Standard Disclaimer applies… blah blah blah

I've been so busy reading and reading book 5 that I haven't even been reading fic, let alone writing any.  Since I've read the book twice now (just started on my third time) I'll try to keep it all pre-book five.  It would kind of help with the continuity anyway.  I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVED OOTP.  It's my favorite book so far.

And yes, I really was kidding about the whole feedback thing.   I really do like feedback.  It inspires me.  Not that I really care one way or the other if anyone does but it really does give me warm fuzzies.  And knowing that someone other than me is actually reading it makes me want to type more.  And I can see the stats on the story, so I know that someone's reading it.

This chapter is rated R for sexual relations between consenting adults.  If you're not old enough, please don't read.

Once again, the entire thing is in Draco's POV. 

Chapter 5

The beginning

            Jacob finally stopped whipping me.  I had lost all sense of time, but I knew it must have been hours.  He would whip me until I thought I would pass out from the pain.  Then he would stop, cast a healing spell and start over again.   I knew that the torture would be changing for the time being.  The wall that I was chained to was covered in my blood. They never bothered to clean it up.  There was a fresh layer now.  The flies were thick, getting at the fresher stuff. 

            A chill came over the room.  I was pinned to the wall so that all I could see was the stone surface in front of me, and yet I knew that my father had just entered.  I could hear his muffled footsteps, his expensive shoes walking through my blood and excrement that stained the floor.   I could feel his breath on my neck before I even heard him speak.

            "Well, well, well.  Look what happened to my Mudblood loving son.  Does it hurt much?  Sometimes Jacob can get a bit out of hand."

            I laughed inside, knowing that Jacob had acted totally under my father's order. 

            "I'm sorry, was that supposed to hurt?"  I asked him.  It had been so long since I had drunk anything that the words came out more like a croak.

            "I warn you boy...  Your impertinence will cause your death."  He sneered at me, the spit hitting the side of my face.

I waited until I saw his glare in the corner of my eye before I responded.

            "That's funny.  I always you would cause my death."  I said with a chuckle.

            I felt his fist slam into my kidneys.  The pain was incredible.  I bit my tongue against the nausea, tasting the familiar metallic tang of my blood coming up my throat.  I felt another fist drive into my lower back again.  This time I did cry out as hard as I tried to fight it.  My father laughed.  It was his laugh that convinced me that he had finally gone over the deep end.  Being under the power of Voldemort had finally driven him insane.        

            He pulled out his wand and undid the chains that were holding me to the wall.  I collapsed to the floor.  He aimed his wand at my back and I felt the cuts on my back from the whipping heal instantly.           

            "Sorry Draco.  I'd rather not get your filthy blood on me."  He paused, and brought his face next to mine.  "I also want to make sure you enjoy every single minute of this."  

            Jacob and my father began to pummel my body as unconsciousness overtook me.

            I was a big help to the Weasleys.   I was finding it difficult actually doing the things myself and not asking someone else to do them.  But I knew I had to.  I needed to become self-sufficient.  I would have to rely on myself from now on.  I didn't want to have to go cowering to my father to beg for his help.  And somehow in the back of my mind, I knew that it would make me a stronger person. 

            During the four days I spent at the burrow, Molly showed me how to pick the food from the garden, how to do laundry, how to make meals, and how to do some simple house cleaning.  It really made me pity the servants I had been mean to through the years.  Molly was in the middle of teaching me how to mend some socks when I heard a bell ding.  I looked at Molly and she answered my unspoken question.

"It's time dear.  Now I want you to promise me you'll stay in the house until I get back.  I won't be long, and then you can see your friends again."  She smiled at me and reached over, ruffling my hair.  "I'll make a nice lunch when we get back."  I smiled and nodded. 

She apparated after only a few seconds and I was alone in the house.  It wasn't until that minute that I realized how scared I was.  Hermione would be coming to join me.  We were in hiding from my father, who would most likely kill me for disobeying him and Lord Voldemort.  I had no job and no means of supporting the two of us.  Any job that I took would put me at risk for the possibility of running into my father.  We had nowhere to live and what little money I had.  We were started off to a great future.  But I knew she was worth it. 

I tried to finish mending the socks but I quickly lost interest.  I began pacing, trying to keep patient.  I picked up a book I had been reading the night before.  1001 Lesser Known uses for Gnomes.  I put it down after I realized I was trying to read the same sentence four times. 

I thought about taking a walk, but I didn't want to leave the house.  I continued to nervously pace around the house, looking at this and that. 

I was actually shocked when I saw the fireplace burst into flames a few minutes later.  First Ron, then Ginny, and Molly came up last.  Their luggage appeared neatly next to the fireplace, and then the flames were gone.  The three of them looked flustered and upset.  They all saw the look of confusion on my face when I saw that Hermione was not with them.

Molly reacted first.  "It's alright Draco.  She'll be apparating over as soon as she gets home.  Harry too."

"What happened?  I thought she was going to come here right away?"  I asked, not sure I really wanted to hear the news.  A part of me thought I already knew.

"Your dad."  Ron spoke.  "He was waiting for you at the station when the train got there.  He was ok until he didn't see you get off.  Then he searched through the entire train and he couldn't find you.  He started asking around about you, why you weren't on the train.  A couple of Slytherin told him you had graduated early and left.  He started getting really loud, making an ass of himself."

"That was when the five of us decided to make a discreet exit.  We all agreed to look less obvious, we should make it look like we were all going to our own homes, not this one."  Ginny continued.  "We were afraid that if we all came here, it might attract too much attention.  He asked around, and well…. He found out about the two of you."

"She's fine dear.  Her mother and father both picked her up at the station and she's a full witch now.  I think she's fully capable of taking care of herself."  Molly said, trying to settle me down.

"I don't think any of you have any idea what that man can and most likely will do to me if he ever finds me.  He's beaten me senseless before for defying him.  If he finds me now, I'm dead."  I told all of them.

            None of them knew what to say to this.  Molly started to prepare lunch, and Ron and Ginny took their trunks to their rooms.  I tried to help Molly with lunch but I was so distracted I know I was little help.  It was only about a half an hour later, when the popping sound of someone apparating filled the room.  It was Harry, and right behind him was Hermione.  I ran to her, pulling her into my arms.   She squeezed me as tightly as I was squeezing her.  I could tell she was crying, and let her out of my grip long enough to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

            "Shhhhh… Hermione.  Everything's going to be ok now."  I told her.

            "I know."  She told me, looking into my eyes.  "I just didn't realize how much I would miss you."

            Molly served lunch, and the six of us ate.  The four of them told me about their exams.  Ron, Hermione and Harry had all passed their NEWTs, and of course Hermione had graduated top of the class.  They told me that no one had really noticed or even said anything about me not being there.  Apparently the rumor was that my father had taken me away to be a death eater and join the fight a little early.   I figured the more confusion about my absence, the better.  It would give my father less places to look for me.  Hopefully the battle that Dumbledore was talking about would happen soon and take my fathers mind off of looking for me.

            Later that night, Arthur and Molly came to Hermione and me and told us that due to our situation that they would be more than happy to let us stay with them.  We agreed, at least until we had somewhere else to go.  Hermione had brought a few of her things with her, and asked if it would be ok with them if she stayed in Percy's room, with me.  Everyone agreed to the arrangement, especially Molly.  I swear I saw her wipe a tear away when she and Arthur went up to bed. 

            Just as Dumbledore had said, there was a huge battle two days later.  Harry and Ron came back from the battle, reporting all of the details.  Voldermot and my father were not there when the battle happened, but they both told me that the dark side had suffered most of the losses.  Two days later, there was another battle.  My father was spotted at this one, but not Voldemort.  The thinking was that the light side had taken more casualties this time.   The next battle was almost 2 months later.  It lasted for two days.  Ginny, who had volunteered as an assistant Medi-witch told me about the wounded she had seen a haunted look on her face as she repeated her story.  There were so many dead, and the battle had just started.

            It was almost six months later when it looked as if the dark side would win.  Voldemort himself had appeared at several of the latest battles, as well as my father.  We never saw Harry anymore, but when Ron came back to the Burrows all he would do is sit and stare at nothing.  It was driving me crazy, watching the battles continuing and not being able to fight.  Everyone begged me not to.  The look of pleading in Hermione's eye always made me say that I wouldn't fight.  But it was getting harder and harder to ignore all the news. 

            About a month later, Ginny brought home terrible news.  Ron had been captured by the dark side.   I had never felt so helpless.   Harry came home that night.  I had never seen anyone looking as desolate in my life.  Talk at the dinner table that night was non existent, everyone with their mind on Ron.  It was after dinner, as Molly and Ginny began cleaning up that Harry looked at me.     

            "Draco, we need your help.  Our early reports are that your father took Ron in an effort to get to me."  

            "When do we leave?"  I asked, finally relieved that I would be able to do something to help.

            Harry looked at me and shook his head. "We want you to draw us a map of your father's house and likely locations of where they may have him."   

            "What?"  I had to stop myself from shouting.  "I know that house inside and out.  There are secret chambers that you can't draw.  I couldn't even begin to draw you a map.  There are fake walls and hexes and charms on so many rooms of that house that you'd never get far."

            Harry looked at me and said nothing.    Hermione pulled at my arm and whispered "Draco, please."   

            I looked into the eyes of the woman that I love.  "Hermione, I need to do this.  They'll never make it without me."

            I turned back and looked at Harry.  "You've really got no choice.  Please, let me help you."

            His lip drew into the beginning of a smile, and he offered his hand to me.  I shook it. 

            "We'll leave first thing in the morning.  If everything I've heard about your father is true, I'm afraid he'll kill Ron before we can get to him."  Harry said grimly.

            "I do need one favor from you Harry.  Can you find Professor Snape, and see about getting me my wand back?"

            I went to bed early, and Hermione joined me.  I was glad she did.  I didn't know how long we would be gone and I wanted to spend our last few hours together reassuring her that I would return and we would spend a long life together.  I closed the door and began to undress.  She sat down on the bed, the tears beginning to form in her eyes. 

            "Draco, I've got a really bad feeling about this.  What if you don't come back?"  Her eyes, usually so bright and full of life were brimming with tears.

            "Sweetheart, I will come back.  I promise you."  I kissed her forehead, then each of her eyelids, then her nose.  This always made her laugh, and this time was no exception.  I kissed her lips, and it quickly became deep and passionate.  I slowly unbuttoned her shirt, kissing down her shoulder blade as I did.  She moaned in my ear and helped me to take my shirt off the rest of the way.  I cupped her breasts, one in each hand and lazily ran my thumb over the already hardening nipple.  We both stood up, and helped each other take off their clothes.  She turned and put a silencing charm on the room.  We crawled under the sheets and laid down facing each other.  Her hand reached out to caress my shoulder, and my hand began to caress the swell of her thigh.  I propped myself up onto one arm, and looked into her eyes.   

            "Hermione, I love you.  I was thinking; maybe when this whole war is over and all the fighting is done, maybe we could get married."  I felt my heart actually skip a beat as I waited to hear what she would say.

            She smiled warmly.  "I'd like that Draco.  Now you have to come back, you know that."

            "I wouldn't have it any other way."  I told her.  She kissed me and I kissed her back.  The feelings that were in that one kiss were enough to make me weak in the knees, if I would have been standing.  I began to massage her breasts again, and she moaned into my mouth.  I pulled myself down on the bed and flicked my tongue against the erect nipple.  She started to run her fingers through my hair and let out a small gasp. Removed due to sexual content.  Please see authors page for address for uncensored version.

  I held her as tightly as I dared, and she did too.  Our orgasms were not simultaneous, but were very close to each other.  As we both collapsed in a heap of sweaty body parts, I kissed her lips. 

            "I love you Hermione Granger."

            "I love you Draco Malfoy."

            We fell asleep holding tightly to each other.

            When I awoke the next morning, Hermione was already awake.  She smiled when she realized I was awake too.  She nuzzled next to me, and it wasn't long before we were making love again.  The sincerity of the previous night was still there, but the pace was a little faster.   I took a quick shower and dressed and found Harry already waiting for me downstairs.  Hermione was right behind me.  She looked at her friend.

            "Promise me you'll take good care of him Harry?" 

            "Don't worry Hermione.  I'll bring him back in one piece."  He told her.

            Not wanting to drag out our goodbye, I turned to face the woman I loved.  I kissed her forehead, then her nose and finally her lips. It was our most meaningful kiss yet and it spoke so much, for both of us.  We were both crying when we finally pulled away from each other.  I smiled at her and told her I loved her and turned to follow Harry.

Whew!!  Long one this time!  Sorry this has taken me so long.  But don't worry, the end is in sight.  I suppose it would help if I wasn't writing two other stories on the side!  And work and puppy class on top of that. 

I'd really love a review or two. It really does make me feel more confident.  And if I know that someone is eagerly awaiting the next chapter it makes me try harder to get it done.  It doesn't have to be much, just a quick note.  Hell, just say hi!