Hermione was starting to feel she had enough of his brutality. Her shoulders were hurting, and the pain was making her upset. In a desperate attempt to maintain the last bit of composure she had, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes and remaining perfectly still. Years back, Harry had taught her a breathing exercise for situations like this.
"It involves counting to ten and hoping whatever is attacking you misses its target. It actually worked for me a couple of times." Harry had said.
She smiled to herself at the memory. It was a stretch, but she thought she might as well try it now.
"Was that a threat?"
Draco's voice brought her back to reality. She sighed. She couldn't even reach 5.
"That was a warning, Malfoy." she said, opening her eyes and looking at him.
He was frowning and glaring down at her, his eyes narrowed into two barely visible grey slits.
"I don't need a wand to finish you off, Granger." he said menacingly.
As soon as he finished the sentence, Draco moved his hands from her shoulders to the base of her neck. Her skin felt warm and he flinched slightly. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Hurt her? Kill her? Would he even be capable of that? No, he wouldn't. But he still wanted to hurt her, for all those years of frustration, of not being good enough no matter how hard he tried.
Meanwhile, Hermione felt lightheaded, her vision blurred and her eyes started to water. Her instincts took over. In a split second her hand was clutching the wand inside her pocket and a curse was already on her lips.
"Let her go, Draco."
A voice behind Draco startled them both, making Hermione hold back the curse and Draco slightly loosen his grip. That allowed Hermione to take a shaky breath and clear her head.
Draco turned his head slowly and opened his eyes in surprise. Hermione couldn't see who it was, but his expression made her think Narcissa would be the best bet.
"Mother?" came Draco's stunned confirmation.
"Yes, Draco, without a doubt. Now that we've established that, let her go." Narcissa told him again, slowly advancing into the room.
"B-but…" Draco stammered.
"But nothing. You're hurting her." Narcissa cut him off, a slight firmness in her tone.
"But..." he tried again, turning to look at Hermione.
Her face was slightly red, but her eyes looked back at him with suppressed fury. Her hand itched to raise the wand and curse him into oblivion, but she knew doing that in front of Narcissa would probably not be the best idea. Especially after she accepted the offer to help her son.
"I suggest you let her go, Draco, before you anger her more and my presence here won't be enough to stop what she was about to do when I came in." Narcissa finished, her eyes darting at Hermione's hand.
"Mother, she threatened me." Draco said, choking with anger, looking from Hermione to his mother. "Knowing who I am and what I am capable of… she… a… mudblood."
Narcissa frowned and opened her mouth to reply to her son but she didn't get a chance to say a word. Hermione really had enough this time. One offense could be borne considering the situation, but two… impossible. She knew even Harry would understand. Therefore, she took a loud breath and raised her wand. A moment later Draco was thrown into his mother's arms, almost toppling her to the ground, while Hermione took a few steps away from them.
"I am very well aware of who you are and what you are capable of, Draco Malfoy." Hermione said, with venom in her voice. "And I am telling you in hopes that it enters your thick skull: I am not afraid of a coward prat like you, who only picks on those weaker than him."
She took another deep breath and turned to Narcissa, pocketing her wand.
"I accept your offer, Narcissa. I'll be expecting your owl containing the details."
And with that she left the room without giving them another look.