Disclaimer:
Sadly but true, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that J.K Rowling has made up. But fortunately I own the plot. So you know...I can still sue you for something! Just Kidding.
Summary:
Harry find's himself caught up in the circle of Death Eaters and his two best friends, Hermione and Ron have to save him. Draco has to suffer becoming something he has hated to be his whole life and ends up helping Hermione and Ron. Throughout their adventure, Hermione and Draco become closer. How close? You'll just have to find out!
Breaking The Habit
Chapter 1: The Mark
The chill of the night was colder then the usual summer nights. The moon shown brightly in the sky, giving Hermione Granger enough light to see through the dark woods. She walked along side her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. They both held out their wands in defense mode, ready for anything that was going to attack them while Hermione continuously yawned. It was four o'clock in the morning and they were walking in the middle of some unknown forest.
"For the last time, can you guys tell me what is going on?" Hermione asked rubbing her eyes and clinging to her grey sweater. Harry and Ron both wore identical black sweaters with hoods and were holding on to their broomsticks like some sort of henchmen.
"I'll explain later." Harry said. Hermione was getting tired of hearing him repeat that over and over yet never tell her why she was taken from the comfort of her bedroom to be here in some cold, dark forest. After what seemed like an hour of walking, they came to a clearing where a large wooden hut, similar to Hagrid's was.
"This is the place I saw in my dreams." Harry said staring at the hut a few yards away from them. He grabbed Hermione and Ron's arm to hide behind a large oak tree.
"In your dreams?" Hermione asked confused.
"Harry just tell her already." Ron said irritated. Harry gave the hut one more glance then turned around to look at his two friends. Harry pulled up his sleeve high enough that Hermione could see a black snake engraved in his arm. Hermione gasped, arched her eye brow and leaned in to take a better look.
"How did that happen? And what exactly is that?" Hermione asked inching her hand to touch it but Harry quickly pulled his sleeve back down.
"Some mark. I had a dream last night that I was kidnaped and taken to this very place, everything seemed so clear, so realistic but anyways when I got here there were a lot of hooded men. Probably death eaters and then a white light exploded from one of the wands of the death eaters. I screamed in pain and when I woke up I was bleeding from my arm. I ran to the bath room washed the blood off and found this horrible mark on my arm." Harry said calmly. Hermione exchanged looks with Ron and then stared at Harry, confused and baffled.
"And all of this happened tonight?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, that's why I wanted to come here. I remembered clearly how I was brought here and I knew that I'd forget it in the morning." Harry said sternly turning around to glance at the hut. Suddenly his head snapped back at them. "Someone's coming. Hide!" Harry grabbed Hermione's wrist as they began to run over to the nearest large bush. They all hid and watched through the opening of some leaves from the bush. Ron leaned in close to Hermione that their cheeks almost brushed against each other as they watched a hooded man walk over to where they had stood a minute ago. He glanced around and then Hermione heard him unzipper his pants.
"Gross!" Hermione whispered. Ron put his hand over her mouth to hush her. Ron's face was screwed up in disgust as they watched the Death Eater take a piss. After the man had finished his business, he zipped his pants and walked back to the hut. Hermione, Ron and Harry came out of their hiding spots and slowly walked over to the large tree once again.
"So what exactly are we doing here?" Hermione asked.
"To get another mark on his arm." Ron said sternly. Hermione stared at him and arched her eye brow.
"W-what?!" Hermione asked horrified.
"It was only a joke." Ron said quickly.
"This is no time for jokes Ronald." Hermione said sternly staring right into his blue eyes. Ron opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Harry.
"Would you two quit it!" Harry said. Suddenly they heard a crashing sound and a beam of white light soar through the open window of the hut and hit a near by tree causing it to tilt against a tree right next to it. Hermione gasped and Ron stiffened at the impact the beam of light had made. Another second later they heard another crashing sound followed by the screams of a man. Something really bad was going on in there and Hermione didn't like the feeling she was getting.
"Come on." Harry commanded and walked crouching near the ground until they came right underneath the open window. Hermione and Ron were too afraid to peep inside but Harry had already raised his head. She quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him back down.
"What do you think you're doing?! They'll see us." Hermione hissed.
"I need to see what is going on in there." Harry said.
"Are you bloody mad?! What if another beam of light comes through and hits your head?" Ron asked worriedly. "You saw what happened to that tree."
"Shut up. Don't worry, I won't get hurt." Harry said. He raised his head to look through the window and Hermione waited anxiously to find out what Harry was looking at. Ron was fiddling with his broomstick nervously and Hermione felt like slapping his hand.
"Stop that." Hermione ordered.
"I can't help it." Ron said apologetically.
"Both of you shut up. I think I saw Lucius Malfoy in there." Harry said crutching back down to them.
"And?" Hermione asked.
"There's no sign of Voldemort, but those Death Eaters are planning something." Harry said. Hermione was getting more and more worried by the second. Harry could get himself in more danger if they didn't leave this damned forest.
"Can we leave?" Hermione asked.
"No, I need to know what is going on. They're planning to do something and I need to know what it is. For god's sake I got this strange mark." Harry said angrily pointing to his arm.
"But what if we get caught? Or worse, get killed?" Hermione asked.
"It's late in the night and I hadn't had any sleep, Harry." Ron complained.
"Fine, FINE! We'll leave." Harry hissed. He picked his broom from the ground and began to walk slowly away from the hut, Hermione and Ron right behind him. The moment they reached the large tree, a crashing sound was heard and a second later the door to the hut slammed open. Harry, Hermione and Ron all huddled closely behind the tree as they watched a bunch of Death Eaters take another route opposite from theirs. After they had left, a eerie silence crept over the forest.
"Follow me." Harry said and began to walk over slowly to the open door of the hut. Hermione and Ron didn't move, they were far too afraid to follow their crazy friend. Harry who had noticed no one was walking behind him, looked back and gestured them to follow him. After a minute, Ron reluctantly ran over to him and Hermione who was unaware of holding her breath followed right behind.
"We shouldn't go in there." Hermione quivered. The hut didn't look anything like Hagrid's, as they inched closer. It was dark and creepy, while Hagrid's was cheerful.
"They're gone. I want to see what's inside." Harry whispered.
"And what if they come back?" Ron whispered.
"We fought death eaters before, we can handle it." Harry said quietly but in a irritated voice.
"So?! We're not ready for them right now. I'm half asleep!" Ron said worriedly. Hermione just listened to them bicker as she slowly walked closer towards the open door. She felt as though she heard something but was afraid or unsure.
"Stop being a baby!" Harry said.
"Stop hunting for death eaters!" Ron piped back.
"Stop fighting! I heard something guys." Hermione hissed. Harry and Ron glanced at the door, nothing could be seen beyond it. There was no light on and Hermione was pretty sure that all the Death Eaters had left. But they probably left someone behind, someone who had screamed earlier. She took out her wand from her sweater pocket and glanced back at her friends.
"Lumos." A green bright light came from the tip of her wand. She walked up the steps, Ron and Harry right behind her. The moment she went through the door, she found a body lying on the floor. Harry turned on his own light from his wand and leaned in close to check the body. It was hidden in a large black cloak and blood stains could be seen near the head of the body.
"I think he's dead." Ron whispered. Harry walked closer to the body and pulled the cloak down. Ron, Harry and Hermione all gasped and stepped back. The blood drenched body belonged to none other then their archenemy, Draco Malfoy.
"Is he dead?" Hermione asked worriedly. As much as she hated him and probably wished death upon him a hundred times, she never wanted to actually see him dead.
"I don't know." Harry answered. He, too, was thinking along the same lines as Hermione because she could see the worry on his face. Hermione bent over to his swollen, bruised face and felt pity. He truly was a handsome guy but Hermione would never admit that to anyone, even herself at times. Times when he would tease, torment and humiliate her. Hermione touched the side of his exposed neck and felt a faint, very faint heart beat.
"Well?" Ron asked.
"He's not dead." Hermione replied back. Harry walked around the small hut and studied everything. There were boxes on the floor, empty cabinets, broken glass and empty bottles of fire whiskey. Ron bent down beside her and stared at the pale face of Draco Malfoy.
"Do you think they did this to him?" Ron asked. She knew who he was referring to, the death eaters, but Hermione couldn't imagine why Draco's father would allow something like that to happen to his own son.
"I don't know." Hermione answered.
"He looks really bad." Ron said. Hermione looked down at Draco, the only visible part of his body was his face. He wore a black dress shirt and pants, a black tie and a black cloak. Does this guy own anything that's not black? Draco's body began to move, breaking Hermione from her thoughts and out of shock Hermione jumped back. Draco's eyes snapped open and stared at Ron who was still bending over him.
"Weasley?" Draco said confused. Ron jumped back at the sound of his name and Draco moved his eyes over at Hermione and glared. "What the hell are you doing here?" He asked. As though the speaking was hurting him, Draco flinched and fell back into unconsciousness.
"That was weird-" Ron said quietly.
"-Shit! Their coming back." Harry hissed as he looked through the window. Hermione quickly distinguished the light from her wand and Harry did the same. Harry walked back to them grabbed Ron and her by the arms and dragged them into a small closet located at the back of the hut.
"He's going to bait us out!" Ron whispered, referring to Draco.
"We'll just have to see." Harry said quietly. A second later, footsteps approached inside the hut. The trio listened closely to every word that was spoken.
"Get up boy!" A man hissed. Hermione knew exactly who the voice of the man was, it was Lucius Malfoy. Hermione couldn't tell if Draco listened to his father or was still lying on the floor.
"I said get up!" Lucius roared. Ron's foot stepped on Hermione's causing her to squirm. Harry covered Hermione's mouth from screaming.
"You disappoint me Draco!" Lucius said loudly. "After our Dark Lord offered you into our circle, I hope this teaches you a lesson." Hermione's eyes widen from what she was hearing. Draco Malfoy was going to be a Death Eater like his father?
"Now the Dark Lord is going to initiate you on the night of Halloween, do not disappoint me again Draco or you won't live to tell about it!" Lucius said angrily.
"Yes father." Draco said quietly.
"Good! Let's go before your mother begins to worry. And clean yourself up." Lucius ordered. Harry, Hermione and Ron stood there and waited for the footsteps to leave the hut. They all held their breaths for a minute until they were certain that their was no one left inside. Harry opened the closet door slowly and poked his head out.
"No one's here." Harry whispered. Hermione and Ron came out after Harry and stood in the middle of the empty hut.
"Did you hear that?" Harry asked.
"He's forcing Malfoy to be a death eater." Ron said.
"This is not good, we have to tell Dumbledore." Hermione whispered.
"We will." Harry said quietly. "But I still don't know what this mark on my arm is."
"It couldn't be the dark mark because there has to be a skull." Hermione said after a second of silence. She had thought about that earlier when she glimpsed at the snake tattooed on his arm.
"I figured that much." Harry replied. The three walked out of the hut and ran down the trail they had been walking through earlier. When they had reached the edge of the forest which was a cliff and below it was a stream leading to a river, Harry climbed his broom.
"You can sit with me this time." Harry said. Hermione nodded and climbed the front of his broom, between his legs. Ron mounted his own broom and the three of them took off. The sky was becoming clearer and the sun was almost coming out. Hermione couldn't believe how long they had spent in the dark woods. She was tired and sleepy and wondered how she would get any sleep when she would have to leave for Hogwarts in a few hours. But she tried her best not to dwell on that and took a little nap.
Authors Notes: For those who read this, let me know what you think. Because depending on the amount of reviews I get will determine weather I want to finish this story.
