Hermione stood in front of the full-length mirror as she dressed herself, making sure every piece of cloth was in its proper place. She still needed to look like the same old Hermione. She couldn't help but to think of how she was going to tell Harry and Ron of her newfound heritage. They were her friends though, and they would know it wasn't her choice to be the daughter of the Dark Lord. She was their friend and she had fought Voldemort by their sides for years. She helped defeat him each and every time. Of course they would realize she was on their side. Voldemort was an evil, vile creature. Even if he was her father, he wasn't human anymore. She couldn't really say she disliked him. He had been surprisingly kind to her. And he meant that she was never going to have to go back to that Muggle house again. Voldemort's ideas, those were what she had a problem with. Murdering thousands of innocent people to 'cleanse' the wizarding world of 'impure' blood wasn't an attractive idea. The manor, or what she had seen of it, was very luxurious, in a dark way, much nicer than her Muggle home.
Then there were the people to consider. The Malfoys were all so nice. It was so strange to think that, to consider the Malfoys family friends. But that's what they were now, family friend's. Lucius was the closest thing her Father had to a friend. Narcissa was the only female she had talked to yet, and she was wonderful.
Then there was Draco. Draco Malfoy. She couldn't believe she was even thinking this, but he was her friend now. At first it seemed like a facade to keep their fathers happy, but after last night she knew that was so far from the truth. He was kind to her. He held her while she cried, he talked the truth out of her, and now he had this animalistic protectiveness over her. The fire she saw in his eyes when he said he was going to kill her Muggle father was not something anyone could fake. He was being helpful too. Showing her the ropes and teaching her what she needed to know. He helped her escape the adults when she was too overwhelmed. Not once had he really tried to take advantage of her... There was the one time, but he was merely testing her after he saw the marks. It really was strange. He slept in her bed because she was afraid to be alone, and he didn't try to hurt her at all. He really wasn't such a bad guy after all. To top it all off, he was handsome. Lord was he handsome. As long as you cut out the fact that he wants to destroy all Muggleborns, she could really start to like him. How much, she didn't know. But there was no need to worry about that right now. There were too many other things she needed to be thinking about.
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While Hermione was just about finished dressing herself, Draco was just stepping out of the tub. He had laid in the water far longer than he had originally plan. He couldn't keep track of the time while he was doing his best to relax. Thinking of what to do about Hermione the entire time hadn't done anything to help. He had to get Hermione on his side, and so far he seemed to be doing an excellent job of it. She seemed to be alright with Voldemort, but she was never going to be very found of his ideals and world domination. Voldemort knew she wasn't going to take to his ideas right away, after all, he wasn't an idiot. Voldemort's problem starts with his narcissistic personality. Now that Hermione knows that she's a Pureblood, Voldemort expects her to slowly adjust to the idea of ridding the world of all the Mudbloods and Halfbloods. Not that it would ever be impossible to change her opinion, but Voldemort would never be the one to do it. She had to much prejudice against him, with Potter and Black. Voldemort could never realize that. Draco just couldn't allow that to happen.
There was so much work to be done with Hermione. He couldn't stop worrying about the upcoming party. He was going to have to prepare her for all the people, the commotion, the gossip, and the violence. This was going to be a real Dark Revel, with all ranks present. That always ended with a little muggle entertainment. She absolutely had to learn the proper attitude and aura of royalty. That's what she was now, royalty, and she was going to have to learn how to play her part, even while she watched people die. Hopefully the entertainment would be male. The females were always played with before they were killed. With her past as it was, it would be extremely difficult for her to keep her composure during that. Fun was not a word that seemed to be fitting in Draco's near future. Once again his thoughts ran back to her adoptive family. The fact that her adoptive father was a twisted asshole was not going to help, not at all. He had six days to teach Hermione how to be the opposite of what she had been taught for the past 6 years. This was going to be difficult. But Draco Lucius Malfoy had never turned down a challenge, and he had never failed. Why would he start now?
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Hermione stood at the grand double doors that were the front entrance into the manor. Draco took longer to ready himself most girls. Then again, he was more conceited that most girls. Still, that didn't mean he had to keep her waiting for 20 minutes. She just wanted to get out of the castle, back to Hogwarts, and she wanted to see her friends. She needed to see her friends, and she needed to know that she had their trust, and their support. She was going to need as much help as she possibly could get. Maybe she could be a spy for the Ministry, like Snape was. There must be something she could do to help the Order, and the Order could use all the help they could get. With Voldemort rising like he was any leverage the Order could get, they would use. She was the perfect leverage. Voldemort would tell her everything after a while. Every move he planned to make, every thought he had, every goal he was going to achieve, when and where every Dark Revel was going to be, and who every single Death Eater under his command was. That was the most important thing she was going to learn. Even Snape didn't know who every Death Eater was, and he done a fairly good job at earning himself a fairly high position in Voldemort's ranks. Where exactly Voldemort held him, she didn't know. But, she would most definitely be finding out at the next opportunity she had with the Dark Lord.
Hermione was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that Draco was standing right next to her until he has tapped her on the shoulder. She gasped and jumped when his finger touched her. As soon as she realized whom it was that had interrupted her thoughts she glared.
"I have been waiting here for you for a half an hour. Why can't you be like every other guy and take a 5 minute shower and spend an entire minute picking out your clothes. Honestly, you are worse than any girl I've ever known."
He smirked at her as he replied. "Well, if I was like every other guy, I would be waiting on you, and I'm not a very patient person. And if I was like every other guy, I'd be waltzing around in crumpled, dirty, smelly clothes. That's not appropriate for any half respectable wizard, especially a Malfoy. Now, are you ready to go?"
"Yes, how are we getting back to Hogwarts?" Draco was about to answer, but much to his irritation he was interrupted by Voldemort.
"There you are. I was afraid I had missed you. I just wanted to say goodbye to my daughter and make sure everything was all set with your transportation. You have the rings, don't you Draco?"
"Yes sir, I do."
"Excellent. I'll be out of your way in a minute and you can show Desdemona how to use them. Desdemona, come with me please." He offered his arm to her and much to her displeasure, she took it. She just wanted to go home.
After there was a reasonable amount of space between Draco and themselves, he spoke again. "I know this is going to be hard on you. It's going to be a difficult adjustment for Draco, myself, Lucius, Severus, and all of the Death Eaters, but the difficulty for us will be nothing in comparison to yours. I have to adjust to having a beautiful teenage daughter and I have to adjust my time schedule and attention. You have to adjust to new friends, new family, new power, new home, and a completely different life. You're strong, my dear, I have faith in you. Anytime you have trouble with anything at all, or anyone, I'm here to help you. I know you'll spend most of your time at school, but Draco is there, and he's quite willing to help you with anything. Let him, don't hesitate to ask him questions, or have him do you favors. He can help you with your social status and new social circle. It's very important for you to maintain your new image, very important. You'll find Draco to be very helpful with that. I'll be sending my Eagle to you, once you arrive at the school. He can't be intercepted, so if you a question, you can owl me, and I hope you take advantage of that."
"I will Father, thank you. I don't think I'll be able to do this on my own," she replied truthfully. It seemed that they had made a circle while they walked. Voldemort led her back to Draco and she pulled her arm from his.
"Draco, take good care of my daughter. She's invaluable to me. I'm trusting you to make sure everything goes smoothly and that Desdemona's adjustment to her new position is made as easily as possible." Voldemort placed his hand on her shoulder in what could be called an affectionate manner.
"Of course, sir. She's invaluable to all of us. I'll do all that I can to make her comfortable," Draco said as he inclined his head in respect, or rather, habit.
"Very good. Now, I'll leave you two alone to get things sorted out. I'll see both of you Friday afternoon." Voldemort gave his daughter's shoulder a small squeeze before he dropped his hand to his side and disappeared around the corner.
"So," Hermione turned to face Draco, "How are we getting back to Hogwarts?"
"With these," Draco stated as he tossed a ring at her. She caught it and began to examine it. The metal was easily identified as platinum, but the jewel that sat in the middle, guarded by engraved snakes on either side, had her stumped. "It's made of platinum, if that's what your wondering. And the jewel is a black diamond."
"Black diamond... I've read about those!"
"Of course you have, you've read about everything."
"Oh shut up. Black diamonds are the rarest precious stone in the world. There are only 5 of them in existence. Extremely powerful, but they draw upon Dark Magic, so most wizards would rather look at them than use them."
"Yes, I know all this. There's no need for you to tell me." Hermione simply glared at him. "Now, to use it, put the ring on your finger, any one at all, it will adjust itself to fit," Hermione slid it onto the middle finger of her right hand, "And picture the place you want to be, or the person you wish to be with, and you'll be transported there."
"Can we transport straight into Hogwarts?"
"Yes, there are only 5 of these ring in existence, same as the amount of stones. Dumbledore believes that all 5 rings were lost centuries ago, so he didn't take the time to ever recast the repelling charm on Hogwarts grounds. Considering you've never used them before, and you're supposed to be missing, I'm going to transport you to a spot in the Forbidden Forest I've picked out."
"Alright, how do you." Hermione's sentence was cut short due to Draco taking hold of her arm and transporting both of them to his designated area. It felt as though every atom in her body separated for a moment, then pulled themselves back together. Looking around, she saw that he had brought them to a small field in the middle of the trees. It was an enchanting place, covered in flowers of every color; the air was thick with their perfume. She had planned on scolding Draco for being so rude and not even warning her, but she suddenly felt no desire to do so. "This place is beautiful! How did you find it?"
"I was looking for a special plant for the Lord a few weeks ago and I stumbled upon it. I've been coming here just about every night since. It's relaxing," he replied.
"It is," Hermione said. She bent down and gently plucked a red flower off it's stem. It seemed to be a crossbred between a carnation and a rose. The petals were thick, and a little wider than that of a carnation. All the flowers seemed to be the same type, only a variety of colors. She lifted the flower to her nose and took a deep breath. It seemed as though she were breathing heaven's air. "Draco, smell this!" She placed the flower under his nose. He looked at her for a moment, then breathed in the rich scent. "It's it wonderful?"
"Yes, it is." Draco suddenly had the urge to kiss that girl senseless. He reached out and gently grasped both of her upper arms in his hands, and pulled her body towards his. She looked up at him, his 6'0" frame towered over her petite 5'6" one.
"Draco, you're beautiful." She reached up and brushed a piece of his white-blonde hair from his face. His hair looked so much better now that he stopped slicking it back. "Sometimes you look like an angel, when you aren't trying so hard to look terrifying."
"You are an angel." He bent his head to hers and captured her lips with his own. His arms slid down her arms and around her tiny waist, pressing her body to his. Every curve of her body seemed to fit perfectly into his. She was so lovely. Her arms found their way around his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair as she tried desperately to put less space between them. It was in vain, there was no space left to be rid of. Hermione allowed Draco entrance to her mouth. He tasted so wonderful, like real peppermint and rich champagne. She couldn't help but to fall into his rapture.
Didn't she have any idea how intoxicating she was? His hands ran up and down her body. He could feel every delicate curve. He slid her school robe to the ground and his hands found their way under the back of her shirt. He had to touch her skin, it was so soft, so warm. She was a seductress, and she had no idea the power she was holding over him that very moment. His excitement was pressed into her soft stomach. If she didn't know how much he wanted her a while ago, she had to know now. He couldn't get enough.
As suddenly as the overwhelming desires had began, they stopped. Hermione stepped back from Draco and shook her head. It felt as though she had been under some sort of enchantment. Taking one look at Draco told her that he felt the same way. She looked at the ground. All the flowers had closed up, how strange.
"Draco," she finally said, "What just happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," he answered. "I think it was the flowers... It had to have been the flowers. They've done this to me before, but I've never been here with another person before. They must have some sort of love or passion enchantment while the are open. I've noticed that they close up at 7am, and open back up at 7pm. It had to have been the flowers."
"I'll look them up in the library... It seems to be the only possible explanation."
"Yeah, do that... But we are running late now. This is what we're going to do. It will look a little too obvious if we both walked into the castle together. I'm going to transport myself into our Head room. Give me 15 minutes to walk around and be seen, then I'm going to come back and get you. I'll transport both of us to our common room, and we'll go to Dumbledore's office and have our little chat. If he asks how you got back here, and how you are supposed to get to Voldemort's manor and back every weekend, just tell him that you don't know how Voldemort does it, but he has some sort of spell that he uses to transport you. Wear your ring on this." He pulled a platinum chain from his robe pocket and handed it to her. "It's important that the old man doesn't know you have that ring. He'll realize that Voldemort has all of them and he'll put up the repelling charm. Pick up your robe and straighten yourself up a bit, and I'll see you in a few minutes. Make sure you stay in this field, nothing can harm you while you are in it. The moment you step out you're in danger." Then Draco disappeared, and Hermione sat down to await his return.
Then there were the people to consider. The Malfoys were all so nice. It was so strange to think that, to consider the Malfoys family friends. But that's what they were now, family friend's. Lucius was the closest thing her Father had to a friend. Narcissa was the only female she had talked to yet, and she was wonderful.
Then there was Draco. Draco Malfoy. She couldn't believe she was even thinking this, but he was her friend now. At first it seemed like a facade to keep their fathers happy, but after last night she knew that was so far from the truth. He was kind to her. He held her while she cried, he talked the truth out of her, and now he had this animalistic protectiveness over her. The fire she saw in his eyes when he said he was going to kill her Muggle father was not something anyone could fake. He was being helpful too. Showing her the ropes and teaching her what she needed to know. He helped her escape the adults when she was too overwhelmed. Not once had he really tried to take advantage of her... There was the one time, but he was merely testing her after he saw the marks. It really was strange. He slept in her bed because she was afraid to be alone, and he didn't try to hurt her at all. He really wasn't such a bad guy after all. To top it all off, he was handsome. Lord was he handsome. As long as you cut out the fact that he wants to destroy all Muggleborns, she could really start to like him. How much, she didn't know. But there was no need to worry about that right now. There were too many other things she needed to be thinking about.
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While Hermione was just about finished dressing herself, Draco was just stepping out of the tub. He had laid in the water far longer than he had originally plan. He couldn't keep track of the time while he was doing his best to relax. Thinking of what to do about Hermione the entire time hadn't done anything to help. He had to get Hermione on his side, and so far he seemed to be doing an excellent job of it. She seemed to be alright with Voldemort, but she was never going to be very found of his ideals and world domination. Voldemort knew she wasn't going to take to his ideas right away, after all, he wasn't an idiot. Voldemort's problem starts with his narcissistic personality. Now that Hermione knows that she's a Pureblood, Voldemort expects her to slowly adjust to the idea of ridding the world of all the Mudbloods and Halfbloods. Not that it would ever be impossible to change her opinion, but Voldemort would never be the one to do it. She had to much prejudice against him, with Potter and Black. Voldemort could never realize that. Draco just couldn't allow that to happen.
There was so much work to be done with Hermione. He couldn't stop worrying about the upcoming party. He was going to have to prepare her for all the people, the commotion, the gossip, and the violence. This was going to be a real Dark Revel, with all ranks present. That always ended with a little muggle entertainment. She absolutely had to learn the proper attitude and aura of royalty. That's what she was now, royalty, and she was going to have to learn how to play her part, even while she watched people die. Hopefully the entertainment would be male. The females were always played with before they were killed. With her past as it was, it would be extremely difficult for her to keep her composure during that. Fun was not a word that seemed to be fitting in Draco's near future. Once again his thoughts ran back to her adoptive family. The fact that her adoptive father was a twisted asshole was not going to help, not at all. He had six days to teach Hermione how to be the opposite of what she had been taught for the past 6 years. This was going to be difficult. But Draco Lucius Malfoy had never turned down a challenge, and he had never failed. Why would he start now?
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Hermione stood at the grand double doors that were the front entrance into the manor. Draco took longer to ready himself most girls. Then again, he was more conceited that most girls. Still, that didn't mean he had to keep her waiting for 20 minutes. She just wanted to get out of the castle, back to Hogwarts, and she wanted to see her friends. She needed to see her friends, and she needed to know that she had their trust, and their support. She was going to need as much help as she possibly could get. Maybe she could be a spy for the Ministry, like Snape was. There must be something she could do to help the Order, and the Order could use all the help they could get. With Voldemort rising like he was any leverage the Order could get, they would use. She was the perfect leverage. Voldemort would tell her everything after a while. Every move he planned to make, every thought he had, every goal he was going to achieve, when and where every Dark Revel was going to be, and who every single Death Eater under his command was. That was the most important thing she was going to learn. Even Snape didn't know who every Death Eater was, and he done a fairly good job at earning himself a fairly high position in Voldemort's ranks. Where exactly Voldemort held him, she didn't know. But, she would most definitely be finding out at the next opportunity she had with the Dark Lord.
Hermione was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed that Draco was standing right next to her until he has tapped her on the shoulder. She gasped and jumped when his finger touched her. As soon as she realized whom it was that had interrupted her thoughts she glared.
"I have been waiting here for you for a half an hour. Why can't you be like every other guy and take a 5 minute shower and spend an entire minute picking out your clothes. Honestly, you are worse than any girl I've ever known."
He smirked at her as he replied. "Well, if I was like every other guy, I would be waiting on you, and I'm not a very patient person. And if I was like every other guy, I'd be waltzing around in crumpled, dirty, smelly clothes. That's not appropriate for any half respectable wizard, especially a Malfoy. Now, are you ready to go?"
"Yes, how are we getting back to Hogwarts?" Draco was about to answer, but much to his irritation he was interrupted by Voldemort.
"There you are. I was afraid I had missed you. I just wanted to say goodbye to my daughter and make sure everything was all set with your transportation. You have the rings, don't you Draco?"
"Yes sir, I do."
"Excellent. I'll be out of your way in a minute and you can show Desdemona how to use them. Desdemona, come with me please." He offered his arm to her and much to her displeasure, she took it. She just wanted to go home.
After there was a reasonable amount of space between Draco and themselves, he spoke again. "I know this is going to be hard on you. It's going to be a difficult adjustment for Draco, myself, Lucius, Severus, and all of the Death Eaters, but the difficulty for us will be nothing in comparison to yours. I have to adjust to having a beautiful teenage daughter and I have to adjust my time schedule and attention. You have to adjust to new friends, new family, new power, new home, and a completely different life. You're strong, my dear, I have faith in you. Anytime you have trouble with anything at all, or anyone, I'm here to help you. I know you'll spend most of your time at school, but Draco is there, and he's quite willing to help you with anything. Let him, don't hesitate to ask him questions, or have him do you favors. He can help you with your social status and new social circle. It's very important for you to maintain your new image, very important. You'll find Draco to be very helpful with that. I'll be sending my Eagle to you, once you arrive at the school. He can't be intercepted, so if you a question, you can owl me, and I hope you take advantage of that."
"I will Father, thank you. I don't think I'll be able to do this on my own," she replied truthfully. It seemed that they had made a circle while they walked. Voldemort led her back to Draco and she pulled her arm from his.
"Draco, take good care of my daughter. She's invaluable to me. I'm trusting you to make sure everything goes smoothly and that Desdemona's adjustment to her new position is made as easily as possible." Voldemort placed his hand on her shoulder in what could be called an affectionate manner.
"Of course, sir. She's invaluable to all of us. I'll do all that I can to make her comfortable," Draco said as he inclined his head in respect, or rather, habit.
"Very good. Now, I'll leave you two alone to get things sorted out. I'll see both of you Friday afternoon." Voldemort gave his daughter's shoulder a small squeeze before he dropped his hand to his side and disappeared around the corner.
"So," Hermione turned to face Draco, "How are we getting back to Hogwarts?"
"With these," Draco stated as he tossed a ring at her. She caught it and began to examine it. The metal was easily identified as platinum, but the jewel that sat in the middle, guarded by engraved snakes on either side, had her stumped. "It's made of platinum, if that's what your wondering. And the jewel is a black diamond."
"Black diamond... I've read about those!"
"Of course you have, you've read about everything."
"Oh shut up. Black diamonds are the rarest precious stone in the world. There are only 5 of them in existence. Extremely powerful, but they draw upon Dark Magic, so most wizards would rather look at them than use them."
"Yes, I know all this. There's no need for you to tell me." Hermione simply glared at him. "Now, to use it, put the ring on your finger, any one at all, it will adjust itself to fit," Hermione slid it onto the middle finger of her right hand, "And picture the place you want to be, or the person you wish to be with, and you'll be transported there."
"Can we transport straight into Hogwarts?"
"Yes, there are only 5 of these ring in existence, same as the amount of stones. Dumbledore believes that all 5 rings were lost centuries ago, so he didn't take the time to ever recast the repelling charm on Hogwarts grounds. Considering you've never used them before, and you're supposed to be missing, I'm going to transport you to a spot in the Forbidden Forest I've picked out."
"Alright, how do you." Hermione's sentence was cut short due to Draco taking hold of her arm and transporting both of them to his designated area. It felt as though every atom in her body separated for a moment, then pulled themselves back together. Looking around, she saw that he had brought them to a small field in the middle of the trees. It was an enchanting place, covered in flowers of every color; the air was thick with their perfume. She had planned on scolding Draco for being so rude and not even warning her, but she suddenly felt no desire to do so. "This place is beautiful! How did you find it?"
"I was looking for a special plant for the Lord a few weeks ago and I stumbled upon it. I've been coming here just about every night since. It's relaxing," he replied.
"It is," Hermione said. She bent down and gently plucked a red flower off it's stem. It seemed to be a crossbred between a carnation and a rose. The petals were thick, and a little wider than that of a carnation. All the flowers seemed to be the same type, only a variety of colors. She lifted the flower to her nose and took a deep breath. It seemed as though she were breathing heaven's air. "Draco, smell this!" She placed the flower under his nose. He looked at her for a moment, then breathed in the rich scent. "It's it wonderful?"
"Yes, it is." Draco suddenly had the urge to kiss that girl senseless. He reached out and gently grasped both of her upper arms in his hands, and pulled her body towards his. She looked up at him, his 6'0" frame towered over her petite 5'6" one.
"Draco, you're beautiful." She reached up and brushed a piece of his white-blonde hair from his face. His hair looked so much better now that he stopped slicking it back. "Sometimes you look like an angel, when you aren't trying so hard to look terrifying."
"You are an angel." He bent his head to hers and captured her lips with his own. His arms slid down her arms and around her tiny waist, pressing her body to his. Every curve of her body seemed to fit perfectly into his. She was so lovely. Her arms found their way around his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair as she tried desperately to put less space between them. It was in vain, there was no space left to be rid of. Hermione allowed Draco entrance to her mouth. He tasted so wonderful, like real peppermint and rich champagne. She couldn't help but to fall into his rapture.
Didn't she have any idea how intoxicating she was? His hands ran up and down her body. He could feel every delicate curve. He slid her school robe to the ground and his hands found their way under the back of her shirt. He had to touch her skin, it was so soft, so warm. She was a seductress, and she had no idea the power she was holding over him that very moment. His excitement was pressed into her soft stomach. If she didn't know how much he wanted her a while ago, she had to know now. He couldn't get enough.
As suddenly as the overwhelming desires had began, they stopped. Hermione stepped back from Draco and shook her head. It felt as though she had been under some sort of enchantment. Taking one look at Draco told her that he felt the same way. She looked at the ground. All the flowers had closed up, how strange.
"Draco," she finally said, "What just happened?"
"I'm not entirely sure," he answered. "I think it was the flowers... It had to have been the flowers. They've done this to me before, but I've never been here with another person before. They must have some sort of love or passion enchantment while the are open. I've noticed that they close up at 7am, and open back up at 7pm. It had to have been the flowers."
"I'll look them up in the library... It seems to be the only possible explanation."
"Yeah, do that... But we are running late now. This is what we're going to do. It will look a little too obvious if we both walked into the castle together. I'm going to transport myself into our Head room. Give me 15 minutes to walk around and be seen, then I'm going to come back and get you. I'll transport both of us to our common room, and we'll go to Dumbledore's office and have our little chat. If he asks how you got back here, and how you are supposed to get to Voldemort's manor and back every weekend, just tell him that you don't know how Voldemort does it, but he has some sort of spell that he uses to transport you. Wear your ring on this." He pulled a platinum chain from his robe pocket and handed it to her. "It's important that the old man doesn't know you have that ring. He'll realize that Voldemort has all of them and he'll put up the repelling charm. Pick up your robe and straighten yourself up a bit, and I'll see you in a few minutes. Make sure you stay in this field, nothing can harm you while you are in it. The moment you step out you're in danger." Then Draco disappeared, and Hermione sat down to await his return.