I own no Harry Potter. The plot is mine. Nothing else.


Hermione was an idiot. She bit back a curse, and fought off the uncharacteristically strong urge to throttle the small children who had run off with her dignity. Ah, she could see it now – The Daily Prophet, screeching about how Harry Potter's best friend had gone off and shagged his petty school foe. She could see the headlines now - 'SCANDAL AT HOGWARTS – A HORNY PROBLEM'. Thank goodness Rita Skeeter wouldn't be writing the column. Still, this year, Mrs. Weasley probably wouldn't send her anything for Christmas. The whole school would paint her as a wanton harlot, and she'd be forced to run before they pinned that scarlet letter on her chest.

Hermione shook her bushy hair, clearing the frantic thoughts from her panicky head. There was no reason to suspect anyone would be really mad at her, after all. She hadn't even committed a crime! In her moment of insecurity, she caught herself reaching out for Draco's hand. She almost stopped herself, but he slipped his hand around hers before she could. "Don't worry," he breathed, "if they get angry, we can just hex them all."

Draco had been right. Sure, the Great Hall was hard, but they lived through it. There had been the usual mutters, and the pointing was almost unbearable, but it was only Hogwarts. The point was, whatever was happening between them was out in the open, for better or for worse. Still, Hermione didn't fancy snogging him in public. Yet.

Harry hadn't come over to talk to her. She'd seen Ron have a sort of fit, where he spluttered and spat until his freckles disappeared under a haze of redness. Harry simply looked worried, and a bit irritated. She pointedly ignored them all throughout breakfast, even when she wanted the kippers, and only he could pass them to her.

Later, she and Draco were talking, on the way to their singing class. She admired his attitude – he was cool, calm, and collected in the face of all the attention he was getting. Hermione, on the other hand, felt her face heat up and her teeth grit whenever someone looked at her the wrong way.

"Do you think we'll have an audience?"

Hermione laughed. "I doubt it – who would want to hear you sing? And besides, they're probably all jealous because we're having fun." She smiled, and walked ahead a little. If she had looked back, she would have seen the expression of tightly controlled apprehension on his face.

"Professor Finn, what are we doing today?"

The squat teacher grinned up at them, but her eyes looked a little glazed over. Hermione had seen that expression before, but from where? She shook the thought away, it was unimportant.

"Sing whatever you like, children." She smiled, her eyes closing. Then, suddenly, they shot open. "Just remember… There is a time limit to everything." She blinked, and then smiled once more. "Have fun!"

Hermione glanced at Draco. "Did that mean anything to you?" He shook his head, smiling a bit. "Of course not." But though his lips grinned, his eyes did not.

Hermione looked around. "What do you want to sing?" she said, still feeling a little awkward around Draco. Sure, she had slept with the guy – literally – but he was still an intimidating, arrogant presence. She shivered when his hand came down on her shoulder. "How about you sing something? I sang last time."

Hermione carefully climbed the steps to the stage, clutching her hands nervously. She'd had quite a few songs stuck in her head lately, but songs that had "bang, bang, shoot em up, yeah!" as part of the lyrics didn't seem like something she wanted to sing. She collected herself, took a deep breath, and sang.

"Loneliness
Is more than we'll ever feel
Blind as you are
Watching everything
When we die
Faith is lost...
Once again
Taking hold of all we are

[Chorus]
Who says we die?
Before we live
I promise you walls of grace
...to carry on
When we're lost
..We'll find a way

Loneliness
Or should we say something more?
Oceans arise
Washing over me
Cold company
Dark shades of harmony
Chasing the lies no one believes...

Who says we die?
Before we live
I promise you walls of grace
...to carry on
When we're lost

..We'll find a way"

Hermione trailed off, looking down at her palms. Why had she chosen a song about loneliness? She didn't miss her friends. Not one bit. She bit her lip, and shuffled her feet. Denial was never her strong suit.

"Very nice, Hermione." Draco met her eyes, and she was startled to see that he wasn't mocking her. He simply looked at her. It was an odd glance – she couldn't place it. Had she surprised him?

"Listen, I wanted to head down to Hogsmeade," Draco said, his smirk back in place. He completely ignored Professor Finn. "Do you want to come with me? Grab a butterbeer, or whatever you Gryffindors enjoy?"

Hermione opened her mouth to object, thinking of all the rules they'd be breaking. What if Professor McGonagall found out? Would she be expelled? But she snapped her jaw shut, and smiled. It was perfectly fine for the Head Girl to let loose once in a while, no? "Let's go," she said, hopping off the stage and steering him towards the door. "Hopefully Professor Finn won't notice."

Draco looked back at the half out-of-it professor, and said nothing, his expression unreadable. "Yes," he said softly, following her, "she won't mind."

Hermione was laughing too hard to walk properly. "And then… when you told her…" She doubled over, clutching her stomach. Draco watched her, smirking a little. "So I take it you liked going to Hogsmeade, Miss Granger?"

She straightened, and managed to compose herself. "It was quite educational, Mr. Malfoy." He nodded, and guided her through the halls and towards their shared rooms. Hermione leaned on him a little. At first he stiffened, but he soon relaxed. "Thank you, Draco," she said, yawning. "I needed to get out."

"So I can see," he said, stopping on the staircase to help her stand once more. He was about to keep going, but she stopped him. "Listen," she said slowly, "I think that what happened today – you know, what with the school thinking we're shagging the living daylights out of each other- well, it went alright." She smiled drowsily, reaching out for what she thought was his shoulder, but was actually the banister. "It was okay."

Draco grabbed her hand, and smirked. "Well, it's everyone's dream come true to be with me," he murmured softly. "You just happened to have it fulfilled for you."

Hermione looked up at him, her sleepiness evaporating into thin air. "You mean… us… we're… together?" she stuttered, managing to get it out. She cringed at the look Draco gave her.

"You could say so," he said, mentally adding 'you nitwit'.

"Oh," she said quietly. "Well, in that case…" She trailed off, and bit her lip.

"Listen…" she continued, squirming a little. "The other day, I found something – just something small, whatever. Anyway, the point is, I wanted you to have it." She forced the cuff links into his hands, closing them around the small trinkets. "They're nothing special, but I thought you might like them."

Draco looked at her. Hermione blushed. He was going to criticize her, again. What was it about him and ruining anything close to a special moment? He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him. "I don't want to hear that they're a stupid, Muggle-ish thing," she said, smiling a little. "Just take them, Draco."

"I was just going to thank you…" he said, lifting his head haughtily. "They're much better than your usual fashion.

Hermione laughed. "Yes, well, my father picked them out. Sorry they aren't green." She shoved her hands in her pockets, and walked away. For once, she felt rather pleased with herself.

Draco watched the bushy-haired witch walk away from him, fingering the small links she'd given him. A small frown creased his pale, otherwise perfect face. He reached for his wand, but before he could, a stabbing pain came from his left arm. He hissed, and rolled up his sleeve to inspect the throbbing Dark Mark. Damn her - he'd told her not to do that. He knew exactly what it meant, and cursed Bellatrix for cutting it so close. A few seconds earlier, and she would have ruined the plan.

His robes whipped around his legs as he stormed through the hallways, looking for the bloody office. Draco barged in without knocking, his gray eyes flashing with anger. "Bella, I told you to wait till later! The mudblood hadn't even left yet."

Professor Finn looked at him, blinking rapidly. "My dear boy, I am not sure who you think you are talk—." She stopped mid-sentence, and began to gag. Draco watched her coldly, taking a step back when she tried to reach for his robes. His instincts told him to help her, help her, but the Dark Lord had drilled that out of him long ago. A loud cackle echoed from behind the wall of Professor Finn's office. The wood shivered, as if in fear of the woman lying behind.

Bellatrix Lestrange slipped through the wall like the acrimonious, obedient serpent that she was. Draco had to steel himself from taking a step backwards. Too much wild energy – both Lestranges had issues in control. "Obliviate!" she cried. Professor Finn blinked, and stopped gagging. Draco frowned in distaste.

"Bella, I thought I told you to wait for me." There was no trace of warmth in his voice, not like when he'd been with Hermione. The cool drawl was back, and a hint of a sneer tugged at his lip.

"Silly, silly Draco," the Death Eater said in a sing-song voice. "Thinking that because the Master gives him tasks, he is important…." She trailed off, cackling again. Suddenly, her head snapped up, and their eyes met. Before Draco could move, Bellatrix's wand was out, and he was writhing on the floor. She leaned over him, her eyes wild. "Never forget, dear boy, that the Dark Lord gave me power over you." She sneered at him, then let him go with a flick. "It's all because you're just a boy," she whispered, walking her fingers over his heaving chest. "The Master just doesn't trust you with something so vital to his plan. And it's taken long enough, Draco." Bella straightened, tossing her haphazard hair to the side. "Any progress with the girl?"

Draco stood up slowly, gritting his teeth so she couldn't see how much pain he was in. "She seems to trust me. Unwitting Gryffindors, and their easy trust. You'd think the girl would think twice about bedding her enemy, but she seems to want to shag me as much as the next girl." He smirked.

"Your mission isn't simply to woo her, Draco. The whole point of this little charade is so Harry Potter is without his best friend." She jabbed her finger at him for emphasis. "Roony, or whatever the other one's name is, doesn't matter. But this witch, she has power. And that," she hissed, "is why you must separate them. Make her love you, Draco. Make her trust you more than she trusts her own friends." Bellatrix laughed loudly, hopping slightly in place. A wicked gleam was in her eyes – Draco knew that gleam. It was the sign of a narcissistic sadist who would stop at nothing.

"I know, Bella," he drawled. "I'm almost there. I won't displease our Master again." He paused, and surreptitiously moved away from the witch. "Maybe if you'd stop giving me stupid orders, things would move faster! Asking her to sleep with me? I don't cuddle, Bella. It's not my style. A quick shag is quite enough for me."

Bellatrix's eyes narrowed, and she hissed softly. "It's working though, isn't it? She probably fancies herself in love with you by now." She laughed again, twirling her wand as a villain would his moustache. "I can't control this woman much longer, Draco," she said, sobering a bit. "The Imperius Curse is draining me of my strength." She examined herself in a floor length mirror, as though the effects of the curse had taken a toll on her beauty.

"Yes," said Draco. "So you tell me."

Bellatrix leaned closer, grinning aggressively. "Better move fast, boy. Time's running out." Draco stood silently and looked her in the eyes. No fear. He had no fear.

"I'll check on you soon, Draco. Don't let us down," she called over her shoulder. When he left the room, she was busy with Professor Finn. Poor woman; memory modification was scarring stuff. Draco gritted his teeth at the empathetic thought, walking faster down the halls. He had to shield his mind against such things; what if the Dark Lord attacked him?

Draco stopped right outside the entrance to the room. The cuff links were still in his hand. They felt cool against his skin, a burning cold that didn't disappear. He looked down at them, his expression blank. And then, with a careless motion, he tossed them to the ground. He had his orders, and they were clear. If he didn't obey, it was certain death.

By the time the links clattered noiselessly to the ground, he was already gone.

A/N – Hey, it's me, know you haven't heard from me in ages. Sorry. Well, good news, my muse is back. I'm going to start on the next chapter right after this goes up. I am on a roll!

Points to any and all who saw that coming. Don't hate me. It's a part of the plot! I hate Draco a little bit, right now, actually.

Songs are – "I Promise You Walls", by Shiny Toy Guns, and a reference to "The City is At War" by Cobra Starship.