This is a short one folks, but it's important. I hope you enjoy!
The two woke up early the next morning to catch the train. Hermione said goodbye to her brother and parents at the barrier. Mrs. Granger kissed Draco on the cheek when he thanked her for taking him in for the week. The brothers shook his hand and watched the two board the train. They found a compartment by themselves, and slept the whole way back. When they got off the train, they got into a cart that brought them through the gates of Hogwarts. When the got out, Draco took Hermione's hand, and was about to lead her back into the castle when he heard a cool voice behind him.
"So good to see you son. Sorry to miss you over Christmas. And what is this? You with Miss Granger? I believe we need to have a talk boy." Lucius Malfoy said to Draco. The couple stopped dead in their tracks and turned around.
"Hello Father." Draco said to him.
"Come boy, without her." He said, looking at Hermione.
"I'm not letting you go without me." She said, taking a tighter grip on his hand and giving him a defiant look.
"This is something he and I have to sort out. I don't want you in the middle of it." He said, looking into her eyes.
"You're not going without me." She said again.
"I'll be alright. I love you." He said, kissing her and letting go of her hand. She stood still for a moment, looking at him and finally turned around and walked back up to the castle. He followed his father into the woods.
"What on earth do you think you're doing? A mudblood? THAT mudblood?"
"Don't call her that." He said, looking at his father angrily.
"I will call her what I want boy. Don't talk back to me like that. Do you have any idea what the Dark Lord would do to us if he found out one of his most faithful servants son's was seeing a mudblood?"
"I don't care. He can do whatever he likes to you." After Draco said that, his father punched him and his lip began to bleed.
"You will leave her Draco."
"Or what?" He asked defiantly, wiping the blood off his face.
"Or I will have her killed." His father said maliciously.
"You wouldn't dare." Draco said through his teeth. Lucius took Draco by the neck of his robes.
"I wouldn't hesitate to kill you, why would I think twice about killing her? You have until tomorrow night Draco. If it's not done by then, I will see to it that she is killed." With that, Lucius disappeared into the dark woods. Draco wiped away the blood that was still trickling down his chin. What was he going to do?
Hermione was up all night. Harry and Ron were still at the Burrow, they would be back the next day. What was going on with Draco? Was he alright? What had his father said? She walked back to her room and looked over to her rose. A corner of one of the pedals of the rose was beginning to wilt. He was hurt. She grabbed the rose to make sure she wasn't seeing anything, and she wasn't. She ran down o his common room and spoke the password. He had given it to her a while ago. There was no one in the icy common room, so she began to yell.
"Draco! DRACO!" and sure enough, he came running down the stairs.
"Hermione! What are you doing here?" He said, coming over to her.
"The rose was wilting, and I was worried about you. Did he hit you?" She said, seeing the cut at the side of his mouth. He wrapped her in his arms.
"Hermione, we can't see each other anymore." He said.
"What? I don't understand. Is it because of him?" She asked, meaning his father. "You're going to let him tear us apart like that."
"Hermione, he's going to kill us if we don't stop being together." She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He finished. She stood there for a moment in shock. He walked over to her and put his arms around her again. The two stood there together, holding each other.
"I'm sorry." He whispered to her. They stayed with each other for a while, until Hermione finally pulled away.
"I will always love you." He said as she walked out the door. Hermione made her way back to the common room like a zombie. Draco was the only thing keeping her from feeling for Harry anymore. He made her feel special, and now that was over. He kept her from being alone and vulnerable. What was happening?
The two woke up early the next morning to catch the train. Hermione said goodbye to her brother and parents at the barrier. Mrs. Granger kissed Draco on the cheek when he thanked her for taking him in for the week. The brothers shook his hand and watched the two board the train. They found a compartment by themselves, and slept the whole way back. When they got off the train, they got into a cart that brought them through the gates of Hogwarts. When the got out, Draco took Hermione's hand, and was about to lead her back into the castle when he heard a cool voice behind him.
"So good to see you son. Sorry to miss you over Christmas. And what is this? You with Miss Granger? I believe we need to have a talk boy." Lucius Malfoy said to Draco. The couple stopped dead in their tracks and turned around.
"Hello Father." Draco said to him.
"Come boy, without her." He said, looking at Hermione.
"I'm not letting you go without me." She said, taking a tighter grip on his hand and giving him a defiant look.
"This is something he and I have to sort out. I don't want you in the middle of it." He said, looking into her eyes.
"You're not going without me." She said again.
"I'll be alright. I love you." He said, kissing her and letting go of her hand. She stood still for a moment, looking at him and finally turned around and walked back up to the castle. He followed his father into the woods.
"What on earth do you think you're doing? A mudblood? THAT mudblood?"
"Don't call her that." He said, looking at his father angrily.
"I will call her what I want boy. Don't talk back to me like that. Do you have any idea what the Dark Lord would do to us if he found out one of his most faithful servants son's was seeing a mudblood?"
"I don't care. He can do whatever he likes to you." After Draco said that, his father punched him and his lip began to bleed.
"You will leave her Draco."
"Or what?" He asked defiantly, wiping the blood off his face.
"Or I will have her killed." His father said maliciously.
"You wouldn't dare." Draco said through his teeth. Lucius took Draco by the neck of his robes.
"I wouldn't hesitate to kill you, why would I think twice about killing her? You have until tomorrow night Draco. If it's not done by then, I will see to it that she is killed." With that, Lucius disappeared into the dark woods. Draco wiped away the blood that was still trickling down his chin. What was he going to do?
Hermione was up all night. Harry and Ron were still at the Burrow, they would be back the next day. What was going on with Draco? Was he alright? What had his father said? She walked back to her room and looked over to her rose. A corner of one of the pedals of the rose was beginning to wilt. He was hurt. She grabbed the rose to make sure she wasn't seeing anything, and she wasn't. She ran down o his common room and spoke the password. He had given it to her a while ago. There was no one in the icy common room, so she began to yell.
"Draco! DRACO!" and sure enough, he came running down the stairs.
"Hermione! What are you doing here?" He said, coming over to her.
"The rose was wilting, and I was worried about you. Did he hit you?" She said, seeing the cut at the side of his mouth. He wrapped her in his arms.
"Hermione, we can't see each other anymore." He said.
"What? I don't understand. Is it because of him?" She asked, meaning his father. "You're going to let him tear us apart like that."
"Hermione, he's going to kill us if we don't stop being together." She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He finished. She stood there for a moment in shock. He walked over to her and put his arms around her again. The two stood there together, holding each other.
"I'm sorry." He whispered to her. They stayed with each other for a while, until Hermione finally pulled away.
"I will always love you." He said as she walked out the door. Hermione made her way back to the common room like a zombie. Draco was the only thing keeping her from feeling for Harry anymore. He made her feel special, and now that was over. He kept her from being alone and vulnerable. What was happening?