Snape ordered the students to get out of the dungeon as soon as he heard Draco rushing out in to the corridor, with Hermione hot on his heels. Draco's mouth was far drier than he had known it to be in the past, and he only stopped when he felt that he had sufficiently distanced himself from the classroom. He barely registered Hermione's worried statements, and was only brought back to reality when he heard their Potions teacher calling over to them to get back to their Houses for the remainder of the class, and they could both see fear evident on Snape's washed out expression. As the older man turned away from them, Draco went over to him and made a request to stay in Gryffindor Tower for some company seeing that there was nobody in Slytherin, and he had just received a shock to his system. Much to their surprise, he complied with their request due to the present circumstances, but he did add that he wanted to talk to Draco privately the following morning as he passed the permission slip. They walked to Gryffindor Tower in a subdued manner, and even though they were holding hands, neither of them passed any comment. Draco lifted the slip up to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and she hissed as she allowed them entry. The cheers that were erupting in the Common Room ceased as each head slowly turned to see who had entered, and angry whispers were flying around the room like a newly released Snitch. Draco felt angry at being the source of gossip and fury for petty conversations, but he wisely decided not to react as harshly as he had the power to, mainly because he didn't want Hermione to know that he was guilty of patricide, as well as murder. They sat in a quiet corner and waited for the others to go back to celebrating being dismissed from Potions first thing in the morning before saying anything in case someone was listening to them, and Draco whispered to her:
"Do you get the impression they're happy that most students in Slytherin are without a father?"
"Of course they aren't; they're glad to be missing class as well as Voldemort being dead, if what was written at Snape's desk is true"
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Yes, I'm afraid of running into whoever did this. I get the feeling
that it wasn't a prank set out by a student. Besides there's only one Thorassic
snake left according to resources, and that was it. Are you feeling okay?"
"No. Can you please tell Harry to leave us alone when he comes over to us?"
"I can't even see him, where is he?"
"Look behind me; he should be at the fire with Ron, Neville and that toad"
"How could you tell?"
"I just…sensed…he was there"
"That's odd anyway. And he's getting up now, so I'll tell him to leave us in peace, okay?"
"Thanks Hermione, I just don't feel like an argument right now"
As she left to defer Harry's lecture, the portrait door swung open once more and Professor McGonagall entered in a sombre manner. She held up a piece of parchment and she was about to begin when she saw Draco in the corner, with Hermione sitting opposite to him again. She pursed her lips, but continued regardless:
"Gryffindor students, and Mister Malfoy, It is with a heavy heart that I am to announce that as of now there is a curfew in immediate effect until the perpetrator of this offence is captured. If we are still unsuccessful after three days, then a severe action will be put into action; Veritaserum. If you are innocent and fear what will be asked, such as what rules you have broken lately; let me assure you that the only questions imposed will be revolving around the matter at hand, and not if you were the one to hide Professor Flitwick's books (she shot a meaningful look towards Seamus). That will be all, and remember that no student has permission to leave here as from now. Food will be brought up to you at the times you would normally eat at, and the portrait will be sealed with an anti-opening spell that can only be broken from the other side. Mister Malfoy, a word please"
He avoided the stares that the furious Common Room full of Gryffindors were glaring towards him and proceeded with his head as high as he could muster. He handed her the permission slip to show he was there legally, but she didn't take it from his cold hands.
"It's not that Mister Malfoy, Professor Snape has already informed me of your location, but I wished to consult you regarding the situation between yourself and Mister Potter. As far as everyone here is concerned, you are in Gryffindor Tower as a guest and one foot out of line will result in your isolation back in Slytherin. The other Slytherin Students have been told to stay away until Hogwarts has been declared safe again so if I were you, I would avoid getting into any trouble"
"What if Potter starts something, and when I don't retaliate he blames me?"
"Don't rise to it then Mister Malfoy, and should any fighting break out during your stay here, here's one word: Veritaserum"
She left the Tower and Draco suddenly wished that he had asked Snape if Hermione could stay with him in Slytherin's Dungeon instead, seeing that this could be a very long three days, especially if he was put under the Veritaserum…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Snape was standing at the foot of Nagini with an expression that was a combination of both disgust and awe as he looked at the reptile's entrails; he had never believed that he would have the opportunity to see any Thorassic snake, never mind the final one in existence that had been faithful to Voldemort. The lettering had been made inaccessible until the Ministry of Magic arrived to check that there weren't any Unforgivable curses contained within it, and as far as Snape had heard, many of the more untrustworthy workers hadn't showed up for work, making it quite possible that the Death Eaters had been killed. Snape was still concerned for his sixth year student Draco Malfoy; he had been certain that he had changed the tattoo on his arm, and now that his father was dead he didn't seem as phased by the macabre fact as he should be. He knew Dark Art when he saw it, and he knew that an average student wouldn't be able to perform such an action without any form of assistance, and Snape was contemplating whether or not Voldemort himself had possessed the boy. Either way, it didn't add up—how could a simple sixth year student perform advanced magic that Snape couldn't even achieve, and why would an old foe change the Dark Mark instead of killing him?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Much later in that evening, Draco and Hermione sat together on a couch, after finally been given sufficient time to discuss what they had seen, even though it upset Draco greatly for not being able to disclose the truth with her. He wanted to pour his soul out to her, but he wasn't even certain how he could manage that since he didn't know the extent of it himself. He knew that he must look a wreck to Hermione as he kept running his fingers back through his sleek blond hair, and he was next to certain that there was more blood visible in his face than usual. When Professor McGonagall had brought up their evening food, Draco had handed her a slip of parchment for her to send to his family, seeing that he was unable to visit his own owl in the school's owlery. It didn't make the youth feel any better about the present dilemma he had caused, but within his heart he wanted to know if his father was still alive, or if he truly was a murderer. He knew he was zoning out on Hermione again, but he felt like he had the right to under present circumstances, and he didn't complain as she brought him out of his screwed up thoughts by kissing his cheek lightly. He apologised and responded by sliding her onto his lap as he kissed her back passionately, and his mind easily wandered to thoughts of some of his recent actions that didn't involve death. Their passionate kiss was abruptly ended by a Prefect walking over to them and telling them to behave more appropriately, and although they initially complied with her wishes, Hermione caused Draco to laugh for the first time in quite some time by doing an impression of the older girl once her back was turned to them. As soon as she had left the room, they resumed their actions without any regard to the people in the rooms around them; right now they were presented with a few minutes of freedom, and they were going to use it to the maximum as a form of venting anger and frustration. Draco sensed the Prefect approaching them again, so he advised Hermione to get off him before he was sent back to Slytherin without being able to see her until the miniature siege had ended, and she reluctantly agreed. She didn't understand the emotions that her ex-arch-nemesis evoked in her; there had been conflict between them for so many years that their relationship startled her. It was also highly unlike her to abandon her studies in favour of a personal situation other than bereavement, and the fact that she had even changed her beliefs almost overnight could become a source of concern for her. Never mind the fact that she had slept with him within a couple of days. He was somehow affecting more than just her heart, and she was enjoying it so much that she didn't actually care about her friends' feelings. They had both hurt her often enough in the past, so it was acting as a form of payback for her, not that she was experiencing any vindictive pleasure out of her relationship. The first bell to signify curfew was almost in action rang out in the castle shortly after their second warning, and Draco's eyes glinted excitedly when he whispered for her to return when her roommates were certainly asleep. The tone of his voice sent a shiver down along her backbone (it certainly didn't originate in fear or out of cold), and she kissed him before leaving his presence to retire for her room. The same Prefect returned moments before the second bell and she tossed a couple of rough blankets in his direction with a surly attitude (she reminded him very much so of a female Marcus Flint), and she warned him to behave himself, unless he wished to be reported to McGonagall for inappropriate behaviour as a guest from another House. The second bell rang at that time and the room plunged into darkness, leaving Draco free to manipulate the older girl into walking into a wall and falling down the stairs twice without her being able to prove it was he—how could she if he hadn't said anything and no light from the supposed spell had been visible?
Hermione returned as surreptitiously as she could, yet Draco was aware of her movements from the time she had almost silently folded back the sheets on her bed before even setting one foot on the floorboards. He met her halfway across the floor, and he caught her by surprise when he slid his arms around her, and he was surprised by how thin the item of clothing she wore was. He covered her lips with his own as he led her over to the couch, and she took him off his guard by pushing him back onto the furniture in question before straddling his lap. Their actions were becoming more lustful as they remained in that position, and they only broke apart when they heard movement on the landing. Draco brushed a strand of hair past Hermione's ear and he whispered in a certain tone that gave her the same shiver as before:
"Want to see a cool magic trick?"
She whispered back that she did quietly, not wishing for their location to be discovered by whoever was out of bed, and she was shocked by the trick in question when he kissed her. They were transported back to his bed in Slytherin dungeon in a flash of blue light, and she sat away from him momentarily to check her surroundings before she asked him an obvious question:
"How the hell did you do this? You know you can't Apparate in Hogwarts due to all of the security measurements they take"
"I didn't Apparate"
"What did you do then?"
"That'd be telling. I honestly can't describe how I make it happen, but I just noticed it a couple of days ago"
"Do you think I can do it?"
Hardly likely, did Voldemort attack you? "It's always possible I suppose, and now we have some privacy until we decide to return"
"Good"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ron was astounded by the blue flash he had seen coming from the couch, and it had highlighted the two figures on it in undoubtedly compromising positions, and in the next moment they had disappeared from view altogether. He had never expected Hermione to act so adult-like in his wildest dreams, and anticipation and worry burned through his angry system; if Draco had led her away from a sealed room, what was he intending to do to her, and how had he done it? Ron was utterly panicked by them not having returned after ten minutes, so he ran back into the room and woke Harry up to tell him about the danger Hermione was in. Harry reached for his glasses as Ron shook him vigorously, and he raced over to Hedwig's cage when he understood what his friend was hissing out, so as not to wake the others up. They knew that they needed to drop their voices even more so when Dean Thomas grunted in his sleep, and Harry hurriedly scribbled a note of warning to Dumbledore before attaching it to his owl's leg. They both got dressed properly whilst waiting for a reply, and Harry fretted about how he had been so stupid not to realise that Draco would try to do something to Hermione when they were in the same Tower, and the way he had mysteriously transported them to another area altogether made it look like he wanted to rape her without being interrupted. Harry glanced out of the adjacent window again, and he released a yell when he saw something, and his cry of horror woke up every Gryffindor, with the exception of Hermione…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Draco slipped into a dark sleep after 'entertaining' Hermione, and he felt bitterly cold in his dream, regardless of the fact that he was warm in his body, due to holding his girlfriend against his own skin. It took him a while to realise that he was back in the graveyard, and even though he had removed the evil beings that had inhabited it, it seemed far darker than before and he was having difficulty in finding his way forward. He stumbled over a few crumbling headstones before finding Voldemort's slumped body on the ground; he checked for a pulse and saw that it was a corpse, which made him a murderer. He brought his thoughts back to the time when he had reflected the curse back, and he saw where his father had been in the previous dream before rushing over to where Lucius's corpse should be so he could pay his final respects. He uncovered the man's face to ensure that he had found the right person in the dark, and he knew at once that it was his father, even though the area was still plunged in an unnatural darkness. He ran his finger along the older man's jawbone and memories of some of the last things he had said echoed through Draco's head.
"You're completely worthless"
"If I were you I'd be ashamed for your actions. Was Seeker not high enough to meet your standards to play as it?"
"You're disgracing the family line by mingling with that Mudblood"
"You've always been a disappointment, and now you can't sink any lower. Proud?"
"Hopeless"
"I'm ashamed to be responsible for your life coming into being. You're a failure"
Draco squeezed his eyes shut tightly to remove the angry thoughts rebounding inside his skull, and he sneered at the corpse:
"Now who's the disappointment?"
But unexpectedly, his hand shot out and seized Draco's forearm with a death-grip that he now literally had…