Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"I thought we were going for an element of surprise, Malfoy," Ron asked as he stared incredulously at what remained of Zabini's doorway. "This is definitely not what I had in mind."
"Shut it, Weasley," Draco snarled, as he cleared away the remaining dust with a wave of his wand.
The trio walked into the ruined hallway of the manor, their eyes darting in all directions, weary for any sudden sign of attack. Considering their entrance, it was still too quiet for their liking.
"Something's wrong," Harry whispered. "Surely Zabini should have come running by now. He was never one to flee a fight from what I can remember of his days in the Order."
"He was also a Slytherin, Potter," Draco reminded him. "He would never come out for a fight unless he saw an opening. He's just biding his time, trust me."
Draco's grey eyes searched into the shadows that were being cast from the moonlight which was now streaming into the hallway. Nothing seemed out of place; no odd movements and no strange shapes could be seen.
"How long until the others get here, Potter?"
"They'll be here soon." Harry answered, giving Malfoy a pointed look. "We should have waited, Malfoy –"
"Potter if this was Ginny, do you think you'd have been able to sit still? Exactly, you wouldn't have. For once I've taken a leaf out of your book, and you're going to reprimand me? Merlin, is there appeasing you at all?"
Harry opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of a high pitched scream from somewhere above them drove the thought of retaliation out of his mind. Without a second of hesitation all three wizards charged up the stairs, not caring if they were heard. Draco had already seen to that.
"Hermione!" Ron cried out, as they burst onto a landing. "Hermione, where are you?"
"She's right here, Weasley," a voice crooned from behind them.
They all whirled round to face Zabini, who held the witch in question at wand point. Draco made to lunge forward but was stopped by Harry and a warning wave of Blaise's wand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Draco," the dark wizard warned, as he dug his wand into Hermione's neck. "Just two simple words and I will end her. Just try me if you're not sure."
Draco stared at his former friend, horrified by the sight before him. He felt sick, and his stomach was churning as his eyes soaked in the sight of a struggling Hermione.
"Let her go, Blaise. Please, just let her go," he begged, hating how weak he sounded at the same time.
"It's over, Zabini, we know the truth." Harry said, his voice firm and strong. "What's the point in prolonging this? Sooner or later you are going to have to answer for your crimes. Come now and the process will be made a lot easier for you."
"Really?"
The three wizards waited as Zabini made a gesture of thought, as if he were truly contemplating their proposal. His expression even suggested it, but after a couple of minutes they watched as his face drew back into a malicious grin.
"I don't think so, Potter," he chuckled darkly, his grip remaining vice-like round Hermione's neck. "So long as I have Hermione here, none of you are able to touch me. You wouldn't want her or the baby to be harmed now, would you?" Mockingly, he ran a hand over Hermione's swollen belly.
Draco let out a wounded growl, knowing that Zabini's words were ringing true with Potter and Weasley as well. Yet again, the feeling that his world was crumbling in around him was beginning to consume his very being.
"But – but what if," Hermione gasped, grappling at Zabini's arm, "what if you don't have me, Blaise? What would happen then?"
Momentarily, or so it seemed, the world stood still. In the next, Hermione had thrown out a great cry and, with what little energy she had left, kicked out at Blaise. Whatever she had done to harm him had been enough, Blaise's grip slackened and Draco watched as Hermione fell to the floor, finally free from Zabini's hold.
"Why you little –"
Hermione rolled away just in time to miss an orange beam of light, that streamed right past her ear, exploding into the wall behind her. She felt the manor shake from the impact, and then continue to shake as a volley of spells started to be thrown between Harry, Ron, Draco and Zabini. Clutching her stomach, desperate to get out of harm's way for the sake of her child, Hermione began to crawl back towards her fiancé and friends.
"Stupefy!"
"Protego!"
"Caecus!"
"Reducto!"
Spell after spell flew through the air, all wizards duelling hard against each other. Watching them fight was astonishing, and despite the terror she felt, Hermione could not help but feel impressed by how quick and skilled they all were – Zabini included. It had been a long time since she had seen any of them duel.
Following a loud bang, Hermione watched as Ron flew past her, his head hitting the wall with a horrible crack. He fell to the floor, still conscious, with one hand rising up to the back of his head to cocoon the injury caused by the impact. Aside from that, he did not seem terribly hurt, though Hermione knew he did not have the current strength to continue fighting.
"Hermione!"
Again, Hermione ducked as a blue stream of light sailed past her, hit a mirror and began to ricochet around the hallway, desperate to make contact with human skin. It found its target with Draco, who screamed as his hand turned to blue and then red, having just become a victim of an Ice Burn Hex. Hermione watched as his wand dropped from his hand, rolled towards the stair's banister and slipped through the rails to fall into the hallway three floors below.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Potter," Blaise cackled fanatically. "Who would have thought it?"
"Enough is enough, Zabini," Harry growled. "Other officials are on their way; giving yourself up now would be in your best interest. Carry on, and I won't hesitate to –"
"Expelliarmus!"
Hermione's mouth fell open as Harry, one to be normally on his guard, had his wand snatched out of his hand. She let out a cry of horror, realisation dawning upon her that Zabini had been able to defeat three wizards single-handedly. This now also meant that he had a direct path to her.
"Oh my, Potter," Blaise drawled, relishing the fact that he had all the power once more. "That was clumsy of you. I thought that you, more than anyone, knew that you should always be on your guard – especially when you're in the middle of a duel. The possibilities as to what I can do with the three of you now are endless."
He casually flicked his wand in Hermione's direction, and the witch was surprised to find her body rising up in the air and floating towards the dark wizard.
No, she thought desperately. No, it can't end like this. It just can't.
"Blaise, please," she whispered, her brown eyes staring imploringly into his. "Please don't harm them - let them go."
"And why should I do that?" Blaise asked, smiling indulgently at her.
Hermione gulped and closed her eyes, wishing with every inch of her being that she didn't have to utter the next few words.
"Hermione, don't!" Harry cried, as he stared at her in horrified realisation."
"Don't you even think about it, Granger," Draco growled, staggering over to stand next Harry, covering his injured arm protectively. "Don't you dare."
"But I have to," Hermione told them, looking sadly into her eyes. "He'll kill you otherwise, you know he will. I can't let that happen; I can't let you all die for me. Harry you have a wife and son who need you, Ron has Colette and Maggie and, in a few month's time, Draco is –"
"I don't think you'll be needing to finish that sentence, Miss Granger," came a deep, booming voice from behind Harry and Draco. "Not now we're here."
Hermione moved slightly and felt relief flood through her as she caught sight of Kingsley Shacklebolt and five other Aura's standing at the top of the stairs. They had obviously crept up without raising an alarm so as to take Blaise by surprise.
"No," Blaise growled, taking in the sight before him. "No. It wasn't meant to end this way."
"I'm afraid, Mr Zabini," Kingsley replied calmly, though the wand in his hand acted as a dangerous reminder as to what he was capable of doing. "I think it was. Now, please, before we have to use something regrettable, drop your wand and come quietly. It will be all the better for you, if you do."
"No," Blaise cried, and once more Hermione found herself being choked by Zabini's strong grip. "I am not giving her up. She's mine, I tell you, mine!"
"You're mad," Draco snarled, his anger and worry throwing any cautiousness to the side. "What's the point in continuing to fight, Zabini? You've lost. Now let Hermione go."
"You really want her that much, Malfoy?" Blaise replied, his voice eerily calm suddenly. "Fine then, so be it."
His grip on Hermione tightened, and her eyes widened as she realised the implication of Zabini's words. She stared at the wand before her, and faintly heard gasps and yells of pleading and protest as Blaise began to utter the deadly curse.
"Avada –" she looked up, her eyes wide, and found Draco's horrified and shattered gaze " –Kedavra."
A flash of brilliant green light exploded around her, and for a second it was almost as if something was pulling at her, taking her away from this current life. With a forceful jerk Hermione fell to the floor.
"Hermione!"
Draco's voice felt raw, broken and painful. Bile swam in a lump at his throat as he staggered over to where his fiancé lay.
"She's fine," Weasley gasped, panting beside Hermione, who was slowly stirring and sitting up. "The curse didn't hit her, I managed to pull her out of the way in time – don't ask me how, as I sure as to Merlin don't know. Can't say the same for Zabini, though; because it missed Hermione, it went straight into him instead." Ron jerked his head to somewhere just behind
Draco collapsed beside Hermione, pulling her towards him and burying his head into her hair, his shoulders shaking. Hermione was sobbing too, and she clutched tightly at Draco's shirt, desperate to not let go of him any time soon.
"What happened?" she gasped. "I don't understand – I should be dead, surely?"
"No, you shouldn't be." Draco murmured, as all around him people began to spring into action. "You should be alive – very much alive."
He pulled back and pressed a kiss to Hermione's lips, full of desperate emotion and the need to physically remind himself that she was indeed alive and his – she was finally his once more.
"How though?" Hermione whispered, as Draco pulled her up and began to move her away from the scene.
"Weasley – no one noticed – crawled up – doesn't make sense but…" Draco trailed off, not sure as to what he could say. "What matters, Hermione, is that this over. Zabini can't hurt you anymore – he can't hurt us."
Slowly, Hermione dared herself to turn around to see two Aura's covering up Blaise's body with a cloth. She felt dizzy, sick, relieved, nervous – a tumult of emotions all rolling into one.
"Hermione," Harry began as he came over to them, and pulled her into a hug. "You're okay, you're alright – Ron was amazing; he really was. I can't even…" Harry cleared his throat and stepped back. "You need to get to Saint Mungo's immediately – just make sure that both you and the baby are safe."
"Yes, Merlin, the baby," Draco cried, his voice pitching slightly. "Is the baby okay?"
Without saying a word, Hermione placed a finger over Draco's mouth to silence him; with the other, she took his hand and placed it over her stomach. A sudden movement from inside, gave her all the confirmation that she needed to know.
"Yes," she replied, finding herself smiling despite all she had been through. "Yes, we're both fine."
Author's Note: So… this is pretty much it, I have to say. I've got two more chapters to write for this (Epilogue included) and then that will be it. All being well, I will have these up in the next two weeks but I'm also back at university now so it might get a bit hard. Please understand, but at least it's pretty much rounded off now, though.
I have to be honest in saying I'm not completely satisfied with the turnout of this chapter – it was a bitch to write – but, for the most part, I'm happy with it. Blaise is gone (yay!), Ron saved the day (wooo!) and Hermione and Draco are together yet again (*celebrates*). A part of me could have gone for the conventional Draco will save Hermione thing, but then as I began to write this I wanted it to not be that cliché and so I messed it up a bit – hehehe. I hope the concept of how Ron saved Hermione is clear as well but if not… does it truly matter? Hermione's alive which is the main thing (and I was very tempted to leave it at another cliffie there, so be thankful guys).
Reviews as always are appreciated! Also, my oneshot 'Lyra' is up so please check it out and review etc. Hope you enjoyed,
VickytoriaGreengrass