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document.write(''); Death or Something Like It

Author: Elizabeth lissag7@juno.com

Rating: Probably more around PG, but I'll PG-13 just to be safe. Some violence and allusions to more adulty things.

Summary: The final battle has taken place, and Harry and co. mourn their losses. Kind of angsty, but will become more hopeful in time.

Ships: H/Hr, D/Hr, H/G..... To be honest, I'm not really sure exactly where this is going to go, ship-wise. Give me your opinion, and I might decide to listen to it. :)

Disclaimer: Sadly, none of these characters are mine. On a side-note, I started a similar fic with Buffy, Angel, and Spike a while back that I never finished. So if you happen to be one of the three people that read that and think that I'm stealing that idea, don't worry. It's mine.

Author's note: I wanted to post these first four sections right away because they all sort of cover the same area, plot-wise. The next installments will be more about moving forward than dwelling on the past. Hope everyone enjoys, and please review.

~Draco~

He watched unobtrusively from behind one of the yard's many massive trees, his eyes trained steadfastly on the window of the Burrow. The graduation party was in full swing now. He recognized almost everyone: Snape, looking decidedly out of place among the festivities; Bill with his newly grown and meticulously clipped goatee; Hagrid hunched over so that he could fit into the place at all. There were others of course, but none of them mattered so much as the one he was watching.

As he took his last puff of the now-diminished cigarette, Draco could almost hear her voice in his head, berating him. " Draco," she would chide if she were here, " you know how bad smoking is for you. And besides, it's an awfully bad habit to get into just to look cool, when all it does is make you look ridiculous."

She was wrong, of course. He looked friggin' cool and she knew it.

He observed the party distantly, angry at himself for that little twinge of disappointment that he hadn't been invited. Like it was his idea of a fun time to hang out with a bunch of do-gooders, anyway. The only worthwhile one of the bunch was dead, and he didn't much fancy getting to know the rest of them. Still, he'd been just as influential in the final fight as any of them, but they all seemed keen and ready to forget about it.

" Draco who?" he muttered to himself. " What did he ever do for us? Besides turning his back on his family and risking his life to get us valuable information that helped us destroy the ultimate evil hell-bent on destroying the world, that is? Bleedin' idiots, the lot of them."

Of course, if he was being honest, he had to admit that they were right in questioning his motives. If he were in their place, he would doubt, too. And for good reason. He didn't care about their band of heroes. He didn't care about saving the world. He had only ever really cared for one person, and she was gone now.

So why was he here now, watching the Burrow like some sort of idiotic guard dog? " Certainly not for the company," he mumbled, noting with great distaste as Mr. Weasley came downstairs in a Muggle Hawaiian print shirt. No, it wasn't for the Weasleys, or the giant, or even for Dumbledore who was quite possibly the only do-gooder who had ever garnered his respect. It was for Harry Bleedin' Potter, the boy who had lived.

***Flashback***

When Draco was certain that no one was watching, he slipped away from the crowd and into the room that Hermione had just disappeared into. It was empty, save be for the familiar slender frame.

He opened his mouth to speak her name, but something stopped him. Her back was turned toward him, and she was staring out of the window into the countryside, her posture oddly relaxed despite the dangers that they would soon be facing. He took a moment to drink her in.

Draco was confident that he knew Hermione Granger better than anyone else in the world. Over the past few months, they had been drawn together by some unspoken bond. It had been culminating for years, but neither of them had been willing to admit to it until now. Their relationship was rather vague; they met in secrecy, they laughed, they spoke of their innermost selves, they bickered, and they kissed.

It was all very strange to him, but wonderful, and precious. This girl made him marvel, as no one else had ever been able to do. There was, of course, her dizzying intellect, her bravery, her compassion. But then there were the smaller things, like her delicate little wrists that could make a man vow to protect her, yet carried a strength that few could comprehend.

As if sensing his presence, she turned and met his gaze. There was a sudden fleeting smile, but it could not conceal the darkness in her eyes. Concerned, he stepped forward. " Hey, what is it?"

Hermione shook her head quickly. " Nothing, I just... Draco, how many NEWTS did you get?"

Taken aback by this, Draco studied her quizzically. " Thirteen, remember? We've discussed this before."

She nodded, scarcely seeming to have heard him. " And you have that job lined up for you at the Ministry...but if something else came up, something more important, you would do that instead, right?"

" I guess," Draco returned, thoroughly confused now. He took her gently by the arms. " Hermione, what is all this about?"

" I want you to make me a promise," Hermione rushed suddenly, looking intently into his eyes, " that you'll do something for me, if something happens."

He wanted to interject that nothing would happen to her, that she'd be absolutely fine, but it all seemed to horribly melodramatic. Instead, he nodded. " All right." He frowned as a sudden thought struck him. " You don't want me to take over SPEW, do you?"

Hermione shook her head. " No." She stopped, pondering this. " Well..."

" Hermione..."

She took in a deep breath. " I want you to promise to watch after Harry."

There was that name again. Draco tried to keep his face impassive, but it burrowed deep into his gut to hear her say that name. Of all the secrets they had shared, she had never spoken of her feelings for Harry, but he knew. Just as he knew that the sun would always rise in the east and white really shouldn't be worn after Labor Day, he knew that she loved him.

" Harry's a big boy," he said finally. " He can take care of himself."

" Draco, please," Hermione said, her eyes wide and very solemn, " please promise me that you'll do this."

He swore under his breath. " Granger, you infuriate me, you realize that?" Her eyes were shining, already knowing his answer. Draco reluctantly nodded. " Yeah, fine, I'll watch after Harry."

She wrapped her arms around him, enveloping him in her Hermione scent. "Thank you," she murmured softly.

***End of Flashback***