AN - Character Note: I wanted to clear up something that might have been a point of confusion:

Draco's state of mind

I deliberately didn't say all that he had been through, due to this being a T rating. No, he had not been raped. He had been defiled, however. He had been a constant target for months. He had been imperioed and made to do and be a part of things that caused him a lot of internal shame. He was helpless to stop it. It filled him with self-loathing, rage, sadness, you name it. That's why he developed such a habit of watchfulness. That's what caused his father to finally change his mind about things. When his mother told Harry he had barely escaped unscathed, she meant barely. She was using the word in a very broad sense so as not to shame Draco any further. Harry caught on to what she was saying. That's why he's been so kind to Draco. And that's why Draco's feelings are all over the place. Why he's so grateful, so easily wounded, so ashamed, so confused and so dad-gum emotional. But never fear, as I stated before, he was spared from the very worst and is slowly but surely making a recovery.

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CHAPTER SIX: PLAN, PART 2

Severus Snape was the first to recover after hearing Dr. Granger's amazing statement. "Dr. Granger," he said in his deep, slow voice, "How could this be done without causing irreparable damage to the wizard? We are still humans. If you remove an active component from our bodies, how do we know what the repercussions will be?"

Dr. Granger smiled and said, "That is an excellent question, and let me make a clarification; when I spoke of subtracting the third DNA strand, I meant in terms of capability, not in actual extraction from the body. Of course, extraction would be impossible to achieve without causing at best, severe mental retardation or more to be expected, death. However, I have learned from my Hermione here," he paused as he motioned to where she was sitting, "that the combination of our technology and…..what was the name of that spell again?" he asked.

"Magicae Tractanda," said Hermione in a small voice.

"Yes, Magic Managed. As I was saying, the fusing of the two will combine to activate a serum that will neutralize the third strand within the DNA. In fact, we have already been at work and are close to producing a gas that could be broadcasted in a wide area or contained as an aerosol. Another option could be to refine the gas into a liquid. We are, of course, exploring other avenues, but as of now, those two are the most feasible and most easily produced."

"A serum, Dr. Granger? Made of what, if you don't mind my asking?"

Dr. Granger looked over his glasses when Lucius asked that question. "You are a very perceptive man. Yes, the serum has to be somewhat magical, too. We have developed it from using the blood of specific donors; people you call squibs in your world."

There was a deafening silence in the room after that statement.

"So what you're saying is….that the gas made from serum from squibs combined with the magic of that spell would make normal wizards into squibs?"

The doctor gravely nodded his head. "Yes, that would be correct. To still carry the third strand, without having access to its abilities within the human body. But may I remind you," he said, looking at the shocked faces of the wizards before him, "Being turned into an average human being is hardly a punishment, considering what these people are trying to do to your world."

"No….no, of course not, Doctor. It's just a lot to take in," said Kingsley. "And if there are no other questions for the Doctor, I would like to go to the next topic and that is, how would we implement this after it's been produced?"

"Well, blimey, that would be the easy part, wouldn't it?" Ron asked as he brought his chair back down from sitting on the back two legs. "Contain the Death Eaters to a room, spray the gas, then go in there using a bubble-headed charm and Avada the sorry blighters to kingdom come."

"Ronald! We can't do that! We would be no better than them if we did," exclaimed Hermione. Draco watched as she gave Ron a disapproving stare. Gods, even angry, she was beautiful. And to think she helped develop this idea with her muggle uncle. The whole Granger family must be brilliant, he thought. Or is her last name even Granger? I wonder if it's Goldhirsch like his? Draco watched her as she lovingly cradled the sleeping baby in her arms. To think she came from an oppressed family and then was introduced to a world that hated her still. Merlin, she's strong.

"As much as I like your plan, Weasley, let me remind you of the the International Statute of Magical Non-Aggression to Muggles," said Mad-Eye. "Since they would no longer be wizards per say, it would be against the law to inflict magical harm on them."

"That's why we've come up with another plan," said Remus. Draco had never seen the man smile so much. He obviously had been very involved with the planning of all of this from the very beginning.

"As Alastor was saying," Remus started, grinning at the old auror since he knew Mad-Eye hated his real name, "magical aggression cannot be performed on muggles…..however, that doesn't mean aggression of any kind can't be used."

"I'm not sure I'm following," Molly began before Remus excitedly interrupted her. "Don't you see? All this time we have been playing to our enemy's strength, which is….," he looked around as he waited for someone to respond.

Still is a professor at heart, thought Draco. Always loving to teach.

"I suppose you are wanting us to say Voldemort's strength is magic," volunteered Blaise.

"Right! And when we take away his strength, we will also be taking away our rights to use that strength against him. So…..we will be prepared and have….."

"A new strength," stated Ginny. Blaise looked impressed that his girlfriend figured it out before anyone else could say anything.

"Right! Well done, Ginny…always a smart lass, that one," Remus bragged as he beamed at her. Ginny blushed while leaning her head back on Blaise's shoulder.

"And may one ask what these new strengths will be?" asked Narcissa. "Are they skills wizards can acquire?"

"Oh yes, definitely," Bill Weasley stood up to take over this part of the conversation. "We will all learn to use a gun, we will all become skilled in martial arts, we will all become competent in wielding a blade. In short, we will become the equivalent of muggle assassins."

Everyone looked at each other after that statement. Using Avada Kedavra was bad enough, but at least it was quick and clean. But sticking a knife into a human body? Seeing a bullet tear a hole into human flesh? Draco thought of some of the men he would be confronting in this battle; men that had abused and humiliated him in his home. Suddenly, learning how to fire a gun sounded appealing.

"How will we learn these skills? Who would teach us?" asked a lilting voice coming from the seats behind Draco. He knew he had heard that voice before. He turned around to see Luna Lovegood staring back at him with a knowing look on her face. "I wondered how long it would be before I saw you here," she whispered.

"What?" He couldn't believe she said that to him. "Me?"

"Well, of course," she said sweetly. "All lost things are eventually found."

Turning back around, Draco shivered. That girl was uncanny. She gave him the creeps.

"Our teachers are right here," Remus replied to Luna's question. "Hermione is quite proficient in the martial arts area. You have a black belt, I believe?"

"Yes, Sir, I do." Hermione turned her head and saw many disbelieving faces. She quickly turned back to face Remus.

"And you feel that the best defense to learn is….?"

"A type of martial arts street fighting. Krav Maga, to be precise."

Everyone was taking that bit of information in when Remus continued. "Our Mr. Fred and George Weasley have become quite capable in firearms and are willing to teach us the elements of using a gun properly, and Mr. Malfoy has graciously volunteered his son Draco to teach those of us who have not yet learned in how to effectively handle a knife."

Draco blanched when he heard that and quickly turned to look at his father. Lucius merely winked back at him. The nerve of him volunteering me for that! he silently fumed. More than likely, Greg and Vin will want to use me as target practice.

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After the meeting was over, people either left immediately or hung around to get another tart or talk to a friend. Hermione ran immediately to her Uncle and gave him a big bear hug. Draco was just coming back from taking his teacup into the kitchen when he saw her give her uncle a kiss on the cheek. He found himself walking over to them without any conscious thought to do so. Dr. Granger looked up at him when Draco stopped right before him. Nodding, the old man said, "Yes…..mein sohn. I thought you would come. I saw it in your eyes." Hermione turned around to see Draco staring at her uncle while clenching his fists and convulsively swallowing.

"You hide much distress, young one. And you are bearing it alone." The doctor removed himself from Hermione to clap his hands around Draco's shoulders. "This is wrong. You are safe here. You have friends."

Draco choked down a sob when he heard that. If only this man knew how friendless he really was! Blinking quickly to avoid shedding tears, he hastily looked down, embarrassed beyond belief to be caught with such little control over his feelings. It was not the Malfoy way.

"Come with me. We will find a room for ourselves to talk." Giving Draco no choice, Dr. Granger steered him to the door Hermione had opened for them. "This is the library," she said to her uncle while looking worriedly at Draco. "You won't be disturbed here."

"Aren't you coming in, child?" the kind doctor asked her.

"Um….no. I think he would prefer talking just to you." Hermione felt dreadfully uncomfortable. Her uncle had no way of knowing she and Draco had been enemies, but were now somehow supposedly not? And how could she help Draco with his feelings when her own were so jumbled?

She received the surprise of her life when Draco looked up and tiredly said, "Granger, you already know the worst of me. Knowing a little more won't matter."

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At first, Draco just sat on the couch between the doctor and Hermione and said nothing but kept repeatedly sighing. Finally, the doctor asked him if he wanted them to leave. Draco looked up at that and said, "No…it's just …..I don't know where to start." Then he began to stumble over his words until at last they starting pouring out like an infected wound after being lanced. Draco rehashed his childhood to the doctor; a lot of what he said was old news to Hermione, but he did include some things she didn't know. She didn't know that he used to floo to Snape's house when he was a little boy and play with the pets the professor kept for him there, as he was forbidden to have one at home. She didn't know he once made friends with a little muggle boy down the lane from the manor until one of his father's friends saw him playing in the front yard of the muggle home with the boy. The friend, another pureblood supremacist, hurriedly told Lucius. When Draco had finally come home that day, he had been severely reprimanded and sent to bed without supper. The following day when he walked with his mother to the village, he saw that the home of his muggle friend had been burned to the ground. No one was there. That evening, in a childish rage, he went to his father and for the first time in his life, defied him and demanded to know if he had been the one to cause that. Lucius denied it vehemently, but still sent off Draco to bed without supper again for showing such cheek. There in his room, he gave way to a fitful bout of crying, so worried for his friend. It gave him nightmares that he may have been the inadvertent cause of their displacement or even deaths.

On and on he went, describing how when he became older, he embraced the pride and elitism that came from being a member of an ancient pureblood family. By that time, the path of least resistance had been the easiest one to take. From there, he went on to describe how he had unmercifully bullied anyone that was unlike him. The doctor looked at Hermione when Draco confessed that. Hermione had sighed and nodded her head. Finally, Draco started slowing down when he came to the part of what had been his life for the past several months. Broken sentences told his audience of the shame he had been through. Being a pureblood had not protected him; he darkly laughed after saying that and suggested he probably had it coming after all he had done to others. He had lived a lie and then been forced to see the truth in the most humiliating way. Finally, when Draco got to the point that he couldn't talk anymore, Dr. Granger wrapped his arm around his shoulders and gently said, "Get it out. If you keep poison in you, it will kill you. I know this."

That encouragement was the drop that finally broke the dam in Draco's heart. Out came loud bursting sobs as he covered his face with his hands. Hermione tearfully looked on as she saw her old enemy come undone right before her eyes. Her heart ached at hearing what he'd been through. She recognized the self-hatred he had for himself in thinking he'd not been strong enough to stop those that had done those things to him. And reading between the lines, she saw why he'd never sought the support of friends like she'd had in Harry and Ron. Not since he lost his little muggle friend. She sighed. Draco had always been alone. No wonder he'd always been so unpleasant. Reaching over, she touched his arm. That made Draco look up. His face was a mess. Draco was not a pretty crier, she thought absently. His normally pale face was blotchy and red, and his long eyelashes were heavy with tears. Without thought, Hermione leaned over and gave him a tight hug. She was surprised at how strongly he hugged her back.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to her through his tears.

Hermione just hung on more tightly while rubbing his back with her hands. It surprised her that it felt so natural, so right, to hold him. That even crying, she found him more attractive than any other male she had ever known. Hermione realized this was a pivotal moment. Everything was going to change.

"I forgive you."