A/n: Here's the next update. I like this chapter, and it touches on something everyone has been bugging me about. But hey, I finally found a way to progress on certain things in here. Don't worry, this stupid author's note will make sense once you have read the chapter! Hope you enjoy and because I am being so nice and giving you all something you have all wanted, leave me a review!
The facebook link is at the top of my profile! Thanks to my beta, JDeppIsMyLovely, and enjoy!
It Chased
"It's nasty looking," Draco observed, reclining against his bed. Blaise, the ever obsessive bloke that he was, was staring at the mark that overtook his collarbone and shoulder. Really, it was truly an odd placement for the Dark Mark, but considering that this had been done to only leave gaudy scars, he wasn't all that surprised. Had it been the actual tattoo he may have worried a bit about another Dark Lord trying to rise, but this seemed to be done more out of anger then anything. You wouldn't leave a half visible scar on people if you were trying to make a broad statement.
"It really is," he agreed, glaring at the mark. "It was worth it, however."
"Please Blaise," he sighed, rubbing his temples, "don't give me a long story of romance about the two of you; I simply don't need it."
The Italian raised an eyebrow. "Of course you don't; you have your own story forming around Granger."
He scoffed. "Hardly."
"Really now," the Italian pressed, turning to face his friend instead of the mirror. "Then tell me Draco, what do you really think of Granger?"
Hermione, just one door over, was staring at Pansy with large eyes. She must need to clean her ears out or something; she must not have heard that right. That was a name she had rarely heard about since the war- even during- and hearing it again gave her a small chill down her spine. "Beg pardon?"
Pansy's expression didn't change. "You heard me Granger; you know what I said."
She settled back in her bed a bit, adverting her eyes from the raven-haired girl. Amycus Carrow? She had not had a lot of experience with the Carrow siblings, seeing that they were too busy being professors at Hogwarts while she ran ramrod around England searching for Horcrux's. She knew that McGonagall had disliked the pair quite a bit, and had once suspended both Carrows in midair in the Ravenclaw common room, a sight she had not been around to witness.
But being enslaved to Amycus didn't sound very pleasant at all. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure why she had asked. Of course it was a Death Eater that had kept her as a prisoner! Who else would? But why did he? What did he gain and how had she become stuck with someone like that.
Before she could voice any of her questions, Pansy spoke again. "It was horrible."
She pursed her lips, unsure how to answer anything. "I can't imagine," she replied, keeping her voice quiet. Pansy was certainly on edge, and Hermione really wasn't sure if she was about to scream or cry; time would tell.
"You don't understand Granger," she said, shaking her head, black locks flying this way and that. "You have it easy so far. Draco, he's an arse but he's not unforgiving. He's being quite kind to you actually, considering how things are going. He could command you to do anything, anything, and you would have no say. But he's not like that, and you should consider yourself lucky."
Hermione suppressed a frown. Being enslaved to Malfoy had never been something she counted herself lucky for, especially in the beginning. Merlin knew she fought tooth and nail to avoid letting him have something over her, yet she had eventually let him to save her life. And truth be told, it was nothing like she had ever thought it would be. He had been such a prick to her for a long time, but slowly the walls of irritation and attitude had fallen and he had become alright. When his demands were first stated, they had been unexpected, but they had seemed to be so daunting. Now, having dealt with them for so long, she found them easy.
It wasn't until that moment that she realized while speaking with her friends, she had never even considered explaining to them what a hold Malfoy had on her. In fact, the thought hadn't passed her mind. They had not asked how she had gotten well, or if he had something on her. No, she had never thought to even mention it. Apparently, obeying that order from the blond had become second-nature, and she wasn't at all sure she liked that.
"I suppose I do," she breathed, placing Pansy's words in the back of her mind. Malfoy hadn't been difficult for a long time actually, and she intended to ask him just why that was. Since when had things changed so drastically?
Since you woke up in bed beside him? Or since you came to this place and he hasn't let his mother eat you alive? She shook the thoughts from her head. Now was not the time to think on that.
Pansy had gotten up during Hermione's inner conflict, and was now wandering aimlessly around the room. She wondered what that was about. "I'm not going to bore you with tales of what happened to me Granger, but be careful. Men can sometimes be power hungry without meaning to be."
That was a strange statement if there ever was one. She could not even begin to connect how that was relevant to anything they had discussed. Men can sometimes be power hungry? It sounded like something a lover would almost say, and if Parkinson and… Amycus had been lovers then she had no intention to listen to anything else she had to say. Still, curiosity would be Hermione's death in the end, and she could not stop herself from asking her next question; "Why do you say that?"
The girl looked back at her. "Draco has told you nothing about me then, about my past? Strange, I had assumed he would take full advantage of this opportunity when he gave you your cure; it would have been a nice way to deter your confidence on the entire ordeal." Pansy stopped pacing, and came to sit beside Hermione again on the bed, brushing her hair away from her face. "Would you care to know why I became enslaved?"
She nodded, throwing caution to the wind. So long as it was not too disturbing, she would listen in. Hopefully this story would not keep her up all night.
"My mother had an affair," she said slowly, biting her nail. The brunettes eyebrows shot up, having never expected Parkinson of all people to be a nail biter. "Well, it didn't start out as an affair. My mother met Amycus once, years and years ago, at night and of course was disgusted by him, any decent human being would be. He used one of the Unforgiveables to make her stay with him for a night. After that, she continued to go back to him- don't ask me why Granger, I'm not completely certain. I believe my father became cold towards her, and she simply seeked affection in the most convenient- if not disturbing- places. This was around the time I was seven."
"It went on for years, I'm not sure how often. My father rarely came home you see, he always had something or someone to attend to, and my mother knew that; she just didn't like that he ignored her I guess. Their marriage soon began to fall apart, and he found out that she was having an affair right around the time I started school at Hogwarts. He was mad, and I'm not really sure what went on between them during the fall term, but when I came home for Christmas that year things had changed. My father wasn't there, but Amycus was; he was just as ugly as ever, and I can never tell you what my mother saw in that man. Anyway, he avoided me until Christmas morning."
"I heard them screaming that morning; he was demanding that my mother leave my father and come live with him; I could come if she wanted me to. But she didn't want that; she wanted to continue to live richly without a care, but have him on the side. It didn't sit well with him. That evening he came upstairs and asked if I wanted to play a game; hide and seek. I had never played before, but he said that was okay. He counted, and I hid. Carrow hadn't wanted my mother to see, so we were playing in the guest room he was staying in. At the time I didn't think about it, how odd it was that everywhere seemed to be shut off except a bag, but I assumed he wouldn't hurt me and I hid in there, zipping it up part-way. When he finished counting he said a spell that silenced me and locked me in there. I really don't know what happened for the next several hours after that between him and my mother."
Hermione had a hard time imagining stuck-up Pansy, who had never seemingly been that joyful of a child, running around and hiding in suitcases, but didn't say anything as she continued her take.
"He finally let me out later that night; he took off the spells and let me go, and I saw my mother standing in the room. She had a bunch of welts on her face, and I ran to her; she broke down crying. When I asked what was wrong, she told me to hush and that everything was okay, then gave me a potion bottle. I was told not to take it unless she came up and told me so, then she sent me to my room. They argued that night too."
"I only slept after they had stopped screaming that night, hiding in my room. The following morning she told me to floo to Blaise's, and I spent the day with both boys; Malfoy was there too. That night when I returned my mother told me to drink the potion; she had more welts on her face and on her arms too, but she was still stubborn and wouldn't tell me what had happened. At the time, I let it go and drank the potion." She looked away. "That's how I ended up a slave. Not everyone becomes a slave the way you did Granger; through a cure; sometimes its just potions, just deals. I didn't know anything strange had happened until the following day, because I was foolish enough to trust my mother."
"The following day Amycus woke me up. He demanded I make him breakfast and I found that I had to, despite the fact that we had house elves who could do the same thing; it was then that I knew something was wrong. When I drank the potion, I hadn't really considered what it was because I trusted my mother. It was only then that I began to doubt that it had been anything good. It continued like that throughout the day, and that night he dismissed me so I went to search for her. I didn't find her."
"When the holiday ended he instructed me to not try and run, and to not tell the teachers about what happened. I went back to school and told Blaise and Draco about it, and that I didn't understand. They helped me look up what it might be, and they also sent letters home to see if anyone had seen my mother. As for my father, I had been under the impression that he was simply absent for the holidays, away doing business or something, or maybe just ignoring the offending guest in his home. We spoke, but only through letters and he never asked about my mother, Amycus or the situation. It was all very distant"
"When summer came again and we knew nothing, Malfoy took me to his home to try and avoid seeing Amycus again. I didn't see him until several weeks in, when he sent me an owl demanding I returned to my home. It was a demand, and I couldn't quite ignore it, so I left, without telling anyone where I was going as I was instructed. I never knew until my second year that the Daily Prophet ran two articles on my missing mother and three on me that summer, but really, it was kept on the down low. Anyone with connections to my family had the articles removed from the papers to keep my family's sanity. I didn't know it at the time either, but my father was looking for me. He sent letters during the year and even some here to Malfoy Manor, but our arranged date to meet was canceled when Amycus demanded my attendance, and soon after cut off my owls. I became a slave in my own home."
The Gryffindor nodded, noting that Pansy was pointedly ignoring whatever happened to her mother. As far as she knew, Mrs. Parkinson was alive, but then, Hermione paid little attention to these Pureblood families until recently. This story was beginning to become a mystery in itself.
"I spent my summer doing tasks for Amycus, and whenever I did not meet his requirements he lashed out at me. He's not an exceptionally powerful wizard, but he's terrifying when he is angry. He left some marks." Pulling up the sleeve of her robes, she revealed a long, pale scar. "We only remained in my home for a while, before he moved us elsewhere, probably to avoid searching Auror's. I didn't understand why he wanted me at the time, why he needed me to be a slave, but he kept me by his side that summer. It wasn't until the very beginning of August that someone found me- and it was only because Voldemort had begun to rise. The day the bloke got a message about it, he ripped my shoulder apart and released me from my enslavement, saying I made up plenty for how ungrateful my mother had been. At the time I really didn't understand. Less than a day later I stumbled from the complex he had us staying in and found a wizard that quickly contacted the Ministry for me."
"I went to stay at the Malfoy's the rest of the summer, while the authorities searched for my father. It wasn't hard to locate him, and he came to the Manor barely a day later to retrieve me. Draco's parents demanded to know what had been happening at our house, but he refused to say anything and took me to the loft he had been staying in. This was just a day or so before school for our third year began, and he demanded to know what had happened. When I told him, explaining what I could, he said it would be handled. I didn't understand and tried to demand an answer myself, but he wouldn't give and the following day I had to get on the train to Hogwarts."
"Two weeks into our first term, I got a letter from the Ministry with an attachment from my father, saying Amycus had been apprehended and would no longer be a problem. That's when the Ministry letter came in, explaining what had happened. It was an enslavement potion my mother gave me, and it bound me to the dark wizard. I'm not entirely sure what measures were taken to break that bond, but the Ministry is severely against human enslavement and made sure it was stopped; it's too much like the old days for them I guess. That's how I've always known that you didn't inform anyone of your enslavement; if the Ministry got wind of it Draco would spend at least ten years in Azkaban. You've kept the secret for whatever reason, and so long as they don't find out it shouldn't be a problem; I'm assuming that you no longer wish the worst for him?"
She frowned. "Why do you say that?"
A small smile graced the girls features. "Because you two seem to get along, at least from what Blaise has told me. It's odd that an enslavement had to bring the two of you together."
It's more than just the slave deal. "It is," she replied, nodding her head. Was Pansy really planning to stop her tale there? There were multiple thing she left unanswered- some of which Hermoine understood were not in her power to know- but still, there were so many holes. When the Slytherin remained silent she decided to speak up. "Go on then."
Parkinson's eyebrows shot up. "You expected more?"
"It seems there are too many holes for the story to be over," came the reply, followed by a shrug. "I am only curious if you intend to leave it there."
For a second time, Pansy smiled. "I really didn't think you would want to hear anymore Granger, since there isn't a lot more to tell. I'm distanced from my father now, and this last summer after the war I didn't even return home. I spent it rotating between the Manor, Blaise's home and the Greengrass Mansion. I actually have a spare wand in this place actually, something I left behind years ago just before my father came to reclaim me. My original wand is hiding here someplace, although I haven't the slightest idea where. I got a new wand years ago; that on is probably covered in a firm layer of dust."
Hermione nodded, although this was not what she had been searching for; "And your mother?"
The girl's face fell, her eyes looking down at the blanket between them. "My mother's been dead since she gave me the potion. I think she handed me over as a slave in exchange for her life, but I'm not certain. Even if that was the case, it makes no difference now; he killed her years ago. I only wish she had informed me of what had happened, but that would be too much to expect; you can obviously see my parental figures are not the best."
The brunette nodded, noting that this seemed to be an issue among Pureblood families: Malfoy's parents were distant, their marriage practically ruined; Parkinson's family was forever destroyed, and she had heard on more than one occasion that Blaise had a very interesting mother with many, may ex-husbands. But she couldn't say too much; both of her parents were gone. "I'm sorry," she said, unsure how to respond.
"Don't be, none of it's your fault." The girl stood, smoothing out her crinkled gown. "Just be careful Granger; like I said, men can be power hungry. You may be on better terms with Malfoy but that doesn't mean his mindset has completely changed; he could retaliate at any moment and take advantage of your deal. Just be careful, these deals can be dangerous." The sleeves of the gown were still pulled up, and she traced the old scar that lingered there. "Don't allow this to change who you are."
With those lingering words, she turned and walked out of Hermione's room, practically running over Blaise who had come to find her. He took a look at her face and frowned. "Is everything alright? Why are you coming out of Granger's room?"
She just shook her head, grasping his hand tightly. "I'll explain later." Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Granger, who still sat with a confused expression on her bed. "Have a goodnight then; we'll talk later."
"Yes, we will," Hermione breathed in return. She watched Parkinson shut the door, before collapsing back on her bed, memories of everything that had just been told to her swirling in her head.
If Parkinson had been enslaved at some point in her life, did the=at explain why she wasn't acting completely hostile towards her? Had everything that happened really changed who she was going to be? Well, despite the obvious facts of what had changed for her- like having a mother. The girl's explanation of her mother's death had been vague, and Hermione supposed that it made sense; that would be a touchy subject for anyone.
Don't let this change who you are.
She hadn't changed at all, had she?
He was watching it again, the Manor. He watched it often these days.
He planned to get in there, oh yes he had it all mapped out, it just wasn't the time yet; he was still waiting on someone. And that someone had already slipped up once. Meeting him had been a coincidence at best, and placing him within Hogwarts was a waste of time. All he had done was ogle a girl he once enslaved.
Rodolphus hoped that he wouldn't mess this up. The idiot was walking on a thin line with him and if he messed up again he had no problem killing him. He just needed him first. As soon as he knew how Hogwarts was, he could stop worrying and focus solely on her. Malfoy would have to deal with his accomplice first before he could help the bitch anyways.
Shuffling bushes behind him alerted the man that someone was coming. Spinning around, wand in hand, he came face to face with his accomplice.
"Minerva still suspects nothing of me. They won't find you like they found Nott; I'll make sure that Malfoy stays out of the way."
"Then your absence will not be noted?"
"No."
Lestrange grinned, an evil, twisted grin. "Good, then everything is going perfectly."
The following morning Hermione nearly bumped into Draco coming out of her room. He had been apparently heading over to the room Blaise and Pansy had decided to share, and nearly walked over her.
"Sorry Granger," he said, straightening her out as though he really had bumped her. The action was completely unnecessary, and it made her wonder why he even bothered. "Going down to breakfast?"
"The library," she replied, brushing a few hairs behind her ear. They would get nothing done today with holiday guests arriving that night, and she decided to simply ignore Lucius and Narcissa entirely by taking a detour to the Malfoy library for the day. Besides, Draco had Blaise and Pansy around, so would he really miss her?
"That's a dull way to spend your Christmas Eve."
Her eyebrows shot up. "I thought you weren't a fan of the holidays? And it's not Christmas Eve yet; it's the day of Christmas Eve. I am missing nothing." She tried not to flinch at that sentence. Actually, she was missing a great many things from her life, and that understatement was horrible.
If he noticed her reaction after speaking he chose to ignore it. "Just because I don't enjoy the holidays doesn't mean I'm so thick as to think everyone hates them. You Gryffindor's always get very 'jolly' around this time of year."
She suppressed a smile at his word choice. Malfoy could be comical at the strangest times, but since this was edging towards her feelings involving other things she chose to switch topics. "Going to speak with Blaise and Pansy then?"
He glanced at the door, as though he had forgot his reason for traveling the hall. "Oh, yes, I was actually just going to assure they didn't sleep the day away and that Pansy went down to see my mother; she decided she wanted her help yesterday after your…"
"Argument?"
"Yes, argument with her. So I need to make sure she is actually planning to get up." That being said, he turned and wrapped loudly on the door. "Get up you two!"
Hermione stood beside the blond and waited for a response; she was rather curious to find out as well what Pansy had said to her boyfriend after leaving her room last night; it had just seemed a bit odd that Blaise looked so surprised to see her both coming out of her room, and looking haggard. She was nearly about to turn and go when the door opened and a tired looking Italian greeted them.
"What could you possibly want at this hour?"
"It's nearly ten," Draco scolded, and she couldn't quite decide if his tone was friendly or harsh. "And this is my home; I'll bother you when I so please. Where is Pansy? My mother is going to have a fit if that girl does not arrive downstairs soon- and I have already heard enough about this Ball tonight to last a lifetime. She better be up soon Zabini or I'll wake her up myself."
The Italian shook his head. "It's too early in the morning to be bitter Malfoy. I'll wake Pansy and we'll eat something, before I send her off to see your mother. Really, she's going to need help too dealing with all of it." His eyes slid over to eye the brunette beside them, raising an eyebrow. "Say, Granger's a girl-"
"Don't even start Blaise," she cut in, raising a hand, "Narcissa tried to use me yesterday before you two arrived, and all that happened was a lot of screaming. I'll be surprised if she utters a word to me at all until I leave."
He smirked. "Sounds like you get a free pass out of the Ball tonight then."
The Gryffindor just rolled her eyes. "It's unlikely that I was ever invited, and anyway, I wouldn't go. Why would I force myself into a situation where I have to spend the entire night around a bunch of Pureblood's who don't like me?"
Blaise chuckled. "I see your point."
She nodded in return. Apparently Pansy was still asleep and the conversation didn't seem like it was going to shift to her topic of interest anytime soon, so she decided to bow out. "Well you three have fun preparing for tonight then," she said, shrugging off her jacket as she spoke. The Manor was chilly, but standing there for too long next to the warm-bodied Slytherin's had done wonders for her body temperature. She was now toasty warm. "I'll be off then to the library like I originally planned." She gave Malfoy a pointed look, indicating that he was of course the cause for her delay. Turning on her heel, she proceeded down the hallway, fighting back memories of giving her parents the same looks just before the holidays.
Approaching footsteps and a rough grip stopped her in her tracks, spinning her around. She came nose to nose with Blaise, who was jerking her arm around roughly in an act to spy something. Malfoy came up just behind him, a frown placed on his face; obviously, what he was looking for was lost completely to the blond.
He flipped her arm around, and the famous scar revealed itself to the audience. Her eyes widened, having forgotten that it would be visible to the Italian when she walked away. Draco shot an eyebrow up but otherwise remained silent.
"What is this," he asked, staring down at the offending word. He traced his fingers over the letters, as though trying to feel for something and the action made her uncomfortable. She attempted to squirm from his grip, but his hand was locked on her arm and didn't seem like it would be going anywhere. "How did you get that? Where-" He cut himself off, dropping her arm quickly and spinning to face his friend. "Did you-"
"Merlin no Zabini," the blond snapped, now cutting his own friend off. "Why would I do that? Besides, can't you feel the magic embedded in there? Look, I tried to heal the wound once, but all that fucking magic won't let me." He was pointing at her by this point, trying to keep his anger in check. Did the git really think he would do something like that? "Just because she is enslaved to me doesn't mean I do shit like that to her."
Hermione flinched at the way he so easily brought up that topic, as though it were not a big deal, but had no time to say anything as Blaise retaliated. "How long as it been there?"
"Oh, I don't know- since this summer? How should I know exactly how long its been there? I didn't leave the fucking scar so I have no bloody-"
Draco grew silent as the ceiling above them creaked; the stairway to Lucius's floor may be a good distance away but he still walked above them. Rarely did he ever make enough noise to draw their attention from lower levels, but the heavy creaking caught everyone's attention.
"Is that your father," Blaise asked, thankfully changing topics. Draco barely spared him a nod, instead watching as Hermione threw back on her jumper. "He's awful noisy, isn't he?"
"Not usually this noisy," Draco replied absentmindedly, watching the brunette still. She looked kind of beaten down suddenly, and he wondered why that was. Guessing that it was possibly because of their current topic, he turned to his mate, hoping to distract him; "I will go and wake Parkinson up myself if you do not go and do so now." He took a couple threatening steps back in the room's direction, but Blaise held up his hand.
"Fine Malfoy, fine, I'll go get her." He glanced back at Granger, who now had her arms crossed protectively across her chest. "I'd like to know more about that mark later if you don't mind Granger," he continued, nodding towards her arms. "It's peculiar, and certainly something you should have fixed. You don't want the dark magic to cause further harm."
"No, I don't," she said tightly. Zabini nodded, before hurrying down the hallway before Draco decided to threaten to wake his girlfriend again; that was a fight he did not want to be responsible for. Once he was down the hall, she turned on her heel and walked off.
"Something bothering you Granger," Malfoy called from behind her, unfortunately drawing her attention. She stopped walking, trying to decide whether or not to respond to him.
"Something is always bothering me Malfoy," she snapped in return, flexing her fingers. She was in no mood to talk to him; if he wanted to talk, he could start by acting less like he completely owned her whenever the slave deal was brought up.
"Anything to do with me then," he challenged, staring at her back. He was going to get to the bottom of her sudden, sour mood swing.
She pursed her lips. "Always."
"Ah, Granger," he chirped, walking up behind her. She made no move to run, and he took that as a sign that she either planned to listen or hit him, depending on what she was thinking. "Stop being so stiff; you may as well be one of the statues here."
"Something else you own," she huffed, talking under her breath.
Immediately, his eyebrows shot up, and he felt a jolt of anger shoot through him. Grasping her shoulder, he spun her around to face him. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," she hissed, looking at his throat instead of his face, "you already own me, may as well leave me somewhere to look at."
"What are you going on about?"
Hermione jerked from his grip, putting a step or two between them. "Didn't you just say that you owned me, but that doesn't mean you have to 'treat me like shit'?"
His eyes darkened. "Granger, I didn't mean anything by it. I was stating a point that I would never do that to someone." Snapping his arm out, he made her stare down at that horrible scar again. "I would never have carved a word into a person; I was defending myself, nothing more nothing less. What's gotten into you? You're so touchy today."
She pulled out of his grip. "I'm touchy because sometimes its nice to believe I am here by choice and not because you force me to be. But every time I get in that mindset to try and think something horrible really isn't happening to me you go and ruin it by forcing me to really remember why I'm here."
Draco's eyebrows drew together. "Has it really been that awful then Granger? I haven't hit you, I haven't even needed to enforce our deal since arriving here, and except when we go and visit my father you can do whatever you bloody please. So please, tell me what I have been doing to make this trip so horrible."
"You forced me to come!"
"Yes, I forced you here, but is it really that terrible?"
The girl pursed her lips. It hadn't been awful, except occasionally dealing with Lucius, and the times when Narcissa freaked out over something. Looking away and tilting her head up, she tried to ignore the fact that she had just made a huge deal out of something she could almost say she had been enjoying; "No, I suppose this trip hasn't been as awful as it could be."
"Exactly," he snapped, rolling his eyes. "And if it makes you feel any bloody better, I don't ever think about the deal. I could release you now if I so pleased but I think you may rush off and do something completely stupid and get yourself killed; then Potter will really want to kill me."
She rolled her eyes in return. "I'm not going to go anywhere. I made this deal- and the terms in which I made this deal under are irrelevant now- but I will stick with it." Boldly, she reached forward and grabbed both his hands, looking up at him again, something she hadn't done since attempting to leave the conversation entirely. "Please release me Malfoy, I hate being enslaved to someone." Pansy's words rang very clearly in her head; Don't let this change who you are.
He sighed, removing his hands from hers so he could pace. "I just told you I can't Granger; I can't just release you and expect you to not go off and do something rash that-"
"What am I going to do," she asked, throwing her hands up. "What would I possibly do?"
The blond chuckled then, and his sudden attitude change threw her off. "What would you do? I know what you would do Granger," he breathed, getting in her face, "You would go searching for my uncle, because you still have something to settle with him. And what better time to attempt to set something up than during the holidays, when you have nowhere you simply have to be. I am willing to bet you would run off and try to finish that whole ordeal with him, quite possibly losing your life in the process."
She resisted the urge to gulp; she still had that letter from Rodolphus sitting on her desk in her room, buried beneath papers. Malfoy was right, she would go off and try to finish things off with him, but why did he sound like he cared? "So what if I did plan to do that? I would be out from under you, I would no longer be your responsibility; you would have no reason to worry about me."
He pressed his lips together for a moment. "It would be my fault Granger because you would've last been in my care, and I would've let you throw away you're entire life. I'm not saying you're a horrible duelist- don't look at me like that- I'm simply saying my uncle isn't very likely to play fair."
Hermione got the feeling that there was more to this story then he was already saying, but she didn't press it. He was firm; it appeared she would not be getting out of this deal early, which would just make meeting up with this idiot harder. So what if Malfoy could see through her and figure out her plans? They were her plans, not his.
She decided to try and not sigh; there was no way she was letting him know he had won so easily. "Fine Malfoy, if you insist, I guess I'm stuck here until you get over this deal and let me go. But that doesn't change anything, I still have to find you uncle, whether or not you let me go now, or after the holidays. I still have things to finish with him."
Draco reached up, rubbing his temples. "Granger, you can give a man the worst of headaches. Couldn't you just ask Potter and Weasley to help you go on this dangerous quest when we go back instead of trying to be overly heroic and go at it by yourself?"
"I'm not going to hide behind anyone Malfoy; I don't need shields. This is my battle, no one elses."
He groaned, turning to hit the wall; startled, she took a step back. "Damnit Granger, you're too fucking headstrong. When you get killed I won't be coming to you funeral."
"I don't need you to come to it," she hissed in return, placing her delicate hands on her hips; delicate hands that knew how to defend her. "Why are you making such a big deal over the slave deal? Fuck, I'll stay the duration of the holidays if it so pleases you, but why do you have to act like you care about me?"
"I don't."
She pointed her finger. "Yes you do! If you didn't you wouldn't give a damn if I died or not when I go and face your uncle, yet here you are, finding different ways to keep me from my goal. What is with you? I thought you were just tolerating me! Stop acting like you care, it's messing with my head-"
"Granger-"
"-I'm not even sure what to think of you anymore! You're emotions flip around as much as mine, and half the time I can't decide if you are just tolerating me, or considering accepting me as a friend in your precious inner circle, I don't know-"
He silenced her, gently grabbing the back of her head. Before she had time to react, he had her pressed lightly against him, his lips coming to rest against her own. He only remained there a moment- barely long enough for her to react in return- before he pulled back, almost smirking.
"Ponder that all you want Granger." With those words, he turned and swept away, leaving her in the eerie silence of the Manor, completely stunned.
Her eyes were wide as she watched him go. What in Merlin's name had just happened? Was this for real, or was he again trying to mess with her head? Pressing her fingers to her lips, she contemplated that. It would be very Malfoy-like to do this just to spite her, but there was some sort of hidden passion behind the sweet kiss that made her think otherwise.
Stop thinking so much Hermione. You just got kissed by Malfoy, are you really going to ponder why? Relish in the first real contact you've had intimately with someone in months, and stop over-thinking everything. You can think about it as much as you please later.
Part of her was still very wary about Malfoy's reasoning behind that action, but she chose to listen to the other part of her mind that just wanted to go with it for now. There would be plenty of time to think about this later, right? Maybe she could do so tomorrow, after the Ball. Sighing, she turned on her own heel and trudged on, intent on getting to that library one way or the other. Standing there like a fool for Blaise and Pansy to find later would do her no good, and they would probably ask too many questions. Walking to the library, she couldn't quite push the kiss from her mind.
The simple thought had removed everything else from her focus for the moment, even thoughts of Rodolphus and being a slave.
And that was very, very bad.
He paced his floor, stopping occasionally to jump hard on the floor, causing old floorboards to groan. How dare they take his wand? The little Mudblood bitch! He could not believe how assertive that girl had been; she should fear him, not make him a prisoner in this place even more then he already was!
Lucius sighed, rubbing his temples as he continued to pace. He would ring her neck when he got the chance, if his bloody son would ever just step out of the way. What was with that boy? Fighting on the side of the likes of that girl instead of his own father! Oh, they would have words when he saw the boy next!
He was rubbing his hands together. He had her there in his own home, which was unsettling. He had never actually meant for her to become involved in everything, it was just a lucky coincidence. He now had someone to take the fall for his actions, which was perfect for him. The last thing he wanted was another trip to Azkaban.
He bent to the floor, searching. He had a favorite picture he kept up here with him, minus the one Granger had taken away with her on their last visit. This one he thought caught far more of the essence of everything that had happened on that little muggle street. Stooping around on the floors, he located the old picture, which had somehow ended up beneath the old worn couch. Laughing moronically as he picked it up, he flipped it over to study the photograph.
"Oh Rodolphus, how you failed us."
A/n: Thoughts? Chapters are pretty long now just because this story is getting so long and I don't want to settle with rather short chapters (for this story) anymore. Hope you liked it!
I'm sorry I didn't reply to you amazing reviewers this time around! It will be a priority for next week I swear!
