Draco and Hermione sat in the Library on the spacious antique couch. Hermione was reading quietly, her legs folded at her side. Draco was sitting quietly next to her, his arm casually around her shoulder while his thumb stroked her arm absent mindedly. Hermione could feel him watching her read.
"Yes?" she said without raising her head.
"Nothing, just looking at you. How did I not notice how beautiful you are until this year?"
"I honestly have no idea." She looked up laughing.
He met her lips, pulling her closer toward him with a single finger under her chin. The Library door opened and Draco's parents entered. Lucius made an angry noise. Hermione went to pull away but Draco kept the contact. He pulled away when he had finished what he had wanted to do. Hermione was blushing. Draco had told her that he was not going to hide any part of his feelings for her from his parents. He turned casually toward them.
"Mother. Father."
"Draco."
Narcissa took a single seater chair by the window and surveyed the view outside.
"We need to talk" Lucius exclaimed.
Hermione went to stand up, but Draco pushed her lightly back down.
"About what?" His face was cold as he looked at his father. Narcissa remained silent and did not look away from the window.
"The two of you."
"We have already talked about this father. My position has not and will not change. I love Hermione. I am not going to let your blood prejudice ruin the only thing that has ever made me happy."
"You are a Malfoy." Lucius' voice was furious and had risen in volume.
"I know. I am the sole heir and complete disappointment to my fore-fathers and mothers."
"Don't take that tone with me. I am your father and thus deserve respect."
"Father I haven't respected you for years. A pure-blood serving a half blood like a house elf, and now you think that you have a right to tell me that I cannot be with Hermione because she is muggle born. You are a hypocrite."
Lucius crossed the Library and back handed Draco across the face, he fell to the floor. Draco looked up at his father from the floor. Hermione had screamed. Lucius had turned on her, his wand raised.
"Crucio."
Hermione fell to the floor, shrieking from the pain. Draco was back on his feet and tackled his father to the ground, he registered that Hermione had stopped screaming. He was on top of his father punching him anywhere that he could reach. Narcissa dragged him off his unconscious father. Shaking himself loose of her grip Draco ran to Hermione, kneeling beside her. She was curled into a ball tears running down her face.
"I'm so sorry" Draco kept repeating as he picked her up and carried him to his bedroom. He placed her gently on the bed, covering her with blankets. "I will be right back okay. I am going to password lock my door behind me. This family will never hurt you again," he whispered to her before kissing her forehead gently and leaving the room.
Draco shoved open the door to the Library furiously. His father was still unconscious on the floor, his mother sitting on the couch with her arms wrapped around her legs silently weeping. Draco pulled out his wand and aimed it at his father.
"Don't kill him" his mother shrieked standing up.
"Petrificus Totalus. He is never going to hurt her ever again."
Draco's voice was cold and furious, his eyes flared as he looked towards his mother. Draco sent a patronus to Professor McGonagall. Funnily he hadn't been able to produce one until Hermione became his girlfriend. The fire flared and his headmistress walked out of the hearth, her face full of concern. She gasped as she took in the scene.
"What happened here? What happened to your face?"
Draco put his hand to his face. He hadn't realised that he was bleeding. The ring on his father's hand must have cut him when he had hit him. Professor McGonagall took his jaw in her hand and moved his face to access the damage from different angles.
"It will heal fine. Why is Mr. Malfoy unconscious and beaten?"
"He used the cruciatus curse on Hermione after he hit me." Draco's voice remained furious as he looked coldly down at his father.
McGonagall gasped again. "Where is Hermione?"
"Safe in my room. I protected the door."
"Why did he curse her?"
"Because I am with her and refuse to change that. I also pointed out how hypocritical it was him serving a half-blood and having an issue with me dating a muggle born."
McGonagall pursed her lips angrily. She lifted her wand and sent a patronus out of the house. She looked towards Narcissa.
"Why didn't you stop this?"
"It... It all happened so fast. I'm so sorry Draco" she said starting to cry again. "I really didn't mind that you are with her. You know what your father is like."
"I know mother."
The fire flared again, only this time the Minister for Magic exited the fire.
"Draco, go see to Hermione. I am sure that she will not want to be alone right now. We can come get you if Narcissa cannot give us all the details we need." McGonagall put a hand on Draco's shoulder and squeezed it gently.
Draco said his password and opened the door. He found Hermione in a ball under the covers of his bed, crying silently. He put his hand on her gently. She flinched. His heart felt like it was going to tear in half.
"It's just me. It's just me." He crawled under the covers pulling her onto his chest, squeezing her tightly. "I'm so sorry. He won't ever hurt you again. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," his voice broke.
Hermione clung to him, crying until she fell asleep. He patted her hair comfortingly repeating how sorry he was. He shouldn't have baited his father. He knew exactly how unpredictable he could be. Especially when he was not getting his way. Draco woke up to a knock on the bedroom door. He slipped out from underneath Hermione. Pulling out his wand and aiming it towards the door he opened it a crack. McGonagall was standing on the other side. Draco slipped out of the bedroom so they wouldn't wake Hermione.
"Your father has been taken to Azkaban. He will not be released. He has used an unforgivable curse for the final time. Now your mother has given us all the information we needed and the Minister has personally escorted Lucius to Azkaban himself. Your mother is obviously quite upset but will not be punished. From the sound of it your father had threatened her life if she did not go along with trying to break yourself and Miss Granger up. She asked me to tell you that she will be in the drawing room when you are ready to see her."
"Thank you Professor."
"I know that this is a very difficult situation that you have been put in Mr. Malfoy; but thank you for coming to me for help. Your mother informed me that she thought that you were going to kill your father but used the body bind curse instead. I am proud of your personal growth. If you need to talk I am always available." She placed a hand on his shoulder again, nodded, removed her hand and walked away from him.
Draco knocked on the drawing room door and entered the room. His mother was sitting at the window, her eyes glazed over. She turned her head and stood up quickly with a sorrowful look on her face. She opened her mouth but Draco pulled her into a hug before she could speak. She collapsed under him. They sat on the floor while she cried out all of her sorrow and anger. Draco was the only support she had left. Her husband and father of her only child had just been taken to prison and was never going to return. Draco understood how much pain she must be in, even if his father had deserved everything he got.
"How is Hermione?" Narcissa asked hoarsely.
"She was asleep when I left."
"I'm so..."
"It wasn't your fault" Draco interjected.
"I should have stopped this months ago. Stood my ground."
"Mum he would of hurt you. Or worse."
His stomach sank. This was precisely the same situation that he was in with Hermione. Someone apologising needlessly because it was not their fault and the other person telling them that they did the right thing because they themselves would have been hurt. He finally understood why Hermione kept telling him that he was not to blame. He sat in silence holding his mother until she finally pushed away from him to sit back on the chair.
"Crawford." Crack. "Take my mother to her room then get her water, food and anything else she wants. I want you to keep a close eye on her. Understand?"
"Yes Master" Crawford squeaked with a deep bow. He grabbed Narcissa's hand and begun to lead her out of the room. Narcissa stopped momentarily at her son's side; she pecked him on the cheek, told him how proud she was of him and then let the elf lead her away again.
Draco removed the password from the door before entering; he wouldn't need it anymore. Hermione was still asleep when he entered his bedroom. He took the opportunity to have a shower as he still had blood on his face and knuckles. He walked back into his bedroom in his towel. Hermione was sitting up in the bed; she had been staring at the bathroom door waiting for him to finish his shower. She still looked very week.
"Polly." Crack. "I need two glasses and a bottle of cold water."
"Yes Master." Crack.
Draco walked toward the bed having no idea what he was going to say. Hermione shakily crawled across the bed to meet him at the edge. Crack. Draco grabbed the water and glasses off the elf before dismissing her. He bided his time by pouring Hermione a glass and passing it over; watching her drink the whole thing before he refilled it.
"I didn't kill him. The Minister for Magic took him to Azkaban himself; he won't ever be released."
Hermione nodded into her glass of water. She was relieved but had no idea what to say.
"Mum is pretty distraught. I have never seen her cry like that before. She is happy you are safe though." Draco started to play with her hair absent mindedly. He hung his head down before speaking again. "I had a moment with mum. I understand why you keep telling me that you being hurt here the first time wasn't my fault..."
"Nor is it this time. I think I would be dead if it wasn't for you." She had noticed the cut on his face and the broken skin on his knuckles. She took hold of his hand; bringing it to her lips she kissed his injured knuckles.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Draco asked her.
"You became the man in front of me."
