A/N…sorry I took so long…very long week! I'm trying to make time to write during study halls but I just can't seem to think when I'm there! Too much going on around me. This chappie is really really actiony (pardon my making up words) I'm planning on two to three more chapters…then maybe a sequel!

Disclaimer…I'm too cheap to be rich!

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Hermione lay on the floor of the dungeons, Lucius had left her alone since then, and a house elf had been bringing her bread and water once every other day. Hermione knew that the only reason Lucius was keeping her around was so he could break her, but she wouldn't let that happen.

Normally she would lay on her side under the flambeaux to keep warm, not moving very much to keep her strength up. She would mostly stare into space and think to herself, but every once in a while, a prayer would be whispered through her feeble lips.

"Oh Father, art thou in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us, and lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil. Fore thine is thy kingdom and the power and glory forever." *a/n…if this isn't how you all say it, I'm sorry, but this is just how I remember it!*

The door creaked open and the house elf scampered in bringing a slice of bread and small glass of water. "Beanie bring you water ma'am."

Hermione sat up in a tortured way, taking the water and swallowing it at a breath. Then eating the bread bit by bit. "Thank you Beanie." She forced a half-hearted smile and the elf scuttled away again.

The next day Hermione heard an unusual sound coming from the hall, it almost sounded like screaming. Using all of her strength she crawled over to the door and put her ear to the crack. The sound was screaming! All of a sudden there was a clamor of metal crashing to the ground and the door swung open. Standing above her was…

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Draco, Harry, and Ron all went to Dumbledore's office, as they walked in the old man was using the pensive. He put the stone tub away and sat behind his desk.

"What can I do for you boys?" He smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Hermione's gone, my father has taken her." Draco stated matter-of-factly. Dumbledore's eyes flared.

"Do you all have your wands?" The boys nodded, "Alright, then come with me!" He said calmly, rushing out of the office and down the corridor. Draco, Harry, and Ron all followed in silence. They came to Professor McGonagall's office.

"Minerva, Hermione's been taken." Dumbledore told her. The witch gaped at the headmaster.

"Draco, do you know where your father might have taken her?" The old wizard asked him.

Draco knew he might take her to the manor, but the only place he would be able to take her was into his father's chambers, where everyone was forbidden to go. "Yes."

"Where?" Professor McGonagall asked hurriedly.

"The manor, it's the only place that no one will question him."

Ron and Harry stood by Draco and hadn't said anything to each other, they looked each other in the eyes, it was a silent but mutual apology to each other.

"Minerva, get some floo powder and alert the Ministry, we need to go now!"

The witch hurried off and the new trio stood in front of Dumbledore. "As far as you three, you will come with me, hopefully you can help me find her, Draco I trust that you know where your father's chambers are then?"

Draco thought back to the one time when he had been in his father's chambers, it was the only time. "Yes, I know exactly where they are."

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Draco crept around his room silently, everything seemed foreign to him. Two ministry officials, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Harry, and Ron followed him out of the fireplace.

"Okay Draco, show us to him." One of the officials said. She was older, about his mother's age, her name was Sandy. She had graying blonde hair, her face was kind normally, but now it was full of anticipation. The other was quite young, his name was Jeremy, he was about 26, tall and broad shouldered with a goatee and dark hair.

The Slytherin led the way out of his room and down the hall. He knew his mother was up in her study, reading books, and he figured his father was in his chamber, probably hurting Hermione. Draco gripped his wand harder, white knuckled and almost breaking it.

They reached the large oak doors to the chamber. Sandy unlocked it with a complex spell and led the way, with Draco behind her. The long hall was dark, just as Draco remembered it. A blood red carpet leading the way to the stairs that led to the basement and to his father's study.

"She's probably down there." Draco whispered as they reached the end of the hall.

"You go find her, we'll take care of Lucius." Jeremy said as the four adults went toward the study. Draco, Harry, and Ron walked down the stone steps.

Draco came to the end of the steps to find a small room that branched off into three hallways. There were four fencing swords crossing each other on the wall. Draco took them down and handed one to Harry and Ron, and then took one for himself. Without speaking he pointed to Harry and then to one of the hall ways, then did the same with Ron and a different hallway. They parted ways, keeping their wands drawn along with their swords.

Draco opened every door, to no avail of finding Hermione. He reached another set of steps and went down them. When he got to the bottom he found three doors. The first one contained a bloody mattress, the second was an empty room, and before he could reach the third he heard someone curse from behind him.

"Crucio."

Draco screamed as he felt hooks tearing his skin off. Lucius lifted the spell and Draco stood up and brushed the dirt off of him. "Nice one father, I commend you. Now, where is Hermione."

"Oh, you mean the whore? She's dead." Lucius held a death glare at Draco.

"I don't believe you, bloody bastard." Draco spat.

"Never doubt your father Draco."

Draco gripped the sword in his hand, praying that his father was lying. Hermione couldn't be dead, she was too much of a fighter. "On guard father, no wands, just swords."

"Very well." Lucius held his wand out to his side and dropped it, Draco followed suit. The older Malfoy took a chain of a dragon off his neck and transfigured it into a sword like Draco's.

"On guard." There was a clashing of metal as the son and father duo fought each other.

"You have fought well Draco, but I am still better."

"I learned from the best father." Draco said as he jabbed at Lucius, hitting his shoulder and drawing blood.

"I taught you well I see," Lucius replied, hitting Draco in the stomach. He felt the pain soar through him but kept going.

"This is taking too long," Malfoy Sr. muttered, transfiguring the two fencing swords into two full sized rapiers. The metal weighed heavy in Draco's hand, but not as much as the guilt of Hermione's alleged death hung in his heart.

Lucius cut into Draco's side, gritting his teeth, he bared the pain and gave it his all. After a few close calls, Draco used the rest of his strength and rammed the rapier into Lucius's breastbone. The man swayed before falling to the floor in a pool of blood. He took his last breath and gasped for words.

"No matter how much you may not believe it, I did love you Draco." He gasped again. Draco put his hand on the end of the sword and his foot on his father's chest.

"Die, you bloody bastard." He cried, twisting the sword in his father's chest. His ribs snapped and punctured his lung and his heart. There were sickening gushes from inside the man as his organs shut down like lights at the end of a long day.

Draco removed the rapier from his father and threw it to the ground. Then practically crawled over to his wand to semi-repair his wounds. Once he was healed somewhat, he walked to the last door and opened it slowly, Hermione looked up as he walked in.

"Oh God Draco. I thought you'd never come." She cried as Draco collapsed to the floor beside her.

"I'm hear darling, and my father is dead." He said proudly, looking at the body laying out in the hallway. There was a sound of voices coming from the stairwell and the rest of the group walked down the steps.

"We're in here!" Draco called in a rough voice. Sandy and Jeremy were busy inspecting Lucius's body while Ron, Harry, and Dumbledore hurried over to where the two lay.

Harry hugged Hermione tightly and she forced a weak smile, Ron broke down crying next to her.

"Merlin Hermione, I'm so sorry, I was being stubborn. You didn't deserve this, no one does!" He cried, wrapping her in a hug.

"It's alright Ron, just get me back to Hogwarts, please. I just want to leave this place behind."

"We will do that Miss Granger. I just need you to touch this please." Dumbledore held out an 8 ball, Hermione knew it was a port key. Gratefully she touched the ball along with Draco, Ron, and Harry. They dissolved and reappeared in the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over to them and lay Hermione on a bed alongside Draco. The Head Girl looked over at her Slytherin lover, forcing a smile before she drifted off to sleep.

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A/N…welp, there ya go! Hope you all liked this chappie…the next will be recovery and the last will be graduation…so two more chappies and then of course one with all my thank yous…please review!

Love and Fluff,

Natalie