A New Kind of Enemy

Summary- The gang is seventeen now and in their seventh year at Hogwarts.  Voldemort is gone, along with the majority of the deatheaters, including Lucius Malfoy.  Hermione has been dating Victor Krum ever since the Yule Ball in their fourth year, and has fallen deeply in love with him.  But sometimes people surprise you, and arnt who you though they were.  Hermione discovers this about two people, two people she has known for the greater part of her life, and two people who will be working on two opposite extriemes, one trying to save her, and one trying to destroy her. 

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters, or anything related to the Harry Potter world.  Ms. Rowling has the pleasure of that.

Spoilers- Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone,

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Pairing- Hermione Granger / Victor Krum at first, but will be a Hermione Granger / Draco Malfoy

Groaning, Hermione opened her eyes, and stared right into the bright blue eyes of- Pansy Parkinson!

Hermione yelped and Pansy backed away. "Oh good! You're up! I'll call for the boys!" Pansy said happily. "Draco! Harry! Ron! Hermione's up! Come on you lazy bums!"

Hermione smiled when she saw the familiar, friendly faces of her friends, and then turned back to Pansy. "Er, Pansy? Not to be rude or anything, but why are you here? Of all people?" Hermione was sure Pansy could never be up to anything good, but felt more at ease with three other people she trusted in her room.

To Hermione's surprise, Pansy's eyes welled up with tears. "I'm here because Draco asked me to be, you see, I went through the same thing you did, only Goyle was the one who decided to abuse me.

Hermione looked at the girl in shock, and then looked over at Draco. "Is this why I never see him around you anymore?" She asked quietly. "Well, yes and no." He answered. "If Goyle where still at Hogwarts, I wouldn't let him come in a 50 foot radius of Pansy, or myself, but Goyle was one of the deatheaters picked up by the Ministry of Magic this summer, Crabbe too.

Hermione looked at everyone; trying to process the information she had just been given. Gregory Goyle had dated, and abused Pansy Parkinson. "Why didn't I know this?" Hermione asked herself, but then realized, "The same reason no one knew about Victor. Lies and cover-ups."

Hermione looked at Pansy and almost cried, "How could she have gone through that and still look like such a happy person?" Pansy saw that Hermione was looking bad, and decided it was time for some girl talk. "Alright you guys." Pansy said to Ron, Harry, and Draco. "Hermione and I need to have some girl time." Draco looked like he was going to refuse, and Ron was already refusing, but Pansy walked over to them and shoved them out the door. "Don't worry; I'll call you in again when we're done." And with that, she closed the door.

Pansy walked over to the chair by Hermione's bed and sat down. Hermione looked at her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Pansy." Hermione said finally, "I thought you hated me. Why come here and tell me your deep dark secret? And in front of two other people you hate as well?" Pansy looked down at her, and smiled sadly. And she began her story.

"My story is a lot like Dracos in a way. My family where all death eaters though, not just my father. I have a father, mother, and two older brothers. Well, I did, but they are all in Azkaban now."

Hermione looked at her, shocked. Pansy continued.

"You see, Draco and I are best friends, much like you are with Harry and Ron, although we didn't get a choice. When we where born, the Dark Lord was still in power, and gaining it everyday. Our families, along with Voldemort, decided that our bloodlines should join, so that we may make more deatheaters for Voldemorts new society. Draco and I where betrothed before we where a year old."

Hermione looked at her, Draco and Pansy! Pansy added. "Draco and I have no intention of getting married. He is my best friend; he knows me better then anyone in this entire world. I will admit though, I did have a rather large crush on him when we where younger, he is hansom, isn't he?"

 Pansy giggled. Hermione smiled too, in agreement. Then she said,

"Pansy, what about you and Goyle? How did I not know?" Pansy looked at her sadly. "Because I didn't want anyone to know. I dated Goyle for two years, our fourth and fifth year. I had a small crush on Draco in our fourth year, but because Draco only saw me as a best friend, I decided I needed someone to take my mind off of him, and Goyle was there, and he had liked me since forever. I was lonely and he was there, and for the first few months he was a good boyfriend, rather thick, but he knew how to take care of me, and after awhile I began to trust him, and that's when he started becoming abusive. He told me I wasn't good enough for Draco or anyone, and that he was all I had, and that he loved me and he needed to keep me in line. Hermione, the worst thing anyone can ever do to you is betray your trust. They can call you horrible names and belittle you, they can slap you and make you feel two feet tall,  but in the end, if you never trusted them in the first place it doesn't matter. Only when those you love betray you, that's when the world crumbles, that's when your insides feel like lava, and that's when you want to die.

Hermione stared at Pansy, and Pansy stared back at her. Ice blue eyes met honey brown eyes, and for that moment, Pansy and Hermione weren't ememys, they where friends. They had something in common that neither would ever have imagined, and it felt nice, to find a friend where you least expect it.

"Hermione?" Pansy asked quietly. "Do you hate me?" Hermione looked at her, slightly surprised, but knew her answer.

"I don't think I hate you, Pansy, after all, you know what I feel like, and, after forgiving Draco for anything, I think we both could use another friend."

Pansy jumped up and hugged the girl in the hospital bad, and cried

"Oh wow Hermione, you don't know how much this means to me, thank you! Ron! Draco! Harry! You can come back in now!"

The three boys where back at Hermione's bedside in a flash, and Hermione felt more love then she could ever have hoped for emitting around her. She sighed, and then thought of something.

"How long have I been here?" She asked them. "Three days." Harry answered. "Three days??? How could I have been here three days? I have classes! I have N.E.W.T.'s to study for! I-"

Hermione suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion flood over her, and as it happened, Madam Pomfrey walked in, and saw that her patient has awoken and was still looking sickly; she ushered out the four students.

"Madam! Can I please talk to Hermione for a few moments?" Draco pleaded with Madam Pomfrey. She glared at him. "Alright Mr. Malfoy, you have five minutes."

Draco smiled while the nurse shooed out the remaining three students, who looked rather unhappy to be leaving. Hermione smiled.

"Hermione?" Draco asked softly, as though a loud sound would break her. "Yes?" Draco looked at her, and smiled sadly. "I don't know what I would do if I had lost you." And with that, he turned and left a surprised Hermione in the hospital wing.

Hermione leaned back into her bed just as Madam Pomfrey came back in, holding a cup of clear liquid. "Drink this dear, you could use a dreamless sleep." Hermione took it gratefully, and as her eyes became heavy, the last vision she had was Dracos worried eyes, staring right into hers.

~

"Hey Draco!" Draco turned around to see Harry and Ron calling him. "Yea?" Draco tried to sound aloof, but he was worried about Hermione and- "Professor Dumbledore wants to see us." Harry said. Draco cringed. He knew it was coming. He had used an unforgivable curse on another human, he was going to get expelled, or sent to Azkaban, or both.

"Don't worry." Ron said sympathetically. "Yea," Harry was patting Dracos back. "I can vouch that Krum used it on you and Hermione first, you where using self defense." Oddly, Draco felt comforted, he felt like Harry and Ron where his friends, not his enemies, at least not right not.

Draco grimaced. "Alright, might as well go face the music, let's go."

Harry led them to Dumbledore's office, and said to the gargoyle- "Fizzing wizbees!" Draco looked at Harry curiously, but looked back at the gargoyle, which had jumped aside to reveal a spiral staircase. "This is it." Draco muttered, and he followed the two boys up into Dumbledore's office.

As the boys gathered around Dumbledore's desk, he motioned them to take a seat. Draco looked around at all the previous headmasters Hogwarts had ever had. Dumbledors voice brought him back.

"I suppose you three know why you are here?" Dumbledor asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Yes sir." They answered quietly.

"Good." Now, I would like to hear the story from your side, we have already questioned Mr. Victor Krum, and he says that he was indeed, invited to our Halloween dance. Is this true?" Harry and Ron nodded guiltily.

"It's true Professor." Ron said, ashamed. "Harry and I wanted to cheer Hermione up, because she has not been herself lately, we figured she missed Krum, so yesterday we owled Krum to come as a surprise. Draco had nothing to do with that."

"I see." Said the Professor, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "And how long have you known that Mr. Krum has been hurting Miss. Granger, Mr. Malfoy?" Draco hung his head,

"I have known for a few weeks, but I had promised Hermione I wouldn't tell. But after Krum attacked her In the halls, I knew I had to tell Harry and Ron, and that's when I found out they can invited Krum to the dance."

Dumbledore looked at him, "She was attacked before?" "Yes sir." Dumbledore looked worried. How could this have happened? Hogwarts was supposed to be safer then Gringotts!

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore started again. "I must ask you to tell me what exactly happened when you found Mr. Krum attacking Miss. Granger. Mr. Krum accused you, Mr. Malfoy, of using the Crutacious curse on him." Draco and Harry looked at one another, and then Harry began to speak.

"Professor, when we saw that Hermione was no longer in the great hall, we started to panic and I split everyone up, I sent Draco to the dungeons and Ron to the ground floor, while I ran upstairs and got my fathers map, you know about that right?"

"Yes, Professor Lupin informed me."

"Yes, well I went up to our dormitories to get the map, and I saw that Krum had taken Hermione to Professor McGonagall's old room, so I went after Draco, who I saw was checking all the rooms on his was down to the dungeons, and we ran to go get Hermione." Harry looked at Draco; w3ho picked it up from there.

"That's right Professor, when we got to the room, it was locked, but the brainless git must have forgotten that we have spells that easily open closed doors. As we burst in, we saw that he had just put Hermione under the crutacious curse. I don't know what came over me, I have never been angrier in my life, not at my father not at Harry, not at any teacher, nothing, I just saw the slimy bastard, with his wand out, hurting a defenseless woman. He was startled by me and Harry bursting in on him, so he hit me with the crutacious curse as well, and I was so angry, and a bit of my fathers training is still in me, I didn't even think, I just remember shouting it, and a jet of red light shooting from my wand. After that we disarmed him and put the full body bind spell on, and that's how we brought him to you."

Harry, Ron, and Professor Dumbledore where silent, taking in Dracos story. Then Dumbledore spoke.

"Mr. Krum has reason to believe he didn't hit you with the curse and that that is a lie, and seeing as that you didn't need to go to the hospital wing as well, I must ask you for a reason."

Harry said- "But Professor! I saw Krum hit Draco, He hit him right in the chest, so I know that Victor lied, but-" Harry stopped short. "but I do know what the curse feels like, Draco, how did you not react to it? All you did was flinch every so often, you didn't even cry out! How did you do it? And the red out of your wand, how did you do that?"

Draco looked down, then at Dumbledore, and started quietly. "I have grown up on the dark arts, and curses the same way any other normal boy would grow up on cartoons and television. My father taught me the curse when I was eight, and by the time I was ten, I could put it on someone with the same force as a full grown wizard. My father would also put me under the curse; the first time was when I was seven. Twice a week he would, and then it went to four times a week, and then everyday, he said that if I was put under it enough, I would be able to resist it. Well that's one thing the bastard was right about. Now whenever someone tries to put it on me, I only feel little pricks, like someone poking me every once and awhile with a needle. Also, when I became a deatheater, they put a little of every unforgivable curse in you, Imperious, Crutacious, and Avada kadavera. That leaves me with more power then a normal wizard, and more resistance. This thing," Draco said, rolling up his sleeve on his left arm, "This thing is the result of the three curses being brought together in full force with one another, and I can tell you Harry, after the feeling of all three being carved into your arm, the Crutacious curse is nothing."

Everyone in the room looked at Draco, stunned. Even Dumbledore had a look of awe and pity in his eyes. He cleared his throat.

 "Mr. Malfoy, it seems as though you have a power not even yourself knew about. Treat it well, and you will be greatly rewarded. I do believe that is all the information I need to issue a life sentence for Mr. Krum. Thank you boys, you may go see Miss Granger now."

Draco looked at Dumbledore in shock.

"B-but professor! I put an unforgivable curse on another person, don't I get a punishment?" Dumbledore looked at the boy, his eyes twinkling.

"Ah Mr. Malfoy, I do believe some exceptions can be made to the rules, don't you think? Unless you would like to visit Azkaban?" Draco grinned,

"No sir! Thank you!" and the three boys ran out of the headmasters' office.

As soon as the boys where in the deserted corridor, they started jumping up and down like they did when they where little. "Krum's going to Azkaban!" Harry whooped though the hall. Draco and Ron grinned widely. This was a very good day.

Harry, Ron, and Draco all went back to the hospital wing to tell Hermione the good news, but they found that she was asleep, and Madam Pomfrey wasted no time in ushering them out into the hall.

"Well guys." Harry said, still grinning nonetheless. "Its Saturday, the rest of the school is in Hogsmead, we should be too! We can buy Hermione all kinds of candy that Ron will inevitably eat anyway." Ron swung at Harry good naturedly and they all laughed, but Draco was sorta shuffling his feel, feeling a little out of place in the precense of the two best friends.

"Well, aren't you coming Draco?" Harry said. Draco looked at him questionably. "You are inviting me to go to Hogsmead with you?" He said uncertainly, he never really was invited anywhere, just kinda went.

"Well of course!" Ron exclaimed. "This is a celebration! And," Ron stopped short, "and you are our friend, right?" Draco looked at him and smiled. A genuine smile. "Well, saving damsels in distress and getting out of a life sentence had put me in the mood for a butterbeer." Draco said, his mood lifting considerably. Harry and Ron smiled at him, who would have thought, the Slytherin prince befriending two, no, three Gryffindor, and going out to grab some butterbeers with them. Even in Hogwarts, it was a rare day.

~

A few days later Hermione was well enough to leave the hospital wing. She and Pansy had actually started to become friends, to the shock of both Slytherins and Gryffindors.

"You know, Mione." Pansy said one day. "Draco fancys you, you know that right?" Herione looked at her, she knew he did, but something scared her. She didn't want to have to go through what she went through with Krum. "Pansy, I don't think I'm ready to date yet." She said uncertainly. "Pansy smiled. "I know, but please, you should give him a chance, Hes a great person, and in all my years of knowing him, I still have yet to no trust him."

Later that day Hermione was walking along the quiddich pitch, thinking about the past days, when Draco ran up behind her. "Hey Mione." He said, the cold November chill turning his cheeks a pale pink. "Hi Draco." Hermione looked at him apprehensively. She didn't know what to say to anyone lately, and here was the guy that saved her life. "Listen, Hermione, could we talk later?" He asked, shifting his feet.

"Sure, when and where?" Hermione answerd.

"In our common room, after dinner would be good." Hermione looked at him and smiled. "Ok."

Hermione sat with Ron and Harry as usual during Dinner, but she was fidgeting, apprehensive of what it was Draco wanted to talk to her about. Harry and Ron kept giving each other knowing smikes when they saw how nervous she was, not knowing what her thoughts really where.

Finally, after not touching her plate, Hermione decided it was time enough to go. "I'll see you guys later, ok?" They nodded and smiled at each other again, they couldn't wait to hear how happy she was going to be.

In the Heads' dorm, she found Draco pacing. When she came in, however, he stopped. They looked at each other, like they wanted to touch, but couldn't.

"Hemrione." He said uncertainly, not knowing where to start. "Hermione, I just wanted to say, well, well I like you. I like you a lot. I don't really understand whats been going on with me lately, but I do know that whenever I'm with you I feel happy and compleat, and I just wanted to know, do you feel the same? Do you think you would be my girlfriend?"

Hermione looked at the pale boy, stunned. She couldn't belive she was hearing this, not even a week after she had gotten out of a horrible relationship, someone, Draco! Was asking her out. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Draco, I don't think I can. I- I don't think I could take it. Your so important to me and I don't want you to hurt me the way Victor did. I don't think I could handle it. Please, just leave me alone now." And with that she ran to her room, and Draco heard the tiny 'click' of the lock going into place. He sat there, put his head in his hands, and started to cry.