Draco grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the back door and they exited into the courtyard.

"We can't apparate!" Hermione almost shouted at Draco. "Grimmauld Place is protected. We're trapped!"

Draco looked around desperately at the tall wall of the house and the other lower walls surrounding the courtyard. He then grabbed Hermione and pushed her backwards to stand against one of the lower walls.

"Stand still and don't move, no matter what happens," he instructed her. "It won't help if you put yourself in danger as well. Do you understand me?"

"What? What do you mean - whatever happens?" Hermione asked, urgently. Draco didn't answer her and without another word of explanation he took out his wand and tapped it on the top of her head. Hermione felt the sensation of an egg being cracked on her head and she grabbed Draco's hand. "What are you doing? Why have you done a disillusionment charm?"

Before Draco could answer the back door of the house was thrown open and several wizards appeared, all with hoods and brandishing wands. Draco stepped away from Hermione quickly and held his hands up, he made it look like he had been trying to climb the wall. The tallest wizard approached him and removed the hood of his cloak.

"Malfoy."

"Balsamo."

"Where's the girl?"

Draco pointed at the wall. "I levitated her over - she will have apparated now."

"How very noble of you," Balsamo's voice was laced with sarcasm and he nodded at one of his companions who ran off, obviously to check Draco's story. "Drop your wand."

"There's six of you and one of me - I don't think you need to worry about me having a wand."

"Drop it."

Draco shook his head slowly. "You're going to attack me whether I drop it or not."

Balsamo's eyes narrowed but he argued no further. Hermione kept stock still although that was unnecessary because you could move and still remain invisible whilst under the disillusionment charm but she was frightened she would make a noise. Her own breathing sounded unbelievably loud to her already.

"Why then Malfoy? Why be a turncoat?" Balsamo said, smoothly. He had dark skin and long, black hair and he looked terrifying.

"The spell is wrong," Draco said. "No-one has the right to remove another wizard's power."

"Why not? Some wizards don't deserve their magical powers. Half bloods, Muggle borns." Balsamo leant close to Draco who stood his ground but Hermione could see Draco's fingers turning white as he grasped his wand. "I can't believe I am explaining this to a Malfoy!" Balsamo spat these words at Draco. "Lucius would be so proud that his only son has turned out to be a Muggle lover!"

"You mean his only son has grown a backbone," Draco said and he shrugged. "If you're expecting a grovelling apology or me begging for forgiveness then you're wasting your time."

"He's right, we are wasting time," Balsamo said to the wizards behind him. "So, who wants to do it? I wouldn't like to claim all the glory."

A smaller, blonde wizard stepped forward his narrow face glued to Draco. "It would be my pleasure." His voice and tone made Hermione shudder. She searched her brain desperately for a spell that she should cast silently and that would stop all the wizards at once. As soon as she cast a spell she would stand no chance if any of them were left standing. The spell had to work on all of the wizards at once.

The wizard who had been sent to look for her re-appeared. "There's no sign of her but no sign of apparation either."

"It doesn't matter," Balsamo said. "If she's gone to fetch help, she's too late." He nodded to the blonde wizard who stepped closer and aimed his wand at Draco. He took one final look at Balsamo who nodded.

Hermione's brain had frozen and she was about to jump out and hex the blonde wizard, regardless of giving her presence away. She had to try and save Draco whatever of the risk.

The blonde wizard spoke. "Avada Ked..."

A split second before Hermione leapt into action, as Draco raised his wand to protect himself, Balsamo put his hand out and lowered the blonde wizard's wand, stopping him mid-spell.

"Wait! That's too easy," Balsamo said. He walked to Draco and pushed him in the chest. "This disgrace to Pureblood wizards deserves a to suffer. Killing him is too kind." He turned to face his companions. "We have a new spell that needs testing don't we? If Malfoy loves Muggles that much, let's see how he likes being one."

Hermione saw Draco's face drop, more terrified by the threat of losing his magic than his life but Balsamo's words were like a Lumos spell in Hermione's brain. She had no idea if it was possible to use the new spell non-verbally, she'd obviously never done it before and Draco had never said if it would work on multiple wizards at the same time, but she knew it was what she was going to try. The justice of stopping them with their own spell was irresistible. She would have to move forward though, to make sure Draco was behind her or the spell would hit him as well.

She tiptoed into position as the wizards moved forward, eager to see their new spell performed. All except Balsamo who had moved backwards, standing a short distance away. Hermione watched him suspiciously wondering what was making him back off. Was he worried about this untested spell? Was he making sure he was out of the way of it?

Draco's wand was raised but she knew he could do very little because as soon as he attacked they would respond. She searched her brain desperately for the incantation of the new spell, having only heard it once from Draco himself. She remembered Draco's tone as he had said the spell, a kind of awe filled terror and the words came back to her. Eliminata Faculti. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, knowing she had just a few seconds but also knowing if she rushed she would make a mistake. This was difficult, non-verbal magic with a spell she'd never used before. She repeated the words in her head, making sure her wand was raised in the direction of the wizards and hoping desperately that Balsamo's worries about his own spell and it's safety were unfounded.

Eliminata Faculiti.

Hermione watched as the scene before her changed abruptly. The five wizards who had formed a semi-circle around Draco, including the blonde wizard who had actually said the first word of the spell himself seemed to stop, stock still as if they had been frozen. Then, almost in perfect synchronization they dropped their wands, which clattered to the ground with an odd, hollow sound before falling to their knees. One look over at Balsamo told Hermione that her spell had worked because his face as horror filled. It then registered that Balsamo was still standing and grasping his wand. The spell hadn't reached him.

Draco had moved and was approaching Balsamo, wand raised and Balsamo's face sneered at him.

"Finite Incantatum!" he yelled and Hermione felt a warm sensation spread through her as the Disillusionment charm ended. "Good evening Miss Granger," Balsamo said, his voice laced with venom. "Very clever using my own spell against us and well done on doing it non-verbally. The rumours of your skills were not exaggerated. However, it was also very stupid because look..." he indicated himself, "it didn't reach me!"

"Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione heard Draco yell from behind her but Balsamo was too quick.

"Expelliarmus!"

Hermione raised her wand, not giving a chance to recover. "Immobulus!"

Balsamo dodged the spell by throwing himself against the wall. With a final look at Hermione he pointed his wand at Draco who was already attacking him with another spell.

"Stupef..." Draco's word froze in his throat and Hermione turned to look at him. She watched in horror as Draco froze on the spot, his eyes staring before he dropped his wand on the floor. The hollow, strange clattering made Hermione's blood turn to ice because she had only ever heard wands sound like that once before - a few seconds earlier. It was the sound of a wand that had lost its magic, a wand that was just a stick of wood and nothing more.

Draco repeated the actions of the other wizards and fell to his knees and that was when a spell skimmed past Hermione and she saw Balsamo approaching her, his eyes dark and narrow, his lips in an ugly smile.

"Malfoy the Muggle! That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" he snarled. "Shall I let you join him or is it time we lost our most talented witch in a sad accident?"

Hermione felt rage join the horror she was feeling at what he had done to Draco. She raised her wand and walked within a few paces of Balsamo who seemed to be taken by surprise. She pointed her wand between his eyes and without a moment's hesitation she said the spell, her voice quiet and deadly.

"Eliminata Faculiti."

Balsamo repeated the actions of his counterparts but Hermione didn't stop to watch him, instead she ran over to Draco who was still on his knees, staring at his wand.

"Draco..." She stopped dead as he looked up at her, the look on his face making her crumple to the floor beside him. She'd never seen anyone look more devastated. His eyes were dead in his face, his shoulders slumped. "Draco..." she repeated, not knowing what else to say because she couldn't find words to comfort him. Nothing she said could help. His despair was tangible and no words could make it better. She brushed the tears away that were obscuring her view and then stumbled awkwardly to her feet as Draco stood up.

"Don't follow me." His voice sounded dead as well and he didn't look at her. "Don't try and find me."

"No!" She grabbed his arm. "You can't run away from this! I can help you!"

Draco ignored her and shook her grip off him. He glanced at her for the briefest of moments before saying just one word.

"Sorry."

"Draco!" She said his name, desperately but he walked back into the house and she ran after him desperately, following him and grabbing his arm. He ignored her and opened the front door, emerging into the street. As soon as he stepped outside, Hermione turned and Grimmauld Place was gone. Draco was a Muggle and they couldn't see it so it had magically disappeared. She could tell that Draco was about to take off at a run and she held onto him desperately. "You can't deal with this alone - we can cope with it together!"

For the first time, Draco acknowledged her. "No, Hermione. I can't be around magic..."

"You promised you wouldn't leave me."

He stared at her. "Until this was over. It's over now."

"You said it was up to me afterwards and I want you with me. I don't care if you have magic or not! My parents aren't magical! It's all the same to me!" Hermione didn't bother to brush the tears away now. "Please Draco, please! I can't bear it if you leave me."

Draco's eyes were blank but she knew it was his way of holding himself together. He blinked rapidly, his lips quivering before he spoke again. "I know. I'm sorry...I can't bear it either way..." and before Hermione could take another, shuddering breath he ran, his long legs taking him down the Muggle street, leaving Hermione helpless. She could never keep up with him and as he turned the corner she knew that even her magic couldn't keep him here or allow her to follow him. She fell to her knees, throwing her wand to the floor, the sobs overtaking her body so that her shoulders shook.

Right now she would have willingly given her own magic away if it would have allowed Draco his. He needed it more than she because he had never lived without it. She wanted to hate him for running out on her but she couldn't. She understood completely his need to not be around anything magical but why couldn't he have let her help him?

She didn't know how long it was before she felt a pair of strong arms pulling her to her feet and a pair of anxious, green eyes searching her face.

"Harry..." she sobbed, letting him pull her into a hug.

"It's okay, you're safe."

"He's gone - they took his magic - he's gone..."

"I know. We're looking for him now."

Hermione pushed Harry away, feeling the need to explain. "He wasn't a coward, Harry. He didn't run away - not before - only after the spell..." she rambled, explaining badly, her voice cracking between sobs. Harry's kind eyes held hers.

"It's okay. We know what happened, Hermione."

"He won't come back - he can't! He can't face our magic when he has none!"

"Come back inside - you're in shock. You need a drink."

"No! I don't care about me! I don't care!" Hermione struggled away from Harry who pulled her against him again.

"Well, you may not care but I do!" he said. "You need to sit down but first you need to calm down! We're looking for Draco because we can help him."

"What do you mean? How can you help him?"

"We have a way to reverse the spell but it has to be done quickly - within an hour."

Hermione stepped backwards, her jaw dropping open, her eyes searching Harry's face, not daring to believe him. "But it's permanent. Draco said it was permanent."

Harry pulled her towards the house. "I'll explain inside - come on."

"An hour? How can you find him that quickly? You should be looking for him too, Harry," she still resisted him. "Go now - I'm fine."

"We have Tracers on him, Hermione. They don't need me but you do. Now come inside before I have to hex you!"

Hermione stared at her dearest friend, knowing she could trust him implicitly and then she let him take her hand and lead her back inside.

Phew! Action packed! As always, hope I wrote this okay because I always struggle more with the action chapters. I'm better at dialogue but the stories need some action as well so I always hope it's okay. So, will they find Draco in time? Happy or sad ending?...x