The End With You

"The End With You"

our days are running thin
our hopes will start to fall
i can feel the world collapse around me from within
and the letters keep coming by to let us know when time will die
and please god will you forgive us and give us one more try

if you will then we'll go as fast as we go far
maybe well be forgotten when the world is torn apart

i've been up all night long
counting days that all went wrong
i opened my bedroom window
i wish this pain was gone
there are no useful drugs to escape from feeling numb
i remember an amazing birthday
i remember when i was young

if you will then we'll go as fast as we go far
maybe we'll be forgotten when the world is torn apart
'cause the sun won't be so blinding
and the rains will finally come
the ashes will slowly pile up just to prove we're finally done

if you will then we'll go as fast as we go far
maybe we'll be forgotten when the world is torn apart
'cause the sun won't be so blinding
and the rains will finally come
and the ashes will slowly pile up just to prove we're finally done

~~~~****~~~~****~~~~

A small brown owl flew through the open window and landed on the desk next to Hermione Granger's arm. Looking at the bird, she recognized it as being one of the Hogwarts school owls. She pushed away the large book in front of her and untied the parchment attached to the bird's leg.

Placing the letter on the desk, she reached over into one of the drawers and pulled out a package of saltine crackers. She gave the owl a few to nibble on and then looked down in front of her.

She picked up the letter and flipped it over. She hesitated before opening it, a feeling of dread filling her body. She got the feeling that she wasn't going to like the contents of this letter, and half considered shredding it without reading it.

Realizing that she was being irrational, she opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of parchment inside.

Unfolding it, she began reading it and realized that she hadn't been too irrational after all.

Dear Ms. Granger,

As you are aware, Lord Voldemort has once again returned to power. In an attempt to stop him, we are plotting his demise and putting together an army to stop his followers. Through a review process, your name has come up as being a strong witch who could be of great aid to us.

This is strictly voluntary and although we would greatly appreciate your help, we would by no means force you to participate in this against your will.

If you are wiling to offer your services, please respond immediately. If we do not hear back from you in two weeks, we will accept that as a decline of our invitation.

We appreciate you taking the time to read this.

Best Wishes,

Albus Dumbledore

Hermione put down the letter and stared at it. She wasn't really surprised. She knew this would happen eventually. She just didn't expect it to be so soon. Or perhaps it wasn't even that. It was the realization that this was really happening. That this was war.

Although she could easily just ignore the letter and stay safe in her own muggle world with her family, she knew that wasn't really an option. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she knew that her friends were out there fighting for their lives while she did nothing but protect herself.

She grabbed a piece of parchment and began writing her letter to be sent to Hogwarts. She couldn't help but think that she was signing her soul over to the devil.

Nothing good could come out of this.

***

She slowly descended the stairs. As she did so, she watched her parents, who were sitting on the couch speaking softly to one another. She paused at the bottom of the stairs, as if she was trying to memorize every detail of the scene before her. Her mother glanced up at her daughter and smiled.

"Are you going out, dear?"

Hermione nodded slowly, "I'm, uh, just going to stay with the Weasley's for a few days."

"Oh, that's nice. Where are your belongings?" her mother asked, standing up from her chair. She crossed over to the closet and began rummaging through the hanging coats.

"I sent them on ahead," Hermione said calmly, hoping her voice didn't betray her.

Her mother pulled a coat out and brought it over to her daughter. She held it up and helped her into it.

"Do you have enough money on you?" her father asked from the couch.

Hermione smiled softly at him. "Yes. I have everything I need."

"Well, have fun. If you get the chance, give us a call," her mother said, pulling her into a hug.

Hermione returned her mother's hug with a fierceness that momentarily threw her off guard.

She then crossed over to her father. She leaned down and embraced him with the same enthusiasm she had her mother.

Then, spinning around quickly, she hurried to the front door, hoping neither of her parents had noticed the tears that began welling up in her eyes.

She placed her hand on the doorknob and then hesitated. She took a deep breath and then spoke, wondering if this would be the last thing she would ever say to her parents.

"Goodbye. I love you."

Proud that her voice only wavered slightly, she pulled open the door and stepped out into the night, trying her hardest to not think that this may be the last time she would ever see her home.

***

"You're late," he said bluntly as she walked towards him through the deserted park.

"I know. I'm sorry. I left a little later than I intended to," Hermione apologized as she reached the blonde boy.

"You know we don't have much time," Draco replied coldly.

Hermione bit her lip. "I know. I had to say bye to my parents. I-I may never see them again."

"Don't say that," he snapped. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

"You don't know that for sure."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and roughly shook her. "You're going to make it out of this alive. Say it. Say it, damn it."

"I'm going to make it out of this alive," she whispered.

He pulled her to him in a tight embrace.

"That's right. You're going to be fine," he said calmly, as he stroked her hair. "You're a brilliant witch. You're going to go out there and you're going to be great. Nobody will be able to hurt you because you're better than they are. And when this is all over, you'll come back here and I'll be waiting for you. Then we can move on and just pretend this was all a nightmare. Just a bad dream. We can get a house together and have kids. Just like we talked about."

Hermione nodded, squeezing him tighter.

"That'll be nice," she murmured.

She pulled away and looked up into his face. She reached down to his arm and began tracing the area of his robe that covered the branded flesh of his forearm.

"What if they find out you're not really helping them?"

"They won't. I'll do whatever I have to so they won't figure me out," Draco answered, his cold grey eyes hardening.

Hermione frowned, understanding what he was saying. "Please, just not any of my friends. Not Ron. Not Harry."

Draco smiled sadly. "I'll try to avoid them."

Hermione nodded numbly. "Thank you," she whispered.

Far off a clock tower began to chime, indicating that midnight had come. The two looked up as they heard it, willing it to not be real.

"I guess we should go..." Hermione mumbled.

Draco cupped her face in his hands. He tucked her hair behind her ears and gazed down into her beautiful face.

"This isn't goodbye," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers. It was a soft, gentle kiss. More like the hint of a kiss; their lips barely brushing one another's.

Hermione let out a sigh, not wanting this to end. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, pressing her lips against his. She opened her mouth, deepening the kiss. Draco gently caressed her tongue with his. Then, with a groan, he pulled away.

"We really must leave," he told her softly.

She let out a noise that sounded much like a whimper. "I know."

With one last embrace, the two began walking their separate ways out of the park.

"This isn't goodbye," Hermione whispered softly to herself.

***

The weather was perfect for a night like this one.

Not a single star was visible in the sky. Dark grey storm clouds ominously covered every inch of it and thunder could be heard frequently, threatening rainfall.

Wind blew Hermione's hair around her face as she ran to hide behind a nearby tree. She tried not to look down at the bodies on the ground that she occasionally passed.

She wouldn't kid herself. She was afraid. More afraid than she had ever been in her entire life.

She didn't want to hurt anyone. To kill anyone. But she didn't really have a choice. She agreed to this and she would do what she must.

So far she hadn't done much of anything. She hadn't come across anyone yet. At least, not anyone alive or conscious.

It didn't quite seem real. She felt like she was in a dream that she couldn't wake up from. Like she was watching this from outside her body. She supposed it was her mind's way of shutting down her emotions. That way, if she happened to come across a death eater, nothing would stop her from what she must do.

Hermione heard a voice coming from nearby. She walked slowly towards it, realizing that is was coming from the cemetery.

As quietly as possible, she ran up to the nearest mausoleum. She leaned back with her wand out, prepared. Peering around the corner, she saw a death eater standing in front of a man on the ground who was begging for his life to be spared and for the torture to end.

She stepped out and pointed her want at the hooded figure.

"Petrificus totalus," she cried.

As the figure stiffened, she heard the snap of a twig behind her.

She spun around and was face-to-face with a death eater she didn't recognize.

"Avada-"

"Expeliarmus!" she shouted, interrupting the man's spell.

He cursed as the wand flew out of his hand. Hermione threw another spell at him.

"Avada Kedavara!"

As the man dropped down in front of her, she felt the blood drain from her face. She took off running, trying to get as far away as possible.

"I did not kill that man. I did not kill that man," she mumbled repeatedly.

Lightning flashed overhead, momentarily illuminating the darkness that enveloped Hermione. No matter how much she ran, she couldn't escape it.

Large, wet raindrops landed on her face, masking the tears that ran down her cheeks.

She reached a deserted street and glanced around, her expression resembling that of a wild rabbit who knows that it's been trapped by a predator.

She ran towards a house with a porch and dropped to her knees when she reached it. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure nobody was around, she quickly scrambled underneath the porch.

She found a wooden pole and leaned back against it. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her head against her knees and began mumbling to herself.

"I'm a coward. I'm a coward."

She sighed.

"But at least I'm alive."

***

Hours later, after those who survived the battle surrendered and retreated back to their homes, Hermione stood in the middle of the park waiting for Draco to return to her.

The rain continued to pour down relentlessly on her head. She stood there drenched and cold, but refused to leave. She would wait a few more minutes before giving up hope.

But she knew it wouldn't come to that. Draco would be fine. He's strong. Nothing could hurt him.

He would come back, just as soaked as she was, and she would laugh and make a comment about his hair. Then they would embrace and leave together.

They would go back to Hogwarts and show everyone that they were fine. They would all smile and hug and celebrate the fact that they all survived.

Then later, after everyone had drifted off to sleep, the two of them would wander off together. Then they'd begin planning their future. Where they were going to live. When they would get married. How many kids they'd have.

So Draco had to be all right. Because if he wasn't--if he wasn't she couldn't do all that alone. She couldn't do anything.

Hermione heard the clock chime, telling her that she had been waiting for nearly two hours.

She looked up at the cloudy sky that masked the early morning light.

Choking back a sob, she realized that Draco wasn't coming for her. That he would never come for her.

She put her head down and numbly left the park, knowing that she would never again see the only man she had ever loved.

The man who was the father of the child she unknowingly carried.

The man who had died because of the only woman he had ever loved. If she hadn't been so quick to run from the cemetery, she would have realized what she had done. She would have been able to prevent the man on the ground from killing the death eater she had petrified. The death eater who was in fact Draco Malfoy.