「 Please Don't Go, Sir 」

Chapter One: Stay
A short Dramione series

Summary: Even though it's been many years since the defeat of the Dark Lord, it would appear his ideals live on. A new supremacist group is on the rise, their goal: to purge all Mudbloods off the face of the earth. Seeking refuge in the most unlikely of places, Hermione Granger must put her trust in those she once considered her enemies. Has time changed them for the better? And what difference has seven years made to their lives?

o.O.o

Monday

Being woken up to the sound of frantic knocking on his front door at three in the morning was definitely not how Draco Malfoy imagined starting his day. He was hoping if he ignored them they'd get the idea and fuck off, but after three agonising minutes the knocking failed to cease. With much frustration and effort, Draco threw himself out of bed and grabbed his dressing gown, slipping on the grey silk material with ease, before descending down the stairs and marched over to his front door with a new found level of rage.

"I swear to Merlin woman, if you're insistent on arguing about this then at least do it at a decent hour…!" Draco snapped as he swung the door open, having been very certain of who would be on the other side. However he was met with two faces he hadn't seen in seven years. The first being Harry Potter. He'd aged well. Besides a bit of stubble on his chin and a few lines on his forehead, he barely looked a day older than the last time Draco had seen him all those years ago.

The second, and an even more unlikely face Draco found himself staring at was Hermione Granger. She looked a lot worse for wear. Her hair was an even more ruffled mess than usual, and her eyes seemed devoid of any happiness. Not to mention the bruises littering her neck. Bloody hell, what had this she been through that was so bad they were knocking on his door for help?

"Draco, may we come in? There's urgent matters that need discussing." Harry requested, his voice calm and collected, as if there hadn't been seven years between their last meeting, almost as if he were speaking to an old friend whom he'd just seen last night for a few drinks at the pub.

After a brief pause, Draco nodded and opened his door wide enough for the pair to enter, proceeding to shut it softly behind them and gesture they enter the living room. The three entered in complete silence, none of them really sure what to say. Draco hadn't seen Harry or Hermione in seven years. The last time he'd seen Potter was at his Mother's trial when he'd vouched for Narcissa's assistance in the defeat of the Dark Lord. Granger had been there as well, but probably more emotional support for Harry, as she never made a statement once.

"Incendio." He heard the soft voice of Hermione Granger mutter, her wand pointed towards the grand six foot fireplace that sat pride and center in the middle of the main wall. In the blink of an eye, all the logs that had been peacefully resting in the firebox were now ablaze, lighting up the room with a soft warm yellow glow. Harry and Hermione chose to sit down next to one another, while Draco sat on the sofa opposite them, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"I apologise for coming to you at such an ungodly hour, but please believe me when I say we had nowhere else to go. If I could have spared you the trouble, I would have." Harry started, being stopped dead in his tracks when Draco raised a hand to silence the young Wizard.

"Spare me the bullshit and cut to the chase, Potter. We both know you're desperate, otherwise you wouldn't be here. So what fucked up scenario has forced you to my doorstep?" Draco asked, leaning back in his seat with an expectant expression resting across his face. Another pause followed, as well as a few glances between Harry and Hermione before the pair decided Draco could be trusted enough to share 'privileged' information with.

Leaning forwards with his elbows resting on his knees, fingers intertwined with one another, Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes, as if mentally preparing himself for the words that were about to leave his lips. In all their years at school together, Draco had never known Harry to be one to think before he spoke. There wasn't a filter between his brain and his mouth.

"Two weeks ago, a new foe surfaced. They call themselves 'the Chúnhuà' which, when roughly translated from Chinese, means the purification. Their goal seems to be killing all Muggle born Witches and Wizards. Four hours ago, Hermione was attacked by a member of this group and barely escaped with her life. We ask, until we can find somewhere safer for her, if she can stay here with you. Given your family's track record with views on Muggle borns, we figured this would be the last place they would look for her. Like I said before, I wouldn't ask if there was another option, I would owe you a great debt if you did this for us Draco." Harry explained, his eyes wide with pleading and desperation.

Hermione on the other hand had remained as silent as the grave, her eyes constantly cast to the ground. Hardly surprising. If there was a group out there determined to kill her, and others like her, who had recently attacked her to the point where she almost hadn't made it out alive, Draco couldn't really blame her for not being in a talkative mood.

"Well I'd look like a right dick if I said no, wouldn't I? You have a week, that should be more than enough time for you to find somewhere for her to hide out until this all blows over." Draco shrugged. Something gave him the feeling those bruises on Hermione's neck hadn't been healed for a reason, to add a factor of sympathy and encourage Draco to agree on helping. But he wasn't going to argue about it. The last thing he wanted was for his public image to get even worse, between the trial and recent events, he could just picture the headlines now:

'Golden Trio member Hermione Granger murdered, Draco Malfoy rumoured to refuse in aiding her safety.'

In a matter of mere minutes, Harry had escorted Hermione to one of the guest rooms Draco had offered to her, helped her unpack the small amount of belongings she had brought with her, and left without another word. That just left Draco and Hermione alone in his house. He had no idea what to do at this point. Did he go see her, leave her be, offer to tuck her in? What the hell do people do in these situations? The woman had been attacked, almost killed. How did he approach her after that? Should he even approach her after that? She would probably want to be alone, but was that really the best thing for her? At this point, he'd been so outcast from the outside world he had no idea how to proceed with the simplest of things, so this was way outside his abilities.

Heading into the kitchen, Draco decided the best thing to do would be to at least get some sugar into her system. She was no doubt in shock from recent events, even something as simple as a cup of tea would at least help calm her down a little bit. Boiling the water and pouring it into a cup, before placing that as well as some milk and a small pot of sugar onto a tray, Draco carried the items up the stairs and to her room, knocking on the door softly before entering.

"Come in." Her soft voice responded a mere second later. Opening the door, he walked over to the bed and placed the tray down on the bedside cabinet, ignoring the rather confused look from Granger as he did so. She was probably expecting him to remain isolated from her, have as little interactions with her as humanly possible. But he wasn't that much of a twat, just a bit antisocial.

"I figured you might want something to drink. Sounds like you've had a long night." Draco shrugged, his arms folding across his chest. Another paused followed before she slowly outstretched to grab the cup, pouring a small amount of milk into it then added two lumps of sugar. Picking up the spoon he'd placed into the saucer, she stirred the liquid a few times before taking a small sip. Milk and two sugars. He'd have to make a note of that for future reference.

"Thank you." She looked so small right now. So vulnerable. This was not the Hermione Granger he'd known at school. The girl he'd spent years with was strong and confident, hell she'd punched him in the face and never backed down from whatever insults he threw her way. The woman sitting in his guest bed was broken, almost beyond repair from the looks of things.

Everything about her appearance screamed that she'd given up. Her shoulders were hunched, tense beyond belief. Her eyes were lifeless, empty and lacking any kind of light. That spark he'd seen light them up many times before had disappeared from existence. What had these people done to her that had changed her so much? What kind of experience had she been through?

"I uh, I'll be just down the end of the hall if you need anything. But make yourself at home while you're here." Turning to leave, Draco stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a small cold hand grab his wrist. Looking back, he saw Hermione standing behind him, her head still looking down at the ground, her shoulders so high up ad tense they looked like they'd snap at any moment.

"I mean it. Thank you, Draco." She whispered, letting him go shortly afterwards and climbed into bed. He nodded softly at her, closing the door behind him as he left. Letting out a short sigh, he headed back to bed. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he groaned when he noticed it was now four in the morning. Only three more hours of sleep. Still, it wasn't as if this was her fault. He couldn't really be mad about the whole thing. Hopefully she would start to relax just a little bit.

He'd assured Harry that his estate was protected by various charms and barriers, and had even set up some new ones after Harry had left just to be safe. The only reason Harry and Hermione had got through was because Draco hadn't seen them as a threat. But that was something he'd changed after learning of their situation. No one with any hostile intentions was going to get through in one piece. In fact, no one in general was going to get in without Draco's say so on the matter, regardless of their intentions. He was going to have to lower the defences himself to let anyone in or out, himself included. Again, it was just an extra precaution to make sure there was no risk of anyone getting in.

Removing his dressing gown, Draco got back into bed. Finding a comfortable position, he closed his eyes and slowly started drifting off to sleep. He doubted it would be as easy for poor Hermione. Maybe he could get her something to help her sleep? Or would that just look creepy? Deciding against it, Draco opted not to baby the young woman residing just down the hall from him. While she may have been attacked a few hours prior, she was still Hermione Granger: smartest Witch of her age and a member of the Golden Trio. She'd destroyed a fucking Horcrux for crying out loud, surely she would bounce back from this, given enough time. Right?