Chapter Sixteen

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and then felt a leather glove cover her mouth. Tears ran down her cheeks. Lucius Malfoy stood up and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Hermione. I hope you are very pleased with all the corruption you have put into my family. Now tell me one thing, are you associating with my son." The leather gloved hand came away from her mouth.

"I'd shoot myself if I was. Your whole family is messed up, Malfoy."

"I see; playing dumb are we? Let's make it a little clearer then. Are you my son's lover?"

"No," Hermione said through gritted teeth. "How many times do I have to say it, Malfoy? Are you fucking deaf?"

"I still don't believe you." He placed a tight grasp on Hermione's arm and pulled her out of the other wizard's clutch. He slammed her against the cold fridge, his hands skimming over her body.

"Get the bloody fucking hell away from her." Lucius turned and saw a very familiar face, an almost too familiar face. Hermione knew this face too. "I said get the fuck away from her, Malfoy." Lucius stepped away as Blair Conwell cocked the gun in her hand. The gun against Narcissa Malfoy's head.

"Good job, Malfoy. Where are her parents?"

"In the basement."

"Are they dead?"

"No,"

"Good, now I suggest you get out before I contact my boss…Dumbledore. Maybe you're familiar with him. And I'm keeping your wife here. Don't worry, we won't hurt her or rape her like you do." Blair said calmly. "Trot along now," Lucius and the other wizard glared but then left.

Blair let go of Narcissa and dropped the empty gun. "Friends till the end." Blair said approaching Hermione. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her forehead. Hermione pulled away though and rushed down to the cold basement. She found her parents scared and tied up.

Hermione untied them and hugged them as tight as she could. But she couldn't stay here for much longer. She had to go to Hogwarts. Draco would be waiting.

§¤§

"How'd you get in?"

"Floo powder. Narcissa called me, I went over there and then we some how magically ended up in your study fire place."

"Australia is a long ways away though."

"Australia is the center of the world, Hermione."

They continued talking as they got to the gates of the school. Hermione's parents and Narcissa were safe at a neighbor's.

Blair grabbed Hermione's hand and stopped. "People will be talking."

"It's Christmas Eve, Blair." Blair nodded and then they walked into the almost empty school.

Hermione ran up to her dormitory and found Draco waiting. He stood up and gave her the tightest hug he could give her. He never wanted to let her go again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Hermione." Tears flowed out of his eyes.

"Draco, don't ever leave me again." She cried softly into his chest.

"I won't, don't worry, I will never ever leave you again."

Blair and Jessie Knowlton burst into the room. Jessie stared feeling overwhelmed by the news. "He's sick, Draco. My dad called and told me what he had heard. He says if your mother needs anything…" Her sentence trailed off as she noticed Draco wasn't even paying attention.

She ran a hand through her hair, flipping it to the other side. She wished she hadn't cheated on Draco. When you could finally tame him, you could finally be the beast. But when he finally tamed you all there was left to do was care about each other. To care about the beast, to care about the tamer. This bond would never break.

Draco held Hermione close burrowing his face into her hair. First his mother, then himself…now…now the one person who he connected with so well, the one person that he found love and care in.

Draco looked into Hermione's eyes loosening his grip and cupped her face with his hands. "Are you gonna be okay?" She nodded her head.

"You guys want anything to eat? I'm going down to the Great Hall for dinner." Jessie offered, feeling so left out. Draco looked at Hermione and then back at Jessie.

"I think we're fine."

"I'm gonna go with her," Blair said finally leaving them in peace.

Hermione sniffed and wiped away her tears. "I think I'm going to just go to bed." Draco nodded and followed her into her bed room. She fell onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Draco sat on the edge, placing a hand on her stomach.

"When we first got high, I don't know if you remember, but we both said we would get married to each other and have kids." Draco said. Hermione smirked and rolled onto her side. Draco leaned in and kissed her.

"But the only way we can ever get married is if we start dating…being boyfriend and girlfriend. Will you be my girlfriend, Hermione?" He said. Hermione flashed a grin and then pretended like she was thinking.

"I'd thought you would never ask. Sure," She pulled Draco on top of her and he pulled a half of a blanket over their bodies. He snapped and the lights turned off. He could feel her hands on his cheeks, her breathing into his ear. It gave him the chills…but these chills were nice.

Hermione kissed his neck and closed her eyes as Draco whispered into her ear. "I've never felt this way about anyone. With my girlfriends, I only wanted sex. Now I want the person for herself."

"With all my other boyfriends I want the person for himself, but now I only want sex." Draco pulled away and brushed the stray frizzes off of her forehead. He looked at her eyes as they opened.

"Hermione…I can't and you know that."

"Right…It's not Christmas yet." She kissed him once last time and then closed her eyes falling into a deep slumber of dreams.

§¤§

Jessie sighed as she finished off a Christmas cookie. Blair looked at her, twirling her spoon in a bowl of hot oatmeal. "I feel like I'll never be good enough for Draco anymore." The moving candle light made Jessie's blue eyes glisten.

"He cares about you Jessie, he really does. But now…he really believes that he's in love with this girl. You've convinced him." Jessie looked up and suddenly felt her stomach churn, tears welling up inside her. Blair grabbed Jessie's hand and then pushed her fried hair out of her face. "You're beautiful and deserve a great man, a better man then Draco. Draco didn't nurture you like you should have been when you two were together. Blaise is still an ass hole and damnit Jessie no one has a right to treat you like that."

"All the guys here just want me for my looks. They never look pass it."

"Some men do, some men don't. But until then, you just gotta keep trudging through this world and the best man will appreciate you for that." Jessie sighed and took another cookie, shoving it in her mouth.

"Oh God, I'm going to get humongous if they make any more of these cookies." Blair laughed and looked over as Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley walked in. Her stomach turned into butterflies. Jessie looked over and smirked. She hated the both of them; thought they were too immature to be in 7th years. "You like Harry Potter?"

"Shh," Blair said. Jessie rolled her eyes as the two boys approached Blair and ignored Jessie. Blair smiled at them, but looked at Harry dreamily. Shouldn't Harry have been looking at her that way?

"Are you going to that party tonight?" Harry asked winking at Blair. Jessie had heard of no such party and if the Gryffindor's were having this party then almost the whole school would have known. They were after infamous of playing the loudest, most annoying music ever.

Blair bit the corner of her lip and looked at Jessie smiling. "Yeah, let's go." Blair said taking Harry's hand and leaving Jessie and Ron together. Ron stood there looking off into the lonely Great Hall, hands shoved in his pockets, rocking back and forth, making sounds with his mouth.

"You can sit down, Weasley. I'm not going to attack you."

"I'd rather stand; it builds up leg muscle." Ron said looking at her.

Blair led Harry into her room and giggled at his little jokes. She pushed him against the wall and kissed him, putting her hands on his face. She pulled away and laughed. "What do you wanna do?"

"Be with you." Blair's stomach filled with more butterflies then before. Harry made her go crazy and she loved it. He placed a hand on the side of her face and kissed her. Blair pulled him by the sleeves of his red polo, feeling her claves hit the edge of her bed. Harry moved his hand to her lower back and then the other one hit the bed as they fell together. Harry pulled away and combed his fingers through her black hair.

Blair bit her lip knowing Harry was a bit unsure about this. "Blaise Zabini would do anything to be in your place right, Harry. But I'd rather have you. You're taller anyway." Harry smirked and then kissed her again.

§¤§

Jessie took another cookie and shoved it in her mouth. She then tiredly rested her head on the table. She closed her eyes for a second and then felt a light tapping on her cheek. She opened her eyes and saw Weasley sitting there stuffing his face. "We're not done with them all yet."

"Weasley, it's almost midnight. I'm a tired, angry, depressed Slytherin girl who feels as if she'll fall apart any second now if she doesn't sleep. And Christmas won't be so jolly if you keep me awake."

"Ah, come on Knowlton, you know you want one more."

"I will puke all over you if you make me eat another one." Jessie hissed.

"Okay," Ron said coolly. Jessie lifted her head and glared at him still holding out another sugar cookie. He dropped the cookie and looked around. "Wanna have a snow ball fight?"

"No thanks," She replied, resting her head once more and closed her eyes, falling asleep to dream about…things.