"Who are you and what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm well- I'm," Draco mustered his courage. "I'm Draco Malfoy."

"Malfoy? MALFOY! There are no more Malfoys. You are a spy!"

"Wh-what? You're lying! I'm no spy! I don't even know where the hell I am!"

"Shut up you fool. Trent!" Ginny called out to a tall, nondescript person.

"Yes Ginny?"

"Take this spy," Ginny broke off and smiled. "Take Master Malfoy to the Interrogation

Chambers."

Trent grabbed Draco by his arms and began to half-carry, half-drag Draco away.

"Interrogation Chambers? Where the hell are you taking me?"

"One more thing. Draco?"

"Yes Weasley?"

"Stupefy!"

Trent dragged Draco away.

Ginny stared at Draco as he was dragged away. Something is not right, she thought. The circle of people that had formed around Draco gradually dispersed, some returning to their beds, and others, far too awake to return to sleep, or maybe too afraid of what lay in their dreams, began to get an early start on their duties. Gradually, Ginny was left with only one other person. This man was dressed in a midnight blue robe, over which he wore a black cloak with a silver clasp in the shape of a dragon. He was tall, with light brown skin and black hair that cascaded down his head to end, rather roughly, at his shoulders. His face would have been exquisite save for two things, a deep scar running across his left cheek, and a black eyepatch covering his left eye, blocking out his blind left eye. This man slowly fixed his view on Ginny.

"Did you really think such force was necessary?"

"I had to Pradeep, he could have been a spy."

"I thought it was rather odd for a spy to be dressed in designer robes, the likes of which have not been available for years."

"Well, maybe he discovered some secret stash, or perhaps he's been hidden, or perhaps we should wait until they've finished with him in the Interrogation Chambers."

Pradeep smiled.

"Very well, we'll wait." He paused. "I'm going for breakfast. You want anything Ginny?"

"No thanks Pradeep. I'll go later."

"Okay." Pradeep left.

Ginny sat on the edge of her bed, wondering who was this stranger who called himself Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. She puzzled this for a moment, then relaxed. The interrogation would reveal who this mysterious, handsome stranger was. Handsome? What am I thinking! He's not that handsome, is he? Ginny smiled to herself, and returned to sleep.

Draco came to groggily, the second time in as many hours. This time, however, he was bound tightly to a chair by magical rope, and hooked up to several complex medimagical machines. The machines would have been white 5 or 6 years ago, but now they were severely rusted and damaged, yet still functional. Draco had never seen such machines, which integrated Muggle technology with magical expertise.

"Oh, so you're awake. Ready to tell your story? " A voice emanated from the shadows.

" Wh-who are you?"

Out from the shadowy corner of the room stepped a woman, dressed in a dark robe, over which she wore an amalgam of a scientist's lab coat and a doctor's white coat. She had bushy, brown hair, and wire-rimmed spectacles framed her intelligent eyes. She appeared to be in her late teens, but Draco recognised her immediately. After all, he had known and hated her for a great period of his Hogwarts life.

"Hermione Granger, you filthy Mudblood. Get me out of this chair!"Hermione blanched.

"What did you say?" Hermione whipped out her wand and pointed it directly at Draco. "Would you like to start your interrogation with the Cruciatus Curse?"

"You wouldn't dare." However, the first tendrils of fear began to penetrate Draco's mind. He remembered what the spider had done after Moody performed the Cruciatus curse on it so long ago. The spider just twitched and twitched and twitched…

Hermione's voice broke into Draco's spidery nightmare.

"Ready to tell me what I want to know?"

What choice did he have? So Draco told Hermione everything. Hermione was spellbound.

Two hours later

"And that's what happened. Now can you tell me where the hell am I?"

Hermione took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"Very well, let me tell you the story of our world. I will begin after the death of Harry Potter."

After the death of the Potter family, Lord Voldemort began a rampage that wiped out several members of both the magical and Muggle communities. No one was safe, Muggle or pureblood. After six months of tyranny, Voldemort began his ultimate campaign, against Hogwarts and against Dumbledore. However, in reality, this was Voldemort's last campaign. After a battle with Dumbledore in the middle of London, Voldemort killed Dumbledore. However, after the battle, it seems that Voldemort went mad. He began ranting and raving in his sleep, muttering something about a Potter child and Dumbledore. In an extremely ancient sacrifice calling for the young children of his Inner Circle of Death Eaters, he attempted to find out what had happened to him. By using the blood of these children, including a very young Draco Malfoy, Voldemort cast the spell to reveal the truth to him. He told no one what he had seen but, a week later, on July 31, at the stroke of midnight, Lord Voldemort killed himself. Afte--"

"What! What is all this rubbish about? Sacrifices an-and blood and suicide! And I still don't believe that Voldemort, the most powerful wizard ever to walk the earth would kill himself!"

"Could you just shut up for a moment and let me finish!" Hermione looked pointedly at Draco over the top of her spectacles. " You're not even supposed to exist in this world!" That silenced Draco.

"After Voldemort died, the world progressed into the greatest era of peace it had ever known. During Voldemort's reign, Muggles had been made aware of magic. After Voldemort's death, magic became integrated into society. It was not easy. Several religions were very anti-magic in their philosophy, and, especially during first few years, it was a constant struggle to not lash out at them. Nevertheless, the world moved forward. Witches and wizards enjoyed their new freedom, save the narrow-minded few who still harboured ideas about pure bloodlines. When I entered Hogwarts, five years before the Sundering, our society was the most progressive it had ever been. The world enjoyed its newfound peace and prosperity. Little did we know that it would soon be all gone, all turned into dust…"

" Hey, why did you stop? Hermio-." Draco glanced at Hermione's face, and saw there a few tears trickling down her cheek. " What are you blubbing about?"

"Blubbing! Do you have any idea what it was like after the Sundering!" she said. " Have you ever experienced the utter, abject fear that runs through you after you see your parents killed right in front your eyes, and your life is only spared because you are so covered with your parents' lifeblood that they take you for dead? Did you ever live through an attack by dragons, so powerful that a city half the size of London is destroyed in mere minutes? Do you know what it's like to be kept alive by Death Eaters for the sole purpose of being their sexual slave! Do you!" Hermione bent her head and sobbed, a sob that seemed to take your heart and twist it repeatedly.

Draco was absolutely stunned by Hermione's outburst, stunned to the core of his being. I had no idea! " Herm-hermione? Are you okay? I-I didn't mean t-to make you dredge up these memories. I'm sorry, really I am. Hermione, are you okay?" Hermione's head remained bent. " Hermione, I'm really sorry, I didn't know." She looked up at Draco, and Draco could see, in her eyes and her face, the face of a young, innocent girl, forced to grow up fast and deal with so much pain and heartache that Draco even wondered how she even survived. Draco could not even fathom what Hermione, what everyone had sacrificed and experienced in order to survive daily. I don't think that I would be able to give up so much…to live, with so much pain and heartache. Draco only saw this side of Hermione for a moment, as, in a moment, she re-established the armour she had put in place.

Draco then realised that all the pain and suffering that Hermione, that everyone in this world felt was because of him and his bargain with Saipha, that wish demon. But, how was I to know that this would happen? Surely this isn't all my fault. Maybe Fath- no wait, I killed him! I killed my father, and now I've stranded myself on this hell that I helped create! Tears began to wind their way down Draco's cheek. Oh dear God, why the hell did I ever do this! His head dropped.

Hermione came up to him. She saw his crying, and she realised that Draco finally understood the consequences of his foolish deed.

"Draco." He looked up, "You understand now, don't you." Draco tried to say something, but she cut him off. " There, there, rest now Draco. It's been a long day for you." Hermione cradled Draco's head in her lap, comforting him as a mother would comfort her baby. As Draco cried, cried for everything he had done, Hermione leaned over and whispered into his ear, " Durmios."