"Lucius please, enough of your commentary," Rodolphus said exasperatedly.

The two men approached them with the weapons aimed at Draco. His father held his wand with ease, poised to strike. His uncle-in-law had his crossbow laser focused on his chest.

"Draco, give me your wand son," his father commanded.

Hermione shook her head, but didn't voice her apprehension. Even if Draco could fend off his father's attacks and Lestrange's arrows, nothing would stop them from coming after Hermione. And there was no way she could over power them in her state.

His features morphed into disdain as he shoved his wand into his father's hand. Rodolphus smirked and gestured with his crossbow for Draco to move.

The blond groom held out a hand for his wife and helped her forward. She walked to his side shakily and rested most of her weight onto him. They took slow measured steps to the manor. Even though Hermione began feeling well enough to walk on her own, she refrained. She needed the extra time to think. She refused to make it this far to die.

She snuck a glance at her watch and felt her hope grow.

4:44am

Hermione wondered if this is what Harry felt like that day on the Hogwarts grounds. Resigned, but curious to see how she might get out of her situation. Each step felt heavier than the last. It didn't feel like the end, but nearly there, she thought.

The drawing room's table had been transfigured from oval to circular. Ruins had been carved into it like the hours of a clock. Or maybe they had always been there and had been covered during dinner, she didn't know or care. A few candles had been placed on the window sill of the back wall, emitting a menacing glow about the room. Once they entered, Lucius placed his wand back onto the mantle in the dish where the others lay.

"Honestly, shouldn't you all be tired of the killing by now, especially in this house. This all seems a bit much," Hermione snarked.

Lucius shrugged as he grabbed the box she had originally pulled the card from. "Oh, what's one more in the grand scheme of things Miss Granger?"

Narcissa stared at her husband with wide eyes.

"Surely you are no stranger to gallows humor Cissa." Lucius scoffed. "This is quite literally your family's doing."

"And yet, here we are," Blaise sighed.

Hermione almost missed Blaise as he slid past Draco to the farthest wall. He wore the same bored expression she had often seen their last year at Hogwarts. From their original party only Lucius, Narcissa, Blaise, and Rodolphus remained. Rodolphus had still had the crossbow behind them, but seemed to rest it on his hip. She waited till Lucius had taken a seat at the table. Then, Hermione struck. She shot back her elbow into Rodolphus's hip and stomped on his foot.

"Now Draco!" She shouted as she made a break for the door.

She didn't bother looking behind her as she ran. She hadn't even made it across the door frame before her two pairs of arms had begun dragging her back into the room. She screamed in pain but tried to kick her torments away. She kept flailing her legs, streams of tears falling down her cheeks as tried to wriggle out of Rodolphus and Blaise's grasp.

She called out for her husband, unable to see him with her back turned.

"You foolish girl!" Narcissa shouted.

They threw her on the hard wooden table and that's when she finally saw him. Draco was still as stone, seated next to his father. She stopped struggling, frozen in her confusion.

"Draco?" She called slowly. He kept his focus on the symbols of the table. "Draco, wha–what are you doing?"

Lestrange had pushed her down onto her back and she hissed in pain. "Draco, don't just sit there! Do something!" But the blonde man simply turned back to look at Blaise who stood next to her.

"Will you quiet your racket? The sooner we get this done the sooner I go home to a lovely dark beauty in my stupid filthy girl." Rodolphus scowled.

Narcissa scoffed at her brother-in-law before tossing him a bit of rope. She tossed some to Blaise and her husband as well before yanking Hermione's wrist down further.

"What even is all this for, is this all because I'm a mudblood?" She couldn't help but ask through her gritted teeth.

"Honestly Granger you really think we'd be here if that were the case?" Blaise huffed.

"He's right Miss Granger, even if you are of dirty blood. The entirety of this evening would've been a quick few seconds, were that the case." Narcissa said sardonically.

"Oh well that makes me feel loads better," the bride muttered under her breath.

Hermione's hand still ached from Pansy's abuse. Her heart hammered in her chest and she looked to Draco pleadingly. Her husband seemed hollow, staring at the table beneath her. Occasionally, he'd run his right hand over his tried to kick feebly at Lucius before he was able to tie her leg down.

"No really," she punctuated with a kick to Rodolphus as he struggled to tie the rope. "What's all of this for?"

Narcissa sliced Hermione's palm she had tied and let the blood drip into a small bowl. Hermione bit back a whimper, as her palm shook in pain.

"The story was half true. As you know the Blacks are a very old family with very old possessions. Aurelia really was playing a game with her brothers in their father's study…hide and seek. She hid in the trunk next to several items, but the one thing she had taken out was a box." Narcissa began to say.

"The box was tainted with dark magic none of the three kids understood. When she had opened it they heard a foul scream as her soul seemed to be pulled into the small black box. Her oldest brother of ten years yanked at her hand and seemed to explode the box with a fit of accidental magic."

Everyone listened quietly to her story as she brushed a few more ruins over Hermione's arm in her own blood. Hermione focused her attention on Blaise who was tying down her right arm. She fought and tried to push him off, but he responded by putting most of his weight over her. Honestly she was about to make a snide comment about him trying too hard when she felt something cold and thin slip into the sleeve of her wedding dress.

She continued to fight, a bit more tamely for show and chanced a glance at Blaise's face. It was impassive, you wouldn't have even known he'd done anything. He even looked a bit tired as he turned her wrist to check the time before walking away.

Hermione tugged at that wrist gently and noticed it was loose. She felt the shape of the object in her sleeve, it had to be a wand. He had glanced at the time before he walked away. What time was it?

Narcissa had still been explaining as she began to brush a ruin on Hermione's forehead. "Death had felt cheated, so in exchange for the life of their sister he suggested they continue playing games with a new box. Every time someone not a Black were to marry into the family they would gamble their life and see if they'd lose to Death."

"That's absurd!" Hermione shouted against her restraints. "Why wouldn't you have said something?" She asked, now turning to Draco.

Draco still seemed to ignore simply sighed and rested his chin on his palms.

How could he just sit there and do nothing?She would be fighting tooth and nail to get him away. She would've died for him. She'd have killed for him. Hermione pulled against her other restraints in anger.

"Look at me!" Hermione shouted.

Draco finally glanced at her his face impassive. She was his wife, being painted in her own blood and he could've just as easily been watching paint dry.

"Oh Miss Granger, Draco here knows where his loyalties lie. Afterall at the end of the day, he's a pureblood heir to the Malfoy fortune. What's one mudblood bride for another?" Lucius chuckled with a pat to Draco's back.

She stared at his still expression, but noticed a crack in his mask. His jaw ticked with his father's words and Hermione watched him brush a hand through his hair again. He continued to fidget with his right hand much to her frustration. He looked at her again, this time his brows scrunching together.

He must be occlumencing. It's an act. She searched his features again and watched him run the same hand through his hair. Draco was a perfectionist, but even he didn't fiddle with his hair twice in a five minute span. That's when she stared at his hand, then his wrist.

His watch! He seemed to still and go back to resting his chin on his palms, allowing her to make out the time.

5:41am

Merlin's fucking had been trying to get her to read the time on his watch. The sun was going to rise. If she lasted a bit longer the sun would rise any moment, then she would win! She stopped her fighting and looked around the room.

Narcissa had apparently finished her story that Hermione only half paid attention too and was painting a ruine on her leg. Rodolphus leaned back in his chair, stifling a yawn while Lucius seemed to fidget with the black box. Blaise had resumed his leaning, but this time on the wall closest to the mantle. She could barely see him from the table.

Think Hermione, think.

Once Narcissa had finished she placed the small bowl with a few drops left of Hermione's blood on top of her wedding gown, if Hermione could even keep calling it that.

"Ok everyone, in the circle in the circle," Narcissa urged.

Lucius had seemed to get the box to work, leaving it on the mantle next to the wands. He then rushed over to his wife's side. Rodolphus stood lazily and walked to the other side, between her and Draco.

" Seven's heaven, they say." Blaise said.

Who says that? Hermione thought but he continued.

"If it's all the same, I think I'd rather just be over here for this part, watching your six," Blaise called from the wall.

He's really fond of numbers today.

"I mean, I'm only here on a technicality. I think it's best if the family stays over there. All five, oh I mean four of you."

Wait. Six, five, four, he was counting down! Okay Hermione three, two, one!

Hermione had nothing else to lose and yanked the ropes on her wand hand hard. It unraveled quickly and she looked up in time to see Draco shoot up from his chair and drive his fist into his uncle's face. The room broke out into chaos as Blaise ran for the mantle, knocking the black box over and snatching the wands.

Hermione wiggled her wand from her sleeve to her hand, She quickly shot a hex at Narcissa before she could attack her, sending her back flying. Blaise had made a break for it out of the room as Lucius ran on his heels. Hermione swished away the rest of her restraints and scrambled off the table.

She pointed her wand at Rodolphus who Draco had managed to get into a headlock on the ground. Draco released him just as she sent a coat of boils and burns over his olive skin. Draco stomped on the man's face a few times for measure. She heard his bones crack at the impact.

"Stupid" –crack– "good for nothing" –crack– "spineless fucker" Draco grit and punctuated with a spit over his mutilated form.

Her husband stepped over the body and ran to hold her in his arms. He squeezed her into his chest, muttering apologies into her hair.

"I thought you abandoned me," she mumbled.

"Never, I'd never stop fighting for you Hermione. I just had to play it smart," he replied. "I'll always be there for you." He started to pull her out the door before his mother screamed.

"No! It's too late, we're all too late, the sun is rising!" She screeched.

The black box, now broken on the floor, began to play a twisted version of the song from the beginning of the game. As creepy as that was, Hermione's attention focused on shouting down the hall. She heard two men shout spells at the same time and ran to the doorway to look.

"Blaise!" She shouted.

She dashed down the hall, Draco following on her heels. Lucius lay at the far end of the hall with several wands in hand, spitting up blood. She eyed him warily, but crouched over to Blaise's slouched body against the baseboards.

"Blaise?" She asked more quietly.

His eyes were open, but his body was still. She heard Draco rush to her side and saw as he tried to shake him awake. He pleaded with his life-long friend, but they both knew. Lucius Malfoy was no stranger to using the killing curse on a man. Blaise's chest didn't fall or rise with any breath. She carefully smoothed her hand over his eyes to close them.

"Thank you," she whispered to his form before getting to her feet.

They heard a guttural cry and focused back on Lucius who tried to get up from the floor. Then, as if struck by a bombarda, his body exploded.

Hermione furrowed her brows and looked back at Draco. "What just happened?"

Draco shook his head before grabbing Hermione and running back into the drawing room at the sound of another explosion.

"Draco, no please, please don't let me die!" Narcissa cried.

Draco held Hermione to his chest and took a step back from his mother as she cried behind the circular table. He stuck out his hand in front of them but his defense faltered. Hermione could see the conflict warring in his brain.

"There's nothing I can do," he told her flatly. "Hermione is my family now. You made this bed, you have to lay in it."

Unlike anything Hermione had seen a socialite woman do, Narcissa began picking up items and throwing them at her boy in rage. She knocked over all the candles on the ledge, and threw trinkets toward the door. Draco spared one last glance at his mother before ducking out the threshold and pulling Hermione with him.

This time, he winced when he heard the final explosion from the room. Something caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Draco dropped Hermione's hand and crouched by a chair in the foyer where his wand had rolled. He plucked it from the ground before going back to Hermione's side.

As they sped to the front door, a black shadow similar to a dementor blocked their path. Hermione held out her wand defensively, as it seemed to hover over Draco.

It spoke in a language Hermione didn't recognize, but Draco nodded.

"Fineum Ludum Victoria," he said with a wave of his wand in almost a figure eight. A light shot out into the dementor like being.

The ground seemed to shake a bit on the manor. Draco pulled Hermione past the being out the front door threshold and down the steps quickly. The light grew and Hermione tried to cover her eyes from the source. It shot out from every window in the vicinity before it disappeared all together. The eerie music had stopped as well.

Hermione held out her wand toward the house, panting for air from their run.

Draco pulled her into a tight hug. She could feel the beat of his racing heart."Are you ok?" He asked.

She nodded her head into his chest and tried to catch her breath. "Yeah, you?"

"Yeah"

They stayed like this for a few moments while reality set in. Hermione stepped back from her husband worriedly.

"Wait, if if that was the curse…why didn't you you know?" She stuttered out.

He looked back at the house with a squint, and put both hands on his hips. "Honestly? I have no fucking idea love. I think because you won the game and I helped you win, that I wasn't bound to the Black family punishment." He answered, trying to put it together himself. "By helping you, I wasn't a part of the Black family. I was—"

"You were part of a family with me," Hermione finished for him.

"I think so," he agreed.

"And what was—what was that black thing?" She asked a bit more frantically.

"Hard to say. Could've been death, could've been the physical embodiment of the curse. Whatever it was told me the spell to end it. So I did," he answered with another shrug.

"Draco Malfoy I cannot believe you," she sighed with a pinch to her nose bridge.

He chuckled and looked back at the house.

"What?" She asked, a bit more irritated.

He continued to laugh looking back at his childhood home. "I can't believe my father exploded. Like he literally just," Draco motioned an explosion with his hands. "Like just because of the curse, not even a spell."

Hermione looked at him incredulously before shaking her head with a laugh. Her laughter grew and she doubled forward, gripping her sides.

"God this was so fucking awful, we're horrible," she said between laughs. "We're laughing at a man's death. God. Oh my god can't believe Rodolphus was alive enough to explode too!"

Draco gasped and brought an open palm to his mouth. "Bloody hell, you're right. That's fucked up. Maybe we should've just killed him."

"Well," Hermione shrugged nonchalantly. "Both ways were theoretically quick. And honestly that fucker creeped me out even during the war."

"Oh he was awful," Draco agreed.

The two of them walked further down the path away from the manor. Draco summoned a bottle of fire whiskey from somewhere in the house as they walked. They leaned back on one of the trees outside of the gate and stared at Draco's childhood home.

Draco took a long sip from the bottle before handing it to his new wife. She pointed to a corner of the manor before taking a sip of her own.

Draco almost didn't notice the flicker of light from a window, until it grew into a flame. Then it engulfed the entire window and began to spread.

"Ohhhh Salazar, the candles in the drawing room," he sighed.

Hermione continued to drink and slid down the roots of the tree. Draco took a seat next to her as he watched the Malfoy Manor go up in flames.

"Well; that was an interesting wedding night," he said sarcastically.

She passed the bottle back to him with a roll of her eyes. "When it's time to renew our vows, I don't want to see a single Malfoy or Black other than you there."

"Agreed"

"Actually, no you're taking my last name"

"No argument here."