The Decree (But Why ME?)

The battle was raging all around, both sides losing members as they dropped due to spells or animal attacks. While it appeared all three Malfoys were unarmed and solely looking for one another it was not true. In the case of Lucius Malfoy he continued to throw deadly curses at those on the side of the light when he thought no one was looking. A frizzy head of brown hair bumped into him- it was Harry Potter's good friend Hermione Granger, dodging a dangerous looking beam of light. The senior Malfoy pushed her off of him with a sneer and she tumbled to the ground, her wand bouncing out of her reach. She turned around with wide eyes full of terror to see Lucius begin casting a dark spell that would undoubtedly end her life on that battlefield.

Draco ran haphazardly through the crowds of people, dodging spells blindly just trying to reunite with his family. He had not spotted his mother or father anywhere and with all the death around him he was starting to doubt he could ever see them alive again when through a gap in the fighting bodies he saw his father standing over someone, about to kill them. Pushing himself forward, time seemed to slow as he realized that the person facing death by his father's hand was no other then the mudblood that hung around with Potter and the Weasel. Memories of her seemed to flash before his eyes as he sprinted towards the two.

Bumping into each other on the train, her bright eyes full of excitement and wonder only to have him roughly push past her with a blank look on his face. Her sitting beneath the sorting hat with him half hoping she would get into Ravenclaw but his heart sinking when it called out Gryffindor. Sneaking in to see her after she was petrified and getting too scared at her stiff form so he fled the hospital wing. Him calling her a mudblood and her eyes filling with tears. Her punching him. At the ball during the triwizard tournament in which she looked so beautiful even he couldn't think of an insult but her being at the side of Viktor Krum leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Being a part of the inquisitorial squad and catching Dumbledore's Army in action but seeing her rebellious glare making his heart race. The bitter absence of her in sixth year due to his task. The worse feeling when on the run and completely alone. Seeing her determined face returning to school, giving him hope

In an instant he knew what he had to do. He saw a wand laying on the ground nearby and picked it up. There was only one spell he knew that could prevent the curse his father was using from hitting the girl so with resolve he used a cutting charm on his hand and let his blood drip to the ground as he ran in front of her, casting a strong shield using the blood magic his insane aunt had taught him when he was in training to become a death eater. Hermione looked shocked as the glowing dome around her and Draco Malfoy of all people absorbed the spell released from the elder Malfoy's wand. Due to Draco's grim face she knew it's effects were not over and suddenly a surge of energy accompanied with a beam of light matching what was absorbed by the shield was released right into Lucius's chest. Blood flowed from his mouth as he glared at his son, his body weakening causing him to begin to collapse. His last words caused Draco to wince as if physically sliced open. “Blood Traitor. ”

Hermione shakily got up and brushed off her clothes before picking up her wand. “Thank you” she said quietly to her unlikely savior and he just looked into her brown eyes for a second before replying. “Don't mention it. I mean that. Don't mention this ever. ” Draco tossed away the wand he had used that was coated in his blood. He then picked up his father's knowing it would work fine for him since he was the one to defeat it's previous master. Hermione watched him as if he was a puzzle she could attempt to figure out but Draco only glared at her. “Don't you have something else you could be doing rather then checking me out?” He said tiredly before turning around and moving through the crowd in search of his mother, completely missing the flush of anger and embarrassment on Hermione's cheeks.