Draco's lungs were on fire as he sprinted to the Quidditch Field. Images of Granger being struck with the killing curse flashed through his mind, and it pushed him to run faster. As he neared the field, dark silhouettes of bleachers, House flags, and skyscraping goals came into view. Eventually, the silhouette of a girl in the middle of the field appeared as well.
Draco stopped in his tracks behind a tower, about ten feet behind Granger. He was partly worried that she'd see him and partly relieved that she hadn't been hurt. Draco leaned his head against the wooden towers and tried to slow down his rapid breath. But his breathing stopped short as he saw dark figures slowly seeping out from behind the bleachers. From the moonlight, Draco could see the glint of their outstretched wands. A sharp realization came as he recognized the figures as the Death Eaters from the Forbidden Forest. This was it. This was the moment where he'd lose Granger one way or another. Either, Merlin forbid, she'd die, or he'd save her but he'd never be able to see her again.
Draco took a deep breath and darted for her. As the Death Eaters called out, "Avada Kedavra", he called out her name. She turned to face him, and he threw himself into her to evade the sparks of green aimed for her. Draco's face was smothered by her hair and the skin of her neck as they landed on the grass. Draco landed on his back and then quickly turned on his side to look at Granger. Her eyes were closed, and she was out cold. Panic seized Draco as he began to scream her name in desperate agony.
"Granger!" He shook her shoulders, but she was unresponsive. Did she simply black out or was she somehow struck with the curse?
Before he could react, the Death Eaters appeared in his peripheral vision as they neared him. A dozen of them formed a mass in front of Draco, wands pointed at him. As they closed in, Draco stood up and took a protective stance in front of the all too still Granger, holding onto the slim hope that she was alive.
Suddenly, a shrill voice that he recognized came pushing through the crowd of Death Eaters. "Move, you damn blighters, move!"
Bellatrix split the Death Eaters in half as she moved to the front. Her eyes darted back and forth between the boy pointing his wand at her, and the girl on the ground he was guarding.
"'s she dead?"
" 'oo's that ugly bloke?"
"I say we kill 'im too."
A buzz from the Death Eaters came from behind Bellatrix. She shot her right hand up, hushing them.
The silence was filled when Granger started to stir, mumbling something incoherent. Draco and Bellatrix gasped simultaneously, and they looked at each other. In that moment, Draco didn't know whether his aunt would kill him or spare him as she did a month ago. Which of her loyalties would hold out; her loyalty to the Dark Lord, or her loyalty to her sister?
It was a split-second, but it felt like slow motion when Bellatrix stared into Draco's gray eyes. She said nothing, but Draco knew what she was communicating to him. Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.
Draco instantly scooped Granger into his arms. Bellatrix cast the killing curse, purposefully missing, as the two people most wanted by the Dark Lord apparated away.
Draco blinked, and he appeared in Dumbledore's office. He cradled Granger in his arms as the panicked Headmaster came running toward them. "What happened?" Dumbledore frantically asked as Draco gently placed Granger on one of the couches in the sitting area. Her pale face was glowing from the blaze of the fireplace and her golden curls fell elegantly around her cheeks as she laid still. Her colorful scarf was still wound tightly around her head, and its vibrant colors danced in the firelight. Draco wanted to cry in relief as he heard her even breathing. For all he knew, she could've been asleep the whole time.
Draco stood up and answered Dumbledore's question. "I pushed her out of the way of the killing curse, but she knocked out on the impact of the ground. I believe she's starting to wake up, but I'm not sure."
Dumbledore exhaled, and then lowly asked, "And what of Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters?"
"I don't know. Bellatrix gave me enough time to get away, but all of them are still here." Draco started to pace back and forth. "I think they'll invade Hogwarts, inferring that Granger is in the castle."
Dumbledore opened his mouth to respond, but another voice chimed in. "And that's why you don't put Malfoy in charge of anything-" Draco cringed at the familiar voice, looking to the side of Dumbledore to see the source. "-he lets the bad guys in the castle, as usual."
Draco's lips curled into a sneer as he spat out, "Potter."
Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix yelled, aiming her wand just to the left of Draco and Granger. The green sparks evaporated as her nephew and the mudblood disappeared.
"Nice shot, Bellatrix!" a Death Eater mocked. Bellatrix whipped around to face the Death Eaters. " You let 'em get away!" the same one shouted.
Bellatrix winced. She knew she let them get away. If she wanted to kill them, then she would have. No one could ever know that she was trying protecting her nephew for the sake of her sister. If there was one thing that she was devoted to as much as the Dark Lord, it would be family.
"And you did a bloody brilliant job of helping!" she shot back. The Death Eaters collectively started to murmur while some rolled their eyes at their leader.
Bellatrix angrily shushed them and then began to speak. "Listen! What's a failed mission? Do you know how many times the Dark Lord has failed to kill that bloody mudblood? We'll try again next month."
The Death Eaters were utterly dumbfounded by Bellatrix. They weren't used to her just giving up and calling it a night. What happened to the bloodthirsty Bellatrix that would rather die than let a target, let alone a mudblood, escape?
One spoke up. "A month? There is no way in 'ell I'm staying in that blasted forest for another month! I'm sick of taking orders from you!"
The mass of Death Eaters mumbled in agreement. He spoke again. "I say we find the mudblood, kill 'er, and finish what we started a year ago; to kill Dumbledore and take Hogwarts!"
The Death Eaters roared with vengeance and excitement. They pumped their fists in the air as they began to sprint to Hogwarts. Bellatrix could do nothing but protest, "You idiots, come back here! That's an order!" None of the Death Eaters heard as they ran past her and to the castle.
"What are you doing here? And how do you know it's me?" Draco asked, gesturing to his own deformed shape. Potter stood by Dumbledore looking rugged. He hadn't shaved in awhile, and he had bags under his eyes. His dark hair was tousled, and there were more scars on his face than just the infamous one left by Voldemort. He looked like he'd been to Hell and back. But of course he still had that stupid Potter look on his face that Draco despised.
"Well the idea that the life of one of my best friends was in the hands of Draco Malfoy seemed absurd, so I came to make sure that she didn't die under your watchful care," Potter responded curtly.
"But how do you-"
Dumbledore answered his unspoken question. "I wrote to Mr. Potter explaining everything about the infiltration, including the part of you being under the Unbeautify curse."
Potter piped in. "And frankly, Malfoy, you've never looked better."
Draco rolled his eyes and turned to Dumbledore. "Why did you tell Potter?"
"He has every right to know, Mr. Malfoy. She is practically his and Mr. Weasley's sister. If she couldn't be with them, then they should at least know if she is safe. And I anticipated that he'd come, so I wrote about your curse to make sure Mr. Potter wouldn't be caught off-guard."
"Speaking of Weaselbee, where is the bloke?" Draco asked.
Potter answered. "Someone had to hold down the fort at the Burrow. And if he did come, he'd probably try to kill you after the brilliant job you've done of keeping Hermione safe. I mean she wrote to me herself about the sighting in Hogsmeade!"
Draco defended himself. "She didn't get hurt!"
"That still doesn't excuse the fact that you let her out of the castle! And on top of that, how many nights have you spent in Grimmauld Place moping about when you should've been watching Hermione?" Potter shouted accusingly.
Draco didn't respond and simply glared at Potter as he went to sit down by Granger. He began stroking her hair and watching over her like a father. Potter was right. Draco did a horrible job of protecting Granger. And Draco felt even more unworthy to be Granger's guardian now that Potter was there. He'd actually try to keep her in the castle, away from danger. He'd be careful enough, and smart enough, to keep her from getting hurt. And he'd make sure to get rid of the Death Eaters before they had a chance to enter the castle.
All of a sudden, a large crash and then screaming echoed from below. "They're here," Dumbledore said.
Potter jolted up and faced the Headmaster. "What do we do?"
"You and Mr. Malfoy will go to the Great Hall and defend against the Death Eaters and I will stay with Miss. Granger."
Potter nodded and headed straight for the door. Draco stood there, looking shocked at Dumbledore. "Why don't you go, Professor? It's about a dozen Death Eaters against the two of us," he asked.
" I can't go because I believe I've become another target, and the Death Eaters are, again, trying to kill me to take over Hogwarts."
Draco couldn't help but scoff. "Do you actually have a plan?"
"The plan is to keep everyone, including Miss. Granger, alive," Dumbledore replied sternly.
Draco stared at the Headmaster with a raised eyebrow. He knew that there wasn't really a plan, and he was most likely about to embark on a suicide mission. But he knew the priority: keep Granger alive. Draco's eyes met with Dumbledore's and he nodded. Neither said another word as Draco left the office.
He ran down the hidden staircase and met Potter on the bottom floor. There was another large crash, and the screaming amplified. The two then immediately started running to the Great Hall. When they reached the entrance, they noticed that the doors were wide open.
"Why haven't the Death Eaters locked the doors?" Draco asked while standing behind the wall beside the entrance.
"I don't think they need to," Potter responded, slightly leaning to see the inside of the room.
Draco opened his mouth to ask another question but Potter put a finger to his lips and cocked his head toward the inside of the Great Hall. Draco then carefully peered into the Great Hall.
He saw a Death Eater standing on the Professor's table preaching to the student body. Everyone, including the staff, was being held,hostage. "Now, no one 'as to get 'urt if we all cooperate. But if no one answers my question, and if anyone tries to escape, you will die. Simple. Capiche?"
Death Eaters surrounding him chuckled darkly. Draco noticed that Bellatrix remained silent.
"Let's go," Draco said, but Potter jerked his arm back.
"Not yet! We need a distraction."
"A distraction?! This isn't some Weaselbee prank on a Professor! These are bloody Death Eaters!"
"Not yet!" Potter repeated.
The Death Eater on the table continued. "So let's start, shall we? Tell us where your Headmaster and precious mudblood princess are." When no one answered, the Death Eater cast the Imperius curse on a student in the front. The Death Eater lifted her in the air and suspended her from the top of the Great Hall. A wave of gasps and screams fell over the crowd but the Death Eater hushed them.
"Since no one wants to cooperate, let's play a game. It's easy. You tell me where Dumbledore and the mudblood are and I won't drop 'er."
Draco turned to Potter. "Where is your bloody distraction, Potter?!"
The dark-haired boy put a finger up, signaling Draco to wait, and then whispered, "Don't follow me. Stay hidden. When I come back out, attack."
The crowd remained silent, and the Death Eater was true to his word. He released the girl from the Imperius curse, and she began to fall. Like a flash of lightning, Potter stepped into the threshold and cast a levitating charm on the girl. All of the heads in the room snapped to the back to see Harry Potter , the Boy who Lived, saving the day again. Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes. Potter is the hero once more. Of course, he was the distraction, but it was brilliant. If anyone had enough notoriety to stop Death Eaters from killing it would be Potter.
The mass started cheering as Potter gently floated the girl down. He started to walk to the front, parting the sea of students and staff. The Death Eaters simply stared at him in shock as he approached them with his wand lowered.
The Death Eater on the table stepped down and started to speak with amusement. "Well, isn't it our lucky day? Dumbledore, the mudblood, and Potter?! It's almost too good to be true!"
The Death Eater then raised his wand, but Potter chimed in. "I wouldn't. I highly doubt Voldemort would appreciate you killing me, the target reserved explicitly for him."
"The boy is right." Everyone's head turned toward Bellatrix as she broke her silence. "I say we take Potter to the Dark Lord and do nothing else."
The Death Eater snorted at Bellatrix. "Wot?! That's it!"
"I agree." Everyone turned back to Potter. "The only way I'm going willingly is if you leave the students, the professors, Headmaster Dumbledore, and Hermione Granger alone."
The Death Eater started to scratch his chin. "Sounds too easy."
Bellatrix scoffed. "Oh, bloody hell, take the deal! Trust me, bringing Potter to the Dark Lord is worth more than a thousand Headmasters and Grangers!"
The Death Eater slowly flicked his eyes between Bellatrix and Potter. The Great Hall fell silent once more, the tension being practically tangible. When the Death Eater nodded, there was a mix of sighs of relief and cries of fear from everyone. They were being spared but at the cost of Harry Potter. They were then all ushered out of the Great Hall.
Still in the hallway, Draco was alarmed at the sudden ocean of people walking out of the Great Hall. In the crowd, he managed to slip himself inside of the room without being noticed. He slithered into one of the curtains by the tables and waited until Harry's next move.
Draco got increasingly agitated as Harry gave himself in to the Death Eaters. They took his wand, and one of his arms, so Potter was defenseless. Draco's breathing quickened as the bastion of Death Eaters surrounding Potter started to move past him. Out of impulse, Draco stepped out of the curtain and shouted "Stupefy", red sparks flying out of his wand into the mass. The impact of the spell caused a domino effect as the entire group of Death Eaters fell to the ground. And like clockwork, Potter managed to break free and roll away before he could be hit. He snatched his wand from the ground and pocketed it.
Draco's mouth was agape as Potter swaggered toward him. "How did you-"
"Improvisation," Harry smoothly said.
Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Do you always have to be such a... Potter?!"
Potter smiled and opened his mouth to answer, but his attention was diverted when he saw Death Eaters starting to stir. As they slowly started to get up, Potter shouted in panic, "How are they getting up?!"
"Oh, I don't know Potter! Probably because it was a stunning spell! Oh, and in case you didn't know, they are temporary!" Draco bit back facetiously. "What do we do?!"
"Dumbledore's office! Now!" Potter ordered, pulling Draco's arm forward. The two began sprinting out of the Great Hall, each trying to get a grip on their wand to apparate. When they reached the entrance, Draco felt the heat from a spell whiz past his ear. Immediately after, he heard the chilling words of "Avada Kedavra" casted . Draco whipped around and his eyes widened at the sight. Bellatrix casted the Unforgivable Curse, but it was not at Draco nor Harry. There was a half-second explosion of green as the curse hit, and took the life of the one of the Death Eaters. She then casted the same curse at another Death Eater, and she began picking them off one by one. Draco stared in silent shock as Bellatrix Lestrange, right hand of the Dark Lord, willingly killed the servants of her master. She knew she was betraying the only life she knew and ultimately signing her death warrant, and she did it all for the sake of her nephew.
One of the Death Eaters left standing eventually cast "Incarcerous" on her, binding her hands and feet. Draco screamed and began to run to her, but Potter yanked him back. "We have to keep moving!"
Draco slowly walked backward, observing the sight and picturing the impending torture his aunt would face. He forced himself to turn around and apparate away, hoping to Merlin that Bellatrix would live to see the light of day.
"Oh, sod it," Bellatrix hissed to herself as she made the choice.
She would be branded a traitor and murderer. She would be put under the Cruciatus curse and, Merlin willing, she'd eventually die. She knew all of this as she pushed the Death Eater casting the killing curse aimed for Draco, causing the trajectory of the spell to miss her nephew by a hair. When she turned toward her own throng of Death Eater comrades and started to cast curses aimed at them, she knew it was the beginning of the end for her.
She picked off about three-quarters of them until she was magically bound. Before she collapsed to the floor, she stole a glance at the entryway and was relieved to see that Draco and Potter were gone and away.
She rolled onto her back, completely immobile. The rest of the Death Eaters formed a circle around her and, with the way they looked at her, Bellatrix thought it was a miracle that she hadn't been killed yet.
One Death Eater voiced Bellatrix's thoughts. "It's a bloody miracle we haven't killed you yet."
"Why don't you?" she asked, entering dangerous waters.
"Tempting, but I think the Dark Lord would prefer to do the job himself. And you may have some valuable information." The Death Eater then yanked her up over his shoulders and then violently slammed her down on one of the benches. She yelped in pain as he began to interrogate her. "Where is the Headmaster and the mudblood?"
Draco and Potter apparated into the Headmaster's office with rapid breaths and heartbeats. The room was crowded with staff. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were anxiously talking by the desk while Madam Pomfrey was tending to the sleeping Granger on the couch. When Draco and Potter appeared, the staff immediately ran to them. They were partly relieved to see Potter and partly horrified to see Draco in his beastly state.
When Draco saw Madam Pomfrey going pale, he scoffed in disgust. He was about to say something snarky but Potter spoke first. "This is Draco Malfoy. Long-story-short, he was cast with the Unbeautify curse, and he's a good guy now."
The room went silent, and everyone stared at Draco. "Delicately put, Potter," he muttered to the dark-haired boy.
Dumbledore broke the ice when he moved to the front saying, "What happened? Are the students safe?"
"Yes, but we aren't," Potter said.
Draco spoke up. "Bellatrix turned against the Death Eaters and killed off most of them. But they managed to pin her down. No doubt they will try to get something out of her." The scene replayed in Draco's mind, and it sent chills through his body. The staff began chatting nervously in reaction to the news. All except Madam Pomfrey. She was eyeing Draco with both confusion and curiosity.
He tried to ignore her as Potter kept talking. "No doubt the Death Eaters will beat the information out of Bellatrix, and learn they can apparate here. What should we do?"
Everyone in the room then burst into a discussion. Everyone was talking over the person next to them and it became mayhem. Draco slipped away from the group and walked over to Granger, sitting by her on the couch she was laying on. He took a hold of her porcelain white hand and began caressing it with his thumb, tracing circles on her skin. It felt odd to hold her like this. For days he had been watching her from a distance and now he was up close. He didn't know how to feel now and in fact, he didn't know exactly what he was feeling in the first place. What he did know was that the spark that ignited in him before was now threatening to become a wildfire.
"You've changed."
Madam Pomfrey's voice made Draco jump. The old healer stood behind the couch.
He looked up at her and then gestured to himself. "I know," he sighed.
"Not just on the outside," Madam Pomfrey said. She sat on an armchair beside him. "I hardly remember anything from the first time I saw you. Well, since you obliviated me."
Draco grunted. "Yeah, sorry about that."
She let out a low chuckle to show that she forgave him and then continued. "Anyway, I do remember you laying down a girl on a hospital bed. I remember thinking you attacked her, but I didn't even face the fact that you brought her to the hospital wing. You were saving her."
Draco looked up at Madam Pomfrey and he smiled. From his peripheral vision, he saw Potter staring at him. No doubt he heard the whole thing. And no doubt Potter wanted to claw Draco Malfoy off of his best friend. But interestingly, Potter did nothing. He just stared, as if studying him.
Suddenly, Dumbledore shushed the room. Everyone stared at the Headmaster in confusion. After a few moments of silence, Dumbledore said, "They're coming."
Draco immediately jolted up and stood in front of Granger in a protective stance. Potter joined him on the right, wielding his wand. The staff gathered behind Dumbledore and an instant later, three Death Eaters, one holding a wand to Bellatrix's neck, appeared in the room.
Draco's eyes flitted to Bellatrix's. She looked more than crestfallen as her mouth slowly formed the word: "Sorry."
The Death Eaters brandished their wands and the professors did the same. The Death Eater holding Bellatrix started to laugh. "Well, well, well. The gang's all here."
Dumbledore spoke in a booming voice. "Leave, for you cannot face us! You are clearly outnumbered."
The Death Eater smirked. "I'm not leaving without my package." His eyes fell onto Granger. "You see, we need to leave with something tonight. We can't leave empty handed."
"You can and you will," barked Draco, pointing his wand at the Death Eater.
The Death Eater raised an eyebrow and then smiled when he saw Draco's left forearm."You're one to talk. You're standing on the wrong side." The Death Eater began to roll up his sleeve as he spoke to Draco. "Listen, I don't know who you are, and why you look like that, but we are brothers." The Death Eater unveiled his Dark Mark and the room gasped.
"I am nothing like you," Draco seethed through gritted teeth.
"Oh, but you are! Once you have this, you can't get rid of it. It's a part of you forever. " The Death Eater started walking to Draco. "You see, something made you join the Death Eaters. Something made you willingly give up part of yourself to the Dark Lord. Was it the belief, nay, the truth that Muggles and mudbloods are mutations of nature? The truth that people like her-" he pointed at Granger "-should be eradicated, therefore cleansing the world?"
Draco's insides began to churn. If he didn't know better, he'd think it was his own father talking to him. His entire life, Lucius Malfoy drilled these ideas into his son's head. He was bred to be a Death Eater.
Draco looked down at Granger and realized that yes, something made him join the Death Eaters, but something else made him leave them. Something else made him want to be good. Something else made him believe that he could afford hope, even for himself. It was her.
"The only people that should be eradicated are people like you," Draco said darkly. He held up his wand to the Death Eater's neck. "I will not let you or any other piece of scum like you touch her. I suggest you leave."
The Death Eater flared his nostrils and jerked away from Draco's wand. "I won't waste my breath," he spat. He turned around and walked over to the other Death Eaters. "This night was a waste. But at least you know that you have a potential traitor in your midst now," he said.
He stared at Draco dead in the eye and then flicked his wand out the window, darkly murmuring, "Morsmordre".
A streak of green light flashed from his wand as he and the other Death Eaters disapparated. The light flew into the night sky and then burst. Draco's insides lurched as he saw that the same mark on his forearm was gleaming a sickly green in the night sky.
Draco was staring out the window from the hospital wing as the clock struck 4 A.M. The Dark Mark in the sky made his flesh crawl, but all he did that night was stare at it. It was like constantly poking at a bruise; it hurts every time you do it but you keep going to see how muchit hurts.
Granger was moved to the hospital wing, and thank Merlin no other students were in there. Madam Pomfrey gave her some salves to help her recover but she'd be asleep for the whole night. That was fine with Draco. That meant he could stay with her longer. When Draco wasn't staring at the Dark Mark, he was staring at Granger. He again was holding her hand while stroking it with his thumb. The scarf around her head was replaced with bandages but Draco could still vividly remember Granger in her hippie costume. It was when Draco learned that somehow she still believed in him, and there was hope that she could someday love him.
But Draco's heart sank as he remembered that this would be the last day he'd be able to see her. She would go back to being the Head Girl of Hogwarts and he'd go back to being the prisoner of Grimmauld Place. Nights of dancing and stargazing were over. The hardest part about watching a bird fly is when you have to put it back in its cage.
The hospital door opened, and in walked an exhausted looking Potter. He walked slowly over to Draco and pulled a chair up next to him. Draco took his hand away from Granger's embarrassingly. Potter noticed and snickered.
"What's so funny?" Draco asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"It's okay. You can hold her hand," Potter said.
Draco's cheeks flushed. He coughed to hide is chagrin and then asked, "Really? Potter is letting me touch his precious Hermione Granger?"
"Well if you say it like that, then no. And trust me, I'm just as surprised as you. I mean before tonight I never would've dreamed of this." Potter began to rub the back of his neck. "Listen, I never thought I'd say this but I've misjudged you."
Draco snorted and then looked up at Potter. He was serious.
Potter continued. "I heard what Madam Pomfrey said and I realize that I did the same thing she did; I didn't face the facts. When I heard that you were some 'protector' for Hermione I thought it was bullshite, and I thought how on Earth could Dumbledore pick you , Hermione's tormentor for the past six years, to watch over her. But I didn't face the fact that you told Dumbledore about the infiltration in the first place. There was no way the Death Eaters could track you because of your curse, so you were fine. You didn't need to worry about Hermione but you did. I didn't think about that because I was blinded by your past. But after tonight, with how you guard her, how you hold her, and even how you look at her I can tell that you care about her, and I misjudged you."
Potter then sighed. "And I'd love for Hermione to come with Ron and me to find Horcruxes. In fact, I resented Dumbledore for the longest time since he didn't let her come. It kills me to say it, but it's too dangerous. Voldemort and his followers are out for blood, specifically hers. And now even Hogwarts isn't safe for her. So I need you to do me a favor."
Draco nodded slowly, prompting Potter to go on. The dark-haired boy cleared his throat and said, "I've talked to Dumbledore, and he agrees. But I know Hermione will kick and scream, but I believe it's the best option to keep her safe," Potter then leaned in "I need Hermione to stay with you at Grimmauld Place."