Disclaimer; I'm not going to repeat it so if you must read it then please go to the previous chapter.

Chapter Nineteen: Graduation, Part Three

"Ron!" Hermione called, "Where'd you go?"

She was wandering around the Entrance Hall, calling down the corridors for her date. During all the confusion and panic his hand had slipped from hers and now she was the only one left. She heard someone behind her so she whirled around, only to find herself facing the empty hall.

'That's funny. I could've sworn I head someone.' She thought.

"Hello mudblood." A cold voice said behind her.

She looked around and saw that Lucius had somehow snuck around her.

"M…Mr Malfoy…" she stammered.

"All alone I see. That's good." He smiled cruelly, "Makes things easier for me."

"What do you want?"

"Revenge."

"I haven't done anything to warrant revenge!"

"Thanks to you and your meddling my son has forgotten everything I've ever taught him."

"What are you talking about? Didn't anyone tell you it was just a bet with the other Slytherin's?"

"Poor gullible mudblood." Lucius sneered, "He only said those things because I told him I'd kill you if he didn't."

"So… he…"

"Yes. He meant everything he said. Unfortunate that he didn't realise I'd kill you anyway. Still, it's not like the world will miss filth like you or that stupid blood traitor."

"Jaide? Is she…?"

"Dead? No, at least not yet. For her we chose a more… self destructive method. However, I think it would be best if I just killed you and called it a day."

Hermione quickly pulled out her wand and pointed it at Lucius. He simply looked at it amusedly and laughed.

"You are going to take on a fully-trained deatheater?"

"I'm not just going to stand here and die am I?"

"Very well. Lets see what you're made of mudblood." He raised his own wand and before she could move he muttered, "Crucio."

Draco sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"What the hell happened?" he asked himself. Then he remembered, "Father's going to attack!"

He ran up to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. Finding his wand had been taken he began pounding on it but it wouldn't budge. Then he heard someone screaming outside.

'That sounds like…' he listened carefully, 'It is. It's Hermione!'

He threw himself at the door, begging it to open, but it held fast. He dropped to the floor, sadly shaking his head.

"Hermione…" he said forlornly.

Draco wasn't the only one who had been drawn to Hermione's screams. Ron had ditched the group of escaping students and had gone looking for her when he heard her cries coming from the Entrance Hall. He ran as fast as he could and when he got there he saw Lucius holding his wand at Hermione, laughing maniacally.

"Leave her alone!" He exclaimed, distracting Lucius and causing the curse to be lifted.

"Oh, a Weasley. Were you looking for someone."

Ron glared at him, "Leave her alone."

"You know, I don't think I will."

Ron walked up to him and stood between his wand and Hermione.

"You're going to fight me too?" Lucius laughed, "Well, I must say this is amusing."

He was cut short, however, when Ron quickly stepped forward and punched him square in the face. He righted him self and scowled, wiping a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Why you filthy little… Weasley!"

"Shutup. You stand there with your wand thinking you're all big. You're so weak you have to hide behind magic just to beat a teenager."

"I will not allow you to talk to me like that." He yelled, "Crucio."

Ron fell backwards, screaming and twitching on the ground.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, before she was also hit with the curse.

Draco could hear two sets of screams now. Obviously someone was trying to help Hermione and they were clearly failing.

"That's it." He growled, "I'm getting out of here."

He picked up a desk from the classroom behind him and with as much force as he could, threw it at the window. It shattered with a loud crash and, after clearing away the jagged glass, he climbed through it and into the cold night. He ran around the side of the castle until he came to the front doors, which he pushed open and ran through.

"FATHER!" he bellowed, "LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!"

Lucius looked up in shock, "Draco? How did you…"

"Never mind that. I told you to leave her alone."

"She deserves this. Thanks to her all my years of work are wasted. Now stop this hero nonsense and go kill someone or something."

"Fuck you."

"What did you say?"

"I said fuck you."

"How dare you. You insolent little brat."

"Better to be an insolent brat then a coward."

"You are asking for it young man."

"Bring it on."

Before either of them could attack, however, Ron leapt up and attempted to steal Lucius's wand. He was thrown back to the ground and the deatheater surveyed him contemptuously.

"Hmmm, I was saving this for a special occasion but I think you deserve it." He smirked, "Morulo Mortis."

A jet of blood red light shot out of his wand and hit Ron in the chest. Hermione crawled over to him, a worried expression on his face.

"Ron!" she said wretchedly, "Are you okay?"

"Fine. What was that he did?"

She hesitated, "It was… well, it's called the Lingering Death."

"Huh?"

"It kills someone slowly by shutting down their body. First you'll suffer from paralysis, then blindness, then deafness and finally you'll suffocate." Draco told them horrified, "I'm sorry Weasel."

"Shutup Malfoy. I wouldn't be surprised if you were in on all this."

"All of you shutup. You're distracting me from what I came here to do. Time to kill the mudblood." Lucius raised his wand and pointed it at Hermione, "Avada Kedavra."

There was a flash of green light and Hermione gasped as Draco stepped in front of her. Then everything was engulfed in a blazing whiteness and she knew no more.

"…is she okay?"

"Just fine. That was bloody amazing Malfoy…"

Hermione groaned and opened her eyes.

"Hello 'Mione." Harry smiled.

"Harry?" she sat up carefully, "What happened?"

"Well, I was hiding in Jaide's office under Professor Snape's orders." He explained, "You can understand how that wouldn't have suited me at all, so when I heard the students rioting I snuck out and tried to help everyone fight. Then I heard you and Ron screaming so I headed in your direction, but I was at the other side of the school so it was all over by the time I got there."

"What was over?"

"The wicked fight between Malfoy and his dad."

"Oh my god. Malfoy got hit with Avada Kedavra."

"Calm down. I'm fine."

She looked over and saw Draco sitting by her bed, "How…?"

"After that white light disappeared I was sorta glowing. And I had sprouted wings or something. I didn't really know what I was doing but I flew at my father. Passed right through him and he started gasping, like he couldn't breathe. A few seconds later he burst into flames."

"Was it the…"

"The Lialle? I should think so."

"Thank god that's over." She put her head back on her pillow, "So, who got hurt?"

"No official word yet, but I heard the death toll is at five." Harry told her.

"God. Is Jaide okay?"

They both looked away.

"What happened? Come on, tell me."

Harry gulped, "Um, she's kinda in this sorta deep depression. According to Professor Snape she hasn't said a word since…"

"Since?"

"Since my bitch of a mother marked her." Draco finished angrily.

"Marked her? With the…?"

"Dark Mark."

Hermione put her hand to her mouth, "Oh no. What about Ron."

"He's not doing much better. He's lost feeling in his legs. Madam Pomfrey says he won't live for longer than a fortnight."

It was all too much for Hermione and she started crying, not stopping until she fell asleep.

AN: Oh no! Poor Ronnie. Lol.