Disclaimer: I’m too lazy to come up with something witty, so refer to the first chapter to see the amazing wit that once held me about the characters not actually belonging to me.
A/N: Well, here we are! This took me longer than I had hoped, so I’m sorry about that. Thank you to my lovely reviewers who make me smile and blush from happiness, you are all wonderful! On with the story!
***
The rest of the holidays passed in a blur of hand holding, secret moments alone and relaxation before the new term began, sending the school back into the grind of a daily routine. The seventh years were loaded with more homework than ever as teachers prepared them for their N.E.W.T. examinations which were due to start in a few months’ time, and Draco and Hermione found their time together to be severely restricted.
Midway through January, as the two of them sat at the Slytherin table for breakfast, an unknown barn owl fluttered down to Draco, holding out its leg for him to remove the envelope which was attached. Confused at who could be writing to him, he tore open the envelope and read the letter which fell out.
Dear Mr. Malfoy,
Thank you for your prompt response to the letter we sent in December regarding your mother’s unfortunate passing. All requests for her funeral have been arranged, and the date which has been decided is January 30th. If you have any queries or concerns about the date, please do not hesitate to owl us for information. An escort will arrive on the morning of the funeral to accompany you to the funeral site.
My sincerest condolences,
Healer Alosis Boomheart
St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Draco stowed the letter away hastily after letting Hermione scan over it. She squeezed his hand reassuringly under the table, and he took a deep breath and forced a smile her way.
“It’ll be okay, I’ll be there with you,” she murmured, leaning over and kissing his cheek gently.
“What was the letter about?” Blaise asked, eyeing his friend’s reaction cautiously.
“I’ll tell you later, Blaise,” Draco said sharply and changed the topic quickly, as Pansy had just sidled into the area, sensing some gossip. Blaise shrugged and went back to his breakfast and Pansy, realizing they were talking about homework, slouched off.
***
“Are you sure you want to come with me?” Draco asked Hermione as they walked to Potions that day.
“Of course I’m sure. I may not have known Narcissa, but she obviously meant a lot to you, and I want to be there for you,” Hermione smiled, and Draco gave her a relieved smile in return.
Blaise had said he would be attending as well once he had been informed of the situation, and Draco had sent an owl back to Healer Boomheart informing him off the two extra guests.
“Now, now, quiet down,” Professor Slughorn said, waddling in, his large stomach preceding him through the doorway. “Today we will be working on, by request of Madam Pomfrey, a cauldron of wound-cleaning potion. The instructions are on page three hundred of your textbooks, so let’s get started, shall we! The usual pairings please.” Slughorn unlocked the store cupboard with a quick wave of his wand before sitting down behind his desk and beginning to mark some essays.
The method was complex and required a lot of concentration, so the two could not talk freely throughout the lesson as they would have liked to, but they were the first in the class to finish.
“Ah, excellent work. Hm, I think twenty points to Gryffindor and another twenty to Slytherin will do quite nicely for your efforts today,” Professor Slughorn announced, clapping his hands together gleefully after inspecting the purple liquid bubbling in their cauldron. He waved his wand and the potion was bottled away, leaving the two with an empty cauldron and fifteen minutes to spare.
“Professor, would you mind if we returned to our dormitories, seeing as we’ve finished all of our work?” Hermione asked, and Slughorn smiled and waved them out of the dungeon. They grabbed their bags and left quickly, getting jealous looks shot at them by Blaise, whose potion was far too thick seeing as Ron had added too much ground nettle to the concoction.
“Good thinking,” Draco said once they were walking freely towards their dormitory. “We should probably make a start on that Arithmacy essay, don’t you think?” he asked once they had gotten inside the common room and dumped their bags.
“I have a better idea,” Hermione murmured, approaching him and wrapping her arms around his neck, entangling her hands in his hair and pulling his mouth down to hers.
“Hermione Granger, skipping out on homework?” he smiled as they broke apart for air.
“Shut up and kiss me again,” she whispered, pulling his lips down to hers once more and pushing him backwards until they landed on the couch with a thump.
***
January thirtieth was a sunny day with a clear blue sky and not a breath of wind. Hermione woke in Draco’s bed, having spent the night prior with him, and when she looked around to see why there was an absence of the warm arms which always encircled her when she woke, she saw him standing by the window, looking out upon the grounds of Hogwarts.
He was already dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a crisp black shirt which contrasted strongly with his pale skin, and his hair had been combed neatly which was a change from the messy way he had been wearing it all year.
“Morning,” Hermione said sleepily, wrapping a robe around her body and padding over to him.
“Hello,” he said in an emotion-clogged voice, not turning to face her. “We have to leave in an hour.”
Hermione took this as a dismissal and went to her bathroom where she showered and changed into a black dress which hit her knees and covered her shoulders before slipping into a pair of black flats and shrugging into a black coat.
Draco was waiting for her in the common room, looking distracted as he sat on the arm of the couch. He didn’t look up until she placed a hand on his forearm, at which point he jumped slightly.
“C’mon, we should go,” she said quietly, and he nodded mutely. He took her hand, a force of habit, and led the way down to the front of the school where Blaise was waiting, dressed in a neat black suit, similar to Draco’s. The two men exchanged quick nods, and they stood in silence, waiting for their escort to arrive.
After a few minutes of waiting, Hermione pointed towards a figure in deep purple robes hurrying up the drive. As the figure approached they realized it was a small man with long black hair, wheezing as he came over the last little hill in the path.
“Ah, hello. You must be Mr. Malfoy,” he panted, grasping Draco’s hand and shaking it firmly. “My sincerest condolences, of course. I am Billius Fortude, your escort from St. Mungo’s. We’re running a bit behind schedule, so if you’ll please follow me.”
Billius Fortude hurried off back the way he came, with Hermione, Draco and Blaise falling into place behind him. The journey to the gates of the school was quick, and once they had left the boundaries of the anti-apparation charms, they all spun quickly, Draco and Hermione apparating together as they had not let go of each other’s hands.
Once they emerged from the feeling of being squeezed through a tiny tube, Billius checked his watch.
“Alright, we’re right on time. If you just head over the ridge, you’ll find the service. My condolences, once again,” he said, bowing slightly before disapparating with a loud pop.
“Let’s go,” Blaise said, clapping Draco on the back and leading the way over the grassy ridge. Draco swallowed as Hermione squeezed his hand softly.
“Are you ready?” she asked quietly as they walked.
“No,” he whispered, jaw clenched.
The two of them followed Blaise to the top of the hill. Hermione’s hair whipped around her face from the wind, and the air smelt salty as though they were near the ocean. Once they reached the top they discovered that they were atop a cliff which looked over some raging seas below. The sky was still cloudless, but the weather was ruthless as they took in the view.
Blaise led the trio towards the front row of seats, sitting down on Draco’s left. Hermione sat herself on Draco’s other side, looking around sadly.
There were few guests, and those who were there had their faces buried in handkerchiefs with red-rimmed eyes. A few feet in front of Hermione was a dark coffin with a photo of a young Narcissa Malfoy on the top, smiling serenely at the guests.
Draco could already feel the tears prickling at his eyes as he looked at the coffin where his mother lay. He wanted so badly to tell her he loved her, to hug her one last time. But he couldn’t. He could never hug her again. The thought ripped through him like a knife, and he let the tears flow freely down his face. Though he rarely showed public displays of affection towards his mother, her hug could cheer him up on his worst days.
He watched without interest as a little man got up and began to talk about his mother, but he did not absorb the words. His mind flashed through all the moments they had shared together and he realized how little time it had been.
A quick look to his right told him that Hermione, though she had not known his mother, was crying in silence, her eyes shut as tears streamed down her cheeks.
To his left, Blaise had his jaw clenched, his eyes shining with moisture. He had known Narcissa, not well of course, but well enough for her death to have an effect on him.
Draco turned back to face the front just to see the small man climb down from the podium which disappeared after he had walked away.
“Now, if you would like to say your final goodbyes to Narcissa Malfoy,” the man said once he had moved away from the coffin, and the guests stood slowly, allowing Draco through first. Hermione stood to the side, watching him.
He placed a hand on the coffin, his body shaking violently as his sobs became audible.
“I love you,” he choked out, closing his eyes tightly. Hermione moved in closer, guiding him away from the other guests who were looking at him sadly. “I miss her, so much.”
“I know you do,” Hermione said quietly. She pulled him closer, comforting him as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”
After a few minutes Draco calmed, and the two separated. They stood side by side, both looking out over the cliff at the seas below.
“Do you remember on the train at the beginning of the year when I told you I wasn’t glad you saved my life last year?” Draco asked, and Hermione nodded. “Through all the sadness of today, I’m realizing that I’ve never been happier than I am right at this moment.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because of you, and because of everything you’ve done for me. You’ve made me into a far better person than I ever thought I could be, and I love you for everything you’ve done.”
“I love you too, so, so much,” Hermione said, turning to look at him once she felt his gaze upon her.
“You have no idea how wonderful that sounds to my ears,” Draco murmured, bending down to kiss her softly.
They broke apart as a loud bang came from behind them, and saw Narcissa’s coffin was on fire, the ashes blowing into the ocean. Hermione felt Draco’s grip on her hand grow tighter and saw he was fighting back more tears.
“Cry,” Hermione said quietly, and Draco let the tears fall. His face was glistening with tears, and as Hermione looked over at him, she felt a pang of pain in her heart. She hated seeing him cry, even if he had just said he had never been happier.
The final ashes fell into the water and the small crowd dispersed, many apparating away with a series of loud pops. Blaise walked over with red-rimmed eyes, hands shoved in his pockets.
“We should go,” he muttered, and Hermione nodded. Draco’s tears had stopped falling, but his jaw was clenched once more. Together, the three of them spun on the spot. Hermione felt that sickly feeling of being squeezed through a rubber tube once more, and she emerged into the cool winter’s air gasping. They headed back up the drive and towards the school in silence. They all had rather red eyes, and the trio in black seemed to attract attention from many of the students who were coming back from their last class of the day. Blaise broke away from them after they went through the front doors of the school and headed towards the dungeons.
Hermione and Draco headed up the stairs quickly, ignoring the stares people gave them as they passed by with their somber expressions, red eyes, and dark attire. After a quick admission of the password, Eve swung open and let them through.
“Goodnight,” Draco said in a slightly strained voice, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her softly.
Despite the fact the sun was still up, Hermione asked no questions as he ascended the staircase to his bedroom. She sat on the couch and let the tears fall.
***
A/N: N’aw, there you go. I hope you enjoyed it, and as usual, please R&R!
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