Chapter 3

Saturday 8 PM

Draco Malfoy stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was wearing a black tuxedo that accentuated his well built body. He straightened his collar, sprayed the deodorant over himself and did his hair. With a last look in the mirror he turned around. "Is it ready? Have you got any leads?" he asked.

"Yes. Just give me two more minutes." His companion replied. He was wearing a black suit and his hair was messy as usual. He took his eyes off the laptop screen and glanced at Draco. "Wait a minute…" he started as he folded his hands "don't you think you are overdoing it?"

"Whatever the hell does that mean?" Draco asked.

"We are supposed to look like two common men. That thing looks bloody expensive. Are you trying to impress someone? The girl perhaps….what was her name?"

"That's utterly preposterous"

"Whatever" He held a paper in his hand which had just come out of the printer. "This is the man we are looking for. He is the only one who might have any idea about the location of Tom Riddle and he is supposed to attend this party."

Draco took the paper in his hands and stared at the man in the picture. He was middle-aged with shoulder length, greasy black hair which framed his face and cold black eyes. "Well does he have a name?" Draco questioned.

"Couldn't find it" the boy with the messy hair replied. "Come on, we can't be late." He said as he pulled open the drawer nearest to him and took out two guns. He threw one of them towards the blonde and shoved the other one inside his suit. Draco caught it and hid it in the ankle-holster covered by his pants. He neatly folded the printout with the picture of the man and tucked it in one of his pockets. "Yeah let's go" Draco replied.

….

For the first time in her life Hermione was excited for a party hosted by Victor. She was wearing a midnight blue, strapless, chiffon gown which made her look elegant and classy. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with a few loose curls left hanging. She had spent the entire morning washing, conditioning and curling her hair. Her eyes looked bewitching thanks to the eyeliner and mascara. A little pink blush on her cheeks and cherry red lipstick on her lips and she was done. As she gazed at herself in the mirror, Hermione realized how alluring she looked. She didn't even remember the last time she had got ready on her own will and had looked so gorgeous.

There was a knock on the door which pulled Hermione out of her thoughts. A man peeped inside and with his eyes fixed on the floor said, "Sir is waiting for you madam". "Yes, I'm coming" she replied. The man closed the door with a nod and left. Hermione quickly put on the black heels that she had finalized last night and left the room. After a few seconds she reached the central part of the mansion where the party was to be held. She was currently standing on the second floor staring at the crowd of people standing downstairs.

There were so many people downstairs, all dressed in expensive suits and gowns with a glass of champagne in their hands. The light music playing in the background was dulled by the sounds of their chattering. Two spotlights were focused at the centre of the room where men and women were dancing together. Couple dances always made Hermione go week in the knees. She was staring nervously at them when someone grabbed her waist from the behind and placed a soft kiss on her neck.

Hermione turned around with a gasp. "Oh Victor! You scared me." She said with a hand on her chest. "Why? Who else did you think would do this to you" he asked demandingly. "Uh…I didn't mean it that way… I mean no one" she nervously replied. "That's right. And you do look ravishing tonight darling" he complimented while eyeing her cleavage. "Thanks" Hermione replied wishing he wasn't the only one who thought that about her

. "Come on, let's go" he offered her his hand which she accepted and they descended down the stairs.

Meeting all of the guests was an endless and a tiring cycle. She hardly knew any of them. There were a few familiar faces but these were the people who often visited the place for similar parties or other business meetings. She didn't know anyone personally. She only had to be beside Victor and put a fake smile on her face the entire time. She wasn't allowed to talk to anyone unless someone talked to her.

After about half an hour Hermione was getting really anxious. She kept taking secret glances at the main door several times waiting for a certain someone to arrive. Someone whom she wanted to impress hence she had spent so much time getting ready. "Go and wait for me at the bar, I'll be back in a few minutes" Victor whispered in her ear. Hermione happily obeyed and walked over to the bar.

She was scanning the crowd for blondes. She had noticed a few but none of them were who she wanted it be. She was also checking on Victor, he was standing in another corner on the room with Karakoff and a few other men. She took a sip of her drink and noticed a security guard approaching her which alarmed her a bit and she straightened her posture.

The guard stopped in front of her and with a bow said, "Madam there are two gentlemen waiting outside who do not have the invites to the party. One of them said that his name is Draco Malfoy and he claims to be invited by you for the evening. Should I let them in?"

Hermione almost jumped the second she heard his name. "Yeah…they are my guests. Let them in." she said, barely trying to contain her excitement. The guarded bowed with a nod. "Right away, madam" he said and walked away. Hermione felt enlivened and the boring party suddenly seemed to turn very interesting. She straightened her dress and hair and started walking towards the main door so that she could greet him. She stopped at a corner which was very near the entrance so that she could get a clear view of all those who came inside.

A few seconds later she saw two men walk inside. A smile appeared on her face as soon as she saw Draco Malfoy walk in. He looked quite charming. Along with him there was another man slightly shorter than him. The thing about him which caught her attention was his green eyes, visible so clearly inspite of wearing glasses. Both of them were walking towards her but Draco hadn't noticed her yet. She started walking in his direction and only a few seconds later Draco noticed her and greeted her with a smile.

"I thought you wouldn't come" Hermione looked delighted.

Draco started "how could I miss-

"Am I interrupting something?" Victor seemed to arrive out of nowhere. He stood next to Hermione with a sneer on his face.

Instantly Hermione's entire demeanor changed. The smile on her face vanished, she stiffened and looked at Victor. "Uh….no. Not at all. I was just talking to them."

"And who are these gentlemen?" Victor asked. "Do I know you?" he questioned, eyeing the two men.

"I am Harry Potter" said the boy with green eyes, "and I am Draco Malfoy" Draco joined him. "I am Victor Krum, just to let you know this is my party" Victor said with a hint of arrogance in his voice as he shook hands with both of them.

Before either of them could say anything Hermione interjected. "They are my friends. I invited them." There was a short pause and she received a sour look from Victor. "You said I could call over some friends right?" she said tauntingly with an innocent look on her face. She knew he couldn't do anything to her in public.

"Of course. My fiancé's friends are my friends, aren't they?" he said with a smile on his face as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer possessively. Draco and Harry only stared at each other and the couple in front of them, sensing the tension in the air. "It was nice to meet you both. I hope you enjoy the party" Victor said looking at them. "Let's go darling" he whispered in her ears and pulled her away from the place. The only thing Hermione could manage was a small smile as she turned her head a little to give a last glance to Draco.

"Poor girl! What a miserable life she has." Harry Potter exclaimed. When he got no response he turned his head to the right. Draco was staring at the receding figures of Victor and Hermione with a blank look on his face. "Malfoy we can't afford to waste time" he said shaking Draco's elbow to get him out of the trance. "Let's go" he continued. Draco nodded and they both walked away in opposite directions.

….

On the other end of the room Victor had quite literally dragged Hermione to the dance floor. At the moment she had one hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand. To any person looking at them from a distance they would look like a couple having a romantic ball dance but Hermione knew it was far from that. His fingers on her waist were so tight that it hurt her. He hadn't said a word to her since the meeting with Draco and his friend and she knew it was only the calm before the storm. He would take it all out on her tonight in the bedroom. The thought gave her chills.

They danced in complete silence for the next few minutes when he suddenly broke the silence. "Friends, huh?" he glared at her. Hermione lowered her eyes. She knew better than to say anything. "Haven't punished you since a long time, have I? I'll have to teach you a lesson or two on obedience tonight" he said as he pulled her closer. Hermione could feel tears forming in her eyes. She still didn't say anything. He swirled her along with the rhythm, picked her up by the waist and gently place her down again. "You are not going to step out of this place ever again" he said in a sickly sweet voice and planted a small kiss on her cheek. Hermione looked at him with an expression of horror etched on her face. "No. You can't do that. Please" she said pleadingly with watery eyes. "Shut your mouth" he whispered near her ears in a deadly serious tone and continued dancing with her

Hermione was having a hard time dancing. She was so upset. Her plan had backfired. She had thought inviting Draco would annoy Victor but she had no idea it would annoy him so much that he would cage her inside the place. Whatever little freedom was given to her had now been snatched away because of her own rebellious and stupid behavior. And what did she even get out of all this? She looked around to see what Draco and his friend were doing but they were nowhere to be seen.

Victor stopped dancing and pulled her out of the dance floor. He had his hand on the small of her back and was walking towards a group of people. They seemed to chat with him for a long time and the only thing she had to do was stand there with a smile on her face and nod after every few minutes. She found their conversation about politics in the business, money and various other things very boring. She also wanted to use the loo.

Hermione looked all around, people were dancing, lauging and drinking. Everyone seemed so happy. She wondered if everyone was genuinely happy or if they were all faking it like her. As she continued to look around she saw Draco's friend hovering near the staircase. She couldn't remember his name but she recognized him immediately because of his eyes. It looked like he was waiting for someone then he took a quick look at his watch and sneaked up the stairs.

Hermione found this very strange. Why would he want to go to the higher levels. The first and second floors were forbidden for guests. She looked everywhere but couldn't find Draco. She just hoped the boys didn't get into any sort of trouble. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a waiter came and said something to Victor so that only he could hear it. As soon as the waiter had left Victor excused himself and pulled Hermione away from there too. "Listen to me very carefully. Something has come up, I need to go. You will not move an inch from here. Understand?" he said looking deadly serious. Hermione nodded. With that he left her alone and walked up the same staircase.

Hermione was relieved to be left alone. She thought she could talk to Draco for bit but he had literally disappeared. She stood there for sometime but the discomfort because of holding in her urine was growing. Screw it, she thought to herself. Victor was anyway going to punish her tonight, what more could he possibly do if she just used the washroom.

With this thought in her mind she too started walking towards the stairs. There was a washroom on the ground level too but she didn't want to use it because there would be a lot of other girls there at the moment. She preferred to use her own, back in her room in the eastern wing of the mansion and hence started walking back there.

….

Draco Malfoy was currently hiding in a small alcove in an empty corridor of the mansion, far away from the buzz and sounds of the party. He constantly kept checking his watch and looking around making sure no one would see him. He almost gasped when someone placed a hand on his shoulder from the behind but it was only Harry Potter.

"Found our target?" he asked hopefully.

"No. I looked everywhere but couldn't find that man. But I have feeling he might be in there." Draco gestured to the room at a few distance to them. Harry looked at it.

"I saw Karakoff, Victor and a third man who looked very much similar to the man we are looking for, walk inside" Draco finished.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked still staring at the closed doors.

"Postive. If he's not the one then the target probably didn't even attend the party because I looked everywhere else."

Harry nodded and walked towards the room quietly. He placed his right ear against the door very gently. He could hear some voices but they weren't clear and loud enough to decipher their meaning. He signaled it to Draco using his hands who was waiting a few feet away from him to keep a check. He tiptoed back to where Draco was standing. "We'll wait for them to get out. It's the safest option." Harry whispered.

Draco used his two fingers to motion towards a small place nearby from where you could get a clear view of the corridor. Harry nodded in response and they both started walking but just as they turned around the corner they nearly bumped into a tall, hefty man. The man stared at them with a suspicious look on their face and there was a moment of silence before Draco spoke with a hint of frustration, "I told you mate we had taken the wrong turn." Harry looked at him for a second before he too started playing along. "No we have not! The washroom is right around the corner" he then looked at the man and continued "you see my friend here could vomit any second he has had too many drinks".

The man gave them a completely blank look as if he hadn't understood a word that they had said. He stood still for a moment and suddenly took a gun out of his waistband and pointed it towards them. Draco and harry immediately raised their hands above their heads. "Woah! Easy there big guy" Draco exclaimed. The guy just started walking in the corridor towards the direction of the room and they both had no choice but to lead the way. They started walking with their hands still raised and the man with the gun behind their backs.

The man stopped in front of the room and knocked. Harry and Draco gave each other a look and waited with bated breath. When the door opened the first thing they saw was the grumpy face of Victor. The man behind them pushed them inside with the gun and spoke in an unknown language. Probably Russian. The only other people in the room were Igor Karakoff and the third man who had his back turned towards them. Draco tried hard to make out if that man was the same one in the picture that they had seen before but he couldn't be sure without seeing the face.

When the man with the gun stopped talking, Victor started. "You two again?" he said in a mocking voice. "We are just looking for the washroom mate" Harry said lowering his hands and relaxing a little. Beside him Draco did the same. "Who are they?" Karakoff spoke for the first time. "We are students, sir. We go to the college near the station" Harry continued trying to sound as convincing as possible. "You are trespassing on my property, you rascals?" Karakoff shouted as he walked closer to them. "No sir, absolutely not-" Harry tried but someone cut him off, "Karakoff I don't have time for this. Do you want it or not?" the third man finally spoke as he turned.

Draco who was looking hopefully at him all this time had a disappointed look on his face because he was not the man they were looking for. He might have resembled the man from behind but from his facial features it was clearly evident that they couldn't be the same person. He looked at Harry who was already looking at him, both of them dejected. "Throw them out of here" Karakoff ordered and the man behind them grabbed both their collars and was about to drag them out when someone interrupted. It was Victor. He said something in the foreign language which neither Harry nor Draco understood. But they didn't have to wonder for long as the man had started moving his hands over Harry's body as if checking him for something.

Just as the man reached his waist he paused trying to feel something and Draco gave Harry a knowing look. In the blink of an eye Harry pushed his elbow in the man's chest and Draco took out his gun from the ankle-holster, ready to shoot. The other three people in the room weren't far behind they too had their guns out and Victor had started shooting in their direction. His bullet would have hit Harry square in the chest if the tall man wouldn't have accidentally jumped in front of him in the right second. On seeing this Draco fumed and shot a bullet in Victor's direction but he ducked, seeing it coming and the bullet hit the third man who just happened to be behind Victor.

In just a matter of seconds the calm and quiet atmosphere of the room was gone and the sounds of gunshots could be heard from it. The gunfire ceased for a minute. Draco and Harry were hiding on one side of the room behind the couch and Victor and Karakoff were on the other side behind the bookshelfs. Karakoff looked infuriated with the past minutes events and was shouting something in Russian. "Fucking shit" Harry swore. "Deal with that moron, I'll handle Karakoff" Harry said.

Draco got up and picked up the body of the dead man from the couch and held it in front of him with one hand while firing shots from the other. He had a look of pain on his face as the man looked heavy. Using his body as shield he started moving towards the door. Victor was shooting at him continuously but from the angle that he was at the bullets didn't reach Draco's body. While Draco was distracting both the men Harry crept behind the couch and got as close to Karakoff as possible without being seen. The moment karakoff moved a little from his crouching position Harry took the opportunity and shot him in the back. Victor stared in horror as Karakoff dropped the gun from his hand and fell to the floor with a thud. By this time Draco had successfully unlocked the door, he threw the body which he had used as a shield all along and ran outside, Harry following closely behind him.

Draco and Harry heard the howls of Victor getting fainter as they started running away where ever the corridor would take them. They could hear someone following them and shouting, probably the guards. "Shit we're screwed!" Draco exclaimed as they frantically searched for a way to get out of the place. Without even realizing it they had entered into the eastern wing of the mansion. The buzz and sounds of the party were long gone it was eerily quiet. "Wasn't someone following us? " Harry said trying to gasp for air for looking around. Draco too stopped running and looked behind but the man following them had suddenly seemed to vanish. "Fuck!" he heard Harry scream and turned to see a man running towards them from another direction. "Go and get us a car, I'll deal with him" Draco said with a look of determination in his eyes.

Harry ran away while Draco pointed his gun in the man's direction and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. The man was nearing him, now with a devilish smirk on his face and Draco realized he had run out of bullets. It was too late to run, the man had already reached him and gave a punch to Draco straight on the face.

Draco fell to the ground and tasted blood but put out his leg making the other one fall on his face. He hastily got up and kicked the man hard in the shins. The man doubled up in pain. He recovered in a second and got to his feet again. He grabbed Draco by the collar and held him against the wall with a furious look on his face ready to kill him. Draco tried to free himself but in vain and just when he thought the war was lost he heard a feminine voice interrupt them.

Both the men paused their actions to see who was it. "What's going on here?" Hermione screamed and stood a few feet away from them with a stunned look on their face. While the man glanced at Hermione, Draco was clever enough to use it to his own advantage. In a split second he took out a small knife from his coat and stabbed him right in the carotid artery in the neck. The man let out a short shriek as blood started oozing out and stumbled to the ground, clutching his neck in pain.

Draco somehow plucked up the courage to turn his head and found Hermione looking aghast. She was looking at the man on the ground who was bleeding with both her hands on her mouth. Draco put both his hands in front of him where they were clearly seen and started walking towards her very slowly. "You killed him?" she asked looking fearful. "No. He is not dead, yet." Draco replied lamely nearing her. "Who are you?" she asked with a look of utter confusion on her face.

Draco tucked the knife smeared with blood in his pocket. "Hermione, you need to tell me how to get out of here" he said calmly but urgently. Hermione was still looking between the man on the floor and the Draco, who was looking at her hopefully. She just couldn't believe what she had seen. She had thought Draco was a normal guy who wasn't involved in any of such things but she was wrong. She looked at him in disbelief.

Draco on the other hand was growing impatient. He could hear the sounds of someone shouting and footsteps coming from afar. A second later he had given up the hope that she would say anything and turned around to run away but it was too late. Victor was running towards him with a gun in his hand and a look of pure rage on his face backed up by a couple of armed security guards. Without thinking Draco grabbed Hermione by the arm and pulled out the knife again which made her shriek. As soon as this happened Victor stopped dead in his tracks and so did the guards behind him.

"Don't move an inch" Draco warned as he held the knife to her throat. "There is no need to involve her in this" Victor said. "Shut up and do as I say or I will slit her throat apart" Draco screamed. Hermione gasped with terror as she heard him shout. She was very scared and was about to cry. "Okay, okay" Victor said and raised his hands in the air followed by the guards. "Throw away all your guns right now" Draco ordered. At this point Hermione was shaking with fear and Draco had noticed this. "Shh…Hermione. It's okay I won't hurt you" he whispered into her ears as all the men threw away the guns. That seemed to calm her a bit.

"I need a way out" he said so that only she could hear it. "Please let her go" Victor exclaimed from a few feet away. "Don't fucking move!" Draco replied holding the knife dangerously close to her neck. "There is a staircase at the back which will lead you out" she quietly whispered. Draco held her shoulder by one hand and the knife on her neck with the other started walking. "Don't do this" Victor roared slowly following him. Draco paid him no heed, he kept walking and found a small crammed staircase in a corner. He pushed Hermione into in first and then himself entered it as he shouted, "don't follow us or she will end up dead".

Once inside he took the knife away from her throat but still ordered her to keep going. She was the only way to get out of the place alive. Hermione had no idea what was going on but all she wanted was to be safe so she did what was asked for her. Victor wasn't about to let him get away so easily and obviously followed them.

At the end of the staircase was a small door which led to the outside and Draco could hear the unmistakable sound of a car engine roaring. Harry Potter! "Hermione, I'm coming for you!" Victor was shouting from the above and getting closer. Draco grabbed her arm and continued running. Once out of the mansion he could see Harry waiting in a car for him at a distance. "Get in! Get in Malfoy!" Harry shouted from the driver's seat. "Stop them! He's trying to escape!" Victor was fuming and getting closer. Draco's heart was pumping at a wild rate and beside him Hermione was still panting for air but he knew he couldn't stop. He rushed to the car along with her without wasting even a second.

His plan was to get to the car safely using Hermione and then leaving her behind but what shocked him was that when they reached the car she was the first one to get in. Draco gave her a bewildered look for a second. "Get in Malfoy!" Harry screamed at the top of his voice. Draco quickly got inside in the backseat next to her. "No! close the gates!" Victor was shouting from a distance away. He too had gotten out of the building and was running towards them with a gun in his hand. He had seen Hermione get inside the car and looked ready kill. "What are you waiting for drive? Just drive!" Hermione yelled as she saw the angry face of Victor with fear in her eyes.

Harry potter let go of the brakes and the car sprinted at full speed through the lawn. The huge gates were of the place were about to close but their car got out just in time. Harry drove as fast as possible to get out of the goddamn place.

A/N – Don't forget to post a review. I would love to read your opinions. Hope you like it so far.