HPOV

"Harry, I'm telling you, that's not Malfoy."

"Well who is it then?" asked Harry, glancing toward the kitchen where I'd left 'Malfoy' under the pretense of saying goodbye to everyone - but with my doubts, there was no way I was going anywhere with him.

"I don't bloody know, but I'm telling you -"

I was interrupted by a patronus - an adorable little dragon - floating right in front of me.

"Get the Aurors. I'm at the Manor." sounded out from the small patronuses mouth, and I felt my stomach drop to my feet.

"Oh my gods." whispered Ginny, trying to keep her voice down. They were the only two who I'd told about my suspicions, not wanting to ruin the night for the rest of the Weasley's, and in that moment I was incredibly thankful.

"I told you!" I hissed at Harry, watching as Malfoy's patronus disappeared.

He held his hands up and had the good sense to look guilty as he said, "I'm going to get Ron and we'll go to the Ministry to get a group of Aurors together."

"What do you think is happening to him?" asked Gin, eyes wide as we watched Harry cross the living room to Ron.

I didn't even want to think about it.

"I don't know. Nothing good." I muttered. "This is going to take too long."

I watched as Ron and Harry ducked off into the floo and made up my mind then.

"It won't take -"

"I'm going to the Manor."

"What?" gasped Ginny, grabbing my arm as I moved toward the fireplace. "You can't! You have no idea what's -"

"If he sent me that patronus - if he wants me to involve Aurors with his mother, then something bad is happening, Ginny. I can't just stand here and wait. What would you do if it were Harry?"

She looked conflicted, her eyes moving between me and the kitchen before she said, "Okay, you go. I'll keep fake Malfoy busy - but Hermione,"

I met her eyes as she whispered, "Be careful."

I nodded, giving her hand a squeeze before whispering Malfoy Manor and stepping through the floo.

I hadn't been to Malfoy Manor since that day during the war, but as soon as I landed inside the entryway I knew where I was. To the right, behind the large wooden doors, was the drawing room.

Had they fixed the chandelier?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. I needed to find Malfoy.

Ignoring the drawing room door, I moved left, listening for any sound that could tip me off to where he was - but the large house was eerily quiet.

How had I thought this was going to work? The Manor had an excessive amount of rooms, and there was no way I had the time to search all of them.

I closed my eyes and decided to try and use my magic. It wasn't like I could send my patronus, because if I did and he was with his mother she'd immediately know, and right now the only thing I had on my side was the element of surprise.

Instead, I decided to try and find his magic. We'd learned in Hogwarts that everyone had different magical cores that felt different, and considering I knew Malfoy and his magic fairly well at this point, I hoped that I'd be able to pick up on it.

For a while I felt nothing, but just as I was about to give up, I felt the tiniest blip of magic - his magic - coming from somewhere further in the Manor.

I moved up the staircase, following the feeling as it continued to get stronger, and ended up outside a dark wooden door at the end of the hall. I pressed my ear to it, but couldn't hear anything.

I was positive that Malfoy was behind this door, so gripping my wand firmly, I slowly pushed the door open.

I saw him instantly, magically bound to a plush office chair, and as his eyes met mine I felt calm for the first time in hours.

Before he'd fully said my name I was standing in front of him, my hands flying over his face as I asked a million questions.

"Are you okay? What happened? What did she do? Who was that at the Burrow with me? Where's your mother? Have you -"

"Granger, what are you doing here?" he interrupted, eyes flicking back behind me toward the door, "I told you to get Aurors, not risk yourself by coming here."

"Did you honestly expect me not to?" I asked incredulously, "Harry's at the Ministry getting a group of Aurors together, and I wasn't about to sit around and do nothing."

I moved behind him to work on the bindings at his wrists as he softly said, "You're completely barmy, love."

I couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of my lips, but before I could say anything the door flew open.

"Expelliarmus!"

My wand flew from my hand as Narcissa stepped into the room, a crazed smile on her face that reminded me spot on of her sister Bellatrix.

It made me nauseous.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" she asked, eyebrow arched as she walked further into the room.

"Stop it, Mother." hissed Malfoy, "Just let her go."

"Or what?" she asked sweetly, head cocked slightly to the side, "It seems the both of you are rather helpless at the moment."

Malfoy struggled against his binds as he cursed, "Dammit, Mother. Let her go!"

She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her cold gaze on me, "Come here, mudblood."

Everything in my body was screaming at me not to move, but the second she pointed her wand at Malfoy, I knew there was no way I could.

"Granger, don't." he snapped, "She won't hurt me."

I scoffed, the bruise on his cheek not lost on me as I said, "I don't believe that, and neither do you."

I moved around Malfoy's chair, but before I could ask her what she wanted, a searing pain ripped its way through my body. I dropped to my knees, the shrill screaming only just registering as my own.

Crucio.

I knew it well by now.

"Don't you see, Draco?" asked Narcissa, momentarily letting up on the curse so that I could choke in gasps of air, "She'll never be more than this. She'll never be powerful enough to stand in the face of a Malfoy."

I had no idea what Malfoy said, if anything, because the searing pain was back. I vaguely noticed that she kicked me so that I was on my back, some sort of magic keeping me there when all I wanted to do was curl into a ball.

I knew that I was still screaming, but it all seemed detached - like I was underwater. The only thing that was in crystal clear focus was the feeling of being burned alive. I was on fire.

It was exactly as I remembered it.

Granger, come on!

I tried to focus on the voice, but I had no idea where it was coming from and what it wanted. I just needed this pain to stop. Merlin, why didn't she just kill me already?

Don't think like that.

I was losing my mind. I had to be. The voice in my head sounded like Malfoy.

Focus, Hermione!

I tried, managing to turn my head to the side just enough that I could see him - though he was pretty blurry.

You're stronger than she is. I know you are. Use your magic, Granger. Fight back.

Stronger than her? Was he mental? I wasn't stronger than -

Yes you are.

DPOV

I wanted to kill my mother.

She was literally torturing the woman I was in love with feet away from me, and I couldn't do anything but try to use legillimency on her.

I looked at Granger and knew that unless I could get my mother to stop for a moment, there was no way she was going to even try using her magic.

"You're right!" I shouted, barely heard over Granger's pained screams.

My mother immediately stopped, turning to face me with an appraising expression.

"And what is it that I'm right about, Draco?"

I forced myself not to look at Granger, but I still spoke into her mind, You can do this, Hermione. I know you can.

"Where's Father?" I asked instead, "He should be here too."

If she thought there was anything odd about my request, she didn't show it. Instead, she murmured an incantation and a few moments later I was stepping through the floo.

Salazar, I hoped Granger knew that hadn't been me. Had my father done anything to her?

It was clear that he was under the Imperious - yet another of my mother's many offenses - as he stopped in front of her, expressionless.

"What's the point if he's not going to understand anything?" I asked, "Or are you going to keep him cursed forever?"

"Of course not." she scoffed, picking up one of the three vials that sat on the tea service cart. "Drink this." she said, handing one of the potions to my father, which he drank without question and slowly returned to looking like him instead of me.

"Incarcerous." she murmured, pointing her wand at him and binding him to one of the chairs to her right, opposite where Granger was lying on the ground. Once he was bound, she lifted the Imperious with a swish of her wand.

"Now, you were saying?" she asked, turning her attention back to me.

I was too focused on my father, though, watching as he slowly seemed to realize what was happening.

"Narcissa, what the hell is -"

"Quiet now, Lucius." she said sweetly, "I've had quite the tiresome day and -"

"Is that Miss Granger?" he interrupted, eyes wide as he looked at Granger on the ground.

Fuck, was she still alive?

She wasn't moving. Why the fuck wasn't she moving?

"Draco, are you alright?"

My eyes snapped over to my father, and I nodded, "I'm fine."

"He's agreed with me, Lucius." my mother said smugly, completely ignoring Granger's presence. "He wanted you to be here so that he could tell you as well."

My father's eyes narrowed, and though he didn't look at me as he spoke, I knew he was addressing me, "Whatever Draco has to say to me, he can say when he's not bound to a chair."

My mother scoffed, pointing her wand at him as she said, "You know, Lucius, you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

Before she could do whatever it was she was planning on doing, her wand flew from her hand and into Granger's.

She was alive. Thank the gods, she was alive.

"I think you're the one causing all the trouble, Narcissa." she said, and though her voice was hoarse and shaky, she was radiating power. There was a golden glow around her body, sparking whenever she moved - and Salazar, her hair was nearly floating around her face, literally swirling with her magic.

She was beautiful.

"How dare you!" shrieked my mother, "Give me my wand right now!"

Granger shook her head, snapping the piece of wood between her fingers and dropping it to the ground, "I think you've done enough ordering people around."

"You are nothing." hissed my mother, grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking my head back. Before I realized what was happening, I felt the cool metal of something sharp press against my throat.

"Narcissa, what are you doing?" shouted my father, the rattling of his chair the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

"If this is how the mudblood wants to play, I have no issue." spat my mother, "She's ruined my son, ruined my husband, ruined our family name - I'd be doing all of you a favor by just ending it."

Suddenly things around the room started shaking - or was it the entire room? - and for the first time since the War, I saw fear on my mother's face.

I could still see Granger out of the corner of my eye, and in that moment she truly looked like a goddess.

"I'll only ask you once." she said, her eyes sparkling gold as she glared at my mother, "Let him go."

I could feel the shaking of my mother's hand, but she shook her head, "You are not more powerful than I am."

Granger didn't say anything else, but she didn't have to, because a second later I felt her magic surge forward, shoving my mother back and slamming her into the wall on the far side of the study.

She didn't take her eyes off my mother, but I felt the binds at my wrists disappear, and by how quickly my father was up and moving, she'd don the same for him.

His eyes flicked to me momentarily, but I was already moving toward Granger, so he busied himself with my mother.

"Granger," I murmured, my hands sliding to her cheeks, her magic tickling my skin - and fuck, she was alive, she was here, and she was so fucking strong. "Hermione,"

And fuck everything, but my voice cracked on the word - I couldn't believe that she was alive.

And mine.

"You're bloody brilliant." I whispered, relaxing into her touch the second her arms wrapped around my waist.

"I'm so glad you're okay." she choked out, tears immediately falling down her cheeks, trailing over my fingertips, "I was so scared that you -"

"Shh," I said softly, pulling her against my chest, "I'm okay. We need to get you to -"

Before I could finish my sentence, the entire room was filled with Aurors, shocked at the fact that everything was, for the most part, taken care of.

No thanks to them.

"We need to get you to St. Mungos, love."

"Mione?"

We both turned, finding Potter with his eyes wide as he looked between the two of us.

"Why would you just how up here?" asked Potter, rushing forward to inspect Granger. "You could've gotten yourself killed! What the bloody hell happened?"

The last part of his question was directed at me, but all I said was, "I need to get Granger to St. Mungos."

"Why?" asked Harry, but his eyes widened almost immediately as he took in her light tremors. "Oh gods, Hermione, I'm so sorry. Kingsley wouldn't listen to us and I just - I'm so sorry."

And he really did look sorry.

"It's not your fault, Harry." she said softly, "I think I should sit down though. I don't feel so..." she trailed off, swaying to the side, and I immediately caught her, hoisting her up into my arms.

"Clear a way!" shouted Potter, making a path to the fireplace, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

I simply nodded, letting Potter toss the floo powder down as I shouted out our destination.