*TGE*TGE*TGE*

When Draco hit the ground he was cushioned not only by the myriad of charms but Cedric's body. With barely enough momentum, Cedric spun and made sure he would hit the ground first. His last thought, before he cracked his head on the frozen ground, was how he needed to keep his grip on Draco. Draco on the other hand wanted to get up and scream. The voice was yelling at him for failing to fly into the ground and the only way to make it up was to kill and Draco didn't want to but he didn't think he could fight it.

Severus arrived first and saw Draco's eyes open and wildly darting about. It wasn't right and it reminded him of …. "Stop, no one touch Draco. Sophie, we need Amelia here now." Severus worried about Cedric's injuries but more the more pressing issue was whose spell would have hit Draco first.

"What?"

"Look, he looks like Miss Abbott. We need to figure out if anyone other than Cedric cast an arresto momentum that actual hit Draco." The adults all looked at each other shaking their heads realizing the meaning behind the question. "Than likely his spell would have been the first to hit Draco and then he captured him. Cedric is the only one who can get Draco to somewhere safe." Everyone looked to Cedric, who was out cold, holding Draco in a tight grip.

"We need to keep everyone from him. Poppy, —" Whatever Severus was going to say was interrupted when Hermione came running toward them. Minerva, standing on the opposite side grabbed Hermione and spun her away.

"Miss Granger." The girl was fighting and screaming for Draco when Harry reached them. "Mr Potter, do not take another step!" It was then Harry realized no one was near Draco and Severus was standing guard. Aurora stepped forward and pulled Hermione from Minerva.

"Hermione, you will come with me. Harry you too. We will go to Minerva's office." Hermione fought, oh how she fought, she couldn't fail to get to Draco. It was her fault. If she told Draco how she was feeling he wouldn't have played.

"No, I need to check on Draco, it's my fault. I should have told him. He wouldn't have played." Harry shut his eyes in worry, he knew what Hermione was saying and worried she was right. He told her to not worry and now his best friend ... Harry didn't want to think why his best friend wasn't moving. "Draco, I'm here!" She screamed as Aurora started to pull her away. Farther from Draco, farther from where she knew she needed to be. "Draco! Hang on!" Those were the last words the boy heard from Hermione, hearing it over the voice that continued screaming at him.

"It's not your fault, let's get inside." Hermione still struggled but found her energy quickly used after being held firmly by the two other witches.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Poppy was able to get near enough Cedric to confirm his leg was broken and a minor concussion, but no other major injuries. She worried about casting any other diagnostic spells based on what she knew from the Hannah Abbott situation. The professors kept students away and told them to remain in their seats. Right now the professors could not risk splitting up. It was to this chaos Amelia Bones ran onto the pitch. "What is it?"

Severus pulled Amelia close and quickly whispered his concern. Amelia looked at the boy on the ground realizing Severus was correct. "And the boy who's knocked out?"

"We believe Cedric was the first to cast a spell and also caught him. Draco began a nose dive and Cedric stopped him from hitting the ground at full speed. He saved Draco's life." It was then Cedric began to wake and his grip started to slacken. Severus, knowing there was little chance if Draco got free, dove onto the ground and wrapped his arms around Cedric and therefore Draco.

Severus started speaking quickly to Cedric telling him to keep holding on and to not fight. He saved Draco but he needed to hold on a bit longer.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Hermione paced the office. Aurora couldn't calm her and Harry was in a right state himself. She understood. If it had been Severus, she didn't want to think. Draco was still safe and Severus already knew how to brew the antidote. The boy would be fine.

"Hermione, I can't tell you what's going on. I don't really know. Severus took control. You trust Severus don't you?" Both of the distraught children nodded slowly. They did trust Severus. "He is doing everything he can. Draco was awake, but until he can be diagnosed, he needs to stay away from people." Hermione stopped moving and began to weep.

Harry brought his friend to the couch and held her until she fell asleep. He didn't know how long they sat in the silent office, but at some point Minerva arrived. The witch who always carried herself and never broke, had obviously been crying and at that moment, Hermione woke. The younger witch saw Minerva's face and slipped into a full blown panic attack. It didn't take long before she passed out from not getting a breath.

Once the girl was unconscious, Minerva and Aurora were able to get a calming draught into her system. Only then did her body begin to relax and Aurora could get some answers. "Was Severus right?" Minerva nodded and looked out the window.

"Yes, he said Cedric saved Draco twice. Amelia has the entire auror corps encircling the grounds trying to figure out if the curse was just sent or if he had been on him for some unknown length of time." Aurora shuddered at the thought.

"Professor, what's wrong?" Minerva forgot Harry was in the room and saw the boy who'd been raised as Draco's brother trying to remain strong but quickly losing control of his emotions.

"The same thing that happened to Miss Abbott. He was cursed Mr Potter."

Harry looked to Hermione and his resolve broke, through his tears he addressed his head of house, "She is going to lose her mind, she told me in the stands, before the game started, she felt something was wrong. Something was going to happen. I ended up asking her to explain what she'd do if something did happen. She went through the spells and seemed to relax. She was the first one to know something was wrong. She and I threw as many cushioning charms as we could before Cedric grabbed him."

Aurora held a weeping Harry as Minerva began thanking the stars for Cedric Diggory. If he hadn't grabbed Draco before they hit the ground, Draco may well be dead. "It's not your fault. I want you three to stay here. I'll send Mr Zabini in and let Lucius know you're all here."

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

When Blaise arrived he was accompanied by Neville Longbottom. Harry gave his friends a confused look. "Dad's arrived. I think it was an all call for the DMLE, he told me to come and wait with you." The two newly arrived wizards sat next to Harry and heard what happened from his perspective and the boys told him their stories. Harry kept running his hand over Hermione's back as she slept.

Hours later, Hermione began to wake only to find herself really in Professor McGonagall's office and her tears started again. "It really happened? Draco fell?" Harry nodded and the girl shuddered in fear.

"You had a panic attack and they were able to calming draught in you after you passed out. You've been asleep for a few hours, but we really don't know more that we did earlier." Hermione pulled herself up and leaned into Harry.

"We don't know if he's alive?" Hermione choked on the last word and barely got it out before a new round of tears started and she buried her face in Harry's shoulder.

Harry, needing her to know the truth, pulled Hermione and got her to look at him. "He is alive. He's cursed Hermione. That's all I know. I know Cedric saved him and Severus did something too. But I don't know anything else." At this point Harry and Hermione both began to sob. Aurora, who stood silent guard, had tears streaming down her face. No one knew anything and the possibilities were too horrible to think about.

It was into this highly emotional state Severus entered the office. Aurora, not caring about being professional, ran to Severus and fell into his arms. Her expression along with the children, told Severus they needed to know the truth.

"Before I start, Miss Granger are you ok?" Hermione nodded with a shaky movement. "Minerva told me you had an attack, I can't have you having another one. Harry, keep an eye on her and if she starts to gasp you have to let me know immediately." Both of the Gryffindors agreed.

"Minerva said she told you Draco was cursed." The students again nodded. "It is the same curse as what was found on Hannah Abbott. We have a way to counteract it assuming the curse is diagnosed before a second person interacts with the victim."

Hermione stuffed her emotions away and listened to what Severus said, a second person. "Luckily for us, Cedric, who cast the first spell and touched him, was the only person near him before I arrived. I knew what happened right away. Amelia arrived and once Cedric was awake, we were able to get Draco to St. Mungo's. The antidote has been administered but we will not be telling anyone. That means you four cannot say a word about this."

Hermione understood before the boys, "If whoever did this realized Draco or Hannah were ok, they could do something worse." Severus nodded and watched as Hermione sucked in a very shaky breath. "Hannah is ok?"

Severus smiled at the girl. "Yes, she has been home for quite awhile and catching on her school work. Until the DMLE figures out who is responsible, neither she nor Draco will return to Hogwarts. That said, for the near term, Draco will remain at St Mungo's until his healer is completely confident he has recovered."

"I want to see him." Hermione suddenly sounded fine. The fact she was determined made Severus actually feel better.

"We are aware and are working on a way to get you, Harry and Blaise out of the school. We don't know if Draco was targeted for a reason or if he was just unlucky. What we need to know is if anyone touched Draco before the match."

Hermione nodded, "I hugged him and gave him a kiss before he went to change. I remember a few of the players shaking hands or patting him on the back before the game started. Cedric wasn't the last one. Marcus pulled him into a last minute conversation before they all took off. So, it had to happen during the match, right? Yes, if what you said is true about people touching Draco, the curse had to be placed after he was in the air."

Both of the professor's eyes shut, that was actually the worse case scenario. It would mean someone was near enough to the stadium to cast the spell. It would mean someone got through the wards. It would mean their fears were completely founded, they weren't safe. "Harry you have that map with you right?"

"It's in my trunk." Severus stood and waved for Harry to follow him, using the intra-school floo connection, the pair arrived in the Gryffindor common room where Severus immediately cast a revealing spell to make sure no one was hiding. The wizards quickly made their way to the dorms and Harry grabbed both the map and cloak. "Hermione said she had a bad feeling earlier, I have a bad feeling about leaving this." Severus could only agree.

In ten minutes the pair were back in Minerva's office and Severus stared at the map looking for any unexpected dot moving in the castle. Once Draco and Cedric were sent to St. Mungo's, the rest of the students relocated to the Great Hall with the remaining the professors. Severus and Aurora, along with the four children remained in Minerva's office. No one else should be anywhere in the castle. When that was the result, Severus relaxed slightly.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Narcissa Malfoy had never been so scared in her life. When Lucius received an emergency call from Hogwarts he left knowing nothing. When his head appeared in the floo and demanded Narcissa to come through immediately, her heart was in her throat. The couple were handed a port key and sent to St Mungo's. It was there Narcissa saw her baby restrained on a bed. He was still but the healers claimed they couldn't remove the restraints until the boy was medically cleared.

"What happened Luc?" The woman gripped her husband's arm in sheer terror.

"He was cursed, Cissy. They don't know how, or when, or who but they do know it was the same curse that the young Abbott girl had. Severus recognized something odd in Draco's face and saved him. Had anyone touched Draco he would have died."

Lucius wanted to punch a wall. When he learned what happened all he wanted to do was rail on Amelia Bones. She, again, failed to protect the students because the threat was unsubstantiated. "I should have pulled them from the school Cissy. I should have closed the damn place and had them return to the school on our property. I can promise you this place is closed until further notice. Frank is already on board."

Cissy nodded in shock. "Is Draco going to be ok?" She didn't know if she could face a world without her boy. "Did Severus have more of the antidote? It took him months to brew it the first time. Am I going to have to watch my son lay on a bed unconscious and not be able to touch him for months?" Narcissa's volume increased and her voice broke at the end.

"No Mrs Malfoy, Severus brewed multiple doses and placed more in stasis before the final step. He seems to plan ahead." Amelia Bones stood in the small viewing room where only Lucius and Narcissa were moments earlier. "The healers will be administering the antidote shortly. The head healer will be in soon to discuss what to expect. Once he is awake, we can discuss what we've found at the school. Frank has told me he will demand the school's closure. While I disagree, I believe I will be in the minority." Amelia left before Lucius got enough steam to start in on her.

"Unnecessary. She is bloody unbelievable." Lucius only stopped when Narcissa slipped her hand into his. "But, that is not my priority right now. It's Draco and the other children. Severus has the others and will keep them with him until we know something with Draco." Narcissa nodded but didn't look at her husband, her focus was on her son.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

"Can't even follow a simple direction. You are an absolute failure. All you needed to do was fly into the ground. But no, you had to get caught by that Hufflepuff. What sort of flyer are you? Getting caught by a Puff. You're a disgrace."

Draco didn't know where he was. He just knew a voice was yelling at him. He couldn't do anything. He was paralyzed. He wanted to get away from the voice but it just laughed and told him he'd never get away.

Draco knew better. He knew Hermione wouldn't let that happen. She promised him she wasn't leaving him. She would figure out what was wrong.

He needed to be strong and wait for her. He put his total faith in Hermione.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Frank Longbottom paced the halls of the school, he was the only individual in the school who was aware of exactly what happened. He and Severus had a quick discussion after the aurors secured the perimeter of the school. They decided Frank would patrol and Severus would remain with the children and the map.

Not for the first time, Frank cursed the Ministry's desire to not get involved. "These are just kids and she knew the wards were weak." Frank cursed a bit louder than he intended when he heard a laugh from behind him. Spinning around, he didn't see anyone. The laughter continued and Frank cast a wandless shield spell over himself before heading off to investigate. The single portrait in the hall seemed to be empty. Frank noticed nothing else untoward when he reached the end of the hall. The laugh seemed to have faded.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

The head healer, after a long discussion with the Malfoy parents, stood in the familiar position next to a cursed child. She slowly injected the antidote into the fluids hoping this would be as successful as it had been the first time.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Three days before the Yule holiday and Hermione wasn't feeling the festive spirit at all. The school closed the morning after Draco's accident, just over four weeks earlier. Everyone other than Neville, Blaise, Harry and she, remained in the Great Hall until Sunday morning. The rest of the school were escorted one year, one house at a time to their dorms where they packed everything.

No one said anything, but all suspected they would be back at the new school come the new term. Most were more confident in the safety measures on that school than the castle. Rumors ran rampant around the Hall on what happened. All that anyone knew for certain was Cedric and Draco were in an accident and after Professor Snape arrived at the scene, everything near him became blurry. Also neither boy had been seen since.

Once the students finished packing, they were escorted back to the Great Hall when the next set of students would be brought to their dorms to do the same thing. The house elves collected the trucks and stored them on the train. A few of the elves remained to guard the train and ensure no one accessed the red engine.

Within twenty-four hours of the accident every student arrived at home or with their friends. No students were allowed to stay over the holidays, like the prior year, those without a place, or a safe place to go, were housed by another family.

The parents, not knowing any more than the students, were rightfully outraged and demanded answers. Frank Longbottom, acting as temporary head of the Regents, explained an investigation into the accident was under way, but for reasons he could not provide details on, the term would be cut short. When a parent asked about the next term, Frank only said more information would be provided in the coming weeks.

Hermione knew they would be going to the new school, she'd gotten that much from her parents. She also knew her mum and dad knew more than they were telling her. It frustrated her to no end. On top of it all, she wasn't allowed to see Draco. She only knew what she'd been told and that was he would be fine. Not that he was fine.

Lucius and Narcissa spent every day at St. Mungo's. Every night they returned to their home with tear streaked faces and a defeated continence. Hermione's only saving grace was the fact Draco was alive. She knew something had to have gone wrong, Severus would spend hours every night in the Manor's lab only to leave to go to the Ministry every morning. Aurora would sit with the children trying to distract them.

Nothing could distract Hermione. Her heart hurt. Her magic felt like it was being torn from her. After a long four weeks, she was near her breaking point.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

"Was the curse altered? Have you found any differences between what was on Miss Abbott and what was found on Draco?" Severus's exhaustion was obvious to Frank, as he felt the same way. Nothing they did seemed to work. The questions on everyone's lips was the same. What was so different about Draco Malfoy?

"No, all of the reports show the same curse, same castor, same everything." Frank turned and punched the wall. While he was at the Ministry, Frank asked Alice to bring Neville and Aggie to the Manor. Given what happened, Frank worried for the safety of his family and had every faith the Malfoy family would kill before allowing another one of their children to harmed. And if that happened, he would be the first in line to make sure the evidence showed an odd combination of circumstances, none of which could be laid at the feet of the family. He'd learned quite a bit in his new role.

In the evenings, Frank would sit and listen as Neville told him how upset everyone was. Frank ended his thoughts and continued his comments to the only man he could really discuss this with, "Not only is Draco a student, a student who should not have been in that situation, my son comes home each night and can only talk about how torn up everyone is."
Severus, who knew so much better than Frank the disarray that was the home in Wiltshire, rubbed his face before picking up the reports. "Maybe there's something we aren't seeing. Everything is the same except the person. Other than a boy and girl, what else is different between Draco and Miss Abbott?" Severus spent many hours the night before trying to pick out the one bit of information that would shine a light on the situation.

Not having any better idea, Frank began to document everything he knew about the children, flagging anything that was different. "Did Hannah have a boyfriend?" Frank knew Draco and Hermione were an item and there seemed to be something a bit deeper than a childhood crush.

"Not that I'm aware. If the analysis is correct she was cursed for a rather short time before she attacked. Given she was a second year and she was born a few weeks before Harry, she is quite young for her year. I know Draco and Hermione are the same age, but they are an unusual pairing."

Frank sat up at that. "What do you mean, unusual?"

"They seemed drawn to each from the their first meeting. If what I've heard from Draco is correct, he was drawn to her before they met. Harry said the same thing, only his feelings for the girl are much more familiar, he calls her his sister. Draco's connection is different."

Frank nodded slowly. He pulled the antidote documentation and began to look through the ingredients. "I wonder …" his thoughts wandered off into silence while Severus sat and thought on their discussion. "Have the pair declared themselves?"

Severus was taken by surprise. "Have they started to court? Not officially, although the boy is less than subtle in his efforts. His jealousy is a bit of a concern for the Malfoys and Grangers. Apparently they have a rather sweet relationship, at least that is what Aurora tells me. As you know, I try to avoid teenage drama."

Frank chuckled, "How is Hermione feeling? The auror report says she felt uncomfortable before the match and thought something was going to happen." Severus nodded slowly. He had been quite focused on Draco when Hermione arrived but later he got the story from Harry.

"Yes, at least that is what Harry told me. He said she was very close to a panic attack before the match started but he talked her down. Poor girl still had one once she heard Draco was cursed." Frank hummed. "But to her current state, very anxious, unable to relax. I think Cissy has one of the elves slipping her a very dilute dose of sleeping draught each night. Yesterday Jean was complaining about her scratching herself." At that Severus stopped and looked to Frank. "Jean said it was almost like she was trying to get away from something that wasn't there."

"This is our most likely option Severus. What is your opinion?"

"Let me speak with Lucius and Narcissa."

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Severus sat with Lucius while Narcissa remained steadfast in her observation of Draco. After explaining that morning's discussion with Frank Longbottom and the only difference they could find between Draco and Hannah was Hermione, Lucius nodded slowly. "I agree, it seems to be the only viable theory. I have to stay here. Would you explain it to Rich and Jean?" Severus grasped his friend in a rare hug before leaving.

"Of course. He is my godson and I blame myself for this. I should have realized the relationship with Hermione could impact a behavioral curse."

"None of us would have thought about it." Lucius returned to Narcissa's side and Severus left the couple.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

"So what you're saying is this curse is altered in Draco because he's in love with Hermione?" Rich and Jean Granger experienced a lot of odd things since discovering their daughter's special talent, but to be told their fourteen year old daughter's thirteen year old boyfriend felt deeply enough to impact a curse was too much.

"What if you are wrong? What if it is something else? If anything happens to Draco after this, she will blame herself. I'm having a difficult enough time keeping her out of her own head." Jean was almost at her wit's end. The overwhelming feelings at the Manor were putting everyone on edge.

"I know Jean and I am of the belief Hermione's reaction is due to the same thing. She and Draco are connected so deeply she is having a difficult time dealing with the potential of her, of us, losing him. You said love and I'm not sure if that is the correct emotion. But they are something unique enough to alter the curse. Her magic may be what we need." Jean looked to Rich and the pair agreed. What else could they do.

"I'll go get her. Are we going right away?"

"We can leave shortly, I'm going to speak with Aurora and Alice. With you both leaving they'll need to know they are the only adults in the place." Severus didn't mention he also needed to have a bit of time with Aurora. The separation with her was beginning to wear on him as well.

In less than an hour Severus and Granger family arrived at the hospital and were directed to the same small viewing room where Lucius and Narcissa spent every day for the last month. Hermione ran to Narcissa and began to sob when she saw Draco. It was only when she placed her hand on the glass that Severus first noticed a subtle movement.

"I believe we are correct, look." Lucius was next to see the twitch in Draco's fingers. "The healer should be here in a moment and we will get Hermione closer. Hopefully that is all we need." When the healer stepped into the room, she immediately saw her patient's movement. It was only when her eyes landed on the young witch, whose hand remained on the glass, that she knew they'd stumbled on the answer.

"Well, let's get this witch a little closer." Hermione jumped and was surprised when Narcissa held Hermione's hand to the glass.

"The door is just there. No need to pull away from Draco." Hermione relaxed and kept her hand pressed to the glass. Until the healer opened the door, Hermione remained completely still, her eyes trained on Draco. He was trying to get to her and she wasn't going to fail him.

The healer entered the theater first and when Hermione stepped through she immediately felt his magic and tried to move toward him. "No Miss Granger, you can't touch him, at least not yet."

"But I feel his magic. He needs me." Severus stepped behind Hermione and held her firmly against him. As a group, the trio slowly made their way closer to Draco and watched as his body reacted to her. "He's calling me, can't you hear it?! Draco I'm here!" Hermione's frantic calls only made Severus hold her more tightly. His passing thought was how strong the young girl suddenly was.

"You can hear him Miss Granger?" The witch nodded as she tried to break free of Severus and kept up her calls to Draco. The healer never heard of anything like this. "We can get closer, but again you cannot touch him." Hermione seemed beyond sense at this point.

Only when Draco grunted did everyone pause. Luckily, Severus's hold remained firm as Hermione tried to dive for the bed. Slowly, Draco's eyes opened and he began to frantically looked around. The healer, knowing what to do now, jumped to action.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Draco felt spent, he never experienced such a drain on himself. After opening his eyes to find himself not at school, he began to freak out until he heard Hermione yelling his name. When a witch, a healer by the robes she wore, began to speak and tell him it was ok, Draco relaxed. When the thing in throat was gone, Draco gasped for air and heard Hermione sob. Wanting to comfort her, he tried to move only to find himself restrained.

"Mr Malfoy, give me just a moment to finish and make sure the curse is totally gone. Once I've done that, I'll remove the restraints and allow the witch near you." Draco nodded franticly, he wanted, no he needed Hermione. "Miss Granger, —" the healer waited until Hermione looked at her, "— I will allow you near him, but only to hold his hand at the most. If you try anything else I will have Professor Snape remove you. Mr Malfoy is very weak." Hermione nodded and immediately returned her focus to Draco.

"I think she should be the only person to touch him at first, to make sure all is good." The healer agreed with Severus's suggestion while she continued to run diagnostic spells. "Draco, there are others watching and taking notes, tell us what you remember."

The distraction worked and slowly Draco's body relaxed as he spoke of the match. By the time the healer removed the restraints, both Draco and Hermione were calm enough they didn't jump at each other. When their magic touched, the remnants of the curse rolled off Draco and were captured by the room's complex filtration system.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

As with Hannah, Draco spoke of the angry voice but unlike Hannah, Draco always knew Hermione would be the one to save him. He just needed to be strong and wait for her. Hermione sobbed as he recounted the story and realized what the voice wanted. Draco explained how he wasn't in control of his actions, he likened it to watching a movie.

Once Draco finished explaining what he could and answered the questions from the aurors, he fell into the first restful sleep he had in weeks. Minutes after Draco, Hermione's head dropped and she too fell asleep with her hand gripping Draco's.

The healer, who watched the pair of children with an almost amused expression, widened the bed and allowed the young witch to lay next to her boyfriend. When the mothers of the children entered the room, they sat next to their child. For the moment it was enough.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Frank settled in his office and began to assess the information provided by Draco. Their were many similarities to what Hannah Abbott explained, but some stark differences. Hannah was given a mission, not to kill but attack another student. Draco was sent to hurt himself. Why was Draco targeted in such a way?

It was this question that would haunt Frank. Alice and the children continued their daily visit to Malfoy Manor and noted the change in attitude and how it finally felt more like the Yule.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

While all this occurred, a small contingent of Hogwarts elves began the task of bringing the new school up to spec. It's not that the place went to pot, but it was a bit dustier and empty of necessities. By the time the second term started, it would be ready.

Very few people realize how chatty elves are. They are especially talkative when they are at their happiest, at the moment the group of Hogwarts elves found themselves positively elated. They were given the honor, the responsibility, to ensure these buildings were ready for their wards. And that was how the elves viewed the students, and the professors, the elves were responsible for ensuring everyone had what they needed.

"I don't likes the idea of bad people knowing the school is closed." The other elves agreed, last year was different, they couldn't explain it, but this year something bad was in the air. "What ifs, we give the appearance of school? If someone watches Hogwarts they get the idea the students are there, but cannots access. We place wards through the tunnels."

The group of elves, on their own, figured out a way to keep the knowledge of the new school under wraps. When Sophie heard the plan, she liked it. She was also surprised to hear about tunnels. The elves, a bit embarrassed, explained there were a myriad of tunnels that ran from inside and out of the castle that would get people beyond the wards and into Hogsmeade.

"I guess we don't close them, given what's happened in the last two years, who knows when those tunnels will become vital. But, let's not tell anyone who doesn't already know about them." The elves agreed knowing many generations of students were aware of one tunnel or another. Very few ever grasped the true number of tunnels.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

Frank and Lucius chuckled at Sophie after hearing what the elves planned. "I have to admit, it's a good idea. After what Gibby did last year, we really shouldn't forget our magical brethren. Whoever did this was inside the first line of wards and may have used a tunnel to get there. Right now there's no evidence of someone without access coming through."

That worried everyone when it was discovered, it also spurred Filius and Mitchell to hurry along their analysis of the wards. The plan was to present their findings the next day to the Regents and Sophie. Lucius had a relatively complete idea of the wards from Phineas Black's journal. Maybe short an enchantment or two, but enough to notice any major differences.

"The children won't be back at the castle this year, there isn't anything that will change my mind. That said, I think the time can be used to reset the enchantments and place new ones to make sure whoever did this cannot get past again."

Frank nodded with Lucius, "I don't disagree, but we need to think about the tunnels. How do we secure them? I agree with Sophie on them probably being important."

"Let's get Mitchell and Bathsheba on this. Maybe there is some rune or something we can apply to not allow evil intent through…" Sophie shrugged, she wasn't sure, but it wouldn't hurt to check that possibility. "Maybe the elves will have an idea. Their magic is so different from ours."

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

There was no surprise when the annual Malfoy New Years Ball was cancelled. Everyone knew of the accident on the second weekend of Hogwarts quidditch match. Draco's involvement was less documented, but the rumors on him being in a magically induced coma were whispered by many. Although no one knew for sure, neither the hospital nor family made any statements. With all that, no one expected the family to open their doors to the greater portion of the magical world.

While the public sent their understanding and prayers for Draco's recovery, the wizard in question finally returned home and found himself the center of attention of everyone. "Hey," Hermione, who had been told she couldn't, COULD NOT, be at the hospital too often and especially on the day he was secretly released, jumped when Draco stepped into the room.

"You're home!" The witch grabbed and held Draco with all she was worth. And Draco, well, he held her just as tightly. Both knew how close they were to losing each other and given their young age, they didn't quite know how to deal with it. So they allowed their actions to speak what their minds couldn't verbalize.

"Come on Hermione, the rest of us have missed him as well." Harry, standing next to Draco now, clapped his friend on the back before pulling the pair into his own hug. "I was so worried mate," Harry's whispered statement made Hermione whimper and the pair of Gryffindors tightened their hold. It was as if, the tighter their hold the more protected Draco would be.

Blaise stood off to the side of the group and smiled. He missed his friend as well, but knew the relationship between that trio was something he'd never touch. It was only when Hermione called his name he noticed the three of them were watching him. "Get over here in the hug. You missed him as much as we did. And it's the four of us against the world, a quartet."

More suddenly than Hermione expected, Blaise gripped the trio and whispered his own thoughts on everything. Draco chuckled, "It's time you accept it Blaise. You are part of this rag tag group now and nothing can pull you from us." The quartet ended up in tears as each of them pushed the evil thoughts of losing another from their minds. It was done now. Draco was safe and home.

*TGE*TGE*TGE*

A/N - Figured you'd just want to jump into the story. Good job, more than a couple guessed at what happened to Draco. Still don't know why, well you don't know why, I do. Benefit of making up the story, you sort of know how it's going to end.

Anyway, I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas had a good day. If you were with family or not, you're appreciated. Whatever holiday you may or may not celebrate this time of year, stay safe and healthy.

Thanks to all who are reading, following, favorited, or reviewed. Always brings a smile to my face.