AN: Okay so this chapter is mainly focusing on the bit when Hermione got captured, so it's really just a flashback until I decide where this story is going. It kinda clears up a few things that I left as cliff-hangers in the last chapters. R&R and enjoy!

Disclaimer: All character names, spell names and locations belong to the beautiful creation of J.K Rowling's mind. I only own the plot.

Hermione walked through the empty corridors late at night, her arms laden with heavy library books. She had been late night studying in the library and hadn't realised how late it had gotten. She was apprehensive about being on her own so late at night considering the rumours about Draco Malfoy reportedly allowing Death Eaters onto the school premises. Hermione was still trying to decide whether she thought it was true or not.

Hermione had been watching over Draco recently, tracking his movements and analysing what he was doing for any signs that proved that the rumours were true. She had noticed that he had become a lot more isolated and didn't really speak to any of his Slytherin classmates much anymore, and he hardly participated in lessons. Hermione didn't take this as a good sign. Despite the fact that Draco had been a complete arse to her for 6 years of her school life, Hermione did feel kind of sorry for him. She couldn't imagine how awful it must've been for him – to be forced into killing Dumbledore and then failing would obviously have its consequences. In Hermione's eyes, anything Draco was up to now, he was doing it to redeem himself to the Dark Lord.

She quickly turned a corner. Hermione was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice another person coming towards her and her body collided with theirs. She landed on the floor with a thud and all her library books fell out of her hands.

She landed on the floor with a thud and all her library books fell out of her hands.

"You should really watch where you're going!" Hermione grumbled, rubbing her head, which was now throbbing with pain.

"I could say the same for you, Granger," drawled a familiar voice.

Hermione looked up and blinked a few times before an image of Draco Malfoy standing tall over her came into view. She gave an irritated sigh.

"You should be in bed," Hermione said, starting to get up.

"So should you," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione's cheeks coloured. "For your information, Malfoy, I'm a prefect therefore I'm actually allowed to be out of bed at this time. Not that I have anything to explain to you." She started to pick up her discarded books. Draco just watched her with a strange look on his face, almost a look of pain and frustration. Hermione noticed this.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked, squirming uncomfortably under his gaze. He immediately snapped out of it.

"Please," he scoffed. "As if I would waste my time staring at a Mudblood."

Hermione rolled her eyes, unaffected by the use of the insult that had been used too many times.

"Well then, as much as I'd love to stand here talking to you Granger, I have things to do." Draco started to walk off.

"No no no, Malfoy," Hermione said, blocking his path. She looked up at him. "You're going nowhere other than back to the dungeons and to bed."

Draco's lips pulled back into a snarl. He'd had enough of listening to and following orders, and he certainly wasn't going to put up with any of Granger's shit tonight. He was ready to reply with an insult but something caught his eye. A portrait on the wall to his left began to change. Black smoke started to fill the frame and then moved onto the next frame, startling the picture that was already in it. The smoke carried on moving through the each frame until all of the portrait frames on the wall were filled with black smoke. It continued onto the right wall. It was a signal – a signal that Draco knew meant bad things were about to happen. Fortunately for him, Hermione hadn't noticed it yet. He needed to get her out of this corridor, and he needed to do it now.

Draco had never meant to get caught up in the dark side. He certainly hadn't meant for Granger to get involved either. He sure hated her, but he didn't really want to see her get killed. His views on blood status had changed and he didn't see muggle-borns as inferior any more, despite what people thought. The Dark Lord's views had stayed the same, possibly even grown into a stronger hate. And unfortunately for Draco, he was forced to redeem himself to the Dark Lord, to save his family from being killed after he had failed to murder Dumbledore.

Reality brought him away from his thoughts.

"Granger, you need to get out of here," Draco growled, grabbing her arm.

Hermione looked up at him with her brown eyes, startled at the sudden touch.

"Don't slow things down Granger, just go!"

"And why should I listen to you Mal-" Suddenly one of the portraits on the wall exploded.

"GET DOWN!" Draco screamed as bits of brick and plaster rained down on them. All of the portraits in the hall started to explode too, filling the corridor with a huge cloud of dust. Draco could hear Hermione screaming and he struggled to find his wand.

"Partis!" he yelled and immediately the dust cloud slowly cleared to reveal the hallway full of debris and broken portrait frames. Draco coughed and looked up, his eyes adjusting. He inwardly groaned at what he saw. Standing in the middle of all of the rubble, with a mad smile upon her face, was Bellatrix LeStrange.

"Ahh Draco," she purred, slowly walking towards him. Draco instantly looked around to see Hermione pressed up against the wall, as if doing so would get her as far away from Bellatrix as possible. Her eyes were wide with fear as she clocked the mad expression on Bellatrix's face.

"I see you have already found our victim?" Bellatrix continued. Draco looked at Hermione and saw her staring back at him with hurt in her eyes. He pulled his gaze away from her and stood up abruptly, looking at Bellatrix. He had no time to feel sorry for her now, not when it was his own life at risk.

"Yes Aunt Bella," he muttered.

"Excellent," she hissed gleefully. She slowly walked to where Hermione was cowering and pointed her wand at her.

"Incarcerous," she said, and Hermione was immediately bound tight with ropes. Tears filled her eyes and the last thing she heard was Bellatrix screaming "Crucio!" before she blacked out.