One-shot
"Who else is here?" Draco asked as he approached Dumbledore from afar, his wand drawn outward, "I heard te talking."
"I often talk aloud to myself." Dumbledore told him, "I find it extraordinarily useful. That which sounds sane at a whisper can seem utterly mad when detto for all the world to hear. Haven't been whispering to yourself, have you, Draco?"
Draco looked at Dumbledore with uneasiness in his eyes as beads of sweat formed above his brow.
"You are not an assassin, Draco." Dumbledore told him with a calm sigh.
"How do te know what I am?" Draco spat at him, "I've done things that would shock you!"
"Like cursing Katie Bell," Dumbledore began, "And hoping she would, in turn, orso a cursed collana to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison. Forgive me, Draco, but these are attempts so feeble I cannot help but domanda if your cuore has been really in them. I'm curious. When Voldemort gave te this task, when he asked te to kill me, was it in a whisper?"
Draco looked down at the wooden planks beneath him before responding back to him, "He trusts me… if I do this I will become one of them! A death eater, father will be so proud. And all I have to do is this one little thing…" He stated weakly with tear stung eyes.
"I hardly recall having to prove yourself worthy to become a death eater, Draco, especially being a Malfoy. It would seem that your blood alone is enough to make te worthy." Dumbledore commented, "Did your father have to pass the same test?"
"Times have changed since he was initiated!" Draco barked.
"My apologies Draco, I was merely assuming that an-"
"Well te were wrong!" Draco spat.
"Hm, perhaps I should make this easy for you." Dumbledore detto as he withdrew his wand and began pointing it towards himself.
"Expelliarumus!" Draco shouted, causing the Headmaster's wand to fly across the room.
"Don't!" He told him.
"Well done Draco," Dumbledore complimented him, "But I warn you. Killing is not nearly as easy."
"How would te know!" Draco asked him in a shaky holler.
"Please listen to him Draco!" The two of them turned their heads as Hermione entered the room with tearful eyes, "Please Draco… don't do this."
"Granger?" He asked, "You shouldn't be here. te could get hurt… leave." Draco told her, "Go away."
"Perhaps te should listen to Draco, Hermione, he is not quite in the state of himself at the moment." Dumbledore warned her.
"No." She told the two of them, "I am not going anywhere."
"Hermione…" Draco detto with his eyes closed, "Please… you're not supposed to get hurt here, not today… just walk away and forget what you've seen."
"No!" She shouted, "I won't leave!" She told him, "I will not just walk away and let te destroy your life!"
"Why not!" Draco spat back, "I have been destroying yours for the past six years, so why should te care about mine!" He asked as a small tear escaped from the corner of his eye. "Why!"
"Because you're a good person… you're not like your father. And the only reason te try to be is because te want him to approve of you, to praise you. But, Draco, why should it matter what your father thinks? Does he really matter that much? Matter so much that te are willing to kill, to take a life, just to get him to Amore you?"
"You don't know my father… he'll disown me if I don't do this." Draco detto softly.
"Draco, listen to me," Hermione told him as she walked up to him; he looked down into her eyes, "Your father is… he's nothing! Sure, he is rich, sure, he has connections… but at what cost! He is a bad person… he is evil. But not te Draco. True, te have dato me hell since I first came to Hogwarts, but I always saw good in te when I would look into your eyes. As I see it now… please Draco… please. Do not do this." She whispered as another tear rolled down her cheek, "Just give me your wand, walk away, and pretend this never happened."
"I can't, it's-" She cut him off da placing her hand over his mouth.
"It's never too late before you've done bad Draco. te haven't done anything wrong yet… there is still time to just walk away." She told him as she pulled her hand away from his lips, "I am putting my faith in te Draco because I have it. And because I… because I…" Her head dropped and she closed her eyes.
"What?" He asked her as he placed his hand onto her chin to lift her eyes to his, "Because te what?"
Her eyes were small slits as she opened them, "Because I Amore you." She told him, "And I know that te could never Amore me because of what I am, but I am hoping that my Amore for te is enough to help te make the right decision."
"Never Amore you?" Draco asked her, "How could I not Amore you?"
"What?" She asked him with shock, "Draco, te hate me! te have been doing nothing but calling me mudblood and filthy for the past six years... how can I expect that to ever change?"
"I am so sorry, Hermione." He told her as he dropped his wand onto the floor and wrapped his arm around her and placed his opposite hand onto the side of her cheek, "The only reason I did those things was because that is what I thought I was supposed to do. I wanted to try and convince myself that te were nothing, that te were just another muggle born girl who meant nothing in the world. But deep down... I always knew te were so much more. I always knew that te were everything... te are everything to me, Hermione. And I do Amore you. I Amore te a lot più than te could possibly imagine."
"I doubt that." Hermione detto softly.
"It's true. The fact that te Amore me is... is... it's bloody impossible. After the way I have been treating you, recitazione towards te from the moment I first met you, it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense for te to Amore me. I am stupid, and weak, and pathetic, and a bully, and a right damn fool." He told her, "But you... you're smart, and brave, and witty, and honest... and beautiful, so amazingly, breathtakingly, heart-stopping beautiful." He told her as he looked down into her eyes.
"Draco..." She whispered.
"Tell me te Amore me Hermione, please tell me that te Amore me." He asked.
"I Amore you." She told him softly.
"Now tell me that te mean it."
"I mean it Draco... I Amore you."
Draco smiled as a small tear escaped the corner of his eye.
"You're crying," Hermione whispered as she reached her hand up to wipe it away, he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes as he placed his hand over hers.
"Tell me te Amore me." Hermione whispered as she looked up at him with glossy eyes.
Draco opened his eyes and looked down at her with a sincere expression of pure love, "I Amore you, Hermione Jean Granger."
"Now tell me that te mean it. And promise to always take care of me, and protect me, and stick up for me."
He placed his hands on opposite sides of her face and he looked her deeply in the eyes, "You are my world, Hermione. I Amore you, I always have and always will. I will always take care of te and always protect you, no matter what. And I will always stick up for you."
Hermione smiled as she placed her hand over his. She then laced her fingers with his and slid his hand away from her cheek and brought it up against her heart, "Now baciare me." She detto with a shaky voice.
Draco licked his lips slowly, and he leaned down until his forehead was pressed gently against hers.
He then whispered, "I Amore you, Hermione Granger."
And he slid his hand around to the back of her head and wove his fingers carefully into her hair, he closed his eyes, and he kissed her.
THE END
"Who else is here?" Draco asked as he approached Dumbledore from afar, his wand drawn outward, "I heard te talking."
"I often talk aloud to myself." Dumbledore told him, "I find it extraordinarily useful. That which sounds sane at a whisper can seem utterly mad when detto for all the world to hear. Haven't been whispering to yourself, have you, Draco?"
Draco looked at Dumbledore with uneasiness in his eyes as beads of sweat formed above his brow.
"You are not an assassin, Draco." Dumbledore told him with a calm sigh.
"How do te know what I am?" Draco spat at him, "I've done things that would shock you!"
"Like cursing Katie Bell," Dumbledore began, "And hoping she would, in turn, orso a cursed collana to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison. Forgive me, Draco, but these are attempts so feeble I cannot help but domanda if your cuore has been really in them. I'm curious. When Voldemort gave te this task, when he asked te to kill me, was it in a whisper?"
Draco looked down at the wooden planks beneath him before responding back to him, "He trusts me… if I do this I will become one of them! A death eater, father will be so proud. And all I have to do is this one little thing…" He stated weakly with tear stung eyes.
"I hardly recall having to prove yourself worthy to become a death eater, Draco, especially being a Malfoy. It would seem that your blood alone is enough to make te worthy." Dumbledore commented, "Did your father have to pass the same test?"
"Times have changed since he was initiated!" Draco barked.
"My apologies Draco, I was merely assuming that an-"
"Well te were wrong!" Draco spat.
"Hm, perhaps I should make this easy for you." Dumbledore detto as he withdrew his wand and began pointing it towards himself.
"Expelliarumus!" Draco shouted, causing the Headmaster's wand to fly across the room.
"Don't!" He told him.
"Well done Draco," Dumbledore complimented him, "But I warn you. Killing is not nearly as easy."
"How would te know!" Draco asked him in a shaky holler.
"Please listen to him Draco!" The two of them turned their heads as Hermione entered the room with tearful eyes, "Please Draco… don't do this."
"Granger?" He asked, "You shouldn't be here. te could get hurt… leave." Draco told her, "Go away."
"Perhaps te should listen to Draco, Hermione, he is not quite in the state of himself at the moment." Dumbledore warned her.
"No." She told the two of them, "I am not going anywhere."
"Hermione…" Draco detto with his eyes closed, "Please… you're not supposed to get hurt here, not today… just walk away and forget what you've seen."
"No!" She shouted, "I won't leave!" She told him, "I will not just walk away and let te destroy your life!"
"Why not!" Draco spat back, "I have been destroying yours for the past six years, so why should te care about mine!" He asked as a small tear escaped from the corner of his eye. "Why!"
"Because you're a good person… you're not like your father. And the only reason te try to be is because te want him to approve of you, to praise you. But, Draco, why should it matter what your father thinks? Does he really matter that much? Matter so much that te are willing to kill, to take a life, just to get him to Amore you?"
"You don't know my father… he'll disown me if I don't do this." Draco detto softly.
"Draco, listen to me," Hermione told him as she walked up to him; he looked down into her eyes, "Your father is… he's nothing! Sure, he is rich, sure, he has connections… but at what cost! He is a bad person… he is evil. But not te Draco. True, te have dato me hell since I first came to Hogwarts, but I always saw good in te when I would look into your eyes. As I see it now… please Draco… please. Do not do this." She whispered as another tear rolled down her cheek, "Just give me your wand, walk away, and pretend this never happened."
"I can't, it's-" She cut him off da placing her hand over his mouth.
"It's never too late before you've done bad Draco. te haven't done anything wrong yet… there is still time to just walk away." She told him as she pulled her hand away from his lips, "I am putting my faith in te Draco because I have it. And because I… because I…" Her head dropped and she closed her eyes.
"What?" He asked her as he placed his hand onto her chin to lift her eyes to his, "Because te what?"
Her eyes were small slits as she opened them, "Because I Amore you." She told him, "And I know that te could never Amore me because of what I am, but I am hoping that my Amore for te is enough to help te make the right decision."
"Never Amore you?" Draco asked her, "How could I not Amore you?"
"What?" She asked him with shock, "Draco, te hate me! te have been doing nothing but calling me mudblood and filthy for the past six years... how can I expect that to ever change?"
"I am so sorry, Hermione." He told her as he dropped his wand onto the floor and wrapped his arm around her and placed his opposite hand onto the side of her cheek, "The only reason I did those things was because that is what I thought I was supposed to do. I wanted to try and convince myself that te were nothing, that te were just another muggle born girl who meant nothing in the world. But deep down... I always knew te were so much more. I always knew that te were everything... te are everything to me, Hermione. And I do Amore you. I Amore te a lot più than te could possibly imagine."
"I doubt that." Hermione detto softly.
"It's true. The fact that te Amore me is... is... it's bloody impossible. After the way I have been treating you, recitazione towards te from the moment I first met you, it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't make any sense for te to Amore me. I am stupid, and weak, and pathetic, and a bully, and a right damn fool." He told her, "But you... you're smart, and brave, and witty, and honest... and beautiful, so amazingly, breathtakingly, heart-stopping beautiful." He told her as he looked down into her eyes.
"Draco..." She whispered.
"Tell me te Amore me Hermione, please tell me that te Amore me." He asked.
"I Amore you." She told him softly.
"Now tell me that te mean it."
"I mean it Draco... I Amore you."
Draco smiled as a small tear escaped the corner of his eye.
"You're crying," Hermione whispered as she reached her hand up to wipe it away, he leaned into her touch and closed his eyes as he placed his hand over hers.
"Tell me te Amore me." Hermione whispered as she looked up at him with glossy eyes.
Draco opened his eyes and looked down at her with a sincere expression of pure love, "I Amore you, Hermione Jean Granger."
"Now tell me that te mean it. And promise to always take care of me, and protect me, and stick up for me."
He placed his hands on opposite sides of her face and he looked her deeply in the eyes, "You are my world, Hermione. I Amore you, I always have and always will. I will always take care of te and always protect you, no matter what. And I will always stick up for you."
Hermione smiled as she placed her hand over his. She then laced her fingers with his and slid his hand away from her cheek and brought it up against her heart, "Now baciare me." She detto with a shaky voice.
Draco licked his lips slowly, and he leaned down until his forehead was pressed gently against hers.
He then whispered, "I Amore you, Hermione Granger."
And he slid his hand around to the back of her head and wove his fingers carefully into her hair, he closed his eyes, and he kissed her.
THE END
