Thank-you all for waiting. This chapter is a little longer and will help to show where this story is possibly going. Oh as everyone knows I OWN NOTHING!!! Please review at the end.

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Draco opened his eyes only to look into those of his Head of House. All he could think about was that his plan worked. Any limb or organ was worth loosing if the plan succeeded. But no answers came from those black unreadable eyes that looked down at him.

"I can now write your father that he need not prepare a burial for his only son and heir. You should have been more careful. You may yet be caught and trust me I will not show any favoritism if you are. You'll have to face the consequences for what you've done, ordered to or not. "

Draco looked around and found he was the only student in the infirmary. He was sure if his spell was cast right then the hospital wing would be filled to capacity.

As if to answer his question. "It takes time. You won't be alone for long."

He no longer needed to ask. As he was slowly waking up the pain decided to wake up much faster. His lower body stung and moaned at him and he felt it hard to breath. "What happened to me?"

"I am sure you can answer that yourself when you fully recover. There is much to be answered for when you do."

The pain was growing to a point where he was ready to wretch and he did creating quite the grotesque mess of himself. Professor Snape told another member of the hospital staff that Draco needed attending to and left.

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Snape walked down the corridors oblivious to any goings on along the way. Two students where shocked when he walked past them as they were locked in a kiss that would make Pansy blush. It was the first time in a long time he wasn't sure what he was to do. The curse that was cast would bring the ministry in and cause more trouble for the order than not. He would have to finally take sides and if he chose to remain spy he would have to stand beside the Dark Lord and do the most unspeakable things to prove his loyalty and then later give snippets of information to the light side when he was able.

Damn that blasted boy. No doubt he was put up to it for the very purpose of setting such disorder to the school and no doubt to rouse him self from the dungeons. He looked at the test papers he needed to correct. He no longer wanted to correct those papers or any more afterwards. Her paper wasn't there.

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Dumbledore was in his office sorting out letters and writing many of his own to first calm down the Ministry of magic and also to figure out what to do with the school now that such a curse has been cast. As he wrote he was filled with worry, not for the school as it was an entity entirely on its own. His thoughts bent towards Draco Malfoy and he knew he must intervene before the boy was fully lost to Voldemort.

He began to notice a change in him a year ago. That hatred that fueled the young man was dying out and fear began to take its place. He needed to act quickly before Draco's father could interfere.

Draco was lying in bed with boredom written all over him. There were no students at this hour at night to disturb them. "Mr. Malfoy, I hear that you are recovering."

Oh, not this. Draco knew very well that Dumbledore know about his role in the curse. He would no doubt say that he should turn himself in and turn to the light side for he would be offered protection. He was having none of that. Besides his family would disown him if he even though of it.

"For once I'm going to dispose of the pleasantries as we both know what truly happened this morning and who was responsible. Mr. Malfoy, this is not a laughing matter nor is this something your father can fix by way of the Ministry. You are no longer playing children's games for there are possible deaths involved and that leaves a mark on the one who cast the spell.

"Before you protest I will say what I have to say and after that you as a young man will have to make a very adult decision that will affect you everyday afterwards. These are not words to take lightly either. I know Voldemort set you up and had you cast the spell. You are not the first one to be used in such a way nor will you be the last. Miss Granger is struggling under the same pressure and allure that is Voldemort and in the end she may not be strong enough to fight. This does not make her evil or weak, it simply means she can not swim against a waterfall's flow for ever.

"If you want to leave that life before you receive his mark I do suggest that you never say another word about the curse and claim that you are a victim of it. Let the Ministry sort it out. If you are found guilty you will be banned from school and your wand broken. As you are a smart man there would be only one place were you can openly use magic and I believe you have not gone that far yet. I know about the letters you gave to Hermione. That was a brave thing to do and no Death Eater would ever do such a compassionate thing.

"Leave this event behind and follow where you know you should belong. Your were raised for someone and now you want to grow beyond that as all students want to grow beyond these walls."

Dumbledore left the hospital wing knowing there was nothing Draco would say now as there were too many things racing in his mind to speak.

Draco tried to erase the words from his mind only making them burn into this thoughts. He was a Death Eater, he was cruel, vial and had no heart. That is what he was and he wasn't going to let some old fool tell him different. Even he knew those words made a mark on him and now every decision he made from now on would be tainted with them.

He still felt the magical reverberations of the spell he cast and would feel them for the next few weeks, marking him as the one that cast the spell. Goyle would have to take the fall for this one. He needed to survive and not let himself fall into total slavery. Dumbledore was correct in the fact that if he did turn himself in he would be lost and bound to Voldemort who would only curse him for being caught.

Betrayal was a thing that burned and the victim of such betrayal would in the end have to be killed or else would seek revenge. Goyle wasn't bright but could be dangerous when he needed to be as he took a liking to the Dark Arts and learned the spells very well.

As he closed his eyes he saw the scene replay again and again. He stood at the bottom of the moving stairs and waited for the moment when none of the staircases move. This only happens two times a day and he had to be there when it happened. Goyle was there with him on lookout as the spell was cast. Draco looked up ready to cast and then he waited, the staircases stopped their movements for one full minute and then he fired straight up.

The blast of blue light filled the hollow area where the staircases usually cross over and remained there for a full thirty seconds. The blue light remained there and nothing happened until the staircases started to move once again. That is when the spell truly took place. The blue light when it made contact with the stairs turned red and then fired off on all directions leading to the different floors impacting anyone who stood in its way. Goyle already ran and was far enough away as not to become affected by the spell. Draco turned and found himself at the bottom of one of the staircases and was hit with the red light. He fired a curse to block himself but cast it just seconds after he was touched by the red.

All he remembered was feeling a burning crushing pain and woke up in the infirmary.

Looking around now he wondered why there were not more in the infirmary now as he was sure there were many who were affected by the spell. Then he remembered it only affected those after one cast a spell. If no one did any magic they would be safe from it.

The school would be shut down now after such a spell was cast. The realization of what Voldemort wanted from him hit him. He proved his loyalty and lost what was the safest place left for him to hide away from the dangers that he would only soon have to not only face but live in.

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After she was sure Voldemort had left the premises she began to relax. She looked at herself in the mirror and found that her plain clothes that she always wore as a protest to the luxury of her surroundings and found them childish. There was a dress in her wardrobe that was bought for her by Lucius not that long ago. Because it was from him she automatically dismissed it and placed it in her armoire.

Taking it out and placing it on the bed she was amazed at the subtle but yet truly endearing taste he had. It was simple as her tastes were but the cut of the dress made simple into tantalizing. After putting on the cobalt blue dress she was transformed. To her amazement it wasn't a form fitting dress but hung in the right places showing off her shoulders. This effect made her more of a woman with her youth enhancing that fact.

Never in her life had she felt so powerful simply as herself. She could see men bowing to her to simply touch her, or be close enough to smell her hair. All this in a dress. There was a small part of her, part of the old Hermione that chastised her for being so easy to win over with such frivolity. 'If you understood. But you can't as you always had your face in a book looking for understanding of power instead of learning to utilize it.' She spoke to herself in a soft mocking tone.

There were a few questions she wanted answered about wards and how to stretch a bond to its limits with only minimal side effects. At this point she was willing to use methods that were a little unorthodox. She needed some freedom from this house and away from her jailors.

Lucius had gotten into the habit of locking his study these days. There was no real surprise considering Hermione's last visit there ended up with disastrous results. But this only made her more determined.

For the past half year she placed her wand in a drawer and wrapped it in silk. There was no one to rescue her, and she waited and tried to play the nice girl playing by the rules to get out. The wand in her hand felt so good as if she was seeing an old friend again after a long period of time. It tingled in her hand as if to question who the person holding it was. Walking up to the study she prepared to cast the spell and preyed that the wand wouldn't reject her. There was some resistance but nothing she couldn't handle and made her way into the study to find what she needed to held her way out of this mess.

She was so absorbed in her studies that five hours passed and Lucius walked in unnoticed.

The fact she was wearing his dress he bought her didn't go unnoticed. He smiled for he chose such a great style of dress for her. It suited her perfectly and she seemed to wear it like a second skin. "I knew that dress would suit you."

"You know a lot of things it seems. None of which helps me."

"And what help would you be needing?"

She looked up for the first time and smiled and saw him more as an equal of sorts and also a much needed ally if she were to get out of this alive. To bed the devil and free her soul came to her mind at one time, now she saw him more as a fallen angel with a dark beauty that seduces. She needed his help but simple kindness would anger him unless she showed him he held control over her.

Hermione learned Lucius loved power games and that he also needn't always win but have a good battle to prove his skill. "Are you offering help?"

"I never offer. Bad for business."

"Then you tell me why you chose me instead of the many dozens of young women out there. I've learned enough about you that you have very distinct tastes in women. A simpleton nor someone common would satisfy you. You know what I am speaking of."

He smiled and ordered a house elf for some wine. The information that would be passed between them would be one of cohersion, and tact. "1975, a wonderful year. Now as you were asking. My taste in women, surely you know why but you want to hear me say it, spell it out as if I am ashamed. I am in no way ashamed of anything I do."

"You love controlling powerful women."

"You flatter yourself too much."

"But I don't do I?" She sipped her wine and for the first time she savored the intricate taste of something older than herself. "You also hate things that are too commonplace, things that anyone can get. That includes me and let's not forget your wife."

"Do explain Hermione." He sipped his own wine giving her the classic smirk.

"We are both smart, educated and know how to hold our own so as not to humiliate you all the wile making you look good by simply choosing us."

He mocked clapped. "Bravo, you figured out what anyone who met me for more than five minutes could figure out. I like strong women but I love breaking strong women more."

"You also fear that is the one thing that will end up destroying you. There's two of us now and one has sworn no loyalty to you." She smiled when he flinched. Another sip, how good it tasted.

"The Dark Lord has designs on you. Don't think to use that as a threat. You believe you are made totally dependant under this roof. He'll chain you to one and you'll be bowing, thanking him for the pleasure of slavery." The velvet of his voice deepened as rich as the wine they both drank together.

"Did he give you chains of silver or gold?"

He leaned back into the chair he was sitting and sighed. "He have us his word, what colour do they have?"

She needed things and he was the one to supply them for her. "If you two are shattered I become useless and die or worse. If I stay with you two the Dark Lord will come after me anyway shattering you and I end up with the same fate. I've gone past the point where I care how I end up dead. But you do have the ability to help me survive and blend into this life. Being a witch with only the basics of magical training, only being allowed out of these walls if escorted makes me weak and a target."

If anything she said so far caught her attention this certainly did. "You want to be trained in the Dark Arts? That is were you will have to go in your studies to blend in much less survive the world I walk in everyday."

"If I learn to protect myself I can protect you."

He downed his glass of wine and a fire lit behind those silver eyes. The smile that was so inviting held a tinge of steel. Just looking at him caused her mouth to taste metallic. "So you want to learn do you? If you manage to handle what I'll offer you tonight, then we'll talk more about you entering my world little girl."

The air was cold between them but she was not longer a child and was not about to be addressed as one. "I am no child. I accept your offer and all that goes with it." She took two of the books with her and left the study.

Lucius smiled knowing what was in store for her and grew with anticipation at the sight of her on her knees begging him to stop.

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I know there are a few clifies here. Please review if you enjoyed so far.