Hi! This is my first fanfiction, and it is DRAMIONE. So if you don't like Dramione, don't read this fanfiction. Please leave a review so that I can write faster and better!

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Harry Potter. That honor goes to the incredible J.K. Rowling. I'm simply borrowing her characters and some of her plot. Enjoy!

"AH!" Hermione screamed as Bellatrix's dagger pierced her forearm.

"You filthy Mudblood scum!" Bellatrix roared. "Crucio!"

He wanted to stop Bellatrix. He really did. He wanted to save Granger, but he knew that if he did, the Dark Lord would kill him. So he stayed silent, watching the scene from the shadows.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix cried. "You stole it!"

"No, I didn't! I swear!" the muggle-born witch sobbed as she writhed on the floor.

"LIAR!" the Death Eater shrieked, driving the dagger deeper into Granger's arm. "DID YOU OR DID YOU NOT GET THAT SWORD FROM MY VAULT?!"

"We didn't! That one was a fake!" Granger cried, tears streaming down her dirt-caked face.

She looked awful. Her already wild, curly hair was matted with mud, and her clothes were torn in several places, revealing patches of bloody skin. Draco watched from his corner. He had to control the sudden impulse to kill Bellatrix and every single Death Eater in Malfoy Manor. Save her, you coward! screamed a voice in his head. But another voice hissed, No, the Dark Lord will kill you, and your parents will be ashamed forever...all because of you! Yet another voice said, "Draco, is something wrong?" But that voice was real. It belonged to Draco's father, who he hated at that moment.

"No, Father," he said. It took everything in him to keep his voice steady.

"Do you enjoy watching the little Mudblood finally suffer after all these years?" Lucius sneered cruelly.

"Y-yes," Draco managed although every bone in his body wanted him to either say 'no' or punch his father in his sneering face. Lucius was about to say something else, but a blood-curdling scream pierced the air. Draco's head snapped up, his eyes focused on Granger. Blood was steadily trickling from a gash in her arm. The gash formed words, but from his position, Draco couldn't make out what they said. Probably something awful.

"There!" Bellatrix screeched. "Now you have that to remind you that you'll never be anything better than a foul, stinking little Mudblood!" And it was then that Draco realized that the wound said that awful word: 'Mudblood.' Draco wanted to cry. He had been the first person to ever call her by that slur. He felt awful and regretted every single time he'd ever called Granger a-a Mudblood. But he couldn't change, especially not then. His family's reputation was on the line, their lives were on the line. Suddenly that voice in his head was screaming again.

Save her! Save her, or else you'll never be able to live with yourself! Afraid to leave his corner, he quietly slipped his wand from his pocket, pointed it at Bellatrix, and muttered, "Stupify." The insane woman collapsed in a heap on the floor. Granger lay there, gasping for breath, tears pouring silently down her face.

"What the bl-" Lucius was interrupted by Weasley bursting out from the stairs to the dungeon, bellowing a string of swear words. With a flourish of his wand, Lucius temporarily silenced the red-haired boy. "I've always thought those Weasleys were annoying prats," he commented. "How did he get out of there anyway?" As his father strode over to the stairs to check the dungeon, Malfoy quietly stole over to Granger. He kneeled down over her limp body. Her hair stuck to her face. Her blood streaked her arm and wrist. Her tears laced her pretty-wait, what? Draco may have wanted to save her, but it wasn't because he liked her. No! It was because he felt guilty. That was all. He certainly didn't have feelings for her.

As he carefully brushed her hair from her pale cheeks, she slowly opened her tear-laced, chocolate brown eyes. She stared up at him, eyes wide, lips trembling. "I'm not going to hurt you, Granger," he whispered. She blinked, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She looked terrified. Malfoy felt a sharp pang of hurt. He knew that they weren't exactly friends, but he didn't expect her to be so scared of him.

He stood up. He was so stupid! Why did I think she'd want to see me after I let her be tortured? he yelled at himself.

She was scared of him. Terrified, even. And it hurt. It hurt a lot.

That's chapter 1! What did you guys think? Let me know by reviewing! Reviews=me writing faster and better! I plan on updating every other day. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed.

Stay safe,

RunningMyRace