Are You The One That I Want? (Dramione Love Story)

Chapter 60: Once upon a dream

Chapter 60: Once upon a dream

The grin on Lucius's face is sickening and makes Hermione's stomach squeeze together. Her sight is blurry. The journey up the stairs that seemed to go on forever had taken the little energy she had left and Ron had already been the one dragging her up. She tries to focus on the image in front of her, but it's hard. Only when Ginny gasps and the name of the person Lucius has next to him rolls over her lips, Hermione recognizes him. The tip of Lucius's wand is pressed against Christopher's neck, Christopher squeezes his eyes shut as Lucius pushes harder.
'Chris.' Ginny gasps, lifting her wand, along with the rest of them. Hermione feels vulnerable and not because of the state she's in, but because she doesn't have her wand and she has no idea where it is. She needs it, desperately. She wants to be able to protect the people around her and herself when needed and now they all have to be extra on guard to not only watch their own backs, but also hers.
'Let him go.' Harry demands, glaring at the escaped prisoner.
'Mister Potter.' Lucius sneers, the grin remaining on his face. 'Long time no see.'
'You're outnumbered.' Ron states next to Hermione. 'Let him go. There's no way for you to get away with this.'
Lucius's eyes remain on Harry for a moment longer before they dart over to Ron. His eyes aren't fixed on Ron for long because soon he notices the other guy holding Hermione up. The grin slowly falters as his eyes focus on his son, who glares at his father in response.
Lucius shakes his head, clearly disappointed as he straightened his back. 'Give me the mudblood.' Lucius demands.
'You won't get her.' Draco states, his back straight and his chin up. 'Let him go.'
Anger rushes over Lucius's face as he stares at his son. 'You have five seconds to hand the mudblood over or I will kill him.'
Hermione's heartbeat raises and she attempts to take a step forward. No one is going to die on her account. Both Draco and Ron tighten their hold on her arm simultaneously as they feel her move forward. 'Don't be ridiculous Hermione.' Ron hisses.
'Five.' Lucius starts counting.
Chris's eyes widen and dart from one face to the other.
'Four.' Lucius continues when no one makes a move.
Hermione tries to pull her arm away from the boy's grasp, but she isn't strong enough and both guys aren't going to hand the one person they've been trying to find for weeks over to someone who's going to kill her.
'Where's McGonagall?' Draco mutters under his breath, his eyes focused on his father.
'McGonagall?' Ron hisses.
'She followed us.' Draco tells him.
'Three.'
Hermione tries to wiggle free, but the guys aren't giving away. Ginny turns to look at her best friend and shakes her head as she takes a step closer to her, standing in front of her to block her view. Harry holds his wand up, about to fire a spell when one comes from the corner. 'Petrificus Totalus!'
Lucius tries to move Chris in front of him as a shield, but he's too late and gets hit. His body freezes and the part of him that is able to move, are his eyes. They turn to look and see Blaise standing in the corner. He had been hiding behind a curtain near the window and had the perfect spot to attack Lucius without him knowing so.
'You smart son of a bitch.' Harry grins.
'I saw my chance and took it.' he shrugs, stepping towards Harry.
Chris frantically tries to step away from Lucius's stiffened body, but Lucius's fingers are still around his arm, so he can't get away, the tip of Lucius's wand pressed against his neck. Harry and Blaise step towards him to see if they can help out without having to break Lucius's fingers off. Draco turns to Hermione who's breathing has calmed down again, her heart still beating on a higher rate due to her trying to get away from the guys merely a few seconds ago.
Ginny steps towards her best friend and takes her face in between her hands. 'Don't you ever think of sacrificing yourself for anyone ever again.' she tells her. Hermione merely blinks, clearly exhausted. Ginny walks around her and grabs the nearest chair for her to sit on. Draco and Ron help her down before Draco kneels down next to her, his hand still on her arm.
'What did Draco just say about McGonagall being here?' Ron asks after getting up.
Ginny turns to look at him before raising her eyebrows and looking around her. 'That's odd, she was just with us before you came up with Hermione.'
'What is she doing here?'
'She followed us, Chris had warned her.'
'And then he followed us, the little nitwit.' Ron groans. 'What a mess.'
'As if we're not used to it by now.' Ginny states, nudging her brother in the side with her elbow. Ron offers her a small smile. 'What if Lucius did something to McGonagall?' Ginny asks, the smile falling from her face.
Ron and Ginny both look up at the frozen Lucius and narrow their eyes, stepping towards him and Harry and Blaise who try to get a panicking Chris free.
'You okay?' Draco asks, his eyes never leaving Hermione's face.
'Fine.' Hermione breathes.
Draco offers her a small smile and presses a kiss to her cheek. 'You've been so strong.'
'I'd like to sleep for a decade now.' she whispers, the corner of her lip twitching up.
'I'm sorry we didn't find you sooner.'
She slowly shakes her head. 'Don't be.' she closes her eyes for a moment in silence before softly speaking up. 'Can we go?'
Draco brushes a lock of hair behind her ear and slowly nods. 'Yes.'
Blaise walks over to the two of them, leaving Harry, Ginny and Ron to further deal with the frantic Christopher who is still caught in Lucius's grasp. He offers them a small smile as he rubs his forehead with his hand. 'You okay there?' he asks.
Hermione slowly nods, too dizzy to move quickly.
'I know it might not be the time, but do you know who helped Lucius?' Blaise carefully asks.
Draco shoots him a glare and shakes his head. 'It's okay.' Hermione mutters, squeezing his hand.
Hermione takes in a deep breath as she looks up at Blaise. 'There was someone always covered underneath a hood, never showing their face, never speaking a word. I only found out yesterday who it was.' she tells him, furrowing her eyebrows, the headache feeling like a knife in her brain.
'Who is it?' Draco urges, looking at her with clear worry in his eyes.
'It's-'
Before Hermione can finish her sentence, movements in front of her catch her attention. It takes a moment for Hermione to really register what is happening, but when she does it's already too late to react. Lucius is moving again and has Harry caught in a headlock, his wand pointed at him. Ron has pulled Ginny away from them and Christopher stares silently, his eyes wide. Draco stands in front of Hermione, his arm stretched out to protect her, Blaise directly next to him, ready to attack, both their wands pointed at Lucius. Hermione feels a lump in her throat, her stomach turning on itself. She can't see what's happening in front of her with both guys blocking her view, but she knows it isn't good. It feels like something terrible is about to happen.
'Stay back students, Mr. Malfoy, let him go!'
Hermione widens her eyes and pushes past Draco, grabbing his wand and pointing it in the direction of the voice.
'Hermione, what are you doing?' Draco asks confused. Hermione's eyes are fixed on McGonagall, who's wand is pointed at Lucius. 'It's McGonagall.' he states. He can't help but think Hermione must've become delusional because of the lack of energy and food. Draco grabs her arm, but Hermione shakes her head. 'Exactly. McGonagall is the one who has been helping Lucius all along.' she states.
'Miss Granger? Please lower your wand.' McGonagall says, briefly looking at her, her own wand is aiming at Lucius. Harry tries to free himself from the headlock, but Lucius doesn't budge and presses the wand harder against the side of Harry's head, making him seize his attempts to get away from him. Draco looks across the room at Ginny, who stares at her best friend before meeting his eyes in disbelieve. She slowly shakes her head. 'It can't be, Hermione.' Ginny states. 'She's been at Hogwarts all this time.'
'Think about it.' Hermione states, her eyes not leaving McGonagall. 'The only one who can apparate in and out of Hogwarts is the headmaster, in this case the headmistress.'
'But what in Merlin's name would be her motive?' Ginny asks, trying to kick some sense into Hermione's head.
Lucius lets out an amused laugh, making shivers roll down Hermione's spine. He stares at all of them one by one and slowly shakes his head. Ginny raises her wand at him, her eyes narrowed. Ron does the same and just as Blaise thinks to fire a spell at him again, Lucius notices this and shoots one himself at Blaise, blasting him back. Blaise hits his head against the wall and falls unconscious to the ground. Now it's Ginny's turn to react, but Lucius moves Harry in front of him as a shield as a light strikes passed her and hits Ron, freezing him to the spot. Ginny stares back with widened eyes before they find the person the flash came from.
'Let's not do anything foolish now.' McGonagall states, her wand trained at Ginny now. 'Miss Granger, put the wand down.'
Hermione narrows her eyes and shakes her head, tightening her grip on Draco's wand. 'I said; put it down! Unless you want your friend ending up like Mr. Zabini.' McGonagall sneers.
Lucius cackles in the background, finding the whole scene very amusing. 'Professor?' Ginny mutters. 'But why?'
McGonagall's eyes dart to Ginny and a smirk appears on her face. 'Why, you ask?' she shakes her head. 'It doesn't matter why, it had to be done.'
Hermione can't listen to this any longer. Now that McGonagall is distracted she has a chance to attack her. 'Stupify.' she mutters, her flash speeding from the tip of Draco's wand and hitting McGonagall. She too falls unconscious on the ground. In that moment something neither Hermione, nor Draco and the others still conscious in the room, had expected. Ginny first freezes to the spot then Harry is flown back against the far wall. Hermione immediately aims the wand in front of her, crying out Harry's name. Christopher had stepped in. Apparently he had his wand in the back pocket of his jeans all along, but had only now grabbed it and taken Ginny out of the picture. In the meantime Lucius could easily, with Hermione distracted and Ginny incapable of attacking him, kill Harry. Hermione had seen the green flash coming from Lucius's wand, hitting Harry in the head. The green flash meant the inevitable; he was dead. 'This one's for the Dark Lord.' Lucius spits. His eyes then return to Hermione and his son. Draco has managed to quickly grab Blaise's wand, feeling sorry for his unconscious friend, but determined to protect Hermione.
'Christopher?' Draco breaths. 'You too?'
Christopher grins. 'Why yes.' he states, pulling his shirt straight. 'My parents died during the Wizarding War because of the Golden Trio.'
'Excuse me?' Hermione manages to mutter, her eyes leaving her friend's body and finding Christopher's. She blinks back tears and her free hand is balled into a fist, the anger rushing through her veins.
'To be precise. You killed them.'
Hermione stares at him confused, not sure what to say as she tries to remember what had happened.
'You see, my parents were Death Eaters until you made sure they were killed.' Christopher hisses, anger making his fists shake.
Hermione's mind is empty and racing at the same time. This can't be happening, it must be a dream. After all this time being locked up in a cold room, her friends have finally found her, the escape is so near and now everything's compromised. This is getting too much. Hermione feels the adrenaline slowly subside and the dizziness return. First McGonagall and now Christopher as well. Harry is dead, the others are either knocked out or frozen. They have to get out of here, but how?
'So you were the one that had planted the note in Hermione's cloak? You were the one who started all of this, set all of this in motion?' Draco states, anger clear on his face, his wand aimed at Chris.
'Credit where credit is due, but technically yes.' Chris states, a grin on his face, clearly proud of what he had done.
'Draco, it's time to hand over the mudblood. It's time you joined the right side.'
'And that side would be yours? Don't you see that whatever you're trying to do can't go on like this? And to what end?'
'We'll make sure that the Dark Lord's vision will be fulfilled. A world with only pure wizarding families. The bloodline has to stay pure and should not be allowed to be anything other than pure.'
'You're talking nonsense. You're talking about wiping out most of the wizarding community, you know that right? You'll make the wizarding community extinct if you want to go through with these idiotic plans.' Draco states, trying to reason with his father, who is clearly beyond the point of reasoning.
Lucius merely shakes his head, a glare visible on his face. 'If you don't hand over the mudblood, you'll die too.'
Hermione shakes her head. 'You can have me, but let the others leave.' she states, the wand slowly falling to her side.
'No.' Draco states, stepping slightly in front of her.
'It's okay Draco, just get yourself and everyone else out of here and back to safety.' she tells him.
'I won't leave you, not again.' he states determinedly.
Before Hermione can even think about reacting Draco has shot a curse in Chris's direction, hitting him straight against the chest. Chris flies back and with a loud thud falls to the ground. Now it's only Lucius, who briefly looks at Chris before his eyes find Hermione and Draco again. Draco wants to fire another curse, this time at his father, but Lucius reacts too quickly. Curses fly from one side of the room to the other, knocking a lamp off a table and a painting off the wall. Hermione wants to intervene, but Draco has put himself between her and his father. She steps around him and fires a curse herself. Lucius is clearly stricken with anger and as her curse barely misses him, he glares at her, soon a green light flying from the tip of his wand. Everything that is happening, happens very quickly. She manages to duck away, the curse missing her by an inch. She fires a curse back and this time hitting Lucius. He flies back against the door, which opens and allows him to fall back outside. Hermione lets out a deep breath and feels Draco's hand reach hers before he tightly wraps his fingers around her hand. She's pulled into his arms in a matter of seconds as she can hear him whisper "I love you".
'I love you too.' she tells him.
But before she can process anymore of what's happening in her surroundings a green flash flies at both of them and everything turns black.