Soul Mate - Chapter 28:
Draco slammed the door open so hard it ricocheted against the wall,
his composure shattering for the first time in his life.
Someone tell me what the hell is going on!
Hermione, who had been sitting quietly by Harry’s hospital bed at St. Mungo’s,
nearly screamed in shock. She stood immediately, putting herself between Draco and the bed,
her voice low and fierce.
Calm down, Malfoy. Harry just fell asleep.
Draco’s chest rose and fell as he fought to steady himself.
I heard he didn’t fall asleep, Granger. He collapsed. Again.
His voice was clipped, his tone so cold it cut. He glanced around the ward and realized only
Hermione was there. Where’s Ron Weasley? Where’s Ginny Potter?
Because someone needed to tell him why after less than two months away on assignment
Harry Potter, the newlywed, was now lying unconscious in the
Dark Magic Critical Care Ward.
Hermione sighed. Ginny’s been here too long already. Ron took her home to rest.
They’ll be back in the morning. I thought you were abroad what are you doing here?
Draco dragged a chair over and sat beside Harry’s bed.
Even in Sweden, I get the news. The great British Savior, critically injured and hospitalized.
How could I miss that?
His words were flat, but his eyes betrayed fury and fear. Work could go to hell.
Hermione folded her arms, exhausted. The Auror who was with him said
they were pursuing a suspect. The target resisted
Harry shielded a group of civilians and was struck by a dark curse.
She paused, her eyes dimming. The healers at St. Mungo’s and even the
Ministry curse-breakers can’t counter it. It’s ancient no records, no known reversals.
Draco’s gaze lingered on Harry’s pale face. Without his glasses, he looked younger,
softer, too still. Draco would have given anything to see him
scowling behind those crooked frames again.
So what did they find? he demanded. There must be something.
Only that the curse feeds on life force, Hermione said quietly.
It doesn’t affect magic or daily function, but…
Draco finished the sentence for her, his voice like ice.
But it kills you. Slowly.
He gave a bitter laugh.
An elegant curse, really. Death stretched over decades.
More poetic than a Killing Curse, if you think about it.
That’s not funny, Malfoy! Hermione snapped, eyes flashing.
How long? Draco asked bluntly. How long before it finishes him?
Ten, maybe twenty years, she said flatly. No more than thirty.
Harry’s magic is fighting back now that’s why he keeps falling unconscious.
But he can’t hold it forever. It’s already been a week since he was struck.
Draco exhaled slowly. At least Harry’s strength was buying him time.
It wasn’t much, but it was something.
Granger, he said softly. You’ve already looked through every book you can find, haven’t you?
You know how to save him.
Hermione’s lips went pale.
I… I don’t know anything.
Don’t lie to me, Draco said, his tone sharp enough to pierce armor.
I spent six years as your rival. No one knows you better.
You’ve found something and you don’t want to say it.
Her shoulders trembled. I did find something, but… but it’s impossible!
Harry would never agree. No one would.
Tell me anyway, Draco said.
Hermione’s voice wavered. Two nights ago, she had found it in
a centuries-old journala forbidden spell.
It’s dark magic, she whispered. An exchange spell.
But it doesn’t trade objects or power it trades lives.
She looked at Draco. The magic only works if the caster willingly sacrifices themselves.
Their life becomes the other person’s. The victim’s curse vanishes, replaced by the
caster’s life force. But the caster inherits every wound, every pain.
It’s irreversible. Once cast, there’s no undoing it.
Whose notes? Draco asked.
Godric Gryffindor’s, Hermione said.
For a heartbeat, even Draco was stunned. One of the Founders.
But he didn’t care how Hermione had gotten her hands on such a relic.
His eyes drifted back to Harry, sleeping under the faint glow of the hospital lights.
Then he smiled faintly.
I’ll do it, he said.
Hermione’s head snapped up. What?
I’ll trade my life for his.
The words were calm, almost gentle. He rose from his chair. Tell me the incantation.
Hermione stared at him in disbelief. She had told him clearly the spell would take his life.
It wasn’t metaphorical. It was death. Why would he—?
The realization hit her all at once, and her voice cracked as she whispered, You love him.
Draco didn’t look away. I’ve loved him since the day we met. I want to save him. That’s all.
No! Hermione’s voice broke. Absolutely not! Harry would kill me if I let you do that!
He’ll never know, Draco said evenly. Not unless you tell him.
You’re his best friend. You can’t just stand by and watch him fade away.
I can’t trade one life for another! Hermione cried. And Harry Harry thinks of you as a friend!
Draco took a slow breath. Then he reached for the chain around Harry’s
neck and drew out the obsidian ring. From his own pocket, he pulled its twin.
Granger, he said quietly, Harry and I are soulmates.
As the two rings touched, a blinding light flared between them.
Hermione shielded her eyes, her heart pounding the unmistakable glow of a Soulmate Bond.
Every word he’d spoken was true.
I’ve done everything for him, Draco said softly. Joining the Order as a spy,
bearing the Dark Mark, living years among Death Eaters all for him.
Not for noble causes or redemption. For him.
He smiled faintly, eyes glistening. My life stopped mattering a long time ago.
And I’m not going to die right away.
Hermione could barely breathe. Soulmates. Merlin, that explained everything the connection,
the tension, the unspoken grief. But Harry only ever saw Draco as a friend.
And now he was married. Their paths had already diverged forever.
Give me time, Hermione pleaded. Let me keep searching.
If I can’t find another cure before Harry’s magic gives out,
I swear I’ll let you use the spell.
Draco held her gaze. Swear it. With the Unbreakable Vow.
Her eyes widened. The Unbreakable Vow?
Yes. Swear that if you fail to find another way, you’ll help me cast the life exchange spell.
And afterward you’ll never tell anyone. Not Harry. Not anyone, human or otherwise.
Hermione’s lips trembled.
You win, she whispered at last. I understand.