Tap. Tap. Tap.
Hermione Granger looked at the clock and noticed it was only 6 am. She yawned as she rose from her bed to see what the noise was. It turned out to be a small but regal looking owl with a letter. She opened the window of her private room to let it in.
"That's odd," she thought as she removed the letter. Normally mail was delivered during lunch, to all the students at once. She took the scroll and removed it from the owls leg. She unrolled it, and nearly yelled out loud upon reading. All the blood drained from her face and her head began to spin as she read the letter:
Dear Miss Granger,
I have your mother. I will kill her if you do not follow my wishes. Meet Draco at the entrance to Hogwarts at 6pm sharp. He will have a portkey for you. Do not tell anyone else about this or your mother will most certainly die.
She got another shock a moment later as the letter burst into small flames and quickly became a pile of ashes in her hand. "Of course... a self destruct charm," she thought. Lucius Malfoy was more careful than to leave incriminating evidence around.
She leaned back onto the bed... more like falling onto it actually. At this moment she could barely stand. Professor Snape had warned her about this. The spell had been broken. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. At that moment the logical part of her brain took over and she focused all her energy into what to do. She sat there for a long time, in shock. After a while she curled up under the blankets, unable to think clearly.
"Think Hermione! Think!" she told herself. There had to be a way. She ran through the options in her mind. She could tell Dumbledore or Snape, but that might get her mother killed. No, she would handle this herself. She thought back to the conversation she had with her mother about her relationship with Lucius. Her mind kept coming back to the fact that he hadn't been able to kill her then. Though it was a big risk, she decided to gamble that he would be unable to kill her this time.
Then she thought about what he wanted. He wanted her. That was something, that while repulsive, was something that could give him, especially if it meant saving her mother. She sat for a long time, pale and shaking as she realized what she had to do. Seduce Lucius Malfoy.
~***~
While Hermione had been too upset to attend morning classes, but by the afternoon she had decided that she couldn't skive off all her classes for the day. It was very much unlike her to cut even one class and teachers would immediately know something was wrong. She couldn't take that chance.
At 10:00 she stepped out of the Griffindor portrait hole and not a minute later was approached by Professor Snape.
"Miss Granger, I must speak with you. Please follow me to the Headmaster's office"
She followed him in silence, knowing what he was going to tell her, and hoping she could keep the secret of what she was planning. Dumbledore had a way of reading people, and it would take some good acting to convince them things were fine. But she couldn't tell them. Her mother's life depended on it.
Hermione and Snape entered Dumbledore's office and sat in the chairs across from his desk. Snape spoke first. "Miss Granger, I have the unpleasant duty of informing you that I believe that the spell that was placed to protect your mother has been broken."
"Oh my god," said Hermione, trying her best to act as though she didn't already know this.
"We will however, be placing a protective spell on your house," said Dumbledore. "It is very similar to the one that I placed on the Dursley's house when Harry was brought there."
"So my mother will be safe then?" she lied, knowing the danger her mother was actually in.
"Yes, I believe so," replied the headmaster. "It is actually you we are most worried about. If Lucius goes after your mother, but cannot harm her, he may come after you. This is why I urge you to be alert at all times. You should be safe here at Hogwarts, but I would ask that you don't leave the castle until we can properly cast a spell to protect you. These things take time."
"I will be careful sir," she lied, knowing full well that in a few hours she would be wondering into the lion's den.
"You look pale my dear. Is there anything you need to tell me?" asked Dumbledore.
For a brief moment, she almost told him but then realized that if something happened to her mother because of it she could never forgive herself. She hated lying to Dumbledore, so she chose her words carefully.
"Of course I look pale. I'm scared for my mother, and for myself." And that was the truth.
"Very well my dear. Please know for now that you and your mother are both safe."
She cringed because she knew that was the furthest from the truth. They didn't know the truth and she couldn't tell them. She thanked Dumbledore and Snape and then left his office. She made if down the spiral staircase, and into the girl's bathroom and suddenly collapsed into the tears that would not come that morning.
~***~
5:45. That was the 10th time Hermione had looked at the clock in 20 minutes. She looked back in the mirror to finish applying her makeup. Getting ready and trying to look as good as possible had taken her mind off things a small bit. She put her tube of lipstick back on her dresser and looked in the mirror. She did look very good. She had chosen to wear a short plaid skirt and a tight gray sweater with a nice matching blue lace push-up bra and panties under it. Her long darkish brown hair lay straight onto her shoulders and back. She made some seductive faces in the mirror and gave herself a pep talk.
She was feeling better about this after her meeting with Dumbledore. Being able to fool both him and Snape had reinforced her idea that she was a convincing actress. She had often thought that if she were not a witch, she might have gone into acting. It was still something she considered secretly in the back of her mind. Tonight would be the performance of her life... a performance that could mean the difference between life and death.
She looked at the clock again. 5:55. "Here goes nothing," she thought as she left her room and headed downstairs to meet Draco.
~***~
I know I said I was going to title the next chapter "The Seduction" and that it was going to be longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters instead. I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow (1/29) I promise it will be an awesome chapter!
Again, thank you for all the reviews!!!
Hermione Granger looked at the clock and noticed it was only 6 am. She yawned as she rose from her bed to see what the noise was. It turned out to be a small but regal looking owl with a letter. She opened the window of her private room to let it in.
"That's odd," she thought as she removed the letter. Normally mail was delivered during lunch, to all the students at once. She took the scroll and removed it from the owls leg. She unrolled it, and nearly yelled out loud upon reading. All the blood drained from her face and her head began to spin as she read the letter:
Dear Miss Granger,
I have your mother. I will kill her if you do not follow my wishes. Meet Draco at the entrance to Hogwarts at 6pm sharp. He will have a portkey for you. Do not tell anyone else about this or your mother will most certainly die.
She got another shock a moment later as the letter burst into small flames and quickly became a pile of ashes in her hand. "Of course... a self destruct charm," she thought. Lucius Malfoy was more careful than to leave incriminating evidence around.
She leaned back onto the bed... more like falling onto it actually. At this moment she could barely stand. Professor Snape had warned her about this. The spell had been broken. She wanted to cry but she couldn't. At that moment the logical part of her brain took over and she focused all her energy into what to do. She sat there for a long time, in shock. After a while she curled up under the blankets, unable to think clearly.
"Think Hermione! Think!" she told herself. There had to be a way. She ran through the options in her mind. She could tell Dumbledore or Snape, but that might get her mother killed. No, she would handle this herself. She thought back to the conversation she had with her mother about her relationship with Lucius. Her mind kept coming back to the fact that he hadn't been able to kill her then. Though it was a big risk, she decided to gamble that he would be unable to kill her this time.
Then she thought about what he wanted. He wanted her. That was something, that while repulsive, was something that could give him, especially if it meant saving her mother. She sat for a long time, pale and shaking as she realized what she had to do. Seduce Lucius Malfoy.
~***~
While Hermione had been too upset to attend morning classes, but by the afternoon she had decided that she couldn't skive off all her classes for the day. It was very much unlike her to cut even one class and teachers would immediately know something was wrong. She couldn't take that chance.
At 10:00 she stepped out of the Griffindor portrait hole and not a minute later was approached by Professor Snape.
"Miss Granger, I must speak with you. Please follow me to the Headmaster's office"
She followed him in silence, knowing what he was going to tell her, and hoping she could keep the secret of what she was planning. Dumbledore had a way of reading people, and it would take some good acting to convince them things were fine. But she couldn't tell them. Her mother's life depended on it.
Hermione and Snape entered Dumbledore's office and sat in the chairs across from his desk. Snape spoke first. "Miss Granger, I have the unpleasant duty of informing you that I believe that the spell that was placed to protect your mother has been broken."
"Oh my god," said Hermione, trying her best to act as though she didn't already know this.
"We will however, be placing a protective spell on your house," said Dumbledore. "It is very similar to the one that I placed on the Dursley's house when Harry was brought there."
"So my mother will be safe then?" she lied, knowing the danger her mother was actually in.
"Yes, I believe so," replied the headmaster. "It is actually you we are most worried about. If Lucius goes after your mother, but cannot harm her, he may come after you. This is why I urge you to be alert at all times. You should be safe here at Hogwarts, but I would ask that you don't leave the castle until we can properly cast a spell to protect you. These things take time."
"I will be careful sir," she lied, knowing full well that in a few hours she would be wondering into the lion's den.
"You look pale my dear. Is there anything you need to tell me?" asked Dumbledore.
For a brief moment, she almost told him but then realized that if something happened to her mother because of it she could never forgive herself. She hated lying to Dumbledore, so she chose her words carefully.
"Of course I look pale. I'm scared for my mother, and for myself." And that was the truth.
"Very well my dear. Please know for now that you and your mother are both safe."
She cringed because she knew that was the furthest from the truth. They didn't know the truth and she couldn't tell them. She thanked Dumbledore and Snape and then left his office. She made if down the spiral staircase, and into the girl's bathroom and suddenly collapsed into the tears that would not come that morning.
~***~
5:45. That was the 10th time Hermione had looked at the clock in 20 minutes. She looked back in the mirror to finish applying her makeup. Getting ready and trying to look as good as possible had taken her mind off things a small bit. She put her tube of lipstick back on her dresser and looked in the mirror. She did look very good. She had chosen to wear a short plaid skirt and a tight gray sweater with a nice matching blue lace push-up bra and panties under it. Her long darkish brown hair lay straight onto her shoulders and back. She made some seductive faces in the mirror and gave herself a pep talk.
She was feeling better about this after her meeting with Dumbledore. Being able to fool both him and Snape had reinforced her idea that she was a convincing actress. She had often thought that if she were not a witch, she might have gone into acting. It was still something she considered secretly in the back of her mind. Tonight would be the performance of her life... a performance that could mean the difference between life and death.
She looked at the clock again. 5:55. "Here goes nothing," she thought as she left her room and headed downstairs to meet Draco.
~***~
I know I said I was going to title the next chapter "The Seduction" and that it was going to be longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters instead. I should have the next chapter up by tomorrow (1/29) I promise it will be an awesome chapter!
Again, thank you for all the reviews!!!