34. Chapter 34

I know I said I wasn't publishing this week, but you guys begged so much that I stayed up all night to do this for you. That's how much I love you all. It was a lot of work.

Also, 500 followers, 250 favourites. I can't even understand that fully. It's incredible. Thank you all. I am too tired to make a speech, but it's there. That number is insane, way more than I ever expected.

Sorry if there are grammar mistakes, no beta contact this week.

Disclaimer: let's not.

Draco regained consciousness quickly. He was momentarily confused as to why he was lying in the middle of the street. But the memories flooded his mind soon enough.

Harry and Hermione. Ginny going crazy. Taking their wands. Hermione flying out the window. Then Yaxley. Hermione's eyes. The disappearance. With the memories, came the final bursting realization:

Hermione was gone.

Again.

Draco closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about this. He didn't want to deal with this. He didn't want this day to exist. Did it even have to? He wanted to go back in time. He wanted to be back at the Manor, with Hermione safe in his arms as they slept. No, he wanted to go further back. He wanted to be back in Canada, joking with Hermione in their Tim Hortons. Nope, that wasn't far enough. He wanted to be carefree, as he partied in Moscow. No, further. He wanted to be a teenage boy again. He wanted that one night of peace, before the third task. He wanted to sleep, not worrying about death or kidnap. He wanted his life back.

Draco felt a pang in his chest. Had he really just thought that? Did he really just wish that the last seventeen years didn't happen? Was it true? Did he really want to go all the way back? He did, he realized. He knew that. He did want his old life back. He wanted to be carefree again. He wanted to be a child again. He wanted to play with his friends, not speak at their funerals. He wanted to fly through the sky without worry of being followed. He wanted a name that didn't immediately remind people of the most terrible dark wizard of all time. He wanted the life he had had when he was thirteen. He wanted this all very, very badly.

But, there was one thing he wanted more.

He wanted Hermione.

He wanted Hermione. He wanted her safe in his arms. He wanted her smile to glow. He wanted her to laugh. He wanted her to love. He wanted her to live.

That's what he really and truly wanted.

Draco stood up.

Nothing else mattered right now. His entire world had blurred out. There was only one focus now. Getting Hermione back. Draco wanted a life. But Hermione actually deserved one. He would get it for her. He would do it if it killed him.

And it probably would.

Weasel and Potter were still standing in the doorway. They seemed to be in shock. Draco went over to them. They really were in shock. They were frozen, like statues. This wasn't a spell. This was loss. This was pain. This was something that neither of them could deal with. So they had shut down.

Draco wouldn't have that.

He pushed them both backwards into Grimmauld Place. He closed the door behind them.

When the Weasel and Potter hit the ground, they regained understanding. Their memories came back. They remembered what had happened. They remembered Hermione. The full realization seemed to set in. Then, they broke.

Potter sobbed, horrible, gut-wrenching sobs. Draco couldn't even look at him. Weasel stared emptily into space. His pain was beyond words.

"Listen up!" Draco nearly shouted at them. "We can't pause, even for a moment. We need to get help. We need to inform the ministry. We need to get her back."

Potter sobbed. "What's the use, Malfoy? She's probably already dead."

Draco shook his head. "She's not." He would've known.

Potter cried some more, but started to move anyway. Weasel stood up, as well. Draco looked at them. If they were able to work together, they could do this. Draco had to believe this. He couldn't even fathom the other possibility.

Over Weasel's shoulder, Draco saw a flash of movement. Draco ran to the kitchen. Ginny was there.

She was crying. Her face was open again. Not with pain, but with guilt. She was clutching herself.

She knew what she had done.

Draco looked at her coldly. "Give me back my wand."

She nodded, and handed him three wands. Weasel's, Potter's and his. Draco felt movement behind him. Potter and Weasel were there.

Ginny looked at Potter and Weasel. Crying, she spoke. "Harry, Ron….."

Potter cut her off. "Go away, Ginny." His voice was emotionless.

She flinched. "Harry….."

"Leave." The chosen one's voice was full of finality.

Ginny looked at them. "I'm sorry." She whispered the words, and apparated away.

Potter stared at the floor for several more moments. Then he turned to Draco and Weasel.

"How do we start?"

Weasel jumped in. "Everyone's at the burrow. Kingsley, my parents, Mcgonagall, Blaise. It's sort of the order headquarters right now."

Potter nodded. "Then that's where we go. We need the order."

The three men nodded. They all disaparated to the burrow.

They all landed in the yard outside the homely house. They were able to hear voices inside the house. They rushed inside.

Everyone was sitting in the living room. Kingsley was standing next to Blaise. Every Weasley ever, except Ginny, was sitting on chairs. Mcgonagall was discussing something with Hagrid, who had managed to fit inside. Fleur was holding her child again, whilst speaking with Longbottom and Looney. Seamus and Dean were there as well. It was Seamus who noticed them first.

"Oi, Draco, mate!" He shouted out. Everyone turned towards them. "Where's Her…" he trailed off.

Potter, Weasel and Draco all stood in the doorway. Everyone was pale as they looked at the trio.

They had been expecting a quartet.

Blaise spoke out first. "Where's Hermione?"

Draco looked at them all. "She was taken."

Mcgonagall spoke. "Taken?" Her voice was quivering. "What do you mean, taken?"

Potter spoke. "Yaxley has her."

The room froze. Everyone was white. They couldn't believe they were reliving this nightmare.

"How?" whispered Mama Weasley.

"Ask Ginny," Potter responded spitefully.

"Ginny?" Mama Weasley asked, confused. "What happened?"

Draco responded, as menancingly as he could. "She jinxed Hermione, sending her flying out a window, and straight into Yaxley's waiting arms."

Everyone flinched. Some had faces of disbelief, others anger.

Potter nodded. "That's true, but not important. Hermione is in the hands of Yaxley. And we have no idea where she is."

Kingsley spoke first. "Percy, owl the Daily Prophet. We need the entire wizarding world looking for her."

Prissy nodded, jumped up from his seat, and sprinted out the door.

Blaise spoke up. "I can't believe this is happening again."

Dean replied. "We can't let it be seven years this time around."

Potter scoffed. "She probably doesn't have seven years. I doubt that she has seven hours."

Draco shook his head. "We can't think like that."

"Why not?" asked Potter. His face had broken into pieces again. "It's the truth. Yaxley won't wait this time. He's not going to spend time finding the most hurtful way to get rid of Hermione. He's going to kill her. He'll make a long and self-righteous speech, because that's what death eaters do. Then, he'll cast the killing curse, and she'll be gone. We'll find the body. We'll bury her. We'll cry. We'll mourn for Hermione. For the Hermione we lost seven years ago. Because we didn't really get her back. We just got an imitation. An imitation that's going to be gone within the next hour."

Draco gaped for a moment. "An imitation? You think that's an imitation?" Potter nodded.

"She doesn't remember anything. She doesn't remember our stories, our moments, the times we laughed, or the times we cried. She doesn't know what we meant her, and how it came to be that she meant so much to us."

Draco couldn't understand what he was hearing. Potter didn't think that girl was Hermione Granger? How could someone think that it wasn't Hermione? The boy who lived apparently didn't understand Hermione as well as he did.

"You're wrong Potter," Draco responded. The boy who lived scoffed. "That girl is Hermione Granger. Don't you realize, you dolt? Hermione Granger is more than the experiences you all experienced together. She's more than her feelings. She's more than her magic. She's more than a war heroine. She's more than your best friend. Don't you realize what Hermione Granger is? She's a girl. She's a woman. She's a smart-aleck. She's a bookworm. She's a muggle-born. She's an activist. She's a worker. She's compassionate. She's caring. She's brave. She's lovely. She is love. She is everything. How dare you demean her by thinking the thing that makes her incredible is her experiences."

Potter glared at Draco through the tears that had once again appeared in his eyes. "I have to demean her. I can't realize what she is. Malfoy, don't you get it? I'm in love with this girl…." Gasps from everyone in the room. Except Kingsley and Blaise, who rolled their eyes. Potter choked on a sob. "I lost her once. It nearly killed me. Then I got her back. I can't lose her twice. So, I'm only going to lose her once. She never came back. Not in my mind. Because that wasn't her. It just wasn't."

Draco was fed up with the boy who lived. "That's bullshit and you know it. One day, you are going to have to face the fact that you lost her twice. But even worse, you are going to face the fact that you didn't try to save her. I don't care what you are going to do Potter, but I'm going to save Hermione. Because she can be saved. It's not over yet."

Potter laughed, a broken, sob-filled laugh. "It's over, Malfoy! Just admit it!"

Draco shook his head. "It can't be over. It's never going to be over!"

Potter glared at Draco. "Just give up. She's gone." Potter's voice was getting louder and louder.

Draco nearly shouted. "I'm not going to give up!"

Potter yelled right back at him. "It's pointless! Hermione Granger is gone! Move on!"

"I won't!"

"Why the fuck not?!"

"Because I'm in love with her!"

Draco screamed at the top of his lungs. The house shook from the noise of it. Birds flew off the trees outside. A frog jumped into the pound. The gnomes scuttled back into their holes. The wind changed directions. A few pebbles fell down a hill. The moon in the sky flashed brighter. The stars twinkled. The constellations spoke to each other. A comet flew through the night sky.

The world changed in that moment.

Everyone in the room was frozen. Draco's confession had rocked them all. Potter's eye was twitching. Weasel was white faced. Blaise was rolling his eyes. He had probably known this before Draco.

Draco took several deep breaths. He didn't know why he had shouted that out. He hadn't planned on it. It had just come out. But, Draco knew it was true.

He had fallen in love with Hermione Granger. He had fallen in love with the Gryffindor Princess, the bookworm, the war heroine, the woman. Draco closed his eyes. He pictured her face in his mind.

He couldn't deny it as he saw her in his head. He loved every part of her. The way she laughed. The twinkle in her eyes. The way her hair curled around her shoulders. He loved her.

He loved her brain, the way she always wanted to learn. He loved her heart, the way she always stood up for everyone. The way she fought for what she believed in. He loved her.

He loved the way she had walked into the Yule Ball, nervous, but glowing. He loved the way she had fought during the final battle: strong, like an amazon. He loved the way she had chuckled when he had knocked her over in Canada. He loved the way her eyes had brightened when she had rediscovered magic: bright, filled with childlike wonder. He loved the way her eyes grew more intense when they kissed. He loved the feeling of her lips on his.

Draco had known that Hermione Granger had changed him. He had known that his life would change because of her. He hadn't realized how much. She had left a handprint on his heart that would never ever fade. She would be with him, always. She would teach him forever. She would continually make him a better person. Forever and always.

Draco didn't know when he had fallen in love with her. She had only been back a month. That seemed a little too fast to fall in love. Draco realized with a start that it was too fast. But he was in love with her anyway.

Draco's heart stopped and restarted as he realized what that meant: he had always loved her, far before Canada.

Draco had fallen in love with Hermione years ago. He had just never admitted it, not even to himself.

Draco thought for a moment. He suddenly remembered what had happened at the gala when he was explaining Hermione. He let himself be taken over by the memory.

Draco stopped talking just then. He gripped the table once more. All of his memories of Granger seemed to be flashing through his mind as he stared out into space. The first time he had ever seen her, a little bushy haired and bucktoothed girl who ran up to the sorting hat and jammed it on her head. The time she had told him off when he had just became the Slytherin seeker and in response, he called her a mudblood, for the first time of many. She punched him in the face, changing his view of her forever. He felt the curse fly through the air from the time he made her two front teeth grow substantially. He felt the shock from when he had seen her walk into the Yule Ball on Victor Krum's arm. The time when she stopped the boys from antagonizing him after he had been made a member of the inquisitorial squad. Then, he saw when she, Potter and weasel were all brought to Malfoy Manor. He had lied when asked if he recognized them. Immediately after, he had been forced to watch Hermione as she screamed and withered in agony on to floor. He saw all of this in less than a second.

When he had seen her for the first time, she had interested him. She had quickly fallen in with Potter and Weasel. He had been disgusted. Looking back, he realized it was because he wished it had been him.

He had called her a mudblood, and felt a stabbing pang of regret. He had ignored it at the time.

She had punched him in the face. It had impressed him.

He had always watched her, standing back a little bit. He had noticed her. He had begun to understand her.

When had everything changed? Draco thought back. The Yule Ball. It had been the Yule Ball. He had fallen in love with Hermione at the Yule Ball. That moment when she had walked in. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Not because she looked beautiful. There were tons of beautiful girls, not like Hermione, though. It was because of her confidence. It had struck Draco. That was the moment. That was the moment when he had fallen in love with Hermione Granger.

He had always loved her. He had loved her when she had been brought to the Manor. That's why he hadn't identified them. He couldn't bear to lose her. That's why that nightmare haunted him. Seeing the girl he loved tortured had almost destroyed him. Of course it had stayed with him.

That's why he had cried when the paper had announced her disappearance.

That's why she had always seemed to be a part of his life.

Because he had fallen in love with Hermione Granger.

Earlier, he had wished that he could go back in time. That he could be a teenager again. He had wished that he could've had his life back, his life from before the third task. He wanted that so much. He wanted that so he could realize he loved Hermione Granger back when he actually fell in love with her.

His entire world changed when he had screamed out the truth. The colours seemed to brighten. The dark seemed to disappeared. His guilt seemed to grow less heavy. His happiness seemed to increase. Everything came back into focus.

Because that's what love did for you: changed your life, for the better.

Draco Malfoy loved Hermione Granger. There was no turning back. There was no forgetting. From this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do they part. He was in love with the most incredible woman he had ever known.

He hoped she'd be alive long enough to know.

Draco looked around at the faces of the people in the room. Blaise was smirking. Kingsley was confused. Mcgonagall was smiling. All the various Weasleys looked dumb-founded. Weasel himself looked angry. Potter had a blank expression. Seamus was regretfully giving Dean a galleon. Hagrid was shell-shocked. Longbottom kept opening and closing his mouth. Looney was beaming. Draco guessed that she had known all along. She seemed to know these things.

"You love her?" Potter asked, his voice emotionless. He hadn't seemed to process it yet.

Draco nodded. There were several gasps from around the room. Draco ignored them. "I think I always have."

Weasel opened his mouth, probably to say something catty, but his mother shushed him. She was smiling at Draco, a tear in her eye.

"There's always room for a little more love in the world," Mama Weasley smiled.

"Dumbledore would be proud," Kingsley's voice rumbled. Draco smiled a bit.

Longbottom spoke next. He stuttered for several moments before successfully speaking coherent words. "Guys, remember Hermione."

How could they ever forget?

"Yes, Neville," Kingsley spoke. The minister looked at Draco for several moments, as if looking for confirmation that it was alright to move on. Draco nodded. Kingsley nodded right back, and looked at the arriving trio. "Could you three tell us exactly what happened?"

Potter was staring at Draco, dumbfounded. But, as soon as Kingsley spoke, he launched into the story.

Draco took a mental step back as Potter told the story. He couldn't bear to relive it. So instead, he put himself mentally in another place. In his head, he ended up with Hermione. He was just holding her. Holding her, and knowing he loved her. Draco hoped this would happen. He wanted this. He wanted this so much. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to shout it from the mountain tops. He sounded so cheesy to himself, but he didn't care. For a few moments, he was happy, living with Hermione in his head.

But, all fantasies end.

"Then they all disappeared," Potter concluded after several minutes. Draco looked at the various reactions. He eyes seemed to land on Mama Weasley. She had tear tracks on her face.

"I can't believe it," Mama whispered. "How could Ginny have done that?"

Papa Weasley wrapped an arm around Mama's shoulders.

"She was hurt. People lose themselves when they are hurting," Papa murmured to Mama.

Potter's face was stony. "Let's not talk about Ginny right now."

Kingsley nodded solemnly. "Ginny is not important enough to think about right now. We need to focus on Hermione. She is our priority."

Draco thought about Kingsley's words for a moment. That was the problem, he realized with a start. Compared to Ginny, Hermione was always the priority. Ginny had shouted that Hermione stole everything from her. That wasn't true. But it seemed like Hermione had because she got all the attention. From Potter, from her brother, from the wizarding world at large.

Draco would've felt some pity for her if she wasn't such a psychotic bitch.

Kingsley continued speaking. "We need to figure out where she is. Now what did Yaxley say exactly? His words are the only clues we have."

Weasel spoke up. "Let's finish this the way we started, pet." Everyone flinched.

"The way we started," Kingsley mused. It was amazing how calm Kingsley was being. Draco knew that Kingsley was breaking on the inside, but someone had to stay collected. Draco glad it was Kingsley, because Draco wouldn't be able to.

Blaise spoke up. "Does that mean they're going to torture her again?" His voice quivered at the end. Draco started. He had never heard Blaise's voice quiver. Ever.

"Probably," Potter said, his voice malicious for a moment. "They might just repeat everything. Who knows? They might even erase her memory again. You never know with pyschopaths." Potter turned around and punched the wall suddenly. You could hear the crack from across the room. Everyone flinched.

"Damn it," Potter muttered. Kingsley swept across the room. Drawing his wand, he quickly healed Potter's broken hand.

"You need to calm down, Harry. We all do," Kingsley said softly, examining Potter's newly healed hand. "If we argue, Hermione dies. If we go off our rocker, Hermione dies. We need to stay cool and reasonable. We need to do this for her. She might still have time."

Potter ripped away his hand. "She doesn't have any time," Potter said harshly. "She's as good as dead."

Kingsley shook his head. "She's not. You said it yourself, you never know with psychopaths. Yaxley is a psychopath. It's not about the kill for him. It's about the story. It's about the plotline. That's why he erased her memory last time instead of killing her. He would've gotten the same result had he just killed her and buried the body. But he likes the mystery of it."

Potter glared at Kingsley. "So? He's probably just going to kill her this time."

Kingsley shook his head once again. "I don't think so. He's going to wait. He left us a clue, in case you've forgotten. Let's finish this the way we started. He wants us to find them."

Potter made a sound very similar to a wail. "Then he might just kill her the second we enter the room."

Kingsley sighed. "He won't. He wants a fight. He won't kill her until he has you, Harry, chained and injured."

"That's never going to happen," Potter snarled.

Kingsley looked at him. "Then have some hope." Potter looked down.

"I don't think I can," Potter muttered.

"God fucking damn it, Potter," Draco jumped in. He was tired of the boy who lived. "Don't you remember the funeral? Don't you remember what you said? You said you were never going to give up on her, because she would never going to give up on you. Has that changed? She still wouldn't give up on you."

Potter stared at Draco for several moments. The truth of Draco's words seemed to affect him. Then suddenly, his expression changed. Instead of the hopeless mess he had been moments before, there was a type of drive gleaming out from his features. There was power in his eyes. Draco was taken aback. This was something Draco hadn't seen in seven years.

This was the boy who lived.

Weasel walked over to where Draco and Potter were standing. They all met each other eyes. They stood in a circle. In that moment, they understood each other perfectly. They were all very different people. They had spent different parts of their lives hating each other. But, underneath what they seemed to the others, they were the same. They were all men.

Men who loved Hermione.

Kingsley watched their exchange. "Now that we're all on the same page, I suggest a next step."

"Which is?" asked Blaise.

"I suggest we all go to bed," Kingsley said. There was an instant uproar.

"Sleep! You want us to sleep while Hermione's in that madman's hands?" That was Longbottom.

"Kingsley, are you off your rocker?" Blaise.

"What the fuck are you on?" Draco.

Kingsley held up his hands. "Listen to me, everyone! It has been one of the longest days imaginable. We aren't going to be able to help Hermione at all if we can barely keep our eyes open. We also have no idea where she is."

"Kingsley, there is no way we are just going to sleep while Hermione is being tortured or killed." Potter.

Kingsley sighed. "We need to. We can all sleep here and re-convene in the morning. We need the rest. Otherwise we won't be able to fight. Everyone, go to sleep. Find a bed, and sleep."

"Kingsley," Potter started, but the minister was fed up.

"Listen everyone! We need the rest. We don't know where she is, and even if we did, we couldn't fight off death eaters in this state. I am the minister for magic. I don't usually bring this up, but I am now. You are all officially ordered to go to sleep. No questions. No buts. Go to sleep."

Kingsley was now standing solidly. He was radiating the authority of the minister for magic. Draco knew they couldn't argue. Everyone realized it as well. A lot of angry murmuring filled the air. Draco heard a lot of swear words, as well as the ultimate question: what did Yaxley's clue mean? Let's finish the way we started. People were murmuring words of torture and memory theft. Draco blocked out the murmurs. He suddenly felt very light-headed. Maybe Kingsley was right, they did need sleep.

Draco turned from the living room. He didn't want to speak with anyone. He walked to the staircase and up to the first floor. He found the first room he could and turned in.

It was a small room, with two beds. It didn't look like it had been cleaned in a while. The beds were dust covered. Draco sighed. He walked over to one bed that looked rather cosy. Draco bent over and grabbed the sheets. He shook them out. The dust flew up into the air.

Draco sat down on the bed and stared at the wall for a while. Hermione's face was flashing through his mind over and over again. The face of the girl he loved.

When Draco was younger, he didn't think he would ever fall in love. It didn't seem like he ever would. He didn't really form any emotional attachments with his girlfriends. He didn't really want to spend more than a few months with them. He couldn't even imagine being so attached to someone as to want to spend the rest of your life with them.

But then Hermione burst into his life. It was like his life was just a night sky. Then Hermione was the sunrise. The light was so blinding and miraculous. He had thought the dark would never end. Hermione seemed to be his salvation. She was his sun, the light of his life. Draco could never see himself loving anyone but her.

Draco lay down. He wrapped the sheets around himself. He wanted her back. He wanted her in his arms, safe in this bed. He wanted her to smile at him. He wanted her to hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright. He wanted to brush a piece of hair out of her face. He wanted to sit with her and just talk for hours, like they had in Canada.

Hermione understood him on a level that no one else ever had. Draco felt tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. He wanted her safe. If he ever got his hands on Yaxley, he'd rip the bastard to pieces with his own hands.

The tears began to run down his face. He felt like his heart was breaking into a thousand pieces. His thoughts were only about her. Hermione. Where was she? Was she safe? Was she even alive?

Yaxley's words were running through his head. Let's finish this the way we started, pet. What did it mean? That question and Hermione's face were the two things clouding his mind as he uneasily drifted off to sleep.

His dreams were restless. He ended up in the Yaxley Manor in Egypt. He was in the centre room where Hermione had lost her memory. Hermione herself was stuck in an hourglass in the middle of the room. The sand was falling onto her. Her time was running out. Yaxley burst out of the shadows. He stood before Draco and tortured Hermione. She screamed. Draco tried to fight him, but the Malfoy heir couldn't reach the death eater. Draco turned from Yaxley and tried to break the hourglass and get her out, but he couldn't. Hermione met his eyes, screaming. There was only hate in her eyes. She was screaming at him. Yaxley kept torturing her. Eventually, Hermione lost consciousness from the pain. She fell down onto the sand. The sand still falling covered her until Draco couldn't see her anymore. He pounded on the glass, crying. Yaxley laughed. The final grain of sand fell as Draco woke up. "The way we started" was echoing through his head.

Draco sat up. His heart was pounding and he was sweating. The way we started. Finish this the way they started. They had been thinking about it all wrong.

Draco jumped up from his bed. Without a moment of hesitation, he sprinted out of the room and onto the landing. He was disoriented for a moment. He spun around in a circle, and located the stairs leading down to the living room. That's where they'd all be. He ran down the stairs, five at a time. His head was pounding, but he powered on. He crashed into the living room, panting.

Weasel, Potter, Blaise and Kingsley were in there, arguing. Draco could see the paper on the table. MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN, HERMIONE GRANGER KIDNAPPED read the title.

Everyone looked up and shut up as Draco skidded to a stop. None of them looked like they had slept a wink. They probably had, but the stress of losing Hermione didn't do well for one's appearance.

"Draco?" Kingsley asked, taking in Draco's erratic appearance.

"I figured it out," Draco burst out. Everyone froze.

"Do you mean….." Potter trailed off. Draco nodded several times.

"I know where to find Hermione."

Here we go. Also, someone asked how many chapter were left. I honestly don't know, but I'd say less than 10. That's subject to change though.