Willow's Salvation

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw two figures trying to sneak away. Draco sighed inwardly at the recognition of the two and mentally snapped.

"Just where in the bloody hell do you two think you are going?" Draco snapped at the two.

The two very over weight boys turned as one to face a very ticked off Draco Malfoy. And not to mention the rest of the Three Musketeers. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley did not look at all happy with the little situation that Hermione found herself in.

"D-D-D-Draco what's wrong? Why are you yelling at us?" Vincent Crabbe asked in a very bad attempt at confusion.

Draco's eyes went narrow and as he stalked over to his so called best friends and said through gritted teeth, "Tell me you two did *not* do this." Although he knew they did ,if the way Hermione shook with fear when Vincent spoke, was any indication.

Willow looked to the group and knew that the two were the ones responsible or the little midnight incident.

Harry was holding back a very irate Ron, who looked ready to kill the peopleresponsible for his friends untrustful behavior.

"It ain't like the mudblood didn't deserve it. She.." but Gregory Goyle never finished his statement, because he was attacked, not by Harry Potter or Ron Weasley, but Draco Malfoy.

"You stupid bloody git! I am gonna kill you." Draco grunted with each punch he threw toward Gregory's face. And when each punch made contact with it's spot he smiled just a little more. But he was brought back each time with the image of his so called best friends attacking Hermione.

Vincent Crabbe made a pull the blonde haired Slytherin off of Goyle and was rewarded with a punch to the face by an enraged Draco. And he too was soon on the floor with Draco on him, punching him in the face.

Harry and Ron, who were only moments before ready to pound Crabbe and Goyle into the floor of the Great Hall, were now gawking openly as their long-time nemesis, Draco Malfoy, took the initiative and began whaling on Hermione's assailants. Ron turned to Harry with a questioning look in his eyes. Harry could only shrug and continue to stare.

"Oh, come on Draco, it's not like you wouldn't have done it given the chance. We just happened to beat you too it. We aren't as dumb as we look."

Draco looked at Crabbe with disgust in his eyes. "You're right. You aren't as dumb as you look...You're dumber."

Xander watched as Draco insulted the two boys who were suppose to be his best friends. And at Draco's last comment he remaked, "Maybe you should have given it some thought before you assualted his girlfriend. Jeez, even I know not to do something like that, and I am pretty stupid myself. Ow." The last being uttered as Willow whapped him up side the head for making such acomment.

"Yeah right, like he would touch that filthy mudblood. He's pure-blood." Crabbe sneered, only to get punched once again by Malfoy.

Willow couldn't hide her smile as she muttered. "You really are stupid, you know. Don't insult Hermione in front of Draco, he is gonna punch you if you do."

At Xander's comment; Hermione, who had been hiding behind the protective wall that was Harry and Ron's bodies, peered over their shoulders to stare at Draco in a wierd way. When Crabbe's comment had prompted Draco to punch him yet again, Hermione winced. Her mind was so traumatized by her assault, that she did not know what to think. She was very confused by Malfoy's actions. Why was he defending her? Surely he didn't like her. But then, why was he now beating the hell out of his two so-called bodyguards? That question was on the minds of every present body in the Great Hall. And it got even more confusing at Draco Malfoy's next comment.

"She's not my bloody girlfriend. You imbecile! You both know I don't condon this... this shit!" And with that, Draco punched Crabbe yet again, this time succeeding in knocking the larger boy out.

Turning to see every student and a number of adults staring at him in amazement, Draco finally realized what he had just done. And in front of witnesses.

"Oh, bloody hell." He muttered under his breath, and refused to look in the direction of Hermione, Harry and Ron.

The next thing Draco knew, Justin was standing beside him with a hundred watt smile and was clapping him on the back.

"Way to go, cuz! But it appears you forgot one." Justin then punched Goyle, knocking him unconscious as well. He turned back to see Draco smirking at him and shrugged his shoulders. "Can't let you have all the fun, now can I?"

Willow watched the body of Goyle fall to the ground. "Justin!" She shouted at the elder Malfoy.

"What?" Justin turned to her with an innocent look on his face.

Willow put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "You can not go around puching students. Leave that to Draco."

Ron and Harry were so engrossed in watching the scene in front of them, they were shocked to feel themselves being pushed forward. Harry glanced back and saw that Hermione was pushing him and Ron toward Draco.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" He asked.

"Yeah girl, have you gone nutters?" Ron asked, voicing his opinion.

Hermione didn't bother answering, just simply continued prodding the duo forward until they all three stood before Draco and Justin. Draco eyed Harry and Ron warily, before letting his gaze drift over thier shoulders to lock with Hermione's. In her eyes, he could see the numerous questions she wanted to ask, but knew she wouldn't utter them. So he provided the answers himself.

"I...uh...just...don't approve of their actions. I..uh...would have done the same thing had they done it to someone else. I am sorry for their actions. I may not like mudbloods but they had no right to do what they did."

"And that's why you just pounded your two friends into the ground?" Harry asked sarcastically. Only to be whapped upside the head by Ginny who had been staying quiet through the whole thing.

"Look, I don't condole what they did, and for that, I beat the crap out of them. Is there a problem with me knocking what little sense that they had, out of them? If so, tell me now."

"Draco?" Came a soft voice from behind Harry and Ron, and once again, Draco's eyes locked with Hermione's.

She had been shocked when he took out his friends, but now she owed him. And what she owed him was this.

"Thank you, even if you say you did it because you don't like what they did. But I just wanted to say thanks. And Harry and Ron have something to say too." At the last statement she shoved the two boys from behind. They had to steady themselves to keep from falling into Draco.

"I..um...ah, Mione do I have to?!" Ron whined as he looked back at the girl, who was now glaring at him as if to say 'Don't even say anything rude he took up for me when you two didn't'

"Thanks, Malfoy." Harry grumbled as he looked at the floor, probly wishing he knew a spell to make it open up and swollow him whole.

Ron looked at Harry as if he had lost his mind. And then, he too was saying his thanks to the blond Slytherin. Ron looked like he would be sick. Dawn wrapped an arm around his shoulders and said "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Easy for you to say." Harry mumbled. And then recived another whap upside the head from Ginny, as she hissed, "Be nice."

A sharp whistle was heard through the room and everyone turned to see Percy. Faith raised a brow at the man. Why in the heck would he be all grownup-y all of a sudden.

"Ok, so Draco took up for Miss. Granger can we please get some sleep now people? We have no idea what tomorrow will hold for us." He said as he looked around the room and took in all the kids. Who knows, tomorrow they may be burying their families. ' We may be burying our parents.'

"For once, I agree with you, we need to get some sleep. Ok, everyone back to bed." Faith said, taking charge.

Slowly, everyone made their way back to thier beds and all fell into a peaceful slumber, all thoughts of was what to come were at the edges of their minds.

He fell to the ground with a thud, he was not likeing how the fight was going. Everything was a mess.

"You all right, mate?"

"No, I am not alright. I want this to be over. I wish we had killed them when we had the chance, now I am not ever to see the school again."

And in the next second, an axe was brought down on the two men.

The last thought that crossed Severus Snape's mind was 'Willow, be happy, sweet daughter.'

And the last thing that crossed Rupert Giles' mind was of the group of kids that he had thought of as his own children and his wife.

"Willow?"

Willow whirled around to see Draco. He looked worse for wear.

"Why aren't you in bed, young man?" She replied in her best stern voice. It only succeeded in making Draco smile.

"Couldn't sleep. The whole thing with Goyle and Crabbe has me irked."

Willow smiled at him and she knew the reason he had taken up for Hermione.

"You know that was some fancy wording you pulled back there." At his confused look she said, "The whole thing with you would have done it no matter who the victim had been. But you and I both know you did it out of love. You're not like your father, he's an icky man. You, you're a sweet, caring young man. Who loves Hermione, and don't deny it. I know the looks you were giving her. You love her. But your secret is safe with me."

"As is yours with me."

"And just what secert is that?" Willow asked, looking at the boy.

"You and Justin. You fell for him and he for you. G'night."

Willow watched, open mouthed, as Draco walked over to his bed and laid down.

'That little ferret.'

TBC