A/N  Alright—finally this chapter is done. I think that this chapter is good, but maybe not flowing as well as my others. Now to my lovely reviewers; I LOVE YOU!

BelleThePhilosopher'sCookie—Thanks for the encouragement; I worked really hard on that chapter. I'm going to try and make every chapter in this story good, so I'm having it edited by so many people.

Lynxkittin- I tried to pick someone unexpected, and I think you'll be surprised. I always liked it when I felt like I could influence the outcome of a story on fanfiction, so I thought that I should give others that opportunity.

Dragonfire101- Thanks for the encouragement—I tried to separate Hermione and Draco parts this time, hopefully it shows up. Sometimes that stuff gets messed up. I think that Narcissa helps with Lucius' Death Eater activities, so she is in big trouble if she does get caught.

CrazyPoet- I really try to make my chapters longer, but I stop when I think I have to. If I continue I won't be able to stop! I'll try to make them a bit longer in the future. I noticed that your pen name is CrazyPoet—I love poetry! Hopefully I'm going to put some of my own later on in the story and I would love for you would review it!

Victor Von Doom--- Thanks for the encouragement—I kind of combined the last two options—but you'll see how!

Do a Crazy Dance—thanks for the encouragement!

Love2045—Thanks for the encouragement—I tried to make them both different, but I'm getting writers block on my other story! Help me out—give me ideas! Please!!

Prowlingwolf- I love your reviews! I will soon go back and replace that chapter, but I had to post this one first. Criticize me more—it is so hard to find a critical reviewer these days.

Shades Of Gray

Chapter Three

The Battle

          Draco drew his wand with trembling yet determined fingers. He pushed the frozen figure of his mother towards the dining room, towards the secret passage, and urgently told her to run.

"Go, mother. Run to the dining room. And don't look back." Narcissa's eyes widened with the impact of his words, and her fear took another form. Her body was released from Terror's hold and she sprinted desperately toward the looming doors, her white blond hair streaming out behind her. As the last sounds of her mother's heels faded from the hallway, he turned to face the door and made his decision.

 He would not flee like an intimidated coward in the face of danger. He would stand his ground. Draco Malfoy would not run away this time.

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Hermione Granger's amber eyes flickered open, her hair swaying back and forth as she was carried through a hallway of blinding white. The frightening blackness threatened to overwhelm her mind once more, and she struggled to remain conscious. Suddenly the realization that a was man was carrying her through a hallway hit her and her eyes rolled to see who her mystery man was. What she saw caused the young girl to gasp in surprise. The most unlikely of figures was helping her.

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His feet braced the ground as the great mahogany doors trembled once more. His head looked back one more time, barely catching a glimpse of his mother's hair disappearing around the corner. Suddenly the doors flew open, and six figures stepped through the door, their cloaks flying back with a sudden rush of air. Dramatically pushing back the hoods of their cloaks almost simultaneously, Draco quickly started casting every spell that he could think of. He was startled for a moment when one of the aurors was revealed to have canary yellow hair. However, Draco was determined not to be distracted from completing the task at hand.

"Stupefy!" Yelling the stunning charm, he spun to the left to avoid a charging spell.

"Expelliarmus!" Spells and charms were heard echoing throughout the high, swooping ceiling of the entrance hall, and house elves cowered in the kitchen. However, Draco was outnumbered six to one, and in a matter of minutes, they had overpowered him. Binding him and taking away his wand seemed to be enough for the time being. One auror guarded the blond boy while the others sprinted throughout the corridors of the mansion. Draco wished desperately for his mother to have escaped. She may not have loved him, or even pretended to care, but he would never have wished this fate upon her. To be locked away in Azkaban, rotting away over time. Narcissa would never survive with Dementors watching her every move.

"No!" A panicked, high-pitched scream flew throughout the mansion, reflecting the terror dwelling within Narcissa. Two of the aurors came out, floating the limp, unconscious body of the mistress of the Malfoy mansion behind them.  

A weathered looking man in a gruff voice demanded, "Take them away." And with a crack, they were gone.

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Professor Snape was helping Hermione Granger. The fact of this barely registered before they turned into a room that hummed with the noise from various machines. He dumped her unceremoniously onto a small, yet comfortable, cot. The greasy Potions teacher whirled on his heel and swept out of the room, his robes billowing out behind him. Professor Dumbledore entered through the doorway, and sat down in a hard chair placed next to the bed in which Hermione lay.

"Miss Granger?" The girl struggled to answer him, and finally choked out a response in the form of a small grunt; the only acknowledgement that she was aware of being addressed.

"I am sorry to be the one to tell you this. If you have not realized this as of yet, your parents were killed by Death Eaters." Bitter tears cascaded down Hermione's flushed cheeks, as she stared at the ceiling.

"I know," she said in a broken voice. Flashes of her life raced through her mind; from everyday occurrences to special holidays. A small sob escaped from her throat, but she held back hysteria to ask a question that had been plaguing her thoughts.

"Where am I, Professor?" Dumbledore was relieved to find that she could function enough to ask a logical question, instead of dissolving into hysterics at once, as many would have. It was highly unusual to see Miss Granger lose her temper or control over her emotions, and the impact of her parents' death was great. He understood how close she must have been to her parents as soon as the aurors told him how they had found her clinging to the bodies of her parents.

"You are at St. Mungo's hospital. You are to be here only temporarily, after which you will be moved to Hogwarts. Unless you would prefer to stay with you aunt and uncle?" Hermione shuddered at the thought. Aunt Francis and Uncle George were cold, formal, and over-all uptight people. From the moment they discovered she was a witch, expressions of contempt flitted across their faces every time they saw her. No, she did not fancy living with them.

"No, Professor. Most definitely not."

"I expected your answer to be along those lines. Well, I will leave you to your rest. Madame Pomfrey will be the one attending you; she insists that she is the only one that knows how to properly treat you," Dumbledore completed. He rose and exited the room, pausing right before he left the doorway. Turing back, he expressed one last sentiment.

"I am very sorry for your loss, Miss Granger. Very sorry indeed."

WOOHOO! This chapter is finally done! I am not that great at battle scenes, but I tried to create the picture of it—give me some info so if there is another battle I can work on it! Just in case you were wondering, this will have no material whatsoever of a Hermione/Snape. I had Snape carry her because he was someone unexpected. There was nothing, let me repeat that, NOTHING between the two of them. I hope that you liked this chapter! Give me some advice or criticism!

OPTIONS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!

1) Hermione and Draco go to Hogwarts

2) Ron and Harry go and comfort Hermione

3) Draco goes on trial for suspected Death Eater Activties

4) Narcissa goes on trial

5) Narcissa gets thrown into Azkaban  

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