READ THIS BEFORE YOU READ THE STORY:

I would just like to say thank you so much to all the people who reviewed before and were sympathetic to my little computer problem. So thank you so so much, and here's your next chapter.

Hermione and Draco sat there for two hours, just talking, keeping both their minds off the real reason why Draco was there. Draco noticed for a split second something over by the window looking in. but when he focused on it, nothing was there.
While they were talking, Hermione had to give herself silent credit. Draco was talking, and she was responding, but in her mind, she was battling with herself, about the ball. She knew it would mean so much to Draco if she went, but she knew it would almost destroy Harry if he knew.

But Harry doesn't have to know! Her brain said smartly.

No, Hermione's other side said firmly. Harry is my friend, and Hermione granger does not lie or keep secrets from her friends.

"Yes, I told her to tell you." She said aloud to Draco.

Just go Hermione.

No, don't Hermione.

GO
NO!
"I'll go!" Hermione said suddenly to both her surprise and dracos.

"What?" he said confused. He had been talking about his last summer brake and how he fell off his broom while distracted with a ministry official.

"I said I'll go to the ball with you." Hermione said swallowing hard. "on one condition."

Draco was so over come with relief, that he didn't care what her condition was- until she said it.

"I am not going any where near him." She said firmly.

Draco suddenly felt cold and empty, like he was no longer in his own body. Like he was filled with nothing but air.

"What?" Draco stumbled stupidly.

"I'm not going anywhere near Voldermort." Hermione repeated.

"Oh…but Hermione, I have to talk to him…he'll be wanting to see me." Draco said stumbling again with his words still cold.

"Draco, answer me this." Hermione said standing up and facing him, breathing hard. "Why would Voldermort want to talk to you? Is there something you're not telling me?"

Draco sat silent in front of Hermione, his mouth slightly open. Crap.

"Has Voldermort set you a job?" Hermione continued, now afraid because Draco hadn't answered fast enough, and now looked like he was about to choose his words carefully.

His hand slithered to his pocket and he whipped out his wand.

Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Petrificus Totalus" draco said, his voice deeper and cruller.

Hermione looked at him in horror as her arms and legs snapped together and she fell over. Her eyes looked at him in pure terror, and she saw his eyes were slightly glazed, more so then his normal ones.

"Crucio" he said, and Hermione screamed inside herself in agony. She couldn't move, she could do anything but scream inside her mind in fright and pain. Draco lifted the curse.

"Where is Harry potter?" he said, his voice now nothing like his own. "WHERE!" he shouted, then cursed Hermione again, causing more pain.

Draco carefully lifted the binding curse off Hermione's face. "Where is Harry potter?" he asked again.

"What's gotten into you!" Hermione screamed, her mind still echoing the pain.

"WHERE!" Draco shouted.

"Silencio" Draco cast around the room and cursed Hermione again, this time she screamed loudly.

Hermione breathed deeply, as Draco lifted the curse off her. A tear rolled down her face as she looked into his eyes.

Draco was under the Imperius Curse.

Hermione quickly looked around but couldn't see anyone in the room.

Draco cursed Hermione again, this time he left it on her.

After a few minutes, Hermione's body was numb with pain. "THE BURROW!" she screamed, then swore at herself.

The controlled Draco lifted the curse and grinned evilly.

Then his eyes returned to normal. "Hermione?" he stuttered before Hermione heard someone form near the window say "Crucio!"

Draco fell to the floor, screaming out in pain and cursing Merlin.

Draco's pain lasted for five minutes before the voice lifted the curse and Hermione heard a pop, and the person was gone.

Draco sat twitching on the floor.

"Accio Wand!" Hermione said and her wand flew to her hand. She released herself from the body bind with some difficulty, then rushed over to Draco. He was unconscious.

Hermione fell down by his side. "Draco wake up!"

But Draco didn't stir.

Hermione lifted him up using her wand and supported him on her shoulder, so he slumped over slightly by her side. She put her wand in her pocket and raced out of the apartment and outside onto the road. She raised her right arm and waited. Within seconds, the purple Knight Bus rolled to a un steady stop in front of her.

Stan came to the door, and looked curiously at her.

"Welcome aboard." He said confused as Hermione threw some change at him and ran on board the bus, and found a seat and sat Draco down.

He fell over in the seat, and Hermione had to rest him on her shoulder as the bus gunned off.

"Where to?" Stan asked coming up to her.

"The hospital." Hermione said her mind buzzing. It was the only place she could think of were he could be treated.

Hermione sat shivering on the seat while the bus shot off to some England country town where a woman jumped off.

Within minutes, they were pulled up outside the secret entrance to St Mungo's.

Hermione supported Draco again with difficulty and got off the bus. She turned around just in time to see the bus disappear.

Hermione balanced Draco and carefully walked towards the window.

"Wotcher, I need assistance!" Hermione said urgently to the glass window that held some manikins.

The manikin indicated for Hermione to enter.

With some difficulty, Hermione managed to step through the glass towing Draco behind her.

Not bothering to marvel at the sight around her, Hermione marched up to the receptionist's desk dragging the unconscious Malfoy along.

"May I help you?" a witch at the desk asked, looking at Hermione much the same way Stan had.

"Yes. Draco has been hit with the Imperius Curse too long, and he's unconscious." Hermione said trying not to let the man behind her hear. She shook Malfoy for emphasis.

The witch's face darkened. "I think my dear, you need the Spell Damage ward- forth floor. Just through the corridor. Ludavin here will help you. Ludavin!"

A witch wearing a lime green robe came up to Hermione and looked at her. She pointed her wand at Malfoy and he floated along behind them as the healer led them away from the receptionist.

"What, in precise detail happened?" the witch doctor asked as they walked along a corridor.

"Well, we were talking, and he suddenly pointed his want at me, put the Cruciatus curse on me, binded my body. I saw in his eyes that it wasn't really Draco, but someone else controlling him. Then the person released him of the curse, and tortured Draco until he was like this." Hermione pointed to Malfoy helplessly.

"And that's all that happened?" the witch asked firmly.

"Yes." Hermione said still shaking.

The witch led her through a door marked SPELL DAMAGE and down another corridor. Other witch doctors were walking in and out of rooms, talking to others or writing on boards with quills.

They turned and walked into another part of the ward and into a room that was empty of all other people.

Ludavin carefully put Draco on the only bed and left with a quick sentence: "I'll be straight back."

Hermione slumped into a chair beside the bed and watched Draco lie limply on the bed. "What have they done to you?" she whispered and hung her head.

Within minutes, Ludavin returned with another witch doctor. "Hello, I'm Diiella. And you are?"

"Hermione." Hermione answered shaking the woman's hand.

"Right. Now, Ludavin tells me that this young man was tortured into unconsciousness by the Imperius curse. Is that correct?"

Hermione only nodded.

"And that before that, he put you under the Cruciatus curse?"

Again Hermione simply nodded.

"Are you alright?" the woman asked studying her.

"Yes." Hermione said. "What are you going to do for Draco?"

"Alright, we'll start him off on a potion and then we'll see. But for the moment, I want to give you this." The woman reached into her robes and pulled out a small vile. "It's a shock treater."

Hermione took it and drank the small amount quickly. She felt better, though she could have improved.

"As for your Cruciatus experience, take this." The woman handed Hermione another potion.

"I assume you'll be staying here for the night?"

"Yes, I'd like to." Hermione answered.

"Alright. Ludavin, get another bed organized in this room, and Hermione can stay here until Draco is better."

"Here, miss, could you fill these out?" Ludavin asked handing Hermione a board with paper on it and a quill.

Hermione nodded.

"We'll be back later." Diiella said then they both left the room.

Hermione looked at the sheet.

It was a St. Mungo's admission form. Hermione filled it out the best she could. But she came to two questions that she stumbled on before answering. One was:Your relationship to patient. Hermione wrote partner.
the second was Are there any other family members we should notify? Hermione hesitated a second longer before putting down No.

She didn't know why, but her gut told her it wouldn't be good to meet Draco's father while Draco was unconscious and un able to defend her.

Ludavin returned with a potion. She smiled at Hermione before she opened Draco's mouth and poured the potion carefully down his throat.

"Is there anything I can get you?" she asked.

"No thank you." Hermione said handing her the form.

Ludavin took it and left.

A second later, an identical bed to the one Draco was in appeared opposite him. Hermione was tempted but decided she'd stay by Draco's side until she dropped dead of tiredness.
soon though, Hermione's throat was dry and horse. She got up and went outside the room.

"Excuse me," she said to a witch doctor. "Where can I get something to drink?"

"Up stairs." The doctor said pointing to the stair case.

Hermione said thank you and went up stairs and found herself in a cafeteria. Ignoring everyone else in the room, Hermione got a cup of tea and made her way back down the stairs to Draco's room.

When she went inside and had closed the door, she got the fright of her life.

Sitting on the window sill was an owl. Hermione put her tea down and crossed to it.

Attached to its leg was a note from Ginny.

Hermione, where are you? I tried using a muggle phone to get in contact but you wont pick up! Where are you! Ginny.

Hermione dropped the note. She had completely forgotten that she had said the burrow to Draco when he was torturing her for harrys whereabouts. The person who had control must have heard…

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione said and ran outside the room. "GIVE ME A QUILL!" she shouted.

Three witch doctors looked at her as they came running towards her shocked, obviously thinking she was an escaping nutter patient.

"Give me a quill!" she said hurriedly again.

One handed her one and Hermione snatched it and quickly scribbled a hurried warning.

Ginny, GET YOUR WHOLE FAMILY, INCLUDING HARRY OUT OF THAT HOUSE! DON'T DELAY! TAKE THEM SOMEWHERE SAFE. BRING THEM ALL TO ST. MUNGO'S AND ASK FOR DRACO MALFOY'S ROOM. BRING EVERYONE AND DO NOT WAIT! TRUST ME PLEASE

HERMIONE.

Hermione ran back inside Draco's room and quickly tied the note to the owls leg, her fingers fumbling.

Ginny waited anxiously by her shabby bedroom window for Hermione's reply. It was unlike Hermione to not answer a letter- she was normally begging for them so she wouldn't get board.

Ginny's eyes had scanned the sky repeatedly over and over, looking for the owl. Finally, she spotted it and jumped with joy.

But once she read the letter, her blood went cold, and the joy streamed out of her, and was replaced with fear and confusion.

Not hesitating, ginny ran out of her room to find her mother.

"Ginny, what is it dear?" Mrs. Weasley said looking shocked as Ginny burst into the sitting room with the letter clutched in her hand.

"Mum! We have to go, now!" ginny said breathlessly.

"What?" Mr. Weasley asked getting up out of his chair. "Why?"

"Just please, let's go! Get Harry, Ron and the twins and lets get out of here!" ginny squealed.

"Ginny, what has gotten into you?" Mrs. Weasley asked looking more alarmed by the minute as her youngest child screamed in frustration.

Ginny handed her father the letter. Mr. Weasley read the note first to himself. His face went pale.

Harry and Ron came into the sitting room looking confused. "Who was shouting?" Ron asked looking from his parents to ginny.

"Arthur, what does it say?" Mrs. Weasley asked, her voice slightly off key.

Mr Weasley read the letter aloud.

"Surely it's a joke…" Mrs. Weasley said, her face too loosing colour.

"No, Hermione doesn't joke about these things." Ginny said while Harry and Ron nodded vigorously in agreement.

"We have to trust her mum." Ron said. " she wouldn't do this as a sick joke."

"Alright…calm down everyone. FRED! GEORGE! Get down here!" Mr. Weasley shouted.

In a few seconds the Weasley twins were stumbling into the room looking confused. "What is it dad?" Fred said getting swallowed up by the tension in the house.

"We have to go." Mr. Weasley said hurriedly.

Everyone raced upstairs at Mr. Weasley's command and grabbed a cloak or jumper. Then, meeting outside the house, they gathered together. Mrs. Weasley signaled for the Knight bus and they all waited, a panicky feeling itching the backs of their throats.

The purple bus appeared and they all raced aboard, Mr. Weasley ordering Stan to take them to St. Mungo's straight away.

By the urgency in his voice, Stan knew there must be an emergency, and he nodded.

Within minutes, the Weasley family and Harry were standing outside St. Mungo's entrance.

"Wotcher, we're here to see Draco Malfoy." Mrs. Weasley said. "My goodness that feels weird." She muttered as they stepped into the window.

Inside, Mrs. Weasley ran up to the desk and demanded to know which room Draco Malfoy was in.

The lady at the desk looked at her sternly before telling her the room, and making sure that Mrs. Weasley understood that she was to proceed calmly around the hospital.

Dusk was now falling, and Hermione grew more and more anxious with every second and minute that ticked by.

She tried sitting down, and lying down but it didn't calm her down. Then she started to pace the room, snapping at the witch doctors that now checked in every few minutes.

Then, just as she was about to fall over with exhaustion and collapse and have a crying fit, Hermione spotted the Weasley family and Harry come into the room all flushed and looking as anxious as Hermione.

Harry, Ron and ginny ran forward and knocked the wind out of Hermione with hugs.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley walked hurriedly over to her as well and hugged her. The Weasley twins shut the room door, while Ginny sat down with Hermione on the end of Hermione's un used bed.

"I'm so happy your all safe." Hermione said tears of happiness spilling down her face.

"What happened Hermione?" Mrs. Weasley asked eyeing Draco carefully.

She and Mr. Weasley were sitting to Hermione's right, on some chairs. While Harry and Ron sat on the other side of Hermione. The Weasley twins sat closer to Draco's bed, though didn't dare remark on the fact that Draco was open for some Twin sabotage.

Before Hermione knew it, she was spilling everything. Everything about the ball, the guest, their fight, how Draco had found Hermione again, their conversation, The cruse that Malfoy had un willingly put on Hermione a few times, what he asked, and Hermione's unforgivable answer, the voice, and then Draco's torture. The story ended with Hermione's arrival at St. Mungo's and the letter she sent to ginny.

"I am so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I should have held my tongue.." Hermione said deeply apologetic.

"Oh no my dear!" Mrs. Weasley said getting to her feet and hugging Hermione again.

"You warned us Hermione." Mr. Weasley said smiling. "You saved all our lives."

"But I told…" Hermione said shaking her head.

"Hermione, I would have told under those conditions." Harry said putting his hand on Hermione's.

"I put you all in danger…" Hermione said, determined not to forgive herself.

"It's alright Hermione dear." Mrs. Weasley said. "How's…how's Draco?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." Hermione said her voice breaking as she looked across the room at the slumped figure lying on the bed, un moving. "Where are you all going to sleep now?"

"I don't know…" Mr. Weasley said frowning. "Maybe we could hold up at Grimmauld place until we sort this all out."

We can go there. It'd be fantastic to see Sirius again!" Harry said his face set with excitement at seeing the man he admired

Hermione hung her head. If only she had been brave under the curse, they wouldn't have to go there in the first place. Damn her!

"Hermione dear, I think you need to go for a walk." Mrs. Weasley said acting as a mother.

Hermione nodded. Though she had been walking for a while in the same room, stretching her legs properly would be good. Plus, she won't be alone.

"Harry, Ron, Ginny, care to accompany her?" Mrs. Weasley asked. They nodded and the four of them left the room.

"Fred, George, you two can wonder the hospital, but please, please don't cause any trouble." The twins nodded, and for once, they meant it.

"Harry I'm so sorry!" Hermione had been saying the same thing for the last ten minutes. "I cant believe how stupid I was!"

"Hermione, it's fine. You saved all our skins by warning us." Harry said patting her on the back.

"Your house might be ruined!" Hermione wailed.

"Don't worry, it's time it got a make over." Ginny said positively.

Hermione did fell better after that joke and the walk. When they returned to the room, they saw Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking to one of the witch doctors.

"We want to be informed of anything, and everything understood?" Mrs. Weasley was saying bossily. The witch doctor nodded and left.

"Right well I think we should let Hermione get some rest." Mrs. Weasley said. "It's after dark."

Hermione glanced at the window. She hadn't even noticed.

"Hermione, do you want anyone to stay here the night?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"No, thank you. You've all done more then enough to comfort me." Hermione said still feeling guilty.

"Alright then dear. Well, send an owl if you need anything." Mrs. Weasley said then hugged Hermione and waited at the door.

Mr. Weasley hugged Hermione next and stood next to his wife, holding her hand. Hermione had a split image of her and Draco looking like that, and being this strong together. She choked back tears as she hugged the twins, then Ron, then Harry, (extra long) then ginny.

"Send me owls Hermione. I'll stay awake talking to you all night I promise. And don't tell me to get some rest cos you know I wont." Ginny said hurriedly as they hugged.

Hermione smiled. "Alright." She answered, knowing she'd fall asleep eventually, and Hermione would not.

"Bye." Hermione said waving as they all left in a huddle.

"Bye!" they said and closed the door behind them.

Hermione felt alone once again, with nothing but an unconscious, almost non living Draco in the bed next to her, completely un aware of his surroundings.

Well what do you all think? Ok for an extremely delayed chapter? Filled with enough suspense? I couldn't let the Weasley family die without Hermione at least warning them…hehehe well they're all safe now.

BUT will Hermione still attend the ball?

And who, WHO put the curse on our beloved Draco, who in turn cursed our lovely Hermione?

HEHEHE

Just wait and see!

Aj