When Hermione woke up the next morning, she thumped the bed like she normally did, so that the movement and noise would remove the last cobwebs of sleep from her brain.

This time, however, the noise was accompanied by a soft grunt, as if there were another person in her bed that had been disturbed from sleep. She shifted and saw another shape beside her. Curiously, she pulled back the wrinkled cream sheets to reveal a sound asleep (and softly snoring) Draco Malfoy.

Suddenly, what had been done the previous night came back to her in one unpleasant stream.

Groaning, she threw herself out of bed and landed with a soft thud on the carpet. As she landed, her elbow jabbed roughly into the mattress, causing old springs to squeak loudly. This roused Draco, who raised himself up on his elbows and gazed at her through eyes that were half open.

"What's the matter? Are you all right?"

Hermione stood up off the floor and began to pace about the room.

"I don't think I'm all right. Do you realize what we did last night, and what people will say if it gets out?" She went into the bathroom, grabbed a bathrobe off the hook by the shower and threw it at him.

He was wide awake now. "What's this for?" he asked, sitting up.

Hermione breathed sharply. "To cover yourself up with, you brainless git! I have no doubt in my mind that you aren't wearing anything right now."

He studied her. "You do realize you aren't wearing any underwear right now. Because if you do, you are hardly one to talk."

Eyes wide, Hermione ran into the bathroom to check, and sure enough, she saw that he was correct. She left the bathroom with a shaky expression on her face.

"Yeah, well, I may not be wearing any underwear, but at least when I get out of bed, you can't see…everything."

His eyebrow quirked. "And who says I don't want to see everything…again?"

"Yes, well-"she cleared her throat. "The point is that you did what you came here to do; I'm not a virgin anymore, thank you very much for all your…help."

Draco snorted. "All right, I'm getting up. Turn your back if you don't want to see anything."

Hermione nodded. "I'll go to the kitchen and make breakfast."

"Hermione," he said before she left, "I think you'll want these before you go."

She turned around, and when she saw what he was holding, rushed forward and snatched them away from him, blushing. He'd found her panties.

Being alone in the kitchen gave Hermione time to clear her head. She would make sure that no one heard about what had happened the previous night. Not ever. She found her wand on the coffee table in the living room and set to work making eggs, toast, bacon, the usual sort of fare.

Draco arrived in the kitchen just as she finished setting everything out on the table. "This looks good," he observed, gazing at the spread appreciatively.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you. I thought we'd start with this for now and then I can always make more if we need it.

The pair took seats across from one another and filled their plates.

"By the way," Draco asked as he cut up his eggs, "what were you trying to tell me about Lydia yesterday before I had to so rudely interrupt you?" He speared a piece of egg with his fork and brought it to his lips as he waited for her to speak.

Hermione had to think for a minute about the question. Then she remembered. "Arion came last night and took her to the Clan castle. He said that Gammried and the other vampires had a 'surprise' for her. That's how we got the whole house to ourselves yesterday."

Draco locked eyes with the slightly blackened bacon on his plate. "No wonder the bacon is a bit burned. You were probably distracted. If you want, we can go to the hideout and get her."

This made Hermione feel torn. On the one hand, she really did want to rescue Lydia from Arion and the others, but on the other, she had a feeling that if the vampires caught her at the hideout before she was supposed to be there one more time, they would just kill her right then and there and not wait until the ceremony. Arion would probably do the honors. The thought made her shudder. He hadn't looked at all pleasant last night as he'd taken Lydia.

Finally, she gazed at him. "What do you think? I have a feeling that if the vampires catch me at the hideout, something bad might happen. But I do want to rescue Lydia if at all possible."

He nodded. "That makes sense. I can go myself. After all, I have my cover pretending that I'm working for the Dark Lord. I can just tell Arion that I have information for him."

Hermione slowly put her fork down and gazed at him. She felt as if he'd knocked the wind out of her. "Would you really do that for me?"

"Sure. After all, you did try and save my life." He winked. "Just do me a favor, and never tell anyone at Hogwarts about it."

She nodded, grinning. "Thank you, and don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Not long after he'd left the house, Hermione heard a rap on one of the kitchen windows. She looked out the window and was surprised to see both Hedwig and Pig madly hitting their beaks against the window. She rushed to the window and took off the locks. The two owls quickly soared in through the window and landed on the kitchen table. Each was carrying a letter, and Hermione had no doubt whatsoever that the owls' owners were checking up on her.

I feel popular; she mused to herself as she relieved the owls of their burdens and brought them water. As they drank, she sat in one of the overstuffed chairs to read the letters. First was Ron's.

Dear Hermione, we were wondering if you were all right. I know this has been a very strange time for you, but I thought you'd like to know that Fred and George got back from their trip to Spain last night. They had a really big order from there, and Mum and Dad thought it would be nice for them to go out and see the world, you know?

Anyway, Harry and I told them what has been going on with you, and they want to know if you want them to send anything.

Write back (and come back) soon!

Ron

Hermione gazed at the letter for a moment, suddenly realizing how little time she'd spent with her two friends. Then, she put the letter beside her to read Harry's.

Hermione,

I'm I right when I ask if you're ineligible now? Everyone around here is worried about you. It seems like such a long time since you were here last. Ron still has a bunch of Charms homework to do and I'll admit I'm not much help.

I guess the basic message is: Come back soon.

Harry

Hermione gazed at the two letters and sighed. It was nice to be needed, but right now, she was needed here.

Draco

The sky around the hideout was sunny, so Draco's landing was smooth. He hid his broom in one of the nearby bushes and went to the castle's front doors. He knocked and waited.

It was weird to be here as himself instead of as a girl. He hoped this would work. Finally, a tall and emaciated man answered the door.

"Yes?"

Draco straightened up. "I'm the agent from Lord Voldemort," he said boldly. "He wanted me to come and deliver a message to Arion."

The man stared at him for a moment. Finally, he relented, and Draco was granted permission to go inside.

He was led to a door with the words Head Meeting Room on it in big black letters. The tall man knocked and then a sound was heard from inside. Then the door opened a crack.

"Yes, what is it?" a voice issued sharply from the other side.

"An agent from Lord Voldemort, sir. He says he has a message for you."

The door slowly opened to reveal Arion on the other side. He looked at Draco only briefly, and if he was surprised to see him, he didn't let it on.

"Thank you very much," he said to the other vampire, who bowed. "I'll take it from here."

Then, Arion ushered Draco inside. He motioned for him to sit in a large leather chair, then Arion took the one across from it for himself.

"So, what's the message?"

Draco thought a moment, trying to figure out what the message was. "It isn't actually from the Dark Lord," he answered finally. "It's from the sacrifice herself. She wonders if she will be sacrificed alone or with others."

Surprise flashed in Arion's eyes. "What a strange question. However, I will answer it. He got up and motioned for Draco to follow him.

The two walked through the miles and miles of hallway until they came upon a room with a solid gold door. Arion knocked softly.

"Enter."

The voice inside was clear and commanding. Draco recognized it at once. The two men entered the room and immediately fell on their knees.

Gammried looked at them curiously. "Hello Arion, Draco. What brings you here?"

Arion rose in a fluid motion, prompting Draco to follow suit. "Well, Gammried, Draco says the sacrifice wants to know whether she will meet her death alone or with others."

Gammried smiled an evil smile, one that was not quite sane. "An interesting question to be certain." He motioned for Draco to come forward and he did so. He had to crane his neck to make eye contact with Gammried, was still smiling.

"Come with me, you two, and you shall have your answer."

He led Arion and Draco to a little room near the room with the gold door. This new room's door was blood red, and when Gammried opened it, Draco was immediately hit by a wave of scorching heat. Once he got his bearings, Draco peered inside.

The room itself was incredibly dark, but he saw a dim light at the far end. He looked questioningly at the two older men.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on inside!" Gammried sounded eager. Draco proceeded into the room and immediately discovered that in addition to being extremely hot, it was very small and cramped. He could just barely stand all the way straight, and finally, he decided to get down on his hands and knees and crawl. By the time he reached the source of the faint light, he was dirty, sweaty and exhausted. He saw that the light came from a small, enclosed room, almost like a cell. In the cell, he could just make out three people. A man and two women were all huddled together, clutching at one another. Finally, the dim light shone on their faces, and Draco couldn't believe what he saw. One of them was Lydia.

He looked at her sorrow-lined face for another moment before crawling back to the entrance of the dark room where Gammried and Arion were waiting for him.

"So?" Gammried asked as soon as he saw him, "What do you think of the guest room?"

Draco's eyes narrowed. Ignoring Gammried, he looked at Arion. "Why did you take Lydia? And who are the other two?"

Arion said simply, "We aren't barbarians here, Draco. We simply wanted to give Lydia and her father a chance to say goodbye to her sister."