Author's note: I know I'm still writing my other fics but again, I really liked this idea. Besides it's just a quick one-shot, so it can be sort of a gift( if you like it that is) since I'm taking so long to update my other stories. I'm going to have this one beta'd later along with 'The Best Friend'. I've been working on this for a month or so to work out the bits and pieces and I just finished it.

Disclaimer:I own nothing but this plot..

It was almost midnight and the only light was coming from the moon in the sky and the temporary jets of light erupting from people's wands. The final battle had finally came and was happening right on Hogwarts grounds and had been for about an hour. Lucius Malfoy had snuck all of them in when everyone was in bed for a surprise attack. Luckily some couple who had been out of bed snogging on the astronomy tower seen them and told McGonogall. After that, McGonogall told the students to get ready for battle. She only let 6th and 7th years fight and told the others to stay hidden in the castle.

Every moment of it was unsettling for Hermione as she made her way through the field. Curses and Hexes could be heard and seen throughout the field nonstop. She kept walking as she seen the bodies of her classmates who she had been talking to only hours before. She was walking trying to find someone. Harry, Ron, Ginny, or anyone for that matter.

The Order was there helping with the fight, Remus was battling a person who Hermione recognized as Peter Pettigrew at the moment as Tonks was shouting a hex at Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix had shouted 'Expelliarmus' quicker though and Tonks' wand went flying. Tonks quickly dove down to get her wand and Hermione seen Bellatrix grin as Tonks' back was turned as she raised her wand. Bellatrix started to say the killing curse but before she could finish the spell, Hermione raised her wand to Bellatrix's direction and yelled "Stupey!". While she was stunned, Tonks turned back around after finding her wand and yelled the killing curse.

Hermione then continued to find someone. From a distance, she thought she noticed one of the Weasley's red hair. She took off to the figure at the edge of the forest and as she got closer she found that it was Ginny. She was bleeding badly from her leg and had cuts all over her face.

"Ginny what happened!?" Hermione asked.

"Don't worry. Someone said a curse and I got sent flying against a tree. It's just a small cut.." she said trying to make it sound as she'd just simply scraped her knee.

"Don't be ridiculous, here." Hermione said and ripped the bottom of her shirt off and tied it tightly around Ginny's leg.

Then she heard someone coming up behind her and turned around with her wand raised and ready.

"Ron! You scared me!" Hermione said putting her hand over her heart taking deep breaths. He muttered 'sorry' and knelt down next to Ginny.

"I'll stay here with Gin' and mend her leg, you go and help fight." Ron said and Hermione smiled at him and walked deeper into the forest. She knew some death eaters had to be hiding in there.

It was even darker in there. The brightness of the moon didn't work as well with the trees all around. There were only patches of light around shining onto the ground so that Hermione could see. She heard leaves rustling around on the ground and tried to find somewhere to hide so she could wait and see who it was. Unfortunately, this area of the forest didn't have many hiding places.

By now the figure had noticed her and started to advance in her direction. As they stepped near one of the light patches, Hermione could make out enough of their features to tell that it was Severus Snape. Luckily he hadn't noticed who she was yet.

Frantically, she kept trying to find a hiding spot as Snape began to get closer to her and raise his wand. Quickly she took off as he yelled the killing curse, barely missing it by an inch. She kept running as fast as she could get, getting farther into the darkness so he couldn't see her. When a bolt of green light went past her, she made another turn not looking back, knowing that he was still chasing after her.

Suddenly she felt a hand grasp around her waist and another around her mouth. She tried to scream but it was as though her voice was caught in her throat. No noise would come out no matter how hard she tried. Then she heard the person's voice going 'sshhhh'.

Looking around, she couldn't tell where she was at all. Though there was light, it was only in a small opening in front of her. But it seemed about 6 feet above her.

Was she underground?

A shuffle beside her reminded her that she wasn't alone in here. The person started to walk towards the dimmed light. As she looked up, she seen that the light had revealed her captor; none other than Draco Malfoy.

Abruptly, he jumped out of the light, grabbing her as he pressed themselves up against a cold wall. Again one of his arms was wrapped tightly around her waist and another over her mouth to keep her from making any noise.

"Be quiet or your dead." Draco whispered to her and she looked worried.

Noise from above confirmed she was underground. When the noise started to fade away, she looked up to see what it was. It was three death eaters passing by, one of them being Snape.

Quickly she remembered who was in here with her and turned back to face him, with her wand pointed at his heart. Now the light had brightened the entire area, which wasn't very large to begin with.

She could now see clearly, he was still backed up against the wall smirking at her.

"Go ahead, kill me. I'd like to see you try." he said still smirking at her as her wand began to press deeper into his chest.

"You don't think I wouldn't? Think about how much I hate you, I could kill you in a split second and have no remorse. After all that's what you took me down here for." she spat icily.

"That's what you think. If I had actually intended to kill you, don't you think I would have done it already?" he asked and she released the pressure of her wand.

"Yes that's right Granger, I was protecting you. If it hadn't been for me, you'd be dead right now." he said smirking.

Hermione was flabbergasted.

"But why?! You hate me!" she exclaimed and he finally moved now. Her wand wasn't pressed up against him, just pointed at him so now he was free to move about.

"You are probably trying to trick me! After all you must have a talent at lying to keep the dark mark a secret from the school." she said and he began to glare at her.

"I am not lying. And you know nothing about being a death eater. Having to serve some low life who Crucio's you every time you make the smallest mistakes isn't all that fun." Draco said and Hermione stared at him confused.

"Then why did you join? From the way you acted it seemed as though you'd be thrilled to finally become a death eater." she stated.

"Granger, this mark makes people judge me. They figure I'm this evil bastard who kills people for fun. I figured you'd be the one person not to judge me. This mark doesn't signify who I really am as a person."

"But you were still hateful to me since the day we met-"

"I had to live up the family name. What do you expect from a high powered family? If I didn't I'd have to face my father and suffer consequences."

"Though you wanted the mark, you loved to be like your father."

"I did, until he took me on one of their joy trips. Going into an innocent muggle's home and kidnapping them and killing them. I couldn't take it. I didn't want to be a death eater, but they had already set the date of my initiation."

Hermione gasped, those poor muggles. Hatred boiled up inside of her as she thought of Lucius laughing at the site. Draco rose the sleeve of his robe to show his mark. It was looking as though it had just been put there.

"It's my curse." he stated finally after a moment of silence.

"You're what? What are you talking about? Curse? You don't have a curse."

"There Granger, you are wrong. Yes, this is my curse. Every single person has a curse, no matter how much you want to deny it. Whether it be emotionally, physically, or econonically, they have one nonetheless. Don't try to judge me for what you see on my arm." Draco said placing his other hand over the mark.

Hermione couldn't understand. Everything was spinning in her head. Draco Malfoy, the person she'd hated over the past 7 years was sitting here opening up to her about his feelings.

"Err Malfoy?" she asked but he was facing the corner of the room, as though he wasn't paying attention.

"What?"

"What was your real opinion on getting the mark." she asked.

Slowly, he turned his head to face her, and then held onto the place of the mark tightly.

"No, I didn't want it. Did you honestly think I had a choice in the matter?" he snapped.

"Oh-" she was speechless. She hadn't meant for it to sound rude.

"Right. Because you're so prejudiced against me you didn't care to think that I, along with everyone else, have to make sacrifices for this bloody snake on my arm."

"Now wait a minute Malfoy. I am not prejudiced!" Hermione began.

"Oh please. You're prejudiced just as much as I am. You just don't want to admit it to yourself." he said.

Silence ensued, nobody spoke for a few minutes before hearing a sigh from Draco.

"He threatened to kill my mum. If I didn't join, and kill Dumbledore he said he'd kill her. He held up to his part of the deal too. A few days after the night Snape killed him, I came home and found my mom lying in her bedroom quarters. She was the only person who ever loved me." he said with a shaky voice.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry." she couldn't think of anything to say, she was speechless.

She was lost in her thoughts she didn't notice him start to climb out of the small hole and poke his head back in there, extended out his hand.

"Here, the coast is clear. Take my hand, I'll help you up and take you back to your friends." he said and she reluctantly took his hand.

When she was pulled up he began to walk at a fast pace, trying to keep her hidden. She followed, but apparently she was the only one to realize that she was still holding his hand. Quickly she dropped it and began to blush. As they began to get closer to the edge of the forest, Hermione could see the battlefield again but none of her friends were around. They were on the other side of the field.

"Malfoy? Was your mother your sacrifice?" she asked but it took him a minute for a response.

"Partly." he said pausing for a moment.

"The other part's coming up..." he said leaving her confused.

Silence came again for a few seconds.

"Leave." Draco whispered quickly walking up to her and taking her hand.

"What?"

"Leave. Hurry." he said and she began to nod with a confused look.

Turning around to leave, she stopped. Inches in front of her was Lucius Malfoy smirking. Hermione grabbed for her wand but was stopped by feeling his wand pressed against her. She turned back to face him and seen his turning his wand around her chin.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Miss Granger." he said and she glared at him.

"Very nice. Well done Draco. I shall inform the Dark Lord that you have lived up to your promise to prove yourself for the little i incident /i at Hogwarts." he said causing Hermione to turn and see Draco looking down at the ground avoiding her eyes.

"Y-you planned this!" she yelled looking aghast at Draco as he began to sigh and close his eyes momentarily.

"Yes you stupid mudblood. Of course he did. Did you honestly think he cared for your safety?" he said and when he saw her face, he began to laugh.

"Oh Merlin, you did. Draco, the mudblood thought you cared. How sweet." he said and she looked back at Draco. He was looking at them but looked away when Hermione turned to see him.

"Anyway, we don't need to waste anymore time on such a useless life. Draco, get on with it, kill her." he stated and Hermione started to tremble.

She was waiting for Draco call out the killing curse at her but it never came.

"I can't. I-I lost my wand in the woods. And we both know I can't use another's and I'm almost positive it was snapped in half by someone running through the area." he lied and Hermione caught his gaze.

She was turned around though by Lucius sneering and saying, "Fine, you've proved yourself enough already. I can just take the fun part."

This made Hermione look in fear at him as Draco started to walk closer.

"Have you got anything to say before you die mudblood?" he asked pressing his wand harder into her throat. As he said this she spat in his face causing him to glare at her.

"Very well then. Aveda Kedavera!"

Hermione closed her eyes after seeing green start to come from Lucius' wand.

She waited to die, for her soul to leave her body, but it never came.

Slowly opening her eyes, she saw Lucius sneering. Quickly Hermione snatched her wand and shouted the curse as he fell to the ground. Finally after Lucius was hit with the green light and fell, she looked to see what had stopped her from dying. Looking, her eyes began to fill with tears.

On the ground, motionless, was her blonde haired savior.