Author's Note: Thanks for continuing to follow this little story. As many of you have guessed we are progressing now into the home stretch but still have some way to go. I'll just remind everyone that Draco saving Hermione from the manor does change a lot of things, so for those wondering how certain events will happen in the final battle, this might have ongoing repercussions for all our heroes. Remember that! :) As always, JKR solemnly swears she is up to no good.

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Draco had one arm propped up tiredly on the mantel place, running his hand slowly through his hair. He watched as Hermione paced back and forth across the living room floor, biting nervously on her nails as she listened to Blaise's description of what he had heard from his contacts in England. He could practically feel the terrified energy coming off her in waves. Grimacing, he watched her fretting with a heavy sensation in his chest. His friend had told a story so wild about the two Gryffindor's bursting through the roof on the back of a dragon, that he wasn't even certain he believed it. And the effect that the story was having on Granger was worrying too. Of course he knew that she would return to them soon, and he accepted that now, but he had hoped they'd have a bit more time together. Now that he had finally confessed his love, and she hadn't run away screaming, they were becoming more and more intimate. Maybe if they'd had more time she could have said it back to him. He shook his head to rid himself of this naïve thought, and turned back to what Blaise was saying.

"…my friend has contacts among the goblins, including a few workers from the bank. And apparently You-Know-Who eviscerated the tellers and security who were working there that day," Blaise said with a slightly green tinge to his face at the thought.

Hermione gasped and her eyebrows drew together in horror. She probably couldn't even imagine the kind of mindless slaughter that Voldemort could inflict on people. Draco frowned and met her stare.

"How the bloody hell did those idiots break into Gringotts? That place is supposed to be impenetrable."

Hermione, shook her head slowly, her nails digging into the skin on her cheeks. She was clearly thinking at full pace, as she was biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.

"It's possible they used polyjuice potion to look like one of the Death Eaters."

Blaise snorted.

"As if those two brainless gits could brew polyjuice."

"They didn't," Hermione retorted in a vague, thoughtful voice, and it was a testament to how worried she was that she didn't scold Blaise for his insult, "They used one that I made."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I had a whole batch brewed months ago, but we already used up about half when we broke into the ministry."

"You broke into the ministry?" Blaise yelled incredulously.

"Don't start, mate, you already know how suicidal they can be," Draco shook his head, having heard the absurd story from Hermione a week ago. He still had no idea why they had done it, but she had assured him that it was vital to their role in the war.

"Why didn't I hear about this?" Blaise said loudly, his mouth still gaping open in surprise.

"Rosier told me they wanted to keep it under wraps. They were a bit embarrassed by the whole thing," Draco said with a wry smile.

"Excellent," Blaise exclaimed at last, giving Hermione an approving look over, and making her blush.

Draco, however, frowned and turned back to her.

"You got separated from Potter and Weasley,…?"

She nodded brusquely.

"Yes but the potion was in our tent, which was charmed to stay hidden- it would have transported back to Ron when he was out of danger."

Blaise gave a low whistle, looking impressed.

"So exactly why did your two lesser halves break into Gringotts? I doubt they just woke up one day and thought 'hey, let's infiltrate the most secure facility in the wizarding world. That'll be a laugh.'"

Hermione's eyes flickered between the two of them. She looked a bit uncertain, and he could tell by the way she tapped her foot with nervous energy that she didn't want to say anything. For about a month now she had been very evasive in telling him what she and the moronic duo had been doing all year. It had been frustrating at first, but he had finally understood that it wasn't because she didn't trust him personally, and more that the secrecy was ingrained so deeply into the three of them by Dumbledore that telling anyone no matter how close would be a betrayal of that secret. He had only managed to piece this much together through the little snippets she revealed to him, and even then he really had no idea what kind of mission they were on at all. Eventually she lowered her eyes and spoke in a low, tentative voice.

"I think I know why they might have gone there. I have my suspicions, but I'm surprised that they figured it out…"

Draco smirked.

"You mean you're surprised they figured it out without you."

Her lips twitched a bit and she nodded.

"I suppose. But somehow they managed the whole heist by themselves. Harry is exceptionally good at getting out of tight spots."

Draco's scowl deepened as he thought hard over little bits of information he had gleaned recently. He watched her contemplatively for a few more seconds before a connection clicked in his mind.

"Wait…this doesn't have anything to do with the sword of Gryffindor that Bellatrix was going on about does it? The boys would have overheard that."

Hermione blanched and then glared at him. She looked very cross. In fact, she looked like she was one step away from stomping her foot petulantly. Draco chuckled and raised his hands in a show of mock defensiveness.

"Fine, fine! I won't ask any more questions. I wouldn't want you to get zits all over your face with the work sneak."

Blaise spluttered and then somehow turned it into a laugh.

"That was a seriously cool hex," he said to Hermione, who blushed again and looked away, but not soon enough for Draco to miss the brief flash of savage pride on her face. He loved her vengeful streak.

"She deserved it," she muttered, and Blaise laughed again.

"Remind me never to double-cross you, Granger!"

Hermione shook her head with a soft laugh, but then the room turned tense again as she turned away to gaze out the window. Draco sighed and shared a meaningful look with Blaise. His friend seized the opportunity while the curly haired Gryffindor's back was turned to nod his head in her direction and move his brows up and down mischievously. He clearly mouthed the words "Are you kidding me?" with a childlike grin, and Draco rolled his eyes. They both sobered quickly though when Hermione turned back around with an intense frown creasing her forehead.

"Did your sources happen to tell you whether anyone had tracked the dragon? Surely it didn't just disappear…"

Blaise nodded his head slowly.

"North apparently. It was monitored somewhere near Helga's Valley, but there was no sign of Potter or Weasley."

Hermione let out a huff of frustration. She was clearly wracking her brains hard, but seemed completely lost. Draco breathed in deeply and took a small step towards her.

"You want to go to them," he said quietly, and she met his gaze and nodded anxiously, her hands clenched in her already wild hair.

"I have to find them. Harry needs me, because if they succeeded in doing what I think they did in that bank, then things are definitely coming to a head. Before this they were still just laying low. But now You-Know-Who won't stop until there's a real war."

Blaise gave a theatrical sigh and flopped inelegantly back into the couch.

"I suppose I could try to contact some people who could help find them, but I can't make any promises."

Hermione's eyes widened a little, her mouth quirking up hopefully.

"Really?"

Blaise began fiddling with an imaginary thread on his pants, not meeting her eye at all.

"I have a feeling I'm going to become involved in this mess whether I like it or not, so I may as well put out some feelers to help you find your friends."

"How is that possible?" Hermione asked with a touch of awe, and Draco snorted.

"Blaise has connections with everyone. Even some of your Gryffindors keep in touch with him. It's better if you don't know how he acquires them."

Hermione thought hard for a moment before she smiled a little bit conspiratorially in realisation. Her eyes flickered to the dark haired boy sitting proudly on the couch between them.

"Oh… well don't worry, I'm actually fully aware of all the young ladies from Hogwarts that Blaise is likely to have recruited as his spies."

"Heard about me, have you?" Blaise asked with a cheeky smile and a wink, causing both Hermione and Draco to roll their eyes simultaneously. Hermione waved her hand dismissively.

"Well arrogant Slytherins aside… Blaise, thank you so much for offering to help. Are you sure that you'll be safe? I don't want you to be put in unnecessary danger."

"Well, it's definitely a risk, and I could die in some horrific way. But I also really want to see everyone's reactions when they find out about you two, so I think I'd better hang around."

"How gallant of you," Draco sneered.

"I try my best. I don't suppose you're going to tell me what your big secret mission is, are you Granger? It might help."

Hermione smirked and shook her head.

"Nope. But I do value your help. Maybe once everything is over I can give you both a decent explanation."

Draco nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. His friend made a little humming sound and shot to his feet.

"Well I guess I'd better be going. I'll return here at the very latest the same time tomorrow to let you know how I go."

"Thank you, Blaise," Hermione said with a sincere smile.

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't mention it. I don't want to become known as some kind of bleeding heart Gryffindor."

"I promise," she laughed.

Blaise nodded once more and turned towards the door.

"I'll walk you out," Draco volunteered, exchanging a knowing look with Hermione and following his friend out the door and down the path towards the limit of the wards.

Once they had gone far enough away from the cottage, Blaise spun towards him and smacked him across the shoulder. Draco yelped.

"I cannot believe that you have been shacking up with Granger for three bloody months and you didn't even think to send me an owl!"

Draco glared at his friend.

"An owl? What would I have said? Dear Blaise, I've betrayed my family and am currently shagging the most infamous Gryffindor of our age. Regards, Draco."

Blaise's eyes lit up and he leaned forward eagerly.

"So you are shagging her then?"

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Blaise-"

"How is it? I always imagined that she would be a real firecracker beneath that prim exterior."

"Don't even-"

"I bet she'd get an Outstanding in that too…"

"Blaise! I'd prefer not to discuss her with you."

Blaise gave a low whistle and looked him up and down.

"Wow… usually it's hard to stop you talking about your conquests. This must be serious then."

Draco chuckled a bit uncomfortably and ran his hand through his hair.

"It is. You were right. I've been in love with her for longer than even I've been willing to admit. And I've been a damn fool too."

"I knew it," Blaise said triumphantly, "You always obsessed over her, even when you were a tiny little prat. You never gave a damn about any other muggleborns except her. You just wanted her to notice you."

"It used to kill me that I couldn't beat her at anything," he laughed.

"Except quidditch," Blaise suggested, but he just shook his head.

"Nah, she doesn't give a shit about quidditch or flying, so it doesn't really count."

Blaise nodded and hummed in thoughtful agreement.

"And besides," Draco added, "I won in the end. Because I got her."

His friend snorted.

"Bloody hell, Draco, you've got it bad."

The two of them chuckled together for a moment before Blaise began to back away again towards the boundary. He stuck his arm out and they shook hands brusquely as he parted.

"See you soon," the other boy promised, and Draco nodded as he vanished with a cracking sound. Even though it meant Hermione would be leaving him to go fight in her war, he honestly did hope that Blaise found what she needed. He knew that this was so important to her, and as much as he hated the idea of her being in danger, or them being separated, he was finally willing to help her wholeheartedly, not just begrudgingly. With a smile he turned and headed back inside.

It seemed that Tilly had already sensed the mood in the house, because by the time Draco wandered through the empty living room and into the kitchen, she had laid out a cosy little romantic dinner for the two of them on the kitchen table. Hermione was unscrewing the cork from a bottle of wine when he entered, and she smiled softly at him.

"Isn't she sweet?" she said quietly, nodding her head towards the oven where the elf in question was magicking roast chicken and vegetables onto two plates.

"Wow, Tilly," he commented more loudly, taking a seat at the dining table as Hermione came over with the two glasses and took the seat next to him.

Tilly danced towards them with their plates hovering gracefully in mid air behind her. They placed themselves on the table with a soft clunk, and the elf beamed at them.

"Tilly is wanting everything to be perfect so that Miss Hermninny comes back to us."

Draco shook his head with a smile, as the curly haired witch gasped.

"How did you know I would be leaving soon, Tilly?"

Tilly's wide smile turned into a frown so quickly it was as if it had been flicked off like a light switch.

"Miss is packing all her things and searching far and wide for her other friends."

Hermione sighed sadly.

"Of course you noticed. Well yes, I do have to leave at some point soon. I'm very sorry."

Tilly scowled.

"Master will be very upset when you is leaving."

"That's very true, Tilly, Master will be heartbroken," Draco said wryly, catching Hermione's eye meaningfully.

"Oh dear. I'm going to be sad to leave too, Tilly," Hermione added, and she really did look disappointed. Her shoulders had dropped and that crease between her brows had returned in full force, "but you have made this cottage so beautiful and comfortable, that I will most definitely return as soon as I can."

Draco wasn't sure whose grin was wider – his or Tilly's. It was such a relief to hear Hermione's sweet, genuine words, that he really did hold hope that she would want to continue developing this new connection of theirs when everything was over. Tilly clapped her hands and gave a series of little curtseys as she backed out of the room.

"Miss Hermninny is so kind," she gushed, "I hopes you enjoys your dinner, Miss and Master."

"Thank you, Tilly," he murmured as she left, still looking intently down at his plate of food. After a short, slightly awkward pause, he raised his eyes to meet hers, and saw that she was smiling softly at him, her cheeks creased into adorable little dimples.

"I will come back," she promised softly, and Draco felt his heart thump louder. There was a light, floating feeling in his stomach completely separate to the hunger that gnawed at him, and it filled him with a longing so fierce that he had to snap his lips closed tight to stop himself from grinning madly at her. Instead he tried to just coolly dip his head towards her in acknowledgement, but most definitely failed to look calm about it.

"Well, love, as you so cleverly figured out… this is your cottage," he said the words with deliberate emphasis, and her eyes widened slightly, "So you are of course welcome back here. I…" he paused, fiddling nervously with the stem of his wine glass, "I would really love to have you back here."

He watched as she bit her lip to hide a smile of her own, and he felt that warmth rise higher into his chest and settle there like a cloud of jubilant energy ready to consume him.

"Well okay then," she murmured softly.

"Okay," he agreed. There was a momentary pause where their gazes lingered on each other with something akin to heat, until she finally dropped her eyes to her plate of food.

"Well I suppose we'd better eat. I'm starving. And if Blaise returns with news… well…"

"Yes," he interrupted when she became a bit awkward, "Let's eat. Tilly obviously put in a lot of effort."

They were still a bit silent as they dug into their food, but it wasn't too uncomfortable after a while, they were just enjoying each other's presence while it lasted. Who knew what the next day would bring.

…..

When they went to bed that night, Draco felt nervous again. The last couple of days they had managed to find their rhythm with each other. He had gained a lot of confidence in showing his affection and his desire for her. It had become normal to wriggle up behind her and start to kiss her neck, or tickle her sides to draw out her playful side and make her squirm. Or even just kiss her hard and rough simply because he couldn't repress how much he wanted her any longer.

But now the air seemed tense between them once more. Her imminent departure hung over them like an ominous storm, waiting to blow in and rip into tiny fragments the sanctuary they had built around each other.

Hermione emerged from the bathroom already changed into the comfortable cotton pyjamas she wore to bed. He had slipped on a pair of shorts, but his chest was bare and he couldn't help but notice the way her eyes lingered on him as she perched on the end of the bed and started to separate her hair into three equal strands to plait. Draco watched her hungrily as she twined the hair around itself. It wasn't easy by the looks of it, as she was wrestling with the more untamed tresses. But finally she managed to tug it into some kind of order. He leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, observing her as she twisted her fingers together restlessly, clearly not wanting to turn around and meet his eye.

"I'm sure your friends are fine," he said softly, trying to reassure her even though he wasn't overly concerned about their safety himself. He wasn't into all that "chosen one" bullshit that everyone else seemed to go on about. He would be just as happy to see this war won without Potter showing off his hero complex, or Weasley trying to act like a knight in shining armour in front of Hermione. Of course he didn't want them dead or anything; just imagining how deeply upset that would make Hermione turned his stomach. But it would be great if they just weren't a factor in this upcoming war. He could certainly do without the reminder of how important they were to her. What chance did he have against the two boys she looked on like brothers, especially when they inevitably voiced their disgust about him?

Hermion turned around at last, soothed by his kind words, even if she was aware that he didn't have strong personal feelings of concern himself. She gave him a sort of half smile that made her lips curl up slowly.

"That's not why I'm worried," she admitted quietly, and Draco frowned.

"It's not?"

She shook her head.

"No. I believe in my boys. They can take care of themselves most of the time. It's you I'm worried about."

Draco gulped and wriggled forward to sit a bit closer to her.

"Why?"

She sighed.

"I'm going to be returning to people who are familiar, comforting, supportive. It won't be a problem for me to endure what's coming, knowing as surely as I do that I'm with the ones I love. But you're going back into…well I guess I can't say the lion's den…"

"The serpent's lair?" he suggested wryly and she nodded.

"Exactly! I am terrified about what you might be forced to see or do. And I feel so guilty that you're going to suffer because of me."

"Hermione," he gulped, confused about her fear for him, and reaching out to turn her jaw gently so that she was able to see him over her shoulder, "What do you mean because of you?"

She let out a deep breath.

"Well…if it weren't for me, would you stay? Or would you run away if the opportunity presented itself? You could have taken up Blaise's offer to go to Europe. He sounded confident that he could protect you."

Draco grimaced and leaned his chin on her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's a moot point, Hermione. You really don't have to worry yourself over this…"

"But I do! What if something happens to you?"

"It won't. I have a bloody good reason to stay alive. Because earlier when you said that you wanted to return here afterwards, it made start to think about all the things I want from my life. And none of those things are sitting waiting for me in Europe."

Hermione's eyes were glossy with unshed tears as she leaned her head back to rest in the crook of his neck. He stroked his fingers down the length of her newly tied plait in the hopes of easing her anxiety.

"Draco…please promise me you'll be careful. Don't do anything too brave."

He chuckled.

"I promise. Hey, I'm a Slytherin. We're survivors."

Hermione raised her head up and stared him directly in the eye.

"Ok. But if something happens to you-"

Draco pressed his finger to her lips, shushing her as he leaned in.

"Stop worrying," he murmured, his voice a gentle purr in her ear, before he kissed her hard, and it only took a split second before Hermione gave in and returned his kiss with hunger. They fell back onto the bed in a tangle of limbs, and Draco had to almost bite his tongue to force himself to slow down.

The last few days had been all about exploring each other's bodies. They had both been so completely focused on the sensations of pleasure they could excite in the other, and each time they connected the sex was indeed unbelievably hot. Hermione was really just growing into these new experiences. She was jubilant, playful, curious and passionate even if a little uncertain at times.

But tonight was different.

Draco didn't want to rush things, or hurtle towards an end goal; he wanted to make love to her. He didn't have an easy time controlling his fevered need to take her in any and every position he could. But somehow he managed to last long enough to stroke every inch of her body gently, tenderly before he let himself submit to his own needs. And when he finally slid inside her, painfully slowly, she was already shivering beneath him in ecstasy. Her nails scorched down his shoulder blades so hard that he actually had to grab her hands and press them into the mattress above her head. Hermione just moaned louder and entwined her fingers with his, so that their hands were locked together in a timeless embrace as their bodies danced. Draco watched every second of emotion pass over her features. He watched the concentrated frown as she realised that her body was nearing its ascent, and the look of almost surprise when she soared to the edge so quickly. And finally he watched that expression that was almost agony as she called out her pleasure and he finally released his.

As they both wound down from their soaring highs, Draco became aware that his weight was resting fully on top of her, and he withdrew from her slowly, rolling slightly to one side and burying his sweaty forehead in the crook of her neck.

"I love you," he whispered hoarsely, placing a few gentle kisses on her salty skin as she tried to catch her breath. Eventually she worked up the energy again to speak.

"It seems so surreal to think that I might leave soon. I can't even imagine not being here with you anymore."

Draco lifted his head to place a gentle kiss on her ravaged bottom lip.

"Please come back to me," he murmured, nuzzling his face against hers as she returned his kiss just as softly.

"I will."

Draco knew that they were both far too exhausted and highly strung to have this kind of conversation now, so he placed one more final kiss on her lips and rolled further to the side, tugging her back to cuddle up against him. It was far too hot in their cosy little bedroom, but Draco didn't want to let her go. He clutched his hand underneath one of her hips, the other reaching up to rest between her breasts against her racing heart. In a sweaty mess, they draped their limbs over each other, neither of them asleep, but both just staring at the walls of their little haven and dreading what was to come.

….

Yes, things are speeding up. Poor Draco.

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