Hermione felt worry overwhelm her as she spotted Harry. He refused to prepare for the next Triwizard task, and was instead just flying aimlessly around the Quidditch Pitch.

"Harry!" she called out. He glanced down at her before floating gently toward the ground. He seemed to be in a bad mood.

"What? I need to practice Quidditch."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "There's not even games this year. Do I need to remind you that the next task is in three weeks?"

"I realize that! But I know what I'm doing." Why did he continue to insist he was doing ok on his own? Hermione took a few steps closer to him on the damp grass.

"Harry, don't you want to make your parents proud?" She immediately knew she'd struck a nerve. His face contorted with anger.

"You have no right to talk about my parents! I know what I'm doing!" He began to raise his voice.

"Harry, I'm just-"

Hermione frowned as Harry interrupted her. "God, Hermione! Can't you just leave me alone?"

"I'm trying to help!" she insisted. "You have to be prepared for the second task, and so far, all you've done is fight with Ron and snap at people!" Ever since the Triwizard Tournament began a few months ago, she was Harry's only friend. But he treated her like she was disposable, a backup. And she was sick of it.

"I don't need help from a know-it-all like you. You're only hanging out with me because you don't have other friends, and I'm tired of it! Stop being a whiny little bitch and actually start talking to people for once, just not me. I don't want to talk to you right now." Harry picked up his broom and stomped off the pitch. Hermione took a deep breath, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. She had no one left. Her only friends were Harry and Ron, and Ron wasn't speaking to her. Although… that gave her an idea. She began to search the castle to apologize to Ron. Maybe he was right. She stumbled upon him in a corridor.

"Ron!" she called out. He turned toward her with a look of complete rage on his face.

"Did Harry finally decide you're not good enough for him? So you run to me as backup? I don't need you in my life. I'm doing fine without you. I have friends, and I don't need to waste my time on bookworm mudbloods!" he shouted at her. She felt herself start to tear up, so she ran as fast as possible away. Away from her friends, who apparently didn't want her. Away from her blood status, away from the slurs. Eventually, she curled up in a corner and let the tears fall. It was true that Harry and Ron were her only friends, and now Ron had turned against them because he was a jealous bastard. Apparently, she wasn't good enough for Harry to be friends with. She wasn't going to go running back to him. He would have to apologize to her. And Ron knew how much she hated being called a mudblood, but he did it anyway. He was such a hypocrite. She was snapped out of her thinking by the sound of footsteps, and hastily wiped her eyes. She glanced up to see Malfoy above her with a concerned expression on his face. Great, more teasing. Just what she needed.

"Granger? Is that you?" he asked, his eyes studying her intently. Hermione stayed silent. "Granger?" he repeated, "Are you ok?" She didn't know exactly what happened, but something inside of her just snapped.

"No, I'm not fucking ok, and your teasing isn't going to make it any better. You've never once been concerned about my wellbeing any time in the last four years, and you definitely don't now. So you can just leave me alone!" Hermione shouted. Malfoy, struggling to recover from the shocked look on his face, sat down next to her.

"You can talk to me," he said, sounding sincere. Hermione rolled her eyes,

"Whatever game you're playing, leave me out of it. I don't know if you're trying to get me to spy on Harry or something, but that's not exactly going to happen, considering he probably won't even talk to me right now!" Malfoy looked thoughtful.

"What happened?" he asked, confusing Hermione. She didn't know why, but she told Malfoy everything.

"Ever since the beginning of this fucking tournament, Harry and Ron have been in a fight. Ron's being a jealous prat, and Harry's not trying to fix anything. Eventually, I had to pick a side, and I picked Harry's. Recently, Harry has been super rude, and I was trying to help him with the second task, but he's been yelling at me a lot. Tonight, we fought, and he called me names and told me he didn't want to talk to me anymore. I went to apologize to Ron, but he called me a- a mudblood." Hermione felt the tears start again, and she had no clue why she was telling Malfoy all of this. "You'll probably tease me for what I'm about to say, but they're my only friends. I have no one to talk to or be with if I'm not talking to them. I've tried to be friends with the other Gryffindors, but they can be just as prejudiced against muggleborns as any of the Slytherins." Hermione took a breath, and realized she'd been ranting for a while. She gave Malfoy an apologetic look.

"Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry." Malfoy awkwardly patted her on the back. Hermione stared at him.

"Be honest. Why are you talking to me? We both know at any other time, you wouldn't want to be near me." Hermione knew something was up, and the look on Malfoy's face just confirmed it.

"I'll tell you, if you promise to hear me out and not run away." He smiled at her. Hermione considered it, and realized she didn't have anything left to lose.

"Sure, whatever."

"The Dark Lord. He's decided it might be helpful to have someone on the inside of Gryffindor. And who better than Gryffindor's resident muggleborn? Gryffindor's golden girl, best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, rule follower. Would anyone suspect you?" Malfoy paused to take a breath, obviously deciding on how to convince her. Hermione took a deep breath, thinking about the implications of this. She had studied the last war for ages, and all evidence said that the dark was winning, until baby Harry turned the tables. She would instantly be a target if she stuck with the light. 70% of the light's followers died or were severely injured, while only 20% of the dark suffered the same fate. What had the light ever offered her? Empty promises and heartbreak. She was done with it. And here was a chance to change things.

"Alright." Hermione glanced at Malfoy. He looked at her, confused.

"Alright, what?"

"I'll do it. I'm tired of being the weak one. I'm tired of being teased, taunted, ridiculed. Being in the Dark Lord's ranks would stop that." Hermione grinned. It was a rash decision, but it felt right. The bloody Gryffindors were no better than the so called "dark" side. Malfoy furrowed his eyebrows.

"How do I know you're not going to double cross me? You seem a bit eager to betray your friends." Hermione considered it.

"I, Hermione Jane Granger, swear on my life and magic that I will not betray Draco Malfoy or the Dark Lord unless they lie to me or use me in a way I don't agree with. So mote be it." She pulled out her wand and a light surrounded her. "Is that good enough for you?"

Malfoy nodded. "Do you want to come to the Slytherin common room? The rest of us know about the plan."

Hermione held up her hand. "How do I know this isn't some elaborate plan to hurt me?" She may be trusting, but she wasn't naive.

"I, Draco Malfoy, swear on my life and magic that what I said today was the truth. So mote be it."

Hermione nodded in acceptance, and they made their way together to the Slytherin Common Room.

A/N: This is a short chapter, sorry about that! I hope you enjoy. Favorite and review please!