Author's Note: I don't own anything except maybe any original characters.

Chapter One: Save Me

She stumbled into the alleyway between The Hog's Head and Dervish & Banges, bruises visibly covering her arms as well as the ones in shape of finger prints on her neck. Hermione was feeling weak but she didn't want to have complete strangers who walked past to see her weakness. The tears were welling in her chestnut eyes but she just looked away from the people who were walking past the alley and swallowed hard as she thought back to how she got here.
"You're a slag! What you do is dangerous and promiscuous! Can't you see that?"
"It's my job! It's how I earn a living, and if you don't like that then you can go to hell!" SMACK!
"I will not have some whore for a daughter! You are a disgrace upon me and your mum! Get out!"
"B-But father –"
"GET OUT!"
He grabbed her arms firmly and just about dragged her out of the house before throwing her into the street before slamming the door in her face.

That had been about three days ago and she hadn't found anything to eat since. She wasn't the most respectful woman in town and because of this; she tried to keep herself on a low profile. She felt herself withering away and dizziness overcame her with a fierce blow. She tried to catch her breath, holding onto a loose brick in the alley but she fell to the ground. Having no energy to pick herself up, she remained there and closed her eyes, feeling very tired.

"Miss? Miss, are you all right?"
A faint voice intruded into her mind and fearing it was a policeman, she forced herself to open her eyes. She felt herself relax when she realized it was someone whom she recognized but then instantly felt ashamed. She searched his emerald eyes and felt her breath hitch, almost beginning to feel panicked.

"W-Why do you care if I'm alright or not?"

He searched her dirty face and then gently pushed her grungy hair back behind her shoulder and rested his eyes on the bruises on her neck. He bit his lip and cleared his throat, feeling his protective side kick in.

"Who did this to you, Granger?"

She casted her eyes downwards and bit her own lip hard. "No one."

Hermione felt herself surprised at how he was being so caring of her and then reminded herself who was holding her still. She felt bitter and she felt angry at herself that Draco Malfoy, of all people, had to find her like this, in such low conditions.

"Come on, I'm taking you home with me."

At this, she started to struggle from his arms to get her feet back on the ground but he held onto her tightly.

"N-No! No! Let me go! I can't go home with you!"

Draco looked at her curiously and set her back on her feet gently. "And why not…?"

"I-I have to earn my money. I have a job. You can't just… just take me back to

your place…"

"I'm trying to help you! What exactly is your job? Working on the street? That's hardly a job! That's a death wish."

"It's my life. I don't have any other choices like you do, Draco! Now go!"

He shook his head and sighed heavily. "You do have a choice. And this isn't one of them. Please… let me take you home. Let me take care of you."

She felt tears fill her eyes now and she shook her head as she swallowed back a sob. The sound of hearing someone wanting to take care of her and help her was all too inviting.

"I don't need your help! Now go! Please!"

"Alright, fine. I'll go, but… I want you to come to me when you're ready to stop being so stubborn."

Draco scribbled on a small piece of paper and handed it to her. She hesitantly took it and looked at the address before she stuffed it in her dirtied jeans' pocket and just nodded to him, glancing back at the ground.

She waited until he left before she tried to straighten herself up some in an attempt to get a potential customer. Hermione knew what she was doing was dangerous, but she had no other way to get money, and money was what she needed.

"Why, hello there, miss. Are you doing business?"

Hermione looked up and felt her stomach drop when she saw someone she knew from her past. She felt her stomach knot up and she bit her lip.

"Harry… w-what are you doing here?"

He smirked now at the mention of his name and then walked closer to her. "I'm just looking for some fun. Are you open for business?"

She didn't like the look in his eyes in the least, and the sound of his voice told her he had just been at the bar. As the moon lit up the sky, she could see Harry's bloodshot eyes and a chill ran through her.

"Get lost… you've been drinking…"

Harry walked towards her until he had her cornered against the back of the alley. He gripped her arm on top of the bruises and then shoved her against the wall of the Hog's Head. Hermione felt her breathing increase as her heart raced with fear now.

"Stop it! HELP! Someone please help me!"

Harry put his other hand over her mouth now, as he released her arm and then started to unbutton her pants. She whimpered against his rough hand and felt tears run down her face when she felt his other hand on top of her underwear.

"No one's going to help a slag… you're in the wrong type of business to be helped… Now you're going to give me what I want."

Hermione felt adrenaline kick in as she felt his fingers slip under her underwear as she suddenly kneed him in his groin as hard as she could. She saw him buckle and groan and took this opportunity to run from him, looking for a safe place to go. She didn't think to apparate and she didn't take the time to get the piece of paper out of her pocket. She heard his footsteps behind her as he ran after her.

"Get back here, Mia! You owe me!"

Hermione tried to block his voice as she ran and ran, not even looking what building she was running into. She heard loud music but continued to run. She smelled perfume, cologne, and alcohol and realized that she was now in a crowd of people. She looked back and could no longer see Harry. She relaxed slightly and was about to turn around when she felt someone's arms wrap around her.

"Mia! Did you really think you could beat me? I should really beat you though… teach you a lesson your daddy should've taught you…"

"Stop it! Let go of me!" Hermione yelled as loud as she could.

"Oh, Mia… you shouldn't have run away. I just want to treat you good…"

Hermione elbowed him and started to run again when he suddenly grabbed her arm, brought her back and then slapped her so hard he knocked her on the ground. She whimpered and then turned around, looking up to see Harry bringing his hand back once again and prepared for the hit when suddenly, she saw someone grab his arm.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I don't care how drunk you are, you don't hit a woman, pal! Get the hell out of my club!"

Harry tongued his cheek now, ripping his arm out of the man's grip before he backed out of the club, watching Hermione the entire time. She looked up at the stranger and was afraid that he'd kick her out too.

"I-I'm sorry… I- I didn't mean to bring h-him in here! I just didn't k-know where else to go…"

She watched as he crouched down to meet her eye level and then almost nervously glanced at all of her bruises.

"Shh…it's alright. You're safe now. You're safe here. My name is Blaise, but… I think you already know me. Do you remember me?"

His calming voice soothed her and she nodded quickly. "Y-Yes… I remember you…"

"Come on, Hermione. Let's get you cleaned up," He offered, extending his hand to her. As she took it, she instantly felt safety and helped him help her back on her feet.

They walked towards the back of the club and Blaise took her to his office, which had papers cluttering the top of his desk. She didn't mind though. She sat down on the brown leather couch and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of her flight mode.

He grabbed his wand and slowly waved it over her arms, making the bruises gradually disappear. He set his wand back down and then sat down beside her and was silent, as if he as deciding what to do next.

"Umm… you're… you're welcome to use the shower in the back here. Sometimes, I sleep here when I don't want to go home," he chuckled softly.

"Thank y-you. I think I will…"

"Oh, and… I can get you some clothes too, if you wish. Do you have any preferences?"

Hermione searched his blue eyes and shook her head. "No, not really…"

Blaise nodded and was quiet for awhile, looking at his office phone. "I'm going to make a phone call and then I'll grab your clothes for you while you go take a shower. Does that sound okay?"

Hermione wasn't used to having choices so she habitually nodded, fearful if she said no, she'd get hurt. She stood up with him and followed him to the back of his office. There was a small mattress on the floor and across from that there was a bathroom.

"There you go. I'll get you your clothes first and then I'll make the call. So… I'll let you alone now and I'll be back."

Blaise disappeared out of his office and went back into the club area. Hermione looked around before she stripped off her clothes and then stepped into the shower before closing the glass door. Her legs felt weak from malnutrition but the hot water felt so good on her skin. She grabbed his bottle of body wash and squeezed a small amount of it in her hand before started to clean herself and rinse off all the dirt.

She heard the door open about five minutes later and tensed up at first, weary that maybe it wasn't Blaise, but then relaxed when she heard his voice.

"Hey… umm… I found some clean clothes for you. I'm not… sure how they're going to fit you, but… I have everything you need here. I'll just set them on the sink."

"Thank you, Blaise."

He nodded but then realized she couldn't see him. He glanced down at the floor and then saw her pants and something white peeking out of them. He kneeled down silently and pulled out the small baggie that he had seen. He felt his heart sink when Blaise saw what the pills were. He recognized them all too well. He bit his lip and put the baggie back into her pants pocket before he stood up.

"I'm going to go make that phone call now. Take your time."

She waited until she heard the door close when she opened the door to the shower and placed the towel around her body before walking towards the clothes he had found for her. Clean underwear, a clean, long sleeve shirt as well as jeans, and a grey sweatshirt that appeared to be far too large for her. She put the clothes on, put Draco's paper as well as her pills in the new jeans, and looked in the bathroom mirror at a face she hardly recognized anymore.

She waved her hand, instantly drying her now clean hair and then started towards the door. She walked out and started back towards his office and she had gotten to the other door when she heard him talking to someone on the phone. She placed her hand on the doorknob, placing her ear against the door.

"I don't know what to do here, man! You need to take her! No, I know… but she's not going to learn this way… you need to come pick her up. She'll be safer with you over there!"

Hermione's eyebrows came together in confusion, wondering who he was talking to. He was going to pawn her off on someone else…

Blaise sighed. "Yeah, no… I understand. But I can't be held responsible to what happens to her here! I can't protect her all the time!"

Hermione backed away from the door as she heard him hang up and then slowly opened the door. "Hey… umm… thank you for… for everything, Blaise. I really appreciate it…"

He nodded in response and ran his hand through his black hair. "Yeah, no problem. God, you look starved. You need some food in you. Come on, let's go to the Three Broomsticks…"

Hermione remembered the words Blaise told whoever on the phone and felt guilty. "No… i-it's alright. Umm… I'll be alright. I think I should… I should just leave…"

Realization came into Blaise's eyes now and he cursed to himself. "Shit… you heard everything, didn't you?"

"I don't want to be a burden to you, Blaise. You saved me from Harry, let me shower and gave me clean clothes… and that's more than I could ever ask for. I'm… I'm just going to go."

"Please don't leave, Hermione. It's not safe out there. He's still out there and as long as you're in here, I can protect you! You don't deserve to be treated like you have. You're a good person and bad things have happened to you. It's not your fault, though. Things can change."

"No, not for me, Blaise. Things can't change for me. Can you just… answer me a question before I leave?"

Blaise sighed but nodded. "Of course."

"Who did you want to take me off your hands? W-Who did you tell to come and pick me up?"

"I can't tell you, Hermione. I want to, but I've been sworn not to. Give me another question."

She searched his eyes now, almost feeling regretful of saying she had to leave. "W-Why didn't you take my pills? I know that you looked through my pants."

"Because they're yours, and… I can protect you from certain things, but I can't protect you from everything. If you want to take those pills, you'll find a way to get them. Just promise me one thing?"

Hermione looked up and gripped the insides of her sweatshirt sleeves.

"Please be careful. You don't need those pills. You're beautiful… and you need to eat."

"I-I want to eat, but I can't afford to."

Blaise slowly walked towards her and pulled out a wad of cash. He pulled out two twenty dollar bills and handed them to her. "Take it."

Hermione shook her head and stepped back. "I-I can't, Blaise. I'm not going to take your guilt money. I don't need your pity."

"Take it! Please! For the love of God… you need food or you're going to starve to death!"

Hermione grabbed the money quickly now and then stormed out of the club, hating herself for letting him help her now. She didn't need his charity. She didn't need his money. She walked quickly down the sidewalk and realized that most of the lights had turned off and darkness was surrounding her. She stopped now and looked around, feeling eyes watching her.

She stood there for several moments, her breathing becoming shallower and started walking again. She walked fast¸ and then heard the sound of running after her. She started to run now and didn't realize she had run into total darkness until it was too late. She heard laughter and snickering all around her but couldn't see anyone. She backed up and then suddenly felt something hard her in the head. She could only guess what it was but suddenly she felt dizzy and fell to the ground, feeling warm liquid coming out of the back of her head.

"I told you, Mia… you can't run from me," came a dark, familiar voice. She suddenly felt nauseous, knowing who it was.

"W-Why… why are y-you doing this….?"

"Well, you literally cock-blocked me so I think I have good reason for doing this."

She suddenly felt something sharp go into her hand and she screamed in pain, unable to see what it was, and that being the worst fear of all. The pain was hot, and sharp and felt like a thousand razorblades cutting her skin at once.

"Now, now.. no need for that."

She felt the pain ease just a little but she couldn't move her hand. She sobbed violently, in fear and in pain. Suddenly she felt a force hit another force and heard a lot of groaning and screaming around her. She felt the ground, trying to stand up but had no idea what was going on.

She heard a sickening crack and then running before she suddenly felt arms wrap around her from the front. Thinking it was Harry, she cried and yelled as she tried to fight him but then felt the arms tighten around her protectively, and a soft voice in her ear.

"Shhh… it's alright, Granger. It's just me… it's only me. You're okay…"

She felt herself relax in his arms but felt her legs give out from underneath her, and became grateful he was still holding her. "I-I'm sorry… p-please… I-I'm sorry…"

Hermione felt him easily pick her up and carry her in his arms now as he started walking. She held him tightly, breathing in his smell. It somehow calmed her in a bizarre way, but she still cried into his shoulder. He whispered gentle words into her ears as he walked up the stairs and turned on some lights before walking into an apartment. She had stopped crying now and was hiccupping slightly.

"You're safe. We're here and you're safe now."

Hermione held onto him until he laid her down on the comfortable couch and crouched down beside her, gently placing his cool hand on her hot forehead.

"I'm going to heal your head first, okay?"

She nodded but then winced, having forgotten about Harry knocking her in the head. She felt Draco put his hand behind her head where it hurt and heard him whisper a spell. Slowly, the pain began to disappear and now it was all focused on the pain in her hand but she was in so much shock that she barely felt it at all.

"Okay, I need to heal your hand now but I need some things first." Draco stood up to go get it but Hermione quickly grabbed out to him, catching his arm.

"Please… please don't leave me… please…"

Draco bit his lip, maybe not realizing how scared she really was. He kneeled back down, unhooked himself from her and then ran his fingers through her hair softly. "It's okay. It's alright, Granger. I'm just going to go to the bathroom to get the supplies and I'll be right back. I promise. I locked the door, and no one can apparate into this place except me. Okay?"

Hermione whimpered but nodded reluctantly and watched as he went to go get the medical supplies. She sat up and looked around the apartment as she waited, taking in the largeness of the rooms and saw that he had, in fact, locked the door. She looked at the clock on the wall, willing him to hurry. Almost on cue, he came back with bandages, and other types of first aid. He sat down beside her and gently took her hand. She seemed to notice it for the first time and saw there was a somewhat large amount of blood coming from the palm of her hand where Harry had knifed her. She swallowed hard and then looked down.

"I need you to drink this first. It's a numbing solution while I go to work on it…"

Hermione gently took the vial that had a blue liquid in it and then swallowed it easily, instantly feeling it numb her hand. Out of curiosity, she started to watch him begin to heal her hand. Draco said a healing spell under his breath and it didn't look any different. He grabbed the bandage and started to wrap it around the wound and tore it off when there was enough to control the bleeding.

"T-Thank you…"

He smiled weakly up at her. "No problem. I'm glad I got there in time."

She nodded and looked down. "Y-Yeah, me too… h-how did you find me? Why were… you there?"

"Well, Blaise called me. He told me that you had left so… I went to go find you. I was worried that you would get hurt and I know that Potter wasn't going to give up on trying to hurt you. I couldn't just leave you there."

Hermione sighed and then looked away. "Blaise was talking to you on the phone, wasn't he?"

She saw guilt touch his eyes now and nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry, Granger. I knew that if he told you that he had called me, then you wouldn't let me come get you."

Hermione nodded and smiled back weakly. "Well, you were right. But I ran away anyway."

Draco searched her broken eyes. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Because I'm stupid, and stubborn, and… I don't deserve any help that anyone gives me."

"You do, Granger. And you are not any of those things. Well, you're stubborn, yeah, but… you're wild. Wild things shouldn't be confined."

Hermione looked down at her hand and then brought her legs into her chest, fear filling her up again. "I'm scared."

Draco wrapped his arm around her shoulders casually and gently made her lean into him, her head now resting on his chest. "I know you are. But I'm not going to let anyone or anything hurt you. You're better than the lifestyle you live. You're better than Potter. You're safe here. As long as you're here, you're safe."

Hermione felt his arm around her but didn't mind. She welcomed it right now. Her eyes felt tired, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. At least not for long. She remained leaning against Draco, letting his soft, gentle words seep through her until she felt his breathing even out and his words cease.

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