Author's Note: I know I should be finishing Moon Shines Red but I had this random thought today and I just couldn't concentrate on MSR until I got this all out of my system. I really hope you guys like it, I promise I will finish MSR now.

When the Dark Lord won the war I knew I had to do whatever it took to survive, not just for myself but for her. I had fallen in love with her in our sixth year at Hogwarts. We had kept our relationship a secret from everyone, clinging to each other each night, and parting ways in the mornings. I did everything I could in the war to keep her alive, I couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Once the Dark Lord won I knew I had to do whatever I could to save her life.

She was captured and she would have been killed without a second thought if I hadn't stepped in to save her. Although I'm sure she wishes I had just let her die. The Dark Lord couldn't understand why I would want to keep her alive at first, but then he had her brought in front of us all and it didn't take long to understand my 'fascination with her', as he put it.

I asked him to give her to me as my own personal slave. I didn't really want her as a slave, I wanted to protect her, and I knew that no harm would come to her if she was branded as mine. She told me there was no way he would give her to me. I should have known by then never to doubt her.

He developed a strange fascination with her, with her intelligence, with her beauty. He kept her locked away in his part of the Manor, my families Manor, that he had taken over. I went to see her when I could, but at first it was hardly ever. I feared for her, thinking she would be tortured, beaten and starved. But the longer he kept her captive, the more we all realized that he would never let any harm come to her.

He killed Bellatrix for trying. She had somehow made her way to Hermione's quarters and attempted to kill her, but not before using the Crucio curse on her. He was notified quickly and killed my Aunt without a second thought. We were all warned to stay away.

I could never stay away from her though. No matter the consequences I found ways to see her eventually. I just never imagined our lives going the way that they were.

"Won't somebody realize that you're missing?" She asked, looking up at me with concern in her eyes.

"They think I'm out on a mission. He's currently out of the Manor and shouldn't be returning until nightfall." I tell her. I brush a stray curl out of her eyes and lean in to kiss her once more. She returns my kiss feverishly, wrapping her hands in my hair pulling me closer to her. I remove my shirt from her body, leaving her naked once more and lower her back to the bed.

I'm always careful never to mark or bruise her, not wanting to raise suspicion from him, but she marks me as her own every time we're together. A lovely reminder of who I belong to, something to keep me company in the absence of her presence. The harder I thrust into her, reminding her of who she belongs to, the harder she runs her nails down my back and the harder she bites into my shoulder to keep herself from crying out my name.

He's changing. There are whispers amongst all his followers that he's losing power, but I know he isn't. It started a few months ago, small changes here and there. His eyes grew more dim, his skin less scaly. Over time he was beginning to look more and more like his human self. His feelings for Hermione intensifying the more time he spent with her.

She had been allowed out of his part of the Manor, free to go wherever she liked. It didn't surprise me she spent most of her time in the library, not wanting to be around any of his followers. They were all too keen on staying away from her however, after what happened to Bellatrix.

He forced her to join him at dinner, and afterwards forced her to talk with him in the study. Although he did most the talking while she stayed quiet. It's becoming harder for me to see her, but I go when I can.

Her and I formed a plan to take him down from the inside. If she could get close enough to him and find a weakness we could use against him, then maybe we can at least get away from here. Or at least I can get her away from here.

I wake to find her missing from my bed. It's the first night we've spent together in over a month. She was distracted, to say the least.

"What's wrong love?" I asked her.

"This is wrong." She said simply, she had covered herself with my sheet, as if hiding her body from me like she was embarrassed.

"Excuse me?"

She had gone red and looked down, playing with the edge of the sheet in her hands.

"You know how he feels about me." She stated. I stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"What have you done to my Hermione."

She hung her head, as if in shame.

"It just feels different." She said softly.

I had gathered her in my arms and held her tight until falling asleep. No more words had been spoken between us. The space where she had slept was cold, signaling she's been gone for a while.

What is happening?

If anyone had doubted him before they certainly did not doubt him now. Rumors about how Hermione had turned him soft had been circling, it had only been a matter of time before they had reached him.

He looked completely like his human self again. Shedding the snake like form he once held in favor of looking more appealing to Hermione I'm sure. But he was anything but weak, and had never lost even an ounce of his power. He wreaked havoc amongst his own people and proved that he was just as powerful as he had ever been.

She had stood at the front of the room and watched the entire thing. I swear I could see the tiniest smirk on her face.

She didn't come to me that night.

"What's happened to you?" I asked her, watching her get dressed. Her hair was down falling in soft waves and she was wearing more makeup than I'd ever seen her wear. Her dark eyes and dark lips making her look like a completely different person. Her tight black dress hugged her curves and I was very aware that she was dressing for him. She stopped what she was doing and met my eyes in the mirror.

"You happened to me Draco. You should have let me die, but you were selfish, and stupid to think that he would just let you have me." She said, eyes hard.

I swallowed and stood straight from where I leaned on the doorframe. I walked to her slowly, eyes never leaving hers. This really was all my fault. I thought the outcome would have been much different. I should have listened to her but she was right, I was selfish to want to keep her to myself. I had wanted to keep her alive for my own selfish reasons.

"Don't do this Hermione." I begged her softly. I lifted her chin with my hand and took her around the waist with the other, drawing her close to me so she was flush against my body.

"Don't give in to him. Remember our plan. Remember that I love you." I whispered, lips so close to hers, waiting for her to close the gap between them.

Instead she pulled away from me and went to step in her heels. She checked her appearance in the mirror one last time before turning to look at me.

"I can't keep him waiting Draco." With that she was gone.

I stood in front of him, unaware of why he had summoned me. I'd been spending as much time away from the Manor as possible. I couldn't bare to be around and see the way he looked at her.

She doesn't know it but I've been working with what's left of The Order on a plan to save her, to get her out of here before it's too late.

"Draco do you know why I've called you here?" He asks me, his voice rich and devoid of his former hiss. I shake my head no and refuse to drop my eyes from his gaze.

It feels sort of like a rivalry when I'm in the same room as him now. He's still more powerful than me, yet his human form brings forth a jealousy in me I never knew I had. I know Hermione finds him attractive. It makes me sick.

"I've called you here because I think I need to remind you once and for all just who she belongs to."

"I'm sorry My Lord I don't think I understand." I lie, inside I'm seething with anger. He laughs and shakes his head at me.

"Don't think I don't notice the way you look at her. The way you've become more absent here at the Manor, at your own house. She won't give herself to me completely because her heart is occupied by another. But I assure you young Malfoy it will be me in the end who has her."

"I'm really not sure I understand My Lord." I keep my face stoic. "Surely though you cannot be serious about the little Mudblood." I feel disgusted as I say the word.

"Don't you dare use that word towards her again!" He rages and lifts his wand to cast a Crucio. But I'll withstand whatever it takes to keep her as safe as I can.

He's gone from the Manor again. Surprisingly she comes to me in my room, careful to remain unseen by anyone.

"The more time I spend with him, the darker I'm beginning to feel." She states. She collapses in my arms in tears and I stroke her hair to try and calm her.

"I'm scared Draco. What's happening to me?"

I shake my head and vow to her that I will find out, and I will save her before it's too late.

I stare at her from across the table in the dining room. He's thrown a dinner party for our latest victory. She's wearing all that dark makeup again, this time adorned in what I will admit is a stunning emerald silk gown. She's quiet, as I would expect her to be, but this is a different kind of quiet. After dinner I watch as he dismisses her to go back to her room. His hand is on her waist and the other is brushing a curl behind her ear. She's smiling up at him, she used to look at me like that.

I slip out of the room unnoticed and follow her, pulling her into an empty room once we're a safe distance from the party.

"Hermione what's wrong love…talk to me." I plead. She stares at me like I had gone mad.

"Nothing is wrong Draco, why would you think that?"

"You've been avoiding me. If I didn't know any better I would say that you had abandoned the plan…and me." I release my hold on her wrists and place a hand under her chin, forcing her to look at me.

"He's too powerful Draco, and he knows about us. You need to just back off. He won't let you have me." Words I never expected to hear from her. I let her go and step away from her.

"Is that what you want Hermione? Do you want me to back off?" I ask harshly. "You seem to be enjoying his company these days. Finally given yourself to him have you? Is that why you haven't been to see me? Are you fucking him now? Given in to being his dark little plaything…I expected better from you. I never expected you to go and act like a whore to survive." Her hand across my face is solid and stings.

She slaps me once more before grabbing on to the front of my suit jacket and shoving me against the wall. Her lips are on mine, hands removing my belt. I waste no time in getting her out of her dress and taking her there against the wall.

She's back in her dress and headed for the door before I can even breathe regularly again. She turns and looks at me with a smirk on her face.

"Don't forget who you belong to." She says with authority. I wonder if she realizes she sounds exactly like him.

I walk towards her room, careful to remain unseen. I just returned from an attack on The Order, although really we had just finalized a plan to get her out of the Manor once and for all. He isn't supposed to be here, so I'm surprised to hear his voice coming from her room.

I walk as quietly as I can to the edge of the wall by her door, it's slightly open so I can see them inside. He's standing close to her stroking her cheek. She's looking up at him adoringly.

"Tell me you're mine." He whispers to her. The blood runs cold in my veins. She reaches up and places her hand over his.

"I am yours My Lord." Her voice sounds void of any emotion.

"That's right, you are mine. You will NOT go to Draco anymore is that understood? The next time I hear you two are sneaking around I will kill him…do I make myself clear?" He grips her face in both hands and a look of fear crosses her features for only a moment, before being replaced by a hard determined look. She slaps his hands away from her face and I fear he will strike her for it. Just as I am ready to interrupt and save her temporarily from his wrath, I stop dead in my tracks.

She grabs him and pulls him to her crashing her lips against his. He wastes no time in ripping her clothes off and throwing her on the bed. I can't watch this. I back away from the door but just as I turn to leave she looks towards the door as he has his face buried in the crook of her neck. The look on her face is one I can't exactly understand. Regret mixed with triumph.

He took her every night after that. She never came to me again.

I struggle with telling her of The Order's plan. Tonight is the night she will be free. He knows something is up. He's been restless all week. I've stayed close to keep any form of suspicion down. I decide to keep it all from her so there is no chance of her divulging any information to him. I really don't know whose side she's on anymore.

It pains me to see her with him, and she's ALWAYS with him. She's never away from his side anymore. Constantly with the dark makeup and the clinging dresses. Constantly with the dark smirk that's always settled on her face. If my Hermione is still in there somewhere she's a damn good actress.

He's always touching her. Always making sure I know who she belongs to. It makes me sick that I don't know who she's loyal to anymore. Literally there are times when I throw up in my room after being around them all evening.

I told The Order we needed to move quicker than we had been. I fear we are losing her. I long to have her in my arms again and away from him. I move to leave the dinner party, saying I have something to attend to. He stops me and tells me I'm being rude.

"Dinner has barely begun Draco." He says smugly.

"I'm not really hungry My Lord." I keep my eyes down.

"Surely you will stay for dessert?" He asks. He has a point he's trying to make, I wish he would get to it.

"I've lost my sweet tooth as I've grown older I'm afraid My Lord." He grins and reaches over for Hermione's hand.

"Yes I understand that completely Draco. These days my taste runs towards sweeter rewards." He watches me as I steal a glance at her. She's still, her gaze fixed on the table, a large bruise at the base of her neck with the faintest of teeth marks. My stomach turns.

"If you'll excuse me My Lord." He nods and let's me go.

She pulls me into an empty room. I'm on my way to meet with The Order and start the plan to save her. I wonder if I should tell her now.

"Draco you need to get away for a little while." She says urgently. "He's growing tired of worrying about you and I. He wants to make sure you can never have access to me. I fear he's going to try and have you killed."

I take this time to drink in her appearance. Past all the makeup her eyes are sunken in, the dress hanging loosely from her body where it once clung to the curves she no longer had. I fear he's been cursing her with the Imperio, a thought crosses my mind that perhaps he's even been poisoning her with Amortentia. I ask her the same question I did months ago.

"What's happened to you?"

She looks down and finds her hands amusing all of a sudden.

"I don't know." She finally looks up at me. "Some days I love him." My heart breaks hearing the words fall from her lips.

"Some days I remember loving you." She then states. I look at her hard and take her face in my hand.

"Do you still love me?" I ask her, searching her eyes.

"I don't know." I fear she's telling the truth, her eyes are too clouded to tell.

There are curses flying everywhere. I told The Order to move as quickly as possible, I gave them the exact layout of the Manor and told them exactly where they would find her. But there wasn't supposed to be as many Death Eaters here as there are. He was supposed to be leading most of them on an attack on another group from The Order, but somehow the plan had been screwed up and The Order was currently losing.

The look on his face was enough for me to know he knew it was me that betrayed him. But he would have to think about it later as several members of The Order attacked him at once. I put distance between us and set out to find her. I would save her if it was the last thing I did.

She's crying above me. Her eyes, clouded with tears, are still the most beautiful sight I've ever seen. The Order was pulling back, the plan didn't work. The faster they pulled back, the sooner he was going to come for me.

I had made it halfway to the Portkey with her before I was hit by a stray spell by a Death Eater. I reached up to stroke her cheek.

"Go!" I urged her. "Go or all of this was for nothing."

"I can't leave you here. He'll kill you." She cried above me, she had tried to pull me the rest of the way towards the Portkey but I was too heavy for her small and fragile body to carry.

"I'll talk my way out of it. I always do." I lied. My whole body felt like jelly and I wondered how long it would be until I could properly move my legs again.

A long piercing scream cuts through the night and we both freeze. A loud cheer is heard in the distance and we both know it hadn't come from The Order.

"Go! Please Hermione. Save yourself." I urge her again. She shakes her head at me furiously. Suddenly she looks up and there's a look of fear in her eyes. I don't think I've ever seen her so frightened. She looks down at me and cups my face in her hands.

"I love you." She whispers. "Remember who you belong to…and know that I will always belong to you." My heart soars.

"I love you." I say. Before I can say anything else she takes my wand.

A flash of green light and her beautiful smile replaced by a smirk are the last things I see. His laugh echoing in my ears along with her last words.

"I can't be selfish."

Please review and let me know that you think!