A/N Summary: What if Draco accepted Dumbledore's offer of protection up on the tower at the end up book 6? Set in the summer after their sixth year. Draco/Hermione. I so don't own anything, because if i did, the series would have ended a little bit differently. no disrespect to JKR of course.

Prologue:

"Draco, come on. We have stood out here discussing your ways and means of trying to kill me but I suggest that you just do it or drop your wand. I really don't like indecisiveness." Dumbledore said tiredly, leaning heavily against the stone wall of the tower for support.

"Just shut up! You're not the boss of me! I'll kill you when I'm ready!" Draco snapped back.

"You are not a killer, Draco."

"How do you know who I am?! I can do this! I was chosen!" Draco said a little hysterically.

"Murder is not as easy as you think it is. To take another human life is – ahhhh." Dumbledore said in pain as he slid down the wall another couple of feet.

Draco's wand shook slightly. He tried to control his shivering body and wide eyes. He could do this! He was ready! He had been preparing all year for this moment! Dumbledore was wandless and weak, this is the perfect moment. Go, he told himself, do it! Do it! DO IT! But he didn't he just kept staring at the man who taught him everything he ever wanted to know since he was eleven years old.

The silence stretched on and Dumbledore sighed, "We both know that you are not going to kill me – shush boy." He said as Draco tried to interrupt, "So let's talk about your choices."

"I don't have any choices! I have to kill you! Or else he'll kill my family." He whispered. He was ashamed to admit that hot tears were rising in his eyes. His trembling had gotten worse than ever.

"The Order of the Phoenix can hide you and your mother, we can set up a safe location with a Secret Keeper and defensive spells. And when your father comes out of Azkaban, we can protect him as well." Dumbledore said seriously.

Draco shook his head wildly, "No! That's no good! He'll find me and he'll... and he'll..." Draco swallowed the sob just before it broke free from his lips.

"The Order is just as powerful as your Dark Lord, we can keep you safe. Please, Draco. You are not a killer." Dumbledore's eyes were shut in pain and his voice was hardly above a whisper. Truthfully, Draco didn't want to kill Dumbledore, he never had. And that fact that Dumbledore was begging Draco to let him protect him even thought it would put himself in danger.... No one had ever done anything like that for him before. It made him feel very.... loved and.... special. Draco wasn't used to feeling that.

He couldn't speak; mute tears had stolen his voice. So he just nodded silently.

Dumbledore sighed in relief, "Good." He murmured, "But I can hear your ex-comrades coming, quick! Go to the other side of the tower until I say it's safe to come out!"

"But...!" Draco felt a strange conflicting sort of feeling. He was only used to worrying about his own safety, but Dumbledore just saved him and his family.

"Go!" Dumbledore demanded. There was no arguing with him so Draco ran to the other side of the round tower and hid. He couldn't hear everything that was being said, but he did hear one thing that chilled him to the bone.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" A man's voice screamed. Draco felt a coldness in the pit of his stomach when he recognized the voice. Snape just killed Dumbledore.

He ran out towards them but they had already left. With a strange light-headedness, he watched Dumbledore fall from the top of Astronomy Tower and hit the ground.

He felt someone pat his back and he whirled around in surprise, flashing out his wand.

It was just Potter. Wait – where the hell did Potter come from?

"I heard what you said." Potter was eavesdropping. Screw him. But he was in too much of a shock to do anything but stare at him and the dark spot that was Dumbledore's body on the ground. He blinked his eyes and his mouth was hanging open. It surprised him a little that he felt remorse for Dumbledore's death. And not the selfish kind of remorse where Draco would probably be killed now that no one would protect him, it was real. He was honestly sad that Dumbledore was dead. How odd.

Potter had tears in his eyes and his body was shaking as well.

"I-I-I have to.... go down..... and.... and...see..." Potter stuttered with the effort of holding back his tears. Normally, Draco would have mocked him for this, but he was honestly too exhausted.

"Go and hide in the Room of Requirement or something until we can get this straightened out and get you somewhere safe." Harry said seriously. He was doing what Dumbledore couldn't do, even though Draco was his enemy and just tried to kill his father-figure, he wouldn't let Dumbledore down. Gryffindors.

Draco hid in the room until the next day when Potter found him there. He would take this to his grave, but he actually cried the whole night long. He cried for things he couldn't understand, his grief for Dumbledore's death, his fear for his life and his parent's lives and his confusion about what is happening right now.

Potter managed to convince the others that Dumbledore wanted the Malfoy's protected. No one liked that plan but they did it anyways. Because that's what Dumbledore wanted.

A/N thats basically the second last chapter of the 6th book, in dracos POV and with a twist. Okay im a bit tired right now and ill try to update as much as i can, i have a plan of action, never fear. Okay R&R and tell me what you think.