Draco glanced up, the wind whistling through his ears. As he stepped into the forest, a few twigs snapping under foot. His tired eyes glanced around, he felt something. Something else. Someone else was there. He bit down on his lower lip, he just had to get himself sorted, and to get everything ready. Potter needed to get out of the way. To get out of his sight. Oh, how he despised Potter. Almost more than that Granger Mudblood. He whipped his wand from his pocket, gripping it tightly. He was well aware of the noises, the odd surroundings. Fidgety was an under-statement for him. He jumped at the small noises, snapping his body round to see what was happening.

Hermione had been sat on the large grass verge, that over looked the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't paying attention to much, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something. She turned her head to see that it was Draco Malfoy entering the Forest. "What's he up to?" She asked herself suspiciously. She got up and dusted her jeans off. Before walking down to find out what he was up to. She entered into the Forest at about the same place he had. She tried to be as quite as possible. She didn't find it hard to keep an eye on him, his hair was like a beacon. She flinched as some twigs snapped under her foot and she stopped, hiding behind a tree. Hoping he didn't see her.

Draco shook his head. 'It's just your paranoia creeping in again, Draco.' There mustn't be anyone there. Who would want to come into the Forbidden Forest, if they didn't have a particular reason for being there? At that moment, he wished he was anywhere but there. His dark clothes made him camouflaged to the dark surroundings. The odd noises started again, the snarling, the tweeting, and the occasional growl. He jumped again, trying to venture further into the forest. The trees were unequal distances apart, the moon was out and it was dark. Very dark. His white-blonde hair deceived him, making him visible a mile off.

She let out her breath slowly. She meekly peered around the tree as she thought she heard him moving away. When he was far enough away again, she began to follow him again, taking her steps very carefully. 'What are you doing here?' She asked herself mentally. 'This is ridiculous, why get yourself killed for curiosity? Over Draco?' Her internal chastisement continued as she followed him still. She had to try hard to keep hold of her nerves, this was one place that she found she could lose her calm. The noises were so... malicious, even the birds sounded evil in here. She kept her eyes fixed on his head. The only way she couldn't lose him.

He cleared his throat, before looking around. He needed to do this. He needed to figure this all out, before Potter and his 'friends' got onto his tail. He was quite sure that they were already suspicious. He gripped his wand tighter, shaking his head. Where was a good place to stop? To have a look for it? He continued to walk, his pace increasing slightly. His eyes flickered round, the stone grey glint in his eyes caught something. He turned to face it. There was nothing. He broke into a run, something was following him. He needed to get away from this- whatever was following him.

She froze the moment he turned around, hoping the darkness would keep her covered. She stopped breathing again. And let it out as he turned around an ran. She took off after him, knowing he was definitely up to something, she was still trying to stay as quite as possible. He may know that something was behind him, but he didn't know it was her. That was a blessing. Due to her careful movements and him being faster than her, she began to realise that she had lost him. 'Dammit' she thought. What now? Keep going or try to go back?

He stopped, sitting back down on the floor. He had made the wrong decision, trying to redeem his father. But... if he didn't do it, Voldemort would've killed him there and then. He was afraid of losing his life. Although, he'd never admit it. He was. He feared death- especially from the hands of Lord Voldemort. He felt a stinging pain run down his left arm as he pulled his dark blazer off, rolling his shirt sleeve up so he could see his Dark Mark. It was a dangerously dark black, he hissed between his teeth as another pain was felt from it. He held his head in his hands, cradling himself over his knees.

There was no point in going back, she might as well continue on now that she had started. She continued forward, at a slow walk. Still trading carefully. She couldn't hear anything other than the noises that were meant to be here. She strained her eyes, to see if she could see any glimpse of him. She continued for a while until she caught a glimpse of something white out of the corner of her eye. She skidded to a stop, realising it was him. But the sharp motion made her lose her balance and she slipped to the floor in a very undignified way, landing with and 'Ouf'.

He turned his head in the direction of the sudden sound. His eyes widened in acknowledgement, shaking his head. He growled, quickly fumbling to pull his sleeve down. "Granger!" He shouted, hurrying to his feet. "What are /you/ doing here?" He asked, his voice laced with venom and fury. "Why are you here? Have you been /following/ me?" He narrowed his eyes, stepping toward her. So many questions flooded his mind, malicious of course. Why was she here? She was a Mudblood. Filthy. His lip curled as he watched her.

She flinched as he shouted, great this was just what she needed. The tone of his voice set her off, she was tired of the way he treated her. "I'm falling down it would appear." She answered sarcastically, "But before that I was taking a walk in the park! What do you think I was doing?" She got up and dusted herself off again. "I wasn't following you. Why would I?" She asked cocking her head to the side, defiantly.

He knelt down to her, his face inches away from hers. He smirked, taking a grip of her clothing. "Don't mess with me, Mudblood." He muttered, "I'm not in the mood to take any more of your shit with Potter, and your Weasley boyfriend." He rolled his eyes. "Why did you follow me?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "I know you were. You're too good to be wondering the Forbidden Forest... it's Forbidden." He laughed maliciously, shaking his head slightly. "Tell me." His voice a growl, hissing through his teeth.

She gripped his wrist as he grabbed her clothes. Her eyes burned into his as he called her mudblood. The sudden urge to head butt him overcame her. Oh she really wanted to. "I followed you because I'm madly infatuated with you. I just can't get enough your snide remarks, what can I say, I'm masochistic." She growled back. "Take your hands off of me." She hissed as she tugged at his arm. She refused to back down to him.

"Oh, so it seems, Granger." He growled. "You don't know what's happening. You, Potter and Weasley. All in your little dream bubble, the sun shining out from your arses... you don't really know what's happening. The Dark Lord is back. He has risen again. Just as was said. Everything will change." He growled, throwing her back to the ground. "None of you know what'll happen if he comes into power. When Potter's dead." He laughed snidely, letting go of her shirt. He stood up. She wasn't worth it. A Mudblood wasn't worth it.

She clenched her fists as he spoke about the Dark Lord. So that was what he was doing out here. Should have figured. She curled her lip back as he threw her back to ground like a ragdoll. He was really beginning to annoy her. "Ah yes I forgot your whole family is bent to the will of Him. He'll never win. Never." She spat back at him. "You think you'll be safe after? You poor excuse of of a Wizard?" 'Don't goad him!' She thought. She stood up, her hand over her wand in her pocket, if nothing else was unpredictable.

"Oh, don't try me!" He shouted, "I've had it up to here-" He raised his hand to his neck. "With people telling me that. I haven't anything to do with that man. My father is in prison. I have nothing else to do!" He growled, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "It's not me." He spoke, his voice flat, emotionless. "This. It isn't me!" He raised his voice again, staggering back. "I'm a GOOD Wizard! I'm a good Wizard!" He repeated to himself, closing his eyes in agony.

She was tempted to continue goading him as he told he had 'Had it up to here.' Right like she hadn't reached that point years ago, with him calling her a mudblood. Then she frowned as he continue to speak. This was the Draco she had known for years, the arrogant, cock sure person she went to school with. Was he trying to convince himself that he was a good wizard? And what did he mean by it? Good as in, good at what he does, or good as in he didn't want to be doing the things he was being made to. "Then choose to change who you appear to be into the person you are." She couldn't show him sympathy right now. She just couldn't.

His hands raised to his face, covering his eyes. "You don't know what it's like." He muttered, shaking his head ever so slightly. He let his hands drop, he narrowed his eyes as he stepped toward her. "You don't. None of you do. I can't change anything now. I /never/ had that choice." He stepped closer still, shaking his head again. "I'm a good wizard." He continued to repeat, his eyes catching onto hers. "I never meant for this to happen."

She watched him closely, his every move slowly breaking down the wall she had around her. He seemed to be in real turmoil, and enemy or not, no one deserved that. "You are a very accomplished Wizard Draco." She allowed. "But none of us have been tested as to whether we are good or bad." As his eye caught hers, that wall she'd kept around her shattered. She couldn't stop the flood of sympathy that washed over her. She desperately wanted to know what he meant by half of the things he was saying, but knew not to ask. "Never meant for what to happen?" She asked in a whisper.

"Everything. All of this." He muttered, shaking his head. "I'm a wreck. They don't know what this is doing to me!" He said, looking at her. "I never wanted to do this." He looked away, grabbing his blazer from the floor. He swung it round his back, shrugging it on. "I didn't want to do it. Just remember that, before you judge me for being a bad person." His eyes drooped, he ran a hand through his hair again, tugging at it lightly.

She couldn't deny it, he truly looked a wreck. He normally kept such cool calm composure. She was slowly catching on to what he was meaning though. Had he been recruited into the Death Eaters? She took a tentative step towards him. "What have you done?" She asked in a whisper again. Her normal reaction was to reach out to someone when they were in this kind of state so she stopped herself. But she also stopped herself from crossing her arms. That would look like she was judging him as well. So she let her arms stay by her side.

"I..." He trailed off, "I..." He bit down on his lip, shaking his head. "I can't tell you!" He shook his head. "I wish I could. I can't though. If I don't do it, I will die. So will my parents. Our whole future rests on my shoulders. Do you know how... how /burdening/ that is?" He shook his head. "No. You wouldn't. Because you have Muggle parents. Sometimes I think that Muggles are a lot easier that Wizards, and Witches... and blackmail itself." He scratched the back of his neck, there was no denying the fact.

He wished he could tell her? That was new! She didn't let her surprise show though. His family would die if he didn't do what he was told to do. She could never judge him for that. No she couldn't imagine having that resting on her shoulders. She gaped openly for a moment as he said that it would be easier to be a Muggle. But she quickly schooled her face into calm again. "Blackmail?" She asked. "I would never judge you for protecting your family." She told him truthfully, taking another small step forward.

He looked up at her, alarmed as she stepped toward him. "You would, if you knew what I was told to do." He muttered, shaking his head slowly. He took a step back, looking down at his feet, as he scuffed them against the mud. "Pretty soon, I'll be a murderer." He told her, glancing up quickly. "Soon, I'll have killed everything which could help you." He was simply shocked at the fact that he was telling her all of this.

She put her hands into her back pockets, still keeping herself open with him. She watched his nervous movements. Her really was beating himself up about this. She wanted to make it better for him. 'What? This is Draco Malfoy!' Her mind screamed at her. Her eyes widened when he told her he would be a murderer. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. She shook her head slightly. No words forming in her mouth to speak. He may be an arrogant tosser sometimes but he wasn't a murderer. Surely it could be true. Sometimes she hated her curiosity. "No..." She whispered.

"Yes!" He told her. "It's true!" He shook his head, as he stumbled back toward a nearby tree stump. He sat on it, his head in his hands again. "You don't know what it's like. He's got me under his thumb." He sighed. "Even if I /did/ refuse, he'd probably Imperiuse me to do it anyway." He told her, admittedly. "And then I'd have a real problem on my hands. That's if he spared my life."

She watched him again. She didn't know what to do. There was nothing she could say. She had never been in this situation. She doubted she ever would. Her mind was trying to figure out a way of getting him out of this, with his family still intact. The only way that was possible was if something happened to Voldermort. "There has to be a way... Your family have served him for a long time... surely loyalty means something..." She trailed off.

"Loyalty means nothing. My father abandoned him when he fell and never quite forgave him for that. Nor will he forgive me." He stood up quickly, starting toward her. His face was centimetres away from hers. "After all I've done- why do you feel so obliged to help me? After all I've called you? Why aren't you running of to go tell Potter and Weasley? After all I've do-" He stopped, stumbling backward clutching his left arm again. His face screwed up in agony, his Dark Mark burned again. "M-Make it st-stop!" He stuttered, crying out as he fell to his knees.

Voldermort knew hoe to hold a grudge, that was true. She was beginning to hate Lucius even more for the fact that he was the cause of all this. She could feel his breath on her face as he came closer. It was a little awkward, a part of her wanted to move away. "I don't know." She answered, to each question her asked. Truthfully she didn't know. But she just did. She jumped as he started stumbling backwards. "How?" She asked as she dropped to her knees in front of him. She had seen him in pain before, this had to be ten ... a hundred times worse from his reaction. "How can I help?"

He scuttled away from her. "No!" He shook his head. "It's him... He's doing this!" He growled, throwing his jacket to the floor again. He rolled his sleeve up, hurriedly. There lay a deep black Dark Mark emblazoned on his skin. "It.. It hurts.." Why was he telling her all this? He looked up at her. She must hate him even more than before now. "I DIDN'T WANT IT!" He howled in anger, forcing himself to lie on the ground.

She stayed where she was, listening to him, 'who' was on the tip of her tongue to ask. Until she saw him pull up his sleeve and show her the mark. She couldn't help but stare, her mouth slightly open. What had they done to him? How could it be hurting? She still wanted to be able to help. She flinched as she heard him howl those words. So heart felt. He really meant them. She sat back down on the ground, she didn't know what to do. A part of her told her to run, to get away. Someone or something could be coming. "Oh Draco..." She whispered. She began to crawl to him, but stopped herself.

He scratched his nails into the floor, trying to calm himself down. His heartbeat raced, the pain slowly dimming down. He stay motionless until he finally came round. He groaned, as he slowly hoisted himself up. "I.." He trailed off. The pain was still there, behind his emotions. "I'm sorry..." He trailed off, standing up. "I have to go. Don't tell /anyone/ what happened. Okay?" He asked, still shaking as he bit his lip, grabbing his blazer. He started off, not noticing he left behind a piece of parchment.

She closed her eyes as she saw what he was going through and knowing she couldn't help. She sat back on the floor. Waiting for him to be okay again. She heard him apologise and shook her head, apologies weren't needed. As he stood up she did too, her eyes looking at him expectantly, looking for a sign that he was fine. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." Replied truthfully. She watched him go before she slid down a tree. That was the weirdest ... encounter she had ever had. What happens now? They were still far from friends, they were on opposing sides of this, or were they? And did she know too much now? She shook her head trying to clear it, the thoughts chasing themselves around her mind. Until she spotted something on the ground. She reached out and picked it up. He must have dropped, resisting the urge to read it she set out to give it back to him.