Author's Note: So… I'm finally HOME! I've been gone for almost six full months, to the day, and it feels amazing to be back. It's wonderful to get back and have someone to look after me, hahaha. And I missed my mom's cooking sooo much. Needless to say, I am in a fantastic mood… but I sort of forgot about this for a bit! Sorry about that… *cringes guiltily*

Here's the next chapter! I think it should be a pretty good length.

Chapter 98

I pull Hermione into the cell and quickly slip out—I know she won't like the idea of me staying behind, but I need to speak to my aunt alone, and this may very well be my last chance to, if things don't go well.

I skirt Greyback's unconscious body and silently move toward the exit, passing right by Aunt Bella. She gets closer to the cell, and I know I need to stop her.

"I'm over here," I say, removing the Disillusionment Charm.

She spins around, and our eyes meet.

"We need to stop meeting like this, dear Draco," she says.

I give her a small smile. Seems like she misses the old times, when I was just her obedient little nephew.

I hear a crack signaling Naree's Apparition into the cell. Aunt Bella turns toward the source of the noise, but I hit her with a Stinging Jinx, and she spins around, firing a bright purple pulse of energy at me. I recognize it as her trademark tentacle curse. I block the curse and retaliate with a few of my own favorites.

One of them causes a fungus to grow in the victim's stomach, eating away the stomach lining. The acids of the stomach will corrode the stomach walls and begin to digest the rest of their bodies. Another turns the hairs on the victim's head into snakes that attack him, and each other.

Creation of these curses was part of my training—Voldemort valued creativity immensely. I'm surprised that Potter only commented on the intestines curse, but maybe he didn't dig deep enough.

I exchange curses with Aunt Bella quickly, with some effort.

Then I spin out of the way of a volley of attacks and create a powerful shield around myself.

"Stop, Aunt Bella."

She pauses with her wand pointed at me, watching me warily.

"Why are you doing this?" I ask her. "Voldemort's dead. He was the only one keeping you from releasing me. From doing the right thing. Now that he's gone, you don't have to do this anymore."

"Draco, Draco, Draco. I thought you would have known this, given the length of time you've been fighting in this war," she says, shaking her head. "I hate the Order of the Phoenix. I wasn't only fighting for the Dark Lord. I was also fighting against them. His death doesn't diminish—"

"It's because of Frank Longbottom, isn't it?" I say.

Her eyes widen. "How did you—"

"Never mind how I know. Just… couldn't you give all this up? You could—"

"What, turn traitor against my own beliefs? Help you defeat the Death Eaters? For what? All I'll get is a life sentence in Azkaban. Or, even better, the Dementor's Kiss. Is that what you want for me?"

Silence follows her words.

I can't deny that only hatred exists between Aunt Bella and the members of the Order. She's done truly horrible things, things that people aren't likely to forgive and forget. Potter is the only one who's seen the other side of her, and despite how much he's matured, I'm fairly certain he won't be able to forgive her for killing his godfather.

"What, then?" I ask. "How is this going to end?"

"I don't know," she admits in a quiet voice.

Then Naree appears, and before either of us has any time to react, he grabs my wrist and Disapparates, taking me with him.

When I open my eyes, I'm standing in my living room.

I turn to the small elf, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "Naree, I thought I told you to wait until—"

"Naree is sorry, Master!"

I sigh and pace the length of my living room twice to calm myself before turning and facing him again. "Why did you come early?"

"Miss Granger said that Master was in danger. Naree didn't want Master to die."

I shake my head. "Don't listen to her anymore. She's always doing the opposite of what I want…"

"Naree is very sorry, Master. It will not happen again."

I wave my hand dismissively, unable to put my frustration aside to tell him in words that it's okay. Then my charm heats up, and I read the message from Hermione: Are you ok? With a sigh, I reply, Fine.

The fireplace bursts into life after I send my message, and Hermione's face appears.

"Come over," she says.

I hesitate and glance at the small elf. "You can go," I tell him.

He bows low and moves into my bedroom. I wonder what he'll do in his downtime, now that he doesn't have a whole Manor to help clean. Then I turn and step into the flames.

I come out of the fireplace in the Headmaster's office and see that the room is empty except for Hermione, Blaise, and Theo.

"Where's McGonagall?" I ask.

"Everyone's busy setting up temporary living arrangements," Hermione tells me. "Hagrid arrived with reinforcements from Beauxbatons."

"I forgot to ask—where'd you disappear to, before we went to rescue Theo?" Blaise asks.

"I went to Russia to get us some more manpower," I say.

Hermione looks interested, probably because I just mentioned Russia.

"How'd that go?" Blaise asks.

"Fine. Thirty-five fighters should be arriving by tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good."

"All right, Draco's here. Can I go see my mother now?" Theo asks.

"We can check, but I doubt Madam Pomfrey's going to let you talk to her," Hermione says.

"Be patient, mate," Blaise says. "She wasn't in mortal danger. You'll be able to talk to her in the morning, I'm sure."

Theo sighs.

"We can still go to the hospital wing and check, if you want," Hermione offers.

I realize that they don't trust Theo enough to let him roam around Hogwarts without an escort. This fact only irks me slightly—I guess he does have the Dark Mark branded into his arm.

We leave the office and head for the hospital wing, and I feel like I've made this trek too many times in the past day or so.

As we near the hospital wing, Mrs. Weasley appears from a side corridor, and we stop.

"You two go on," Hermione says, waving Blaise and Theo on.

They glance at each other but continue down the hallway.

I hold back a frown and smile at the woman. "Mrs. Weasley," I say politely.

"Mr. Malfoy," she says. Her tone is cold. Then she looks at Hermione and says, "I saw you two together at the celebration, and I heard some things about your situation from the twins, and from Ginny. They seem to think… that this is what's best for you."

I sense a "but" coming and tense up slightly. As though sensing my discomfort, Hermione's hand finds mine.

"Mrs. Weasley," she says, "Draco and I—"

"Yes, I understand," Mrs. Weasley says. "I was young once before, as hard to believe as that may be. Where else would seven children have come from?"

I notice the slight blush rising on Hermione's cheeks and squeeze her hand, holding back a grin.

"I just wanted to tell you that I… that I wish you well," Mrs. Weasley continues. "I would have loved to have you as a daughter-in-law, but I suppose you're practically my daughter already, anyway. And I want you to be happy."

Hermione smiles. "Oh, Mrs. Weasley."

"Call me Molly, dear."

Hermione releases my hand to give the woman a hug.

When they break apart, Mrs. Weasley gives me a stern look. "If you break her heart, you'll have us to contend with."

I smirk. "Wow, Hermione. Looks like I've gotten myself into a bit of a mess now, haven't I? I've already gotten threats from Blaise, and Potter briefly, and now the whole Weasley clan."

Hermione smiles at me. "You'd better be careful with me, then," she says.

"I'm nothing but careful with you," I reply, smiling innocently.

"Well, I'll be going, then," Mrs. Weasley says.

"Thank you, Molly," Hermione says.

"You're welcome, dear."

Mrs. Weasley leaves the way she came, and Theo and Blaise return—what perfect timing.

"You were right, Granger. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me into the ward. Said it was too crowded," Theo reports.

"Oh, and she wants your help to get more plants for potions. Her stocks are running low," Blaise says.

"What about Neville?" Hermione asks. "He could help too—he's talented in Herbology."

"She doesn't know where he is. She asked for you because you're always with me," Blaise replies.

"All right, then," Hermione says. She looks up at me. "Do you want to come?"

I frown. "To look at plants? Not particularly."

Blaise laughs. "None of us in Slytherin liked Herbology much."

"Well… it's been a rough two days for all of us. You should rest. I'll see what Madam Pomfrey needs."

"Come over when you're finished," I tell her.

She smiles. "I will."

She leans up to give me a quick kiss, and Theo wolf-whistles.

"Thanks, Theo," I say sarcastically.

Hermione smiles again. "It seems your friends approve of me."

I grin. "Yeah. My friends are much friendlier than yours, surprisingly."

"That's only because they already know that you're far more likely to hurt me than I am to hurt you," she replies.

"You keep telling yourself that."

"Oh, get a room, you two," Theo says.

Hermione laughs. "Bye, boys."

"Bye," Blaise and I say simultaneously.

She turns and walks away, toward the hospital wing.

"Have you—" Blaise begins when she's out of earshot.

"No, I haven't," I cut him off. "I'll talk to her when I'm ready."

"Talk to her about what?" Theo asks.

"Nothing," I say.

"Draco's mother was killed by his aunt," Blaise says, sounding exasperated.

"That's—that's true?"

I nod. "Can we not do this? I don't want to talk about it."

"All right," Theo says.

We're quiet for a moment.

"It's been a while since the three of us were alone together, hasn't it?" Blaise says.

I glance at Theo. "Come on," I say, starting back the way we'd come.

Blaise and Theo follow without question, and it almost feels as though we're students at Hogwarts again. Back then, they'd also followed me, trusted me to provide fun and avoid getting caught—at least, most of the time. Those days won't ever come back, will they?

We reach the Headmaster's office again, and I drop a fistful of Floo Powder into the fireplace.

"Draco… are you sure about this?" Theo asks.

So he knows where we're about to go.

"It's about time," I say. "You're one of my best mates. It's ridiculous that Potter and the Weasel got to see my place before you did. Come on."

Blaise steps through first, and I hold onto Theo's shoulder, guiding him past the protection of the Fidelius Charm. On the other side, I close the Floo connection.

Theo looks around. "So this is where you were all those times that I Flooed."

I nod. "Every time."

"I'm…" he begins, but he stops himself.

"Go on."

"You're going to call me a sentimental fool," he says.

I chuckle. "I'll keep my mouth shut. Promise."

He eyes me distrustfully for a moment. Then he says, "It… means a lot to me that you'd finally let me in here. I thought the day would never come."

I open my mouth.

"Don't," he says.

"I was only going to say that I'm glad you realize the significance of this place, for me," I say, grinning.

"You two are making me feel left out," Blaise says, mock-pouting.

"Quit whining. He took you here way before me."

A grin wipes away the fake pout, and Blaise says, "That's true. Draco, you shouldn't play favorites so blatantly, should you?"

"Why are you complaining? You have preferential treatment from both me and Theo," I say.

"Hey, when did I—" Theo begins.

"Given the choice, you chose to save him," I say.

"That's not fair," Theo protests. "I saw the Dark Mark on your arm and panicked. Didn't I choose to join you when the time came?"

"You went voluntarily?" Blaise says, frowning.

"Well, I…"

"You left me out there all alone, to fend for myself, intentionally?"

"I'm sorry," Theo says, quailing under Blaise's glare.

"All right, Blaise, knock it off. You know he can't tell when you're joking," I say.

Theo's eyes widen. Then he says, "You're joking?"

Blaise's glare disappears, and he chuckles. "Of course I am."

He ducks behind me to evade Theo's punch, and we all share a laugh.

"It's almost like old times," Theo says, smiling as he heads toward the couch. He gestures as if to say, "May I?"

I nod, and he takes a seat.

"Blaise, how've you been all this time, really? No more jokes."

Blaise shrugs. "Could have been better," he says, stepping out from behind me.

I smirk. "No way. I thought you were living the dream," I say sarcastically.

"How do you know I wasn't?" Blaise counters.

Ignoring our comments, Theo looks at me and asks, "What's the deal with you and Granger?"

I keep emotion off my face, thinking about what to tell him. But before I can respond, he looks at Blaise's face and comes to a realization.

"No," he says. "No, you're kidding. Hermione Granger? That was the girl Draco—"

"It'd be wise for you to stop right there, mate," I say.

Theo just looks at Blaise, and I turn my eyes to him as well.

"I thought I told you not to—"

"Hey, true to my promise, I never mentioned her name," Blaise says, holding up his hands. "You saw Theo's reaction, didn't you?"

I shake my head.

Blaise grins. "The fact that you allowed for a loophole like that shows just how smitten you were, doesn't it?"

"Keep it up, Blaise. Just keep it up," I growl.

"You've gotta admit you missed having me around for those three years."

I shake my head again, and his grin widens. "Nah, I didn't think of you once," I say.

Before Blaise can respond, Theo jumps in. "It's okay, Blaise. I thought of you all the time."

"Thank you, Theo, but it just isn't the same."

"Oh, I see how it is," Theo says.

We're quiet for a moment, all grinning like idiots, and I feel like a schoolboy. I missed having conversations that meant absolutely nothing, talking about trivial things. Too much time has been spent on the war, on Horcruxes, on Voldemort, on the Death Eaters. It's so nice to take a step back and think about other things.

"Do you remember the night that we snuck out to go flying?" Blaise says.

"Oh, you mean the night that the Whomping Willow nearly killed me? How could I forget?" Theo replies.

I chuckle. "How was I supposed to know that it'd come to life? Nothing happened when I flew past it."

"Yeah, because you were the one who woke it up. It was awake by the time I got to it."

"At least you got out of detention," Blaise says. "Snape had us scrubbing cauldrons for hours."

"Sure, but I was in the hospital wing for a week."

"Yeah, we know. You made us visit every day," I say.

"At least I didn't tell you to bring flowers."

Blaise laughs. "You had enough of those already. Pansy brought them by every day."

"Only because she wanted more of Draco's attention."

I shake my head, "Let's not. I'd rather avoid thinking about her."

"Does she remind you of things that you want to forget?" Blaise asks.

"Does Daphne?" I shoot back.

Blaise's grin fades instantly, and I want to kick myself.

"Sorry—that was a reflex."

"That's okay. I was asking for it," he says.

"But speaking of Daphne…" I say, looking at Theo. "When I contacted her in your form, Astoria said—"

"Astoria's thick," Theo interrupts. "You know that it's not true. You said yourself that she's a habitual liar."

I frown. When did I ever say that?

"Actually, I was the one who said that," Blaise says, clearing it up for me. "I was pretending to be Draco the time that you caught me sitting on his couch."

Theo's brow furrows. "Oh… when Draco said that he was practicing his Human Transfiguration… that was actually you, Blaise?"

Blaise nods.

"Okay, we're off topic," I say. "Theo, how could you know what Astoria told me?"

"Because she brought it up with me before," Theo says.

"What're you two on about?" Blaise asks.

"You're lying, Theo. I don't like it when you do that," I say, ignoring Blaise's question.

Theo's jaw clenches, and he looks down at his hands. "It's nothing."

Proving once again that he's probably the most perspicacious bastard on the planet, Blaise says softly, "You like Daphne."

"No," Theo says.

Blaise frowns. "How… how long?"

Theo shakes his head. "I don't—"

"You can lie to anyone, but you can't get a lie past the two of us, mate," I tell him.

He sighs. "Fine. I fancy her. But she doesn't care about me, not in the same way that I care about her. Happy now?"

"No," Blaise says, shaking his head.

"Sorry," I say, unsure which friend I'm talking to. Both, I suppose.

"What're you saying sorry for?" Theo asks, and I can sense that this is going to be a jab at me. "At least my girl was in the right standing. You fell for a Mudblood."

"That's irrelevant to me, at this point," I say.

He shrugs.

"Theo," Blaise says, "in sixth year, did you…?"

No one speaks for a long moment.

Blaise sighs and looks at the ground. "Shit."

"You didn't know," I say.

"I should have," he says. "Theo, mate, you should have said something."

"What could I have said? You couldn't be stopped, once you got an idea like that into your head," Theo says, a hint of bitterness entering his tone. "You wouldn't have stopped."

"Yes, I would have. For either of you two, I would have."

"And risk your reputation? I don't think so," Theo says.

"Hey, hey, let's not get into a fight here," I say.

Blaise nods. "I see where you're coming from, Theo. But I know myself. I would have—"

"What's the use in saying that now? It's too late to change anything," Theo says.

"It's hard to believe that we didn't notice your emotions," I say. "You must have been more closed-off back then."

Blaise shakes his head. "No. We were both too distracted. I couldn't see anything outside of my goal, and you couldn't see anything other than Hermione. And your mission."

"But you still found out about my attraction to Hermione," I say.

"You're getting old, Draco. That happened in fifth year."

"Right."

"Theo, I—"

Theo sighs tiredly. "Just stop it. It's been done already, so just don't bring it up anymore."

Blaise looks at the ground, and I know what he's thinking. If he hadn't been so adamant in winning Daphne over, maybe she would have given Theo a chance. But how does he know that Daphne would have decided to like Theo in the end, anyway?

"It's getting late," I say. "You two can take the guest room over there."

"All right," Blaise says, moving toward the guest room.

Theo gets to his feet and follows.

"No fighting under my roof, got it?" I call after them, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll behave," Theo says, turning back to roll his eyes at me.

Then the door closes behind them, and I move into my bedroom. Naree's gone, and I wonder where he went.

"Naree!" I call out.

He appears with a crack. "Yes, Master?"

"I want you to go to Hogwarts and help out the house-elves there with whatever they're working on."

"For how long, Master?"

"Until I call for you again. You'll take orders from Professor McGonagall for now, all right?"

He nods. "Yes, Master."

"Go on, then."

He Disapparates, and I sit down on my bed, wondering when Hermione will be back.

A burn on my chest jolts me awake, and I sit up suddenly, massaging the spot.

Then I realize that it was my necklace. I lift the charm and squint at it for a moment in the dark before giving up and lighting the tip of my wand.

The message wipes any hint of grogginess from my mind: Help, ambush.

Fuck!

I leap out of bed and Summon my basin from the bathroom. I remember to open the door just as the basin bangs against it. I grab the large bowl and place it on the nightstand. A moment later, I press shaking fingertips to the surface of the water.

Hermione's image appears at what I recognize as the outer edge of the Forbidden Forest. Sure enough, she's surrounded by a group of four Death Eaters.

Bloody hell.

Then her surroundings blur, and I realize that she's Disapparating. With a jolt, I realize that she's outside the Anti-Disapparition Jinx around Hogwarts.

No shit. Death Eaters are there—of course she's not on the grounds.

I wait for her surroundings to solidify again before Disapparating.

Hang in there, Hermione. I'm coming.

Author's Note: Yeah, yeah, I know, cliffhanger. Apologies all around. I'll make sure to get the next chapter up quickly.

By the way, I'm like completely addicted to tumblr right now. I'm mostly just following Supernatural stuff at the moment, but if you guys know some really good Dramione blogs, I'd totally be interested in getting your recommendations of people to follow.