AN: I must apologize for neglecting my amazing reviewers; I have been so focused on getting these chapters posted. I promise I do read every review and it is both so encouraging and helpful to know what I am doing well (or poorly!)

Mega700201: Thank you!

Mistress charge: Thanks so much! I am also very attached to these characters and am thrilled you like them.

Tara: Sorry, no spoilers from me :) But everyone's reactions to the previous events will come!

Pgoodrichboggs: Yes! Draco is getting very protective and slowly becoming more attached to Hermione. I hope this slow-burn has been effective.

Guest: Yes, Hermione's sense of righteousness does make her quickly warm up to the Gryffindors, but all her memories are of Draco, so she's in a tricky position.

Madaboutyoubaby: I'm trying to keep the updates more regular! Thanks for your patience. I'm loving writing Draco as he gets bolder and let's his Gryffindor side out!

SakiHanajima1: I've been trying to keep this somewhat realistic in keeping the romance and fluff low while they're fighting; I think all of them would be pretty focused, although who they are thinking about and worried about definitely reflects their underlying feelings! The story will extend past the end of hostilities, so I promise Dramione fans won't be kept waiting forever ;)

VelvetRoseMorning: Yes, this is a complicated and hard time for her. I wanted to tell a story that reflected the atrocities and mental horrors of war and how a sensitive character like Hermione would navigate that.

Moonlight10060: Lol!

Sofia: Thank you so much!

The next hour was a blur. They did indeed traipse through Lestrange Manor with an unconscious, bound Bellatrix Lestrange until they found Hufflepuff's cup and stabbed it with the Basilisk fang. Draco again thought that things were going suspiciously well, but this time, nothing terrible happened.

That he was aware of. He swore his heart constricted with the thought he might have jinxed Hermione from afar. He cursed himself for becoming as superstitious as the old Purebloods who sat in circles gossiping about Grims and tea leaves and paranoid as that git Moody. He cursed Hermione while he was at it-for what, he wasn't quite sure, but having her on his thoughts all the time was exhausting.

"Hopefully just Nagini to go," Weasel whispered.

Draco found himself hoping against hope that Weasel was right.

*** TR ** TR ** TR ***

They'd been at the rendez-vous point in Ottery St. Catchpole for almost two hours and the nervous butterflies in his stomach had moved from fluttering to gnawing a hole in his intestines. What had Hermione called it-an elcir? Ulshur? Whatever it was, he was fairly certain he was developing one as he sat in the middle of a field, spelled and warded from view with his former almost-worst-nemeses and his still-bound-and-unconscious aunt.

"They've got fifteen minutes," Weasel muttered.

"Hermione will murder us if she finds out we waited an extra fifteen," Draco added half-heartedly. It was already time for them to start on Plan B since neither had the group arrived nor had they sent word of their plans.

"We'll tell her we just arrived," the redhead mulishly argued. Draco wondered if the Gryffindor's desire to wait stemmed from the same desire he had-Plan A involved the most people surviving, so abandoning it seemed to signify some existential acknowledgement of partial defeat.

"Or maybe we all forgot how to cast Tempus charms," Longbottom offered.

The man had alternated between a vacuous calm and nervous energy since he'd taken down the woman who'd destroyed his family. Draco couldn't tell if he meant that as a joke or not. He, personally, found the fact that Longbottom couldn't cast a Tempus charm as altogether too believable to be funny. Although, he'd just cut down Draco's Aunt, who was arguably one of the best duelists since Flitwick and Dumbledore.

"She's good at telling when we're lying," Draco drawled, enjoying the way Weasel twitched at his voice. Small comforts.

"How would she-"

Weasley never got the chance to finish his growled question.

The charmed coins flared to life in their hands; Longbottom dropped his.

"Success. Rendez-vous in 5."

*** TR ** TR ** TR ***

Draco hadn't known that five minutes could feel so long. The warm, fuzzy, wonderful glow he'd felt when Hermione hugged him suffused him. Hermione said success. He was sure she'd been the one who'd written it, somehow. Potter probably didn't even know how to spell rendez-vous. And even if Snape had sent it, he wouldn't have said "success" if Hermione had died or been grievously injured. He felt some of the warmth fade into the pit of worry. He cast a Tempus charm. 4 minutes and 15 seconds left.

Finally, a loud pop heralded the arrival of the missing trio. Hermione and Snape were holding Potter, who looked positively ghostly and on the verge of collapse. They hadn't even set him down before Snape was snapping out orders to Draco to get a potion brewing and Hermione was snapping out orders to the others to get a bed and bandages transfigured for Harry. Hermione and Snape-he'd never noticed how similar the two were; bossy, self-assured, and terrifyingly competent. He rushed to obey, his spirit still feeling lighter than it had in days. Hermione was fine!

After an initial rush of activity, Potter was ensconced on a makeshift cot being mothered by Hermione, and the two groups started to debrief. Longbottom started, and the description of their own work seemed to stretch on and on. They'd captured Bellatrix and destroyed the cup. Done. That would have been Draco's approach, but no, Longbottom went into more detail, making Draco grit his teeth. He was much more interested in what Hermione and co. had done! Although, Draco did rather enjoy how Hermione's eyebrows had leapt towards her hairline when she noticed the unconscious woman off to the side.

Finally, Hermione spoke, and Draco found himself entranced by her voice.

"We Apparated as close as we could to Azkaban and then used a Muggle speed-boat to get to the prison. Harry's idea," she gushed, smiling at the sleeping savior. "The Dementors were waiting for us, and it was horrible, but not so horrible as normal, evidently; they weren't trying to feed on us during the negotiation, just as we weren't trying to repel them with Patronuses."

Snape cleared his throat.

"Right, anyways," Hermione blushed. "Snape negotiated with them using Legilimency. They agreed to remove the Horcrux and only the Horcrux from Harry and allow us safe-passage back to the mainland.

"We agreed, and one of the Dementors floated forward. Harry nearly passed out as it leaned forward to Kiss him. And he screamed as the Dementor's mouth touched his, but we couldn't intervene! A moment later though, the creature leaned back and Harry blinked and said 'still here,' before actually fainting.

"We were in the process of Ennervating him and dragging him back to the boat when Dolohov and cronies appeared. We started dueling; it was awful. We were outnumbered 3 to 1. Harry could barely stand and he still fought and the pressure from the Dementors was horrible. Evidently their truce only lasted as long as calm reigned.

"I took out Dolohov and two of the others. Snape got five of them and Harry the last. We then got into the boat and were just about thinking we were safe when we saw the Dementors floating across the water after us.

"Snape saved us. He cast his Patronus and knocked them all back, while I steered us back towards shore.

"Then, we saw Ministry officials in the distance on the shore, so we ended up Apparating from the moving boat here," she finished breathlessly.

Draco found himself exhaling with her. What a tale!

"But the soul fragment is destroyed?" Weasley asked. He'd settled himself on the ground next to Potter's cot.

"Yes," Snape responded, lacking his usual venom. "I watched the exchange using the spell usually reserved for executions and can assure you it is destroyed. However, as you may have gleaned from Miss Granger's story, several Death Eaters are… missing in action and will remain that way, the Ministry is aware there was activity on Azkaban, and the Dementors themselves are privy to this exchange so time is of the essence."

"Got it. Plan A, part III?" Longbottom quipped.

*** TR ** TR ** TR ***

Draco had thought that snuggling up with the Gryfinndorks to Time Turn had been the closest he'd be with them. That had been before they'd had to do the same, but with Professor Snape as part of their group. At least, Draco thought smugly, his godfather looked equally if not more disgusted than he himself felt.

They had all Apparated to the Manor, with Weasel, Potter, and Longbottom under the miraculous Invisibility Cloak and then stashed Potter up in Draco's bed for an a few hours to continue healing under Snape's care while Draco and Hermione went to go check-in with Lucius and offer an update. They'd informed him they'd be back in under two hours with Harry Potter in custody-guaranteed. Hermione had been offended that the Malfoy patriarch had seemed skeptical. Draco had been thrilled that he didn't seem suspicious.

The Time Turner deposited them all back in the Manor, just behind their awkward group trudging up to Draco's room. He'd insisted that Potter complete his recovery here so they could use the Time Turner without leaving the Manor grounds and tripping the wards twice coming back in a few hours previous; Lucius might not notice, but that wasn't a risk Draco was willing to take, especially not with his father so focused on his mission.

Potter would use these extra hours to recover, despite his protests that he could help kill Nagini. Weasel, surprisingly, had been the one to firmly over-rule him.

And thus, Weasel, Longbottom, Draco, and Hermione slinked through the Manor first to the armory-to select an array of cursed weapons in case their spells failed-towards the smaller ballroom that had been transformed into Nagini's room.

It was more horrifying than Draco had imagined from reading the transcripts of the conversations in the Manor before their Time Turn. Streaks of dried blood covered the floor and walls. Trees had been leaned against the walls, and the stripped bark suggested the enormous snake had indeed availed herself of the opportunity to slither up them. Despite the gore, the area did seem well tended, and Nagini herself was basking below an orb of artificial sunlight. Draco tried to ignore the fact that she seemed very happy and… sated, if the size of her mid-section was an indication.

Hermione had taken a small step forward when the side door opened and an older version of Ron Weasley appeared.

"Charlie?" the younger Weasley cried.

The older redhead whirled to face them, nearly dropping the vials he held.

"Ron? Why are you here? I thought you were still with the Order."

"I a-" Tiny Weasel was cut-off when Hermione slammed her foot down on his.

"He realizes which side will be winning," she cut in smoothly.

Hermione understood how to read a situation hedge her response; Draco wished he could cover up the look of confusion gracing their red-headed companion's face.

Charlie carefully measured several drops of the potion into the large water bowl on the far side of the room and then turned to face them again.

"Why are all of you here? Only the Dark Lord and a select few are allowed in here," Charlie stated calmly. He held his wand casually, but at the ready.

"Is he Imperiused?" the younger brother whispered frantically to Hermione. She shook her head sadly.

"Charlie, we're on the same side. We are still with the Order," he insisted.

Draco and Hermione both shifted to have their wands at the ready.

The elder Weasley blanched slightly and nodded grimly.

"I was afraid you'd say that. I suppose there's no chance I can convince you to just turn around and leave? This is really way more complicated than you-"

"Complicated!?" Ron burst out. "Standing against or with evil isn't complicated, Charlie! Mum taught us that. What the hell are you thinking?"

"It's that type of linear thinking that is going to get all of you killed! Have you wondered why our family hasn't been targeted since Bill and Fleur's wedding? I bought that. Your safety, Mum's safety. The Ministry fell, Hogwarts has all but fallen… look around you, Ronnie, and be a realist."

"You're arguing you're selling your soul for your family?" Ron roared. The rest of the room was entirely ignored as the two brothers raged at each other. Draco noticed Hermione surreptitiously locking the doors and casting Muffliato; she never took her eyes off Charlie though.

"Yes! And if you weren't an idiot, you'd seen how reasonable that is. Percy gets it. Sometimes it is better to be alive than to be right."

"None of the rest of the family want to be protected by your selling yourself out to the Dark!" Ron raged.

"I know," Charlie sighed. "But that's a sacrifice I am willing to make for all of you." He suddenly looked far older than his years.

He looked at the rest of the group, his eyes lingering on Draco. The unasked question of Draco's loyalties hung in the air. If Draco was loyal to the Dark… the odds were even.

It was Hermione who broke the silence.

"You know we can't let you leave this room with the information you have about our presence and whatever you have surmised from this conversation about our allegiances."

"I can let you go with my vow I will never speak of this," Charlie countered.

Hermione shook her head, "We're not leaving without Nagini."

"She's a snake, and likely used to be human, leave the poor creature alone."

"She's a Horcrux, a part of Voldy's soul that makes him immortal!" Ron spat. "Voldy will never die as long as she lives. Step aside and let us end this war, Charlie. Please.

"I know you. I know you want to keep us all safe. I promise I'm not risking our family's lives. We have a plan and we can succeed! I know you love us. And…" Ron took a ragged breath, "and I forgive you for defecting. Please just don't stand in our way."

Draco wanted to roll his eyes at this mushiness. How much time had they wasted on this conversation? He glanced at Hermione. Her alert stance suggested she was thinking much the same. Longbottom was the only one who looked like he wasn't going to start casting hexes.

To his surprise, Charlie lowered his wand and the room collectively let out a breath.

However, in this interlude, no one had been watching Nagini. She burst out of her coiled sleeping position across the several meters that separated her from Charlie in an instant, her jaws clasping around his torso, then neck…

Ron started hurling hexes as her, closely followed by Hermione, and Longbottom. All of them seemed to bounce off, as if her hide were Dragonskin. Draco considered the mace he held, and tried to summon a spark of courage to run forward with that instead. Standing there, waiting; being frozen as he watched Hermione Imperius his father to kill a man-it was if it was happening again. No, that had been a mistake before and he would never live down the guilt of having failed her. Not again.

Draco darted forward with the mace. The others seemed to catch the same idea. Hermione cast protective spells over all of them as the three boys rushed towards the snake. Nagini effectively parried Draco's strike with a lunge, but Ron's sword cut through her neck from the side. Her bloody head dropped to the floor with a dull thus as blood spurted from her neck, drenching them in the strangely cool liquid.

Ron was at his brother's side in an instant, closely followed by Hermione and barrage of diagnostic and stasis spells.

"Charlie, Charlie! You've gotta pull through," Ron begged.

The lights on Hermione's wand were consistently red. Draco felt his heart sink, despite himself. The elder Weasley's life was already almost gone.

"Ron," he coughed, blood coloring his spittle. "Tell mum and dad and everyone… I'm sorry! I just, I just wanted everyone to be okay."

"You'll tell them," Ron cried.

"I love you all, let them know I love..."

Hermione kept casting and Ron kept babbling, but Draco saw that the man's spirit had already left.