Authors' Note: See a much quicker update for you all Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, alerts and favourites :) They really do make my day and if I don't respond to you then it's because you have disabled your PM function or don't have an account.

Also, I've started a new story. It literally begged to be started before I could continue writing this one, so please do check it out. It's Scorpius/Lily but does have hints of Dramione!

http:/ www . fanfiction. Net /s/7405775/1/ (Remove the spaces)

Disclaimer: I'm a bit bored of writing these – you all know I'm not JK Rowling by now.

Chapter 13

Slytherin Common Room

Draco smirked as he saw that Baddock had walked right into the centre of his web. He glanced at Blaise and Theo who had followed him back into the common room and saw the glee in both their eyes as they looked towards Baddock too. Draco had chewed the pair of them out and then shared his plans for Baddock's downfall. They had agreed wholeheartedly with the scheme Draco had come up with.

Daphne had then dropped a few tit bits in her sister's ear and Astoria with the help of Harper had done the rest. Now Baddock and his cronies were camped out in the chairs that unofficially been Draco's since the fourth year. It was a very public declaration from Baddock that he had usurped Draco's position as leader of the Slytherins. Or so he thought. They truly were stupid if they believed the crap the Greengrass girls had spread for him. As if he was scared of Baddock, he'd lived with the Dark Lord for a year.

Draco swaggered over to the dumb fourth years with the grace and arrogance that only a Malfoy could muster. "Getting a bit above yourself aren't we Baddock?" Draco drawled.

"Why? It's not as if there is anyone here to stop me is there Malfoy," Baddock replied.

Draco smiled sweetly, which to anyone who knew him was a sign of danger. "Oh I wouldn't say that. I think you'll find that I'm still here and am very much king snake still."

Baddock guffawed at that, "I don't think blood traitors with filthy mudblood girlfriends get to rule the House of Salazar."

Draco sardonically raised his brow at this, completely unfazed by the slur which would have made him lose it in earlier years. "I beg to differ," he said indifferently, "A Malfoy, pureblood or not, will always come before a Baddock. It's a question of class and style."

The blood suffused Baddock's face as Draco's barb hit home. Draco grinned as he saw the red mist come down over Baddock's eyes. This was going to be easier than he thought. "No-one gets away with saying those things about my family," Baddock yelled.

Draco yawned delicately and quirked his eyebrows calmly which was the last straw for Baddock who went for his wand and tried to shoot a curse off at Draco who with a simple swish of his wand disarmed the raging Slytherin. "I thought we could settle this the muggle way as you seem so keen on that idea," with that Draco floored Baddock with a punishing right hook.

Hermione could hear the noise from the Slytherin common room as soon as she stepped foot in the corridor outside. It sounded as if a full scale war was happening as she heard furniture splinter and break. She dropped her library books, brandished her wand and ran in. She stopped in sheer shock at the sight that greeted her. Malfoy had Baddock pinned up against the wall. An incredibly bloodied and bruised Baddock who from the state of his body and the Slytherin common room had been thrown around.

"Draco," she shrieked, "put him down now." She ran to pull the blond off the collapsing boy.

"Not so fast Hermione," said Theo as he snaked a restraining arm around her waist. "You have to let Draco finish this once and for all."

Hermione looked at Theo in shock, "You mean he's going to kill him?"

Theo rolled his eyebrows at the intelligent brunette, "Don't be silly. Of course he's not going to kill him but he is going to show him that you cannot mess with a Malfoy and get away with it."

After struggling a few more times, Hermione submitted to Theo's sheer strength. There was no way she could break free so she turned her beseeching eyes on Draco and silently pleaded with him to stop.

Draco sighed in frustration at the soft hearted Gryffindor. Why couldn't she have stayed in the library for a little while longer? Of course she wouldn't understand the need for such a show of brute force but this is what he had to do in order to put Baddock back under whichever rock he'd crawled out from under. He ignored her doe like eyes which was a difficult thing to do as they played on his heartstrings and looked to finish what Baddock had started. His hand squeezed on Baddock's neck and he felt the younger boy gasping in need of air. "Not so pleasant to be on the other end of the muggle way is it Baddock?" He mocked.

The boy shook his head, pride in the dust as he openly begged Draco to stop. In response, Draco tightened his grip. "Don't ever challenge me again Baddock. Whilst I'm at Hogwarts I rule Slytherin House and I do what I like. If you ever touch anything that belongs to me again, I will kill you," he hissed as he slammed Baddock further into the wall and watched him pass out.

Draco released his grip and Baddock slid down the wall and crumpled into an unconscious heap on the floor. "Let that be a warning to all of you. Touch Hermione and I'll do worse," he said to the silently watching Slytherins. Several of Baddock's friends slunk out of the common room obviously worried they'd be next.

Hermione gave Draco a burning look of reproach. She shoved Theo's arm off and stomped her way up to her dormitory room. Draco signalled for Daphne to follow her. Hermione was incredibly angry with him and it was going to take a lot of work to get back into her good books. At least he'd guaranteed her safety now. No-one from Slytherin would dare to even look at her the wrong way from now on. They'd be too scared at what Draco might do to them.

Slytherin Girls Dormitory

Hermione paced up and down too angry to stay still. How dare Malfoy treat her like some kind of possession to fight over? She was a living, breathing human being and she demanded that he treat her with the respect she deserved. She heard the door open behind her. "Are you ok?" Daphne asked.

Hermione growled in response, too angry and upset to articulate a response. "You realise Draco had to do that don't you," Daphne continued.

Hermione whirled around at this to face Daphne. "What almost beat a boy to death and then publicly state that he'll do worse if someone touches me?"

Daphne nodded, "As barbaric as it seems if Draco didn't respond with that kind of raw power then it would have got worse and the consequences for you could have been terrible. Do you think Draco could live with himself if something else had happened to you?"

"I don't appreciate being treated as if I'm a bone that a dog growls over."

"I know I get that I really do but what other action could Draco have taken?"

"He could have listened to me and stopped when I asked him to."

Daphne laughed humourlessly at this, "Come on Hermione, do you really believe that would have worked? All that would have happened is that Draco would have been seen as weak."

Deep down Hermione knew that this was the truth but it didn't mean that she liked it. She had seen too much violence and she had looked forward to this year being different. She hadn't planned on being the cause of two boys being put in the infirmary whether Baddock had deserved it or not. She sat down heavily on the bed next to Daphne, "I understand why Draco did it but it still doesn't mean that I like it. I also dislike being treated as a possession which is exactly what Draco just did in the common room."

Daphne acknowledged that Hermione had a point but she was also inexperienced with boys especially the alpha male model that was Draco Malfoy. "Hermione I only say this because you have dated two guys, one when you were very young and the other was your best friend but guys, especially ones like Draco get extremely possessive about their girls. If Baddock or anyone else had gone for you again then he would have blamed himself for not showing that to mess with you was unacceptable."

"I get that to a certain extent but I don't understand why Draco had to be so emphatic about it. I mean he's only stuck having to pretend to date me because Pansy and Ginny thought it would be amusing to play that prank with the scarf."

Daphne gave Hermione a level look, "And here was I believing you were some super intelligent witch," and walked out the door. She left Hermione feeling more confused than ever.

Hogwarts Corridors

Draco moved silently back down to the Slytherin common room. He'd dumped Baddock outside the infirmary before setting off a timed distraction so that Madam Pomfrey would discover him. He couldn't help but replay Hermione's reproachful look towards him before she'd disappeared up to her room. He hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings by ignoring her wishes but he'd said that he would protect her and that meant putting Baddock back in his place. He had used tactics that Hermione certainly didn't approve of being typical Gryffindor but they had worked and she was safer than she'd ever been since stepping foot in Hogwarts as an annoying bushy haired eleven year old. For Draco that was worth the hoops she'd undoubtedly make him jump through before speaking to him again.

Draco pulled his mind away from the earlier events in the common room and one sexy stubborn witch when he heard a thud. Was that Filch? The last thing he needed was to receive detention for being out after hours and it wouldn't take a genius to realise who had dumped Baddock if he got caught.

Then he heard a giggle. That at least ruled the nasty squib and his awful cat out. Draco rolled his eyes. Great he was going to have to pass some amorous couple trying to get some before being caught by the patrolling prefects on his way back to the common room. At least it was Draco rather than Hermione who was out late as she'd certainly take her role as prefect seriously and would dock them points regardless of whether she was patrolling or not. He rounded the corner and a dark scowl marred his handsome features when he saw who the randy couple were.

Pansy moaned and clutched Harry's unruly hair. She loved patrolling with her boyfriend. They got much needed alone time away from the busy Gryffindor common room. Gone was the shy, unsure boy of last month. Now he revelled in making Pansy breathless which he did on a regular basis. Pansy moaned again as he kissed his way down her neck. His busy fingers were untucking her shirt and slipping underneath to grip her hips before tickling across her stomach causing her to giggle. Harry's hands were just starting to snake upwards much to Pansy's delight when someone cleared their throat causing the two prefects to jump apart.

"You may want to keep your dirty hands off her in future Potter," Draco growled.

AN: I hope part 2 of my split chapter doesn't disappoint.

To midnight shadow of darkness, I think Draco hit Baddock hard enough for you :)