Y/N's eyes fluttered open. His vision was blurry but after a few blinks, he was finally able to see. The sky was covered with dark clouds as a soft rain began to fall.

It was quiet.

"You did this." Voices echoed throughout the rubbles of what Y/N recognized to be Hogwarts.

He blinked and as soon as his eyes opened, bodies littered the ground. Taken aback, Y/N stumbled backwards, tripping over a lifeless corpse, falling on the ground behind him. His breath hitched and his heart pounded loudly, recognizing most of the bodies dressed in different house colours.

"You killed us." The corpse next to him reached out to him, startling him.

"H-Harry?" Y/N's eyes widened upon realizing.

His heart was now beating so fast he thought he might die.

Harry's eyes were dull, there was no shine that he once had. His skin was pale, almost blue as blood trickled all over his face.

"You killed us." Another voice repeated with Harry.

It was Draco.

"W-What-" Y/N was startled once more by thunder crackling.

The bodies remained lifeless once more.

Y/N looked to the front where only one person stood. Voldemort. He began chuckling after turning around to see Y/N's state, sending shivers down Y/N's spine.

"It's a wonder what a simple spell can do to blood traitors like you." Voldemort laughed maniacally.

Y/N suddenly felt a weight in his arms as a hand reached up to wipe the tears that he didn't notice off his face.

He looked down.

"N-No..." Y/N's slow tears turned into a sob.

Hermione.

"It wasn't your fault..." Hermione whispered.

She had blood trickling down her forehead. She was cold.

Y/N clutched her body in his arms, hugging her tight as he held her.

"No... Anyone but you- Please!" Y/N cried out to anyone.

There was no one left.

"Hermione-" Y/N clenched his eyes shut.

He didn't want to see her like that. He couldn't.

He reached for his wand on the floor in front of him.

"Y/N...?" Hermione's voice reached him.

He looked down. She fell limp.

Shakily, he pressed his wand to his neck and closed his eyes once more.

"Y/N." Her voice echoed once more.

Y/N bit his lip, hugging Hermione's motionless body tightly with his free hand.

"Avad-" He tried to chant.

"Y/N." Hermione called out once more.

Y/N felt a ringing in his head as his eyes slowly opened once more. The light blinded him, causing him to rub his eyes in pain with a groan.

He was back in Hogwarts. In one piece.

Y/N tried to lift his hand to touch his wet cheek. Looking around, many people were littered around the hospital bed he laid in but only one face caught his attention.

Hermione.

Y/N felt his lips quiver as the tears began flowing once more.

She's safe. She's alive.

Her face was stained with tears of her own and her eyes were bloodshot, staring at him as if it was a miracle he was alive. Her eyes were puffy and her hair was messy.

"Hermione-" Y/N tried to speak but was cut off by her lips, gently pressing onto his.

"You're okay! Thank goodness! You're okay!" She exclaimed with a low voice, holding his hand tightly.

"Wh-" Y/N was cut off once more.

"You were poisoned. Harry saved you, I came here as soon as I could and-" Hermione cut herself off this time as her voice broke.

"I thought I was going to lose you..."

Y/N squeezed her hand lightly as she used her free hand to wipe the tears that had rolled off his cheeks from the nasty nightmare he had.

Y/N took a deep breath before studying the people around him. Y/N assumed it was early morning since everyone in the room was asleep. Hermione must've stayed awake that whole time, worried sick.

Hermione was sat on a chair on his left side. Beside her was Ginny, leaning her head on the bed while she sat on a chair, fast asleep. Behind them were Harry and Ron, resting against a different bed.

On his right side, was Draco, also fast asleep on the bed. Next to him was Blaise. Behind were Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hermione." Y/N whispered, moving slightly to place his hand on her cheek.

Hermione looked at him, her lips still quivering from nearly losing him. Y/N let their lips meet once more, sharing a short yet deep and sweet kiss with her.

"You're alive." Y/N bit his lip, happy that the dream that seemed too realistic was just another nightmare.

"You're the one that got poisoned, what are you talking about?" Hermione smiled at him with a light chuckle.

"I can't lose you, Hermione." Y/N pressed on, taking both of her hands into his.

Both of them had to stay extremely quiet as to not wake the others up.

"I can't lose you either, Y/N." Hermione's voice cracked as she got emotional once more.

"I just can't."

Y/N didn't need to say anything else. He opened his arms wide, motioning for Hermione to cuddle.

She did just that, making sure not to move too much so Ginny, Draco and Blaise wouldn't wake up from the bed's rocking. She placed herself on his lap, facing him. Her head found itself buried into the crook of his neck as his arms naturally wrapped around her back, gently rubbing it as his back reached the head of the bed. Hermione sighed in comfort, finally allowing herself to close her eyes.

"Y/N?" Hermione mumbled into his neck, as she let the lack of sleep get to her.

Y/N hummed out a response, rubbing her back with one hand as the other found itself on the back of her head.

"We'll be together... forever... right?"

She yawned into his neck. He held her tighter.

"Of course. My darling, you and I are something no one could ever destroy." Y/N said gently with a soft smile on his face.

Y/N felt her smile against his neck as she sighed softly. A few minutes into their embrace, she had finally fallen asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why did you do it?" Draco asked as soon as he and Y/N were finally alone in the Room of Requirements.

"You knew it was poisoned."

"Draco, it was gonna kill innocents again." Y/N sighed, holding a cage with him.

During his time in the Hospital wing, Draco had made progress on the Vanishing Cabinet on his own. It was now time to test it on a live object so the two of them had captured a small white bird.

"Y/N. Please, for goodness sake, don't do such reckless things." Draco scolded, refusing to meet Y/N's eyes as he uncovered the Vanishing Cabinet.

Y/N handed him the small bird which Draco then placed into the cabinet before closing it. Before either of them could pull out their wands, Draco placed both of his hands onto Y/N's shoulders, staring him right in the eyes.

"Draco. I would rather have myself die than live knowing I could've stopped it." Y/N explained with a sigh.

"They were going to drink it instead of Dumbledore."

"You don't understand." Draco spoke to him as if he was pleading.

"Y/N..."

Y/N looked up at his glossy gray eyes as he tried to find the words to say.

"Y/N. You can't die. What'll be left in the world for me if you're not in it anymore?" Draco bit his lip to keep himself from crying.

Draco had to be strong. He was the older brother after all.

Y/N stayed quiet for a while before embracing Draco, unable to find the words to say.

"That goes for you too. Stop trying to do things on your own." Y/N pat his back just as he hugged back.

"Well? Do you want to do the honors?"

Draco nodded, taking his wand out of his robes before casting the spell. The two of them gulped before opening the cabinet.

The bird was gone.

They both exchanged happy smiles, even high fiving each other with no words said. They were running out of time so this success meant a lot to them.

Gulping once more, Draco casted the spell again. He opened the cabinet.

The bird was dead.

Both of their hearts dropped. Draco dropped down to the ground, silently sobbing. No matter how hard they tried, the cabinet would always have a problem. It would always be incomplete. Y/N didn't trust Dumbledore fully. So this was it. Their plans were crumbling. 

Y/N's hands curled into fists as they began to shake.

Unless he and Draco figure something out soon. They were as good as dead and so were their parents.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N sat next to Hermione on the Gryffindor table, across from Harry. Ron was sat on the other side of Hermione. 

Y/N was lost in thought. He had no idea what to do anymore. He didn't want to ask Hermione for help with the cabinet. He couldn't, she'd get involved and that would lead to her possibly getting hurt or her schooling damage. He couldn't risk her even though he knew she was way better than him and Draco with spells. He was only ever second best after all.

"Y/N?" Hermione called out to him, slowly dropping her newspaper.

"Y-Yes, Granger?" Y/N stuttered, snapped out of his thoughts.

"Are you alright? You look a bit pale." Hermione spoke, brushing Y/N's hair to the side.

Y/N nodded, eating a spoonful of his cereal to avoid talking although he had no appetite.

"She's glaring at me." Ron gulped, staring at the table across them where his girlfriend, Lavender, sat.

"Why is it that women always glare at me?"

Y/N scoffed. There was no way he actually didn't know.

"What are you laughing at?" Ron spat, leaning across the table to look at Y/N behind Hermione.

"Because you're an ass." Y/N admitted, pulling Hermione closer to him by the waist to get a better view of Ron.

Hermione sighed, pointing her attention to her newspaper and leaning her head on Y/N's shoulder.

"He's right, you know. We all know you're only dating Lavender because she was the first girl to show interest in you." Hermione agreed, not taking her eyes off the newspaper.

"If you ask me, I think you should break it off with her instead of leading her on."

"And stop crushing on someone else's girl." Y/N added, protectively hugging Hermione.

Y/N's eyes laid onto Draco who awkwardly began to leave the Great Hall.

"I'll be right back." Y/N muttered before hearing Ron's response.

Before Hermione could protest, he quickly speed walked away, following his brother out of the room.

Y/N followed him into the bathrooms where Draco instantly removed his vest upon reaching the sink.

"Draco." Y/N called out to him.

Draco didn't respond. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, panting.

"Draco." Y/N called out once more, walking up behind him.

Draco ignored him once more, turning on the tap to splash his face with water. Draco's breathing got heavier and uneven as his body began to shake.

"Draco!" Y/N shouted this time, pulling his brother by the shoulders, forcing him to look at him.

Draco's eyes softened upon meeting Y/N's. His lips began to quiver and tears began to fall. Not long after, he began sobbing loudly.

"You're alright. I'm here." Y/N comforted, bringing him into a hug.

The twins remained in each other's embrace as Draco's tears slowly began to soak Y/N's shirt. Y/N rubbed his back the same way he always did with Hermione.

"Y/N, I can't-" Draco was finally able to speak but was quickly cut off.

"I know what you did, Draco!" Harry entered the bathroom.

Draco peeled himself off Y/N to face Harry. 

"You hexed her, didn't you?"

Draco's expression quickly turned to one of anger as soon as he saw Harry. He quickly drew his wand and casted a spell at Harry before Y/N could stop him.

"Stop! Don't hurt each other!" Y/N yelled but Harry didn't listen, casting a spell right back at Draco.

Y/N almost got hit by crossfire, only managing to dodge by leaping out of the way. Y/N clenched his teeth before getting up and chasing after Harry and Draco who had gotten further into the bathroom, casting spells at each other back and forth.

"Stop!" Y/N tried to stop them once more as Draco ran down to the middle of the bathroom, Harry chasing right after him.

"Sectumsempra!" Harry casted, sending Draco flying back with a grunt.

"Draco!" Y/N yelled, pushing past Harry to run to his brother's side.

Draco started bleeding as if he had been sliced by a blade repetitively. Y/N's eyes began to well with tears as he desperately put pressure on the wounds with his hands, getting blood all over them.

Draco cried out in pain, unable to move on the flooding floor as Harry slowly made his way over to the two.

"Stand back!" Y/N yelled through tears.

Y/N tried every healing spell he knew but to no avail. He wasn't a healer. He only knew basic healing spells.

Harry tried to get a closer look at the damage he had done.

"I said stand back, Harry!" Y/N yelled once more.

"Y/N- I didn't-" Harry stuttered upon seeing all the blood that seeped out of Draco.

"Don't come any closer, Harry!" Y/N yelled in desperation.

Y/N felt useless. His brother was dying and he was useless.

"Draco..." Y/N whimpered, watching his brother cry in pain when another pair of footsteps approached.

Snape.

"Please! Help him!" Y/N yelled desperately as Snape kneeled down beside the two brothers.

"Vulnera Sanentur." Snape began casting repeatedly, chanting it almost like a song.

The blood began to ease up and disappear as Draco's wounds began to close. Y/N sighed in relief yet remained by his brother's side all throughout the healing process, clutching his hand tightly.

During the time of panic, Y/N had decided. He wasn't going to let Draco kill Dumbledore anymore. He'd do it himself. He will no longer allow his brother to carry any burdens.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N and Harry sat across from each other in the Gryffindor common room, avoiding each other's eyes.

Ginny, Hermione and Ron sat on the side, staring at the two. They had heard both sides of the story and were now waiting for the two to make up. There was no way they'd let their relationship fall out. Not after their 6 years of becoming a found family. Harry had already earned himself many detentions due to the incident and all the professors were very disappointed in him.

"Y/N." / "Harry." Both boys spoke in sync.

"Listen- Y/N. I-" Harry stuttered, staring at the blonde boy.

Harry sighed, ruffling his own hair before trying again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what the spell would do." Harry apologized sincerely.

Y/N could see that he regretted it very much but his brother nearly died, he wasn't going to let him off that easy.

"Get rid of it, Harry. The book." Y/N said sternly.

"Only then can I think about forgiving you."

Harry stayed quiet before nodding.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N was sat by the lake, fiddling with his wand, thinking about everything that had happened in the past week. Ginny had accompanied Harry to get rid of the book. It was strange how attached Harry was to that book, it was like there was a curse on it, forcing whoever would find it to be addicted to the power it held. It was very unlike Y/N's book.

Y/N had finally forgiven Harry and though they weren't as close as before, they are slowly getting there. It's not as if he could've held a grudge over Harry. He couldn't. They were brothers and Y/N could see how hurt Harry was over his own decision.

Draco was fine after a few days in the hospital. He and Y/N are now closer than ever, still working on the cabinet.

Leaves crunching interrupted Y/N's thoughts. He knew exactly who it was.

"Granger." Y/N greeted as soon as the bushy haired girl took a seat next to him.

"Hey." Hermione spoke gently, instantly leaning her head onto his shoulder.

She began reading her book that she had brought. It was often like this. Y/N would be trying to relax his mind and Hermione would be right beside him. She'd be there if he needed her or she would simply just give him company.

Although it would be odd to admit to anyone. Y/N knew she was the only one he wouldn't be able to stand losing. Losing his family would hurt him more than anyone could imagine but losing her. It was unimaginable. He'd much rather die than live a life without her.

"'Mione?" Y/N tried to gain her attention.

Hermione hummed out a response as she flipped the page in her book.

Y/N looked down at her. She had a soft look on her faces as she read her book. The sun was beginning to set, leaving a soft glow on her skin. She was beautiful.

Hermione must've noticed his stare because she looked up from her book, meeting his eyes with the sweetest smile.

"Yes, love?" She responded once more, softly giggling at the look on Y/N's face.

Y/N looked at her as if she was the only woman in the world. His eyes were softened and his lips were curled into a smile as soon as he heard her giggle.

He loved the way her smile would reach all the way to her eyes. He loved the way her giggles would sometimes come out of nowhere and the way she'd chuckle at him when he'd do something stupid. The way she'd call him a jerk without any ill intent, the way she'd laugh after. He loved everything about her.

"I can't believe I once told everyone that I'd much rather get eaten by a troll than get married to you." Y/N laughed softly, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"And I can't believe I lied to Harry and said I didn't like you even when I knew I did." Hermione chuckled, fiddling with the necklace Y/N had given her at Slughorn's party.

"You did that?" Y/N asked, not knowing of the situation.

"Third year, you fell asleep on my shoulder while we waited for us to leave the Whomping Willow." Hermione explained, closing her eyes.

Y/N smiled proudly at himself. He had no idea she had already realized her feelings at that time.

"You know, Lion." Y/N spoke up once more.

Hermione hummed out a response, now fiddling with Y/N's free hand.

"I always thought living forever would be dreadful. Now I don't think I'd mind it if I was with you."

"Yeah?" Hermione said with a smile.

"Yeah." Y/N leaned his head onto hers.

"Me too." Hermione admitted, lacing their fingers together.

"I wouldn't mind it at all."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Guys. Don't bash me but I think I like Y/N Malfoy x Hermione better than red-eyed Y/N x Hermione. Like, I love them both but this story has me in a chokehold.