Disclaimer: If I owned it, I would be a millionaire. Well..I'm not.

Its my first attempt at a fanfic. EVER. The butterflies are having a roller coaster ride but hey, whats to ne done is done. I love the idea of having 'Mione paired with playboy Malfoy, so pardon me for not being conventional. I'm rambling aint I? Get on..read it and send me those reviews I wait for. Cheers!

The echoes weren't fading away as he dragged himself away from the ruins. It had been a month and he had changed his house a plenty.16 hideouts to be precise. Wiping the gathering sweat and unceremoniously messy blond strands from his forehead, he tried to focus on the forest he had left and the road ahead. "Oh bloody" he whispered as he spied another strikingly familiar group of boys and girls. His ex-school mates to be exact. The carefree laughter told him that they were definitely a part of Potter's supporters. He would surely be an enemy by default now. As he tried to apparate he heard a faint rustle and froze.

It was a mad riot and she felt that she would swoon with exhaustion. After the disturbing war and the haunting funerals, the wizarding world had moved on with great pace. Her best mates were moving on and expected her to do so too. Harry had announced his bond to Ginny forever. He was determined to leave the terror and trauma of the past to dissolve in his red-haired love's care. Ron had seemed to be a little less enthusiastic about the future with Hermione, even after their kiss and almost 8 years of bonding. He felt guilty over spilling it out to her but all that disappeared when he got together with a not so expected girl from his past, Padma Patil. She was the same poor lass who had to bear him during Yule and both of them had rarely acknowledged each other after that but the war changed all that. Padma was a kind and loyal witch who had played a part in the war too. She had been what Ron needed, balancing his moods with her sensibility. Hermione was shocked initially but knowing how destiny played, she felt that it was for the best.

"Its fascinating isn't it milady?" she snapped back to reality and almost cursed her stalker when she saw the smirking face in front of her. "George! You might have lost your memory in an instant if this wand was pointed up you know?" she snapped as she realised that she had gone into another of her hundreds of dreaming sessions. Ginny called them "The troll looks" because she looked stunned and lost when she dreamt.

"Oh but my dear, you would have to actually move that drooling mouth to do the spell wouldn't you?" George replied with a twinkle in his eye as he missed a considerable amount of water to his face. The loss of Fred had brought doom to his life but the constant persistence of three women had made him bounce back. Ginny, and Hermione had been patient and firm with him until he accepted the truth and tried to move on. He had never known that he would have been able to smile ever again but as you could see, he did.

Hermione made a face but smiled as she sat up straight in the couch. The Burrow had become her official house after she had lost her parents' track. Her world had come crashing but as usual the Weasleys had stood up to the occasion. Losing Fred made a spot vacant and Hermione became the unspoken new member. With Ron getting together with Padma, she had become 's adopted daughter of sorts as she couldn't become a daughter by law.

"What was it this time?" she heard George ask and looked up to see that though he grinned, his eyes held something like concern. George was indebted to his new sister for making him live again. He had become her new best friend of sorts as they both missed their previous ones.

"The same." She said with a small sigh and a shrug. It was an unspoken signal that she referred to the war and its effects. Hermione knew that George was not Harry or Ron but he had felt more than them of the loss. He mutely nodded and leaned back into his chair "I know how its like Mione."he said in a soft voice "its tough. But you already know that. I..I don't do big with consoling y'know...But you know..I'm there here. We all are." He ended with a soft smile "Also.." he continued as his eyes picked up a spark " you inspire most of my work ya know? The tricks to cure bookworms?" he said and missed the pillow. Both of them were laughing when they heard a sound in the fireplace.

Hermione saw Bill's face in the fire and tensed. This was not good. She felt George emit the same vibes nearby. Before they could speak Bill cut them off.

"Its Malfoy."

She felt George clench her fist and knew that there was trouble on its way to the Burrow. After all Bill had his entire sibling group with him and Draco Malfoy would be no match to escape against them. Not with their rage against Death Eaters. Even if it was an ex.

Draco felt his strength failing as Percy held him in a body binding spell. He had tried escaping when he had found Ron sneak up on him in the bushes. The red haired war hero was there to get a scarf which had got entangled and caught Draco spying on the Weasley clan with their partners. One yell had brought the entire group there against the blond Slytherin. Draco didn't have a chance against them and soon he realised that they were capturing him. After a whole month of running away, abandoning his family with difficulty and trying to remain evasive, his past had finally caught up. Now he knew what it was like to face sure death. Nobody could save him now.

Her hands went cold as she realised what was about to happen. Draco had managed to escape with his family after the war. The war was followed by a ruthless hunt down of every death eater by the Ministry. The supporters of Voldermort had gone into hiding but that didn't help when the entire wizarding community was against you. There had been stories of many shocking deaths of the supporters, some after trials and some without. The hate for Dark magic was so strong that anybody practising it was doomed. The Slytherins had been miraculously saved by Harry when he revealed that their head, Snape was actually a hero. There were still a majority who hated the pompous house but the respect for the Golden Trio had saved the necks of the Green Snakes. But not those who were directly involved. They were in Azkaban. Hermione felt no sympathy for them, really. But this was a different case. She knew Draco Malfoy and his link with the war. She would have done nothing to stop his sentencing to Azkaban. If not for that one thought and fear. She had to save the blond git. From her only family left.

She heard a pop and knew that the "prisoner" had been brought into the Burrow. Breathing deeply, she turned to face the one man she had hated all her life. And whom she had to save.