Love Never Dies. (Draco Malfoy Fan Fiction) (Watty Awards 2013 Winner)

Alternate Ending

I pulled her in for a hug. I thought it was weird but I felt it was necessary. She cried harder on my shoulder, fresh beads of tears wetting my shoulder. "He's going to be okay. He's with Fred now," I whispered, rubbing her back in condolence. Things got oddly silent and Ginny noticed it as well. She pulled away from me and walked boldly out of the corridor. Slipping the journal into my jacket pocket, I followed behind her.

"HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!" Someone cried. Chills ran up and down my spine. The hair on my arms stood on end. I froze and so did Ginny but not for long. She screamed and screamed so loudly. There was so much despair and pain in her voice I wanted so badly to hug her again until she felt better. The still body of Harry Potter lay in Hagrid's hands. The body of hope, light and resistance was dead. My heart seemed to have stopped beating for a few seconds. 

I snuck behind the other students and when Draco's eyes found mine, his face lit up. Draco squeezed my hand so tightly when he found them I winced. "Draco - ," Lucius called for Draco. 

"Go," I nudged Draco forward. 

"I want to stay," he insisted, staying put. I gave him a look, hoping he could read my expression.

"Go. Enough people have died. I don't want the same to happen to you." I pushed Draco forward. He looked at me sadly before he towed the line and walked over to his parents.

And suddenly the frail body of Harry Potter leaped back to life and the battle began once more. 

- - -

"Hey Rachel," Luna's dreamy voice called my name. "I think this belongs to you." She handed me the glass jar with the two stars.

"How did you - ," I asked, taking the jar from her.

"Parkinson found it and wanted to break it. I knew you'd be upset that it was broken so I snatched it from her and Neville put a stunning spell on her," she said, smiling.

"Since when did you care about me?" I asked, turning the jar in my hands.

"George convinced us that you were on the good side. I believed him and we were right. I'm glad we got the chance to trust you. It must be really upsetting to have no one trust you," she muttered. Her light blond hair was falling in small ringlets down her back.

"Thank you. For believing me and for this," I thanked her before walking towards Hermione. "And you have your answer as to why I can conjure a patronus," I added before turning.

I felt someone behind me. Before I could turn to see who it was, he said, "I stayed." Draco was behind me, his lips just beside my ear. His velvety voice filled my ears, the smooth intonation familiar to my ears. "Everything's over now." Draco rolled his left sleeve up to reveal nothing but a light scar on his forearm. I rolled mine up as well, smiling when I saw a similar scar on my forearm. 

"Thank goodness you're alright." I wrapped my arms around Draco's neck and sighed. I had to tiptoe to be able to hug him like that, something that got on my nerves. I hated being much shorter than he was. "I was afraid something bad would have happened to you." Draco put his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek.

"It's over," he repeated. 

"Finally over," I added.

- - -

19 Years Later

Platform 9 3/4. The red Hogwarts Express that I rode to school every year. Was now spilling with children. "They grow up so fast, don't they?" Hermione came beside me. 

"They really do," I said, waving goodbye to Scorpius from the platform. "It feels like yesterday was our first day at Hogwarts."

"Now it's theirs," Draco added, his hands in his pockets. "And their new journey to our school."

The steam train let out a loud horn and began accelerating away from the platform. As the train moved away from sight, I felt the leather-bound book against my side. George's face popped into my mind. I wondered how his children would have looked like if he'd have any. Would they be boarding the train as ours were now? Tears stung the back of my eyes as I thought of what he had written in the diary Ginny gave to me. No one as memorable as she was, he had written. No one was as memorable as he was, I had thought. 

- - - - - - - - - - - 

"Drachel will have memories and George will just forever be in her heart." - JillCapricio

"George could dive in front and take the curse." - WeasleyTwin2

"Cause when I look at my life
  How the pieces fall into place
  It just wouldn't rhyme without you
  When I see how my path
  Seem to end up before your face
  The state of my heart
  The place where were are
  Was written in the stars." - Written in the Stars, Westlife