This Means War | Draco Malfoy [5]

Chapter 24 ~ Last Minute Confessions

"It'll be okay, Hermione. We promise," I told her.

"Thanks for being my best friend," she replied.

I smiled at her and gave her one last hug and Ron a sad smile before following Harry down the steps. Neither of us wanted to die, but we had to do this for the entire Wizarding world. We couldn't let Voldemort win.

"Are you nervous?" Harry asked me.

"A little," I replied. "What about you?"

He nodded his head. "Same."

"Max?"

We stopped walking and turned around to see who called my name. I gasped when I saw that it was Draco. I ran back up the steps and threw my arms around him. I pulled away after a brief moment, gazing into his eyes.

"Are you going to the forest?" he asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

I nodded my head in response. "Yeah, I am."

He shook his head, tears falling down his face. "No. Don't do it, Max."

"I have to. Harry and I have to do this," I told him. "Listen, Draco. I...I need to tell you something. I've been meaning to tell you this ever since I got here and now this is my last chance because I don't know if I'll have another one." I was beginning to cry again. "I love you," I added in a whisper.

Draco stared at me for a moment before pressing his lips onto mine. We were slowly kissing each other until he pulled away, his face inches away from mine. "I love you, too," he whispered back. "I've always loved you, Max Potter."

I smiled at him. "And I'll always love you, Draco Malfoy." I paused, sniffling. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

He smiled back. "You better go now."

I nodded. "No matter what happens, I'll always be with you." With that, I gave him one last peck on the lips and walked away from Draco, his touch still lingering on me. I felt him watch me as Harry and I walked out of the castle.

We were quiet while walking inside the Forbidden Forest. What was there to say? We were about to be killed by Lord Voldemort himself. I didn't want to say anything else that would make me cry. All of this was just too much for me.

"I'm glad that I told Draco that I loved him before we left the castle to come here," I told Harry, breaking the silence.

"I'm happy that he loves you back," he replied. "I would've hexed him if he had broken your heart."

I chuckled, shoving my brother in a playful way. "Well, you don't have to do that."

He chuckled, too, smiling at me. Then, we went back to walking quietly.

I was wondering what was going through Harry's mind as we continued walking. It was obvious that he didn't want to do this either. He never said goodbye to Ginny. I knew that he loved her just as much as I loved Draco and he didn't get the chance to tell her like I did with Draco. He wasn't going to admit his love for Ginny, but I still knew that he loved her.

All of a sudden, Harry stopped walking.

"What is it, Harry?" I asked, stopping beside him.

He reached into his pocket and took out the Snitch.

"Are you ready to die, Max?" he asked me.

Reluctantly, I nodded my head. "Yes, I am."

He nodded his head, too. "So am I. I'm ready to die."

"I'm ready to die," I repeated.

We looked at each other and said, "We're ready to die."

Harry pressed the Snitch to his lips like he did back in December. It opened up and a stone floated in front of us.