A.N. - WARNING - The first bit in italics has implied rape; if you don't wanna read it, skip to the bit underneath not in ITALICS

Chapter 14 - The Dead Are Screaming

The room was dark and he could barely see her body amongst the covers. He switched the light on so that she did not freak out when he attempted to wake her up. Draco pulled a chair up to the side of her bed and held her hand. He had managed to block out the sound of her screams because he knew they were slowly killing him.

He began stroking her hair, "Hey beautiful, I need you to wake up. I need to see your eyes. You're killing us please wake up darlin'."

She continued to whimper into her quilt. Draco placed his hand on either side of Hermione's face and started to draw the pain out of her.

Hermione knew she was asleep but she couldn't pull herself out of the nightmare, the memory, the pain.

She was taking a short cut to her Common Room when she heard a small scream come from a deserted classroom. No one else was around so Hermione pulled out her wand and slowly opened the door. Her conscious mind was yelling at her to turn back, to not enter under any circumstances, but she had no control of the direction her dream was taking her. She could only watch as her feet carried her to the last place she wanted to see on earth.

Hermione peeked around the door and saw nothing, so she relaxed her stance and looked down to rebalance the pile of books on her hip. A blast of light hit her in the chest; she flew out of the room and collided with the stone corridor wall. Hermione collapsed to the floor coughing as the wind left her. She could feel that some of her ribs had broken from impact.

A hand wrapped around her ankle and dragged the injured girl back into the classroom. A boy's voice, that she recognised straight away, yelled an Unforgivable Curse at her. Soon Hermione was writhing in agony on the cold flagstone tiles. Harry chuckled at the sight but wasn't pleased that she wasn't screaming.

Hermione curled into a ball, gritting her teeth every time her ribs grated together and waited out the curse.

The Golden Boy released her from the torment but didn't wait for her to adjust before starting on the next form of torture. He placed a well-aimed kick to her chest and he could feel the bones splintering underneath his toes. Harry grinned as Hermione let out a screech of pain but growled when she closed her eyes and bit her lip to stop any more sound coming out.

"You little Mudblood bitch, I want to hear you scream and I always get what I want." He said, his eyes growing darker with rage.

Potter bent over and held the quaking girl up by her shirt collar, ramming his knuckles into her windpipe. She scrambled to remove his hand but stopped when he slammed her down on a desk. Hermione gasped against his knuckles but couldn't move them. Her vision started to blur as the oxygen getting to her brain stopped completely. Harry held her wrists above her and charmed the desk to hold them in place, as he kept the pressure constant on Hermione's throat. Tears appeared in her eyes as she relaxed against his hold in hope that he would release her. Her vision darkened and she succumbed to the black.

A chill against her bare skin was the first thing her mind noticed as it woke up from her slumber, the pain was the next as her body felt like it was being torn to pieces. Her eyes opened without consent and the sight before her made her want to throw up as well as shove a blade through her chest.

Her old friend Harry Potter was positioned above her, eyes screwed shut in pleasure. Her wrists and ankles began to ache as she fought against the rope bounds that tied her to the table.

The image shimmered and once again she could tell that she was dreaming, as Lucius Malfoy was now the one standing above her.

Her eyes opened and her screams got louder as she fought against Draco. He flinched away from the sound and staggered away from the harsh emotions, hands held up showing his submission. Hermione squinted against the light.

"Draco?" She asked confused.

"Yeah." He croaked as he slid to the floor, tired.

Hermione started to sniffle, "Why are you in here?"

"Because I couldn't stay out there and listen to you scream." Draco stated, pain clear in his voice as he stared at the floor.

"But why? I am nothing special, if anything I'm a freak who turns good people I love into assholes. Harry became so evil, my father disowned me, my mum didn't defend me and Ginny threatened me. So many of my old friends hate me. You should go before I make you into a mass murderer."

"Why can't you understand that I am here to stay if you want me, nothing that fucker can do will keep me away from you? I'd happily die for you, as well as kill for you, but you can't push me out because of him. You don't get it; I want to be with you and only you. You do not make people evil; your father was suffering from grief he needed someone to blame because subconsciously he knew it was his fault; your mother was scared of your father; no one can explain Potter; but Ginny was scared because no one knew were Potter was and we were the last people seen with him, her only failure is to have loved Potter so completely that she was blind to his faults. Seeing you in pain hurts me." Draco confessed, stretching his hand out to her.

Hermione hesitated; she ran her fingertips over his skin before withdrawing her hand to the safety of her bed.

"Do you know what happened today?" She asked quietly, pulling the duvet up past her chin.

He moved closer, sitting cross-legged with his chin resting on the bed frame as he answered, "Yeah, but it doesn't change who you are, it doesn't change the fact that we love you and it doesn't change the fact that we would kill for you."

She shuddered, "But he...he..."

Quiet sobs emanated from the bed as Hermione sunk back into the memory.

"'Mione," Draco said, trying to awaken her from her living nightmare, "Hermione. Hermione!"

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and shook in fear. The warm feeling Draco had had, was replaced with a deathly cold as she once again rejected him sub-consciously. The pain engulfed him and he collapsed to the floor. Draco ran his fingertips over his chest, letting his nails drag against his shirt and tearing straight through the thin cotton. Blood flowed from the cuts his strengthened nails had caused as he tried to get rid of the source of his agony. Draco could hear screaming all around him but he didn't realise the tortured cries were coming from him. The pounding of flesh against wood could be barely heard by Draco through his own keening. The door splintered and Andy charged into the room.

Hermione began screaming at him as she returned to the present.

"I am not going to hurt you 'Mione, I'm gay for a start." Andy stated, focusing on the boy on the floor who seemed dead by the grey tone his skin had taken on.

She stopped screaming but then pulled up her quilt so that it was just below her nose as she sat up.

"What's wrong with Draco?" Hermione asked quietly.

Andy glared at her, before sighing and shrugging. He tried to stop Draco from tearing up his chest but as they touched the level of agony in the immobile boy caused him to collapse to the floor shaking. Ron came in upon hearing his boyfriend yelp. Hermione whimpered as her room was invaded by men who were very capable of doing her harm, but he did not look her way.

Ron took one look at Draco who was now thrashing on the floor and conjured a Patronus charm. Minutes later and Hagrid was crouched by his side, holding Draco's arms behind his back as he carried his quaking form out of the house and towards the Hospital Wing.

Hermione repeated her question, "What's wrong with Draco?"

Andy raised his head and looked her straight in the eyes, "You're killing him 'Mione. I know you love him and I know he loves you. You can't carry on like this; you need him, just like he needs you. You know you love him but you refuse to accept it, and it's tearing him apart. He gets flashes of love and rejection from you, the rejection being stronger, and no one can take the pain of that once let alone every time you feel like you are less than you are, but it's amplified for Draco because of his lineage, so the pain is actually killing him."

She flinched away from his gaze and sobbed into her sheets.

Ron sighed and placed a kiss on the top of her head, shaking his head in anger at Potter as she froze at his touch.

He began pulling his shaking mate to follow the rest of the house and the teachers.

Once again En Lucem found themselves in the Infirmary, this time just for Draco, to stop him ripping his heart out.

Madam Pomfrey walked around the curtain and looked towards the gathered, her eyes watering, "I have given him enough sedative to put a dragon to a permanent sleep, if I use anymore I'm afraid I will kill him."

"Just do something!" Orion growled, stepping towards her.

The nurse flinched away from him and quickly made her way into her office.

"We have to do something," Orion stated, "He can't die, not like this."

Andy pointed his wand at the curtain that surrounded Draco's bed and said, "Muffilio.''

"What did you do that for?" Sophia asked confused.

"I have to feel the emotions; I don't want to hear the screams too."

Ron raised his voice looking worried, "What screams?"

Alerion raised an eyebrow, "Can you not hear him screaming?"

Ron and the Auror both shook their heads.

Orion answered, "I can."

Hagrid spoke up, "I have a remedy for that, somewhere in my coat pockets."

He then began rummaging through the many hidey-holes in his moleskin coat. After a few minutes Sophia took pity on the half-giant and 'accio'ed the tiny bottle from one of the inside crevices Hagrid had already looked at.

"I won it in a card game at the Leaky Cauldron."

Everyone looked at the neon pink liquid sceptical of its usefulness.

Alerion cleared his throat, "What does it do?"

"Oh...well...it strengthens your mental shield so that you won't hear him."

Hagrid drew back the curtain and sat beside the bed. Draco was still thrashing, this time against the leather bindings that held his arms away from his body.

"So what's wrong with Mister Malfoy?" Hagrid asked.

Orion hissed at the name.

Alerion answered, "Don't call him Malfoy, his name is Draco. He is an Angel and his mate loves him but after a recent event, she finds it difficult to be positive about their relationship after flashbacks and rejects him, which coupled with the fact that he can't help his mate when she is in pain. He was clawing at his chest because his heart is where most of the agony is concentrated."

The half-giant contemplated this information before saying, "Somehow you need to show her how much Ma...Draco loves her."

Everyone looked at each other confused about how they would go about it and then Andy stood from where he was sitting on the end of his friend's bed, grabbing Ron's hand and pulling him towards the door.

Orion cleared his throat, "Care to fill us in."

Andy looked sheepish as he stopped and turned around, "We are gay, so we are no threat to her. I'll tell you later, if it works."

They then ran off together towards their house, leaving the rest of them to wonder.

Hermione was in the same place they had left her in, crying on her bed.

A little voice spoke up as they entered her room, "Is Draco alright?"

Andy could still hear his screams through the thick walls of the castle.

Ron answered in the negative; he wanted to comfort his long-time friend but knew to stay near the door.

Andy moved forward so that Hermione could see him properly.

"I'd like you to meet my mate 'Mione." He said pulling Ron forward into her view.

Her lips twitched into a smile, "Is that why we never worked?"

Ron chuckled, "More than likely."

"Do you want to know how much Draco loves you, even now when he's in agony?" Andy stated, getting them on the right topic.

She nodded slightly scared.

The Tuck brother placed his hand on hers, concentrated on remembering the love he felt when Draco tricked him and pushed it out, into her body.

Hermione was shocked by the intensity of the emotion and found herself smiling.

"That was before 'everything' happened," Andy explained, "This is now, under the pain this is always present."

The love was stronger this time, almost suffocating but in a good way. Hermione looked at Andy in awe.

"You feel the pain too?"

He nodded, not liking where this was going.

"Can you show me everything he is feeling now?"

The mates both groaned, "He will kill us."

Hermione drew out her wand and pointed it at Ron, "If you don't Ronald gets it?"

Andy growled but complied with her request. He slowly let her feel the agony Draco was in. Half way through she started to bite her lip and cry, so Andy reined in the emotions, tired out.

"That wasn't all of it, was it?" Hermione asked as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"No it was about fifty per cent of what he's feeling but we'd both die if I let you feel any more," He said, "And don't ever threaten my mate again."

She rolled her eyes, "I would never hurt Ron, and I quite like having him around. I need to see Draco."

The two men snorted and then helped her out of bed. Her legs wobbled as she almost collapsed to the floor. Ron laughed a little but was stopped by the glare on her face. He pouted and then hauled her small body onto his back and 'piggy-backed' her out of their house.

The Infirmary was full of shouting. Hermione, Ron and Andy could hear it meters away from the heavy doors leading into the Hospital Wing. They drew their wands and approached carefully; Ron pushed the door open and saw his sister in the middle of the room. The only bed in the room was the one Draco was strapped to, his form still. Ginny was stood in the middle shaking, surrounded by the members of En Lucem, all of whom were pointing their wands at her; five of Orion's animated soldiers and countless blades that floated around her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Ron shouted, lowering his wand.

The youngest Weasley squeezed her eyes shut and dissolved into sobs.

"Aw man," Andy said, shaking his head, "I cannot deal with anymore crying girls today."

Orion stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the girl in the centre of the room. Sophia was rubbing his shoulder and whispering in his ear, so that he wouldn't kill the trembling Weasley.

Alerion spoke up, "She is here to seek asylum. Miss Weasley here has admitted that what they did was wrong and now the Gryffindors are trying to kill her because they are still loyal to their precious Potter."

The gathered sighed and put their wands back into their pockets.

"That's alright then," Andy said making his way over to Draco, "Why does Orion not want to deactivate his army?"

He sat in a chair next to Hagrid and put his feet up on Draco's bed. Andy pulled out a pipe from his pocket and lit it; the smoke began to rise from the glowing tobacco.

"It's simple really, Orion doesn't want her around because she tried to kill everyone he cares about and she let Potter almost kill his brother and Hermione." Alerion announced as he sat down next to his brother.

Hermione rolled her eyes at her friends and perched on the side of her mate's bed.

"Draco forgave her you know. He told me that it wasn't her fault, she was too in love to see his faults." She said.

Orion froze before his stance relaxed and the knives dropped to the floor. The suits of armour stayed where they were but Ginny sank to the floor in relief.

Hermione then turned her attention to her unconscious mate. The rest of the gathered gave them space and began to sort out Ginerva Weasley and save her from the wrath of Orion.

"Ginny what you did was wrong. Why should Hermione, Draco or Orion give you access to our house?" Ron questioned.

She sniffled as she answered, "I'm sorry for everything I did to you all. I've felt funny since he returned to the Burrow, a bit like when I got led down to the Chamber of Secrets by Tom Riddle. I can't explain it. I wish I had just joined you in the first place."

Andy looked at the broken girl on the floor strangely, "She's telling the truth, I can sense no deception from her. But the love is still there."

"Of course I'm still in love with him," Ginny said harshly, "I will always love the man he used to be and hate the man he has become."

The Tuck brothers smiled and pushed a suit of armour to the side as the placed a hand on her shoulder and said in sync, "We grant you asylum to En Lucem."

A.N – Sorry this is so late. Over the holidays I've been so busy, redecorating my room, getting ready for college and fretting over my GCSE grades. Not only that, I have a lump on my right wrist that kills me whenever I put the slightest of pressure on it, like lifting my bag -_- Been to the doc's and they can't make up their minds over what it is (Two different docs, two different opinions) Googled it and think I've broken something, I'll keep you posted

I have NO idea what the next chapter is going to be about so bare with me

Love you guys, review please