Sorry in advance for the shortness of this chapter. I promise the next one will be longer. Enjoy!

PS - Yes, I used lines from the BatB movie, how could I not? ~HufflepuffMommy

-One Year Later-

Hermione Granger straightened her spine as she stood in front of the gates to Malfoy Manor. Why they chose her to check in on Draco Malfoy was beyond her, but, she wasn't in a position to argue, or reject, the assignment.

At least not yet, she thought to herself.

With a deep, calming breath, she squared her shoulders and walked up to the gates, pressing a pass against it that will grant her entry. The sun was starting to set and she was happy to know that after this task, she could go home and relax with a bath and glass of wine.

As she walked the pathway to the entrance, she noted how the once lustrous yard was now overrun with weeds and dying grass. The fountain, no longer flowing, was green with mold that had grown over time. The manor itself seemed darker in color, with vines covering most of the outside and fanning themselves over the windows.

Shaking her head, she looked forward until she reached the steps that led up to the double entrance doors.

Another calming breath, a quick count to 5, and she knocked.

She waited a minute, her brows frowning as no one answered. She knocked again, louder this time.

When she was greeted with silence, she reached for the doorknob and received a zap to her hand.

Hissing, she shook her hand and glared at the door. "Alright, guess I'll have to force my way in."

She was surprised when the simple Alohamora spell worked the first time, the door creaking open as soon as the tumbler clicked out of place. She peeked her head through the doorframe.

"Hello?" she called out, opening the door wider.

The entry way was dark and dusty. Hermione slowly took her wand out from her pocket and whispered, "Lumos."

She frowned in confusion as she looked around the dusty room. She was told that Malfoy was still living in the manor, though by the looks of it, it seems as though the place had been deserted for a while.

A creek upstairs made her jump slightly.
"Hello?" she called out again, a little louder. "It's Hermione Granger from…. from the Ministry. I am here to check in on Malfoy. I mean, Draco Malfoy."

Another creek above her had her looking up then a noise to her right made her gasp and turn so fast she nearly fell.

"What is going on?" she asked out loud, though mostly to herself. She walked slowly towards where she heard the noise, squinting her eyes. "Is anyone here?"

"What do you want?" came a gruff voice from around the corner.

Hermione gasped at the suddenness of his voice. "Malfoy? Is that you?" she asked, turning the towards the sound and was met with a grand staircase that broke off into two directions on either side, which were then met with even more stairs. "Can you come down here so I can talk to you for a moment?"

"No," came the gruff voice again, coming from the left of where the stairs split. Hermione walked slowly towards the first step.

"Malfoy, it's mandatory that I check in on you-."

"Well, you're here. I'm here. All is well." He waited a beat. "Now leave."

If Hermione didn't know any better, she could have sworn she heard him growl that last word.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," she said, taking two more steps up.

"Don't!" he barked. This time, she indeed heard the growl in his voice.

Not one to be told what to do by someone like Malfoy, Hermione took another step. "Come on Malfoy, don't make this any more difficult than it already is. I just need to check in on you, ask a few questions, then I'll be on my way."

"I'd rather not be in your presence, if you don't mind," came the irritated voice Hermione knew.

She raised a brow at him. "If that's the way you want to go, I can have someone come here and take you to Azkaban instead."

She waited as he mulled over his answer and heard some faint swear words. She took another step up.

"Fuck. Fine. Wait for me in the entry parlor. I'll be there in a moment," he said.

She was about to respond with a retort but she heard him stomp away from the steps and then a door slam. With an irritated sigh, she turned around and found her way back to the dark and dusty parlor.

Not wanting to sit on the small sofa that was covered in dust and cobwebs, she walked around the room, looking at all the different, dust-collected trinkets on the mantel.

She saw movement from the corner of her eye and turned quickly to find a rather large figure walk into the room and sit in an arm chair, which happened to be in the darkest corner of the room.

"Still sulking around I see," she muttered to herself with an eyeroll. She conjured up a clipboard with her wand and began reading off the paper. "As agreed to the terms that were bestowed upon you after the end of the trial, they have sent me to come in and do a check up on you. So tell me, Malfoy, what have you been up to this past year?" She positioned her quill above the paper, waiting to write down his answer, and looking anywhere but at him.

Draco chuckled quiety, "Oh, you know Granger. This and that..."

"Do you have a cold or something?" Hermione asked, finally looking up. "You're voice sounds… different."

Draco cleared his throat, trying to make it sound as normal as possible. "Why Granger, I never realized you paid so much attention to my voice before. Perhaps that is why you are here and not some other Ministry lackey?"

She huffed at his direction, "That isn't.. That wasn't… oh never mind." She scribbled some notes down before clearing her throat. "We have noted that you have submitted the requested amount to the ministry, so, um, thank you for that."

Draco just snorted but didn't say anything, waiting for her to continue.

Without thinking, Hermione moved to the sofa and sat down. She immediately regretted this as a puff of dust surrounded her, making her cough. She got up, coughing into her hand while using her clipboard to fan away the assaulting air.
"Why on earth is this place so filthy?" she finally asked.

"Excuse me?" asked Draco.

"You heard me. This..." she said, indicating to the room, "all dark, and… filthy… this is not pureblood standards."

"And just how would you know about pureblood standards, Granger?" he said, rising from his seat.

Hermione's mouth dropped open as Draco loomed over her. He was always taller than her, but now…

"What….. What happened to you?" she asked, wanting to take a step back, but instead stood where she was.

"Nothing," Draco grumbled, stepping away from her and moving further into the darkened corner.

Hermione took a cautious step forward, squinting at him. "Come into the light."

When Draco just stood there, not moving or saying anything, Hermione cast lumos towards him. She gasped and dropped her wand and clipboard, placing both hands over her mouth. His whole body and face were covered in light blond fur that matched the same color as it was while they were at Hogwarts. He had fangs with a jutted jaw, and horns that curled at the top of his head. He was barefoot as his feet were now three times larger than normal and looked more like paws than feet. His eyes, though the same silvery blue they'd always been, were bigger and currently glaring straight at the curly-haired brunette.

"Malfoy... What... what happened to you?" she asked, finally finding her voice.

"What?" he snapped. "Don't like my new look?"

"I'm serious," she said, taking a cautious step forward. "What…"

"It's none of your concern Granger," Draco said, snarling at her and walking away.

"You know I have to report this-"

"You will do no such thing!" he said, turning around so quickly and so fast that he made Hermione jump. She recovered quickly and glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, you've obviously been up to some serious dark magic if-"

"You think I did this? To myself? You're fucking crazy, you know that?"

"But… then what happened?" she asked, letting her arms uncross and fall to her side.

"I told you. It's none of your concern," he said, glancing away from her before tilting his head and leaning down to pick something up. Hermione's wand looked like a tiny stick in the giant paw where his hand had once been.

Hermione eyed her wand, then his face, before she licked her lips and asked quietly, "Can I have my wand back?" She held her hand out. "Please?"

Draco twirled the vine-wood wand in his enlarged hand. "Actually, I think I'll keep this a bit longer." He turned and started walking away. "Can't have you leave and go blabbing to the whole Wizarding community about my… condition."

Hermione had no choice but to follow, noting a tail peeking out from his oversized robes. She cleared her throat as she walked faster to catch up to him, "You can't keep me here, Malfoy-"

"Yeah?" he said challengingly, "Watch me."

Hermione huffed out an impatient sigh. "The Ministry knows I came here today to check in on you. If I go missing, this is the first place they'll look."

Draco stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the two different wings of the manor. He stood there, clenching her wand in his hand.

"I… I promise I won't tell anyone," Hermione said, stepping up next to him, trying to look at his face, causing him to look away.

"Sorry Granger, but your word means shit to me," he said, taking the steps three at a time to the landing where they split off. He was facing the left side when he stopped and said, "You can choose a room in the East wing. But stay out the West Wing. That's mine and forbidden from anyone else."
Hermione had to run up the stairs to catch up. "What do you mean, 'pick a room'? I'm not staying here, Malfoy. With or without my wand, I can just walk out the manor door if I wanted."

He turned to face her and she could have sworn he smirked. "Go ahead and try. You can't apparate in or out of the manor, the wards won't allow it. The door's are charmed so that they lock automatically... and without magic," he said, waving her wand at her, "You can't open them. Floo's are shut down as well."

Hermione scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest again as she watched Draco turn back around and walk up the stairs to his wing. "Sleep tight, Granger."