Left Behind (A Dramione Romance)

Protecting Her

"Bring her to me," Voldemort said darkly, his words breaking Draco away from the argument inside his mind.

Draco swallowed convulsively.

What is he going to do to her? Draco worried.

Does it matter? the darker side demanded.

"Do as he says Draco," Lucius ordered. The enchanted snake hissed at him and swayed. Lucius clamped his mouth shut and tried his best to remain still as the snake constricted around him.

Draco moved towards Granger who was lying, still unconscious, on the ground. He knelt beside her. She looked like a sleeping princess. There were half a dozen small cuts in her face and arms, but for the most part the crystal had shot outwards.

Yeah outwards and into me, thought Draco wincing as his frown pulled against the still open wound by his eye. Each of the smaller cuts itched and burned, but at least they were closed.

Draco moved to lift the chandelier; It hardly budged.

"I'll help you with that darling," said Bellatrix and with a wave of her wand and the uttering of wingardium leviosa, the chandelier rose and drifted away.

Hermione stirred.

Draco knelt down and hauled her up as gently as he could without letting it appear as if he cared for her welfare.

"What happened?" she asked slowly coming to. She opened her eyes blinking. It only took her a second to asses her position.

Launching herself into action she rebelled against Draco's grasp elbowing him in the face the sharp point catching his lip splitting it open. The metallic taste of his own blood filled his mouth for the second time that day and Draco's temper rose.

"You bitch!" he yelled.

Hermione ran and Draco launched after her tackling her to the ground.

I fucking risk my life speaking up for you and you elbow me in the face?! he thought angrily.

She doesn't know what you did, the other side of his mind answered.

Draco was to pissed off to listen to the reasonable logical side of his mind for the moment.

Her soft body writhed beneath his own and he tried to ignore the sudden and unexpected awareness that came from having her beautiful body pinned beneath his. Her curls filled his face and he spoke in her ear so only she could hear. "Its me or Bellatrix," he said spouting the first thing he could think of to make her comply.

Hermione froze and Draco used the delay to stand and yank her to her feet twisting her arm behind her back and holding the other against her shoulder. He Marched her up to stand in front of the Dark Lord in his 'throne'

"You must be Granger..." Voldemort smiled a sharp wicked grin. "Draco here thinks you're important. He thinks it's worth putting up with the stretch of your filthy blood because you'll bring Harry Potter," he paused dramatically, "straight into my hands."

"I won't." Granger protested sticking her chin out defiantly.

"Then perhaps you are truly worthless as Bellatrix said in which case..." Voldemort raised his wand.

"She's a Gryffindor," Draco blurted. "She's trying to be brave. If you kill her she believes they'll be better off than if she lives."

You stupid, stupid girl, you're going to get yourself killed.

Granger wriggled against his grasp and Draco held firm. He was almost a head taller than her and a good deal stronger. The wriggling was not helping his concentration, not when she was so close. Her hair smelled amazing, something flowery but not overwhelming. It was a soft scent and matched her perfectly. He had never been close enough to her to notice that before.

What the fuck is wrong with you? he demanded of himself.

Voldemort laughed. The sound crawled over Draco's skin and he shuddered.

Hermione twisted her head to look up at him and Draco refused to give way and look down at her. If the Dark Lord thought for even a second that Draco was protecting Granger he would kill her right in front of him for spite.

Why are you protecting her?

"You're sure Draco?" The dark Lord asked.

"Yes."

"Then you won't complain if I bind her to you."

"What?" Draco balked.

Hermione turned stiff as a board in his arms.

"You can't bind my son to a Mudblood," protested Lucius.

"I can do what I want Lucius!" Voldemort snapped. "Besides, when she has served her part in giving us Harry Potter she will have fulfilled all her possible uses. Death will break the bind, so you can relax. It is only temporary."

"No," Hermione protested and Draco was too much in shock to hold her when she ran from him this time. She slipped through his open fingers without resistance.

Bind her to me?

Bellatrix cackled wildly and lashed out her wand turning into a whip which caught Hermione around the neck. Bellatrix yanked her backwards and Hermione slammed into the ground her hands clawing at the whip round her neck.

Draco stood silently, stiffly, watching. He had never heard of binding one person to another outside of the unbreakable vow, but he had no doubt that Voldemort knew spells he had never even heard of.

His aunt dragged a writhing Hermione across the floor kicking and screaming.

You're lucky that's the worst of it, thought Draco. I don't know why you're complaining. You're not the one being bound to someone so beneath your station.

Draco shook his head as his mind tried to remind him that only a few hours ago he had been thinking about her as a worthy rival and now he was belittling her in his own mind once more. He looked at Granger, who was still fighting as if her very life depended on it.

Is it that bad? He wondered, the thought of being bound to me? It could be anyone else, why does she have to act like she was being bonded to Voldemort himself.

Draco didn't have to fake the scowl of distaste.

He saw Voldemort catch the expression. A small smile of satisfaction crossed the Dark Lord's face.

He's doing this to fuck with me, as punishment, Draco realized. He might not even care or think it necessary to use her as bait he might just be playing with us. Playing with me.

Fine, Thought Draco, So be it. I won't give him the satisfaction of giving in and pleading for another option.

Draco straightened pushing his shoulders back.

"Let's get it over with," he scowled.

-

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