Theo shoved open the door to Malfoy Manor with all his rage fueling him. He threw off his hood and pulled his mask from his face just as Malfoy, two other Death Eaters and Bellatrix entered the room. "What is the meaning of this?" Lucius demanded, staring at the young Nott in distaste.
Bella laughed crazily as she circled Theo like a cat stalking it's prey, she gave Theo the creeps. She was a beautiful witch but she was fucking psycho. "I'm here to see my Lord." Theo glared at Lucius, as Bella stepped close to him smelling him and giggling.
Voldemort stepped into the room, "I'm told you have news for me?"
Theo knelt down, "yes my Lord. I've found out something that will greatly upset my Lord."
Voldemort snarled, "everyone get out!" Bellatrix frowned but obeyed and filed out of the room with everyone else. Lucius closed the doors behind them and Voldemort eyed the young man in front of him. "Well, Mr Nott. What news do you bring me."
Theo raised his head, silent rage still painted across his features. "I've done all you've asked of me. I've spied for you, I've been loyal to you, I've kept you informed…" Theo took a breath to calm himself, "as you asked I've been tailing Granger since the beginning of the school year." The Dark Lord just nodded. "but I've discovered something tonight my Lord. She's been seeing young Malfoy in secret."
Voldemort froze. He'd been pacing the room as Theo spoke, but this news stopped him in his tracks. "How do you know this," he asked slowly.
Theo twitched, hands forming into fists as he relived the memory. "I can show you my Lord." He removed his wand and placed the tip up to his temple. Voldemort watched with anticipation, his fingers itching to get them on the memory young Nott was extracting.
"Narcissa! Bring me the pensieve!" The Dark Lord thundered. A stunning woman whose blonde hair was greying gracefully entered into the room carrying a pensieve. She placed it onto the table beside Voldemort and took a step back prepared to leave but the Dark Lord stopped her. "Wait here a moment Narcissa perhaps you would like to see this memory first," he gave her a terrifying smile that made her blood run cold.
"Surely you would want to experience it first my Lord," she said quietly with a slight bow.
"Don't be ridiculous my dear, please, come come." he motioned for her to step forward as Theo dropped the silvery thread into the bowl. Narcissa glanced at Voldemort once more before placing herself into the memory.
Everything was hazy at first as Narcissa stepped into the young man's memory. Slowly things began to come into focus. She was at Hogwarts, that much she knew. She recognized the old paintings and the brick hallways. Next she heard murmurs coming from her right, turning, she watched as the smoke and haze swirled for a moment then cleared until she she could see two young people. A boy and a girl, the boy had a striking blonde hair and instantly Narcissa knew it was her son. Her heart rate sped up for a moment, unsure of what she was supposed to be looking at. She tried to focus on the girl with her son, she looked pretty, but in a plain simple way, no striking features except… her hair. Narcissa knew that hair, Draco had raved on about that hair his entire first year.
"Jealous are we? Hmm? Want me for yourself, Granger? Have to know everything about me, that it? Do you think about me, do you fantasize about me…" her son was talking to Granger. And as Narcissa stepped closer to see this image clearly she saw that he had the girl pinned beneath him. They were still talking, then suddenly Hermione Granger was slapping her son at something he'd said before they were both kissing one another with a fire Narcissa had never seen in her son.
The image shifted, swirling images rushing past of her son and the young Gryffindor. Narcissa felt a twisting in her gut as again the images stopped. This time she could see a picture on the wall of a pear, which meant they were in the dungeons by the kitchens. She could see her son and the girl across from her, again. They were up against a wall, Draco was kissing her gently this time, it looked as if he were whispering to her but she couldn't make any of the words out the. He was talking loudly, "you are driving me mad, love. Let me grab what we need from the kitchens and I'll meet you back at the dorms." Narcissa's eyes widened, she couldn't believe her son would do this. He knew the risks. Suddenly the twisting feeling returned and she was being pulled from the memory.
Voldemort was staring at her expectantly, a twisted look in his eyes while Theo just sat there smirking. "Well?" Voldemort asked, almost gleefully. "What did you see?"
Narcissa paled, "it can't be true, it must be a trick. Draco would never-"
Voldemort slammed a fist down on the table, pointing his wand at Narcissa delving into her mind, he jumped back with a hiss, "clearly young master Malfoy is not as loyal as we'd hoped. This young mudblood has bewitched him and compromised his abilities to help in the cause." Narcissa had silent tears falling down her face as her husband entered the room, followed by her sister. He glanced at his wife, confused but frightened to assist her. "Ah, Lucius. I was just telling your lovely wife that something must be done with your traitorous son."
Lucius glanced at his wife again, clearly confused on what his Lord meant. What had Draco done now. "My Lord?" he asked as Narcissa tried to hide her tears and stepped to her husband.
"Your son, Lucius, is spending time with a mudblood instead of focusing on his mission. Thanks to young master Nott." Lucius stiffened beside Narcissa. There had to be some mistake; his son would never betray his family in this way. "Something must be done Lucius. He must be dealt with."
Lucius felt his wife lean into him and he gripped her arm to hold her steady. "Yes, my Lord." Voldemort smiled, looking pleased. "Bellatrix, my dear. Gather the others. We must decide what we shall do about young Malfoy." Narcissa stifled a sob, as Lucius remained silent, holding his wife up.
Bella giggled, "yes my Lord."
_#_
Several weeks had dragged on since Hermione's encounter with Draco. She'd gone back to the Gryffindor common room to find Ginny waiting for her, pacing in front of the fireplace. The younger girl almost collapsed with relief, seeing as it was well past when they were supposed to meet back up.
Hermione then spent the next hour explaining what had happened, very carefully omitting the fact that a certain blonde was involved. Since then Ginny never left Hermione's side for long. She seemed to be everywhere, and when she couldn't be next to Hermione she made sure one of their other friends were.
All of this made it difficult for Hermione to even try to use her portkey even though she wasn't sure she really wanted to, after what Malfoy said.
That was the other reason she hated her escorts though she'd never admit it, they stopped her from getting close to Malfoy lately. But if she was being honest, she noticed that he seemed to have bodyguards of his own as of late. She hardly ever saw him out without Nott, or Zabini. Sometimes she even noticed Tracey Davis hovering around him more often than usual, and if she knew Malfoy any, she could swear he looked miserable if not annoyed by the constant company.
It seemed ridiculous but she almost missed their meetings, despite the arguing that came with them. Hermione hated admitting it, but she was lonely. She missed Harry and Ron and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Draco Malfoy was the next closest relationship she'd formed.
Hermione scolded herself mentally as her eyes caught blonde hair across the Great Hall, he was followed by Zabini and Pansy. Nott sat across from him, but she could still see Malfoy's face. He always seemed to sit in perfect view. She didn't know if it was on accident or not though as he never looked in her direction.
As if on cue, he glanced up, locking eyes with hers. Hermione flushed but couldn't find it in herself to look away. She watched his lips twitch as if he wanted to smirk at her but he didn't; his grey eyes just searched her face. For what she couldn't say.
Than as quickly as it had started it was gone and he was back to eating his food. Hermione sighed and went back to picking at her own plate.
Draco was far past pretending to pay attention to what his friends were saying. He was tired, worried about his parents, and on edge.
He'd managed to catch Granger's eye for a moment, and it had surprisingly made him feel a little better. He hadn't spoken to her in weeks now and had been startled to admit it was the main reason he was on edge.
Draco knew he was being watched now, whoever had seen him with Granger that night must have told Voldemort because the next day he constantly had someone around, and he'd had no word from either of his parents. He'd gotten word from another Death Eater that they'd been put on a mission and not to expect word.
Pansy had tried to get him to talk about what was going on but he'd pushed her away. He couldn't really trust anyone, even Pansy. Draco knew only one person he could trust, who he could talk to. But if he did, he'd risk getting both of them killed. He glanced around his table to check for watchful eyes before he stole another glance at the Gryffindor table. She wasn't looking at him this time. She looked sad, tired. Almost as though she felt out of place. He'd been surprised that she'd listened to him and had a constant companions although he wished just once he could catch her alone.
Pansy nudged him in the side, eyeing him warningly. Draco glanced at her then around the table. Nott was studying him carefully. Something about Theo lately made Draco's stomach turn, it didn't sit right.
He noticed a bush of hair moving toward the entrance, in the corner of his eye but refused to look directly at her. He wanted to follow her, to pull her away, talk to her about everything that had been happening. He looked at Theo again but he seemed to be preoccupied with something Tracey was saying.
As he stole another glance at the doorway before Granger disappeared, Pansy nudged him again but this time instead of warning him she darted her eyes toward the door signalling him to go. Draco stared at her bewildered for a moment, but she just rolled her eyes and kicked his foot. He stood quickly, taking advantage of the fact that Pansy was helping him.
Theo noticed his movement and began to stand as well but Pansy beat him to it. "Ready to go Drake?" she asked as she placed her hand on his arm. Theo glared at her momentarily but sat back down. Draco and Pansy walked casually toward the doors, "you won't get much time, but I'll try to help as much as I can. She left with She-Weasle so I'll distract her." They had reached the hall and stood there staring at each other for a moment.
"Why are you helping me, Pans?" Draco asked suspiciously.
Pansy punched him in the arm, "we're friends you wanker, and I've seen how you look at her. Now let's go before we run out of time." Draco nodded, still unsure but willing to risk it if it meant he had two minutes with Granger.
They made their way to their left after Draco had decided they may have gone to the library, knowing Granger. After a few turns they spotted the two girls walking just ahead of them.
"Granger!" Draco called, shattered the silence. The two girls stopped and turned around, Hermione wore a look of confusion and Ginny looked annoyed.
"What do you want Malfoy," Ginny demanded, crossing her arms as she briefly glanced at Pansy.
"McGonagall wants to see you Granger, she sent me to find you." Hermione frowned in confusion but seemed to believe the lie.
"Well you've delivered your message, ferret. We can handle it from here." Ginny turned, grabbing Hermione's arm to begin to walk away.
"She wants to talk to both of us," Draco stated causing them both to stop again.
Pansy cut in, "are you always this controlling Weaslette? No wonder you haven't got a boyfriend. They're probably all afraid of you." Pansy began laughing as she flipped an ebony strand of hair behind her ear.
Ginny turned on her, "you're one to talk, pug-nose slut. You can only get boys to shag you if you keep the lights off so they can't see your ugly face!"
Pansy's laughter died abruptly, "why you little skank!"
Draco watched, amused for a moment at the effort Pansy was putting into this little act, but quickly shook himself out of it to move quietly beside Granger. "Come with me." he grabbed her hand and took to her down several halls to an empty classroom.
"What are you doing, Malfoy! I thought we were going to McGonagall's office?" Hermione had pulled her hand from his as soon as they'd stepped inside the classroom. Draco placed a locking charm on the door and muttered a quick silencing spell.
"Well I lied. Are you surprised? Going to run away now?" Draco pushed a hand through his hair and straightened out his robes.
Hermione fidgeted with the edge of her sweater, "well- no. Of course not, but why did you go through all of that to get me here. I thought you said we should stay away from each other?"
Draco glared at her for a moment, wondering why he had wanted to talk to her in the first place. Her tone always had that feel to it that made you wonder if you're stupid. But then he watched as she nervously tugged at her sweater, strands of her wild hair falling around her face. She was biting her lip as well and Draco's scowl melted away. "Yes I did, but… well- I-." Damn it all to hell what was wrong with him.
"Malfoy?" Hermione had stepped closer to him, and against her better judgment, placed a hand on his arm. "Has something happened?"
He stared at her hand for what seemed several minutes before looking up into her eyes, they were full of worry and curiosity. "They're watching me. They know I've been talking to you, they must. I haven't had a moment to myself since that night, and I haven't heard from my parents in just as long."
Hermione's brow creased in concern, "do you think they're-" she didn't want to say dead. "- alright?"
Draco shrugged, "I don't know anymore. But I have a feeling he's going to want a test of my loyalty. This is all just a game to him, and we all are his pawns. I can't trust anyone in my house." he looked at her again, searching her face, "right now you're the only one I trust here."
Hermione ducked her head, embarrassed, but secretly pleased; a slow blush creeping up her cheeks. "Is that why you had Pansy distract Ginny, so you could whisk me away and tell me your troubles?" she glanced back up at him, a small smile on her face.
Draco rolled his eyes but smirked, "hey Pansy picks her own fights. I just took advantage." She laughed lightly but it died quickly.
She felt confused and lost, a new wave of loneliness washing over her and the sense of uselessness to her best friends and for Malfoy. He must of noticed the change I attitude because her lifted her chin until she was looking into his grey eyes. "Are you okay, Granger? You've seemed different the last few weeks."
She sighed, "I'm tired of being escorted everywhere, I know Ginny means well but it's driving me mad. I'm worried about Harry and Ron, and I'm worried-" she paused, searching his eyes, "about you."
Draco's lips pulled up at the sides, "you shouldn't worry about me, Granger. I can handle myself. As for Weasleby and Scar-head. I'd be worried if I were you as well. We both know they can't function without your brains." She laughed as a tear she hadn't realized had formed, slipped down her cheek. Draco brushed it away carefully. "You drive me absolutely mad, Granger." Hermione tilted her head, confused by his statement but just as she was going to ask why, his lips were on hers; gently this time, slowly.
Hermione returned the kiss without a single thought, her hands moving up his arms to his shoulders. She couldn't explain why this felt so comfortable after all they'd been through over the years.
Draco's hand moved from her face down her neck and shoulders, pushing her robes off in one fluid motion. Hermione pulled away slightly, wondering what was going through his head but he only kissed her jaw line whispering, "it was in my way."
Hermione giggled slightly but closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his lips on her skin after being deprived for weeks but gasped a moment later when she felt his hands on her waist and she was being lifted from the ground and up onto the desk behind them.
Draco had barely placed her on the surface before his hands were finding their way under her shirt, cool fingers gliding across her warm skin. Hermione's breath hitched at the contact but she didn't stop him. Instead she pushed her fingers up along his neck into his hair, it was softer then she would have imagined.
Their kisses became more heated as hands found skin, and limbs touched limbs. Hermione's hands had wandered downward over his biceps which were toned from years of quidditch; she took it a step further and placed them against the firm strong muscles of his chest.
Draco had been exploring every inch of her skin he could get to, growing impatient and bothered by the amount of clothes she still had on, he longed to rip them all off of her and bask in the warm beauty that was her golden skin, but in the back of his mind he knew they didn't have much more time together. "I have to go…" he whispered against her collarbone, skimming his nose along the valleys there, breathing in the vanilla scent of her skin. He only felt her nod and whimper as he darted his tongue out to taste her.
"One of us is going to have to leave first," Hermione whispered back, keeping her eyes tightly shut willing this moment to never end.
Draco smirked against her neck then leaned back to look at her. "I'm surprised you can still think logically after all that, I'm impressed, Granger"
She blushed and buried her face into his chest, breathing in his cologne and enjoying the safe calm that washed over her. "Meet me, this weekend in Hogsmeade. I should be able to slip away. Tomes and Scrolls. Make sure you aren't followed," he tipped her head back again to look at her. "Everything is going to be okay, I won't let anyone hurt you." He kissed her gently on the lips once more before stepping away from her and slipping out the door. Hermione took a shuddering breath in and let it out slowly. How had everything come down to her snogging Malfoy in abandoned classrooms and sneaking around to meet him. She brought a hand up to touch her lips, smiling slightly. Then again, she was sneaking around and snogging Malfoy.