4.1 | Draconian ✓

19 | crucio

A/N

Watched Endgame yet? That movie seriously makes me want to go back to writing Marvel fanfics...

x Noelle

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1 9

c r u c i o

Torture.

A STUNNED SILENCE followed in the wake of Hermione's words. She swallowed hard. Had she been too presumptuous? Perhaps they didn't need her help.

"Granger," Draco's voice broke the tensed silence. His face was an expression of indifference, and his silver eyes were closed-off. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. "I need a word with you."

He stood and headed back to their room. She followed him and shut the door. Carefully, she settled down on the bed next to him. Draco was silent, the same sort of attitude he had when he'd tried to keep his distance from her before.

"You're not going to be a part of this," he said at last. "It's too big a risk."

"I know that."

"You are aware of the risks we take every day, aren't you?"

"Yes - "

"No, you're not. We carry out missions and patrols with the other Death-Eaters every day, not knowing when one of them might find out that we've gone rogue and hit us in the back with a killing curse. I stay by the Dark Lord's side, every single bloody day, not knowing when my skill at Occlumency would fail me and the Dark Lord would navigate his way through my mind in a second and know that I'm a traitor."

Hermione hadn't thought of it this way, because she hadn't known. But now she did - and frankly, it only made her resolve strengthen. "But - you still do it," she murmured softly, "you still stay by his side. For all these years."

He didn't answer.

She shifted closer and reached for his hand, intertwining her fingers with his. "That's why I want to help," she said softly. His gaze met hers, and she could see the intensity of desperation in his eyes. "I don't care much for this war," she continued, "It's not my fight anymore; it hasn't been for awhile now. But if ending the war means that you and your friends are safe, then I - I think it's a fight I'd like to be a part of."

Draco let out a sigh and buried his face in his hands. She didn't think he ever sounded this tired before. Like the three years of sleepless nights had come rushing back and everything was just exhausting.

When he spoke, his voice was rough and unsteady. "I just can't fucking lose you again, Granger."

She reached over to pull his hands away from his face. She saw the weary lines in his face, the tired frown between his eyebrows, and the hard line of his lips. She grasped his hands between hers and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles.

"I can't lose you again either," she whispered, and smiled. "So let me fight your war."

He was silent for a long while. Then he sighed again and summoned his wand. "Hold still." He lifted the wand to her forehead and her eyes widened. "Memory locks," he hastened to explain. "Even if someone uses Legilimency on you, they won't find out what you know. Just in case."