Out of Control

Draco's eyes scanned the room. Nothing with whoever it was. "What!?" he yelled in the man's face. He then realized that it was the same tall man that had been dancing with Hermione earlier. There was no trace of her anywhere. He felt someone repetitively tapping his shoulder and he spun around, agitated.

"Why in the hell are you messing around with Big Phil?" the man said loudly into Draco's ear.

"What?" Draco asked, not really paying attention because he was desperately scanning the crowd for Hermione.

"Big Phil, the man that just took your girlfriend. He owns almost every bar and club in this part of the city. He is not someone your girlfriend should be around," he said urgently.

"What do you mean?" Draco said, giving the tall man his full attention.

"Look mate, Big Phil is a dangerous guy. What was your girlfriend doing with him anyway?"

"He is the one who picked her up and dragged her away!" Draco screamed into his face. "I couldn't get to her in time, and now I can't find her!"

The tall man's eyes seemed to double in size as he turned and scanned the place for himself. "Quick, look up there," the man said, pointing to a small balcony on the second level. "Big Phil usually has a private room in all of his clubs," he turned and looked around again. "Shit, looks like his goons have seen us!" They each turned around and shrunk into the crowd of dancers, so that the men couldn't see them. "Look, there is a staircase right over there. I don't know how you are going to get by his bodyguards, but you better figure out a way, and fast. Your girlfriend is in danger!"

Draco didn't need to be told twice. He quickly maneuvered his way through the mob of people, keeping a sharp eye on the four enormous men, and ran up the stairs two at a time. The only door in sight was at the very end of the hall, and it was filthy and covered in some sticky substance. He wiggled the door handle, Locked! Shit what am I going to do, he thought. I'm a bloody wizard, what in the hell am I thinking, he scolded himself as he whipped out is wand. Alohomora, he said quickly. What met his eyes made him want to commit murder.

* * *

The man's hand once again sealed itself over Hermione's mouth, and she had to fight to get breath to her lungs. She caught Draco's eye, but he was blocked from sight when four huge men stepped in his way. Tears began to stream down her face as the man hauled her up a staircase, groping her all the while. He hurled her through a dirty doorframe, and she caught the words 'Big Phil' plastered on it. Phil slammed the door shut, locked it, and then threw her down onto a bed. He jumped on her, tearing her blouse to the side. His hand went again to her mouth as she began to scream out for help. She managed to sit up and began to fight him again, slapping him with all of her strength on his face. It left a gigantic red mark, but the man brutally slapped her back. She whimpered and fell onto her side on the bed. His hands continued to venture over her body, and she felt his rough fingernails scrape her stomach. Hermione sensed warm blood trickle down her sides, and wanted to cry out in pain, but his hand had yet again sealed a tight suction over her lips. She tried to bite his hand but he shook her harder, and slapped her across the face once again. That's when she heard Draco's voice, "Alohomora," and heard his gasp as he saw what Phil was doing to her. Phil grabbed Hermione's hair and threw her head back carelessly. She whimpered and whispered "Help," under her breath. Phil was still unaware that Draco was there, and remained clueless until Draco yelled at the top of his lungs, "LET. HER. GO."

"Ahh, bloody hell! Not you again," Phil spat, as he remembered the events from earlier that night.

Draco pointed his wand straight at Phil, and walked slowly towards the bed.

"What? What's this? Are you going to poke me with a fucking stick, boy?" he said, pulling Hermione's hair with greater force.

"I said, let her go, NOW," Draco shouted with his wand steady at aim. Hermione's whimper made his heart rate double its pace.

"All right, if that's the way you want to play," Phil said lazily. He reached inside of his jacket, and pulled out a small pistol. He looked at Draco, then back at Hermione, twirling the gun playfully in his hand. "Now listen carefully, this can be easy, or this can be difficult," he snarled lazily, pointing the gun to Hermione's head. "Turn around, and leave this room or you can kiss your little bitch here goodbye."

Draco froze. Though he was a wizard, he knew very well what a gun was. Draco lunged forward and bellowed the first thing that came to mind. Expelliarmus! Phil's gun flew out of his hand, and Draco caught it in midair. Phil stood there staring at Draco's wand, and then back at Hermione.

"What the fuck?" Phil stammered. He scrambled over to an intercom he had by his bed and pushed a red button. Immediately, Hermione and Draco heard fast and heavy footsteps running up the stairs. Stupefy! Draco yelled out, and Hermione moved out of the way as Phil's frozen body came crashing down onto the bed.

"Draco!" Hermione cried as she ran into his arms. "Draco, you can't leave him like that!"

"I know, but we need to get out of here, now!" Draco pocketed the pistol, then ended the spell and did a quick memory charm on Phil just as they heard the men outside the room. Phil was sitting on the bed in a daze, while Hermione and Draco hid behind a small couch by the door.

"What is it Big Phil?" one of the men asked him, as all of the men came bursting through the door.

"Yo, Phil, what's the problem?" another asked.

Hermione and Draco quietly crept out of the room, silently praying to go unnoticed. Unfortunately, Phil saw them.

"Who the hell are they? Get them!" Phil shouted, pointing to the door. The men swung around to catch the sight of them running out of the room and down the stairs. Draco heard massive steps running after them, so he pulled Hermione frantically into the mass of people. They made their way through the crowd, and eventually out into the street.

"Hermione, are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" Draco asked, out of breath.

"A little, but I'm fine. Oh god, thank goodness you found me!" she cried as she threw her arms around his neck. He could feel her heartbeat racing as if she had just ran a marathon. He tried to calm her down by hugging her tightly and rubbing comforting circles on her back, but was forced to break away as the gigantic men stormed out into the night like rabid dogs.

"Hermione, run!" Draco shouted as the men began to chase them down the street. They darted into an empty alley and Draco whispered, "Quick, Hermione! We need to apparate!" He held her in his arms, as they apparated and moments later they appeared in Malfoy Manor. Draco's legs were weak and they both slumped to the floor. Hermione's head rested on his chest as Draco lay in the hallway cradling her in his arms.

Once their breathing was somewhat back to normal, Hermione looked up into his worn face and whispered, "Thank you, Draco."

He nodded and quietly whispered back, "You're welcome, Hermione."

Draco gathered all the strength left in him and picked them both up off the ground. Hermione leaned on him, as her knees were extremely wobbly. He examined her swollen cheek, and his face fell when he saw how the thug had ripped her blouse practically in two. It was hanging limply off of her body, and he saw infected red marks all down her stomach. "Hermione, we need to get you cleaned up," he said, taking part of her ripped blouse and placing it back on her shoulder.

Draco took her hand and led her to his enormous bathroom. He lifted her up to sit on the counter, and she winced when his hand put too much pressure on one of her bruises. He took a washcloth and began to softly wash away the bloodstains. It wasn't too bad, and he felt eminently relieved that he had found her before Phil had hurt her worse.

Hermione leaned back on the mirror behind her, and in moments drifted off to sleep. Draco had noticed how her eyelids had been slipping up and down, and he marveled at how beautiful she was when she was asleep. He carefully picked her up and carried her to his bed, where he laid her down and pulled the covers to her neck. He changed quickly into his boxer shorts, and propped a pillow up on the couch to sleep. In moments, the room was devoid of all noise but their steady breathing.