Sup guys! Whew, things have been hectic around here! Firstly, I'm in Wales on holiday! Secondly, my bathroom broke just before we came out here! Those are my excuses for this late chapter and I hope they are adequate. Now, I am currently writing another story for Dramione, this one is light-hearted and fluffy, so if there is anything you want to see in it please let me know, I shall reveal now that it takes place in a hotel in Italy…

Thanks to reviewers, I am continuing the sneak-peak reward system so please review, and on with the story! I own nothing part from the plot so don't sue me!


That night as Hermione played chess Lucius, she meticulously wrote down every single move making sure to get everything correct. She noticed Lucius looking at her with an appraising eye and she inwardly smirked; for such a sly man he was blinded by his sexism. He didn't at all think that she could possibly be a spy.

That was fine for Hermione; it meant that once she got the passcode to the underground lab and worked out a more functional entrance, she could call in Harry and his team. A thought kept niggling her brain that she would then have to leave Draco, but she decided to cross that bridge when she came to it.

Lucius beat her again, but she was too excited to care. He had just handed her the key to the information that would ultimately lead to his downfall. Rushing upstairs, she carefully locked the sheet of paper alongside the previous one inside a draw and placed the key in an empty bottle of moisturiser. Jumping into bed, she willed herself to go to sleep.

The next morning she awoke at half past seven and promptly jumped onto her computer. Hurriedly discovering the password from the previous day, F6F8D3E4, she unlocked the draw and grabbed the first sheet of paper.

Scanning through it, her heart almost stopped when she saw those moves; the fourteenth move of both players. Opening the files full of Lucius' documents she went down to the fourteenth moves, A2C4D7E7, and typed them into the computer; holding her breath in anticipation. It worked.

Hermione blew out the breath in astonishment. Roughly thirty files of Lucius' secrets were now available for her to browse through.

She carefully checked that everything was working before plugging in a USB that would keep the files open and available regardless of password changes.

Sitting back in her chair triumphantly, Hermione looked over the various folders. All of them were very clear, like 'Manor Plans' and 'Chemicals', but one folder labelled '0000' confused Hermione.

Opening it up, she saw hundreds of documents from 0001 to 0758. Something sprang into her mind, the digits 0285. Gulping nervously in hopeful anticipation, Hermione scrolled down to the document 0285. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.

She could never have prepared herself for what she saw. One name glared out of the screen and burned itself into her mind, one name she hadn't thought about for many years.

One name, she suspected, would change everything.

Jean Granger; her Mother's name.

Gasping in astonishment she quickly glanced over the rest of the file. It was the normal things: age, sex, birthday; but the bit at the bottom confused Hermione. It said 'Condition: seventeen days unsuccessful.' Hermione had absolutely no idea what it meant.

Looking through the other files, she saw similar things, only the number of days was slowly increasing. When she reached number 0723, it changed completely. It simply said 'Condition: unbalanced.'

Hermione went back to the main file page to see if there was any more information she could glean. One file named 'Subject Log' caught her eye and she opened it. Inside were many more files on all the numbers. Opening the one on her Mother she nearly fell of off her chair in surprise. There was a grotesque picture at the top of the document that was like something out of a horror film; black oozing skin with bulging eyes and a shrunken nose stared out at her. The name printed underneath was, again, Jean Granger.

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth as she attempted to work out the feelings of sorrow, repulsion and anger. When she felt tears leaking out of her eyes; she decided to shut her emotions off completely and read the passage below her Mother's name.

'Subject number 0285 remained unresponsive for three days after the serum was injected, then on the fourth day the skin began to crack and ooze. Over the next ten days it was evident that the serum was unsuccessful at achieving its goal and on the seventeenth day the subject's life was terminated. The levels of Sodium Phosphate remain too high in the serum and Dr. Slughorn suggests adding a stabilising agent of some form to reduce swelling; but has yet to suggest what this chemical should be. Subject also appeared to have suffered before the experiment was run; this could have affected the outcome.'

This time Hermione could not stop the tears leaking from her eyes. Her Mother was dead, having been injected with some form of serum and tested on. Hermione had never had a close relationship with her Mother, mostly down to her Father's abusiveness, but the shock was still there. Her Mother could have been dead for months now and Hermione wouldn't have known about it. She briefly wondered what had become of her Father, but she realised she didn't care. He was probably the reason her mother had been put in that situation.

Wiping away the tears, Hermione hardened her heart and moved down to subject 0722, the last to be classified as unsuccessful. Opening the file, the picture that greeted her was decidedly more human than that of her Mother, but the skin was still cracked and the eyes still held a sort of dazed madness. The name under it was 'Daniel Chetwode,' a name she did not recognise.

'Subject number 0722 was only unresponsive for three minutes thirty-two seconds before he came back to consciousness. He showed positive signs of increased strength, senses and agility. After seventeen days it looked like we had finally succeeded, but the skin started to crack and ooze and ten days later the subject's life had to be terminated. According to Severus Snape it is the Sodium Phosphate that is to blame. However, this was suggested by Dr. Slughorn who swears it is necessary. An experiment shall be run without Sodium Phosphate and results shall be analysed.'

Hermione mentally catalogued the information and went to the next subject, the first 'unbalanced.'

'Subject number 0723 was given the serum without Sodium Phosphate and has to date no known cases of cracked skin or swelling. The subject still has heightened abilities due to the serum, but it has yet to be perfected. Tests will continue to run until success.'

Hermione took a deep breath and went onto the last file, 0758. The picture that greeted her was decidedly human, but man looked fiercer than a normal person. His expression was twisted into a triumphant smirk and Hermione could see the long, sharp teeth behind is lips. His irises held a yellow tinge to them and his hair was wild and out of control. The name below it said 'Fenrir Greyback.'

'Subject number 0758 is a success. He is three times as strong as an average human male; taller and with much more muscle mass. All senses have heightened significantly and the skin has hardened without cracking. Subject will make an ideal soldier and many more like him will be created. Dr. Slughorn admitted under the influence of the Veritaserum drug that he was intentionally suggesting the wrong ingredients to slow down progress of the experiment. He has been sentenced to torture under the Cruciatus drug and then death by the Avada Kedavra poison. Another scientist will be needed to take his place.'

Hermione ran a shaking hand through her hair. None of it made any sense. Dumbledore had said that the Slytherins had not yet completed the three Death Eater potions and that was why she was here to stop them.

Going back she opened a file named Death Eaters and was presented with three documents on each of the potions. Opening the Imperius file she was utterly speechless to see that the date of creation was well over ten years ago, before the Order of the Phoenix had even the slightest idea about it. It was the same for the other two, and Hermione's questions only amplified in number.

She browsed through the files and opened one called 'Operations.' Inside there were a number of documents and he opened one labelled 'Scientists.'

Inside there was a list of names of the scientists supposedly working on whatever they were doing in the lab. Only, there was a dash through 'Dr. Slughorn' and underneath it were 'possible replacements.' Her name was the only name there.

It all clicked. The operation to create the Death Eaters didn't exist, or hadn't for well over ten years, it was just a cover for the actual operation. An operation that apparently required soldiers with amplified abilities. And they wanted her to work for them in creating these soldiers. Suddenly, Lucius' notes on her made a whole lot more sense.

Felling dizzy, Hermione yanked a disposable phone out of the draw and dialled Ron. He picked up on the second ring.

"Oh hi, 'Mione, what can I do for-"

"Not now Ron! Get me Dumbledore as fast as you can!" Hermione yelled into the phone.

"Jeez, Hermione, calm down! I'll link you to him now. Is everything alright?"

Ron's concerned voice only fuelled Hermione's anger and she began nervously tapping her feet on the floor, "Yes, Ronald, just get me Dumbledore!"

Two minutes later and the gentle voice of Dumbledore assaulted her ears, "Good morning my dear? I trust the mission is going well?"

"There is no mission! I just hacked onto Lucius' laptop and discovered that the three Death Eaters had been invented over a decade ago! It was just a cover, you see…"

Hermione told him everything she had discovered, all the files and all the information regarding the human test subjects. She told him about her suspicions of the greater plot and about how they wanted her to work for them. Dumbledore listened to it all in silence.

"…and so you see, the lab doesn't contain the Death Eaters, it contains human beings! Humans who have been tested on!" Hermione finished before taking a great gulp of air.

"Well Hermione," Dumbledore said gravely, "if what you are saying is true, then we need to get you out of the vicinity as soon as possible. This information is going to have to be dealt with very delicately, I'm afraid just destroying the lab will not help at all. I think that this is the endgame, my dear, and I think that it is approaching fast. How soon can you be out of there without raising too much suspicion?"

Hermione was about to answer, but suddenly she thought of Draco, of leaving him alone in the evil that resided in this house, and she found that she could not do it. "Actually, sir, I was thinking that maybe I could join them, and then we would have somebody on the inside. If you are right and the endgame is approaching, then the enemy seem mightily prepared for the oncoming war. We are going to need every advantage we can get out hands on."

"Hermione, no. It is simply too dangerous! Surely I don't need to remind you what goes on in there; you would be putting yourself in danger of getting killed. I cannot allow someone so talented to get hurt like that. Come back where it's safe."

Hermione grit her teeth and clenched her fists furiously, "With all due respect, sir, if you put all of you most talented agents out of harm's way then they cannot actually do anything and the chances of us winning this war become all the slimmer. It would take months to integrate a spy back into the Slytherins, time that we might not have. My safety is not more important than the safety of millions. Let me do this."

Dumbledore sighed deeply and when he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. "So much courage for one so young, Miss Granger. This is your choice and if you truly wish to help the cause, who am I to stop you?"

Hermione laughed in relief, "Thank you so much sir, I won't let you down!"

"I am sure you won't, Miss Granger. Just know this though; your chances of survival are equal to your chances of getting killed and I cannot guarantee your safety. You will be mostly on you own."

Hermione nodded grimly, even though Dumbledore couldn't see her, "Yes sir, I understand. Where should I start?"

"Lucius is very close to Tom Riddle, the leader of the Slytherins, so he would probably be a good place to start. I understand he already has a level of respect for you so it shouldn't be too difficult. My advice is spend a bit more time with him; show an interest in his work and ask if there is anything you could do to help. Tell him that you have an interest in working for Malfoy Industries full-time and hint at a love for research and science. Hopefully soon he will offer you the job. However, he will be looking for any soft-heartedness when you actually enter the room so just block your emotions and treat it like dissecting a frog at school."

Hermione grimaced but agreed nevertheless. A few more words were exchanged and Dumbledore wished her good luck before hanging up. Hermione threw the phone into the draw and collapsed down on her bed. Today was going to be a long day.


Going down to breakfast Hermione was in a very bad mood. The news of her mother's death coupled with the news of an oncoming war did not exactly sit well within her.

Storming into the kitchen, she plonked herself down on a stool and glared moodily at a nearby tap. Mrs Dobbs sidled up to her nervously, twiddling her thumbs.

"Is there anything I can get you, Madam?" she asked fretfully.

Looking up at Mrs Dobb's kind yet slightly fearful face Hermione felt her own face melt into a smile. "Please, call me Hermione. No thank you, I'm not actually all that hungry. Just had a bad night's sleep is all."

Mrs Dobbs nodded in understanding and patted Hermione on the shoulder, "Regardless of your hunger levels, hot chocolate is the best cure for a bad night's sleep! Hold on and I'll whip it up for you!"

Hermione smiled gratefully at the old woman and was reminded of Molly Weasley. The two shared a warm, motherly feeling and a desire to make everybody else feel at home. Mrs Weasley was decidedly louder and a bit bossier, though.

A few minutes later and Mrs Dobbs presented Hermione with a steaming mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and marshmallows.

"Thank you so much! You're very kind," said Hermione.

Mrs Dobbs smiled and blushed looking down at the floor. "It's nothing, Mi- Hermione. I'm glad to be of help to you."

Hermione was just about to answer when suddenly Mrs Dobbs squeaked in surprise and scuttled away. Hermione was not surprised to hear the rhythmic tapping of a walking cane coupled with the determined stride of leather boots.

"You know, you shouldn't be so mean to the staff. If you weren't they might make you hot chocolate in the mornings!"

Lucius chuckled and sat down next to Hermione, "Trust me my dear; if I wanted hot chocolate then I would get hot chocolate. However I am not here to pursue a childish drink as you can probably imagine."

"Why are you here then, to scare the cook?" Hermione muttered under her breath. She couldn't get the horrific images out of her head and she knew that he had something to do with them.

Lucius frowned, "I shall overlook you sharp tongue just this once, Hermione. I am actually here to inform you that we shall be having a formal dinner tonight due to a guest at the Manor. A Mr Severus Snape."

Hermione's head snapped up at the name, he was one of the scientists who worked in the lab.

"I expect you to dress nicely and be in the dining room at seven sharp," Lucius continued, not noticing anything, "just a word of advice; Severus is an extremely cynical man so don't take any insults to heart. He also happens to be a bookworm so you two should get on like a house on fire."

Hermione rolled her eyes and got up, "Is there anything else you would like, Lucius?"

"Yes, actually. Now that you mention it, Draco and I am taking some of the dogs on a walk around the woods in half an hour and I wonder if you would like to join us. We shall be on horseback, of course."

Hermione smiled and nodded, she could use some physical activity to help clear her head and it would be a perfect opportunity to ask Lucius about his job and lay some ground work.

"Well then, I shall see you in half an hour in the stables, Miss Rivers." Lucius got up and strode out of the room in his usual arrogant manner.

Mrs Dobbs sidled up beside Hermione and picked up the empty cup, "You know; you might be one of the only people alive who would dare insult Mr Malfoy to his face."

Hermione chuckled and shook her head, leaving the kitchen to get ready for the horse-ride.


Promptly twenty-five minutes later, Hermione skipped into the stables and was overcome by three large, happy dogs. Giggling, she fell to the floor as they scrambled all over her, licking her face and pawing her arms. Shoving them off of her, she stood up and patted them all on the head. She was that it was Hercules, Perseus and Athena.

"Well look what the dogs dragged in!" somebody said.

Hermione turned to see a chuckling Draco and she scowled good-naturedly at him. "I'll have you know, Mister Malfoy; that these dogs are more like wolves and I feel like I should be calling them White Fang!"

Draco grinned at her and enveloped her in a hug. They heard footsteps approaching them and it was almost comic how quickly they leapt away from each other feigning innocence.

As Lucius rounded the corner he caught of them and smirked, "Please, you may be able to hide it from Blaise but I am hardly fooled."

Draco coughed nervously and Hermione tapped her foot against the ground awkwardly.

Lucius rolled his eyes, "If I was not okay with it, I would have put a stop to it by now." He proclaimed as he strode over to a massive chestnut mare.

Hermione glanced over at Draco and giggled at the blatant relief in his eyes, "What about you and Pansy?" she whispered to him, "I thought it was him who initiated that."

"I know, it's weird. He's only ever been okay with me mingling with daughters of his friends; I guess he must just really like you or something."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip, "How much does he pay your servants?"

Draco shrugged, "I don't know, like five hundred a month?"

"Huh, because my pay check is two thousand and he told me that that was how much he payed his other servants."

Draco shrugged and walked over to his horse, "Must just be a confusion or something."

"Or something," Hermione echoed as she chewed her lip in thought. Lucius did act strangely towards her, he was adamant about no boys, he gave her vast amounts of money and he was very lenient with her where he wasn't with others. She would have to keep an eye on that.

She walked over to where Koko was tied to a post. She untied her and checked all the straps were in place just as Draco had taught her, before mounting. She saw Draco had already mounted Vlad and Lucius had mounted his horse as well.

With an arm wave from Lucius, they all trotted out of the gate with the dogs running in-between the horses.

The journey through the fields was lovely, the sun was shining and the birds were singing and it improved Hermione's mood drastically. By the time they reached the entrance to the woods, she felt ready to start talking to Lucius.

"What's your horse called, Lucius?"

Lucius smirked and patted the mare's neck, "This is Aphrodite. A beautiful, fierce horse."

"I call her Afro for short," Draco sniggered.

"Take the dogs and do some cantering with them, you brat!" Lucius chuckled. Hermione was amazed at how his whole demeanour changed when he was around animals. She found it touching, if slightly ironic, that he had named his horse after the Goddess of Love.

Draco whistled to the dogs and kicked Vlad into a canter, disappearing beyond the tree line.

"So Hermione, how do you like Koko?" Lucius asked.

"She's absolutely lovely, if a little bit feisty at times." Hermione said, "Is breeding horses a habit of yours, along with dog-breeding?"

"I don't tend to breed horses. You could say that I am a collector of them. Every year I go to the finest Foal auction in the country and I buy the best one there. Sometimes I buy more than one, if two take my fancy."

Hermione smiled, "I seem to know a lot about your hobbies, but not a lot about your actual job. What is it exactly that you do?"

Lucius thought for a moment, "I am the Director of Malfoy Industries, which for the most part means lots of paperwork," he chuckled, "but Malfoy Industries does three main things. The first is creating new medicines and producing and improving old ones, the second is insuring hospitals and pharmacies and the third is international trade of rare ingredients that are required in the medicines we produce."

"Wow, so when you say you have a lot of power and influence over the country-"

"It basically means that without me the country loses a lot of valuable medicines and many hospitals are left without protection from being sued. The job does take up quite a lot of my time as you can imagine. I wonder; what career do you have an interest in pursuing after University?"

Hermione inwardly smirked; he had given her the perfect opportunity. "Well, I have been told many a time that I would be excellent in the government or in an office, but that idea doesn't really appeal to me. I would quite like to do something that involves research and experiment and helps a cause."

"How interesting. You know, there are always positions open in Malfoy Industries for researchers and developers of medicine. Would you consider a job there?"

Hermione smiled at him, "Thank you so much for the offer, but to be honest, medicine is contained. It is limited by the law and it means we can never achieve what we are fully capable of. For instance, imagine if there was some sort of drug that could heighten somebody's natural abilities. That means that the chance of them being in an accident would be considerably less and they would be able to contribute so much more to society."

Lucius had an unreadable expression on his face, but Hermione knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Interesting, very interesting. I wonder, Miss Rivers, would you be willing to break the law and go against human morals in order to create such a drug?"

Hermione smiled at him again, "If only the opportunity presented itself, Mr Malfoy."


There you have it! Is that enough drama to keep you all going? In regards to Lucius' weird behaviour, all questions shall be answered in future chapters. It's gonna be good, guys! I can tell you here and now though that this is a Draco/Hermione fic, not a Lucius/Hermione one. I do quite like Lucius/Hermione but in this fic his weird behaviour towards her is for a completely different reason, there is no romance there; trust me. Just thought I'd clear that up unless there was any confusion. Anyways, please review for a sneak-peak and I hope you enjoyed! And Cherryberry, you can't hide from me forever, Mwahahahaha!;)