------------

Title: Heiress of the Dark Lord

Author: CJ Wellington

Rating: -M-

Genre: Romance/Drama/Tragedy

Summary: Ever since she was little, Hermione had known she was adopted. Her parents had told her early on that she wasn't their biological daughter, but they never treated her any different then if she was. But when a terrible accident leaves Hermione's parents dead, Hermione learns who her biological father is and it's the person that she least expected it to be.

Now known to the world as the Dark Lord's Daughter, Hermione is forced to choose between the two things she loves most: Her father or her friends. And when her friends turn their back on her, Hermione's tears a dried by the boy who has disgraced her for seven years.

------------

Chapter Eleven: Breaking ties

A month had passed since school began. The Head's dorms stood in silence. Hermione sat in one of the plush chairs reading while she listened to Draco bustle around his room loudly. They hadn't spoken a word to one another in weeks. Ever since Draco slammed the door in her face Hermione was determined to not give in. In all honesty Hermione didn't speak to anyone really. She shared a few choice words with Ron and Harry every now and then but even those words were almost non existent. Instead she filled her time with reading about Dark Arts and practicing in her wandless magic in one of the empty classrooms down in the dungeons. As each day passed her anger grew towards everyone around her.

It wasn't until that weekend morning that Hermione was pushed over the edge. Draco came walking out of his room so fast that he ran into Hermione as she was leaving the common room. "Watch it Malfoy" Hermione snapped, picking her book up off the ground. Draco, like always, ignored her and walked towards the portrait, "STOP" Hermione held her hand out. Draco froze in his position like he had walked into a brick wall. When Hermione reached where he was standing she released him from her spell and stepped in front of his gaze.

"How did you—"Draco was surprised.

"Wandless magic" Hermione replied waving him off, "That's not what I want to talk to you about Malfoy"

"Look, I really don't have time I have to go" Draco tried to move around Hermione but she stepped into his way every time, it was like she could anticipate his every move.

"You are not going anywhere until you tell me why you are ignoring me. I mean, after the ball I thought that maybe…"Hermione trialed off.

"It was all an act Riddle" Draco said harshly, "You mean nothing to me"

Hermione stood there in shock. She wasn't expecting that answer.

Draco stood there staring at her; he knew the pain he was causing her by saying those words. In truth he had thought those same thoughts after they had danced together at the ball. Ever night he played that memory in his mind, how beautiful she looked that night, how she felt in his arms, even how sweet she smelled was still fresh in his mind. He remembered being on the ground helpless as Hermione was dragged out of the room by Harry and Ron. How she looked scared as she yelled his name out.

After the attack Draco had been summoned to Lord Voldemort's bed chambers. When he arrived he found the Dark Lord sitting in a dark corner of his room, "What were your orders tonight Draco" Lord Voldemort inquired, his voice was calm…it had scared Draco.

"To keep your daughter safe" Draco responded.

"To keep my daughter safe" Lord Voldemort mimicked, "And just where his she?" Draco watched Lord Voldemort emerge from the shadows and walked up to him.

"With…with the Order" Draco hung his head.

"That's right" Lord Voldemort's voice was rising. "You had one order and that was to keep my daughter safe and you failed!"

Draco was caught off guard as Lord Voldemort's hand connected with his cheek.

"Because of your failure you are forbidden to speak to Hermione. I know that you have developed feelings for her and you must erase them from your mind. Your future has already been decided for you, at the ceremony in December you and Ms. Parkinson will announce your engagement. You are not to allow her to believe that there is any possible chance for the two of you. Is that clear!" Lord Voldemort's voice echoed through the room and down the hall, "If I get any word of you disobeying these orders you will be denied entrance into the Elite Circle"

"As you wish" Draco whispered and then he removed himself from the room. Since that conversation he had done his best to try and separate himself from Hermione but each day it was a struggle.

Back to the present he could help but stare at Hermione as she stood there in shock at his words. Of all the things he could have said, telling her that she was nothing to him was the worse thing.

He watched tears fill up her dark eyes and all he wanted to do was tell her he was sorry, that he cared for her but he couldn't go against the Dark Lord's wishes. He had to leave the room before all his barriers broke down so he quickly stepped around her and exited the room.

Two weeks later Hermione found herself sitting alone in the common room. If there had been silence before in the Head's Dorm it was nothing compared to how it was now. Draco had been spending the night down in the Slytherin dorms the past couple of nights leaving Hermione alone in the giant dorm room. Looking around the room Hermione felt small. There were two grand bookshelves that sat on either side of the stone fire place. Two plush chairs were adjacent from the couch and a black iron coffee table in which Hermione had her feet resting on. The ceiling was tall with wooden beams that met at a point in the middle, behind her to her right was the portrait to the hallway and on the other side were two doors that lead to her room and Draco's.

The colors were warm and relaxing with browns, reds, greens, and gold…a mix of Slytherin and Gryffindor colors. It amazed Hermione how well the colored mixed.

She hated being alone. In past summers she was always alone at her house while her parents were gone. It was just her and her books and the T.V wasting the summer away. She missed the chaos of being at the Manor and how everywhere she went there was someone, either it was a Death Eater or a house elf, there was always someone there. Now she felt even more alone while amongst the hundreds of student at attended Hogwarts.

---

"Draco I can only handle you for so much longer"

Blaise sat on his bed resting against his head board while Draco paced around the room. "I just can't stay there"

"Well you can't stay here either any longer…dude you get annoying after awhile, especially when you are pacing like that"

Draco stopped pacing and placed his hands in his pockets. "One more night"

"No" Blaise pointed his finger at Draco, "You are my best mate and I am sorry for this but you have to go back. I think you are taking Lord Voldemort's orders to an extreme. All he said was to make sure that Hermione thinks that nothing is going on between you two, not totally remove her from your life. Can't you see how this is affecting you?"

"I'm fine" Draco spoke defensively.

"Drac, you are not sleeping, you don't focus in class, and sorry mate but you look terrible" Blaise responded. Draco turned to look at his reflection; he was looking a little rough.

"Fine, I'll go back. I guess I could be a little nicer, but it's so hard Blaise"

"I know mate, I know. Now will you please leave…you are killing my social life if you get what I mean" Blaise smirked and dodge a pillow that Draco threw at him as he walked out of the dorm room.

It was a quarter past midnight when his feet finally led him to the Head's dorm. He took a deep breath, shoved his hands in his pockets, and braced himself as he stepped through the hole in the wall that led to the hearth room. The room was dimly lit and small pops and cracks from the fire instantly relaxed him. He loved the smell for burning wood, when he was little he and his mom would sit out on the back porch while a small fire burned in the circle of rocks. He would sit in her lap and she would hum while he drifted off to sleep to the sent of burning wood and smoke. Those were the few memories that Draco had before his father had begun his training.

As he walked farther into the room he found Hermione asleep on the couch, her hair was tousled and fell across her shoulders, and a book lay open on the floor next to her. She had obviously fallen asleep reading, Draco wasn't surprised. A smile peaked out from the corner of his mouth as he grabbed a blanket off the love seat in the corner. Opening it up he carefully placed it on top of Hermione and then placed the book on the coffee table that stood in the center of the furniture layout. "I'm sorry" He whispered, tucking a stray curl behind her ear, "I hope you will someday forgive me"

Draco was just about to enter his room when he heard Hermione's voice. "Where have you been?" He turned around to see Hermione holding her book to her chest staring at him. Her hair was flat on one side from the way she was sleeping on it and her clothes were wrinkled in places.

"I was in Blaise room"

"I know that, he told me. I didn't mean it that way" Hermione whispered, "You haven't said a word to me in a very long time" Draco watched tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, "I finally find a place where I am not an outcast and then I get ripped from it and everything that came with it. You won't speak to me, Pansy wont, let alone Ron or Harry. Blaise is the only one who will look at me"

"You never belonged with us Hermione. You will be loyal to Potter till the end, both of us know this. It was a failure to try and turn you against them. I can tell in your heart that it breaks you a little bit more with every glare they give you. They were you're best friends and they let you down. Go back to Hermione Granger…that's who you are in your heart" Draco's voice was barely above a whisper.

Hermione threw her book on the ground, "And what if I don't want to be Hermione Granger anymore!" Draco was startled by her burst of anger. "What if I want to be Hermione Riddle?"

Draco stood there in silence as she clenched her fists at her side in anger. "We aren't allowed to be your friends Hermione"

"What?" Hermione was caught off guard by his comment, "Who isn't?"

"Pansy, Blaise, and I…though Blaise isn't doing too good of a job. They are our orders, to make it appear to the outside world that they have nothing to fear"

"Well that's just stupid"

"We don't question the Dark Lord"

Hermione threw her hands up in the air and let out an exasperated sigh. "So you are just freezing me out? Because that isn't going to piss me off more!"

"Look I'm sorry but we can't be friends" Draco's voice strained. Hermione marched over to Draco and got so close that she could feel his breath on her face.

"Tell me again that what happened at the ball meant nothing" Her voice was low and serious.

"I can't" Draco tried to look away but Hermione placed her hand on his cheek and brought him back to her eye sight.

"Tell me that it was all a lie and that you felt nothing, only then can I forget about you"

"I…I can't"

"Tell me I am wrong and that you just used me to get to Harry. That I was just a tool to use against the Order and the Ministry, tell me you don't care about me"

Tears burned in Hermione's eyes and spilled over down her flushed cheeks. Draco's eyes locked with Hermione's as he brought his hand up to brush away her tears.

"I can't" He whispered and more tears fell from Hermione's dark eyes as he lowered his head to hers and kissed her.