Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart…They say I'm caught up in a dream…so wake me up when it's all over… All this time I was finding myself and I didn't know I was lost…
Avicii & Aloe Blacc
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Hermione unraveled a curl from around her wand and let it bounce into place. She repeated this process until a head-full of perfectly contained curls laced the frame of her face. She gave herself a final look-over and fixed the final touches to her makeup. She had never really enjoyed wearing the stuff, but she had achieved the effect she was going for. Kneeling down to fasten her heels, she went over her plan in her head to make sure she was prepared for the night ahead of her.
What she was about to do was mildly dangerous, and very illegal, but she wanted to do it. If she didn't do something, the memory of Draco's torment would haunt her forever. Seeing him break down in group had made her feel so angry that should couldn't find the words to do justice to her feelings. All she knew was that she craved revenge and tonight she was setting out to get it.
She apparated to the same alley and began to walk towards the bar that she scouted out the night before. She only hoped the three brutes were regulars there. Drunks usually frequented one bar; whichever one they knew wouldn't cut them off when they'd clearly had one too many. It was a Saturday night so it was busy enough that no one would notice or remember her and it was almost an hour to bar close. Late enough that they should be intoxicated enough to be persuaded by now.
The three buffoons were in the same spot she had located them in the night prior. It was if they had never actually left. Hermione walked up to the bar and ordered a picture of beer, poured one for herself and headed over to where they were talking. Personally, she hated beer but she would have to stomach it for the cause.
"Hey there boys," she greeted them in her fake façade of a sing-song voice.
"Why, what do we have here?" asked Simon, as he turned around and looked through her with drunken eyes.
'Bald headed Bastard' Hermione thought to herself and smiled a little brighter.
Larry gave out a whistle and returned his beer back up to his hairy face. Ben had a half-ass crooked smile on his face as he pulled a booth over for her.
"Sit down, yeah?" he offered.
"Well sure, thanks!" Hermione set her picture down and took a drink of the nasty beverage in her hands. "How are you boys doing tonight?"
"Better," answered Larry, staring at her cleavage instead of her eyes as he spoke.
Good. She had worn a low cut top just for that purpose. This was going to be disgustingly easy.
"I'm new to the area so I thought I'd pop in here and see if I could make some friends. You blokes look pretty friendly so I thought I'd tempt you with a drink."
"Friendly as you'll find 'round here," answered Simon with what he believed to be a charming smile, but it still came across as a demented, cruel smirk. He extended his large hand for her to shake, he had an abnormally firm grip. "I'm Simon."
"Megan," answered Hermione.
It was her alias after all.
"Larry," spoke the tall and hairy one. Hermione was grateful she didn't have to touch him.
Ben put his arm around her and gave her a side squeeze. "I'm Ben, doll." He let out a sliding whistle as he checked her out, "Boy are you pretty." He was speaking so close to her he could feel his spit on the side of her cheek.
They all reeked of alcohol. Simon seemed to be the most coherent out of the three of them, so she'd have to change that in order for her scheme to work.
Hermione ordered a few rounds of shots. She picked up her first shot glass and they followed suit, "To new friendships."
They clinked glasses and took down the first shot.
Round one.
Hermione found at least ten more occasions to toast and convinced them to drink in honor of. She managed to spit her shots out into her beer after each toast, unnoticed.
The conversation was dull and uneducated. All three men were talking her ear off, attempting to impress her by telling her of all the sites in the area they could show her if she'd let them. She felt tempted her to keep drinking along with them in order to tolerate hearing them speak, but Hermione knew that she needed to maintain a clear head so that she could execute her plan without error.
Simon had begun to sway as he talked and she knew she was achieving the affect she desired.
"So, I take it you do have a man, do ya?'" Asked Larry as he stroked his grease saturated facial hair. Even the back of he hands were covered in hair and seemed to camouflage into his face. It was repulsive.
"No, of course not. How many taken women do you know that come into bars luring men with the temptation of whiskey?" she played along with them.
"Good point!" Boasted Larry as he slapped his knee and drank deeply from his beer.
"Well now, maybe one of us can change that for you," flirted Simon as he reached out and ran his hand boldly up Hermione's thigh.
Hermione reminded herself not to hit him. She would have her time, soon enough.
"Hey now! Back off! I saw her first!" Called out Ben as he shoved his hand away from her.
"Is that right?" responded Simon with amusement.
The bartender announced last call as the three men bantered on about who had spotted her first. As they argued, Hermione ordered one last round of shots. This one she took with them.
"To good luck," she proclaimed.
She was going to need it.
"So boys, any of you care to walk me back to my flat?" she asked as she adjusted her shirt, purposely pulling it down too far in order to expose the rounded shape of her bust. All three men shot up, nearly falling off of their seats. She laughed, "Follow me."
It took them a good fifteen minutes longer than it should have to reach what had been Draco's flat. They were all good and drunk so their walk proved to be unstable. Hermione made a point to stay far ahead of all three of them in case they got any ideas and tried to grab her. She figured the prospect of being invited upstairs to her place was enough incentive for them to behave for at least a short while.
They arrived at Draco's former flat. She kept herself facing them as she unlocked the front door. She wasn't about to trust them, not even for a second. Not after she'd seen what they were capable of as a group.
"What do you say we keep this party going? At least come in with me and have one final shot to toast off a great night?" she offered.
They didn't need to be asked twice. Hermione held the door open as they stampeded inside of the flat, practically falling over themselves.
"Nice place you got here," commented Ben with a slur as he balanced himself on the table.
"Isn't it?" Hermione locked the door and walked inside.
All three men were staring at her like hungry wolves.
"How about we have that drink and get to the good stuff," said Larry as his eyes bore down on her chest.
"Let me just grab it," Hermione said with a flirting wink.
Simon reached out and pinched her ass as she walked past him on the way to Draco's kitchen. She yelped out and playfully smacked his hand away. Simon responded by grabbing her wrist forcefully and pulling her close into his chest.
"God, do you know how beautiful you are love?" His face was so close to hers, she thought he was going to try and kiss her; his breath reeked of whiskey and lust.
Hermione tried to keep calm. "You think so? How about you let me get this drink Simon, and then you can show me how beautiful you find me, eh?"
Simon smirked, his devilishly curved smirk, and reluctantly released her wrist.
Hermione tried not to let him see her rub his grip out of her wrist as she walked into the kitchen and pulled out a firewhiskey bottle that she had planted. Hermione gracefully reached into her purse and pulled out a small vial that contained a potent sleeping potion. She poured a generous amount into the bottom of each shot glass and topped it off with the firewhiskey then passed one along to each of them.
"To having a good time," she proposed.
The three men didn't saying anything back, they threw their shots back as quickly as possible and before they were able to make their way towards her they fell down, passed out in a heap in the middle of the floor stacked up on one another.
Hermione spit onto the pile of pathetic creatures littered across the floor.
"Filth"
/
Draco crawled out of bed, stretching as he yawned.
"Shut up, you filthy mudblood!"
He heard the sharp sound of a slap to the face, followed by the sound of a girl screaming.
Draco opened his bedroom door and followed the sound of whimpering down to one of the dungeons they had secluded in the manor. He had recognized the sound of his father, but the cries he didn't know.
"Do it to her again," a higher voice encouraged him. It sounded like his mother.
"Crucio!"
The victim let out a blood curdling scream that echoed down the halls of the dungeon.
Draco turned the corner and walked into the scene. His father and mother were looming over a girl on her knees, she had her back turned to him.
"Please, don't. Have mercy on me!" The girl was begging.
Her father laughed and cursed her again. This time when she collapsed, her body flailed around like a dying fish as jolts of pain shot through her body. She was twitching when her father released the curse. This time she collapsed in such a way that he could see her face.
"Hermione?"
"Do you know this mudblood, Draco?" asked his mother.
"Yes." He responded. He kept staring into Hermione's face. Her eyes were hollow and empty, as if all the joy had been sucked out of them, and all that was left was pain. She lay there in an eerie silence, just staring into his eyes, her face drooped in misery.
"Why don't you take a turn then?" she offered.
"Yes, Draco. Why don't you take your turn? Go on, I deserve it," encouraged Hermione.
Her voice sent cold chills down his spine.
Suddenly her frown curved up into a cruel Simon-like smirk and she began to laugh. "Come on Draco! It'll be fun!"
His parents began to laugh along with her. The laugher echoed off the walls and seemed to multiply until he was surrounded by sound of it. Draco clamped his hands over his ears and turned around to leave when he walked into a large, hairy body.
Draco looked up into the eyes of the man he'd just walked into, and stared directly at the face of his attacker, Larry. He had been standing behind him the entire time, alongside Simon and Ben.
"Come on boys, why don't you take a turn?" Offered Lucius. He threw his wand out, and Ben caught it. "Draco will submit for you."
"Remember, it's Crucio," offered his mother.
"Draco, they're better than you because they're stronger. It's the natural order of things. There's purebloods, mudbloods, muggles and then you…," mocked Hermione as she lay still on the floor with a twisted grin nestled stiffly on her face.
"You ready for another round, pretty boy?" asked Simon with a smirk to match her.
Larry pointed his father's wand in Draco's face and started to say, "Crucio-," when he heard a light knocking.
/
Draco woke up in a cold sweat, hyperventilating.
In…out…In…Out…, he reminded himself as he attempted to catch his breath.
It was just a dream. It wasn't real.
A light rapping noise sounded from the other side of the door.
He couldn't pay attention to it as he concentrated on his breath. "It's okay, you're fine. It'll pass…in, out…you're fine, just breathe…," he coached himself until he began to calm down.
The rapping came again, a little louder and more urgent this time.
Draco swung out of bed and went to crack open the door. He passed by the clock, it was nearly 3 in the morning. He swore if it was Evette, he was going to strangle her this time.
"What do you want?" he snapped.
"Shhh!" Hermione covered his mouth with her hand and forced herself into his room, shutting the door behind her.
"Hermione, what are you doing here?"
"I need you to come with me. Right now." Just then it occurred to her, "Wait, did you just call me Hermione?"
"Yeah, I did. Just forget about it; it's not a big deal. What are you doing here?" he asked her again. She reeked of booze and her hair was disheveled.
"I can't explain it here. I just need you to come with me, please?"
"Hermione, its 3 a.m. They wake us up at 6 here, so unless this is an emergency-"
"Look Draco, I'm the department head, you're not going to get in trouble. I realize that its 3 a.m. and I wouldn't be here if it weren't important. Just take my hand and come with me, please?"
"Where are we going?"
"I can't tell you," she reiterated.
"Why?" Draco tried his best not to get annoyed with her lack of answers.
"Because I'm taking us to the Department of Mysteries. Now, come on!" she reached out and forcefully grabbed his hand. Before he could argue against leaving, she apparated them both out of the room.
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A/N: (Singing: Cliiiifff Hanger! Hanging from a cliiiiiiiiifff! And that's why he's called Cliff Hangeeeerrrr!) God, I miss that show, In Between The Lions. Don't you? If you don't know what i'm talking go to youtube and search for cliff hanger, in between the lions and have yourself and elementary level giggle, why don't you? Anyway the more reviews I receive the more motivated I become. Motivation=More chapters. More Chapters=Faster Updates. Get ma drift? I love, love, love reading your reactions and thoughts about the story. I wish I could watch you all read it but that would be incredible creepy. Don't you think? Speaking of creepy, what are you Halloween plans? Do you have your costume already picked out? I was a naughty Slytherin last year...and I'll probably be that See you next chapter! Toodles!