Disclaimer: I swear to Bob, Harry. I don't own officer!

A/N: Hello my wonderful readers. *Looks around at empty room* Hedo? Lol. Anyways I really hope you all like my story so far, because Hermione is on the prowl and things are going to get very interesting. This authors note will be short I really want to write this chapter quickly. READ!

Chapter 18

Now You Will Pay

"How Can You See, Into My Eyes, Like Open Doors,

Leading You Down, Into My Core,

Where I've Become So Numb, Without A Soul, My Spirit Sleeping Somewhere Cold,

Until You Find It, There And Lead It Back Home, Wake Me Up, Wake Me Up Inside,

I Can't Wake Up, Wake Me Up Inside,

Call My Name, And Save Me From The Dark,

Bid My Blood To Run,

Before I Come Undone,

Save Me From The Nothing I've Become,

Now That I Know, What I'm Without,

You Can't Just Leave Me,

Breathe, Into Me And Make Me Real,

Bring Me To Life,

Wake Me Up, Wake Me Up Inside,

I Can't Wake Up,

Wake Me Up Inside,

Call My Name, And Save Me From The Dark,

Bid My Blood To Run,

Before I Come Undone,

Save Me From The Nothing I've Become,

Bring Me To Life,

Frozen Inside Without Your Touch, Without Your Love, Darling, Only You Are The Life, Among The Dead,

All This Time I Can't Believe, I Couldn't See,

Kept In The Dark, But You Were There In Front Of Me,

I've Been Sleeping, A Thousand Years It Seems,

Got To Open My Eyes, To Everything,

Without A Thought, Without A Voice, Without A Soul,

Don't Let Me Die Here,

There Must Be Something More,

Bring Me To Life, Bring Me To Life,"

Evanescence ~ "Bring Me To Life"

Hermione sat alone in one of the many rooms at Voldemort's current headquarters. She was deep in thought. She really wanted to go and see her parents, but she was afraid of their rejection.

She looked around her. She was sitting on top of a very nice four poster that had been left in the room. The sheets where of black and red silk and as Hermione ran her fingers along the fabric, she sighed with momentary contentment.

She looked down at her lap and then a thought came to her. She could levitate herself. Draco had taught her his little trick when they where together and even though Hermione didn't want to think about him right now, she snapped her fingers and rose a foot of the bed.

Draco had been right, there was no feeling compared with floating. Hermione slowly relaxed a bit and closed her eyes. She decided right there and then that she would visit her parents.

She was going to have to come face to face with them sometime. Hermione rolled over onto her stomach and looked down. She was still puzzled as to where Draco could have gone.

She didn't think he would have perform the Secret Keeper ritual with anyone and the only person that even cared for him was his mother and she wasn't smart enought to help with a spell like that.

Blaise had seemed to be telling the truth, but then again she was a Slytherin. She would know how to lie convincingly and get away with cunning plots. It was in her blood.

Hermione flipped back up into a sitting position and snapping her fingers, fell back onto the bed with a soft, 'plumf'.

Just then a Death Eater walked in and she got off the bed hurriedly. Another meeting to attend, she thought to herself as the tall man in black robes led her down a hallway.

They came to Voldemorts quarters and the Death Eater knocked at the door. Hermione heard a faint, "Come in," before the door opened and revealed Voldemort sitting in a large arm chair by the fire.

"My Lord," Hermione said and she bowed her head as she walked into the warm room. The Death Eater closed the door behind her and Hermione jumped slighty at the noise.

Voldemort looked up and smiled. He pointed to the red velvet couch beside his own chair and Hermione walked slowly over and sat down. Voldemort had the Daily Prophet lying in his lap and after Hermione settled down, he handed it to her.

"Alittle news about us," Voldemort said as Hermione scanned the paper.

Herrmione didn't say anything as she read the article quietly. It said;

Voldemort On the Rise?

Although no one, that will talk, knows the answer to this question, many people are asking, "What if?" This reporter hopes to get to the bottom of this story and find out once and for all if the Death Eaters and their leader are on the prowl once more. There has been a reported sighting of a bunch of people in cloaks, being led by a lone female with short brown hair and a pretty face. A muggle family were all reported dead just twenty minutes after the person that we questioned saw the strange band of people. A well known wizard and a man that once was accused of being a Death Eater, although he was cleared later on, Lucuis Malfoy was found dead a week ago. He was very prominent in the wizarding world, donating generous amounts of money to good causes. He will certainly be missed. I will keep you informed on any information on this disturbing crisis.

Hermione looked up and laughed. She couldn't believe all that had been said about Lucuis. It was ridiculous. She handed the paper back to Voldemort as she shook her head - still laughing of course.

"I have a pretty face," Hermione asked of no one in partuicular.

Voldemort said nothing and just looked at her with a bemused look on his face. She was a strange creature indeed. She looked at him and suddenly her laughter died down and her face straightened to it's usual determined look.

"I have made up my mind. I am going to visit my parents tomorrow," Hermione said leaning back in her chair.

"Alright," Voldemort said nodding his head.

"I talked to Blaise Zambini earlier today," Hermione stated rolling her eys slightly.

"Ah, Miss Zambini. I know her parents," Voldemort said.

"Yes, I tried to find out from her where Draco is, but either she actaully didn't know, or she was lying to me," Hermione said and she got the determined look back into her eyes.

"I will find him, and when I do there will be hell to pay," Hermione said viciously and Voldemort raised one eyebrow.

"I think I need to go rest," Hermione said putting a hand to her forehead and looking as tired as she felt.

"Take the upstairs grand bedroom. It's very private and you can get a nice sleep there," Voldemort said and Hermione nodded, got up from her chair and bowing one last time left the room.

***************************************************************

Draco opened the big white door to his fridge. He was hiding out in a muggle house far far away from England. He was actaully in America in a secluded mountain range.

He really should have told Blaise that he didn't know how to cook, anything at all, because he was having the worst time trying to figure out what to eat. Draco closed the fridge and looked in the cupboard next to the fridge. He picked up a box of cereal.

The picture on the front of the box showed a strange bird with a colorful beak. Draco put the box to his nose and sniffed. It didn't smell wonderful like Treacle Tart did, or any wizard meal for that matter, but it didn't smell bad either.

Draco opened the fridge once more and pulled out a carton of milk. He did know that any cereal required milk, he had, had some at Hermione's house. Draco tried to pour the milk into the bowl, but somehow it ended up all over the counter instead.

Draco cursed as he mopped up the mess with a dish rag. Living on his own was quite rough, but it was living. Draco sat down at the table and picked at his cereal. After all the trouble he had gone through to try and find something to eat, he wasn't hungry anymore.

Instead Draco headed into the small living room and turned on the T.V. This was his favorite of all Muggle inventions. Although he hadn't experienced many Muggle things.

Draco flipped through the channels and finally found a decent show to watch. It was a cartoon of a strange yellow square sponge and his starfish friend. Draco was hooked.

When the show ended Draco got up and went upstairs. Blaise had told him that she would come and visit him in a week and bring him more food and some enertainment. This was good, because Draco was about to die of boredom.

Draco got into bed and turned out the light. He pulled the covers to his chin and lay there for a good twenty minutes. All the while he was wondering how he let Blaise talk him into this and how he had let his life get this out of control.

**************************************************************

Hermione woke up the next day, refreshed and feeling good. She took care while she dressed and did her hair. She wanted to look extra nice for her parents.

She ended up wearing the only muggle outfit that she had with her, a black mini skirt and a nice white shirt. Hermione apparated to her house and rang the doorbell, as she waited for someone to answer she smoothed her skirt over and over again nervously.

Suddenly the door opened and Hermione could see her mother standing in the door way for a split second before her mother jumped on her and hugged her tightly.

Hermione hugged her mother back. Tears that she could understand or want came pouring out of her eyes and onto her mother's shoulder. From what Hermione could hear her mum was crying too.

Hermione pulled away from her mother and her mom looked Hermione up and down. She noticed there was something different with her daughter. Not only in the way she looked, but in the way she was standing. She was acting weird too, there was a quiet anger in her eyes as she brushed the tears away.

"Hermione, where have you been. I have been so worried," Bridget said not bothering to wipe away the tears that still trailed down her face.

"I am sorry, mum," Hermione said hanging her head and then looking up at her mum sadly.

"Please honey, say you'll never do that again. At least call next time and say I am moving out anything," Bridget said hoarsley and she pulled Hermione inside the house.

"You father is at work. I will have to call him to tell him your all right," Bridget said and she picked up the phone and dialed the number of Hermione's father's office.

"Hello, she's back hun. Our baby is back. No, yeah she's here with me now. Do you want to talk to her? Alright here she is," Bridget said and she handed the phone to Hermione.

"Hello," Hermione said catiously expecting a tidal wave of reprimands to come her way.

"Hi, Hermione. How are you? I hope your all right. You mother and I have been so worried. Do you have a place of your own? Do you have a job? I honey I've really missed you," Hermione's father said in a rush not even letting Hermione answer any of his questions.

Hermione took a deep breathe and started to fill her father in.

"I am good. I have a place. I don't exactly have a job yet, but I am living with a person that is helping me out. I know, I've missed you too," Hermione siad slowly.

"Honey I really want to talk to you, but I have a patient to look at. I'll talk to you later, Bye", Alfred said and he hung up the phone.

Hermione handed the phone back to her mother and her mother put it back in it's cradle.

"So where is your place?" Bridget asked and Hermione took a slow rattling breath before answering her.

"It's in London," Hermione said not being specific at all.

"Really, that must be nice," Bridget said and she she suddenly stood up.

"I have to go and check on Keyelle. She has gotten so big, but she still needed extra care," Bridget said and she eyed Hermione slightly.

"I am sorry mum, but I can't stay long. I really have to go," Hermione said, feeling like an intruder in her own home.

"Okay, honey. Don't be a stranger, call us once in a while," Bridget said and Hermione nodded, feeling a strange jealousy and hatred come over her as Bridget become oblivious to Hermione and walked over to Keyelle's play pin where she was happily palying with some blocks.

Hermione turned on her heel and left her house. Once she walked out the door she apparated back to Voldemort. Somehow, even if her mother hadn't meant to, she had hurt Hermione deeply.

Bridget hadn't seen or heard from Hermione in a month and yet by just the thought of Keyelle she was willing to leave Hermione and pretend that she wasn't there.

Hermione went into the room that Voldemort had given her and lay on her bed. Hatred was coursing through her veins and even though it wasn't his fault at all, she felt that it was directed at Draco.

Hermione got up and walked downstairs and into the small study that held the table where they would go over their plans. Hermione looked around and grabbed a chair from againts the wall.

She sat down and took out a blank peice of parchment. She just had a gutt feeling that she could find Draco. She thought about it for a second. She determined that Blaise was lying to her and that she had performed the Secret Keeper Ritual with him.

Next she thought of where he could be hiding. Obviously he would be in a muggle house, because it would be a place that no one would expect a Malfoy to inhabit. So he was in some muggle house somewhere. Another obvious fact was that it wouldn't be in England.

So she thought of places Draco could go. Japan and China where out. Pretty much anywhere, where no one spoke English, that would not be a place Draco would go. He could either be in Cananda, or America.

Cananda didn't strike Hermione as a place that Draco would go. So she crossed it off her little list. Tha left only one place. America. Hermione ran a hadd through her hair. This was going to be tough figuring out where exactly Draco was.

Then an evil and sinister thought popped into her head. She could owl Blaise and tell her that she had found out that the Death Eaters where going to attack Hogwarts and kidnap Narcissa Malfoy, bring her to Hogwarts and kill her.

Draco would come out of hiding in a second. All Hermione hoped was that Blaise would tell him. Blaise might not say anything, because she also knew how protective Draco was of his mum.

Hermione grabbed apeice of parchment and wrote her message out to Blaise, she wistled a short note and a jet black owl flew in and she tied it to his leg.

"This is to Blaise Zambini, alright Gaep?" Hermione said to the owl and it nodded it's head.

The large owl spread it's wings and flew out the open window. Hermione sat back down in her chair, for some reason she had been feeling really sick lately.

A couple months ago she had kept throwing up, but now that was over and she was jut getting some really weird cravings for som pretty strange foods. I mean really, how appetizing does cottage cheese and ice cream sound?

***************************************************************

Hermione tried to smile at the man in front of her, although his greedy eyes and manner were making her sick. She took a sip of the glass of wine in her hand and excused herself from the conversation.

She was at a Death Eater celebration of sorts. It was atroucious beyond anything she had ever been to. All these coniving old men were trying to flirt with her. She was Lord Voldemort's right hand person afterall.

All she wanted to do was lie down and try and soothe the head ache that magic just couldn't take away.

She sighed as she walked around the room, holding the stem of her wine glass with a shaking hand. She glimpsed Voldemort talking to a couple who where, rather scary looking.

The woman was tall with dark hair and bright glittering eyes, that were almost black. The man beside her also had dark hair, but his eyes where a light twinkling blue. Although Hermione knew she had never met these two people before, she swore she recognized their features from somewhere.

Hermione warily walked closer. She was intrigued by the woman, who kept flitting her hands around as she talked animatedly with Voldemort. The man beside her was boredly watching the people dancing elegantly across the middle of the room.

Hermione who was watching the woman closely, was snapped back to reality by the sound of Voldemort calling her name. The three people in front of her's attention was all on her as she walked slowly closer.

"Aww, Hermione, my dear at last I find you in this crowd," Voldemort said in a dignafied voice.

"Mrs. and Mr. Zambini, this is Hermione Granger," Voldemort said gesturing towards Hermione and back towards the Zambinis.

"I knew that I recognized you from somwhere, dear. You attended Hogwarts, if I am not mistaken. Graduated top of your class too," Mrs. Zambini said turning to Hermione.

As Hermione stared into Mrs. Zambini's eyes, she saw a cold spark in the pretty dark coloring. Hermione shook Mr. and Mrs. Zambini's hand and noticed right away that Mrs. Zambini's hand was icy cold.

"Are you cold, Mrs' Zambini?" Hermione asked in her usual confident tone, even though she was taken aback by the cold danger behind the beauty of the woman's face.

"A bit, it is slightly cold in here," Mrs. Zambini remarked and she breathed into her hands.

"Cintha, you should go by the fire and warm up," Voldemort said and the woman nodded her head.

"I think I will Tom," Cintha said and she walked away dragging her husband by the arm.

Hermione gave Voldemort a glance and then headed to the farside of the room. There was a balcony here, a rather beautiful one at that. Hermione opened the stained glass door and walked out into the cool night air.

She was tired. She loved her newfound power and sense of self, but on the whole, this whole affair was taking it's tole on her. In the last two day she had gained at least five pounds or more.

Hermione had never cared about her looks, but like most people she didn't like the feeling of not being able to fit into a pair of pants or finding a shirt or skirt to snug.

Hermione sat on a decrative garden chair and look up into the sky, searching the blinking stars for some answers. She had always prided herself on knowing what she wanted and getting it, but at this moment she was feeling that she would never get what she wanted and she would be stuck with these horrible people forever.

*************************************************************** "Hello, Draco," Blaise said in a cool tone, that Draco immedaitly picked up on.

"Blaise, what's going on," Draco asked and Blaise flinched slightly.

"Nothing, why do you ask," Blaise said trying to keep her voice steady.

"Is it my mother? Tell me she is alright," Draco said guessing.

"Yes, for the moment," Blaise said giving in at the tone in Draco's voice.

"What do you mean," For the moment," Draco demanded.

"I recieved a letter from Hermione today," Blaise said slowly, trying to decide how much information she was going to reveal.

"And," Draco said anxiously leaning on the edge of his seat.

"She said that the Death Eaters are going to kidnap your mother," Blaise said misrabley and Draco jumped to his feet his face chalk white.

"How? When? What did she tell you Blaise," Draco shouted and Blaise closed her eyes and then taking a deep breathe opened them again.

"Here I brought the letter, you can read for yourself," Blaise said and she handed Draco a piece of parchment that had recently been folded and unfolded.

Draco read through the letter quickly. His eyes were wide and fearful as he took in every word written on the parchment.

"I want out, I need to get my mother," Draco said and Blaise looked at him sadly.

"Draco, what if this is a trick, to lure you out of hiding," Blaise asked quietly and Draco turned to glare at her.

"It's not Blaise. They are going to kill my mum," Draco said coldly.

Blaise nodded her head mutely. There wasn't much she could do if Draco didn't want to be hidden anymore, she could not force him. She just really hoped that this all would work out.

But as she wasn't stupid, she knew that nothing good was going to happen until everything had gotten horribley worse.

***************************************************************

Hermione smirked coldly down on the new arrival. It was actaully Blaise Zambini that was bent on the floor, crying and carrying on.

She wasn't being tortured and no one in her family had been killed. She sobbing madly because she was to become a Death Eater. Her parents had decided she should serve Lord Voldemort as they had, for so many years.

"Quit your squawking, Blaise," Mrs. Zambini said nastily from a where she stood in the line-up of Death Eaters.

"You Blaise Charlotte Zambini are hear-by admitted to join the Death Eaters, your rank will be determined after a week long test. You will do everything I order you to do, and if you do not do so, I will have your executed." Voldemort said quickly in aloud ringing voice.

Blaise, who had quit crying and was now glaring at the surrounding people, nodded her head. She raised her head up and folding her legs underneath herself, she went back to glaring at everyone in turn.

"Silicio Tatoin Deach," Voldemort cried and Blaise gave howl like a wounded animal and clutched her arm.

When she finally lifted her fingers, Hermione could see the Death Mark shining brightly at her. But something was wrong with it, it seemed to be fading before Hermione's eyes and as she watched it was reduced to a very light outline.

"Why didn't it work, Master," Hermione asked pointing to Blaise's arm.

"She is not willing. Mrs. Zambini, if you do not let us put the Death Mark on you tonight, you will be killed.' Voldemort said and Blaise turned her large blue eyes to him, with a mocking smile on her face.

"Death is better than having to live with you lot," she said her voice strong and clear as she stared down Lord Voldemort.

"Oh dear, then we must resort to worse things than death, now shan't we?" Voldemort said and he turned to Blaise's mother.

"Bring me Olythia," Voldemort said coldly and without a thought Mrs. Zambini threw open the dungoen door and walked out.

"No," Blaise called her voice withering," Not Thia."

"Then let us put the Dark Mark on you," Voldemort snapped and Blaise shook her head her eyes wide and frightened.

The door burst open and Mrs. Zambini walked in, clutching the arm of a girl no older than twelve. The girl was in her nightgown and looked around with her eyes wide. She look almost identical to Blaise, though she was younger.

The girl began to cry as Mrs. Zambini shoved her forward, to where Blaise sat on the ground. Blaise reached out and pulled her sister to herself. Wrapping her arms tightly around her sister she looked up at Voldemort.

"Now what it going to be Blaise, your sister or the Death Mark," Voldemort asked and Blaise shut her eyes for a second, before opening them and lookign at her little sister.

Blaise didn't want to give in and have the Death Mark placed on her arm, for she knew that once it was burned into her skin, she would have to do dastardly deeds against muggles and muggle-borns.

But she loved Olythia so much, she would not watch her be torured by the Death Eaters. Blaise hung her head in defeat. She would become a Death Eater.

Still holding tightly to her sister, Blaise raised one arm and Voldemort now grinning cursed the mark into her skin. Blaise sister was screaming and crying as Blaise put her hand over the mark and fainted.

A/N: Wow! That was in parts quite fun to write. I really hope you all liked it. Hopefully I will have the 19th chapter up soon. Review!!!!