Author's Note:

I would love reviews! I am trying to take into account where the readers want the story to go so please make suggestions! You can also check my original pieces on u/967214/p-m-e-black. My tumblr is .com. Feel free to message me. Thanks.

Special Thanks:

To all of those on and tumblr that have followed. It really means a lot that people have favorite and followed this story.

Chapter 18-

Hermione scrambled to her feet and propelled her body forward. She grabbed a hold of Draco only to have her body shoved behind his lithe frame.

"Don't move." Draco hissed as he took stance. Hermione watched as Lucius stood up, his body slightly wavering. His eyes were wild and crazy looking as he snarled at Draco.

"YOU DARE CAST AGAINST YOUR FATHER!" Lucius screamed, his blonde mane hanging like curtains around his gray face.

"Father, it's over." Draco tried remaining calm, his hand gripping Hermione's. Hermione peered over the tall blonde's shoulder.

"You are choosing that vile, filthy little mudblood over your own family! I should have known you would be weak. You're just like your mother!" Lucius snarled, his body bent over like a wolf with his hackles up.

"I'm choosing me! I am not weak. I'm much stronger than you could ever think. You left me out in the wilderness defenseless and I have survived. Hermione made me realize that! I'm in love with her." Draco said matter of factly.

"You wait until the Dark Lord hears of your betrayal." Lucius spat as he made to take a step toward the two.

"You stay back! You're precious Dark Lord is no more. Potter took care of that!" Draco said as he motioned dangerously with Hermione's wand toward his father. With that comment, Lucius' face lost any color that had slightly remained.

"You lie!" Lucius was beginning to buckle under his son's words.

"Potter killed him! He is dead!" Draco announced as he watched his father begin to falter. Lucius' face contorted.

"This is the end. We hold no power any longer. We have to adjust to the world Father." Draco tried being more gentle seeing the older man's visage wane.

"No...you...you lie." Lucius began looking around the room as if Voldemort himself would show at any moment.

"Father, he is dead. Pureblood, muggleborn, it means nothing. Don't you understand?" Draco asked. He hoped against anything that he could get through to the man he wants cared so much for.

"You...you!" Lucius began pointing a shaking finger at his son while he backed up against a nearby wall.

"Where is my mother?" Draco quickly changed the topic as Lucius began to look off distantly.

"She...she is…" Lucius began to stammer. Draco turned his head slightly to look at Hermione. She squeezed his hand reassuringly. Draco let go of her hand and walked slowly toward his father, his black shoes echoing of the walls. He approached the tall blonde man and peered into his ragged face.

"Father...where is she?" Draco asked, trying to remain calm and soft in his approach. Lucius looked into his son's eyes, gray matching gray. Draco searched Lucius' face hoping for some sort of acknowledgement. Suddenly Lucius locked stares with his son and a vicious smile graced his unshaven face. His hand shot out, grabbing the younger Malfoy by the throat, reaching for Hermione's wand. Hermione gasped as she watched Draco struggle against his father's vice grip. Draco struggled for air as he fought hard against his father, making sure that the wand kept away from him. He would rather die than allow him any magical power.

"GIVE ME THE WAND!" Lucius screamed as he squeezed harder on Draco's throat. Draco's pale face was now becoming red. Hermione lunged forward, pounding her fists against Lucius only to be knocked back by his flailing arm. With the wind knocked out of her, she struggled to get herself back up. Draco's pale eyes began to roll into the back of his head.

"DAISY!" Hermione screamed. With a pop the little elf appeared. She swayed on her feet as she looked at the scene before her. She glanced at Hermione, her large eyes even wider than Hermione could possibly believe. She watched as Lucius strangled Draco, Draco's face turning a horrific shade of purple. Daisy glanced back at Hermione with fear.

"Please...please help him!" Hermione begged. If she thought getting down on her knees and groveling at the little elf's feet could possible help she would have done it.

Suddenly Daisy disapparated. Hermione could feel her heart drop. The little elf had abandoned them. Hermione hung her head not knowing what to do.

Before Hermione had a chance to even get up Daisy apparated back into the room, this time she was on top of Lucius, a knife at his stubbled throat.

"Leave Daisy's friends alone!" The little elf threatened. Lucius side glanced the little elf and dropped Draco to the ground in a heap. Hermione ran to his side hoping that he would be able to get some air. Draco sucked in a shaking breath, color finally coming back to his face. His hand still held tight to Hermione's wand. He gently placed the magical instrument into her outstretched hand. Hermione watched as the little elf held onto Lucius' pale mane, knife still at his throat.

"You hurt Daisy's friends!" The little elf hissed. Lucius visibly swallowed as he watched the little elf with wide eyes.

"Daisy should hurt you." Hermione was afraid the elf would take things too far.

"Daisy…" Hermione put her hand out to stop Daisy from going further. The little elf looked up in surprise, her grip slightly loosening.

Lucius' hands shot up grabbing the elf around the waist and throwing her across the room into Hermione. Hermione dropped her wand trying to catch her before she fell. As if in slow motion Draco and Lucius both dove for the abandoned wand, wrestling each other fiercely. Lucius punched Draco hard in the jaw, blood arcing out of his mouth, his canine driven into the inside of his cheek. That temporarily slackened Draco's hold long enough for Lucius to gain the upper hand, pulling the wand from his son's grasp. He jumped to his feet, his eyes large and bulging as he pointed the deadly weapon at Draco. Draco looked at Hermione from his position on the floor. Hermione sucked in a shaking breath as she held fast to Daisy's tiny body.

"OBLIVIATE!" Lucius screamed, his gray eyes wide and terrifying. Hermione without thought let Daisy drop from her hands to stand on the floor and threw herself in front of Draco. His gray eyes caught hers the last second as she threw herself in front of him and took the full brunt of the memory wiping charm. She fell to the ground in front of him, her sun kissed curls falling over her face. Draco looked down at her strewn body in horror. He jumped up, his long legs launching him the short distance between himself and his father and knocked the older Malfoy to the ground, knocking the wind out of him and the wand out of his hand. Draco straddled his father's legs, his fist raised in the air as his breaths came out in heaves.

"Do it! HIT ME!" Lucius hissed, his crazed eyes seeming even larger. Draco struggled.

"You're not worth it!" Draco bit back as he picked up the wand and got up carefully away from his father's form. Lucius eyed his son, his mouth set in a snarl. He leaned up on his elbows, glaring.

"She won't remember you! She'll only know you for what you are! She'll know you as my son, a vicious killer and a deatheater!" Lucius grinned and slowly stood up.

"At least she will know me!" Draco replied dryly and with that, Lucius laughed maniacally and disapparated.

As soon as all traces of his father were gone Draco let his head hang, his platinum fringe falling forward in his eyes. He was terrified to turn around for fear of what he would see. He took a deep breath when he heard Hermione's petite body begin to stir.

"M...Malfoy?" Draco sucked in a heaving breath as her large amber eyes met his. Her curls fell back into place as she stared at him. The confusion was already evident as she began to crawl back defensively. She winced seeing her wand in his hand.

"I...what am I...what are you doing…" She stammered, her hands up to shield herself from an oncoming attack.

What was she doing at Malfoy manor? Why was Draco standing above her with her wand in his pale hands?

"Hermione…" Draco stuttered, gulping hard as she tried to crawl away from him.

"Please...please don't hurt me…" She was visibly shaking, her lower lip quivering as if she were on the verge of tears.

"I...I would never…" Draco choked on his emotion. She recoiled from him when he attempted to hand her back the wand. The brave young witch was nothing more than a confused, trembling girl kneeling in front of him. Draco could feel his heart begin to crack and break seeing her shrink away from him.

"Why...why am I here? What have you done? Why can't I remember how I got here?" Her amber eyes became large with fear as they searched around nervously. Draco peered at the little elf a few yards away. Daisy hung her head sadly. Draco bit down hard on his lip tasting the familiar metallic of blood.

"I...I...you...you were trying to bring me back to the ministry...I…" Draco struggled. He couldn't just come out and tell her everything that had transpired between the two of them. It wasn't safe for her anymore. She was probably better off not remembering...not remembering him. He stifled the stinging tears that pricked at his eyes and took a shuddering breath as he approached her slowly. Her amber eyes searched his, her brows scrunched in bewilderment.

"I stunned you trying to get away." He finally replied as he clenched his hands so tightly he knew he had cut the flesh of his palms with his fingernails.

"Give me my wand Malfoy!" Hermione cried out as she scrambled to her feet. Draco held out the wand to her, his eyes to the floor.

"I'm...I'm so sorry Hermione." He began to feel like he was being strangled all over again.

"You don't call me that! What is wrong with you! You're a killer...a deatheater…" She slightly wobbled on her unsteady feet. She grabbed her wand from him viciously and immediately pointed it at him.

"Her...Granger?" Draco quickly corrected himself as he looked at the woman he was in love with. Her eyes held no recognition of their relationship. He could feel himself become close to saying it. He wanted to tell her again that he loved her, hoping some how that the words would break the enchantment on her memory. He knew it wouldn't. It would just hurt her more.

"This...this is for the best. You...you will be safe now." He muttered, a tear streaking down his pale face. Hermione's face contorted with perplexity.

"Wh...what?"

"Daisy?" Draco looked past Hermione at the little elf. Daisy's eyes were large and glassy with tears.

"I have one last order for you...do not speak of anything that has transpired, do you understand?" Draco asked, his voice cracking and he clasped and unclasped his fingers. The she-elf nodded tearfully in his direction.

"Her safety is the most important thing."

"Is master Draco absolutely sure?" Daisy trembled as she took a few steps toward the tall blonde. Draco nodded.

"I...I am no longer your master, nor is any other witch or wizard. You are released...you are free." Draco added. Hermione whipped her head around as she watched the strange exhibit.

Draco carefully undid his black tie, a small serpent head tie tack attached. He pulled the silk neck piece off and over his head and handed it to the elf.

"This is yours Daisy. I'm sorry it isn't much, it's really all I have." Draco said, placing the black cloth around the elf's small neck. It hung lazily around her like a large black serpent as it practically drug on the ground. Hermione's jaw dropped. Was she really witnessing this exchange?

"I cannot repay you enough for saving us." Draco added in a whisper. Daisy was too overcome with emotion to reply. She just nodded as large tears spilled down her tiny face.

Before Hermione could digest what was happening, Draco was in front of her. Too startled to move she stood rigidly as he descended on her. It seemed like he was struggling to either say or do something. Hermione was so frightened she was stiff. Draco tenderly placed his pale hand on her cheek and stared down at her. Hermione's eyes shifted back and forth anxiously as her heart began to beat wildly. What was he going to do to her? His mouth twitched slightly, his fingers almost burning her cool skin.

CRACK!

He was gone, the searing heat from his touch still lingering on her cheek.