"Father, what are you doing?" Draco asked, suddenly feeling like a child in Lucius's presence. His hand was on his wand, but he seemed frozen, immobilized.

Lucius spat. "I am not your father; I have no son. How dare you show your face in this place! AVADA KEDAVRA!"

As quickly as Draco had lost his senses, he regained them and dove out of the way and the curse smashed against the stone wall. The commotion had drawn one of the store owners to his doorway, but he appeared unwilling to aid Draco in any way. It might have been the man's faithfulness to Lucius, or perhaps he was too terrified to intervene. For all Draco knew, duels were a common occurrence in Knockturn Alley. Whatever the man's reason, he offered no assistance although he continued to watch, hidden carefully behind his door in case a rogue spell flew his way.

"CRUCIO!" Draco bellowed, pointing his wand at his father.

The spell missed, but only by a hairsbreadth. Lucius snarled and retaliated with another curse.

"Protego," Draco said.

Oh, how Draco wished Harry had come with him. It wasn't that he was afraid of his father, but if he died here in Knockturn Alley, who would know the truth of his death? Surely Lucius would not admit to it and the store owner who currently watched from his door hardly seemed a reliable source. At least if Harry were there, he would be able to tell the whole story.

"I knew you wouldn't have the heart to kill me," Lucius spat venomously as he sent another curse at Draco.

Draco darted down an adjacent street and hid behind the corner of a building; It wasn't much, but it was the best protection he had at the moment. He heard his father laugh menacingly.

"Afraid to fight, boy?"

Without answering, Draco peered out from the corner. "Impedimenta!"

Lucius dodged the spell and sent a curse so powerful that it blasted a hole in the brick wall where Draco stood. Flecks of stone hit his face and he coughed in the dust that resulted from the blast.

"Everte Statum!" Draco said, but again his spell missed. Draco cursed under his breath and ducked out of sight again.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Lucius shouted when he saw a piece of blonde hair reveal itself at the corner of the building. Draco pulled back just in time and the curse flew passed him.

Draco looked around. If he could just find another way to Diagon Alley and get back into sight, he could escape his father and get word to the Ministry. However, Lucius might not care about innocent bystanders in his rage. Draco doubted there was anything the man cared about at all anymore aside from killing his son.

"Come out and play, Draco," Lucius taunted.

"CRUCIO!" To Draco's utter surprise, the spell hit Lucius in the chest and he doubled over onto the pavement. However, Draco had lacked conviction and Lucius only suffered for a few seconds.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"STUPEFY!"

"CRUCIO!"

Draco was unable to avoid the spell and he crumpled to the ground, the familiar pain of the Cruciatus Curse making him writhe. Draco gasped for air; His lungs felt like they were going to explode. His skin felt like it was on fire, his head felt like it was being crushed. And then, the pain was gone and his father was standing over him.

"I wanted to kill you slowly, but as long as you're dead I no longer care," Lucius said and he spat on his son. He pointed his wand down at his Draco's face. "Go now to the Dark Lord and give him my regards."

Draco was terrified. He stared up at Lucius and saw the wand pointing at his face. I'm going to die, he thought. This is how it ends. The only thing he could think of was Hermione and how he would never again see her, never again get to hold him in his arms. That was probably a more crushing thought than his imminent death. Draco closed his eyes and allowed Hermione's image to fill his mind; At least he would die happy, thinking of the woman he loved as the life was sucked out of him.

"AVADA KE-"

But before Lucius could finish the killing curse he suddenly shot forward, toppling clear over Draco and landing dully on the pavement. A curse had hit him from the back and as Draco's eyes flew open, he saw Harry standing there, wand drawn.

"How did you find me?" Draco asked, bewildered. He scooted quickly away from his father's form, which lay motionless on the ground and staggered to his feet.

"You two weren't exactly being quiet, mate. I heard yelling as I was passing by in Diagon Alley and came down here. By the looks of it, I came just in time," Harry said worriedly; He had still not lowered his wand.

Draco forced a feeble laugh. "You have no idea."

"How did he find you?" Harry asked, inching his way closer to Lucius.

"I don't think he meant to find me. I came down here, and there he was," Draco explained. "And then he tried to kill me."

"You'd best tie him up," Harry advised. "I doubt he'll stay Stupefied for long, but I've already sent a message to Arthur Weasley at the Ministry."

Draco's gaze darkened. "I want to kill him. He's already escaped from Azkaban once; If they don't subject him to the Dementor's Kiss, he'll just escape again."

"Killing him won't make you any better than he is," Harry explained calmly. "Do you really want that on your conscious for the rest of your life?"

Draco stared down at his unconscious father, whose blonde hair was spread across the pavement like a veil and whose eyes were rolled back into his head. He looked dead, and Draco could easily kill him now; The only difference would be that the slow rise and fall of his chest would cease. No one would know any different.

"I can," Draco whispered.

"You could kill a man whose already been stunned and has no way to defend himself?"

Draco turned and looked angrily at Harry. "Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, mate," he said, placing a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder. "I just want you to think about it."

"I have thought about it," he said. "From the first day he threatened Hermione. I can't let this man go."

Harry nodded understandingly. "Then do what you have to do. But the Ministry will be here any minute."

Draco knelt next to his father's body and retrieved his wand. He then pointed his own wand at him. "Rennervate."

Lucius took a deep breath and opened his eyes to see his son kneeling over him. He reflexively grabbed for his wand, but it was not there.

"Kill me then," Lucius spat, "if that's what you're planning to do."

Draco smirked. "I wanted you to see who killed you before you died. I used to be your son, but I have become your enemy all because of your obsession with blood purity. What a shame it is."

"Kill me, if you're brave enough," Lucius went on. "You've never had the spine to be a great wizard. You couldn't even kill Albus Dumbledore, and he was already dying."

Draco pointed his wand in Lucius's face and he fell silent.

"I also wanted you to know that I am going to marry Hermione Granger, and there is nothing you can do to stop it; Your pureblood lineage ends with me. Now die proud, Father. Avada Kedavra!"

Lucius's chest stopped moving and his heart stopped beating; He was dead, his eyes still open and glaring at his son. Repulsed, Draco stood and walked away where he found Harry leaning against one of the buildings patiently.

"He's dead," Draco admitted flatly.

Harry nodded. "There was a man watching from his shop so I erased his memory; He doesn't remember seeing the fight."

Draco smirked. "Thanks."

Just then there were several 'pop's and the Alley was full of Ministry officials. Arthur Weasley was among them and he immediately rushed to Harry's side.

"What happened? What's going on? All I got was a message that said Lucius was in Knockturn Alley and to come quickly."

Draco answered. "I came to Knockturn Alley to buy something and my father attacked me. I had no choice but to fight, and he was killed in the duel."

Arthur looked to Harry for reassurance who nodded.

"I'm sure some of our officers will want an official statement," Arthur said, looking over at Lucius's dead body which was now being examined. "Where there any witnesses?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Only me."

"Very well," Arthur said, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. "It seems to me that you boys have done nothing wrong and I am positive that all of this will be cleared up quickly, but do hang about in case my officers want to interview you."

Arthur turned to join the group of officials from the Ministry, but Draco caught him. "Do you mind if I slip away for a moment? Harry will stay here and let me know if I need to answer any questions."

Mr. Weasley lowered his voice. "Not going to buy anything illegal are you, Draco?"

Draco smirked. "No sir. Just interested in some Goblin-made jewelry."

Arthur nodded understandingly, the faintest smile gracing his face before he turned and left Draco.

"I'll be right back," Draco assured Harry. "I just want to buy something."

"The last time you said that you got attacked. Do you want me to come with you?"

Draco smiled. "I don't think we have to worry about that any more."

...x...x...x...

Hermione was in tears by the time Draco and Harry returned to Grimmauld Place. She rushed across the room into Draco's arms and sobbed into his chest.

"Ginny got a message from Mr. Weasley," she choked. "He said Harry met Lucius in Knockturn Alley and that he was on his way there to check it out. We thought... I thought..."

But she could say no more. Draco wrapped her tightly in his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"I'm fine, love. Everyone's fine," he said in a hushed voice.

Harry gestured to Ginny, who was still seated at the dining table, to follow him upstairs and she did without a word; He figured it was best if he gave Draco and Hermione a moment alone.

"You have to tell me what happened," Hermione urged once she had recovered from crying. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked up expectantly at Draco.

"Would you like to sit down first?" he asked with a smile and his lips caught hers.

Reluctantly, Hermione let Draco lead her into the sitting room where they sat together on the couch. Hermione curled up next to Draco, wrapping her arms around him for dear life and refusing to let him go.

"Are you trying to squeeze me to death?" he laughed.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just... I was so worried... I just knew that Harry was going to come back and tell me you'd been killed. I was hysterical."

"It's nice to know how much I'm cared for," he smiled. "Now, where should I start?"

"From the moment you left this house," Hermione demanded. "Tell me everything, and don't skip any details."

Draco laughed and began to tell Hermione everything that had happened. He told her about going to Gringotts and then separating from Harry so he could go to Knockturn Alley.

"Why did you go by yourself?" Hermione groaned. "You should have taken Harry with you, at least. Or maybe you shouldn't have gone to Knockturn Alley at all. Why did you go there, anyway?"

"I'm getting to it," he said shortly before continuing his story. He told her as best he could about seeing his father, about fighting for his life, and then about being put under the Cruciatus Curse. He recalled how Lucius stood over him, wand at the ready, about to kill him.

Hermione squealed and closed her eyes as though she were seeing it happen before her. Draco smiled and carried on, explaining how Harry had arrived at just the right moment and saved him.

"Harry saved you," she breathed with relief. "Oh my God, you would have died Draco! If Harry hadn't been there... if he hadn't thought to follow you."

"He said you could hear the dueling all the way in Diagon Alley. I wonder why no one else came to find out what the bloody hell was going on," he said.

"They were probably terrified! But someone could have at least alerted the Ministry," Hermione shook her head. "Keep going. What happened then?"

Draco stared at the wall opposite them and thought about how to continue. He had promised not to leave out any details, but could he trouble Hermione with such thoughts?

"I looked at him there on the ground, and I wanted to kill him. I remembered everything that he had ever done to me, even before I went to Hogwarts, and everything he has done to us. I thought about all the evil things I had ever seen him do and I wanted him dead. I wanted him dead by my hand."

Hermione waited with baited breath as Draco talked, soaking in every word he said.

"Harry told me not to do it; He said it would make me no better than Lucius," he explained. "But I disagreed. If I killed him, I would be ridding the world of a terrible man, a man almost as evil as Voldemort himself. But I didn't want to kill him while he was laying there unconscious on his back."

"You wanted to duel him again?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

Draco shook his head. "I wanted him to know who killed him. I wanted to speak to him one last time. So I revived him."

He paused and looked down at Hermione. "Are you sure you want to hear the rest of it, love?"

She nodded timidly. "I should have been there with you, so I have to know."

He took a deep breath and pulled himself out of Hermione's grasp. He scooted several inches away and looked her in her eyes so that she could fully understand what he would tell her. "I told him everything I needed to tell him while he was lying there. I said it was a shame that his obsession with pure blood had caused us to become enemies; And I told him that his pureblood lineage will end with me because I will marry you, Hermione Granger. And then I killed him before he had a chance to answer."

Hermione smiled and her cheeks flushed. "You told him you'd marry me?"

Instead of answering, Draco made like he was going to stand up, but instead fell to one knee in front of the couch. From his pocket he withdrew a small, black box and he held it out in front of him. Hermione's eyes grew impossibly wide and her trembling hands covered her mouth as Draco opened it and revealed the most beautiful ring she had ever seen in her life.

"I will if you'll have me, Hermione Jean Granger."

Hermione's lip was quivering too much for her to answer so she nodded eagerly and held out her hand to Draco. It trembled like a leaf as Draco took it and slid the ring onto her finger and she resolved to tears when she looked at it.

...x...x...x...

Just as Draco had recounted the story to Hermione, Harry had done for Ginny. However, what Draco left out that Harry included in his version was what item Draco bought in Knockturn Alley.

"He bought her a ring?" Ginny gasped in excitement.

Harry nodded. "And if I'm not mistaken, he's downstairs proposing right now."

Ginny squealed. "Do you want to go listen?"

"Ginny, of course not!" Harry said quickly, but then he thought about it. "Do you have some Extendable Ears?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, let's go!"

Harry and Ginny walked as quietly as they could over the creaking floor and let the Extendable Ears down near the door to the sitting room. They listened quietly as Draco finished telling his tale from that day and Ginny smiled in excitement.

"I didn't hear what Draco told Lucius before he killed him," Harry admitted in a whisper.

"He told him that he would marry Hermione!" Ginny said nearly jumping up and down.

They continued to listen.

"You told him you'd marry me?" Hermione asked.

They heard shuffling as though one of them was moving and Ginny imagined Draco getting on one knee, as Harry had done.

"I will if you'll have me, Hermione Jean Granger," Draco's voice said.

Ginny's jaw dropped and she met Harry's gaze. She waited to hear Hermione's response but instead heard sobbing and her eyes began to sting as well.

"Oh my Godric," Ginny gasped. "That was the sweetest!"

"At least you said 'yes' in between your sobs," Harry joked and Ginny punched him in the arm.

"Come on," Ginny urged, pulling her Extendable Ear up. "Let's go congratulate them!"

Ginny and Harry burst into the room as Draco was helping a sobbing Hermione to her feet. Draco smiled at both of them and wrapped Hermione in his arms affectionately until she calmed down.

"I think that's a yes," Draco smiled innocently.

"Of course it's a yes!" Ginny squealed and rushed to embrace Hermione. "You're engaged, 'Mione!"

Hermione smiled with her friend and wiped her eyes again with her sleeve. "If I have to cry one more time today, I don't know what I'll do."

They laughed and Hermione showed everyone her ring. She could not remember a more joyous occasion in her entire life.

...x...x...x...

"I hope this doesn't surprise my parents too much," Hermione admitted. "They did only meet you a few days ago."

"I doubt it will be much of a surprise at all," Draco assured her. "In fact, I'd be shocked if it did."

She furrowed her brow. "What makes you say that?"

"Remember when your father and I stepped out of the kitchen before we came to Grimmauld Place and I told you I had placed a few extra spells around the house?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"Well," Draco sucked his teeth. "That was a lie."

Hermione's mouth fell open. "So, you didn't put extra spells on the house?"

He shook his head.

"Then what did you do?"

"I took your father outside and I said, 'Mr. Granger, I know we haven't known each other long, but I love and I respect your daughter. I would do anything in the world for her, and I want to spend the rest of my life doing just that her. Would you give me your blessing to propose to her?'"

Hermione glared in disbelief at her fiance. "You really said that?"

"Every word," he assured her. "I honestly expected him to say no and give me a long speech, but he smiled at me and said, 'Draco, I'd be proud to call you my son-in-law.'"

...x...x...x...

When Hermione Granger married Draco Malfoy, it was such a joyous occasion that people traveled from all over to witness their union. After all, it was no secret that Draco had once belonged to one of the most notoriously Dark pureblood families in the Wizarding World and Hermione Granger, a muggleborn, had had a hand in vanquishing the Dark Lord. On that day the world realized what a change of heart Draco Malfoy had undergone and everyone knew that the house of Malfoy would be forever changed.

THE END!

To everyone who stuck with this story from the very beginning, I want to thank you immensely for your support. I read each and every one of your reviews and I will continue to do so even though this story is finished. I want to thank those of you who criticized me and sent me hate mail when I tried to cut this fic off early because this fic would have never evolved into what it is today if I had had my way. I invested so much of my time and energy into this piece and I truly hope you enjoyed every bit of it. I know there are still errors because I don't have a Beta reader and I am only human but if there is anything grammatically wrong that you would like fixed, I will fix them. Thank you, thank you, thank you... I'm not sure I can say it enough. The response I got to this fic inspired me to start others and I'm sure I have a lot of writing in my future so if you liked this story, be sure to check out my others.