A/N: I'm sure everyone has finished the book! If you haven't yet, what are you doing reading this petty fan fiction when Jo's masterpiece awaits you; go scurry along and devour the book. Anyone who'd like to discuss or share your thoughts on the book, feel free to PM or e-mail me. I myself have plenty to say… no spoilers here, I promise ;o)

A thousand thanks to a most invaluable beta: Nalaniekeala.

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Stars and Saviours

The woman before her fell helplessly beside the immobile man on the slippery ground. Her strangled scream echoed through the dark, dank night. She clutched his hand frantically whilst crying his name, pure desperation ringing each syllable.

"Linden! Wake up, Linden!"

The teenage girl watched the doleful scene play out, her own heart stricken with hopelessness. She struggled in vain to escape the strong hold of the Death Eater.

"Dad!" she called out, anguish dripping her voice.

Drops of rain that tumbled to the earth seemed to drench her with inevitable fear. She grasped her wand with ferocity, but failed to move her wrist and cast a spell as the damned Death Eater clamped onto her arms with a vice-like grip.

Suddenly, she heard the two words she was most fearful of at the moment.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of horrendous green shot straight at the man on the ground, killing him instantly. The woman let out another heart-wrenching sob that resonated down the desolate street. The Death Eater that performed the cold-blooded murder approached the girl, who was paralysed with horror.

"My, my…such pretty eyes for a Mudblood. Alas, it is a pity you must die." His voice was mocking and cruel.

The girl flinched from the Death Eater's touch upon her cheek. All words had abandoned her. Without warning, the robed man pointed his wand directly at the girl and hissed, "Imperio."

The other Death Eater that was grasping onto her released his hold. The girl swayed and pointed her wand towards the woman sobbing into the lifeless man's chest.

"Crucio," she found herself uttering. The woman's body contorted with unimaginable pain, her limbs convulsing as if being struck repetitively by lightning.

The two Death Eaters began to laugh derisively. The girl was weeping uncontrollably, but could not move her wand. She tried to look away, but the Death Eaters made sure her gaze remained affixed on her dying mother.

When Hermione woke from her gruesome nightmare, the sole thought ringing through her head was "Not again! Not again!" She was shivering to the bones despite the heavy blanket cocooning her. Her eyes were bereft of tears, yet her insides were screaming in agony. Tears were such common occurrences during a war that after awhile they become as frivolous as rain in the monsoon season.

Hermione struggled to entangle herself from the blanket. She succeeded, and in a haze of sheer numbness, climbed out of bed. Being attacked by spasms, she made her way across the room with a gruelling pace. Her roommates remained sleeping as Hermione shut the door behind her with a click.

How she managed leaving her dormitory and walking through the corridors and out of the castle, Hermione could never remember. But she did, in her drastic state and all, and found herself kneeling at the edge of the lake.

Still dressed in her pyjamas, Hermione stared at her reflection in the rippling water. The winds whipped through the night with a vengeance. She stared long and hard at the eighteen-year-old girl in the water, a girl who once had vivid eyes hungry to discover the world, a fiery mind thirsty to drink up all knowledge, and a rapid tongue ready to fight for her beliefs and principles. Now, the shell of that lost soul was all that remained.

Hermione placed a hand on her chest; her heart was thudding from the long trek to the lake. If her heart could beat that quickly, why was it that she felt nothing? Why had all emotions failed her? Where did her pain, grief, rage, and even joy hide?

Hermione looked up. The sky above hung without the moon, only a vast ceiling of dappled stars provided the ethereal glow to light up the grounds. Her father had always told her: "I love you as much as there are stars in the sky, ma Cherie." The number of stars tonight seemed endless.

Unable to look at the starry attestation of love her father had had for her, Hermione tore her eyes from the sky. Her eyes fell upon the Forbidden Forest instead.

Completely oblivious to her movements or intentions, Hermione stood up and started walking towards the dense thicket of the forest. She moved past Hagrid's dark cabin and entered the forest, cutting through a string of sycamore trees. Following a short path for some time, unaware of the low-slung brambles and thorns snagging her pyjamas, Hermione came across an eerily quiet clearing.

The starlight overhead bathed the clearing in some pale light; the branches of the trees bordering the small space looked gnarly and menacing. As if being awaken from a trance, Hermione realised she was doing something very, very stupid. Suddenly, she heard a deep growl from behind her. Her heartbeat increasing with every short breath, Hermione turned around and came face to face with yet another nightmare.

It was a large creature the size of a rhinoceros with hide the colour of pale purple. Two awfully sharp, long horns protruded from his massive head. Baring teeth that would put lions to shame, the creature let out another growl. Remembering a distant Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Hermione whispered a single word with a sick stomach. "Graphorn."

She felt the pocket of her pyjamas. Her wand was still lying on her bedside table… very stupid indeed.

The Graphorn noticed Hermione's slight motion to find her wand and lunged towards her like a predator bouncing on a helpless prey. A scream turned into a painful howl as the Graphorn's horns thrust into her left shoulder and she plunged to the ground. Digging into her bone, the horns were spikes of the crudest metal. The pain was greater than one's nerves could handle, and Hermione felt her eyes shutting and her world growing drowsy.

Finally, she felt something….

"Stupefy!" a male voice yelled as red light swamped Hermione's peripheral vision.

Pain gushed from her shoulder and shot through her arm and neck as the horns tore themselves out of her raw flesh. Her blurry eyes watched the Graphorn bare its yellow teeth to someone above her and position itself to jump once again. Before it could make its predatory leap, the warm voice shouted another curse and the Graphorn stumbled and fell at her feet.

Hermione remained lying on the floor of the forest, a sense of loss and victory battling in her chest as the pain in her shoulder continued to augment. She wanted to move her limbs and stand up to thank her saviour, but the pain thwarted her. Instead, she let out a groan.

She heard several quick movements and felt someone kneel beside her. A face began to come to focus despite her vague vision. Blond hair smoother than threads of silk and eyes of pure silver.

"Granger!"

She knew that voice… no… no, it couldn't be! Hermione groaned again, but not because of the ferocious pain. Because her saviour was none other than Draco Malfoy.

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Stars and more stars… that was the sight that welcomed Hermione when she finally opened her eyes. An endless canopy of stars… her father… the forest… a Graphorn… her saviour… Draco Malfoy! She tried to move but in vain. The pain that had consumed her shoulder was now a mere tingling sensation. Yet she could not move.

"Help!" Hermione called out. Once more she heard a shuffle of movements and a face appeared above her numb body.

"Granger, you'll be fine. I used a strong healing charm for your shoulder, but –" Draco Malfoy began to speak but fell short as soon as he caught the deathly glance on Hermione's face.

"What did you do to me?" Hermione spat out each word like drops of poison.

Malfoy looked simply dumbfounded. "Excuse me?"

Hermione struggled to get up but her arms and legs had become heavier than lead.

"Don't try to move! You will be under the effects of the spell for another hour or so," Malfoy explained, reaching towards her.

"Get away from me you murderer!" Hermione yelled.

Malfoy's arm stopped midway in the air, a pale colour staining his face.

"Don't touch me! You're the son of a murderer!" Hermione cried with absolute loathing.

Something flickered in his eyes akin to hurt. But before Hermione could detect his feelings, Malfoy put on his usual mask of spite and anger.

"How dare you, you bloody –" hastily stopping before any lines were crossed, Malfoy looked both mortified and wild with fury.

But Hermione had already crossed the line.

"You should be able to get up in about an hour," Malfoy mumbled after an awkward pause, harnessing control over his burning emotions with each short breath.

"I advise you to try and get some sleep." With those last words, his face disappeared and Hermione heard his footsteps fading away into the night.

He was leaving her paralysed in the middle of who-knows-where in the dangerous dark. Without a wand or her mind or body in check. Nonetheless, Hermione succumbed to the deepest depths of sleep minutes later.

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It was nearing dawn by the time Hermione awoke, the ashen skies tinged with mauve. She felt wholly calm and rested. The tranquil sound of rushing water soothed her head and a faint breeze caressed her face. I can move my body! was one of the first thoughts that entered her mind.

She quickly sat up, flexing her arms and massaging her shoulder. Barely any trace of pain or even numbness remained. Releasing a contented sigh, she discovered her surroundings with awe.

The sound of water was coming from a stream twisting its way through towering pine trees littered here and there. The stream itself was quite narrow but snaked through the earth and over a hill no higher than Grawp standing tall. It was like a miniature waterfall with cascading sheets of glass. Grass flourished here because of the sparse number of trees that gave reign to the sun and skies overhead. Truly heavenly were the only words that came to mind.

Gawking in astonishment, Hermione wondered if she was still in the Forbidden Forest. Did such an idyllic speck of land exist in the dark and gloom of the forest? Her heart lurched swiftly when she thought up another explanation. Maybe she was dead and this was heaven….

That was when she noticed a blanket covering her. Where had it come from? Angels, perhaps or… Malfoy? Hermione stood up quickly. She was alive, of that she was sure. Her happiness and peace of mind started to dissipate as reality revealed itself. How was she to get back to Hogwarts? How deep into the forest, if this was the Forbidden Forest, was she?

She began looking around restlessly when a figure sitting against one of the giant pine trees caught her eye. Sitting with his hands covering his face, Malfoy looked almost defeated. Hermione could not tell if he was sleeping or not; nevertheless, something twisted in her chest as she realised that he had not left her… He had spent the entire night watching over her.

With the blanket in her hands, Hermione took tentative steps towards Malfoy. "Malfoy?"

A single whisper of his name was all it took for Malfoy to start and get up with his wand readied defensively. When he noticed Hermione, he lowered his wand, his face entirely blank. He looked as if he was going to say something, but that moment vanished at once and he straightened up.

"We're not too far from the castle," were the only words he uttered before turning around and striding away.

Hermione took that as her cue to follow him.

He was right. It only took them about fifteen minutes to make their way through and around bushes and tree trunks before they arrived at the edge of the forest. All the way Hermione had felt a growing lump in her throat. A need to say something was gnawing away at her. She maintained a safe distance behind Malfoy, never walking abreast of him. Malfoy himself did not say another word, nor did he turn around to see if Hermione was keeping up.

As they reached the castle and entered the Entrance Hall, Malfoy abruptly stopped. He turned to face Hermione but did not meet her eyes. Clearing his throat and fixing his gaze on a point in the marble floor, Malfoy began to speak.

"I used the Torpeo charm on your body before casting Episkey Maxima on your shoulder to heal it. I assure you I did no harm." His voice was completely emotionless. He finally looked into her eyes. "I suggest you go see Madame Pomfrey to check your shoulder anyway." With a curt nod, he turned around and left the silent hall.

Hermione watched him leave, her hands still clutching the blanket.

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