A/N: I checked again... and sadly I still own nothing. Also, whoever came in and left a review with a slightly inappropriate comment under the name of a guest, thanks for making me chuckle. Sometimes you just have to laugh :) I would also like the remind you I will take song suggestions into consideration so let me know if you have any. I have some I really want to use but it's a matter of making sure they inspire me enough. Chapter title and song lyrics belong to Depeche Mode A Pain that I'm Used to. I was pretty obsessed with this song when I was younger and rediscovered my love for its lyrics when trying to find something I found fitting.

"Can you say what you're trying to play anyway?
I just pay while you're breaking all the rules.

All the signs that I find have been underlined.
Devils thrive on the drive that is fueled.


There's a hole in your soul like an animal,
with no conscience, repentance, oh no.

Close your eyes, pay the price for your paradise.
Devils feed on the seeds of the soul."

Draco Malfoy sneered at the girl by his feet. That filthy little mudblood always managed to find ways to be a constant thorn in his side. One of these days I'm going to get her off my back once and for all, he thought venomously.

"Malfoy!" she sputtered, trying to regain control of her brain at the site of him. How is he here? He killed Dumbledore! She thought to herself. He couldn't be here. He just couldn't.

"That is my name mudblood." he replied sarcastically. "Ten points to Gryffindor, for that brilliant display of knowledge."

Hermione stood with a speed she didn't know she possessed, her wand appearing from her robes in a split second and jabbing the blond in the throat.

"I wouldn't be so smug if I were you ferret. You didn't think you could just come back here after what you've done and no one would stand up to you, did you? Even I didn't think youwere that thick Malfoy."

Malfoy sneered, seemingly unaffected by the jab of her wand on the sensitive skin of his throat. Strange, she thought momentarily. The Malfoy she was used to would have been cowering like a baby by this point. She remembered the time she'd punched him, or when he'd been attacked by Buckbeak, or when he'd fallen off his broom. Malfoy is always a coward.

But this Malfoy appeared none too affected. This greatly unsettled Hermione, though she wouldn't realize it right away.

"Now Granger, lets not start telling lies. Pity you never got the pleasure of a detention with Umbridge. Might have taught you some manners."

"Oh I have manners Malfoy. I just choose not to show them to slime like you."

Malfoy trued in vain to suppress a laugh which caught Hermione off guard. He seized the opportunity to bring his arm up and grab the wand from her hand. He stepped back as she lunged at him and twisted his body sideways against the wall, causing Hermione to fall forward past him. As she stumbled, he jut out his foot sending her to the ground on all fours. Malfoy took a step forward and knelt down in one fell swoop as Hermione twisted onto her bum, where suddenly she found him much too close for comfort. He crouched over her and pointed her own wand in her face. She grabbed for it but he was faster, pulling his wand arm back just in time. She flushed.

"Give me my wand Ferret, how dare you trip a girl!" she spat, her chest heaving in anger.

From the moment he lunged at her, the laugh disappeared from his features, leaving them set in a dangerous line.

"Girl or not, you're still filth. Take a look at where you are princess." his words were slow and deliberate. "This is where you belong. Beneath me. Whether it be by my feet, or otherwise." he wiggled his eyebrow suggestively at the last mention causing Hermione to raise her hand to his face. He was still too quick for her however, grabbing her wrist violently before it could connect to his face.

"You're disgusting" she barked trying uselessly to free her wrist from his icy grip, his cold slender fingers squeezing painfully.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist love, as if you would be so lucky."

Before Hermione could retort, she heard the sound of a compartment door sliding open. Before she knew what was happening Harry and Ron appeared behind her, fuming. Malfoy sprang up, and held Hermione's wand out in front of him, both hands gripping it as if he were making to snap it in two. Ron grabbed Hermione under the arms and pulled her up as Harry stepped in front of her.

"Give it back Malfoy and I won't hex you from here until eternity." he growled, turning an unhealthy shade of crimson. "On second thought, maybe I will considering YOU'RE A MURDERER!" he bellowed causing the sound of sliding doors to crop up around them. Students began to peek their heads out of compartments to see what the fuss was about. Ron turned his head to the eavesdroppers with a look so threatening it caused all of them to disappear from sight, the sound of several closing compartments clicking in the background.

"Give me my wand or McGonagall will hear about this straight off!" Exclaimed Hermione as she tried to poke her head over Harry's shoulder. Harry simply held his arm back to keep her from Malfoy's site and aim.

"You know what? I don't think I will."

Harry stepped toward him but Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Please Harry, don't do something stupid. I don't want you getting in trouble over this slimy ferret. McGonagall will make him give it back." she pleaded.

"Hermione! He could jinx it by then, he's evil." exclaimed Ron, exasperated. Harry simply shook with rage, Hermione's small hand still gripping his arm, holding him in place.

"Go back into your compartment before I snap it like a twig." Malfoy demanded, his famous smirk gracing his lips. "If Granger is a good mudblood, I'll give it back later."

Harry and Ron looked as if they were debating whether to charge or not. Both boys dropped their shoulders in defeat, not wanting to risk Hermione's wand.

"Back into the compartment." Malfoy repeated, now twirling her wand in his fingers. Hermione sent him the most threatening glare she could manage as Harry and Ron ushered her toward the compartment ahead of them, afraid to leave her back vulnerable to the Slytherin.

The blond waited triumphantly for the sound of their door sliding closed before he turned on his heal toward his own compartment.

By the end of the year the mudblood scum will learn her rightful place. With that thought, he gave one last glance to the enemy's compartment before contorting his mouth into a wicked grin, and entering his own.

Hermione sat with her head down while Ron stared out the window. Harry was pacing back and fourth, still shaking with rage. It terrified her, and she felt ashamed at having been bested by Malfoy. Even still though, there was something about this that felt good.

Harry and Ron were showing emotion. Being angry at Malfoy was a normal event, and they hadn't been behaving normally all summer. Somehow this seemed an improvement. The sensation didn't last long.

"What were you thinking Hermione! He murdered Dumbledore, he's helping Voldemort, and he's always been hell bent on making our lives miserable, yours in particular. Why would you tell us to back off? I'm sure McGonagall wouldn't have punished us after all, he murdered Dumbledore if I forgot to mention!"

"I know! You don't think I know that? You don't think I've spent all summer watching you two as you lost all sense of yourselves? You think I don't feel it too? There's not a second that goes by that I don't think about it, but it doesn't mean I let it rule my life! The more trouble you get into with Malfoy, the more opportunities he has to observe you. He could be taking note of your habits, your tactics, or your weaknesses and telling them to you know who! Knowledge is power, and we don't want to give him any. We don't even know where he is at the moment, or how much contact Malfoy has with him. We should let the professors handle it. I'll tell McGonagall first thing." she sighed.

Harry and Ron sat next to one another across from Hermione, their anger dissipating. She would have felt better except for this meant they were sinking back into their zombie state.

"I'm sorry Hermione. Why don't you tell us what happened?" Harry replied blankly.

She recounted most of the details of her encounter with him, leaving out his innuendo and some of his insults. Harry looked perplexed.

"You mean to tell me, he denies killing Dumbledore?"

"Technically he's telling the truth." she replied, then cut off Harry's protest with a raise of her palm.

"Don't get me wrong, I know why he murdered Dumbledore. He was responsible for the vanishing cabinet. But he's being literal. And literally he didn't kill him, Snape did. I don't know why McGonagall would let him come back to school, but I'm sure there's a reason. I for one plan on talking to her about it when we get there. Which should be soon mind you, so you two should change." and with that, she grabbed her change of clothes, and swept off towards the loo.

Draco sat twirling the foreign wand between his thumb and forefinger.

"That's not your wand." noted Blaise Zabini plainly.

Blaise was Draco's most trusted friend. Sure Crabbe and Goyle had their purposes, but they were just muscle. They lacked the brains to manage being trustworthy. Blaise on the other hand had been his friend since before they could walk and talk. Though he was similar in stature to Draco, he was much darker skinned. Where Draco's light skin was creamy and translucent, Blaise's was a deep shade of mocha. He was also very good looking, but with very short hair unlike Draco's shaggy mane. Blaise had a reputation as quite the womanizer.

"Really? Huh, I wonder how that happened." Draco retorted, rolling his cold gray eyes.

"Well? I'm waiting to hear who's ass you kicked into giving you their wand!"

Draco leaned in, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Granger." he stated triumphantly. Blaise's eyes went wide with excitement as Draco retold the events of the day.

"Are you sure you should be putting yourself out there this much? You wouldn't want to complicate things for the dark lord after all."

"I've done enough to prove my worth. I have a good feeling about this. I spent all last year a slave to my mission, constantly looking over my shoulder. This year I'm doing what I want. I'll find a way to spin it to dear old Voldy if the need should arise. Might as well have some fun for my last year anyway."

"You're brilliant. Insane but brilliant." his friend beamed at him, clearly impressed with Draco's boldness to test his position for the dark lord.

Draco's face darkened.

"This year... I'm going to break Hermione Granger."

"All this running around, well it's getting me down.
Just give me a pain that I'm used to"

R&R :)