Let me just say that I love the reviews from last chapter. About half of you are like "Hermione's being a bitch. She needs to be more understanding..." and about the other half are like "I totally get where she's coming from. Her feelings are justified..." and the rest are just conflicted. Why do I love it? Because it means that M&M is doing what it's supposed to. You're supposed to love and hate everyone, you know. You're supposed to be conflicted. Hermione isn't some angel. She isn't always going to act the right way or make the right decision. Mistakes are normal, they're what makes us human. I don't know about you guys, but I hate Mary Sue main characters. They're boring and there is hardly anything complex or interesting about them and I'm so glad that a lot of you understand that that isn't who this Hermione is.
On another note, a lot of you missed Draco and all I gotta say is...be careful what you wish for. I have no excuses for this chapter. My only excuse would be that I'm still a bit messed up in the head from watching Suicide Squad last night. I...it wasn't even supposed to go this far man. Well, here you go.
Disclaimer: I Own Nothing
Pregnant. Pregnant. Ginny was…pregnant. Hermione could hardly wrap her head around that sentence let alone the actual reality of it. Merlin only knows what was going on inside of Ginny's head. She was the one with…with a baby growing inside of her. With that thought, Hermione's stomach heaved again, throwing up what little food she had eaten, her fingers gripping the toilet bowl.
A fleeting thought crossed her mind, wondering if Blaise had planned this. Hermione still didn't understand the dynamics of their relationship, but she wondered if Blaise had done this to keep Ginny away from the battle, to keep her trapped here…with him.
Hermione's eyes suddenly widened and she forced herself to stand on shaky legs only to collapse again in front of the toilet. Was…was that what Draco planned to do as well? Was Ginny's fate her own? Draco was a manipulative son of a bitch and she would not put it past him. It would only take one time. He would only have to get her to sleep with him once and then it would all be over.
Her eyes watered and she leaned over again, stomach heaving. Her vision was blurry and her body began to tremble. She looked down at her shaking fingers, eyes wide and panicked. Her breath came out in short gasps and her chest was beginning to constrict. She blinked, rapidly, bringing her hands up to her throat. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe!
"Hermione…?"
Ginny's voice sounded a million miles away although she was probably right at the door. Hermione clutched the toilet, gasping for breath, horrifying hiccup sounds coming out of her mouth.
"Draco!"
Hermione gripped the wall, attempting to pull herself up only to slide back down. If it wasn't for a thin pair of arms wrapping around her mid-section that is.
"Hermione, I don't know what's wrong. What's happening? Draco," Ginny shrieked.
Hermione fell to her knees, Ginny's arms still around her.
"What happened?"
"I-I don't-"
"Move."
Hermione felt a hard chest against her back and she clutched the arms around her as they both slid down, digging her nails into his skin as she jerked away from him. She shut her eyes, fighting for air as his lips grazed her ear.
"Breathe," he whispered.
I'm trying to! That was what she wanted to scream, but she couldn't, she couldn't breathe. She felt him press his lips to the back of her neck as they swayed back and forth. She felt one of his hands slide up, inching towards her throat.
"Shh," he murmured and Hermione felt a brief, dull pain in her neck.
Her head dropped and her eyelids closed as everything went black.
Hermione tilted her head in confusion, stepping forward towards the scene before her. Her eyes darted around, eyebrows furrowed. Hordes and hordes of Death Eaters ran through the crowd, wands at the ready and curses flying from their lips. She looked around as her friends fought back, drenched in sweat and covered in dirt. They looked tired and damn near defeated.
Hermione shrieked as Luna collapsed, her blonde hair fanning out beneath her as a Death Eater stepped over her, her blank eyes staring up at the sky. A biting breeze blew by, twisting Hermione's hair around her head and blowing the tears away from her cheeks. Her heart thumped with a horrifying realization; they were losing. One by one, her friends, her classmates, and her teachers were falling at the hands of the Dark Side, their bodies covering the ground.
Hermione went to step forward to help them, save them, but found that she couldn't. She wanted to reach for her wand but she couldn't. Her body would not let her. She cried in frustration as she watched those that she loved die and it was then that she felt something touching her hand.
Hermione looked down and blinked at the small boy beside her. He stared up at her with big brown eyes that were framed by blonde eyelashes. His unruly, curly hair was platinum, so pale that it looked almost silver in the moonlight. Moonlight?
Hermione turned back around and saw the deserted castle now. Even in the dark she could see that everyone was gone. No bodies littered the ground, there was no fighting. Everyone was gone. Hermione felt herself being pulled back. She looked down at the adorable boy, his dark eyes trained on her as he walked backwards.
"You can't leave me, mummy."
"Wha…No. I have to help them…," she trailed off, turning back around to look at the castle as it began to drift away.
"You can't leave. You have to stay with me."
She turned back around and tugged at the small hand that gripped her own, frowning in surprise when his grip didn't loosen.
"You can't go," a much deeper voice said.
Her eyes widened and she watched in horror as his brown eyes began to fade, a lighter color replacing them. Brown and silver clashed once again.
"I won't let you!"
Hermione shrieked as her eyes flew open, immediately darting around. Her fingers gripped the bed sheets beneath her, her chest heaving in fright. The room was dark, save for the moonlight coming in through the balcony doors. There were shadows everywhere and Hermione half expected a small blonde boy to jump out into the light. She put her hand to her chest, slowly pushing herself up into a sitting position when she heard it.
Someone was breathing and from the sounds of it they were asleep. She reached over, flicking on the light on the nightstand and almost screaming in shock. Draco was laying down on the plush black couch across from the bed. His feet were thrown across one and while his head was at the other. His chest slowly rose and fell with deep even breaths. It was then that Hermione registered that he was on a black couch. The room she had been normally staying in didn't have a black couch.
She looked around and realized that the room they were in was much larger. The walls were black, matching some of the furniture in the room while the rest was a royal green. Behind Draco was a double door, it was open, allowing her to see that it led to an equally impressive study. She looked down at the bedding beneath her, her fingers running over the silky black material. This must be Draco's room, she thought.
She swung her feet over the bed, taking in the grandness of the room as she slowly walked towards the couch. She briefly wondered what time it was and how long she had been asleep. The events came back to her as she gazed down at him. She remembered having a full on panic attack at the thought of being in the position that Ginny was in now.
"Are you actually going to do something or just stare at me?"
Hermione jumped, startled, as he spoke, one eye opening and then the other. She took a step back as he swung his feet to rest them on the floor, reaching out towards her.
"Damn it, Hermione," he snapped.
He immediately stood up and gripped her arms, pulling her closer. She glared at him as her chest brushed against his, her mind immediately going to how he had held her, rocking her to calm her down. Yeah, right before he knocked you out. She avoided his eyes as he bent his head down, eyes raking over her face.
"Are you alright," he finally asked.
"I'm fine," was her immediate response.
He sighed, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, something that she was reluctant to admit was actually soothing.
"Ginny told Blaise the big news…"
Hermione didn't respond. She was sure that Blaise was ecstatic.
"Is that what all of that was about," he questioned.
She ignored him, yet again, and winced when his hands tightened on her arm. Her heart beat sped up as he leaned in. His next words came out low and mocking, slithering off of his tongue like a snake.
"Are you scared, Hermione?"
Hermione's eyes slowly rose to meet his icy gaze, a smirk dancing on his lips.
"Scared of what?"
He chuckled.
"You are, aren't you? Look at you, practically shaking at the thought of being in Ginny's place," he cackled.
Hermione pushed against his chest, frowning in frustration when he didn't budge. She tensed as he leaned forward some more, breath tickling her ear and cheek.
"You think I'm going to knock you up and trap you here forever, don't you? That's low, that's…dirty," he whispered.
He pulled back, bringing his hands up to rest on either side of her head as he stepped forward, forcing her back. His expression suddenly changed, going from mocking to threatening in a matter of seconds.
"…and we both know that I'm not above fighting dirty. So…maybe you do have a reason to be scared," he cruelly laughed.
Her eyes widened as his hands came up to wrap around her throat, he didn't tighten them, instead they were just there as a warning, letting her know that her life was in his hands at the moment. She gasped in fright as he pushed her onto the bed, his hard body immediately aligning with her own. One hand remained on her throat while the other was pressed into the bed beside her head. He gazed down at her with an unreadable expression, bright eyes piercing into her own.
"Luckily for you, however, I want you all to myself, so it will be years before I even think about children. Know what that means? That means you're safe for now…"
Before Hermione could even relax he continued.
"However, like I said before…I'm not above fighting dirty. Desperate times will call for desperate measures and if I put my mind to it…I can have you," he purred.
He took her bottom lip between his teeth, trailing one hand down her back, forcing her to arch it up. He let out a husky laugh as if he had just proven his point. He suddenly sat up, smirking down at her as she stared at him with wide eyes.
"Do well to remember that," he sweetly said just before exiting his room, the door slamming shut behind him.
Hermione stared up at the ceiling in panic as the full gravity of his words sank in. She had to get out of there before it was too late.
Hermione walked down the long hallway, books gripped tightly in her hand as she made her way from the library. It seemed that Blaise had books on…well, pretty much everything. She should not have been too surprised, but it was a relief to find what she had been looking for even if it had taken her ages to find it.
She could hear voices coming towards her from the other end of the hall and forced herself not to turn around as she recognized one of them as Draco's. She hadn't seen him since that night and quite frankly, she didn't want to. His words had haunted her, taking residence inside of her head and refusing to get out. She was determined to walk right by him without giving him the time of day when she heard another voice as well.
"Hermione," Nott said as they came into view.
"Nott," she acknowledged, prepared to be on her way when he reached out and touched her shoulder.
She stopped right beside him, looking up at the small smile on his face. Her eyes slowly traveled to Draco who stood behind Nott like a dark angel, eyes boring into her own.
"How are you feeling? I heard that you had a bit of an episode the other day," he said.
Hermione watched as Draco's eyes snapped to the back of Nott's head. His expression was completely unreadable, but his eyes however, his eyes had grown darker.
"Um…I'm fine. Thank you for asking," she replied, clutching the books tighter to her chest.
She was quite surprised at the genuine concern that Hermione heard in his voice. Draco said nothing, opting instead to stare Nott down, his hands shoved into his pockets. Nott nodded.
"That's good. I'm glad to hear that," he said.
She was forced to look into Nott's blue eyes as he laid his hand on her shoulder.
"It was nice running into you, but Draco and I have some business to tend to," Nott said, nodding over his shoulder.
A slow smile spread along Draco's face as he returned his eyes back to her.
"That's right, so we should be going," Draco said, voice low.
He began to lead Nott down the hall when he suddenly stopped.
"I almost forgot," Draco said, raising a finger and turning around.
Before Hermione had time to realize what was happening, his hands were on her face and his lips were on hers. She sharply inhaled as he pressed her back into the wall as he moved his lips against hers. The stack of books in between them was the only thing that kept their bodies separated. Hermione whimpered as he pulled her bottom lip in between his teeth, tilting her head back before roughly letting her go. He snatched his lips away from hers with a loud smack and Hermione stumbled back, lightheaded.
Hermione turned to see Nott staring at Draco with an unreadable expression before looking away. Hermione felt her face flush with anger as she realized what had just happened.
"Shouldn't you be on your way? You know where my study is," Draco snapped.
"Right. See you around, Hermione," Nott said, avoiding Draco's eyes before walking down the hall.
Draco lingered, staring her down before slowly raking his eyes over her. He said nothing, simply making a short humming sound before eventually following behind Nott. Hermione swallowed, shaking her head before continuing her journey. Ugh, she could throttle him! How dare he! She huffed, forcing her anger down, instead choosing to save it for another time, a more…opportune time. Hermione knocked once she had finally made it to her room and was told to come in. She shut the door behind her, holding the books in one hand as she leaned against the wood.
"Hermione," Ginny said in surprise.
Hermione briefly glanced around, taking in the room and immediately realizing that this was the room Ginny and Blaise shared…together. Hermione swallowed, forcing down whatever nasty thoughts she had before walking towards Ginny.
"You're in bed," Hermione observed.
Ginny gave a sheepish, nervous smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, Blaise is being a bit…overprotective," she responded.
Hermione nodded.
"Right," she quietly said.
"What are you doing here, Hermione? You've made it perfectly clear how you feel about all of this. You puking your guts out at the thought of me being pregnant was a dead giveaway," Ginny suddenly said.
Hermione sighed, pursing her lips.
"…and nothing has changed. You're pregnant, Ginny. This isn't going to be easy and I decided to not let my personal feelings get in the way of doing what's right. So, these are for you…," Hermione said.
Ginny hesitantly took the stack of books from her, eyeing Hermione before looking over them.
"I found those stashed away in the library. I also wrote out a list of things that I've read that aren't in those books there. This is going to be a difficult time, Ginny and I want you to be prepared," Hermione finished.
Ginny stared at the books, gently running her hands over them before looking up at Hermione.
"You're going to try and escape again…aren't you," Ginny quietly asked.
"Yes," Hermione said, looking away.
Ginny was quiet for some time before she heaved a small sigh and slid out of bed. Hermione watched in confusion as Ginny walked over to a dresser, kneeling down and pulling the very last drawer out. She reached her hand in, pulling something out before standing back up. She stared at whatever was in her hand for a while before turning around and walking towards Hermione. Hermione recognized the plant in Ginny's hand. Valerian.
"This is Valerian. It's mainly used in potions, most commonly known for being used in the Draught of Living Death. It can also be used as a sedative and sleep aid," Ginny pointedly said.
Hermione stared at Ginny in disbelief. Hermione already knew all of this, what she didn't know was why Ginny was giving it to her.
"Use it wisely," Ginny said, handing it to her.
"Where did you get this?"
"Blaise has a greenhouse at the back of the gardens," Ginny guiltily replied.
I obviously wasn't clued in on this for obvious reasons, Hermione thought.
"Are you setting me up?"
"No," Ginny snapped.
"Why don't I believe you," Hermione questioned.
"Believe what you want. You don't want to be here with Draco…with me. You've been very vocal about that and I want you to be somewhere where you're happy. Besides, they need you more than I do."
Hermione stared at Ginny, skeptical, before finally nodding.
"Thank you," Hermione forced out.
"You're welcome. I will convince Blaise to take me out tomorrow to get stuff, you know, for the baby," Ginny said with a shrug.
Hermione nodded again, taking the hint before turning towards the door when Ginny spoke.
"Please, be careful, Hermione. They're out there looking for all three of you, but catching one will do just fine for them. I love you and…and I really want you to be safe," Ginny choked out.
Hermione exhaled, opening the door.
"I will. I promise."
"Draco wishes to speak with you."
Hermione glared up at the young man standing in her doorway, a very Malfoy like smirk gracing his lips. Hermione recalled the last time she saw him, sinking a knife through his hand and had to force herself to keep a straight face. Of course, that was easy as she registered his words.
"He couldn't come see me himself? What are you, his errand boy now," Hermione spat.
"I guess he thinks that putting us in the same vicinity will force us to get along," he replied with a scoff.
Hermione rolled her eyes. Blaise suddenly held up his hand.
"My hand is all better by the way," he sneered.
"I didn't ask," she sweetly responded.
His smirk suddenly dropped as he glared at her before turning around and walking down the hall.
"Hurry up, I don't have all day," he called.
Hermione sighed, closing her door behind her before following. Hermione wondered what on earth Draco could possibly want to talk about. It was Draco, so there was honestly no telling what was going on in his head. Her eyes suddenly widened. What if Ginny had lied? What if she had set her up? What if she had told Blaise that Hermione was planning to escape and he, in turn, had told Draco?
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. There was no need to jump to conclusions that would only serve to worry her. Ginny had seemed truthful, so Hermione seriously doubted that the younger girl had turned her in. Blaise opened a door for her and she stepped inside, spinning around in fright as it slammed shut behind her. She felt a chill travel down her spine as the lock clicked into place.
"I'm glad that you could join me."
His cold voice rang throughout the dimply lit room and Hermione briefly closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Hermione slowly turned around to face him. There was a lamp on in the corner, shedding very low light across the room and Hermione forced herself to calm down. She couldn't help it though. She didn't like this, she didn't like it at all. Something just wasn't right. Draco was seated behind his desk, leaning back in the chair, stormy eyes trained on her.
She glanced around, realizing that this must be his study, or at least his temporary one. Then again, he and Blaise were so close that he probably did have one of his own at Blaise's house. She turned around and saw the double doors behind her, wide open, showcasing the bedroom she'd been in the other night, confirming her thoughts. She turned back around when she heard him move and watched as he stood to his full height, staring at her from beneath his lashes.
"What do you want?"
"I want a lot of things, but right now I only want to talk to you," he quietly said.
She crossed her arms over her chest, skeptical about his calm tone.
"About what?"
"Theodore. Theodore Nott. Good old…Teddy," he spat, walking around his desk, fingers trailing over the wood.
Hermione blinked, her eyes following the movement before she looked back up at him.
"You're kidding me right? I know where you're going with this and I'm honestly feeling like I've wasted my time by coming down here," she snapped.
"Don't you dare get smart with me!"
Hermione stumbled back at his outburst, swallowing in fright. His chest heaved as he walked towards her.
"What did the two of you talk about in the library?"
"Nothing-"
"Don not lie to me," he hissed.
Hermione felt her anger rise.
"Why not? You lie all the time!"
"Fine. Okay. I guess I'll just have to ask Theo myself then," he threateningly said.
Hermione huffed, not even sure why that bothered her. Why should she care what he does to Nott? Nott had tried to kidnap her! Still, she found herself conflicted as she thought about Draco having a talk with Nott. Nott honestly wasn't so bad as far as she could tell and besides, Draco would just be taking his anger at her out on him.
"We just talked about…friendship," she reluctantly said.
Draco stared at her with a blank face.
"Friendship. What about friendship, Hermione?"
"Friendship! I don't know, your friendship with him and he and I being friends-"
"You and him being friends," he said, interrupting her again.
"Yes."
"Do you want to be friends with him," he demanded, stepping towards her.
"I don't know," Hermione snapped and that was the truth.
She really didn't know. Draco's face twisted into something scary, something she had never seen before.
"You don't know? You don't know? What the fuck do you mean you don't know," he spat, teeth bared.
"It means that I don't know! Why does it matter?"
Draco's face suddenly wiped itself clean of all expression before he began to laugh. Hermione felt herself tense, chills rolling down her spine as he laughed and laughed.
"Why does it matter? She wants to know why it matters. Have you completely forgotten about our conversation last year at Hogwarts," he quietly asked.
Hermione swallowed.
"No, I haven't," she whispered, genuinely worried for her life.
"That's why it matters! He is not your friend. He wants you," he sneered.
"Why should I believe you? As a matter of fact, why should I believe anything you say? You lie about everything! That's all you ever do, lie, lie, and lie some more. It's what you're best at. So, once again, why should I believe you? Besides, we both know that you get jealous over practically nothing. Nott probably genuinely wants to be my friend and you're ready to murder him because of it," she spat.
Draco shook his head, a dazzling smile breaking out over his face.
"Merlin, how naïve can you get," he whispered.
Hermione fumed.
"We're done here," she said.
She turned around, walking towards the double doors. She was leaving through his room since Blaise had locked her in. She refused to waste another minute with this pointless argument. He was acting like a jealous bull and she wasn't putting up with it.
As she reached the doors, they slammed shut before her with a loud bang. She gasped and stared at the doors with wide eyes, feet glued to ground. Hermione recalled him flipping over the table the other night with wandless magic and she now began to realize just how powerful he had become, training under Lord Voldemort. The silence was deafening and her heart thudded erratically beneath her chest.
"You're not going anywhere."
She glanced over her shoulder as he walked towards her. The atmosphere in the room had dropped to a chilling setting and she trembled. She stayed completely still as he brought a hand up to trail along her shoulder. He was right behind her, chest grazing her back and he rested his chin on top of her head.
"The other night I told you that I want you all to myself. I meant that…," he quietly began.
Hermione swallowed, resisting the urge to pull away. He trailed his fingers down her arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
"I'm selfish, Hermione. I'm an incredibly selfish man. I don't like to share, never did. When I was ten a distant cousin of mine once took one of my toys and I pushed him down the stairs," he murmured.
Hermione bit her lip, eyes watering.
"Theo doesn't want to be your friend. He wants to take you away from me, but that's what you want, isn't it? You want him-"
"No, I don't want him," she argued.
"I don't believe you," he hissed.
She gasped, reaching up as his arm snaked around her neck. She began to cry when she felt the tip of his wand pressing against her temple as he walked forward. Her feet dragged along the floor as she fought to stop him.
"Why should I believe you, Hermione? You'd say anything to leave, to get away from me," he snapped.
The doors flew open and he drug her into his room, her loud sobs the only sound in the room. She twisted in his grip as he pulled her past the couch.
"Draco, I'm telling you the truth! I'm not interested in Nott," she screamed.
She suddenly screamed as the balcony doors flew open, banging against the wall and she kicked and flailed as she realized what was happening. Her heart dropped to her stomach. This wasn't happening, this had to be a nightmare.
"No, no," she begged.
"You want to leave me? Huh? Is that what you want," he demanded.
"No, no, Draco. Draco, please," she pleaded, digging her feet into the floor.
This proved to be futile as he reached down and swung her up into his arms. She screamed, kicking out and arms flying, hitting him numerous times, but he did not loosen his grip, not once. She pleaded as he walked towards the balcony, her hands catching onto one of the doors. He was going to kill her.
"No, you want to leave so badly, right?
"I don't want to leave-"
"Shut up! You want to leave…this is the only way you're ever going to leave me," he snarled, snatching her away from the doors.
"Draco!"
He stood right beside the balcony and Hermione almost threw up as she looked down.
"I don't want to leave! I don't want to leave!"
"Is that supposed to convince me," he quietly mused, leaning over the balcony.
Hermione didn't want to die. She'd never willingly choose death. She was a fighter, a survivor, and she was going to do what it took to survive. Without warning, she turned around in his arms and threw herself at him, her lips crashing into his. He went to pull away, more focused on tossing her over the balcony, but she held on, tightening her arms around his neck. His hands suddenly moved, gripping her waist as he moved his mouth against hers, backing up.
He stopped, his back hitting the wall as he dug his fingers into her skin, no doubt leaving bruises. She wrapped her legs around him, determined to take him down with her if he suddenly decided to throw her over the balcony. He ran his hands over her, as if he couldn't get enough.
"I don't want him," she chanted against his lips.
He growled, twisting her hair around his hand and pulling her head back, teeth nipping at her throat.
"I don't want to leave. I want to stay with you," she lied as he dropped to his knees, taking her with him.
He gripped her face in his hands, resting his forehead against hers as he gazed into her eyes.
"You want to stay with me," he murmured.
"Yes," she whispered, body trembling from the shock of almost being dropped to her death.
His hands tightened on her face and she winced as he leaned away, looking down at her with a hard expression. His eyes were glassy and one lone tear escaped, skipping down his cheek.
"Talk to Theo again and I will cut him open. I will string him up from one of these trees and I'll gladly do the same to anybody else who tries to come in between us," he whispered.
As Hermione stared into his red, tear filled eyes, it was then that she knew; Draco was absolutely, unquestionably crazy. His love or obsession or whatever the hell he felt for her had driven him absolutely insane. So Hermione did what any smart person would have done. She smiled at him and nodded.
Hermione hurriedly sat down as she heard his footsteps and she picked up her fork. She pushed her food around, making it appear that she had been eating for quite some time when he stepped into the dining room. She avoided his eyes as he stopped in front of the table.
"What's all this?"
She glanced up as he gestured to the food on the table.
"Dinner. I was rather hungry," she answered.
He smirked, resting one hand on the back of the chair.
"Mind if I join you?"
His question came out like a purr and she looked away, frowning in displeasure.
"Yes, actually I do mind," she replied.
Just as she predicted, he ignored her, instead pulling out the chair across from her and sitting down. Hermione fought to keep from smiling, instead heaving a rather loud, irritated sigh. Her eyes were focused on her plate as he dug in, humming in appreciation.
"I wonder if Ginny is having a boy or a girl," Hermione mused.
Draco scoffed.
"Since when do you care?"
She looked up at him.
"I don't. Just curious is all. I do like children and it's just such a shame that I probably won't see her child for some time," she said.
Draco stopped eating, glancing up at her.
"What is that supposed to mean," he demanded.
Hermione's eyes widened.
"Nothing. Nothing at all, just me…talking," she shrugged off.
He let out a chuckle, shaking his head.
"I see right through you. You're not getting out of here. Besides, I think we already covered the only way that's ever going to happen," he said.
Hermione grimaced, nodding.
"Right. I promise, I'm not trying to leave you, Draco."
I'm going to leave you. She picked at her food, cutting the steak up and pushing it around. She glanced at him, her eyes brushing over his plate before picking up her glass.
"This is excellent. The House-elves really outdid themselves," he commented.
"Oh, the House-elves didn't make it," she said.
He paused, looking up at her.
"Excuse me?"
"I said that the House-elves didn't make it. I did," she responded, bringing her glass up to her mouth.
She stared him down as he narrowed his eyes at her. He slowly put down his fork, eyes lingering on her plate of food, not a single portion missing. She set her glass down as he glared up at her.
"Hermione," he warned.
She jumped up and backed away just as he reached over the table at her. He stood up, only to stumble, bracing himself on the table. She took cautious steps back as he attempted to make his way around the table only to trip and stumble over and over again. He finally fell to his knees, hard eyes lingering on her. He reached out to her and collapsed, his fingers just brushing her shoes.
She moved into action and grabbed the knife on the table, all of her anger swirling up inside of her. He had tried to kill her. He was completely unhinged, fine one minute and hostile the next. She rolled him over, straddling his waist as she tightened her fingers around the knife. This is the only way, a dark voice whispered. Was it though?
Narcissa was convinced that Hermione could save her son, but then again, it was her son. Narcissa would probably do anything, say anything to make him happy. However, it was obvious that Narcissa disapproved of his lifestyle and she obviously wanted to do whatever it took to drag him away from it.
He tried to kill you, that same dark voice whispered. He did, he did try to kill her and who knows if it would be the last time. He's not well, Hermione argued. It was true, she could see now what she knew all along; Draco was not well.
"…His feelings for you terrify him, probably more than they terrify you. All he knows is that he doesn't want to lose you and you are probably the only thing he knows he's capable of losing. That makes him…desperate."
Narcissa's words rang in her ear. Even if that were true, Hermione couldn't sit around risking her life trying to bring him back from the brink of insanity. There was a war going on and her friends needed her. Do it. Hermione shook her head. She couldn't, she wasn't a killer. But he is! One less Death Eater on the battlefield, Hermione, that dark voice hissed. Hermione clenched her teeth, raising the knife, cutting through air as she brought it back down.
She stopped an inch away from his chest and dropped the knife with a sob. She collapsed, laying her head on his chest as the weapon clattered against the floor. She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it. She clenched her fingers into his shirt, her tears soaking the material. Weak. She was weak. Draco didn't hesitate to try and throw her off of the balcony when he thought she was going to leave him for Nott and he wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
She cried, her breath coming out in harsh pants as she fought to compose herself. You're not weak, Hermione. You know why you can't kill him, she thought. She shook her head. Despite everything, you know why you can't kill him. Her sobs dulled, decreasing to quiet sniffles as her shoulders trembled. She ran her hands over him, through his pockets, searching. Her hand wrapped around the thin piece of wood and she sat up, looking at it in triumph.
She looked down at him, her fingers running over his lips and cheek before she hurriedly stood with a shake of her head. Narcissa would understand. Hermione ran out of the dining room and through the foyer. She was getting out of there. She unlocked the door and sprinted outside, hurrying down the steps, fingers tightly clutched around his wand. A voice suddenly stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm sorry, Hermione, sweetheart, but I can't let you leave."
Every time. Hermione can't get out of this mansion to save her life...
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