Hermione sat at the bar, watching her two former best friends tell story after story of their daring adventures to a crowd of listening girls. Harry, who had finally plucked up the courage to marry Ginny, wasn't exactly what you would call faithful. She, of course, realized this extremely quickly into their marriage, and left him. She and Hermione were still friends. The war changed him, she mused silently. But then again, the war changed everyone. Ron had changed too, his anger became uncontrollable. He lashed out at her, at Harry, at Molly, at everyone. And it got to a point where she had to leave. She fled in one of his lash outs, and here she was, sitting in a bar watching her two former best friends. Harry, as always, stuck with Ron. Ginny followed her, since the whole Harry fiasco. She scoffed, thinking about what a loss it had been for them. They were the brains of the war effort, of everything. But, they could definitely take care of the threats that were sure to be coming. The ones that she and Ginny might be orchestrating.
A tall blond man walked up to her, quietly ordering some fancy drink she had never heard of. She didn't need to look up to see who was there. "Draco Malfoy." The words rolled off her tongue as she said them quietly. There was no need to make a scene, she thought to herself.
He looked down at her, taking the seat next to her. "How are Potter and Weasel?" he asked, his voice laced with contempt, a smirk evident on his face. She looked up at him, giving him the cruel smile that had become her signature these last months. The one that struck fear into the heart of the "Boy Who Lived".
"I wouldn't know, they aren't my friends anymore." She scanned his face for a reaction, but found none. She considered looking a little deeper, into his mind, but thought it would be a tad uncouth. A lovely skill she had learned after the war, looking through books that she shouldn't have. Legilimency was the only way to know the full truth. He drew a breath, and made a small remark.
"You finally dumped the trash." His face showed a challenge, as if he were daring her to say that they weren't trash. To prove him right that she was who he thought she was.
"Well, they were a bit unwilling to indulge in my plans, so to speak, so they had to be eliminated." She revealed this small bit of information, wanting him, daring him to ask the obvious. She had, of course, tried to ask them to take over the world with her, but they were a little unwilling. So, she Obliviated them, and that was that.
"What plans might those be?" His voice was laced with contempt once more, as if he thought her plans were as stupid as the ones in her youth.
"You know, the usual, plans to take over the wizarding world. But now that you know, I might have to eliminate you as well." She saw the way his face showed fear, even for a second, before the mask of calm and composure returned.
"I doubt that would be necessary. I might sympathize with your cause. Maybe we can discuss this in a more private setting." He made a valid point, she thought. It would be good to have an ally, or a partner in him.
She stood up, gesturing for him to do the same. Leading the way, she brought him to her flat. It was a dark place, done in a beautiful style that let the hardwood floors shine through. All around was the dark green that said Slytherin. Something she was not.
Malfoy soon commented. "Slytherin fantasy much, Granger?"
She smiled at him,"Well, I kinda hexed the sorting hat into thinking I was Gryffindor, but it was about to put me in Slytherin. I think that it has come time to embrace who I really am."
He stared at her, agape. She walked over to the matching armchairs by the green fire, and gestured toward the opposite one. He took a seat, still clearly amazed at her.
"Alright. What do you want to know. " He stared at her, one second too long, and then began the barrage of questions.
"What are you going to do, become the next dark lord?" His first question was expected enough, and she smiled.
"Dark Queen, actually. My plan is to establish a monarchy in Britain. Just wizarding Britain, of course" She added, seeing objection about to burst out of his mouth.."
"How will you become the queen?"
"Force. The ideas of Riddle were immature, and unwise. My coup will be much more skillful." They both smiled at the thought.
"Why?"
"I want to rule what is mine." His eyebrows were raised, and then he understood. So you want me as a , my dark queen." His eyes showed the sincerity that she had not seen all night.
"Before you start calling me that, before you become a Knight, I'll need to check your loyalties. I'm afraid I'll need to use Legilimency, if that's alright with you. He nodded. She focused, making eye contact, diving in. She saw flashes of his childhood, of Lucius and Narcissa, of Riddle. She looked for any signs of disloyalty, but there were none. She resurfaced, and he looked up at her, eager to become one of her knights.
"Of course, there is a slight initiation process, one I may have taken from dear Riddle. Of course, this one has a bit more magic in it, so it can only be seen by me, and those who are trusted by crown. It is a tattoo."
"Alright. Is there any chance you can vanish the dark mark?" He looked down at his forearm, where she knew it was branded on him.
"Of course." She waved her wand over his arm, the sleeve already rolled up, and the skull vanished. His shoulders visibly relaxed, his face beaming.
She looked down, as a tattoo began to form on the same was a horse, the symbol typically used in wizard chess.. Naturally, it was magical, but he didn't know what it would do.
She turned around, dropping the back of her shirt so he could see the tattoo on her back, a dark, dripping crown. He nodded as she faced him again.
"The tattoo, will, just like the Mark, let you summon me. Press the eye of the horse to call me, but it will not cause you pain unless you betray me. I will summon you, the horse will become hot, but not too painful. Just press it to apparate to me." She looked up into his eyes, his head nodded.
"I will contact you soon enough. Goodbye, my knight." She said, looking toward the door and walking toward another room.
"Goodbye, my queen." He walked through the door, apparating to his flat, and lying down.