A/N: Due to feedback I have received, I have decided to continue to write this story. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/PMed me and let me know that people actually read this fic! That said, I really would appreciate feedback on this chapter; I love hearing from all of you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 31: The Carrows

Slowly, Draco was getting used to the new Hogwarts. He didn't like it, but he had to get used to it.

Every morning at breakfast, Snape read off a list of whoever had died the previous day. Students who were relatives of the dead were ushered out of the Great Hall and never came back.

Draco was now required to take Muggle Studies. He sat in the back of the classroom, alone, as Alecto Carrow went on and on about everything that was wrong with Muggles. Quite a few students glanced back at Draco during each lesson, trying to see if he agreed with Alecto's lecture. Draco didn't agree, but he couldn't tell anyone that as long as the Death Eaters were around.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was no longer about defense. Instead, Amycus Carrow taught them all about Dark Magic. The pile of books on his desk consisted mostly of books taken from Lucius Malfoy's study.

Crabbe and Goyle were constantly following Draco around. They seemed to think that Draco's presence would keep them from being targeted by the Death Eaters. Draco didn't know what they were worried about; they were both thriving under the Carrows' and Snape's regime. They were frequently called upon by the Carrows to curse the Gryffindors in detention. The Carrows never asked Draco to curse anybody; they thought he would chicken out.

Draco was glad that the Carrows never asked him to do anything. Draco much preferred to spend time curled up in an armchair in front of the fireplace in the Room of Requirement. He was always reading old Muggle books that he found in the Room of Requirement, and constantly checking Hermione's notebook.

Nobody talked to Draco except Crabbe and Goyle. He could have done without their company, but they never left him alone.

It was around Halloween when Draco finally got a reply from Hermione.

Dear Draco,

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to write to you. I haven't been alone long enough to write to you in a long time.

You could say that I've been busy. I haven't eaten a real meal in almost a month.

I'm really not sure that I can tell you anything about what's going on in my life right now. But basically, if anyone asks, I'm not alive. I haven't registered as a Muggle-born, and one run-in with Ms. Dolores Umbridge is enough.

I miss you very much. I suppose you can infer what happened after the wedding; I'm on the run now.

Where are you? At Hogwarts? We heard that Snape is headmaster. That must be horrible for you. I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I actually can't even think of one reason being at Hogwarts right now is a good thing.

We've also heard about some of the resistance at Hogwarts. Please stay out of it; I don't want you to get into trouble.

Love,

Hermione.

Draco was very unsatisfied with the letter. He slammed the notebook shut and shoved it back into his trunk underneath a pile of Daily Prophets. He had been saving them to send to Hermione once she had told him where she was. He supposed that wasn't about to happen now.

Why didn't she just tell him where she was? Sure she was on the run, but did she not trust him enough to tell him what was going on in her life? Draco felt extremely angry, abandoned, and upset.

That evening, Draco took the stack of Daily Prophets out of his trunk and headed up to the Common Room. He waited in the chair by the fire for everyone to leave, then he tossed the pile into the ornate fireplace. Draco watched as the fire ate at the yellowed paper and moving pictures emblazoned upon it.

As the papers sagged under the weight of the fire, something caught Draco's eye. A picture of Hermione was curling up in the corner of the fireplace. Draco snatched the paper out of the fire and stamped out the flame. Then he turned his attention to the article that accompanied the photograph.

"WANTED

This Muggle-born, Hermione Granger, along with blood-traitor Ronald Weasley, is known to be traveling with Undesirable Number One, Harry Potter, as he tries to flee the Ministry of Magic. 'These two are known to have been Potter's best friends while they were attending Hogwarts School,' one Ministry of Magic employee said, 'They-"

The rest of the page had been burned off. Draco turned the fragment of newspaper over in his hands. Something came over him, and he suddenly had an idea.

The next afternoon, Draco spent his time in the library, poring over an aged Charms textbook. He thumbed through the book until he finally came upon what he was looking for.

Draco extracted the notebook from Hermione from his bag, opened it to the next blank page, and then placed the newspaper fragment he had taken from the fire onto the paper. He waved his wand over the page and the newspaper and muttered the incantation he was reading from the textbook.

In a few seconds' time, the photograph and the article had been copied onto the notebook page. Satisfied with is work, Draco pulled out a quill and wrote a single sentence underneath the picture:

I know more than you think.

Snape had finally cornered Draco. Draco admitted this to himself as he stood outside the Headmaster's office, having been sent there by Amycus Carrow after his Dark Arts lesson.

"Enter," Snapes cold voice called to him through the wooden door. Draco pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

Having never been inside the Headmaster's office previously, he couldn't tell if Snape had changed it at all.

"Sit," Snape said from behind the desk he was sitting at. He gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk, which Draco dropped into.

"As you know, Draco," Snape said quietly. "The Christmas holidays are coming up."

Draco nodded. What did this have to do with the top of the Astronomy Tower?

"Did you have an idea as to where you would like to stay this Christmas?" Snape asked Draco.

Draco shook his head.

"Good," said Snape. "Because arrangements have already been made for you."

Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Yes," said Snape, getting up and strolling across the room. "You will be staying at Malfoy Manor this Christmas." Snape opened a drawer in another desk that was in the room and took from it a scroll of parchment. "You will find," Snape went on. "That there will be more visitors at your house than you may like." He handed Draco the parchment.

"What's this?" Draco asked, speaking for the first time.

"A letter. Your mother sent it."

"Why didn't she just send it directly to me?" Draco asked fiercely. "Why'd she give it to you first?"

"That is a question you should ask her," Snape said coolly.

Draco narrowed his eyes at Snape. "May I go now?" He asked harshly.

Snape nodded.

Draco was three-quarters of the way to the door when his eyes fell upon the portrait of Albus Dumbledore that was hanging on the wall.

"Must be horrible for you," Draco said, thrusting his chin toward the portrait. "Having to see him everyday. Knowing you killed him."

Draco left the office before Snape could reply.

The next week, Draco spent time packing his trunk. He threw his textbooks, parchment, quills, and ink bottles into the black trunk. He heaved it onto the ground, where it fell over. Draco bent down to right it, and caught a glimpse of what was under his bed. He swept his arm underneath the bed frame and grabbed the tiny notebook he had thrown there. He flipped through the pages.

A few letters had been exchanged between Halloween and December. Hermione had sent Draco a letter in reply to the Daily Prophet clipping. She had briefly explained to Draco that she actually couldn't tell Draco where she was because she had no idea exactly where she was hiding out. Draco had felt extremely stupid after reading this, and replied back that he was sorry. He felt so weak writing that apology letter.

Draco tucked the notebook into the front pocket of the trunk, then placed it at the end of his bed.

At dinner, Draco listened to Crabbe and Goyle describe the detention they had helped enforce that day. They were very excited that they were actually doing well in a class this year. Draco wondered how they had even reached their seventh year.

That night was the last night before the Christmas holidays. Draco awoke the next morning to see ice on the windows of the dorm. He peered through the window, craning his neck to see the surface of the lake, which appeared to be covered in a layer of ice.

Once in the Great Hall, Draco realized that it was snowing outside. He stared out the window at the tree beside the lake where Hermione had kissed him for the first time. He missed her.

At around ten, students began filing out of the castle, their trunks in hand. Draco stepped out of the castle with Crabbe and Goyle, and the three of them got into a carriage that took them to the train station. Draco couldn't help but stare at the thestrals again.

Once at the station, Draco hopped off of the carriage and boarded the train. Unfortunately, the compartment at the back of the train was occupied, and Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were forced to sit in a compartment smack-dab in the middle of the train. Quite a few people threw Draco dirty looks as he shuffled down the aisle.

The train hummed as it began moving forward. The ride lasted for an hour before it lurched to an ominous stop in the middle of the English countryside. Students glanced nervously up and down the train, quickly jerking their heads back into the compartments as the saw the two Death Eaters stroll down the train. The Death Eaters peered into every compartment, apparently looking for someone.

Finally, the Death Eaters found their target, whom they dragged out of her compartment as Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom yelled fiercely. The Death Eaters pushed their victim toward the door of the train, passing by Draco's compartment. Draco thought they hadn't seen him, but he was wrong. One of the Death Eaters turned back and opened the door the the compartment Draco was in.

"Hey, Draco," he rasped. "You can come with us. That way you won't have to sit on this train much longer. Besides," the Death Eater sneered. "You've got work to do at home." He grabbed Draco by the collar and pushed him into the aisle. The Death Eater shoved Draco's trunk at him, then poked him in the back, urging him to move forward. Draco walked toward the door, his head bowed. He could see the students looking at him- either curiously or furiously- as he walked forward. Finally, they reached the door, and Draco was pushed off the train. Luckily, he landed on his feet, not his face.

"Awright," the Death Eater snarled. "Malfoy Manor?" The second Death Eater nodded and took a hold of the victim's arm. The first Death Eater grabbed Draco's arm as well.

Draco only caught a fleeting glimpse of Luna Lovegood's terrified face before he was Apparated away.