And this is Just the Prologue

The dark of the night could no hide the hooded figures stumbling toward the castle. Albus Dumbledore watched from his office as the two large mysterious wizards made their way to the front doors. One tried desperately to hold the other as they shuffled frantically down the dirt path.

"Leave me here. Go get him," hissed the younger man.

"Definitely not. We must stay together," retorted the older one. "We are almost there, son." The older man grimaced at the sound of his son's whimpers and cries as they neared the castle doors. As the older man pulled his son up the steps, the front doors swung open, blinding the two men with a bright light from the inside and revealing the headmaster. "Albus," hissed the older man. "Help. Please."

Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.

Without a word, Dumbledore levitated the young man and moved him into the foyer of the school. "What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" Dumbledore asked, never nearing the two men. The older man pushed the hood of his cloak off his head. "Lucius?" Dumbledore gasped. He looked down at the other man. "Draco?"

Lucius Malfoy glanced up at the headmaster and then tended to his son. Without looking at Dumbledore again he said, "We need your help, Albus." Madam Pomfery stormed into the foyer shaking her head at Draco's condition.

"Albus, he must go to the hospital wing. We can sort out the rest later." Dumbledore nodded in affirmation as Madam Pomfery took Draco to the hospital wing. Lucius made to follow, but he was stopped by Dumbledore's sharp voice.

"You will stay and explain everything to me." Lucius looked worriedly at his son's retreating form. "He will be fine with Poppy."

Lucius sighed and fell back onto the grand staircase. "The Dark Lord beat him senseless today, Albus." He looked down at his hands in shame. "I could do nothing to stop it."

"Why?" Dumbledore asked simply.

Lucius looked into Dumbledore's eyes. The headmaster had never seen so much concern, so much fear in the man's eyes before. "Draco refused to murder you." Dumbledore showed no emotion. "He flat out refused and nearly spat in the Dark Lords face. I sat and watched as he defended you. The Dark Lord only became more and more furious as he went on."

"I can imagine." Dumbledore made to sit next to Lucius but thought better of it.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named threw Draco in the dungeons right after. I waited until I knew it would be safe and took him here."

"And you're wife, Lucius?"

"Murdered for defending our son." His words were crisp with bitterness.

"Why come here? Why not go into hiding?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Hiding would not teach my son anything, Albus. He needs to know that strength is what wins battles. It took every ounce of strength I had to get us here, physically and emotionally. I'm turning myself in, so he can have a better life."

"Surely you don't believe that a life without you is a better one?" Dumbledore pushed.

"Anything is better than receiving a beating because you stand up for what you believe."

"And what do you believe in, Lucius?"

"The short end of it?" Lucius paused and ran his hands through his loose blond hair. "I believe in the good of people. It has taken Cissa many, many years to teach me, but her message finally sank in not to long ago. Together we've taught Draco to forget the ways the Dark Lord preaches. After I watched them assault my son and kill my wife right in front of my eyes, I could not keep up the charade any longer. I was hurting Draco more than saving him."

Dumbledore stared, utterly surprised of the honesty in which Lucius spoke. Lucius stayed quiet, waiting for Dumbledore to respond. "We will think of a plan to keep both of you safe." Dumbledore placed a hand on Lucius shoulder. Overcome with relief and gratitude, Lucius began to cry. He had not cried since his wedding day, and even then it was in the solitude of his bedchambers. Dumbledore watched the weathered man release his emotions with silent care.

Several hours later Dumbledore, along with the Minister of Magic, walked into the hospital wing. The two powerful wizards stopped short as they watched Lucius kneel beside his son's unconscious body, bow his head and mumble an incoherent monologue. After a few moments, Lucius stood up and kissed his son's forehead, smoothing his short blond hair.

"I see you are correct, Dumbledore." The Minister's doubt vanished as they had watched Lucius pray for his son's safety. "Our deal stands. I will take the information Lucius gave you and bring it to the Aurors. I'm sure the information will trickle down to the Order?" Dumbledore nodded at the question. "Good. Tell Lucius of the parameters and be sure the two stay hidden until He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has fallen. Understood?" Dumbledore nodded again. "I must go." And the Minister turned to leave not as quietly as they had entered.

Lucius turned and watched the wizard exit the wing. He nodded his greetings to the headmaster and turned back to his son. "I suppose he will be getting the Aurors then?"

"No." Dumbledore answered. Lucius looked up half in surprise, half in curiosity. "I gave the Minister the information you gave me. He agrees that without it our side would not have won. He found the information very valuable."

Lucius nodded. "I'm not going to Azkaban then?"

"No. You will come with me. And when Draco is well, he will come too."

"Where are we going?"

"The Order of the Phoenix uses the Black estate, Grimmald Place, for our headquarters. You and Draco will live there until Voldemort falls."

"And after?" Lucius asked looking down on to his sleeping son.

"You two will be free. The Minister will see to it that you get credit for what you have done, to clear your name."

Lucius let out an exhausted breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Free. What's free? He moved the concept around in his head, but his powerful, ever adapting mind couldn't wrap itself around it.

"I'll leave you to say goodbye. Then we must leave straight away. Draco will follow when he wakes up." Dumbledore placed a hand on Lucius shoulder again. "You did the right thing by your son, Lucius. Nothing more could be expected of you."

A/N: Alrighty. And so begins my first Draco/Hermione ship. The title of the story is a line out of Times Like These by the Foo Fighters. Get ready to understand my vast love of music ). The title of the Prologue is straight out of a Panic! At the Disco song: The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage.

Please review )