Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger

Setting: Battle of Hogwarts

Word Count: 630 words

Tag: Order!Draco

She almost lost her footing, and skidded down the marble, her knees scraped raw against the rubble on her way to the landing. A bright red streak of light zapped an inch from her ear and she retaliated with a green one without missing a beat.

"You are lucky it was me, Granger." Her attacker gave out his answer in a growl and she almost rolled her eyes.

"Should we call it luck for the fact that I could have slashed your chest wide open if I hit my mark?" She held her side for the throbbing to ease, but his arm was around her waist and hauled her up.

"Do you need─"

"I'm fine." Her next inhale stuttered within her chest and she conceded, leaning against him as a moment of weakness, "It could just be bruising." Two hours never felt that long.

His jaw was controlled, but the jerk of his fingers over the blood on her forehead told her otherwise. "We are nearly there."

She should have kissed him when his lips began his usual stretch into a snarl. "I saw your parents," she grasped his branded arm by his forearm, where the sleeve of his long shirt was torn clean off. "And you shouldn't have worn my favorite shirt."

"I will sponsor you to buy as many shirts as you want," he touched his wand to her temple and stitched up a brief cut, "and let you tear them to pieces every time you take me, how's that?"

Like clockwork, like habit, she smoothed her hands down the front, along the planes of his stomach, keeping track his set of wounds, memorising the places she would lay her kisses with the opposite of what she was feeling right that moment clogged in her throat.

A figure tore through the smog and doubled back when he recognised familiar faces, "Lavender, she's hurt," He didn't even flinch with two wands flush over his heart. "I need you, Hermione."

Then Draco's hands were already unfastening the drawstrings from her bag and with a silent Accio, took out a Portkey for St. Mungos and handed it over to Dean. "Twice clock-wise. Be careful, Thomas."

Dean nodded, clapped him on the shoulder and continued sprinting towards the doors.

She tried extracting herself from his arms to comply, but his hands took her shoulders and made her face him again; made the haunting world around them fade away just a little, the dizzying adrenaline lowered into a simmer, the cries of battle muffled for a fraction.

"I'd rather you help the wounded, but the second things starts to fuck up," He weaved his fingers, wand tangling in her messy braid, and tugged her forward, "You run and get back on track with the plan, you got me?" Every brush of his hands made the wound at the back of her head itch, but it was him, it was Draco, and nothing else mattered then.

She nodded, her hands slipped under his shirt, feeling how his heart was pumping blood throughout his body, still going strong, still fighting, fighting with her, fighting for her, and she was more than lucky.

"Kiss me." He muttered before following swift with his own request: a hint of iron, hot breath and the lick of invitation from his tongue ignited her senses and she inhaled deeply the scent of his sweat, the faint spearmint and she did what she was told, again and again and again.

One more kiss, another whisper against his lips, "Great Hall─" She pushed away from him and they backed away from each other, close and yet getting further away.

"─I will be waiting." He finished and turned around without looking back.

They were going to make it.

Plot twist: no, they couldn't.

A/N: Battle of Hogwarts, May 2nd, 1998 (prequel to i have been waiting.)