Hey guys! Oh my God, I took so long to update this time. I'm so sorry. Like, really really sorry. I'm so busy these days. Every day is so tiring. Well, I hope I'll have some free time so I can update more. I hope my family can find a new house faster so we'll settle everything. Anyway, here's the next chap. :)


When Draco woke up the next day, he was alone in bed. He rose and looked around but the room was empty. Rubbing his eyes, he got off of the bed and stretched, yawning. He went to the toilet to wash his face and brush his teeth. Draco heard some faint voices from downstairs and he went down the stairs and entered the dining room only to see Hermione, Ginny and Harry chatting while having breakfast together.

'Morning.' He said quietly, sitting next to Hermione.

'Morning.' The rest responded.

'Sleep well?' Ginny asked with a smirk.

'Oh, shut up.' He rolled his eyes.

'I told you that you need to rest. Stubborn ferret.' The Weasley mocked, giving him a taunting smile.

'Cissy flooed this morning, you know? She knows about our headquarters. Anyway, she told me that she needs you to come back.' Hermione said softly.

'Come back? Lucius will kill me in a heartbeat!' Draco gave her a look of disbelief.

'No, he won't.' Hermione pressed her lips into a thin line. 'Somehow, Narcissa deleted his memories. I can't say the same for Bellatrix though. But, Narcissa has convinced me that she won't dare do anything to you.'

'Fuck this.' He breathed.

'You need to go back, because Harry, Ron and I will be off to find the Horcruxes.' Hermione said quickly in a tight, quiet voice. 'There's nowhere else for you.'

'Horcruxes? Hermione, are you out of your mind? It's dangerous!' Draco said with a frown.

'Nothing is safe anymore, Malfoy.' Harry interrupted. 'If we don't look for them, this thing, the war will never end. Never.'

'I know, but can't you have someone else?' He asked.

'I want to do this. You can't stop me. Many more lives will be sacrificed. Innocent ones will die. We can't let this go on.' Hermione muttered, touching his hand.

'I can't let you go out there. Just look at what happened at the Manor the other day!'

'Yes, but you saved me, didn't you?' She gave him a pleading look as she whispered the words out.

'I can't save you if you go. I can't.' He reminded her.

'I know, but I'm willing to do it.'

'Jesus! Why can't you understand? I'm not letting you go, okay? No!' He got up from his seat, snarling.

'You need to understand too! I need to do this!' She exclaimed sternly.

'So, you're going to leave me?' He asked with a frown and she gaped.

'I'll come back, Draco. I would. I will.' She sighed.

'You won't.' He shook his head.

'We're going to work this out, Draco. Please.'

'Malfoy.. You know she has to do this.' Ginny spoke from her seat, giving them a hardened look.

'I know..'

'I promise I'll take care of her.' Harry tried to convince the boy. 'She needs to go.'

'As if, Potter. She'll be in a bigger danger, going with the likes of you and Weasley. I think she's the one that will have to save your ass and risk her life.' He spat.

'Draco!' Hermione scolded and he glared at her. 'I'm just.. I'm still going, regardless of whatever you're saying.' She muttered before getting on her feet and stormed out of the room.

Draco let out a heavy breath and leant back on his seat before reaching out to take an apple on the table and biting into it. 'I know you're just worried about her, but she'll be fine.' Ginny reassured as she continued her breakfast.

'Yeah, it's Hermione we're talking about, Malfoy. She's the brightest witch of our age.' Harry added. Then, he slowly leant forward. 'Mal- Draco, I know you want this to be easier for her. Can you help us?'

'What?' Draco frowned again.

'You see, Hermione told me that Bellatrix had asked if we had taken the sword from her vaul-' Harry started but Draco cut him off.

'Where did you actually get that sword?' The blond boy asked in confusion.

'We found it in a lake.'

'How come?'

'I don't really know.' Harry pursed his lips. 'Do you know anything, anything at all about these Horcruxes?' He asked quietly, staring at Malfoy's face with determination.

Draco gave Harry a confused look before turning to look at Ginny, eyeing her warily. 'Well, I, I don't really know, but I think I've heard Bella talking about something with the Dark Lord. It was about a cup. But, I don't think it's an ordinary cup, or else why would Bella keeps it in her vault?'

'A cup you say?' Ginny questioned.

Harry leant back in his seat as he closed his eyes, sighing. Draco stared at the boy as he took off his glasses and rubbed his temple.

'Harry?' Ginny called as she reached out to touch his hand.

And then, he opened his eyes and muttered. 'We need to get into Bellatrix's vault.'


'You do know that this is dangerous, right?' He voiced from the edge of the bed.

Hermione didn't answer right away. She just stood there and looked out of the window. After a few moments, she sighed and sat next to him with her arms crossed. 'Yes.'

'Then, why are you doing this?'

'You know the reason, Draco.' She shook her head, turning to look at him.

'I'll miss you.' The girl whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder and burying her face at the crook of his neck. Draco wrapped his arm around her as she kissed his skin lovingly.

'Me too.' He answered in a hard voice.

'Are you going back?' Hermione asked softly.

'Yes.'

'Tell Cissy I said hi.' She muttered. 'What are you going to say if any of them ask where you've gone?'

'Mother said she told them that I was gone for personal business, said that it wasn't their right to interfere. But, Father reckons I just need some time alone.' He shrugged absentmindedly.

'You owled her?'

'Yes.'

'Oh.'

'How are you going to get into Bella's vault?' He suddenly asked.

'Griphook. He's helping us.' She informed, taking his hand and playing with his fingers.

He didn't reply and let the silence take over. Draco sighed, feeling Hermione's soft fingers playing with his own. He turned around and kissed her temple. Suddenly, he cleared his throat. 'When all of this is over, when everything ends, I'm going to take you away. I'm going to keep you by my side all the time so that no one can get you, no one's going to hurt you.'

Hermione lifted her head and looked at him, he had a hardened expression on his face and his lips were pressed into a thin line. A small smile tugged at her mouth as she leant forward and claimed his mouth with her own. Her hand went to the back of his neck as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

'Hermione, I thi- Oh God!' Ron exclaimed as he stepped into the room and covered his eyes, making the couple broke apart.

'What is it, Ron?' She asked, her voice wavering. Draco rolled his eyes as the ginger gave him a death glare.

'Harry's asking for us.' Ron said in a low voice, still gazing intently at the Malfoy heir.

'Thank you.' She nodded and he went away.

'Always the cockblocker.' Draco snickered.

'I'll be back.' She said softly, getting onto her feet. Draco just gave a curt nod.

'Granger?' He called and as she made a move to turn around, he pulled her arm and kissed her.

The girl blushed as she went away, surprised at his sudden move and he smirked. Hermione quickly stepped downstairs into the kitchen. 'What is it, Harry?' She questioned as she settled herself on the chair opposite Ron.

'We've got to think of a plan on how to get into the vault.' He started, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

'But, I thought Griphook is helping us?' Asked the girl, clasping her hand together on the table.

'Yes, but we can hardly just go there and say "Hey, we're trying to save the world here, can we get into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault? It's important." They'll have our heads in seconds, Mione.' Harry retorted with a tilt of his head and eyed her in amusement.

'Yes, I, I know that, but..' She spluttered, looking flabbergasted. Then she blinked and steadied herself on the chair, staring at the Boy Who Lived. 'Polyjuice Potion.' She suddenly said.

'What?' Harry asked.

'We can use the Polyjuice Potion.'

'And turn into whom?' Ron demanded.

'Bellatrix Lestrange, of course.'


'You better bring her back to me in a perfectly healthy state, Potter, Weasley.' Draco glared as he looked at the two boys. Ron glared back as intently whilst Harry gave him a blank look before sighing.

'I'll try, Malfoy.' The black haired boy said.

'Good.' Draco muttered, nodding at Harry.

'You don't need to worry so much.' Hermione gave him a weak smile as he pulled her towards him, his hands around her waist as his nose grazed the skin on her forehead. Harry had pulled a grumpy Ron away so that the couple can have their private moment for a while.

Hermione and Draco stayed quiet in that position, his lips resting on her forehead, her hands clutching his shirt. Slowly, Hermione started to cry, burying her face at his chest.

'You'll come back to me. Promise me you'll come back to me.' He urged through gritted teeth.

'I'll try. I promise.' She sobbed, hugging him tightly as she inhaled his scent.

'Hermione, we have to go.' Harry had popped his head into the room and reluctantly let the words out before leaving again. He can't wait until all of this is over, so he could be with Ginny again. He had urged the girl to go back to Hogwarts and she had grumpily agreed. She was allowed to go to Grimmauld place only because Draco had forced Snape to. Thankfully that old man listened to him.

'Why are you crying?' Draco growled, grabbing her shoulders. 'Stop crying! This is not the end!' He hissed, slamming his lips down on hers. 'Everything would be alright! Don't you dare say goodbye! Don't you dare, Granger, don't you dare!'

'I'm not...' She responded sadly, pulling him down for another kiss.

Draco didn't care if she was hyperventilating, he held her tightly to his chest. 'Please, take care of yourself.'

'You too. Promise me you won't die.' She whispered as he planted a soft kiss on her lips. 'I love you.' Hermione had muttered before pulling herself away from his body. She gave him a weak smile, turning away and rushed out of the room, not looking back.

'I know.' He replied with a blank face, talking to the now empty room. 'I love you too.' Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his blond hair before stepping into the fireplace and grabbing the floo powder. 'Malfoy Manor.'


Draco woke up with the nightmare still lingering in his mind. He had dreamt that Voldemort has won and Granger was killed in front of his eyes. He shuddered at the thought and quickly got out of bed to take his shower.

He sighed as he ran his hand through his wet hair in front of the mirror. He was still in his towel. With a sigh, he quickly get dressed. The boy walked out of his door and heard two faint voices fighting at the end of the hallway.

He quickly raced to the last door where the voices were coming from and peeked in. He saw Narcissa and Bellatrix arguing in the room. 'Draco can be with whoever he wants, Bella. You don't have the right to stop him or tell him what to do.' Narcissa had bellowed.

'But, why does it have to be that Mudblood Granger?' Bellatrix growled.

Draco's mother snickered. 'You do know that the Dark Lord himself is not a pureblood, right? Why are you listening to him? It's not the right thing! Muggleborns deserved magic just as much as we do. Look at Hermione! She's first in class.' Narcissa retorted.

Draco smirked to himself outside the room. His Granger, his witch.

Bellatrix turned red with rage as she pushed Narcissa against the wall, grabbing her throat. 'How dare you!'

'Step away from her!' Draco warned as he stepped into the room with his wand clutched tightly in his hand, pointing it at his aunt. Bellatrix stared at him in disbelief before cackling with laughter.

'You dare point your wand at your aunt, Draco?' She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice as she slowly stepped away from Narcissa. 'Did that Mudblood whore teach you how to be brave?' Bellatrix questioned as she slowly walked around him.

'Shut up.' He hissed.

'Ooh! Draco is angry...' She made an innocent shocked face, looking at him before laughing out loud again. 'You want to fight your aunt? Come on, fight!'

'Bella!' Narcissa warned as her sister took out her wand and pointed it at her son.

'Come on, you lunatic, evil bitch!' Draco sniggered. 'Impedimenta!'

Bellatrix was knocked back, lying flat on the floor but she quickly got up. She had a furious look on her face as she waved her wand and casted a nonverbal spell. Draco groaned as he was hurled backwards.

'Expelliarmus!' He shot back and his aunt staggered backwards as the curse hit her and she growled.

'How dare you!' She snarled angrily. 'Crucio!'

Draco's wand was thrown elsewhere as pain attacked his body and his back arched. He shut his eyes tightly and kept his mouth shut, letting no words out. 'This is what you get Draco, associating with a Mudblood!' She laughed. 'Crucio!'

'Bella, stop!' Narcissa tugged harshly at her sister's arm but Bellatrix merely pushed her away.

'You know your punishment, Draco.' Bellatrix yelled and lifted the curse, casting a non verbal spell and a whip appeared in her hand. Narcissa's eyes widened. 'Take this! You filthy, non grateful blood traitor!'

Draco groaned as Bellatrix lash the whip on his back, hitting the bruise and cuts that were already there. 'They went into my vault and took it! You told them, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU? I knew you were eavesdropping that day!'

She laughed. 'Draco, Draco, you think you're so brilliant. You brought this on her, keep her while you can. I will make sure you regret it.'

Narcissa's eyes narrowed in fury as she got onto her full height and took out her wand.

'Don't you dare touch my son!' She exclaimed. 'Stupefy!'

Narcissa rushed to Draco's side as Bellatrix was thrown backwards. 'Are you alright?' She asked quietly and he nodded, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. The blond woman helped Draco onto his feet and glared at her sister as she went out of the room with him.

'You may get away this time, Draco!' Bellatrix warned, apparating away.


Harry bent over as he clutched his forehead where his scar was situated, groaning in pain and Hermione and Ron rushed to his side, just holding him as he saw the visions. Finally, slightly panting, Harry straightened himself and muttered. 'We need to get to Hogwarts. Another Horcrux is there.'


Okay, I'm sorry if this is kind of mixed up. I mean, I was really in a rush. Anyway, read and review! thank you for reading! :) xoxo