I Think We're Alone Now

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise from the Harry Potter books, movies, toys and whatever - they belong to J.K. Rowling. I do own anything you don't recognise, so don't steal them please.


Chapter Nine - Sought After

Dumbledore sat quietly in his office as Blaise told him everything he knew, from the incident in Potions where Draco and Hermione desperately sought for revenge, to Draco's promotion and Voldemort's growing fondness of him, right to the day before when he and Hermione had fallen in love. After Blaise had finished, he saw that familiar twinkle in his headmaster's eyes and he knew that he had done the right thing. Dumbledore stood up and walked over to his phoenix, Faux, stroking him softly on the head.

"Don't worry, Mr. Zabini, your friends are safe here. I expect that Professor Snape has already picked up on this and has talked to Mr. Malfoy, everything will be fine. Now, about the ball, I hear that you and Mr. Malfoy have found dates from none other than the Gryffindor house?" Dumbledore asked cheerily, looking at Blaise over his half moon spectacles. Laughing slightly, Blaise nodded. "I thank you greatly, I know it may not be the easiest thing, but soon people will see how brilliant unity is and everyone will follow your's and your friends' footsteps. I hope it is a good night."

Blaise hoped that too as he headed down the corridor, he didn't even know Ginny that well, but that wasn't reason enough to stop him. Then someone whispered his name. Stopping, Blaise walked over to the side of the corridor and saw a familiar red head peering out of a secret corridor. She looked around cautiously before looking up at him and smiling.

"I've just seen Draco, he's heading over to see Hermione now, I thought I should come and tell you so you don't walk in on anything," she said quietly. Blaise raised his eyebrows and nodded, thanking Draco for choosing this time to go to the Heads' dormitory. "I'm really excited for the ball, you know. Everyone says I like Harry, and I thought you wouldn't ask me because of that - and because we're in different houses and we don't really know each other either…" Ginny stopped, only just noticing that Blaise had been watching her with an amused smile on his face.

"I was worried myself, I thought you'd say no because you liked Potter. But we were both wrong," Blaise whispered, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek. He heard a sigh escape her lips as she gazed up at him with her round, brown eyes. His other hand found hers and held it tightly as he pushed her back into the secret corridor. I think I'll give Draco and Hermione some time alone Blaise thought to himself as he felt Ginny's lips against his skin, curving into a smile. Make that a long time.

Draco made his way to the Heads' dormitory, he already knew how to get in there, Blaise had entrusted that to him. Standing in the silent common room, Draco hurried over to the large mirror on one of the walls and checked his hair before smirking and turning to go to Hermione's bedroom door. He couldn't hear anything from inside the room, but she was probably studying or something. Holding the door handle tightly, Draco fought the urge to barge inside and grab her waist firmly, pressing her against the bed…no. Breathing, he regained himself and opened the door slowly.

The window was open, allowing a chilly breeze to blow the curtains as if someone was behind them, looking around the room, Hermione wasn't anywhere - but then he saw her, asleep. The duvet was hardly on her, she had pushed it to her waist in her sleep and one of her arms was on top of the duvet whilst the other lay on the pillow beside her head. Draco moved quietly to stand beside her, watching her peaceful face. He placed his hand gently on her stomach and felt her steady breathing before sliding his hand up to her hair, stroking it softly until she awoke.

"Draco?" she murmured sleepily, her eyes were only half open but she could see his handsome smile above her. He lay on the bed beside her and pulled her toward him. Her head lay on his chest and he twirled her long hair around his fingers. He heard Hermione let out a long, calm sigh before returning to sleep. Draco smiled and stroked her back with his free hand before laying his head back on the pillow and falling to sleep himself.

88

Pansy Parkinson screamed for the fifth time that night as she was informed that Draco hadn't returned again. She slumped down on one of the sofas in the Slytherin common room, breathing heavily and unaware of the few boys who were watching her interestedly. Stroking her long black hair away from her face, Pansy's head turned quickly toward the person who was coming through the portrait hole. But it wasn't Draco. Instead it was a frantic-looking fifth year who was known to have a huge crush on Blaise Zabini.

"Pansy, Pansy Parkinson!!" she shrieked breathlessly, Pansy jumped up and wondered if the girl had any interesting news. They both retreated to Pansy's dormitory and she sat the girl on her bed. "I-I was walking down the corridor late, returning from a detention, I stopped by the toilets before coming back. When I came out, I saw Blaise and I was going to shout him but then he stopped - someone was hiding in a secret passageway. I hid behind a statue because I could have gotten in trouble, and I was curious…you know, if Blaise was seeing someone…" the girl stopped to let out a mixture of a sigh and a sob.

"Yes, yes, carry on!" Pansy said impatiently.

"I tried to see who it was, but I didn't. But whoever it was, it was a girl and he went in there with her - I know for sure that Draco wasn't with him, but I heard him tell you that he was going to stay at Blaise's dormitory tonight before he rushed out!" the girl finished, looking up at Pansy with a distraught expression on her face. It took a while for the information to sink in, but she didn't want to scare the poor girl so she stroked her shoulder and ushered her out of the dormitory. When the door was safely closed, Pansy grabbed a vase that was on a table beside her and threw it across the room, smashing it against a wall.

"I want Draco for my own! He's mine! Mine! That Goddamn whore, whoever she is, I swear she's going to pay!" Pansy promised, screaming words of anger and jealously, she decided to throw more things around the room. Consequently, none of the seventh year girls went up there until the sounds had died down.

88

Narcissa Malfoy sat nervously in a chair in Voldemort's living room. He paced around the room, playing with the neck of a wineglass he had emptied a few minutes previously. Narcissa gulped, wondering what the Dark Lord wanted with her. He had dismissed her from most Death Eater work so she could stay at home and look after the weakening Lucius, but he had called for her so suddenly, what could be the matter? Voldemort placed the glass gently on the finely decorated coffee table and his scarlet eyes gazed at Narcissa.

"I know how you care deeply for your son, Narcissa. I promise that by promoting him, he will not befall any harm. He will be my closest follower," Voldemort said calmly, sitting down on a chair across from the shivering woman.

"You are fond of him, my lord. I know that. I feel honoured that it is my son, my only son, and that you promise to keep him safe - and I believe that you will," Narcissa replied, not really knowing what to say. She really did feel honoured that the Dark Lord would be fond of her son, her own, but she hardly wanted harm to come to him as it did the majority of Death Eaters. Conflicting with that was the thought that the Dark Lord wanted Draco close to him, and so no harm would befall the young Malfoy because he was so important.

"I am fond of him, yes. I am glad you feel this way, Narcissa. I will do anything to have him as my own. No, he is mine, but he doesn't realise how much he is yet." Voldemort got to his feet again, "I will have Draco Malfoy as my own, and I will kill whoever gets in my way."

88

The Potions room was darker than usual that evening, but Draco's good mood was enough to brighten the place up. Snape watched him for a few moments, playing with a colourful bead bracelet that was around his wrist. It was easy to tell that it was Hermione's, because Draco would never have bought such a colourful thing, and the smile that played on his lips told enough. Sitting down on his desk, Draco finally looked up at his teacher with his deep grey eyes. Earlier on that day, an angry Pansy Parkinson had stormed into Snape's room and told her about Draco always leaving the Slytherin Dormitory to go to the Heads' Dormitory instead. Sighing, Snape shook his head slightly.

"You are too popular for your own good, Draco," he said simply, with a weary smile. Draco wondered what he meant, but then he remembered Pansy's argumentative mood that day. "I don't only mean miss Parkinson. You are aware that the majority of Slytherin, and a fair number of the girls in other Houses, think of you quite a bit? You have earned the 'bad boy' reputation over the years, haven't you?" Snape smirked, and Draco almost laughed.

"Yeah…I might be popular with them, I don't care though. I have what I want, and that's all that matters to me," Draco said honestly, Severus sighed again. "You mean more than the average Hogwarts student, don't you?"

"The Dark Lord called for your mother the other evening, I was told stories from both he and your mother and so I tell you what I know. Your popularity exceeds the walls of this school," Draco looked up at his Head of House seriously. "He wants to make you his, and he has promised to kill anyone in his way. If he finds out about miss Granger, then she is dead. The Dark Lord is a determined and passionate man, he will stop at nothing until you are with him, a Death Eater and a slave to his emotions.

"You are like a diamond, Draco. One that is covered in blood from those who have fought over it. Your parents, miss Parkinson, the girls of the school, myself, Professor Dumbledore, miss Granger and the Dark Lord. We will all fight, some for the same cause and some for their own, but we will fight and the winner will take you or free you." Snape said sombrely, "I have never felt what this must feel like for you, and as you have miss Granger I never got the one thing that mattered to me. Instead I forced myself into other people's lives in the hope that I could be wanted.

"Draco, it is a dangerous thing to be sought after as you are, and it is a terrible thing to feel when someone you love will end up dying just to see you smile again."