December 22nd

Something was wrong. Usually Apparition took a split second but this seemed to be going on longer than normal. He could feel whatever he was grabbing onto moving furiously under his grasp trying to shake him off. Draco kept his grasp on the body part beneath his fingers.

He wouldn't last long... he needed air. He could feel the pressure building, pressing down on his chest. He could see bright spots in the darkness and the panic began to set in, in the swirling darkness.

Seconds later the bright light hit him and he landed with a thud on the ground. He gasped for air, welcoming the cold chill filling his lungs and a tingling sensation in his fingertips he tried to shake away. He could hear Hermione coughing and spluttering for air to his side but it was Charlie gasping beside him that he focussed his attention.

He moved quickly, slamming his fist into the first part of Charlie's - no Pucey's body that he could reach; his stomach. Draco saw his wand fly out of his grasp onto the dirt by his side and he immediately scrambled over him to grab it. He felt a fist make contact with his his ribs and cried out before throwing another aimless punch Pucey's way.

Pucey grabbed his wrist before it could connect and sent a punch flying into the side of Draco's head. His head spun, little white flecks of bright light flashing across his vision but he still managed to hit out again, connecting with Pucey's jaw.

He stretched further, his fingernails digging into the mud as Pucey landed his knee into Draco's stomach. He finally felt the hardness of the wand between his fingertips, taking another punch to the head whilst he spun the wand round until he was pressing it hard into his attackers cheek and pushing him back into the ground.

Pucey laughed, his head falling back into the mud with a thud, breathing heavily and laughing loudly. Draco took a few deep breaths and rested on his knees, keeping the wand trained on it's owner.

"The things I would have done to her..." Pucey said with a sneer, looking over at Hermione.

Draco looked over at her. She was trying and struggling to get up. She pressed her hands into the mud beneath her and rested on her knees just as Draco was. She looked dazed and she shook her head from side to side. When she finally caught his eye, Draco nodded to her and she nodded back, putting her hand to her forehead and closing her eyes.

"Could have made her think it was you." Draco spun his head back to Pucey. He was laughing, a cold and calculated laugh that stirred a part of Draco he had hidden for so may years. The anger simmering away, bubbling under his skin. "Would have made her scream your name when I fucked her." Draco's fist slammed into Pucey's face before he could finish his sneer. It felt too good - feeling the crunch of Pucey's nose under his knuckles. He felt bad - for a brief moment he felt bad because it was Charlie. It was Charlie's face but it was Pucey. It was Pucey. It wasn't really Charlie. So he slammed his fist into his face again. The pain coursed through his arm but he couldn't stop.

Over and over he drew back his fist and slammed it into Pucey's face. He saw red appear on his own knuckles and on the face below him - blood trickling from Pucey's nose and mouth but even that didn't stop him. The only thing he could hear was his fist pounding into the face of the man below him and constant buzz between his ears.

He heard screaming from somewhere. He heard his name in the distance. He looked up briefly to see where the noise was coming from but then he saw her face screaming at him.

"DRACO, STOP!"

She grabbed his hand before he could land another blow to Pucey's face. He turned to her quickly, the feel of her hands on his snapping him out of the trance he was in. He could see the fear in her eyes as she studied him carefully, her dark brown eyes watching him beneath those thick eyelashes. It looked like she didn't even recognise him. She was looking at him like he was someone else.

"Please..." She whispered. It took him a few seconds to register her words. Pucey was unmoving beneath him, blood seeping out of his nose and mouth, eyes closed. Draco nodded, lifted his other hand and passed her the wand he had been clutching. She took it swiftly from his hand and moved out of sight.

Draco dropped his chin to his chest. He sucked in the air breathing quickly and deeply, adrenaline coursing through his veins. His hands were shaking as he lifted his fist to his face and saw red and black covering his right hand. He dropped his hands to his lap and let his head fall back, looking up. He couldn't take his eyes off the blue cloudy sky. His breath catching like smoke in the cold air and watching as the vapour disappeared before his eyes.

He heard her whispering a few incantations to his side so he lifted his head. The first thing he noticed was the wide open space that they were in. They were in the middle of a large field, rolling hills all around them - no sign of people, muggle or wizard in sight. He wondered why Pucey had Apparated them here, then remembered that the Apparition had taken longer than normal. Maybe Pucey was trying to shake Draco off - so he bought him here to kill him before taking Hermione on somewhere else.

He shook his head. It was too much now. Too much to think about. Too much to try to contemplate. He dropped his gaze back down to Pucey. Hermione had bound him and moved him onto his side. She was standing above Pucey, watching him - watching Charlie.

"It isn't Charlie." Draco said, a crack in his voice as he spoke.

"What?" She said turning to face Draco. She had been under the Imperius curse when Draco had confirmed his suspicions.

"Adrian Pucey." Draco whispered. He pushed his good hand into the cold mud beneath him and staggered to his feet a rush of blood filling his head and buzzing in his ears. He shook it off, clutched his wounded hand to his chest and found her eyes once more.

"How?" She questioned again, crossing her arms over her chest. He could see the sheen of tears filling her eyes and he stepped over Pucey and stopped at her side.

"I don't know." He had no idea how they had done it. Pucey or Pansy. No Polyjuice, no Imperius curse. He had checked, many times - so how had they pretended to be their friends for so long?

Hermione was still staring down at Charlie. Draco reached out and stroked his fingers down the back of her hand, making her jump. She stepped back away from him, placing the tips of her fingers onto her neck. She looked like she had done earlier when she stopped him from hitting Pucey.

"We need answers."

As soon as they landed on the cobbled pathway in front of Andromeda's house, it was like the fog cleared in Draco's mind. He saw Harry, Ron and Arthur running towards them down the pathway.

"Neville and Ewan are at the safe house." He started before Harry held up his hand.

"We've got them. They are fine - injured but fine." Harry said patting him on the arm as Ron helped Hermione to her feet, wrapping an arm around her and guiding her inside. Arthur levitated Charlie's body and walked the unconscious man inside.

"Adrian Pucey." Draco said. Harry nodded, resting his hand on Draco's shoulder and pushing him gently towards the house.

"Penelope - Pansy, she told us everything. We got to the safe house just after you Apparated away." He said as they stepped through the front door.

They must have called everyone back because Headquarters was full of people. Aurors were rushing around, running in and out of the door, shouting at people across the room and putting up various pieces of parchment on the walls.

He had realised then, that Charlie and Penelope - the real Charlie and Penelope were missing. They had been captured. Taken. Possibly killed. Draco shook the images from his head again.

He looked for Hermione and found her in a chair by the window, Theo sitting next to her and Ron crouching down in front of her. She was sipping on a glass of water and nodding along to Rons words.

"Are you okay?" Harry said nodding to Draco's hand. He turned abruptly to Harry. He was still holding his hand, clutching it to his chest.

"Yeah." Draco whispered. Harry eyed his bloodied hand warily and waved over a Medi-Wizard from the far side of the room, pointing towards Draco.

The Medi-Wizard ran over and indicated for Draco to sit down in one of the chairs at the side of the room. As he let the woman work on his hand he looked for Hermione again.

She was sat on the other side of the room to him. Ron was hugging her, his hands wrapped around her waist, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you for... yno. Saving her." Potter said to him awkwardly. Draco didn't take his eyes off her as she hugged Ron deeply. She caught his eye from across the room but looked away quickly.

Draco didn't respond. He didn't know what to say. A pain caught in his throat as if he was trying to swallow a very large lump.

The way she had looked at him earlier. Like she feared him. Like she didn't know who he was. Like she regretted everything that had happened between them. Like she didn't feel the same way about him.

After he had been patched up he made his way to the bathroom. He stared into the mirror looking back at his own reflection. He didn't recognise himself. Mud was caked on his jumper, his face, his hair - just about everywhere. His eyes were tired and bloodshot.

No wonder she looked scared of him earlier. He didn't even recognise himself.

Hermione had been moved to another safe house for questioning shortly after she had been checked over by a Medi-Wizard. Chalie and Penelope were named on the cards they had found on Theo's Father some weeks ago and so was she. After a vile of optional Veritaserum and an hour of interrogation she was free to go.

She was sent back to Headquarters. Andromeda found her and took her into the living room at the back of the house. She waved her wand over Hermione, cleaning the mud away from her clothes and sitting her down in one of the comfy chairs by the fire. Hermione was thankful for the warmth the fire gave her and even more so when Draco's Mother bought her in a strong cup of tea and a few biscuits.

Narcissa was pleasant. Asking Hermione how she was with a hint of concern to her voice and wrinkle to her brow. Hermione said she was fine but she wasn't. She was exhausted and unhappy. She wanted to find the real Penelope and Charlie. She worried about Neville and Ewan. She wanted to talk to Draco. She wanted to get out of here and back to the safe house but she could do anything. Kinglsey had assured her they were doing everything they can to find their missing comrades. Andromeda assured her Neville and Ewan were fine. Draco was no where to be seen. She wasn't allowed back to the safe house until it had been thoroughly checked and re-charmed.

She was joined shortly after by Theo who walked straight over to her and hugged her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She lied again.

Theo told her they were interviewing Charlie - no, Pucey right now.

"They think they know how they've done it and are trying to reverse it. Arthur said he would come get us when it's time."

Hermione didn't think she wanted to watch but when Theo mentioned the mirrored glass in all the interview rooms, she worried less. At least that way Pucey wouldn't be able to see her.

Ah hour later, Harry and Draco came into the room. Draco looked better than he did the last time she saw him. No mud, no blood, but his right hand was wrapped up in a crisp white bandage. She wanted to go over to him and hug him but his Mother got there first, placing her hand on his cheek and whispering to him. Harry came over to her and hugged her whilst Draco sat himself on the sofa and picked up a book of the coffee table. He did not look at her once.

Shortly after Arthur came to get them all with Ron in his stead. He lead them into a part of Headquarters Hermione had never been before. Down to an enlarged cellar and into a long corridor with a number of doors. They went into the first door and watched through the mirrored glass.

Charlie certainly didn't look like Charlie anymore.

Until she saw the Medi-Wizard remove the magically enhanced skin graft from his arm with her own eyes, she still had not believed it was Adrian Pucey. Memories of a young boy from school flashed into her mind. The same flat, dark brown hair, round face and pale eyes just as she had remembered him, only he was older.

His face was sporting a few dark bruises under both of his eyes where Draco had hit hit - something that Hermione in hindsight thought he thourally deserved.

At the time however, she had thought Draco was beating Charlie up. Charlie who was just confused or ill or brainwashed. Not an intruder. A spy, in their own ranks. Two actually. She had since found out that Penelope was not in fact Penelope but was none other than Pansy Parkinson. It was too much to comprehend.

Everything that had happened over the past few weeks all made sense. The change in Penelope's personality. The huge change in Charlie. She and Draco had discussed it many times however at the time he confirmed their suspicions, she did not believe him. She was scared and confused and wary of everything she had ever known. For a moment she even questioned if Draco was Draco.

She felt shitty. He had come for her just in time, saved her, tried to comfort her but she moved away from him, was even scared of him for a moment. She desperately wanted to talk to him, to tell him she was sorry but she couldn't do it in front of everyone.

They were lead into another room further down the corridor and stood behind the mirrored glass, watching as two Aurors interrogated Pansy Parkinson. She was still wearing Penelope's clothes that looked so strange on her now she had transformed back into her normal self. She looked like her, the way she did when they were at Hogwarts. Her long dark hair now bobbed at her shoulders, her eyes as green as they had ever been, nose still slightly pug-shaped - but she looked older. Tired.

Hermione, Draco, Theo and Harry were watching Pansy through the glass with a few other Aurors, Arthur, Ron and Kingsley. The room was silent bar a rusting of parchment as the Aurors noted down everything that Pansy said.

One of the interviewers in the room with Pansy pulled out a thin, oblong shaped black slab that Hermione realised was a mobile phone. The same mobile phone that she had seen Penelope with a few weeks ago. She turned to Draco but he did not take his eyes off the phone. She heard Harry whisper to Theo, explaining what it was and what it was used for as the interviewer continued with his questions.

"We found this in your room." He said slowly. "Can you tell me what you used this for?"

Pansy shook her head, looking down at her nails.

"We've seen the messages." The Auror said slowly. She picked at her nails. "We have your fingerprints on the phone." She didn't even acknowlegde his words until his next sentence. "We've seen the coordinates you sent."

"Coordinates?" Hermione said, turning to Harry who looked equally as surprised as she did. She looked back through the glass to see Pansy holding her head in her hands. Muffled sobs cried out from between her fingertips.

"I didn't mean for him to die." Hermione though she heard her say. She felt a drop in her stomach.

"What?" Said Harry turning to one of the Aurors in the room. Hermione could feel herself heating up. She knew. She knew even before the Auror confirmed it.

"She gave the coordinates to the White Rabbit safe house." The Auror said quietly.

Hermione placed her hand on her stomach. She felt like she had been hit by a bus. Dean, Dean, Dean. He swam infront of her eyes. His smiling face, his arms holding onto her, his lips kissing her, his words making her laugh.

The memories flooded back and the ache she already felt in her body felt like it was about to explode out of her. She felt a hand wrap around her waist, steadying her, trying to comfort her but it didn't stop the shrill cry from escaping her lips. It echoed round the small room.

She looked up, finding Pansy Parkinson's face. She was crying - why was she crying? Hermione screamed at her through the glass. She wanted to claw through the glass, to break it and climb through and scream at her and hurt her. Where was her wand? She needed her wand. She pushed her hand into her pocket but was stopped, the wand wrenched from her grip.

She felt the arm around her waist grip her tighter as her knees buckled. Dean, Dean, Dean. She kept seeing him. Not smiling anymore but blood pouring out of his stomach, his cries of pain as he lay dying on the ground beneath her.

Bright flecks of light shone in front of her teary eyes, making her feel dizzy. Her head felt like it was about to split apart and she could still hear screams ringing in her ears. She didn't know if they were her own or Dean's. Her feet left the floor as she was picked up in someone's arms and taken from the room. The ache in her chest overtook her anger and the tears fell quickly, sobbing into the chest of the person carrying her.

Draco. She could smell him. The familiar manly scent that often lingered in her room and on her bed sheets after he spent the evening with her. She clung to him.

He Apparated them back to the safe house and carried her all the way inside, upstairs and into her bedroom. The crying had stopped but the tears still filled her eyes as he placed her on the edge of her bed and bent down in front of her. He reached down, slowly untying her laces and removing her trainers from her feet. He took off the jacket she was wearing and placed it on the floor next to her bed.

Hermione sat slumped on the bed, her hands resting limply by her sides, staring down at her knees. She had nothing left. Nothing. Everything felt numb. She could see Draco's knees resting against her own. His hands were either side of her on the bed and she could hear him saying her name.

"Hermione." He whispered quietly. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't lift her eyes to meet his. She wanted to say so much to him but her throat was sore and she just felt heavy. Hermione felt one of his hands on her shoulder pushing her down as he lifted her legs onto the bed. She turned on her side as he pulled the covers over her.

He hesitated with his hand on her arm. Hermione desperately wanted him to stay. For him to wrap her up in his arms, to feel his body against hers. He had a way of making her feel safe and protected that she craved at that moment. Hermione felt his hand leave her arm, his footsteps creaking on the floorboards until she heard the door shut behind him.

Tears filled her eyes. She wanted this all to be over. To run away and to hide and to never have to deal with grief ever again. She sobbed silently into her pillow until the tiredness in her bones took over her and she fell asleep.

A/N:

Another chapter up. I'm on a roll!

Big shout out to Lena2244, justanotherwitch89 and guest for your lovely comments last chapter! So glad you are sticking with me on this journey!

Please leave me another review if you read and liked this chapter!

Much love, Elle x