6th year, Hogwarts,
"Harry knows that you have been marked." Hermione said as she accepted a glass of juice from Draco.
"How did he figure that out?"
"He saw how you almost cursed the sales woman when she wanted to lift your sleeve. Harry isn't stupid and put two and two together pretty quickly."
"What did you say to him about it?"
"That he shouldn't jump to conclusion. I told him that I couldn't believe a dark lord to mark somebody before they got of age."
"But he didn't believe you?"
"No, he knows exactly how Voldemort thinks, sometimes it's just scary." Hermione sighed. She looked out over the lake. It was a nice day but not many were outside. With Voldemort now out in the open most didn't dare to venture outside. The boys thought she was in the library studying and she had no idea what Draco told his friends but they had taken a moment to sneak away and catch up. "Ron believes whatever I say. I'm not sure if he started to fancy me or is afraid of believing Harry."
"Is that first feeling returned?" Draco asked hesitant.
"You know it's not!" Hermione yelped. "I love Ron as my brother. It would be too weird to think anything differently."
Draco smiled at her and pulled her against him, he rested his head on hers. They sat there for a while. Draco took this time to figure out how to explain to Hermione what the dark lord was asking of him and not loose her.
Over the summer Draco came to realize that he had fallen in love with Hermione. These were dangerous feelings to have and he kept the memories accompanying these feelings locked away in a blood warded compartment in his trunk for most of the time but sometimes in the middle of the night when he knew the dark lord wasn't in the country he would replace the memories and let himself feel.
Back at Hogwarts he came to realize how much he needed Hermione. Over the years of their secret friendship she had become a breath of fresh air for him. His Slytherin friends were all looking at him as the next great dark wizard and the future right hand of the dark lord. Their scheming and demanding were tiring and grating on his nerves. Hermione wasn't like that. Her friendship came with only one string attached and that was to be himself when they were together.
Hermione understood why he had to be so mean to her in public, she understood the pressure he was in and she seemed to understand the nightmare he was living at the moment.
Sometimes she would only touched his hand for a second to comfort him. She even managed it in public without anyone noticing it. However that second was enough to keep his insanity and him from cursing half the school.
"What is the repayment for your father's failure?" Hermione asked after a while.
"My life." Draco whispered. Hermione looked up at him to see if he was joking but he wasn't.
"How?" She asked him in shock.
"I have to figure out a way to kill Dumbledore within this school year or me and my mother will be murdered." He said as a tear rolled down his face.
"No." Hermione said in shock. "No, that man should be put down like a rabid dog. The evil he is displaying…the devil isn't that cruel."
They sat there for a while taking comfort in each other. Both teenagers were shaking with emotions. Draco wondered why she hadn't left him or why she wasn't running to Dumbledore to warn him. She was on the other side of the war. Yet, he held her in his arms and took comfort out of the fact that the girl he loved seemed to care more about him then this whole war or even the life of her beloved headmaster.
"On my conscience I cannot help you with your task Draco. I cannot condone even trying to plan something like that but I can understand why you will do it." Hermione sighed after a while. "I probably would have done the same if it was my life."
"I'm already happy that you seem to understand. I never expected you to help me."
"Perhaps I can think of a way out for you."
"I'm not sure, Mia. I'm really not sure. I just can't seem to think of any way out until Potter starts to show his real potential. If Potter has what it takes then I could see about getting my mother out."
"And you?"
"I'm bound for life until the bastard is dead." Draco said sadly.
"Oh, Draco. Is there something I can do for you that doesn't involve helping you kill the headmaster?"
"Just be there for me." Draco sighed. Hermione looked at him for a long time until she pulled him in a hug.
6th year, Hogwarts,
Hermione was very worried and very upset. Harry had returned covered in blood and only muttering something about that damn book and Draco. After Harry left the tower again Hermione followed him out and walked aimlessly through the castle until it was dinnertime while loosing herself to her worries.
"Miss Granger!" Somebody called from behind her as she left the great hall. Draco hadn't been there. The idea of him being badly wounded left her without an appetite. So she decided to head for the library in the hope that her beloved books would give her some distraction. She turned around to see madam Pomfrey walking towards her.
"Yes, madam Pomfrey?"
"I have need for some help in the infirmary. Could you please make some time?"
Hermione looked at her in confusion. Madam Pomfrey barely accepted adults in her domain, let alone students but Hermione nodded. There were dark times and she was sure that the healer wanted her domain to be ready for when the hammer would fall. This would also be her chance to find out what was wrong with Draco and if he would be okay.
It hadn't been easy to wear two faces but her love for her brother and her love for somebody who had grown into more then just a friend had kept her going through this school year.
Harry had been angry and stubborn about almost everything Draco related. He had been convinced Draco was up to no good and wouldn't listen to any kind of advice. At least he had Ginny to keep him from spiralling into doing something so much worse then arguing.
Draco was doing even worse. All his plans to please his master went wrong. After the winter holidays he became more and more desperate and panicked. She did as she had promised to do and listened to him as he spoke of his fear for his mother's life and how he sometimes wished Voldemort would just kill him instead of this. She held him when he needed a shoulder to cry on. Never did she judge him or aided him in his task and he didn't ask for it. All he asked was for her to never stop believing in him.
Today she hadn't been able to control the situation and she cursed the bloody heavens for leaving Harry out of her sight.
"What help do you need, madam?"
"I have a patient in there who would be in need of some company as he is going through a very uncomfortable healing process." She whispered to her as the halls had emptied.
Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at the healer in utter shock and disbelieve.
"Don't worry miss Granger. I'm magically bound not to reveal what happens in the infirmary to anyone without the permission of the patients and visitors involved."
"How did you know?"
"Last year I heard somebody sneaking into my infirmary. It is warded by more then doors. At first I was ready to kick out who ever came to disturb my patients but when I saw who it was and to whom he was so kindly talking too, I decided to wait and see."
Hermione blushed a little but decided not to say anything.
"How is he doing?" She asked as the reached the infirmary.
"Not too well, he is weak, his wounds were very bad and he lost so much blood. It's a blessing to have Severus around. His knowledge of dark magic is invaluable."
"Draco has been under a lot of stress the last few months. Suicidal sometimes. I can imagine that doesn't help either."
"No it doesn't. He doesn't seem to be willing to heal at this point in time. I think your presence will do him good, though."
Hermione nodded and walked in. At the end of the infirmary, next to a great window looking out over the lake she saw Draco lying in bed with his eyes closed. His hair was still a little red from the blood. He looked even more pale and bruised then usually.
She softly walked up to him and watching him for a few minutes.
"Oh Draco." She sighed sadly. "Why do you have to go through this? It is so unfair."
His stormy grey eyes met hers. The emotions in them were almost too overwhelming for her. The fear, the pain, the hatred, every negative emotion was there before they turned soft and caring.
She sat down on the bed next to him and took his hand. She gently started to rub het thumb over it while refusing to break the eye contact. She didn't miss the tears leaking out of them. Her other hand ran through his hair, softly scratching his scalp.
"Will you heal fully?" Hermione asked after a while.
"According to Severus I will, but it will take a week or so." He said softly.
"Good. I'm so happy he was able to safe you." Hermione sighed.
"The curse was invented by Severus himself so he knew the counter curse." Draco explained. "We just don't understand how Potter found this curse."
Hermione let out a gasp in shock, her quick brain instantly realized that the potions book Harry had been using was their potions master's old book. that was the reason why there were all these short cuts to brew really good potions written in them. It had been the book of one of the most brilliant minds in their world. She wasn't sure where the 'Half blood prince' came in but it would be figured out later.
"Typical." She sighed. "Harry ending up with the book of his most hated teacher."
"What do you mean?"
"Harry didn't know that he could join the potions class at the beginning of the year so he had to borrow a book from Slughorn. All the sudden, this year he is the potions prodigy. I started to ask questions and found out that in the book he had borrowed notes were written. Sometimes the whole potions instructions had been rewritten. I didn't trust it but they blamed me of being a stuck-up. The things I disliked most were the spells that were written in the side-lines. They were spells the previous owner developed himself."
"Severus is a very smart wizard." Draco commented. "I think you two could rival each other."
Hermione smiled at him for the compliment.
"How does 'a half-blood prince' relate to professor Snape, though?" She mused.
"Severus is the last heir to the house of Prince. His mother was a Prince, though I believe that his father was a muggle who was more drunk then sober." She didn't miss the anger in Draco's voice as he talked about Snape's apparently not so good father.
She knew Draco thought the world of his godfather and to be honest Hermione could see where he was coming from. Professor Snape wasn't that good of a teacher but he has a brilliant mind and is a good protector of his house. She believed Snape would do anything to protect Draco.
"Does your godfather know about your task?" She asked.
"Yes, he even swore an unbreakable vow to my mother to aid me to succeed and protect me." Draco said as he blushed a little in shame.
"He would do anything to protect you." Hermione said and settled down next to him in a chair. She laid her head on his lap and looked up at him. "I wish we were on the same side of the line. I wish I could help you saving your life but I am happy that you have at least Professor Snape watching your back."
"But who is watching your back?" Draco asked. "If I succeed, who will protect you?"
"I … I am prepared, Draco." Hermione admitted. "I'm only trying to figure out what to do with my parents. I don't want them to become a target but besides that I can go into hiding the minute something happens. They won't find me."
"Truly?"
"Yes, I won't be caught if it was up to me alone."
"But you are taking Potter and the Weasel along with you."
"Yes, Harry needs to be safe until he is ready to face Voldemort. Besides that, Dumbledore is setting Harry up for a task to do. I suspect Dumbledore knows about your task and does not expect to live much longer. I have this feeling about this and my feelings have never been wrong."
Draco nodded and stared ahead in thought for a while. Hermione waited patiently and held his hand while he worked up what ever he wanted to say.
"Whatever you do or wherever you go, please ensure you avoid the Malfoy manor at all costs. He is there and my insane aunt is too."
"We'll try."
"Have you seen Potter after the attack?" He suddenly asked.
"Yes, he was in a state of shock. I think it was the first time he attacked somebody and saw the gruesome result of using unknown magic. Up until now he only saw people die immediately, nobody he had seen suffered through pain. Harry doesn't do well with other people suffering. Not even you."
"I was foolish to be so easily provoked and curse ready." Draco sighed. "All those years of occlumency teachings by Severus and I still can't control my emotions. I just never expected Potter to start throwing out dark magic."
"I don't think Harry expected it from himself either."
"Mia, please ensure that Potter wins."
"That's is what I have been doing for the last three years." Hermione smiled. "Have a little faith."
"I'll have a little hope." Draco sighed.
6th year, Hogwarts.
Tonight, stay out of sight. The note said. She had read it a thousand times before she understood what was going to happen.
Her whole body tensed as she entered the common room. It wasn't after Harry handed them the luck potion that her fear really shot up a notch.
She wasn't only afraid for herself and her friends but for Draco as well. Tonight he would try to do what many adults had failed to do over the last so many decades. If he succeeded his life would be over until the Dark Lord won and if he failed his life could be over tonight. There wasn't really a way out of this nightmare.
Don't forget to review!
