Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or any of the Characters, though i wish i owned Draco.

Outline: Hermione's in trouble, Harry and Ron are locked up in the dungeons. Will Draco save the one he has professed to love? And what will the aftermath be?

Pairing: Draco/Hermione

Rating: T

Chapter 1 – I've Separated My Life from Truth

Draco Malfoy hummed to himself, eyes tight shut over his grey eyes. His complextion draining as he chanced a look through the slits in his eyes. The dark, harrowing view that presented itself pushed him to snap his lids closed once more.

The moment he did, colour blossomed into his mind, red and gold. Now clearly these shouldn't be the colours that a proud Slytherin should be imagining, although his pride in the Slytherin kind had been lost in the last few hours, nevertheless red and gold were not usually the top of his list. But the memory they evoked lifted him to no end.

"Gryffindor!" The hat exclaimed. Hermione Granger's grimace changed instantly and beautifully into a toothy bright-eyed smile. Her curls bounced with her as she made her way to the Gryffindor table, the first of the group. As she moved her glance fell upon him. Tilting her head down slightly, her massive smile was replaced by one of friendship. Their eyes had locked, at that moment, Draco wanted nothing more than to be a proud Griffindor, but the feeling soon passed when the thought of his father flitted through his mind.

"Draco Malfoy" Professor McGonagall shouted, eyes firmly on the piece of paper in front on her. Draco edged his way to the front, knowing that in this moment his dreams of being declared in Slytherin would come true, but at the same time knowing a great wedge would be put between himself and the mysterious girl, with the bewitching smile.

He sat down on the stool and as soon as he felt the weight of the hat wear down on his head, the scream of "Slytherin!" was heard across the hall.

Through the haze of his memories, a distant scream melded itself with the Hat's. Draco shook his head in order to clear the haze in his mind. Forcing himself to think of something happy, his thoughts inevitably went to the brunette curly hair that he was so fond of.

"Granger!" He heard himself say, to which Hermione turned to him. The people milling round them in the corridor seemed not to notice, or the majority didn't. One or two turned there heads, mostly first years, who knew nothing of them anyway. He knew it was silly to call her attentionin front of all the people around, but it was so rare for Hermione to be without her friends in public, he couldn't hold in his voice.

"Draco, not here!" Hermione exclaimed, she smiled her toothy smile in spite of herself, and began dragging Draco by the hand into a deserted classroom nearby. "You know we can't be seen!"

"I know, but I love seeing you squirm" Draco replied, a smirk settling on his face. He pulled Hermione towards him till there were mere inches between them. "You know you can always tell me to stop" Draco breathed.

Hermione's face began to flush, their lips almost meeting, she sighed. "You know I can't" She breathed back. She could no longer stand the distance between them and her lips collided with Draco's, his responding passionately.

Their lips parted after too short a time in Draco's opinion.

"You should do that every time I see you," Hermione said with a faint smile crossing her ruby lips.

"Oh, yeah?" Draco inquired, the smirk returning to his face. He began running a finger across Hermione's cheek, the rouge tint in her skin finding the surface again.

"Yeah. It reminds me your not a complete git all of the time." Hermione giggled out, as she split from the platinum blonde. Without another word Hermione left the abandoned classroom, leaving Draco alone but smiling.

Despite his situation, Draco found smile forming on his face, through this was not to last long, as the distant scream he had heard previously was back and filling his mind. It was louder.

"No! Please no! I don't know anything!" He didn't want to hear this, he couldn't cope. The smile ages from his lips now, turned to a moan in his mouth. He needed to keep his mind occupied and so began to turn his mind back to the face that he knew better than anyone else in the world.

Hermione was furiously scribbling notes down on the piece of paper in front of her. The library around them was so quiet a pin could drop around them. It was a Saturday afternoon, and so obviously as would be expected everyone in their right mind was outside enjoying their time off. He and Hermione however were in the library working.

Draco couldn't help but smirk at his girlfriend in front of him, how they'd ever gotten together, worked together so well, seemed ridiculous to him, but somehow he didn't care.

Hermione suddenly dropped her quill to the table and looked up, locking eyes with Draco, a smile spreading across her face. "Done!" She exclaimed, before lacing her fingers into his and leaning across the table to place a delicate kiss on Draco's lips. Closing his eyes, he deepened the kiss, caressing her mouth with his tongue. On parting, Hermione sighed, a look of content on her features.

"I wish we were other people," She said whilst fiddling with a stray piece of string that was coming away from the cuff of her jumper.

"I can be anyone you want me to be, " Draco smirked. Hermione pursed her lips in a look of annoyance.

"Be serious Draco" she replied, though the annoyance lifted, amusement replacing it. "I just wish we could be a normal couple, not have to hide everything from everyone. I want people to know how I feel about you. Not in the shout it from the rooftops type way but just our friends knowing would be enough." Hermione said in a sad tone.

"Well if you picked your friends better then we wouldn't have this problem" Draco said, only the slightest hint of a joke in his voice. Hermione just took on an annoyed expression, before turning her face away from his. In an attempt to backtrack slightly Draco spoke once more. "And if I could pick my family that would help as well. Look we can't change who we know, all we can do is be with eachother."

At that Hermione turned back to him and began to smile once more.

"NO!" The scream became over whelming and Draco's eye snapped open to once more bring himself back to reality. Those hazel eyes, that curly hair, that ruby lips that in his head and heart made everything worthwhile, were terrorised.

Belatrix Lestrange stood across from Hermione. "Crucio!" She screamed, watching Hermione writhe in pain, pleasure crossing over her face.

Draco felt a tear run down his cheek, knowing he needed to make the decision, but couldn't. A look of pleading reached Hermione's eyes as she pierced his own, a silent plea calling out to him.

At this moment Draco could have collapsed right there from the pain that was weighing down on his heart. Malfoy Manor had never felt so cold.

A/N – End of chapter one, what do you think? The next chapter should be up in a couple of days. This is going to be finished, I'm determined. So reviews would be great, any feedback, even criticism, would be very helpful and I'll reply to any reviews in the next chapter at the beginning.