A/N

Hello my loves! My biggest apologies for the delayed update. I was going to update last week, but it didn't seem right to post anything new in lieu of Sulli's death. As you all know, I consider mental health of the utmost importance. Even this book explores issues like PTSD and depression. I hope that you are all in good health (mentally and physically). And if you ever need a listening ear, my inbox is open for you, always.

x Noelle

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3 1

p r o t e g o

Blocks spells.

ANDROMEDA'S HOUSE SOON became a safe haven for the five.

With the place kept on permanent lockdown, the five had no choice but to remain within the premises. Only Andromeda had a wand in her possession, and she was the only one who could leave. But even then, it wasn't often.

Some members from the Order visited everyday to make sure that none of them had escaped. Draco caught occasional glimpses of them, but he and the others made it a point to steer clear out of the Order's way. The Order seemed to have made themselves explicitly clear: Stay out of our way, and we'll stay out of yours.

It didn't seem to matter to Hermione or Theo or even Draco himself. He was still on the fence with this whole defecting business - it was clear that the Order was never going to accept them, so why bother trying?

He knew that Pansy and Blaise, on the other hand, were getting rather restless. Blaise read and reread his books voraciously, while Pansy was adamant on brushing up her skills at wandless magic. They wanted to help, and were clearly frustrated by the turn of events.

But Draco wasn't going to start sniffing around for trouble when trouble didn't come knocking. He'd spent three bloody years charging into the foray. Andromeda's place was a pleasant change. He liked that, in this house, they could easily forget about the war or the stupid Order.

But, like everything else, this wasn't to last.

Several days later, he was sitting on the front porch as Pansy practiced wandless magic on him. She was still learning how to hex without a wand, but it was proving to be an uphill task so far.

"Stop grinning," Pansy said. "And could you at least put up a Protego in case I hurt you?"

Draco waved her away dismissively. "Granger will fix me up if you do."

Pansy sighed and lifted her head to glance up at the sky above. "It's going to rain."

He rolled his eyes before focusing his attention on her. "Rictusempra."

Pansy immediately dropped to the ground in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, and he smirked in satisfaction. "You arse!" She yelled, in between helpless giggles. "You know that I'm ticklish as anything!"

"Then don't lose your concentration," he returned and lifting the spell off her. She huffed, climbing to her feet and saying something snarky. But his focus was diverted as he glanced up at the sky, just as she'd done just moments ago.

" - and I swear," Pansy rambled on, not realising that Draco was no longer paying her any attention, "someday, when you're not looking, I'll hex your bloody balls off - "

"Shut up for a bit," Draco cut her off. Something felt amiss, and he could hazard a guess that it had something to do with the Dark Lord. But what? His Dark Mark wasn't tingling - none of theirs had for days now - and there wasn't a soul in sight apart from the two of them.

Pansy took a step towards him. "What's wrong?"

He cast a silent Disillusionment charm over them. Pansy felt a sudden force pressing against one side of her body, and knew that Draco had cast a protective shield over them.

"Look up," came his terse voice. "See those dark clouds? You were right, it's going to rain. But those clouds aren't normal. They're too clustered, too concentrated. Someone's messing with the weather."

"Just clear it up with weather spell - "

"Not the point, Parkinson. I think it's a cover. The Dark Lord used to have me charm the weather whenever we travel in big groups."

Pansy felt her heart sink in dread. "So you think - "

"I don't think this house is what they're targeting. 'Dromeda did say that Shacklebolt had this house charmed tight to prevent even the Order themselves from noticing our presence. I think they're launching an attack on the Order." Draco jerked his head quickly in the direction of the house. "Get back inside. Now."

He didn't have to tell her twice. She ran back inside, leaving Draco on the front porch. The sound of the door slamming shut made Blaise look up from his position on the sofa next to Hermione, where he was explaining Patronus charms to the brunette witch.

"What's wrong?"

"Death-Eaters," she gasped. "They're going to attack the Order."

Blaise's eyes rounded. "What?"

Draco entered the living room, the expression on his face tight. He seemed to scan the room for Hermione, an almost instinctive reaction, and relaxed when he found her. "They're headed this way," he said. "Where's Andromeda?"

"She went out with McGonagall to Diagon Alley this morning, remember?" Hermione replied, sounding rather worried, "she hasn't returned yet."

"Shit. Parkinson, try contacting the Order using the telephone."

Pansy ran off to the sitting room just as Theo headed down the stairs. He took one glance at the serious faces in the room and tensed. "What's wrong?"

Blaise filled him in on the situation. "I think we should protect the Order," he added. "I mean - if the Death-Eaters take over the headquarters, then that's it for them."

"Are you fucking serious?" Theo yelped, running an aggravated hand through his hair. "The Order tried to incarcerate us, and I'm still furious as hell about the lack of a fucking loo! They didn't even give us a chance to explain, hell, they didn't even welcome Hermione when she returned! And you want us to become their fucking guardians or something?"

Pansy came rushing back. "There's no one answering."

"Maybe they're all out," Theo suggested rather lamely, even though he knew it was more likely that no one had heard the call. He just didn't fancy helping the group that had kept him in a bloody cell in the first place.

There was a lost silence for a moment, until Hermione stood up. There was an unusual gleam in her eye. "I know how to find out," she said, and turned towards the kitchen. "Grus! Would you come out here, please?"

"A house-elf?" Theo sounded almost appalled, as Grus came out almost shyly. "What's a house-elf going to fucking do - "

"Hey!" Hermione pointed threateningly at Theo, a very familiar, distinct scowl on her face that all the Slytherins had frequently seen her wear back during her Hogwarts days. "None of that pure-blood superiority in my presence!" She tilted her finger to point it at Draco. "You too."

Draco's glared at her in aggravation, even though his lips reluctantly twitched as he caught the teasing glint in her eyes. "I didn't even fucking say anything!"

She grinned before turning back to Grus, bending so that her face would be levelled with his. "Grus, you can apparate anywhere, right?"

"Yes, miss," Grus squeaked. Hermione had learnt that Andromeda's house-elf was rather intimidated by the four Slytherins in particular and had kept clear out of their way. But he seemed to have warmed up to Hermione and she thought he was wonderful.

Hermione smiled. "I need you to cast a Disillusionment charm on yourself and apparate into the Order's headquarters. You know that none of us can leave this place because of the anti-apparition wards, but you can. Make your way through as quickly as you can and let us know if the place is empty."

"Of course," Grus nodded.

"Be very careful, Grus."

The house-elf smiled and vanished. When Hermione turned back around, she saw the others staring at her with matching looks of disbelief. "What?"

"That was - bizarre," Pansy sounded amused.

"Red, are you sure a house-elf can be trusted?" Blaise asked.

"House-elves are wonderful creatures," Hermione stated, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. "They're very loyal and - " A sudden thought came to mind, one of a house-elf that she perhaps knew in the past but had forgotten along the way. She shook her head, shoving the thought firmly aside for a moment. " - and they'll protect you if you treat them well. At least, that's what I read in the books," she added, flushing slightly when they all stared at her in silence.

"Please," Theo rolled his eyes. "I had a house-elf once and he couldn't even do anything right."

"That's because someone in your family probably wasn't kind to him." Hermione's gaze travelled to Draco and she couldn't resist. "Yours too."

"I was nothing but kind to my house-elf." All of them turned to stare at him incredulously, and he glared back at them. "Fucking fine, I wasn't, but can you blame me? The words 'kind' and 'Malfoy' never go together."

"Oh, but the words 'pain-in-the-arse' and 'Malfoy' sure as hell do," Theo muttered under his breath, prompting Hermione to laugh as Draco once again shot her a peeved look. She was about to say something teasing in return, but Grus returned at that moment, his eyes large and round with fear.

Hermione knelt down to face him. "What did you see, Grus?"

"Death-Eaters," Grus gasped, "trying to break the shield. Grus didn't see anyone above ground, but Grus did see some underground."

"What were they doing in the basement?" Pansy echoed, taking a step closer to the house-elf.

"Refugees," Draco cut in, with a confident nod. "'Dromeda was telling us the other day about how the other bases are full, and the headquarters had to house some of them. Grus," Draco strode over quickly and the house-elf immediately fell a step back, nervousness clear on his face. Hermione watched with bated breath as Draco paused, holding a careful hand out to elf. He seemed almost careful, his actions slow and unhurried. "Can you apparate them out?"

Grus shook his head. "Can't. Grus thinks there are too many. And Grus also thinks that they can't leave."

"Anti-disapparition wards in the basement?"

The house-elf nodded.

"Well, that's that, then," came Theo's relieved voice. Everyone turned to look at him, and he frowned. "What? It's impossible for us to apparate out of this house, and to apparate into the headquarters. We've tried our best."

"Not quite," Blaise said, before looking at the blond wizard. "Draco? What do you think? Is there any way we can get them out?"

Draco seemed to hesitate. "There's a way," he acceded at last, in an almost halting manner. "It wouldn't be easy, though."

Pansy grinned. "Since when have things ever been easy?"

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Hermione felt a wave of nausea hit the moment Grus apparated her and Theo into the Order's headquarters. She lurched forward, only to be supported by Theo, who quickly held up a phial to her lips.

Instantly, the discomfort in her stomach eased. "Thanks," she whispered.

He simply grinned and shook his head. "Happens to all first-timers. Fortunately, Draco had me prepare the potion for you."

She smiled and grasped Theo's arm as they made their way through the building. The place was silent, and she didn't know whether there were enemies lurking in the corner. Fortunately, she was assigned to stick with Theo, who could at least cast wandless Disillusionment charms to keep them hidden.

Once they found the stairs leading to the dark basement, Theo shook the flashlight in his hand vigorously. "Lumos."

Hermione chuckled softly. They had to use Muggle appliances because none of them had wands. She took the flashlight from him, flipping on the switch. Instantly, the light flickered on, illuminating the floor below them. "Lumos," she repeated, with a teasing grin.

Scowling, Theo snatched the flashlight. They soon came to a dark corridor with a series of closed doors. Theo took a step forward and knocked on the first door.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

There was nothing but silence.

Theo frowned and headed to the next door, and the next, and the next - to no avail. Hermione stayed at the first one, deep in thought. Grus had said that the basement was filled with people, so where were they?

Tentatively, she reached down to the door-knob and twisted it. But it caught. She tried a few more times, realising that someone had locked it from the inside. With the Death-Eaters breaking through the Order's shields, these rooms had probably gone on total lockdown to protect the refugees. Without their wands, neither she nor Theo could get in unless the people inside allowed them to.

She conveyed her suspicions to Theo in hushed whispers, and when she was done, he nodded. "Alright, I'm just going to kick this bloody door down," was his simple solution to the problem.

"Theo, if they have wands, they're going to start hexing you the moment you do. And you don't know how to cast wandless shields."

"A little hexing's not going to kill me, Red. You worry too much," he returned cheerfully, before ramming his shoulder right into the door.

It didn't budge an inch.

But it definitely did hurt Theo, who muttered a colourful string of swear words under his breath. Hermione took out a healing potion from her satchel for him. Theo drank, and they stood in silence as they thought of another way around this.

Finally, Hermione took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "We're from the Order," she began, earning a half-quizzical, half-disgusted look from Theo. "And we're here to offer our assistance. If you open the door, we'll bring you somewhere safe. We're not going to hurt you, I promise."

There was a pause. And then a voice came from inside. "Who are you?"

Hermione froze. But Theo was completely unfazed. "I'm Harry Potter," he sang brightly, which made Hermione choke as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"What's the password, Harry Potter?"

Theo's smile faded abruptly. "Um...er - Weasel's my best friend forever?"

"Try again, Harry Potter."

Theo mimed hexing the person inside with an imaginary wand as Hermione sighed. This wasn't going well at all.

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Pansy felt like a treasure-hunter. From the moment Grus had apparated her into the Order's headquarters, she'd dashed into the closest room in search for several things.

The first - wands. Without their wands, none of them would be capable of fighting or protecting themselves, except for Draco, but even he couldn't send out an Avada without a wand.

The second, of course, was the Deathly Hallow that they had in their possession all this while - the Cloak of Invisiblity. Pansy had wondered if Shacklebolt had returned the Cloak back to Harry Potter. But Draco had thought otherwise, since Harry was no longer a part of the Order.

The last was any important piece of information she could find about the Order. Not to spy - well, okay, kind of. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't curious. But mostly to prevent any information from landing into the hands of the Death-Eaters.

So far, she'd been only fractionally successful. She'd found the Cloak, leaving it draped around her shoulders, and two lists of mission sites that the Order was planning. But the wands were nowhere to be found and Pansy was felt more frustrated as the seconds ticked by.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she came to a locked door at the end of a long corridor. Trusting her instincts, she pressed her ear against the door and knocked twice. There wasn't a sound.

"Accio wand," she whispered. The tingle of magic that greeted her fingertips made her eyes widen. Yes, her wand, at least, was definitely inside.

The only problem now was getting in.

She hurried downstairs. Blaise was standing by the front door as he placed wandless magic on it. Draco was sealing the windows with wandless protection charms, murmuring incantations under his breath as he did.

When he saw her, her distorted head hovering in mid-air as she tucked the Cloak around her, his eyes narrowed. "You're way in over your head, Parkinson," he deadpanned.

She smirked briefly at his pun and pulled the Cloak off, draping it over her shoulder instead. "I need your help. The wands are in a locked room and I can't get in. You need to change into your Animagus and - well, slither in."

He rolled his eyes but followed her all the same. Several minutes later, Pansy watched in fascination as Draco transformed into a snake and slid beneath the gap under the door. It didn't take him long to locate the wands, and the door soon opened with a click.

Draco strode out with several wands in hand. "I'll give these to the other three. Grab whatever important information you can find," he directed, placing her wand in her hands. "When you're done, go to the basement and help the other two."

Pansy nodded as he strode off, before grinning when she realised that he had more than three wands in the pocket of his coat. Stealing from the Order? She wasn't surprised. It was Draco Malfoy after all, so what else was new?

"Lumos," she whispered. Her wand lit up as she entered the room.

She sorted through the items on the desk, realising that there were dozens of other wands inside. The person this room this belonged to - Shacklebolt, probably - had clearly been doing a lot of confiscating. She picked up several others and stuffed them into her satchel - if Draco could do it, so could she - and continued pilfering around. Finally, she came to a large safe, with magical locks in place. She fiddled with it for awhile, using her wand to pick away the multiple charms on it, until she felt a familiar voice break her concentration.

"I was looking for you everywhere," Blaise sounded rather breathless, as if he'd been running around the entire building. "You've got to get out of here, the Death-Eaters are coming."

Pansy slid her wand back into her pocket. "They've found a way in?"

"Almost, can't you hear them outside?"

Pansy strained her ears to listen and, gradually, heard violent explosions in the far distance.

"Draco's trying to hold them off, and he wants us all out of here before the shield breaks," Blaise added.

"Okay, just help me get this," Pansy told him, reaching down to carry the safe. It was far too heavy for her alone, and she shot a pleading look at Blaise. "I think there's something really important inside. I tried shrinking this damn thing to put into my satchel, but it's charmed."

Blaise stepped forward to carry it, but the moment it was in his hands, Pansy dropped her end and headed towards the door. "Where're you going?"

"To help Theo and Red. Draco's orders."

"What about this safe?" Blaise stared at her, appalled, "I thought we were going to carry it together!"

"Oh, I think you can manage wonderfully on your own."

Blaise swore as Pansy left the room without a backward glance. "If you don't get your arse back here I swear I'm not putting out tonight!" He yelled at her departing figure, only to hear her laugh heartily in response.

"Oh, baby, I'm sure you will," came her confident response and Blaise automatically scowled because she'd hit the nail on the head.

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Hermione and Theo had a far easier time once Draco had given them their wands.

After Draco had blasted the first door open and ordered the refugees to come out, threatening to use the Imperius curse on them if they didn't, getting the rest of them out had been a piece of cake.

The wards only held in the basement and so, once the refugees had been ushered to the first floor, apparating them was easy. Theo had used side-along apparition to transport group after group back to Andromeda's place. Hermione had been waiting with the remaining people all this time, staying a good distance away from the crowd.

Then Pansy had come along to return the Cloak and provide her assistance, effectively speeding up the process. Soon, Hermione found herself left with only three people as she waited for either Theo or Pansy to apparate back.

But out of nowhere, Hermoine was almost deafened by a high-pitched siren. It was same one she'd heard when she and Blaise had broken into the Order's prison cell. Her heart sank as she realised what was happening:

The Death-Eaters had broken through and they were coming in.

The three people stared at her in alarm, and she knew that her expression mirrored theirs. She rushed forward and draped the Cloak over them, pushing them towards a small alcove. There was barely enough space under the Cloak for three and she was sure she wouldn't fit in as well.

"Don't make a sound," she told them. "My friends will be back in a few minutes."

"They can't," said the other witch. "The wards go back up once there are intruders."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's to prevent more intruders from apparating in. But it also means that no one inside can get out."

Her heart began to race in terror and her mind immediately went to Draco, wondering if he could somehow, telepathically, realise that she needed his help. Then she shook her head, forcing herself to take deep, calming breaths as she tried to rationalise the situation. The siren was doing her head in, and she could hear a distant crashing sound in one of the upper rooms.

"Okay," Hermione said to the three of them, "you're going to have to make a run for it. When that side door opens, I'm going to create a diversion and you're going to run. The road will split at the cross-section, follow the one on the right until you reach the seventh willow tree. Someone will come out to get you. Understood?"

The three nodded, nervous expressions on their faces as they stared at her.

For a moment, Hermione felt a faint rush of something like courage surge through her veins, and she gave them an encouraging nod. "Stay under the Cloak at all times."

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Draco was having a tedious time.

For the past hour, he and Blaise had been setting charm after charm on the place to delay the Death-Eaters outside, only to have the spells torn down just as quickly. But now that everyone was out of the building, there was no reason to protect the headquarters any longer. So when a particularly strong spell blasted the front gates, he didn't bother stopping the Death-Eaters.

The siren pounded in his ears, and he tried to find a way out because the wards had gone back up. He soon found a window in one of the back rooms, but stopped when he heard a sudden shout nearby.

His retraced his steps, only to pause when he saw Crabbe Senior dancing uncontrollably on the landing of the second floor, shouting angrily as he tried to stop himself. It was a hilarious sight, but Tarantallegra? The only person he knew who used this low-grade spell was Theo and -

Hermione.

In a flash, he remembered the smile on Hermione's face that afternoon when she told him how Theo had taught her the dancing-feet spell. If the spell was cast on Crabbe Senior, it could only mean one thing -

"Draco?"

He went rigid as he heard Hermione's voice. He turned and froze when he saw her staring up at him from the floor below. She broke into a wide smile when she saw him, but he was terrified.

Hermione Granger trapped in a place full of Death-Eaters was one of his greatest nightmares come to life.

"Granger, what the hell?" He hissed. "Get up here now!"

Her eyes widened and she rushed towards the stairs. Draco could feel the oxygen return to his lungs as she closed the distance between them - thirty feet away, twenty feet, fifteen -

And then she halted, a look of frozen horror on her face.

"Granger, what - " But he saw it just as the words left his mouth, a red light in his peripheral vision, a stunning spell honing in on him, too quick, too powerful for him to catch.

"Protego!"

An invisible shield almost threw him off balance as the spell rebounded off it. He recovered, reaching into his pocket for his wand and sending a stunning spell twice as strong back in the direction it came from.

Draco then turned to Hermione and she seemed equally as surprised as he was. Even though the two of them had practiced shield charms over the past few days, she'd never actually managed to cast one, let alone react so quickly.

Hermione blinked, slowly bringing her wand back down to her side, still looking rather bewildered. "I - "

Draco reached for her, latching his arms swiftly around her waist and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Thank you," he murmured, feeling her shiver under his lips, her fingers instinctively coming up to grip the fabric of his shirt tightly.

She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she looked up at him. "Oh, it was fun."

It wasn't just that. Draco felt a pull in his chest as he thought about the million and one things he could tell her. Wanted to tell her. Needed to tell her. The words had branded themselves in his mind over and over again and he could practically hear himself saying them out loud to her.

The truth is, Hermione, he thought, shutting his eyes briefly as he held her tight, when I found you that night in the Quarry, I wasn't the one saving you. You were the one who saved me. And now, again.

And after this, still.