It had been a full week since the night he made that split second choice that irreparably changed his life forever. Everything he had ever known was gone now, even if he didn't care much for it, it was familiar and it was his, and now, he was being protected by the order and holed up in a small room on the third floor that was nearly untraceable to any but a select few.

He sighed again, uncomfortable in his borrowed clothes that were not made from any type of material he was used to. His life growing up sucked, but when it came to material things like clothes, he got nothing but the very best and the roughness of the clothes he was wearing now, reminded him of everything he had left behind. He was on his own now with nothing to his name, not his money, not his family, not even any friends as most everyone in Slytherin would most definitely not be trust worthy.

But what other choice did he have? It wasn't like he had a large amount of time to work on a plan. His decision was split second with the only one thought in his head, and that was to get Granger to a healer so that Potter would still have the balls to try and end this damned war.

He almost did it. She wasn't fighting or screaming. How hard would it have truly been to squeeze in just the right spot to cut off her air supply completely? and for a scary few seconds, he felt that it was the best option, but looking around at the maniacs that surrounded him, he couldn't stomach having to deal with these people for the rest of his life and made his decision - to save the girl.

He had almost been too late when they arrived. She was already weakened to the point of death when he aparated and when he landed on Hogwarts grounds, she was lifeless and limp. She had died in his arms and in that second, he felt the sacrifice he had made was in vain.

But Hogwarts knew the barmy castle it was, and transported them to the hospital wing where Dumbledore and Poppy had already been waiting.

He felt like a coward when he laid her down on the bed and refused to even look in her direction as Poppy went to work. She was dead and he knew it. He had checked her himself and he knew when someone was breathing and holding a pulse… she was doing neither.

But by some miracle, the medi-witch had brought her back to the land of the living. He was relieved that what he had done was not a waste and she was alive and Potter would fight, But that left him in limbo with no place in the world except for a dusty old castle, alone, and watching his back on a damned near constant basis.

It was going to be hell in three weeks when student returned. Some that were coming back we like him, deatheaters, and it wasn't just Slytherins; a few Hufflepuffs had also joined ranks.

"Mr. Malfoy?" a voice called from the other side of his door

Draco sighed and opened the door. Dumbledore had made it his duty to come up and visit often, never leaving out the status of Granger.

Dumbledore walked in to the small room and made his self comfortable in one of the chairs available. He didn't have the normal cheery look on his face and Draco knew there was more bad news. The man was easy to read.

"Mr. Malfoy, I know you have told me that you had no idea of Ms. Grangers capture until you saw her, but had you heard anything about her parents?"

No time for pleasantries. Good man.

"Nothing. I knew nothing other than Voldemort had a 'surprise' for us. Why do you ask?"

Dumbledore frowned and leaned back, "Their bodies were discovered yesterday, in a field a good distance from their home. They were, tortured, to put it lightly. I guess I was hoping you would have something to add."

Draco muttered a sorry with a shake of his head.

"Very well." He said with nod, "I also wanted to ask you about your mark… Have you felt anything from it?"

Draco rubbed his forearm at the mention of the tattoo that stood harshly against his pale skin. "It burns almost constantly. Voldemort expects me to come to him in order to end the pain."

"I figured as much. Severus has spoken of the pain the mark causes. I do, however, have an option for you, if you choose to allow me a moment with your arm."

"What option?" Draco asked.

"I have found a spell that will deaden the nerve endings under the mark. It will take a few treatments to completely kill the nerves, but you will no longer feel pain there. It will not interfere with your arms function, but you will never feel anything in that area again."

Draco looked down… fine by him.

"Have anything up your sleeve to get rid of the mark?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "My boy, I'm afraid the mark cannot be removed."

Draco nodded and rolled up his sleeve. He may have to look at the tattoo for the rest of his life, but if he didn't have to feel it, well that made the situation a little better.

HG/DM

Hermione woke up with a groan. She felt like she had been hit by a bus… repeatedly. The sunlight streaming into the room was causing her eyes to want to retreat somewhere into the back of her head and she didn't dare open them.

She took a deep breath and groaned again, Merlin, even breathing hurt. But if she was feeling pain then that meant she hadn't died. But how?

After waiting a few minutes, trying to get accustom to the light before daring to open her eyes, she finally did and regretted it instantly. Did the sun move closer?

Her eyes watered at the burning sensation and she blinked repeatedly, hoping to get her vision back to rights. She hadn't seem much light after she had been captured, actually, she had been held in total darkness, only seeing light when some death eater or another would come in to question her.

"Awake at last, Ms. Granger?" Poppy said with what looked to be a smile. Hermione's vision was still to blurry to make out details, "Gave us a right fright, you did." She finished as she walked closer to the bed.

Hermione tried to sit up a bit, feeling a knot in her back from laying flat for so long and regretted it the very instant.

"Bloody hell." She groaned as tears slid down her face.

"Not a good idea for you to jostle around too much… you were a wreck when you were brought here, dead even." Poppy stated.

"Dead?"

"Quite." She replied, "I almost thought I was too late to get you back, but you did." Poppy sighed and pulled up a chair next to the bed, pulling a vial of potion from her apron, "Drink this, all of it – should relieve the pain a smidge. It's a wonder you even woke up this early into it."

"How long?" Hermione asked.

"9 days actually. They did a bang up job at trying to kill you; Merlin's only knows how you managed to stay alive as long as you did." Poppy stopped and sighed, she hated telling the person all of the details, but in this case, she had to know. "Ms. Granger, you will have some scarring, not much I hope with the salve that is being prepared for you, but your body was in a pretty rough state when you arrived. You had 6 broken ribs, your fingers had all been crushed, your brain had some swelling, and you were bleeding internally due to the rib that basically popped your lung. Those are the major things."

Hermione nodded, not bothering to hide the tears as they fell. No wonder she felt like shit.

"Is there... any permanent damage?" She managed to ask.

"None. Luckily Mr. Malfoy brought you here when the more serious injuries were still fresh. I suspect you will make a complete recovery, but it will take some time.

"Malfoy? How did he get me here?"

"He gave up his life as he knew it to save yours." Dumbledore answered as he entered the room. "Lucky he made the right choice or you would not be here."

Hermione nodded slightly, "I don't remember anything other than I was captured and questioned for a few days… everything after that is foggy."

She then bit her lip and took a deep breath, wincing as she did, but it didn't hurt as bad. The potion must have kicked in. "Has there – has there been any word on my parents? They were with me when I was taken."

Dumbledore shook his head, sad times these were, "They are gone, Ms. Granger. I'm sorry."

Hermione nodded once again, already suspecting that was the case, but she didn't feel any better now that she knew the outcome. She assumed the reason she didn't get hysterical was because inside, she had already known, and she was sure once the shock had worn off, she's be a disaster.

She closed her eyes, irritated that everything was still blurry. "I think I'm going to go back to sleep – but before I do, did Malfoy make it?"

"He did. He is staying here at the castle in a private room considering he can't go back to his manor."

Hermione nodded and rolled gently to her side, thankful that the potion had killed most of the pain. She heard as Poppy stood and followed the retreating voice of Professor Dumbledore and waited till she could no longer hear them at all before she broke down.

She cried softly as she thought of her parents. They had loved her so much, had never thought twice at providing her with everything she needed, they didn't change knowing she was a witch, and worse, she knew they would have died to protect her. She knew because she had seen it, not all of it, but enough to see her dad rushing forward to protect her before he was blasted back, and his eyes, she would never forget the look of pure terror when he saw the man grab her. He looked as if the world was being taken from him and the terror turned to a look of failure as he was blasted backwards. And her mother, the poor woman had rushed to help too. She looked as if her worst fear as a mother was suddenly becoming true right before her eyes. She was panicked.

Hermione blinked a few times, their faces would be engraved in her memory forever and it wasn't the cheerful, smiling faces that she had always remembered.

She cried into the night, knowing that nothing was ever going to be the same. She had been growing up far too fast when she befriended Harry, experiencing things that no child should have ever experienced, but this… this wasn't just a matter of growing up to fast, this was life changing. The torture she had gone through in those damp dusty cellars, the looks on her parents face, dying and being brought back – it was too much for anyone to handle.

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again, not really caring if she ever woke up again, and worse, being saddened knowing that she would.