A/N: Sorry for the delay.

Hermione's mind was spinning; she didn't know what to think. She was frozen.

"Hermione you have to get out of here. Look, hate me all you want just please leave. Go straight to your room and stay there. Don't try and alert anyone it's too late…and I just need you to be safe alright. Just please go." Draco said with his hands clamped around the tops of her petite but strong arms.

But he didn't need to hold her arms down. She was unmoving, like a statue in his arms.

"You can't possibly think I'll go straight to bed like nothing is going on Draco! You just told me you plan on killing our headmaster! And why wouldn't I be safe huh? Are you going to hurt me? It's not like any Death Eaters could get inside the castle! So is that it… you're going to kill me if I stand in your way? Because I'd like to see you try ferret!" Hermione was shouting so near to his face she was sure he could feel her hot breath on his pale skin.

"Oh for god's sake woman of course I'm not going to kill you! Can't you see I'm so stupidly in love with you I'd die before I'd kill you! However I don't think the small army of Death Eaters about to come through that bloody cabinet over there will have the same feelings for you as I do!" Draco screamed at the top of his lungs, looking over at the vanishing cabinet with uneasy eyes.

He'd actually said it. The words, he said he loved her. She felt as if the floor had dropped out from underneath her and she was free falling. Down. Down. Down. He'd said it. She felt it. But it could never be, and her heart ached.

"You love me." Hermione said quietly.

Draco couldn't believe his ears. His mouth hung wide open he felt as if he was losing what little of his mind he had left. "That's what you're choosing to focus on right now?!" He gave a weak smile that was full of worry.

"Right, sorry." Hermione said shutting her eyes. "Draco you can't do this!" She knew she had to try.

"Love, if I had a choice in the matter I wouldn't! But if I don't he'll kill me! Hermione he'll kill my mom if I don't! I have no choice! I have to do this! I have to kill him." His voice had become raspy with desperation, his blue eyes silently pleading. "And they will kill you as soon as they look at you, the Gryffindor muggleborn princess, even if they don't know you made a Slytherin pureblood death eater fall in love with you."

"You're not one of them." Hermione whispered quietly covering his left forearm with her hand. His eyes followed her hand, and retreated back to her brown orbs. "They're weak, you're strong. They're followers, you're a leader, and I love you too." She said in almost a whisper with heavy eyes that dropped away from his gaze.

She always could break down his walls.

Hermione didn't know what to do. She always had a plan, a back-up plan and a back-up to the back-up plan. But not for this, it was all too much. She didn't have time to process or research. She should've known this whole thing could've never ended in anything other than tragedy, so she did the only thing she could be sure was certain in her mind and her heart.

Draco felt the most excruciating mix of happiness and gut wrenching pain. She said it. Something he never thought she'd feel let alone say to his face. He was dying tonight either way, whether or not he took a killing curse to the chest. The only thing he could do now was keep her safe. He felt his wand tucked into the sleeve of his right arm.

He placed his hands on her warm cheeks trying to store every sweet memory of her in his mind for eternity. He brought her face up to meet his and placed a soft kiss on her lips and pulled her into his embrace holding onto her for dear life as he saw smoke begin to seep from the vanishing cabinet. That was it. His life was no longer his. He had no more time left. He let his wand fall into his grasp as he felt her warm breath against his chest. He shut his eyes as he pointed his wand at her back and cast a spell so laced with love his ears almost didn't recognize the words, "Petrificus Totalus."

He felt her body stiffen under his arms as he caught her so as not to let her fall. He quickly moved her and covered her body with a piece of fabric lying about in the room of requirement.

"I'm sorry, but I need you to be safe. It was the only thing I could think of." Draco said.

He then walked over to the vanishing cabinet forcing himself not to look back at the girl he loved, frozen and covered. He faced the cabinet and watched as Death eaters entered Hogwarts. Most notably for Draco his Aunt Bella and Fenrir Greyback, his aunt was one thing but Greyback always unnerved him. He wasn't a full-fledged death eater, he doesn't carry the mark, and he simply wanted to align himself with Voldermort for more prey. Draco always hated being in close proximity to him, the way he looks, the way he breathes, everything about him he hated. He was a monstrosity that preyed upon children, not to mention he brings up Hermione far too much for Draco's liking, "the little pretty one." He'd say. Draco couldn't help the sneer that formed on his face as he looked at Greyback.

"What the bloody hell is your problem boy?" Greyback almost growled toward Draco.

"An overgrown mutt with an attitude problem." Draco replied.

Greyback moved and got into Draco's face.

"What did you just say you little bastard?"

"Why don't you tell me aren't dogs supposed to have superior hearing." Draco said plainly.

A couple of laughs could be heard from the surrounding death eaters. Draco enjoyed getting underneath his skin. His aunt Bella didn't seem to appreciate all the messing around going on as she stepped in between the two.

"Are you two finished? This is serious business the Dark Lord would not be happy to hear about this." She turned to face Draco with her crazy eyes staring straight into his; it sent a chill up his spine.

"She's right. We have things to do." Draco said looking around at them all.

"You mean you have things to do boy." Greyback started, "I may have to take a little detour, finally have a chance to fulfill a certain desire of mine." He finished with a smile.

"Just what are you playing at?" Draco asked.

"I've had my eye on a certain curly haired Gryffindor to satisfy my appetite for quite a while now, tonight is the perfect opportunity to pay her a little visit." He said with a sinister smile.

Draco felt his blood boil. He couldn't stand to hear that monstrosity even speak of Hermione.

"You won't do anything of the sort!" Draco yelled at Greyback eliciting confused looks among the crowd in the room of requirement.

Draco heard voices behind him begin to jeer at his remark, ramblings of jokes about him being like his father or him becoming a blood traitor.

"Enough!" Draco turned and yelled. "Now I do believe that I got you all in here for a reason. ONE reason." He said while eyeing Greyback with disgust. "I want everyone in this room to follow my orders or I will not hesitate to take you out. Especially you mutt, it would give me great pleasure! So please go after her, give me a reason to rid the world of your heinous face! This is my mission. I'm in charge. Is that clear?" Draco finished.

The room fell silent as he looked around not daring to seek out a hidden Hermione for even a fleeting glance.

"I'll take the silence as a yes. Now let's go." Draco said looking down at his wand.

As he readied himself to leave he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Well done Draco." An icy whisper reached his ear his aunt's voice curling his stomach into knots. "Might just save this family after all."

TBC