CHAPTER 1
He descended the stairs that led into the long, dark, stone hallway. Today was the day he would prove himself true to his name. This was the day he would prove just how ruthless he could be. It was the day he would make his father proud. Finally, at the age of seventeen, he would be able to join the ranks of the Death Eaters. This had been his lifelong dream. Nothing and no one would stand in his way.
The dank corridor was lined with few torches. There were no windows, as it was a dungeon, and no heat had made its way that far underground. The pale young man could see his breath as he made his way through the meandering passageway toward the chambers it held within. A large crowd would be there, no doubt. All of the Death Eaters would finally get to see the powers, which he possessed, not just the inner circle. He would no longer play second fiddle to Harry Potter-The Boy Who Should Have Died. He would now prove that he was much more powerful than that worthless half blood.
As he had suspected, a large crowd of Death Eaters had made a giant circle around the room. Some had brought their children along to see what becoming a Death Eater entailed. It was very hard to say no to the Dark Lord. In the center of the room stood a very thin, very tall man with long fingers and narrow slits that held cruel, red eyes. He was so white that he could have passed for a ghost. The young man approached and dropped to one knee before him.
The older man looked down on the boy before him and said, "Rise, Draco Malfoy. Join the ranks of my Death Eaters. Prove your loyalty to me. Sell your soul to me."
The boy known as Draco replied in a smooth, even voice, "My Lord, I pledge to you my soul and my life. I will make whatever sacrifices necessary in your name."
"What do you hate?" the older man asked.
"I hate Muggles and Mudbloods and everyone who cares for or protects them. I especially despise those who do not support you and those who fear your name. And I especially despise Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore."
The evil lord laughed, a cruel and mirthless laugh, his red eyes were glinting maliciously. "You have learned well, young Malfoy. I expect that you will be much like your father. I can already see many of his better characteristics shining through you. You will do me well. Now, to prove your unwavering loyalty to me, you will perform the Killing Curse on the prisoner I set before you."
Draco inclined his head slightly, a sign that he understood his task and would do as the Dark Lord asked of him. A raven-haired boy with bright blue eyes was thrown on the floor before him. The boy looked up at Draco with frightened eyes. His face was bruised and blood was dripping from under his hair. This boy was a good friend of Draco's. His name was Blaise Zabini. They had been friends since birth.
"Draco-Draco, please don't do this to me," he pleaded. "I have never done anything-anything at all to hurt you. I swear I never gave anyone any information. Please, Draco. Please spare me." His voice quivered with every word. A sure sign that he was frightened beyond belief.
On the exterior, Draco remained stoic, but inside he could feel himself breaking to pieces. Here he was, swearing himself to the Dark Lord, but his ultimate test of loyalty would be killing his best friend. He knew he had to do it, or they would both die. "I'm sorry, Blaise," he whispered. Blaise nodded and bent his head to his chest, closing his eyes. Draco raised his wand and pointed it at the broken boy on the floor. "Avada Kedavra!" With a green flash of light, the boy, who had once been his best friend, lie breathless on stone cold floor.
Voldemort's laugh could be heard once again, echoing through the silence. "Well done, Malfoy. I am proud of where it is your loyalties lie. Hold out your left arm."
Draco did as he was told, but felt as if he was ready to vomit. His stomach was churning uncomfortably as Voldemort placed his wand on Draco's pale flesh. After whispering a few words, Draco felt unbearable pain shoot through his entire body. It was worse than the Cruciatus Curse. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tightly to keep from screaming out in pain. As the white-hot pain subsided, Draco let his breath out slowly and stared down at the black skull, which dared to show on his perfect skin. It looked so unnatural.
After a few seconds, he looked back to Voldemort, who was still wearing a twisted grin. "And now, young Malfoy, for my last surprise." He snapped his finger, and a masked figure stepped out to the center of the circle and pulled his mask off, revealing his blue eyes and black hair.
Draco's jaw dropped. "But I just killed you." He looked down at the pile of robes that was still on the floor, where the figure that he had assumed was Blaise still lay.
"No," Voldemort shook his head. "That was simply a test to see where your loyalties lie, and they are obviously in the right place. Zabini was inducted last week. He agreed to all this."
Draco nodded once and bowed deeply before taking his place in the inner circle next to his father. Lucius Malfoy couldn't have cared less if he had become a Death Eater. All he cared about was himself and Lord Voldemort. Briefly, Draco closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, awaiting his orders. Slowly, he pulled his mask over his head. As Voldemort went around the circle, Draco paid close attention, not wanting to miss a thing.
Finally, Voldemort stopped in front of Draco. Draco bowed his head, as he knew he should. "Your first assignment should be quite simple. I want you to capture Hermione Granger by Christmas. She will be useful in helping us capture Potter. I do not care how you do it, but I want her." Draco bowed once more, indicating that he understood.
After the meeting, Draco apparated back to his room in the Malfoy Manor and punched a whole in his wall. Anger surged throughout his body, making him quiver. Never in his life had he been more upset with his father. He had always spoken so highly of the Dark Lord. In truth, Draco didn't find him all that appealing. It was all psychology. Voldemort messed with the minds of his followers to confuse them. They all fell for it too because they were so weak minded. There was nothing he could do about it. They did not know how to fight the twisted games the Dark Lord played.
Draco, on the other hand was different. He was able to pick up on the mind games Voldemort played, and his respect for that old wizard was waning, as was the respect he once had for his father.
~
Hermione sat on the bed in the room she shared with Ginny at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She was reading a book since she had nothing else to do. Last summer, she, the Weasleys and Harry had successfully managed to clean up Sirius' old house and get the portrait of his mother successfully off the wall. This had made Kreacher, the house elf, so upset that he starved himself to death. Out of pure pity, they hung his head on the wall with the rest of the house elves.
This was the third summer in a row that Hermione had spent at the old house. She had become quite fond of spending most of the summer there. Her parents didn't mind, which made things even better. Closing her thick book, she stood and stared out her window. Harry would be arriving later that night, which meant that Hermione would have nothing to do for the remainder of the day. Ginny was out on a date with a boy from Hufflepuff, and Ron was helping Fred and George in their joke shop in Diagon Alley so he could make a few extra galleons.
The sun was just beginning to set out on the horizon. There were still four more weeks until school started. Hermione couldn't wait. But she was still wondering if she would receive the title of Head Girl. It was her main goal throughout all of her Hogwarts days, but she feared that Dumbledore would find someone who was better fit to fill the position.
All of a sudden a crack signaled the arrival of someone in her room. "Hey 'Mione," Ron greeted as he sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Hey, Ron," she responded lethargically, not bothering to look at him. "How was your day?"
"It was great!" he answered, not noticing her lack of interest. "We had so many customers today, and I met this girl. She's gunna be transferring to Hogwarts this year from Durmstrang and she seems really nice. Her name's Rhiannon. She's got black hair and it's streaked purple and her eyes- they're like this orange-red color. They looked like they were on fire. It was amazing. And she's amazing to talk to." He sighed as he stared off into space.
Hermione rolled her eyes at her redheaded friend. "So you fancy this girl? What year is she in?"
Ron looked up with a perplexed expression on his face, as if her were trying to remember. "Er.I'm not exactly sure. Uh maybe 5th, or it could be 6th, maybe 7th. I don't exactly recall. Whatever, she said she's gunna come back tomorrow. I'll get to see her again."
Hermione wouldn't admit it, but she wasn't really in the mood to discuss Ron's new infatuation. What she really wanted was for someone to see her. No one saw her. They saw the bookworm, the goody-goody Gryffindor. That wasn't her. Well it was to a certain extent, but she was so much more than that. There was so much more to her. She liked excitement. She liked adventure. She liked loud, ear-pounding music. She wanted someone to sweep her off her feet. No one knew any of this. It was all kept secret inside her journal, but she really didn't have anyone to share it with. Ginny was so wrapped up in her boyfriend. Ron was always talking about one girl or another. And Harry was still mourning Sirius' death.
After a few minutes of silence, Ron stood and told Hermione that he was going to wash up for dinner. She let him go without a word and went back to staring out the window. //My best friends don't even know me// she sighed as she leaned her head on her hand. There was nothing she wanted more than to have someone totally unexpected claim her as his.
~
Two weeks before start of term, Draco was sitting in his room, writing out his plans for how to get Granger to be his prisoner. There was the all- powerful Imperious Curse, but that could be fought off. Then there was force. But his favorite thus far was seduction. He would seduce her and make her fall for him and she would be like clay, molding to his every wish.
This thought excited him. He might be the one to put a taint on the Gryffindor golden girl. This also might be the way to break up the Golden Trio. If he could make Potter and Weasley so mad at Granger that they would abandon her, she might make it easy and give them up without so much as a second thought.
All of a sudden a large, brown barn owl tapped on his window. With a frustrated sigh, he let the owl in, grabbed the scroll of parchment off its leg and shooed it away without giving it a treat. The letter was addressed to him, and it was obviously from Hogwarts.
Dear Mr. Draco Malfoy,
We are pleased to inform you that you are once again accepted back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for your seventh and final year. Enclosed is a list of your needed school supplies and your Head Boy badge. Congratulations on making this position. You will need to arrive at King's Cross Station by 10 o'clock on 1 September instead of the normal 11 to receive a full explanation of what this position requires. Along with you, Hermione Granger will be in the position of Head Girl. Also enclosed is a list of the Prefects. Good luck. We hope to see you soon.
Professor Albus Dumbledore
Draco pulled his Head Boy badge out of the envelope and looked at it with surprise. He had never imagined that he would be the one seventh year male who would obtain the position of Head Boy. There must have been other worthy candidate for the position. Then again, maybe not. Who else was there, Weasley? Ha! His own name was a joke. After grabbing his supply list from the envelope, he apparated to Diagon Alley to pick up what he needed.
~
Mrs. Weasley yelled up to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. All of them rushed down the stairs, thinking that they were in trouble, but they realized it was nothing when she started handing them their letters from Hogwarts.
Hermione looked at her envelope and compared it to the size of the other three. It seemed considerably larger, and she wondered why. As she tore it open, and shiny silver badge fell into the palm of her hand. It was a Head Girl badge. Her breath caught in her lungs as she looked down at it. Finally, it was here. She had done it. She worked hard enough to make Head Girl. All that studying did pay off.
No one had even noticed that she had suddenly become quiet. They were all too busy in their own affairs to even congratulate her on a job well done. When Hermione realized this she said, "I'm apparating to Diagon Alley to get my supplies." Without waiting for an answer, she left with a crack.
She walked toward Gringotts, the wizard bank. The previous summer she had opened an account there so she could keep her money safe. After she had retrieved some galleons, sickles, and knutts, she started to go in and out of shops, buying what she needed for school.
While she was walking, she started thinking about her friends and how they were separating without even realizing it. Harry had his own mental anguish to deal with and he seemed to have a permanent temper. Ron cared more about working and Rhiannon than he did about anyone else and Ginny was spending a lot of time with Ernie MacMillan, a seventh year Hufflepuff prefect. That was who she said it was anyway. Hermione was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize the hand that had knocked all of her books onto the floor. "Oh!" she cried as she stooped to pick them up.
"Excuse me, miss. Here, let me help you," said a masculine voice.
"Oh no, you don't have to-" She looked up with a confounded expression, "Malfoy?"
He didn't respond to her confusion, but rather continued to help her with her supplies. "I'm so sorry. I must not have been watching where I was going. I've been so spaced out lately." He stood, handing her all the books he had knocked out of her hands.
Hermione raised her eyebrow slightly at him. "Malfoy, are you okay? Why are you acting so.not like you? It's a-surprising change to say the least."
He smirked at her, but it wasn't his normal smirk that was filled with sarcasm. It was almost close to a smile. "I was just figuring that since we're Head Boy and Girl this year, we might as well be on speaking terms, you know. It would be a lot easier than to be fighting all the time, right? And I'm sure that Dumbledore would appreciate it."
Hermione nodded. She couldn't have agreed more. "That sounds like a plan, Malfoy. It's quite a shock seeing as it's you who suggested it. How can I be sure that this isn't all a ploy to get you ahead somewhere down the line."
"You have my word, Hermione. This is to benefit you and I, no one else. Trust me, it will not get me a position in the Ministry of Magic or something. All I will have is the pleasure to be able to talk to you in a civilized manner."
"And when did I become Hermione? I thought I was Granger or Mudblood. What happened to that?"
"I also figured that we might want to be on a first name basis." His smirk broadened. "I would much prefer it if you called me the name my parents gave to me. So I won't call you Mudblood if you promise not to call me the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. That is one memory I would love to forget."
Hermione smiled and held out her hand to shake his. "It's a deal then, Draco. I'll see you in two weeks."
"Can't wait," he replied as he shook her hand. He watched her turn and head the opposite direction toward the opposite end of Diagon Alley. Step one of his brilliant plan was now in motion. She would soon fall to him. She would succumb to his every wish. He would do with her what he pleased, and when that was all said and done, he would give her to the Dark Lord without a second thought. There was an evil glint in his eyes and his smirk became cruel. He suddenly turned on his heal and headed down into Knockturn Alley to see what kind of trinkets that were filled with dark magic he could find. Sometimes he amazed himself with how bright he could be. By Christmas, Voldemort would have Hermione Granger, and she would help them get to Harry Potter. Once Potter was destroyed, Dumbledore would most likely go down as well because of his compassion for the boy. Soon the Dark Arts would rule the world, and only the Pureblooded wizards and witches would survive.
He descended the stairs that led into the long, dark, stone hallway. Today was the day he would prove himself true to his name. This was the day he would prove just how ruthless he could be. It was the day he would make his father proud. Finally, at the age of seventeen, he would be able to join the ranks of the Death Eaters. This had been his lifelong dream. Nothing and no one would stand in his way.
The dank corridor was lined with few torches. There were no windows, as it was a dungeon, and no heat had made its way that far underground. The pale young man could see his breath as he made his way through the meandering passageway toward the chambers it held within. A large crowd would be there, no doubt. All of the Death Eaters would finally get to see the powers, which he possessed, not just the inner circle. He would no longer play second fiddle to Harry Potter-The Boy Who Should Have Died. He would now prove that he was much more powerful than that worthless half blood.
As he had suspected, a large crowd of Death Eaters had made a giant circle around the room. Some had brought their children along to see what becoming a Death Eater entailed. It was very hard to say no to the Dark Lord. In the center of the room stood a very thin, very tall man with long fingers and narrow slits that held cruel, red eyes. He was so white that he could have passed for a ghost. The young man approached and dropped to one knee before him.
The older man looked down on the boy before him and said, "Rise, Draco Malfoy. Join the ranks of my Death Eaters. Prove your loyalty to me. Sell your soul to me."
The boy known as Draco replied in a smooth, even voice, "My Lord, I pledge to you my soul and my life. I will make whatever sacrifices necessary in your name."
"What do you hate?" the older man asked.
"I hate Muggles and Mudbloods and everyone who cares for or protects them. I especially despise those who do not support you and those who fear your name. And I especially despise Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore."
The evil lord laughed, a cruel and mirthless laugh, his red eyes were glinting maliciously. "You have learned well, young Malfoy. I expect that you will be much like your father. I can already see many of his better characteristics shining through you. You will do me well. Now, to prove your unwavering loyalty to me, you will perform the Killing Curse on the prisoner I set before you."
Draco inclined his head slightly, a sign that he understood his task and would do as the Dark Lord asked of him. A raven-haired boy with bright blue eyes was thrown on the floor before him. The boy looked up at Draco with frightened eyes. His face was bruised and blood was dripping from under his hair. This boy was a good friend of Draco's. His name was Blaise Zabini. They had been friends since birth.
"Draco-Draco, please don't do this to me," he pleaded. "I have never done anything-anything at all to hurt you. I swear I never gave anyone any information. Please, Draco. Please spare me." His voice quivered with every word. A sure sign that he was frightened beyond belief.
On the exterior, Draco remained stoic, but inside he could feel himself breaking to pieces. Here he was, swearing himself to the Dark Lord, but his ultimate test of loyalty would be killing his best friend. He knew he had to do it, or they would both die. "I'm sorry, Blaise," he whispered. Blaise nodded and bent his head to his chest, closing his eyes. Draco raised his wand and pointed it at the broken boy on the floor. "Avada Kedavra!" With a green flash of light, the boy, who had once been his best friend, lie breathless on stone cold floor.
Voldemort's laugh could be heard once again, echoing through the silence. "Well done, Malfoy. I am proud of where it is your loyalties lie. Hold out your left arm."
Draco did as he was told, but felt as if he was ready to vomit. His stomach was churning uncomfortably as Voldemort placed his wand on Draco's pale flesh. After whispering a few words, Draco felt unbearable pain shoot through his entire body. It was worse than the Cruciatus Curse. He clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tightly to keep from screaming out in pain. As the white-hot pain subsided, Draco let his breath out slowly and stared down at the black skull, which dared to show on his perfect skin. It looked so unnatural.
After a few seconds, he looked back to Voldemort, who was still wearing a twisted grin. "And now, young Malfoy, for my last surprise." He snapped his finger, and a masked figure stepped out to the center of the circle and pulled his mask off, revealing his blue eyes and black hair.
Draco's jaw dropped. "But I just killed you." He looked down at the pile of robes that was still on the floor, where the figure that he had assumed was Blaise still lay.
"No," Voldemort shook his head. "That was simply a test to see where your loyalties lie, and they are obviously in the right place. Zabini was inducted last week. He agreed to all this."
Draco nodded once and bowed deeply before taking his place in the inner circle next to his father. Lucius Malfoy couldn't have cared less if he had become a Death Eater. All he cared about was himself and Lord Voldemort. Briefly, Draco closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, awaiting his orders. Slowly, he pulled his mask over his head. As Voldemort went around the circle, Draco paid close attention, not wanting to miss a thing.
Finally, Voldemort stopped in front of Draco. Draco bowed his head, as he knew he should. "Your first assignment should be quite simple. I want you to capture Hermione Granger by Christmas. She will be useful in helping us capture Potter. I do not care how you do it, but I want her." Draco bowed once more, indicating that he understood.
After the meeting, Draco apparated back to his room in the Malfoy Manor and punched a whole in his wall. Anger surged throughout his body, making him quiver. Never in his life had he been more upset with his father. He had always spoken so highly of the Dark Lord. In truth, Draco didn't find him all that appealing. It was all psychology. Voldemort messed with the minds of his followers to confuse them. They all fell for it too because they were so weak minded. There was nothing he could do about it. They did not know how to fight the twisted games the Dark Lord played.
Draco, on the other hand was different. He was able to pick up on the mind games Voldemort played, and his respect for that old wizard was waning, as was the respect he once had for his father.
~
Hermione sat on the bed in the room she shared with Ginny at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She was reading a book since she had nothing else to do. Last summer, she, the Weasleys and Harry had successfully managed to clean up Sirius' old house and get the portrait of his mother successfully off the wall. This had made Kreacher, the house elf, so upset that he starved himself to death. Out of pure pity, they hung his head on the wall with the rest of the house elves.
This was the third summer in a row that Hermione had spent at the old house. She had become quite fond of spending most of the summer there. Her parents didn't mind, which made things even better. Closing her thick book, she stood and stared out her window. Harry would be arriving later that night, which meant that Hermione would have nothing to do for the remainder of the day. Ginny was out on a date with a boy from Hufflepuff, and Ron was helping Fred and George in their joke shop in Diagon Alley so he could make a few extra galleons.
The sun was just beginning to set out on the horizon. There were still four more weeks until school started. Hermione couldn't wait. But she was still wondering if she would receive the title of Head Girl. It was her main goal throughout all of her Hogwarts days, but she feared that Dumbledore would find someone who was better fit to fill the position.
All of a sudden a crack signaled the arrival of someone in her room. "Hey 'Mione," Ron greeted as he sat down on the edge of her bed.
"Hey, Ron," she responded lethargically, not bothering to look at him. "How was your day?"
"It was great!" he answered, not noticing her lack of interest. "We had so many customers today, and I met this girl. She's gunna be transferring to Hogwarts this year from Durmstrang and she seems really nice. Her name's Rhiannon. She's got black hair and it's streaked purple and her eyes- they're like this orange-red color. They looked like they were on fire. It was amazing. And she's amazing to talk to." He sighed as he stared off into space.
Hermione rolled her eyes at her redheaded friend. "So you fancy this girl? What year is she in?"
Ron looked up with a perplexed expression on his face, as if her were trying to remember. "Er.I'm not exactly sure. Uh maybe 5th, or it could be 6th, maybe 7th. I don't exactly recall. Whatever, she said she's gunna come back tomorrow. I'll get to see her again."
Hermione wouldn't admit it, but she wasn't really in the mood to discuss Ron's new infatuation. What she really wanted was for someone to see her. No one saw her. They saw the bookworm, the goody-goody Gryffindor. That wasn't her. Well it was to a certain extent, but she was so much more than that. There was so much more to her. She liked excitement. She liked adventure. She liked loud, ear-pounding music. She wanted someone to sweep her off her feet. No one knew any of this. It was all kept secret inside her journal, but she really didn't have anyone to share it with. Ginny was so wrapped up in her boyfriend. Ron was always talking about one girl or another. And Harry was still mourning Sirius' death.
After a few minutes of silence, Ron stood and told Hermione that he was going to wash up for dinner. She let him go without a word and went back to staring out the window. //My best friends don't even know me// she sighed as she leaned her head on her hand. There was nothing she wanted more than to have someone totally unexpected claim her as his.
~
Two weeks before start of term, Draco was sitting in his room, writing out his plans for how to get Granger to be his prisoner. There was the all- powerful Imperious Curse, but that could be fought off. Then there was force. But his favorite thus far was seduction. He would seduce her and make her fall for him and she would be like clay, molding to his every wish.
This thought excited him. He might be the one to put a taint on the Gryffindor golden girl. This also might be the way to break up the Golden Trio. If he could make Potter and Weasley so mad at Granger that they would abandon her, she might make it easy and give them up without so much as a second thought.
All of a sudden a large, brown barn owl tapped on his window. With a frustrated sigh, he let the owl in, grabbed the scroll of parchment off its leg and shooed it away without giving it a treat. The letter was addressed to him, and it was obviously from Hogwarts.
Dear Mr. Draco Malfoy,
We are pleased to inform you that you are once again accepted back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for your seventh and final year. Enclosed is a list of your needed school supplies and your Head Boy badge. Congratulations on making this position. You will need to arrive at King's Cross Station by 10 o'clock on 1 September instead of the normal 11 to receive a full explanation of what this position requires. Along with you, Hermione Granger will be in the position of Head Girl. Also enclosed is a list of the Prefects. Good luck. We hope to see you soon.
Professor Albus Dumbledore
Draco pulled his Head Boy badge out of the envelope and looked at it with surprise. He had never imagined that he would be the one seventh year male who would obtain the position of Head Boy. There must have been other worthy candidate for the position. Then again, maybe not. Who else was there, Weasley? Ha! His own name was a joke. After grabbing his supply list from the envelope, he apparated to Diagon Alley to pick up what he needed.
~
Mrs. Weasley yelled up to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. All of them rushed down the stairs, thinking that they were in trouble, but they realized it was nothing when she started handing them their letters from Hogwarts.
Hermione looked at her envelope and compared it to the size of the other three. It seemed considerably larger, and she wondered why. As she tore it open, and shiny silver badge fell into the palm of her hand. It was a Head Girl badge. Her breath caught in her lungs as she looked down at it. Finally, it was here. She had done it. She worked hard enough to make Head Girl. All that studying did pay off.
No one had even noticed that she had suddenly become quiet. They were all too busy in their own affairs to even congratulate her on a job well done. When Hermione realized this she said, "I'm apparating to Diagon Alley to get my supplies." Without waiting for an answer, she left with a crack.
She walked toward Gringotts, the wizard bank. The previous summer she had opened an account there so she could keep her money safe. After she had retrieved some galleons, sickles, and knutts, she started to go in and out of shops, buying what she needed for school.
While she was walking, she started thinking about her friends and how they were separating without even realizing it. Harry had his own mental anguish to deal with and he seemed to have a permanent temper. Ron cared more about working and Rhiannon than he did about anyone else and Ginny was spending a lot of time with Ernie MacMillan, a seventh year Hufflepuff prefect. That was who she said it was anyway. Hermione was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even realize the hand that had knocked all of her books onto the floor. "Oh!" she cried as she stooped to pick them up.
"Excuse me, miss. Here, let me help you," said a masculine voice.
"Oh no, you don't have to-" She looked up with a confounded expression, "Malfoy?"
He didn't respond to her confusion, but rather continued to help her with her supplies. "I'm so sorry. I must not have been watching where I was going. I've been so spaced out lately." He stood, handing her all the books he had knocked out of her hands.
Hermione raised her eyebrow slightly at him. "Malfoy, are you okay? Why are you acting so.not like you? It's a-surprising change to say the least."
He smirked at her, but it wasn't his normal smirk that was filled with sarcasm. It was almost close to a smile. "I was just figuring that since we're Head Boy and Girl this year, we might as well be on speaking terms, you know. It would be a lot easier than to be fighting all the time, right? And I'm sure that Dumbledore would appreciate it."
Hermione nodded. She couldn't have agreed more. "That sounds like a plan, Malfoy. It's quite a shock seeing as it's you who suggested it. How can I be sure that this isn't all a ploy to get you ahead somewhere down the line."
"You have my word, Hermione. This is to benefit you and I, no one else. Trust me, it will not get me a position in the Ministry of Magic or something. All I will have is the pleasure to be able to talk to you in a civilized manner."
"And when did I become Hermione? I thought I was Granger or Mudblood. What happened to that?"
"I also figured that we might want to be on a first name basis." His smirk broadened. "I would much prefer it if you called me the name my parents gave to me. So I won't call you Mudblood if you promise not to call me the Amazing Bouncing Ferret. That is one memory I would love to forget."
Hermione smiled and held out her hand to shake his. "It's a deal then, Draco. I'll see you in two weeks."
"Can't wait," he replied as he shook her hand. He watched her turn and head the opposite direction toward the opposite end of Diagon Alley. Step one of his brilliant plan was now in motion. She would soon fall to him. She would succumb to his every wish. He would do with her what he pleased, and when that was all said and done, he would give her to the Dark Lord without a second thought. There was an evil glint in his eyes and his smirk became cruel. He suddenly turned on his heal and headed down into Knockturn Alley to see what kind of trinkets that were filled with dark magic he could find. Sometimes he amazed himself with how bright he could be. By Christmas, Voldemort would have Hermione Granger, and she would help them get to Harry Potter. Once Potter was destroyed, Dumbledore would most likely go down as well because of his compassion for the boy. Soon the Dark Arts would rule the world, and only the Pureblooded wizards and witches would survive.