It Was Never Supposed to Be Easy

A Plan

I heard a thump as Ron hit the ground running. Suddenly, Draco was moving, his robes seemingly dragging him away from the certain death.

“Hermione? Really? Focus, here!” He shouted from wherever he was.

“Oh, sorry! I’m sorry!” I cried grabbing the stunned Draco’s feet. We began running, Draco’s arms swinging wildly, we were stumbling as fast as we could, and there was no way we were going to make it to safety. There were footsteps behind us and the doors were so close. The shouting was growing nearer and then there were spells flying at us.

“Run!” Ron yelled.

Suddenly, I was the only one holding Draco, Ron, wherever he was, was no longer holding him.

“Ron?” I screamed, fumbling with the boy in my arms. I couldn’t hold his weight, he was so heavy. Great, heaving sobs were ripping from my throat. I was going to die. Ron was going to die. And Draco…

Draco looked like he was sleeping. His eyes closed, his face relaxed. The premature lines around his eyes were gone, a look of peace on his face. He looked like he was asleep, or dead. My heart surged with emotion as I felt tears run down my face. I would never be able to save him. All this time, that’s what I had wanted. To save him from a fate he had chosen. He knew it was going to happen; he had even tried to pull me down with him. Why was I attempting to save him?

‘Because you love him?’ questioned a voice in my head.

No, I did love him. But I wasn’t in love with him.

Maybe I never was.

“Hermione, it’s him! Go, I’ll try to hold him off. Take Draco and run. Just, GO!”

Ron was yelling from somewhere near me. I sat there stunned. Did Ron just know what he had said? Did he realize who he had just echoed?

And then, my decision was made.

Lily had run to save Harry. She had left the love of her life to fight for her and their son.

James had died alone, at the hands of a murderer.

He had died fighting.

Suddenly, I was moving, standing. In my hand was Draco’s wand and then I was next to where I had heard Ron’s voice last.

“Hermione?” He yelled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get him and GO!”

“No.” I said, finally sure of my choice. “My place is here.”

“No, Hermione.” said a new voice. I whipped around, surprised.

Harry Potter stood, framed in the doorway, his hand raised, his wand at the ready.

“This is my fight.”

And then strong hands were pulling me back, away from the fight, towards life. Harry was walking past me, stepping over Draco and calmly facing the man who had killed his parents.

“It’s just you and me Voldemort.” He said, as if he was ordering tea.

I felt myself being picked up by invisible arms; I was being carried away by Ron. I could feel him around me, I could hear him crying, and I could see Draco’s body, still lying on the floor.

And then we were out the doors.

“No, Ron! We have to go help Harry!”

Ron said nothing, his pace jerky and his breath coming in sobs.

Then there was Ginny, and she was running to the mansion, screaming.

“Harry! No!” over and over, like a chant.

Ron set me down and then Ginny was no longer moving forward but struggling against her brother’s hold.

“Ginny, it’s over. You know the plan.”

“Harry?” she sobbed.

“It’s time for the fight. We need to go.”

“I’m not leaving him!” I screamed, standing.

“Who, Hermione?” said Ginny turning in me. “Harry, your friend? Or Malfoy, the murderer?”
I felt like she had slapped me, and then suddenly there was Ron in front of me. In his hands was a silly pink hat that I recognized as one of Fred and George’s inventions. It was that stupid hat that made the wearer’s head invisible. They must have somehow fixed the charm so that it covered the entire body.

“Leave it Hermione. We need to go.”

“We need to help Harry!”

“Look, this is his plan. He decided this. This is his fight, you know that. We need to go back to our campsite. I’m sorry that we didn’t save Draco, but this is what Harry told me and Ginny to do. This is what is going to happen.”

His face was red from stress and tears and I knew that he hated this, but his loyalty and trust in Harry far extended his need to be a hero.

“We have to fight.” I whispered. “We promised a long time ago he wasn’t in this alone!” I was sobbing now, my voice breaking. Behind Ron, Ginny was watching the house, staring at the doors, waiting for Harry.

“I…I promised him I’d keep you safe” Ron whispered, dropping the hat, and pulling me into a hug. “I promised him, he’s my best friend, he asked me to do this.”

“I didn’t promise anything!” I said pulling away. “I want to help him.”

Ron stepped back and looked at the house too. We stood in a line and watched for our friend. For our savior. For The Boy That Lived. For Harry.

“Alright.” Said Ron suddenly. “We need a plan.”

***
So, I'm a whore. Remember, when I see all your pretty comment, I get the urge to write...