Draco Malfoy was having a shit day. Really, it hadn't been this bad since his sixth year. Plus, Hermione was still holding onto the book where the spell to potentially kill the Dark Lord was, so he couldn't get it for now. He was waiting for her to go back to the Manor for an update with the other Death Eaters, or just to get some books.

Working his way into his room through the common area, uncharacteristically filled with people that night, he didn't feel well. A feeling of nausea had invested him since he left the Room of Requirement, two days ago, and it didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

Draco only got a few minutes of peace in his room, laying face-down on the bed, before someone knocked. Cursing, he got up and opened the door. Theo was standing with a stupid smirk on his face and a half finished bottle of Firewhisky in his hand.

He sighed and let him in.

"Are you sober?" Draco asked and walked to the sofa. Resting his feet on the coffee table, he muttered an incantation and the fireplace lighted up.

"I can walk pretty well."

His friend all but collapsed on one of the armchairs and handed him the bottle.

"I'll take that as a no," Draco said and took a sip of alcohol. It burned his throat but he couldn't say he minded. It was a pleasant distraction. "What happened?" he asked, taking another sip and passing him back the bottle.

"My father died."

Draco didn't even flinch at that. Perhaps that was why Hermione had been away for a few hours now. Meetings and updates didn't usually take that long and she wouldn't personally go on a mission without telling him.

"Didn't realize you cared so much for him," he eventually said.

"I don't. But now that the bastard's dead I am Lord Nott and that means I will have to take his place everywhere, including in the Dark Lord's army."

Draco grimaced. "The Dark Lord isn't here. Hermione is in charge now and she isn't going to let you, let alone ask you, to take your father's place."

"Hermione isn't gonna be there forever, mate."

"No, she isn't," he sighed and took back the bottle of Firewhisky. "But she is now, so let it be tomorrow's problem."

"And what am I supposed to do when tomorrow comes?" Theo was leaning his back on one side of the armchair and the legs hung off the other, in a sort of diagonal position.

"We'll figure it out. Enough of us have been forced to take the Mark for that psychopath."

"Is Hermione still at the Manor?" Theo asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I guess. She went in to get more books and for a brief update with the Death Eaters and hasn't come back yet."

More silence found its way in the room and none of them said anything for a while.

"How did he die?"

"Killed during a mission."

Draco scoffed at that. "So the Order uses killing curses now. Good to know."

"Not really. A Stupefy sent him flying back against the wall of the house they were checking. Hit his head too hard. Ever the heroes, can't even deign to kill a man the old way," he muttered.

Draco laughed at that, and a knock interrupted them. Probably Daphne looking for her boyfriend.

When he opened the door, there was Hermione standing in front of him, though. The expression on her face all but pleased.

She made her way into the room and sat on the sofa without a word, taking the bottle Theo was offering her. She didn't usually drink, so he thought something must have happened, besides Theo's father.

"News?" Draco asked, and sat next to her.

"Macnair decided to take some friends on a mission this morning and very few of them made it out alive. The few members of the Order in the damned house escaped and blew it up. Anti-Disapparation wards were up."

"Is he still alive?"

Hermione sighed. "He started an unauthorized mission that got six Death Eaters killed and got nothing out of it. Let's just say Bellatrix was happy to the dirty work for me."

"Who?" Theo asked.

"Other than your father, both Crabbe and Goyle senior, Rowle, Travers, and Avery."

"Fucking great."

"Theo, I'm not letting you take the Mark," Hermione whispered.

"I don't think there's much I can do to avoid it, once he's back, but thanks, Hermione."

"I'll figure something out, I promise."

"We're screwed anyway."

She sighed again. "I guess we really are, aren't we?"

Hermione locked her fingers with Draco's and leaned into him so that her head was resting on his shoulder. They were screwed.

The search for the responsible of Hestia's attack were still ongoing in the castle, except now Hestia was awake, finally.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Better. I'm just glad professor Slughorn found a cure."

Flora smiled, beside her in the bed, and took her sister's hand.

"Do you remember anything of the attack?"

"I'm not sure. I remember something, but it sounds insane, so I think it may have been a hallucination."

Draco believed he already knew what she was going to say.

He cast a Muffliato around them to avoid more incidents.

"It's fine, Hestia. We'll take care of it," he said, and tried smiling.

The twins looked at each other, then looked at him. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"I saw Harry Potter," Hestia finally said.

Draco closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Great.

"I believe you."

"You do?" they asked at the same time.

Draco nodded. "What happened?"

Hestia was visibly nervous.

"He was with that girl, Ginny Weasley. I tried hexing him, but he cast a shield and the hex backfired on me."

Draco sighed. "You can't tell anyone. They're going to think you're crazy, or that you had a hallucination."

"What do you mean?" Flora asked. "You knew about this?"

"We suspected the Gryffindors had something to do with this, we just didn't have proof. And we can't prove it either. Harry Potter is dead to the world, and there's probably no way we can expose him right now," he was forced to admit.

"So now what?"

Draco sighed and leaned on the wall next to Hestia's bed. "If anyone asks you, besides Snape, tell them you don't remember anything. Your wand record will tell them you cast that curse, but nothing else. I know Ginny Weasley was there too, but her wand record will be clean, and Potter's can't really be examined, so we're stuck."

Hestia and Flora nodded.

"It's fine. There are more important things than revenge right now, and if I see Weasley in the halls I'll be sure to maybe throw a subtle hex at her now and then, or charm her face cream," she said smiling, and Draco did not doubt it. Revenge couldn't officially come for the twins, but it could sure make an appearance off the records. Very subtly off the records, too. They knew perfectly well that the Gryffindors couldn't suspect they knew about Potter.

Later that day, both Draco and Hermione were summoned in Snape's office.

"You wanted to see us?" Hermione asked, as they both sat in the chairs in front of his desk.

"We found no traces on the students of a Dark Mark, which means that either someone with a Mark did it, or someone with a Mark took the trace off the real responsible. I sure did no such thing, which leaves me to you and Miss Granger."

Fuck. He should have seen that one coming. Hermione and he were the only Death Eaters besides Snape in the whole castle and no Death Eater from their circle would bother attacking Hestia Carrow on school grounds. Regardless, the risk he took was worth it. They could end this war, if only Potter did his damned job right for once. Maybe without getting killed in the process, this time.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Snape. "I had no part in this," she simply said.

Draco cleared his throat and the attention of both Hermione and Snape was on him then.

"As you may know, Hestia woke up. I talked to her earlier."

"I don't have time for this, Draco. If you have something to say, just say it," his headmaster rushed.

He almost rolled his eyes. "She said she saw Potter. She cursed him, he cast a shield and the curse backfired."

"Harry Potter?" he merely asked, like it was an insult.

"The one and only."

"The girl could have been hallucinating. This is impossible," Snape eventually spat out.

Hermione shook her head, beside him. "She's telling the truth. He's alive."

Somehow, he wasn't shocked she knew. It was kind of implicit by that point. Potter could not have known about Hermione's reasons for wanting the Dark Lord back, he wasn't nowhere near smart enough to figure it out by himself.

"Why am I not surprised you knew, Miss Granger?" Snape laid back in his chair and glared at the both of them.

"The Dark Lord knows too. He told me to kill Harry before he left," she admitted.

It wasn't news that the madman knew, but how? If Hermione's theory about the Horcruxes was correct, then he'ds probably figured out Potter was the only one who could find them and destroy them, like he was doing before getting himself killed in the first place. By killing the problem, he could come back and not worry about it anymore. But, then again, why was Potter, of all people, the only one who could sense the Horcruxes?

"The only question, now, is do we tell the Death Eaters?" Draco asked, breaking the silence.

"It's not like they can help find him. We know where he is, they can't do anything about him unless he comes out." Hermione was leaning with her elbows on the desk, her head between her hands.

"And where exactly is he?" Snape asked, clearly both annoyed and disgusted.

"Here."

Draco had finally managed to copy the reverse Patronus spell from Hermione's book once she decided to let it go because useless to her case. She needed to return some books to the Manor library, so he offered to do it instead and copied the spell on a fresh piece of parchment.

The Manor wasn't much warmer when he Flooed there. It felt emptier than usual without the Dark Lord there and the inevitable amount of Death Eaters that entailed. Only Bellatrix and few more stuck around after he disappeared. Bellatrix and his husband and brother-in-law were obviously living there, while others, such as Dolohov, who were higher in rank, would come by every other day to check with Granger or with others that everything was in order and going as planned, in case of ongoing missions.

In the library he met his mother. Narcissa was reading, having tea near one of the windows, where a small reading area was arranged.

"Hello, mother," he greeted and put down the books on a table, knowing the elves would put them back where they belonged. He sat in the armchair next to hers after she waved at the empty spot.

"Hello, Draco. Do you have time for tea?"

"I always have time for tea with you," he genuinely smiled and poured himself some.

He had always enjoyed tea with his mother. She was like a wave fresh air after dealing with Lucius.

"How is Miss Granger adapting? I've seen her here quite often lately."

Draco almost raised a brow. Why would his mother care about Granger?

"She's doing fine. It's not exactly the easiest job, especially for her, but she's coming along. It will be easier when he comes back." He forced out the last part, just in case someone was listening. He was well aware he couldn't tell anyone his plans, not even his mother.

"Your father doesn't seem too pleased with her," Narcissa said and closed her book.

Draco sighed. "Father might benefit from understanding Granger is her own person, not my personal puppet."

"You know how he is, darling. Don't give him too much of a hard time for it." She took a sip of her tea and studied him as she always do when she was about to ask him something. "Is the girl fond of Severus?"

Well, he didn't see that one coming. He stared at his mother, confused, before denying. "Snape wasn't really fond of her to begin with and she didn't like him because he wronged poor Saint Potter while favorizing Slytherin. She has no more reason to be fond of him now than she did back then."

"Interesting," Narcissa merely said, continuing to sip her tea. "That spell you used last time we talked, Muffliato, that is a spell Severus created. I was just wondering how Miss Granger got to it."

Draco furrowed his brows.

"Potter cheated his way through Potions sixth year. He always carried this Potions book with him everywhere. When he hexed me and Snape found me, he immediately knew the counter curse for the spell, but I had never heard of it before. I don't know how he would get that information but I think the newly found talent for potions and the spells he knew were somehow linked. Perhaps Granger just picked some up."

"Severus created many spells indeed, during his time at Hogwarts."

That wasn't surprising at all. He eyed the clock and sighed. It was almost dinner time.

"I'm afraid I'll have to go now, mother. Take care of yourself," he said, and lightly kissed her hand.

"You take care as well, dear," she smiled.

He walked back to the main Floo and appeared back in Granger's room, where she was still studying – shockingly.

"Dinner starts in ten," he said, and she almost jumped off the chair. She was clearly so deep into her work she didn't even hear him coming.

"You startled me," she just said and leaned back on the chair, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry," he smirked and approached her, putting his hands on her shoulders and massaging them. She was tense as only Hermione studying for N.E.W.T.s could be. Plus the extra work for the Dark Lord, of course.

Her desk was an unusual mess. There were assignments, pieces of parchment, open books and notes everywhere. One in particular caught his attention as he picked it up. "What's this?"

Hermione briefly glanced at the parchment he was holding, then focused back on her book.

"I was writing Viktor to let him know I won't be able to attend the game next weekend."

Draco raised a brow. He knew how much he meant to her. He didn't love the idea, but better to know than not.

"Why won't you?" he asked. Not that he wasn't thrilled at the idea of her not attending a game where Viktor Krum, international Quidditch star and man who took her innocence, would be showing off just for her. She hadn't given up the game when he'd asked her, so why now?

"Well, while before I was able to get a night off studying, now that we have this new… development in our lives, I don't have time for it. The Dark Lord isn't giving any signs of coming back and the Death Eaters situation is a mess, after Macnair took it upon himself to get six of them killed. Then there's the Harry situation too, with the twins, and I don't even feel like I have time to breathe, let alone go to a Quidditch game." Hermione sounded utterly exhausted.

Draco sighed and closed his eyes, as if that helped him to think more clearly. His witch was working herself out trying to be the hero – as utterly Gryffindor as that sounded – and he wasn't sure she would make it out alive, if it kept going on for much longer.

He took her hand and turned her around, then kissed her. It wasn't a deep, or lustful kiss, just a soft peck on the lips.

"Let me help you," he just whispered, and knew he wanted to do just that: take some weight off her shoulders.

"How?" She whispered back, but kept her forehead leaning against his.

"Let me handle the Death Eaters, at least. You can study for the N.E.W.T.s and only go to the Manor if anything major happens that absolutely requires your presence."

"But he said I'm in charge," she almost groaned.

"I know. But the Death Eaters don't need a leader right now. There's nothing, realistically speaking, they can do. We just have to wait for him. I'll go to the meetings and keep you updated." He cupped her face and their eyes met again.

"I still have to find out what's going on with him, if it's the Horcruxes, or something else."

Draco sighed again. "I know it's hard for your Gryffindor brain to understand this but there is nothing you can do about this. He's possibly the most powerful wizard in the world and if he can't find a way out of this, neither can you."

"What about Harry?"

That stroke a nerve. He remembered well the way she reacted when he hinted he wasn't exactly on the Dark Lord's side at the moment, and didn't really know how to approach the situation.

"What about him?"

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you want to do?" He just asked. The decision was entirely up to her.

"He said I have to kill him," she muttered and looked away. "And then Hestia saw him."

"The twins won't say a word. Hermione," he called, making her look at him again, "What do you want to do?" He repeated.

She shook her head and her eyes started watering. "I don't know what's happening to me, Draco," she whispered, so low he barely heard her.

He felt her words in his bones. In a time like that, it was hard even for him to understand what the right side was. If there was even a right side to be on, that is.

He closed his eyes and drew her in his arms, holding her tight. She circled his waist and sobbed silently in his chest. It was almost like he could physically feel her pain, feeling it as his own.

"He's my way out," she muttered, her voice shaking.

So it was like Potter said.

"I know," he sighed. "You don't have to decide anything today."

"I do," she merely said, and another sob broke her voice. "I have to decide what side I'm on."

Confusion reigned in her mind. Hermione didn't know what to do. In the position she was at that moment, every step she took had consequences, whether good or bad.

There had to be a way out. If Draco Malfoy, of all people, could turn his back to the Dark Lord, maybe so could she. The Dark Lord was the only one who could free her, that was undeniable. He could give her back what he took away in the first place, her freedom. But would he? Was that why Draco decided to walk away? Because he knew, deep down, that he was as trapped as she was, if not more?

She knew she had to make a decision. That was the worst part. But she was a Death Eater. Not only that, the head Death Eater, now that he was gone. What was she going to do, defect and have every single supporter of the Dark Lord hunt her down, and all of her friends with her? Draco, Daphne, Theo… maybe even Viktor. She just couldn't risk it. She couldn't ask Daphne and Theo to fight her war when they had nothing to do with it in the first place.

No matter what she did, if the Death Eaters learned about her defiance, they wouldn't hesitate to hurt those she loved to hurt her, or blackmail her, or worse. There was nothing she could do without having it jeopardize the safety of her friends.

"Sometimes the right thing to do is to do nothing", Draco had said. Was that the answer? Harry was alive and well, he was still hunting down Horcruxes, and she knew he wanted to kill the Dark Lord maybe even more than she did. Maybe she could just let him do just that. Perhaps she could help without doing nothing that would blow her cover with the Death Eaters. Nothing that would get her friends killed.

The Gryffindors were deep into the war already but Theo and Daphne weren't. Daphne's family had decided to stay neutral in the conflict, and she could put off Theo bearing the Mark until the Dark Lord returned, if he ever did so.

Maybe she could do that. Let Draco deal with the Death Eaters, study for her N.E.W.T.s, pretend to research and figure out what happened to the Dark Lord, all while pretending not to know Harry was still alive. If Voldemort ever came back and asked for an explanation, she could work something out. Perhaps she could say they had a Fidelius on where Harry was staying, and that they certainly wouldn't tell her. She would have plenty of time to figure out something until he returned.

While Draco held her pressed against his chest like someone would be trying to take her away from him, she asked herself what Harry's presence at Hogwarts meant to him. Had he never told her he knew about Harry because he was afraid she would jump back on the Gryffindor ship and abandon him to deal with Voldemort on his own, knowing he would face the most severe punishment out of everyone because he was so close to her?

"I'm not leaving you, Draco Malfoy," she then said, hoping he would understand what he was referring to.

She felt Draco stiffen. "I'll understand if you do. This is your war too."

Hermione raised her head and looked at him in the eye, cupping his left cheek. "No. I am not leaving you, Draco. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together. I will not walk away from you. Do you understand?"

He didn't say anything. He just stared at her from a few seconds, then kissed her. She could feel the pain in his kiss, the confusion, the desperation, the not knowing what to do. They were the same. He couldn't come out as not a supporter of the cause, or they would kill his mother. She couldn't come out because of Daphne and Theo. They were screwed through and through.

"The spell you've found, the reversed Patronus… we should give it to them," Draco said shortly after. "And leave it at that. We did our part."

"Do you think it'll be enough?" It certainly didn't look like it was enough.

"Potter can find the Horcruxes and destroy them, then kill him without coming out and getting himself killed again. It's the safest option."

Hermione thought about it for a moment. It was a spell they could find on their own, for all everyone knew. She and Draco would have nothing to do with it, to the public eye. Plus, having the two of them on the inside, besides Snape, could be useful. Maybe they really could pull this off. But would Harry stay out of a fight? The prophecy did say he was the only one who could kill Voldemort. Would their plan work?

As if afraid someone would hear her, Hermione nodded and closed her eyes.

"I'll do it," Draco whispered. "I already talked to Weasley."

Her eyes shot open at that and she looked at him with a raised brow, tears now dry on her face. She probably looked like a mess. Draco replied with a guilty-looking expression.

"I did think you were full-on Death Eater for a moment and I was worried you might not come back from it."

Hermione didn't know what to think. "You, Draco Malfoy, willingly walked into the lion's cage because you were worried for me?" She voiced out her concerns.

He looked confused when he answered her. "Well, I knew they were hunting Horcruxes, and, if your theory was correct, they were the only shot I had."

He cared, Hermione realized. Not that she didn't already know he did, but she hadn't realized he cared that much. He cared enough to go to the Gryffindors for help, all while probably believing she would leave him for her old life once she was back to her "normal self."

Maybe that something they had would make it through. Through the war, through everything. Together. That thought brought a smile to her lips and she just locked their hands and lips together.