"Theo!"

"What?" The poor guy was scared out of his mind and in his hurry to put the phial of sloshing, midnight black potion back to its place, he nearly broke it. Thankfully, he caught it before the catastrophe could happen and put it back on the sink. There were five more of those there, two the same as the one he held, and the other three were deep maroon and stickier.

He had no idea what those were, but Hermione's warning glare was enough to make him carefully back away from the sinks.

Truly, their love nest was amazing. It could compete with Snape's former laboratory – he lamented, dazed as he glanced around: the mist gathered just under the ceiling, plants hanging from near the mirrors attached to thick chains and numerous books littered around, muggle and wizarding kind both, half of it from Malfoy Manor, he was sure. Most of the piles held up cauldrons, some with finished potions inside, or some with prepared ingredients for complicated brews, and numerous empty glass phials laid everywhere, rolling on the floor. He nearly crushed a few during his way to the centre.

And lastly, he felt like an idiot for wondering where his favourite couch disappeared two and a half months ago. Of course Draco corrupted it! And of course it landed in their duo's headquarters. At least the fluffy, obviously Gryffindor pillows were any of compensation to his wounded soul: those brainless idiots got to miss something, too!

Okay, now, he was just being childish.

Draco was sitting there while Hermione held his left forearm, looking at the Dark Mark with extreme intensity that would normally be enough to burn down walls, while Neville Longbottom loomed over their heads as the two spoke in secrecy, hushed and private.

Now, you see, Theo had no idea why they were here. Their favourite star-crossed lovers said nothing to them, just Hermione grabbed Neville and then he – unfortunately! – bumped into them on the first floor and of course Draco asked (read: ever so elegantly commanded) him to join their lovely troop. And ever since then, the two love birds were committed to themselves, making him wonder why the fuck their extremely important persons were required as before they were perfectly okay with being romantic all alone.

Really, that would be the million-galleon question in Snape's pop quiz show, if he ever had one in his life.

So Theodore scowled at them, turned around and continued on exploring, because the shelter they built themselves was actually enthralling. He caught a title of an especially vast book at the edge of his eyesight and he hurried towards it, having no idea what 'Chemistry' meant, but was excited to find out.

He carefully removed it from under a cauldron, full of lavender and other foul smelling herbs and hit it up at the middle, looking wide-eyed and the capital letters of Cs and Hs combined with numbers and linked in an interesting figure. He started rotating the book in his laps, trying to see a form in it, in the end he arrived at the conclusion: this was no fun at all. It resembled nothing. And of course it was Granger's book!

He clicked his pocketwatch open in his utter boredom and checked the time: twenty-three whole minutes and seventeen seconds wasted from his precious life. It was getting to be ridiculous, and looking back at the three, they still didn't move an inch from their positions.

Theo couldn't bear it anymore, "What the fuck am I doing in your love nest?"

Looking up, Draco sent him a hard scowl, Granger did the same, but spiced it with rolling her eyes and Longbottom, well… If his expression was something to rely on, he was asking the same question in his head over and over for the last twenty-three minutes and forty-nine seconds, too.

After three more minutes and twenty-three seconds later, Granger spoke up.

"It's just a bathroom, Theo," she said, letting go of Draco's hand. She turned away from him, flashing her bum in Malfoy's face – which he didn't mind, or as his contented smirk suggested – and continued on, finally telling them what was the purpose of this impromptu gathering. "Besides, we need help. Actually, we need a lot," she confessed while gesturing between her and Draco, and Theo nodded. She turned to Neville and he did the same in agreement.

It seemed Hermione just needed that as she let relief wash over her expression, "We'll get rid of the Dark Mark… with this little thing," she said and lifted a dark brown bottle, full of sloshing liquid. He would have expected some kind of confident smile after that statement as no one had managed to find a method to get rid of the Death Eater symbol before, but Hermione's lips didn't quirk up even a slightly bit. If anything, she looked sullen and disdained for having to do this.

Neville's eyes widened comically thanks to the shock and Theo settled on being doubtful.

"It's an acid," she added, "Hydrochloric acid to be exact, and can eat away skin in high concentration, so the tattoo would disappear too. Fucking painful," she sent a withering look at Draco's way, full of concern and worries while he was idiotically smiling. Malfoy, obviously, didn't get what he would undergo. "If Draco had a bit of luck, he will black out. If not… well, we are in shit. Neck-deep."

Looking at Longbottom, he already was about to object, so Theo decided to be faster, "So you want us what? For audience?" he paused to have a better effect and let the words sink in even for the euphoric Draco. He was an idiot, clearly. "Granger, I have no intention seeing that Hydro-thing melt Draco to a fucking puddle so I'll pass. I don't want take part in his suicide attempt, thank you very much."

Longbottom nodded along and both were about to turn away, when Hermione, ever so nicely, threw a shoe at him. The ballet flat crushed with his skull and he turned back, enraged, "What the fuck Granger? You know I like you but—!"

Hermione stomped with her barefoot, "Theodore Nott, you utter nutter! This is very dangerous and I need the both of you to restrain Draco because otherwise there's a good chance his magic goes in a rampage, promptly murdering me and probably crashing our so called love nest as you put it so kindly, destroying all of our recently started projects and research!" she sounded desperate and scared under the mask of nuisance and Theo hadn't the time to cut her off when he was analysing her. So he let her rave on. "If our work is ruined, I swear, I'll come back from the damned graveyard and haunt you for all your fucking life you bigoted mule, so you grab your wand Theodore Nott and put up some fucking wards around the chair or else, I snap!" and she pointed to Draco's general direction to make a point.

He considered playing scared, but was too pureblood to do so, "I have a question though," he proposed while Neville shook his head and very not discretely suggested he should shut up, as always did everyone in his surrounding. Sadly, that didn't stop Theo, though, "How could you use wards in Hogwarts? Better yet, why aren't you doing it yourself?"

One more demanding look and she was about to open her mouth yet again, so Theo rushed to work. He was glad for the silence for once. It was easier to work like this, even though his curiousness chewed his brain cells to none-existent and Theo needed to force himself to focus on the information he had about warding.

However, he wasn't left without answer as it came to his question a few minutes after when he just started to put on the simplest ward.

Her voice was now a way calmer, but still trembling, sad, but definitely annoyed. "I can't perform magic. Of any kind, to be honest," she confessed, not even looking up from the floor.

It was easier to say now – Hermione noted to herself. She had two days for herself and this knowledge crushed her during those. She had a fit in Daco's King bedroom so he needed to sleep in Blaise's room for two days – as the poor lad was away, being introduced to Dhalie Parkinson – until she was willing to open the door. They ended up cleaning for a whole afternoon and then cuddle afterwards. Both needed that night of silence and for understanding each other better… however, in the last five days, they didn't even mention that night, engrossed with projects and preparations.

"And if you had actually read Hogwarts: A History, you would know that you can ward inside the building, but not around it. Use blood wards, Theo. The strongest you know," she instructed quietly and started playing with the cork of the acid bottle. Its popping sounds were far more amusing than counting the plain tiles anyway.

They were in silence for a minute, and Theo was about to slice his palm open when it occurred to him, "Wait! Aren't those illegal? The aurors're still checking my wand weekly and I just forgot—!"

Hermione sighed heavily, not even looking up from her game, but it was Draco who answered, "Aren't you cute for worrying, Nott? The building," and for that, he pointed at the ceiling, just as his favourite ghost was flitting above, "is covering for us. Myrtle helped us with it, and besides," and that he smirked in the infamous Malfoy-manner, "When had it ever bothered you that something was illegal? You, obviously, know the deal, Nott, so do us a favour and hurry up."

His answer was a reflection of that smirk, "You're right," and he started working on the task.

Deep breaths. Very deep and slow, inhales and exhales. That was how Hermione prepared herself in the last fifty minutes while Theo and Neville worked on the warding and Draco gazed up at the sky with a delusional smile as if he weren't about to undergo torture. Because this could equal all the pain both endured thanks to Essence of Spurius and Bellatrix's nice little crucios.

Hermione couldn't stop nibbling on her lip in her nervousness or fiddling with the bottle because otherwise she would hammer her head for better ideas. But this was a possible solution, good enough to get rid of the Dark Mark. Besides, they didn't have time for experimenting and going for another.

Should any type of the Vindico Parea fail to cure her out of the two brews, Draco would be left with that ugly reminder of his mistakes and that would not be well… ideal. She would not like to leave this planet without accomplishing at least this one little task. And knowing him, he would need to have a clear mind. Draco would blame himself for her death and right now, she couldn't let that happen.

Nevertheless she already had some letters drifted out. For him, for Harry and Ron – and her parents, if they ever got back their memories, that is.

A wry smile slipped on her lips. She was getting weaker and weaker and now… she felt like a rag doll with heavy and uncontrollable limbs. So they needed to do this as fast as possible and then she would need to make a rushed but important decision for which to use: the maroon or the midnight blue. Two versions of Vindico Parea and only one was able to cure her. She sighed and closed her eyes, praying that she would choose the right one next week.

A heavy hand landed on her shoulder and she let a dragging breath out as Draco's squeeze strengthened, giving her hope and confidence, "Everything's going to be alright," he murmured in her ear and kissed her cheek so softly and featherly that her heart churned into it. It was affectionate and yet again, he made her feel like they were the only people walking on Earth, isolated, in a bubble of their own where such trivial things like death, exhaustion and regret didn't exist. It gave her comfort and strength to repeat, 'everything's going to be alright'.

He smiled and pulled her in his lap, "I'm starting to get nervous."

"Me too," she said. Hermione simply let the moment slip as she relaxed, deep breaths in and out. She liked his intense scent of chocolate that was so different to the herbs and bubbling potion's mixing stench. All those smells harassed her nose into wrinkling, but with her head burrowed into Draco's firm chest, she managed to forget about them. The same way she forgot about the other two men curiously watching them.

"Alright, quit it lovey-doveys, we are finished!" came the shout.

It was Theo. Of course it was Theo. It was always Theo, ever the spoil-sport.

She scampered on her feet and waited for the two wizards to come around, not even having the time to feel embarrassed, she started barking further instructions, "Now, please incarcerous him. Secure his left arm, hold it firm," and before Neville fired the spell, she made Draco shift to a right angle, so that his legs could be bind to the legs of the chair and his torso to the back rest.

She gave an approving nod to Neville and just like that, Draco started panicking.

"Concentrate on my voice, Draco," Hermione admonished, seeing the signs of his nervousness, crouching down and locking eyes with the widened greys of his, so terrified and so wild. He looked like a hunter, getting trapped by its prey, scared out of his mind. As if he knew it was the prey's time for a game.

And when he heard the cork of the acid bottle pop open, he forcefully shut his eyes, so tightly that he saw rainbow-coloured spots behind his lids.

"Everything's going to be alright. Your words, not mine," Hermione tried again, but Draco still didn't react. He tried to pretend he wasn't even there, his chest waving with big, hurried breaths. "I'm gonna' start. Now," she said firmly and squeezed his fingers. It gave him a little comfort.

His muscles flexed in the fear as the first few drops landed over the Dark Mark and for a few seconds, he didn't even feel anything. The Dark Mark behaved like a shield on his arm, covering it from harm, and as Hermione didn't hear a hiss, she became braver with the pouring.

It didn't take long for Draco to scream like mad, feeling as if blazing hell-fire licked his skin off with its jagged tongue. Curse words tumbled out of his lips and that moment, he was ready to bring back Voldemort only to strangle the scumbag with his own two hands. That if he actually had something left from his entire arm. It felt like it was ripping itself off of his body.

Big, hot tears rolled down his cheeks, mixed with perspiration and he tried grinding against the ropes in hope of getting free and faintly, he could hear Hermione scream at Neville to hold it together as he threw up beside them and to an equally white Theo to silence the room. She tried to sooth him with sweet nothings, squeezing his fingers rhythmically in her good hand, but the feeling of being eaten away by acid kept his mind occupied somehow.

It bloody hurt and Draco now didn't see a thing. Not even Hermione's big, doe eyes of innocent hazel, not even the panicking Theo or the worrying Myrtle who, as always couldn't help… He looked through everything and anything in the bathroom, people, stuff and ghost all together.

It bloody hurt – that was the only thing he was able to understand. It felt like burning up and it reminded him of the three days when he had Essence of Spurius in his system. His arm pulsated with recognition, itched and burned up all together. He heard the sizzling sound as the acid worked its way through layers of his skin and it was enough to throw him over them dam.

He blacked out.

"You can do this, Draco. You can absolutely do this. You survived a war, this should be a piece of cake for your," Hermione tried with a different tactic, but Draco gave no indication of understanding it. He grumbled and cursed and cried and sobbed, and it even hurt her to look, not to mention the knowledge that she was the cause of his pain. It tore her apart from the insides, but she willed herself to keep it together. She really needed to keep it together; for both of their sakes.

Hermione checked on his trembling arm, seeing maroon blood and acid mixed, little scraped of his pale skin and the remains of the Dark Mark. It started disappearing as the liquid burnt down the ink, but it was a slower process. The black stigma seemed covered his skin from any harm, but around it, everything was covered in blood by now. But the ink itself just started fading.

She grimaced and rubbed away the acid with a towel she had prepared beside him hours ago. She got rid of the blood from around the Mark, pouring some water on it to try to protect the other parts around it.

Her teeth sank in her mouth as she repeated all over: pouring acid on his pale forearm, rubbing and then pouring water. Acid, towel, water; acid, towel, water; acid… she chanted it like a mantra, half-crazed and concentrating every of her brain cells at the task at hand. She didn't even notice when Draco fainted from the pain.

However, she vaguely was aware that Theo tried to pull her away. She knew Neville was looking anywhere but at Draco's ugly forearm, because its sight was disgusting by now. The hydrochloric acid caused blisters to appear, red lashes, as if they were lightning, ran along the white canvas of his pale body and there was blood. Jesus, there was a lot of blood.

After minutes, she thought she was only able to see in one colour: maroon.

She cried out, "Theo give him water! Theo, keep him hydrated! And hold the artery to the bone!" she demanded even though she knew it wasn't allowed to give anything to unconscious people. She knew that but at this rate, he would die of blood loss. "Water; acid, towel, water…, it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay, acid, towel, water; acid…"

Tears blurred her eyes and she let them fall, right on his injured hand. His little finger twitched and it drew her attention there immediately. She thought it meant good. She thought they could end this torture in the matter of seconds, she thought everything's going to be okay.

But that was none other than a sign of catastrophe.

Draco's magic erupted from his body like he was some kind of breathing bomb. It sent her flying to the sinks, knocking over several cauldrons, some full of potions, some without anything. She grasped and willed herself not to concentrate on the pain that radiated from her back or the blood that tickled down from her forehead. Instead, she checked on Neville and Theo as they were in the same position, laying on the floor. Noting stopped their fall though, so they were a few more metres away.

Then, just as abruptly, there was another blast.

This time, Hermione was grateful she didn't move away. She heard the windows cracking and then breaking out of their frames and Myrtle screamed, the neat piles of books fell from the wind his magic crated and their sofa was knocked over. Not to mention the cauldrons of different potions were scattered around, different colours of liquids mixed together, flowing idly in the cracks of tiles.

Hermione felt even more tears picker in the corner of her eyes and she sniffed pitifully just before screaming on the top of her lungs, "Draco you can do this! You are stronger than this! I believe in you," she begged brokenly, trying not to think that her greatest fear just became reality. His magic lashed out at everything and anything in his proximity, tearing down the ropes of incarcerous and cracking up the tiles of the floor in tiny pieces. The chair was on the verge of falling to chunks too.

She tried again, her voice wavering, "I trust you, I believe in you and you can do this! Can you hear me? I trust you with my life, and I know you wouldn't want to hurt me, so I'm going for you," she determined, not bothered by the loud protesting from both Neville and Theo.

Funny, she never thought those two would ever agree on anything.

Controlling her impending sobs, she climbed forward on her knees, from one fallen book piles to the other, withholding against the strong wind his uncontrollable power caused. He had a gift, a force to be reckoned with. His magic even had a colour which was quite rare. It was silver, hardly spottable in the whirlwind and from behind the veil in her eyes. It looked beautiful as it shined in the harsh, clear sunlight, but she had little time for marvelling at this exceptional view.

So she climbed forward, screaming on the top of her lugs. It was quite a battle: he was determined not to let anyone too close. So she screamed who she was, all the names he had ever referred to her, like filthy little Mudblood, Granger or Hermione, told him about her puffy, bushy hair and some moments of their friendship. How she treasured their friendship and telling him things she liked about him, the way he cracked a smile whenever he was amused, but was not comfortable to show it, and his dedication for helping her. She told him how grateful she was and that he needed to wake up so that she could properly thank him.

That finally did it.

The wind quieted down and Hermione was able to reach him, desperately grabbing at his knee for support as she looked into meticulous grey eyes, numbed and tired by pain. Shaking her head and making herself concentrate, she looked down on his arm, rubbing the remaining acid away to start and loosely cover it.

She grasped and then smiled up at him. He didn't seem to understand this gesture. All he did was hurriedly gulping down air as if he were afraid there wouldn't be left any in a few seconds. But it was enough for Hermione – because he survived, was over the hell.

So she let her walls down and her smile to waver and all of sudden, she broke out in painful sobs, her tears staining his black trousers as she rubbed against his thigh like a puppy who had finally found its owner. She wept, screamed and hugged him in relief, not bothered by the glass shards laying around them in the sunlight or the foul stench of the mixed potions. She held onto his clothes like her life depended on it, even though he couldn't do anything to give her some kind of comfort.

Draco was numb, bind to the chair and utterly exhausted. He didn't even know about the havoc his powers wrecked in their bathroom, wasn't even aware of the two men just beside them. Or the big, ugly burn the acid caused. Or about the absence of the Dark Mark from the inside of his left forearm.

I'm sure you've noticed by now that we're getting closer to the end game. I expect that this story will end around 40ish chapters... But until that, don't forget to tell me what you think of this chapter because when I was looking at the pictures of skin, burnt by hydrochloric acid, I was on the verge of throwing up. I intentionally tampered down the description. So, the thing is, I'm really curious what you think!

And of course, I would like to say thank you for all those nice reviews! I'm just sorry I can't asnwer the guest reviewers directly, and I don't feel its right to use A/Ns for that purpose so... I just want you all to know that I really do appreciate all the support!