Disclaimer: See Prologue

A big thanks and a shoutout goes to:

evillizzy89 – Yeah...quite a few people hate me for that last chapter. I am, of course, incorrigible. Hehe. A jaguar can't change its spots, after all.

Serlene – I know it is. And yes, yes I did. Hee Hee. Glad you loved it. And Snape...well, Snape's Snape.

Miledy – I'm glad you like it. I'm updating as fast as I can, but college is pretty hectic.

Caliko – I don't know, you'll have to ask him. Snape just sits sullenly glaring at Hermione Well, I guess that answers that. Poor boy.

elvishchic15 – I'm glad you like it. That's always good to hear.

potterphilic – I'm really, really glad you like it. And no, the title is not a misspelling, I did mean Commend, as in to congratulate. The story stretches through to the end of the war, and I'm planning on making the last few chapters and the title all come together in one fell swoop.

Okay, I know it's short! I know I know I know! Buuuuuut the next chapter covers the event that you've all been waiting for! Okay, so MAYBE that's an exaggeration. The next chapter...well, why should I tell you and ruin the surprise? And before you scream at me...that cliffy before will have a reason in the next chapter!

Yours,

Allison

Chapter 9

Hermione walked silently with Kayla and Melissa up into the Gryffindor stands to sit amongst the crowd. "Hermione, I feel so bad for you." Melissa said, softly.

"Who are you going to root for?" Kayla added sympathetically.

"I'm just...not going to cheer." Hermione shrugged, sitting down.

"Aw...but that'll take the fun out of things!" Melissa said.

Hermione shrugged. "Cheer for three of my best friends or my fiance. Not much of a choice, there. So no, I'm not going to."

"I wonder where all of the parents and the officials from the Ministry are." Lavender Brown said as she sat behind Hermione, directing the three muggleborns' gazes to the box where the teachers and ministry officials sat. It was empty, save for the teachers and the mysterious Teddy and Titian.

"I think they closed the Quidditch Games to the public." Hermione said, softly.

"What!" The other three girls looked at her.

"They don't want a repeat of what happened in Potions. Understandably so." Hermione said, shrugging. "So Hogwarts is closed to the public. Nobody can get out, and nobody can get in."

"Wow...that seems kinda harsh for one incident with a snobby, arrogant, up-the-ass professor." Kayla said.

"I think it's been brewing for longer than that, Kayla." Hermione explained softly. But before Kayla could ask what she meant, the game had begun. Gryffindor rapidly sped ahead thanks to Ginny Weasley's brilliant maneuvering and Ron's Keeping skills. Kayla and Melissa were both on their feet within seconds, cheering, while Hermione sat silent, watching the game with a sardonic smile.

"AND POTTER HAS SPOTTED THE SNITCH!" Hermione spun, looking upwards. "MALFOY'S CLOSE BEHIND...OH NO! IT'S A BLUDGER HEADING STRAIGHT FOR POTTER!"

"HARRY!" Melissa and Kayla screamed. Hermione spotted the bludger and her eyes widened.

"POTTER DODGES..." The rest of the commentary was lost on Hermione as time slowed to a crawl. She heard someone scream, not knowing until afterwards when Lavender told her that it was herself. The bludger connected with a sickening crunch and the blonde seeker was suddenly falling. Raven Stryke was on her feet but Hermione had already flung out her hand, her milk-chocolate eyes flashing obsidian. The world slowed further in those few moments and time stopped...

In the next second, the blonde disappeared from the middle of the stadium, reappearing to fall on top of his desperate Fiancee.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

"Bugger off, Harry!" Draco put a hand slowly to his aching head as he heard the familiar hiss of his enraged fiancee. "I'm NOT going to your bleeding victory party, I told you!"

"Okay, okay! I just felt bad about you having to stay here and babysit..."

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's not so bad, I can finish up my essay for McGonagall. Go on. Drink a butterbeer for me." Draco put his hand back down as he heard her approach.

"Alright..." Harry was walking out and there was the soft sound of someone sitting nearby. He didn't move, didn't dare ruin the moment. He felt a small warmth touch his face, and then his hand.

"Draco, you ass. You scared the shit out of me." He heard his fiancee's voice. He didn't remember what had happened, the last thing he remembered was Potter and the Snitch. Potter had rolled to one side suddenly and then...and then he'd come to here...wherever here was...hearing his fiancee's voice.

"Sorry..." He mumbled. He heard her gasp and suddenly there was a weight on the bed beside him.

"Draco?"

"Yes?" He responded, not bothering to try opening his eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

He sighed as he stretched, timidly. "Did someone get the name of that hippogriff?" He heard her soft laughter. "My head is killing me..." He said, quietly.

"Oh!" She shifted and he cracked his eyes carefully to watch as she leaned over and picked a small vial up off of the table beside the bed. An arm was slipped behind his neck and she helped him sit up slightly, putting the vial to his lips and letting him drink it slowly, his hand coming to cover hers gently. As the pain cleared, Draco looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back and set the vial aside.

"Are you quite finished scaring the shit out of me?" She teased him, a glint in her dark brown eyes.

"What happened?" He sat up, tucking the blankets around him, his hand finding hers, his fingers playing with the ring on her third finger delicately.

"Shry hit a bludger at Harry, who moved at the last moment. Seems Shry didn't think of you being in its path should Harry duck." She touched his forehead delicately.

"I bet the fall hurt quite a bit too." He said wryly.

"It did..." Hermione said, rubbing her own bum. He looked at her in confusion and she smiled. "Nevermind."

Draco yawned, stretching and laying back down, clinging to her hand as though it were a comfort item. "Don't get used to this, Granger. It's probably the drugs."

"Yes, Malfoy." Hermione laughed, watching him drop off to sleep before she reclaimed her hand and slipped back to her chair to continue her essay.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

"STOP BITCHING ALREADY, MALFOY! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"

"WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, GRANGER! YOU DIDN'T FALL OVER A HUNDRED FEET!"

"WELL NEITHER DID YOU!" The entire Great Hall looked up as the doors flew open.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NEITHER DID I? I GOT HIT WITH THE BLUDGER DIDN'T I!"

"YOU GOT HIT WITH THE BLUDGER, BUT YOU DIDN'T FALL!" She screamed in his face, storming over to the Gryffindor table and snatching up a piece of toast and the grape jelly.

Draco stormed over to the Slytherin table and sits down angrily, attacking his food. Blaise and Pansy watched in amusement as they continued eating. "She's right, you know." Pansy said after a long silence. "You didn't fall."

"What do you mean?" Draco looked up.

"Hermione used wandless magic to save you." Blaise said. "It was wicked cool...it was like nothing I've ever seen, except maybe in Stryke's lessons."

"One second, you were beginning to fall..." Pansy continued, quietly. "And the next, you were landing on top of Hermione after a fall of like six feet." Draco's eyes had gone wide this time and he was staring over at the spot where his fiancee was sitting, just in time to see her throw her mutillated toast to the plate.

"OOH I HATE HIM!" Hermione hissed. Will and Ron just looked at each other and kept their mouths shut while Harry simply picked up the shredded toast, spread some jelly on it for Hermione- who had been scraping an empty knife across the poor bread- and handed it to the witch, who snatched it up and took an angry, emphatic bite.

"Well, it's your own fault for not telling him what happened, Hermione." Harry said, seemingly oblivious to her death glare as it swung to land on him in full force. He simply took another bite of his breakfast.

"Pardon me for not enjoying rubbing the fact that I didn't want him to fall to his death in." She hissed. "If I don't marry him, I'd have to marry Snape, is all."

"Uh-huh." Harry said, taking another bite. "And that's why you refused to leave his side until he'd woken up?"

"I...you...he..." Hermione sputtered, glaring at him.

"Yes?"

"URGH!" She stood up, snatched up her toast, and stormed for the door, muttering under her breath...unaware of the two pairs of eyes- one gray and one blue- tracking her progress.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

"You're sure?" The hiss came from the fireplace of the deserted Slytherin Common Room.

"I'm positive, Master." Ryne Leil whispered. "Malfoy seems to be falling for the mudblood's charms."

"This will not do..." Whatever else the voice may have said was cut off by a fierce barrage of magic in the form of a black mist slamming down into the fire, extinguishing it immediately. The mist then darted out of the fire and reformed into the shape of a young man with glowing cobalt eyes...the only part of the figure that held any color other than that same, glowing black that seemed to suck the light from the room. Ryne gasped and stumbled backwards, falling over backwards and rolling, struggling into a standing position, never taking his eyes off of those cobalt-blue orbs as he let out a soft shriek and ran for the stairs leading to his dormitory. The mist dissipated and pounced, swiftly, overcoming him and swallowing his scream before it even began.