A/N: Yes, I know I probably should not have started a new story, but I couldn't help it. It was dying to be written. No, I'm not abandoning any of my other stories.
This story takes place in 5th year, right after the Gryffindors have started their Dumbledore's Army. The characters are a bit OOC, but I tried my best to not make them completely different people. Pairings will be a surprise (though it might become quite obvious later on), the only thing I will say is that this IS Dramione.
Main Characters: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, and Theodore Nott
Warning: This story will have dark themes, this chapter has dark themes, and so overall trigger warning for the entire story.
Please Review, I love reading them and I really appreciate constructive criticism!
Room of Requirement [November 23rd]
"This is a bad idea," Pansy Parkinson muttered under her breath, digging her nails into her skirt in an attempt to stop her nervous twitching, "This is probably one of the worst ideas you've had since first year, Draco."
The blond did not answer her, choosing to stare stoically at the massive double doors that melded into the wall. His hair was effortlessly groomed into a sleek style, and his cloak was artfully creased around his shoulders in a perfect picture of aristocratic fashion. To the casual observer, Draco Malfoy looked to be completely fine. To a couple of other witches, probably more than fine.
However, Pansy Parkinson was no plain old witch, nor was she a casual observer. She had known Draco Malfoy for almost an entire decade and she'd even spent the better part of third and fourth year completely in love with him. By now, she'd picked up on a few things and learned to recognize nearly every single facial tick of his.
His cold, steel colored eyes might have looked unforgiving and cruel to others, but Pansy saw the underlying resignation and turmoil he suppressed every time he glanced up.
His sharp features and chiseled jawline might've attracted quite a few witches, but Pansy could only see the dark circles under his eyes (which he tried to carefully cover with glamour charms every morning) and the way his cheekbones made his pale face seem unnaturally gaunt.
She was no fool. She knew of every snarky, jealousy-filled rumor the little chits in her year had spread about her. She tried to ignore the laughter about her too skinny hips and her pug nose. She heard all the strangled screams that came from the dungeons at Parkinson Manor after her parents dismissed her to her bedroom.
Yes, Pansy Parkinson was no fool–she knew this was the only choice they had, regardless of her reluctance.
"Is this really our only option?" Daphne Greengrass wondered, voicing Pansy's unsaid hesitation, "Maybe we can–"
"Greengrass, we've spent months discussing everything. Do you think any of us want to do this? We can't back out now, we're quite literally standing outside the door." Draco Malfoy finally spoke, still not letting his gaze stray from the door ahead of him.
"Technically, we haven't opened said door yet, so we still have time to change our minds." Daphne pointed out, "I think–"
She was cut off by the arrival of a certain Theodore Nott, who leaned against the closest wall and slid slowly down in a tired heap.
"I-I did my best to distract the pink toad," Theo panted. He held up a hand indicating for them to wait while he bent over his knees and gasped for air. "I locked her inside her office and just ran. I couldn't think of anything else."
"Did you make sure nobody else was lingering in the halls?" Pansy Parkinson asked, wringing her hands nervously in the cold corridor. "We have to make sure this is the right place before we do anything."
Theodore Nott rolled his eyes, "I sent Crabbe and Goyle to stand guard on either side of the hallway. I think we're in the clear."
Daphne Greengrass tugged on the sleeves of her jumper, her anxiousness reflecting all of their inner thoughts. She turned her bright blue eyes to the wall in front of them whispered hesitantly, "D–Do you think we're doing the right thing?"
Draco Malfoy began pacing in front of the wall, although unlike his fellow companions, his steps were determined and unwavering. He stared unblinkingly at the doors and sucked in a shaky breath.
"Greengrass, I don't even know what's right or wrong anymore, " He muttered lifelessly. "But I know what is needed of us. And that's all I can do right now."
They stared at the door together, knowing once they opened the door to the other side, there would be no going back.
Pansy discreetly glanced at each of her friends; making sure only sincere resolve was reflected back in their gazes. She could detect a bit of nervousness–well, quite a bit of nervousness–some fear, and some paranoia, but they were all sincere, nevertheless. Good.
She would never let anyone do this if they were even the slightest bit undecided. In fact, she'd probably Obliviate them on the spot if saw even a sliver of doubt in their eyes, simply out of fear of the consequences for that person, and for herself. This was no longer a game. This was their entire future they were about to gamble with.
"Ready?" Theo asked quietly, standing up and forcing his clenched fists into a relaxed position. His shoulders, however, remained tense. Almost as if they were coiled back and ready to spring up at any threat.
Draco sighed heavily, and before he could change his mind, he pushed open the doors. Briefly, he registered his friends following him inside the room.
The sight was one to behold, if Pansy had anything to say about it. There were around twenty students from various houses–mostly Gryffindor–launching spells at one another and dummies sheathed in rusty armor. They were all intently focused on one another, adjusting their footwork and positioning every once in a while in order to better hit their respective targets.
And right in the center, in the midst of all this organized chaos stood the Savior of the Wizarding World, the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, the one and only, Mr. Harry Potter. Pansy watched him as he slowly walked around the room, fixing someone's wand movements or demonstrating the proper way to create a shield charm. His hair was tousled into an unruly mess, and his shirt was wrinkled and stained with sweat.
She rolled her eyes. For someone trying to create a little baby student army, Potter was remarkably slow to respond to their unexpected visit. What would he have done if actual Death Eaters had shown up? Her stomach clenched uncomfortably at the thought. It was time to take matters into her own hands.
She cleared her throat loudly, enjoying the way the third year closest to her nearly toppled over in shock. Almost immediately, students that were dueling each other froze in surprise and their spells died on their lips.
"Is that how you greet a guest, Potter?" She smirked, raising an eyebrow at him in question.
Harry Potter gaped open-mouthed at their group of four in surprise. He did recover quickly enough, Pansy had to admit rather grudgingly, but he still fumbled trying to get his wand out of his pocket.
Granger was faster than him, however, and she immediately raised her wand at them and stepped forward, a hostile expression plastered onto her face. She pushed a couple of the younger years behind her and glared at them.
"What are you doing here?" She hissed in a scathing tone, "I think you've gotten lost on your way to the dungeons."
Draco scoffed, "We're not lost, Granger," He paused and his lips curved upwards, "We were looking for you."
"Come to report us to that horrible Umbridge, haven't you?" Ronald Weasley asked accusingly. He was gripping his wand so tightly in his hands that it turned his knuckles white.
"For once in your lifetime, Weasel, you've gotten something correct." Pansy smiled wickedly. "Now, I'm feeling a bit nice today. So I'll tell you what. Granger, and Weasley can stay, but unless you want to get all your precious little Gryffindor ducklings into detention scrubbing cauldrons with Snape, I'd suggest you send them away before we make a scene."
Potter frowned at them, "Why would you do that?"
"Are you going to question my judgment as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad, Potter? I can always just dock points from your entire house as punishment." Pansy tapped the shiny silver "I" badge on her robes with her perfectly manicured nail to prove her authority.
Harry Potter seemed to be struggling internally with the decision, but finally his Hero-complex won out and he sighed, gesturing for the rest of the room to leave.
The students looked slightly confused and concerned as they collected their belongings, but they would never question Harry Potter. Eventually, Neville Longbottom began to herd them out the door to speed up the process. He paused and shot the Golden Trio a worried glance before he left with the rest of the group, closing the door behind him.
Draco pointed to the girl Weasley and frowned, "What is she still doing here? We said only you three."
"My name is Ginny. And I'm not leaving. You have four people too, so now we're even. I'm not going to let you even think about trying anything." The redheaded girl sneered, crossing her arms over her chest.
Theo grinned, "Feisty. I like that."
Daphne slapped the side of his head, "Not now, you idiot. We're in the middle of something. Go flirt later."
"Can you do us a favor and tell us what the hell you want?" Hermione demanded peevishly, tapping her foot angrily against the floor.
"Patience, Granger," Draco Malfoy said quietly, "But first: Expelliarmus!"
The spell took them off guard, and Draco easily secured all their wands in his left hand. He took a moment to savor the look of absolute outrage on their faces.
Just to annoy the Golden Trio even further, he picked up Hermione Granger's wand in his hand and studied it for a second. He whispered a spell and flicked it over his hand, conjuring up a box. To his surprise, the vine wood warmed in his hands as his magic naturally shot through the wand without resistance.
He glanced up at Granger and hid a smirk at the ferocious, harpy-like expression she was currently sporting. She stared at her wand, which was currently in his hands with a look of complete betrayal, almost.
He turned to face his fellow companions. "I'll be needing your wands too," He ordered.
The Gryffindors watched on confusedly as the Slytherins, including Malfoy, deposited all their wands into the box he had conjured. When everyone's wand was inside the box, Malfoy pushed the box into a corner of the room, and turned to face everyone else. He seemed to be concentrating on something, and then a second later, the defense training room they were used to morphed into a smaller room that emulated a cozy den of sorts.
"If you'll take a seat." Draco gestured to the couches that had appeared in the center of the room, "We can begin our explanation." When they took no action to move, he snapped, "Now."
Hermione and Ginny uncomfortably sat on the edge of the crème colored sofa while Harry and Ron took the plushy armchairs beside them. Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson sat opposite the two girls, while Theo Nott and Daphne Greengrass took the remaining couch.
"What is going on?" Harry Potter demanded, "Why are we sitting in couches and not being thrown at Umbdrige's feet as a sacrifice of sorts?"
"Before we begin, we'd like to request that you promise to listen to us. You cannot repeat anything outside of this room, otherwise it's all of our lives on the line, understand?" Daphne Greengrass started quietly, clasping her hands in her lap.
"Why the bloody hell would we do that? Is this a trap? Are you trying to signal your precious dark lord to come murder us while we're all in one place?" Ronald Weasley growled, already standing up from his armchair. "We don't have to listen to anything you say!"
"You're right, you don't," Theo began, "But aren't you even the least bit curious?"
"Absolutely not, we don't want anything to do with you slimy little snakes–"
"Ronald!" Hermione snapped, "Sit down. I think we should give them a chance and hear them out."
The two glared at each other in a heated standoff before Weasley reluctantly complied and sat back down with an annoyed huff.
"Thank you." Theo smiled at her.
Hermione nodded at them, "You have our word we will not repeat anything outside of this room. Please continue."
Draco and Theo exchanged a glance. They began to slowly roll up the sleeves of their shirt, uncovering their left forearm. The Gryffindors watched on with rapt attention and their eyes widened when their sleeves were completely pushed up to their elbows.
Both of their forearms were completely bare.
"As you can see," Draco's lip twitched, "We are not Death Eaters," He paused, "Yet."
"Yet? What do you mean yet?" Ginny Weasley spoke up, suspicion forming in her bright brown eyes. "Are you counting down the days till your initiation? Have you already planned a big party to celebrate?"
"Quite the opposite, actually." Theo Nott raised an eyebrow, "We want out."
"What do you mean?" Harry Potter asked, not sure if he'd heard them correctly. "Did you say–"
"Let me put this in simple terms for you idiots, loud and clear. We don't want to become Death Eaters. We don't want to be forced to kill and destroy other wizards, and even muggles. We never asked for this," Pansy leaned back in her seat, eyes downcast.
"But he said, 'yet'." Hermione Granger pointed out, shifting uneasily on the edge of the sofa. "That implies you'll be Death Eaters someday."
"Nothing escapes your notice, does it, Granger?" Draco drawled, ignoring the annoyed look she sent his way. "Yes, I did say 'yet'. Because we know that regardless of what we believe, we'll be forced to take the mark. Family duty, and all that."
She looked positively furious at that idea, "Why can't you just say–"
"Say 'No'? To the Dark Lord?" Draco laughed bitterly, "Don't be naïve. Nobody says no to the Dark Lord. That's a death wish. Even Potter can tell you that. Through his 'visions' and whatnot."
Harry glowered, "I hate to agree with Malfoy, but it's true. Voldemort–"
The Slytherins all flinched at the name while Harry pretended not to notice.
"Voldemort isn't exactly forgiving, Hermione. He killed Cedric in cold blood, remember?"
The curly-haired witch nodded reluctantly, "I suppose that's true. But I thought you all wanted to be–" She cut herself off abruptly, staring down at her fingers.
"Wanted to be Death Eaters?" Pansy repeated, a red flush creeping up her neck in silent anger. "Is that really how you see us? While it's true we haven't been quite pleasant to you lot over the years–not that you've shown any sense of civility towards us either–we still aren't the monsters you make us out to be," She stood up and her shoulders quivered, "They do it in my home, Granger. I can hear them torturing some muggle girl from my bedroom, two floors above. Her screams are loud enough that I hear them in my nightmares, Granger. They fucking take turns raping her, strangling her, and ripping her to shreds in my basement. Where I grew up playing dolls, that's where they slice her open and murder her like she was just another toy," Her eyes glazed with a film of tears that threatened to overflow as she nearly shouted, "In my own home, Granger!"
Draco tugged on her hand and forced her to sit back down. She wiped her eyes angrily and spit out, "And she's not the only one"
Ginny Weasley looked properly horrified at Pansy's entire rant, and she gripped the edges of the sofa. "Would they ever make you girls take the mark?"
Daphne grit her teeth together. "Of course not, we aren't worthy of such an 'honor,'" She hissed sarcastically. "No, we're just glorified maids to them. They force me to serve them drinks and fetch them meals. If they get a little grabby with my arse, I have to smile and continue to pour their whisky like nothing is wrong. When I turn seventeen, I'll be married off to the highest bidder like I'm nothing but a prized animal."
" I didn't know–" Hermione began, her hand covering her mouth in shock.
"Of course you didn't! You thought we were one of them. You thought we were delighted to become one of them!" Pansy snapped.
"You can't honestly believe this." Ronald Weasley scowled, "They're Slytherins. Why the bloody hell are we even listening to anything they say!"
Harry Potter looked over at his best friend, "For cripes sake Ron, shut up. This isn't about what house they're in or what family they come from. For once in your life, shut up and listen to somebody else!"
He looked over at the Slytherins, and urged them to continue. They all ignored the way Ronald Weasley sputtered indignantly.
"We're here because we don't have many options left." Theo explained, "It's either we join our families and the Dark Lord's regime, or die trying to escape. We've made plans to simply disappear for the next few decades if this doesn't work out."
"Why aren't you doing that then?" Hermione asked curiously, "Why aren't you just packing up and going into hiding?"
"Because I don't want to spend my entire life living in fear." Draco answered, standing up from the sofa and walking towards the window overlooking the Black Lake. He leaned his forehead against the cold glass for a second and sighed, watching his breath fog up the glass. He turned around and spoke quietly, "It doesn't matter where you hide. If someone looks long enough, they'll find you."
"We don't want to hide." Theo said firmly, "It's like trading one slavery for another."
"So what are you going to do then?" Hermione asked carefully, furrowing her brows in confusion.
The group of Slytherins exchanged glances, and finally Daphne turned to her and announced, "We want to join the Order."
"No fucking way. Do you think we're a bunch of duffers to let you join us?" Ron shouted, standing up furiously. "I don't care what you say, you chose your side the day you were born!"
"Did that make sense in your head, Weasel?" Pansy snarked. "We didn't get to choose which family or parents we were born into."
"Please." Daphne locked eyes with Harry Potter, wishing he could see the desperation in her gaze. "You don't understand how big of a risk we're taking by simply asking you. We'll help you in any ways we can. We'll become spies if we have to. We cannot take this Dark Mark, Potter."
Harry Potter averted his gaze and stood up, pacing across the floor a couple of times and running his hands through his hair in an attempt to make sense of everything. He stopped suddenly, "Why should we trust you? You haven't done anything for us and you're not exactly trustworthy or known for being reliable?"
"That you know of." Draco pointed out. "Let me tell you something, Potter. We've known about your little defense group since the beginning of October. If we were truly against all of you, don't you think we would've turned you in by now?"
Harry frowned, "But you've been sending Slytherins to follow us for the past month."
"Merlin, do you really think Slytherins are that stupid? If we were actually stalking you with the intent of discovering what you were up to, our housemates would have turned you in by now. But we've been placing Confundus charms and Obliviating them for weeks to prevent that from happening. You Gryffindors aren't exactly discrete." Theo pointed out.
"How did you even know we started our defense group?" Ginny asked.
"Honestly Weaselette, we aren't complete cretins," Pansy rolled her eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time, "When we saw a group of Gryffindors crowding in an empty room at the back of Hogs Head, we knew we just had to eavesdrop."
"With the ruckus you made getting in and out of the Hogs Head and even having your meetings in the Come and Go Room, it's like you were trying to get caught." Daphne added.
"You need our help," Draco Malfoy stated, not as a question. He leaned against the window, and the pale skin of his forearm was illuminated by the moonlight when he crossed his arms. "We have eyes where you don't. We know things you don't. We've been studying the other side for our entire lives, Potter. We grew up with them. We know how they move, what they're thinking, what their plans are."
Hermione gave him a blank stare, crossing her arms to mirror his position. "Even if we do let you into the Order, how do we ensure you won't switch sides again, or feed us the wrong information, or run away when you're scared?"
There was a moment of silence while everyone contemplated the question.
"We can take the Unbreakable Vow."
Both the Slytherins and the Gryffindors turned to face Pansy Parkinson, who was staring at a speck of dust on the coffee table in front of her.
"Are you insane? We can't–"
"You can't be serious!"
"Pansy, the Unbreakable Vow? That's–"
"We didn't discuss taking the Vow!"
"Why not?" She demanded, silencing all protests with a leveled glare. "We don't have a choice. I don't particularly want to run away, and I don't want to join the Death Eaters and play housewife to some old husband who abuses me like I'm another one of his victims. So if the Unbreakable Vow is what it takes for them to trust us, I'll do it. It's a small price to pay in comparison."
Surprisingly, it was Ginny Weasley who looked at Pansy and announced, "You don't have to take the Unbreakable Vow," She paused and fidgeted anxiously, "We believe you."
"How can you say that!" Her brother cried out, pointing at the group of Slytherins, "They made our lives miserable for years! Or have you forgotten everything because of one or two sad stories?"
"Do you think this is easy for us, Weasley?" Draco Malfoy began dangerously, "We've planned this meeting for months, just deciding how to approach you without getting caught. Our families are hounding us to take the Dark Mark and we're doing everything we can to stall them. I haven't seen my own mother in almost a year because seeing her means going home and going home means my father is waiting to make my life miserable."
"Why now, then? Why are you offering us your help now?" Ron retorted. "You don't even like us! You called us blood traitors and Hermione a mudblood just yesterday!"
"Look, we're not about to bloody get married to you and make flower crowns together." Pansy snapped, "And you obviously need our help. Just look at how unorganized you are."
Harry looked affronted at this, and he was about to argue when Pansy cut him off with an irritated scowl.
"Please, don't even try to argue, Potter. It took you over two minutes to notice we entered the room, and that was after I caught your attention my clearing my throat. Imagine if that had been a Death Eater. You'd all be dead by now. Do you know what can happen in not just two minutes, but even two seconds?"
"My father can cast around twelve cruciatus curses in two minutes." Theo piped up, "Pansy's right."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
Theo shrugged, "He likes to practice his curses on me sometimes."
Harry frowned, pushing his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "Let's say we let you fight alongside us. Other than protection, what do you want from the Order in return for your help?"
"Why do you assume we want more?" Daphne asked.
"You're Slytherins."
"Fair enough." Daphne smiled. "We want full immunity. Any crimes we have committed thus far, any prejudices we have held, all the horrible things we have done–we want to be pardoned for it all. We want to start fresh."
"Tabula Rasa." Hermione breathed. "You want a blank slate."
"We're offering you a chance to win this war on a silver platter," Draco Malfoy smirked, "Take it or leave it."
Harry Potter glanced at his friends, "I think we'll need to talk to the Order before we make any major decisions. And Dumbledore."
The Slytherins all tried to hide their relieved expressions. At least it wasn't an outright rejection.
Pansy leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, crossing her legs atop the coffee table in an illusion of utter relaxation. "I would say take all the time you need, Potter, but we're kind of on a tight schedule here."
She cracked open one eye and noticed them still staring at their feet, deep in thought. She pointed to the door, "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of here! Go ask whoever you need to ask."
"Right now?" Ginny raised an eyebrow, "It's almost curfew."
"How do you expect to win the war if you can't even break a school curfew?" Pansy scoffed. She snapped her fingers, "I'm serious, Go!"
"You're quite bossy, you know that?" Harry Potter grumbled as he reluctantly stood up from his seat and began walking towards the doors with his friends.
"I think she'll get along with Hermione just fine." Ron grumbled, narrowly avoiding the slap Hermione aimed at his head.
"See! You just proved my point!"