You Raise Me Up

The reviews I have gotten so far are amazing and encouraging. I will warn you, full-blown smut may be a little while coming...hee...coming...get it...get-...never mind...ANYWAY...but I will make sure you get your fill of Draco and Hermione...naked...at some point...just not together...yet.
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Draco stepped back after Hermione’s lips left his.

“Merlin’s dangling balls, Granger…you’re a pretty good kisser…” he said softly.

Hermione was too busy dancing to notice Draco’s words. “We killed him, we killed him, ol’ snake-face is dead. He’s dead, he’s dead…” she sang, laughing as an Auror tackled a stray Death Eater to the ground.

Harry stepped away from Voldemort's body, and looked around for the young witch who had just given him the secret to winning. He saw her currently dancing like a madwoman in front of a bemused-looking Draco and Lucius Malfoy, both in Death Eater garb, minus the mask. He then saw her take Draco’s hands in her own and start to do a wild waltz. Draco nearly tripped over his own feet in shock.

“Granger! Will you unhand me?! I am not your personal dance partner!” he cried, and nearly tumbled again when she let him go.

“Miss Granger, do calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself…and we all know what a shame that would be…” drawled Lucius, pushing his long blonde hair from his face. Hermione seemed to realize where she was at the moment, and slowed her dancing. Draco’s breath almost caught in his throat as he looked at her. Her face was flushed pink, and her chest was rising and falling quickly, out of breath from the dancing.

“Sorry…I got carried away in the moment…” she said. She noticed Draco’s silver eyes had lowered, and were presently resting on her chest. “Draco?” she said. His head snapped up, and he looked at her. She gave him a curious look, and then turned to the elder Malfoy, who was at present unfastening the tie of his Death Eater robes. “Um…sir?” she asked, her Gryffindor courage leaving her quickly.

“Yes, Miss Granger?” he asked, flinging the robes aside. He was also wearing the skin-tight leather armor, and didn’t look half bad either…she wondered briefly what was under that armor…

“Granger! Stop ogling my father….it’s disturbing enough when my mother does it…” came Draco’s voice.
She shrank slightly as Lucius gave a deep chuckle.

Harry noticed that Lucius’ lips had moved, and Hermione seemed to try and make herself smaller. He quickly made his way to the three.

“Where did you learn that spell? Why was it the only one that would work?” she asked. Lucius looked at her.

“Ask my son…it was his own design, after all…” he said, loosening his hand guards. Harry reached the group.

“You came up with that spell?” Hermione asked, and looked at Draco. Draco grinned arrogantly.

“Of course…I spent months perfecting it. I made sure it could cut through any defensive spell, with the immediate effect of the Killing Curse. A…super hex, if you will.” Draco said, actually looking very pleased.

“Wait a minute….wait one bloody minute!” Harry cried. He looked at Hermione angrily. “You mean that spell that you told me to use was Malfoy’s design? What if it had killed me? Where would we be then?” he said, looking hurt that his friend would risk his life so thoughtlessly.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time…” she said softly, looking like a berated child. Harry rolled his eyes.
“It doesn’t matter now! He’s gone and you’re not! Oh, I can’t wait to get home to my parents! They’ve been worried sick with this stupid war going on!” she squealed, and clapped her hands together happily. Harry’s face turned very grave.

“I don’t believe that will be happening.” He said. Hermione looked at him.

“What? Of course it is! I’m going home and I’ll hug Crookshanks, and my mum and dad, and I’ll tell them this stupid war is finally over!” she said. Lucius strained to keep a neutral face. He knew that the proverbial shit was about to hit the fan.

“I…don’t….quite know how to tell you this….Mione…” Draco watched Potter fish for words. “Before the battle began…there was a desperate search for…anything…that would bring me down. They went after my friends…the Weasleys couldn’t be touched…their home was warded against it…but yours…was not.” He said, looking at her.

“Harry that’s a terrible thing to say!” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “How could pull a joke like that?!” she cried. “I’m going to go home and my mum and dad will be there…” she said.

“No…they will not. You can’t even go home…” he said.

Draco watched her face intently. There was something in her eyes that he had seen time and time again. Sorrow. He felt his chest tighten slightly as tears spilled down her face.

“Why? Did they burn it down, or something?” she asked, bitterly sarcastic. She saw the look on Harry’s face, and burst into full-blown sobs. “No! No…” she howled. “I have nothing…I have nothing…” she looked around, her eyes wild. Harry put his hand on her shoulder. She suddenly rounded on him, and pushed him away. “No! This is your fault! If you hadn’t…hadn’t….pissed him off…none of this…my parents…” she couldn’t string the words together, because she knew they weren’t true. Harry had nothing to do with this, and she knew it. She needed someone to blame.

Draco spoke up. “You have your friends, Granger…” he offered gently. She then rounded on him.

“Don’t you talk to me you evil spawn of Satan!” she screamed, and her hand connected with his face.

“Ow! Holy shit, Granger!” he cried, his own hand coming to his face to soothe the sting. Even Lucius’ eyes widened slightly at the force behind the blow. To be such a small thing she had a very powerful arm. He would have to remember that.

“Don’t talk to me, you bloody twit!” She sobbed. She stared straight into Draco’s silver eyes. Draco had never been stared down like this, but something told him that if he looked away bad things might happen. Her lower lip quivered, and suddenly she sat on the ground, sobbing openly again. “My family…my home…my things…all gone…all gone…”

An Auror appeared at Harry’s side. He glanced warily at Lucius and Draco. “Everything all right here, Potter?” he asked. Harry looked at Hermione. He spotted Lucius and Draco and pulled his wand.

Lucius held up his hands in surrender, but the Auror cast a spell anyway, knocking the older man to the ground with a decidedly hard ‘thump.’

“Hey!”

“Oi!”

Draco and Hermione looked at each other. They had just voiced their fury simultaneously. “Why do you protest, Granger?” Draco asked, watching as the Auror used an unnecessary amount of force to bind his father.

“He was-” hiccup “-surrendering…” she said. The Auror had magically bound Lucius, and had turned to Draco. Hermione watched as Draco tensed up, awaiting the same treatment as his father. The Auror raised his wand to cast his spell, but Hermione inexplicably found herself in front of the arrogant pureblood. “Wait!” she said, and gave another soft hiccup. The Auror looked annoyed.

“If you don’t get out of the way, Madam, I will have to move you personally. This is interference with justice…” he said.

Harry stepped forward. “If you touch a hair on Mione’s head I will personally end you. If I can kill Voldemort, just imagine what I could do with one lowly Auror…” He said, his voice decidedly dark.

“Malfoy isn’t…he’s…been helping us…you see…” Hermione lied, her voice acting before her brain could catch up. “For the past weeks…he’s been helping Harry and I…not even Ron knows…we helped him research the spell…without him Voldemort would still be alive…” she said. Harry’s eyes widened slightly. “Isn’t that right, Harry?” she asked, looking at her dark-haired friend. Harry looked at Hermione, and then at Draco, who looked as if someone had slapped him.

Harry looked at Draco, unable to speak. What was Hermione playing at? He looked at her, and saw the look of pleading panic in her eyes. “Er…yeah. We didn’t tell anybody. He went double-agent…helped us…all that jazz…” he said. The Auror looked at the two suspiciously, and then turned back to Lucius, who had been silent lest he incriminate his son.

Once the two had disappeared, Draco and Harry spoke up.

“Why did you help me?”

“Why did you help him?” the question was asked simultaneously. Hermione shrugged.

“Because you helped me. You didn’t have to knock me out of the way of that curse…” she said, her sorrow coming back to her in a nauseating wave. Harry looked at Draco.

“You saved her?” he asked. Draco nodded mutely, his eyes on Hermione the entire time. “Well…that was…nice…” he said softly.

Hermione looked around her, as if unsure of what to expect. This whole war…her parents…and now she had just helped Draco Malfoy, who still stood in his Death Eater garb, and he had saved her life…and they had kissed. She suddenly remembered the heat of his lips on hers, and laughed inwardly. He’d looked so awkward afterwards…and then she’d kissed him back after Voldemort had fallen. This whole day sucked. Her life sucked.

She started to take a step away, and found her feet didn’t work .The ground under her began to spin, and then rise up to meet her. She prepared for the blow, but never felt it. Two strong arms wrapped around her, and caught her.

She heard voices around her, but couldn’t make out the faces. She saw a blur of blonde, which she imagined was Draco, right above her, and heard his voice tell Harry to fetch a Healer. Then, her vision blacked out completely, and she knew no more.
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Please review. It feeds the plot bunnies...and they get so tired hopping around all day. How could you starve the bunnies...cruel, evil people...

BTW, Lucius says he loves your reviews. If you keep them coming...heh...he might be tempted to divest himself and dip his yummy parts in raspberry jam...and let each and every one who wants to lick it off...