A/N: I know, I know, I left you guys with a horrific cliffhanger there. And sadly, only one person guessed correctly when they guessed who it was. And once again, thanks oodles for all of the wonderful reviews that I've gotten. You guys are really my light on a dark day. And Alley, Alicia might be my least favorite character, mostly because she's always trying to overthrow Massie and she's realized time and time again that she doesn't have what it takes to be an alpha. But that's just me. And I love times ten Dempsey. But I think he would have been better with Layne or Massie, personally. Dempsey with Kristen seems too awkward for me.
Disclaimer: Still not mine. Whatevs.
Chapter Fourteen: Fatal Attraction
Draco turned swiftly and pulled his wand at the same time. He stood slowly, not taking his eyes off the intruder. He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her up with him, but stood almost in front of her, so if need be, he could shield her from whatever curse was shot.
Lovely Aunt Bellatrix had her wand trained on her nephew but her eyes were on Hermione. Draco stared into her dark brown eyes and willed himself not to shake. He was no match for Bellatrix's power. Hermione might have been if she had her wand. But suddenly she was next to him, her wand pointing straight at Bella's chest. Draco felt his confidence rise just at the thought of having her beside him.
"Now, Draco dear, why don't you just hand over the Mudblood and everything will be fine," Bella cooed, but her eyes showed nothing but malice. Draco reached back and squeezed Hermione's hand quickly. Her hand was shaking. Her wand was not.
"Did Father send you?" Draco asked, keeping his wand up and steady.
Bellatrix laughed maniacally, and Hermione brought her shoulders up to her ears, as if that might block out the sound. "Do you really think I take orders from your father?" she shrieked. "I'm here under the Dark Lord's wishes, Draco. You didn't kill the girl like you were supposed to."
Draco widened his stance and raised his wand a little higher. "And I don't plan to."
Bellatrix looked calm considering she had two wands pointed at her. However, it seemed like both Hermione and Draco were reluctant to strike. If they shot a curse, they were probably going to be cursed right back. No one wanted that.
Suddenly, she wrenched back the sleeve of her robes, exposing the long dark tattoo that marred her creamy skin. She raised her hand slowly.
"NO!" Hermione shouted. "Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix was blasted off of her feet, but still had her wand in her hand. She stood and brushed off her robes. Draco immediately stood in front of Hermione.
"Now, now Draco, it's time to give up and move," Bellatrix said. She muttered a curse and ropes shot out of her wand and bound Draco. He toppled over and struggled against the bonds. Bellatrix cackled again and turned her wand on Hermione. "Crucio," she hissed.
Hermione screwed up her eyes in pain, but didn't scream. She bit her lip so much that it bled, and the red ribbon of blood wound itself down her chin and her neck all the way to her chest before she finally opened her mouth and let out a horrible scream. Draco shouted and flailed from where he lied, and Hermione fell to the ground, crying and wiping the blood off her face. She gripped her wand and gasped out "Sectumsepra."
Bellatrix let out a horrific shriek and gasped as her blood splattered to the floor. Draco retched as his aunt fell to the floor in a pool of her own blood. She wrenched her sleeve up and touched the Dark Mark quickly.
Almost instantaneously, black cloaked figures were appearing all around them. Draco felt his hopes fail. They were both goners now. His bonds suddenly disappeared as Bellatrix drew her last breath and he reached out for Hermione, who was trying to steady herself enough to stand.
She pointed her wand at a cloaked figure and whispered, "Stupefy," and he crumpled to the ground. She locked eyes with Draco and he was astonished to see unshed tears shining in her eyes.
"I never wanted to kill anyone," she whimpered. "That wasn't my intention. But I couldn't let her hurt you."
Draco let out a humorless laugh. "She was after you, you barmy little girl, not me."
She stood up and shook him off with a glare, pointing her wand at the people who were now advancing on her.
*********
Lavender cooed at Ron and kissed the tip of his nose, making Ron blush. Fred and George chuckled from their sofa and Ron flipped them the bird from behind Lavender's mess of curly hair. They laughed even louder.
Harry, who was tastefully holding hands with Luna, chuckled a little at Ron's embarrassment. Molly Weasley had let them have a sort of teenage moment of peace while she went to Bill's to visit him and Fleur, since they couldn't come and visit this year because the house was full.
Ginny grinned from Fred and George's couch as she told them again about how Ron tried to talk to her after she punched him in the throat. Fred was pretending to be Ron and George was Ginny. Fred was rolling on the floor gasping like an asthmatic and George was jumping around with his fists in the air like he had just won a boxing tournament.
Luna and Harry cracked up, and even Ron had to smile. Lavender, however, was glaring at Ginny like Ginny had punched her instead of her boyfriend. Ginny just raised her eyebrows at her, daring her to make a comment where she had two older brothers, a best friend, and Harry to back her up. Lavender just glared.
Luna stood and pulled Harry's hand. He stared at her curiously and she led him from the room. Fred and George cheered and Harry flipped them off from behind his back. Luna led him from the living room out the front door. She let go of his hand and lied down in the soft grass and stared at the sky.
Harry cocked his head to the side and grinned before he joined her. She reached for his hand and squeezed.
"I know that after this year is over, you're going to go searching for Horcruxes, right?"
Harry sat up suddenly. "How did you know—?"
She shrugged it off. "I know this. Hermione told Ginny and me by accident one day. I asked my dad and he told me what they were." She pulled his hand so he was lying next to her again. "I know that's where you're going to go after school."
She paused so long that Harry was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"I'm going with you."
This time he jumped to his feet. "There's no way! You could be killed!"
She sat up and crossed her legs Indian style. "So could you," she said calmly. "I would rather lose my life with you than live it without you."
Harry stared at her, then joined her back on the ground. "Luna, that really means a lot to me, and –"
A shiny silver otter suddenly nudged his leg. His stomach dropped to his knees. Luna finally stood up.
"What does this mean?" she asked.
The otter suddenly spoke, and it was Hermione's hushed whisper. "We're in the ballroom of Malfoy Manor. We desperately need help. We can't do this by ourselves. Bring everyone in the Order that you can get."
"What's going on?" Harry blurted, just as the otter disappeared.
Luna stood and brought out her wand, muttering a quick incantation and murmuring a message. She grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him back into the Burrow. Harry stopped her.
"What just happened?"
"Hermione and Draco need our help. I just sent my Patronus to Bill's house. Let's go!"
********
"I still don't understand why Hermione went to Malfoy Manor instead of coming here for Christmas," Molly was saying. Arthur put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.
"I've seen her with Draco," Tonks said, "I think they're good together." Lupin looked uncomfortable, but didn't say anything.
"I thought she was good with Ron," Molly said, sounding somewhat defensive.
"Ron was too…" Tonks struggled to find the word, "Familiar for her, I think. She knew him too well. There was no mystery."
Molly just shook her head. "Well, I'm sure you would understand mystery, wouldn't you?" she said to Tonks while nodding at Lupin, who had his gaze fixed on something else. Tonks didn't say anything, but followed Lupin's line of sight. A shiny silver hare was sitting at the doorway.
Molly turned too, and the hare spoke. "We just got a message from Hermione saying she and Draco are in trouble at Malfoy Manor. Ballroom. We're all going. Get together all of the Order that you can."
It disappeared and Molly jumped to her feet.
*********
Luna sprinted into the living room and started talking before anyone knew she had even reentered the house.
She finished out of breath, and everyone just stared at her.
"What?" Lavender asked, rather rudely.
"Hermione is in trouble. Malfoy Manor ballroom. We have to go now," was all Harry said before he grabbed Luna's arm and Disapparated.
********
Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad Eye Moody, Albus Dumbledore, and Minerva McGonagall were all having a drink at the Three Broomsticks when the Patronus came for them too. Dumbledore didn't even wait for it to shimmer and disappear before he stood and walked out of the pub in a flurry of robes. He quickly sent Fawkes to the teachers in the school and Disapparated.
*********
Hermione had just conjured up a shield when another crowd of people Apparated in.
"Well, it seems like a full fledged party that I didn't know we were having," Draco grumbled. Hermione smirked at him and waved at a few of the people who immediately started taking down Death Eaters.
Draco turned to her with an astonished smile on his face. "What did you do?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I called the Order."
He laughed and shot of a flurry of curses at Rodolphus. "You are an incredible witch, you know that Hermione?" She swirled her wand and shot what looked like boiling water at a Death Eater.
"Yeah, I kinda got that eventually."
Draco laughed and Stunned someone. "You are so conceited right now," he called to her. She laughed, adrenaline finally kicking in, and kicked a fallen Death Eater Muggle-style, right in the face.
Harry ran up beside the two of them and yelled "You guys ok?"
Hermione replied that she was, and Draco nodded.
Harry shot off a Stunning spell and fought his way back to Luna.
Hermione turned to shoot a spell when a jet of light hit her square in the back.
"No!"
She fell to the ground in a heap, and everything went black.
She felt like she was sinking in water. She couldn't bring herself to use her body to save herself. She was drowning.
Someone was slapping her.
"Talk to me Hermione," Draco said, cradling her head in his lap
"What?"
"If you fall asleep again, I'm not so sure you're going to wake up."
"I told you that, back when this all started." Her eyes drifted closed, and she wrenched them open again.
"I know."
"How…full circle." Her voice faded pathetically, and Draco felt his tear ducts come back to life.
"Indeed."
Hermione didn't respond. "Hermione, keep talking."
"I think I love you."
"You don't love me. You think you do. You can't love a guy like me."
"You mean honest, compassionate, smart, witty, and annoying? I'm pretty sure I can. No don't interrupt me. I'm talking. You can be obnoxious, prejudiced, snotty, and rude, but I love you. You stand up for what you believe is right, whether it is or not. You stand up for your friends, you fight for your family. You represent your family in a way that they haven't been portrayed for a very long time. You're real. Really annoying. Really amazing. You're handsome, rash, smart, ignorant, and so many other adjectives that I can't quite place right now, but I love you. I love every stupid aristocratic part of you. And this is real. Me laying here in your arms on the verge of death. That's real. That's raw. Kiss me one last time Draco Lucius Malfoy. And make it count. You always had a way of taking my breath. If anyone should have my last one, it should be you."
Malfoy lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly, pulling away so he could wipe the tears off his face. When he looked back down at her, her eyes were closed and her breathing had stopped.
A/N: Another cliffhanger!