A/N: I apologise for the lengthy delay in getting this chapter to you. I've been dealing with some very difficult things in my non-fandom life and then got sucked into writing a dark and twisted Dramione Christmas story, "The Mistletoe Legacy." Rest assured that I have NOT forgotten about this story and am not abandoning it. Thank you to Margot Le Faye for talking through battle sequences with me.

Cheers,
Elle

The Battle of Hogwarts Part 11

Hermione hurried behind Lucius as they headed for the far end of the third floor corridor. Despite the multiple potions he'd fed her, she could still feel the after-effects of Bellatrix's cruciatus curse, and it made her feel shaky and more than a little out of breath. By the time they reached the end of the corridor, she was panting and struggling to keep up with Lucius. She reached out and grabbed at his robes, slowing his brisk pace.

"What is it?"

"Please. Slow down," she panted. "My legs aren't as long as yours."

He stopped abruptly then, and she ran into him from behind.

"Are you alright?" he asked, eyeing her with a sharp gaze.

She swallowed hard and fought to force her breathing to a normal level, fearful that he'd activate the portkey in her bracelet if he thought her too weak.

"I'm fine."

His arched eyebrow in response told her that he didn't believe her for a second.

"I don't want to get separated from you," she insisted.

He nodded tersely. "Yes, well, you are rather short. Come."

She nodded mutely as he took hold of her wrist and tugged her along with him, albeit at a slower pace.

He approached the stairwell with his wand drawn, and she knew that a desire to reach his son as quickly as possible warred with an instinctive desire for self-preservation that made him move with caution.

Thoughts raced through her head about the layout of the castle and the fastest way to get to wherever Draco might be. Had Draco messaged Lucius? Surely wherever he was, he was with Narcissa if she was desperate enough to find him that she'd lied to Voldemort himself. She couldn't see the icy witch Lucius had been forced to wed being all that enthusiastic of a warrior in battle, despite her professed support of the Dark Lord's blood purity cause. Would they hide in the dungeons? Would Draco leave altogether if he found his mother?

She thought about the stairwell before them and the different routes they could take through the castle. She'd previously thought herself far enough away from the battle to be safe, but she'd been ambushed by Bellatrix. Where else were Death Eaters and Voldemort's allies lurking? Would it be safer to take a longer route and go up and around before descending? Or was it better to take the most direct route and head down?

Up or down.

Live or die.

It was disconcerting to think that such a simple, split-second decision as how to traverse a castle she'd called home for years could be the determining factor in whether or not she and Lucius survived the battle.

Lucius surveyed the stairwell. A skirmish played out below them, and as Hermione leaned in and followed his gaze, she could see a student battling a Death Eater below. It was clearly not a fair fight.

She did not recognise the dark-haired student in Ravenclaw robes, but she knew that if she didn't act, the young wizard would soon end up dead.

"Stupefy!"

She pushed out the spell without thinking, shooting down at the Death Eater with precision and hitting him square in the chest. He fell backward onto the stone floor, and his intended victim whirled about, looking to see who had come to his aid.

Lucius jerked her back harshly.

"Are you mad?" he hissed as he pulled her away from the stairs.

She attempted to squirm out of his grip as his fingers dug into her upper arm. "He was going to kill that student!"

"You stupid, reckless girl! You just gave our position away! You had no way of knowing who else was in the stairwell, possibly above us or below us, watching and waiting to strike!"

Her eyes widened at his angry words, and she realised he was right. She'd given no thought to who else might be lurking nearby. Her only concern had been for the student below them.

"He would have killed him," she said softy, gesturing in the general direction of the felled Death Eater.

"It's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make if it gets us safely to Draco," he snapped back harshly.

He released her arm abruptly and stepped back from her before casting a disillusionment charm on her and then on himself. "Let's go."

She followed him back to the stairwell, holding onto the back of his robes so she didn't lose him. He paused and scanned the area. Then before she was fully prepared, he grabbed her arm and dragged her onto the stairs with only one word of warning: "Run!"

They practically flew down the stairs, and Hermione struggled to stay on her feet. Halfway down, the entire staircase shifted and began to move with them on it.

She slipped and fell into the bannister as the staircase jerked and swung widely to the left. Lucius stopped his descent and dragged her back to her feet, swearing under his breath as he did so.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she muttered.

"Come on, then. One finite cast our direction, and we're sitting ducks," he said, moving toward the edge of the stairs.

His words were very nearly prophetic. As the stairs moved toward the landing, a spell hit the marble bannister, making a sickly cracking noise as it hit the stone. They both froze momentarily. Hermione glanced right and saw two Death Eaters firing at the stairs from below.

"Down there," she said, tugging on Lucius's robe.

"If the stairs are moving, they know someone's on them. We're going to have to jump for it," he said as he began moving again as a shouted finite incantatem whizzed past them, narrowly missing her head.

"What? Why?" she gasped. They were nowhere near close enough to the landing for her to feel comfortable jumping. Lucius reached around and grabbed her arm.

"No time! NOW!" he yelled.

And then he jumped, pulling her with him.

In that moment, Hermione was certain her heart had caught in her throat. She'd never been fond of heights, and the idea of voluntarily leaping off a set of stairs three floors up was terrifying.

They could not have been airborne for more than a few seconds, yet it seemed like an eternity to Hermione to be suspended mid-air.

They hit the ground hard, a jumble of bodies and limbs and shooting pain. Neither she nor Lucius were able to maintain their disillusionment charms. A fraction of a second later, she heard a male voice scream "bombarda!" and then the staircase exploded in a shower of marble fragments.

She was unable to get to her wand in time to cast a shield, and instead had to scramble forward on her stomach as she and Lucius tried to escape the bits of falling rock.

He half-dragged her around the corner and out of the line of fire.

"Classroom?" he gasped.

"There!"

They stumbled into an empty classroom, and as soon as the door was closed, they both practically slid down to the door onto the floor.

"Do you have your wand?" his voice was strained, as if he was in pain.

Another wave of panic washed over her then. Did she have her wand? It had all happened so fast: running down the stairs, the stairs moving, the curses from Death Eaters, and then the leap into open air and the hard fall. What if she'd dropped it? What if she'd left it behind? What if…

She looked down then and realised with a start that her wand was still clasped firmly in her hand. She stared at the precious vine wood for a moment as if she hardly recognised it. She could only wonder how on earth she'd managed to hold onto it and somehow not break it. She forced herself to relax her grip before she accidentally snapped the wood.

"Yes, I do. Do you have…" her voice trailed off as she turned to look at Lucius. Like her, his wand was still firmly clasped in his hand. She supposed he was experienced enough in his forced service to the Dark Lord to remember to hold onto his wand. His hand though, looked much worse for wear - scrapes marred his pale skin, and two of his fingers were bent at an odd angle and were turning purple.

"Your hand!" she gasped as she reached for him.

He cast locking and silencing charms on the door, and she saw him wince with each movement of his hand.

"I think it's broken," he admitted. "I don't suppose you have skelegrow in that bag of yours do you?"

"I'm afraid not. Even if I did you'd have to give it long enough to take effect."

He shifted on the floor and gingerly transferred his wand to his other hand.

"Then let us test your proficiency at healing spells," he said grimly as he held out his battered hand.

She knew episkey was a necessary spell, but she felt guilty all the same when the bones realigned themselves with a sickening crunch and he grimaced in obvious pain. She healed the scrapes and cast charms on his hand to reduce pain and swelling.

"You really need to have it treated. I can't guarantee I did it properly, and healing potions would help with-"

"Later. Can you get…" his voice trailed off as he gestured to his head. A cut near his hairline had sent a trickle of blood into his hair. She healed it and cast a scourgify to remove the blood.

"Where else are you injured?"

"I've no doubt I'll need bruise paste when this is all over, but for now, this is acceptable. Are you injured?" he asked as he flexed his hand experimentally.

"I'm sure I'll be bruised later, but with the pain potions I took, it's hard to tell. You mostly broke my fall. Thank you," she admitted.

"Given the training I provided, I am devoting a surprising amount of time and effort into saving you, pet," he said wryly.

"Yes, well, I owe you, clearly," she said as she pushed herself up from the floor. "How did you know they were going to blow up the stairs?"

"It's a common enough tactic in battle. If someone saw you stupefy that Death Eater, then they surely guessed whoever cast that spell was all on the stairs," he said as he got to his feet.

Her face flushed with shame at how her rash action to save that student had resulted in harm coming to Lucius and could have gotten them both killed.

"I...I'm sorry. You're right - it was rash of me. I acted without thinking."

"You're a Gryffindor. I can't say that I'm surprised."

She frowned at the perceived slur against her house.

"We can't stay here - too great a chance someone may have spotted us, and we can't risk being trapped in a classroom."

Guilt ate at Hermione as she continued to relive the experience in the stairwell and how Lucius had been injured as a result, even as he'd saved her life yet again.

"Lucius?" she said softly, catching his attention as he dropped the protective charms on the door.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant for you to get hurt."

He sighed, and a look of frustration marred his handsome face.

"From the moment we leave this room, we do this my way. No brash Gryffindor moves to save everyone. You stay behind me. You have my express permission to cast on anyone who attacks either of us or my son, but you cannot save them all. Do you understand?"

She nodded, suitably chastised. "Yes, Lucius."

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, and then flung open the door.

~oOo~

As they neared the main floor of the castle, Hermione cast a protective shield around herself and Lucius both, but knew it would be useless against the darkest of dark curses. Screams and shouts and the sound of spells blasting apart bits and pieces of the castle sounded around them, and a haze of dust and smoke filled the air. The adrenaline of battle temporarily blocked out the aches and pains of her body as she ran to keep up with Lucius.

Multiple curses and bursts of magic bounced off her shield, but she moved too quickly to notice whether they were aimed at her or at Lucius. She knew it was dangerous to be seen in the castle with him. She was publicly known to be Harry Potter's best friend, something that had painted a proverbial target on her since Voldemort's resurrection, and he was widely believed to be a member of Voldemort's inner circle. They each made attractive targets for the opposing side, and Lucius in particular was very visible with his distinctive long pale blond hair.

A curse whizzed by them, far too close for comfort.

"Where is Draco?" She asked loudly, hoping he could hear her in the chaos.

He might have replied, she couldn't be sure, as her attention was drawn from him to another as a voice shouted at them.

"Death Eater scum!"

Lucius's body blocked her from seeing who was up ahead of them, but it was obvious by his words and the spell cast at Lucius that it was an Order member or ally. Magic hit Hermione's shield with enough power to shatter their protective barrier. Lucius cast back. It wasn't an avada kedavra, but she recognised the curse from one of his books as both dark and almost instantly lethal. Bile rose in her throat at the knowledge that she'd likely just watched him kill someone. It was self-defense, assuredly, but she didn't like watching it happen in front of her, regardless of her own kills on this night.

Someone else came running, and over an angry shout of "Malfoy!" Hermione blocked another curse that might have hit her or Lucius and quickly recast a shield, pushing her magic protectively toward Lucius.

"He's on our side!" she yelled at a wizard she vaguely recognised from Order meetings, trying to make her presence known in the futile hope she could stop the attack.

The idea of dueling her own allies was disturbing, but she had no choice but to continue attempting to block their curses.

Lucius felled the first wizard, and as he dropped to the ground, she lost her concentration for mere moments, hoping that her lover had rendered the man temporarily unconscious instead of killing him.

In those brief moments, her shield dropped, and they were vulnerable. A fraction of a second later, a curse whizzed past Hermione from behind and hit Lucius on the shoulder. From her position behind him, Hermione could see blood dampen his black robes, and fury boiled inside her at the idea that someone would act to harm the wizard she loved.

She acted on instinct, without conscious thought, and whirled around, a blasting hex exploding from her wand with a powerful burst of magic. Her spell hit their attacker with tremendous force, sending him flying backwards until he slammed into a stone wall and fell to the ground like a limp ragdoll. In those moments as their assailant was thrown through the air, she thought she recognised him as her former classmate Seamus Finnegan.

There was no time to react, no time to check on him to see if she'd accidentally killed him. Lucius grabbed her wrist and dragged her behind a pile of rubble.

"How badly are you hurt?" she gasped.

He gripped his shoulder and pain twisted his handsome face. "Cast vulna santeur."

Her mind went blank for a moment. The name of the spell was familiar, but not the movement. Lucius must have sensed this, for he lifted his wand and showed her how to cast it. She repeated the motions with her own wand and knew she'd gotten it correct when he eased out a sigh of relief.

"Thank Merlin you're a fast learner," he muttered under his breath. "Do you have another pepper up potion in that bag of yours?"

Her hands shook as she searched her bag, her body processing the idea that Lucius had taken a direct hit, that had the spell been darker or more dangerous, he might be dead. This disturbing thought captured her mind and refused to let go as Lucius took the potion and then checked his signet ring.

"Draco is with his mother, headed for the courtyard. We'll meet them there."

She stared at him for a moment. "You are taking me to your wife?"

"I am going to my son, and I am going to ensure that he is safe, and then I am going to activate his portkey as he's too bloody stubborn to do it himself. I care not what my wife thinks of you. You will stay with me."

He rotated his shoulder, testing the mended injury before standing to full height.

"There are too many people for a disillusionment charm. Just keep a shield up," he tossed over his shoulder at her before they both took off running.

As they neared the courtyard, Lucius jerked to a sudden stop and darted behind a stone pillar, pulling Hermione with him. Distantly, she realised that she'd once hidden behind this very pillar to eavesdrop on Lucius and Professor Snape discuss Remus Lupin's status as a werewolf. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

From her position behind Lucius and the pillar, Hermione tried to scan the area in search of the younger Malfoy's recognisable pale blond hair. Lucius kept her close to him, as if fearful someone would snatch her away.

She could not see Draco or Narcissa, but she knew the moment Lucius spotted them by the way his shoulders sagged with some modicum of relief. She peeked around him to see Draco and his mother making their way toward the courtyard from the opposite side.

Draco spotted them from across the way, and Hermione noted the way he grabbed Narcissa and nodded their direction and then fired a curse over his shoulder at someone. The site of the younger Malfoy reminded Hermione of the way he'd kissed her in front of Harry earlier in the battle - Merlin that felt like a lifetime ago! For a brief moment, she panicked at the thought of Draco pulling something like that in front of his parents. She did not particularly want to interact at all with Lucius's wife, but she knew Lucius would feel infinitely better once he had Draco by his side.

She wondered briefly what Lucius's plan was now as running across an open courtyard as a battle was fought around them did not seem like a particularly grand idea. But then… Lucius was a father desperate to reach his son. Hermione exhaled deeply in relief when Lucius began to move from the pillar and further into the shadows instead of out in the open.

"Too dangerous to run across. We'll have to go round," he tossed over his shoulder at her.

They fought their way down the colonnade, slowly moving toward Draco and Narcissa. Hermione slid once on stones that were splashed in blood but managed to steady herself before she fell. She tried very hard not to think about who had shed blood there.

They'd made it roughly halfway to their destination when Lucius stopped so abruptly that Hermione collided with his back.

"What are you-" she started to ask before Lucius cut her off with a sharp hiss and stepped backwards rapidly until he'd nearly shoved her against a stone pillar. He turned toward her then, and Hermione could see fear in his eyes before he looked past her. She shifted and managed to turn herself around, despite being wedged uncomfortably between Lucius and the cold stone, just enough that she could catch a glimpse of the courtyard.

When she did, her heart felt as if it had dropped to the floor, for the Dark Lord himself, Voldemort, had just entered the courtyard.