"Just get out of here, Hermione. I'll handle this myself." Draco hadn't called Hermione by her first name in... well, Hermione wasn't sure if he had ever used it in her presence. As he walked away from her, she noticed a limp in his step and a few droplets of blood trailing in his wake. With a sigh, she followed, her stubbornness getting the best of her. "Let me help," she repeated, quieter this time. "I'm sorry for what I said. Truly. You just--" "Bring out the worst in you?" Hermione's face flushed and Draco looked at her, truly saw her for the complex, overly kind, passionate yet maddeningly stubborn woman that she was.. ((Draco's having trouble casting a patronus charm, but that's not the only thing haunting him. After enlisting the help of the brightest witch of his generation, they soon discover that it's the least of their problems. Dark magic is at play, and somehow it's inextricably tied to the Malfoy family line, or so they think... 4/10 chapters posted))
10 parts