A/N--Chapter two!! I am so pleased to have it up (and only a little bit later than crimson)! PLEASE REVIEW!! For a number of reasons...if you see any obvious differences between this version and the crimson version (I try to be careful but it happens), if you think something doesn't feel right or you think could be better, or if you just like it, I would love to know :) A huge thanks to those that reviewed the first chapter! Okay, here we go!

The Unbreakable Vow

***Emerald Edition***

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's quite sad.

Chapter Two

Draco glared at her as they continued running, silently cursing himself for doubting his own ability to watch one stupid mudblood. He could protect her. He would protect her. He didn't have a choice in the matter.

His life depended solely on keeping her alive.

Spells exploded through the valley, the fighting immediately flaring back to life. Draco watched as Granger staggered through the debris that littered the ground. Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was only scarcely aware of the madness that surrounded her, and he felt himself run somewhat faster to close the distance even more.

Sparing a quick glance over his shoulder at the battling sillohuettes, he noticed that the Death Eaters were pushing the members of the Order back towards Hogsmeade. Draco returned his eyes to Granger who either didn't notice or didn't care that she was the only one running in the opposite direction.

She's lost her mind, Draco decided. She's running towards the one person who wants her kind dead more than anyone else in this world.

He looked past Hermione towards where the Dark Lord stood, pacing triumphantly around his fallen victim. Draco's eyes narrowed, focusing once again on Granger who was stumbling more than ever now, fatigue obviously setting in yet she struggled forward.

Draco, again, found himself mildly impressed with her until he was suddenly knocked off his feet by a small explosion landing a yard in front of him. Cursing, he rose to his feet, wand raised defensively. He was surprised to find one of his closest friends standing a few yards away from him.

Blaise Zabini was staring at him apologetically, the sheepish grin on his face enhancing his high cheek bones.

"Sorry, mate," he offered lightly, his eyes shining maliciously. "It's hard to tell the pure from the filth in the darkness."

Draco lowered his wand with an exasperated sigh and nodded his forgiveness before turning away and searching for Granger. He groaned darkly when he realized she had put a good bit of distance between them despite her exhaustion which was obviously slowing her down.

"We could have a bit of fun with her," Zabini said unexpectedly from behind him.

Draco glanced at him, his eyes narrowing when he saw Zabini staring off in Granger's direction.

"No," he barked, earning a surprised look from his friend. "No one is to touch her. Not even you."

Zabini's cocked his head to one side obviously confused, but after a long moment, he surprised Draco.

"No one is to touch the mudblood?" he said quietly, his voice betraying his curiosity as he nodded slowly. "Understood."

Draco froze, somewhat overwhelmed; Zabini had always been respectful towards him and was undoubtedly his closest ally, but this demonstration of unfaltering trust was monumental; Zabini had just agreed not only leave Granger untouched by his own wand, but to defend her from others as well. Draco felt a newfound appreciation for his friend.

"Am I allowed to ask why?" Zabini inquired lightly, not wanting to push the subject too far. But Draco was so pleased with Zabini's reaction he actually nodded before clarifying, "But now is not the time."

The answer seemed to appease Zabini who immediately took off in the direction opposite of Granger.

Draco nearly smirked as he turned back to his target, another shadowy figure flickering in the corner of his vision. He easily recognized the silhouette as a Death Eater and frowned when he realized it was chasing Hermione.

He didn't hesitate.

His feet flew beneath him, the adrenaline coursing through him cut the distance quickly until he was close enough to hear her winded gasps for air. Draco flitted through the fallen bodies with more grace than Granger; she was exhausted and focused so intently on getting to her friend that she was oblivious to the oncoming threat.

"Stupefy!"

Granger's blissful ignorance ended in a brilliant explosion of red that landed inches in front of her. Draco slowed to a stop behind her crouching to the ground. Satisfied that he had not been seen, he drew his wand immediately. Granger stood shakily, her legs weak with fatigue and managed to raise her wand. Draco forced himself to look at her attacker.

Alecto Carrow, he thought with a sneer.

"You're that Granger mudblood!" the foul woman croaked excitedly, followed by a howl of laughter that made Draco grimace. "Looks like your filthy kind will finally get what they deserve now that the Dark Lord has defeated the Potter boy."

With one quick glance, Draco could tell the Death Eater had touched a nerve. Granger's body had tensed, her hand grasping her wand so tightly he thought it might snap under the pressure. She took a short step forward, taking a deep steady breath.

"Don't worry," Carrow continued, undaunted by her opponent. "You're friend's are almost as foul as you and will be punished accordingly."

Turning her head slightly, she raised her arm lazily in the direction of an area dangerously close to Draco.

"Just ask the filthy blood-traitor."

Draco held his breath, turning to see a fallen body laying a few yards away from where he hid. He wasn't surprised that he hadn't noticed it; violence was a regular part of his life and he was accustomed to ignoring everything that surrounded him. All of his focus was on keeping himself alive.

And Granger, he immediately corrected.

He crept around the area in the direction of the Dark Lord, deciding that if Granger intended to run he could catch her. As he passed, Draco looked closely at the body of the young man who was, surprisingly, still alive. The amount of blood was almost enough to sicken Draco; it coated the man's messy blonde hair and stained his cloak. His face was strikingly pale and his eyes were glazed as he stared blankly into the night. The spasms of pain were obvious when his face twisted into a brief expression of discomfort before becoming impassive once again.

Draco shuddered. He was all too familiar with this curse.

Sectumsempra.

Granger had hurried to the young man's side, eyes shining with unshed tears. It was clear that she knew who he was, allowing Draco to believe that he had attended Hogwarts with them, but he still couldn't place his name.

"I tried--" he said hoarsely, blood trailing down his chin.

"I know," Granger interrupted him, her gentle voice a cruel contradiction to the situation. "I'm going to help you."

The second the words left her lips, Draco knew it was a lie. A well disguised lie, but a lie nonetheless and he knew that everyone was well aware of the fact. He glanced at Carrow who was watching intently, apparently entertained.

"Hermione," the man pleaded, the undeniable agony in his voice capturing Draco's attention again.. "Please--"

"Ernie…"

Something clicked in Draco when Granger whispered in response.

Ernie Macmillan: close in age, member of Dumbledore's Army, Hufflepuff, and, Draco realized, a friend of Granger.

"Poor little Mudlbood," Carrow mocked as Macmillan's breaths came in short painful gasps. "It doesn't look like your friend is doing too well." Granger said nothing in response, simply rose to her feet, staring down at the former Hufflepuff. He could only see part of her face, but Draco could see her resolute expression. She raised her wand at him with unnatural ease.

"Thank you," Macmillan whispered breathily, closing his eyes.

"Avada Kedavra."

Draco's heart nearly stopped when he heard the killing curse whispered from Hermione's mouth. Tears streamed down her face, a tormented look in her eyes. Of course, he knew, that she had merely limited Macmillan's suffering; he would have died even if she had not intervened. But as he stared at her, Draco realized that that probably was not how she saw it.

"You're welcome," she whispered, her voice thick with tears. Draco felt something unfamiliar tug at his chest; she sounded so incredibly defeated.

"Oh, Mudblood," Carrod said with a cold laugh, capturing Draco's attention. "If I had known you would kill your friends for me, I would have let you kill the little Weasley girl too; it would have saved me some precious time."

By the time the cruelness of her words set in Draco's mind, Granger had already acted.

"Crucio!"

Carrow let out a long wail of agony, curling into herself on the ground awkwardly. Draco rose from his crouched position and stared at Granger, watching as her resolve faded at the sounds of her victim. She turned suddenly, obviously hoping to escape before the Death Eater had recovered but froze when she saw him.

Draco remained still even as she brandished her wand; a duel was not something he wanted from her right now. As she crept by, he considered letting her go. If she was so intent on getting herself killed, then maybe he should let her. She probably wouldn't even entertain the thought of allowing him to protect her anyway. He let out a low growl when she passed him. As Carrow's screams faded, he decided that he didn't really care if she wanted his protection or not.

She had only managed to get a few feet away before he flung his arms around her waist and hauled her back against his chest.

"What--"

""You need to stay close to me," he interrupted her surprised protest. She tried to push away, but Draco held her firmly, trying to be as gentle as possible. Carrow was silent now and Draco felt his grip tighten as she twisted in his arms.

"Flipendo!"

Draco felt a blow knock him back, Granger sliding easily away from him, her wand held tightly in her hand. He tried to regain his breath, shooting her a disapproving look before she turned to flee.

"Everte Statum!"

One moment Granger was running, the next she was flying in the air, her hair fanning out against the sky. Draco didn't have to turn to know that Carrow had recovered and casted the magic. He stared instead at his target who was struggling to sit up from the ground. Her hair was a tangled mess and her lip was split open but she seemed alright. Draco let his gaze find Carrow. The Death Eater had seen him and shot him a knowing look before turning a furious expression towards Granger.

Draco heard Hermione hiss in pain from behind him before Carrow spoke to him, "Come along, dear Draco. Let's have some fun with the offensive mudblood before we end her pathetic little life."

His gaze didn't falter, his hand subconsciously tightening around his wand. Would he have to kill another fellow Death Eater in order to protect Granger? Carrow didn't seem bothered by his lack of response and shrugged, raising her wand towards the younger witch.

"Well," she muttered, her voice dangerously quiet, "if you don't want to share the fun with me, I suppose I'll have her all to myself."

Draco flicked his wand with remarkable speed.

"Expluso!"

Unfortunately, the spell dissipated as Carrow screamed the counter-curse, the explosive embers falling to the ground around her. Her eyes blazed furiously as she raised her wand threateningly at Draco.

"You traitor!"

The shrill accusation cut into Draco like a knife, but he could not deny this truth. He was a traitor; he was protecting a mudblood, one of Harry Potter's closest friends no less, and had killed another Death Eater in order to do so. He gripped his wand tighter. It looked like he was going to have to kill another.

The night suddenly erupted in blinding lights as an unspoken duel commenced.

Draco flicked his wand, simple words sliding past his lips in quick succession, a rainbow of different colors igniting from his wand. His feet were light beneath him, any weariness from earlier pushed entirely from his thoughts; Carrow's powerful spells were harmless enough as long as he could avoid them. The sounds were deafening as the dark magic flew through the air. It seemed an unnecessarily long time before Draco managed to land a powerful combination at Carrow's hand, sending her wand flying high above them.

"Reducto."

Draco had almost forgotten that Granger was there but it was her voice that sent the final curse hurling toward the wand. In a blast of blue, the spell struck in mid-air sending shards of wood to the ground uselessly. Draco almost smirked at the enraged expression on Carrow's face.

"You filthy little mudblood!" she shrieked before turning back to Draco, staring at him with remarkable vehemence. "The Dark Lord will punish you for your treason! I will be sure to take part in your suffering!"

Draco didn't lower his wand. He knew what he had to do. Taking a small step towards the Death Eater he began reluctantly, "Avada--"

"No!"

He froze, Granger's cry of protest ringing in his ears. His eyes narrowed in surprise, but he could not bring himself to complete the deadly incantation. He turned to her, meeting her gaze. Was she testing him? Draco felt himself growing frustrated with himself; if Granger could clever enough to avoid killing in certain situations then he should be too.

He was, afterall, a pureblood and she was a mere mudblood.

Draco stared at her, the constant stream of tears left trails in the dirt that covered her face. Her lip was swollen, blood sliding down her chin grotesquely. She was exhausted, weak from a violence she would probably never be accustomed too. Her dark brown eyes pleaded with him desperately, unable to witness any more death.

She was so damn vulnerable, and Draco felt a fleeting pang of sympathy for her; this chaos was about to become her life. He decided to have mercy on her; the horrors that she would face in the near future would more than compensate for his generous act.

He turned back to Carrow who still looked incredulously at Granger, raising his wand with a heavy sigh.

"Stupefy."

The still bewildered, and therefore unsuspecting, Death Eater crumpled to the ground unconscious. Draco slid to her side, staring down at her coldly.

How does it feel to owe your life to a Mudblood? he thought bitterly, before flicking his wand in her direction.

"Obliviate."

Draco returned his attention to Granger who was staring out towards the Dark Lord who was still standing over Potter's body. He was gloating to himself, entirely alone. This fact seemed to register with Granger at the same moment because she turned back to him, her teary eyes shining brightly.

Surely she isn't foolish enough to try to defeat the Dark Lord by herself, Draco reasoned as he took a step towards her. She immediately disproved his assumption and took off towards the powerful wizard and her fallen friend.

Draco stared after her a long moment before letting out a low growl and starting after her. He was beginning to wonder if she was really worth all of this trouble.

Make my day-leave a review :)