Cemetery

Hermione was staring down at two headstones. Tears were running down her cheeks. "What made me so special?" Hermione thought. "Why couldn't my parents also be immortal?"

Hermione bent down and placed flowers in front of her parent's headstones. She kissed her hand and placed her hand on the cold marble. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt a warm body behind her. She leaned against the warmth and felt arms wrap around her waist.

"Thank you for coming with me." Hermione said. "You are a good friend, Harry."

Harry led Hermione to the bench next to the headstones of her parents and sat down next to her. He placed her head on his shoulder and held her while she sobbed. With his free hand, Harry caressed her arm and eventually began to run his fingers through her curls. Hermione eventually sobbed herself to sleep. Harry gently laid her head down on his lap and continued to caress her hair.

Harry was in heaven. He had the woman that he loved in his arms. It pained him to see her cry though. He wanted nothing more than to take her pain away. Harry sighed. He wished he could tell Hermione how he felt, but with Voldemort still at large, he could not let his intensions be known.

Harry stared at Hermione's tear stained cheeks. He wanted to kiss those tears away. Harry wondered if he could bend far enough to kiss her. He was halfway to his goal, when Hermione bolted up to a standing position, nearly hitting Harry on the chin.

"Damn, damn, damn." Hermione silently cursed as she spun around in a circle looking for the other immortal. She caught sight of a heavyset older man standing 50 meters away.

"What is wrong, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Oh Merlin." Hermione thought. "I have to get rid of Harry."

"I'm sorry, Harry." Hermione responded. "I woke up confused. I forgot where I was."

Harry held out his hand. "Come. Sit down." Harry requested.

""No. That's Okay." Hermione responded. She looked over her shoulder at the other immortal, missing the hurt look on Harry's face.

"Listen, Harry." Hermione said as she turned a faced Harry. "Can I have some time alone with my parents?"

"Sure." Harry answered. "I will go over to the side of the road."

"No Harry." Hermione stated. "I need you to leave. I do not know how long I am going to be. I do not want you to wait in the cold. I will meet you home."

Harry narrowed his eyes. Hermione held her breath. "Okay." Harry stated as he got to his feet. "I will see you when you get back."

Harry bent to kiss Hermione's lips, but she moved her head away so his lips fell on her cheek. Harry took her hand and gave it a squeeze before dropping it, then walked away.

Hermione watched Harry walk out of sight before she turned and walked towards the immortal, missing Harry's head peeking around a crypt.

Hermione approached the other immortal with apprehension. She hoped that this would be just a friendly encounter.

"Hello." Hermione said as she held out her hand. "My name is Hermione. What is yours?"

"Your Executioner." The other immortal responded.

Hermione jolted back in shock. "Listen." Hermione hissed. "I do not want to fight you. It is Christmas Eve..."

"What is a mortal Holiday to us?" The other immortal interrupted. "You know the rules. Once a challenge has been made, you have to comply."

Hermione's shoulders slumped.

"There is a storage building on the outskirts of the cemetery, outside of holy ground." The other immortal stated. "Follow me."

Hermione followed the other immortal to behind the storage building. She noticed that the building was next to a creek. Rusted equipment, gardening tools, fertilizer bags and broken tombstones littered the ground.

"There is not much room for us to fight." Hermione stated as she walked among the debris.

"Oh. We won't be fighting." Hermione heard the other immortal say. She then heard a loud click.

Hermione turned around and saw the other immortal holding a gun.

"What are you doing?" Hermione squeaked. "That is against the rules. Didn't your teacher tell you that?"

"He must have forgotten to tell me before I killed him." The other immortal said without remorse.

"You killed your teacher??!!" Hermione said in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because there can be only one, Baby." The other immortal responded with a smirk.

"Say Goodbye." The other immortal said as he raised the gun, aiming for Hermione's heart.

Hermione glanced around in a panic, trying to find a place where she can duck and cover. She heard the gunshot and braced herself with the impact, but the shot went wide. She glanced up and saw Harry fighting with the other immortal for control of the gun.

"RUN HERMIONE!!!" Harry shouted as he grabbed the gun away from the other immortal.

"HARRY NO!!!" Hermione cried out.

As Harry threw the gun into the creek, the other immortal punched him in the face, causing his glassed to fly off his face. Another punch landed Harry behind the bags of fertilizer.

Harry lay on the ground for a while, trying to regain his breath. He opened his eyes and saw blurred figures. He heard the clanking of metal against metal. He turned onto his stomach, searching to his glasses with his hands.

Harry found his glasses, noticing that the glass was cracked multiple times in each lens. He put on his glasses and turned around just in time to see multiple Hermiones cut across the other man's stomach with a sword, then spin around and take the man's head.

Seeing the other man's headless body caused Harry to retch. He turned away from the sight, missing the blue glow that engulfed the body. He felt electricity fill the air and a slow build up of power. He panicked as he felt all the magic drain from his body. A scream filled the air and Harry glanced up towards Hermione in time to see a wave of blue light coming towards him. He was lifted in the air and tossed against the side of the building, knocking him unconscious.

Later

Harry opened his eyes. He saw above him the bright stars in the sky. He saw that his glasses were fixed. "Hermione must of fixed them." Harry thought.

"Hermione!!" Harry thought. Harry followed Hermione after he saw her talk to an older gentleman. He watched them walk behind a building. He remembered how his heart clenched when he peered around the corner and saw the other man aim the gun at Hermione. He acted without thinking, rushing the other man, knocking the gun away before he could make the shot. Harry sat up, remembered what happened after.

He turned his head and saw Hermione kneeling next to him, disheveled and tears staining her cheeks.

"Harry!!" Hermione cried as she threw her arms around his neck. "You are alright."

Harry pushed Hermione away from him and scrambled to his feet. "Get away from me!!" Harry shouted.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"WHAT'S WRONG??!! WHAT'S WRONG??!!" Harry shouted. "YOU KILLED SOMEONE!!"

"Harry I....." Hermione began.

"Don't tell me you did not have any choice." Harry continued to shout. "You had ample time to escape. I saw you follow him. Is that what you do? Lure them to their death? This one just surprised you with a gun?"

"Harry." Hermione sobbed. "You know me better...."

"No, Hermione." Harry interrupted. "I do not know you anymore. You are never around. You are always doing something regarding Head Duties. Hanging around Malfoy....."

Harry's eyes narrowed. He leapt forward, placed his hands on either side of Hermione's face and stared into her eyes.

Hermione saw images flashing through her mind. She fought Harry, not letting him know about her new status as an immortal or the times she spent with Methos. Unfortunately, she did not have time to block the image of Draco kissing her after movie night.

Hermione wrenched her head from Harry's hands. "HOW DARE YOU." Hermione shouted at Harry.

A look of fury filled Harry's face. "Hermione, how long have you been a Deatheater?" Harry asked quietly.

"WHAT???!!!" Hermione shouted incredulously. "ARE YOU MAD??!!"

"Why else would Malfoy be involved with you?" Harry sneered. "You are nothing but a mudblood."

Hermione's face paled. "Harry." Hermione whispered. "How can you say that about me?"

"Did Voldemort promise you a high position in the Ministry by luring me to my death?" Harry demanded.

"I do not have to listen to your mad ravings." Hermione said as she stood up.

"Yes you do." Harry said as he grabbed her arm. "When did you become a deatheater?"

"I repeat. I am not a deatheater." Hermione shouted. "Deatheaters are murderers. They kill muggles. I am not a murderer."

"That is where you are wrong." Harry said as he tightened his grip on her arm. "You are a murderer. You just killed someone. You cut off a muggles' head. Beheading someone is an act of murder. If you are not a deatheater, what are you?."

Hermione looked away, not responding to Harry's question.

Harry took out his wand, pointed his wand at Hermione's head and muttered, "Obliviate."

"What did you do?" Hermione demanded as she wrenched her arm from Harry's grip.

"I cannot risk the lives of the Order and the Weasleys." Harry stated. "I have just erased any knowledge of the new headquarters.

"But that is where I live." Hermione begged.

"Not anymore." Harry responded. "Let your new deatheater friends put you up for the Holidays."

Harry apparated from the cemetery, leaving Hermione alone.

Meanwhile

Draco was sitting on his bed waiting for his father. At breakfast, his father told him that he was going to discuss what was required of him when he took the Dark Mark in 2 days, tonight.

Draco looked over to his desk. He organized everything this afternoon. He hoped that it would be enough to convince his father.

A knock was heard at the door. Draco moved his eyes towards it. "Come in." Draco said. He watched his father enter the room.

"Draco." Lucius said. "I thought I told you meet me in the Library at a specific time. I would hate to have to continue the discussion we had when you returned from Hogwarts."

Draco shuddered. His father locked him in one of the dungeon's cells as punishment for declaring Professor Slytherin as the heir to Salazar. There was only darkness and the sound of his own breathing to keep him company. He had no idea how long he was in that cell.

"Draco." Lucius interrupted his thoughts. "An explanation."

"I thought it would be best to have the conversation here." Draco responded.

"Alright." Lucius responded. "I guess it does not matter where the conversation takes place." Lucius pulled a chair in front of Draco and sat down.

"Now listen." Lucius began. "There will be no interruptions. I will explain the ritual to you and then you can ask questions, should you have any."

"Can I ask a general question first?" Draco asked.

"Alright." Lucius responded.

"Why do we support Lord Voldemort?" Draco asked.

Lucius blinked at Draco in astonishment.

"I am sorry." Lucius responded. "What did you say?"

"Why do we support Lord Voldemort?" Draco asked again.

"You should know why we do?" Lucius snarled as he stood up. "He is the most powerful wizard around, more powerful than us. That is why we follow him."

"How can Voldemort be all powerful when Potter destroyed him as a baby?" Draco asked.

"We do not know." Lucius responded truthfully. "But the Dark Lord has risen from the dead and has come back to finish his goal."

"And what is that?" Draco asked.

"Why supremacy for all purebloods, of course." Lucius smirked. "We will drive away the muggleborns and halfbloods from our world."

"Isn't the Dark Lord a half-blood?" Draco asked.

"Bite your tongue." Lucius said in a shocked voice.

"Lord Voldemort used to be Tom Riddle." Draco stated. "Riddle is a muggle name. In the Hogwarts' archives, it says that Tom Riddle's mother was a witch but his father was a muggle."

"That does not matter." Lucius snarled. "He is Salazar's heir. He speaks Parselmouth..."

"Which Salazar Slytherin's journals show that Salazar was not born a Parselmouth." Draco interrupted.

Lucius lunged forward and grabbed Draco by the color of his robes.

"Do you want muggleborns around us? Do you want to have our bloodlines sullied?" Lucius said menacingly.

"I wanted to talk to you about that also." Draco squeaked.

Lucius let Draco go. Draco backed up to his desk gasping for breath.

"I have done some research." Draco choked. "Other than us, the Dumbledore family is the oldest of the wizard families around."

"I made a list of when other wizard families first arrived in our world." Draco said as he handed Lucius a piece of parchment.

"The Weasleys came after us." Draco continued. "Along with Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Shively, Parkinson, Goyle and Black."

"I note that the newest family names are Lestrange, Crabbe, Flint, Nott, Snape, and Zabini." Draco continued. "All Slytherin names. Our friends. Some are part of our family.

Lucius' face went pale.

"What were they before they were purebloods?" Draco shouted. "I will tell you. They were muggleborn."

"SILENCE!!" Lucius shouted.

"No father." Draco shouted back. "You have always told me to ally myself to the most powerful wizard or witch, but I am friends with idiots. Do you want to know who the most powerful witch in Hogwarts is? I will tell you, Hermione Granger, a muggleborn. She knows more about magic than anyone I know, even me."

Lucius looked at Draco, stunned.

"Listen to me father." Draco begged. "Salazar Slytherin showed up one day. His name was no where in the archives. He was a muggleborn. Why are we following his supposed heir? Lord Voldemort nearly destroyed our family last time. You got arrested."

"Because I cannot defeat him." Lucius cried out. "You know our motto. We do anything to survive. We were almost wiped out, Draco. Long before the wizard world was formed, we lived among the muggles. We were part of a nomadic tribe. We offered ourselves as healers. It is written that one day 4 riders came. Our family offered to protect the tribe. We had done it before, but these riders were different. Two of them were wizards who could do wandless magic. Out of our family of 20, only one of us survived. Alexander Malfoy was only 5 years old at the time. He hid under his father's body and pretended to be dead. He became a slave to the Giants to survive. We do anything to survive, Draco."

"Why can't we go to Dumbledore?" Draco begged. "We can ask for his protection."

"You do not understand, Draco." Lucius sighed. "Dumbledore is going to lose. The Dark Lord has no qualms. He kills with no remorse. The Dark Arts are always more powerful than the Light. Dumbledore and anyone who follows him will be destroyed."

"I am sorry, father." Draco sobbed. "I do not believe that."

Draco turned around and grabbed his wand.

"What are you doing Draco?" Lucius demanded.

Draco turned quickly to face Lucius. Draco shouted a spell. Lucius stiffened up. He could not move his limbs.

"What are you doing?" Lucius demanded.

"I am sorry, father." Draco responded. "I am not taking the Dark Mark. I am going to Professor Dumbledore and pledge my allegiance to him."

"DRACO NO!!!" Lucius shouted.

Draco grabbed his trunk and started walking to the door. "Goodbye, father. The spell will wear off in a couple hours. It is one of the many spells that Granger discovered." Draco said. "Say goodbye to mother for me."

Draco exited out of his room. As he closed his door, Draco heard his father shout. "DRACO!!!"