Disclaimer: this fanfic is based on the Harry Potter series, but it's also quite independent, which means I use the characters but not the stories directly. So, I don't own any of the characters, I guess, but a few characters I've invented might appear if you people read and review nicely!!! J

PS: I apologize if there are errors in my fanfic; but my native languages are Spanish and German, and I've read the HP series in Italian, so that I don't know the correct names of some items.

Chapter 1- A Glimpse of Gold

I've reached what I always wanted: I'm a successful Auror, I'm married to the famous Harry Potter whom I think I love, and I've managed to learn as much as I wanted about the wizards' history. What more can I expect from life?

Hermione Potter turned around in her bed and hid her face under her pillow, listening to Harry's regular breathing, and wondered what she wanted more than what she already had. She had all she needed, and more.

She was aged 22, and had become Mrs. Harry Potter one year ago. Harry had simply asked her to walk down the aisle, and since he was the most wonderful person she knew, she had accepted. He was brave, clever, handsome, and a great wizard. It was all she wanted. She had never wondered whether she was in love with him or not. She had never thought this could matter. Hermione had never really been in love. Of course, she had had some crushes, like Krum, the famous Quidditch seeker, and some others which she didn't even remember. But it had never been love, she thought now. She had never really felt passion; she had never thought she would die for someone. And now it was too late, because she was married, and she couldn't possibly betray her husband. And besides, the man she would care for did not seem to exist.

Being an Auror was not as magnificent as she had thought it would be. It was breathtaking, but not always in the good sense of the word. There was a lot of paper work to do, and then, there were the killings. Death Eaters had to be brought to Azkaban, normally, but sometimes, she had to kill because otherwise, it would be her who wouldn't see the daylight again. The Death Eaters were terrible, cruel and Voldemort's servants, but they were humans anyway. Like her. But they had chosen the dark side.

Hermione turned around in her bed again, and finally fell asleep.

***

It was nearly nine o'clock, and Hermione wanted to go home after nearly all the other Aurors had left the office, when someone called her:

"Mrs. Potter! Hey, Mrs. Potter!"

Hermione shot around, still not really familiarized with her new surname. It felt somehow strange to be married to Harry, to have his name. Sometimes, she couldn't imagine passing her whole life with him, though she hadn't ever regretted marrying him. She had always thought it was the right thing, and now… now she had doubts.

"What is it, Mildred?"

Her pretty, blonde assistant bit her bottom lip and said shyly with a squeaky voice, as if she was afraid of disturbing Hermione:

"Miss Weasley has seen Death Eaters in Battersea, and she asks you to join her."

Hermione sighed. Ginny had not changed much in the last years. She too, as well as Ron, had become an Auror, though she was only 21, but she wasn't really skilled. She got easily scared and was shy and timid, but she had gained Hermione's friendship by staying a sweet and optimistic person who would not let pessimism overwhelm her even at the end of the world.

"Can't anyone else go?" Hermione asked tiredly. "She wasn't in the right mood to haunt Death Eaters."

"Miss Weasley has asked for you especially, Mrs. Potter."

"Well, alright, Mildred. I'm going. Let my husband be told that I'll be back in a few hours."

My husband. It was one of the first times she called Harry so, but she wasn't delighted at the sound of this word. Maybe it was because she didn't really love him, although she had thought she did so for long.

Mildred Prebble nodded seriously, tossed her blonde mane and then went away, hardly walking with her high heels.

Hermione grabbed her wand, remembered a few new spells she had learned to paralyze Death Eaters without harming them, and then she wrapped up in a dark jacket. Then she took a handful of Floopowder and threw it in the fire after having clearly said:

"Battersea Park."

A green fire flamed up around her, and then suddenly, she found herself in the very middle of a pretty park with very green grass and tall willows and birches. She looked around herself, enjoying the peace and the beauty of the park, and she wondered how the Death Eaters dared to soil such a nice place. Sighing again, she temporarily blamed herself for having appeared somewhere where Muggles could see her easily, but fortunately, the park was desert. After all, it was quite late.

She advanced carefully, and then said a spell which was destined to lead her to the Death Eaters:

"Comemorturi aparire!"

Immediately, a reddish shining point appeared in front of her, and then flew towards the east. She followed it running, because it was fast, noticing with worry it was leading her to a quite dark road. Then it vanished, a clear sign the race ended there.

"Lumos!" She whispered, but the magical glow did not light up the street as much as she wanted it to.

She gazed around her, but she could neither see nor hear anything suspicious. She raised her wand protectively, but obviously, there wasn't anything dangerous over there. She thought Ginny had been wrong once more, and she was about to walk away when a hand wrapped around her face, preventing her of screaming. She floundered about, but her opponent was stronger than her, and she hated herself for having been so imprudent (because she had seemingly fallen into the Death Eaters' hands) when a male voice muttered behind her:

"Granger?"

The hand suddenly let her go, and she turned around to face the Death Eaters. There was only one of them, clad in black, as always, a hood hiding his face. She wondered how he knew her name, but she didn't lose time, and she was about to pronounce a paralyzing spell when she caught a glimpse of silver-blonde hair under the hood, and she stopped. The Death Eater slowly took of his hood, and stepped into the light of her Lumos, troubling Hermione more than she had thought any man could do. His features were hard, but regular and harmonious, his nose long and slightly pointy, his cheekbones high, his silver-gray eyes shining of intelligence, his lips full, soft but firm. His silver-blonde hair was long and combed back, and she felt a sudden urge to run her fingers through it.

"Draco? Malfoy?"

She couldn't believe it. It was really him.

He smiled, unleashing very white little teeth, and then said with a cold, fiery voice:

"Surprised, Granger?"

"Why have you let me go?"

"I was surprised myself."

She frowned, and then said, her voice nearly trembling:

"And what are you waiting for now?"

"Won't you try to paralyze me?"

Yes, she thought. I should. It is my duty. I have to catch him now or he will harm innocent people.

"Go" she said nevertheless. "Go quickly."

He smirked again, and then put his hood over his gorgeous face. Then he vanished.

Hermione stared at the place where Draco had stood, and wondered why the hell she had let him go. Perhaps because he hadn't killed her though he had had the possibility. He had let her go, and she had had to return the favor. Or perhaps something else had prevented her from catching him, she did not know.

***

Draco Malfoy put off his black hood for the second time during this day, and he stared at his Master, trying to look humble though he was a very proud young man, who defied anyone, and always won. He had never missed a prey until this day.

"Death Eater Malfoy has come", a dark-haired beauty said to Voldemort, who was sitting on his throne, his back turned towards Draco.

There was a brief silence, and then Voldemort's voice, cruel and pitiless, echoed in the throne room.

"Why have you let the Auror go?"

"I… she has freed herself. I couldn't do anything."

"But the plan was perfect. We attired her to a desert and dark place where no one could help her. How could she free herself?"

"She put a spell I didn't know on me."

The throne suddenly began rotating on its own edge, so that, Voldemort, hidden in the shadows, could face the wizard that was his certainly best Death Eater.

"I don't know if I really believe you", he hissed.

Draco Malfoy bent his head lowly, and didn't answer, hardly bearing the Master's hard glance on him.

Finally, Voldemort turned around again, and this was the end of the interrogatory.

Draco left the throne room, troubled by the meeting with the Auror. It was not a current Auror he had missed: this was Hermione Potter, Malfoy's greatest enemy's wife. And he had let her go. He didn't understand why, why he had disobeyed and lied to his Master. This mudblood didn't matter to him, did she? So why the hell had he let her free?

He remembered every second of their short meeting: how her auburn hair had flamed in the light of the magic gleam, how her soft eyes had looked at him, and how, for the first time since he knew her, he had thought she was beautiful.

Draco was known as a seducer, who had slept with most of the women of his office. He was gorgeous, tempting and smart. There wasn't one woman he couldn't get if he wanted to. But he had never thought he loved one of his girlfriends. He had had nearly only one night-stands; rarely one of his stories had lasted more time. It had never worried him before, he was just happy like that. Well, perhaps happy wasn't the right word. He survived, and he wasn't discontented with his life.

Hermione Potter certainly wasn't more beautiful than his previous girlfriends, rather the opposite. Draco had always chosen the most gorgeous of all, in order to amuse himself as much as possible. He didn't think much of inner beauty; he thought all of them were inferior to him anyway. Hermione was pretty, but not dazzlingly beautiful. But she had… oh, he didn't know. She was different. Special. Out of his reach.

N.B.: So, what do you think? Is it really bad or just so-so? The next chapter will be better, I promise it. Please review, this would make me a really happy person. J