A/N: Guys, this is gonna be it for about a week or two. Not sure where my muse is and I'm pretty seriously sick. For all of you that have me under your author alert (I know who you are), please do review because I wouldn't have posted if it hadn't been for someone begging me to. A review... Please?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter characters or anything you recognize except any original characters and my plot.

Chapter 5: It's Over

"What the hell was your problem out there using Cruciatus on Potter like that? Man, Draco! You've lost it, mate." Draco seemed drained from the dual, and it wasn't helping that he was mentally hitting himself for such a reaction to those words.

"Where are we going?" He asked dumbly.

"To your common room; where else?" Blaise said pompously as he kept a firm grip on Draco's shoulder leading him through the halls. Everyone they passed looked strangely at the Slytherin prince being dragged through the halls by his fellow Slytherin royalty.

"You didn't have to stop me from torturing Potter." Draco said as Blaise muttered the password.

"No. I didn't have to. I don't have to be your mate either, yet, I choose to. The way you were acting out there wasn't you." Blaise said as he violently shoved Draco onto a sofa.

"I've killed people before. Everything Potter said out there was true. Killing him… It wouldn't be the first time." Draco muttered as if drunk.

"Have you been drinking?" Blaise asked as Draco shook his head, "You have killed people before. So have I. What Potter said: It was the truth. What Granger told you a fortnight ago: It wasn't true. You don't kill for pleasure."

"Yes, I do. I'm a miserable, terrible worthless pureblooded wizard." Draco murmured as he hit his head on the couch face down.

"Get a grip. I've been telling you since we were maybe six that you are not your father. As soon as you realize that you are not your father, you will see what I've been telling you all along. You're not like the Deatheaters."

"Yes I am." Draco pleaded as his friend shook his head once again.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you enjoyed torturing that Muggle." He paused to see Draco put his hands in his head, "Swear to me that you wanted to kill that Mudblood." Blaise requested as Draco shook his head.

"I should have. Even if I didn't enjoy it that doesn't matter. I killed cold blooded. I killed a man while my father killed his brother. I killed, and I am my father like that."

"Did your father do it out of free will?"

"Well Voldemort might have-" Blaise waved him off, "Yes." He murmured in defeat.

"Did your father choose to join Voldemort?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to get the mark?"

"I will if the dark side is winn-" Blaise cut him off once again and shot him a look, "No."

"Draco, you are your own person, and letting Potter get to you, that was not you."

"You know what the worst of the lot was?" He asked not even giving Blaise a chance to answer, "The comment he made about Granger. That's what made me snap. It got to me. I don't know why. I mean, she's just a Mudblood. I shouldn't have any feelings for her. It's the bet that's getting to me. I'm telling you." Draco said as he finally got a sense of things.

"You want to cancel it?" Blaise asked solemnly.

"And let you think you've bettered me? Hell no, and I mean hell in the best possible way." Draco said as a smile lingered on his lips, "Thanks for everything. And, you're right. You were always right. I don't belong in Azkaban, and you don't either. Never another killing, never another torture, never another unforgivable."

"Never another killing, never another torture, never another unforgivable." Blaise agreed as he hugged his best mate, "Be ready to pay the price of the bet, though. I will win."

"We'll see. Now get out of my common room!" Draco smiled as he pointed to the door.

"You're just jealous. You know how it is with the number one heartthrob of Slytherin."

"Uh huh. Uh huh. Sure. Sure. Sure." Draco said as he opened the portrait hole. With a fake air of ignorance, Blaise left.

Draco walked outside of the school doors to the lake. Hermione still hadn't responded to his letter. He gave her plenty of time to find him in the common room before he decided to take a walk. All he wanted was a hurried note that said yes.

By the time it hit midnight he got a bit worried. What if Potter and the Weasel had told Granger? The comment Potter made: -end up where she belongs, in my arms- What the fuck was Potter playing at? To make that comment Potter would have to think him enough of a threat to his little 'relationship' with the Muggleborn meaning that he could just as easily lie about him to make Hermione stay away from him. That would be terrible for the bet. Now, Potter actually had something against Draco, and Draco would have to find another way beside a threat from Blaise.

Walking around the lake, he noticed a figure moving a few yards behind him. He didn't care at the moment. He was Head Boy. He had plenty of excuses he could use should the occasion of a Professor catching him arise.

He took a seat under an oak tree. Gazing out onto the lake he saw the moon reflected on the surface of the water. A ripple went through the ice on the surface as the squid snatched an unsuspecting bird from the sky. He looked up to the moon instead of upon the reflection. Full.

A malicious feeling swept over Draco as he thought of Lupin. The filthy werewolf would be experiencing much pain tonight through his transformation. Needed to die is what the halfbreed needed to do.

His train of thought left him once he recognized the figure walking up to him as Granger. She saw him and shot him the worst glare, "Thanks for the rubbish you sent me. The flower, burned and laying on your bed Malfoy. Be lucky I don't go to Dumbledore. Unlike Harry and Ron, I'm not afraid of your threats." She spat out at him as she kept walking.

Well, no use trying to threaten them now. Granger knew, and the bet was Blaise's unless he thought of something to do. Anything.

"Hermione." He said as he walked to catch up with her. She ignore him, as expected, "Look. Potter's comments made me snap. I couldn't control myself. I vowed to myself never to do it again." Might as well tell her a bit of truth before the lies came out.

"Good for you. Kindly step away from me." She said calmly as she kept walking for the door to Hogwarts.

"I'm sorry I did it." He said painfully as though it hurt him to apologize.

"You're… Didn't catch that." She said as though temporarily the wind was knocked out of her.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I, Draco Malfoy, who has never apologized to anyone in his life, am sorry. I know Potter's comments of claim toward you shouldn't have made me do anything, and I know Potter's comments of myself being as dirty and rotten as my father shouldn't have affected me. For the way I handled things, I am sorry."

"He claimed me? Harry doesn't fancy me, and even if he did, he wouldn't claim me. To the comments about your father: I can't say Harry hasn't had plenty of proof to think that way, even if I disagree with him," A hope glistened in Draco's mind as he thought that he could win the bet yet, "at that point anyway. Using an unforgivable curse: Azkaban. Instantly. On my friend: Azkaban for me. I was at the point of killing you myself, Malfoy. Then I remembered, I'm not like you." Just as quickly his hope vanished.

"I am like that. You're right. I have killed before." She stopped along with him at that comment. Over the course of the next few minutes they stood there silently Draco berated himself over and over again for admitting that fact to her.

"I figured, but to hear it from you…" She trailed off as she stared up at him.

"I-I-I am trying to change. I am not a Deatheater nor a trained killer. Using the unforgivables, force of habit. I'm sorry I used them on your friend."

"Well, it's going to take a lot more than that buddy. Watch yourself, Draco." She said pronouncing each syllable of his name clearly and slowly, "I have the key to your future, and… I just might have to ruin your life." She sucked on her tongue for a minute before catching Draco off guard and spitting at his shoes. She took one step toward him and stepped up to make herself seem at his height. She started to get out her wand but decided against it. She shook her head in disgust and quickly went through the doors of Hogwarts.

"It's over isn't it? I won." Blaise questioned as Draco sloped down in the Slytherin Common Room.

Instead of answering Draco just groaned looking outside the high windows at the bottom of the snow covered grounds. He buttoned up his cloak as the underground dungeons of the common room grew colder.

"They told her, and now she isn't speaking on you."

"She spit on me. I confessed all the little Gryffindor things to her," He broke up and started mumbling quickly, "and some real stuff." He stopped mumbling and spoke up, "The bitch threatened me. No one threatens me!" He yelled as some Slytherins slightly backed away from their king.

"Wow. Someone threatened the great Malfoy." Blaise whimpered sarcastically, "Let's all shudder and pray." He finished as Draco shot him a dirty look. Some Slytherins were nervously laughing while others kept their mouths shut.

"Want to duel, Zabini?" Draco asked as he got out his wand the same time as Blaise. With experienced reflexes they shouted their curses, "Rictosempra!" "Expelliarmus!" They both dodged the curses as the common room cleared out.

"Now that we have the common room empty…" Blaise muttered as he inspected their work, "We really need to come up with new curses to use."

"Agreed."

"So, what can we do to repair this thing with you and Granger. I want some competition."

"I need no help. The New Years Ball: She'll be eating out of my hands. Whoever she's going with, he'll never know what happened." Draco snarled as he balled his fist.

"Don't be so sure, mate." Blaise muttered as Draco looked at him questioningly. They had found out about the dance that night, but he had foolishly told Blaise about it before then: bragging that he had made progress. A look of understanding passed over Draco's face as he blinked heavily.

Blaise tapped him on the back in fake sympathy as he saw people coming back in, "Another 'dual'?"

"No, thanks. I will still win you realize." Draco said confidently, but his insides shook slightly, "See you at lunch." He patted his friend on the back and said his hellos to the Slytherins passing by. He walked out of the common room.

There was just no way he could let himself get beaten by anyone let alone his best friend. He had never lost a bet or not done a dare, and he would not start now. He had to get his relationship back with Granger. He had to make it up to Potter and Weasley, but was it really worth it?

Draco kicked a statue that fell over and shattered as he kept walking down the abandoned corridor. He turned left and did a 180 turn as a new door appeared. He walked through the secret passageway as he hit stairs.

He could apologize to Potter, but that would ruin his reputation. All his faithful Slytherins would leave him and Blaise just by association. He could wipe Potter's memory and switch it up again. Then, Hermione would just auto forgive him. She wasn't that naïve though. She would go through questioning, break the spell, and then he might as well have quit school and given Blaise the galleons.

Draco hit another corridor as he tapped his wand among a stone passage. A door revealed itself where Draco walked out among the normal corridors. Seeing the Fat Lady, she gave him a dirty look as he said, "You know I do have the password. I am Head Boy so I could get in." He kept walking along the corridor as he hit a bookshelf. He toggled one book and went the other way. Jogging slightly, he saw the doorknob disappearing. He pulled it before it disappeared.

He still had to shag her. How was he going to shag the little Mudblood before the end of the year when Blaise could just shag her after the New Year Ball. There was one thing he could think of that was foreign to Slytherins. Jealousy. Slytherins got whatever they wanted, but Gryffindors didn't. If he took someone to the ball, Mudblood would be jealous. Jealous enough to come running back to him? Unlikely for this Mudblood. However, if he did ( it would be a miracle) get her to forgive him and become all 'cozy' with him, she would be more likely to become jealous.

Draco stood to make sure no one followed him into this secret passageway. When no one did, he walked up the stairs. There were no portraits in this stone passageway. It was simply lit with torches along the long, winding wall. Reaching the top, Draco tapped a stone with his wand and crouched down below the small passage that appeared. Looking around Draco didn't even go into a dark corner. He would not be seen one way or another.

She was more likely to be jealous of Potter. She never seemed interested in Potter though, and he never showed any interest in her. Maybe he always did. It was a little easy to use Crucio on him. Maybe that is exactly what he wanted: An excuse for Granger to be mad at Slytherin Prince and a pity excuse for Potter to move in. Wasn't he worried about Blaise though?

Draco sat on the ledge of the balcony looking out into the forest. The shadows in its depths seemed to be teasing and taunting anyone who looked over in its direction to come in and explore a bit. Draco looked across to the lake. It was likely to be frozen over until maybe February. Four days time until Christmas, then another week for the ball, then three days until term started.

Bedding Granger would be a challenge. It would be even more of a challenge for him now that Blaise had made such progress and Potter was after Mudblood too. He would have to play dirty without actually cheating. There could be one way. He couldn't be sure without checking, though.

He murmured to himself as he ran through the passage and into the corridor. He took a torch as he ran and threw it at the wall. It opened up for him as he ran toward the fat lady who still frowned but said nothing. He paid no attention to the first years that looked oddly at the Head Boy now sprinting to the corridor he and Blaise met in months ago. Finding the right place he went into yet another secret passage to see the contracts and strings. His was red for having had done some kissing with Hermione, but Blaise's was green for having removed clothing. He growled as he looked at the rules.

Rules of the Hunt:

No excessive force, threats , rape, etc.

No love potions, lust spells, etc.

No casting any kind of spell on Granger.

No outside help.

No telling anyone of the challenge (bet), telling Granger, etc.

No spells, charms, potions given to opponent, etc.

No using Muggle methods such as drinking, drugs, etc.

Winner will receive fifty (50) galleons.

He did a double check on rules 2,3, and 6. No potions, spells, etc. (not clear) or any kind of spell on Granger, however, nothing was said on the contract about charms until rule 6. Rule six was about doing something to the opponent. That meant, technically, he could cast some kind of a charm on Granger.

Would he do that though? That was pretty low for Draco's standards, but it would be humiliation if he lost. Humiliation. Something that would shame the Malfoy name forever. Well, maybe not forever, but his whole Hogwarts life.

The only question would be, what would be the perfect charm?

"I need a charm to make someone want to lust me." Draco said as he looked him in the eyes.

"That never seemed to be a problem before for you, Mr. Malfoy. Having troubles with your preposition?"

"I'm not surprised you know, however, it is none of your business what I do with this charm."

"I suppose not. You know that I never had much 'luck' in that department. Are you sure you would not like something else instead, something I am more than capable of?"

"I'm positive. Do you know a charm or not?"

"One that can't be detected?"

"Naturally."

"Trevelis. Trelisumpnish. Just a simple swish and flick even you are capable of, Mr. Malfoy."

"Of course."

"Have a good day.

A/N Guess hwo Draco was talking to. The first person to get it right in a review (which is pretty easy) will get any object of their choice into the next chapter.

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