"A person's true colors will always show within time. You may be fooled for the moment, but be patient and see what happens" -Anonymus
Hermione Granger had too options, either she could spend Christmas with the Weasleys at the Burrow or she could spend Christmas with the Malfoys and a good majority of the Death Eaters. Both options, Hermione had decided, were not good options. Harry and Ron hadn't left her side since the kiss, an act that Hermione knew would not cease if she went to the Burrow. Draco and she hadn't really been on the best of terms since Slughorn's Christmas Party, however, she would take awkward tension over incessant attention. That was how Hermione had found herself standing outside Platform 9 ¾ with the Malfoys. Narcissa immediately began fretting over Hermione's appearance, which was disheveled, as she hadn't put much effort into that day, Lucius was scolding Draco, but the four wizards looked like one happy family. Lucius's arm was wrapped around his wife's waist. Any muggle walking by would think just that, which made Hermione feel weird. If any wizard saw the three Malfoys and Hermione standing together looking like a family, the entire world would implode.
The weirdest part to Hermione was how it seemed right that the four of them fit this way. Hermione, if you ignored the impure blood, was the daughter they never had. Hermione paused for a moment and thought about a time when this could actually be true. A day when Hermione Granger could be Hermione Malfoy. Of course, as soon as the thoughts entered her head, a young man was grabbing her arm and pulling her aside.
"I'll visit you often," Blaise muttered as he hugged Hermione tightly. Hermione smiled at Blaise, as she tried not to feel guilty for the thoughts she was just having about a blonde boy meters away from the couple at the moment.
"I'll be fine Blaise," Hermione chuckled as Blaise seemed hesitant to let go of her.
"I know, I can't help but worry," Blaise responded and then let her go. "Write to me, don't the Malfoys kill you."
Hermione chuckled and turned to walk back the Malfoys. Narcissa grabbed Hermione's arm, while Lucius grabbed Draco's and the four apparated to the Manor. Lucius, upon arriving at the Manor, dropped all his appearances and stomped off. Narcissa frowned at her husband's behavior before turning and smiling sweetly at the teenagers in front of her. Hermione was glad to be away from Harry and Ron for a few weeks. However, she still strongly disliked Malfoy Manor. Lucius clearly didn't want the family to take her in and thought Narcissa was being very nice to her, she couldn't help but feel that she truly didn't belong. Draco wasn't talking to her. Hermione was the only muggleborn in a pureblood infested lion's den, in which the favorite cuisine was mudblood.
"The Dark Lord will be having dinner with us. Hermione, I will help you get ready later tonight. Sprinkles will be there to get you started shortly," Narcissa spoke pleasantly before her sweet smile fell into something a bit sadder. She walked up and ran her hand over Draco's hair and kissed his cheek before walking off quickly and leaving Draco and Hermione alone.
"Will I be staying in the same place?" Hermione spoke, breaking the awkward tension. They had both determined that it would be better if the Dark Lord never figured out anything about their personal lives. Draco and Hermione were just business partners and that's it. Hermione didn't hold any regard for Draco's personal life and Draco didn't find anything remotely likable in Hermione.
Draco nodded. "I'll take you."
Hermione and Draco walked together through the dark hallways of the manor, past the sneering faces of the Malfoy ancestors that looked disgusted that any Malfoy would be showing a mudblood the slightest bit of decency.
"Thank you," Hermione said quietly once Draco had led her to her room.
Draco sighed and raked his hand through his hair. "Why are you dating Blaise?"
Hermione was taken back by the abruptness of the question. "Excuse me?"
"Why are you dating Blaise? Do you even have time for that?"
Hermione pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Why do you care who I date? Blaise is sweet. And aren't you dating Pansy?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "I would never date Pansy. We're just enjoying each other's company."
Hermione gagged. "Are you sure you have time for that?"
"What pansy and I have is no strings attached no commitment. Dating takes work!" Draco shouted back, insulted by Hermione's reaction.
"I'm sorry that I'm more capable of juggling more things than you are!" Hermione retorted.
Draco snorted. "Right, well at least I'm a pureblood and doesn't have to sleep with a Slytherin to prove my worth."
Hermione stared at Draco. This was the first time he had ever insulted her based on her blood. They had formed a truce all those months ago. "Excuse me, but I would like to get some rest before dinner tonight." Hermione turned and walked into the room slamming the door as she tried not to cry.
"Hermione, Wait. I didn't mean." Hermione cast a silencing charm on her door, as she collapsed against the door and cried. She didn't want to feel so effected by Draco's words, but he had been the only person for the past months that was a rock to her. He knew exactly how she felt, he understood exactly what she felt, and yet even he seemed to think less of her because of her blood.
It wasn't until much later, after Sprinkles had come to prepare Hermione for Narcissa's beauty treatment, that Hermione had cried herself to sleep. Her head pounded, and her eyes were irritated and red.
"Miss, Mistress will be very upset to see you so unhappy." Sprinkles told the young girl as she walked over and touched her face. The dark circles and red, puffy eyes cleared off Hermione's face. Hermione smiled appreciatively.
"I'm fine Sprinkles. Thank you," Hermione stated as Sprinkles gestured to the bathroom. Hermione, having learned over the summer how much Sprinkles didn't like to be disobeyed, sighed loudly but stood up and made her way to the large bathtub. Sprinkles immediately began filling the tub and gestured for Hermione to get in so that she can get clean. Sprinkles took it as her liberty to clean Hermione, wash Hermione's hair, wash Hermione's face, and cut and repaint Hermione's nails. Once Sprinkles was done Hermione was given a silk robe and told to wait for Narcissa to come and finish the job.
Narcissa walked in moments later with a small smile on her face. "Now, let's make you look like a true Slytherin princess." Narcissa walked over and demanded that Hermione sit at the vanity as she began to mutter enchantments to calm Hermione's hair. "I saw Draco moping around the gardens alone earlier. Did something happen between you too? He always seemed to never be able to stop talking about you in the few letters we got from him."
"He believes that he had some claim on me that he doesn't," Hermione spat.
Narcissa laughed. "Yes, Lucius was like that too. Malfoys are very good at believing they are entitled to what they want, but they don't really like expressing that they want the girl."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's fooling around with Pansy Parkinson, so I doubt that he wants me, besides I prefer men that actually make their opinions of me clear."
Narcissa began to work on styling Hermione's hair. "Oh, anyone in particular?"
"Blaise Zabini," Hermione retorted as she watched Narcissa do wonders in the mirror. Hermione had never seen her hair this calm before.
Narcissa laughed. "Ah yes, no wonder Draco is being possessive of you. Draco has often told me that Blaise is the embodiment of everything that he wished he was."
Narcissa finished on Hermione's hair and turned Hermione's chair so that her face was facing her so that she could work on makeup.
"I believe that Draco is under an extreme amount of stress. For Draco, this task determines whether or not his entire family gets shamed from the Death Eaters. Draco has a kind heart and I'm sure he's just worried about his father and me."
Hermione smiled softly at the new information. She liked the imagine Draco as a good person in a less than preferred situation as opposed to the womanizing playboy that he made people think he was. She also felt a tang of guilt, this task meant so much to Draco, but she was hardly putting in enough effort because of all her other tasks. Perhaps, that was why Draco blew up on her earlier about Blaise. Hermione was already holding on to her friendships, her secrets, her schoolwork, and now a mix of uncertain romantic feelings.
"And besides, don't worry about Pansy. She's just his safety blanket. Whenever he feels stressed he returns to her. He's just waiting for the right girl to take him away from his safety blanket and to give him something new." Narcissa smirked and walked over to Hermione's bed where she laid out two dress robes. "The black one is elegant, it would make a statement that the Dark Lord would be very happy with, a statement that you are ready to step into your new Dark Lady persona. The green is elegant enough to show how committed you are to the cause, but also sexy enough to make Draco fall all over you. Personally I would go with the green, I've learned from experience that the best way to win a Malfoy is to tease them until they crack."
Hermione blushed and pointed to the green one. Narcissa smiled brightly. "I wore this one when I seduced Lucius," Narcissa whispered in a way that reminded Hermione just how much of Slytherin Narcissa was. She then picked up the dress and moved to help Hermione put it on.
As Narcissa finished clasping the dress, she leaned over and whispered in Hermione's ear. "You know, I've always wanted a daughter, and you're much better than Pansy Parkinson."
Hermione was the last one to arrive in the Dining Room, as per Narcissa's instructions. Hermione felt her face heat up as everyone's eyes were on her as she walked in, however she kept a straight face, as Narcissa's teaching from the summer began to take place. Lucius's smirk proved Hermione's suspicions that he didn't like her were wrong. Voldemort's eyes lit up with glee and Draco stared at her in complete awestruck. For the first time in her life, Hermione felt like pureblood. She had blended in so well. She was Hermione Granger, Death Eater right now. Not Hermione Granger, Gryffindor best friend to Harry Potter. Hermione couldn't have been happier. For the first time, Hermione was realizing that perhaps a bad situation could turn out for good eventually.
"Ms. Granger, please come sit up here with me," Voldemort announced and gestured to the seat to the left of him. Voldemort sat at the head of the table with Lucius and Narcissa to his right and now Hermione, and Draco to his left.
"Thank you, my lord," Hermione spoke calmly and sat down next to him. The air was tense. It seemed that the Malfoys felt the awkwardness that came with allowing the Dark Lord into their home. However, their discomfort meant nothing if they could gain Voldemort's approval. Hermione was a bit surprised at the Dark Lord's appearance. He looked normal, not like the snake man that Hermione had always seen before. In fact, he was quite attractive. His hair was a deep brown, and his eyes were almost black, and they were piercing as if he could see into your very soul.
"Draco here was just beginning to tell me about the progress that you've made on your assignment," Voldemort spoke, splitting the tension like a knife.
"Ah, yes. We've decided to lead an attack on the castle through the inside. During the attack through the chaos, we will kill Dumbledore." Draco spoke, his voice shaking as the nervousness began to overwhelm him.
"And how are you planning to get the Death Eaters into the castle?" Voldemort asked the two sitting to his left.
"Draco found a Vanishing cabinet at Borgin and Burke's. It has a partner at Hogwarts. We've been repairing it all semester." Hermione responded.
Voldemort smiled and revealed his glee openly. "This is excellent. I'm glad that you've made so much progress. I will be very happy once that tyrant is finished off for good."
Hermione fake smiled. "Of course, my lord, we will be very happy too."
"Have you been getting my information packets?" Voldemort asked Hermione.
Hermione nodded. "Yes, they've been very helpful. Quite eye-opening."
"Excellent, perhaps after this meal. We can discuss what you've discovered in more detail." Voldemort suggested.
Hermione nodded. "I'd like that."
The rest of dinner continued without much a hitch. Voldemort asked about Hogwarts and Harry. However, to Hermione, the situation grew less uncomfortable as the dinner continued. It seemed that Voldemort was actually just a person and not evil overlord that has a huge group of followers that are typically hated by the entire world. Of course, that was Voldemort's plan, he was ensuring that Hermione didn't think of him as a terrible person who hated him for killing her parents. Hermione did hate him for killing her parents but she also knew the importance of being on Voldemort's good side.
"Hermione, Draco, how is your relationship?" Voldemort asked near the end of the meal.
Hermione choked, "Excuse me?"
"Is there any romance blooming there?"
Draco grew pale and his eyes grew wide. "No, my lord. Hermione and I are quite professional."
Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "Oh really. That's quite a shame, I was really hoping that you and Draco would end up together." This time it was Draco who choked on his tea.
/
"Ms. Granger, do you have any questions for me?" Voldemort asked later that evening once Hermione and he were alone in the Lucius Malfoy's office.
Hermione was tracing her hands along the back wall and staring at all the books that Lucius had, many of them were old and on topics that Hermione had never imagined before. "I have quite a few, but not just about Dumbledore."
Voldemort laughed and moved to sit on an elegant armchair near the fireplace. "I expected as much. It would be unfair to reveal Dumbledore as a tyrannical hypocrite and not allow to make your own decisions about me."
Hermione turned and looked at him. "Is this your real face?"
Voldemort seemed taken back by the bluntness of her first question, but he merely chuckled. "You are quite inquisitive. Yes, this is my real face. The other is just for show."
"Why are treating me so well? Just months ago, you murdered my parents and forced me to join your ranks, and now you're treating as if I'm a valued member of society," Hermione asked next, seeming satisfied with his response.
"You are a valuable asset Ms. Granger, but all great leaders know that if your assets are happy success follows. I am not so heavily involved in the blood supremacy stuff as many of my other followers. Besides, the more things I learn about you, the more time I spend with you, the more I realize that you are actually a brilliant witch. An intelligent girl with a great possibility." Voldemort explained. "Dumbledore doesn't want to use you to your full potential, and I know that you can do so many great things with your full potential."
Hermione looked up at the man with a questioning look on her face. "Why force me to join instead of persuading me like so many others?"
"You wouldn't join until you saw how treacherous Dumbledore was," Voldemort stated simply. "Hermione, you are valuable. You have risen to every challenge that I have placed before you and that was impressed me greatly."
Hermione smiled sweetly at the man's praise, however, her heart was beating fast. Voldemort was trying to convert her to his side, the side that hunted and killed muggleborns. While he was right in thinking that she hated Dumbledore, he seemed to forget that she hated him too.
"Thank you, my lord. I'm beginning to realize how much of an honor and how much of an opportunity it is being here. Thank you, my lord, for showing that to me."
A satisfied smile spread across Voldemort's face. "Welcome to the team, Ms. Granger."