Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from Ariadne Aurora Malfoy-Granger. Everything else belongs to the genius J K Rowling.

Summary: It was a normal day for Draco Malfoy, but as soon as he stepped out of the fire place and brushed the soot off his robes he knew something was wrong. On his bed was a wicker Moses basket stuffed with a bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl fast asleep. She had nothing with her except a letter addressed to him and a golden necklace he knew too well. T for safety.

Chapter Thirty Six

Goddess Gracious Day and Night

With a sigh, Draco took a step back and surveyed his work. He was stood in an empty room which was illuminated only by the dim light of the black candles that formed a circle on the middle of the wooden floor. Well, it would have looked like a normal, regular, empty room if there wasn't the fact that the white walls were covered in ancient runes drawn in blood, more specifically Draco's blood. It had taken Draco a few hours to painstakingly draw the runes on the walls, not to mention on the floor, and he had to admit there was a doubt in his mind that questioned the credibility of the runes for the fact that he had never seen any of them. He was certain not even Professor Babbling came across such runes and he wondered for a moment if Lucius made them up. They were certainly an odd set of runes the way they swirled and curled into strange angles and he had no clue what each of them meant but he had convinced himself that they will help him with the ritual and that he shouldn't really ponder on it too much. All he needed to know was that it will help him end everything when the opportunity presents itself and soon the threat of Narcissa will gone. She will be gone, and this time for good. No matter how much it pained Draco to know that he would have to kill his mother to achieve such end, he knew he had no choice.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought about having to kill his mother and it frustrated him for feeling it. Why couldn't he hate her as much as he should do? After all the things she had done - from the lack of affection in his childhood down to his disownment and cutting him off completely only to return with an ultimatum a few years later, kidnapping his child and threatening his entire family, but why couldn't he hate her? She was a main source of his misery for most of his life and he even took the Dark Mark to protect her, yet with all theses things combine he felt it was out of his nature to do something as heinous as killing her. He wanted to kick himself for feeling like that, curse himself with his own wand even but he knew he has to do it. He has to kill Narcissa when the time comes. For Hermione, For Ariadne and the little one, for himself. He needed to do it for himself. Just this once, he needs to do the selfish thing and do it for himself. Yes, in the grand scheme of things he convinced himself that her life was a small price to pay. He didn't care if he would go straight to hell for thinking such thought but he wouldn't have known anyone in heaven anyway, Draco thought to himself bitterly.

An echo of a clock chiming pulled Draco out of his musing and he swiftly stepped into the circle of black candles with dagger in this hand. With a lazily show of wandless magic, he gestured his hand at the curtains and pulled them back letting the dim moonlight shine through into the room. The full moon was behind the clouds and Draco counted in his head along with the chiming of the clock.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

With the last chime, the full moon was at it's highest point and peeked out from the clouds. The moonlight shone brightly into the room, cutting it in half and he could see dust motes dance in the light. Just as he carefully calculated, the moonlight hit the circle directly in the middle and Draco knew he had no time to waste. He unsheathed the golden dagger that was the length of his forearm and cut his palm open with it. He let his blood run down his fingers onto the dagger before he began to draw the exact same runes on it as the ones on the walls and the floor whilst he began to murmur one of the spells he needed to use under his breath. He spoke in a language that wasn't in Latin, English or any other language he was aware of, but he kept repeating the spell over and over again as instructed, chanting louder and faster each time. He felt the dagger warm up and the magic of the runes and the spell surge through him in strong pulses that he could feel his fingers tingle with it as it passed through him and into the dagger. All of a sudden the dagger became too hot to handle that Draco instantly dropped it down at his feet, the moonlight bouncing of the golden metal and made his blood looked brighter.

With a deep breath and the knowledge that he had to chant the next spell, Draco began to walk around the dagger anti clockwise speaking in a clear voice as he did.

"On this night and in this hour I call upon the Ancient power,

I have a need that must be met.

In the shadows, evils hide,

Ready to draw me from love's side,

But with your help I shall be strong

And banish all that do me wrong

Smite them down, send them away, send them astray,

Never again to pass my way.

Oh Goddess gracious Day and Night.

Fire, water, air and earth,

Hear my plea,

Keep me close and keep me dear,

Protect me with no fear.

Keep me and those surround me with all your might,

Protect me until the end of the fight.

Oh Goddess gracious Day and Night,

With my blood on this dagger,

So mote it be."

Draco repeated the spell three times, chanting faster and louder but kept his pace steady as he walked around in circles careful not to put out any of the candles despite the fact that not even one flickered. As a part of the spell he let a drop of his blood splatter all over the floor and mixed in with the runes with each step he took and he finished his chanting he stood in front of dagger and looked down. "So mote it be, so mote it be, so mote it be."

For a moment he stared at the dagger at his feet and huffed in disappoinment when it did nothing. It was just there glistening in his blood and he wondered if it worked at all. With a heavily and tired sigh, he bent down to pick it up when it suddenly quivered. It shook slightly at first then began to spin on it own so fast it was nothing but a blur. It also began to glow and Draco could feel that the floors shook along with it, getting stronger by the second that he could hear the nails and hinges of the room protest at sudden tremors pulsing through the room from the spinning dagger which was not only glowing but also rising from the floor. The windows rattled and to Draco's utter amazement the moonlight beam seemed to follow the rising dagger as if it was a spotlight. Although without warning, the light burst into a bright white light that threw Draco off balance as he threw an arm out to cover his face. He landed on his back and he could feel the intense heat of the dagger and the bright light hit him and he hissed out in pain but just as soon as the bright light burst the light ebbed away until Draco could feel that it was dark once more and the only thing illuminating the room was the flames of the black candles.

Gingerly Draco pulled his arm away from his face and sure enough the bloody dagger was back on the floor looking as if it hasn't moved an inch and the full moon was back behind the clouds. Draco made a sound in the back of his throat and pulled himself up from the floor and approached the dagger. Carefully he picked it up, wiping the blood away with his sleeve and slipped it back into its ornate sheath. He then pulled out his wand, muttered a healing spell for the cut on his palm that was gushing out blood and sighed with the familiar cooling sensation as the skin put itself back together again like a jigsaw puzzle and healed it. He brandished his wand around the room, making the candles disappear and the bloody runes to sink into the floor and walls out of sight. Contented that the room was once again clean and was the way it was before he ritual he turned on his heel and padded his way silently to master bedroom.

Upon entering the master bedroom, he made a beeline for the drawer where he would keep the dagger for now and placed it in the wooden box he found under the floorboards in his room in the Manor. He closed it as gently and silently as he could before turning his attention to Hermione who was curled up in an armchair beside the roaring fire. She had a book gripped in her hands and a patchwork quilt draped over her haphazardly as she slept, her chest rising and falling gently but deeply.

Draco approached his sleeping wife with a smile tugging on the corner of his lips as he noted how innocent and carefree she looked with no worries etched into her beautiful face and he easily compared her to an angel. His angel.

"Hermione, love, you can't sleep on that armchair or you'll be sore in the morning." Draco whispered softly as he carefully placed an arm under her knees and the other on his back and lifted her with no great effort.

Hermione groaned at the sudden movement and opened a sleepy eye slowly. "Draco? Is it done?" She slurred out, her voice heavy with sleep then she realised that she was being carried by Draco and so she snuggled deeply into his chest.

"Yes." Draco set her down on the bed, pulling the covers all the way up to her chin before he pulled off his shirt and trousers and slipped into bed in his boxers.

"Good." Hermione replied, snuggling back to Draco's side and rested her head on his chest and let the beating of his heart lull her back to sleep.

"Goodnight, Hermione." Draco pressed a kiss on Hermione's head, pulled her closer and let himself drift into a peaceful slumber.

A/N: Err, yes, sorry for the late update! I got caught up with everything once again and it's only now that I had time to write this chapter out. I could tell you an elaborate lie like the sunny weather that we're currently experiencing in the UK has melted me through and through and it's only now that I had managed to put myself together again but that isn't enough excuse is it? XD I know it's short, maybe even my shortest but don't worry the next one will be back to it's usual length. Promise! Anyways, review guys! See you all next chapter, bye! Chels xx