I used to be so in control
But reality is losing it's hold
Now I don't know where to begin
Just look at the state that I'm in
My mind is in total decay
I'm coming to take you away
There's nothing more that I can do
This maniac's in love with you
Your biggest fear has just come true
This maniac's in love with you

-This Maniac's In Love With You by Alice Cooper

The hug was broken at the sound of his voice as the girls both faced him. Malfoy and Zabini slowly left the open door, taking slow steps towards them as if they were taking in every detail of the girls with interest. Ginny took a step backwards, into Hermione. She was tense as she stood in front of her friend as if she was trying to protect her.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows in interest. "What happened to our no tell deal, sweetheart?" he called to Hermione.

"Y-you battered me," Hermione said, finding she was incapable of saying the "r" word again. "You left me bleeding in a closet…how was no one supposed to find out?"

"I never meant to hurt you, but I was going to come back for you," he said.

"That doesn't make it okay!"

"Be quiet, pet. I decide what happens to you from now on!" he snarled and his grey eyes flashed in the evening light. "I would've thought that by now you'd have learned better than to speak back to your superiors."

Hermione dropped her gaze to the ground. That spark reminded her of the look he had had while he assaulted her. It was animal in nature- vicious.

"Leave her alone," Ginny demanded.

Malfoy laughed. "You've been the biggest pain in my arse these last few months. I never thought you were worse than your brother, but hey, you learn something every day!"

"Whatever plans you have for Hermione aren't going to work. Just because you know what she is doesn't make her any less of a person. You can't own her, you can't control her. Werewolf or not, she's a better person than you'll ever be."

If the situation wasn't as tense, Hermione might've had the gull to smile at her friend's words.

"You really think you can stop me?" he asked.

"I know I can stop you," she growled, pulling her wand from her pocket.

"I bet you can't."

"You'd lose that bet," she said. She glanced at Hermione over her shoulder. "Go! Now!"

Hermione stared back at her, catching glimpses of her terrified friend as strands of her long bushy hair blew across her face. Her heart was broken at the thought of abandoning her old life, there was no way she would leave Ginny to fend for herself against Malfoy.

"No," she replied, pulling out her own wand.

"You girls are just adorable, really," Malfoy said, his gray eyes glancing between both of them.

"What do you want from me?" Hermione asked. "You already humiliated me and learned something that I never wanted to come to light. Isn't that good enough?"

"For years I've been in the shadows of the Golden Trio," he said with a scoff. "You three always made me so sick. You were stuck up, better than the rest of us. At least that's the way the teachers always treated you. It wasn't fair."

"So you're holding a childish grudge?" Hermione pointed out.

Malfoy smirked. "No. Years have passed, and I realized some things now that time has given me a new perspective."

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"I can easily get back at the Golden Trio. All I have to do is humiliate their Princess. There are plenty of ways to do that," he said, his voice dripping venom as he took a step closer to her. She was there, in his line of sight, yet he couldn't grab her yet.

Soon.

"Stay back," Ginny warned, lifting her wand so that the glowing tip was aimed at him.

"You really think you can win," he said with amazement.

"We're not scared of you," Hermione spoke up though the quiver in her hand was apparent in her wand.

Malfoy smiled. "Really now, pet? You were terrified of me earlier, and if I had to guess, I would say that you're just as scared now. That's why you're running, right? I finally put out that fire inside of you."

Hermione wanted to break the gaze. He was right- but she wouldn't let him know that. She forced her face to betray no emotions as she clutched her wand tighter. "You will never break me," she growled to him.

Malfoy glanced at the silver collar around her throat and chuckled again. "Whatever you say, pet. You can fight me all you want, but we both know how this ends." He glanced at Zabini. "You know what to do."

Zabini nodded and in a flash, he took out his wand and sent a Crucio curse to the red-headed witch. She screamed out in pain and collapsed to her knees. Hermione ground her teeth as she stepped forward to protect her friend.

She aimed a curse towards Zabini which was interrupted by the one that Malfoy sent at her. She screamed out as the spell hit her. The world around her blurred as she collapsed onto her knees. She could see him approaching her, and she felt sick. She knew that if he grabbed her- it was over. She lashed out, dragging her nails across his face as he tried to bend down and pick her up.

He held a hand to his face to the marks she had left in his skin. She smiled and reached out for her wand when she felt his boot crush her hand. She screamed out in pain, feeling all the more desperate to escape.

He was going to take her away from Hogwarts, and she would never be heard from again. For all she knew, he planned to take her to a werewolf hunter…or worse, Voldemort. Hermione struggled to climb to her feet. The two boys were approaching faster now, taking advantage of their opportunity. Zabini went to Ginny and Malfoy went to Hermione.

"Stop fighting it, Granger," he taunted. "I own you."

"I-I don't care," she rasped.

She thought of the secret he knew and the consequences of spilling it to the world. In that moment, it didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was keeping Ginny safe from the two powerful monsters before them. Malfoy grabbed the top of Hermione's arm suddenly and drug her away from her friend.

"No!" she screamed, biting and clawing to get free of his grasp.

"Accio!" she cried out, trying to get her wand.

Malfoy laughed and intercepted it, holding the slender stick in his long fingers. She reached out, desperately trying to rip it from his fingers. He dropped her suddenly, and she watched in horror as he snapped it in half.

"At least now I don't have to worry about that anymore," he said.

Hermione let out a feral screech as she threw herself at him. She was punching him in the face with all the strength she could muster. She brought up her knee to hit him in the stomach. By the time he finally cast a spell to send her flying a few feet away, he was bloody and bruised.

Hermione groaned, feeling the air leave her lungs from the force she had hit the ground. Malfoy swiped his blond hair out of his eyes as he stood above her.

"We're leaving now, pet," he said. "Together."

"No!" she screeched, trying to pick herself up at the same moment she felt his hands grasp the tops of her arms to pull her further away from Ginny.

He pulled her to her feet, crushing her body against his with all the strength he could manage. She refused to stop fighting. She could hear him breathing heavily as he struggled to get her under control. She wiggled desperately, not caring about the parts of their bodies that touched in the process. She could see the fear on Ginny's face as Zabini closed in on her. She was so innocent- so pure. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if they hurt her. Hermione could feel her wolf pouncing inside of her, begging for release. It came briefly to the surface only to be forced back into hiding by her collar.

She growled at the feeling, more desperate than ever to call upon her wolf. The pain of her wolf being rejected made her feel oddly nauseous as if she were running a high fever.

I can't collapse now, she thought knowing her body was on the verge of betraying her.

Despite her struggles, Malfoy wasn't planning on letting her go. "I thought you'd fight me, Granger. You've always been a feisty one."

Suddenly, she felt him grasp at her jaw as he pulled her gaze to his. He smirked at her as he tightened his grip, holding onto her jawbone as if he were trying to crush it. She struggled to pull away, but he closed his fingers tight to the bone, and she whimpered in pain. He held her mouth open as he dumped a green liquid down her throat.

"That should relax you," he whispered into her ear as she coughed for breath and tried to spit it out.

By the taste, she recognized it as a sleep potion. Her fire was starting to drain instantly as her muscles began to involuntarily relax one by one. His arm snaked possessively around her waist as he held up his wand with the other. He made sure Hermione was as close to him as possible. Zabini stood beside Ginny, his wand in the middle of casting another Crucio curse.

Hermione studied Ginny's face. Her eyes were closed though her pale face was streaked in tears that simply couldn't be held in. She was in agony, and the death eater before her did not seem to care. She tried once again to summon her wolf and failed. She gasped in agony and felt a brutal decline in her energy.

"Please don't hurt her," Hermione gasped, looking Malfoy in the eyes. She hoped her words would resonate with any human part of him- if there were any left that is. "I'll do anything you want. Just please let her go."

Malfoy scrunched up his eyebrows for a moment. "It's a tempting offer, Granger, but unfortunately I can't afford it." He made eye contact with Zabini before he nodded at him. "No witnesses."

"Avada Kedavra," he said.

"Noo!" Hermione screeched, desperately trying to tear herself free of Malfoy's grip.

He laughed and held her firmly. "There's no escaping me now, pet," he whispered as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

Hermione hardly noticed him as she watched Ginny's body collapse to the ground in a green fog. When it disappeared, she was lying there, her blank eyes stared lifelessly at Hermione. She was gasping and sobbing hysterically despite the sleep potion. Even in her weakened state, she continued to fight against Malfoy hoping for some kind of miracle.

"Ginny!" she sobbed, clawing at Malfoy's pale arm. "Please, God, no."

"It didn't have to be this way, pet," Malfoy whispered in her ear. His hot breath stirred her hair gently, warming her scalp. "Just remember, she died because of you."

At his words, the last of Hermione's fire died. He was absolutely right, and he knew it. Because she had chosen to confide in Ginny, she had sealed her fate. Hermione bowed her head and felt her legs give out. Malfoy kept her from falling to the ground although she wished he would've let her drop.

"We've gotta go," Zabini said.

"You'll rot in Azkaban for this," Hermione slurred weakly to him.

He casted her an uncertain glance before leading the way. Malfoy nodded and followed behind him. He scooped Hermione easily into his arms. Together, they moved through the snow, and she knew that there must be a Portkey hidden. Hermione tried again to fight but her movements were slow and feeble. She was on the verge of unconsciousness as he carried her along. She glanced at the outline of Hogwarts in the darkness, trying her best to avoid the pile that was Ginny's body.

The tears seemed to freeze in place as her last glimpse of Hogwarts disappeared.

Author's Note:

Hello, readers! This is the intense part of the story now! Poor Hermione is trapped in Draco's care. There's one more chapter in this book, and then I plan to begin a sequel. As always, leave a review letting me know that you think! Thanks in advance, everyone!

Until next time

~Wolfshine