A Man Can Change - A Draco/Hermione Story

To Cry a Million Tears

I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS: J.K.ROWLING OWNS THEM. This is just a fanfic written by a huge HP fan. 

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“And with those beautiful words from Dennis’s friends, I would like you all to take a moment to remember a young man who was incredibly intelligent, brave, headstrong and loyal. Those of us who were close friends of his, you will remember the special friendship each held with him, and will cherish all the wonderful memories you made together. And those of us who did not know him personally, we will remember him as the smiling boy that passed us in the hallways, the brave boy who stood up for what was right, and the laughing boy at the dinner table, enjoying the time he had with his friends.

      “We will miss Dennis, we will miss him dearly, and nothing as tragic as this should have happened to a young man with a full life ahead of him. But we cannot change the past. We cannot change what has happened here in recent events. But one thing is for sure, he will be happy where he has gone, as he joins his beloved brother Colin, who also passed from us too soon. These young men fought for us, fought for what was right, and deserve the utmost respect.

      “Please join me, and raise your wands to the sky, in honour of this brave young wizard, Dennis Creevey, whose time has come and gone quickly on this earth. Gone, but certainly, not forgotten.”

      At Professor McGonagall’s words, Draco joined in with his classmates and pointed his wand to the twilight lit sky, each of them muttering ‘Lumos’. Their wands lit up the darkening sky. He didn’t shed any tears on the outside for Dennis, as he didn’t know him, but on the inside he was crying a million tears as he felt extremely guilty for his death. Draco kept thinking that if he hadn’t have ducked down, out of the way from a curse he had felt many times before, then he would still be alive right now, and he wouldn’t be sitting at his memorial service.

      Draco looked upwards at the sky and silently said sorry and farewell to Dennis. When he looked back down, McGonagall was lowering her wand, and everyone followed suit. Many people started to leave but everyone in the front row stayed still. There was still an audible sniffing through the crowd that had lasted throughout the whole service.

      Draco and Hermione were sitting next to the Professors of the school, the Ministry staff and Dennis’s parents. They were only up there because they were the Head Prefects.

      “Stop blaming yourself, there is nothing that could have been done.” Hermione whispered to him. He thought he must have had a guilty look on his face, the same one he’d been wearing in the week since his death. Hermione had been reassuring him all week long that there was nothing to be done now and that it wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t help but continue to feel guilty.

      “We’ve been through this, there was something I could have done. I was just too much of a coward to take one stupid little Cruciatus curse.” He whispered back.

      “You know what, I’m not having this argument here. But we aren’t done.” She whispered back, a little shakily. She had tear stains down her face when Draco looked at her. She’d been crying into a few tissues that she’d kept supplied in Draco’s pocket. There was a small pile of scrunched up used tissues on her lap.

      He stared down at her for a little while until she told him to stop it, then he looked over to the casket lying on a stone table containing Dennis’s body. An involuntary shiver was sent down his spine and he had to turn away.

      The old Professor was talking to Dennis’s parents, who were inconsolable over the death of their second son, so soon after their first son perished. Draco’s mind wandered away, and drifted to the thought of Blaise and Goyle. They had been taken care of so fast and efficiently, that he started to wonder why his father hadn’t been dealt with as quickly, just as every other Death Eater had been.