A/N- Well, before I begin, I've got a few things to say. This is my first fic, so please let me know how I do. Anything italicized is a direct line from the song The Greatest Story Ever Told by ICE NINE KILLS, which is an awesome song by the way. Originally, this was going to be a one-shot, but it got too long, so it will probably be 4 or 5 chapters.

Disclaimer- Anything you recognize belongs to either J.K. Rowling, ICE NINE KILLS, or The Who.

"I love you, Hermione" I whisper, gently stroking her cheek. She looks at me with unadulterated happiness shining in those big expressive eyes, and replies with the most wonderful words I've ever heard.

"I love you, too, Draco." I smile and lower my head to greet her lips with my own-

"Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball -" I groan. 'Stupid muggle contraption,' I think, glaring at the cell phone. Hermione had given me the damn thing for my last birthday, as well as picked out that awful song for the "ring tone," I think she had called it. I briefly consider ignoring whoever interrupted my dreaming, but decide against it and answer.

"Hullo?"

"Draco? Draco! I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you! I need you to come over here now! Please! Please help me!"

"Wait, Hermione? What's wrong? You're not making any sense! What-"

"Listen closely as I tell you I'm not who I seem. I'm gonna touch you cause I like it when you scream. I want to watch you when you're sleeping and thinking of me!" That is definitelynot Hermione. It sounds more like that bastard of a boyfriend of hers, Chase. I hear a bone-chilling scream come from the phone. Fuck, I need to get over there. Fast.

I don't even bother with clothes. I'm wearing pajama pants- that's good enough. I just grab my wand off my bedside table and apparate outside Hermione's apartment building. It's in wizarding London, so it's got numerous wards around it, including anti-apparation and sound-proofing, which means the neighbors wouldn't have heard anything going on in Hermione's flat. It also has anti-muggle wards, so she couldn't call the muggle police to rescue her, and since the magical world does not have phones, she probably doesn't have a quick enough means to contact the aurors. I doubt she'd call any of her other friends, since I'm the only one that knew about the abuse her boyfriend puts her through. I'm probably her only hope.

With that in mind, I rush into the building, running all the way up to her flat on the seventh floor. I don't bother knocking, just barge right in. The door is unlocked. I try not to take it as a bad sign.

"Hermione!" It's dark and quiet. That doesn't mean anything, right? Maybe Hermione and Chase sorted out their problems calmly like mature adults and now Hermione is sleeping peacefully in her bed.

Hesitantly, I raise my wand and magic it alight. And there, lying on her living room floor, is Hermione. She is completely still- lacking even the subtle rise and fall of the chest that indicates breathing.

'Am I dreaming again? Please, Merlin, let this be a dream!' I think desperately as I run over to her. "Hermione?" I say her name quietly, almost as if I'm afraid to wake her. I sit next to her and gingerly touch her cheek. There is a nasty gash running from her left eye to her swollen lips. Her right eye is bruised and swollen shut, but her left eye seems to be staring at me, the ever-present in them gone. My eyes wander down her form. Merlin, her neck looks like raw meat! A shard of glass protrudes from her bloody left shoulder. Her entire body seems to be covered in bruises, both new and old. The part of her nightgown that covers her stomach is completely drenched blood.

"Oh, Hermione!" I croak out. "I'm sorry, sorry don't go! Oh please God no!" I don't even believe in this God that Hermione always went on about, but for some reason, the words seem right. "Please, don't leave me! I won't let you! Episkey! Anapneo!" I proceed to try every healing spell I know. Nothing works, though I don't think I'd really expected it to. After I run out of spells, I give up. I consider calling the healers, but I know it's too late for her. And I want to spend little more time with her before she is taken away from me forever, so I decide to wait to summon anyone, and instead stay by her side.

"How could you have let this happen, Hermione? I warned you! Didn't I tell you he was bad news? But you didn't listen. 'He just has a bit of a temper. He's really a nice guy,' you told me! And now look at you!" I was starting to get angry. "And how did a muggle manage to best you, the brightest witch of our age, anyway? You could have stopped him any time! Why didn't you?" I am crying now, but I couldn't care less." I just lost the only girl I've ever loved, though she never knew how I feel about her. I want to stay next to her forever and just cry like a little girl. But of course fate would not award me even that luxury.

I don't know how long I sit with Hermione, caressing her face and stroking her hair. It could be minutes, hours, even days for all I care. Nothing matters to me anymore. But eventually the Aurors come. I am in a daze. I barely register a pair of hands forcing my own behind my back and enclosing my wrists with cold metal. I don't hear a word that the owner of those hands says as he natters away about Merlin knows what. I do, however, notice when someone tries to pull me away from the dead brunette on the floor. That is when all hell breaks loose.

"NO! HERMIONE!" I scream at the top of my lungs. I can't let them take her away from me. I start struggling, and end up elbowing the guy restraining me in the groin. The moment he lets go, I run straight for her, only to be grabbed again by three more Aurors. I don't stop fighting, though; I have to get to Hermione. I manage to break one man's nose and throw the woman off me when I hear a distant "stupefy!" and all goes black.