Hi there! This is my first fanfic ever, so I hope you'll be kind to me. And I really hope you like it! :)

Comments and reviews are appreciated, I'd love to know what you think of this story!

Disclaimer: I am not J.K Rowling, therefore the characters are not mine. The story, however, is.

Chapter One: The Breaking Point

"AHHHHHHH!" Draco heard Hermione scream for the millionth time as his aunt performed the Cruciatus Curse on her once more.

"Tell me…where did you get that sword?" Bellatrix demanded, her face mere inches away from the sobbing girl.

"W-we found it…please…no m-more." pleaded Hermione as she tried to stand up once more, her strength failing her as she fell back onto the ground.

Bellatrix pointed her wand at Hermione once more, a menacing grin on her face as she prepared to torture her once more. But before she uttered the curse, Hermione turned to Draco and stared at him with pleading eyes.

"AHHHHHHH!"

Draco couldn't stand seeing the pain he saw in Hermione's eyes as she turned to look at him. He couldn't bear seeing her lie there on the floor, blood oozing out of her arm where his aunt had carved the word 'Mudblood'. Mudblood. How he hated that term. He hated the lot of them, his family and their pureblood mania, their obsession with blood statuses and the Dark Lord. He turned towards Hermione once more, watching her as she finally broke down in tears, her eyes looking up to the ceiling as she cried out for someone to free her from torture.

"I can't let this go on…I can't let them torture her like this!" Draco thought to himself as he started to make a move towards Hermione. He took two steps, hesitated, and then gave his head a little shake.

Unfortunately, his sudden movement did not go unnoticed by his aunt.

"Draco! This mudblood was your little friend back at Hogwarts, wasn't she?" Bellatrix asked him in a sickly sweet tone.

Draco refused to answer her, and kept his eyes on the floor instead. His father, Lucius, answered for him, "Draco would never make such an unworthy acquaintance. We Malfoys do not mix with Mudbloods."

"Good, I expect no less from my nephew. Now come here, darling." said Bellatrix as she motioned for Draco to join her.

Draco remained still.

"I said, come here!" Bellatrix demanded.

His father finally pushed him towards the center of the room, where Hermione lay sobbing and his aunt stood over her domineeringly. His legs felt as stiff as lead as he made his way to them.

"There's a good boy. Now…let's see you do the Cruciatus Curse on her." his aunt told him with a smug on her face.

"What?" Draco asked incredulously.

"You heard me, my precious little nephew. Torture that mudblood, prove yourself worthy of being a Malfoy."

Malfoy looked at her in disbelief. The woman was truly insane! He despised having to torture people, despite being trained by his aunt to do so. How can he bring himself to torture his old schoolmate, when he knew she didn't necessarily do anything wrong. Her only fault lay in her being in the other side of the war, the better side, if Draco were honest with himself.

He suddenly felt sick, he would never wish for anyone to be tortured through the use of the Cruciatus Curse, not even his worst enemy, but if he didn't do it, he'd be called both a coward and a bloodtraitor, and bring dishonor to his family. He glanced back at his parents and gave them a questioning look. His mother said nothing, yet worry lines creased her forehead. His father simply nodded at him. Hermione looked down and closed her eyes, bracing herself.

"Crucio." Draco said, his voice barely louder than a whisper. The curse didn't have an effect on Hermione at all. Bellatrix started laughing immediately, causing the other Death Eaters to laugh and jeer with her.

"Enough!" she shouted at them, and the laughter ceased immediately.

"Is that all you've got, boy?" his aunt taunted him. "I thought I trained you better than this. You're not worthy of the name Malfoy!" Bellatrix spat in his face. The Death Eaters laughed once more.

That had been the breaking point for Draco. Without planning anything, without thinking of the consequence of his actions, he grabbed Hermione's wand from the floor, made one move towards her and immediately Disapparated before anyone could stop him.

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