A/N--Alrighty, here's chapter three!! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!! The more reviews I get the more encouraged I am and the quicker I'll update! Again a quick reminder for those who are reading this for the first time-there is another version (The Unbreakable Vow: Emerald Edition) that is the same story only more from Draco's perspective.

Muse of the Songbird--the story is set a few years after they would have finished school. It is NOT compatible with anything past Order of the Phoenix though (Dumbledore is still alive.)

The Unbreakable Vow

***Crimson Edition***

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It's quite sad.

Chapter Three

She looked back at Malfoy who had turned his unwanted attention back towards her. They locked gazes for a short moment, the echoing chaos surrounding them. He took a small step forward, which was all the incentive she needed.

Before he could protest, Hermione turned and fled.

She tore through the long grass, haphazardly wiping the blood that dripped from her chin. Distinctly aware that the chaos that had once surrounded her was now somewhat muted, she realized that the Death Eaters had successfully pushed the Order back into the shadows of Hogsmeade. Hermione pushed her legs faster beneath her, her need to see Harry could not be quelled by the danger she undoubtedly faced.

She had to see him.

The witch stumbled a few more times before finally reaching the clearing where her friend's body lay carelessly on the ground. Hermione stared at him, thoughts racing wildly as her heart pounded audibly in her chest. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Voldemort was regarding her suspiciously but she ignored him and hurried towards Harry.

Hermione fell to her friend's side, stifling a sob as she scanned his face; his usually brilliant green eyes were vacant, glazed and terribly dead. She managed to haul his body up against her with some difficulty, his much larger frame making the task more challenging.

She stared down at him, a sense of helplessness washing over her like an icy rain. Harry Potter, her best friend, one of her brothers, was dead. There was no denying the evidence any longer and the truth stabbed into Hermione's heart unmercifully. She let out a mournful cry, tears streamed endlessly down her face as she was suddenly sobbing uncontrollably.

"Yes, my dear," a smooth voice hissed, "Your precious Harry Potter is dead. I killed him"

Hermione choked back a sob, turning to see Voldemort who was facing her, his snake-like features only enhancing his malice. She shot him a dark glare, her hand reaching discretely for her wand while her other arm held Harry in place.

"You're his little Mudblood friend," Voldemort announced suddenly, his eyes flashing excitedly. Hermione could feel the edge of her robe pocket, her fingers brushing the outline of her wand. She paused, waiting for him to continue.

"I will find so much pleasure in killing you," he finally concluded. The underlying threat in his voice was unmistakable but Hermione did not react to his words, simply looked at him placidly. Her fingers wrapped around her wand, but she couldn't bring herself to attack him. It was a strange feeling; one moment she wanted nothing more than to see him dead and the next she didn't have a care in the world.

It's almost like magic, she thought numbly. A magic trick. A dark magic trick.

Hermione frowned as Voldemort suddenly met her gaze, his shining black eyes penetrated hers so forcefully and her desire to hex him ignited with unexpected resolve. He seemed unperturbed by the fury in her eyes and didn't even bother brandishing his wand. He shook his head in mock disappointment.

"You think to duel me, you filthy child?" he challenged, cocking his head to the side in amusement.

The words registered in her head and she was startled; had he noticed her reaching for her wand? Surely not, she thought in disbelief. When it suddenly clicked, she let out a soft gasp: Voldemort was well known for his legilimency skills. She tore out her wand and took a deep breath, a long and somewhat complicated incantation dancing on the tip of her tongue. She flicked her wand in the direction of her adversary who had responded by lifting his own wand. Before she could begin reciting the spell a cool voice interrupted her.

"Imperio."

She froze, suddenly overwhelmed with a calming sense of peace. She could feel her fingers still wrapped around her wand. A small part of Hermione urged her to say the words, scream them if she had to, but a stronger part of her was too pacified to allow her to do anything. The young witch watched as Voldemort visibly relaxed, his eyes shifting somewhere behind her.

"Ah," he whispered darkly. "Draco, my dead boy, how wonderful of you to join me in the killing of the mudblood."

Malfoy? Hermione's mind raged defiantly. Her hand tightened around her wand, managing to turn her body enough to see Pureblood staring at her coldly from a short distance from her, his face void of emotion. Even as she raised her wand a fraction of an inch, his expression remained passive; he simply stared at her through pale grey eyes before starting towards her slowly.

"Expelliarmus," he whispered, his voice unnaturally gentle.

Hermione's mind came undone at the sound of his voice as her wand flew from her hand. Her arm fell limply to her side and she felt at peace again. She looked up at him as he stopped a few inches away, a sense of helplessness conflicting terribly with her serene state. He stepped towards her, regarding her carefully before leaning his head near her own, his breath felt cool against her ear as his voice washed over her.

"Trust me, Granger," he said quietly, his voice barely audible. "No matter what happens, you have to trust me."

Hermione stared at him blithely for a long moment, his voice was all her mind could focus on. It was smooth, gentle, and if she were not so utterly confused by what it was telling her, she might have found it pleasing to listen to. Malfoy muttered the counter-spell for the Imperious Curse and Hermione immediately felt her muscles tighten painfully as her relaxed state was torn away. Without another word of explanation, he turned back to Voldemort.

Trust him? Hermione wondered, her frustration returning as she considered his demand. He's done nothing but try to kill muggle-borns for years, yet he expects me to trust him?

"How dare you," she spat at him, the fury that nearly consumed her was focused entirely on the blonde haired boy in front of her. She started after him heatedly, the dim fire in her eyes rekindling as more angry words spewed from her lips. "If you honestly expect me to—"

"Silencio," Malfoy countered in a harsh whisper and immediately Hermione felt her voice cut off into silence. He shot a glaring look at her over his shoulder, emitting a low growl. "Keep your filthy mouth closed."

Hermione stared at him, eyes narrowed, but she came to a stop and closed her mouth, swallowing the words that were caught in her throat. As much as she didn't want to admit, a small part of her trusted him; he had saved her life twice already and had spared Carrow's life at her demand. Though she would never say it aloud, she was indebted to Malfoy. The mere idea of owing the arrogant young man anything made her want to scream.

He stared back at her a short moment before turning back towards Voldemort, obviously satisfied.

"Draco," the dark wizard purred, his eyes skipping between Hermione and Malfoy, "I believe you should have the honor of killing the worthless girl."

Hermione's chest tightened as she quickly scanned the area around her. Death Eaters were beginning to gather around them, enclosing Voldemort, Malfoy, and Hermione in a strange circle. The towering hooded figures and ominous silver masks were suddenly all she could see. The young witch tried to take a deep breath, her hands beginning to tremble; there were no members of the Order to be seen.

She was completely alone.

"My lord," Malfoy said coolly. "I believe this mudblood could be very useful in our endevaour to eliminate the remaining members of the Order."

Hermione's gaze shot towards him in disbelief, a murmur sweeping through the surrounding Death Eaters. Voldemort gave Malfoy and amused look, encouraging him to continue with his explanation.

"As we knew you would," Malfoy continued, "you have defeated Harry Potter and the prophecy has finally been fulfilled. However, the other members of the Order will not cease fighting because of this loss; in fact, they will become stronger and craftier in their strategies."

Voldemort nodded slowly in return before his gaze shifted to Hermione. His empty black eyes stared into her and she immediately looked away, a voice in the back of her head reminding her that legilimancy is stronger when there is eye-contact.

"What can this filthy girl do?" he wondered coldly.

"Allow me to watch over her," Malfoy said, his voice impassive. "I'll get the information we need from her then we can dispose of her."

Hermione didn't dare raise her head, unwilling to draw any unwanted attention to herself. Her wand was too far away to even have a chance of reaching it and the walls of Death Eaters left her feeling caged. Taking a deep breath she realized the only way she could possibly survive was if she allowed herself to trust Malfoy. Despite the declaration of her future murder, a small part of her wanted to believe that it was only a story concocted to appease Voldemort.

A small part of her wanted to believe that she could trust him.

"She can't be worth all of this trouble," an angry voice roared from behind Hermione, a Death Eater no doubt. "She's a mudblood; no matter how much she knows, her blood is sill tainted!"

Hermione glanced up to see that Malfoy had half-turned his head; Voldemort also looked in the voice's direction, displeased.

"Shut up you fool," another voice protested, the masculine voice strikingly familiar to Hermione's ears. "She could be useful to us. Would you like to be the one to kill the one person that could help us finally defeat the Order?"

"Crucio."

The incantation slipped from Voldemort's lips with unnatural ease and the curse exploded so loudly behind her that Hermione flinched. The two voices from before suddenly erupted into agonized screams, eliciting a short chuckle from the caster. The orchestration of sounds was too unbearable, and Hermione fell to her knees, her hands pressed tightly against the sides of her head; it was all simply too much.

The movement did not go unnoticed by Voldemort who suddenly released the curse and focused his attention back towards Hermione, staring at her curiously. She glanced up at him, exhaustion preventing her from showing how much she truly hated him. The dark wizard narrowed his eyes at her and slid his gaze towards Malfoy.

"As much as I trust your judgment, Draco," he admitted coldly, "Avery has made an excellent point: she is a mudblood."

"And she shall be punished for this infraction," Malfoy interrupted smoothly. "But on my own terms. I will take full responsibility in disciplining, interrogating and, if necessary," he paused, sparing a glance over his shoulder, "protecting her. Allow me to handle this matter so you will not be inconvenienced."

It was a compelling argument, Hermione admitted reluctantly. She watched as Voldemort continued to stare at Malfoy before slowly nodding. "I believe you are capable of handling such a small task, Draco, but I ask that you share your idea of retribution with your fellow Death Eaters; it shall be a celebratory event."

Hermione's eyes widened as Malfoy turned himself to face her fully. His eyes shone in the unfaltering moonlight and his face was grim. His eyes met hers in a long moment before he whispered, "As you wish, my lord."

"Crucio."

Hermione had begun to stand but immediately crashed back to the ground, her screams drowned out by the sudden cheers of the surrounding Death Eaters. She had never experienced such blinding pain; her body convulsed as tears involuntarily formed in the corners of her eyes. The pain shot through her like fire until every part of her body shrieked with agony. She writhed against the grass, her hands clutching the weeds in desperation. Mind racing, she tried desperately to find a way to escape.

"Crucio."

The pain intensified, her screams sounded more like whispers coming through her raw throat. After a long moment, she saw a pale handsome face looming above her. Through the haze of misery she realized it was Malfoy who knelt beside her, his wand still directed towards her. Despite the pain she managed to glare at him, trying to force herself from the ground, but he placed a light hand on her shoulder and eased her to back down to the grass. The pain had begun to ebb away and Hermione managed to stare at him feebly.

"Remember what I told you," he whispered darkly before reminding her. "No matter what happens, you have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Hermione's voice rasped out so pitifully that she barely recognized it herself.

Malfoy nodded, letting his wand rest at her temple.

"Just trust me and let go," he said softly, almost as if trying to reassure her, "It will be over soon."

Blinded by tears, Hermione felt the pressure of this wand against her head increase slightly before his voice, no longer gentle, broke through the hazy cheers of the Death Eaters

"Crucio."

She felt her head explode, stars blinding her vision as she was overwhelmed with pain. She convulsed against the ground before she felt the hand on her shoulder hold her firmly in place. Her body twitched as she fought the curse, her mouth wide as a scream was torn silently from her throat.

Trust me.

His words echoed in her head dimly and Hermione senselessly clung to the sound of his voice in her thoughts; it was the only thing keeping her sanity from being ripped away from her entirely.

Let go.

More of his words filled her ears, and she couldn't tell if he had actually spoken to her or if she was losing her mind. Regardless, she conceded and obeyed, allowing the pain to sweep through her completely leaving her numb and very still. Suddenly, the pain was everywhere and yet, nowhere. Exhaustion was the only other thing her mind could register as she opened her eyes weakly.

A pair of light grey eyes stared down at her, the faintest trace of regret lining the shining orbs.

Malfoy.

Whether she was willing to admit it or not, it had been his voice that led her away from the pain. There was no denying that some small part of her had trusted him. The fact would have irritated her had she not been so tired. She looked up at him, her mind trying to wrap around the situation completely; it still didn't make any sense.

I have to trust him, she realized, aware that she was still wandless and surrounded by Death Eaters. She wouldn't allow herself to believe that she had judged Malfoy incorrectly; although he had been the one to save her from death, he was now torturing her with one of the darkest curses known in the wizarding world. No, it would be a long time, if ever, before she believed Malfoy was anything but a murderous Death Eater, but for now, she would trust him for her own self-preservation.

Hermione blinked slowly, the exhaustion finally overwhelming the numbing pain. She spared one last look at her captor and savior before closing her eyes and allowing the black abyss of unconsciousness to consume her.

You know what to do now...review please! :) Let me know if the writing is getting weaker or I'm getting to sloppy with anything!