A/N: I know it's been too long since my last update! I sincerely apologize, school and work have been keeping me busy, but I promise I have not forgotten this story. I hope you enjoy and as always please rate and review!

"A woman?!"

Draco shot his Praefectus a stern look and Blaise instantly lowered his voice. Thankfully, the legionnaires had moved off to practice sparring and sharpening their weapons in preparation for the impending battle. Realizing a need for a more private setting - Blaise quickly ushered his friend into his tent. The Praefectus' living quarters were furnished much the same as Draco's, with a bed, a washbasin and several carpets. The tent in question was only slightly smaller in width and length, but left ample space to move around. Space that the Commander took advantage of as he paced the length of the room in agitation.

Blaise seated himself on the nearby chair, a look of utter shock donning his face.

"By the gods," the dark skinned man continued, "how could this happen?"

Draco sighed at this and raked a hand through his shock of blond hair. "I don't know, she simply appeared in the night as if from thin air. She wields powerful magic - the likes of which I have never seen."

Blaise shot up from his seat at this, nearly knocking it over in the process. "A sorceress? Commander, you know of the old witch tales. It is unwise to be dealing with them, especially so close to battle. The men will grow uncomfortable knowing a strange, powerful woman has appeared out of nowhere. It is ominous to say the least. We must be rid of her presence immediately." The African's hand came to rest on the pommel of his sword, showing his intentions.

"No!" Draco shouted a little more forcefully than intended as he stopped himself in his tracks.

He calmed before continuing to pace, "she has nowhere to go, the nearest village is more than a days ride away. I will not leave a helpless woman to die, sorceress or not, on these godforsaken plains."

Several seconds passed before a single utterance as both men were deep in thought. Finally Blaise broke the silence: "We march at first light to stifle the barbarian horde - and you would bring her? The ground will be watered with blood, she is no more safer on her own than with the legion. The battlefield is no place for a woman."

Draco's lips pressed into a hard line as he pondered the truth of his friend's words.

"Inform the men that while she remains with the legion she will be under my care. If any harm should come to her, the price will be Decimation. As for the impending battle - I will allow her the choice of whether she wishes to remain with us or strike out on her own."

The Praefectus' eyes widened at this, but he did not dare oppose his Commander's decision. Draco spoke with finality, leaving no room for argument from his dark companion.

"I shall see it done, Commander."

Blaise brought his right fist over his left breastplate and bowed deeply before lifting the flap of his tent and departing into the bright afternoon sun. Shortly thereafter, Draco followed suite and watched as his comrade disappeared through a line of tents. Tilting his face up to the blue heavens, the young blonde sent a silent prayer up the gods.

-x-

Time seemed to drag on forever inside the tent. After she had cleaned off her makeup and had tied her hair up out of the way, Hermione found that there was not much by way of entertainment. She decided instead to busy her mind by finding a solution to her current predicament.

Like how exactly the hell do I get out of here.

Morning had crept into the afternoon and Hermione shifted uncomfortably in the sole chair provided. Despite her numerous attempts, no solutions were found. Her brilliant mind had pored endlessly over her knowledge on time-altering magic - bringing her back to her school years when she had first used the powerful Time Turner. The Time Turner had proved to be incredibly useful, allowing her to attend more classes and to save Sirius.

But that was only a few hours, not thousands of years!

Reaffirming her thoughts from the previous night - there truly was no logical explanation. The Ministry of Magic had purposefully restricted the use of time-altering magic due to it's volatile nature - changing things of the past would of course alter future events. Not only that, but it's extremely dangerous to travel back in time. Physically the human body could not endure the strain of time-travelling more than a couple of hours. She had remembered reading an article about a man who had attempted - illegally of course, to send himself a week into the past. They had found him soon after in a pool of his own blood with multiple organ systems already failing inside his body. If indeed an insurmountable sum of magic had been supplied to send her this far back, she should never have been able to survive the voyage.

Sending out her frustration to the silent walls around her, she let loose an exasperated sigh: "It simply doesn't make sense!"

Her frustration was interrupted by the entrance of Draco, who strode over to where she sat slumped over in defeat.

"I thought you said you'd be gone for the day," she snapped, taking some of her frustration out.

"There is still much to be done before I can ride my army south, however I came back to inform you that you may leave the tent. I have informed my men that you are to be unharmed. I have also discussed your stay here with my Praefectus, he thinks it dangerous for you to remain with the legion - and I cannot help but agree to an extent. This life is not suited for a woman. The only other option for you is to take one of the spare horses and ride to the nearest village. Normally, I would send escort to ensure that you arrived safely, however presently I cannot afford to send away my men so close to battle. You would have to make the journey alone and I must caution that we are many leagues away from any means of civilization."

Hermione chewed her lip as she pondered his words carefully. In a matter of hours they would depart for war. The images of broken bodies, blood-spattered ground and cries of agony filled her mind as she recalled the Battle of Hogwarts. A battle that was still very fresh in her memory. She had seen her fair share of bloodshed, enough to last her a lifetime and Hermione had no intentions to fight more than she already had in her short life. However, the thought of riding alone and without guidance on these endless plains was even more terrifying to her. She knew that at least for the time being, she would be safer with him.

Weighing her options she made up her mind. "I will stay."

Draco kept his face neutral - masking the delight that grew inside of him: "I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe until we return victorious to the bosom of mother Rome. And from there, you may decide how you wish to proceed."

"I-I," she stumbled over her words. "Thank you for your generosity."

Draco answered her thanks with a wave of his hand. "Think nothing of it. Come, I shall give you a tour of the camp." The Commander turned from her and made to leave. Before he could take a step, he felt a small hand grasp his forearm.

"Wait! During my stay here…I would like to be useful somehow." Hermione quickly released her hold, embarrassed at her sudden action. The blond merely arched an eyebrow at her declaration and a small smile graced his lips as he regarded the dainty brunette before him.

"What are your skills?"

"In my time, I was studying to be a healer. I wanted to work at St. Mungo's…" She trailed off waiting for his response.

"Very well," he replid. "I shall introduce you to the senior Medicus before nightfall."

The thought of being able to return to some part of her previous life was extremely comforting to the brunette. She would be able to practice her healing spells and use them for the benefit of others. For the first time since her messy breakup with Ron, she experienced a moment of pure and unadulterated joy. She smiled brightly and was about to offer up her thanks once again, when a loud gurgle erupted from her stomach. Hermione's cheeks reddened a little at this, but Draco merely chuckled.

"Come, let us go first to the mess hall. I would not have our new Medica starving to death."

-x-

The short trip to the mess hall was eventful to say the least. As it was, most of the legionnaires and auxiliaries had taken a break from their respective tasks to fill their bellies. As Draco glided effortlessly towards their destination, Hermione had to practically run to keep pace with him. Passing through the camp, it seemed as if all eyes were watching her - the oddly dressed sorceress that the Commander had placed under his strict protection. Hermione blushed slightly under their scrutiny, but nevertheless held her head high. In their eyes were a mixture of emotions - some held curiosity, others fear and many lust. She met their gazes with her own. Most of the men had the decency to look away, but one man did not. He looked utterly remarkable - like any other soldier, but the way he regarded Hermione was particularly unsettling. Shivers ran up and down her spine as she watched the mysterious man disappear from sight.