The Unthinkable

Harry

He had a bad feeling. Oh yes, he could feel that something big was going to happen, as he and the others ran closer to the Forbidden Forest and it wasn't exactly something good. It was ironical how life could twist things, want it or not. Dumbledore had kept many secrets from them, before his inevitable demise changed his mind about sharing them and now he too carried a secret he wasn't willing to share with Hermione, nor Ron, Ginny or any other person close to him, although he wasn't sure if Malfoy was aware or not about what could happen to him. About what his future had in store for him at the end.

So far, it seemed that Snape had not denied Draco of anything he had come to know, whatever from his own experiences or Dumbledore's, which only meant that Snape and Draco had come to have a closer relationship than the one he and Dumbledore had shared. He was having some troubles picturing Snape as a trustworthy ally, mostly because of the many years he believed he was an active supporter of Voldemort, but he was glad that he had been wrong about him and that he had helped Malfoy when he needed it the most.

It was a little weird rejoicing over a change of fate from a former enemy, but Draco Malfoy was now an important part of his group and probably something more (perhaps a close friend) as the relationship between him and Hermione began to deepen. When Draco first appeared in their tent, he never imagined that their lives would change so drastically and to the point where he would entrust Draco his life and Hermione's. Well, Hermione's life at least, since his life would probably be out of Malfoy's reach. Of that, he was almost certain now.

How could he be so certain of it? Well, there were some clues here and there written in Dumbledore's diary, but he found nothing explicit to confirm his theory. However, it was evident by two things. First, he had not forgotten what Draco had said the first time he'd entered their tent, since he'd been very clear about his intentions. 'I came here Granger, to save you from a certain death at the hands of my aunt', those had been his words and he had certainly done everything he could to keep Hermione alive again and again. He was glad Draco was there to protect her, but it was hard not to notice that Draco never said anything about saving him as well. The Weasleys? Yes, they could be saved. Those at Hogwarts? Of course, their fate could be altered. His? That was impossible, no matter what kind of future they created, he was going to die anyway, because he could see it in the eyes of his parents.

Yes, he could see his parents, now that they were entering the Forbidden Forest and that was his second reason to believe he would not make it out alive. He had read it in Dumbledore's diary (when Hermione and Malfoy left him alone inside the tent, a little before they fought to rescue Luna), what he had put inside the golden snitch he inherited. Dumbledore had clearly written to him that the Stone of Resurrection resided within the snitch and although he had not explained more about the purpose of the stone, the implication was crystal clear.

"Harry, what do we do now? The Carrows and Ginny can be anywhere inside this forest." Neville asked Harry, bringing him back to reality, stopping his advance once inside the forest. Harry glanced at the ghostly figure of his parents and they pointed to a certain direction in the woods and he knew he would find Ginny there, but also Voldemort and a good number of real Death Eaters as well. The last thing he wanted was to expose others to a greater danger, so he needed to send as many of the DA members as possible, as far as he could from Voldemort. So far, he didn't think this event was about the so-called battle at Hogwarts, as they had fought only Slythering students and repelled some Dementors on their way to the forest, not facing a full war with the Death Eaters and Voldemort.

There were many things that were missing on the current stage to even call it a war, but perhaps they had already altered the future enough to change everything that was supposed to happen before. That of course, could leave to an unknown future where another set of events could take place or maybe the battle was going to strike somewhere else or perhaps, never happen in the first place. It was hard to guess at that point, however there was one thing certain and it was that they needed to destroy the remaining two Horcruxes and Voldemort's snake, if they wanted to defeat him. Something that they had not achieved until now and at that moment in time, was damn right impossible. Ginny's life was in danger and both Ron and him needed to be there to save her, so none of them had the time to go find Horcruxes missing at Hogwarts or breaking into Gringootts. He doubted that Hermione could do any of them when she would probably follow Malfoy to his meeting with Voldemort.

"We need to split up in several groups to cover more land and if anyone finds where they are, use the coin to contact the rest. Ron, Neville and I will go that way, the rest of you, go somewhere else. Be very careful where you go, this forest is dangerous for many more reasons than Death Eaters. Just remember that HE, is here somewhere and a good number of Death Eaters accompany him, so do not try to fight on your own against them, it will be suicidal. I wish you all good luck and please ... stay safe." Harry addressed the group and most of them nodded in understanding, the rest divided into groups of four and went different ways, far from where his parents had indicated that Voldemort was, so he felt somewhat relieved.

Hold on Ginny, we are on our way to rescue you, just wait a bit longer. Please stay safe until we get to you. Harry prayed internally and was on his way to save the love of his life and face his destiny.

Hermione/Luna

Once they reappeared, Luna and Hermione seemed to be confused with where they had been transported. Somehow the forest seemed familiar, but Hermione could not remember exactly from where. Still, the place itself did not matter, they just needed to find Draco and find a way to get him out of there alive, even if they had to fight to get it. Hermione was aware that Voldemort was there and that against him, they alone couldn't do much, but on the other hand, if they mingled with the rest of the Death Eaters, maybe they could take them by surprise and get their job done. She slipped on the hood of her black cape and prayed that they might go unnoticed. Luna, however, looked around more closely.

"Hermione, I think we're inside the Forbidden Forest, I can see some of the Astronomy Tower from here." Luna said and Hermione turned to look where she was pointing. She was quite right, of course, since she could see one of the towers of Hogwarts in the distance, just like the Dark Lord's skull, shining almost over the castle.

"We have to go Luna, Draco should be close, so be ready in case we have to fight, we will try to merge with the rest of the Death Eaters first and if we see an opportunity to get him out, we act." Luna nodded, putting on her hood to avoid being recognized by the Death Eaters and pulled out her wand, ready for anything they could find on their way.

"Kragkor, do you know where Draco is?" Hermione asked to the small, yet brave elf and he accented.

"Of course Madam Granger, Master Draco is that way... not too far from where we are." Luna sideways smiled with good humor at what the small elf said.

"That's lovely Kragkor, she's probably your lady now ... I also saw them kissing with a lot of passion before Draco left." Hermione looked at Luna with less humor, her cheeks flushing a little. It was all Draco's fault that now his elves called her 'Madam' and who knows who else. Still, she didn't have the time to debate on that, as rescuing him was her top priority. She only hoped that Harry's rescue mission, back at Hogwarts, would turn out well, and that Ginny could be safe with him. She also wanted Ron to be out of danger, since even though she no longer seen him in a romantic way since Malfoy kissed her, it did not mean she didn't care about him anymore.

They moved in silence to where Kragkor had directed them and shortly after, they came to see a large group of people dressed in black cloaks. Even before they approached, both could notice that there was something in the middle of the circle. The tension around those who were watching what was ahead, was obvious and Hermione held her breath for a second before motioning for Luna to follow her onward. Once they got a better look, they were both surprised to see Draco standing next to Voldemort with his wand pointing at Ginny, who was unconscious in the ground.

"Come on, boy, prove yourself to me and kill this blood traitor and I'll give you more power than you can imagine. The name of the Malfoy's will become one of the most renowned in my rise of power." Voldemort told him and Hermione held her wand tightly. She knew that Voldemort was tempting him with giving him more power and restoring the fallen grace of his family, which made her feel sick and enraged. However, precisely that type of scene was one of those, that she most feared. It was not because she believed that Draco could fulfill Voldemort's wishes, since she was sure that he was as disgusted as she was, but because he was probably mentally preparing himself to be killed as he had told her, which only frightened her deeply.

"Hermione, what do we do now?" Luna asked in a whisper that only she could hear.

"We saved them both, of course." Hermione answered.

Draco

"Oh hell, I'm so dead." Draco whispered to himself, fully aware that he wouldn't be able to let Harry Potter's girlfriend get killed in front of him. This was most likely the moment in which he was going to become a traitor to the Death Eaters and the place where Voldemort will end up killing him instead of her, as foreseen. Sorry Hermione, but I don't think we will see each other again. Draco said to himself, mentally giving her his farewell.

"Draco... I'm glad you had come. There is something i need you to do for me, come closer, boy." Voldemort said to him and he internally cursed. It was just his luck that Voldemort wanted to involve him in whatever twisted plan he had.

"Draco ... I'm glad you came, there's something I need you to do for me, come on here, boy." Voldemort told him and he cursed internally. It was just his luck that Voldemort wanted to involve him in any twisted plan he had in mind. Will Voldemort ask him to torture Ginny Weasley, as he asked others to torture him? It was very likely, since he had always found great pleasure in torturing others, especially when they could not fight back.

He approached anyway, trying to empty his mind, just in case Voldemort was tempted to read his mind and just when he was next to him, Ginny Weasley opened her eyes and looked around. He had to give Potter's girlfriend a lot of credit because she neither screamed nor was scared to find herself facing her worst enemy. It was fair to put her in Gryffindor, the house of the brave and in a way, such bravery reminded him of Granger's, and he grasped his wand with a little more force than was necessary. He could barely move his right arm, so it was going to be difficult to save the girl. Even at his best, he was not a match for Voldemort, although he could take down a good number of Death Eaters. Yet, he was not at his best and was far outnumbered. He only hoped that his house elves were somewhere nearby and that when he could distract Voldemort and the Death Eaters somehow, they could approach and take the girl with them.

"Well, well, Draco, your parents should be proud of you." Voldemort said and Draco turned to see his mother and father a little away from him. His father was holding his mother's hand very tightly, which only made him presume, that she was not happy with the situation he was in and he feared that she could act impulsively and try to save him, exposing herself to a mortal danger. Damn, this is all a disaster. He told himself as he looked back at Potter's girlfriend. Where was he, anyways? He was supposed to rescue her in the first place.

"Now, I want you to kill her ..." Voldemort ordered and Draco tensed instantly. Was he serious? He knew he could not kill Dumbledore before and now he was asking him to kill a girl? This man, sure was disgusting to his core. He wondered why his parents wanted to follow such a monster, it was damn unthinkable for him. However, he raised his wand to her, just trying to buy some time to think about how he could get her out. He tried to give the girl a reassuring look, but she was too busy hating him to actually get his silent message in the dark.

"Come on boy, prove yourself to me and kill this blood traitor and I'll give you more power than you can imagine. The name of the Malfoy's will become one of the most renowned in my rise of power." Voldemort told him. You bastard, now you're trying to force me to kill her, using my family's name as an excuse? An extreme mass of anger rose inside him like a vile poison and before he could think twice about the consequences of his action, he cast Voldemort a non-verbal blasting spell with his left hand, sending him flaying a few feet away. His anger had given his spell an extra burst to accomplish that. Snape would have been proud if he had seen it.

"Go now!" He shouted to Ginny Weasley, as the sudden chaos was the perfect opportunity to escape. An unexpected fight soon began, as Potter, Weasley, Longbotton and Lovegood appeared, casting spells on the Death Eaters and Ginny stood up to run to Potter, but before she could reach him, something small touched her and she was gone. The same thing happened with Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy before they could be more involved in the fight. Draco cast more spell on the nearby Death Eaters when Voldemort rose with rage.

"YOU ARE DEAD, DRACO MALFOY!" Voldemort screamed and a pillar of fire headed his way and Malfoy dodged to the ground, just missing the thing, then some green lights struck the Death Eaters that like him, dodged the fire and where in Voldemort's way to get him. The Dark Lord was more than angry and a moment later aimed his wand at him, while the other Death Eaters kept Potter and his group from the path of their Master.

"Die, you traitor!" Volemort screamed and to Draco's horror, Hermione came out of nowhere and stood in front of him with her wand pointing at Voldemort.

"You'll have to go over me, first. I don't fear you!" She screamed.

"You, filthy mudblood should join him too!" A few things happened at the same time after his statement and everything seemed to pass in a slow motion to all of them.

"NNNNOOOOO!" Draco pulled Hermione's hand toward him in a desperate movement, covering her with his body as she fell. Voldemort shouted Avada Kedavra towards him while Harry, Ron, Neville and Luna tried to reach them. However, the one who managed to intercept Voldemort's death curse was none other than Snape, who like Hermione, stood in front of them to receive the curse instead.

"NNNOOO!" Draco screamed, trying to reach out to his teacher and friend.

Harry/Hermione/Draco

"Snape! NNOOOO!" Draco screamed in pain and desperation as he watched as Snape's lifeless body fell back in front of him, after he had been there to take the curse of Voldemort for him. Hermione held him as best she could, unable to do anything else for the devastated young man she had come to like in the past few days. Kragkor used the moment Voldemort was distracted by his own surprise, after killing Snape right in front of his pupil instead of the boy and approached the couple to transport them back to the mansion.

A second later they were back in the ballroom where most of the rescue people met. Harry, who had saw Snape's murder, stood near the couple who stood frozen in shock. Draco cried out deeply in pain and Harry could not sustain his own anguish. Tears streamed down his check as Ginny hugged him, but nothing he could feel at that moment compared to what Draco and Hermione were going through. Ron stepped to his right, but Harry stopped him, holding one of his shoulders and shaking his head. Ron looked at him with a mixture of rage and understanding. He was sure that Ron had realized that Hermione's heart was no longer his and seeing a scene in which Hermione held Draco with such compassion and care was probably a little difficult for him to accept, yet he needed to do so now more than ever.

A deep silence surrounded the couple, who were still on the floor and no one dared to move or say anything, since everyone was unable to utter words. Some of the closest to them had seen what happened and how Snape had resigned his life to save Draco and Hermione from certain death. He had been a hero hidden in the shadows for years, but most people misunderstood him and hated him for something he was not, including him. Harry felt so much shame of himself and regret that it was almost unbearable.

"Please, Draco ... there's nothing you could have done to save him. It was his decision to save us ..." Hermione whispers to Malfoy as she holds him closer to her. A river of tears falling from her eyes and mingling with his. Draco, then, held her back without worrying about the surrounding crowd, the grief he felt was too great to care about anything else. She was there for him and that was all he needed, the rest of the world could go to hell in flames and that would not affect him in the least. He let it all out, without holding back the tears, while she whispered consoling words in his ear and rubbed his back with a gentle touch. A few minutes later, the huge ballroom only welcomed the two of them right in the middle of it. The others probably wanted to give them space to mourn. It was then that a massive apparition occurred around them. Hermione looked at the many house elves who gathered around his master and she loved them all.

"Draco, look ..." She whispers, half lifting his head with her hand. Draco glanced over her shoulder at the huge number of house-elves who were circling them and was taken aback by another strong wave of emotion. Gratitude. At least fifty or sixty elves were there, from Nurnott, Vrek, Jig, Zirry, and Wrobby to Kragkor. He knew most of them and they all looked at him with pained faces.

"We are deeply sorry for your loss Master ... your pain is ours too." Kragkor said and bowed before him, the rest followed his example and Hermione wept even more in the beautiful scene. So many emotions, so many signs of respect for those who were mistreated for years. Draco felt overwhelmed and blessed with more than he deserved. He watched his comrades, yes he would see them as nothing less than that from that moment on and will treasure their bravery and courage, always.

"Free elves, you don't need to bow down to me or anyone else for that matter. That is the meaning of freedom, you can do whatever you want and there is no need to call me Master either." Draco managed to say in a more or less firm voice, despite the mixed emotions running through him.

"We know that Master, however, we want to help you ... Draco. We will help you with this fight, we want to avenge Master Snape's death. We, the Malfoy's house elves declare war on the Dark Lord ..." Kragkor declared and a deafening sound followed, as the rest of the elves shouted their approval. Dear God, how did I manage to deserve this? Draco thought as he felt his loss a little lighter now.

"Thanks to everyone ..." Draco said and recovered from his previous break, standing with the help of Hermione. "To the war, indeed ..." he said, ready to face whatever came his way. Voldemort was going to fall, for sure. It was a lifetime promise.

An hour later, after Draco had cleaned himself up and had something to eat (mostly forced because Hermione demanded it) and drank some of the potions that Snape had left to help him in his recovery, he lay in his bed with Hermione holding him as she did the night before, since she had refused to leave him alone. She had explained to the others that it would be best if she stayed with him because she was sure that he would end up having nightmares after what happened and that he needed someone to help him overcome such pain and loss.

It was obvious to those in Draco's room that she was determined to stay with him, no matter what others might think and no one dared to challenge her, not even Arthur and Molly Weasley, who had come to terms with young Malfoy saving most of the members of their family and also understood his vulnerability at that time. It was painfully clear to see. However, he tried to protest as Ron looked at him as if he wanted to kill him on the spot, but soon Harry, Ginny, Fred and George Weasley dragged a visibly angry ginger boy with a 'they already have enough bad time for the moment', and left them on their own. They probably thought he was going to faint from either pain or exhaustion soon, anyway.

And, of course, the potions alleviated the pain and made him a bit sleepy, but it was mainly because of her presence that made him feel relaxed. Having her so close to him when he was having such a hard time was a kind of heaven in itself and he needed it. Oh, he needed it so desperately. Hermione held him close, very carefully, making sure that in the process she would not accidentally hurt the wound on his shoulder and looked at him with some unconcealed sadness.

"I will be fine Granger..."

"Granger? I thought we had passed that point ..."

"It's a habit that will probably take some time to get rid of it, Hermione."

"That's more like it. Don't worry if you end up having nightmares tonight. I cast Muffliato on the room, so no one will hear you scream."

"Yeah, no one but you."

"I don't mind, that's why I'm here for."

"Thank you... for everything." Draco whisper in her hear, as her head was a few inches below his chin.

"There is no need to thank me. You would had done the same for me..."

"Yes... the current me would, the old me would not."

"The old you is now gone and I like the one I'm here with the best." She said while blushing a bit.

""Hermione ... Honestly, I do not know what brought us together in such a short time, nor will I question it or push it to something deeper in case this is all a dream, but I'm glad that you..." She jerked her head up to catch his mouth in hers and kissed him softly at first, in a way to let him know that everything was real.

"You're not dreaming Draco, this is all very real." Then she kissed him deeply, to let him know that she was there and no longer question her feelings for him. If her future was now intertwined with his, so be it. For a moment, back inside the Forbidden Forest, she thought that Voldemort was going to kill him, and that alone had made her realize how much she liked and needed him. However, Hermione hesitated as she kissed him, when she felt the tears running down his check and she was going to pull away, when he held her and kissed her again with even more need.

"Hermione Granger ... good Lord, I ... I'm going crazy for you." He whispered against her lips and she smiled inwardly, very pleased with the new Malfoy, allowing him to bring her even closer. She never thought she might want to share a future with another man other than Ron, but she had been wrong. She felt Draco and her were more compatible than she could ever be with Ron. He would always be a part of her, but she had come to realize that Ron and her were meant to be just friends, as Harry and her were.

A little later, Draco could not hold the inner turmoil that rose with each second inside of him and ended the kiss, crumbling over her (as she expected) for a second time. She knew that Snape's death had affected him a lot, since their relationship had grown closer after Draco's torture and as she hugged him throughout the night, whispering comforting words, she felt she liked him even more. Once exhaustion finally drained Draco, he felt strangely peaceful for once and promised himself once more that he would not let that peace crumble around him again.

Hours later, when the morning finally arrived, Draco awoke in alarm, moaning with the sudden pain in his shoulder, as he sat on his bed in a swift motion, as if he had just awakened from a nightmare. The room was still a bit dark, so it should be early in the morning and Draco gave his partner, still asleep under the sheets, a deep look. He was glad she was there, as he had feared it was all a dream, but a near thunder made him concentrate again on what had awakened him a few seconds earlier. A strange feeling. An eerie feeling.

"Mmmm ... what is that?" Hermione murmured as she opened her eyes. She saw him sitting next to her like a black knight in the lookout. Why he always dressed in black was something she would never get. Last night, when she looked at the closet inside the room, she saw a variety of elegant and expensive clothes, but it was at least ninety percent all black. "Draco, are you okay, do you have a nightmare?" She asked, sitting next to him and then another thunder was heard, this time a little closer.

"Granger, can you feel it too?" Draco asked, rising from his bed, followed closely by her.

"I think so, yeah ..." She had goose bumps everywhere and Draco took her hand as they walked up to the long glass window to look outside.

"Oh God ..." Hermione whispered as she watched the slowly expanding dark clouds, which had taken the form of several skulls, randomly lit by lightning.

"That's a dark magical storm ..." Draco said as he pulled Hermione close to him.

"That's what it seems, for sure." She said, putting one of her arms around his waist. It was even colder than the night before.

"Our time is up, the war has just begun." And shortly afterwards the door of his room was open in a hurry, revealing a distressed Potter.

"Hermione, Malfoy ... we have some problems." He said, while another lighting illuminated the sky.

"That we had ... look at that Harry." Hermione pointed out and although he had seen it on his way to get them, he came to look at it better.

"I'm sure you know what it means, right?" Harry asked, looking at the cloudy skulls.

"Yes, he does not hold back when he's upset." Draco said looking at Harry.

"He gave us both, you and me Malfoy, one day to surrender to him. If we do not meet his demand, he will begin the third Wizarding War, beginning with the destruction of Hogwarts. That's what Dobby just told me." Harry said this time looking at the pair. He had to admit that they looked good together. There was an air of peace between them, something he had never seen between her and Ron. Sorry Ron, I would have liked you and Hermione to end up together, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Harry thought.

"Shall we comply, Harry?" Draco asked with some dark humor in his voice and Harry smiled.

"Hell, no, Draco." Harry said.

"Hermione, what do you say? Should we surrender to him?" Draco asked.

"There is no way in hell. I will not allow any of you to be killed by that monster."

"So, what about you guys?" Draco asked turning to look at those at the door. Ron, Ginny, Luna and Neville.

"Let's take him down once and for all." Ginny said. Luna and Neville nodded in agreement, Ron simply stood there with a serious expression on his face. He wanted to defeat Voldemort, of course, but seeing Hermione and Malfoy in such closeness was bothering him to the end.

"Then let's go to war." Draco said and after kissing Hermione on her check, they went out to plan the inevitable war.

AN: This chapter was oddly written backwards, which means I wrote the end first, then the rest and it was quite challenging, yet it turned out well. This Snape (my personal version of him) wished to find peace, to be free of his silent suffering, so killing him was a merciful act, not a cruel one that I hope you can understand.