Hello. Usual disclaimer. I do not own HARRY POTTER. If I did there would be a dungeon for all Harry Potter cool men… like Draco Malfoy… Lucius… Sirius… Oliver … in chains… oh yes… any how, please excuse my usual ranting. I AM REALLY SORRY FOR THE DELAY… I COULDN'T ACCESS MY FILES FOR A LONG TIME… LONG STORY… modem… yup. Thanks for reading this fic, and being patient (READER) yup… too much of Jane Eyre for me.

***Note*** Everything in italics is in third person… IT IS NOT HERMIONE OR DRACO'S POV!! Thanx

Part 6

Hermione's POV

I sat silently in the chair, allowing his words to seep in. Lucius Malfoy would be arriving in a few hours to take Draco home. For all I knew, he probably was in the school already. Did he know about us? Or was he coming for different reasons involving Voldemort…

"Hermione?" Ginny's soft voice from behind me, "Are you alright?"

I shrugged off my thoughts and diverting my attention to Ginny. "Not sure. Where's Harry and Ron?"

"They went to the common room," she said gently.

"I need to talk to them," I said, ascending from my seat.

"That isn't the brightest idea…," she said, concerned, "They're quite umm… enraged."

"I need to," I said determinedly. She was right. I had no clue how I was going to face them, let alone the other Gryffindors. If I couldn't win back the respect of my own best friends, I'd have a harder time with other students, especially since my two best friends were Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Ginny nodded mildly in agreement and we went together to the common room.

We entered the Gryffindor room and found Harry and Ron slumped down on the couch. Ron glimpsed up from his day dreaming and uttered angrily, "What d'you want." It hurt me more than words could explain when I saw the expression on both their faces. Betrayal. In only a matter of an hour, I had turned from their best friend to their adversary. The hot tang of tears swelling up in my eyes blurred my vision.

"Let me explain," I pleaded, the tears dashing down my cheeks as I approached them. They both stood up defensively.

"Why should we?" Ron roared.

"Should have known!" Harry scowled. He ignored looking in my eyes and instead said forcefully, "Just leave," before winding his back on me.

"Harry, please," I said, imploring him to listen.

"Thought you had more sense than that! Makes me wonder how it all happened… I don't want to know, now that I think about it," Ron said, tightening his fists.

"It was at the ball," I declared softly.

"He's the one who hurt you, didn't he?" Harry said swiftly, facing me again.

"Never knew it was him till later on," I said, shielding my arms against my chest.

"You weren't in the crowd when we removed our masks," he said, piecing the pieces together aloud.

"No, we were crowned Queen and King of the-," I clarified, incapable of finishing my sentence.

"That was you?" Harry said, vacantly. Ron was motionless with his mouth fully opened.

I nodded modestly.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ron demanded, recovering his posture.

"What was I to say," I said, ominously striving to defend myself, "Harry, Ron, I kissed Malfoy by accident. Oh yes and we've eloped."

"WHAT!!" Harry and Ron shrieked in unison.

"Oh my God!" Ginny said hugging me tightly, "My first friend to get married!"

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Ron clamored, "Next you'll tell me you're having his bastard children."

"I'M JOKING!" I said, appalled they had believed me.

"Nice to know you have a sense of humor," Harry said mildly.

"Does she need to give you a full account," Ginny said in exasperation.

"A Malfoy! A Death Eater. A Slytherin," Ron reiterated, "Have you gone mad!"

"He's not a Death Eater," I added abruptly.

"How d'you know!" Harry inquired.

"Cause he told me," I said, having some hope that they'd understand. The situation seemed to be fairing quite well.

"And you're taking a Malfoy's word!" Harry said, shaking his head in disagreement.

"He doesn't have the dark mark," I said stiffly.

"Well, just how much of him have you seen," Ron said, his eyes contemplating me dangerously.

"Ron Weasley, I'll not be an item of your inquiries into my own affairs," I said, respiring quickly.

"Do you love him?" Harry said gazing out the window.

"Yes," I said firmly. A moment of silence followed my response.

"Does he treat you properly," Ron asked in disgust, still unable to embrace the thought of Draco.

"Yes," I murmured.

"Sorry for before," Harry mumbled, "We should have listened to you…." Harry sounded upset even if he tried to conceal it.

"Same here, I guess," Ron said, smirking at me reassuringly.

"Men," Ginny sighed, "Takes them too long."

"Doesn't mean we're going to fraternize with Malfoy," Harry confirmed.

"I'd rather visit a Death Eater training camp," Ron laughed, "Feeling up to a snowball fight?"

I sighed in relief that they had accepted it, although not completely. Their acceptance would support me a lot when the rest of the students returned to Hogwarts. I still had no clue whatsoever how I would handle it. I reminded myself that soon the word would spread to Lucius Malfoy. I nodded and hugged them both.

We walked outside and I finally felt for the first time in many days that things had returned to their habitual order in my life. Ginny and I teamed up versus Harry and Ron. Of course Ginny and I were being harassed with their snowballs. Quidditch Players didn't practice nearly every day for no apparent reason.

"Harry," I yelled, removing the snow in the collar of my jacket. Harry and Ron laughed until Ginny hit Ron in the face. For a few minutes I had nearly forgotten that Lucius Malfoy was coming. Ginny and I ducked behind the barrier that divided us from Ron and Harry on the opposite end. I wrapped my hands around the snow to make a perfect snowball to get Harry back for his shot. Suddenly I felt someone hit me from behind.

"Cheaters!" I said loudly. I glanced around, expecting to find Harry and Ron and discovered Draco leaning against a tree and forming a new snowball in his raven dragon gloves. He wore a jet black heavy cloak that was fastened by a serpent molded clasp with the initials of M. A twisted smile formed on his lips as he narrowly watched me from his eyes. He pushed himself off the tree and advanced, ducking so that Harry and Ron wouldn't see.

He sat against the barrier between and Ginny and me. Ginny stared at him in awe and stopped making her snowballs.

"Mind if I join you?" he said, piling his snowball with ours. "I'd like to beat the living fuck from Potty and his trusty freckled side kick."

"Draco!" I said, grimacing at him.

"Oh," he said inadvertently, inspecting Ginny, "What? She doesn't have freckles."

"Do you always have to insult people?" I asked, shaking my head in disappointment.

"What?" he said looking at me innocently, "What did I say?"

"Never mind," I said, delighted that he was in a better mood. It was perhaps the first and last time that I'd see Draco having a snowball fight with Gryffindors…

I seized a snowball and stood up along with Draco and Ginny. Fortunately for us, it might be the first time that we would 'beat the fuck' out of Harry and Ron, as Draco said.

"Hey, Potter," Draco called out to Harry, "Catch this." He threw a gigantic snowball that hit Harry in the face and made him stumble. Harry and Ron protested against Draco joining us, but reluctantly accepted it after a few minutes.

We decided to stop when we found ourselves completely drenched. Both groups walked over to the space between the two barriers where we had fought. There was an awkward silence and I watched as Harry and Ron composed their anger by clutching their fists.

"This doesn't change anything between us Potter and Weasel," Draco snickered.

"I'd rather suffer under the Crucio spell than kiss your arse," Ron said, frowning at him.

"Don't speak too fast," Draco said maliciously.

"We don't need to take your fucking crap Malfoy," Harry said, "You know it." Harry motioned his head in my direction.

"She doesn't need you to baby-sit her every move," Draco snapped back. "Don't you dare threaten me. I'll do what I want."

"That's where you're wrong," Ron said, stepping forward.

"Excuse me, Weasel," Draco sniggered. "Mione, can we talk?"

"Sure," I said, as his arm gripped my waist while keeping a steady glance on Harry and Ron. He viewed them triumphantly when we left them all standing behind and walked further.

He stared at me for some time before saying, " We can't see each other before my father arrives."

I gazed at the snow, "What are you going to do if-."

"It's for your own sake, Mione," he said roughly, "Nor can we communicate. Lucius keeps an eye on all mail leaving and coming to the mansion."

I sighed, knowing that he was right. "Won't he know already?"

"Perhaps, but there aren't many here now who have connections with my family," he said, standing rigid in the snow.

"Guess I have to say bye now," I said, biting my lower lip to stop it from trembling. I could handle this and it wasn't the fact that he was leaving that bothered me. As much as it seemed pathetic, I was worried that he wouldn't be the same when he returned. I turned around and started walking towards the Hogwarts gates.

"Mione," Draco said harshly, walking beside me. He quickly ignored the obtrusive faces of Harry and Ron.

Draco kept debating as we marched up the stairs to our rooms. "Mione, we don't have any other choice! Damn! Why do you have to be so stubborn," he said, halting in front of my room.

I threw myself on him and kissed him, letting my tongue linger inside his mouth. I withdrew from the kiss and said in gasps, "I understand."

He tilted his forehead against mine as he fiddled through my wet clothes. "Wait," he mumbled before leaving to get something in his room. He returned quickly and removed my wet cloak and put his around my shoulders.

"You better go inside… before you get…," he muttered incoherently.

I bit my lower lip as my eyes filled with tears.

"Bye," I whispered, kissing him hastily on the cheek and entering my room without a second glance.

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I woke up the next day, with a severe neck cramp. His cloak remained around my shoulders from the previous night. I inhaled the dark scent of his cologne before leaving it and walking into the hallway. There wasn't any sign that Draco was in his room.

The Great Hall was still adorned with Christmas decorations. I walked over to Harry, Ron and Ginny.

"Morning," I said, "What are you up to?"

"Tell her," Ron murmured to his sister, jabbing her in the ribs.

"What's wrong?" I said, holding my breath and waiting for the worst.

"Malfoy's father came…," Ginny said, in a sympathetic tone.

I nodded to myself trying to accept it and repeatedly saying that he'd be back.

"Mione, are you all right?" Harry said, examining my face.

I searched the room and glanced back at them, "Yes, I am."

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We only had five more days until the rest of the student body would return and it was back to the books again. The first three days passed quickly. I would probably be a liar if I said that I didn't think about him once. The scent on his cloak was still alive. Each night I'd go to sleep having inexplicable dreams in which I wasn't sure if I was asleep or not. Some were frightening and others were torturous. I woke up in the dead of the night, sweating and panting for air that I couldn't grasp. Gradually, as the air filled my lungs, my memory of the dreams drifted into the stillness of my room. Of course, I remembered a few insignificant snippets. I recalled dark cloaks and an abnormal laugh that I'd never forget. The fear of associating this dream to Draco was excruciating, and I forced myself to believe that there was no relationship. However, it would only be two days before the end of the holidays that I'd discover the truth ….

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In a dark mansion outside of Hogwarts…

The dark figures in black hooded cloaks and masks formed a perfect circle. Four Death Eaters stood gravely in the middle, denoting the four geographical coordinates; north south, east and west. Inside the confines of these four men were the leader and another man who knelt down near his master's feet.

The repulsive leader, Voldemort, presided over his soon to become faithful servant. He elevated a serpent-forged knife into the lifeless air of the sullen dungeon and chanted a few words in an unknown.

The figure representing North strode forward to the man kneeling on the stone floor.

"Do you plead allegiance to Lord Voldemort, your leader and master who you shall serve until your untimely death."

"Yes," answered the man, harshly.

"Do you promise to bring destruction to those not pure blooded and who disobey our Lord's commands?" asked Death Eater from the south.

"I do," he answered, in anticipation for permission to stand up.

"Rise, boy," hissed Voldermort.

"Please forgive my weakness, Master," the man uttered.

"You'll learn in time," Voldemort snapped, "Death Eaters are not weak in performance." He gave a loud derisive sneer.

"Yes my Lord, forgive me," he said.

"Hurry," scowled the Dark Lord.

The figure of the West held out the knife which Voldemort was holding a few minutes before and a golden cup. The young man received the knife and sealed his right hand around it while his blood stained the golden cup.

"Bring the prisoner," commanded the Death Eater from the east.

A young girl was dragged into the ring and thrown helplessly onto the floor.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_ I strolled around the empty library, searching for a book for my Potions assignment.

"Dark Magic of the 18th Century," I mumbled to myself, finding the book on an unreachable shelf. I stretched my feet and reached out my arm to grab it but another hand grabbed it before me.

"Need this?" Harry said smirking, handing the book to me.

"Thanks," I said, inclined against the bookshelf.

"First time you're not a month ahead of the due date," Harry chuckled, his eyes exploring the room.

I nudged him in the ribs, "No… actually I'm just doing some extra reading on the origin of the flesh eating curse. It's fascinating… you should read it." I approached another row of books. In reality, I was quite behind in my assignment.

"Whatever you say," Harry said, grinning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, peering at him from some other books I had collected along our way.

"Allow me," Harry said, removing the load of books off my hands and settling it near the area where I was studying.

"You should get some sleep," Harry said, turning his attention back to me.

"Why do I look bad," I asked, knowing that there were dark rings around my eyes due to the lack of sleep.

"You're working too hard. Don't seem to be getting any sleep," Harry said observing me in a most particular way. I glanced back at him, shifting uncomfortable under his unsteady gaze.

"Harry…,"I said, trying to reassure him. Suddenly, his warm hand wrapped around my hand. I looked at him in shock and began to tremble when he conveyed my hand to his lips and kissed it.

I abruptly pulled my hand out of his grasp. "Harry, I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're really scaring me." I threw my books into my bag but his arm instantly forced me into his chest and into a deep kiss. He gently released me from his lips after my unsuccessful struggle. Draco was right. I didn't even notice…How could I have been so stupid!

"I love you, Mione," he said, still clasping my arm while trifling with my hair. "You deserve better than Malfoy." His hands fell to my side. "Think about it," he reinforced before catching mistletoe that had been enchanted to float above us ominously. With the click of his heels he turned and moved towards the exit.

"Merry Christmas, Mione" he said, without glancing back, "Don't sleep too late."

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"Don't just stand there imbecile!" yelled Voldemort.

"Yes, Master," said the man as he grasped the woman's neck and shoved her head to the ground. She shrieked for help while the Death Eaters observed the young man strip the girl of her clothes and rape the virgin Muggle. The woman covered herself vainly to prevent arousing other men. Meanwhile he lowered the knife and stabbed her enough to fill the golden cup. Her blood smeared across the floor while she lay lifeless.

The other Death Eaters marched over her body towards the final area of the inauguration.

The man kneeled down and raised the sleeve of his robe.

"It won't take long," jeered Voldemort, "If you're a true Death Eater, you won't feel anything."

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Dropping my bag and books on the floor, I hurried to the washroom and examined myself in the mirror.

I could still sense the warmth of his lips on my hands. I had no feelings for him. I magically filled the bathtub and stripped off my clothes as I slipped into the warm water. A ferocious pain conquered throughout my body. All at once, an unknown energy pulled me into the water. I grabbed the sides of the bathtub to pull myself out of the rose water without success. What's happening? A violent throbbing sensation lashed through my left forearm, before I was finally able to push myself to the surface of the water and gasp for air. Blood flowed through a deep gash across my right hand.

I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my chest. The pain lingered while I searched the cabinet attached to the wall. I put a pain killer tablet into my mouth and drank some water. Slowly, I shut the cabinet door and gazed into the mirror.

The glass shattered on the floor.

It stared back at me. Nauseating. Unpleasant. Anger.

Only a few years back, I saw it on Snape's arm. Now it returned for another disagreeable visit. This time it wasn't on someone else's arm. Nor did it haunt the ghastly black night. It was evidently on my left arm, precisely where the pain had started. The Dark mark. A black skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue stared ominously back at me. I remained in shock, feeling then coarseness of the burn into my flesh. Draco. I couldn't explain it. All the studying I had done in the hopes of proving myself to be a capable witch to others. It was just one of those things that you couldn't contemplate on, due to the fear that the truth would be unbearable. Who could I turn to?

I fell to the floor and cried. I cried until the agony knocked me senseless.

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Yay… I finished… this was supposed to be uploaded a few weeks back. Since then, I've added some parts. I wasn't sure if I should give her the Dark Mark. However, I love drama. Heheheh. Die, die, die…points finger to … OH MY GOD! The X-Files was so good… the series finale… wow! THEY KISSED!!!!!!!!!!SKIP THROUGH IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS….

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It's his son!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They had sex!!! I'm so proud of them!!!!! Go sunflower man!!!!!!!! Fake death!!!! Go to Paris!!! I'm so happy for them!!!! Cries

Thank you… bye now my micmac readers, please review (100-yay!!)!!! I love reading your reviews!! It will make me happier when I get depressed in a few weeks over exam week. ~stay away Physical Science~ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS I will pass my high school exams and I will enter college you stupid government (thank you, come again). This goes for all of you… I say hell with those exams, we'll pass them!!!

~~~Meanwhile… I have to figure out stochiometry(or whatever its called) ~ Bye!