A/N: I apologize for the wait. I've been caught up in my other works on fiction press, they are pretty decent if you ask me. Http / www. fictionpress. com/u/589344/ oxlietome90ox just take out the spacing. Thanks to the reviewers on chapter 9.

The time for the ball at the Malfoy Manor fad finally rolled around. Hermione looked at the strapless black satin A-line dress she was wearing, then to the diamonds in her ears and around her neck. Her hair was pulled into a bun with loose curls. The door opened and Hermione looked at it through the mirror.

Draco closed the door behind him and looked at Hermione who had taken that time to turn around to face him. Draco inhaled sharply, amazed at the beautiful image Hermione left imprinted in his brain forever.

She smiled nervously, "What?" she then looked down at her shoes and back to Draco waiting on his response, "If I want, I could always enter your mind to see what you're thinking, so… what is it?"

Finally coming to his senses, and wiping the drool from his mouth, he responded. "Enter it if you want. You look amazing." his eyes roamed up and down her body in the dress. Granted it was loose fitting from the waist down, but it made her bust look amazing. His pants began to tighten and he returned his eyes where they should've been, on hers.

Hermione smiled and took a quick breath. "I don't know if I can do this." she muttered smoothing out invisible wrinkles on the dress. Draco walked over to the shorter girl, even in her four inch heels he towered over her.

He grabbed her chin softly and lifted her face to where he could see her eyes. "Hermione, you are the strongest person I know, well other than Potter, that bloody bastard just wont die," Hermione let a small smile at this. "You've faced Voldemort before, this is just a much….calmer no-kill atmosphere."

Hermione broke away from Draco's gentle but firm grip. "I know Draco, its just to pretend to like him? I should be hexing the hell out of the monster! Not sharing dinner and pledging myself to him!" she sat down on her bed and let out a long frustrated breath.

Draco took a seat next to her. "Hermione, you are a Gryffindor. Suck it up." when she was about to snap back at him, his mouth clamped over hers. She blinked for a few seconds before responding to the kiss, his tongue brushed against her lips which opened to grant him entry, his tongued wrestled hers for a few moments before returning to his mouth, and his teeth biting down gently on her bottom lip. She moaned and pushed him to lay back on the bed. She straddled him the best she could in the dress.

Then suddenly as if they had been thrown into a freezing lake, Hermione jumped off of Draco, "We need to leave." she said glancing at herself in the mirror again to make sure that her hair and dress were still perfect.

He smirked his infamous smirk and pulled her into another deep kiss, as soon as she started responding he pushed her away. "Miss Verona you need to keep your hands off, we have a engagement to be at. If you want, however, we can continue this later." with that he grabbed her and aparated away before she could even begin to think of what she wanted to say.

They arrived in the foyer of the Malfoy Manor. "Why Hermione, Draco nice of you to finally arrive." Narcissa smiled warmly to Hermione while all at the same glaring at her son, knowing he was the reason they were late. He just shrugged sheepishly, and wrapped his arm around Hermione's waist and entered the grand ballroom.

Since the party was in full swing so not too many people watched them enter. Severus walked up to his niece. "Hello Miss Verona, I see Mister Malfoy had you late to your own party." Snape allowed his face to draw a sneer. Hermione knew that he was acting the part of typical Death Eater; cold and emotionless. She also knew she must play that part as well.

Hermione was in the middle of dancing with Lucius when Severus walked up to them cutting in. "Hermione, Voldemort is on his way here, he requested to speak to you privately before dinner, and for you to sit with him at the high table." Hermione nodded her head slowing at the new information. "Just remember how we practiced." Snape said and then stopped dancing to lead her to the study.

Hermione knocked on the doors quietly. "Enter." came the voice of the devil himself.

Hermione opened the door slowly and walked in closing the large door behind her. The room was dark except for the fireplace where he happened to be standing, making his already imposing figure even more so.

She walked over to him and stood about a foot away and began to kneel before the demonic force that had ruined so many lives. "Stop. Don't bow before me Miss Verona." Hermione paused and returned to standing upright. She was starting to get confused this wasn't going according to plan. He sensed this and began to laugh.

"Miss Verona, I know you don't respect me, so don't insult me by faking it." Hermione started to worry, this wasn't how Severus said it would happen. "Yes, sir." she replied.

He walked over to her and lifted her face to look at it better. His hands were surprisingly warm and un-scaly since his hood was up she didn't get a chance to look at his face. Thank god. He then proceeded to circle around her before stopping in front of her again. "Please take a seat, Hermione." he said warmly before taking a seat in the chair beside the fire place.

Hermione did as requested and sat in the green velvet chair. "Now, I know I don't have you're respect, and as much as I would like to say you fully have mine, I cannot. Yet." his snake face twisted into what Hermione would assume was a smirk. "Granted your intelligence is amazing, but I would like to see something else." he then pointed his wand hand to her and muttered "Crucio."

The small jet of magic shot out of his hand and headed towards Hermione and before she could react, as if she had a force field around her the jet bounced back and disappeared. Hermione gasped, because 1.) Voldemort could now do wandless magic, and 2.) The magic bounced back, and she had done nothing. Her only thoughts were 'oh bloody hell'

Voldemort's smirk grew into a smile. "Well it seems you're magic protects you without your intervention. You truly are indestructible. I envy you." he then stood and held his arm out to hers. "Let us go eat." Hermione smiled politely and stood wrapping her arm in his.

--

After everyone was gone and the ball over, Hermione sat in the washroom leaning against the sink thinking about how weird and strange the night had been. Voldemort had treated her as if she were his dear old friend. Despite the fact the bloody snake was throwing curses her way and trying to enter her mind all evening.

Hermione huffed and turned around to face the mirror and then turned on the faucet and ran cold water over her face and dried it with the towel on the towel rack. Her mind thought back to the conversations she was having with Voldemort, he seemed as if he was trying to tell her a secret without ever revealing the clues. She huffed angrily, she HATED not knowing something.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts and she took one last glance in the mirror before she exited the washroom. "Started to think you fell in." he mumbled as she opened the door.

"No, I was just thinking." Hermione replied, her thoughts still away on the vile snake faced monster. "Oh." he replied and grabbed her arm and apprated away to the Verona Manor with Hermione.

Draco walked her to her room the entire time Hermione was quiet, finally she spoke once they had reached her bedroom doors. "Draco did you know Voldemort could do wandless magic?"

Draco shook his head no. "Nope, I didn't why? Did he tell you he could?"

Hermione glanced up at Draco and opened her door walking in and took a seat, Draco followed and sat down next to her on the bed. "Hermione, what did he do to you?" Draco started to get irate. What had his 'master' done?

"Well, when I was in the study, he was talking about respect and how I didn't respect him, and not to fake it. Then he told me that he didn't respect me and proceeded to cast the cruciatus on me." Draco was livid now and jumped up threatening to kill the dark lord himself. "Draco sit down." he paused from his pacing around the room and took his seat back beside Hermione.

"Anyway, he used no wand, the magic came from his hand, and when I thought it was going to hit me it reflected off and just disappeared, then he said that I was indestructible and followed to say he envied me." Hermione looked up from the spot her eyes were at, out the window to where Draco sat beside her and into his smoky gray eyes. She probed his mind and found out that he was just as curious as she was now, all the anger had vanished.

"Wow, I don't know Hermione, but I definitely think that we should speed up the bonding process, I'll tell Severus and Father." Draco stood and left the room. Hermione stood and unzipped the dress and slipped it off laying it on the bed, then removed her shoes placing them by the bed also, she walked into her white and gold bathroom and turned on the knobs for the tub, which began filling. Walking over to her vanity in her room she let her hair down and removed the jewelry and hose. Getting ready to walk back into the bath room in her black corset and matching panties, the door opened.

"Hermione, Severus and father said they need to--" his voice slowly died away when he saw Hermione, who remained un-phased and wrapped a robe around herself.

"They need to see me now?" she asked pulling her hair out of the robe. Her only response was a nod. She sighed and began to walk out of the room and Draco noted with a small wave of her hand the bath water turned off. He hoped he would be able to do that when he became her husband and followed her out of the room.

--

"Misses Verona, you need to wake up!" the house elf said while running around the room grabbing things and placing them in Hermione's Hogwarts trunk. Hermione groaned and pulled the covers off of her body. She glanced at the clock she had on the wall that read 5:46 am.

"Allie, you didn't have to pack my trunks, I was going to do that." she muttered. The house elf looked up and smiled politely. "Misses, I your elf, it's what I', supposed to do."

Hermione smiled knowing that they love their job. "Breakfast is ready when every you want to go eat. Misters Malfoy, Weasley, Potter will be here at 8, along with Misses Weasley."

Hermione nodded and muttered her thanks to the elf and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower, when she got out she wrapped a towel around herself and walked to the bedroom where her school uniform was already out and her head girl badge pinned on it. She smiled and rubbed her hand over the badge. With a wave of her hand her body and hair was dry.

"Allie!" Hermione called the elf while tying the scarlet and gold tie. "Yes misses?" the elf asked bowing.

"Where is my Uncle Severus?" Hermione asked, having finished the tie she went onto putting on her stockings.

"He has already left for Hogwarts to help Headmaster Dumbledore prepare the rooms for head boy and girl, and Mister Draco Malfoy."

"Oh. Okay, thank you. When everyone arrives will you send them to the back patio, that's where I want breakfast to be served. Also I will be in the study so please send for me." I smiled thankfully to the elf

"Of course Misses Verona." the elf bowed deeply and popped out.

--

Ron, Harry, Hermione, Ginny, and Draco all sat on the back patio overlooking the flowers and lake while eating their breakfast.

"You know Mione, you are lucky to have such great elf cooks." Ron said and proceeded to stuff his face so he resembled a chipmunk or squirrel that was carrying food for storage for a bad and long winter.

Hermione stared at him mesmerized that he could fit that much in his mouth at once. Finally Hermione responded, "Uh, yeah I'm happy as well." she then took a bite of her bacon.

The five students enjoyed the meal and for once Draco wasn't a arrogant arse and was respectable.

Allie popped in and bowed to her Mistress and Master. "Misses and Misters, it's 10:30 am and the train leaves at 11 exactly. It's time you apprated to the station." the elf then bowed deeply again and popped away.

"Come on guys lets head to our final year of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry." Harry said standing, then smirked, "Well, except for Ginny who has another year left."

"Oh hush, Harry Potter, we all know if it wasn't for a certain person named Hermione Verona then you and Ronald would still be trying to pass your third year exams." Ginny replied a smile on her face.

--

Lord Voldemort sat in his chair in the library of the Cobalt Manor. The Cobalt's were faithful followers in America who bought the manor for their lord. "Benjamin!" he yelled, and in a matter of seconds a boy entered around the age of 16, he was tall and skinny, his golden blonde hair was cut short and slightly spiked, and his dark blue eyes held no emotion.

"Yes my lord?" he asked and kissed the hems of his masters robes.

"Have you made the potion yet?" Voldemort asked his voice low and sounding bored.

The boy stayed kneeled down at Voldemort's feet. Where he belonged, below his master. "Yes, my lord. It's finished and I'm letting it simmer for the 72 hours as the potion requires."

Voldemort looked surprised. "Rise." the boy did just that but kept his eyes to the ground. "Have you done the research on the bonding as I asked?" this time his voice held a hint of a different emotion.

The boy never hesitated. "Yes, my lord. I've done all the research available in the American libraries, and European libraries. My father informed me of a few volumes available at a Magical institute in Africa. I'm awaiting those volumes and my research will be complete." the boy stopped.

Voldemort was impressed. "Very good Benjamin. I'm proud of you, and you are proving to be better than that worthless potions master Severus Snape. Prove yourself to me by getting those volumes and I shall remove Severus from my inner circle and replace him with you." he then paused, as if pondering something.

"There is a muggle girl in the basement, I was going to save her for tonight's summoning but since you've proven yourself. I'll allow you to have your fun with her first. Dismissed."

The boy bowed and left the room heading to the basement to have his fun with the muggle bitch.