Chapter 5

Draco didn't sleep that night. He sat there, cradling a sleeping Hermione in his arms. For the first time in his life he had something to protect, someone to care for.

Hermione woke, dazed and confused. She had never been a morning person. "Malfoy! I mean, Draco, I mean, you! What am I doing – oh god you brave person!"

Draco smiled and looked down at her. "Nice and coherent. How you ever managed to answer your name let alone any questions first lesson is beyond me."

She rubbed her bleary ayes and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I need a slight break from intelligence. A ten minute morning melt down is fair enough. You, however, need a rather monumental excuse for the past seven years."

Draco, in retaliation, threw Hermione off his lap and roller over her, so he was lying above her. You can tell he is a seeker, Hermione thought. That was so too quick for me to protest, and I shall be sticking to that excuse.

Supported by his elbows and forearms, Draco leant forward, his body millimetres above Hermione's. "My dear, the only reason you remain the Golden Pupil of Hogwarts is that I am far too busy to study." He kissed her nose, his wicked grin making sure she understood exactly what he had been "busy" dong. Feigning complete disgust, Hermione pushed him away and stood over him. "No wonder Pansy was only predicted D's. Then again, I always thought she would get T's – it would suit her so much better."

Draco leapt to his feet, striking a noble chivalrous pose. "How dare you speak ill of such an innocent girl! Although she did have a few troll-like qualities. It was a political match, she was rather terrifying. But at least she didn't have a dirty great scar down her forehead."

Hermione stood with her hands on her hips and laughed at him.

"What, may I ask is so funny?" asked a rather indignant Draco.

Hermione stepped closer to him and whispered conspiratorially "I could never get away with those ridiculous jam-jars he insisted on wearing!" She tried to skip away, but Draco grabbed her waist and pulled her back.

"And what about the weasel?" he growled into her neck.

Hermione's laughter died in her throat. Tears began to cloud her vision at the thought of Ron and those last nights. She had been so afraid and he had held her until she could sleep. Then, in the morning he would shout at her and they would argue till she could not bear it a second longer. He had broken her heart. It was because of him she had packed her things in the middle of the night and slipped away from Harry and his search. Then she was captured and brought here, straight into the arms of the boy she had taught herself not to fall for.

Small, soft kisses on her neck brought Hermione back from her revive. "He and Harry always made a better couple," she joked half-heartedly.

Draco would have had to be a fool not to notice her unease, but he knew better than to pursue it. She would tell him when she was ready. Instead he continued to pull her closer to him so she couldn't run away. The warmth of his body in such an inhospitable place gave Hermione new courage to kick back at the heartache. If it could hurt her, she could at least make it look slightly foolish.

"Hmmm," she mused, "A weasel and a ferret. It's the start of a personal petting zoo." She turned round to face Draco.

"I bet the ferret would be your favourite though."

"Oh really? And what had led you to that conclusion?"

"Firstly, the much more dashing hair colour. I've always felt blonde was a much more pleasing contrast to your beautiful brown locks. Secondly, I can do this -" and he kissed her again.

This kiss was different to the sweet kiss last night. This one was deep and passionate. Hermione snaked her arms around his waist, reaching up his back. Her fingers softly brushing over the bruises and contusions the Death Eaters had left. She deepened the kiss, feeling like never before. Draco pulled her even closer; they were now just one body, their hearts beating together in a rapid crescendo, their lips fitting together perfectly.

The door burst open. The lovers shied away from the bright light, still hopelessly entwined. Two Death Eaters stood at the door. With a cry of "filthy blood traitor", the first Death Eater set off a volley of hexes and curses. Draco pushed Hermione behind him as he was subjected to spell after spell, each cry of pain ripping through her heart. The second stood still as this went on. Blood seeped from Draco's filthy clothes. The first stopped only when the defeated boy fell to his knees. The Death Eater dragged him straight back onto feet and pulled him towards the door. Draco turned to see Hermione, deathly pale, tears shining on her cheeks. His heart almost broke there and then. He had to stop the tears. Despite the wand pointing at his neck, that's all he could think of, stopping those tears.

"Hermione, if I don't come back I just want you to know, I love you! I truly do. And you are the one person who I would have chosen to spend my last moments on Earth with!" This earned him a swift punch to the guts by the disgusted Death Eater. The punch removed all trace of air from Draco's lungs, but still he continued. "I love you more than anything else in this world! You will be all that's on my mind when the final spell is cast and I swear to the highest order in this world," he was now in the corridor, screaming this out to the world, "I will haunt the hell out of anyone who dares to hurt you my dear!".

Hermione heard another swift punch being delivered but physical pain no longer reached him. He lived simply for her. He began to sing a rousing chorus of the Weird Sister's most famous love song, "Trolls won't tear us apart". His voice echoed through the caverns, only interrupted by the harsh curses the Death Eaters were trying futilely to stop him with.

Hermione stood up and faced the Death Eater who remained. "Kill me," she said. "If Draco dies, I die too." The Death Eater hexed her with so much venom and malice it increased the spell tenfold. She collapsed, screaming as she felt her blood turn to ice, spearing her veins. But, she clung to the memory of her kiss from Draco, and the way her blood had turned to fire. She stood up again. The Death Eater slapped her, knocking her to the ground again, but still she stood up. She laughed at him. The Death Eater struck again. This time she was ready. She threw herself into his hand and managed to stay on her feet. He growled in frustration, and, as she looked up at him in triumph, she noticed the long silver hair that had escaped his mask.

"Luscious Malfoy," she gasped.

"Took you long enough to realise you filthy Mudblood. You little filthy Mudblood bitch! You have murdered my son. He could have been allowed back in our ranks but you had to get your claws in. His little spectacle there has ensured his death and the disgrace of his family." He spat at her.

"Your son is going to die and all you care about is you precious name," she hissed back at him. "You were happy enough to let him rot down here. You would never put your disgusting aristocratic neck on the line, not even for your own son!"

Luscious shot her a murderous look and turned to leave. As he reached the door he pointed his wand at her, as he yelled out "crucio!". The cell was filled with Hermione's screams of agony.

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Upstairs, Draco was being subjected to a different kind of torture. He was brought, filthy and bleeding, into the grand hall where all his classmates and family were sat feasting, after a successful week of hunting. He was led into the centre of the vast room, where everyone could see him. Bizarrely he found it simple to shrug off the guards hands and slip back into his arrogant strut, albeit with a slight limp. His trademark smirk felt natural on his lips. He knew he was better than all the people in this room. Hermione had shown him that.

The hall had barely registered his appearance. No-one would recognize him in his current state.

"Ah, Draco, How nice of you to join us." That voice silenced the hall and stopped Draco's pounding heart.

"The pleasure is all mine, I'm sure," countered Draco, his voice even as he lowered himself into a mocking bow.

"I'm glad to see your imprisonment has not crushed your spirit, dear boy. I am also glad that the Mudblood did not kill you. I hope you didn't think me stupid enough to miss her wand?" He laughed softly. Draco stared at the wall. He could not let him win this time. "However," the Dark Lord continued, "I did not expect you to fall in love with each other."

The hall suddenly exploded with noise, a cacophony of condemnation. There were cries of disgust, yells of blood traitor and the gossip of all those students who just knew he had a 'thing' for her.

"Fell, My Lord? I fell years ago. And as soon as I fell, I worked on the art of occulemcy. Admittedly, I was just as surprised as you when she replicated my true feelings of deepest romance."

The hall was in uproar again. A voice pierced the racket of insults and death threats. "So all the time you were with me...?"

"Pansy dear, no-one could do what we did thinking it was you they were lying next to. Every time we touched, I dreamt it was the beautiful Miss Granger."

"You will regret this! Crucio!" screeched the heartbroken girl. Draco barely flinched.

"Calm down Miss Parkinson," came the cold, calm voice of the Dark Lord. "It seems, Draco, that you can provide us with a little bit of ….. Entertainment." Draco went white. If they even tried to hurt Hermione in their sordid little games he would make sure each one of them suffered until their last breath. "You see Draco, your little fling has sullied your blood, so I'm afraid you are going to have to die. However, I'll give you the chance to survive. You will become a servant here, perhaps returning to our ranks in time. It is a very generous offer in my opinion, I do not offer second chances very often, but you have potential and it would be a shame to waste it completely. However, for this to happen, the girl must sacrifice Harry Potter by revealing his location." Sniggers broke out in little pockets among the hall. Pansy looked ridiculously smug at the horrendous dilemma Hermione would soon suffer to answer.

"She will never choose me! Your games will achieve nothing; you may as well kill me now." Draco's bravado hid the terror that Hermione might choose him. Then he would have to live without her, at the beck and call of old friends, now new found enemies.

"Come now Draco, a true Slytherin would never lower himself to self-sacrifice. Take him down to his… lover," sneered the foul creature, as Draco was dragged back down to the bowels of the Malfoy Manor.