I'll be travelling for a few days, so I won't update next week!

Chapter Sixteen

Reliving the nightmare

Draco blanched when that man aimed the muggle gun at Hermione. He cast a protego totalum on her, but he knew that wasn't going to be enough.

The bullet passed through the railing and pierced Hermione's right thigh. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Draco felt himself losing control at seeing her like that again, like in his worst nightmares. He gritted his teeth and pointed his wand at the hooded men.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

There was an explosion and four of them went flying through the air, including the one who had shot Hermione. She gasped, still in excruciating pain, but she stood up and, after leaning on his shoulder, started to cast protective spells around them.

She didn't notice that Draco was gripping his wand so tightly that his knuckles were white. He was completely furious, still glaring at the one with the gun.

"Avada kedav...!"

"No! Draco, no!" Hermione shouted, covering his mouth with one hand and pulling his wand away.

Draco shifted, taking a few steps away from her.

"He fucking hurt you! I'm going to kill him!"

"No! You'll end up in Azkaban because of them!" Hermione replied, throwing stun spells at the liberators who were still standing.

Three of them had erected a shield were all her spells were bouncing off, and three others were checking to make sure the four wounded were still alive.

"Retreat! We'll meet again, murderer. And you, Hermione Granger... don't stand in our way or you'll regret it. Next time I won't miss," snarled the one who looked like the boss, pointing a finger at her.

The six of them apparated with a crack, taking the wounded with them.

Hermione, still very shaky and pale, approached Draco. Touching his hand, she noticed that it was very cold.

"Draco, let's get out of here. They can't attack us if we're away from the gate," she said, tugging on his arm.

He was still holding his wand and glaring at the place where those people had been.

Hermione tugged on him again, until she got him to react and move. Draco looked down at the wound on her leg and gritted his teeth, crouching down.

"Vulnera sanentur. Vulnera sanentur. Vulnera sanentur," he whispered, running his wand over her thigh several times.

The bleeding stopped and the wound closed slowly. The bullet had gone through her leg and at least it hadn't stayed in. Draco had no idea how he could have gotten it out.

"You need to put some dittany on it so it won't scar. I think there's some in my room."

"That wasn't a normal bullet, Draco," she murmured in a choked voice.

He frowned and scanned the forest floor with his eyes until he saw something silver. He reached over and picked it up, gasping as he felt a sting.

"What have those madmen created?" he asked, lifting the silver bullet between his fingers to get a better look at it.

"I think... I think it had the Cruciatus Curse stored in it. I felt the same pain as when I..." Hermione replied, stopping when she felt like she was about to cry.

Draco cursed under his breath and pocketed the bullet, returning to her side and slipping an arm through her legs. He lifted her up, holding her back with his other arm and pressing her against his chest.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, watching her face with concern as he began to make his way through the trees.

Hermione smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm fine now."

They walked through the forest and back to the manor, Hermione in his arms. As they passed through the garden, they heard screams. They followed the noise and saw that there were five people in dark robes standing by the front door, arguing.

"Where the hell are they? Tell them to come out now!" a dark-haired man shouted, glaring at Minsy.

The elf shivered, shaking her head.

"My masters have been out all morning and Master Draco is in the forest."

"Don't lie to us, we know they're here!"

Draco clicked his tongue and the five of them turned to face them. Harry gasped when he saw Hermione in his arms.

"Hermione, are you all right?" he asked, running towards them.

"You're both suspected of using the Cruciatus Curse!" the man snarled.

"It wasn't them, Robert," protested Harry, who was already at Hermione's side, scanning her body with a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine. It was only a second," she said softly, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

"Did they attack you?" he asked, paling.

Draco bit his tongue, feeling the rage come over him again.

"Yes, but Draco stopped them and they left," Hermione explained, glancing sideways at Draco.

Harry looked at him too and his expression relaxed.

"Thank you for protecting her, Malfoy," he said, sighing.

"I didn't do it for you, Potter," Draco spat through his teeth.

Hermione tugged at her lower lip with her teeth nervously, running her fingers along Draco's left arm in an attempt to reassure him.

Robert was already beside them, holding out a hand.

"Your wands."

Hermione frowned, clutching Draco's neck tighter, and he narrowed his eyes.

"You have a record, Malfoy. It's natural for us to be suspicious of you," the auror added, wrinkling his nose.

Draco rolled his eyes and motioned for Hermione to take his wand out of his pocket. She handed them both to the man.

"This is ridiculous, Robert. How could it have been Hermione?" Harry said, snorting.

"You know the protocol, Potter. There are no exceptions."

Robert raised his own wand, pointing it at the two in his hand.

"Prior incantato."

White smoke rose from the wands, showing the last two spells they had cast.

"Bombarda maxima?" Harry asked, scowling at Draco.

He shrugged.

"They were attacking Hermione."

She felt a shudder as she remembered that Draco had been about to cast the Killing Curse. He'd probably be in handcuffs and on his way to Azkaban by now if he had done it.

The other three aurors took out notebooks and wrote down the testimony of both of them. Harry and Robert exchanged a glance as Hermione recounted what the so-called liberators had told them, and Harry put the silver bullet in his pocket for later examination.

"Do you need to go to St. Mungo's, Hermione?" he asked, concerned.

She shook her head, lowering her legs and standing up, Draco's arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fine, the wound is closed. I just need to take it easy and rest."

Half an hour later, the two of them entered the manor once all the aurors had left. She sighed, holding a hand to her head. It was still hurting quite a bit and she felt exhausted.

Hermione felt herself being lifted into the air again and gasped as Draco held her in his arms again.

"What are you doing? There's no need, Draco. I'm okay now."

He shook his head and walked up the stairs without letting her go, heading for his room. He opened the door with his elbow and walked in, leaving Hermione on the bed. Waving his wand, he closed the curtains and lay down next to her, a small jar in his hand. Uncapping it, she recognised the smell of dittany. Draco spread some of the green paste over the two areas of her thigh that had been pierced by the bullet and set the jar on the bedside table.

"Get some sleep, you need it."

She sighed, leaning against his chest.

"They caught me completely by surprise. I didn't expect them to dare attack us."

"I didn't either."

"Thank you for protecting me, Draco."

He kissed her forehead and she could tell he was still very tense.

"I'll never let them hurt you again."

"Are they the ones in the prophecy?"

"Sleep, Hermione. We'll talk about this when you're feeling better."

Hermione nodded, snuggling closer against him. Draco wrapped his arms around her and sighed, burying his nose in her hair.

Fucking sons of bitches. If he saw them again, he'd finish them all.

When Hermione opened her eyes again, she found herself alone in Draco's huge bed. She started to get nervous, but three seconds later the door opened.

"Are you awake already? Drink this, Minsy made it and it will make you feel better," Draco said, handing her a glass filled with a black potion.

Hermione nodded, downing it in one gulp. Soon her nausea began to fade and she no longer felt her muscles ache.

"What is it?" she asked, looking up at him.

Draco grimaced, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

"It's something I used to drink when... when I was being tortured," he admitted quietly, averting his gaze.

Hermione gasped.

"They tortured you? Who?"

Draco stared at her.

"The Dark Lord."

"How many times?"

"Twice."

She was silent, waiting for him to tell her more, and Draco rolled his eyes.

"The first time was when I couldn't kill Dumbledore, and the second when the three of you escaped from the manor. He cast a cruciatus on all of us that day, including Bellatrix."

Hermione nodded, swallowing.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'd rather not remember it."

She leaned over him, hugging him.

"I'm sorry you went through that."

Draco ran his hands down her back and sighed.

"It's better if we go to meet Andromeda another day."

"No. I'm fine, really. I'm okay and my leg feels like nothing happened to it," Hermione said, lifting her head to look him in the eye.

Draco narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out if she was lying. Finally, he sighed again.

"Okay. But if you're feeling unwell at any point, we'll leave."

Hermione nodded with a smile. She got to her feet and they went out into the corridor, walking towards the stairs.

"Do you think the prophecy refers to them?" she asked as they reached the fireplace.

Draco gritted his teeth, giving her a sidelong glance. She knew what he would say if he could speak about it.

"So do I. They look like a fairly organised group, and they may be planning a full-scale attack."

"If they breathe near you again..."

"Draco, you can't cast an avada on them if we see them again. Promise me," Hermione whispered, holding one of his hands and forcing him to look at her.

He frowned.

"I won't, but I'll kill them anyway."

Hermione sighed, shaking her head.

"No one's going to die. We will stop this before anything happens."

Draco looked away, tossing a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace.

"I hope so."

Hermione knocked softly on the door and heard Draco sigh heavily beside her.

"It'll be all right," she whispered, taking his right hand and squeezing it lovingly.

He looked at her for a second, turning his grey eyes back to the front of the house before them.

The door opened slowly and Draco held his breath. Andromeda smiled, watching them both. She looked very much like Bellatrix, though her hair wasn't curly and her gaze didn't have that spark of madness he had always seen in his aunt's eyes.

"You look exactly like your father when he was your age."

Hermione closed her eyes, knowing that Draco wouldn't like that at all. He hated being compared to Lucius.

"I'm not like him," he replied with a straight face.

"I know, I know. But your eyes, your hair... you remind me of him. Come in, please," the woman said, stepping aside.

Hermione went in and Draco followed her, still very tense. Footsteps sounded down the corridor and a small figure ran towards them.

"Teddy!" Hermione shouted happily, bending down to hug him.

She stood up again with Teddy in her arms. He hid his face in her curls, staring at Draco with his brown eyes. He had emerald green hair.

"How are you? This is your cousin, Teddy. His name is Draco."

The little boy continued to hide, glancing at Draco shyly. He cleared his throat, not quite knowing what to do.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Draco said, offering him a hand.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"He's not even three, Draco."

But Teddy smiled and grabbed two of his fingers.

"Why is your hair white?"

Hermione bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"It's not white, it's blond," Draco replied, frowning.

Andromeda walked past them, setting several plates on the table.

"I hope you're hungry."

Hermione sat down and set Teddy on the floor, who walked over to where Draco sat and watched him curiously.

Draco averted his gaze, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't know how to deal with a small child, he had never done it before.

Andromeda was talking about the visits she had received from Narcissa, smiling as she explained how happy she was to have her sister back after so many years. Draco listened attentively, eating some of the stew she had prepared, until someone tugged on his shirt sleeve.

He looked down at Teddy, who was still standing next to him. Upon closer inspection, Draco saw that his eyes were now grey.

He smiled. Teddy giggled and pursed his lips in concentration. His hair changed from green to platinum blond.

Draco chuckled helplessly, which cut off the conversation between Andromeda and Hermione.

"That means he likes you," Hermione said, looking at Teddy's blond hair with a smile on her face.

Andromeda nodded, also smiling.

Teddy held up his hands and Draco hesitated, but he took him in his arms, placing him on his lap. The kid touched Draco's hair curiously, looking at his eyebrows and nose.

Within seconds, Teddy's whole face looked exactly like Draco's. He gasped at the sight of himself at three years old.

"Fuck."

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, punching him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. It's just that he's... he's just like me," he said, unable to look away from Teddy.

"He likes to imitate his friends. When Narcissa comes over, he changes his appearance to look like her, too," Andromeda explained, taking a sip of water.

"I like your hair," Teddy murmured, still watching Draco's face intently.

"I like yours too," he replied, grinning.

Teddy laughed again and stopped touching his hair.

"Floor," he said.

Draco put him down and the little boy ran over to a boot where he had all his toys.

"It'll do him good to have you around, Draco. He's always asking about his older cousin," Andromeda whispered.

Draco felt an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. The woman reached out a hand until she was holding his.

"I don't want you to feel guilty. You're here now, and that's what matters. I know you weren't ready to meet us before."

Draco narrowed his eyes, glancing at Hermione. She shrugged.

"Will you come visit us more often?" Andromeda asked.

He looked at her again and nodded.

"I was looking forward to meeting my only nephew, Draco."

"And I wanted to meet my only aunt," Draco replied with a shy smile.

Hermione smiled too, seeing that he had finally relaxed. There was a knock at the door and Andromeda got up, returning shortly after with Harry and Ginny behind her.

Draco choked on his drink.

"What are you doing here, Potter?"

"Visiting my godson," he replied, bending down to greet Teddy, who had run up to him.

Harry frowned at the blond hair and grey eyes, glancing sideways at Draco, who raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Cousin Draco," said Teddy, pointing at him with a big grin.

"Yes, your cousin. He's finally come to meet you, eh?" Harry replied, squinting in Draco's direction.

He clenched his jaw and shot him a look of hatred. Ginny patted Harry's shoulder and he sighed, looking back at the little kid.

"Let's go out into the garden," Andromeda suggested, trying to ease the tension in the air.

Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and led him to the back door, talking to the woman.

It was already dusk. Draco was sitting on the bench under an oak tree, with Ginny beside him.

Harry and Hermione were on the grass playing with Teddy, and Andromeda had entered the house a few minutes ago.

Draco gritted his teeth when Hermione rested her head on Harry's shoulder. He snorted as Harry wrapped one of his arms around her.

"Hey, relax. You don't have to be watching Harry every time he's near Hermione."

Draco glanced at Ginny, who was watching him with amused eyes.

"I still don't trust him," he replied in a whisper, opening and closing the fist of his left hand.

He heard Ginny's laughter and narrowed his eyes, scowling at her.

"Why don't you care? Your boyfriend kissed another girl, Ginevra."

"He kissed Hermione, and it didn't mean anything. It's like me kissing Ron."

Draco wrinkled his nose, grimacing.

"Fuck, I didn't need that image in my head."

She let out a mocking chuckle.

"Really, Malfoy. The two of them are like siblings, believe me."

He looked forward again, his lips twisting. Harry was waving his wand, creating giant bubbles that Teddy was exploding with laughter. He still looked the same as Draco, though he now bore a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

A few hours later, the two returned home and Draco walked past the sofa, ignoring Crookshanks.

Hermione frowned, watching as he went upstairs and locked himself in the bathroom. He had been very quiet all afternoon.

She still had a bit of a headache so she pulled out the vials Minsy had given her of that mystery potion, drinking one of them and leaving the rest in the kitchen.

In less than a minute she started to feel much better and sighed, returning to the living room.

No sign of Draco.

Hermione walked up the stairs very slowly, alert to any noise. She approached the bathroom door and pressed her ear to it. She heard a muffled sob and closed her eyes, letting out a long sigh.

She opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. Draco was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall and his arms wrapped around his legs. His head was tucked between them and his shoulders were shaking slightly, but he was barely making a sound.

Hermione crouched down beside him, wrapping her arms around him, and he tensed. No one had ever seen him cry before, only Potter when he followed him into the bathroom in sixth year.

"I'm here, Draco. Don't isolate yourself, you're not alone," Hermione whispered, placing a kiss in his hair.

He sighed and shifted, pulling Hermione between his legs. Draco rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes, trying to control himself.

"It's alright, let it all out."

"Malfoys don't cry," he said in a deep voice.

"Who says that? Everyone has the right to be sad."

"He... he lost his parents, Teddy... and you... you... it happened again, and there was nothing I could do about it either," he gasped, wiping away his tears angrily and avoiding her gaze.

"What happened to Teddy wasn't your fault, and you did something today. You protected me this time, Draco."

"He's alone because of me, and I'm putting you in danger by being with you."

Hermione snorted, closing her eyes as well and gently combing his blond locks with her fingers.

"That's not true. Besides... Are you going to let some crazy people tell you who you can be with?"

"No," he growled, gritting his teeth.

Hermione smiled.

"You can be there for Teddy now, be a good example for him. And as for the Liberators, we'll find out who they are in the end. They can't attack all purebloods in the name of justice, you were tried years ago and the guilty ones are locked up."

"They wouldn't agree with you," Draco replied, laughing half-heartedly.

Hermione tightened her embrace.

"I don't care what they think. They're wrong and they're going to pay for what they're doing."

Draco was silent, controlling his breathing. Her scent helped him relax.

"Don't ever try to use one of the Unforgivable Curses again, Draco. Give me your word."

He rolled his eyes, raising his head until he could look at her face. Draco clicked his tongue, nodding.

"You have my word, but he deserved it."

"You can't end up in Azkaban because of them. That's what they want, they did it to provoke you."

Draco gave her an evil grin, thinking of all the curses he had learned during his years in the Dark Lord's service.

"We'll see if they dare touch you again."

"Draco..." Hermione murmured, narrowing her eyes.

He leaned down, kissing her for a second, and stood up.

"Enough. I'm going to make dinner."

"Are you feeling better now?"

He nodded, walking out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Hermione sighed and looked at herself in the mirror, noting the scar on her wrist. She shook her head and followed Draco.

Violence was never the solution. An eye for an eye policy didn't work, it would only bring more trouble and split the magical world in two again. These liberators had to be stopped before they really hurt anyone.