wildflowers // dramione

Chapter 37

Things began to settle in the Great Hall. People no longer swarmed around Harry and a few Aurors arrived to handle the bodies. Madam Pomfrey and a few other professors moved the wounded to the hospital wing, though they had to use a few classrooms as well since most of the wing was destroyed in battle. McGonagall and adult members of the Order began to make some repairs around the school, however, it would take much more than one night to fully fix Hogwarts. Students were sent home, though the majority of Dumbledore's army stayed longer to help tidy up the Great Hall. As it slowly faded later into the day, more people left. By around 5 pm, only core members of the Order and a few professors remained, plus Draco and his mum. But the mother and son weren't sticking around for much longer.

Hermione and her friends were out in the courtyard, repairing destroyed columns and removing remains of crumbled walls. Draco had managed to slip away from her while she talked to Luna. A small part of the blonde boy thought that the unusual Ravenclaw may have been distracting Hermione, but that seemed like an odd thing to do, even for a Lovegood. Draco now leaned against one of the few undamaged columns in the courtyard. He couldn't take his eyes off the brunette Gryffindor girl mending a part of the castle. She had hope sparkling in her eyes. It was something Draco thought he hadn't seen since their first meeting on the train, and it was something he would be devastated to see go away. His mum appeared beside him. She had been off with George Weasley again. The lonely Weasley boy had just left to go home and rest, thanks to Narcissa's convincing. It was too bad she couldn't be there for him throughout the rest of his grieving, but she knew he'd be alright. The Weasleys were somehow always alright.

"Are you ready to go?" Draco said in a low tone. Leaving was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

"I am. You don't have to come with me. I'll be fine, Darling." Narcissa put a hand on her son's shoulder, but he stood up, making it slide off.

"No, I'm coming."

Narcissa sighed. She took Draco's hand and he led them towards the bridge for their departure. She walked slowly. Draco did too, but he feared being seen as him and his mother left. Suddenly a voice from behind them confirmed that they had been caught.

"Hey!" Hermione yelled. Narcissa stopped immediately and tugged on Draco's hand for him to do the same. Hermione jogged to catch up to the Malfoys. "Where are you going?"

Neither Narcissa or Draco answered. Instead, Narcissa let go of her son's hand and took a few steps back to let her son and his love speak. Hermione saw the looks on the mother and son's faces and she deciphered their plan to leave, and possibly not come back. Her eyes, which had taken so long to dry, flooded with tears again.

"Draco, don't go," she whispered.

"I have to." Draco forced a smile but he felt like doing anything but that. He took Hermione's hand in his and pulled their bodies closer, wrapping his other arm around her waist. He leaned his forehead down to touch hers.

"No, you don't."

Narcissa chimed in. "Go with her, Draco. I'll be ok. You don't have to leave each other again."

"Yes, we do. The world's not ready for us yet," Draco said with a single, dry laugh.

Hermione squinted at him in confusion. "What? What do you mean? Why not?"

"You're not ready for us. You know it." Draco could feel both his and Hermione's hands shake.

"Yes, I am. I have been since I was eleven. What are you even saying?"

"Maybe you were then, but not now. You know it," he repeated. "They need you, Love. I can't take you away from them." Both Hermione and Draco looked back towards her friends and classmates in the courtyard.