#hdth24

“What?” She could feel her face sweating and she felt like she would be sick.

 He noticed her complexion pale at this thought and pulled her tight against him in a warm embrace. He wanted to hold her there against him forever.

 “It will be okay. Last time, we went wrong by being trapped inside the manor. This time, we need to pull them out to us where we can control where we are and not have the threat of being confined to a room.”

 She nodded her head in agreement. It made sense to her but she was terrified. She was so afraid of something happening to them. She couldn’t live without Draco and as soon as the thought hit her mind, she knew deep down that she did love Draco. She finally admitted it to herself and her eyes filled with tears.

 “Draco, I love you.”

 He pulled back from her and he looked deep into her eyes. He could feel his heart beating rapidly inside his chest and he wished they were anywhere in the world but there.

 “Hermione, we are going to be fine. We will make it through this. Together.”

He cleared his throat, his emotions were starting to overwhelm him.

 He continued, “You don’t have..”

He was cut off by Hermione placing a soft kiss on his lips.

 “I know and I’m not saying it because we might die. I am saying it because it’s true and I want you to know how I feel.”

 She smiled softly at him.

 “I love you too.” He said simply and they kissed each other again.

 When they broke the kiss, they both knelt down and started devising a plan. They had to be smart and they had to trust each other. Thankfully they had both.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 Hermione stepped out of the trees and she pushed Draco in front of her while holding her wand against his neck. She was pressing it hard into his neck as she pushed him further away from the trees and closer to their final destination.

 “I have your boy!!” She yelled.

 She waited a minute and just when she didn’t think anyone heard her, she saw a thin, pale, blonde man step out of the front doors of the manor. He slowly walked towards them until he was about halfway between them and the broken-down house.

 “Stop right there!” She yelled at him and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

 Lucius Malfoy grinned devilishly at her.

 “What exactly do you want Ms. Granger?” He spoke clearly and loud enough for her and anyone inside to hear him.

 She noticed other death eaters slowly started making their way out of the building and slinking their way forwards.

 She pushed Draco to his knees and jabbed him in the neck again with her wand which made him groan in pain.

 “You all stay back! Stop where you are!” She screamed.

 Lucius put his hand up and they all stopped moving. He motioned to Hermione, “What exactly do you think you are accomplishing here?”

 “Tell all of your buddies to join us outside. ALL OF THEM.” She said through gritted teeth.

 “Or what?” He asked calmly.

 Hermione cocked her head and whispered a spell under her breath. It looked as if sparks shot from the end of her wand and into Draco’s neck causing him to scream out in pain.

 “Or I kill him!” She shouted loudly at Lucius over Draco’s moans and screams of pain.

 “Okay, okay!” He shouted back and waved at the house.

 She broke the spell and Draco slumped over slightly with a small groan. He was breathing heavily and sweating. He stayed motionless while the other death eaters slowly came out of their hiding places and all joined together behind Lucius.

 “They’re all out here. Now what?” He asked with a sneer.

 Hermione once again hit Draco with the spell and he screamed out in agony. She stared at Lucius and could see an internal struggle happening. She kept her wand placed firmly against Draco’s neck and she could feel the heat from the sparks coming off her wand and entering his neck, burning his flesh and magically sending searing pain through his body.

 It was a torture spell that she read about but had never intended to use on anyone. Unfortunately, circumstances forced her to do things that she never dreamed possible. The spell is supposed to feel like lightning being sent into your body and electrocuting you all over and burning the flesh from the inside out.

 “Stop! I did as you asked!” Lucius yelled at her.

 She pulled her wand away and Draco fell forward onto his chest. He laid unmoving on the ground, breathing heavily.

 “I said ALL of your buddies!” She yelled angrily at him.

 “I assure you, this is everyone.” He replied calmly, waving his hand towards the death eaters.

 “Really?” She responded with an angry look.

 She yanked Draco back up to his knees and placed her wand against his neck again. Just as she was about to start the spell again, she heard Lucius start to move towards her. She looked up at him and pointed her wand at him. He stopped walking and held his arms up in defense.

 “I said, EVERYONE!” She yelled.

 He let his arms drop and he looked around.

 “This is everyone. Perhaps you could just tell me who you are looking for.”

 A dark figure emerged from the manor.

 “I believe she is looking for me.” The figure said clearly.

 Voldemort had finally come out of hiding. He wore a dark robe and he grinned menacingly at her. He slowly walked forward with bare feet and eventually stopped just ahead of Lucius.

 “What do you want child?” He spoke to her.

 She whispered something inaudible and Draco disappeared with a loud pop.

 The crowd gasped and Lucius looked shocked.

 “Where is he? What did you do with him? He shouted at her.

His calm demeanor was starting to fall apart. His hair was now starting to fall from place and into his face.

 Hermione shrugged her shoulders and smirked in a way that would make Draco proud.

 “If anything happens to me, you will never find him.”

 Voldemort and Lucius both raised their wands towards her.

“What makes you think that we care about what happens to the boy?” Voldemort said matter of factly.

 Lucius glanced briefly at his master in question but returned his gaze to Hermione.

 “Is that how you feel about all of your death eaters or just the ones who are sons of disappointments?” She looked pointedly at Lucius.

 “How dare you, you filthy little mudblood!” Lucius yelled at her.

 Voldemort raised his hand to quiet him.

 “Tell me, girl. What is the plan here? You cannot hope to defeat all of us and holding a boy hostage isn’t enough to ensure your safety or a getaway.”

He smiled a crooked evil grin at her. He knew there was no way for her to win. One girl against an army of death eaters wasn’t exactly a fair fight and they all knew it.

 Hermione slowly started to back away. She wanted to put some distance between herself and the army in front of her. She held her head high and never showed them the fear that she felt gripping her emotions.

 “Where do you think you’re going, you little bitch!” Lucius yelled at her.

 She paused. She suddenly felt anger surge inside of her. She locked eyes with Lucius and it took all self-control not to let her rage take over and kill him on the spot.

 “If anyone is the bitch here…” She paused for a moment before continuing, “It’s you.”

 She grinned like a joker as she saw his anger boil over. He started to march towards her when she put up a hand to stop him.

 “Only I know where your son is. Do you really want him to disappear forever because that is what will happen if you hurt me.”

 He stopped walking again and if looks could kill, she would be dead. He was beyond furious. She wasn’t sure that he truly cared at all about what would happen to Draco but now she knew. Maybe it was because he was his only child or maybe it was because he didn’t want to have to deal with Narcissa if she lost her child. Either way, it was working in her favor. For the moment.

She wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep them at bay but she didn’t think she had much time left.

 Just as she thought her plan had failed, she saw a shimmer from one of the broken windows of the manor. It was the signal.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 Earlier that day…

 “Draco, I don’t think I can do that.”

They were holding each other's hands tightly and looking intently at each other.

 “Hermione, you are the strongest person I know and I know that you can do this.”

He pulled her into a hug and lowered his voice.

 “I trust you. This is the only way to pull this off.”

 She nodded her head and tears fell silently down her cheeks. She pulled back from the hug and kissed him again. Her tears fell from her eyes and hit his face, leaving trails of water down both their faces.

“This is how we trick them. They are too smart for anything else and this is how we can get our friends out. We need all of them if we have any chance at beating them.”

 She nodded again. She felt like she couldn’t talk, her emotions were overwhelming and she felt a lump in her throat. She cleared her throat and pulled away from him.

 “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t know if I can do that.”

 He grabbed her hands back into his and squeezed tightly.

 He sighed. “I don’t want this any more than you do but we need them to believe that we are against each other. We need them focused on you so I can get inside and release everyone.”

 She took a deep breath and she wiped the tears away. She had to be strong for both of them. This was the only way for them to have even the slightest chance of making it out alive. They knew they couldn't face everyone by themselves, they needed help. This was how they would get it.

 He could see that she was accepting the plan and knew she would pull it off. He just had to be able to be tortured a bit without breaking and then get in without being seen. If all went according to plan, they would deceive everyone into thinking he was taken by her. Then while they were distracted by her, he would be inside releasing all their friends. Together, they could take the battle outside the manor and hopefully end this once and for all.

 Draco pressed his lips tight against hers. They started kissing each other frantically like it was the last time they would ever see one another. They pressed their bodies tightly together and he tangled his hand in her long brown curls, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.

 He wished so desperately for them to be anywhere else in the world. He wanted so badly to make love to her right then and now but knew they had more important things to deal with.

 He broke away from the kiss and they were both out of breath. They still had their hands on each other and their faces were hot with passion.

 “When this is all over, I am taking you to my bed and never letting you leave.” He smirked at her.

 She grinned like a fool and felt a familiar flutter low in her belly. She wanted him badly but knew it would be a mistake to try and be intimate in their current situation. She took a deep breath and pulled back a little to put some much-needed space between their bodies.

 “I’ll hold you to that.” She said huskily and bit her lip.

 Draco stood up and grabbed her hand to pull her up in front of him. They had been crouched down behind the trees and bushes while they laid out their plan. Now it was time to put their plan into action.

 Draco never let go of her hand. He squeezed it tightly again and started to turn towards the manor when Hermione stopped him.

 “Wait.” She said. She looked him deep in his beautiful eyes, “I love you Draco Malfoy.”

They smiled at each other.

 “I love you too Hermione Granger.”

He placed a quick peck on her lips and then they started to walk together towards the manor and out of their hiding place. It was time.

 *****     *****     *****     *****     *****

 As soon as she saw the flicker of light from the window, she knew their plan had worked and it was all worth it. Even if they didn’t make it out, their friends were free and that’s all that mattered. Everyone now had a chance. No more being trapped and tortured. No more being beaten down by the bad guy. This was their chance to finally end things.