You Wouldn't Know

"Lucius," Draco said, without even turning around. He knew the icy voice well and he knew that Lucius was truly here to finish him. "Hermione, leave now."

"Draco, what's going on?" Hermione asked, her voice reflecting worry, not moving.

"Oh you haven't told her have you Draco? Well, not to worry, I'll fill her in," Lucius said with an evil dripping drawl. "You see, Draco, could have been one of the best Death Eaters to ever work for the Dark Lord, but unfortunately, my son is very thickheaded and refuses to join. Even after both times I have visited him at the school and tried to encourage him. Make sense now Mudblood? But Draco unfortunately has met his match in me and his existence here on the world will abruptly end."

"Draco? Is this true?" Hermione asked, her head spinning from all the information she had just learned. It all made sense now. His bitter hate to his father, the injuries in the forest, and everything.

"Yes Hermione," Draco answered, his head hanging down. "I never did become a Death Eater and now I must suffer the consequences."

"Draco," Hermione said softly, pulling up his head, "I am so proud of you."

"Lovely relationship between you two," Lucius said emotionless.

Draco's head immediately snapped towards Hermione. "Hermione, leave now. But remember I love you."

"With a last statement like that, I couldn't possibly separate you two," Lucius said. "I insist you stay. You are Draco are inseparable and I think it best you die together.

Hermione felt a small tear run down her cheek. She didn't want it to end like this. She didn't want to die, she wanted to say goodbye to Harry and Ron, her parents, everyone else she knew. She wanted to be with Draco. She wanted to live. She looked over at Draco, looking for his reaction to everything. But his face was determined, proud. But when he looked at her, his features softened, his face sad, and his eyes glassy.

"I'm so sorry Hermione," Draco said.

"Me too," Hermione said softly. "But if I had to die, I would have it no other way than without you by my side."

"Enough of this," Lucius said, disgusted. "Let the fun begin. Well, Draco, your turn first. Oh, don't worry; I won't kill you right away. Perhaps, a little torturing before."

Draco looked at Hermione, putting on his best face, but underneath in his eyes, Hermione could see fear. He separated himself from her stepping aside, waiting for the blow. But before anything could happen, he looked over at her and whispered into the darkness of the night, "I love you Hermione. Don't ever forget."

Lucius stood, his wand out ready for the attack. His eyes glinted and he shouted into the black sky, "Crucio!"

Hermione watched Draco wither on the ground. His pain was so great, Hermione could almost feel it in her own body. She could feel his nerves pinching, his bones breaking, and his muscles cramping. She watched him, horrified, his face contorted in agony, until she could endure it no more. Into the night, she cried, "Stop!"

To her surprise, Lucius stopped the curse. She felt a wave of relief over her that was soon swept away when she looked over to Draco. His lifeless body was slumped on the grounds, his hair blowing gently in the wind. His body was filthy, covered in mud and dirt and his perfect robes were torn and ripped."Draco!"

She immediately made to move over to him but at once was stopped by an icy voice. "You won't be doing that Ms. Granger. It's your turn. No he isn't dead, but you soon will be."

She looked over at him frightened, but she only caught a brief glimpse of his face before she felt a great weight on her chest and she found herself hurling through the air. She couldn't see where she was going because she was going backwards, but every millisecond felt like a minute. Then, she heard a huge splash and felt frigid cold water on her back. Soon, she was engulfed in water, struggling for air. She fought, trying to swim back up to the surface but to no avail. She frantically swam, hoping to get air as air bubbles floated up. She looked around her, hoping to find something but she could find nothing. Then, her last air left her body and water replaced it. She couldn't move anymore. Her vision became blurry and quickly, she became unconsciousness, like a heavy weight. She sank to the bottom, her fragile body crashing into the lake floor. As her head came to rest in the sand, her last thought was of Draco Malfoy. And with the last air she had, at the bottom of the lake, she spoke four simple words that only came out as air bubbles on the surface. "I love you Draco".

* * *

Draco stirred, his mind telling him something was wrong. He hurriedly pushed his eyes open, seeing only blurs. He saw the outline of a small figure not far from him. He forced his eyes to adjust and immediately saw bushy brown hair. Hermione! Then, he saw her being hurled across the lake, finally hitting the surface and going down. He pushed himself up, ready to dive in for her.

"Not so fast, Draco," Lucius said, his wand pointed directly at Draco. "You'll be together in your deaths, son. But not until I kill you too."

"Avada Keda..."

"Stupefy!" Another voice shouted. Draco saw Lucius fall to the ground. With no further time spent, he dived into the lake. His head still pounding, his leg throbbing painfully, and his chest aching agonizingly, he struggled to swim. He swam down as deep as he could, finally spotting a motionless form at the very bottom. Gently scooping her up, he kicked off the floor, pushing himself to get to the top. Every stroke he took put him more and more into unconsciousness. Come on Draco! You can do it! For Hermione! He pushed himself to the surface, the cool air stinging his face, he shivered as he struggled to the shore. His leg gave out and he felt himself going under. But with his free hand he pushed, his eyes beginning to close. Miraculously, he made it to the shore, dumping Hermione on and pulling himself out. Harry rushed over, immediately taking care of Hermione. But then Draco's strength gave out and he collapsed on the cold hard ground.