Crashed - Chapter 14

Hermione's brown eyes flickered open to find the room immersed with a bright light coming from above. Still being half asleep, her mind was contorted with confusion mixing from thoughts of another world. However, her thoughts vanished when she realized that it was simply the window above sending in all of the light and not something else. Those thoughts woke her up.

Brown eyes shifted when she realized that a pair of strong hands were draped over her midriff. A smile spread across her face drinking in the moment and thinking about the night before. Draco had done something for her that nobody had been able to for over five years: he brought her back to life.

Her body was sore, but for a good reason. One could say that Draco was a bit larger than she was accustomed to, but he was incredible all around. The overwhelming feelings of pure bliss and avid love were practically causing tears. She was just so happy.

"Morning angel," he breathed waking up from what appeared to be a considerably good night of sleep. His hair was matted on the left side of his head and his jaw was covered with coarse stubble, but Hermione thought he had never looked more charming.

"Morning," she said as she sat up wrapping the sheet around her small frame. Draco could not quell the smile expanding across his face for taking in the sight of her, covered only by a thin sheet and sleep tousled hair, was like looking at a seventeen year old girl all over again. It was like Hermione back in her seventh year, happy and full of life. Draco loved seeing her like that.

A mischievous and playful grin was upon Hermione's lips.

"Is there a reason for that look your giving me?"

"Perhaps," she said roguishly running a hand across his chiseled cheek. He leaned his face into her hand kissing her palm. Before he opened his eyes back up, he felt her lips pressing against his own in a searing kiss, a fiery kiss. Without another thought he pulled her body onto his lap exposing various parts of his anatomy seeing as her body was wrapped so tightly with the sheet that it had completely pulled it off of Draco.

Draco only pulled back wanting to take in her face, her lovely face no longer haunted with the age lines of death. Hermione Granger looked better than she had in years. In Draco's eyes, she looked more perfect wrapped up in his arms covered in sleep tousled hair than he had ever seen her.

"Merlin you're beautiful."

"Not too bad yourself Malfoy."

"Hermione," he began taking a deep breath. "If something happens–"

"Draco nothing is going to happen. You promised me that we'd be safe," she said with anxiety in her voice. Draco ran his hands through her hair moving it around her neck and pulling her closer to him.

"Angel I'm someone who has learned to prepare for the worst. So if something happens to me, I want you to remember me right now. Take in this moment and remember me as is. Never forget me as I am right now."

Dread was overtaking him. Draco was sitting by the fire in the Weasley living room listening to Arthur Weasley spouting off about muggle batteries still not completely understanding the concept of battery acid and, as he said, 'was practically a phenomenon that could redefine wax for the everyday cauldron'. Draco had long since stopped listening to him only thinking about what he had to tell Hermione. She was sitting on the couch across from him occasionally glancing at him as though waiting for Draco to finally speak.

"Harry I still don't understand. I mean the way that battery acid works would mean–"

"You had another ceremony didn't you?"

Draco's question caused Arthur to silence and various members of the Weasley family, along with Harry, to refocus the haze that had formed over their eyes towards Draco. Realizations struck when they took in the question and swiftly moved their attention over to Hermione.

"What do you mean?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"You said that you were quickly married in a wizarding ceremony. Did you have another ceremony after that?" He looked up to meet her eyes immediately telling him all that he needed to know. Damn it. One of those rare times when I wish I was wrong.

"That Hermione is the problem."

"What problem?" asked Harry. "What are you two talking about?"

"It's also the secret that you don't know about," said Draco standing up and stretching his back. Ron jerked his head when he heard that altering his complexion in an instant. He was already becoming red in the face.

"What the hell do you mean?" asked Ron sending a glare to Draco. "What secret?"

"There is something about Hermione's marriage that makes the situation a bit more...complicated."

"What do you mean complicated?" asked Ginny who walked into the room carrying a bowl of chocolate frogs that were desperately trying to escape.

"There is something about death eater marriages that most people don't know. In fact, I would bet that only death eaters know it since it appears that not even Hermione does," he said in an almost humorous voice. They noted the wit in his voice making him sound almost absurd. He wasn't though. Draco's emotions were just on edge considering the night before had been one of the most amazing nights of his life, a night of pure bliss and passion.

"Hermione in your second ceremony, where did they draw the blood?" he asked meeting her brown eyes to see a sadness welling over her. He noticed her biting her bottom lip to the point where she probably was drawing blood.

"Um...the back of my neck," she whispered.

Draco nodded at her walking in her direction. He wrapped around the couch she was sitting on before he gently lifted up her hair revealing a scar that he didn't even know was there. His hand had been there, he had done something so intimate, yet he didn't see the 'A' etched in the back of her neck. It was so high on her neck that he figured it was just strands of her hair getting in the way of skin contact. He closed his eyes clamping his teeth down to avoid himself from screaming out in anger.

He put her hair back down and placed a kiss on top of her hair smelling her briefly. The girl was so intoxicating that had the situation not arose that they found themselves in, he surely would have taken her back upstairs to ravish her like the goddess she was. It was not the time. Right now he needed to tell her what his heart told him to hide.

"You're bound to him Hermione by blood."

Draco strode back over to the fire and sat down allowing the heat to warm his back. It almost started burning him, but that was the way he wanted it. He deserved to be burned for ever being a part of a clan that did something like that to someone as wonderful and perfect as his angel.

"What does that mean?" asked Harry who was looking back and forth from a solemn Draco to a terrified Hermione. "The binding of blood would require–"

"Hermione did he have a goblet with him?" asked Draco. She nodded. "Then yes she is bound. Inside of that goblet is where he placed her blood, the blood he took from the back of her neck simultaneously branding her. Inside of that goblet, aside from her blood, other ingredients lurked forming it into a potion that every married death eater consumes."

"How come she didn't drink from it?" asked Ron who no longer looked angry, but confused.

"She is not a death eater. She was to be bound to him, not him to her."

A bleak silence fell over the room considering nobody really knew what to say. There were many questions to be asked, but for a moment they took in the desolate silence and left for their own sinister thoughts.

"What else was in the goblet?" asked Hermione monotonously.

"There were several ingredients and each one had a meaning. There would have been three dragon scales put in; one for strength, one for command, and one for power. Dragons symbolize what the dark lord is about whether you want to believe it or not."

Ron and Harry exchanged a quick look before turning back to Draco whose mien was grim, the feeling of hell pushing him extremely far.

"There would have been two hairs in it. One hair belonging to a sphinx for the ability to mystify the other, the counterpart, in our case Hermione. The other hair belonging to a centaur for loyalty. Since most death eaters marry other death eaters, the loyalty needed to be looked at in a certain. It wasn't so much about fidelity as it was about allegiance and reliability."

"You didn't exactly stay loyal," muttered Fred who had remained quiet until that point. Draco rolled his eyes at him.

"Once again this is about a marriage. I have never tasted this potion since I did not marry in the clan. Initiation is an entirely different process."

"Anything else in it?"

"Half of the goblet would have been filled with water that had been touched by the light of a full moon. The other ingredient would have been..." He found himself stopping for it hurt him to think of it the way that he was. Hermione was crying silent tears, her fingers yanking on the hem of her shirt.

"There would have been a single unicorn tear representing the innocence lost."

Hermione chuckled to herself without realizing how loud she had actually been. Every pair of eyes fell on the girl laughing to herself. It was unnerving to see her like that, in such a state of emotional bedlam.

"Hermione's blood," said Draco reverting the focus back on him. He didn't want them to continuing staring at her when she was in an obvious amount of pain and mind mayhem so he spoke, "along with his own binding them together. The potion would burn all the way down and he would have sucked in every drop. Am I right Hermione?"

"In every way," she sighed as the tears slid down her flushed cheeks beyond the outer rims of her jaw. Draco looked down feeling his heart ache.

"So what does all of that mean? How does this truly affect her?" asked Ginny.

"She is bound to the man. It means that no simple divorce will end their bond. As long as her blood is in him, she is his."

"She is not property," hissed Harry balling his fists in rage.

"I never said that she was, Potter, but I do know that is how he looks at her. By having her blood, it doesn't matter what she does. It doesn't matter how far she runs or with who or anything. She is bound to him. That means that when she feels fear, he feels it. When she feels pain, he knows it's happening. When she feels love..." He didn't finish knowing he didn't need to. They all knew what he meant.

"It doesn't matter what she does. He will not stop until he gets her back and understanding her emotions will only lead to worse things. I say give it another month and he'll be able to read her mind. Give another month, he'll be able to control her. So we're on a time frame here."

"Can it be stopped?" asked Ron who looked angry all over again. Draco faced the fire and sighed out.

"There is only one way and...it's not exactly easy."

"You can do it though, right?" asked the mother Weasley with tears threatening to spill from her own blue eyes. Draco shook his head at her shattering the hope.

"I can't."

"You said that there was a bloody way Malfoy!" barked Ron, standing to his feet.

"There is, but it can't be done by me."

"By who then?" asked Harry who was pushing Ron back down on the couch. Ron mumbled a few curses under his breath.

"There is only one who can do it and she is sitting in this room."

Every eye turned towards Hermione who looked as though her mind was ready to explode. She seemed panicked almost, like the walls were closing in on her much too fast for her taste.

"I um...I need some air."

Hermione stood from her seat and ran to the door throwing it open with the strength of a mad woman. She slammed the door shut behind her and found herself running; where, she did not know. All she did know, all that she could comprehend coherently in her mind, was that she needed to get away.

Draco rubbed his face pinching the spot on the bridge of his nose between his blue eyes. Hermione handled it better than expected. It's not everyday that one finds out that their actions, their thoughts, and overall life would be in the hands and at the mercy of the person one hates most. He had to give her a lot of credit. She is a Gryffindor. I shouldn't have expected less.

"She'll freeze out there."

"I think that is what she is hoping for."

Draco had been looking around the area for over ten minutes and he was starting to get nervous. When he went after Hermione, he thought that she would have just been standing outside hating the situation, but instead he found her to be gone. It was dark outside from all of the snow and colder than ever, but he had to find her. Damn it Hermione, where are you?

He was starting to run hoping to find her somewhere. His eyes scanned over the ground and found himself breathing even heavier taking notice to the footprints below his own feet. They were small so he hoped they were in fact Hermione's, but if they weren't...

There she was. She was rocking back and forth on the cold snow. Her body looked wet all over, a mixture of sweat and the white frost surrounding her on all sides. Without anymore thoughts Draco ran to her. He knew that he would probably scare her, but he needed to hold her, to calm her down in her fragile state.

He was right. As soon as his arms encircled her body she threw a fit. Her arms attempted to break free clawing at parts of Draco's skin. Her feet slammed onto the ground breaking through the snow in an attempt to get leverage, enough to push who was ever holding her off. However, she could not break free, he was far too strong. She clenched her eyes shut tight feeling them turn bloodshot beneath her eyelids as the familiar stringing sensation of tears returned with full force. Her fingers grasped Draco's skin tight, drawing blood, but he did not release her. He couldn't release her until she calmed down. She did calm, but not from wanting to stop; merely fatigued with exhaustion. Her body could no longer fight his strong grip on her.

"I'm right here angel and I'm not letting you go," he said in her ear making an extreme effort to keep is voice down. She continued to grip his arms tight, but he kept his voice low. Keep her calm Draco. Keep her bloody calm.

"I love you Hermione and I'm not letting go. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, I'll die first," he whispered softly, "I made a promise to you and I'm a man of my words. I will save you Hermione. Please love, I need you to calm down."

Crimson blood flowed down his arms freely as she retracted her nails from his skin. Her body stopped pushing against his and she relaxed, not entirely, but enough to let him know that she knew who he was. Her head fell back against his chest rising and falling in time with his rhythmic breathing. She had finally calmed down allowing Draco to let out a sigh of utmost relief.

"Love–"

"What would I have to d-do?" she asked shaking uncontrollably in his arms. He wasn't sure if it was the cold doing it to her, but he gripped her tighter.

"You'd have to take his blood in you. You would have to take in the same potion that he did with you. You'd have to take the blood forcefully and drink the whole goblet."

"I c-can do that. I–"

"Then he has to die."

Hermione sank lower into his body as though contracting, an attempt to make herself smaller. Draco put his chin above her head smelling her beautiful hair. Damn it, why her? Merlin why her! Let me take this burden for her!

"I...I...I..." she said finding herself to be hyperventilating. Draco placed his hand over her chest desperately trying to calm her down.

"Shh," he whispered in her ear, "It's alright, love. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"I c-c-can't do that D-Draco. If...if he has to die, then why must I d-draw his b-blood?"

"Hermione," he breathed out trying to find the right words. He was having difficulty considering he knew what he wanted to say, but just hated that he had to say it. "Hermione he can still haunt you. If he were to simply die then he could continue to hurt you through your dreams. It would drive you mad, drive you into insanity. This must be done. I'm so sorry angel."

Every tear she let fall was a stab in his heart, a sucker punch into his stomach. He wanted to take away her pain, but he couldn't do that until this was over. Once it was, he would take her away, far away, so nobody could ever hurt her again. He would save her from a terrible fate if it was the last thing he ever did.

"I can't do this. I CAN'T DO THIS!" she screamed rising up from her position in Draco's lap. She turned around allowing him to take in her features which were either deep red or ghost white. "Draco I cannot drink his blood. Besides, how do you think I'll be able to even get this bloody potion brewed? It is not as though I can simply walk in there and ask!"

"I will go with you. I'll help you–"

"NO!" she screeched followed by a hiccup, residual effects of her sobbing. "He will kill you and I would never be able to forgive myself. I fell in love with you. I don't know how it happened, but it just did. I would rather be tortured and die than ever let something happen to you."

"Hermione don't you think I feel the same bloody way?! You're going to be the death of me Hermione!" he roared, anger swelling up in him. He loved Hermione more than his own life, his own soul, yet it was as though she was trying to justify her allowing Alan to win. He would not let the bastard, the bloody fucking bastard, harm her. He would die before he saw that.

"Hermione you really will be the death of me," he whispered in a tranquil voice looking up into her eyes. Another teardrop slid down her cheek upon his words. He knew she took it the wrong way so he found himself explaining, "You'll be the death of me because I'd die for you or without you. Hermione I won't let him hurt you. I can't do that."

She fell silent allowing herself to calm down. She swallowed thickly stifling a sob that was threatening to spill out of her mouth. Before she knew what she was doing, her legs were taking her over to Draco. He pulled her into a tight, loving embrace placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She felt safe with him and in the name of Merlin, she knew she had to do this. If not for herself, then for Draco. She had to end this bond with Alan so she could forever be Draco's, so she could forever be her own person.

"So after I drink this p-potion...how will he die?"

Draco bit his tongue practically drawing blood. Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry.

"You must kill him."

A/N: Dun, dun, DUN!! Okay so the secret is out. What do you guys think?

"Crashed" is a song by Chris Daughtry who has become my latest music obsession. I told you that I'm an American Idol junkey! The lyrics that I thought about the whole time I wrote this chapter were, "And I crashed into you and I went up in flames. Could have been the death of me, but then you breathed your breath in me. And I crashed into you like a runaway train. You will consume me, but I can't walk away." Enough said, I think.

READ AND REVIEW!!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

Iris is a work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.