A/N: I don't own anything! My imagination is the only thing here that I can take credit for, twisted as it may be.

Thank you to SilverRiv, my amazing beta! Sorry about any mistakes caused by last minute edits. I take full responsibility for those!

And now, on to the story!

Chapter 9:

'Hey, Malfoy,' she said softly. 'Mrs. Malfoy,' she added, glancing over his shoulder at his mother. She merely nodded back, before returning to staring at the wall.

'Granger,' Draco responded, smirking. 'What are you doing here? How did you get in?'

It had been just four days ago that he'd gone to visit her in the Manor's dungeons, and yet here they were, with her visiting him in the Ministry of Magic's holding cell. The reversal of roles seemed altogether comical now, even as he surveyed her nervousness at their surroundings. Not that he blamed her.

The Ministry's holding area was overflowing with Death Eaters, with five sharing each cell due to 'lack of space.' Draco had scoffed at that. They were Wizards, for Merlin's sake. Extension Charms were created for a reason, right? Not for Death Eaters, apparently.

However, he and his mother had a cell to themselves, thanks to Potter's influence. On the downside, however, the cell across the corridor from them held Icarus Zabini, and the man's withering glares were grating on Draco's nerves. Granger's presence only seemed to incense him further, but this only served to make Draco feel a little smug.

'I'm a Granger, Malfoy. Do you think I can't find my way through the Ministry undetected?' she demanded, acting offended. She was studiously ignoring the glares from Zabini and his cell mates. Her tense shoulders, however, told him she was still uncomfortably conscious of it.

Draco was surprised at the surge of protectiveness he felt towards her at that moment. He felt an urge to shield her from the man's view, to place himself between them and protect her. The bars on his cell door prevented him from acting on his whim, though, and he was pretty certain Granger did not need his help anyway. Her display with Battle Magic on Halloween night was proof enough.

'So you're here. What now?' He asked grinning at her cockily, but smartly lowering his voice to a whisper so that they weren't overheard. 'Because if we're gonna play out events like they did back home, you'll have to sneak into my cell in the middle of the night, right?'

Granger's cheeks flushed a bright red, but her expression remained calm as she shook her head and smirked back. 'How's the arm?'

Draco smirked wider, showing her the unblemished skin of his forearm. 'Mother and I removed our marks before the ceremony. Your way was effective, but too painful, don't you agree? Someone had to be able to call those idiots who call themselves Aurors.'

'You could have given me that spell – did you think of how much easier it would have been?'

Draco shook his head. 'That spell would only work if it was performed willingly, and can remove only one mark at a time. I doubt you'd be fast enough to get them all.'

'You really thought this one through, didn't you?' Granger commented, grasping the bars separating them. 'I know you don't want to hear this, but thank you for everything, Malfoy. I think I may have been wrong about you.'

Draco nodded uncomfortably, before not-so-subtly changing the topic. 'So what brings you here then? I know you didn't go through the trouble of sneaking in here just to admire my flawless skin.' His smirk returned at her flustered expression. Zabini glowered at them from the opposite cell, but Granger, who had her back turned on him, didn't notice, and Draco chose to ignore him.

'I'm actually here to fix up our story,' she whispered, leaning closer. 'For your trial.'

Draco caught what she was getting at. 'You don't want people to know about what we did,' he stated, a pang in his chest at the thought. It wasn't an unreasonable request by any means, but he couldn't help the way his chest constricted painfully at the thought that she might be ashamed of them, of what they'd shared.

Granger's eyes softened as she took in his hurt expression. 'It isn't because I regret what we did, Malfoy. I still think it was the right thing. But do you think other people will understand that?' She huffed angrily. 'You'd be accused of brainwash, rape, and god knows what else. The Wizengamot will twist the story around as an excuse to lock you away. It's better this way, at least until your trial, okay?' Her eyes were tender even as they bore into his.

Draco nodded reluctantly, feeling slightly better. She was right, of course. But in a way, he also felt a little guilty. Pushing his crazy emotions aside, he met her gaze squarely. 'So what's the official story?'

Granger grinned smugly back. 'Oh, you're not going to like it.'

The Malfoy trial, which happened the very next day, was a quick affair-it only took four hours as opposed to the usual 3-4 days.

The story was straightforward enough – the only change was in the order of events. In the 'official' version, the sex came before she was captured, one lonely night in the deserted Library. The Death Eaters had simply assumed she was a virgin. The Malfoys then helped her escape – which was true enough, she supposed.

The Wizengamot swallowed their story easily enough, with a few raised eyebrows among the more conservative members at the notion of premarital sex. If they noticed any inconsistencies in her story, however, they were wise enough not to comment under Granger's threatening glare.

Thus, Draco and Narcissa were officially cleared of all charges related to Death Eater activities, mostly due to testimonies from Potter and Granger as well as the invaluable information they both provided.

Granger received her second Order of Merlin (First Class), becoming the youngest Witch, and the only Muggleborn, to have received the award twice.

And the moment he was a free man, the first thing Draco did was thoroughly snog the hell out of Hermione Jean Granger.

A/N: Reviews don't cost you anything, but they sure do brighten up my day! Even a smiley face is better than no review at all, readers. A little love, that's all I ask *puppy dog eyes*

This brings us to the end of this story-don't worry, there's still an epilogue to come! It'll be up by this weekend, I promise!

Thanks to my ever-growning list of awesome supportive people! Yes, that means you, SilverRiv, garbleturkey, kmuscutt23, chemical flashes, marianna79, KittyKatSilvana, Montara, imadoodlenoodle, ADragons-LionHeart, JusMeMarissa, anja quickert 9, theunstable1, frogtastic, sweets1111, MusicalCatharsis, hockey1, Beth, nikkigerald, PraiseGod, Sadler26, Lilhipkaligurl, lynnchan111, midnight-rxse, sln1987, BooBooKittyluv, AngeloftheAurora, Dramionelover26, keith alexe, rinmagic2, snlemonpie, LumosLight06, Mika Dain, mumma yoda, MorteDiem, voldys eighth horcrux, mallori johnson 7, mangoscabs, KeiraJ13, MissMaryLiz, asscheeks26, vampirequeengoddess, ShadowDancerUrami, SamIam44, seichirokamui, Mistress0fTerror, Karmidee, Lupine Princess, Schizo Zombie Kitten,enchanted16, kvance, poiuytrewqasdfghjklmnbvcxz, Carinalove67, Tsuki916, gingernightowl, Esthela89, Madelun, agj-girl, HPotter25, Montyyx, PADfootBalck, SweetSage, alulateu,annie26100,madgordon18, xomagooxo, Ms Waldo, DarkWitch121, c flor s 75, Kyrie Twilight, Sakura022496, Seraphina25, ahoyitsalyson, cw1718, latinadecorazon, 1998Ruby1998, JaleDM,keishasalder, mystuffff, HRB91, Instantstargirl, Rahena, Tommi1, bellatrixlestrangest, chinkie, greyc, jeevanbala23, lazylyz, BunnyLover66, GingersnapOO26, palephoenix, CrazyGal 7, J 44,Karkontrolyn, Sasha2121, NiceButNaughtyAngel, Tempestati, doddle, FgHatton, Padfoot's-Veela, alexagranger, merajaileena, ndavis77, smallwren, sparkyparky2,Liljackandpepsi, Mysterious Leigh,Tillyann19, kabg01, my darling ferocious105, confusedblueberry, BelovedEnemy83, BurningSkies20, Cassiobiagrangermalfoy, FayKatriona, jboyer13, pianomouse, Butterfly-fighter, SessysGirl219,kiwiroo, seichirokamui, Nathallya Black, warriorbabe1, and the amazing anonymous guest reviewers.

You guys are the reason I keep writing!

~craaazyaboutMalfoy