All That You Are

Hermione stalked towards the Headmasters office, wringing her hands together in front of her nervously. She didn’t tell Draco that she was meeting with him, instead left a letter with Theo for whenever he was done with inspecting the Vanishing Cabinet. It took a while to convince him, but it was almost the last day of June and he needed to be doing something. Neither one of them could risk him not making progress. Hermione wasn’t sure if the spell that she cast while he was in the hospital wing had worked, and he hadn’t been to test it at all since then. Before she even stepped completely up to the statue, she watched as it unfurled on itself, leading her into his office. 

Dumbledore’s office always seemed cluttered in a heartwarming sort of way. Fawkes stand stood next to his desk, the Phoenix peeking up at her from underneath its wing. The lemon drops sitting in a bowl on his desk that was cluttered with all sorts of strange artifacts. He was standing, staring out his window when she approached, and turned to her with the strange twinkling behind his glasses at her approach. 

“Ah, Mrs. Granger. I was wondering when you would be coming to see me.” Her legs carried her towards the plush armchair in front of his desk and sat on the edge, clutching the edges of her robes in her hands. “I presume that you’re here about Mr. Malfoy and his task.”

The faintest tickle against her mind had her slamming her Occlumency shields into place and tilting her head to the side. “That depends…”

“On what, exactly?” There was a hint of curiosity burning in his eyes.

“What exactly are you going to do about it? If you were planning on doing anything at all. You see, I have noticed that there seems to be a…pattern. And I am rather curious as to whether or not you are going to uphold it. You know, curiosities…top of my class and all.” The implication hung in the air between them as he studied her behind the small glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. 

It was quiet, neither one of them speaking but Hermione held his stare feeling the brushes of his attempts to gain access to her mind. The corner of his mouth tilted up as he stood carefully glancing at the window again. It was late, and tomorrow signaled the end of another month and for some reason as she stared out at the sky an ominous feeling settled over her, as if there was something that was going to happen. The tiny sip that she had taken of the Felix Fatalis that she had obtained was steadily making its way from her system and yet she felt like she hadn’t achieved a thing that she came here for until suddenly the sound of the office door opening had her eyes drawn to she outline of a scruffy dark haired wizard. His eyes were wide at the sight of her and she furrowed her brows in confusion. 

“I know perfectly well what the intentions are and the implications held within them, Mrs. Granger. The question is…do you?” Her eyes narrowed as he stood, stepping over to the window before turning back towards the two of them. “Are you coming?” Hermione swallowed roughly, and with one last glance towards Harry tucked her arm into the crook of Dumbledore’s elbow just as Harry did the same on the other side. With the familiar tug at her navel, they disappeared.

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They landed roughly onto the Astronomy Tower, Harry clutching her tightly so that she didn’t stumble. One of the Inferi had managed to make her topple over, letting a sharp rock cut into her leg. The gash was thick, and she was attempting to ignore it since they hadn’t had time to heal it. Dumbledore glanced over at her, nodding once before turning back towards the entrance of the Astronomy Tower, where somebody was approaching. The soft sound of dragon leather on the stone steps had her inhaling sharply as the realization hit her just what it must mean. She raised her wand, muttering an apology before Stupefying Harry, hiding him underneath the cloak the best that she could where Dumbledore had pointed for her to. 

Draco came into view then, his face unreadable and as she met his eyes she knew that he was Occluding. A flicker of something passed in his eyes, as they scanned over her, settling on the blood that was leaking from her leg onto the floor. His nostrils flared and she quickly flicked her wand, disappearing the mess and a healing spell that knit the skin together quick enough to make her hiss. “Granger..”

“Draco…”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” It was angry, laced with something that she couldn’t put her finger on. 

“I-”

“Mrs. Granger was ensuring me of where her loyalties lie.” Dumbledore cut in and Hermione whirled around to stare at the old wizard wondering what he was implying. “Draco. I know what has been asked of you, what you must do. I am giving you a chance to make a choice. A chance that was never given to you before. Don’t let my death be in your hands.” Draco didn’t notice that Dumbledore had raised his wand and Hermione disarmed him, the wand flying into her hand.

A cackling sound came from behind them in the stairway and Hermione felt the familiar hum of her bond, eyes widening at the realization that Snape was coming up the stairs. Draco was staring at her with wide eyes. His whole body twitched, before suddenly he was yanking her towards him, holding her against his chest. Fingers twisted into the curls of her hair and he inhaled deeply, squeezing her tighter before whispering in her ear. “My aunt is coming up those stairs, Granger. I need you to fucking disappear, go somewhere, I don’t care. But you need to not be here when she reaches the top. Do you understand me?”

“Draco..”

“Granger. Please.” His Occlumency broke momentarily, she could tell by the way he had pleaded with her. The word falling from his lips like it was the last thing that he would ever say. She nodded into his chest, pulling back as she perched herself precariously on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his. Her fingers slipped into her robes, gripping the vial and shoving it into his fingers. 

“You were right when you said that you needed it and Potter stole the opportunity to win it. It’s here if you need it, Draco. I love you. No matter what. I love you so much.”

“Hermione…” It was a warning and she stepped from his embrace, scrambling to where Harry was and slipping under the cloak beside Harry just as Snape billowed up the stairs. Bellatrix was behind him, followed by a tall man that looked disgustingly unhuman. He was big and sniffed the air with a hint of curiosity as he looked around. Snape paused, faltering just barely as he stepped in front of where the ugly looking man would have looked directly towards her. Harry was still stupefied beside her, and she tried desperately to quiet her breaths. Bellatrix cackled, the sound echoing off the walls as the wind whipped violently outside of the tower. Her black hair was similar to hers in a way–curls with a mind of their own–but Bellatrix’s were filled with a volatile energy. Hanging limp and dead around her, like a walking tombstone, a pillar of death. Rotten teeth were exposed as she whispered into Draco’s ear, her pale fingers coming to grip his shoulder. Bellatrix leaned forwards, whispering something into his ear and Draco’s grip around his wand tightened. 

She wanted to rip the cloak off and scream at the vile woman to take her hands from him. 

Don’t let him do this, Dad. Please don’t let him give another piece of himself that he doesn’t have left to give. There has to be another way. 

Hermione watched Snape twitch, like he had been shot with an Avada before stepping next to Draco. Before Draco could even lift his wand, Snape lifted his and she watched as the green light erupted from the tip of his wand, striking Dumbledore in the middle of the chest. The man's eyes looked peaceful, as the scent of sulfur hung in the air around them, a lingering reminder of the Dark spell as the robes of Dumbledore’s body toppled over the edge of the Astronomy Tower. The breath that she had been holding was burning her lungs but she was terrified to release it in fear that a sob would reveal her hiding underneath the cloak. What would happen to Draco if she was revealed? What would happen now? What was she supposed to do? What were they all supposed to do?

Bellatrix cackled, spinning around and forcing the ugly man that she called Fenrir to follow with her, as she descended the steps. Random spells erupted from the end of her wand lighting the stairway and Draco stared at the spot where she was standing until the sound of his aunt had disappeared completely. Snape still stood there, staring at the edge of the Astronomy Tower before turning towards where she was standing. Quickly, he walked towards her and she ripped the cloak from off of her while they stared at one another. Without a word he pulled her towards him and she was enveloped in the distinct smell of him; moss, leather and the faintest hint of parchment. He always smelt like a potions classroom. 

“You foolish girl.” A hiss in her ear.

“I know. You have to go. Both of you, before they come back.” Snape stared down at her, lips pinched together. 

“There are detailed instructions with Theo. He is looking everywhere for you. Don’t daddle. Get with him immediately. Take that one with you…” He motioned over her shoulder towards Harry and she nodded. Surprising her, he leaned forwards and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head before staring at her one last time and turning quickly, his robes billowing out behind him. “You have two minutes, Draco.” Then he was gone, down the stairs. 

They stared at each other for a moment before she took a hesitant step towards him. “Draco?”

“Whatever you do, Granger. Don’t come back to the Manor. Stay away and fucking live.”

She stumbled backwards, feeling like she had been hit by a bludger. “No.”

“I’m not going to argue with you.”

She stepped closer, jutting her chin up towards him. “Neither am I, Malfoy. You don’t get to just think that you’re doing this by yourself. I have told you that already–”

“Stop!” His gray eyes were darkening, all resolve crumbling before her. “Stop, Granger. Stop trying to fucking save everybody. I’m not saveable.”

“You better be, Draco. You had better be saveable because if I have to go through everything that is yet to come only for you not to come out on the other side–then you had better hope that Voldemort is dead. You had better hope that we find all of his bloody Horcruxes. Because I promise you, Draco Malfoy, that if you do not make it out of this. If you do not fucking survive this, I will bring him back. I will bring him back just to kill him myself over and over again. I will find a way to bring that bastard back and make him pay. I will make him watch as I destroy everything that he worked so hard to build burns in front of him. You. Will. Survive.”

He was staring at her, before stepping forwards and kissing her so roughly that their teeth clicked together. It wasn’t soft and gentle, it was possessive, searing, rough. Claiming every inch of each other before he stepped away from her, physically tearing himself from her hold as he backed away from her. 

“You had better hope that you survive this too then, Granger. Otherwise I will do everything in my power to bring everybody along with me when I join you.” With one last stealing look, he turned and made his way down the stairs. Hermione turned and made quick work of bringing Harry back into the present, his green eyes blinking open with confusion.

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Hermione stared at the wall in the Weasley’s room, Theo tucked into the bed beside her. It had been a term; Voldemort didn’t trust her to go alone with Harry. And it was a reward for Draco’s accomplishment on the mission that Theo was allowed to go with Hermione. Theo and her were to report any and all developments back to the Dark Lord. Her fingers were twisted around the locket on her neck, playing with the metal beneath her fingers. She missed Draco terribly, and hadn’t seen him since that night in the Astronomy Tower, not in the same way anyways.

There weren’t any casualties besides Dumbledore that night, but that didn’t stop the Death Eaters from running rampant through the castle. There was destruction everywhere. The Great Hall had been destroyed, Bellatrix going inside and lighting most of the tables on fire, along with the banners for the classes. Bill Weasley had gotten scratched in the face by Fenrir, the big ugly brute. She had stood among Weasley's with Bill’s blood all over her hands from trying to hold his face together while they rushed him to the Infirmary. Thankfully, he wouldn’t transform but he definitely would be in pain. She was drenched in blood by the time that Theo had found her, cuts and bruises all over her skin from dodging spells and hurling some back. A deflected slicing hex from Bellatrix had gotten her across the arm, but it wasn’t until Theo came barreling into the Infirmary did she allow herself to collapse into him sobbing. Theo’s bright blue eyes seemed terrified, holding her up with Blaise, Pansy and Luna panting behind him. 

Theo had pulled her behind a curtained bed, casting a silencing charm around them as he held her, rocking them gently. Blaise silently stood guard while Pansy and Luna made their way towards the others in the Infirmary. He stroked her hair until she relaxed against him, small hiccups against his chest. “Let me see you.” He pulled away from her, looking over every inch of her face while gently healing the cuts and bruises across her face before glaring at the gash across her arm. “Who did this?”

“It was a deflected spell. Bellatrix was aiming for Lupin, I just came down the hallway at the wrong time.” She shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal. Theo had pressed his lips together. The note that he had explained what was expected of them, before bursting into flames after they read it, Snape’s handwriting curling into the fire. The pair had been able to go to the Manor, where they stood in front of Voldemort and recounted what had happened. He had dug into her mind so sharply and aggressively that she had a headache for two days afterwards. He had found what he wanted though; a carefully fabricated memory thanks to Narcissa. One where she showed glimpses and pieced together fragments of her tearing her way through the halls trying to find Theo and Draco. Holding Bill’s face together under her hands while they led him to the Infirmary. Under the Cruciartus Curse, she reinforced that her loyalties lied with him, that she had to make sure that she was trusted within the Order so that they didn’t expect anything. Hermione assumed that her persuasive efforts weren’t the best when Draco volunteered to have Theo go with her when she attended the wedding in the later months. 

Draco had been cold towards her, indifferent, and keeping his distance. It wasn’t until they were at the Weasley house, receiving strange looks from the redheaded clan for her silent brother following her around that she found out why. Everybody knew that she was Draco’s weakness, that she was the only thing that he cared about–and with Voldemort you couldn’t have any weaknesses. You couldn’t have a single thing that you loved or cared about in front of him because he would take it away so quickly that you wouldn’t be able to remember what it was like to love it in the first place. Draco couldn’t afford to have another weakness. Everybody knew that Theo would die for her, it wasn’t something that he tried to hide. But, everybody knew that Hermione would die for Theo. Them being partnered on the same case meant that if one lied, the other would die. There wasn’t any room for errors. The only way to protect one another was to ensure that they did their job correctly. It was a smart move on Voldemort’s part–for him to ensure that Hermione did what she was supposed to do. 

Narcissa looked horrible when she arrived at the Manor. The usually regal and put together woman was hiding tremors with her hands clasped together. The faintest twitch to the corners of her eyes when she met Hermione’s. Snape had looked impassive as ever, as though her writhing on the floor while pain tore through every nerve ending didn’t bother him–but Hermione could feel it. He opened up his bond any time that something like this happened so that he could feel every ounce of pain that flowed through her body. It was as if he wanted to ensure that she wasn’t alone. And whenever she pulled herself up on weakened, shaky legs she didn’t allow herself to fall. She didn’t allow herself to falter. Theo was always there to grip her arm tightly, and hold her up. They had been holding onto one another tightly while it felt like the world closed in around them. 

“What are you thinking about?” Theo’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to face him, tossing her legs across his lap. He rested his hand on her ankles, waiting patiently for her answer. 

She sighed, tilting her head back against the wall. “Everything, Theo.” She didn’t get a lot of time to elaborate before Ron flung the door open, narrowing his eyes at them. 

“Come on Mione’, we have a meeting.” Without another word, he stalked down the hallway towards the twisty stairs. 

Theo glared after him. “I hate that git.” 

Hermione huffed a laugh. “I’m aware. Come on.” Theo raised his brows but followed wordlessly behind her, entering the bustling kitchen. It was filled with Order Members. Bill was standing off to the side, and he motioned to an empty chair next to Fleur when she entered and she smiled at him. He was still ridiculously handsome, and ever since the Astronomy Tower fight they had gotten closer. Fleur was wonderful, an enigma; a light flowing woman, who was like a deadly dancer in a fight. The lovely french woman was hated by Molly Weasley until Fleur had blown up on her after a comment about her not wanting to marry Bill after his face was scratched. It only made Hermione hate the Weasley Matriarche more. 

Arthur, Tonks, Lupin, Sirius, Ron, Shackbolt, Moody–all of the normal Order members were gathered around the table and Hermione tucked herself in, Theo right behind her. Everybody was glaring at him until she cleared her throat, raising a brow around the room. Sirius smirked along with Tonks. They were all aware of her parentage, of who she usually spent her time around. After what happened at the Astronomy Tower, it was known that Snape had killed Dumbledore–and they knew that Hermione thought of him as her father. It made them all look at her differently. Moody stared at her with a clenched jaw. 

“The magic that is hiding Harry will end on his birthday. We will be moving him tonight here, to the Burrow. You will be teamed up with somebody under the guise of Polyjuice Potion. One person will assume Harry’s identity and the other will remain themselves.” 

“You can’t be serious.” The comment was out of Hermione’s lips before she even had the chance to stop it. All eyes turn to her, but Moody is the one to speak. 

“Is there something wrong with the plan?” 

“It’s just…that uh…Harry is never going to go for that. He’ll never allow any of us to put ourselves at risk like that. He’s not going to agree.”

Moody glared at her. “It doesn’t matter if he agrees. As I know you’re aware, Polyjuice only requires a lock of hair for it to work. This is about ensuring Harry’s safety. It doesn't matter whether or not he agrees to it.” Theo tenses behind her, and she feels his hand twitch against her arm. Hermione pinched her lips together, not wanting to escalate the unwanted opinions of everybody else around them. They listen to the rest of the plan in silence. “Now, we need volunteers.” Hermione’s hand shoots up, as Theo growled behind her, lifting his as well. 

“Fucking hell, Hermione.” He hissed into her ear. It didn’t matter. If Harry was going to be up in the air, then so was she. And deep down something told her that Draco would be there too. Moody eyed them both, before nodding.

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Harry was staring at them all with wide eyes. “Absolutely not. I won’t let you all sacrifice yourself for me.” Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped forwards but not before Theo did. He reached forwards, plucking one of Harry’s hairs from his head and stalking over to Moody. Harry glared after him. “Really, Nott?”

“I’m a Slytherin, I don’t need your permission, Potter. Besides, get over yourself. We’re all old enough to make our own decisions.” He dropped the hair into the potion and made his way back over to Hermione’s side and she elbowed him in the ribs. “Well, except for you it seems.”

“Alright. Now that is settled, we need to figure out who is riding with who. Who wants to be Potter for the night?” Hermione cringed but stepped forwards. Theo cursed, stepping out beside her. “Nott, you’re not old enough to volunteer.” 

Theo scoffed and rolled his eyes beside her. “I’m an Orphan, I can assure you that nobody is going to call the Ministry raising a riot if I die.” Hermione turned and glared at him. “Well, besides this one probably but that’s besides the point.”

“I’m surprised that you’re willing to even put yourself in harm's way, Death Eater.” Theo smirked at Ron and Hermione whirled around to glare at the redhead. 

“Technically, I’m the son of a Death Eater but if you wanted me to take my clothes off so that you could check for marks all you had to do was ask, Weasel. Although, you’re not really my type.” Ron paled and stepped away from him, mouth agape like a fish. Hermione choked on a laugh as Theo turned back to Moody. “Besides, all of you have been staring at me like I’m going to pull the bloody bastard out of my arse at any given moment. Whatever I have to do to assure you all that if Hermione is here, so am I. Where my sister goes, is where my loyalty goes. She is the only thing I give a rats ass about, let’s make no mistake there. But she cares for more of you in this room than I would care to admit, and that makes me obliged to ensure that while she is looking out for Potter’s back, that somebody is looking out for hers. I could care less if anybody is watching mine, but I promise you that so long as she is here, you have my word.” The room was silent for a moment, and Hermione was positive that she could only hear the beating of her heart thumping against her ribcage. 

“Alright then. Now that is settled, whose pairing with who?” Harry glared at Tonks who stepped forwards. 

Moody seemed to soften slightly at Theo, and turned towards the rest of the room. “Harry, you’ll be with Hagrid on his motorcycle–Sirius before you even start, every death eater out there knows that if given the choice that you would take the real Harry, which is exactly why you can’t–”

“I’ll go with Sirius.” Hermione voiced, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m rather fast with my wandwork and I don’t mind.”

“Absolutely not, if any Harry is going with Sirius it will be me. If Bellatrix is out tonight she will go straight for him and I am not leaving you to duel that psychotic woman.” Theo huffed beside her, and she opened her mouth to retort before Moody cut in. 

“That’s not a bad idea actually, Granger. I think that you would be a good fit with Sirius.” A cruel smile spread across his lips. “I’ve seen you duel, I think you’ll keep Bella busy enough for a distraction.” Theo flared his nostrils, clearly not happy with this outcome and glared at the man. “The groups go as follows: Tonks, you take Theo. Sirius and Granger, Hagrid and Harry, I’ll take Mundungus, Bill and Fleur, and Lupin. You can take Ronald with you. The twins will be split up, one with Arthur and one with Shacklebolt. Now, quit wasting time and let’s go.” 

Hermione grimaced as she swallowed the potion, before handing it off to Theo. “Well, at least you taste better than Crabbe and Goyle’s, Harry.” A sadness washed over her as she remembered Vincent’s death. It was crazy how they went from impersonating him under the guise of a Polyjuice potion, to him dying for her as somebody else under the same one. Harry rolled his eyes and Hermione turned, rummaging through the piles of clothes before shrugging on one of Harry’s black sweaters and blushed as she pulled out a pair of jeans. “Erm, well I really don’t want to do this part.”

Harry paled visibly, before staring at her with wide eyes. Theo on the other hand pulled the hem of the jeans he had just shucked on and stared down. “Not bad, Potter. Might be the Chosen One after all.”

Harry’s mouth dropped open and Hermione tried to pretend like she didn’t notice the strange feeling that was now between her legs. “Theo. Please hold something up so that I don’t have to stare at my best friends…” The words got caught in her throat and Theo-Harry laughed, pulling the glasses onto his face. 

“Fucking hell, Potter. Do me a favor and never lose your glasses in a wand fight with me. Blind as–” Hermione swatted him and he reached over, pinching her arm. “Well sister, look at us. A matching pair.” He beamed at her as Hermione shrugged the jeans on, before she reached under her shirt and unclasped her bra, dragging it through the sleeve and tucking it into the beaded bag that she had placed a magically undetectable enhancement charm on. 

Theo raised a brow at her before leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I will be climbing on the back with Sirius. Do NOT fight me on this please, there is no way that I am willing to let you get onto the back with somebody who is a damn death magnet.” 

Hermione pinched her lips together, pretending like she agreed when she knew well enough that there was no way she was going to allow Theo to be a magnet for everything that was coming his way. He had been that his whole life already. She failed to protect him from so much already. No. He wasn’t going to put himself directly into the line of fire. There wouldn’t be a rational thought that would go through her head if he was on the back of that Thestral with Sirius. Her eyes flicked up to Bill and then to Sirius, he furrowed his brows until she glanced at the man in front of her and then realization seemed to hit him as he nodded once. 

 “Alright, let’s go. All of you. We’re leaving.” Moody hit his cane on the floor and Hermione scrambled into the throng of people pushing out the door, leaving Theo-Harry to curse behind her. A smirk tugged at the corner of her (Harry’s) lips. Tucking the beaded bag underneath the black sweater, she waited patiently next to the Thestral for Sirius to show up. A few seconds later he was dashing towards her, a grin in place as he climbed on top offering his hand to her. She scrambled up behind him, just as Theo broke free from Fleur-Harry’s embrace. He was scowling at her, her name tumbling from his lips just as Sirius made the move for the Thestral to lift from the air. They were heading out before anybody else, which wasn’t the plan but that didn’t matter. As they started flying, more and more of them appeared around her, distant little shapes in the sky beside them. She could barely make out Tonk’s white hair in the darkness. 

Her heart calmed mildly, knowing that Theo was with her, and she kept tabs on Tonks from the corner of her eye. Until suddenly she couldn’t. The air around them seemed to thin, and she held her breath when suddenly dozens of Death Eaters appeared. Spells whizzed and swirled past her head as they flew, Sirius laughed. “Somebody gave us up, and something tells me it wasn’t the two of you.” 

Hermione whirled around at the sound of a broom flying through the air. “Avis.” She raised her wand and muttered the spell watching intently as a murderous flock of birds started to chase the Death Eater, pecking at him violently. He shot a spell at her and she threw up a Protego, blocking it as he lost control of his broom, tumbling downwards just as another rounded on her. “Stupefy.” Hermione wasn’t dumb. The Order might not want to cast Unforgivables, but she had been around Death long enough to know that there were other ways to defend yourself. Sometimes, if you didn’t do what you were willing to do to protect yourself–the person would get right back up and do what had to be done instead. Sometimes you had to make the decisions of whether or not what you were going to do was going to be the difference of life and death. The Death Eater that fell from his broom because of the Stupefy tumbled into the darkness below. 

“Good job kid!” The Thestrals wings came up and when they dropped back down, Hermione scrambled, jumping at the sight of the Death Eater that appeared but before she could do anything to counter the wizard lifting his wand, he was suddenly hit with a spell that was too familiar to her. Dozens of tiny cuts erupted across his chest, blood spurting as he slipped, falling into the darkness below his broom following after him. Her eyes searched the skies until she saw him, her bond humming within her as her eyes landed on him. He was perched on his broom, black robes billowing out around him, his beady eyes glaring at her before he zoomed off. She lifted her wand and continued flinging off spells into the darkness surrounding them as her fathers voice echoed in her head.

Keep your wand up, do not make me have to search the grounds for your body. 

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Theo was absolutely positive that he might murder his sister as soon as they touched down on the ground. The amount of Death Eaters swirling in the air around them was enough for his heart to pound. Tonks–he believes that’s what the strange-haired woman’s name was, is an experienced flier. They were soaring and expertly dodging and weaving through the air as he called spells around him. He didn’t cast Unforgivables (as requested by the bloody Order and their Morals), but he wasn’t being unfair with his spells either. He would be damned if he hit one of the Death Eaters with a mild stunner and they turned around and killed his sister. It wasn’t until he saw the familiar glistening silver mask that he knew belonged to Draco did he hesitate. Casting a wordless stinging hex at his ankle (a hard feat mind you because the arsehole was moving) Draco hit him with drops of water across his cheek. 

The colors of the spells looked deadly but Theo knew that neither one of them was casting to hurt. Draco hit him with a stinging hex near the knee and he jerked suddenly, Tonks barely moving in the sky with his movement. Draco then came close to him, passing by as he tossed something his way. Theo caught it, tucking it into his pocket and he jerked with his head towards the Thestral that was starting to come into focus, and as he did the motion his eyes widened. Flying dangerously close to Sirius and Hermione– was the terrifying image of Bellatrix. Long black robes billowing out from behind her broom, black curls disappearing into the darkness as if they were part of the sky themself. The pale skin of her face illuminated with passing colors of different spells soaring through the sky. 

Suddenly Draco’s broom was taking off in that direction and theo cursed, knowing that he would blow his cover by killing his aunt. He leaned forwards, risking everything as he whispered in Tonk’s ear. He hoped that she still valued the family that she had regardless of if they talked or not. “Listen Tonks, I know that you don’t associate with the Malfoys, but my best mate is going to get himself killed trying to save Hermione from Bellatrix. We need to get over there before he blows his fucking cover.”

Tonks was quiet for a moment, nothing coming from her mouth before she jerked her broom, heading in the direction of the Thestral. Theo was shaking on the back of the broom, his other hand gripping tightly onto the witch’s shoulder (refusing to wrap around her waist thank you very much). Angling just underneath her, he shot a hex right at her and the witch turned towards him, flicking her wand and casting a spell that he deflected effortlessly. “Damn it! Get the fuck out of here!” Hermione screamed at him (well Harry). 

“Keep going, I promise that there will just be more for me to yell at you about once you land you infuriating woman!” Bellatrix’s head snapped towards Harry that was really Hermione and cocked her head to the side before turning towards where Draco was fighting off one of the twins while Arthur steered. Bellatrix waved her wand, a spinning shot of light jolting its way towards Hermione hitting her square in the chest. A scream bubbled from her lips and she fell face first into Sirius who attempted to reach behind him and grab her. She slipped, falling and disappearing into the darkness below while Bellatrix cackled, taking off in the opposite direction. 

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Draco took off after her, completely ignoring the hexes that had hit him in the back. If there was anything good that came out of having Bellatrix and Dolohov as teachers, it was that he now knew how to take a hex or a few stunners without even batting an eye. Draco was becoming lethal. Deadly. And he would turn into whatever it took to keep her safe. He hunched over his broom, the distant yell of Hermione’s name whipping over the wind as he shot after her falling body. She was already starting to turn back into herself, falling carelessly towards the ground. Her curls were flying all around her, cradling her face in a way that made her look serene; eyes closed as if she had already accepted her fate. He hadn’t. He was going to kill Bellatrix for this. She knew who it was when Theo had slipped up and yelled what he did. 

If he didn’t already know how much he loved her he might have killed him. But he was sure that the guilt would tear him apart enough already. 

When he was within arms reach, he reached out, wrapping an arm around her waist yanking her towards him. She didn’t even scream, but her whole body tensed against him as honey brown eyes squeezed shut in preparation. Turning back he realized just how close they were to the ground and yanked up on his broom. It was too late. Wrapping both arms around her, he pulled her tightly against his chest, cursing as they fell sideways tumbling into the earth. She yelped, before a scream broke from her lips against his chest. 

He took the brunt of it, landing roughly as he clutched her to his chest. Something was broken, that was for sure but he couldn’t think of anything else besides the witch against his chest. Turning over as soon as he could breathe again, he pushed the mass of curls from her face. Startled brown eyes stared back at him, taking in every feature of his face before she pulled him to her lips and kissed him fiercely. Suddenly pulling back, she slapped his chest, tiny little fists beating against him until his hand came up to wrap around her wrists. 

“Why the fuck are you hitting me, Granger?” Even with her fists slamming into him he was still relieved because he knew that she was fine. 

“Because! You could’ve gotten yourself killed! Or exposed or both! What if somebody saw you! What if Bellatrix saw you?” He silenced her by pressing his lips over hers again, taking her panicked breath from her lungs. He sat back, a hiss breaking through his teeth and those honey eyes widened. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” His voice betrayed him, coming out as a hiss through his teeth.

“Liar.” She sat up, squinting in the low light as she studied him. He thought that he might be going crazy but in the moonlight she looked ethereal; the moon was highlighting her hair, and the light in her eyes was bringing out the gold. Small hands reached out to his probably dislocated shoulder and he didn’t even care about the pain because she was touching him. “I know the spell to fix this if you trust me.”

“Of course I trust you, Granger.” He whispered it and she met his eyes, lips slightly parted and he noticed the small twitch in her fingers as she raised her hand. “What did she hit you with?”

“Nothing.” A muttered spell and he winced, falling forwards on his hands as he bit back a groan. 

“Fucking hell Granger, no warning?” She shrugged. 

“It would’ve hurt worse.” Scrambling to her feet, she held out a hand and he batted it away, standing up and looking around for his fallen mask. He would need that bloody thing. With a flick of his wrist it came speeding at him and he caught it in his hand with a sneer. Her face was tipped up towards the sky and he looked, noticing the faint outline of a descending Thestral and a white-haired witch. 

“What was the spell, Hermione?”

She sighed, resigned to the fact that she was probably going to have to tell him sooner or later. “A Cruciartus. It was fast, I think she just wanted me to fall honestly.” He nodded, resigned to the fact that now he was going to have to torture his aunt to death for even thinking about executing the spell–the fact that she did sealed her fate enough. “Draco?” 

The way that she said his name had his head snapping towards her, catching those honey eyes on him. “What’s wrong, love?”

“You didn’t have to save me…I know you’ve been keeping your distance to keep me and your mother and everybody safe…I don’t…I-are there going to be consequences for you because you did this?” Her voice came out panicked and he watched as her breathing started to accelerate, he reached out, pressing his hands against her cheeks. 

“Calm down, breathe.” He mimicked his breaths as she copied him, her beautiful eyes shut as she calmed down underneath his hands. He could hear the wings of the horse now. “Saving you will always be what I do, even if it winds up being the last thing I ever do. When will you get that through your head you insufferable witch. I thought that you were supposed to be the brightest witch of your age?” His lips brushed against hers before he kissed her softly. He stepped back from her just as the Thestral made its final descent next to them. Sirius swung off the side of the horse, giving him a perplexed stare before pulling Hermione into his arms. He hugged her softly, and quickly before releasing her. 

“I’m sorry, you’ve saved me once before and I failed you. I’m glad that you’re alright, kid.” A wild curl wrapped around his finger as he tucked it behind her ear. “We should get going, being out in the open like this is–”

“HERMIONE.” Theo was off the broom before Tonks even managed to touch her feet to the ground. His tall, lanky form was running towards her, swooping her into his arms and slamming her into his chest. “You fucking idiot. I told you not to get on the back of this damn thing. Fucking hell. I thought you were dead or going to die.” Theo was clutching her so tightly to his chest that her mumbled answer wasn’t able to be heard. 

“Christ, Nott. You might smother her to death instead.” Theo pulled back, tossing Draco a glare. 

“Shut it, Malfoy. Not all of us get to be broom-heroes.” Draco rolled his eyes, turning back towards his own broom that was broken into pieces a few paces in front of him. 

“Wonderful.” Tonks stepped towards him, offering him her broom and he raised a brow. “Are you suggesting that I take your broom, cousin?” She offered him a terrifying smirk. 

“I don’t have much further to go, I can Apparate with one of them to the Port Key and they can fly back. Take the broom otherwise you’re going to have to swipe one from one of the dead ones.” With a nod of acknowledgment he grabbed it, swinging his leg over it before staring up towards the sky. There were still faint jets of light but it seemed like the fight was dying down when suddenly the bright light of an Avada lit up the sky followed by the red of a Cruciartus. Draco watched as a white object started spiraling towards the ground. Hermione gasped running towards it and Theo cursed, running after her. She raised her wand towards the small thing that he now realized was an owl and it slowly descended into her arms. 

“What the fuck, Granger?” 

Sirius spoke up behind him before she could answer. “It's Hedwig, Harry’s owl.” Hermione breathed a sigh of relief seemingly that the owl was okay and tucked it underneath her sweater, the small fuzzy head peeking out the top. “We need to leave.”

Hermione nodded, striding over to the Thestral that Sirius climbed onto the back of before reaching a hand towards her. She accepted, climbing onto the back before Theo clambered up behind her, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Draco exchanged a glance with him, an unspoken agreement to get her back safely and he stared at the wings of the Thestral as it took off. Tonks stood next to him, staring silently up at the disappearing figures before they vanished completely into the night. He turned back towards her, the white hair slowly turning into a light blue as she turned back to face him. 

“You know, you might not be so bad after all, cousin.” With a small smile she turned, Apparating away and he lifted into the sky as he pulled on his mask, heading towards where he knew punishment was waiting. The dull ache in his shoulder was a reminder that it was all worth it. 

-

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She could feel the wards as they descended, Hedwig tucked carefully into her sweater. It was terrifying to watch her fall from the sky barreling towards the ground. It was a breath of relief finding out that she was still breathing. When the Thestral landed Sirius and her slipped off, only to be met at wand point by Kingsley and Lupin. Sirius smirked at the end of Lupin’s wand and stepped into it, his dark eyes glinting. Lupin shook his head, muttering. “What do you call my Werewolf?” 

“Moony. That was what you chose for the question? I have that tattooed on my lower back, Remus.” Lupin smirked, yanking him towards him and kissing him quickly. Hermione rolled her eyes, turning towards the wand still pointed at her. 

“Who picked you up from the Orphanage your first year of Hogwarts?” Kingsley  didn’t waver, his wand pointed right into her throat. Theo stepped up behind her, gripping onto her hand tightly. 

“Professor Snape was the one who collected me.” Kingsley turned his wand towards Theo who just scoffed.

“Honestly, I really don’t think any of you know me well enough to ask me anything that you would know if it was true or not besides Hermione. I’m here with her, that should be evidence enough don’t you think?”

Kingsley glared at him. “No, it’s not. But you’re right. None of us know you well enough. There was a leak, how do we know it wasn’t you?”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him before stepping in between the wand that was pointed and Theo and Kingsley. “He’s with me. If you doubt his loyalties, then you doubt mine.”

“Where is Nymphadora? And why are you with them?” Kingsley stepped closer, and Theo yanked Hermione behind him quickly to intercept the wand. 

“Hermoine got blasted with a curse to the chest and fell off the Thestral. Draco saw her fall and went after her. Thankfully, he caught her before she hit the ground. I said that it was a bad idea for her to go with Sirius and nobody fucking listened to me. Tonks and I went down to the ground because we didn’t know if she was fucking dead. Now get your wand out of my damn face before this turns into something it doesn’t need to be.” Theo’s hand around her waist tightened, and she saw his wand gripped tightly in the other. She cleared her throat, laying a hand on his shoulder. 

“Theo, calm down. This isn’t going to help anything with you getting riled up. Tonks should be here any–” There was a thunk next to her and Tonks appeared right where her Portkey was supposed to sound. She raised an eyebrow at the scene and walked over. 

“I gave Draco my broom. Almost missed my Port Key. Thankfully I got there in time. Anyways, Kingsley, why don’t we get the wand out of the child’s throat, yes?” Kingsley turned towards her. 

“Can you attest to her falling?” 

“Yes, my cousin thankfully caught her before she hit the ground. Can’t say the same to everybody else who is supposed to be on our side. Draco was dressed in Death Eater gear and seems to be more loyal than some of the people here.” With that she walked back towards the house, leaving an impressed Sirius and Remus looking after her. Hermoine turned towards the other Port Keys, waiting for Harry to appear. Theo stood next to her quietly, cursing Kingsley when he walked away until Harry and Hagrid appeared, his motorcycle crossing the wards and landing roughly. Hermione ran to him, yanking him from the sidecar before he could even unfold his legs. Sirius was right behind her.

“Bloody hell, Hermione. Hedwig–she…” She cut him off, and pulled from his arms to reveal the snowy owl still sleeping against her and trembling slightly. The poor thing had calmed down some, but was still visibly upset. Harry inhaled sharply, tears watering up in his eyes. “Oh god, she got cursed for me. How did you get her?”

“I got hit by Bellatrix with a Cruciartus to the chest and wound up slipping from the back of the Thestral. Thankfully Draco caught me before I hit the ground, but I saw her falling and was able to catch her.” Harry stared at her, his black hair askew. 

“Christ, Hermione.”