Disclaimer: All Characters and things associated with Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. This writing is purely for entertainment only.

Summary: Harry died in the Forbidden Forest and Ron and Hermione must find a way to finish his mission in a world where Hermione and her blood status leaves them both in incredible danger.

Chapter 19

Hermione watched as Draco moved to the door of her room and placed a silencing charm on it, she assumed, in case anyone or anything was outside the door listening. She waited patiently for him to continue to explain the arrangement with Nott that could buy her enough time to save herself and her child.

"If we do this, Granger, I want you to understand exactly how this will work," Draco turned back to face her.

Hermione nodded, eager for him to continue. She would do anything to save her unborn child and give them both a fighting chance.

"I will have to transfer you to Nott," Draco motioned to the Malfoy Crest on her arm. "Once I do that you will become property of the Nott househould. Now, Theodore lives alone in a small flat so it's my understanding you would be staying with him...well hidden until such time that you are needed."

"And he will let me keep the baby?" Hermione asked for confirmation.

Draco rolled his eyes and nodded. "For some bloody reason he thinks it's important we keep you happy rather than just alive, should things turn in the rebels favor. Of course, if it doesn't I can't promise you much and I wouldn't expect him to either."

Hermione just nodded, processing everything Draco say saying. She wouldn't be free, she would belong to Nott and his wishes but she could at least keep the baby, and she was buying herself time to come up with a plan before the baby came.

"So, I am assuming you are agreeing to this arrangement?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded again, more firmly now. "Yes."

Draco nodded in return. "Very well. I will go inform Nott you agree to this temporary arrangement. Should you have the baby and things still be how they are though, you will be expected to come back here and that child will not be welcome."

Hermione felt silly for being shocked by the final bomb of Draco's plan and realized what it truly meant. He was allowing Nott to take her to give her some hope, maybe buy her some time, but in the end, if things didn't change drastically in the war she would still belong to Malfoy, and her baby would still be taken from her.

Still, as she watched Draco leave her room, her hands moved protectively to her stomach, hoping she wasn't making a mistake trusting Malfoy and Nott and yet also knowing she didn't really have any other choice.

Ron sat on the steps of Shell Cottage, allowing the sun to warm his face. He felt weirdly calm as the salty air engulfed his senses, his thoughts drifting to Hermione and the baby that they apparently had on the way together.

A large part of him didn't believe Nott, thinking it was just a cruel game to make Ron worry even more about Hermione. After all, Ron knew Hermione to be careful and he definitely expected her to be even more careful given the world they had been living in. He couldn't imagine she would have put herself in a position to get pregnant.

Still a small part of him had to acknowledge that Nott may not be lying and, if that was the case, it opened a whole new set of problems to Ron and Hermione.

Truthfully, Ron wasn't sure what they would do if Hermione was actually pregnant. They would have to go into hiding, of course, if Hermione wanted to keep the baby. This was no world to raise the child of a muggleborn and a blood-traitor in. This was no world to raise any children in.

However, if they somehow were able to survive everything and Voldemort was defeated, the thought of a fresh start and a new life being brought into the world did give Ron a glimpse of hope. Mostly fear at the idea, but hope at a future of some sort.

Ron's thoughts were interrupted by Neville flying out of the house and onto the porch, out of breath.

Ron instantly stood, thinking Neville had news about Hermione. "What's wrong, Neville?"

"Nothing! Brilliant news, actually!" Neville was grinning like a mad man.

Ron realized he couldn't remember the last time he had seen Neville smile, let alone the last time he had seen the other Gryffindor beaming.

"Hermione?" Ron couldn't hide the hopefulness in his voice.

Neville's grin dropped a bit. "Uh...no...sorry, mate. It's your sister."

"Ginny?" Ron asked, confused.

"I just got word from Kinglsey about her and George...I don't know how but they managed to break into a camp up north. They freed at least three hundred wizards and witches. They freed Hagrid and Slughorn. No word on the Sword yet but the hope is the more folks we can free the more likely someone will be able to get the sword," Neville explained.

"Wow...that's impressive," Ron couldn't hide the shock in his voice. He knew his sister was brilliant, but he didn't think what Neville was saying was possible after all he had been told and all he had seen at Hogwarts.

Neville nodded in agreement. "Given that news, Kingsley requested all the members of the Order, who are still free, to meet at the Burrow as soon as we can."

"The Burrow? Is that safe?" Ron asked.

"Since your parents were taken it's been abandoned. Reckon it's safe enough now especially with some charms. Nobody would think to look for anyone there." Neville explained.

Ron merely nodded, unsure what to say.

"So we should leave soon," Neville finally said.

"Leave?" Ron's eyesbrows screwed up. He couldn't leave. He was waiting to hear back from Nott, waiting on news on Hermione.

Neville nodded, equally confused by Ron's response.

"I can't leave...I need to wait to hear about Hermione..." Ron said.

"Ron...that may take longer then you think, if it happens at all," Nevill said.

Ron narrowed his eyes at Neville. "You said we could trust Nott..."

Neville nodded. "And we can...as much as we can trust any Death Eater's son but...doesn't mean Draco will agree-"

"I'm staying right here until I hear something about Hermione," Ron said simply.

Neville nodded after a long moment. He seemed to understand and he knew there was no way to move Ron's decision on that.

"You should go though," Ron added.

Again Neville nodded. "Good luck, Ron."

"Thank you," Ron said, hoping Neville realized he was thanking him for so much more than his kind words. Ron knew he wouldn't have stood a chance of finding Hermione without Neville.

Neville gave a small smile of understanding and without another word, disapparated, leaving Ron alone again on the porch of Shell Cottage.

Once he was alone again, Ron sighed, his thoughts drifting to his sister and brother and what Neville had told him they had done. If it was true, and Ginny and George had been able to free one of the camps and free their allies, maybe there was hope that things were changing and they could still win. Maybe there was hope for a future with Hermione as long as he could save her.

As if the thought of Hermione triggered something, a small orb suddenly appeared in front of Ron. Ron, knew instantly what it was. It was a message from Nott.

The orb's color changing from green to blue to red and finally back to green. Then Nott's voice cracked the silence of the air telling Ron to come meet him and that he had good news.

Hermione laid on her small bed with her eyes locked on the caged window that kept her captive at Malfoy Manor. Her one arm snaked around her flat stomach, her thoughts about the baby inside and the hope that she would be one step closer to being free. She knew moving in with Theodore Nott was a risk and that she really had no reason to trust Draco Malfoy, other then the fact that he seemed keen on keeping her alive until he knew she would be of no use to him. Still, that gave her time to formulate a plan while her pregnancy continued.

Now that there was hope that she would actually be able to have her baby Hermione's thought had shifted a bit. Since she first found out she was pregnant, the only thing she could think about was trying to convince Draco to let her keep the baby and now that he was giving her an opportunity to, she realized she was about to be a mother in a few short months. A single mother at twenty whose bloodline put in danger in the middle of a post war society that wanted her dead.

She knew now her focus had to strictly be on survival for both her and her child. If she was able to get away from Theodore Nott she needed to be able to go into hiding and keep her baby safe. She no longer wanted to be accountable to anyone but herself, especially if Ron was gone.

The door to bedroom swung open, causing her to jump a little and sit up, turning quickly to see Draco striding into the room.

"I just spoke with Nott. We will be moving you to his living accommodations tomorrow evening," Draco said flatly.

Hermione just nodded.

Draco snorted, rolling his eyes. "Is that all I get for allowing you a chance to have this blood traitor's baby? A nod? Come now, Granger, be a little more grateful."

Hermione set her jaw, annoyed with Draco but also not wanting to test the fragile promise they had between them. Through gritted teeth she smiled. "Thank you, Malfoy."

"See? That wasn't so hard," Draco sneered. "Now, as far as tomorrow goes...I will have to transfer your ownership to Nott."

Hermione's brow furrowed at Draco's words and Draco pointed to his family crest burned into Hermione's arm, reminding her that was how her ownership would be transferred.

"Oh...right," Hermione's eyes fell to the Malfoy Crest on her arm, realizing soon it would simply be replaced by Nott's. She would always belong to someone.

"Once that is completed you will leave with him...and the same rules apply to him that applied to me. You belong to Nott after that. You will obey his every whim...regardless of what they may be." Draco said cryptically.

Hermione swallowed hard at Draco's words, wondering if Nott would treat her worse then Draco had. She did not know Theodore well enough to know how he would act toward her or what he would expect. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean she would be off limits for him or his desires.

Hermione shuttered at the worst-case thoughts that flooded her mind as to what Theodore Nott would expect of her.

"Do you understand?" Draco's words snapped her back to reality.

"Yes..." Hermione's voice was hardly a whisper.

"Good. Now-" Draco started but was cut off suddenly as the door to Hermione's room was thrown open with such force that it nearly fell off its hinges.

Both Hermione and Draco locked eyes with a deranged Lucius Malfoy standing in the doorframe. His eyes bloodshot, and his hair hanging in long strands in his face. Hermione could smell the foul odor of stale liquor wafting off Lucius and it took every ounce of strength she had to not be sick from the stench.

"Getting rid of Potter's filthy mudblood already, son?" Lucius slurred his words as he made his way into the room, his mouth moving into a devilish grin as he eyed Hermione on her bed.

"It's not your concern," Draco tried to sound stern but Hermione could hear his voice crack and realized it was in fear of his father.

Suddenly, Hermione felt very unsafe and she moved across the room, surprising herself as she moved behind Draco's frame as if he could or would protect her.

"She's still Malfoy property. If you don't want her, maybe I do..." Lucius pointed to the Malfoy Crest on Hermione's arm.

"That's not how that works. She's mine," Draco said, surprising Hermione further as he actually did put an arm out in front of her in an attempt to keep his father from her.

Lucius was now nearly in Draco's face. "Just because the Dark Lord sees you more fit as Head of this House, doesn't mean I am not a master in my own right."

Hermione's brow furrowed at Lucius' words, though they did make sense. She had never really put it truly together but Draco did seem to be running the home now.

"You've been drinking. Go sleep it off," Draco told his father.

These words seemed to only trigger Lucius and in one strong swing he struck Draco straight across his face, knocking the blonde to the floor.

Hermione's eyes grew wide in fear as they moved from a dazed and bleeding Draco on the floor to Lucius who was now grabbing her by both shoulders.

"I can't imagine you're that filthy...Potter didn't keep complete trash along side him, did he?" Lucius threw Hermione down on her bed and quickly followed her frame, grabbing at the bottom of her dress and yanking it up.

"Please! Please, no!" Hermione cried out in pure panic as her throughts moved quickly to the very real possibility that Lucius would rape her.

As she thought about it, she found it ironic. She had feared Draco so and yet he had actually kept her alive and now, when she was so close to getting out, Lucius would be the one to violate her.

"Cry a bit more, mudblood...it will make this so much sweeter," Lucius was climbing up Hermione now, his hand grabbing her breast.

Hermione closed her eyes and felt the tears flow down her cheeks as a small sob escaped her lips, the feeling of Lucius' hands snaking down her body toward her bare thigh making her sick to her stomach.

She wanted to die. She wanted to be anywhere then where she was. She couldn't protect herself, she couldn't protect her baby from Lucius' perverted thoughts and she knew in moments her life would forever be changed, warped even more then it already had been by whatever Lucius would do to her.

But then, as suddenly as Lucius had moved on her, she felt the weight of his body leave her own and heard a clear thud as something heavy hit the floor.

Hermione opened her eyes, expecting to find that Draco had managed to save her from his father, which in itself was a mad thought, so she was completely stunned to see Draco still on the floor, craddling a bloody cheek bone in his hand, while Narcissa Malfoy stood in the doorframe, her wand still trained on her husband.

Narcissa had saved Hermione. She had cast Lucius off of her and in the process, knocked Lucius unconscious to the floor.

"I want the mudblood out of here tomorrow. I won't allow anymore blood on our hands here," Narcissa said coldly to Draco, completely ignoring Hermione's shaking form on the bed.

Draco slowly got to his feet, nodding as he wiped the blood from his cheek. "She will be."

"Until then, I suggest you keep an eye on her," Narcissa motioned to Hermione.

Again Draco nodded.

Narcissa then looked at Hermione for a mere moment before waving her wand to float Lucius out of the room and locking the door behind her, leaving Draco and Hermione alone. Hermione couldn't help it. There has been something there in Narcissa's eyes, some sort of understanding or empathy that certainly didn't fit the Malfoy reputation.

Hermione slowly sat up, her entire body still shaking from fear and adrenaline. She wiped her tears off her cheeks in silence, trying to calm herself down as she watched Draco.

Draco moved his hand to his pockets and looked away from Hermione, clearing his throat. "My mother should be able to keep him at arms distance tonight, however, I will stay here tonight and keep an eye on you."

Hermione was taken back by his offer and half ashamed with herself that it actually did make her feel a little safer. After all, he was her captor, and he was still Draco Malfoy, the boy who had spent nearly a decade calling her names, making school so unpleasant for her and so many others and yet the world had become so absolutley unrecognizable now that he was a strange sense of comfort to her in that moment. "Um...thank you."

Draco merely snorted, still avoiding eye contact with her. "I told you, Granger, you're worth far more alive to my mother and I...for now."

Hermione just nodded, quickly remembering Draco Malfoy did nothing from the goodness of his heart but if he would keep her safe for the night, it was good enough for her in the moment.

Ron arrived back at Nott's flat and knocked on the door, glancing around nervously in case anyone saw him. But in a few seconds the doors open and Theodore Nott stood there, yanking Ron into the flat quickly and closing the door behind him.

"Did anyone see you?" Nott asked.

Ron shook his head. "I was only out there a moment or two."

Theodore nodded, seeming satisfied.

"So what is the news?" Ron asked, getting straight to the point.

"Draco has agreed to turn Granger over to me." Nott said simply.

"What?! Really? When?" The questions rambled out of Ron's mouth as the relief and excitement rose in his chest. He was getting Hermione back.

"Tomorrow."

"Why did Draco agree to this?" Ron asked after a long moment, unable to shake the notion that this was all to good to be true.

"For the same reason I've been telling you all long. We all want reassurances... we want to know, if things should change, that you all remember we helped you." Nott said.

"And if they don't change, and you never need that from us?" Ron pushed.

"Well then, consider yourself lucky...but I don't think that will be the case, not forever...no matter what it seems like now," Nott said cryptically.

Ron merely nodded and then cleared his throat, changing the subject. "How will all of this with Hermione happen?"

"I will meet with Draco tomorrow and he will transfer ownership of Granger to me. He thinks I plan on keeping her, at least until she has her child." Nott said.

Ron swallowed hard at the mention of Hermione's supposed pregnancy. If it was true, he knew it was his child and he knew he had no clue what they would do about it.

Nott didn't seem to notice Ron's change in demeanor and continued. "I, however, will then transfer ownership of Granger to you. Since she has been captured she has to belong to a pureblood family now or the curse of the Crest on her skin will kill her but nobody said what the specifications that mean the Weasley's are purebloods it should be a non-issue."

That notion made Ron extremely angry and almost sick to his stomach. Hermione was no one's property. She was a person, a smart and phenomenal and capable witch. The thought of anyone reducing her to anything less then that made him want to break Nott's nose.

"What happens when Draco realizes Hermione isn't with you anymore?" Ron asked.

"I'll worry about that if I need to. Right now, just make sure you have the money before I meet with him," Nott said.

"I already do," Ron told him, patting a pocket on his jacket.

Nott nodded. "Brilliant! You're welcome to stay here tonight so you know exactly what's going on."

"I wasn't planning on leaving." Ron said simply. When he was this close to getting Hermione back he would not leave anything up to chance. Nott would not leave his sight until he went to get Hermione.

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare of the replay of Lucius' attack on her, though in her dream Narcissa did not save her and that thought was what flung her awake.

Instantly, she felt sick to her stomach. She scrambled out of her bed, fumbling her way in the dark toward the door leading to the lavatory. She could hardly see anything in the room and had no idea what the large, solid object she kicked in front of the door was until it groaned.

"Bloody hell, Granger..." Draco mumbled from his spot leaning against her door. He had not left her since his father had attacked her, though at some point he must have fallen asleep.

Hermione continued on her way to the toliet without a word to him, her hand over her mouth in hopes of stopping herself from being sick as she heard Draco's foot steps following after her.

Hermione made it just in time, getting sick multiple times before even daring to lift her head away from the toliet. When she finally did, she saw Draco in the reflection of the mirror standing in the doorframe, staring at her in utter disgust.

Hermione glared at him back through the mirror. "I didn't ask you to stand there and watch."

"And risk my father finding you alone out here? Not likely...though I do think Mother handled him, at least for the evening." Draco said.

The thought of Lucius made Hermione's stomach turn again and the morning sickness hit her for a second round. This time when she looked up, Draco was tossing a rag at her to clean herself up.

"I can't believe you would let Weasley's parisite make you so ill, Granger. I thought you were smarter than this." Draco said.

Hermione's hand instantly moved to her stomach, as if to protect the child growing within from Draco's words. "It's not a parasite, it's a child."

"Call it what you'd like, just clean yourself up." Draco said.

Hermione slowly got to her feet and washed her mouth and face. When she was done, she sighed, leaning over the sink. She was utterly exhausted.

"You need to get back into your room. It's safer for you there," Draco said.

Hermione sighed again, closing her eyes. "I need a moment to gather myself."

Hermione's words seemed to only annoy Draco who rolled his eyes and then without a word, picked Hermione up.

Hermione was in utter shock and quickly tried to get out of Draco's grasp. "Let me go!"

Feeling her push off him he quickly dropped her out of his arms but made sure she landed on her feet.

"I was trying to help you back to your room," Draco explained why he had picked her up, annoyance dripping from his voice.

"I can walk just fine," Hermione said quickly.

Draco looked back down the hall as if he was worried his father would show up before turning back to Hermione. "Well, you weren't moving."

Hermione glared for a moment but the glare eventually led to a sigh as she knew Draco was right. She was exhausted.

"Just make sure I don't trip on my way back," Hermione said as she moved past Draco and slowly back to her room.

Draco snorted as he followed behind Hermione, catching the first glance of the bossy, smart Gryffindor he had remembered from Hogwarts for the first time since she had arrived at the Manor.