Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter... (Although, like many here I would gladly take it off of Rowling's hands if need be!)]

Hi there! This is my first story - let's give it a shot. Parts of the story in bold are directly from the book (I take no credit for that masterpiece)! Sorry if this bothers you but this is my first story and I wasn't sure where to start! All advice and reviews are appreciated! Merry Christmas!

Signed off,

YourDiamondAngel

PROLOGUE

PRESENT - Fool me once?

"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well . . . I am left with no alternative. . . . This is more than a matter of school discipline. . . . This is an issue of Ministry security. . . . Yes . . . yes . . ." She seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Harry, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily. Harry felt horribly powerless without his own wand as he watched her.

"You are forcing me, Potter. . . . I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use . . . I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice. . . ." Malfoy was watching her with a hungry expression on his face. "The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.

"No!" shrieked Hermione. "Professor Umbridge — it's illegal" — but Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty, eager, excited look on her face that Harry had never seen before. She raised her wand. "The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" cried Hermione.

Hermione saw a smile spread across Umbridge's face as she barely spared a glance at her. Hermione knew what it looked like to the Slytherins, this slip of a girl supposedly orchestrated this entire rebellion. But oh, she knew...Umbridge knew alright. The Umbitch picked up her wand, and stroked it, almost lovingly before looking straight at Harry Potter. Umbridge was a lot of things, but an idiot was not one of them. She knew that the fastest way to Hermione would be through Harry. Head on had proven unsuccessful for her in the past.

"Silly girl...you think I would do this without Cornelius's approval. Let's just say we are very...good...friends, and he is willing to back anything I need to do in order to restrain this, this delinquent, and reveal Dumbledore's plot against the Ministry. And I doubt he would listen to you, Miss Granger. Oh, the Little Know-It-All, pretending she knows enough to stop me. As I have told you time and time again. Know. Your. Place." Umbridge spat out her final command, and Hermione's cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment, whilst Malfoy snickered at her discomfort. Hermione knew that both of them knew the extent of her power. Unfortunately, they also knew she had to restrain herself in front of the room unless she wanted her secret out.

"Might I say that my father would be very impressed by the new regime," Draco said, "Finally showing this Gryffindor trash where it belongs." Umbridge smiled affectionately at him, whilst Ron growled at the outright discrimination and Neville gagged slightly. Ginny began coughing uncontrollably.

"Teacher's..." she coughed. "P...pet." Zabini, her captor, tightened his hold on her and she fell silent once more. Umbridge smiled again, completely satisfied, like a predator knowing they have cornered their prey, a prey that has evaded them for so long. Umbridge grabbed Harry by collar of his robes and pulled him out of the chair onto the floor before pointing her wand at him.

"Cruci-"

"No!" Hermione and Ginny screamed, almost as one. Ginny was shaking, and began heaving with sobs, sagging against the arms of her captor, her bravado from mere moments before already gone, whilst Hermione was standing her ground, glaring hatefully at Umbridge, whilst her eyes were glistening with tears. She looked up at the toady woman's wrinkled face with total, utter disgust. She despised this woman. But then, for a split second, her eyes shifted to Harry, and they softened.

She struggled against Bulstrode, trying in vain to reach this boy who had become her best friend years ago, and her brother not longer after, and he stared back, his eyes begging her to stop, praying she wouldn't get hurt. She continued to struggle until she finally stepped back on Bulstrodes foot, releasing a slight burst of magic to shock the large girl without exposing her powers. Hermione broke free and lunged for Harry. She threw herself over him, clinging desperately, even after Umbridge signalled to Malfoy to restrain her.

"Professor!" Hermione insisted, still shielding Harry with her body, ever the logical one. "You're never going to get what you want this way! We all know Harry won't give up! But..." She paused. She needed enough doubt on Umbridge's side for this plan to work. She took a deep breath, her shoulders sinking in faux disappointment. "We both know there's another way to get what you want."

"Hermione, don't you dare." Harry's protests were joined by the cries of Neville, Ron and Ginny, whilst Luna was merely frozen, eyes wide and limbs trembling. The distant look on her face made her seem as if she wasn't entirely present. Umbridge signalled to the Slytherins and their cries were silenced.

Hermione continued, without her voice breaking. "If you stop hurting Harry, and tell your slimy snakes to release my friends..." Ron frantically shook his head at her, eyes wide, with muffled sounds coming out of his mouth despite his captor's meaty hand preventing him from speaking. Hermione persevered, "I will tell you what you want to know."

All struggles stopped, and each of her friends stared at her, their gazes a mixture of hurt, shock and betrayal. Hermione shook her head, and smiled sadly at the ground, they would understand, she couldn't let that bitch hurt her brother. Umbridge smiled, but it was terrifying. The kind of smile a psychopath would smile, as he bashes someone's head in. The kind of smile that children cannot see through, but their parents usher them away from. It was utterly terrifying, eerie even for someone who'd faced Voldemort.

"Oh, my dear girl..." Umbridge said, her voice once again sickly sweet. She was playing the game. She knew Hermione would not give up the information, but Hermione did not need to convince her completely. Just enough to leave a seed of a doubt with her, and to convince the Slytherins. After all, Umbridge could not be a 'supported leader' if her troops were against her actions.

The sweet, babyish voice was a harsh comparison to the cruel words thrown at her mere minutes before. "I'm so glad that one of you has the common sense to understand that my threats are serious."

And Hermione began to cry weakly into Harry's hair. He stiffened, then relaxed. Hermione smiled through her tears, and lent into Harry's neck, of course Harry would know she was faking. Thank goodness one of her friends knew her! As she was 'crying', she could feel his eyes on her, and gave a minute shake of the head. He immediately got the message...and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back, ever the comforting friend.

Hermione could feel Umbridge seething behind her. Her move in this twisted dance of theirs had been a strong one. Playing the tears card was a strong one due to the fact that Hermione rarely cried. Whether the Slytherins would admit it or not, seeing the 'brightest-witch-of-her-age' with the stiffest upper lip of all the fifth years in the house of bravery crying, was something that made many of them uncomfortable.

"Shhhh...shhhh...Hermione you don't have to do this." Harry whispered in her ear, continuing the charade for everybody listening. Hermione smiled into his robes once more. What a way they had come from lying to McGonagall and Snape in the girls bathroom on that Halloween night. She forced tears out, needing to make a convincing performance in order to win; there would be no hope for convincing the more perceptive Slytherins should she not play the part. As she lifted her head to look at Umbridge, nose red from a quick wandless charm, and face tearstained, she couldn't help but wonder where to go with this. Upon seeing her tears, the others had immediately begun struggling again, but Hermione needed a real story to save her brother.

"Well then?" asked Umbridge, gloatingly, impatience ringing through, as if she knew of Hermione's dilemma and was pushing her further than she could go. "Go on then, Granger! Spill your secrets! For your friends...of course..."

"I'm sorry everyone," pleaded Hermione, playing for time as her shoulders heaved with her sobs. "But it's...it's Harry"

"Finally!" said Umbridge, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders and shaking her. "Now who was he talking to?"

"Well, he was trying to speak to my parents." All motion stopped. Ron stared at her, confused; Luna broke out of her trance and Ginny stopped trying to knee Zabini in the groin. Even Umbridge rolled her eyes. "You stupid girl! What do you think I am? An idiot. Try again."

Shit. She couldn't afford another mistake like that again. And so Hermione fed her the story, about Dumbledore, the weapon, the Hog's Head, the Three Broomsticks, then finally looked up, eyes wide at the amused toady face. Damn it. She'd needed to plant a seed of doubt, but had only convinced the Slytherins. If Umbridge outright denied her claims...no, she couldn't think like that. She needed to get her to the forest. The centaurs would take it from there.

"Very well, Granger. You had your chance." Each person in the room turned to look at her, shocked, except for Draco, who stood, smirking at Hermione.

"But...Professor?" Hermione questioned, her brows crinkling up.

Umbridge smirked. "My dear, I was in Slytherin. And unlike the idiots that it seems to be producing nowadays," she shot a disgusted look at Crabbe and Goyle, "a good Slytherin can smell a lie like that from a mile away." She grabbed Hermione's shoulder, as she was frozen in shock, and threw her towards the awaiting Malfoy heir, who conjured up some rope and quickly bound her hands. He knew her well enough to know that having free hands was the equivalent of letting her go free completely.

"If you don't believe me, go to the forest!" She cried in desperation. "Please, don't hurt him!" Her voice was raised, but she was not quite screaming yet, and Draco pulled her back as she lunged.

She struggled, but it was futile, and the heavy scratchy rope around her wrists would not give. Draco's fist grasped her upper arm, squeezing mercilessly until she cried out in pain. What had happened to him? To them? She could feel a red mark forming where his fingers clenched around her flesh. Ron lunged for them, but Goyle held him back.

"Draco..." Hermione whispered, barely audible. "Draco, please..." But he merely smirked down at her, and shook his head mockingly and disapprovingly.

"Draco, please..." he mimicked, in a high falsetto. The other Slytherins snickered at her embarrassment, whilst Ron stared at Hermione, cocking his head in question. She knew what he was asking, but could only register her captor's words. Her eyes widened, and quickly filled with real tears. There were few things that could make her truly cry, but betrayal...? Umbridge shook her head in amusement, and returned to her rapid questioning of Harry.

Hermione attempted to stomp on Draco's foot over and over, but to no avail. Still glaring at the ground, she struggled hard and fast, desperately trying to escape his painful grasp. Finally, sick of her attempts, he placed his arm around her neck, his lips at her ear.

"Stop resisting, firecracker. You've lost." He flung her around her around to face him. She glared up at him, unapologetic, still struggling as he grasped both of her shoulders, then lifted his hand to her cheek. She gasped at the familiar feeling, her eyes dropping to the ground. "Remember this?"

"You bastard." She growled. Oh, how she loathed him. She met his eye, defiant and furious, but Draco merely sneered and whispered in her ear.

"This is payback for third year, mudblood," before backhanding her across the face. The crack echoed around the office as Hermione fell to the floor, her eyes wide with shock and terror.

Every eye in the room was suddenly on them, and Umbridge, ceasing her interrogation of Harry, dropped her wand from its position at his neck. She cackled with cruel glee, clapping her hands together, like a toddler with a new toy. Harry and Ron's eyes were alight with fury, and Ron once again lunged for Malfoy, but failed.

Hermione was speechless. He hit her. He actually hit her. It would have been better if he'd cursed her rather than hit her, but he ended any hope they had of rekindling...whatever it was. Deep down, she knew that the slap hadn't hurt so much as the words. Rather, word. Mudblood. He'd actually said it.

Draco...no...Malfoy reached down to pick her up again, but she flinched away from his touch involuntarily, scrambling back as well as she could with her arms bound, refusing to look into his eyes. He knelt down and grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him, but when she did, she was haunted by what she saw there. His eyes were empty. No hatred, or affection, or comfort, or disgust, just empty. Apathetic. None of the spark she'd grown accustomed to seeing in those steel grey eyes during confrontations. None of the emotion she'd grown to admire - if nothing else - and accepted. Even the hatred showed he had some level of emotion for her. Lost in thought, she barely registered his words.

"Aw, don't you trust me." His voice was mocking, and she scrunched her eyes shut as he grabbed her arm, yanking her up. "For Merlin's sake, mudblood. Get up!" It didn't hurt any less the second time.

"Go to hell." She spat.

"Ooh, touchy. Perhaps you would like another taste of how your lot will be treated once the new regime takes over." Her eyes widened. He couldn't mean... "Or," he offered, "would prefer to simply obey?" He smirked, reaching a hand towards her cheek again, which she immediately knocked away as best she could.

"Unbind my hands." She whispered from her place on the floor, trying to hide the hurt from her voice. She was unsuccessful.

"Looks like I hurt little Granger's feelings." He taunted. Nobody's attention left them, their eyes drawn to the power struggle. Because Hermione hadn't lost yet, but Draco was closer to winning. There was another round of snickers from the Slytherins. "Then again..." he mused, "maybe you should stay there, on the floor, at my feet, where you belong!"He spit out the last word, and Hermione froze. She looked at Umbridge, who was watching the exchange with an undisguised, childlike delight. Unsurprisingly, there was no reprimanding for the use of the term. After all, hadn't Umbridge been trying to teach her the very same thing all year.

Hermione's friends had caught on to her stand, and had been struggling furiously against their captors. Harry was reaching for his wand, and Umbridge was desperately firing stunning spells at the fighting students, praying she didn't hit one of her own. Millicent Bulstrode was dodging, as Ginny, who had somehow recovered her wand, was shooting hexes at her.

It was almost like clockwork; the harder he knocked her down, the stronger she got back up. He could attack and demean her using their...previous friendship. Or whatever it was. He clearly had no problem with making fun of her looks, her books and her life.

But to insult her parents? He himself knew how much of an asset her muggle upbringing had provided to her, and his word made her eyes light up once more, as fury burned through every inch of her. She stood, shaking with anger, and there was a soft, scarlet-red glow around her. Her hair began to whip around as if the wind was blowing from all angles, and she was controlling it. She broke free of her bonds and raised her hands above her head, as they glowed brightest of all.

"No." she whispered, determined that her time would not be now. "NO!" she repeated louder. "You, Draco Malfoy, are nothing. Nothing to anybody"

Malfoy laughed, and grabbed her again, taking her by surprise as he spun her around, her back was pressed into his chest. He held a wand to her throat, and whispered in her ear. "That's not what you said to me last time, firecracker". Hermione's small frame shook with anger once more, as he spat out the last word mockingly, like a dagger piercing through her.

As her glow brightened in response to his hold, everyone returned to staring at them once more.

However, in the midst of all the chaos, Hermione's shakes were slowing, and the glow that once surrounded her form was fading, whilst Draco stood taller and taller. Hermione felt her energy being sapped away from her, and registered the wand at her throat, glowing brighter and brighter, whilst her defiance and will was fading.

"You-" she croaked, her throat dry. "Y...you - you s..swore!" She began choking up, dry sobs shaking her body, and she trembled in his hold. "When I told you that, y...your oath should... Ple-Please d...d...don't!". But the pain spreading from his wand to her throat, to every inch of her body, did not end, and she sunk to her knees at his feet, feeling her energy dry up like an oasis during a hot, dry summer. The ritual was never meant to be used in this way. She toppled over, and as her eyes close, she remained with one thought in her mind. After all they'd been through, how could he.

She knew she'd never trust him again. What was the saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Well, he wouldn't get a chance. No matter what he did, she would never trust him again.

Hope you enjoyed! More to come if I get a response that people are actually reading it (not gonna push for set number of reviews but even one to know that somebody has read it would be great!)

Signed off,

YourDiamondAngel