Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I do not own Harry Potter. I do not own the plot, characters, spell names, places, etc. mentioned in the Harry Potter books and movies. I am writing for fun and not for profit.

Summary: Set after HBP. After months of enduring cruel games at the hand of Death Eaters as punishment for his failure, Draco manages to escape. Seriously injured, wandless, and accompanied by a 4-yr-old muggle girl, he struggles to survive. Will he be able to help put an end to the war, or will he suffer a fate worse than death?

Warnings: Language

Chapter 15

"What is Malfoy doing here?"

The incredulity in Potter's voice would've been more amusing if Draco wasn't frozen helpless on the forest floor. The prickles of dead leaves and stubborn blades of grass brushed infuriatingly against his skin, and the itchiness was made only more uncomfortable by his inability to do anything about it.

"Harry! Malfoy's not with them! Remove the spell!" Granger's whispered demand carried far in the night. "And catch me."

Without any further warning, the girl dropped from the branch, and only a soft thump and Potter's muffled cursing told Draco that she hadn't hit the ground.

"Shit, what's wrong with your arm?" Potter exclaimed a moment later.

"Broken, I think. I need my wand to reset it."

Draco watched as Granger moved toward him, his heart sinking with her every closer step. When she removed her wand gently from his grasp, the familiar empty feeling made itself home inside him. Repeatedly denied access to his magic when he was forced to play the Death Eaters' games, he should be used to this by now. However, Draco never could feel completely whole if he didn't have a wand.

"There," she murmured as she waved her wand easily to end Potter's spell.

Potter stalked the few steps to her side, and Draco was hyperaware of his wary gaze as he slowly picked himself off the ground.

"You're sure he's not working for them?" Potter asked. Granger was too busy casting spells at her arm to notice the two boys staring tensely at each other.

"I wouldn't worry too much about me, Potter," Draco said when Granger didn't offer an answer. He felt unkempt and rough in the too-large robes he found in the safe house, and it irked him for the Gryffindors to see him like this. "You'd do better to worry about the Weasel back there."

This time, Granger's interest was caught, and her face whipped around instantly to stare at him. "You saw him?" she asked, her fixed arm now hanging normally at her side.

Draco stared at it for awhile, wondering if it were normal for people his own age to be so adept at advanced healing spells. "Yes. They mean to use him as bait for Scarhead." Draco answered.

"Damn it," Potter swore while Granger heaved a great sigh.

While they were distracted, Draco thought he should head back to Sophie; however, Granger offered him a shaky smile. "Thanks for telling us," she said. "And for finding my wand."

Draco only nodded, unable to say anything under Potter's suspicious glare.

"Where are you headed, Malfoy?" Potter asked. When Granger elbowed him, Potter shrugged. "Seems strange that a Death Eater is roaming around not two kilometers from Headquarters."

Granger shook her head. "We don't have time for this. What should we do about Ron?" The girl bit her lip and looked to Draco, her mouth setting into a grim line. "You've done a lot for him already, Malfoy, but will you take us to him? Navigation charms and Point Me doesn't work this close to Headquarters. We're not familiar with this place, and I'd rather not get lost…" Her voice trailed off when she saw Draco's frown.

"What other healing spells do you know?" he asked abruptly.

Granger's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Hmm?"

Draco scowled. "Healing spells," he repeated.

Granger blinked at him, apparently waiting for a better explanation. When Draco didn't bother, she gestured toward the small bag hanging from her shoulder. "I have some potions and a book that's useful. Why? Is Ron injured?"

"Don't know," Draco answered shortly. "But I am, and I'll take you to him after you heal me." The words grated on him as they left his mouth, loathe to ask a mudblood for help, but Draco knew that continuing to ignore his condition was foolish.

Two pairs of widened eyes stared back at him, glittering slightly under the starlight, making Draco scowl again. "Well?"

Granger nodded quickly. "Yes, alright." Potter opened his mouth to cut in, but she elbowed him once more sharply. "How can I help?"

Potter opened his mouth again. "Not now, Hermione. We'll help Ron first, and then see what Malfoy needs."

Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes as the feeling of déjà vu swept through him. He had helped that Weasley twin before getting his end of the bargain and was ripped off for it. If he were to learn from his mistakes, he should insist on getting what he wanted first.

"But if he's hurt, he should be healed!" Granger's voice was firm, causing Draco to raise an eyebrow. So Potter's sidekicks didn't quite follow his every word without a thought, and Draco marked this as yet another difference in his mental list comparing them and Vince and Greg.

Potter frowned. "We've been sitting ducks this entire time! We can't just stay in the open and pamper Malfoy when we're being hunted!"

Granger tilted up her nose and gave him a superior look. "Then keep watch. The faster we help him, the faster we can get to Ron."

Potter's valiant effort of keeping his eyes from rolling amused Draco despite the situation. He quickly scanned their surroundings for any signs of their pursuers. When his eyes picked up a soft glow a distance away, he grimaced. Cursing in his head, he shook his head at Granger. "Nevermind," he said quietly. He began to move away from the others. "No deal. I'm leaving."

Puzzled, Granger took a step forward as if to stop him, but Potter blocked her. He was looking where Draco had seen the light. "That's a lumos," he said quietly. "We have to move."

Granger looked reluctant but nodded decisively. She grabbed Potter's hand and made her way straight, at an angle that would take her away from the safe house. Breathing out a small sigh of relief, he was about to head the other direction when the girl's hand clamped tightly around his forearm. "Come on," she hissed. "I'll help you when we're in the clear."

Draco frowned and dug his heels deep into the ground. "The deal's off, Granger."

Potter tsked, joining his strength to yank Draco forward. "Too bad, Malfoy. Hermione's set on helping you, and we'll only get caught if you try to argue with her."

Gritting his teeth, Draco allowed himself to be pulled along, and he glanced back somewhat nervously. The light of their pursuers' spell wandered aimlessly between trees as they searched for them, but Draco was under the belief that if he could see their spells, they were much too close for comfort. Finally, he gave in, quickening his steps despite his pain pulling him back.

"What should we do about Ron?" Potter puffed out between breaths. "Even if we outrun them, we can't leave him behind."

Why the hell not? Draco thought grumpily. Looking back once again, he could no longer see their lumos, but this only made him more anxious. If their enemies caught up, Draco would be the first to fall, he knew.

Granger tightened her grip and released them suddenly. "No," she whispered. "Now's our chance. Do you trust me?"

The question caught Draco off guard, forcing his attention away from their flanks to focus on the witch beside him. Her determined gaze switched between him and Potter at alarming speed, and her lips were set into a thin line.

"What are you planning, Hermione?" Potter asked.

She stopped, so Potter stopped, and against his instincts, Draco stopped too.

Granger flicked her wand in a complicated movement, muttering an incantation too low and too fast for Draco to understand. The spell that shot out of her wand was a muted gray light, ejecting itself to the sky and dissipating. Draco stared dumbly at where it fizzled out.

"Very useful, Granger," he muttered. However, when he saw Potter grin, he furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Nice," Potter said, slapping Granger encouragingly on her shoulder. Then, he frowned. "Surely we can't stay and ambush them, though. There are too many of them."

The witch shook her head. "No. We have to keep moving." She shot Draco a meaningful glance. "Towards Ron."

"Huh?" Draco's voice came out flat.

Potter pushed him aside. "You think you can keep it up?"

"The ward is only six meters in diameter. When we move to the edge, I'll have to cast the spell again."

"Recasting?" Potter looked worried. "The spell is a powerful spell, Hermione. You can't—"

"I can," Granger interrupted him. She turned to Draco imploringly. "I'm really sorry, Malfoy, but we'll have to wait until we're safe until I can help you. I've just set up a ward around us. They won't be able to detect us while we're under it, and I'll have to keep recasting it when we reach its border. This spell is demanding," she grimaced. "But it outsmarts detection charms that render disillusioning useless."

Draco looked doubtfully around them. "I don't see any difference."

Granger's smile was wide. "This is where you have to trust me, Malfoy."

O_O

Nerves shot, Draco led the two Gryffindors back to where he had last seen Weasley. He could hear their pursuers easily now and could even see them when they came too close. They were in a pack, wearing shabby clothing and appearing grimy and unwashed. Their eyes were bright in the forest, searching among the shadows under trees. However, they could not see him, nor hear him, so Draco supposed Granger's ward was working.

He glanced back at the witch, noting that her breaths were getting more labored with every casting. For some reason, he felt the need to murmur, "Almost there."

Granger grinned at him and nodded. Potter gripped his wand tightly. "Alright," he whispered.

When they stepped through a particularly dense barrier of black poplars, Draco sighed out a breath of relief. In front of them, bound and still spitting with rage, was Weasley, looking a little worse for wear but not seriously injured.

The older wizard standing guard beside him only looked at the struggling teenager in amusement. He didn't bother to return Weasley's insults, which were fast becoming increasingly creative and inappropriate.

A quick movement caught Draco's eye, and Potter's whispered "Stupefy!" hit Weasley's guard at the back of his head. Almost immediately, his incarcerous bound the wizard tightly into an uncomfortable position. Draco kept his face emotionless, refusing to let it show that he was a little impressed by the quickness of Potter's spellwork.

Meanwhile, Weasley's face was a sight to behold, and Draco heard Granger giggling behind him. The dumb bewilderment on his face was only accentuated by the redness of his skin as he struggled within the ropes binding him. Potter stepped up and with a lazy swish of his wand, spelled the ropes away. Freed, Weasley jumped up, looking around himself.

"Harry? Hermione?" he called out.

The Gryffindors walked the few steps to be clear of Granger's ward. When Weasley caught sight of them, his face split into a huge grin. Potter's answering grin was wry. "Announce to the world we're here, why don't you?" he greeted his friend, keeping his voice low.

Impossibly, Weasley's face reddened further in embarrassment. "They're looking for you," he whispered. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around again. "Dunno when they're coming back." Granger stepped up and threw her arms around his neck.

"You idiot," she murmured. "Get yourself caught again, I'll have to kill you."

Alarmingly, Weasley blushed, and his skin was almost the same shade as his hair. He returned her embrace quickly, but gestured with his hand at the forest around them. "We have to leave now," he said as he bent down and stuck his hand within the folds of his guard's cloak. His face brightened as he pulled out his wand from an inside pocket.

Granger nodded. She looked back to where Draco was still standing beneath her ward. Her eyes traveled blindly, looking at a spot a couple feet to his right.

"Malfoy, come on."

"What!" Weasley yelped. "Did I hear you right? Malfoy?"

Looking uncertainly around for their enemies and finding none – except for the still unconscious wizard on the ground – Draco stepped outside of the ward. He didn't offer the redhead a smile.

Weasley, however, surprised him when his bewildered face morphed into an expression of relief. "I knew you were alright!" he exclaimed as Hermione tutted at his loud voice and quickly recast the ward around the small group. "When we didn't hear any news of you returning with the Death Eaters, I figured you made it away from them. George has been going mental looking for the Secret Keeper of your safe house. Please tell me Sophie's okay."

Draco blinked, still too shocked to come up with an appropriate answer. He settled for nodding curtly instead.

"Oh, thank Merlin," sighed Weasley. His relief caused him to slouch, but suddenly, he perked back up. "How crazy is it to be seeing you here!"

Potter rolled his eyes and tugged impatiently at Weasley's sleeve. "Let's continue your reunion later, alright? We still have Snatchers looking for us."

Granger nodded in agreement, immediately latching herself to the redhead's side. "We can keep moving until we clear the anti-apparition barrier. Then, we can apparate to Fred and George's place. We won't be able to stay long, but it'll be enough until we figure out our next move."

A sudden panic rose within Draco, and he shook his head. "No, Granger," he said. "I can't go with you. I need to get back to Sophie."

Weasley startled. "Sophie's here?"

"At the safe house nearby," Draco answered.

"A safe house!" Potter parroted, suddenly excited. "Order safe houses are hidden under fidelius charms. It'll be better for us to go there and not place Fred and George in danger."

A bad feeling rose up in Draco as he realized the group wanted to invade his safe house, bringing their danger into the haven in which he kept Sophie safe. His reluctance was probably evident on his face, because Granger smiled at him reassuringly. "There's a different Secret Keeper for every safe house, and the identities of each are known by only a random few. Even if we enter, no one else will be able to follow, especially not Snatchers or Death Eaters."

"Save your lectures, Granger," Draco muttered. He sighed and made a quick decision. "You still need to fulfill your end of the bargain, and the best place for that is in the safe house. It belongs to your Order of the Phoenix, anyways." Not waiting for them to reply, he turned toward the unconscious wizard, bending down somewhat awkwardly to avoid aggravating his wound. His fingers curved around the nine inch piece of ash in the wizard's hand and pulled it free. The Gryffindors watched silently as he gave an experimental swish with the wand. When a pathetically small poof of red puffed from the tip, Draco frowned.

"Not a good match, is it?" Potter mused. He shrugged. "It's better than nothing. Lead the way, Malfoy."

It wasn't a good match, but it was better than nothing. Feeling a small spark of happiness and the sense that an empty spot had finally been filled, Draco led the three Gyffindors out of the clearing.

He could finally do magic again.

O_O

AN: This chapter is more of a set-up for the next chapter, so I'm sorry it's a bit shorter than normal!