A/N

So... this is awkward... I kinda left this story alone for a while. Lots of stuff going on in my life, I'm sorry! Don't hate me! Or do, it doesn't really matter.

Love to y'all anyway!

~MC

The mist parted as the Death Eaters walked toward the cottage, and my hand tightened around Draco's. Blaise had a knife against Ginny's throat, and they were flanked by roughly twenty others. It was sickening, seeing the Dark Mark on Blaise's arm and remembering what it actually meant. Blood. Power. Corruption. Voldemort stood tall in the front, leering at the cottage. I moved to go outside. "No," Draco ordered.

"Draco, let me go," I demanded.

"No." I ripped my arm away from him and headed outside, flanked by Bill and Charlie. Draco tailed us loyally, while the others kept Harry from rushing out there. As far as we knew, Voldemort didn't know he was inside, so Molly kept him away from the windows. "Give her back, you son of a bitch," I snarled. A few of the Death Eaters laughed.

Draco and I were in a silent standoff. He kept trying to subtly put himself between me and the danger, and I didn't let him. Voldemort appraised me. "Gladly, if you do the same with young Mr. Malfoy."

"Bite me, you sick bastard." Draco snarled.

"Draco," I looked up and saw his father. Lucius Malfoy was tall, with nearly white hair and cold blue eyes. His face was sunken in and he looked much skinnier than he had the last time I had seen him, years ago. He no longer had any pride or confidence around him, that had been stripped away by Voldemort. "You've disgraced our name quite enough. Now, we were willing to allow some… leeway given your mate is who she is, but the time has come to come back." He said it certainly, as if they had always had complete control over the situation. My lip curled. I didn't like Slytherins for that reason, they always had to be the ones in charge.

"Draco isn't a bartering chip," Charlie said calmly. "I will not trade lives."

"Pity," Voldemort sneered. "Because you've decided your sister's fate." Blaise dug the blade of his knife further into Ginny's neck, but we made eye contact and I knew his heart wasn't in it. Blaise Zabini was not a bad guy.

"No, I'll go," Draco spoke up, squeezing my hand.

"No, you won't," Charlie growled at him. "Stand down." The Alpha had given an order and Draco couldn't refuse, even though he wanted to. I chewed my lip, torn. Everything in my body was telling me to save Ginny. She was my friend, an innocent little girl we had left stranded at Hogwarts. However, the Mark raged at anything that could possibly put Draco in harm's way.

"Draco, we don't negotiate with these people," Bill added. I hated agreeing with Bill on anything, but I agreed on this. They couldn't take Draco.

"See how your family loves you?" Voldemort laughed at Ginny, as did the rest of the Death Eaters.

"Hermione, lift the wards," Charlie ordered. It took a minute to register that he had spoken to me. In my anger and anxiety, all I could hear was the rushing of blood in my ears.

"What?"

"Now!" I quickly said the spell that took off all of the wards around the cottage and Blaise and Ginny Apparated away. I didn't see the light until it hit me, and I fell on the ground, writhing from a vicious Crucio. Draco was briefly incapacitated as well, trembling from the spell as the sea of Death Eaters rushed forward.

"Apparate!" Charlie ordered and Draco grabbed me and I felt the pull of Apparation combined with the painful stinging of a hex.

I hit the ground hard, gasping and clutching at my side. My hands came away soaked in blood and I realized it was Draco who was hit. He began to heal himself, but my wound didn't do the same. "What can I do?" Draco asked. I couldn't speak, I could only focus on forcing my lungs to work. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was Draco's eyes turning gold.

A/N

It's short, I KNOW! I am frustrated that I haven't picked up my laptop for anything but work in the last month. Thanks for bearing with me, I will try to update soon.

Love to all!

~MC