Sign Your Name Across My Heart
Chapter Six: Promissio Infractus
Proclaimer: Running out of proclaimers.. Muses? Uh-huh... Yeah, that's good. *ahem* I am Tanith Devika, it says so on my ID, TCF card, and mailing labels. Want proof? ... Too bad. :P
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"Ah, young Master Malfoy, I'm glad you were able to make it on such short notice," hissed a voice from the chair in front of the fire.
Draco shrugged. "I would have been here sooner if the Mudblood hadn't been around when I received your letter. I threatened her with a slow and painful death if she told anyone. She fears me enough to.. comply with my wishes," he smirked, before moving toward the Dark Lord. "Now, you wished to speak to me? Something about my father?" he asked nervously, as if he truly cared for his father's safety.
"Yes; I have been informed that Lucius has been found by Ministry officials, and they have already administered the Kiss to him. He is lost to us forever." Draco pursed his lips as if in anger, but in reality it was to keep a smile from spreading across his lips. "Narcissa will still take care of you, but she has requested that I take over your training. Your father still had much to teach you, and as he was in Azkaban during the most crucial time of your training, you may not be ready to be initiated-"
Draco interrupted, having chosen the moment wisely, while making it seem realistic. "But, my Lord, I can't not be initiated! I-" Anger was flashing in his eyes, and he could feel his cheeks turning red from his false 'anger'.
"You will still be initiated; however, you won't be initiated until your training is complete. I am requesting that I personally train you, Draco," Voldemort explained.
Draco was surprised. The Dark Lord seemed to almost.. want to train him..
"I can teach you everything I know," he added. Draco could almost sense some hopefulness in his voice, but Voldemort was a master of his emotions and would never let any weakness show. What was going on?
Draco nodded humbly and said, with a hint of awe in his voice that he realized was genuine, "Of course, my Lord. I would be honoured to be taught by you."
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The next day at lunch, Hermione was feeling rather awkward. She had skipped breakfast to avoid her two best friends, because she couldn't trust herself to hold back her tears in the morning. However, by avoiding them, she basically invited them to bombard her with questions of "Are you okay?" and "What's wrong? Are you sick?" and such. She responded to each of the questions slowly, willing the lunch hour to pass by quicker. She held to her promise to Draco; she hadn't yet told anyone about what happened, and the thought that she was hiding this from her two best friends made her sick.
Thankfully, when she asked the two to talk about something else, they listened to her and had a nice, safe conversation until lunch was over. As they still had about an hour until their next class, the trio decided to go to their common rooms. Hermione had to finish her potions project with Draco, and the boys wanted to play some exploding snap. As they reached the Fat Lady's portrait, Hermione thought of something. "Harry.. Can I ask you something? In private?"
Ron looked bewildered when Hermione added 'in private'. 'In private' meant without him. Harry nodded, looking a bit confused as well, and followed Hermione to his dorm room.
When they were safely in the room, with no one able to hear them or see them, Hermione proceeded with her question: "Harry... could I possibly borrow you Invisibility Cloak? I... I can't tell you why I need it... But it's important..."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief; he had been worried that Hermione was going to tell him that she didn't like Ron anymore, and he knew Ron would have been crushed. "Yes, of course, Herm. I won't ask why you need it, I just hope someday you can tell us.." He pulled the cloak from his trunk and handed it over to Hermione.
Hermione hugged him tightly and thanked him, then put a spell on the cloak so no one would notice that she was carrying it with her, and went to her common room.
"You're late," she was 'greeted' by Draco. She flushed slightly.
"Had to get something from the Gryffindor common room.." she explained, setting her books and the unnoticeable cloak on the couch.. The finished up their potion in 25 minutes, and as they had to leave it to sit for 48 hours, they wouldn't be able to test it out yet.
"So what should I make you forget?" Draco asked, smirking, as he leaned back on the couch. His posture was relaxed, his long legs extended carelessly, but there was a hint of apprehension, tension, in his eyes.
"You- what? I'm definitely testing the potion on you," Hermione said, gathering her stuff and walking to her room.
"No, you're not," Draco replied calmly.
"Uh, yeah, I am," Hermione responded, starting to close her door.
"Okay, whatever," Draco said lightly, his eyes locked on the fire. "I guess you'll just have to suffer the consequences, then-"
Hermione stopped abruptly, then flung the door back open and strode out quickly. She stopped at the foot of the couch and glared at Draco.
"Like what consequences?"
"Every action has an equal and opposite reaction," Draco said softly, absentmindedly twirling his wand in his long fingers. "So... if you were to question me first... this Forgetfulness potion... it might make me forget..." his voice was almost hypnotizing, a soft whisper, almost a hiss, "that I said I wouldn't kill your cat..."
Hermione stood there looking at him a moment, entranced. Then a log in the fire crumbled loudly, and scattered burning embers on the rich carpet- Draco unhesitatingly put them out and restored the carpet with a flick of his wand. But the moment had been broken.
"Is- is that a threat?"
"It's a promise."
Hermione looked at him for another long moment; at his long eyelashes casting spiky shadows on his fire-lit face; at the sheen of his silvery hair in the firelight; at the Slytherin emblem on his silk robes...
"Some promises," she whispered, "are made to be broken..."
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A/N: Hehe... I'm still in love with 'evil, mean, horrible, Ferret Boy'.... Don't worry, he gets a bit worse before he gets better... *sigh*...
Katrina E Malfoy: Thanks! I hope you enjoy the fic! Through thick and thin, till completion do us part? Pwetty pwease? Lots of bad stuff coming up.. May have to change categories...
DanishGirl: Hope you enjoyed! Please keep reading, no matter what strange, wacky, evil thing I put up next! Like the next chapter... I swear, the ending's good... well, in a sense... Not good as in... nevermind...
willowfairy: Who really does like Draco when he's like that? Er... Besides me, that is.. And I personally hate HG/RW too. They'll never stay together in the books if they do end up going out. But my Muses have different ideas than I do, so who knows? :P
Dazzpheonix: That's what cliffies are for, dear. I looove to keep people hanging :P I'm evil like that. :D
Mrs. Nikky Weasley/Grint: Nah, it's too perfect if everyone gets someone. I'm not a fan of Perfect World. I was never invited :( And about the R/H/D triangle... Things have a way of... fixing themselves... so to speak... Uh-oh, conscience is trying to tell me something... No! I won't change it! AHHHH!!!