Face to Face

Face to Face

By Inwitari

"I love and I hate. You ask me why this is so; I do not know, but I feel it, and it torments me."--Catullus

"Face to face,"

Hermione shivered in the winter cold. Through the dark cloak surrounding her she looked heavenward to see the stars twinkling knowingly. The stars were always witness to these late night excursions. The stars knew everything. Even the moon seemed to mock her, deepening her torment. She slipped soundlessly through the trees, their thick canopies blocking the sinister silver light.

Tonight would be the last time she came here, to this enchanted forest where all her dreams had come true... If only for a while.

Her wand was poised, ready for any sign of a dangerous animal. Alert, her eyes strained to see through the thicket of oak trees. She stopped, hearing something. A dry laugh. Her hand relaxed on her wand as she lowered it, extinguishing the light.

Hermione took a few more steps into the clearing. The moonlight shone down on her once more, bouncing off her hair, the celestial sky reflected in her dark eyes.

A figure slinked out of the shadows.

"My lovely foe,"

Malfoy smirked, "You're late, Granger." His blonde hair fell seductively over his eyes.

Hermione gave a grin that mirrored his. Draco raised an eyebrow playfully and moved closer.

"Mouth to mouth
Raining heaven's blows."

They both knew this wasn't right, but that was part of the point. Two people imprisoned by expectations, families; friends. They had managed to find something special in each other's eyes. Something no one else could find. They shared something deep and meaningful, yet neither would sacrifice their pride for the other. Deep down, they knew they could never change who they were.

Each hated what the other stood for, yet in these moments, their love overcame their hate. It was once said that love conquers all.

They both knew what was coming, but neither broached the subject, or tried to prevent fate. They accepted it, as they accepted each other. No questions asked except in the dusty recesses of their minds in the late, dark, lonely hours of the unforgiving night.

"Hand on heart,
Tic tac toe,"

Draco's hand came to rest just above Hermione's heart. He could feel it beating. Would it still be beating tomorrow?

Hermione's hand went to the left side of Draco's chest. A pulse, a beat, a connection. Would their connection still exist tomorrow?

"Under the stars
Naked as we flow."

The stars knew everything.

"Cheek to cheek
The bitter sweet,
Commit your crime

In your deadly time."

Draco slipped a hand around Hermione's waist. He looked into her eyes for permission, and she gave a slight nod. Their eyes locked, they danced for the last time to music only they could hear.

"It's too divine,

I won't submit,
I want this bliss

But something says I must resist."

They lay on the soft moss of the forbidden forest on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione slept as Draco watched over her. He wanted to spend every day with her, like this... but he knew he couldn't. Pulling her closer, Draco fell asleep with Hermione in his arms.

Hermione woke with the first rays of sunshine. She turned to see Draco, his arms still wrapped around her lovingly, sleeping like hell's most perfect angel. She wanted to spend every day with him, like this... but she knew she couldn't. Giving Draco one last squeeze, Hermione removed herself from his arms, pulled on her cloak and returned to the Gryffindor common room.

"Another life,
Another time,
Siamese twins

Writhing intertwined."

Maybe if they were normal teenagers, not forced to pick a side in a war they did not ask for or desire... They could have had a fairytale ending.

As Hermione opened the door to her common room, the first wave of Death Eaters entered Hogwarts. There was a crash as the main staircase fell into rubble and ruins and Hermione turned to fight the last battle, Harry and Ron by her side in an instant, falling over in their haste to get out of the common room.

They knew what was coming. Shout a curse before you die, keep going until the end, kill at least two, make sure Harry is safe. Hermione looked at Ron, he nodded. Harry must be protected.

It was then that three children confirmed their side, and rushed into a war they did not ask for or desire.

"Face to face,
No telling lies,
The masks they slide

To reveal a new disguise."

At the bottom of the entrance steps of what was left of Hogwarts, the DA (the membership of which had risen to nearly ninety-six percent of the students) fought bravely. Hermione watched as Death Eater's dropped before Neville like flies. She had acquired her own pile of bodies, accumulating at her feet.

Their eyes met through his Death Eater's hood, and Hermione knew it was him. They both stood, wands raised. Neither made a move, hoping some duelling pair would come into their field of vision, separating and sparing them from what they knew must happen.

Draco lifted his hood back, showing his face, a mask of hatred that Hermione knew wasn't real. She quickly followed his lead and created her own disguise. They glared at each other, but secretly, their hearts were being ripped to shreds.

"You never can win,
It's the state I'm in,
This danger thrills

My conflict kills."

Between the two lovers, a silent exchange took place. Their eyes conveyed a thousand words, each pleading with the other, "Join me, join me. End this."

Hermione's determination and belief in good stopped her running to take Draco's hand and unite with him in darkness. Draco's pride and heritage prevented him turning on his fellow Death Eaters, merging with Hermione in light. Sometimes love could not conquer all.

Their inner conflicts raged on, drowning out the sounds of death and destruction around them.

"They say follow your heart
Follow it through
But how can you,
When it's split in two?"

Hermione quickly searched for Harry through the crowd. She spotted him, his black hair even messier than usual, his wand showering pink, black, red and green. There stood Voldemort, looking a lot less exhausted than Harry, laughing. Ron was nowhere to be seen.

Draco quickly searched for Lucius through the crowd. He found the familiar blonde hair of his father, hurling curses at anyone and anything in his way. Lucius' eyes were filled with dangerous malice.

"And you'll never know.
You'll never know."

Hermione would have loved to tell her friends the truth. Too late now.

Draco would have loved to tell his family the truth. Too late now.

"One more kiss,
Before we die,
Face to face
And dream of flying."

If Draco lived, he would kill more muggle-borns. She hated him.

If Hermione lived, she would ensure purebloods had no respect. He hated her.

They looked at each other and began to walk forwards, their minds made up. Love or no love, they were still enemies.

Just one last kiss...

"Who are you?
Who am I?
Wind in wings,
Two angels falling
To die like this,
With a last kiss,
It's falsehood's flame
It's a crying shame."

Neither truly wanted to hurt the other, but each drew on their old emotions in order to gain the energy for one last curse...

"Face to face,
The passions breathe,
I hate to stay

But then I hate to leave."

To end it now would be bliss. They could be together in some eternal realm, where they were normal teenagers, not forced to pick a side in a war they did not ask for or desire; loving each other perfectly as they could not in life.

Each took one last look at the world they had grown to love, neither wanted to stay, but they were terrified of death too.

Hermione turned her head away from Draco's face. She did not want to see the betrayed look in his eyes. Draco did the same, turning his head away from Hermione, but keeping his wand in front of him.

Two voices mingled in a perfect, bittersweet harmony, "Avada Kevadra!"

Two bodies fell, side by side, identical smiles on their angelic faces. They were forgotten for a time whilst the battle raged on.

They could have had a fairytale ending.

~.~

A dark angel had kissed an angel of light on a battlefield of blood. Some students had noticed, and would later blame a spell, a love potion, or Malfoy trickery.

They were not the stars. The stars knew everything; and the stars went on forever.

"And you'll never know
No, you'll never know..."