"Is this house going to be our orphanage?" a tall girl asked.
Draco shook his head, "This is only temporary. We'll be looking for homes for you shortly."
Luna said, "Although, if you can make friends with a wealthy bloke or two, that might help. Stay the summer with a friend! Who wouldn't rather that than someone you don't even know?"
In front of Luna, Draco could see a lot of children nodding.
Then came the question Draco had been hoping no one would ask. Particularly not in public.
Colin, without raising his hand, asked, "Where's Hermione?"
Draco's mouth curled into something more like a sneer than a smile, "Have you ever seen the Gryffindor Lioness back down? She wouldn't come here if I paid her." Draco pulled himself tight, continuing, "Perhaps, especially if I offered to pay her." Draco's grimace could be seen by everyone, he was quite aware. "She'll be better protected than the lot of you." Draco's eyes met a small girl's, as he continued, "Perfect Potter needs a way to express his perfectosity. Having a token mudblood to champion raises his worth in the eyes of many so-called Light Folk."
Colin's chin jutted out, "Hermione's no token, don't you dare-!"
Draco Malfoy cut him off, "Many of you only accompanied me here because of the threat of force. Granger'd have called me on it, and," Draco winked at a small girl, who blushed, "I'm not sure I could take her. And I don't think she'd consent to hide, even if it is sound strategy."
"Why is it so sound?" A bespectacled girl asked.
"You're no good to anyone in this fight without a solid understanding of magic," Draco said. "If we needed muggles, we could get them by the dozen."
Luna said airily, "We can't guarantee that Muggleborns will actually continue to be allowed to learn magic. Certainly the Dark Lord would want to ban them from Hogwarts and teach them only enough so that purebloods could sneer at them."
There were low mutterings at this.
"And there's another wrinkle. I'm going to pretend, with plausible deniability, that I've killed you all. That will raise my position at the Dark Lord's side, and that will enable me to protect you."
[a/n: Up Next: finding homes for the poor widdle orphans. Leave a review? I don't know why, but this is the only story people consistently review! I want to say how much I appreciate it!
As for the guest, who asked: "Is Draco really in love with Hermione?" Eh. Love/lust/unattainable love. It's not the "I know what your morning breath smells like" type of love.
To the possibly same guest, who asked: "Doesn't love need to be nourished?" You'd be surprised at how many teenagers spend years convinced they were in love with people they've never even met. Draco is attracted to Hermione, both mind and body. If there wasn't all this stuff with a Mad Dark Lord, he'd probably make a move.]