This Bitter Earth

by Ikorous

Control isn't the only thing Draco Malfoy has lost. But he will get it back. He will get everything bac

22. TWENTY TWO

AN: Hello again, dear readers. Ready for an update? Yay! Everyone say thank you to the wonderful Bree for betaing this for me and dealing with me over the past… six months(?) while I freaked out about everything. She is a saint.

I won't keep you much longer, but there is a note at the end of the chapter as a thank you to everyone who has come back to read this story.

In case you need a refresher of where we left off… Draco left Shell Cottage after finding out Lucius had died and Narcissa was taken to their island, but it has been moved. Hermione finished brewing the polyjuice potion and fell out with Ron over her relationship with Draco. Draco returned and things got rocky between him and Hermione. In order to get her forgiveness, Draco promised to help the trio and he and Hermione "reconcile".

Hermione leaves with Harry to break into Gringotts and they get the cup leaving the diadem and Nagini as the last known horcruxes. Draco and Ron break into the Ministry as a distraction and free the Muggleborns imprisoned there. It does not go well and Draco leaves Ron, presumably to die, but Ron still shows up to the rendezvous point. Hermione doesn't want to, but eventually concedes to go with Harry and Ron to Hogwarts even though Draco still hadn't arrived…

CW: This chapter contains violence and blood, including violence against children. Reader discretion advised. Also unexpected pregnancy (not main pairing though).

Soundtrack- "Make This Go On Forever" by Hahlweg and "Bitter and Sick" by One Two

TWENTY TWO

.

"Move—your—" Draco grabbed the back of Mundungus Fletcher's coat and shoved him forward. "ASS!"

This was taking too long and wasn't going nearly as well as he would have hoped. Maybe Weaselbee hadn't been so useless after all because most Muggleborns fled at the sight of Draco before he could even tell them he was here to fucking help them.

But the ginger prick was probably already dead and there was no use crying over spilt blood. Especially Weasley's. Actually the thought of it made Draco smile a little.

But then glass came raining down on him and Fletcher cowered down, trying to protect his head.

Draco saw the missing finger on his hairy hand and swallowed down the bile that was prickling in the back of his throat before pushing the little man forward again. "MOVE!"

"Where ya takin' me?" Fletcher panted as Draco pulled him a few yards forward and then crouched behind an overturned desk that had flown out of one of the office windows.

Draco lifted his head over the side to see a group of Muggleborns running for the fireplaces at the other end of the atrium. From his vantage point, he could see what they could not. A Ministry guard had his wand up, heading towards them.

Draco had to fight back the crucio curse that was screaming to be let out. He felt it simmering under his mark and forced the first spell that came to his mind out instead.

The snake shot out of the end of his wand and landed in front of the guard. It struck out, attaching itself to the man's neck. He dropped his wand, pulling at it and screaming in terror.

Draco snake wasn't venomous.

Well, not very venomous.

He'd live.

And so would the Muggleborns. Draco watched them disappear into the green flames. Once they were out they weren't his concern anymore.

"Get ready to move," Draco growled.

"Oh bleedin' 'ell," Fletcher whispered and wiped sweat from his forehead only for another rivulet to slide down in between his drooping eyes.

"Do you want to stay here?" Draco snapped. Fletcher shook his head, jowls quivering with the movement. "Didn't think so. On my command."

He looked over the edge of the desk again and heard Fletcher whisper something that sounded like prayer, but with much more colorful language.

A Muggleborn man was fighting with a masked Death Eater, his hand was around the Death Eater's wrist as they struggled for control of the wand. Draco couldn't do anything, he was as likely to hit the Muggleborn as the Death Eater from this distance. And the man was doing a pretty good—

"Avada Kedavra!"

The muggleborn went stiff and then loose, body falling into a heap at the Death Eater's feet. Draco watched as the Death Eater kicked out at the body once, twice, three times. He spat on it. Then moved on as if there wasn't a dead body on the ground because of him.

Draco stared at it. It didn't move. It didn't do anything. Not anymore.

He had cleared the way for as many Muggleborns as he could as they made their way back up through the Ministry. Some workers locked their doors and hid in their offices. Some did as Umbridge's annoying ass voice told them to over the speakers and picked up their wands to try and recapture the Muggleborns.

Some helped them escape.

It was almost impossible to tell who was a friend and who was a foe, but everyone knew what the metal mask meant. The sooner he could chuck this thing off a cliff the better.

He sunk back down behind the desk, chest tight against his lungs.

He needed to breathe.

One.

Two.

Three.

Draco thought of Granger. Of how worried she'd be that he was late and how happy she would look when he showed up. Her cinnamon eyes would spark and burn and she would throw herself onto him and he'd wrap his arms around her.

He could get out of here and back to her. For her.

"Let's go."

Draco darted out from behind the desk, hauling Fletcher along with him. When Draco had seen his old prisoner, rifling through the robes of a downed guard and looking for a wand, he had decided to bring Fletcher to the surface with him.

The Order was already going to be overwhelmed with the Muggleborns they had freed and there had been more in the cells than Draco had estimated. Fletcher could get them out. He had been caught smuggling people over the border and now it was the same reason Draco was making sure the little man got to the surface.

That, and the fact that maybe Fletcher might know a way to try and search for the island and help him find his mother.

But one thing at a time. First they needed to get out.

They had almost reached the fireplaces when Draco heard a cry behind him. It was the little boy he had pulled from the cages below and a Death Eater was holding him up by the back of his shirt while he kicked and screamed. One kick landed against the Death Eater's chest.

"Mudblood rat!" The Death Eater threw the boy against the wall. The boy was still, except for the small twitches his legs gave, as if he was still trying to kick.

A woman was screaming as guards pushed a group of Muggleborns back towards the stairs. Draco could count ten, maybe twelve of them.

"Get them down with the rest!"

Draco saw the Death Eater cast a familiar spell; only those with a dark mark would be able to pass through and get to the lower levels now.

Godfuckingdamnit.

Draco cursed himself as he let go of Fletcher. "As soon as you get to the surface, you take these Muggleborns somewhere safe."

Fletcher just stared at him, jowls shaking as his jaw hung open

"I know you know places to hide people. Do it. Take the kid with you." Draco tossed his head in the direction of the body. The boy, Draco corrected himself.

Fletcher started backing up, moving towards the fireplaces. The fear flickering in the reflection of the green flames in his eyes.

Draco grabbed him one more time, hauling him up until Fletcher was lifted off of the ground and they were nose to nose. "If you don't," he growled, "I'll take more than another finger, understand?"

Fletcher nodded vigorously and Draco let him go. The short man was already moving before he even fully got to his feet, but at least he was moving in the direction of the kid.

Draco turned, pulled his mask back on and headed down once more.

.

"You don't have to come down with me," Ron said and Hermione pulled her gaze up from the dark, musty smelling hole that had opened up in the middle of the bathroom. It had been his idea to descend into the Chamber again to gather basilisk teeth and she was surprised that he had been the one to think of it.

But then again, Ron had taken charge when the Death Eaters had broken into the castle last year and Hermione recognized the same resolution on his face now. She'd never been in the Chamber of Secrets before and had only heard about it from Harry and Ron. Seeing it was different. She knew it was under the school but somehow hadn't pictured it being that… deep.

She bit her lip nervously and glanced around the bathroom. They had spent so much time here in their second year, back when they were still friends. Ron had comforted her, right over there, when Draco had mouthed Mudblood at her during one of their lessons. She wondered if he remembered that too and maybe that was why his eyes were darting in between hers, looking for something that… that was no longer there.

"No, no. I'll come," Hermione countered. "You don't have a wand and you shouldn't go down there by yourself. Who knows what's taken up residence in the last five years?"

Ron kicked a small bit of stone over the edge and watched it fall into the black. "Probably just rats."

Hermione shivered and turned her head away from the looming hole. That was when she saw a wisp of white peeking out from one of the stalls.

"Myrtle!"

She had almost forgotten this was the bathroom Moaning Myrtle haunted. Seeing her again threw Hermione once more into memories of her second year and listening to Myrtle cry while they brewed polyjuice potion. She had done her best to avoid this bathroom, and Myrtle, ever since then.

"What are you two doing in here?!" Myrtle screeched and flew out of the stall. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"Shut up!" Ron yelled.

"Ronald!"

"She'll wake up the whole castle!" Ron lowered his voice, but it was still harsh. "Do you want the Carrows to find us?"

Hermione made a face at him and then turned back to the ghost. "Myrtle, we need your help."

She floated higher in the air. "Why should I help you?"

Hermione's mind spun fast. "Do you remember a boy you went to school with, Tom?" Myrtle's eyes widened behind her glasses. Hermione pushed on. "Do you know who, and what, he became?"

Myrtle's pigtails floated slowly by her head as she nodded.

Hermione took a breath. "We are trying to stop him and you can help by looking out for us, making sure no one comes in here until we're done."

"I still don't see why I should help you," Myrtle said in a whiny tone. "You never came back to see me after you were done brewing your potion."

She had them there. In fact, Hermione had made sure to avoid Myrtle's bathroom after the unpleasant unfortunateness of being turned into a cat and having the ghost laugh at her for half an hour.

But who could blame them for not wanting to spend time with her? Myrtle wasn't exactly pleasant to be around and she made a habit of flooding the place anytime someone or something upset her. It was no wonder she didn't have any friends. No one ever wanted to come in here. No one except…

Hermione stepped forward. "You'd be helping Draco by helping us."

She could hear Ron scoff behind her.

"Draco?" Myrtle's voice was softer, almost… worried. She obviously cared about Draco and Hermione gave her a small smile.

"He told me all about you," Hermione went on. What had Draco called her? Ghostie? "How he would come talk to you, how close you two were."

Myrtle drifted in the air, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"He would be here now if he could." Hermione wished he was. Goodness, she was worried about him, but she couldn't give into it right now. She was doing this for Draco. And for Harry. And for herself. She wanted this war to be over as well and soon, they would be able to destroy another horcrux— if Myrtle didn't sound the alarm.

She was looking at Hermione with a strange gleam in her eyes. Draco was right, it was easy to forget that she was a ghost sometimes. She had been haunting this bathroom for decades and Draco, as far as they knew, was the only student who had ever actually elected to spend any time with her.

"Truly?" Myrtle asked.

Hermione gave another small smile, hoping that her nerves weren't showing. "He told me to tell Ghostie he said hello."

Myrtle squealed.

"Quiet!" Ron yelled in a whisper and Hermione waved her hand dismissively at him. Ron had never been particularly kind to Myrtle and she didn't want him to upset her.

Myrtle's face flushed silver in what Hermione assumed was a ghost's version of a blush as she giggled. "Alright, I'll make sure no one comes in here."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!" she whispered as loudly as she dared and ran back to where Ron stood by the entrance to the Chamber.

"Oh, Hermione?"

She glanced back at Myrtle, who was hanging half in and half out of the bathroom door.

"Did he… say anything else about me?"

Ron groaned. "We don't have time for this!"

Hermione felt him grab her shoulder and twist her around. She barely had time to register what was happening before he let go and Hermione was sliding down into the darkened tunnel. She barely got a glimpse of Ron's face staring down at her before it twisted and she was plunged into darkness.

.

Flowers bent under Draco's boots as they slammed against the ground. He'd landed in someone's garden. No one came out to scold him, not when there were Death Eaters filling the streets. Draco walked around the corner, looking up the high street of Hogsmeade. It was dark and only a sliver of the silver moon hung in the sky, barely illuminating the groups of black clad witches and wizards congregating in groups, waiting for their Master.

Draco stood on his own.

He had searched the Forest of Dean for longer than he wanted to admit, refusing to believe that Granger had in fact left without him. The small disturbance of leaves strewn around the sets of footprints though had been undeniable evidence. And when Draco counted three sets of footprints he had bellowed her name out in rage.

Draco cursed himself for not finishing Weasley off when he had the chance. He had been about to level the trees surrounding him, but his muscles seized, making it hard to breathe as the weight of what had happened crushed him slowly. Pain flashed in his arm and it felt like it was burning in acid. His Master's voice slithered and hissed inside his skull.

"Harry Potter has shown himself at last. Tonight will be his downfall and our long-awaited triumph. When the boy is dead, my followers will be rewarded and all those who stand against us will be punished. Come to the village of Hogsmeade and together, we will march to victory."

As Draco sucked in gasping, pained breaths, he realized what this meant.

There was no fucking reason Potter would have gone to the Hogsmeade, But beside the village was Hogwarts. They said the horcruxes were items from the founders and Potter just might have been stupid enough to try and search the school and Granger, of fucking course, had run along with him.

Fuck her for leaving, but fuck her even more for letting Potter drag her into this mess. If Draco had gotten to their meeting spot on time, he could have stopped her, and if that failed, he could have at least gone with her. Not having Granger with him made him feel like he was missing a limb or more importantly, an organ. He promised Granger they'd be together again. He had fought his way out of the Ministry to be with her again. How could she have… left without him?

Fuck! That ginger prick still had the portkey when Draco left him with McNair. He must have used the portkey to escape. He would have told them what happened. His version of it, anyway. His fucked up face would have been proof.

Would Granger have believed Weasley? Obviously yes or she would have been waiting for him like she fucking promised.

Would Granger forgive him? Draco was less sure about that answer.

He just had to hope she would and that she wouldn't be too upset when she saw him again.

His chest ached wondering if she would forgive him. Again. She would. She had to. She was good and sweet and… and she loved him. Even if she left him.

Draco had tried to do the right thing and help the Muggleborns and look where it had gotten him, farther than ever from Granger. No more helping other people. From here on out, Draco was in it just for himself.

And his girl.

His arm twitched, jerking his wand so that it pointed towards the school.

"It is time." The Dark Lord appeared, walking out of the gloom. His face was pale with fury and Draco could see rage simmering in his blood red eyes. He addressed his army, promising victory, riches, and power. Draco felt his mark ache as his Master walked among them, the great snake slithering at his feet. He stayed to the side, not in the mood for a pep talk and not wanting to get any closer to that fucking snake than he needed to.

As it passed, the snake flicked its tongue in his direction and hissed at him. The snake of his mark rear in acknowledgement. It felt like a betrayal, like his arm wasn't his anymore and Draco clenched his fist around his wand.

Red sparks shot out of it, landing on the flowers next to him and making them twist, their petals curling up before they wilted to the ground.

It wasn't supposed to do that. He should have better control over himself and his wand, but right now Draco felt like he was barely holding himself together.

"When the sun rises it will be on a pure, magical world!" The Dark Lord had turned and looked back on his Death Eaters. "Raise your wands and fight for our noble cause!"

Lord Voldemort led them to Hogwarts. Draco looked up at the school, yellow windows glittering in the dark night. She was in there. Granger was in there. Draco quickened his pace, moving up the column as it marched on the school.

A hand clawed at his arm, stopping him from advancing. "What are you doing here?" Snape hissed.

Draco jerked his arm back. "Don't fucking touch me."

Snape was unimpressed. "You're supposed to be—."

"I know where I'm supposed to be," Draco snarled, his mask making the words echo slightly. "And I'll get inside. I'll get Potter."

Snape's dark eyes glittered. "You only have until sunrise. The Dark Lord allotted three days for you to bring Potter to him, and Draco, you must not fail."

"I won't fail, Severus," Draco spat his name out. "Now go carry the Dark Lord's cape or whatever the fuck it is you do for him these days."

Snape's lip curled, but he did not retort. Draco glared at him as Snape apperated to the Dark Lord's side, robes flapping and Draco watched for a moment, hoping his godfather would trip and fall. Maybe break his overly large nose in the process.

When nothing exciting happened, Draco's attention turned away from his accomplice and to the trail of Death Eaters.

Bellatrix danced ahead, singing off key loud enough that she could be heard down to the village. He scowled, starting to get a headache. Draco imagined what her pained screams would sound like instead.

Somehow it turned into Granger's agonized cries and Draco pushed the memory of Granger on the drawing room floor far, far behind his marble walls. He wouldn't let that happen to her again and narrowed his eyes on his aunt, the one who had done that to Granger.

He didn't want to be here, not with these people. He didn't want to be one of them, but he would have been stupid to give up the opportunity to use the Dark Lord's invasion as his way into the castle. It was the fastest route to Granger and the ache in his arm reminded him that he was running out of time.

This wasn't ideal, but then Draco had never been much of an idealist. He preferred the staunch clarity of undeniable truths.

And the fact of the matter was Granger—Hermione—belonged to, and more importantly with, him.

.

Hermione felt an odd sense of déjà vu as she ran down the aisles of the Room of Requirement. She tried to remember if she had seen anything like Harry described, a bust of an old wizard with a crown on its head, the last time she was in here, but all she could think about was Draco. His grey eyes bore into her as she remembered how he hovered above her, telling her he loved her as he slid inside her.

Hermione was so distracted by her thoughts and looking down at the items surrounding her that she wasn't paying attention to where exactly she was heading and turned a corner, stopping short at what was in front of her.

The white curtains had fallen and were spread out over the bed, but otherwise it looked very much like it had last year. She sucked in a breath and for a moment, Hermione regretted following Harry here tonight.

Her heart fell down, landing somewhere deep inside her. Draco… Had he arrived in the Forest of Dean late? Where was he now? Hermione walked over to the edge of the bed, touching the white sheets tenderly. What would Draco have done once he realized she wasn't there waiting for him?

Or had he not left the Ministry on purpose? Ron said he had joined back with the Death Eaters. She bit her lip and looked down at the passageway in which she had come. Was Draco outside the castle right now? Fighting to get in? To get to… her?

Of course he was. She would be a fool to think otherwise.

"I'd do something stupid to keep you with me."

But she didn't think Draco would have done that. Still, Hermione had healed Ron's face in the back of the Hog's Head and she couldn't ignore the proof of the bruises on his face even as they disappeared behind his freckles.

Hermione just hoped they could end this soon, before Draco did anything… else.

Harry must be close to finding the diadem by now and she and Ron had destroyed the cup in Chamber of Secrets. He had let her do the honors this time and once it was over and the golden cup nothing more than a twisted lump of metal, Hermione had been so ecstatic that she had hugged Ron.

For just a second everything had felt normal again as his arms closed around her. This was Ron. There were years of love and friendship in that embrace and when she looked up at him, she could see it all right there in his baby blue eyes.

Then she let go. Hermione gave him a polite smile and took a step back, tucking her hair behind her ears.

All of those feelings of friendship might still be there, tucked away in her heart, but now Draco was too and he wasn't going anywhere.

Even if she had. He would be furious with her, probably tell her she was the stupidest person he'd ever met in his life but then he would grab her and kiss her and he wouldn't care that she had left before he arrived, because they'd be together again.

They would.

And as soon as they found the diadem, Hermione was going to go looking for Draco.

Voice sounded a few aisles over and she knew right away they didn't belong to Harry or to Ron.

Hermione started running in their direction.

She could see Harry up ahead, standing right next to… the diadem!

"Harry!" she yelled and Harry turned in her direction just enough that she could see he had his wand held high, pointed right at Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione looked around for Draco. These were his friends and for years she had always seen them flanking him. The space in between them Draco normally occupied was filled with their raised wands.

"Look! It's the Mudblood!"

Draco wasn't here. And Crabbe and Goyle were the same goons as they had always been. Maybe even worse now.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione's wand was at her side and she would never get a shield charm up in time. She met Harry's eyes, the green light reflected in them as it shot towards her.

Strong arms closed around her and Hermione felt the air move as the killing curse shot right past them. Someone had grabbed her and pulled her away from the curse.

She opened her eyes and saw coppery red hair and a splattering of freckles she knew so well. Ron had saved her.

"T-thanks," she said shakily.

He didn't say anything, just flattened his mouth and nodded.

Harry was returning fire, trying to cast around his own shield. He needed help.

Hermione reached for her dropped wand, but Ron's hand was already closing around it, a stunning spell flying from the dark wood before he even lifted it all the way.

It hit the stack next to Crabbe and he lifted a large arm to stop a cascade of objects falling on him.

A teacup shattered against his head.

"Hermione, the diadem!" Harry yelled and Hermione lunged forward. She clutched it so hard the metal bit into her palm but she had it.

Another horcrux. The last hidden one.

Bubbles of hope filled her up. They could do it, they could win.

"Get it out of here!" Harry and Ron were holding them off, but just barely. Hermione took off down one of the aisles. It was hard to tell which way was the way out and she just hoped that Crabbe and Goyle were the only people who had followed them in.

That wasn't true.

More than finding the way out, Hermione wished she would find Draco waiting down one of the pathways. It would be like one of her dreams— in fact, it felt like one of them now. Except that she could hear Harry and Ron behind her, throwing curses and knocking over as much as they could to slow Crabbe and Goyle down.

Hermione felt a bloom of heat on her back and chanced a look behind her. Someone had cast fiendfyre and a giant snake, wreathed in flames was bearing down on Harry and Ron. Its body whipped around the towering piles and started catching on broken furniture and rolled up rugs.

Ron's face was lit up by the hot flames and Hermione watched him raise Bellatrix's curved wand, aiming it at Crabbe.

She slowed, just for a moment and watched the determination on Ron's face as he shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"

Wicked green light shot into the bright flames, hitting Crabbe's large chest. He fell, toppling a stack of books over which quickly caught fire, the body burning with the flames it had conjured.

Goyle stared down at his friend as the flames rose higher. Then, looking up at Ron with terror on his face, backed away, stumbling clumsily down a different path and away from them.

Ron made to go after him, but Harry grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him back as the flames spread.

"We can't stop the fire!" Harry yelled and Hermione saw that the flames had spread, starting to cut off other avenues.

"What do we do?!" she cried out over the roar of the fire.

Harry looked around, wiping sweat off his forehead from the growing heat. "We have to fly! Accio brooms!"

Two old broomsticks, one with barely any tail left to it jumped into Harry's hands. He handed one to Ron and climbed on the other himself.

"Hermione, go with Ron and once you're out, destroy the diadem. I'm going to look for Goyle."

"WHAT?!" Ron bellowed.

"He can't have gone far, I put a leg-lock jinx on him. There's no way he will be able to make it out. I can't just leave him in here."

"You've got to be joking!" Ron coughed as the smoke around them thickened.

"Harry, you can't!" For once, Hermione was in agreement with Ronald. Harry couldn't risk his life for someone who had just tried to kill them!

"I'm the best flyer, don't worry about me. Destroy the diadem. That's what's important!" He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off before either Hermione or Ron could stop him.

"Get on," Ron said gruffly and Hermione didn't think twice before sticking her arm through the diadem and them wrapping around Ron as she climbed on the broom behind him.

Hermione hated flying. The only time she had ever felt truly comfortable on a broom was when she had been flying with Draco. She closed her eyes, trying to think of that day while Ron lifted the broom into the air.

"Hold on," he murmured and Hermione dared to peek through her lashes. They weren't heading towards the exit.

"What are you doing?" Hermione's voice went high.

"I'm not leaving Harry!" Ron shouted back and then leaned down, angling the broom through whips of flame. Hermione flattened herself against his back, feeling his body tense with each turn. She'd seen him play enough to know Ron was a good flyer, but being on the broom with him was terrifying. He moved quickly, darting in and out of the way, just barely keeping them above the flames. Several times Hermione felt the heat singe her clothes.

"There!" Ron called out and Hermione looked around his shoulder to see Harry barreling towards them out of black smoke and Goyle sitting loosely on the back of his broom with a vague expression of interest on his face.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Harry's emerald eyes flashed with fury at the sight of them.

"What's wrong with him?" Hermione shouted as Ron banked right and leveled his broom with Harry's.

Harry glanced back at Goyle for a moment with an annoyed expression. "Had to imperius him to get him to come with me. Should have done the same to you two. I thought I told you to get out?"

"We're in this together, Harry!" Ron dived out of the way of a flaming serpent, striking out at them and Hermione screamed, latching onto him tighter. She could feel his muscles flex at her touch. "I wasn't going to let you die for some purist scum like him!"

Hermione closed her eyes tightly as they flew through a great cloud of smoke. When she opened them, the doorway was looming in front of them.

Harry aimed his wand. "BOMBARDA!"

The doors flew open and they spilled into the hall outside, crashing to the ground as a fiery beast lunged at the entrance, collapsing it in on itself with the destructive force of the flames.

They landed hard, Hermione's head and shoulder hitting a broken piece of stone, making her blink a few times before the corridor righted itself. Ron was pulling at her hands, trying to untangle himself from her. She hadn't even realized she was still holding onto him.

"Where's—" Harry coughed hard, wiping sweat and soot from his face. "Where's the diadem?"

"Here," Hermione said weakly, holding it out.

A thick, black fluid was leaking from it and Hermione looked down to see the sleeve of her jacket was burned away. Her arm felt tight and tender.

"The fiendfyre," she explained, trying to clear her lungs. "It is one of the things that can damage horcruxes."

"I guess Malfoy was onto something then," Harry said grimly and took the broken headpiece from her outstretched hand.

Ron stepped up beside him, holding out one of the basilisk's fangs. "Do it, Harry. Finish it."

Hermione should have felt relief when Harry plunged the tip of the fang into the diadem, when it shook and spluttered, black liquid spitting forth across the floor.

And it was in the pool of darkness that Hermione saw the reflection of a silver mask staring down at her.

Death Eaters were in the castle.

.

Draco pulled his hood up, hiding his face as he flattened himself against the wall. Peering around the corner he tried to find someone, anyone, that would point him in the right direction to Granger. The problem was, anyone who might know where she was, also thought Draco was a Death Eater.

This being on opposite side of the war thing was starting to get on his nerves. Granger wasn't on the other side, she was on his side.

And once he got his hands on her, he'd make sure she never, ever left it again.

He'd gotten into the school, but so had two dozen other Death Eaters along with a host of hags, werewolves, giants, and huge fucking spiders that spoke better english than the goddamn giants. He had to get to Granger and get her out before anyone or anything else touched her. He kept seeing the small scarred M on her arm and ground his teeth until his jaw hurt.

Getting in had been the easy part. He'd known the Order wouldn't hand over Potter at midnight and Draco had watched the moon slowly move, reflecting down on the defensives around the school until the Dark Lord tore them out of the sky. Draco did his best to avoid sending any spells out, instead opting to use the cover of darkness to sneak inside.

He'd met some resistance near the Lake, but after deflecting a nasty blueish hex Draco lifted his mask, for just a moment for the caster to see his face.

Frenchie paused, and it was all Draco needed. He sent her flying back into the water. He didn't want to stun or disarm her, not with the giants and spiders around, but he didn't want her in his way either if she changed her mind.

He'd seen her swim in the tournament; she'd be fine.

Granger might not be.

Frenchie broke the surface of the water, gulping down air. Draco started off again, his own lungs burning with want of oxygen. He wasn't the one that had been thrown into the water and still he felt like he was drowning.

He ran past the greenhouses, pushing himself on even when his muscles burned. Burning was fine, he was used to it after being in love with Granger. It was hell. It was… home.

Draco slammed his shoulder into a door and was inside Hogwarts once more. It was weird as fuck being in the school again and he fought against memories that cropped up around every corner. He pulled his white walls in tight, keeping everything else out, and sucked air into his burning lungs.

Draco jumped up a flight of stairs in three leaps. If Potter had come back to Hogwarts, it was because he thought a horcrux was here. They said one might have been Ravenclaw's and Potter was simple enough to think that it or a clue to it might be in the Ravenclaw common room. So Draco was headed up.

He dashed up another set of stairs and paused on the landing.

He was on the fifth floor.

The library was on this floor.

Granger wouldn't…

Draco let out a low breath.

Granger absolutely would do something stupid like try and protect the books or some shit. Hell, she might be in there researching right now.

Draco ran inside.

"Granger?" He moved quickly through the stacks, looking down each one for a head of thick caramel curls. "Granger!"

There were a few students hiding behind a large shelf and they screamed, running away when they saw him.

Draco pulled off his mask. He'd forgotten he was wearing it. He was about to throw it away when he saw something reflected in the metal, something dark.

The gate to the Restricted Section.

He walked over and pulled on it. Locked.

He whispered the passphrase and tried again. Still locked.

"It changed," an airy voice said behind him and Draco spun around and saw fucking Looney Lovegood standing there as if nothing was wrong. "They changed the password at the beginning of the year. Only those approved by Snape or the Carrows were allowed in."

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I heard you shouting."

"And you what? Thought it would be a good idea to sneak up on me?" Draco snarled. "Not very smart for a Ravenclaw."

Lovegood tilted her head. "Being in Ravenclaw doesn't mean one is smart. If that's all it took, then Hermione would have been sorted there, don't you think?"

Draco lunged forward at the mention of her name. Hermione.

"Where is she?" Draco growled. "Fucking tell me, Lovegood or I'll—"

She took a few steps. Towards him.

What the fuck was she doing?

Lovegood smiled. It was weird and Draco didn't like it. His wand lowered a little and then raised it back up, keeping it aimed in between her unfocused eyes.

"I see your arm has healed. Hermione did a pretty good job with you."

How… how did she know that fingering Granger was what made the feeling come back in his arm? Granger didn't… tell anyone about that, did she?

Remembering the feeling of warmth spreading up his fingers, the small squeeze and then the jolt when he realized that he could feel, and feel her, made Draco's need to find Granger blot out every other thought.

"Murtlap essence is often overlooked in favor of dittany due to the speed in which it can heal superficial—"

"Stop. Stop talking," Draco said shortly. "Tell me where Granger is. Have you seen her? Is she alright?"

Lovegood's eyes drifted up, staring at the dark ceiling. Draco followed her line of sight. Was this girl actually insane or just… fucking weird as shit?

"She was helping decide who would defend what lines when I got here."

Draco felt like something was coiling around his chest, tightening and pushing cold terror up his throat at the thought of Granger fighting. Lovegood slowly lowered her gaze back to his.

"But Harry was going to the Ravenclaw common room. That was about an hour ago. They're probably done with whatever they were doing."

"That doesn't help me at all!" he shouted.

He was wasting his goddamn time here. Looney Lovegood probably didn't even know they were at war for Salazar's sake!

"If I were Hermione," she twisted back and forth a little, thinking, "I wouldn't go too far from Harry."

Yeah, that was the fucking problem.

"Do you have anything remotely useful for me?!"

Lovegood stared at him without blinking. Yeah, she was really fucking weird. No wonder he avoided her when she was down in his cellar.

She shocked him even more when she said, "Nam purus."

For the pure. What the fuck…

"That's the password," Lovegood pointed behind him. "To the Restricted Section."

He glanced behind him to see the gate slightly ajar.

When he turned back to the creepy little girl Draco sized her up carefully. She said only the students Snape and the Carrows approved had been allowed in the Restricted Section. So why did this little do-gooder know it?

Maybe he should have made an example out of her when he had her locked up after all.

"How the fuck did you know that?" Draco said in a low voice and raised his wand high again.

Lovegood looked at it curiously. "Ravenclaw, remember?"

Smart ass.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. He'd wasted enough time with her riddles. He needed to find Granger. Now.

"I'd try the Room of Requirement if I were you," Lovegood added as Draco passed her by. "Ginny's in there and she might know where her brother is. Hermione was with him when I last saw her."

Draco stopped and looked Lovegood over. She was helping him. Why? It made no sense, not after what he'd done. Then again, nothing about her made any sense. It was the reason why he ignored her when she was locked in his cellar.

Maybe… maybe he ought to try being a little nicer to her.

"Thank you," he said, feeling uncomfortable, "for helping me."

Lovegood smiled at him again. "Thank you for not torturing me."

If that was her standard for friendship, she needed to raise it. And speaking of raising standards he needed to get to Granger before her friends got her killed. And he would tear apart anyone who tried to stop him; Order member or Death Eater.

Draco headed out of the library. It was time to save the world.

Well, his world, at least.

.

She immediately knew it wasn't Draco's mask, she had seen it so many times being locked in his room, and Hermione rolled out of the way as a spell hit the spot she had just occupied.

Her hands flew to her pockets before she remembered Ron had Bellatrix's wand, not her.

Fiddle—Fuck! Hermione adopted Draco's favorite exclamation. If there was ever a time that deserved it, it was now. And it was… strangely comforting.

As was the appearance of friendly faces. Fred and George were here, firing spells and setting off tricks from their shops to break up the Death Eater's advance.

Ron had flung himself into the fighting, trying to reach his family and create some sort of line against the incoming Death Eaters.

Hermione scrambled to her feet just in time to see sickly green light hit a shock of red hair.

Everything slowed.

Ron stopped moving, his arms falling to his sides.

Laughter echoed down the long corridor and Hermione didn't even have the chance to scream or cry or… anything before shouting and curses drowned it out. The last part of Fred Weasley had been swallowed up by the rage of battle. He fell, and Ron surged forward.

Harry grabbed onto Ron's shoulder, trying to keep a hold of him as he struggled to break free. Hermione begged him to stop, but Ron didn't seem to hear anything either of them were saying.

"Kill," he grunted, rolling his arm to try to shake Harry off. "Death Eaters. All of 'em." His voice was dark, darker than she had ever heard it before.

She cast her eyes down the corridor where Percy of all people was protecting Fred's body from being trampled by the influx of Death Eaters streaming into the corridor.

They weren't the only thing breaking in. Spiders, ones like Harry and Ron had told her about were crawling through broken windows. Strange clicking noises coming from mandibles, dripping with venom.

"Ron, please!" Hermione grabbed his face, making him look at her. "We have to focus! We have to end this!"

"That's my brother!" he bellowed at her. "You want me to pretend like he's not dead?!"

"No," Hermione tried to soften her voice, tried to get him to calm down because right now Ron's eyes looked like blue flames. "I'm sorry, I am, but we have to help Harry. It's the only way we will win. It's… what Fred would have wanted. What he died for!"

"Get off me." Ron pulled his head away from her and finally shrugged Harry off. Bellatrix's wand was in his shaking fist.

"Move!" Harry shouted and fired off a curse at an approaching spider. "We need to get out of here!"

A loud roar came from outside and many of the hallway's occupants scattered, thankfully the spiders included. It seemed whatever was outside had scared off the majority of the Death Eaters. Percy, who had been guarding his brother, took off after one of them, shouting "ROOKWOOD, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

Hermione had seen Percy shout many times and for many reasons, but never quite like that.

Watching him chase after a dark robed wizard, Hermione felt something burn in her. Whatever Percy would do to him when he caught him, Rookwood deserved it.

"We can't…" Ron started, face paling as he looked towards Fred. "We can't leave him here! The spiders, they'll be back and Harry you know that they…"

He couldn't finish.

"Okay." Harry nodded and pushed his way to where Ron was trying to drag Fred's body out of the line of fire. Hermione followed them, hating herself a little for wondering when she would be able to ask Ron for the wand back.

Between the three of them, they were able to get Fred's body into a classroom. They did their best to barricade the door and locked it behind them.

"I know what this feels like. After Sirius all I wanted to do was…" Harry shook his head, dark hair falling onto his face. "But Hermione's right. We need to do this. For Fred, for Sirius, for all of them." He glanced at Hermione then back at Ron. "I think you'll have plenty of chances tonight to fight Death Eaters, but right now, we need to find Voldemort and the snake."

Ron turned away, cleared his throat and shook his shoulders some, as if trying to release some trapped energy inside him.

"Fine." When he turned back around he avoided looking at her at all costs. "Can you see where he is?"

Harry closed his eyes and Hermione held her breath.

A few moments of stillness passed and Hermione traded one worried glance with Ron, only for him to break eye contact quickly.

"He's in the Shrieking Shack," Harry muttered.

"He's not even fighting in his own war?!" Ron shouted, outraged.

"Where's the snake?" Hermione asked quickly.

"With him. But it's protected."

"We'll see how long that protection lasts," Ron said dangerously and Hermione shot him another worried look. The color still hadn't returned to his face and it was making his blue eyes stand out strangely against the coppery color of his hair.

"He's not coming." Harry's eyes moved under his lids and Hermione noticed that his scar was darkening. "He is waiting for me to go to him."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

A single drop of blood dripped down from the tip of Harry's scar and his eyes flew open. "The last horcrux. He knows I'll come for it."

Hermione's stomach dropped inside of her. Harry was going to do it, face death head on. Harry had never been the type to shrink back from fighting and he had said he wanted it over this morning. Hermione could see the same grim look on his face now. He couldn't have meant… but… did he?

"Harry, you can't," Hermione argued, not allowing herself to chase that train of thought.

"She's right," Ron, surprisingly, said. "You can't. But we can." Harry gave Ron a weak, but honest smile as Ron clasped him on the shoulder. "You're as much of my brother as Fred was. I'm not going to let you face this alone."

Hermione's head spun as she looked between them. "No!"

She wasn't about to let them run off and risk their lives. Not without her.

"Hermione, you don't even have a wand," Harry started.

"I can get one." Hermione lifted her chin and crossed her arms. "I am sure we will have plenty of chances on our way to the Shrieking Shack."

She half expected Ron to offer her Bellatrix's wand back. Maybe if he hadn't just watched his brother die in front of him he would have, but there was something in his body language that told Hermione he wasn't giving up any chance to take down Death Eaters.

"I practiced wandless magic while I was… gone," Hermione continued. "I'm not defenseless."

Noises started filling in the hall outside.

"We need to move," Ron said quietly. He walked over and peaked his head out of the door. "Clear."

Harry moved to follow him, but Hermione touched his arm, stopping him.

She bit her lip for a moment before she asked, "When you saw… Voldemort, did you… was Draco…"

Harry shook his head. "He wasn't with him."

Hermione didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. At least Draco wasn't at his Master's side, but… that meant he was out there. Somewhere in the castle.

Her heart beat a little faster.

"Hermione, stay with Harry. I'll take point." Ron didn't bother looking back before he darted out of the door.

They ran down the corridor, dodging bricks and treading on glass as they headed down the first set of stairs.

When they reached the bottom Ron stopped suddenly, causing Harry and Hermione to crash into him.

"There he is! There's Potter!" A masked Death Eater shouted. "Let's get—"

Ron raised Bellatrix's wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

The green light silenced the shouting.

Hermione watched as Ron swiveled his arm with shocking efficiency. "Avada Kedavra!"

The second Death Eater fell.

Ron let out a low breath he had been holding and raised his brows. "This wand works really well."

Hermione glanced down at Bellatrix's wand. It had worked for her, but… never like that. It wasn't pulling against his grip like it always had her. Hermione had never been able to get Bellatrix's wand to submit to her, maybe because she had never really wanted that wand, but the wand seemed happy to be wielded by Ron.

"We're not done yet," Harry muttered and held up… her vinewood wand. She had almost forgotten he still had it.

Something about having both her friends using wands she had once used made Hermione feel a little… better. Like a part of her was protecting them. It didn't seem wrong, neither of those wands felt like hers. Not anymore.

She looked at the wand she had bought in Diagon Alley seven years ago, it had been the first magical object she'd purchased. Mr. Ollivander had been so kind, helping her count out the strange coins in order to pay him.

Draco had tortured that man, with the wand he had purchased from Ollivander too.

Hermione knew it well; the slick, dark wood, the thick handle, worn with the impression of his fingers.

She remembered how good it felt in her hand, how she… missed it. It felt more like hers than either of the ones in front of her. She wished it was in her hand now.

And she wanted Draco, here, with her. Or actually, she wanted to be with him, very far away from all of this. But Harry was right though, they weren't done yet. Once they were, she would have the future she was fighting for now.

The warm feeling in her chest turned to ash as she watched Harry and Ron burn corpses just as they started to move. Their faces were grim and bitter, almost nothing resembling the boys she had grown up with.

Once they were done, all that was left were two smoking scorch marks on the flagged stone as the fire burned out.

.

Draco was starting to get really fucking annoyed. He ran all the way up here, up seven flights of stairs, and Granger was nowhere to be found.

The castle was large, but it wasn't that fucking big and parts of it were coming down so there were only so many fucking places she could be. So where was she?!

Draco pushed open a heavy wooden door and saw an untouched classroom. Odd, that in the middle of a battle, this room had been left untouched. The desks were all in straight rows and none of the chairs were overturned. It… looked just like it used to and for a moment all Draco wanted to do was be back here sitting in a classroom and listening to some boring professor drone on and on about something he didn't give two shits about.

He'd flip through his book and when he finished defacing all the illustrations, he'd look up and catch Granger's eye, holding it until she blushed that beautiful shade of Gryffindor red and look away just to glance back a second later to see if he was still staring.

Draco nearly ripped the door from its hinges as he hurried out, unable to stay in that fucking room one second longer. Seeing it, how it should be, made him feel weird things he wasn't used to.

He normally kept all of those pesky emotions far beyond the marble walls in his mind, but now, there were cracks in them and things kept slithering in.

Shame. Guilt. Remorse.

He didn't have time for any of that. He needed to find Granger and get her out of here. If something had already happened to her… Draco pushed on trying not to let his fear take hold of him.

But it wasn't as easy to banish as it normally was. Something had changed and now it coiled around his chest, tightening and making it difficult to breathe. Draco did his best to ignore it, pretend it wasn't there. Once he found Granger everything would be fine. He'd be okay again.

It was a lie he had told himself too many times before, but what else could he do? Let whatever was inside him open up and swallow him whole?

Draco snarled. Let it try. He'd make it choke on him. And then he'd slit its throat from the inside out.

He could hear the sounds of fighting up ahead and Draco pulled his wand from the holster on his thigh. Granger wouldn't run from a fight and so Draco ran towards her. It. The fight.

Whatever.

The corridor was filled with dusty smoke. It billowed in front of him and Draco had to pull his mask off to breathe. Once the dust cleared, he almost wished it hadn't.

He had seen that look on Pansy's face too many times, normally after stumbling into the common room, hung over, and with another girl's lipstick still staining his skin. It was always followed by harpy-level screaming.

"Draco Malfoy!" Pansy's voice pierced his eardrums. "You fucking Blood Traitor!"

Draco almost laughed. How true that was.

The dust sank lower and Draco's eyes caught on the unmistakable pronouncement of Pansy's stomach. The hand notpointing her wand at him curled protectively around it.

Oh shit…

Pansy was pregnant.

For one terrifying second he thought it was his. Cold shock shot through the marrow of his bones. But it couldn't be. He hadn't touched her since he started up with Granger and Pansy had been fucking Theo—

Oh fuck.

Theo.

The swooping sensation he had just felt ended as his stomach landed hard somewhere inside him.

"How could you?" Pansy's voice shook, but her wand didn't. "How could you do that to Theo? To me?!"

Draco was too shocked to do much of anything other than stammer out the first words he thought of. "I… I didn't know."

"You knew he was loyal!" She lurched forward and Draco didn't even raise his wand to stop her. "Theo wouldn't have turned! He joined because… because…" Pansy slid her hand over her stomach again.

Theo said his father wasn't happy about him leaving school to join the Death Eaters, but had relented. Thaddeus Nott probably beat his son black and blue, but Theo had still taken the mark.

He had to provide for his heir, after all.

Draco couldn't stop staring at the bump on Pansy. It wasn't even born yet and had already lost half its protection in the world, because of him.

"We were going to move in together," Pansy said a little softer now. "I can't go home. You… you know how my father is."

Draco clenched his jaw. Pansy's father made Thaddeus and Lucius look tame. He could only imagine how Titus Parkinson took the news that his eldest daughter had been knocked up before she even finished school.

"Theo was going to take care of us." Pansy's eyes filled with tears. "And you killed him." Draco simply stared back at her, the guilt crushing him from the inside out. Pansy wiped her tears away and a frantic gleam entered her dark eyes. "All for that Mudblood bitch!"

He ground his teeth. That was enough.

Pansy was upset and pregnant with a dead man's baby, but that didn't mean she got to say anything about Draco's girl. No one did.

Draco lifted his wand, mirroring Pansy's stance. "Don't speak about her."

Pansy gave a scoffing laugh. "I never thought I'd see the day when you defended a girl's honor, let alone someone like her."

Draco took a heavy step forward. "I told you to shut your mouth, Pansy."

"Look what she's done to you." She sneered at him, as if they were kids, back in school together. "Look what you've become."

A murderer. That's what he'd become. Draco didn't want to kill Theo, but he'd do it again, if he had to, even knowing what he knew now. He'd bring this whole fucking castle down as long as he got to stand on the rubble with Granger at his side.

Pansy cocked her head to the side. "I should kill you for what you did, Draco, but maybe… I should go find her instead. Take from you what you've taken from me."

Draco wanted to hurt Pansy, he could feel the curse already heating under his skin. One thought and it would travel down the core of his wand and he'd have Pansy begging for forgiveness.

Like she fucking should.

So why wasn't he?

Because of the swell of her stomach. Because he'd killed that baby's father. He wasn't going to kill it too. It was innocent. It was pure. And pure things should be protected.

"Stay away from Granger," Draco growled. "Get out of here. Get away from this fight."

"I don't have to do what you say anymore," Pansy taunted. "You have your precious Mudblood whore for that."

Draco smirked. She had forgotten how this works. She had forgotten that he wasn't the same person she knew in school. She had forgotten he was a fucking Death Eater.

"One chance, Pans," Draco used the same deep tone of voice he had when he taught her how to suck his cock. "Walk away."

Pansy let out a bark-like laugh and scrunched her nose up. Tilting her head, she spat, "Make me, Draco."

Draco shrugged. He had given her an out, it was her own fault that she didn't take it.

"Imperio."

Pansy's arm drifted down to her side, pointing her wand harmlessly at the ground. He thought about taking it, but… damn it, he didn't want to leave her defenseless while she was pregnant. Theo's kid was saving her life tonight.

"Pans."

Her expression was calm and soft and when she blinked, the last of the tears pooled in her dark eyes fell. Draco moved forward, but kept distance between them. Her pregnant belly unnerved him. It was impossible, but he felt like the unborn baby knew what he had done.

He wouldn't be able to make up for it, but he hoped this was a start.

"Go to the library," Draco instructed. "Go to the restricted section. Say the words 'Nam purus'. Lock yourself in. Don't come out until the battle is over."

Pansy nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

Draco's lip curled. "A simple 'yes' will suffice."

"Yes," Pansy breathed.

Draco glanced behind him. "Go. Hurry. And Pansy?" She stopped and turned back to him eagerly. He wanted to tell her he didn't mean to, hadn't wanted to, but none really mattered. Theo was still dead and Pansy was still…

Her hand was resting on her stomach again and his mouth went dry. He barely had enough air in his lungs to breathe, much less to talk. Draco shook his head, dismissing her. She hummed as she moved on and Draco squeezed his eyes shut and counted to three, before taking a shallow breath and started his descent again.

.

Hermione looked around the Great Hall at the wounded and… dead. So many dead. And there were still more being brought in. Madame Pomfrey was hurrying from person to person, laid out on blankets on the floor. The dead were on the dais where the staff table normally sat. Laying there, looking as if they were just resting before the next push.

The thought occurred to her that Voldemort's second army would be rising now. How many Death Eaters had died and were now twitching, starting to rise to continue their Master's war? And could Hogwarts withstand another onslaught after losing so many?

Ron brushed past her, half running over to his family, gathered around Fred. The Weasley's were holding each other, grieving together. Hermione watched as Ron hugged Ginny, his shoulders shaking as Ginny hugged him tightly back.

Hermione took half a step, wanting to go to her friends, to help them and comfort them, but then remembered that Ron wasn't her friend anymore. Tears pricked in her eyes and she blinked hard, trying to get them to disappear. When she opened her eyes again, Mr. Weasley had his arm around Ron and they were looking down at George crying at his brother's side.

Hermione moved around a few people and tapped Ginny on the shoulder. Her ponytail swung heavily as Ginny turned and Hermione's heart broke a little to see Ginny's face pale and stained with tears.

"Hermione!" Ginny flung herself at Hermione who hugged her back tightly.

Hermione poured all her love for Ginny, and all the Weasleys, into the embrace, whispering, "I'm so sorry, Gin. I'm so sorry," over and over again as the two girls rocked back and forth a little, finding a tiny bit of solace in the storm.

Eventually they broke apart, the comfort almost too much to bear in the face of such loss.

Ginny wiped her eyes. "Have you seen Luna?"

Hermione expected her to ask about Harry, not Luna, but was a little glad she wasn't. Coming back from the Shrieking Shack, Harry had been quiet and then went directly up to Dumbledore's office, telling Hermione and Ron he wanted to be alone. She was worried about him and what he might do on his own, but he was safe in the castle. For one hour at least.

Now didn't seem like a great time for Harry to run into his ex-girlfriend.

Still, Hermione wanted to be helpful so she started looking around for Luna. "I haven't, not since the Room of…" She trailed off when she caught Ron's eye.

She looked away quickly, then some perverse notion made her glance back up. He was still staring at her, his red face making his blue eyes stand out all the more. Suddenly she didn't feel right, standing here with him and his family. She felt like she was intruding in a place she no longer belonged.

Hermione swallowed a breath and let go of Ginny's hand. "I'll… I'll go find her."

Ginny nodded and Hermione started picking her way through the crowds. There were as many faces she knew as there were ones she didn't. But not all of them were sorrowful. Some were smiling, hugging as they reunited with a friend or family member. She heard snippets of conversations, people encouraging each other as they retold their feats in the scrimmages.

Hermione started to feel a little overwhelmed by… everything. It was all so much and she couldn't process it all. She needed to help the hurt, she needed to find Luna. She needed to talk to Harry. She needed…

Goosebumps shot down her arms and legs. The back of her neck tensed. It was as if the air pressure in the Great Hall had just dropped. Hermione looked up at the enchanted ceiling, expecting to see a storm brewing.

"Granger!"

It was sharp and short, a contrast to the long, heavy strides the Death Eater was taking towards her.

Because how he looked right now, there was no mistaking what he was.

Draco Malfoy looked like the angel of death.

White blonde hair fell in between his eyes, his coat fanned out behind him, silently moving behind him with each step, and his boots landed hard, too heavy, as if he were punishing the distance between them.

Hermione dropped whatever was in her hands, she didn't even care anymore and rushed towards him at full speed.

The only reason she stopped was because her body crashed into his, solid and strong. Her marble statue came to life.

"Draco!" His name was muffled because her face was pressed into his chest, arms flung around his neck, pulling him down, closer to her with every ounce of strength that she had.

His body tensed, but only for a moment. Then his long arms were around her, holding her to him and interlocking around her frame like chains.

"Hermione." This time her name was forced from what sounded like airless lungs. It was whispered, but anything but soft. Still, it wasn't harsh or cruel. It was… him. It was really Draco, here, again.

She sunk into his arms.

Draco fingers spread out, slotting between her ribs and almost crushing her with the force of his embrace.

"Draco—" Hermione rasped. "Draco, I can't… breathe."

He buried his face into her neck, inhaling deeply. "Neither can I," he muttered hoarsely.

Hermione held on a moment more before sliding her hands down to his upper arms. Draco took the hint and slowly started to release her. His hands rested on her shoulders, holding her only far enough away so he could look down at her.

"What—" he started and then stopped. Hermione prepared herself for the onslaught of questions. She had quite a few herself. But, she was a bit confused when Draco's brows pulled together, darkening the stormy grey of his eyes. He pulled her off to the side so they were partially hidden by a burned out brazier. "What are you wearing?"

It was then that she finally looked down at her clothes. Dirty, stained, torn and burned away in parts, Hermione tried to wipe at a singed spot on her leg only to feel the material of her jeans fall away into ash, leaving her upper thigh exposed. Her shirt was not in much better condition and stuck to her skin, still wet from either the Chamber, or sweat, or from something in the tunnel from under the Shrieking Shack.

She pulled her jumper around her shoulders again.

Goodness, she had a lot to fill him in on.

Before she could even open her mouth, Draco was sliding his coat down his arms and swinging it over her shoulders and she was surrounded by the smell of crisp mint and creamy parchment. The coat swamped her and trailed on the dusty floor, but Draco just pinched the seam of his lips together as he pulled his closed over her.

"Look at the state of you!" He lifted up a soggy curl and twirled it in his fingers. "You're worse than Calix, I swear… Always running off where you don't belong."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at his chiding. It was… cute. In a patronizing, insulting, caring sort of way.

Draco brushed her loose curls back and lowered his mouth to her ear.

"You have no idea how much of a punishment you're in for, kitten." Heat bloomed inside her, sinking low and pulling her blood down with it. "Your ass is going to be so sore you can't even sit down, but that's okay, because I'm going to keep you on your knees for at least a week."

A cool shiver of pleasure raced down her spine, mixing strangely with the heat brewing there to make a heady combination.

Hermione felt light headed.

Draco smirked down at her. "Those big fuck-me eyes won't get you out of this one, pet. I'm—"

Draco's head snapped to the side, his body following half a beat later as the force of the blow rocked through him.

Hermione screamed, covering her mouth as the assailant pressed on, following Draco to the ground and pinning him there with their body.

"Neville!" Hermione rushed forward, Draco's coat almost slipping from her shoulders with her quick movement.

Neville latched onto the front of Draco's shirt, pulling him up and Draco reached up, trying to dislodge Neville from on top of him before he was slammed back down against the stone floor.

"Stop! Get off him! Neville, he's not—"

Draco growled as his hand clamped down on his thigh. For a moment Hermione thought he was hurt until she saw that the holster he wore there was empty. Draco's eyes flashed like a lightning story as they met hers. His wand. Where was his wand?

The sound of Neville's fist impacting upon Draco's cheek distracted her from wondering what had happened to it.

"Neville, he's on our side!"

Neville finally turned to look up at her. "What?"

Draco took the momentary lapse in attention and lunged up, throwing Neville back off him and sending him sprawling.

Oh goodness. How many times was she going to have to explain this? The commotion was causing a crowd to gather around them. Many people had their wands out already.

Hermione plucked up her Gryffindor courage. It was now or never.

"Draco's not… what you think. He's with us." She glanced down at him. Draco spat blood on the floor and clenched his jaw. "He's with me."

Neville gaped looking back and forth between her and Draco and to further demonstrate her point, Hermione reached her hand out to help Draco up.

"Thank you, Sweetheart." He got to his feet and spat blood on the ground. But he didn't let go of her hand.

Neville looked back and forth between them. "Hermione, are you serious?"

She needed to make this fast and easy enough for everyone to understand. "We've all been through a lot this year. Draco included. Things… are different now."

"That's putting it lightly!" Neville spluttered.

"Is that Hermione Granger?" Someone whispered.

"And Draco Malfoy!" Another voice answered.

The murmurs quickly became heated, getting angrier. Thank Godric Ron was busy with his family. Immediately Hermione felt bad for thinking that. He was only busy because his brother had died.

And Ron… had Draco really left for dead in the Ministry? She looked up at him, his face a perfect marble mask with only a faint hint of annoyed arrogance, as if being here was beneath him.

The whispers were getting louder.

Hermione felt Draco's hand tighten around hers.

Neville's brows pulled together, clearly confused by this turn of events. "I'm sorry, but I'm finding this a little hard to believe!"

Hermione had never heard Neville shout so much in his life. She understood she owed him an explanation, but now was not the time or the place. Hermione wished Harry was here, or someone, to take her side and speak up for her.

"Are you trying to say Hermione Granger is wrong, Longbottom?"

Hermione turned quickly to see… Blaise Zabini. His sleeves were pushed up past his elbows and one suspender had fallen, hanging right above his knee. His shoes, a soft black leather, had a fine layer of dust on them and splashed spots that Hermione was almost certain was… blood.

Blaise pulled out a monogrammed handkerchief and wiped his hands with it.

"Zabini." Neville said stiffly.

Hermione looked between the two, seeing the two men address each other with begrudging respect.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Draco hissed when Blaise came to stand at his side.

Blaise smiled unkindly. "Something you don't deserve." He turned back to Neville. "Draco warned me. He's the reason I am here to help instead of in London."

"He warned you? And you didn't think to tell anyone what might be happening?!"

Blaise, to his credit, did not raise his voice to match Neville's. "It wasn't much of a warning, but at least he tried. And if you remember, I attempted to speak with you this morning, but you told me to—"

"Yeah I remember," Neville cut him off.

Neville and Blaise were working together? And… Draco warned him? Is that where he had sent Calix to?

Neville took a heavy breath, then pointed a broken finger at Draco. "This doesn't mean I like you."

"Well, Longbottom," Draco smirked, "I think we've found the first thing we have in common."

Neville scowled and shook his head before addressing the people that had gathered. "Alright! If you're able, we need help moving the wounded! We still have more being brought in! If you have a wand and want to help search for people, McGonagall is setting up teams for search and rescue by the door!"

The people moved off, either heading out to help, or returning to their loved ones. She felt Draco tense at her side.

"I'm sorry."

The words shocked her, coming from Draco who was trying to meet Blaise's eye, but kept glancing away.

Blaise huffed. "Sorry? That's the best you can do?"

Hermione watched Draco pale as he glanced at the far end of the hall where the dead were resting before turning back to Blaise. "Yes."

Hermione didn't breathe for the moment that the two men stood eye to eye.

"I suppose it would be uncouth to refuse a peace offering in a time of war."

Draco grinned and dropped Hermione's hand only long enough to clap his arms around Blaise, who patted Draco's back roughly a few times before their short, but meaningful embrace ended.

Hermione stood in shock. Draco… had just hugged Blaise. She'd never seen him hug anyone, except her.

But neither Draco nor Blaise seemed thrown off by it, so Hermione did her best to quiet her curious thoughts. Draco was still grinning as he put his arm around her and Hermione couldn't help but smile up at him.

"It's good to see you again, Hermione." Blaise smiled at her and took her fingers, twisting her hand and leaning down to kiss it. Right before his lips touched her skin, Blaise stopped. He looked up at Draco from beneath impossibly long lashes and winked, giving her curled hand a small shake before releasing it.

"Fuck you, Blaise."

Blaise smirked, but ignored Draco, focusing instead on her. "So you forgave him too, I take it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That remains to be seen."

Blaise tapped his chin with his finger. "Hmm."

"Enough bonding," Draco cut in, turning the friendly conversation back to business and taking Hermione's hand back in his. She couldn't help but feel a small thrill go through her at it. "Blaise, you're helping the Order now?"

He shrugged. "I'm helping people who need it." Draco lifted his brows, prompting Blaise to go on. "My internship at St. Mungo's is three days a week and I'm here the rest of the time. I need as much practice as I can get if I want to be a Healer by the time I'm twenty and… one night I noticed someone passed out in a corridor. It was Ginny Weasley."

Hermione's heart stopped beating. She knew Ginny was fine, but still, hearing about her friend being hurt and alone made her fingers tingle with nerves.

"It was the perfect opportunity to test things out on my own. And Draco, I was good. When Weasley came to there was a great deal of cursing and she gave me a black eye, but after that little tantrum she caught on that I was actually trying to help her and… she wasn't the only one who needed medical attention. I started swiping supplies from St Mungo's and brought them back here."

Blaise took a breath and looked around as he went on. "They needed help. A lot of help and…." He waved his hand. "It was mutually beneficial."

Hermione felt a wave of gratitude towards Blaise for what he'd done for her friends. It might have started as practice for his internship, but here he was, helping the Order and Dumbledore's Army instead of offering his services to Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He was as pragmatic as the next Slytherin, but he'd shown his true colors tonight and as far as Hermione was concerned, Blaise Zabini was dipped in gold.

"Blaise, that's…" she started, having a hard time finding the right words in her spinning mind. "That's incredible. Thank you."

He shrugged again.

"This is awful," Draco said and Hermione looked up at him in disbelief. "Stealing from St. Mungo's? But that's wrong,Blaise. I don't know how we're going to get past this. How can I ever forgive you?"

Hermione just stared at Draco for a moment before he and Blaise both started laughing.

It was the strangest thing, seeing Draco standing in the Great Hall, joking with his friend while he had his arm around her, like they were a real couple. She was suddenly taken with the thought that they should have had this. They should have had a year here, together. Learning, socializing, dating. And they would have, if not for this war.

Is this what it would be like… after?

If it was… she couldn't wait.

"I'm glad to see you two together," Blaise said after a moment and pulled the fallen suspender strap up onto his shoulder again. "Are you staying? Are you fighting?"

"Yes."

"No."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Draco who was glaring down at her.

"Granger, Sweetheart," Draco adopted his most patronizing tone. "We can't stay here. We need to be gone by dawn."

Hermione could still hear Voldemort's high voice telling Harry he was waiting on him, but Harry had come back to the castle instead. She wondered what he was seeing in Snape's memories and her stomach flipped over in nervousness. Lord Voldemort would wait forever, and neither would Harry.

They had destroyed another horcrux tonight and the snake was nearby. The war could be over by morning!

Hermione pulled herself from under his arm. "I told you I'm not leaving Harry."

Draco looked at Blaise, without a grin this time. "I'll talk to you later."

"About your—"

"Yes." All of a sudden Draco's face was cold marble. Blaise's eyes darted in her direction and Hermione frowned. So there was more in Draco's letter than just warning Blaise to stay out of London then. She didn't like that Draco was keeping secrets from her again. She thought they were past this.

Blaise tipped his head again before leaving her alone with Draco, who wasted no time in grabbing her upper arm and pulled her away from everyone and into the entrance hall.

"Let go of me."

Draco cocked his head. "Now we both know I'm not going to do that."

Hermione was too tired and too… angry to fall for his charms right now. She had almost forgotten in the rush of finding him again. But Draco was still hiding things. He was bossing her around. He was doing everything she hated and all because— "I'm not leaving."

The smirk fell from Draco's face. "Any minute the Dark Lord is going to march in here and kill everyone in his way to Potter. And then he's going to kill Potter. He's a dead man, Granger."

"Not yet," Hermione argued.

"What difference do a few minutes make?!" Draco shouted.

"They seemed to make the world of a difference this morning when you left Ron in the Department of Mysteries." Goodness, had that really just been this morning?

Draco sneered at her cruelly. "Is that why you ran off before I got back? Scared of the big bad Death Eater?"

"Scared?" Hermione scoffed. "Hardly. You've tricked me before, but in a real duel, you know I'd beat you." Not that they could have one since she didn't have a wand at the moment, a fact she purposefully failed to mention to Draco in case he had his hidden somewhere other than his empty holder.

Draco smirked at her. The ass. "That's why I never fight fair."

"That's not something to be proud of."

"No?" he asked. "Neither is losing."

Hermione lifted her chin. "If you don't want to lose me, then you better tell me Ron was lying about what you did."

Draco closed his mouth. "You don't understand."

Hermione folded her arms. "Enlighten me then." Ron's face was proof that something had happened, but she just couldn't believe Draco had betrayed them. She trusted him, and so she was going to give him a chance to explain himself.

He breathed out heavily through his nose, but she stood her ground. She wasn't waiting around for answers anymore, and Draco knew it. "Weasley blew our cover. He also set off the alarms before we got the Muggleborns out of the cells. It was him, or them."

Oh. Well… that… made sense. Almost too much sense. "And what about giving his wand to McNair?"

Draco's expression was cool and complacent as he said, "I was hoping McNair would kill him."

She wasn't sure what she expected but it wasn't that. Why would Draco do something like that? Did he think she was going to be okay with this?!

"I hate Weasley," Draco said simply, as if this all made sense and she should have known this all along.

"So you wanted him to be murdered?!"

"He wants me dead! He told me he wants to do it himself!" Draco was back to shouting. Of course he was. Because he was talking to her. "Ask him! Fucking ask him, Granger. The only help that prick would have given me, would be burning me after I turned."

Had… had Ron actually said that?

Ron hated Draco just as much as Draco hated Ron and she didn't think Ron would go out of his way to help Draco. After all, he hadn't wanted Harry to go back for Goyle in the Room of Requirement, but… Ron had pulled her out of the way of a killing curse tonight. But there was a difference between not being friends and being enemies.

She wouldn't be able to stand aside if a fight broke out between Draco and Ron, but would she be able to stop them from killing each other?

Goodness, she didn't want any of this. Hermione turned her face up to the ceiling, just wishing she could have five minutes where this wasn't happening and they weren't at war and her head wasn't hurting trying to keep up with everything that had happened since the sun came up this morning and wondering what else would happen before it rose again.

Taking a shaky breath, Hermione felt her throat tighten uncomfortably.

"Sweetheart…" Draco pulled her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her again and Hermione leaned into him. Just needing the support and comfort and… love. Today had been more stressful and crazier than she could ever have imagined and it wasn't over yet. In fact, this conversation with Draco was the first thing she had done since leaving the beach this morning was the only time she really felt like herself.

Everyone else wanted Hermione to be smart, be strong, but Draco just wanted her. And no matter what, he'd never let her go. That feeling of security, of being wanted, it was something that Hermione needed and Draco had been the only one to see it. The only one to make her feel it.

Like this. Like his.

"I've got you, kitten."

She didn't even realize she had started crying until Draco spoke. He rubbed her back, sliding his hands over his heavy coat that she was still wearing.

"Let it out," he said softly and Hermione felt something inside her crack and everything she had been holding back all day came out in a fearsome cry. He held her against his chest, letting her scream into it. "Good girl."

She loved him. She loved him so much it hurt. It would always hurt because no matter what he did, she'd never stop loving him. It was just as true now as it was last year. And even though maybe it was smarter to, she didn't want to stop. Godric help her, she didn't ever want to stop loving him.

Draco kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth gently. "I'm going to fix this, okay? I'm going to make this better."

Hermione looked up at him and blinked, dispelling her last tears. Her lashes were wet and sticking together. "Really?"

He leaned down and ran his nose along her cheek, tracing the wet trail her tears had left behind. "I promise."

His kiss was soft, just barely pressing their lips together, but it meant more than she could say.

Draco rubbed his thumbs over her cheeks. "At least the tears washed the dirt off."

Hermione let out a sobbing laugh. She was sure she looked a mess right now, but Draco still looked at her like she was the only thing he could see.

His lips pulled up. "I love it when you smile. You should do it more often. And you will. Starting now. We'll start a new life, one without all this shit. Just you and me, like it should be."

Hermione thought she might start crying again. She wanted that so much, but she just… couldn't. Not yet. Her friends still needed her. Hermione looked back over her shoulder at the people in the Great Hall. The crowd shifted and she saw Luna with her arm around Ginny. Oh good, they had found each other.

Ron was there too, next to his sister, and supporting George who didn't seem to be able to stand on his own. She was glad Ron was there and with his family. He loved them more than anything, and that was a large part of the reason why he could never accept Draco, because of everything Draco had done and said about his family.

But there was still one person who needed her.

"Harry—"

"Is going to die. That was our deal. You stay until the end. Well it's the end, Granger. This is it."

"He's right."

Hermione spun around.

Oh God.

Harry.

.

Fucking Potter.

Granger pulled away from him and wiped her face with the black sleeves of his coat. Draco tried to reach for her, but she was moving towards Potter.

"Don't say that, Harry, you're still—"

"Alive? Yeah." Potter looked… gross. Sickly. Weak. Draco immediately felt a jolt of anxiety shoot down his spine. Not out of concern, fuck no. Just that Granger said the closer they got to the end, the weaker Potter and the Dark Lord were getting.

And Potter was barely lifting his feet as he walked towards Granger. "You're leaving?"

"No!"

"Like hell," Draco growled and in one stride was at Granger's side again. She wasn't getting away from him. Not this time.

"What deal did you make with him?" Potter jerked his chin in Draco's direction while addressing Granger. "That you'd leave with him if he fought for us?"

"No, no!" Granger waved her hands in front of her. "Draco chose to be on our side, it was nothing like that!"

They were both ignoring him. He didn't like it so Draco decided to get her attention again. "Well, it was a little like that." Granger flashed him a warning look. "Would you prefer I lie to him, pet?"

"What's he talking about Hermione?" Potter said with a hint of hardness in his tone and rubbed at his scar. Oh, that was cute; apparently the Chosen One got cranky when he was tired.

Granger looked between them quickly, curls matted with dirt and blood swinging heavily around her face. Draco was about to explain to Potter that they were going to start their new life before his body even got cold, but then Granger bit her lip nervously and something inside Draco stopped him from saying something that would upset her.

He thought it might have been his heart.

Fuck.

He really had chosen a side. And it wasn't the Dark Lord's or Potter's.

It was hers.

Theirs.

"I just…" Granger picked at her fingers, barely sticking out of the black sleeves. "Draco wanted to leave after he defected and I told him that we wouldn't have to wait until the war was over to… go… just…"

The lines on Potter's face deepened. "Just me. So you were waiting on me to die—"

"Harry, no!"

"—before you left."

Draco sniffed. "That about sums it up."

Granger glared at him and Draco rolled his eyes, pretending not to care. He didn't want her to be mad at him. He wasn't mad at her anymore, not since she ran and jumped into his arms the second she saw him.

If only she would run with him now, everything would be perfect. They could leave the war behind and Draco could forget everything he had done in it. Seeing Pansy was enough, Draco didn't want to face anything else he had done. All the blood he'd split felt like it was filling up his lungs, making it hard to breathe again.

Granger could fix all of that in an instant if she just said yes. Instead, they were still fucking standing here with Potter of all people. The one person who had death circling him like an augury with a fucked up wing.

Potter glared at Draco. "Is that why you left Ron behind? Is his death a part of your deal too?"

Draco felt something in him rise up and hiss. Potter had no fucking right to talk about his relationship with Granger and Draco was about to tell him that, with a few extra words thrown in, when Granger stepped forward, coat trailing on the floor.

"No, of course not!" She looked back at Draco, big doe eyes worried. Fuck. She was upset and he… needed to help. "Harry, it was just if… if you happened to… die, before the end of the war."

"And our mission from Dumbledore, what about that?" Potter said with what looked like the last bit of fight left in him.

"Weasley's still alive," Draco drawled. "Why not let him be the hero no one fucking asked for?"

"I don't want to hear a word you have to say about Ron. Not after what you did to him." Potter glared at him and Draco could have sworn he saw Potter's scar darken. "I warned you once, you're either with us or against us."

"I'm with her," Draco snarled. "And before your body's even cold she'll be with me. Safe and far away from all this shit."

Potter took his broken glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe that's what you should do," he said softly.

"Harry?" Granger took a small step forward.

Potter pushed his glasses back up his nose. "I… I'm going to meet him."

"No!" Granger gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "Harry, you can't!" The pain in her voice made Draco's heart skip a beat.

"This was Dumbledore's plan, all along."

Draco's brows slightly rose. That was… surprisingly cold of the old man. Dumbledore alway seemed to favor Potter, granting him points when anyone else would have been expelled. Was it all just to keep Potter on his good side? Even now, he was stupid enough to die for Dumbfuckdore who wasn't even here to see his oh-so-noble sacrifice.

A cool wave of understanding sank over Draco. Potter wanted to die. He wanted it to end, like this. And once Potter was dead…

"Please," Granger was crying again, wiping her tears away with the thick sleeve of his coat. "Harry, please don't go."

Potter rubbed his scar again and Draco noticed a small smear of red across his forehead. Draco wondered if it hurt him, if it felt it all the time how Draco felt his mark. He absentmindedly touched at it as he watched a bead of blood drip down from the end of Potter's scar to run in between his eyes.

Potter ignored it as he pulled Granger's wand out of his pocket and held it out to her.

"I told Neville about the snake, but if you see it…" Potter's eyes flitted over to Draco for a moment. "I think a killing curse will do it, since… since this one is in… a body."

Granger's doe eyes went big. "No, no," she pushed her old wand back into Potter's hand and held onto his fist with both of hers. "It's yours now. It has been for a while. And… you need it. To… to fight, Harry. You have to fight."

"Hermione, I think we both knew it would come down to this."

"But… we'll find a way! We always do. And…" She bit her lip and all Draco wanted to do was take Granger back into his arms, but… he didn't want to take this moment away from her. She needed to say goodbye. Dawn was only a couple hours away and as soon as the sun rose, Draco's three days would be up. If Potter was still alive then, Draco would be the one who was dead and he was not going to let that happen. Not when he was so damn close to getting everything he had worked for.

Potter sighed. "Hermione…"

"I won't let you do this." She raised her chin, tears dripping off of it. "There's still the snake and then Voldemort himself. We need you. I need you. We are all here fighting with you. Maybe Dumbledore was wrong, there has to be another way!"

Potter looked at the mass of people in the Great Hall, but his face was oddly blank.

"Please don't go. Please, Harry. There's people here who love you, you can't leave them, not now. Stay. Please, Harry. I'm here for you. I'm staying with you."

Stay. Draco's lip curled. They weren't staying. But Granger and her too good heart wouldn't let go, even of a lost cause. A fact Draco knew better than most.

Potter's eyes moved over Granger's head and met Draco's. He didn't need legilimency to know what Potter was thinking, it was written all over his face.

For the first time, they were on the same side.

"Hermione, Sweetheart," Draco put his arm around Granger's shoulders. "If he's staying he'll need to speak with certain people, Order officials. Isn't that right, Potter? And maybe you can talk to McGonagall, find out if there is anything else we can do."

He avoided Granger's eyes and looked pointedly at Potter.

"Yeah," Potter said quickly. "I… I want to say goodbye to Remus and Tonks too. I know what happened to them."

Granger looked between the two of them. "So… you're not leaving?"

Potter's glasses slipped a little as another drop of blood fell down. He looked at the people gathered in the Great Hall. "They're fighting for me, I have to… to do what's right for them too."

It wasn't an answer and Granger knew it. Potter pocketed her wand again, sticking right next to his invisibility cloak.

"I'll tell you if anything changes."

Granger seemed to accept this, but still waited for Potter to walk into the Great Hall before following after him.

The Chosen One was immediately swarmed with attention and Draco backed up, preferring to keep to side while Potter shook hands, hugged, and talked with people.

Granger hovered by his side, smiling weakly at the people who came up to her. Draco didn't like leaving her side, but the less he interacted with these people the better.

And she was still wearing his coat. It trailed on the floor as when she walked, but at least it created a bit of a barrier between her and others.

He slouched against the wall, kicking one leg up to rest his boot on the lip of a brick while he watched Potter and his girl make the rounds through the Great Hall. They headed up to the bodies, and Draco caught Potter's eye from across the room. Grim determination lined his face and Draco looked away after seeing the forbidden forest flash through Potter's mind.

Draco looked back at him, waited until Granger wasn't watching, then nodded.

He shoved off from the wall and stuck his hands in his pockets, keeping his head down as he moved through the lines of the wounded.

"Lover's spat over already?" Blaise asked as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and mopped some sweat from his brow. "I take your presence here as her victory then."

Draco rolled his eyes and when they stopped, they landed on Granger who was hugging Frenchie while Potter talked to Bill Weasley. "No one is winning," he said dully.

Draco looked around. There were more wounded than well, even with Blaise helping Madam Pomfrey and a few others. Lots of people had answered the Order's call, but bodies were still being carried in. And these ones didn't rise up again. How many inferi did the Dark Lord have ready to march on the castle?

Draco didn't want to know. In fact what he wanted was a fucking drink. A few of them. There was a cluster of people, crowded around the innkeeper of the Hog's Head and taking shots from chipped glasses. Draco could practically tastethe firewhisky, feel its burn in his throat, the warmth shooting through his body as the alcohol hit his bloodstream.

His mouth watered.

No one would blame him for taking the edge off a little, no one but Granger. And himself. He didn't… didn't want to drown himself in liquor, not if it meant pulling Granger down with him. Draco took a breath and counted to three in his head, shutting his eyes tightly so he didn't have to see as the group toasted and tossed back another shot.

When he opened his eyes he noticed Blaise staring at something. He'd almost forgotten his friend was there beside him once he had noticed the liquor on the far side of the hall. Draco followed Blaise's gaze and saw the Weaslette with her arm around Looney Lovegood, their heads tilted in close together.

Lovegood wrapped her arm around the other girl's waist, bringing their bodies close enough together so their hips touched and then turned and placed a small kiss on a freckle next to the Weaslette's eye.

Huh.

Well that was new.

Blaise rubbed his eyes and shook his head to clear it.

Draco grinned. "Didn't you have a thing for the Weasley girl?"

"Don't," Blaise warned and Draco perked up, happy to have a distraction. "I liked her Quidditch uniform. That's all."

"With your picky tastes, that's basically saying you were head over heels for her."

"Draco, drop it. I'm serious."

He looked back to the two girls and then back at Blaise who had turned around and was rolling up a bandage that Draco was pretty sure hadn't even been undone a minute ago. "Is that why you started helping them? To get in her pants?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Did you try to kiss her? Is that why she gave you the black eye?"
Blaise slammed down the roll of bandages.

"Oh shit," Draco laughed. "It is!"

"Shut up!" Blaise snarled.

Draco laughed louder.

"That's it, I'm telling them you're a spy."

"Alright, alright!" Draco did his best to keep it under control. Blaise glowered at him and tapped another loose roll with his wand, making it start to spool back up. He looked over at the two girls for a moment before turning back to his friend. "Save a few more lives and maybe they'll let you watch."

Blaise threw the roll of bandages at Draco, who caught it against his chest. "Roll that back up," Blaise snapped, then after a moment smirked. "I'm going to be a licensed Healer in a year. Do you have any idea how much ass I'll get justfor that?"

Draco didn't bother with the bandages and sat them back down in a messy pile. "I went into the wrong line of work."

Blaise snorted. "Yeah, you could say that. I have to admit, I didn't think Granger was going to get past that, but you two are…"

Draco leaned against the table. "Yeah. She's… my girl." he added as he caught sight of her again, wearing his coat. She was talking to McGonagall, like he had suggested, and… Potter wasn't with her. Draco looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of him, but he seemed to have disappeared.

"Just one girl," Blaise blew out a low breath. "I can't imagine settling down already."

Draco straightened up, searching over the heads of everyone else, looking for Potter. Where was he? "Doesn't matter to me. She's it. She's my only," he said, not really paying attention.

Blaise stopped what he was doing. "You mean, she's… the one?"

Draco took a step forward. Potter wasn't with the Weasleys, wasn't with the shot takers, wasn't helping people in or sitting beside the dead.

"The only one," he mumbled, eyes still scanning the room.

"Holy shit," Blaise said softly and Draco ignored it.

He looked over at Granger, discussing something and was completely distracted. Blaise was talking, but it faded to the back of Draco's mind and he moved away from the lines of the wounded. He was standing near a broken torch by the entrance when a voice came from thin air.

"Malfoy."

"Fuck!" Draco jumped, knocking into the torch and just barely stopping it from crashing to the ground.

"Quiet!" Potter whispered. "I don't want anyone to know I'm here."

Draco's jaw tensed and he looked around, but no one was paying any attention, not if they couldn't see their precious Chosen One. How Potter had thrown off his adoring followers, Draco had no idea, but he did know what Potter was doing, and why he had come to him of all people.

"I won't let anyone else die for me. This has to end."

Saint Potter wanted to die and Draco… Draco wanted Granger. And there was only one way he would be able to have her.

Draco promised Granger many things; that he would fix this, that he would keep her safe, and that he wouldn't do anything to cause Potter's death. But could he stop it?

Or… could Potter stop the Dark Lord?

Snape said Saint Potter had to face the Dark Lord and he was working with the Order, as weird as that was that Severus Snape, the Dark Lord's most trusted advisor was plotting to bring him down, but then again, Draco was a Malfoy and here he was willing to throw everything away for some common Muggleborn with burnt cinnamon eyes and toffee brown hair and the sweetest fucking smile he'd ever seen.

So maybe Potter actually being the Chosen One and somehow able to stop the greatest Dark Lord the world had ever seen wasn't so crazy. And if he could do it, if Potter lived, then maybe there actually was a way to fix this fucked up world after all.

Because that was the only way this could ever be fixed, the only way he could be with Granger like he wanted to. He had her locked in a cage for months, but had been in that cramped bed that she had really been his again. How she should be. How she would be.

He'd make sure of it.

Potter's voice was low, but steady. "I need to know where he is."

Draco glanced back at Granger, one more time.

"I'll take you to him."

.

A/N: I want to say thank you to everyone that has come back for this update. I know it is… much later than I intended it to be and you have been so understanding and wonderful to me while I try and finish this fic. I just want to give it the ending it deserves and so I have been writing and rewriting and going in circles (that is when I even have the time to work on it), but I don't want anyone to think that I am abandoning TBE. I am just doing my best and I know leaving you all on a cliff hanger is the worst thing I could do and I don't deserve your love, but just know that I am so very, very thankful you have returned to this little silly story. You don't know what it means to me that you are down for this ride.

I can't promise regular updates, but I can promise that they are coming. Trust me. And to the few people (there weren't many, but still) who were rude to me about not updating, all I have to say is I hope you exercise that same amount of patience before crossing a busy street. Thanks. Everyone else, I love you and you are wonderful.