry?!" Ron looked at her strangely,
"He had some business to attend to, he'll be along later. Are you okay babe, you're acting a little odd." She tugged on Ron's hand violently,
"Please Ron, you have to find him now! He's er, in er, danger, find him and bring him here!" Ron was still looking her strangely, but got up, dropped a kiss on her head and left, looking back at her, then went to meet Harry for dinner. Madame Pomfrey was still bustling round her, she said to the nurse,
"Why did I faint Madame Pomfrey? That's never happened to me before." The matron clammed up and said unconvincingly,
"I don't know I'm afraid Miss Granger. There doesn't appear to anything wrong with you at all. Now, seeing as you're awake and alert, you have no need to be here, but I do advise that you get a good night's rest, nothing to strenuous. Off you go." Hermione swung her legs off the bed and rushed off to find Draco. The two people in the hospital wing watched her go.
"Well Poppy, is it what I suspected?" The nurse looked at the Headmistress,
"Yes Minerva." Minerva McGonagall sighed heavily, in his last letter to her before he died, Albus Dumbledore had betrayed to her a worrying portent. Three people would come together, and it would lead to the evolution of the ultimate power, a power greater then his own, greater then anything that had existed before. This power would be a deciding factor in the battle between good and evil, light and dark. Even Voldemort himself couldn't stop it, the whole world was now trembling with it. McGonagall suspected that it was greater then even Dumbledore knew, and it had to be stopped. The only way she could see that happening was if Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were kept away from Hermione Granger. She feared though that it would destroy Hermione forever.

He sat under the tree and waited for her. He knew that she would find him here, it was their place. The smoke from his cigarette curled around him, mingling with the cold mist. He pulled his cloak around him more, shielding himself from the steadily decreasing temperature. He took a long drag, looking to the sky. The stars danced, unknowing that his world was crashing down around him. She was his world and without her he was lost. He waited, the glow from the cigarette tip illuminating the single tear that turned to ice down his cheek.

Hermione was frantic, Draco was no where to be found. She checked the library, his Slytherin dormitory, the Heads common room, everywhere. She slammed into the Great Hall, the students watched as their Head Girl looked around frantically. She spotted Harry, Ron and Ginny calmly eating dinner. Harry looked up at her, his face stony. A feeling of dread rushed into her, turning on her heel. She stopped in the entrance hall, grabbing her head, racking her brains as to where he could be, not wanting to accept that he may be gone. Then it hit her, the tree by the lake. She ran as fast as she could. He was there, the moonlight hitting his hair, creating a false halo around his head. She slammed into him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. He turned around in her embrace. She was sobbing hysterically, stuttering,
"I-I c-couldn't find you. I thought the worst, I thought you had left me. H-Harry, does he know? What's going to happen. Oh God, Draco, please don't say its over, I couldn't stand it." He wiped her tears away with his thumbs,
"Don't cry please baby. No tears, you're stronger then that, I know you are. Potter does know. I....." She looked up at him, he wasn't looking at her, she followed his gaze across the lake, then shook him,
"Draco! What, what is it?" He peered back down at her, his beautiful girl, it was going to kill him to say it, but he had to,
"I'm leaving." She jumped back and gasped, the colour drained from her face,
"No! Please Draco, you can't. What am I going to do without you? I won't be able to go on." He pulled her back into his arms,
"You have to, you know you do. We can't be together like this, there's to much at stake, to many people would be after us. Your side would make you an outcast, discard you like nothing, and mine would kill us both. You know it has to be like this. I don't want to leave you, especially to them, but we don't have any other choices. Please don't cry, please don't make this harder." As soon as he had said it, they both had a sense of deja vu, it was as if they had both heard it before. She felt pulled away from him again, shouting,
"NO! It doesn't have to be like this! I don't give a fuck whether Harry knows, he can't do anything to us! I don't give a fuck what they think. I'll break up with Ron, we can be together properly, it will be fine." The look on her face cracked his heart in two, he knew how this ended and as much as he hated seeing her cry he knew that this would destroy her,
"No it won't be fine, Angel. My Father will kill you, you'd be in constant danger. It would be selfish of me to put you in peril like that, you mean to much to me." She knew he was right, she didn't want to believe it, but she knew that he was doing the right thing. It was inevitable, their relationship would never have worked, she had known this day would come, they both did, having dreamed of it so many times. She slowly nodded,
"You're right Draco. We both knew, didn't we? As much as we tried, this, us, it would never have worked, but I so wanted it to. I had this dream, that we were married and happy together. No-one bothered us, no-one was after us, it was purely bliss. But that's all it ever was Draco, this relationship, a dream. I think that Harry finding out has put things into perspective. We have to return to reality. I-I'll always love you Draco Malfoy." She started to walk away from him, the mind-numbing pain of their separation began to eat away at her. He called to her,
"HERMIONE!" She turned around, tears streaming down her face, he ran to her, she flung her arms around him, clinging to him, to stop herself collapsing with grief. She was crying,
"Please God no, please don't go Draco. Please. Oh God." He lifted her chin up, looked into her eyes, saw the despair in his eyes reflected,
"Hermione, I love you and I will come back for you, I swear. We'll be together. It wasn't a dream, this is reality darling. Us. Me leaving, changes nothing, I still want you. After the war is over, after I've killed every last one of Voldemort's lackeys, after I've destroyed the Dark Lord himself, we will be together." He pulled the ancient Malfoy ring from his index finger and pressed it into the palm of her hand, kissing her on the lips, he turned and walked away, leaving Hermione alone in a world of darkness.