CHAPTER 18
Voldemort appeared with a POP along with Peter. He placed on of his long, white, sickly fingers on Peter's Dark Mark. Peter winced in pain as it turned a nasty shade of black.
Once again, the Death Eaters were apparating all around them and forming a circle around Voldemort. Draco, Hermione, Cephius, and Elana all took their places in the circle.
When everyone was there, Voldemort began. "The first order of business, how come no Mudblood was killed? You killed no one, not a single person! How moronic can the lot off you be? I also know that some of you didn't show up." Voldemort stared around the circle and there was an eerie silence. "Martin, I know for a fact that you didn't show up." He stared at a young woman with blonde hair and green eyes. Her name was Diana Martin.
"I'm sorry My Lord. I had other matters to take care of. A Mudblood broke into my house. I killed him and by then it was to late to get to Hogwarts," she explained calmly.
"No matter. Crucio!" Voldemort said.
Everyone watched as she began to writhe and curl up. There was a look of obvious pain on her face, but she refused to cry out.
When Voldemort saw this, he released her and commanded her to get up. She did as she was told and stared back at him with an emotionless look planted on her face.
"Now for the rest of you, you will all be receiving the same punishment."
He went around the circle giving everyone the Cruciatus Curse. When he reached Cephius, Elana, Hermione, and Draco, he skipped them and moved on to the next person.
After everyone had experienced the horrible pain from the curse, Voldemort was about to speak again, Goyle said, "How come they weren't punished?"
"It wasn't there job. Crucio!"
Goyle doubled over in pain once again. He looked rather funny actually. His face got all contorted and his hands grabbed onto his stomach that protruded out over his belt.
After a while, Voldemort let him go. "I still want them dead!" Voldemort said in a deathly whisper. "They don't deserve to live. We will kill them on the last day of term before they go back to the train. We will actually go into the school this time. My daughter and her friends will help us get in."
The four of them nodded.
"I will hold another meeting with more details before the end of term. You may go," he dismissed them and they began leaving with POP.
Draco, Hermione, Cephius, and Elana went to their brooms.
As Draco and Hermione were about to take off, Voldemort grabbed them. "I need to talk to you two privately."
"You two go along. We'll catch up with you in a few minutes," Draco told Cephius and Elana.
Cephius nodded and they took off.
After everyone was gone, Voldemort said, "I'm growing old, and I fear I will die before you get married. If this does happen, I expect you two to take my place. I want you to pick up where I leave off. I trust no one else."
"Yes Father," Hermione said. "We will do as you wish."
Voldemort nodded. "You may leave."
Draco and Hermione mounted Draco's broom and took off.
"Draco, we're ending this," Hermione said once they were in the air. "We're putting an end to all this insanity."
"Good, and they don't have any proof that we're Death Eaters anyway. We don't have the Dark Mark."
"I thought you'd be upset," Hermione said. "You want to end this all?"
"Of course I do! I'm not my father. I don't care about power or hate. We need muggles to survive. Wizards cannot survive without them. I don't wanna help those bastards get into the school."
"What if he doesn't die before the school year ends? Do we help him?"
"We have to. No offense or anything, but I hope that he does die before that day. I don't want him to get in and kill everyone. He's not scared of Dumbledore anymore."
"I know, and I don't want him to get in either." She sighed and put her head on his back.
When they landed in the Astronomy Tower, Draco hugged Hermione.
"What's that for?"
"Because you know what you want. You have a strength that I don't have. You are going to do the exact opposite of what your father wants and you have no doubts."
"I don't know why I made you join him again in the first place. I was probably going crazy when I suggested that."
"Think of it this way. If we hadn't gone, no one would know your true identity. What's that?" Draco stopped talking suddenly.
"What's what?"
"That noise. Shh, listen."
Draco was right. They could hear footsteps and giggling on the stairs. All of a sudden Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were standing there. They stopped giggling when they saw Draco and Hermione.
"30 points from Gryffindor," Draco said without hesitation.
"Aren't we a hypocrite?" Ginny asked. "What the hell are you two doing up here?"
"Gin, if we wanted sex, we could've done it all over our common room, into his bedroom, through the bathroom, and into my bedroom ten times over. We were just doing our nightly rounds," Hermione said.
"Sure you are," Harry sneered. "Then why does the Ferret have a broom with him?"
"We flew around the grounds once. It's not illegal you know," Draco answered.
"At this hour it is."
"Well we weren't outside at this hour. We came in like an hour ago and have been searching for rule-breaking students ever since. I'm not surprised that you're one of them," Hermione stated calmly.
"The two oh-so-NOT-perfect Gryffs," Draco agreed. "Now get back to your common room before I am forced to take away more points. And I have absolutely no problem in doing that." Draco smirked at them.
Harry and Ginny turned to leave. They were very pissed off.
"What a bunch of assholes," Hermione muttered.
"Yeah. Come on, let's get back to the common room before we run into teachers." Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and led her back down to the common room.
When they got to the common room, Draco started kissing Hermione. He broke away from her lips and started kissing her neck.
"Draco, we should really get to bed. You have a game tomorrow," Hermione said breathing deeply.
"I know, but I'm not tired and neither are you," Draco answered.
"But you're gunna need your strength tomorrow. I want you to win."
"I will win, don't worry about it." He was still kissing her all over and she finally just gave in.
"Fine, Draco."
She pulled his head back up to hers so she could kiss him. ~ The next morning, Draco woke up in a very uncomfortable position. He was on the couch and Hermione was lying on top of him. They were all tangled together.
"'Mione?" he whispered.
"Mmm," she answered.
"We gotta get up. I have to shower 'cause I have my game in like three hours."
It was 9, his game started at 12.
She shifted her weight so he could get up, then she fell back asleep.
Draco got up carefully and went to his room. He pulled out his Quidditch robes and went into the bathroom. After he showered and got dressed, he went downstairs to find Hermione still sleeping on the couch.
"'Mione, 'Mione," he whispered in her ear. She still didn't get up. "You know what, fine, I'm going to the game without you. And then we'll lose because I won't have my good luck charm, and then you'll feel all guilty, and then I'm gunna get mad and dump you for Pansy Park-"
"What the hell? I don't get up right away and you're talking about dumping me for that slut!" she screamed.
Draco was laughing. "Chill, I was joking. I'm sorry, but you sleep like a log and I really wanted you to get up."
Hermione laughed a little too. "Yeah, I overreacted a little. But still, you have a sick sense of humor."
"I know. Come on. Get up. You have to come to the game. I'll lose without you. I need you." He started pulling her up off the couch.
"Alright, alright. You make me feel so damn guilty."
Draco put on a smile that would make someone who didn't know him think that he was an angel. "Who me? I would never do such a thing. You must be accusing the wrong person."
"Right, that must be it. I tagged the wrong guy. Damn! For a second there I almost thought you were my fiancée, but I guess I was mistaken. He would never smile like that." Hermione smirked as she walked up the stairs to take her shower.
Hermione came down twenty minutes later. "You know, Draco, we missed breakfast. How do you plan on playing on an empty stomach?"
"Let's go down to the kitchens. I'm sure the house elves will give us something. They never turn anyone down," Draco answered.
"Good point. Come on."
They walked very quickly to the kitchens. The house elves greeted the warmly, as usual.
"We missed breakfast," Hermione stated simply.
"Oh, no need to worry. We is getting you donuts and cappuccino," one of them said.
"Thank you," Hermione and Draco said when they got their food.
They ate quickly and were done by 10:30.
"Wanna go out early?" Hermione asked. "You can look at the field conditions and tell your team what they need to know."
"Yup. I was planning on doing that anyway."
Draco and Hermione went back up to the common room so Draco could get his broom, and then they headed out to the Quidditch field.
It was cold out, and there was a strong wind. The ground was soft because of all the snow. "We're not gunna get a real good kick-off," Draco commented. "And we'll probably get thrown off course. It's gunna be hard for the chasers to throw the quaffle straight. I know we're gunna win though."
Hermione smiled. "You better."
Voldemort appeared with a POP along with Peter. He placed on of his long, white, sickly fingers on Peter's Dark Mark. Peter winced in pain as it turned a nasty shade of black.
Once again, the Death Eaters were apparating all around them and forming a circle around Voldemort. Draco, Hermione, Cephius, and Elana all took their places in the circle.
When everyone was there, Voldemort began. "The first order of business, how come no Mudblood was killed? You killed no one, not a single person! How moronic can the lot off you be? I also know that some of you didn't show up." Voldemort stared around the circle and there was an eerie silence. "Martin, I know for a fact that you didn't show up." He stared at a young woman with blonde hair and green eyes. Her name was Diana Martin.
"I'm sorry My Lord. I had other matters to take care of. A Mudblood broke into my house. I killed him and by then it was to late to get to Hogwarts," she explained calmly.
"No matter. Crucio!" Voldemort said.
Everyone watched as she began to writhe and curl up. There was a look of obvious pain on her face, but she refused to cry out.
When Voldemort saw this, he released her and commanded her to get up. She did as she was told and stared back at him with an emotionless look planted on her face.
"Now for the rest of you, you will all be receiving the same punishment."
He went around the circle giving everyone the Cruciatus Curse. When he reached Cephius, Elana, Hermione, and Draco, he skipped them and moved on to the next person.
After everyone had experienced the horrible pain from the curse, Voldemort was about to speak again, Goyle said, "How come they weren't punished?"
"It wasn't there job. Crucio!"
Goyle doubled over in pain once again. He looked rather funny actually. His face got all contorted and his hands grabbed onto his stomach that protruded out over his belt.
After a while, Voldemort let him go. "I still want them dead!" Voldemort said in a deathly whisper. "They don't deserve to live. We will kill them on the last day of term before they go back to the train. We will actually go into the school this time. My daughter and her friends will help us get in."
The four of them nodded.
"I will hold another meeting with more details before the end of term. You may go," he dismissed them and they began leaving with POP.
Draco, Hermione, Cephius, and Elana went to their brooms.
As Draco and Hermione were about to take off, Voldemort grabbed them. "I need to talk to you two privately."
"You two go along. We'll catch up with you in a few minutes," Draco told Cephius and Elana.
Cephius nodded and they took off.
After everyone was gone, Voldemort said, "I'm growing old, and I fear I will die before you get married. If this does happen, I expect you two to take my place. I want you to pick up where I leave off. I trust no one else."
"Yes Father," Hermione said. "We will do as you wish."
Voldemort nodded. "You may leave."
Draco and Hermione mounted Draco's broom and took off.
"Draco, we're ending this," Hermione said once they were in the air. "We're putting an end to all this insanity."
"Good, and they don't have any proof that we're Death Eaters anyway. We don't have the Dark Mark."
"I thought you'd be upset," Hermione said. "You want to end this all?"
"Of course I do! I'm not my father. I don't care about power or hate. We need muggles to survive. Wizards cannot survive without them. I don't wanna help those bastards get into the school."
"What if he doesn't die before the school year ends? Do we help him?"
"We have to. No offense or anything, but I hope that he does die before that day. I don't want him to get in and kill everyone. He's not scared of Dumbledore anymore."
"I know, and I don't want him to get in either." She sighed and put her head on his back.
When they landed in the Astronomy Tower, Draco hugged Hermione.
"What's that for?"
"Because you know what you want. You have a strength that I don't have. You are going to do the exact opposite of what your father wants and you have no doubts."
"I don't know why I made you join him again in the first place. I was probably going crazy when I suggested that."
"Think of it this way. If we hadn't gone, no one would know your true identity. What's that?" Draco stopped talking suddenly.
"What's what?"
"That noise. Shh, listen."
Draco was right. They could hear footsteps and giggling on the stairs. All of a sudden Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were standing there. They stopped giggling when they saw Draco and Hermione.
"30 points from Gryffindor," Draco said without hesitation.
"Aren't we a hypocrite?" Ginny asked. "What the hell are you two doing up here?"
"Gin, if we wanted sex, we could've done it all over our common room, into his bedroom, through the bathroom, and into my bedroom ten times over. We were just doing our nightly rounds," Hermione said.
"Sure you are," Harry sneered. "Then why does the Ferret have a broom with him?"
"We flew around the grounds once. It's not illegal you know," Draco answered.
"At this hour it is."
"Well we weren't outside at this hour. We came in like an hour ago and have been searching for rule-breaking students ever since. I'm not surprised that you're one of them," Hermione stated calmly.
"The two oh-so-NOT-perfect Gryffs," Draco agreed. "Now get back to your common room before I am forced to take away more points. And I have absolutely no problem in doing that." Draco smirked at them.
Harry and Ginny turned to leave. They were very pissed off.
"What a bunch of assholes," Hermione muttered.
"Yeah. Come on, let's get back to the common room before we run into teachers." Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and led her back down to the common room.
When they got to the common room, Draco started kissing Hermione. He broke away from her lips and started kissing her neck.
"Draco, we should really get to bed. You have a game tomorrow," Hermione said breathing deeply.
"I know, but I'm not tired and neither are you," Draco answered.
"But you're gunna need your strength tomorrow. I want you to win."
"I will win, don't worry about it." He was still kissing her all over and she finally just gave in.
"Fine, Draco."
She pulled his head back up to hers so she could kiss him. ~ The next morning, Draco woke up in a very uncomfortable position. He was on the couch and Hermione was lying on top of him. They were all tangled together.
"'Mione?" he whispered.
"Mmm," she answered.
"We gotta get up. I have to shower 'cause I have my game in like three hours."
It was 9, his game started at 12.
She shifted her weight so he could get up, then she fell back asleep.
Draco got up carefully and went to his room. He pulled out his Quidditch robes and went into the bathroom. After he showered and got dressed, he went downstairs to find Hermione still sleeping on the couch.
"'Mione, 'Mione," he whispered in her ear. She still didn't get up. "You know what, fine, I'm going to the game without you. And then we'll lose because I won't have my good luck charm, and then you'll feel all guilty, and then I'm gunna get mad and dump you for Pansy Park-"
"What the hell? I don't get up right away and you're talking about dumping me for that slut!" she screamed.
Draco was laughing. "Chill, I was joking. I'm sorry, but you sleep like a log and I really wanted you to get up."
Hermione laughed a little too. "Yeah, I overreacted a little. But still, you have a sick sense of humor."
"I know. Come on. Get up. You have to come to the game. I'll lose without you. I need you." He started pulling her up off the couch.
"Alright, alright. You make me feel so damn guilty."
Draco put on a smile that would make someone who didn't know him think that he was an angel. "Who me? I would never do such a thing. You must be accusing the wrong person."
"Right, that must be it. I tagged the wrong guy. Damn! For a second there I almost thought you were my fiancée, but I guess I was mistaken. He would never smile like that." Hermione smirked as she walked up the stairs to take her shower.
Hermione came down twenty minutes later. "You know, Draco, we missed breakfast. How do you plan on playing on an empty stomach?"
"Let's go down to the kitchens. I'm sure the house elves will give us something. They never turn anyone down," Draco answered.
"Good point. Come on."
They walked very quickly to the kitchens. The house elves greeted the warmly, as usual.
"We missed breakfast," Hermione stated simply.
"Oh, no need to worry. We is getting you donuts and cappuccino," one of them said.
"Thank you," Hermione and Draco said when they got their food.
They ate quickly and were done by 10:30.
"Wanna go out early?" Hermione asked. "You can look at the field conditions and tell your team what they need to know."
"Yup. I was planning on doing that anyway."
Draco and Hermione went back up to the common room so Draco could get his broom, and then they headed out to the Quidditch field.
It was cold out, and there was a strong wind. The ground was soft because of all the snow. "We're not gunna get a real good kick-off," Draco commented. "And we'll probably get thrown off course. It's gunna be hard for the chasers to throw the quaffle straight. I know we're gunna win though."
Hermione smiled. "You better."