A/N: I finally updated, hehe. I've had writer's block for a few weeks, and it was finally clear again. I'm upset a fanfiction.net right now though. My pen name now has a 1 at the end of it because of the new rule. The other Elizabeth Potter hasn't updated her stories since the year 2000. Just because she's an older member doesn't mean she's posting anything. *sigh* I'll be writing to ff.net about this. Anyway, thanks to the reviews I got!

Skippy16: I leave it with a cliffhanger in this chapter too, hehe, sorry! bballinPROgirl: I'm sorry I didn't update too soon, I have a problem with that, hehe. I hope you like this chapter too! Vfoxy713: I hope you like this chapter as well, it was a bit shorter then I intended, and I leave it at a cliffhanger, so I think people are going to hate me, hehe! Hermione30: Thanks, I try to make each chapter better then the one before! Reviewer: Your question will be answered about Pansy…it gives it away in this chapter, but not officially. Fallin' For Felton: I left it at a cliffhanger…again. Sorry, Sam! But at least I updated. Celeste9: (Your name was changed to Celeste9!) I fixed the mistake before anyone noticed, mwahaha! And I love Lucius too. He's just so evil, I like working with his character. I hope more people have reviewed your story!

Disclaimer: The song lyrics used in this story, "When I'm Gone" by 3 Doors Down", are owned by 3 Doors Down and I am making NO profit off of them. Please do not sue! Like always, J. K. Rowling and Warner Bros. own Harry Potter and all recognizable characters

~*~*~*~

So hold me when I'm here

Right me when I'm wrong

Hold me when I'm scared

And love me when I'm gone

Everything I am, and every in me

Wants to be the one you wanted me to be.

~*~*~*~

Chapter 19

The few seconds that elapsed in silence after Lucius spoke seemed like hours. No one moved, no one spoke, the only sound heard was the house gently creaking underneath them. The silence was broken by a sudden, dry sob from Hermione. Draco responded to it by stepping in front of her, stretching out his arms to block her from view. He shook his head slowly at his father, never dropping his gaze from him.

"Draco, I can not kill you, so step aside, you foolish boy," he snarled, throwing the wands of Hermione and Draco to the floor. Draco shook his head again.

"I won't. You won't kill her, and you can't kill me, so let us go," Draco said, trying to hide the fear that was slowly growing in his voice. He knew what his father was capable of, he knew he would do anything to please the Dark Lord. He had to stall...someone must have noticed their absence...His eyes flickered to their two wands on the floor near Lucius' feet, then back up to meet his father's gaze. His father smirked as he noticed where Draco looked, and he kicked the wands behind him, letting them roll under the near by sofa. Their only hope was that someone would come and help them.

~*~*~*~

"Harry, where's Hermione...?" Ron asked, shoving the last of his potato salad into his mouth. Harry looked up and down the Gryffindor table, then glanced at the Slytherin table.

"I don't know. Draco's gone too…They're probably still at the lake, I'm sure they'll get back at any moment now." Harry responded, furrowing his eyebrows. An almost manic laughter behind them made them turn their heads.

"What do you want, Parkinson?" Ron snapped, looking up at the Slytherin.

"Oh, I'm about to get what I want, Weasel...You're never going to see your Mudblood friend again," and with a last manic grin, Pansy left the Great Hall. Ron and Harry stared after her, their eyebrows raised.

"What did she mean by that?" Ron asked, dropping his voice to a whisper. Apparently no one else in the Great Hall had heard Pansy, because all the Gryffindors near them were still talking and eating.

"I don't know...we need to tell Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, and quickly stood up. Ron followed his lead and both of them went up to the stall table. Before they even spoke, Dumbledore nodded and stood up.

"Come with me," he said, and the two Gryffindors followed the headmaster out a back door.

~*~*~*~

"Step aside, Draco, or I will make you step aside," Lucius repeated again, this time with more of a manic sound to his voice. "You're being foolish...If you listen to me, you'll have everything you've ever wanted. Power, control, everything..."

Draco shook his head again in response. "I have everything I've ever wanted. I have Hermione," Draco said, looking back at her. Her eyes were watery, and a few tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"I love you, Draco…" Hermione managed to say, raising her head to look up at him.

"I love you, too, Hermione…I always will," he said, smiling at her. He turned his head back to his father. "Did you hear me? I will always love her."

"That's it!" Lucius shouted and walked forward to the pair. "I'm not allowed to put the Imperious curse on you, you have to do everything willingly, or believe me, I would have. It looks like I'm going to have kill the little Mudblood anyway," Lucius grabbed Draco's shoulder and pushed him aside, throwing him onto the floor. Hermione gasped and moved to help Draco up, but Lucius pushed her back against the wall.

Draco rubbed the back of his head as he started to stand up, but something caught his eye. The book…the book was only about two feet away from him, forgotten in a corner near Hermione. He blinked several times as he looked at it. Was it his imagination? Or was it glowing blue and shaking lightly? Lucius was looking intently at Hermione, and didn't appear to notice it. Draco made eye contact with Hermione and pointed at the book. She glanced at it, then at Draco, then back at Lucius. The Death Eater had not noticed anything.

"I will count to three, Draco…one…" he began, his wand pointed at Hermione's chest. "Two…"

In the time it took to get to three, Draco stood up quickly and moved to Hermione. His back faced the wand, and he embraced her, trying to pull her out of the way.

"Three. Avada Kedavra!"

~*~*~*~

I'll never let you down, even if I could

I'd give up everything if only for your good

So hold me when I'm here

Right me when I'm wrong

You can hold me when I'm scared

You won't always be there, so love me when I'm gone

Love me when I'm gone.

~*~*~*~

A/N: Please review!