Before the Sunset

~*~

"Don't ever leave me"

"You think I would?"

"No, I trust you."

"Then why say that?"

"Because I know you might."

~*~

Draco smiled softly as Hermione shifted her head atop his chest.

Hermione stirred and she continued to sleep.

He lay quiet as rain cascaded down the window of the apartment that they shared.

His thoughts were in a jumble though.

His father had just owled him a day ago and he had yet to tell Hermione.

It was not good news. Lucius Malfoy was now threatening to kill his own wife.

His mother! Was the man in his right state of mind?!

His father was relentless.

He hated his father.

He-who-must-not-be named was active once again and Draco had rebelled for years all that Dark activity.

Damn the man!

His father went berserk upon knowing he was dating a Gryffindor, let alone a mudblood.

Draco didn't care.

Hermione was with him, and it was all he could ask for.

There was a flash of lightning, followed by a clap of thunder.

Hermione bolted awake, searching for protection and reassurance.

She instantly felt arms envelop her body.

"It's okay," he said softly.

" I'll never get over my fear of this. "

" Don't worry. "

Her eyes glistened. "Don't leave me okay?"

"Why would I?"

"Someone might take you," she replied.

"Well I won't let them."

"Promise?"

He nodded. "I promise."

~days later~

Draco arrived home with a weary look on his face.

Hermione was in the kitchen making lasagna.

Her face was glowing.

He sat on the table.

"Anything wrong?" she asked kissing his cheek. He kissed her back.

"Hermione-" he began.

Hermione's look changed from happy to anxious.

"What is it?"

Draco stood up. "Hermione-"

Hermione's brows creased.

"I have to leave you." The words finally tumbled out.

Hermione felt their tiny kitchen spin.

She held the edge of the table for support.

"W- what?" she whispered. It was barely audible.

"I have to leave you," he repeated with a quivering voice.

"I- I don't...why...I-" her voice trailed off as the entire room went into silence.

Draco felt like he was suffocating.

Hermione just stood with her eyes wide open, her knuckles growing white from clutching the table's edge too hard.

"Hermione-" Draco began in a pained voice.

Draco saw blood trail down her skirt.

Hermione collapsed.

~later on~

Harry came in the room, accompanied by Ron.

"Hermione..." he whispered looking at her pale face.

Draco was sitting beside her on a plush chair.

"Why?" Ron began. His eyes glared at Draco.

"I didn't know she was pregnant," Draco said in agony. He buried his face in his hands.

Harry was quiet.

Ron was livid. "You bastard! What the hell caused this?!"

"Ron stop it please." Harry began. "Why Malfoy?" he asked turning to Draco again.

Draco opened his mouth and the words tumbled out.

"My father has threatened to kill Hermione if I won't leave her. He has also threatened to kill my mother."

"The bastard," Ron whispered once more.

"I can't let the man kill Hermione," Draco told them. "I figured the best way was to tell her that I should leave her."

"But-" Ron started.

"You know Hermione. She's not the type that gets intimidated." He paused, looking at her once more.

"I know she'll fight for what we have and so would I, but the point is, I can't afford her to get hurt at the least," he added.

Silence came for a few seconds.

"You want us to take care of Hermione?" Harry asked.

Here he was talking to a man he once called his enemy, and now they had put aside their juvenile differences.

Draco nodded. "Please. I know I can count on you."

Harry nodded. "And what do you plan to do? You know you can't leave her like this. Voldemort is after all of us."

"I'll come back for her. When the time is right. I hope it won't take long though. My word as an Auror to another Auror."

Harry nodded and shook his hand. Draco turned to Ron and did the same.

He walked towards Hermione and bent down to kiss her. He whispered something in her ear.

Draco stood up, walked out of the room, calmly closed the door behind him and felt something slide down from his eyes and onto his cheek.

~weeks later~

Hermione was cleaning the bedroom she and Draco had once shared when a knock came on the door.

Her heart began pumping madly. Was it-?!

She opened the door quickly. "Dra-" she stopped immediately.

It was Harry and Ron.

"Hermione we- " Ron paused.

"What's wrong?" she asked. She saw a letter in Ron's hand.

"Oh god..." she gasped. She reached out for the letter. "He's not-" her eyes widened in horror.

"...with regret to inform you that...died last... past twelve midnight..."

All past tenses?! Hermione felt blood drain from her face. "No..." she whispered with shaking hands.

"Hermione -" Ron held her arm.

"Ron it's not true, is it?" her voice was shaking now.

Ron didn't reply.

"Harry?" Hermione looked at him with empty eyes. "Tell me it's not true... you said he would come back for me..." her voice was hollow.

Hermione walked back into her small den. Harry and Ron followed her. She turned to face them once more.

"Would you like some coffee?" she said with a smile.

"Are you alright?" Ron eyed her anxiously.

"Yes." she nodded as she headed for the kitchen. They followed her again. "Sit in the den." she told them as she took out some coffee beans.

Harry and Ron complied but they watched her carefully. Her face looked calm and peaceful.

They had coffee inside the small, cozy den and talked. Hermione did most of the talking.

"You should have seen the look on his face when I asked him to be nice to you guys," she said. "Funny, really."

Hermione went silent.

She looked at her mug. "I miss him," she began.

Tears began to spill down her cheeks. "Why Harry?" she cried out lashing the mug to a wall. It broke into peices. "Ron tell me why?!"

She sank to the rug and cried her heart out. Harry knelt down to hug her as Ron kept consoling her with his palm at her back.

"I wanted to fight for us," she said as tears coursed down. "He wanted to fight alone! We could have done it together!"

"Shh..." Harry whispered as Hermione cried in silence.

Harry felt that he hadn't consoled his bestfriend enough.

Ron felt helpless. Harry led Hermione to the couch.

After an hour of crying a thousand oceans, Hermione fell asleep on Harry's lap.

~later that night ~

"Is she still sleeping?" Harry asked. Ron nodded as he came out of her room.

"I'm worried about her," Ron said as he sat down the couch across Harry.

"You're not the only one," Harry told him with a sigh.

Harry and Ron fell asleep after quite some time.

Harry woke up hours later, his watch read four o' clock. He remembered Hermione.

He bolted up and ran for Hermione's room.

She was no longer there on her bed. His heart pounded. He ran for the bathroom.

Hermione was there washing her hands.

"Oh god! I thought-" Harry was interrupted.

"Harry," she began. "spare me. Can't I wash my hands?" she said bossily. She smiled.

Harry sighed in relief. Hermione was fine.

~

It was a cycle.

Sometimes Harry would sleep over, then Ron and then followed by Ginny.

The Weasley family visited her as well.

Hermione was glad for the company.

It kept her from thinking of him, which she still hasn't stopped doing everytime she was alone.

Today was a tiring day.

She had just arrived from work and it was damn draining.

She sat on her bed in the silence of her room.

She took out a magazine and began reading.

She stopped every once in a while when she came across someone with blonde hair.

She laughed seeing a small blonde haired toddler that almost looked like Draco.

She smiled to herself and cut it out with a pair of scissors as she hummed an unknown song.

This must've been how her unborn child would have looked like.

This must've been her little Draco.

She finally came across the end of the magazine.

Hermione placed it neatly ontop of her night table.

She stood up, went to the bathroom, opened a medicine chest, took out a blade and slashed her wrists.