Hey everyone! So this is crazy, but this story was literally a dream I had one night. I woke up the next morning and spent an hour word vomiting the entire dream into my notes app before I even got out of bed. Thats what happens when I eat chocolate right before bed lol. But I've spent the past three days tweaking and building on it and heres the story. I pulled a Stephanie Meyer. I'm aware that Draco may be OOC, oh well, its my dramoine story. Also i decided not to go the "super jealous Ron" route because 1) he wasnt that way in the dream i had and 2) sometimes it can be a bit overdone. Anyway, hope yall like it! Happy Reading!

Bonded Ch 1

"Draco…come" Narcissa reaches out her hand toward her son, nervously smiling and inwardly willing him to listen to her. That is the only way they'll survive. If he betrays the dark lord…

"No mother. I'm sorry." Draco stood his ground, shaking his head at her. For the first time in his life he sees his mother's societal mask crumble, replaced with heartbreak and fear.

"Well, well," Voldemort chuckled, "I guess Draco won't listen to mummy. Didn't you ever teach him to respect his elders Lucius? How disappointing." He moved to raise his wand at Draco.

"Please! My Lord! He's just-" Narcissa screamed i sheer panic.

"Lucius!" Voldemort roared. "Silence your wife before I silence her myself. And for your insolence I will show the boy what it really means to defy me!"

He raised his wand again, this time a wordless jet red spell emerges from the elder wand.

"No!"

Draco whips his head around in the direction of the voice, only to be knocked down to the cold stone as he hears the spell hiss over his head. All he can see is…hair? Wild, bushy hair at that. Wait…Granger??

"You filthy mudblood!" Bellatrix screeched. "I should've killed you when I had the chance! How dare you interfere with the dark lords will! And defile my nephew with your filth!"

Hermione moved to get up just as Bellatrix moved to raise her wand.

"What a pest. Get rid of her Bella." Voldemort commanded. He walked away from the scene as if he couldn't be bothered with them anymore.

"Yes my lord," she sneered, "with pleasure. Crucio!" The red spell shot out of her wand carrying the full weight of bellatrix's hate.

He couldn't let her be tortured, not again. "Granger get down-AHH!!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she fell to her knees as Draco lay crumbled and convulsing in front of her, having taken the full brunt of the spell.

"BELLA STOP!!" Narcissa screamed while battling Lucius' hold, tears streaming down her face.

Bella stopped the spell and looked into her sister's eyes with shock. "He saved the mudblood Cissy! He's a blood traitor!" She raised her wand again, only to find Hermione supporting Draco, trying to get him upright, but both weren't paying attention to her anymore.

She followed their gaze to Neville Longbottom, who was currently engulfed in flames. A chuckle escaped her lips only to turn into utter shock as he pulls a sword out of the flaming hat and beheads the snake.

Chaos erupts as battle is once again in full swing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hermione struggles to make it to the great hall. Trying to navigate the battle, with spells and debris flying all around her, and trying to support Malfoy's at least 6 foot frame, is starting to take its toll. She almost makes it, but is knocked down by a stray spell that sliced her calf. She tries to make it to the ground as softly as possible, and drags herself and Draco behind some fallen stone.

"I'm sorry Malfoy, we may have to try and wait out the battle here."

"No worries Granger, I should be able to move myself in a bit, the pain is subsiding."

An idea struck Hermione. She still had her bag. She reached in and pulled out the bottle of Felix Felicis. She drank about half of what little was left. "Here Malfoy, drink this."

Not having the time or the will to question her, he took the bottle and drank it. He looked at her strangely, "What did you just give me granger? I feel like I could do anything!"

She looked up and actually smiled at him. "It's Felix Felicis for good luck." She said as she dropped a bit of dittany on her wound. "There that should be enough to get us through to the great hall, if we survive that long that is." She gingerly stood up and began to look around, strangely enough she didn't see anyone, though she could still hear the sounds of battle in the distance. Draco followed her, wand at the ready. All the sudden he saw a green flash just inches from Hermione's shoulder. Bellatrix.

Hermione fell to the ground, just barely catching herself and dodging her spell. Her leg was throbbing and bleeding again. This was it. If she couldn't get back up in time she was done for.

Draco's voice rang out—a raw, furious roar that sent chills down Hermione's spine. "Get away from her, you bitch!"

He knew he couldn't beat her. Bellatrix was too fast, too chaotic and wild. He was dodging spells as best he could, none have gotten through yet but he was getting tired, and she wasn't giving him room for anything offensive. He didn't have much choice now. He had to do it. Maybe it was the effects of the Felix Felicis but even though he knew it could out him, he wasn't worried about that at all. The only person who knew was his mother. She had taught him just as Sirius had taught her, so he would have a secret weapon should things go wrong. Well it couldn't get anymore wrong than this. Here goes nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

She pushed herself up on her elbows, blood trickling down her leg, and blinked in disbelief. There he was, Draco Malfoy, shielding her with his wand raised, his usual smirk replaced by a fierce determination she had never seen before. He fired spell after spell, forcing Bellatrix to dodge, her cackles turning into shrieks of frustration.

But Bellatrix was relentless. Her wild, serpentine movements made her nearly impossible to hit, and Draco's aim faltered under her counterattacks. Hermione watched in horror as Bellatrix raised her wand for another curse, her lips curling into a maniacal grin.

Then it happened. A deafening roar split the air. Hermione's eyes widened as Draco's body shifted—his human form vanishing in a shimmer of magic. In his place stood a magnificent white lion, its fur gleaming like frost under the dim light. The lion let out another bone-rattling roar, shaking debris loose from the crumbling walls.

Hermione's breath caught. Draco…an Animagus? How ironic. He wasn't just a lion, he was a white lion, those were very rare in the natural world, much less the magical world. He was beautiful. She was brought back to the present when he leapt from his spot and pounced on his aunt. Despite her shock Bellatrix was quick to respond, stabbing the white lion in the arm with a dagger. He roars and instinctively recoils his injured arm, which gives Bellatrix a chance to roll out from under him.

With Draco stumbling out of the way, Hermione knows this is her only chance. She raises her wand. "Avada Kedavra!" In a heartbeat Bellatrix crumbled to the floor in a heap. What did she just do? She had killed her. Hermione had never killed anyone before. She didn't feel guilty, it was war after all, honestly she was quite exhilarated, which frightened her a bit. Wasn't killing someone supposed to be traumatic? She'd been through so many traumatic events she lost sight of what was a healthy normal response a long time ago. Her goal for the past year has been to simply survive until the next day. Thinking about mental health and feelings was a luxury she couldn't afford. She shook the thought from her head and slowly approached Draco, who was lying against a wall, panting heavily. She reached in her bag and pulled out a pair of Ron's pants, a sweater and her bottle of dittany.

"Malfoy? Um..Draco? I need you to shift back so I can look at your wound. You can wear this, and I'll give you some dittany until we can get to madam pomfrey ok?"

The lion, which she could've sworn was bigger than a normal lion, nodded his head and switched back. After he got dressed, at least partly, she turned around and got to work with the dittany.

"Ok that should do it for now, here's a sweater."

Draco sneered at the sweater, clearly recognizing the signature Weasley design with a giant 'R' on the front. "I'm not wearing that thing."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Suit yourself."Both of them jumped up in alarm when they heard Harry yelling followed by the clash of magic coming from the courtyard. They ran toward the sound to find Harry and Voldemorts magic locked midair, until finally, the dark lord evaporated into ash.

For a moment the world stood still and everything was silent. But just for a moment. Death eaters were attempting to flee left and right, the order of the phoenix chasing right behind them. People were cheering.

"Oh Draco don't you see what this means?! It's over it's really over!!" She flings herself to hug him and he stiffens immediately. Realizing what she's done she quickly lets him go. "Ahem, sorry it's just, this has been going on for so long. I got carried away."

"No, no I get it, it's ok. I..I'm glad this is all over too. Um, thank you, you know for everything."

She gave him a small smile which he returned. "Thank you too. Now, let's head to the great hall and get ourselves patched up."

They walked together in silence for a while. All around them were piles of rubble and scorched marks from spells that had been fired, ash could be seen blowing in the wind. The smell of smoke and death assaulted their noses. The smoke stung their eyes and made it difficult to see. The heaviness of the situation weighed them down as they walked slowly, stepping over stones and trying not to fall into holes in the floor.

Hermione's curiosity finally got the better of her and she finally broke the silence. She asked, "So, what will you do now?" Draco let out a sigh. "I'm not sure. It'll depend greatly on how the Order will deal with the aftermath. I'm sure my father will go to Azkaban, and rightly so. I hope they spare my mother, she was just following him, being the dutiful wife. She never took the mark or killed anyone. I'm guessing I'll also stand trial so we'll see how that goes. I don't want to go to Azkaban but—"

"That won't happen." She interrupted.

Draco gave her a sad smile. "I'm a death eater Granger, just like the rest of them. I deserve to be treated as such."

"Nonsense! You defected! You also saved us at the Manor by calling Dobby and giving us your wands. Surely they won't send you to prison after all of that!"

"We'll see." He shrugged.

"Well, let's just focus on one day at a time. Where will you go today? After we're done here?"

"I don't know. I don't want to go back to the Manor, but I don't have anywhere else to go. I may ask McGonagall if I can stay in my dorm or something—"

"Come with us."

"What?"

"Harry owns Sirius' townhome. It's huge and has plenty of rooms. I'm sure Harry will let you stay there until you figure things out."

"Granger—"

"Let me do this for you, please?" She stopped to look up at him, her face pleading in a way he found impossible to say no to.

He sighed. "Okay."

"Really??"

"If Potter agrees then maybe, but ONLY until I can find my own place. And I'm going to pay him rent, I'm not a charity case."

"It's settled then." Hermione said with a hopeful smile. He was in so much trouble.

As they continued their walk toward the great hall, Draco was chiding himself internally. What had he just agreed to? He couldn't say no to that look she gave him. There was so much hope and compassion. He'd had a soft spot for her ever since the day he got attacked by that hippogriff. Ok, since the day he provoked the beast. She had instantly put aside any hate she had for him aside and suggested the oaf of a teacher take him to hospital wing. He started paying more attention to her after that.

She was brilliant. The way her mind worked was extraordinary. And she was such a compassionate person. Ever since the situation with Dobby he had heard about her campaign to free house elves. She had ambitions. She would've made a good Slytherin if not for…well. Honestly he hadn't understood pure blood supremacy for a long time, especially since Granger proved them wrong daily. He just didn't want to believe his father, who had been his idol and hero since he was a small boy, could be so wrong, but he was. She constantly challenged him and he liked that. But his growing respect for her had landed him in serious trouble.

He couldn't stand to watch her writhing on his drawing room floor and her screams still gave him nightmares. And then she saved him. After everything he had done, all the wrong choices he had made she still risked her life for his.

Once they reached the great hall, their wounds were quickly healed, though Draco still suffered after effects from his Aunts cruciatus curse. Draco found a nearby bench to rest on, while Hermione went in search of her friends. He looked around and saw small groups of people huddled together, most griefing lists loved ones, but there were a few who seemed to be relieved at their victory, and rightly so. He thought of his own friends and wondered what had happened to them. Blaise, Theo, Pansy, Daphne and Astoria, Goyle. He hadn't seen them since he evacuated the Slytherins from the dungeons. Crabbe was dead. The idiot just had to set the bloody room of requirement on fire. He ran his hands through his hair and let his head rest there. He was exhausted, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. The past 24 hours had been pure hell and he hadn't had a chance to catch his breath.

Eventually Hermione re returned and sat next to him, red puffy eyes proof that she had been crying.

Without looking at her, Draco asked, "Who did you lose?"

He heard Hermione swallow and take a deep breath before answering. "Remus Lupin, Tonks, Colin Creevy, Lavender Brown. I'm sure there are more. Fred Weasley is in a coma, but alive. So many others are injured."

"I..um..I'm sorry. I'm no good at saying or doing the right things, but I am sorry it came down to this, truly. The man was a monster. I can't believe I ever joined with them, though it was mostly because father ordered me to and I didn't want to put my family in danger. It was just another wrong choice." He rubbed his eyes with palms of his hands and ran one of his hands through his hair. He was comforted by a small warm hand on his shoulder.

"You've surprised me in more ways than one today Malfoy, in a good way. It takes a lot of courage to stand up to your family, and the darkest wizard of our time. You were very brave, it was very Gryffindor of you." She was silent for a moment, before a grin spread across her face. "Speaking of, a lion? Seriously?"

He looked at her and chuckled, "Hey one can't choose their animagus form anymore than someone can choose their patronus!"

"Is your patronus a lion too?"

"Um..I don't know. I don't know how to make one."

"I'll teach you!"

He looked down at her in surprise and lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Gryffindors golden girl wants to teach a death eater how to make a patronus? Sure, next thing you know McGonagalls gonna show up at a dog show."

She rolled her eyes at him. "I don't think you qualify as a death eater anymore. And I wouldn't be doing it for nothing! I want to propose a deal."

"What could you possibly want from me Granger?"

"I want you to help me become an animagus."

"I'm sorry wha-?"

"You heard me! In exchange for teaching me to become an animagus I'll teach you how to produce a patronus…and keep your secret."

"Wow so basically I have to do this or you'll rat me out? So you're blackmailing me? How slytherin of you."

"So we have a deal?"

Draco heaved a sigh and leaned up against the wall. "Sure Granger, it's not like you're giving me much of a choice here."

"I knew you'd see it my way Malfoy." She patted his good arm and he gave a small chuckle.

"Hermione! There you are! I've been looking everywhere. I was so worried! I thought that—wait, why are you over here with Malfoy?

Again they both jumped at the unexpected voice, belonging to Ron Weasley. He looked just as exhausted and battle weary as the rest of them, not to mention the emotional toll of losing his ex girlfriend and almost his brother, but he still maintained his light hearted spirit, for which Hermione was grateful. The redhead just stood there like a deer in headlights.

"Why don't you have a shirt on Malfoy??And are those my pants? You know what, I don't have the energy for this."

"Oh stuff it Ron!" Hermione began to dig in the her endless bag. "Malfoy, I have some more of Harry and Ron's clothes still in my bag if you want try them, though Ron's would probably fit better seeing as how you're both so tall-"

"He's not wearing my clothes!!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Thank you Granger but I have my own clothes in my dorm room still. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing Weasley hand me downs." He sneered at Ron before he turned and headed toward the dungeons.

"Blimey what was that all about? Since when are you all chummy with Malfoy?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Honestly Ronald. We are not 'chummy'. He saved my life-twice!"

"I don't like it."

"Well too bad. We've all been through too much-that includes Draco-to deal with petty schoolyard differences anymore."

"I'd say it was more than petty differences Mione."

"Maybe but…I think he's beginning to turn over a new leaf. And I want to make sure that he's successful in doing so."

"I don't trust him."

"Ok Ron, but we owe him at least a little gratitude," Hermione snapped. "Draco—Malfoy—stood up to his family, his aunt, and Voldemort. If he hadn't done what he did, I might not even be here. So no, you don't have to like it, but you will respect it."

Ron flinched at her sharp tone but quickly crossed his arms, muttering under his breath, "Doesn't mean I have to trust him."

Hermione sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was too tired to argue. "Look, Ron. This isn't about trust or liking anyone. It's about acknowledging that people can change and do the right thing, even when it's hard. Can we just focus on what really matters? The war is over. We need to heal, not pick fights over old grudges."

Ron seemed ready to retort but thought better of it. Instead, he muttered, "Fine. Just don't expect me to be his mate anytime soon." He turned and trudged off toward the rest of the Weasleys, leaving Hermione standing alone with a deep sense of exhaustion and frustration.

She turned back toward the dungeons, her mind spinning with everything that had transpired. There was so much to process, so many lives lost, and yet one person kept pushing to the forefront of her thoughts: Draco Malfoy.

What he had done today had shocked her to her core. The arrogant, cruel boy she had known for so many years had risked his life not only for her but also for the greater good. And that lion… a white lion. The image of him transforming, roaring with protective ferocity, lingered in her mind like a vivid dream. It had been majestic, powerful, and—she admitted to herself—a little unnerving.

But it wasn't just his actions that stuck with her. It was the vulnerability he had shown, the small moments of honesty when his guard slipped. There was something raw and real beneath that sneering mask he had worn for so long. It was unexpected, and it made her… curious.

Hermione shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. There was no time to dwell on Draco Malfoy right now. They all had a long road ahead—rebuilding, mourning, and finding a new sense of normalcy. And yet, as she made her way back across the Great Hall to reunite with Harry and the others, she couldn't help but wonder:

What would this new version of Draco mean for her—and for the future?