A/N: There are no words to express how sorry I am for making you all wait. There has been a lot of stuff going on in my life, from illnesses, to a new job, and writers block. I finally finished this chapter, and mapped out where I want to go with this story. I want to write more often, so hopefully the next chapter will come in less time. Anyways, enough of that. On with the show! -DeathDealerWolf

Chapter 2: Best Laid Plans

"So what do we know so far?"

Snape shook his head. "Unfortunately, not much. The Doctor was killed in the attack on the Manor, and since most of the evidence was destroyed with it, we can only guess what truly happened to Draco. There were syringes recovered that tested positive for werewolf and vampire blood, but since the full moon has already passed, and he seems to have no allergic reaction to daylight, I'm not sure if they were involved."

Lupin nodded. "I don't think they were used. He doesn't smell like pack."

Snape wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I forgot. You have more direct methods on identifying your own kind."

A deep growl emitted from Lupin's throat. "Keep that attitude up, and you might get a better understanding sooner than you'd like."

Snape sneered. "And lose your only spy? I doubt it."

Lupin glared at Snape, but let it drop. "What else have you learned, Severus?"

Snape sighed. "The portals at the scene were open for at least three days. Draco would have encountered and bonded with at least a hundred or more different demons in that time."

Lupin groaned. "Is that why he is-"

Snape cut him off. "I will get to that, if you let me finish." he said curtly. Lupin bit his tongue, but said nothing. Satisfied, Snape continued. "With the runes and rituals preformed, it seems that Draco imprinted himself on the creatures that fed from him, and vice versa. Had his mind been truly broken, he would be at their mercy, but since he was recovered in time, he should be able to summon them and maintain a level of control over them. How much, I cannot say, but it should be looked into."

Lupin shook his head. "What was You-Know-Who's plan in all of this? What was the point? Just to punish him?"

Snape scoffed. "If the Dark Lord wanted to simply punish Draco, he would have done it personally, brutally, and Draco would be either broken or dead. This was an experiment, and Draco was volunteered."

"Experiment? What was the end game?"

Snape sighed. "I believe that the Dark Lord wished to stabilize the possession process, along with the werewolf and vampiric mutations. I believe he meant to use it on himself."

Lupin's mouth dropped open. "Sweet Merlin, if he had done it…"

Snape scoffed. "Exactly. None of us would still be here."

Lupin let out a nervous laugh. "I can only hope that the fact we broke it up helps us in some way."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Back to the matter at hand. About Mr. Malfoy. It seems that when Draco was given to the Doctor, the Dark Lord put a soul-binding blood ward on him to prevent his escape, or anyone from freeing him. The ward would bind Draco to whoever freed him. Due to his mental state, and memory loss, this is why he seems unhealthily attached to Miss Granger."

Lupin groaned. "What happens when we figure out how to separate them?"

"If. And no one knows. We will have to wait and see. In the mean time, get to work researching the blood rituals and the more notorious demonic entities. It may come in handy later. Draco may end up winning this war for us." Lupin nodded, and extended his hand. Snape eyed it cautiously for a moment, before clasping it with his.

"Take care of yourself, Severus. Although we may not always get along, I truly hope no harm comes to you." Lupin said softly.

Snape snorted. "If I can handle you Marauders, I can handle the Dark Lord."

With that, Snape Disapparited to the sound of Lupin's barking laugh.


"Malfoy, stop staring at me."

"Is that an order?"

Hermione groaned, putting her face in her hands. Three weeks. Three weeks since they had rescued Draco from Malfoy Manor, and he hadn't left her side. He followed her like a lovesick puppy. While they knew that due to Hermione's blood being used to free Draco, she would have a measure of control over him, no one could figure out why he needed to be near here all the time. He grew more agitated the further they were apart, and he was very protective of here, to the point where Hermione had to order him to let other people talk to her.

"No, Malfoy, it isn't an order, but I'd like you to stop as a favor to me. It is really unnerving."

Draco shrugged his shoulder. "I can't help it. You are the best thing I remember seeing. Why wouldn't I look at you?"

Oh, and there as that. Draco also seemed to be quite taken with her. That was also an issue. Hermione sighed. "I don't know, Malfoy. Just… don't do it so much, yeah?"

Draco smirked. "No promises."

Hermione groaned, lying back on the bed. While she wasn't sure if she would take Pureblood-Crazy Malfoy over this one, she was still pissed that these were her only two options. Could he have been mute? Or at least not so clingy? He was already pushing her over the edge.

"I'll be quiet, I swear." Draco said suddenly in a quiet voice. Hermione sat up and looked over at him. He sat on a chair that was in the corner, and looked slightly panicked. "Just please don't send me away again."

Hermione sighed. Add one more thing to that list. Their minds were connected. Well, at least her mind was connected to his. She had yet to figure out how to read his, and she wasn't sure she wanted to anyways.

"No, Draco. I don't want you to leave. Just… give me some quiet time, okay?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, Mistress." he replied, smirking slightly.

Hermione groaned again. "Don't call me that."

"Yes, Mistress."

Hermione screamed internally, causing Draco to flinch. Why couldn't his whole personality been wiped? Why did he have to continue to be an annoying ferret?

"Because being annoying is hardwired into me. As are my good looks, class, and genius mind." Draco responded cheekily.

Hermione covered her face with a pillow, and hoped she woke up soon. This dream was getting frustrating already.


"I don't like it, Arthur. It isn't right to leave them alone for so long!"

Arthur Weasley closed his eyes, and took a deep breath before responding. "Molly, Hermione is a grown up. Besides, even though Draco seems to be smitten by her, she obviously is not returning the feeling. If anything, he is driving her crazy."

"All the more reason to separate them!" Molly snapped.

Arthur sighed. "Dear, it isn't that simple, and you know it. You remember what happened two weeks ago."

Molly chewed her tongue, and resumed chopping the vegetables for tonight dinner. How could she forget? Hermione, desperate for alone time, had ordered Draco to leave her alone. Draco had spent about fifteen minutes in the basement before he had a mental breakdown, and started opening demonic portals unintentionally. It took the combined effort of Arthur, Minerva, Alastor, Tonks, Lupin, Harry, Ron, the twins and herself the better part of an hour to banish all of the creatures and close the portals. When they found Draco, he was curled up in a ball in the corner whispering Hermione's name. As soon as Hermione said he could see her, he bolted up the stairs and rested his head in her lap, while she calmed him down. That was the first night they slept together in the same room, much to Molly's displeasure. And since then, he followed her everywhere but the loo.

"Regardless of what happened, the fact remains that this isn't healthy. Hermione needs her space, and that boy refuses to give it to her." she said with an air of finality.

Arthur sighed and rubbed his temples. He knew better than to argue.


The tension was palpable. The members of the Order of the Phoenix sat and stood around the kitchen table. Lupin had called this emergency meeting, and had insisted that Draco be present. Everyone in the room had been stealing glances and sneers at the pale, blonde person who sat among them. And it was getting on his nerves.

"I swear to Salazar, Weasley, if you look at me again, I will make sure you can't look at anything permanently." Draco growled.

Within a second, Ron had his wand out and was pointing it at Draco. "Try it, Malfoy. Don't mistake us letting you stay here as us forgiving you for being a Death Eater, arsehole." Ron spat.

"Ronald Weasley, you put that wand away and watch your language!" Mrs. Weasley snarled at him.

Draco's eyes narrowed, and slowly began to darken. Hermione, sensing danger, grabbed his hand under the table, and squeezed it hard. Draco turned to her, and looked at her questioningly, his eyes rapidly returning to normal.

"Relax." Hermione whispered to him. Draco opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione cut him off. "That's an order." she said, cringing slightly. She hated using her power over him, but the last thing they needed was for a fight to break out.

Draco barely nodded, but still looked upset. "Yes, Mistress." he muttered under his breath.

Anything else that would have been said was cut off by the doors to the kitchen swinging open, revealing Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Minerva McGonagall: the three Secret-Keepers of the Order of the Phoenix.

"Sorry for the delay, everyone." Lupin began. "We had to get some facts straight, and consult some other people before we decided on a plan of action." There were a few nods around the table, but no one said anything. The silence was deafening.

Kingsley cleared his throat softly, and started the meeting. "Well, as you know, Severus was able to get some more information about what happened to Mr. Malfoy and this 'Doctor' that everyone has heard about. A surviving Nazi veteran from Germany, he dedicated his life to cross-species genetics and demonic rituals. A curious pairing, but to someone who had access to blood magic and time, he was someone who, had he not died in the assault on Malfoy Manor, may have won the war for the Dark Lord." Kingsley paused as he let the gravity of that statement sink in.

"Well, thank Merlin we took care of that problem." Fred Weasley muttered, receiving nods and sighs of relief in response.

"Well… not quite." Lupin said, chilling the room again.

"Due to the unique nature of the spells and rituals performed on Mr. Malfoy, we aren't one hundred percent sure that You-Know-Who won't be able to regain control over him." McGonagall explained. Everyone in the room glanced at Draco, who looked down at his hands. The thought of being forced to serve the Dark Lord was gut-wrenching. He would kill himself before going back there.

He was pulled out of his thought by Hermione grabbing his hand again. He looked up at her, and she offered a small smile back. He tried to pull back on his mask of indifference, but it refused to come back.

"Mr. Malfoy, rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to make sure that won't happen." Kingsley said in his deep, smooth voice. Draco gave him a nod, and looked back down at his hands, now being caressed absentmindedly by Hermione's thumb. He focused on that feeling as much as he could, pushing his fear and anger back down.

"Why don't we just off him then?" Ron muttered under his breath.

Draco glared at him, and started to stand up, before Hermione pulled him back down. "Malfoy, not now. Ignore him." she whispered in his ear. Draco growled under his breath, but remained seated.

McGonagall, on the other hand, was not going to let that one slide. "Mr. Weasley, while you may have been sworn in as a Member of the Order, we do have the right to excommunicate you, and we will if you continue to behave so childishly. We are at war, and your attitude is not helping us. If you cannot move past your childhood rivalries, then please leave the room, and leave the planning to the adults."

"This is Malfoy we are talking about here!" Ron snarled. "Has everyone gone fucking insane? A month ago, he wouldn't have hesitated to off every single one of you, and now that he got what was coming to him, suddenly he needs to be protected? Fuck him, is what I say. Let's use him as leverage to get some of our people back from the Death Eaters."

"Ronald Weasley, I am ashamed of you!" Everyone went quiet, and turned their attention to Hermione, who was now on her feet, staring daggers at Ron. "We are the good guys, damnit! We do not hurt someone out of spite, and we leave no one to die simply because we don't like them! If you want to have Draco killed simply because of his past. Then you are no better than the Death Eaters."

Ron stood quickly, knocking over his chair in the process. "Do you hear yourself, 'Mione? You are defending the one person who is responsible for Dumbledore's death! It's not my fault he was too much of a coward to stand up to his whack job of a father and You-Know-Who. Maybe he shouldn't have decided to be a Death Eater. Maybe then I would have some sympathy for him. But the fact is that he is, and we shouldn't be wasting resources on him, when we have more important things to worry about."He emphasized 'important', confusing everyone but Hermione and Harry. He was referring to the Horcruxes.

Harry cleared his throat, and stood up. "Hermione, while to a much lesser degree, I agree with Ron. We need to focus on the important thing, and that is destroying You-Know-Who. We can't spend time babysitting Malfoy."

Draco stood now, his eyes locked on Harry's. "I require no one's assistance, and I am not here by choice, Potter. But while we might not ever be on the same page, our goal is the same. That fucker destroyed my family, and its name. He dies. End of story. I will do it regardless if we do it together or not. I do not want, nor need your help. I am here solely because I am bound to Granger, and at the wishes of my Mother. Don't get confused, Potter. You may be the 'Chosen One', but I am the most dangerous one in this room." Draco's eyes started to turn a bright gold, causing everyone in the room to back away from him and pull their wands.

"Draco! Stop, now!" Hermione cried, pulling him back. Draco growled at her, his eyes still on Harry, who glared back defiantly. "Harry, please, back off! Draco, sit down now! That is an order!" Draco growled at her, but sat down quickly. He shot her a dirty look, and crossed his arms, obviously pissed.

Hermione was going to calm him down more, but she was pulled away suddenly by Lupin, who moved next to Draco and grabbed his face and pulled his gaze on him. Lupin stared into his eyes, and then, to the bewilderment of everyone, sniffed his neck.

"Uh, Professor?" Harry asked cautiously. "What are you doing?"

Lupin pulled away from Draco, and took a step back. "He smells of pack."

Everyone in the room shared confused looks, not quite sure what that meant. "Care to elaborate, Remus?" Arthur Weasley asked.

Lupin, still staring at Draco, nodded. "He smells like a wolf. But it's impossible. If he was infected, he would have turned last week with the full moon."

Draco looked around the room, trying to gauge the room's reaction to Lupin's statement. Most looked fearful, some looked confused, and Ron looked furious. He turned towards Hermione, who had a look on her face that he couldn't read. "What does that mean then?" he asked cautiously.

Lupin shook his head. "I have no clue. Once you are afflicted with the curse, there is no curing it. And werewolves can always detect other werewolves. But…" He leaned in and sniffed Draco's neck again. "This is all wrong. You don't smell like a wolf anymore."

Kingsley and McGonagall shared a look. "Lupin, what does this mean then? Is Draco a danger to himself, or others?" Kingsley asked.

Lupin thought about it for a moment. "I would say no, but he needs to remain calm. That means nothing stressful or aggravating."

Everyone in the room stole a glance at Ron at that same moment. Ron looked back at the room with contempt in his eyes. "What, so I have to behave just because the Ferret had anger issues? Fuck that."

"Ronald Weasley, you will cut that attitude out, or so help me, I will send you back to the Burrow!" Mrs. Weasley said through gritted teeth.

"Do you people hear yourselves?!" Ron shouted. "You guys want to turn our lives more upside down than they already are just to help this git? Have all of you forgotten that he was a fucking Death Eater? That he tried to kill Dumbledore?"

Mrs. Weasley stoop up and opened her mouth to answer, but was silenced by Harry standing, and holding his hand up. "Hold on everyone. I have an idea, if you will bear with me." He looked around the room, looking for any protests. Satisfied, he continued. "I can understand everyone's opinions, but to continue like this will just cause more problems. Professors. Kinglsey. While I do not personally get along with Malfoy, I do recognize the need to protect him, and I also see the potential asset he can be. But I also agree with Ron. He can't stay here. It would be too distracting, and cause too many problems. So I think we need to move him to a safe house." Harry looked around the room, and he was met with nods and looks of approval.

Draco sighed with relief internally. While he was grateful they weren't going to off him, he still couldn't stand any one of these people, with the exception of Lupin and Granger. Not that the latter was out of anything but necessity. Being protected elsewhere sounded great. But where would they put him? Another member of the Order's house? Hogwarts?

"So where will we be staying?" Hermione asked through gritted teeth, snapping Draco out of his thoughts.

"We?" he asked, confused. He looked around the room, and saw equally confused faces.

"What are you on about, 'Mione?" Ron asked curtly.

"In case you two have forgotten, Ronald," Hermione snapped. "I am connected to Malfoy. He can't go anywhere without me. So sending him off is sending me off too."

Harry looked uncomfortable. "Hermione, I didn't say you had to go with you. You don't have to go."

Hermione let out a mocking laugh. "Oh yes, let's have a repeat of two weeks ago. That wasn't too terrible at all! Just as long as it is at someone else's house, and doesn't impose in your life, right?"

Draco knew when it was wise to remain silent. Besides, Potter and the Weasel were doing a great job fucking themselves over without his help. The larger the divide, the more advantage he could take of the situation. However, there was one thing he needed to know.

"Potter, where would I be staying then?" Draco asked with forced politeness. Best to lay it on thick for now.

Harry glared at Malfoy for a moment, before sighing. "I have no clue. There aren't many places that the Death Eaters aren't monitoring 24/7, and Hogwarts isn't the safest place for you right now. You pissed off a lot of people a couple months ago, in case you have forgotten." he snapped.

Draco bit his tongue, but said nothing. He knew that he was on thin ice as it was, and if being quiet and taking the verbal abuse was the key to getting out of here, he'd gladly take it.

"We can go to my place."

Everyone turned towards Hermione, and stared at her as if she grew another head. She huffed in annoyance. "I have most of the books we will need stored there, and there are already wards in place. With my parent's gone, it's been empty. And none of the Death Eaters know where it is, so that will help. Besides, who will go looking for Malfoy in a Muggle neighborhood?"

Draco smirked internally. Staying at Granger's place? This could be fun.

"No fucking way." Ron snarled. "There is no way you are going anywhere alone with this fucker."

Hermione stood up and glared at Ron, causing him to shrink back a bit. Even Draco scooted away a bit. She looked extremely dangerous, and in a far corner of his mind, kinda hot. "Why, Ronald? Because I can't handle myself? Because I am too naïve, or because I am a girl?"

"This meeting is over."

Everyone turned towards Harry, who had now sat back down. "We all have agreed that Malfoy needs somewhere safer to stay, and that finding his location to stay now is out next priority. Obviously, Ron, Hermione and I need to discuss some things, and we'd rather do them in private. So if everyone would please…" Harry motioned with his hand towards the door. Everyone awkwardly stood up and shuffled out of the room, save for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Lupin, Kingsley, and McGonagall.

"Potter…" McGonagall began, but Harry shook his head.

"I know, Professor, but right now, I don't want to hear it. This is something that has been a long time coming, and we need to get the sorted out now so that when something comes up, we are a united front." Lupin smiled approvingly at Harry, and Kingsley slowly nodded his head.

"Very well, Harry." Lupin said. "We'll give you guys some space. I'll contact Severus about this new development. Just make sure to let us know what is decided."

Harry nodded, as Lupin, McGonagall and Kingsley left the room.

"You too, Malfoy."

Draco's head snapped up from inspecting his fingernails to see Harry looking at him with a mask of indifference. Draco recognized that mask as his own, and that bothered him. Why must there be similarities between them? "What do you mean, 'me too'? This concerns me, no?" Draco replied calmly, mirroring Harry's expression.

"Yes, it does. But Hermione already told you where you are staying. Her place. What is about to happen is personal, and does not involve you. Please leave." Harry said curtly.

Draco raised his eyebrows. Potter seemed to have grown a pair over the past year. Interesting. Draco looked at Hermione, and asked her opinion with a look.

"You probably should go, Malfoy." she replied softly. "Wait for me upstairs, okay?"

Draco gave her an exaggerated bow, before leaving that godforsaken kitchen. He climbed the stairs to Hermione's room, and closed the door behind him. He took one long look around, a sense of familiarity and loss creeping in on him. This was the safest and most comfortable room he had ever stayed in. He hoped Hermione's house was at least more spacious than this place, but as long as it wasn't similar to the Weasley hovel, he would make due.

He threw himself onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The one thing he had to figure out before they left was how he felt about her. He could tell that he was softening. This would be a problem. He needed to regain control of the situation. But how to do it? She was the one that held his reigns. Even if they somehow found a way to break their bond, would she let him free? The Order was very clear on the fact that they wanted him to help them. Would they trust him to do so without Granger pulling his strings?

"Oh, Draco. You disappoint me…"

Draco bolted up, and searched for the source of the voice. He nearly yelped when he saw someone, or more correctly, something sitting on the edge of the bed. It was a demon. That much was clear, but it was unlike any other that he had seen before. It took the form of a beautiful young woman, its long, auburn hair strategically covering its luscious breasts. Draco could see small, black wings protruding out of its back, and when it grinned at him, he could see its elongated incisors.

"Who the fuck are you, demon?" Draco spat. He was getting sick of not having control of his powers.

"I am the answer to your problems, baby." the demon cooed. "You know as well as I do that the fastest way to wiggle yourself free from your collar is to seduce your master, then manipulate her to set you free."

Draco eyed the demon carefully. This thought had crossed his mind, but being surrounded by the rest of the Order had convinced him that play was not wise. However, this new situation would leave them with plenty of alone time.

"Mmm… I can see the wheels turning. If you decide to free yourself, I can help. I can manipulate the body, and young, naïve girls have such trouble differentiating the wants of the mind and the lusts of the body. This could be so much fun…" The demon grinned, swaying its body erotically.

Draco smirked. "Alright. So if I decide to go through it, how do I get in touch with you?"

The demon turned its head towards the door, and the sounds of footsteps approaching. It stood and backed away from him slowly. "Just summon me, baby. The name's Mahalath."

A/N: If you have read some of my other stories that I started, I decided that I would concentrate on one story at a time. However, I love so many aspects of the other stories, so elements will be combined from the other stories. However, characters and rules do not necessarily cross over. And I don't plan on being predictable. Sorry for the wait. - DeathDealerWolf