Hello my darlings. I'm sure many of you think that I was on crack when I wrote this story. As odd as it seems, this was not the case. Go figure. I created several drafts for this chapter. I wanted to try and bring a darker aspect to this with Draco's madness shining through. I don't know that it really worked though. I guess it's more of an understated insanity. Oh well, it's what I could do.

Disclaimer: Suuuure I own it. Let the sarcasm be duly noted.

Draco was back at Hogwarts and had no idea why he had even bothered to return. Actually that wasn't quite true. He had come to the five year reunion in order to see his goddess. It had been too long since he had seen his vision of perfection, his Hermione. He eagerly scanned the crowds for a glimpse of her and smiled when he heard her laughter. He turned around with a smile on his face only to be replaced by a frown as his eyes darkened. 'What had she done?' He thought she had understood. He had created perfection in his last year at Hogwarts but this was a mockery of all that he had achieved. Hermione's hair had become poker straight and even longer than it was in the beginning of their seventh year. This was unacceptable. 'Was she trying to look like a hag?' Draco watched her all night and when she finally left the Great Hall by herself he made his move.

Hermione's heels clicked across the floor as she wandered down a hall searching for the nearest bathroom. She heard brisk footsteps approaching and turned around only to have blackness claim her as a red light shot towards her hitting her in the chest.

XxXxXx

Hermione awoke with a muzzy feeling clouding her head. 'What had happened to her?' She remembered being in a hallway at Hogwarts but now had no idea of where she was. Nothing appeared familiar to her. She tried to stand only to realize that she was firmly bound to a chair facing a lovely old vanity. She struggled repeatedly and only stilled when she heard a door opening. Her eyes tried to pierce the darkness but the meager light on the vanity only outlined the shape of the approaching figure.

"Hello Hermione."

Her eyes widened in fear as Draco Malfoy stepped into the candlelit area surrounding her seat. A ferocious scowl graced his face and a high flush lit his cheeks as his eyes glittered strangely. Hermione stared at his reflection in the mirror as he stood behind her and leaned down towards her face. A breath of warm air caressed her face and she shuddered in revulsion, averting her head away. Draco's lips formed a thin line at this action. He grabbed her chin forcing her to look in the mirror and see the two of them. He slowly circled around her stopping when his body faced hers. He stared into her widened eyes with an intent look.

"Did you know Hermione that I only came to the reunion to see you? No of course not, how could you? I cherished such fond memories of your perfection that I helped to create." Draco began to circle her once again, stalking around the chair like a hungry panther- his clothes creating barely a whisper in the silence that had fallen. Draco resumed his place behind her and began to softly stroke her hair. Hermione tilted her head down hoping to blot out all traces of Draco from her sight.

A sharp hiss escaped Hermione as Draco's hand knotted in her hair and harshly jerked her head back up causing tears to spring to her eyes. Hermione's streaming eyes defiantly met Draco's gaze in the mirror. Draco shook his head and tsked.

"I thought you understood Hermione. You were so beautiful, but I gave you a greater gift. I made you into perfection. Your lovely curls dancing about your head in a kind of halo. You appeared a sweet seraph descended from the heavens for me to worship and admire."

Draco's hand became even tighter in her hair tugging repeatedly for emphasis.

"But look at you now Hermione. What have you become? Your long straight hair has dimmed your glow. It is nothing more than a shroud encircling you, denying your loveliness to the world."

Draco suddenly let go of his painful hold of her hair and stepped back. Draco's face cleared of all emotion except for the sickening smile blossoming on his face. Draco murmured a quiet accio under his breath but whatever object he was summoning Hermione didn't hear. Hermione gasped as Draco stepped back into the light and she could clearly see the shining metal object in his hand. Hermione's panicked eyes met Draco's calm ones in the mirror as she shook her head.

"No. Please don't hurt me Draco. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Draco once again resumed his harsh hold on her hair pulling her head back as he ever so slowly dragged his knife blade along her skin. Hermione closed her eyes unable to meet her fate head on. It was agonising waiting for the nick of the blade to pierce her skin. She felt the knife leave her skin and cringed in expectation only to feel…nothing. Hermione was about to open her eyes when she felt it. A sawing motion. Hermione opened her eyes and looked in the mirror just in time to see three feet of hair fall into a puddle at her feet. Hermione opened and closed her mouth repeatedly but nothing came out. She could only stare in shock as Draco grabbed more hair and sawed through it with a determined hand before tossing it down in disgust. She sighed in relief when he suddenly stopped. Draco frowned and shook his head repeatedly.

"Now Hermione, I have shown you the path. Rectify your sin."

Hermione mutely stared back at his image in the mirror. A silent battle of wills took place until a glassy look overtook Hermione's eyes due to the "imperio" Draco cast on her. Freeing her hands from their restraints, Draco guided her fingers around a pair of scissors. Draco backed away a pace, gaze once more returning to her own in the mirror.

"Rid yourself of this darkness. Crop your hair."

Hermione struggled internally. 'She wouldn't do this. She liked her hair long.' Even with these thoughts coursing through her mind her hand rose. Hermione redoubled her efforts, but she couldn't completely overthrow Draco's will as her trembling hand began to cut a few inches off the bottom. Draco stepped forward and raised her hand to just below shoulder height. A sweet lassitude swept through Hermione as Draco's forceful will swirled through her mind.

"You must do this, my pet. Banish the taint. Cut."

Hermione's hand ceased in its quavering as she cut her hair off and sweet bliss coursed through her; She switched the scissors to her other hand giving the other side the same treatment. The uneven severed ends barely brushing her shoulders.

"Yes, now you understand."

Hermione grabbed a handful of hair. Snip, snip, snip, SNIP. There was never a sweeter noise as the scissors clipped along leaving the hair above her ear only five inches long. Rapture coursed through her veins and she grabbed more hair to cut knowing this would increase her joy. Snip, SNIP, snip. Hermione felt a dark pleasure course through her, as her mind went under; her body becoming Draco's willing vessel. Her actions became fevered. She needed this drug. Hermione grabbed a large handful of hair only to mew in disappointment as the scissors couldn't cut through it. She released it and glared, more determined than ever, as she divided it into smaller sections, she wasn't the smartest witch of her age for nothing. She would not be deprived of her pleasure; this was her need, her desire. SNIP, SNIP, SNIP, SNIP. Hermione's smile was fierce in her victory as she watched the large hanks of hair fall to the ground. Hermione looked in the mirror seeing more hair left to battle with and with forceful hands vindictively cut; each long length becoming shorter than the last until suddenly it stopped. Hermione's mind cleared and she was left with confusion. 'Where was she? What had she been doing?' Any last traces of haziness swept away as she was left to gape in disbelief and horror at her closely cropped head. Her hair nothing but a mass of jagged uneven strands. Her gaze flew to the last long clump of hair she had, flowing from her brow down to her collarbone. Her gaze sharpened as she noticed her left hand's tight knuckled grip and her right hand clamped like a vise around a pair of scissors. Her fingers became nerveless and the scissors dangled from her fingertips. She heard a noise of contentment coming from her left, almost like that of a purr. There stood Draco Malfoy his eyes shining the brightest silver imaginable, and a broad demented grin. He stepped forward and calmly removed the scissors from her hand. Hermione turned an inquiring gaze on him, almost childlike in it's need for reassurance. Draco took the length of hair in his hand and raised the scissors, Hermione's eyes following his every move. SNIP. SNIP. SNIP. Draco happily sheared off the last of the poisonous locks, leaving only three inches in their place. Hermione held out her hands to catch the last of her long mane as it drifted slowly downwards, her hands clenching around the softness of the long tresses. She gazed down mournfully as tears silently spilled down her cheeks. A cry escaped her lips as Draco savagely tore the strands away from her. Draco angrily shook the hair in front of her face, his own turning quite red before bellowing in rage.

"NO! Your shroud is gone never to be returned."

Hermione jumped at him but Draco sidestepped leaving Hermione to crumple to the ground. Draco squatted down in front of her all signs of anger gone as his eyes hardened to a steely glint. He lifted the long hair for Hermione to see. "You will never be thus again." The words were cold as ice as he cruelly cut the long length in two before gathering it together again. Recutting it over and over until the strands resembled those on her head. He placed the shortened strands in her hands. "Let them be your reminder."

Hermione's tears coursed down her face faster and faster while her body heaved with racking sobs. Draco sat down and drew Hermione into his arms rocking her softly while he crooned loving words in her ears. Hermione's shudders gentled and her sobs quieted to little hiccups. Draco's gently tugged Hermione's chin upwards so she was forced to face him and smiled a grin of total adoration. "There's no need to cry my pet. Your perfection was tainted, but no more." Draco's hand circled the area, encompassing the large quantity of shorn locks. "I helped you to cleanse yourself of this darkness. I will restore your gift to you and you will shine for me once more." Draco gently manoeuvered her body in between his legs and reverently brought the scissors to her hair. He began to hum with the snip, snip of the scissors his only accompaniment as he molded this beauty into perfection just like last time until his angel emerged shining brightly, but this time just for him.

El fin.

Legessa

Creator of chaos and destruction since 1982

Please review and let me know how you think my venture in another genre went. However, I will leave you with this. If you didn't like it, well sorry folks but there are no refunds on time spent reading.