Don't know yet if I'm even going to have any ships yet. Depends on what the reviewers want to see. Basic plot to the story is Voldemort wants Draco for some unknown reason ……… Ginny and Harry are getting lil visions that are clues as to why Voldemort wants Draco and Hermione is stuck with the reading list that's the key to everything. I'd like to give a great big thanks for my beta Melly and I hope everyone enjoys.

Sound track: Sublime- Summertime, Rooney-Blue side, Rolling Stones- Sympathy for the Devil, Gary Jules- Madworld, Deftones Minerva

The countryside flew past in a blur as Draco amused himself by letting a random tree or house catch his eye and deciphering exact details as it passed. He had removed the curses and hexes from his body expertly, from practice at home and the healer classes he had taken. Draco disappointedly looked back on his year. Really needed to think over better witty repartee for Potter and company for next year. Then again if he was going to be watched more closely, he might as well act stupid. Within the ranks of Voldemort it was not a blessing to have brains, or self-consciousness, for that matter. There was nothing better for Lord Voldemort than to have mindless sheep to do his biding. 'Why can't Greg and Vin see that?' he thought unhappily to himself. His 'bodyguards' were probably as miserable about their situations as Draco was.

Draco knew that when he arrived home it would not be a happy scene with his mother's constant bitching and Voldie's persistent vigilance. Hopefully this summer would be better without his father's monotonous droll and consistent beatings.  He sighed, that wouldn't last long. Lucius may be an asshole but he was a rather intelligent and cunning asshole, not to mention rich. And with those combined he was bound to find a way out relatively soon. Damn. Oh look, a black sheep.

At the station Draco met up with his driver who promptly took his luggage and ushered him into the limo waiting outside, but not before Draco could steal a look at Potter. He watched intently as the members of the Order of the Phoenix intimidated Harry's aunt and uncle. 'Yep, I'm jealous. Get over it,' he bitterly thought to himself.

"You're pathetic. Your petty jealousy of Potter is nauseating, yet you wear it like a flag. I can see what you feel and that will kill you someday."

Good ol' daddy dearest at his best in the role of the perfect example parent. It never ceased to amaze, his lack of seeing my revulsion at the sight of him bowing to a half-blood, thrice defeated, figment of a wizard. The limo flew unseen over the cities at hundreds of miles an hour. They reached Sasso Lungo in less than five minutes. From afar it looked as if a sheer cliff had decidedly sprung from the ground for no apparent reason but to be. There was a small town around the bottom and an expanse of woodland leading back along the edge of the mountain line. The limo suddenly plummeted like an elevator but, for no more than a few seconds. Next he knew he was at the gates, which stood tall and foreboding in the intricate wrought iron work. Without any form of support from a wall they remained eerily alone. A few house elves stood by to carry his luggage.

With a whoosh the limo left again, probably to wait after his mother who was most likely whoring her way through Lucius's friends of power and prestige. He pushed the gates open and strutted toward what had once looked like a large chunk of rock and now appeared as a sculpted granite castle. Muggles went on rock climbing expeditions to this place, and it never struck them that there were places where snow never fell. The Malfoy manor had been built hundreds of years ago deeply embedded in the rock. It was a bit of a trek across the grounds to the front doors of the castle, hopping over trick stones, and surpassing the jinxes and hexes, hidden at every large piece of shrubbery.

From the sides of the castle three gargoyles came to life. Sliding down like serpents, they met Draco at the front doors. One was a large wolf with vast dove-like wings folded to his back; another had the body of a snake but with spindly arms stretching out in front of it and the head of a dragon. The last was the oddest-looking creature of the three. It made the impression that a four year old had taken a picture of a snake, a lion and a goat, cut them apart and pasted them back together to form something wholly new and morbidly disturbing.

"Good day, Fenrir, Jor, Meryl," Draco said, nodding to the beasts towering in front of him.

The one he called had Fenrir gave a curt nod to the others and walked back up the castle, letting the door behind them swing open.

Draco gave a quick glance around the front entrance, looking for the odd solid black robes amongst the glossy red and white speckled stone that would signify the presence of Voldemort. Having not seen them he lightly took the grand staircase by twos to make it to his room before his existence was noticed, panting house elves following close behind. Briskly walking through the intricate hallways and passageways, it still took him a few minutes to find the corridor down which his own chamber was waiting. With one last turn he would be in blessed sanctuary. One last…

"Shit." The curse came unbidden to his lips and left before he could stop himself. There standing in front of his destination was the tall, evil, ominous figure of the dark lord.

Did that bastard actually sneer at him?? Nope, that was just the permanent fixture of his face.

"Do you so honestly enjoy making a mockery of yourself?"

"It's a favorite pastime."

"Your father will return within the week."

"Spiffy."

"He is not beyond throwing you in the dungeons. I, on the other hand, would rather not waste the breath."

"To late."

And there went one of the most renowned, EVIL, wizards to walk the earth, probably to find somewhere else to sulk and look important. Walking with restrained ease and dignity, Draco opened the door, strode in and sat on the bed with a sigh. Hmm something was different. Definitely out of place. Yes, his room was still the green, tomb like slab of marble. Yes, his king size canopy bed still had the black satin sheets, and yes, the wardrobe and desk were still cynical and burnt looking in the corners of his room. The bookshelf looked like a few more books on evil 101 had been added, but that was nothing unexpected. Ah! That was it! There were bars over his 4' by 6' fireplace.

"What the hell did I do this time?" he moaned to himself.

"Would sir like a snack?" Draco looked down almost surprised at the house elf looking up at him with abnormally large and bug-like yellow eyes.

"Er…. No. Why don't you go wait on the dark lord then?" The elf's eyes seemed to enlarge by twice and start to water. Draco groaned; when did he ever start to feel pity???

"Actually a cookie would be great…any kind of cookie will do," he said with a shooing motion.

The elf nodded gratefully and bowed out of his room. Draco walked up to his trunk, which had been taken up already by the elves and shuffled in it for his cd player. Oh yes, he was in for a good brood over teenage angst and first-rate disobedience. Firmly attaching the headphones over his ears he pressed play for the deafening beat to drum into his ears. He then took out a book artfully labeled "How to Destroy a Small City with your Window-side Garden." Upon opening it, it read "Draco Malfoy's Diary for Storage on all Thoughts and Intricate ways to Eviscerate his Family."

"Summer time the livin's easy ….. Me an my girl we got this relationship…."

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The pounding of feet on the heavy snow echoed throughout the woods. Voices were lost in the density of the air around her but the fact that she could still hear them made her heart leap in fear. Her breathing was raspy from the cold air and her lungs felt like they were being slowly crushed in a vice. That was the magical field preventing the creature from using magic as a means of escape. Wings flapped restlessly, spraying blood in the wake. She heard the spell before she felt it paralyze her. Collapsing to the ground, blood and snow melding around her, she thought to herself, "Damn, knew I shouldn't have increased the price." Then the steel-toed boot hit her head.