A/N: Hey guys! So a new chapter, and soon after the last one too! Yippee! Sorry for the shortness of the last one, yeah I didn't realize it was so short! My bad! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one, I had a blast writing it! And I've already started on the next one too :-D

Chapter Ten

Hermione stood in front of the mirror in Draco's room. So many emotions were stirring in her right now, that if she gave heed to them, she was sure she'd go crazy. Excitement, nervousness…fear, even, were definitely at the top of the list.

Hermione brought her attention back to her reflection. She was wearing the black hooded robe of a Death Eater. You couldn't see anything else of her, except where her hands trailed out of the robes and kept fisting up.

She sighed. There was only half an hour to go, but to Hermione, it seemed like forever.

She turned away from the mirror, only to come face to face with Draco, who was smirking. "You know, black really is your colour. You should wear it more often." He walked closer to her.

Hermione scrunched up her face at him. "If I didn't know any better Malfoy, I'd say you were flirting with me."

Draco got a shocked expression on his face, and put his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. "And what, exactly, would give you that impression?" He whispered in her ear.

Hermione shivered when she felt his hot breath against her. She turned her face to him to answer, only to find his lips pressed firmly against her. Suddenly, another set of emotions were going through Hermione.

Draco put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her more firmly. His other hand was sliding down her body until he reached her breasts and started rubbing one. She gasped into his mouth and pushed up against him, feeling his erection against her. Her hands, which had been wrapped around his neck, made their way down his chest, stopping right above his pants.

A heavy knocking at the door made them jump apart, breathing heavily and starting at each other. Draco walked quickly to the door and opened it to find another Death Eater there. "It's time." He said, and left.

Hermione followed Draco down the hall silently. She slid her hand inside of his, as if for reassurance. Draco glanced down at her in surprise, but held her hand firmly after squeezing it.

They reached the double doors that led to the room that Hermione had been tortured in so long ago. Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm ready." She stated simply.

"You'll be fine. Just don't faint or anything out there." Draco joked, and winked at her before proceeding into the room.

Once again, Death Eaters filled the room and stared as she passed by. She went onto the stage while Draco stood near it, watching. The squeak of the door signaled to Hermione that the door to her right was opening once again, but this time, for a different reason.

Hermione saw all the Death Eaters bow, and go on the floor also. She heard footsteps slowly making their way to her, but she dared not lift her head.

"Rise to your feet Miss Granger." Said a voice above her.

Hermione slowly rose and looked at Lord Voldemort. Still as scary as ever, but even more so because she knew what was to come.

Voldemort stared at her with his crimson red eyes. "Hermione Granger, you are here to get the mark of a Death Eater, the Dark Mark. Are you still loyal to us?" He asked.

"Y-yes." Hermione stammered.

"Will you stay loyal until the end, and never betray us?"

"Yes." Hermione answered, feeling more confident.

"You know that any betrayal will be punished by death?"

"Yes."

"Then hold out your left arm, so I may make you one of us."

Hermione did as he said, and pushed back her sleeve. Voldemort put the tip of his wand to the inside of her forearm and muttered a spell under his breath.

Pain. That was the only way to describe it. Glorious amounts of pain that made Hermione's head spin. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on something else, but it wasn't working. White hot flashes passed through Hermione's body, and she could feel a blackness start to take over her. She welcomed it, not caring about losing face in front of the other Death Eaters. And then, just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Hermione let out her breath and tasted blood on her lips. She had bitten it to keep from crying out.

Her arm was throbbing from the top of her shoulder to the tips of her fingers. Curiously enough, the area of and surrounding the Dark Mark was numb. Hermione stared at it, enthralled.

"I believe this is yours now." Voldemort said from behind her.

Hermione turned around and saw that he was holding a mask in his hand. She took it and put it on. She turned towards the Death Eaters as they cheered. She saw Draco grinning at her as he clapped and she couldn't help but to grin back.

Voldemort held up his hands for silence. "Now that Miss Granger has pledged herself to us, she must prove it! Bring out the prisoner!"

Hermione looked to her right and saw a Muggle prisoner being dragged across the stage.

"Now, Hermione, all you have to do is a simple Unforgivable Curse. Choose any one you want, or all three, it's up to you."

Hermione faced the prisoner, who pleaded and begged her not to do this. Hermione closed her eyes and blocked it out. "Cruciatus. I'll do the Cruciatus." She thought. Hermione pointed her wand and opened her eyes. She summoned all of her negative and hateful feelings and yelled "Crucio!" at the top of her lungs.

The prisoner dropped to the ground, kicking and screaming. Hermione held it for a few more minutes and then lowered her wand, exhausted.

"Well done Miss Granger, well done." Voldemort said. "Tonight we celebrate. We have been focusing our attention on small Muggle neighborhoods, but tonight…we will raid the outskirts of London. Prepare to leave tonight!"

With that, the room emptied until the only ones left were Hermione and Draco. She stepped off the stage, using his hand for support.

"You did great. A lot better than others I've seen." Draco remarked.

"Thanks." She said, as they walked out of the room.

Hermione spent the rest of the day in her room trying not to get nervous about the raid. Finally the time came. All of the Death Eaters gathered in the large stone room once again and apparated to the meeting point in the suburbs of London. Once there, they spread out to different homes.

Hermione stuck with Draco, not quite sure what to do. He glanced down and smirked at her. "Not nervous are you?" He said.

"Nervous? Of course I'm nervous!" Hermione exclaimed, smacking him on the arm.

Before long, the air was filled with the screams of Muggles being tortured. People were running everywhere with Death Eaters behind them, shouting curses at them.

Draco and Hermione stood in the street watching. "Come on. Over here." He said, taking her by the arm and leading her towards the sidewalk.

Hermione saw movement out of the corner of her eye and pivoted, raising her wand. "Stupefy!" She shouted. Walking over, she saw it was a teenage Muggle boy with brown hair and blue eyes. But to Hermione all she could see was Harry. Her eyes filled with tears as she raised her wand at him, not caring about the scared look on his face. "I hate you." She whispered. "Why couldn't you just accept me? Why…?"

Draco looked on. "You can do this Granger. Just feel it and say the words."

Hermione nodded. "Avada Kedavra!" She yelled. She stumbled back a few feet, and took off her mask to wipe her eyes where a few tears had fallen.

Hermione looked around at the scene of chaos around her. Everywhere Muggles were being killed or tortured. A few were magically bound and would be taken back as prisoners.

She followed Draco, and the two of them continued to curse or hex anyone they saw.

And then out of nowhere, the distinctive pop! of apparating was heard all around as Aurors and a few brave reporters showed up.

Hermione looked around in fear. "Malfoy what do we do?"

Draco grabbed her hand and started running. "Just follow me!" He yelled back.

Hermione saw bright flashes and looked around wondering what they were. "Cameras…" She thought. Her eyes went wide and she started running faster, but not before one camera caught her and her scared expression.

Hermione stumbled, little white lights floating around in her line of vision.

Draco pulled her closer and did a side-along apparition back to where their lair was. They went to the large stone gathering room where other Death Eaters were starting to appear. Their loss wasn't so bad, only four were gone.

Voldemort came out onto the stage. "Well done. You may go back to your rooms and rest for the remainder of the night." With that, everyone left going to their separate rooms. Outside of Hermione's room, Draco pulled her into a hug and gave her a gentle kiss before heading to his room. Hermione smiled to herself before retiring into her own room for the night.

Elsewhere, Harry Potter was having a dream. Death Eaters, Aurors, Muggles, all running around and yelling. And then he saw her. Her wand raised at a boy, as if to curse him, but he could see tears on her face. And then a blonde haired boy leaned over and whispered to her and then - Harry couldn't believe it - she killed him. More Death Eaters and Aurors. And he saw her again. Looking scared, running after the blonde boy who had a hold of her arm.

Harry awoke with a start, his scar was burning. He knew, somehow, that dream had been real. And Hermione…she was alive. This more than anything, gave him hope that things would turn out all right. With his hand pressed firmly against his forehead, Harry lay back down to sleep.