OK PEOPLE JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM INDEED BACK! SORRY FOR THE VERY VERY VERY LONG ABSENCE BUT LIFE HAS BEEN HECTIC!

MY APOLOGIES TO ALL MY FAITHFUL AND LONG SUFFERING READERS, BUT IT WAS UNAVOIDABLE.

OK TO GET MYSELF BACK INTO THE SWING OF THINGS I HAVE REPLACED THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THIS WITH AN UPDATED VERSION WHICH SOLVES MY MISTAKE WITH THE WHOLE BLOOD THINGY. I GOT THE IDEA FROM AN OLD AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL DRAMA THAT I LOVE TO WATCH (A COUNTRY PRACTICE) SO HOPEFULLY IT WILL SOLVE ANY ISSUES OF MY FAUX PAS

I AM NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THIS STORY AND I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT I HAVE ACTUALLY JUST WRITTEN THE PROLOGUE OF THE SEQUEL TO 'DUMBLEDORE'S GAMES' THOUGH IT IS STILL UN-NAMED, KEEP YOUR EYES OUT FOR IT AS I WILL POST A NOTE ON THE END OF 'DG' TO ADVICE OF ITS POSTING.

THERE ARE NOT MANY CHAPTERS LEFT TO GO OF THIS STORY, BUT FEAR NOT I HAVE ABOUT 17 HP FANFICTIONS ALL ON THE GO, SOME WITH SEVERAL CHAPTERS ALREADY WRITTEN AND THEY WILL BE POSTED SOON... BE AWARE THAT A FEW OF THEM ARE NOT MY NORMAL FLUFFY HUMOR STORIES, THOUGH THEY WILL CONTAIN TRACES OF MY HUMOR (MY STORIES WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT IT)

I ALSO HAVE 3 STAR WARS, 2 BUFFY, 3 TWILIGHT AND 5 SAILOR MOON STORIES ON THE GO AS WELL. HOW DID I GET THAT MANY U MAY ASK? SIMPLE WHEN I GET AN IDEA I START THE STORY SO I DO NOT LOSE SAID IDEA HAHA... ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES I FORGET I EVEN HAVE THE STORY TO BEGIN WITH LOL

Ok this is one of my many stories that i have on the go at the moment. it started out as a oneshot, then a twoshot, then a ficlet now i have finally come to the conclusion that it will indeed be a novella length story.

Now i must warn you that SOME PEOPLE ARE VERY OUT OF CHARACTER so if you dislike stories of this nature then don't read it!

Disclaimer: i don't own Harry Potter nor any of its characters!

It's All About Blood

Chapter One: Transfusion

Hermione Granger sat in the Hogwarts infirmary between the beds of her two best friends. Harry Potter was unconscious. He had been found on the Hogwarts grounds with none other than Draco Malfoy. Both young men had been severely injured by a rogue Manticore who had escaped the ministry of magic's custody and had gone on a hunting spree. Both Harry and Draco had lost a lot of blood and both required transfusions. Hermione glanced to the bed where her other best friend, Ron Weasley lay. Madam Pomfrey, the medi-witch at Hogwarts had given Ron a dreamless sleep potion after he had provided the blood needed to save Harry's life. It had been sheer luck that both Ron and Harry had the same blood type. Hermione was brought out of her thoughts by the sounds of voices coming from the curtains that surrounded Draco's hospital bed.

"I'm sorry Mr Malfoy but there is nothing more that I can do" the healer who Madam Pomfrey had called in from St Mungo's explained.

"What do you mean there's nothing more you can do?" Lucius Malfoy demanded.

"Your son needs blood or he will die"

"Well give him a blood replenishment potion then you stupid man!" Lucius snapped.

"I'm afraid that won't work, your son has lost so much blood that he does not have enough for the potion to work"

"Well then find a donor"

"It's not that simple Lucius" Dumbledore said sadly.

"What do you mean? You were able to save the Potter boy" Narcissa Malfoy asked, her voice husky from crying.

"Harry has a common blood type, his friend Mr Weasley had the same type as him. Draco on the other hand has a very rare blood type, unless we can find a donor who has the same blood type as him, we cannot give him the transfusion. Giving him the wrong blood type will kill him"

"How rare is this blood type? Could Narcissa or I have the same type?" Lucius asked, Hermione was shocked at the fear and concern that she heard in the elder Malfoy's voice,

"Draco's blood type is AB+, only one in a thousand people have it, But although one of you is certain to have the same type as your son, Draco's blood has antibodies in it, we have to find a certain donor blood or it will react with Draco's blood and kill him, we have already checked both of your medical records and neither of you match I'm afraid" the healer replied

"What about someone else? The professors? The students?" Lucius asked,

"I have already asked the students and professors, not one of them has the same blood type as Draco. His blood type means that he is a universal recipient, but again the antibodies are preventing that, he must have a donor of the same type that is compatible with the antibodies" Dumbledore replied sadly. Narcissa burst into tears and rested her head on her son's lap as he lay, pale as a ghost in the bed.

"Are you telling me that my son is going to die?"

"Without a donor, yes. The blood replenishment potion that we are using for him is keeping him alive for now, but it will only work for three more hours at the most"

"My son can't die! Albus I may be a heartless bastard, but I do love my son, I don't want him to die" then Lucius turned to the healer "What about a muggle? Surely a muggle hospital would have some of this blood type stored away"

"That they would Mr Malfoy, but using muggle blood in itself would cause other problems"

"What problems? Quite frankly I would be willing to use hippogriff blood if it meant saving Draco's life"

"Because of the amount of blood that Draco has lost, if we were to give him muggle blood, he would lose his magical ability" Dumbledore replied. Narcissa gasped, and Lucius paled,

"You mean that he would become a squib? He would be unable to do magic at all?" Narcissa asked, Dumbledore and the healer nodded,

"Yes Narcissa, I'm sorry" Narcissa turned to her husband,

"Draco would rather die than lose his magical ability, as much as I hate it Lucius, we couldn't do that to him. He has too much pride to go through the rest of his life as a squib" Lucius dropped his head, for the first time in public, showing his emotions,

"I can't bare to lose him Cissa" Upon hearing this Hermione rose to her feet and made her way over to the curtained off area. She poked her head in and saw Lucius sitting next to his son on the bed, one hand gripping Draco's and the other covering his eyes. Narcissa sat in a chair on the other side of the bed, one hand holding Draco's and the other placed on Lucius's thigh.

"I can't either, but is it worth having him alive and hating us? Hating himself?" Narcissa asked her husband as tears streamed down her face. Hermione decided that now was the time to speak,

"Excuse me Mr Malfoy" all heads snapped in her direction, but Hermione stood still and kept her gaze on Lucius,

"Miss Granger, what do you want?" Lucius snapped, forgetting in his distraught state that Dumbledore was standing behind him,

"I would like to help, that is if you will accept a muggleborn witch's help" Hermione replied,

"And how could you possibly help?" Lucius sneered,

"I was visiting Harry and heard everything"

"And? It's not polite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations Miss Granger, please get to the point"

"I have the same blood type as Draco, AB+, I'm willing to be a donor for a transfusion if my blood is compatible with his" Narcissa and Lucius's mouths dropped open in shock and surprise. Here was a muggleborn witch, the smartest and probably the most talented in the school, whose life Draco had made a living hell, and yet she was willing to save his life. Before Lucius could say anything, Narcissa jumped to her feet and rushed to Hermione and enveloped her in a hug,

"Oh Thankyou, Thankyou" Hermione, slightly embarrassed, smiled shyly up at Narcissa,

"You're welcome Mrs Malfoy, but might I suggest that we start now? From what I heard Draco doesn't exactly have much time" Narcissa pulled out of the hug and nodded, wiping tears off her cheeks as she did so.

"Miss Granger I just checked your medical records from when blood was taken after you were un-petrified, your blood is compatible" The Healer spoke, breaking the silence that had descended as the healer rushed to check Hermione's records.

"Thankyou Miss Granger" Dumbledore smiled at her. Hermione just nodded at him and waited patiently as the healer and Madam Pomfrey moved a bed close to Draco's and set up the instruments that would be needed. Hermione hopped onto the bed and lay down, extending her left arm and turning her head away with a grimace as Madam Pomfrey sterilized the spot on her arm where the tube would be inserted,

"Are you alright Miss Granger? You're trembling" Pomfrey asked her gently,

"I'm fine, I just hate needles that's all" Hermione replied shakily. Madam Pomfrey smiled kindly at her,

"Miss Granger, Draco here needs quite a bit of blood, you will need to drink a blood replenishment potion halfway through the transfusion so that you don't get too woozy from donating so much" The healer explained as he finished inserting the needle into Draco's right arm and attached the thin tubing. Hermione nodded in understanding, then held her breath as she felt the slight sting of the needle as Madam Pomfrey inserted it into one of the veins in her arm.

"All done dear" Pomfrey smiled as she finished securing the tube to the needle. Then after waving her wand to magically start the transfusion without the benefit of a pump, she placed a thin blanket over Hermione and left to check on Harry and Ron.

Lucius watched in silent contemplation as Hermione's life giving blood flowed into his son's veins. For once his thoughts weren't on pureblood versus mudblood, they were only on the young woman, whose blood was the same colour and type as his son's. Hermione was dozing, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted and Lucius found his eyes wandering over her features. Her eyebrows were delicately arched, her nose small and well shaped, her high cheekbones were well defined, her lips full and pink, he knew that her eyes were a warm amber colour and the once bushy hair was no longer as bushy, it was still slightly wild, but in a different way, its waves bounced with life and vitality. All in all, Lucius concluded, Hermione Granger was in fact a very beautiful young woman. She was intelligent, that he knew, and would probably make head girl next year, and from what Severus had told him, she was an extremely adept and talented witch. Lucius glanced over at his son, noticing that the un-naturally pale colour had reduced and he was starting to breathe more regularly. Turning his attention back to Hermione, Lucius's gaze was brought to the bright red liquid that was flowing in the thin tube. Narcissa approached her husband and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder,

"She really is a remarkable girl isn't she" she whispered, so as not to disturb Hermione,

"Yes, she is" Lucius agreed,

"Beautiful, intelligent, talented, strong, independent, compassionate, caring and loyal. What more could you ask for"

"If you had asked me that six hours ago, I would have answered with bloodlines and breeding"

"And now?" Narcissa asked with a raised eyebrow, she had never really cared about what blood flowed through peoples veins, but had often refrained from saying so in front of her husband,

"And now, I'm beginning to realize that blood isn't everything. That there are more important things in life than blood. I was so obsessed with the thought that Draco had to marry a pureblood to keep the family prestige. And yet now, if we truly want to be technical, he will no longer be a pureblood himself, but that doesn't make him any less a Malfoy, or my son"

"Are you still going to force Draco to marry the Parkinson girl?" Narcissa asked quietly

"No. And to be frankly honest I don't approve of her one bit, she is to clingy, has no independence and hasn't got the brains to do a simple levitating charm without practicing fifty times first"

"Draco will be pleased to hear that, he has never liked Pansy. When he discovered that you were thinking of betrothing them, he went into a rage. He hated the idea, but his pride would not let you know about it" Lucius sighed,

"He has the Malfoy pride"

"The more I find out about Miss Granger, the more I'm inclined to think that she will make a better match for Draco" Lucius looked at his wife in surprise,

"What makes you say that?"

"Draco is a lot like you, he gets bored easily when things go his way too often, he needs someone that will keep him on his toes, keep him guessing. Someone who will stand up to his temper and not let him walk all over her"

"Someone like you Cissa?" Lucius asked with a quirked brow,

"Yes, and Miss Granger reminds me of me in that respect"

"How do you know that Draco would never get bored with her?" Lucius questioned, making sure to keep his voice low,

"Lucius, he has known her for six years, and yet every time he comes home for the holidays its, Granger this and Granger that. Have you ever known him to stay focused on one person for so long? Be it enemy or friend? He doesn't even give Potter and the Weasley boy half the time that he does Miss Granger"

"I see your point" Lucius acknowledged,

"Do you know who they remind me of?" Narcissa suddenly asked,

"Who?"

"Lily and James Potter, they hated each other, well Lily hated James, and yet they ended up married, much like us"

"Yes but the difference is that James and I were always chasing after Lily and you, and trying to get your attention" Lucius pointed out,

"And Draco isn't? Albus and Severus have both told me that Draco goes out of his way to annoy Miss Granger, what better way to get her attention than to pick on her?"

"You do make a very good point my dear"

"They have another thing in common with Lily and James"

"What is that?"

"Draco is a pureblood, like James, and Miss Granger is a muggleborn, like Lily. They always say that opposites attract"

"Do you think that Draco is attracted to her?"

"Yes I do, but I don't think that he is aware of it himself, his prejudice against her runs too strong, it will be interesting to see what happens when he learns that she is the one that saved his life" Narcissa answered

"Hmm, it might pay for me to have a chat with him when he recovers, let him know that my views on him having to marry a pureblood have changed somewhat" Lucius thought aloud,

"If it were to happen, would you object to Miss Granger being your daughter-in-law? To becoming a Malfoy?"

"No, I don't think that I would. As you said, she is indeed a remarkable young woman"

"That she is" Narcissa agreed, then moved towards the bed when she noticed Hermione's eyes flutter,

"Miss Granger, Madam Pomfrey said that it was time for you to drink the blood replenishment potion" Narcissa stated gently as she handed her a glass,

"Thankyou Mrs Malfoy, but please call me Hermione"

"Oh call me Narcissa, Mrs Malfoy makes me feel so old" Narcissa replied, Hermione grinned,

"That's what my mom says when someone calls her Mrs Granger" then realizing what she had said she glanced worriedly at Lucius. To her surprise Lucius didn't have a sneer or a scowl on his face, instead he appeared almost curious. Narcissa, sensing her worry, smiled gently at her,

"Do you feel up to talking a little? I would like to get to know more about you"

"Um, wouldn't your son have already told you about me?" Hermione questioned hesitantly,

"Well yes, but let's just say that I would like to form my own opinion, Draco has a tendency to be very narrow minded" Hermione tried to stifle a giggle,

"That's the nice way of calling him pig-headed and stubborn" then she gasped in horror and slapped her free hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry, that was very rude of me, I shouldn't have said that"

"It's alright Miss Granger, it's the truth, he gets it from me, unfortunately" Lucius replied,

"Yes all the Malfoy men have that trait, along with a large ego and an overabundance of pride" Narcissa agreed, with a sly look at her husband, Lucius didn't comment to his wife's subtle dig, instead he simply raised an eyebrow. Hermione was switching her gaze between the two of them confused and wary. She had heard that the Malfoy's were a heartless and cold family, and yet Narcissa Malfoy reminded Hermione of her own mother, and Lucius was acting similar to her father, though less outgoing.

"So do you feel up for a chat?" Narcissa repeated, Hermione nodded,

"Ok, Mrs er I mean Narcissa" Hermione corrected herself. "What would you like to know?"

"Well Draco has told us, grudgingly of course, that you are very intelligent and talented, if I might ask, how many O.W.L.S. did you receive?" Hermione flushed,

"Eleven, all O's" Lucius and Narcissa's eyebrows shot up in surprise,

"Eleven?" Lucius asked, Hermione nodded,

"Yes, I would have gotten twelve but I dropped out of Divination"

"Well I don't blame you for that, the professor here certainly isn't what I would call competent" Lucius stated with a slight sneer,

"I thought she was full of rubbish, so I walked out of class one day and didn't go back" Hermione responded candidly, Narcissa chuckled slightly,

"What do your parents do for a living?" she asked

"They are both dentists, they own their own practice"

"Dentists?" Narcissa inquired,

"Muggle teeth doctors" Hermione explained,

"Oh I see, do they support you with being a witch?"

"Oh yes, they tell me often that they are proud of me. It was a bit of a shock to them at first, but they adapted quickly, Mom even has her own owl so that they can send me mail whenever they feel like it"

"What would you like to be when you graduate from Hogwarts?" Lucius asked suddenly. Hermione looked shocked at the question but answered,

"I'm not sure, either a Healer, Auror or a Professor here at Hogwarts, but I'm leaning more towards the Healer at the moment, have been since fourth year"

"Fourth year?" Narcissa asked, Hermione glanced nervously at Lucius, but answered honestly,

"Yes, since Harry came back from his duel and defeat of Voldemort after the tri-wizard tournament" Lucius noted Hermione's nervousness,

"Miss Granger I think that there is something that you should be aware of about me" Lucius started,

"I… I know that you were a death eater sir"

"Yes I was, but I was also a spy, for the order" Hermione's eyes widened,

"A spy! But…" she glanced at Draco and Lucius understood,

"Draco does not know, only Narcissa, Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore and of course the Order of the Phoenix knew"

"Oh"

"Hermione, we know what the world thinks of us, and yes we have portrayed that outlook, Draco himself believes the facade that we live with, only when Draco is not home do Lucius and I become ourselves. Don't get us wrong, we do love our son, dearly, and we spoil him rotten. But because we had to protect him, we had to make him believe the facade as well, and participate in it, even without his knowledge" Narcissa explained softly,

"But, Voldemort is gone, Harry killed him the same day as he was resurrected! Oh wait, of course, the other death eaters that were left behind, you had to keep up the facade because of them" Hermione stated. Lucius was impressed, this young woman was indeed intelligent, to figure out what she had with just snippets of information.

"Yes, but now it is safe to drop the facade, we had only found this out when Draco was injured" Hermione nodded in understanding, still confused and wary as to why the Malfoy's were explaining all this to her.

"Miss Granger, I am not going to lie to you, up until six hours ago I was still prejudiced against anyone who didn't have pureblood. But faced with losing my son I realized something, I realized that blood is nothing compared to life. And this is difficult for me but I would like to thank you for giving my son back his life" Lucius stated stiffly, not at all used to thanking anyone at all. Hermione gave him a tentative smile,

"You're welcome Mr Malfoy" Lucius nodded as Hermione closed her eyes slightly, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm feeling a little light headed, could perhaps we continue this conversation at a later time?" Hermione asked politely, her head starting to spin,

"Oh, yes of course dear. Here, I'll help you lay down a little more" Narcissa replied as she removed a couple of the pillows from the bed and helped Hermione to lay down without disturbing the tubing in her arm,

"Thankyou" Hermione whispered, as she closed her eyes,

"No, Thank you, Miss Granger, for helping our son" Narcissa whispered to the now sleeping girl, as she tucked the blanket in around her.

You all know the drill, please read and review but no flames please!

HOPE THIS CLEARS UP THE WHOLE BLOOD ISSUE :-) SEE YOU ALL SOON HEHE