FicWad

Draco didn’t realise what she meant to him until they were in the midst of the final battle. Of course, he had bullied, provoked and been punched by her; but it all seemed to mean something now.
Now he understood what she and her pathetic, and admittedly brave, friends were fighting for; freedom, equality and love.

Now he wanted to fight with- not against- her.
He knew he couldn’t do it now, as he was entering the Hogwarts Castle, as the first few curses began to fly in a deadly torrent from both sides.
He ran as fast as his skinny legs could carry him; to the room of requirement where he could hide until almost the end, when he knew Voldemort would call upon all of his Death Eaters and all those who didn’t want to die, to follow him.
Originally he would’ve followed his family to what seemed like a better future, pure-blooded and run by the Dark Lord himself. But now he saw that Harry Potter The Boy Who Lived was going to win this, his future lay in an equal world.
As Draco entered the Room of Requirement, unseen by anyone, he began to reflect on when his view had changed.

Not just as he entered the Final Battle, but before then. When he had seen the muggle-born Granger tortured and beaten on his manor’s floor. Her blood staining the surface she lay on, crucio’d almost beyond existence… That was it! He had seen her bleeding, and realised her blood wasn’t any different to his, they were the same. At that point his upbringing began to fall away from him, piece by piece.
He could hear the screams of his fellow students, fighting bravely alongside teachers in every corridor. He could hear the manic laughter as the Death Eaters began the chase that ended in death, or worse.

Finally, he could take no more. ‘No more cowardice, Malfoy’ he thought to himself as he gritted his teeth in preparation for the onslaught of chaos.
He grasped his wand for protection and flung the door open to be met with the sight of a cursing Molly Weasley (yes he did know their names.. He just never used them properly) fighting his deranged Aunt Bellatrix who immediately saw him approaching from the doorway.
Glee was evident in her eyes as she believed he was coming to help her ‘finish the job’ as it were, she began to multi-task; beckoning the boy with one hand and hexing with the other.
He slowly approached her and bowed his head, in a sign of honour to her. She responded with only two words: “Kill her.”
“Yes, Aunt.” He pointed his wand “Avada Kedavra!” His Aunt crumpled to the floor underneath his emotionless eyes.

Ginny stepped out and briefly wrapped her slender arms around his middle in gratitude “Thank-you.” She whispered, tears brimming in her eyes and she moved on to tend to her mother.
Draco, too, had to move on. Had to keep pushing his way to the battle scenes downstairs when he heard an almighty hiss in his mind, he knew it was Voldemort, but what he did not know is what his ‘Lord’ wanted them all to hear.
In all fairness, Draco wasn’t really listening to what was going on around him as he was too busy searching for Granger, the insufferable know-it-all who he’d come to admire and perhaps even love?
He found her, a sobbing wreck on the ground, Weasley nowhere to be seen. Potter had been announced dead, and Draco wasn’t quite sure what to think.
He took Hermione by the arm which startled her; “Get off me! Just because H-Harry’s dead doesn’t mean you’ve won!” and with an almighty shove she sent him flying.

She stood over him, wand pointed at his head. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill your pathetic arse right now?”
He looked her square in the eye “Because I killed my own Aunt protecting Molly and Ginny Weasley. Because I don’t want to be on his side any longer. And because, Hermione, you couldn’t deal with killing someone in such a cold-hearted manner. Even if it is me.”
Her wand slipped as confusion clouded her features. He grasped her firmly by the elbow, keeping her upright and said slowly “Come on, Granger. You can still win this. We can still win this. For Harry.”
She looked to him, and her jaw set in determination. “You’re right. Come on!” and with that she was lost in the crowd once more, and he prayed to Merlin she wouldn’t get herself killed.
Eventually the time came when Voldemort made his physical presence known to all those in the Castle, the time Draco had anticipated; he was going to call all of his followers- old and new- to him in an act of loyalty.
And once he did, his family crossed over and looked expectantly at him. As did the rest of the school.

When he didn’t move, his father became furious “Draco Abraxus Malfoy, get yourself over here this instant! You’re putting our family to shame, boy!”
Finally, Draco took a step forward. “No, father.” He spat the word out like it was venom. “You are the one putting our family to shame! Can’t you see you’re all going to lose? You’re all going to die? And Harry Potter’s name shall live on. I won’t be your follower anymore, Riddle.” After his brave speech the entire of the crowd of teenagers, parents and teachers applauded him. It appeared to most that Draco Malfoy had learnt how to grow a backbone.
Hermione ran forward to embrace him, and just as they did so; meeting each other in the middle for a chaste kiss, nobody could stop Voldemort from casting the spell of death at the newly formed couple. “AVADA KEDAVRA, TRAITOR!!”
The couple fell, still embracing. Their cold, dead eyes looking into each others. The smiles still apparent on their lifeless faces.

They had fought together and died together.

And that meant more to anyone than just simply winning the War.