This is it! The final chapter. But don't worry, there will be an epilogue for this story ^_~ Until then, enjoy!
The day before Draco's departure he received a letter from Harry, calling him to his office at the Ministry for one last talk. From the content, he made it seem like it was something very important and work related, that could not be discussed anywhere else.
Cursing under his breath, Draco went to see what his 'almost friend' wanted to discuss with him. He burst through the office door and started talking as soon as he saw Harry.
"I thought we already talked about everything when you came to the Manor, Potter." Draco said coldly.
"And I see you still have the same charming manners, Malfoy." Harry mocked, motioning for Draco to take a sit.
"I'd rather stand." He said curtly. "Now tell me what this is about." he added annoyedly.
"Robert McKinley's trial has just been concluded. He has been sentenced to life in Azkaban, without the Dementor's kiss. The judge decided the man should pay for his crimes, while still aware of himself. That way, he would feel the full extent of the punishment." Harry finished, looking Draco straight in the eye.
"Yes, Potter, I know that. After all, it is the same punishment my father received." Draco said indifferently. "Now, if there is nothing else, please excuse me. I must go and get ready." Draco started to walk towards the door when Harry's voice stopped him.
"Malfoy, I wanted to talk to you about Hermione as well."
Draco froze, his hand clasping the doorknob so tightly, his knuckles turned white. He turned his head slowly, eyeing Harry with an icy cold stare.
"As far as I remember Potter, we've already discussed that particular topic."
"There is still something else we need to clear out before you leave the country again, Malfoy." Harry said, getting up and going round the desk.
"Oh, is there?" Draco asked, adding another notch of iciness to his voice.
"Yes. You see, you haven't told me an important detail." Harry continued, stopping just a step away from Draco. "Do you love her, Malfoy?" Harry dropped the question and the blonde gripped the doorknob even tighter, before finally releasing it and turning to face Harry.
"What the bloody hell do you want from me, Potter?" Draco said glaring openly at Harry.
"It's a rather simple question, Malfoy. Do you love Hermione, or not?" Harry said, stubbornness in both his voice and eyes.
Draco took a step closer and grabbed Harry by the collar of his robes, raising him slightly from the ground. Harry remained still, not moving an inch to free himself. The two former enemies stared at each other, the tension slowly building up in the room. Then Draco, pushed Harry away from him and let out a curse.
"Yes dammit!" Draco shouted, starting to pace. He pushed both his hands through his hair, feeling his composure slipping away. "If you really want to know, Potter, yes. I love her! I love Hermione so much that no matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to erase her face from my mind. Her touch and smell linger in my brain, driving me crazy day and night."
"Why don't you talk to her then, tell her how you feel? After all this time, surely you could do that." Harry said calmly, a small smile forming on his face.
"Don't be stupid Potter!" Draco said savagely. "She would never listen to me. Not now, not after everything that happened."
"Oh, I think she heard you quite perfectly. Isn't that right, Hermione?" Harry said, his face breaking out into a grin.
"I heard you loud and clear." A voice said from the other side of the office.
Before he had a chance to react, Draco saw Hermione's head and torso appearing in Harry's office. Then slowly something light and watery fell from her body, gradually revealing the rest of her body.
"What the bloody hell..." Draco said looking dumbfounded.
"Harry was kind enough to let me borrow his invisibility cloak." Hermione said as a-matter-of-factly. "It is quite useful. This way, one can hear things one could not otherwise hear. Like what you just said, for example."
"I think I should leave you two alone... to talk it out." Harry said briskly, turning to leave.
He snapped the door shut behind him, placing a silencing charm on his office just to be safe. The sound of the door closing made Draco snap out of his daze. Hermione's sudden appearance made him feel so flabbergasted that even his breathing stopped for a short moment.
Hermione had the cloak wrapped up around her arm and was advancing towards him. Her step was steady, and her face looked determined. She had come there with a purpose, and she would not back down until she had achieved it.
Draco on the other hand, started looking almost horrified seeing her approach him. He backed away a step and she stopped.
"Let's talk, Draco." She said calmly.
"There is nothing more to talk about. I've already said everything you needed to know." Draco said curtly, trying to reapply his stone-face mask.
"Clearly you haven't told me everything." Hermione insisted.
"This... what you just heard... it doesn't matter." Draco threw at her through gritted teeth.
Hearing this, Hermione snapped. All the feelings and emotions that raged inside her burst forth instantly.
"How can you say that?!" She shouted at him, taking another step closer. "You horrible man! How can you deny me this. You say you love me, then you run away like a coward." She bit out furiously.
Draco's jaw tightened at her words, his hands clenching into fists. He felt his own temper escalating, as hot anger rose inside his chest. He had half a mind to turn around and leave, but there was something about her that kept him rooted to the spot. Perhaps it was the flaming passion she had in her eyes, or the storm of emotions he could see on her face. He saw his own feelings reflected in the glossy brown of her eyes and something broke inside him. Like a dam crumbling, his composure broke into pieces.
In two strides he closed the distance between them, pushing her into the wall behind her. She looked at him aghast, letting out a sound of protest, but he ignored it. A second later, he trapped her small form between the wall and his body.
"Draco..." she breathed out, staring up into his stormy grey eyes.
He could look at himself so clearly in her eyes now. He could see himself just as she saw him, a man full of passion and love, a man crazy for her. That made him feel ashamed and mortified. Her kindness of loving him in return, even after all he has done, made him feel so embarrassed that it was making his entire body shudder.
"No matter what I feel about you, Hermione, I can never be with you." He said in a strained voice, looking at her eyes growing wider.
"Why not?" She asked, a pleading tinge in her voice.
"Because I am an awful human being." He said, pressing himself more against her. "I am someone who has hurt and loathed you throughout your childhood, someone who has physically harmed you. Because I am a Death Eater, and Death Eaters don't get second chances." He finished briskly.
"Maybe you were all those things in the past, but you are different right now. You don't torment me nor hurt me, and you sure aren't a Death Eater anymore."
Draco sighed and looked down at her. He did not want to do this, but he had no other choice. It was the last chance if he wanted to make her understand. Slowly, he released her body, baking away slightly. With a trembling hand, he raised his sleeve just enough to reveal the Dark Mark. He turned his hand upward and pushed it in front of Hermione.
The effect was almost instantaneous. Hermione let out a gasp and her hands flew to her mouth, letting the cloak fall to the floor between them. Her eyes stared at Draco's arm, where the Dark Mark was still visible. Sickening black lines outlined the shape of the skull and snake.
Draco raised his other arm and placed his index finger right in the of the mark, slowly tracing its outline. Hermione's breath caught in her throat. She looked at him in dismay, her eyes moving from his arm to his darkened face.
"As long as this is here" he said in a hoarse voice "I will always be a Death Eater and you are only deluding yourself for thinking otherwise."
They stared at each other for a few moments, each silently dealing with his own emotions, until Hermione moved her hands away from her face. Her cheeks were glistening, and Draco realized she had started crying at some point. It added another stab to his already shattered heart. In that split second, he wanted nothing else than to gather her in his arms, to feel her close. Her soft, quivering voice startled him out of his thoughts.
"If that is so, then do you think I will always be a mudblood?" She asked, quietly revealing her own forearm. She looked at it before continuing to speak in a quiet voice. "We may both be branded and marked, but we are more than that. We are more than just the scars on our skin. No matter what you say or think, we represent more than our past, Draco."
She swiftly moved towards him and grabbed his forearm, covering the Dark Mark with her palm. Her sudden touch made Draco flinch. He gaped at her and saw Hermione's intense gaze settled on his face.
"I love you for who you are, Draco Malfoy. And if the only reason why you will not be with me is this bloody mark, then I will carve it out of your arm and let you bleed until you see reason." She said fiercely.
Her words made almost all his doubts disappear. He had thought he could scare her away, make her give up, but it was now clear to him that he was mistaken. The woman in front of him would never give up. She was braver and stronger than he had thought, and in an instant he started loving her more than before.
As the final string of self-possession broke, Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione, pulling her closer. He took one more look at her, before pressing his lips against hers. Passion, anguish, desire, fear, despair, all these repressed feelings mixed together in that kiss. It was like air was no longer necessary for him to live, all he needed was her presence. He pushed her farther against the wall, kissing her with even more passion, brushing his hands through her hair, then slowly tracing her body until settling firmly around her waist.
Hermione responded to his kiss, adding her own desire, together with hope and redemption. She poured her own feelings into their searing kiss, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer.
Their past, the fact that they were in Harry's office, the invisibility cloak, everything laid forgotten, while Draco and Hermione made their first step towards a future together.
Thank you all for reading this story until the very end! I am grateful to all of you for giving this a chance, as well as your time ^_^ <333
Now regarding the epilogue. I have thought for a long while, what would Draco's letter contain. Then, as I desperately tried to see the words, I remembered that, without realizing, a while back I wrote that letter. If you're curious to see what it contains, stay tuned for the Epilogue tomorrow. It will bring closure to the two of them. Until then, have a wonderful day and again many thanks for your wonderful support *bows head* ^_^ <333