Draco's POV

The manor was eerily silent when I arrived home. The kind of silence that felt wrong.

I stepped inside, my boots echoing lightly against the marble floors. The house-elves must have already retired for the night. My mother was likely in her room, satisfied with the success of her party, and my father—Merlin, my father—was probably sleeping off the excesses of whatever vile things he'd done today.

But something was off.

I wasn't sure what it was at first. Just a feeling, a tightness in my chest that hadn't eased since I left for work this morning.

Then I heard it.

A faint, muffled sound.

Crying.

I stilled, my breath catching as I followed the sound down the dimly lit corridor. I wasn't sure where I was going, but my body moved before my mind could catch up.

Then I found her.

Hermione.

She was sitting on the edge of her cot in the servants' quarters, her head buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking with barely-contained sobs. The candle beside her flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the walls.

For a moment, I didn't know what to do.

Then I stepped inside. "Granger?"

She gasped, her head snapping up. Her eyes were red, her cheeks wet with tears, but the second she saw me, she wiped at them furiously, her expression hardening like a shield.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Her voice was hoarse, but her tone carried the same stubborn defiance as always.

I hesitated, then closed the door behind me. "I heard you."

She scoffed, looking away. "Well, congratulations. You discovered that I'm human and that I cry sometimes. Go away."

"Granger."

Something in my voice must have caught her attention because she flinched slightly. I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "What happened?"

She went rigid, her hands gripping the fabric of her dress like she needed something to hold onto.

I waited.

And then, barely above a whisper, she said, "Your father."

Everything inside me froze.

My breath turned sharp, my fingers twitching at my sides as I forced myself to stay still. "What did he do?"

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing, not really. Not yet."

"Not yet?" My voice came out sharper than I intended. My blood felt hot, boiling beneath my skin. "Tell me, Granger."

She swallowed, her throat bobbing as she finally met my gaze. "He… touched me, Malfoy." The words were quiet but firm, like she was forcing herself to say them out loud. "Not for long, but long enough."

I felt sick.

Something inside me snapped.

I turned on my heel, already moving for the door, already seeing red.

"No!" Hermione's voice cut through the storm in my mind. She shot up from the bed, grabbing my wrist before I could leave.

I stopped, barely able to breathe past the fury clawing at my throat.

"Don't," she said, her voice urgent. "You can't go after him."

I turned back to her, my chest heaving. "Why the hell not?"

"Because he wants you to," she whispered, her grip on my wrist tightening. "He wants you to fight him, Malfoy. He wants to prove that you're still his son, still under his control. If you go after him now, it won't change anything. He'll win. And you'll lose everything."

Her words cut through my anger like a knife.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to think past the rage, past the burning hatred in my veins.

She was right.

If I confronted Lucius now, he'd turn it into a lesson, a power play. He'd find a way to make me regret it. And Hermione—Merlin, Hermione—she'd be the one to suffer for it in the end.

I exhaled shakily, my hands balling into fists. "Then what do we do?"

Her expression shifted, something hard and determined flashing in her eyes. "I have a plan."

I frowned. "What kind of plan?"

She took a deep breath, her fingers still curled tightly around my wrist. "One that doesn't end with both of us dead," she said softly. "But I need you to trust me."

Trust.

A word I never expected to share with her.

I studied her carefully, the way she stood firm despite the fear I knew she was feeling, the way her hands were trembling but her eyes were steady.

I nodded once. "Fine. What do you need me to do?"

She released my wrist slowly, her gaze flickering toward the door. "First, you need to keep acting normal. Pretend like nothing's changed. Like you don't know what he did."

It took everything in me not to break something.

"Second," she continued, "I need time. A few days, at least. I can't rush this, or it won't work."

I swallowed, my heart still hammering. "What exactly is this?"

She hesitated for only a moment before lifting her chin. "A way out."

The words sent a chill down my spine.

I didn't know what she was planning, and I didn't know if it would work.

But I knew one thing for certain.

I would do whatever it took to make sure Lucius Malfoy never touched her again.