AN: Thank you all for the reviews! Here's chapter 21 for you all. Italics at the end is from Draco's Veela's POV

Hermione's POV

I took a deep breath before I whispered the password to the Gryffindor tower. I had come up late enough to wait for Harry and Ron without an audience.

"Mione." Ginny grinned as she came around the corner of the girl's staircase as I walked through the portrait.

"Gin." I smiled back as I hugged the younger girl.

"How are you?" She asked quietly.

"I'm okay."

"You look more then just okay. Mione your glowing, spending a whole week alone with Draco looks good on you." She giggled as she looked me up and down.

"Ginny!" I flushed immediately.

"Oh Hermione I didn't mean that but now that you've mentioned it, tell me everything." She grinned with excitement while I stayed in a constant flushed state.

"Liar." I mumbled as she laughed.

"Well?" She pushed quietly, and I couldn't help the small grin that fought its way onto my face.

"It was…nice." I supplied as I bit my lip. Oh, it was more then nice and you know it! I thought furiously.

"Nice?" Ginny asked me doubtfully.

"Yes."

"You spent the entire week holed up merlin knows where with the Slytherin sex god himself and all you have to say is it was nice?" She asked me incredulously. I shrugged helplessly as I looked around the empty common room embarrassed.

"Hermione Granger." Ginny warned, and I flushed again with a giggle.

"Okay it was more than nice. It was intense Gin. I wasn't prepared to feel like that. Like this." I whispered.

"Was he gentle?" Ginny asked, and I nodded.

"He was amazing Gin." I whispered back.

"Good. Happy suits you Hermione. And you are happy, it's written all over you and I'm so thrilled for you."

"I just wish the boys were." I whispered sadly.

"They'll come around." Ginny promised as she hugged me, and I hugged her back.

"Hermione." I looked over Ginny's shoulder as I pulled away and smiled at Harry who was making his way down the stairs in a hurry.

"Harry."

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you for a week. How did you get away from him? I swear to Merlin if he hurt you I'll-" He started ranting as he went to pull me in for a hug but I recoiled and jumped back just before his fingers brushed me.

"Harry! You can't touch her." Ginny yelled as she quickly pulled me back out of his reach.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Look Harry it's a long story and I want to explain it to you, but I think we should wait for Ron."

"He'll be down in a second…" He started looking between Ginny and I confused.

"Okay." I nodded mentally preparing myself for a fight.

"Hermione you didn't answer any of my questions, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Harry asked keeping his distance but letting his eyes search for any sign of harm.

"Harry, Draco can't hurt me. He would never hurt me." I said softly, using my eyes to silently beg him to understand.

"I don't believe that."

"Harry…" Ginny sighed shaking her head sadly at the wizard in front of us.

"Then you just have to trust me."

"I do trust you but I don't trust-"

"OI! Where the bloody hell have you been?" A loud yell cut Harry off mid rant.

"Ronald." I sighed as he came storming down the stairs towards us.

"Hermione what the bloody hell were you thinking? Running off like that, you could have been hurt." Ron snapped angrily.

"I didn't run off Ron, I was in the castle the entire time." I said impatiently.

"Where? We searched the damn castle and the map. The map never lies you were not in the castle." He scoffed at me. I glared at him before rolling my eyes in annoyance.

"I was Ron, our ro- I mean my room doesn't show up, it's charmed." I started slipping slightly when I said our. I watched as a red hue started to make its was up Ron's neck and face.

"What do you mean our rooms?" He exploded.

"Ronald keep your voice down." I hissed back.

"Ron maybe we should let Hermione explain." Harry tried to calm the situation but I watched stiffly as Ron shrugged him of and kept going.

"So it's true then? You were with him?" Ron glared angrily.

"Ron sit down so I can explain it to both of you." I pleaded gently but he carried on right over the top of me.

"He's put you under some kind of love potion or something he has. We need to take you to Madam Pomfrey immediately, she can fix this and then we can go tell Dumbledore you were kidnapped and get that Death Eater locked up." Ron ranted as he moved closer.

It happened in a blur. One moment Ron was a foot away the next he had me in a vice grip and was marching me through the open portrait. I heard myself gasp at the same time Ginny screamed at Ron to let go before a large black mass collided with Ron and I. Hard.

I felt arms push me, feeling my hit the brick wall behind me hard before all air left my lungs. I made a strangled noise in pain as the back of my head hit the ground hard, stars erupting before my eyes as I let out a low groan in pain struggling to breath. I could hear screaming and shouting but nothing I could make sense of before a large mass covered me growling and hissing.

Draco.

"Ron stay back!" Ginny yelled from somewhere nearby.

"What the bloody hell is that! Oi you bloody bird get off Hermione!"

"Nugh." I mumbled trying to plead to Ron to stop. A low hum erupted in my ear as I felt myself being shifted into all too familiar arms. The pain immediately went away and I felt numb. No Draco…

"Are you bloody deaf? Let go of her you piece of-"

"Ron stop!" A scream sounded making me groan in pain as it made my head throb before it too suddenly disappeared. I felt my body becoming heavier as my eyes fluttered closed.

A loud snarl ripped through the empty corridor leaving everyone suddenly silent. I could hear approaching footsteps but I my head was too foggy to tell how many or how far away. I concentrated on the low hum and the safe feeling I felt in Draco's arms as I let my eyes finally slide shut and let darkness take me.

Draco's POV

I paused midway to the infirmary as a rush of anger settled over me.

Hermione.

"Fucking Potter and Weasley." I hissed in anger as I suddenly turned and headed for the Gryffindor Tower. How dare they upset my mate.

"Draco what ar- OI!" I snarled as I pushed past Zabini.

"Shit." I heard muttered behind me before footsteps hurried caught up.

"What's wrong? Why do you look like you want to tear someone apart?" Theo asked me quickly as he kept pace with me.

"They're upsetting her." I growled in a deeper tone then usual and I knew then and there my control was slipping.

"Okay calm down- No, no Draco calm!" Blaise shouted as I suddenly quickened my pace.

"Need her." I growled lowly as a haze settled over me.

"Fuck."

"Pansy get Snape, NOW!"

Mine.

See her.

Not safe.

I snarled as white hot pain sliced through me and everything goes black.

"NO!"

"WHAT THE FU- ARGH!"

"DRACO!"

The corridor empty corridor fills with hissing and snarling as I flatten myself over a limp body of my mate on the floor. I whimper slightly as I gather her in my arms and hum, absorbing every niggle of pain she feels.

Mine.

Not safe.

Protect.

Shouting starts again and I hiss and snap back keeping the red headed man away from us. A whine comes from my mate and I hum again, checking and double checking that she is feeling no pain. My body is on fire, everything hurts and I know she needs help desperately.

"Are you bloody deaf? Let go of her you piece of-"

"Ron stop!" A scream sounds making my mate groan in pain as I quickly work to absorb that too. My head feels fuzzy and I snarl loudly. My mate is hurt and I must protect. I live for her.

My head snaps up and I growl in warning as hurried footsteps near us. I vaguely recognise their faces beneath my rage filled haze as they hold their hands up in surrender.

"Draco we mean you nor your mate any harm." A voice soothes and I growl in warning as I shuffle back slightly.

"Step away slowly now." A voice says to the red headed man and his friends. I feel slightly better when they do as he says. I glance down at my mate and hold her closer.

Be okay.

Protect.

Heal.

"Draco…" Another soft voice asks me, and I look up at the woman in warning.

"It's okay I won't hurt you. Is your mate okay?"

"SHE IS NOT HIS-"

"SILENCE! Get him of here, NOW!" The older man roars and I snarl in response curling my wings further around us in protection.

"Poppy." The older man says again and the woman in front of me nods and looks to me again before speaking.

"Draco? Is she okay?" The woman "Poppy" asks again softly and I whimper.

"We can help. We can help your mate… will you let us help?"

"Heal her." I say in a deep almost angelic voice and she nods.

"Yes we can heal her. You can stay too. I just need you to let her go a little so I can do that."

"Mine." I whimper as I nuzzle my mate breathing in her scent but pause when I smell the hint of blood. I let out a painful whimper as I worry.

"Shh shh it's okay. We can help her. She's going to be okay." I look up startled to see her and another man a little closer than before, but I don't feel threatened.

"Heal." I breath out and they nod as I slowly uncurl my wing and let them closer.

"Good. It's going to be okay. You're both going to be fine." The woman says as she waves her wand and slowly but surely the pain in my head and ribs starts to leave. The scent of blood fades and I hum in relief.

"Here take this, it will help with your pain too." I hum in response to the man and sniff at the bottle that is being held carefully in front of me. No hint at it being poisoned I take it and down it immediately feeling sleepy.

"There you go, both of you are okay now."

"Rest Draco, you kept her safe. She is safe. You both are." I hum in agreement and curl my wings back around my mate as I nuzzle into her closing my eyes.

Safe.