Draco didn't want to think of the consequences if he failed this task. He knew his mother was already not sleeping, he heard her crying constantly. After he was told what he had to do, she had spent the day talking to him, and hugging him every second. His father as well seemed to be on edge.

He knew the consequences if he failed...


Hermione was trying to keep up with him as he bolted into his house. The screams were getting louder as they descended into the sitting room. Draco stumbled through, seeing a small fire that had been set on the curtains. "Aguamenti!"

Granger saw the woman on the ground, her white and black hair was covered in what looked like blood. She knelt down and moved her up, cradling her head.

Draco dropped down beside her, taking her hand in his. "Mother! What's wrong? What's happened to the house!?"

Narcissa Malfoy looked at her son, her hand reaching up to tenderly touch his cheek. "Oh my boy, it was not your fault."

His grey eyes widened, his breathing exccelerating. "What wasn't my fault? Mother!"

A snarling came out of the shadows. Draco raised his wand and stood in front of the women.

Fenrir Greyback.

Draco hated this man, not only because he utterly terrified him, but because he was a sick, demented bastard. He had his wand raised to the beasts throat, ready for whatever.

Hermione felt for Narcissa's pulse point. It was small, but it was there.

"Your stupid mother tried to get in our way. She was wailing, crying, begging like the little fool she is, for your life."

Draco felt his blood run cold.

"Ah yes Draco, we all knew you didn't have the stomach to kill the man, just like your pathetic father."

Malfoy's wand shook as he tried to keep his emotions together.

"And now I see you have a little mud-blood with you!" He moved his head back and howled. Licking his lips, his eyes landed on Hermione again. "The dark lord can say whatever he wands, but their blood tastes the best."

She slunk back, her throat tightening at his words.

"You won't fucking touch either of them." Draco whispered threateningly.

"Is that so?"

Him and Draco were walking circles around each other, both daring the other to make some sort of move. Hermione had her wand clutched so tightly her palms were starting to sweat. She moved her hands to Narcissa's armpits and started to drag her back from the two men.

As she watched them, she wondered what Greyback meant by 'the man.' Exactly what man was he talking about? And Draco had to...kill him? The thought hit her stomach like a brick, but there was no time to think about that right now.

Draco looked formidable in the light of the fire, Hermione could feel his magic crackle off of him. The only time that had happened was when she was in the Department of Mysteries with Harry as he was being possessed by Voldemort.

"Crucio!" Greyback screamed, knocking Draco off of his feet.

"Malfoy!" She yelled.

He lay on the ground writhing with pain.

Hermione raised her wand, "Stupefy!"

Blocking it, he turned to her, "You're next little mud-blood."

Draco was on his feet by now, firing stunning curses left and right, one caught Greyback in the ear, making him cry out.

Malfoy was bending low, grabbing his mother, pulling her into his arms to carry her out.

Hermione suddenly heard a crack as the fire got out of control again. Greyback had his wand raised, firing something at the sky.

"Morsmordre!"

Hermione watched in horror as black objects in the sky were descending down to them. No, not more death-eaters!

"Come on!" Draco screamed.

Pieces of the house were laying everywhere. They stumbled, Draco losing his balance, sending he and his mother falling over the threshold. Hermione grabbed Narcissa and was helping her up when an explosion from the living room caught her attention.

The older woman stood and watched the house start falling apart around her.

"Mother! We have to get out of here!"

A crazy laugh broke through the air, making Hermione's teeth grit together, she would recognize that laughter anywhere.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

She was in front of them suddenly, in Narcissa's face.

"Oh dear sister, how nice to see you again. Came to save your little baby did you?"

She had her wand raised, then descended it down towards the floor. Narcissa screamed in pain as her knees buckled and she was made to kneel down.

"You bitch! Don't you touch her!" Draco screamed at her, throwing himself at the crazy witch.

"Poor Drakey, it must be terrible to stand there and watch your mother die." Her eyes were bright and crazy. "Ohhhh, who's this?" She ran the tip of her wand over Hermione's shoulders, moving about her.

Granger flinched.

"I know who this is. It's Potter's little bookworm. Aren't you dear?"

Hermione didn't answer, big mistake. Bellatrix raised her wand and slashed it through the air, making a sword like incision across Hermione's cheek. She screamed out, holding the now injured part of her face.

"When a superior asks you a question, you answer, you ungrateful little girl."

The house was starting to fall apart now. Draco saw his mother lying on the ground, his heart desperate to get to her.

Hermione was still holding her face, but she had an idea. Bellatrix wouldn't expect anything from her, thinking she was to badly injured. In an instant, she had her wand raised, "Stupefy!" She screamed, sending the witch through one of the walls.

Draco looked at her, blood dripping down her cheek, wanting to kiss her again.

Swooping down, she grabbed one of Narcissa's arms and put it around her shoulders again, hoisting her off the ground.

Shouts and screams were starting to get closer to them as they tried to get out of the house. Another shrill scream met their ears, looks like Bellatrix had gotten out of the wall. Narcissa was choking on smoke, now a dead weight for them.

"Draco, stop." She said, grabbing his shoulder.

"No." He said, pressing on.

A noise overhead made Hermione's head whip up. A beam was crackling and suddenly it fell. They were not quick enough to move and it was suddenly falling on top of them.

Hermione went sprawling, narrowly missing it, her foot was unlucky as it was caught under a decoration that had fallen with the beam.

Draco stood up choking on the smoke, his fingers bloody.

"Malfoy, y-your hand." Granger said, standing up as well.

"Mother!?" He screamed, moving wood out of the way. "Mother?!"

Hermione saw Narcissa laying before them, the beam had fallen right on top of her. She fought tears as she leaned down and checked her pulse. Draco was holding her hand, his hands shaking.

"Come on mother, you have to get up! We've got to get out of here!"

"Draco. She's gone. There's nothing we can do." Hermione said to him.

He looked at her like she was a foreign object. "No. You're mistaken. She's fine." She started to shake her shoulders, trying to wake her up. "Come on mother, we don't have time for this. We've got to go."

Hermione watched as the man broke in front of her, she tried to take one of his hands to pull him off the ground. The yelling was right beside them now. She took his hand again and pulled him up.

"We've got to get out of here Malfoy!"

He wasn't getting up.

Hermione pulled him again, managing to budge him this time. She was running, jumping over the fallen house that lay out before her.

"Stop Granger, we can't leave my mother behind!"

She didn't respond as she heard cackling behind them.

Bellatrix.

"Oh there they go, the rats are fleeing! Time to trap them!"

A crash to the left of Hermione made her move to the right. The door in front of her had burst into flames, and the only thing she could do was burst through it. She tucked and rolled, Malfoy not far behind her. Surprisingly, none of the fire had touched her skin.

The laughing was still behind them.

"Draco. Come on!" Hermione was now sprinting into the trees, trying to dodge curses that Lestrange was still firing. The man was running beside her, panting in unison with her.

She was running behind them, firing curses and making things explode, trying to slow them down.

"Your cowardly mother's dead boy! Dead! Dead! DEAD!"

Hermione suddenly felt the air grow rough around them as they were pulled up and flung into gravity. The laughs went with them as Bellatrix kept repeating her sentence like it was some kind of song.

"Dead."

"Your fault!"

When Hermione came to she heard sobbing in her ear. Draco was laying in the middle of Hagrids yard, crying uncontrollably. Hermione felt a terrible ache in her foot, unable to move it.

He suddenly jumped up from the ground, smashing his fist into one of the trees beside him. Hermione gasped and moved herself onto her knees. His hands were fisted in his platinum hair, the blood now coating some of the strands. He was still sobbing, pacing back and forth, mumbling "Mother," over and over again.

He was squatting down, rocking back and forth on his heals, knocking himself in the temple, pulling his hair.

"Draco. Stop...please." Hermione was close to tears herself, never having seen a breakdown before. The man would not listen though, he kept mumbling, his sobs wracking his form.

"It wasn't real. Draco, look at me. It was not real."

He shook his head and moved his eyes back down.

Hermione took his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes. "Draco." She started, tears blossoming and overflowing down her cheeks, stinging the cut that now adorned her own face. His trembling fingers came up and touched her injury, his palm cupping her face.

"It was not real. Do you hear me? She's still alive." His grey eyes still looked wild, but he was starting to settle down. "Remember, the room preys on our fears. He nodded and she smiled at him, pulling him into her arms finally, she felt him shove his nose in the crook of her neck, breathing her in, his form still shaking slightly.

She ran her hands over his back, patting him.

A few minutes went by and he pulled away. He wiped his eyes and stood up, his mask back in place again. He fixed his shirt and moved his hair out of his eyes. Taking his wand, he put a cleaning charm on himself.

Hermione had her eyes on her foot. It was slightly swollen, jeez, how did she manage to injure herself in almost all the places they've been? She felt like some kind of damsel in distress.

Draco was staring down at his broken knuckle, his finger now sticking out awkwardly. A moan of pain cast his eyes downward, Granger was holding her foot.

He sat across from her, his eyes catching the scratch across her cheek again. His hand grasped her chin lightly and he pulled up his wand, "Episkey," he murmured. It faded away and she touched it lightly, feeling nothing but flesh there.

"Thank you Draco." She said to him.

He nodded and looked at her foot now. "Geez Granger, your foot has been put through enough don't you think?"

She blushed and nodded.

Draco ran his wand over the pained area, murmuring the same spell that he had used in the chamber of secrets. Little bandages darted out, wrapping themselves around her swollen appendage.


Hagrids hut loomed over them.

"I wonder why the room brought us here?" Hermione asked aloud.

"I know why it has." Draco started, touching the door knob.

He turned to her, his expression almost blank. "Remember that stupid Hipogriff in third year? The one who broke my arm?"

Hermione nodded, a sly smile tugging at her lips, that was a good year.

He watched her facial expression change and he rolled his eyes, "Yes Granger, the same year where you caught me off guard and punched me in my perfect nose."

She rolled her eyes this time, same arrogant Malfoy.

"Well after that, I had some, uh, nightmares. As you said about your dancing, it was mainly a fleeting fear. It didn't stay long, but I guess that doesn't really matter in here now does it." It was an exclamation more than a question and Hermione caught the undertone of annoyance.

"Just remember Malfoy, this isn't a memory, so he can see us."

"I"m sure you can talk your way out of it Granger. He loves you and the other two dolts."

She watched as Malfoy turned towards the door again, he seemed like he was struggling, his hand shaking.

There was no-one in the hut, not even Fang, who was always moping in the corner. Hermione shut the door behind her and watched as Malfoy sat down, holding his injured fingers.

Looking at her watch, it read, 6:13. They had enough time to relax and rest. She sat at the table opposite Draco and set her head down, feeling the onslaught of a headache.


Alright everybody, things are going to start slowing down a little bit after this. I hope you've enjoyed it so far. Thanks for reading!

Love, H.