"Do you think Ginny will be able to convince Blaise to hide us?" Hermione asked.

"She doesn't need to convince him about us," Draco answered her. "It's the rest of your lot that will be the kicker. I didn't want to admit it, but she's right. Not counting ourselves, Blaise could let everyone die and not lose a wink of sleep."

Hermione frowned deeply. Rather recently she had developed a rather high liking towards Blaise. Yes, he had some questionable qualities about him that made her skin crawl. However, underneath that was a man who truly cared about other people's well being. Selective people's well being, she had to remind herself, and then she frowned even further than she thought possible.

"Your face will stick like that," Draco told her as he nuzzled her neck.

Hermione chuckled, and she tried her hardest not to flinch or shrink away with the feel of him so close. Her ordeal with Montague was not some distant memory. Factor in the fact that she had seen him last night and it was safe to say that close contact was not her best friend at the moment. Regardless, she didn't want her traumatic experience to dictate every future action she had with Draco. Hermione would have to ease herself into his touch, she knew, but this was a start.

Not tonight, though. That ceiling-to-floor drop had done a number on her and she needed to recover properly. There had been two broken ribs and her left arm, but surprisingly only a fractured bone in her leg. Fleur had been ecstatic to find some Skele-Repair among Seamus' safety kit and she had made Hermione drink a decent gulpful. It was the reason why she had yet to sleep although it was now daybreak. It was a painful process to repair bones just as much as it was to grow them back.

"Draco?"

"Yes,"

"Do you know who it was that had Seamus as a target?"

It was Draco's turn for his lips to tug downwards at that. He sighed and the action ruffled the little hairs on the back of Hermione's neck.

"It wasn't anyone in my age range for sure," he replied. "I usually remember their tasks pretty clearly."

Hermione shuddered. "'Tasks…' Such a terrible thing to call them. They were people. They were my friends. They-"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Draco said quickly. Out of habit he raised his arm to gently lay it around her waist, to comfort her, but he stopped himself and grudgingly set it back down. He cleared his throat and awkwardly said, "It's just what he called them…"

Hermione looked to her right and into Draco's face. She smiled weakly and used her good arm to settle it over his. "I know that. I'm not mad at you for it. I just hate that another friend is gone. You asked Ron how many of us are left. It's not very many. George may still be alive. Probably Aberforth. I haven't a clue about Ernie or Cho or Hannah. We're just… We're all so scattered."

"Just like the Dark Lord wanted," Draco confirmed. "And that's exactly why we need to repay him for it."

Hermione didn't have to be looking at him to know that he had a mischievous plan in mind. His tone of voice told her that as well as his clenched fist at his side.

"Is this the plan you were talking about before we got attacked?"

"Yes. It's actually an unformulated plan that we came up with a little while back when we were plotting Rabastan's death," Draco smiled at the memory. "As you said back then, the Dark Lord has a line of soldiers. We need to get rid of them just like with Rabastan."

"Extermination…" Hermione said after a few passing seconds, the conversation she and Draco had had slowly coming back.

"That's right," he nodded. "Your side is losing because he weakened you. He couldn't take you as a group, but when you're alone you're easy targets. His followers are just the same. Except there'll be no luring. That takes too much time and too much plotting. We should go to them instead."

"That still takes plotting and planning," Hermione countered. "First and foremost we need to know where they live, their habits,-"

"Wards they like to use?" Draco finished with a smile. He released a happy breath and squeezed her hand. "Sometimes I think you forget that I'm a Deatheater, defected or not. I know these people, Hermione. Consider me your... Deatheater directory."

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant this was. Hermione opened her mouth to say just that when there was a knock on their bedroom door.

"Hermione? Malfoy?" Ginny called. "Are you both decent in there?"

Draco, ever the troublemaker, called back, "What do you call 'decent?'"

Hermione laughed and shushed him before addressing Ginny through the door. "Never you mind him, Gin. You can come in."

Despite the invitation, Ginny still opened the door cautiously until she realized that it was safe to enter. "We've got a place to stay. All of us."

Draco's face was a true expression of surprise. "Really? That's...impressive. What did you say to him?"

Ginny grinned smugly and crossed her arms. "I'm good at bargaining. We'll have to go now so Zabini says. I already woke the others. Harry and Neville are on their way to help the both of you downstairs so we can all Floo. With most of us injured, we shouldn't be apparating anyway."

"True," Hermione nodded. "None of us need to risk splinching."

"Everyone's already ready to go?" Draco asked incredulously. "Just like that they're going to happily skip on over to one of Blaise's houses?"

At that Ginny's face turned as red as her hair and Hermione stared at her oddly.

"Gin, what did you tell them?"

"I...might have told them that Malfoy had a property that was untraceable and that You-Know-Who knew nothing of. It's technically only a third of a lie since it belongs to Zabini instead."

"I stand corrected," Draco snorted. "They're going to happily skip on over to one of 'my' houses? Merlin, you share a few life or death situations with people and suddenly you're all chums…"

Ginny laughed. "Yeah, well, Hermione trusts you and that's good enough for them. We can deal with the backlash of my statement after we get out of here."

"You guys ready?" Neville asked, interrupting their conversation. After a decent night's sleep his wounds were more apparent. A healing black eye, swollen lip, and bruised skin with cuts and scratches all over.

"Yes," Hermione nodded. "We can go."

Draco swung his legs over (one with more difficulty) and Neville came over to help him off the bed and carry half of his weight. Harry was delicate with Hermione and was quite happy that she only grunted instead of screamed when he picked her up. The four of them left the room and carefully made it downstairs. Draco hadn't remembered seeing a fireplace in the house before, but it had been blocked by view of the dining table. Ron and Fleur had been talking in the meanwhile, Seamus' safety kit on the floor between them. They looked over when they heard the rest of the group coming.

"Oh, 'Ermione, you look so much better!" Fleur squealed in delight. "I will work on you when we get to the next 'ouse. Another swallow of the Skele-Repair should finish you up and then the muscle aches will 'ave to disappear on their own."

"Great…" Hermione sarcastically cheered. "Another set of hours of bone-fixing torture."

"Ahem," Harry cleared his throat as he looked down at her. "Arm? No bones? I had it worse, alright?"

Hermione rolled her eyes while everyone got a good smile and snicker at that. While they all prepared themselves to go, Fleur caught Ginny's eye and nodded before making sure to Floo first. Safety kit in hand, she walked out of a larger than life fireplace into a room surrounded by books. Aside from that was a three-seater couch to the right and up ahead was Blaise leaning against the edge of a large desk.

Fleur reached into a side pocket of the safety kit and pulled out a knife as she headed over to Blaise. "Give me your 'and."

"For what?" Blaise said in alarm as he stood erect. Fleur huffed.

"Do you want to kill your best friend?" She asked rhetorically. She placed the kit on the desk and with her now free hand fished out a potion bottle that she uncorked with her teeth. "This will mask Malfoy from you, but it needs your blood. 'Urry before 'e comes."

For all Blaise knew this could be poison, but he gave her his hand anyway as the fireplace ignited. His finger was cut by the time Ginny came through. Blood into the potion as Ron came next. Potion down the throat as an argument brewed between brother and sister and Harry carrying Hermione appeared. Neville was last as he supported a brunet man with blue eyes.

"Hell," Blaise commented. "You're one ugly bloke when you're not a blond."

"At least I have an excuse," Draco bit back. Even his voice was different.

"Who's side are you on, Ginny?!" Ron chided with his sister. "You lied to us! Agreeing to stay when it was Malfoy's place was one thing, but his? I'd rather die."

Blaise shrugged. "Drop dead then,"

"Blaise," Hermione shook her head. "Play nice."

"Oh, well of course, if you say so," Blaise answered with nothing less than ten folds of sarcasm. He sighed deeply, contemplating every insane action he'd taken ever since Draco dropped the bomb on him and headed towards the door. "Potter, Longbottom, follow me. I already have Granger and that monstrosity's room set up. The rest of you can pick a room on your own."

Harry and Neville glanced at each other before following his orders and leaving the room after him. Once they were all gone, Ron rounded on his sister yet again, this time in a calmer tone lest he get skewered by the witch.

"Ginny, I know that we're trusting Malfoy because of Hermione, but Zabini too? Need I remind you that he attacked you last night?"

"I know."

"And he attacked all of us."

"That was always the plan."

"Not the original one!"

"When does any plan properly pan out in war?" Ginny exasperatedly groaned out. She took a deep breath and shook her head as she continued, "Look, I don't like the situation either. Zabini is wishy-washy at best and someone you can't fully trust is a danger. But as long as Hermione and Malfoy are onboard with him, then we don't have a choice but to play along. The only good thing about any of this is that he cares about them deeply. And that...well, that keeps us safe. Sort of."

"Sort of," Ron scoffed. "This is going to be a bloody nightmare."

"Are you two finished?"

Ron and Ginny turned. They had completely forgotten that Fleur was in the room. Tired and red-faced they both nodded and she smiled.

"Good. Let's get out of 'ere and find bedrooms. Then a kitchen," she added as she headed towards the door. "I'm starving."

"You rogue bastard," Draco accused. Not angrily. Just a simple statement as he sat up against the bed's headboard with his leg propped. Hermione was beside him and only slightly elevated so as not to aggravate her ribs. Blaise had just finished explaining to them the proactive measures he had taken concerning Ginny, Goyle, and the dead house elf Hera. Needless to say, it was an incredible ordeal.

"I swear that you are the craziest person I've ever known," Draco continued in a huff.

Blaise tilted his head with both brows raised into his hairline. "Crazier than the woman who coerced her friends into raiding the Dark Lord's headquarters? Sure. I'm the mad one here."

"Regardless," Hermione said strongly to interrupt them. "At least we made it out of there. I wish that it had been under better circumstances," she added with a frown, thinking immediately of Professor McGonnagall, "but unfortunately war is fraught with death. Hey, Blaise, I should've thought of this sooner, but how do you think us being here will affect your Vow?"

"Considering that I'm not on the verge of a heart attack right now, I think I'm fine. The wording was specific, yet ambiguous at the same time. I can work around it."

"Good," Hermione nodded. "Well, that's one concern out of the way. The next is formulating a plan."

"Oh, that can't be good," Blaise shook his head. "You and your plans scare the hell out of me."

"Actually, it was Draco's,"

Blaise snorted and crossed his arms. "Even worse, but go on."

"We want to target to target the Deatheaters."

"You tried that, remember? With Rabastan? We all know how that catastrophe worked out."

"That was lure, though," Draco reminded. "This, on the other hand, will literally be a target. There's a reason why the Dark Lord wanted to take out Order members one by one. It was a smart ploy, and we should adopt it."

Blaise ran a hand over his chin and muttered a soft "hmm." "The Dark Lord is powerful on his own, but if his minions got picked off it would certainly help. There's still one major problem though."

Hermione's face fell and immediately laced with worry. "What problem?"

"Your friends," Blaise said simply. "We talked about the difference between offensive and defensive killing, remember? Forgive me, but I can count three members of your party who'd be too much of a pansy to do what they needed to do."

"I think you're underestimating my friends."

"And I think you're being too optimistic. What you're proposing is cold-blooded. It's outright murder, albeit for good reasons. Bring up the idea to your lot if you want, but be prepared if it's just you two, that Veela, and that fiesty little redhead."

"Then we'll deal with what we have," Draco said firmly. "I'd rather have those who are fully onboard than ones who'll cop out along the way."

"That good for you?" Blaise pointedly asked Hermione. It wasn't, if she was honest, but this was an either you're in or you're out situation.

And so, Hermione bit the inside of her jaw and regrettably nodded. Draco took note of her hesitancy and grabbed her hand.

"If it makes you better, whatever happens with your friends, I'm going after Montague first."

"Not without me your not," Blaise popped up quickly. Hermione snapped her gaze to him out of pure surprise and he merely shrugged. "I don't like him."

Hermione smiled. "Right. I'm sure you don't. Also, thank you."

Blaise could not have rolled his eyes harder. However, instead of commenting any further he decided to leave the couple alone and head to his favorite room. It was six or so doors down the hall and it had nothing but liquor, two long couches, and an armchair.

It was Sunday, and it was Voldemort's weekly meeting with his followers. Although not wise to go there drunk, with the utter failure that was last night Blaise would be better off numb. He had gone through a quarter of one of his bottles before the door opened and a ray of red assaulted his vision.

"Sorry," Ginny mumbled. "This place is so bloody huge that I can't find anything."

"And you think it wise to just open a door without knocking?" Blaise scoffed as he poured himself another drink. "Merlin forbid you walk in on Draco and Granger."

Ginny grimaced. Blaise noticed, chuckled, and then sighed before summoning another glass.

"Sit and have a drink, Miss Weasley."

"I beg your pardon?"

"What confused you? The word 'sit' or 'drink?'"

"None of that confused me, you idiot," Ginny glared. "Last I checked, you wanted to kill me."

"And I'm sure you still want to slit my throat. Regardless, the invitation still stands."

"Why?"

"I'm halfway to hammered," Blaise admitted. "But more than that, you stopped me from killing my best friend last night. That deserves a recompense."

Blaise had filled the second glass while talking. From where he sat on one of the couches, Ginny eyed both him and the drink he was holding out to her warily. She was determined to deny them both, but eventually sighed, crossed the room, and took the glass before sitting down on the couch before him.

"For the record," she said after taking a tentative sip. "I would've stopped anyone from killing Malfoy. Aside from the fact that Hermione would lose it if anything happened to him, he saved my life a bit back."

Blaise chuckled as he tossed what was left of his drink back. "Well, would you look at that. We're all here palling around all because we're indebted to each other. Isn't that lovely?"

Ginny snorted. "More like horrific, if you ask me."

"Oh, come now. It can't be all bad to have a Deatheater in your back pocket. Were that not the case this," Blaise gestured to the room, "wouldn't be at your disposal."

"Please," she huffed as she finished off the rest of her drink. "This only happened because you're in Hermione's back pocket. Not mine."

"I beg to differ. You keep playing the Granger card, and we both know that you will, I'm yours. At least until the war is over. By then I'm sure I'll be fighting for my life from whatever justice system that remains who'll want to lock me up despite the treason I've committed to help you."

Ginny couldn't even refute what he said. When the Battle of Hogwarts had been over, one of the few things the Order did was to secure a set number of the Wizengamot who'd yet to be killed. They had been hidden away ever since so that a justice system would be the first thing in full force whenever the war ended. It was a surety then that Blaise would be tried. Draco too, now that Ginny thought about it.

"Hermione's not going to let you go to Azkaban," Ginny said eventually. She was speaking more for Draco, but she supposed Blaise too.

"She can try, but that doesn't mean it still won't happen," Blaise replied rather solemnly. He filled his glass for the third time and downed it before adding, "No matter though. I'll be long gone before then."

Ginny's brow arched. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm planning to disappear before everything gets shot to hell. I'd encourage Draco to come along, but anyone with half a brain knows he wouldn't leave Granger."

"True," Ginny nodded. "Love is the biggest trap known to man."

"Hmm," Blaise mused as he rose from his seat. He walked over and refilled her glass. "Love is one hell of a trap indeed. Merlin forbid I ever fall prey to it."

Ginny chuckled. "This is probably the first time I've ever agreed with you, Zabini."

"There's a first for everything," he commented and raised the bottle with what little left remained in it. "Cheers."

Author's note: Two chapters in a month! I'm so proud of myself lol. As for the chapter, I think I love Fleur the more I write her. And, Ginny and Blaise have actually managed to be a in room together without any serious damage! In case you didn't notice before, I updating the pairings list on this story to officially include them :).

ALSO! I have to single out Dindore, because she is the reason why I plan on creating a short story on Theo and Fleur's relationship from the beginning chapters of this story. Her review got me thinking and the gosh darn plot bunnies started forming lol. Unlike how this story jumps right into Draco and Hermione's relationship, I'm going to take Theo and Fleur from the beginning. So, there ya have it. Obviously we all know it's a non-HEA, but at least there'll be some tender moments before then.

-WP

Replies to Guests

Guest: "Can't wait for more." Thanks! I hope that you liked the chapter. Plans are brewing! "Cold-blooded" ones at that!

Guest2: "Zabini appears..." Yes, well, that was canon *shrug*. This is fanfiction where I'm taking those flaws and reworking them for the purposes of this (AU) fic. You can't expect the same character from canon in that case.