Love Changes (Dramione)

[forty nine]

It was chaos. Absolute chaos.

Behind Hermione, Astoria and Viktor were struggling to usher the younger students out of the hall while Ron kept the Death Eaters away from them. Everyone from the DA had their wands drawn and were battling with a Death Eater or two.

Most of them were in masks. In case this operation failed, they had to be sure none of them would be recognized, otherwise it's Azkaban for them.

The only one proudly dueling her way through the chaos, with a sadistic smile on her unmasked face was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Mudblood Granger." Her laugh was shrill and every bit as deranged as Hermione had remembered it to be "Miss me?" her crazed eyes flicked over to the spot where she had cut on Hermione's arm, lighting up with a sick sense of amusement.

"Enough for me to kill you, yes." Hermione tried to keep the fear from mixing with her voice, but Bellatrix's crazed smile told her she wasn't as brave as she looked "Expelliarmus." Hermione tried to disarm her, but to no avail. Bellatrix laughed with cold amusement.

"A mudblood like you isn't worth my time at all." Bellatrix took one look at her, before a green light shot out from the tip of her wand "Bye-bye, mudblood." she wickedly whispered.

Hermione's head raced with the spells she could use to defend herself, avert the curse or even just to dodge it, but before she could even utter the incantation, Draco had came out of nowhere and pushed her out of the way, intercepting the wicked curse.

"No!" Hermione screamed, waking with a start. She sat up, frantically trying to breathe in. Hermione hadn't realized she was crying until she felt Draco pull her to his chest, her tears wetting the front of his shirt.

"What happened?" He asked, his chest wound with worry "You haven't had a nightmare in so long."

Hermione wrapped her arms around him "Promise me, don't ever, I mean ever, step in front of a killing curse for me. Ever."

"That wouldn't be very Slytherin of me, would it?" Draco tried to joke "I'd have shot the killing curse at whoever that was first or dodged it then kill them."

"Promise me, Malfoy." Hermione's fists clenched around the fabric of his shirt, not wanting to let go at all.

"I promise." Draco whispered, pressing a kiss on top of her head "Nobody's dying here."

Hermione sighed, breathing in his scent. She was still shaking from the nightmare, but Draco's arms around her was slowly grounding her back to reality. It was just a dream. Bellatrix is dead. Molly killed her. Draco is here.

"What happened in the dream?" Draco asked, his hand rubbing circles on her back. Hermione having a nightmare with him next to her fazed him. She never had them when they slept next to each other.

"There was a battle in the Great Hall." Hermione whispered "Bellatrix was there and she was trying to kill me but you..."

"I stepped in the way?"

Hermione pulled him against her a little bit tighter "Don't ever do that. I will hate you forever."

"You'll hate me in death? Gosh, Granger, how cruel."

"Malfoy, I'm serious."

"You're Hermione."

Hermione whacked him on the chest, glaring at him with tearful eyes "You are so horrible sometimes."

Draco chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek "I'm just trying to cheer you up, darling." He said quietly "I promise to let you handle your own battles. I know you're capable. I don't fight for you, I fight with you."