The last weeks before Hogwarts were terrible. Harry was always lost in thought thinking about his next move, Ron was worried about Hermione; who was always upset and distant, and Hermione was a complete mess.
Sometimes she was so desperate that she would try to scratch the mark off her arm, "Fucking mark!" She would shriek before collapsing on the ground in a fit of tears.
Everyday she was paranoid about her best friend and boyfriend finding out her secret; one strange look from one of them and she would almost have a panic attack. Does he know? Oh my god he knows! I am so dead! I deserve to be dead
The trio walked silently to platform 9 ¾. Hermione was dreading going back to Hogwarts; where she would see everyone that she's betraying.
Harry stopped in mid step; making Hermione crash into him; fear was etched on Harry's face. "Harry what are you looking…" She stopped in mid sentence when she saw who he was looking at.
Draco Malfoy was standing there smiling at her, not sneering; smiling. He winked then turned away from her and climbed onto the train.
"Hermione, why the hell was Malfoy smiling at you?" Harry spat out smiling. Oh god Malfoy knows.
Hermione's brown eyes instantly filled with tears, "I-I d-don't k-know Harry, I-I didn't d-do anything I s-swear!" Hermione stuttered. Harry's green eyes filled with worry,
"I know you didn't do anything Hermione, why would I think that? I just thought maybe he did something to you or something." When the words left Harry's mouth Ron growled instantly.
"If he did something to you I swear I'll rip that white hair off his ferret head," Tears almost left Hermione's eyes; Malfoy was smiling because they were both Death Eaters now.
"That won't be necessary Ron; Malfoy didn't do anything, who knows what's running through his head." Hermione whispered; her voice cracking every once in a while. Ron didn't look satisfied, but they continued onto the train anyway.
Hermione fell asleep almost instantly when the train started moving, and her worries were plagued in her dreams.
Hermione was sitting in a forest sobbing while trying to scratch her mark off again, "Go away, go away, GO AWAY!" "It won't go away Granger." She heard a voice whisper from behind her.
She whipped around; her hair flying violently behind her, to see Voldemort leaning against a tree with his black cloak on. "What do you want?" she hissed.
"I wanted to give you your next task." Hermione shot up from where she was sitting, "I'm not doing anything for you!" Voldemort smirked, "Of course you are."
Hermione shook her head, "No, I don't want to be a death eater, get this fucking mark off of me!" She screamed.
"But Granger, If I take the mark off I would have to kill your parents, you know the ones that gave birth to you, took care of you for 17 years, and gave you permission to go to Hogwarts?" Hermione's face fell, "You wouldn't want that to happen would you?"
Hermione shook her head again, "What do you want me to do?" She whispered. "I want you to kill the Weasel and to bring me Potter."
"NOOOOOOOO!" Hermione screamed and shot up in her seat with tears streaming down her face. Harry and Ron were looking at her alarmed.
"Hermione what's going on?" Harry asked desperately. Ron nodded, "You haven't been yourself since you visited."
Hermione shook her head violently, "I'm fine, it was just a bad dream," Her voice was shaking violently. "You're not fine Hermione, just tell us!" Harry yelled.
"I SAID I'M FINE!" Hermione screamed; startling her best friends again, "Just leave me alone," She whispered and leaned her head against the cold train window.
Voldemort wouldn't give me that task would he? He can't! I won't do it! Her thoughts were interrupted by a burning sensation on her arm.
She rubbed her arm violently, but the burning just got worse. She was about to lift up the sleeve of her robes when she realized it was the arm with the mark on it; meaning there was going to be a meeting tonight.
Panic rose through her, Would Voldemort give her the task she dreamt about? She thought frantically.
Hermione was laying on Ron's bed in the boy's dorm; he was stroking her brown hair lightly as she rested her cheek upon her hand.
The boys were joking around and laughing at Dean's wild story about his and Seamus's summer.
"Then his mom walked in on me and Seamus and then fainted!" The boys roared with laughter while Seamus was blushing madly, "Shove it Dean, we nearly gave me mum a heart attack," The boys threw their heads back with laughter once again; Hermione's face stayed blank the whole story.
"What's wrong Hermione, Didn't find my story amusing?" Dean smirked, Hermione blinked trying to rid her haunting thoughts, "Oh it was Dean, I'm just a little tired." Hermione smiled.
The boys continued with their funny stories while Hermione just stared off into space. She removed her hand from her cheek and rested her head on her forearm and immediately recoiled.
Her forehead burned where she rested it on her forearm, and suddenly the boy's dorm was replaced with the Forbidden Forest.
There standing in a sea of green was the snake like creature that haunted her thoughts, "Granger, It's time. Meet us in the Forbidden Forest." The demon hissed with a glint in his red eyes.
The forest melted away and the bright red room was back in sight. Hermione rushed off the bed and towards the door, "Hermione, where are you going?" Ron asked quietly.
She turned towards the five boys with a hand on the door knob, "Oh um… I forgot to do my rounds; I am head girl after all." She put on the most innocent voice she could manage, and left the room before they could reply.
Ten minutes later Hermione was dressed in a black cloak with a skeleton mask in her pocket; heading towards The Entrance Hall. Every step seemed to take years as she headed towards her fate.
She pushed open the heavy door and felt the cool night air hit her tear stained face. Her mark seared with pain and she started to run towards the thick forest.
She walked into the endless forest dreading every step she took. After many minutes of trudging through the tangled roots of The Forbidden Forest she reached a clearing where many black cloaked figures were standing in a circle.
She quickly put on her white mask and joined the Death Eaters; all eyes were on the new comer. Standing in the middle of the circle was the leader himself who was in mid speech.
"How kind of you to finally join us, Ms. Granger" He hissed. Outraged cries filled the circle.
"My Lord, Why would you make a mudblood a Death Eater?" Cried a voice that Hermione did not recognize.
Voldemort chuckled as he started to walk along the circle; eyeing all of his followers, "As you may know, Granger is a good friend of Potter," A smirk graced his thin lips, "Which means she'll be able to bring him to me." Sounds of gratitude were heard around the circle of cloaked figures.
Hermione's heart started to pound, and sweat drenched her forehead. Voldemort stopped directly in front of her, "Speaking of which, Granger, your task is to kill Weasley and to bring me Potter."
And then her world crashed before her eyes.
