Chapter 16- The Miracle

The Miracle

Nothing. That's what I felt has Draco stepped off the cliff. I didn't feel the pain ripping through me. I didn't feel the tight ropes or the blood on my face. I didn't feel sadness or devastation or hate. I felt nothing.

Then, as the top of his angel hair disappeared over the edge, it all came rushing back onto me like a huge wave. I stood in shock. My chest ripped open and I just let the tears pour down my face. I realized all the things I should have said to Draco. I realized that I should have told him I forgave him, that it wasn't all his fault, that I was sorry, that I trusted him now, that he was beautiful. On and on and on. It hurt my head.

The Deatheater had lowered his wand from me, but I continued to feel pain. I shook desperately. I'd watched so many people die in the war, but I had hoped I'd never have to again.

There was a sickening crack that could be faintly heard as Draco's body collided with the ground beneath. All I could think about was how stupid he was. So stupid! He'd been so selfless. He jumped off for me. He jumped off so they would stop hurting me. Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to be so stupid?! Why did he have to be so selfless?!

My eyes burned as tears pooled out of them. My legs went limp so that the ropes were the only things holding me up. I bowed my head and let my hair shade my face from the hateful men around me.

The ropes around my abdomen started to loosen. With surprise, I locked my legs so that I wouldn't fall to the ground and look weak. I shook the hair from my face and opened my eyes to stare with fury at the ex-Deatheaters. The beefy one had out his wand and the rope was retreating back into it. When it was all gone I stood where I was and watched them carefully. I willed them to just do what they were going to do and get it over with.

"Can I kill the Mudblood now?" The man with the accent asked.

Goatee regarded me lazily. His eyes skimmed over my bloodied face and my wrecked body. He knew I wasn't a threat to him anymore. There was nothing I could do. But I was a Mudblood. And that was reason enough for him. "Ya. Kill her." He said and then walked to the other two Deatheaters.

I stared at the beefy man as he raised his wand and smiled at me. I didn't run or hide or defend myself. I don't think I could have if I'd tried. I just stared at his beady black eyes and his yellowing teeth and short bristly hair as if to say make it quick. Then I closed my eyes and waited for whatever death would be.

And waited.

And waited.

I was getting angry. He was doing this just to torture me.

There was a quiet 'oomf' and a dull knock. I opened my eyes and searched for where the noise had come from. I realized that the beefy man was no longer standing in front of me. He was lying on the ground, looking dazed and slightly frightened.

My eyes grew wide and I let out a quiet gasp of fear and surprise. Wiping blood and tears from my eyes, I knelt down to study the man and maybe find out what had happened. He looked perfectly normal, other than that he was already hideous. His eyes where open and moving like he'd fallen down and forgotten how to stand back up.

"HEY!" A Deatheater yelled.

I looked over, expecting to see them all coming at me. But they weren't even looking at me. My heart leaped clear to my throat. I felt like I could faint. Tears sprung out of my eyes again, but they were joyful. It was like I was seeing a ghost, and maybe I was, I wanted to but I couldn't believe it.

I stayed were I was and watched the miracle unfold. I wanted to laugh at the Deatheaters confused and frightened faces, but I was too dumbfounded myself!

"Draco!" I yelled, finally finding my words. "How did you-"

"No time to explain, Hermione!" He yelled. I wanted to cry at the voice I thought I would never hear again. "A little help would be nice!" He added as he ducked a Deatheater's curse and shot one of his own.

My hands shook with excitement as I fumbled to get the wand out of the Deatheater before me's hand. His fat fingers were curled tightly around it. I grunted and yanked hard, not really caring if I broke his fingers to get at it.

I held it in front of me as I stood up. It was short and surprisingly heavy, which I found a little difficult to get used too. I looked over to Draco again who was, not so gracefully, trying to take on the three other wizards. He was ducking and dodging and shooting furiously. A green spell shot out of his wand and kicked Goatee in the arm. There was a crack, like it might be broke, but other than a wince and an angry shot at Draco, he showed no sign of pain.

I raised the wand and threw a well aimed curse at the bigger man. It knocked him in the chest and he fell backward. I meant to hit his head, but he stayed on the ground long enough for me to focus on the skinny and sickly Deatheater. I shot a spell at him, but he noticed in time and deflected it. He threw one back and I ran out of the way and close to Draco.

He was panting heavily and straining against a protection shield as curse after curse bounced off. We were outnumbered, but Draco was an auror and I'd won a war. And little by little we were circling our way around the three so that their backs were against the edge of the cliff. I glanced at Draco, trying to meet his eyes so that I could point out the advantage to him. There was sweat rolling down his face and mixing with the dried blood. The sleeves of his jumper were rolled up to reveal his milky arms and faded Dark Mark. Then I noticed the wand he was holding. My wand! How in the world had Draco gotten my wand.

I didn't have much time to think. A blue spell just missed my head. I quickly disarmed the bigger man who was now on his feet. The wand in his hand shot out to the side and Draco took the opportunity to blast him. He stumbled backward and fell right off the side of the cliff.

I looked at Draco horrified. Again, I had hoped that I wouldn't have to see more death.

He glanced at me and saw my wide and upset eyes. "Hermione, I had to!" He yelled and protected both of us with a shield. "Do you think you could do that again?" He asked.

I nodded and stepped away from the shield to disarm Goatee. The wand flew out of his hand, but before Draco could knock him off the cliff he'd taken Draco's wand out of his pocket and fired it at me. The spell hit me on the shoulder and I stumbled backward. I heard him curse and look down at the wand, obviously not used to the way it handled. Draco seized his moment of bewilderment and accioed his wand. It slipped quickly and easily from the Deatheater's hand and shot right into Draco's outstretched palm.

He tossed me my wand and used his to smack the Deatheater in the head as he tried to run away. Draco was much better with his own wand and I was much better with mine. I shot a curse at Goatee as he fell to the ground. It hit him somewhere on the torso and pushed him right to the edge. He flailed his arms and tried to grab something before he fell, but he was moving too fast.

Then it was just Draco and me and the skinny ex-Deatheater. He looked frightened and in shock and he didn't move to hit us with a spell. He just looked down the cliff behind him and then aparated just as Draco blasted a curse at him. It hit him in the head, but he was gone before he could hit the ground.

I turned to Draco. He was panting with his hands on his knees. I felt the sudden urge to curse him myself for the scare he'd given me.

"Draco!" I yelled at him. He looked at me and smiled at the frazzled look on my face. "You bloody idiot!" I furiously wiped the blood from my face as he stood up strait, not looking phased by my insults at all. Actually, looking quite pleased with them. "I thought you were dead!" I felt tears prick at my eyes again. "How-"

He cut me off by grabbing me and pulling me in for a kiss. His mouth pressed into mine and his arm around my waist kept me tight against his body. My frustrations melted away and I closed my eyes. I could have stood there for ever. His arm around my waist like it was meant to be there. Our mouths pressed together but our lips too tired to move.

I pulled away and rested my head on his chest. He breathed in my hair and kissed my neck, sending shivers down my spine, and then rested his chin on my head.

"Draco?" I whispered and took a deep breath of his smell that hung heavily on his jumper.

"Hmm?" He breathed.

I could feel his vocal cords vibrate in his chest. "How did you do it?"

He laughed and pulled me so that I was out in front of him and he could look down at me. "You know, I might just keep this to myself!" He teased. "I mean, how often is it that I know something Hermione Granger doesn't know?!"

I huffed at him and crossed my arms, but I couldn't help but smile. "Just tell me!" I begged.

"It's killing you isn't it?!" He laughed.

I grabbed his shirt. "Draco Malfoy!" I said forcefully. "You tell me right now!"

He held up his hands in mock defense. "Okay! Your such a Gryffindor!" He said playfully and took a deep breath. "I took your wand from your pocket in the hotel room and used it to aparate after I jumped."

I looked at him in shock. He was still amazing under all the blood. "You took my wand right out of my pocket?!" I screeched.

"It's not like I could ask you for it." He said brushing some curls out of my face.

He brought up his wand to heal the cuts on my face. "Don't bother." I said putting my hand on his and lowing his wand. "They were put there by magic, I'll use some of the left over Dittany."

He nodded and I raised my own wand to his face. I ignored his stare and moved my wand back and forth to heal his wounds. The blood from his lip and nose retreated back into his skin and the cuts closed and the bruising and swelling went down. Finally he looked like his normal flawless self again.

"Thanks." He whispered, still looking lovingly at my face. "We should get going."

"What about him?" I asked pointing to the Beefy Deatheater that was still lying on the ground by the tree.

"We could just leave him to rot here." He said simply.

I raised my eyebrows. "Draco, that's cruel!" I gasped.

"And what they did to you isn't?" He asked sincerely.

I shook my head. "We still can't do that. At least push him off the cliff. That would be quicker."

Draco relented and used his wand to float the man over to the edge. He held him there steadily so that his entire body was far over the edge and it would be a strait shot down.

"Lets be gone before he hits the bottom." I said grabbing Draco's hand. I didn't want to have to hear or see the life leave him.

"Okay." He said and squeezed my hand gently. "Ready?"

I got out my wand and braced myself to aparate. Swallowing I nodded.

The man dropped and I aparated us quickly back to the inn.