A/N: I apologize that it took me so long to get this chapter out! I know
you all were waiting, and I'm really sorry for that cliffhanger. Thanks for
being so patient, you all rock! Also, if anyone knows Draco's real middle
name, feel free to correct me, I was too lazy to look it up. This chapter
is rated R (rather than give away what's going to happen, I'd rather just
give it a rating).
Chapter 23
Pansy woke up the next morning with a terrible feeling in her stomach. She felt awful for treating Hermione the way she had been for the past few weeks. Hermione had always been there for Pansy, especially when she needed her most, and when it had finally been Hermione's turn to shine, Pansy couldn't handle it.
Throwing the covers back, Pansy crawled out of bed. The clock told her that it was noon, and that classes must have been cancelled. Pansy started looking through her trunk for something to wear.
"They only cancelled morning classes for a staff meeting," Breena announced coming into the room. She threw herself across her bed and began flipping through a stray magazine. Pansy sighed and pulled out her uniform. Even though Pansy was one of the prettiest girls at Hogwart's, next to Breena she felt like a little kid in her school clothes. Lifting her eyes slightly, Pansy examined the way each tuck and dart fell in just the right place. Even the gray knee socks fit just perfectly. On Pansy, they accentuated her knobby knees instead of her slender, graceful calves.
"Would you hurry up? We're going to be late to Transfiguration," Breena nagged. Pansy ran her fingers through her hair, grabbed her robes, wand, and books and headed out the door. Breena followed, using her wand to quickly correct her eyeliner like there had actually been something wrong with it.
The girls were five minutes late to class, prompting Professor McGonagall to grant them each a detention and extra homework.
"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions as to the occurrences of yesterday evening. Although we cannot explain what happened, we can assure you that you are all perfectly safe. The school Governors were here this morning, and they think the best thing to do is to keep the school open until Christmas time as originally planned," McGonagall explained. There were murmurs of dissent around the room, but they were fairly quiet. The rest of class went on with no further problems.
* * *
"I can't believe they're letting us stay here," Ron remarked. "I don't think it's safe at all. Students just disappearing like that."
"It was two people, Ron," Harry reminded his friend. "Obviously, you- know-who wants them in particular for some reason. We're not in any more danger by staying here than we are by going home."
"How can you say that!" Ron burst. "Hermione is gone, with Malfoy, of all people. She's probably miserable. Lord knows where she is or what You- Know-Who has done to her. Obviously you don't know exactly how bad things were when he last ruled our world."
"Actually, Ron, I've got a pretty good idea, thanks," Harry said curtly. Ron looked at his hands.
"I know he killed your mum and dad, Harry, but sometimes I still don't think you understand," Ron admitted. He walked out of the room and, after a moment or so, Sorcha followed him. Ginny leaned her head soothingly on Harry's shoulder.
"Don't mind him so much, Harry," Ginny said comfortingly. "Ron's just out of sorts because we haven't heard from Mum or Percy in a week, and Percy usually writes everyday. Ten pages at least. He doesn't want to admit it, but I think he's a little worried."
"He's right though," Harry sighed. "I don't really know that much about Voldemort."
"Don't worry about it," Ginny consoled him, wincing at the mention of his real name. "You know more than enough."
* * *
Hermione stretched her arms and rolled over. The black satin sheets felt cool under her cheek as she snuggled deeper into bed. Her eyes flew open. She was lying in the middle of a gigantic four-poster canopy bed. Crawling out of bed, Hermione discovered that she was in a huge bedroom in a stone castle. Whose castle or where it was, she had no idea.
"Good Morning Miss Granger," a familiar voice spoke up. Hermione spun to see who it was. Professor Snape was sitting in a chair in the corner of her room. He rose and gave her a slight nod of the head. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. Hermione wasn't sure how to reply.
"Yes, just fine, thank you," She said after a moment. He nodded, then gestured to a wardrobe on the other side of the room.
"I'll wait outside until you're dressed," He promised. Hermione nodded and crossed the room to get dressed. The wardrobe was full of beautiful dress robes, all increasingly intricate and elaborate. She picked a simple one and dressed quickly. Snape was waiting outside her door as promised.
"This morning you'll be dining with Lord Voldemort and Master Draco because the Dark Lord wishes to greet you and make sure you're comfortable with your room. Ordinarily you and Master Draco will dine together on the terrace for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is served at seven pm in the south dining hall, and there you'll join the Dark Lord and his honored guests of the evening," Snape explained. Hermione nodded as she followed him down the hall to the grand staircase in the foyer. Passing through the foyer, they took a left and headed down a series of corridors until they came to a set of double doors. Snape opened them and stood aside for Hermione to pass through. She smiled shyly as she entered the room, but her smile soon faded into an expression of awe. The walls of the dining room were dark, almost black wood, encrusted with emeralds and diamonds. The table in the center of the room matched the wood on the walls, and each chair had a diamond and two emeralds at the head.
At the head of the table sat Lord Voldemort himself with a self- satisfied smile on his face. Draco sat to his left, leaving a seat for Hermione on his right. As she took her seat, she thought to herself again that he didn't look so bad.
"I hope you like the décor, Hermione," Voldemort laughed. She nodded. "Did you sleep well? Good. It's good to see you again. I hope you didn't mind making that spectacular exit last night, believe me that was incredible. They'll be talking about that for years," he laughed again. As he continued to talk, Hermione was amazed at how at ease she felt in his presence. He was like a grandfather almost. She was almost disappointed when breakfast was over. "I trust Severus has been taking good care of you both?" Voldemort asked.
"The best," Draco replied. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Wonderful. He is to be your most humble servant while you are most distinguished guests in my home. Tonight, I will announce your positions in my kingdom. You have both been selected as my heirs, as I am well aware this is my last life. Even in the magic world I have no prayer for further reincarnation. But let us speak of happy things. Severus will show you both around the castle and grounds, and you shall amuse yourselves as you see fit for the time being," The Dark Lord finished his conversation with that thought, and left the room. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Charming, isn't he?" Draco asked, taking a sip of his water.
"Absolutely," Hermione replied. "So, do you come here often?" she asked, not intending to be funny. Draco however, almost shot water out of his nose.
"Oh yes, all the time," He replied in a fit of laughter. Hermione just glared at him. Snape came into the room just then.
"I trust you are finished eating?" he asked, giving Draco a dirty look. The two decided to leave ther rest of their food and tour the grounds.
* * *
Pansy and Breena sat in their common room looking over the latest copy of Vogue that Pansy's mother had sent her. It wasn't as entertaining as witch fashion magazines because the runway models didn't move, but it served its purpose nonetheless. As Breena turned the page there was a full page spread of a model in the dress Hermione had been wearing the previous night. Breena snorted.
"It looked better on Hermione," she remarked. "Too bad she had to make such a hasty exit," she added tartly. Pansy raised her eyebrows in shock.
"Aren't you the least bit worried about Hermione?" Pansy asked. Breena shook her head no. "I am. Hermione's one of my best friends, I don't know how you can say something like that."
"She got herself in, let her find a way out. If she's so fucking smart, she'll figure something out," Breena retorted. Pansy stood up, taking the magazine with her.
"Don't talk about her like that," Pansy replied.
"What? Don't say the truth? Pansy, before Hermione met you, she was a nobody. You fixed her up, you made her pretty and popular, and then what did she do? She stole your boyfriend, and the spotlight that should have been yours. I think she deserves what's coming to her," Breena said, tossing her hair.
"Hermione wasn't a nobody!" Pansy was yelling now. "Hermione was happy who she was, and she has always been pretty. Yeah, I put some makeup on her and gave her some fashion tips, but she didn't need all that to become who she is today. She could have done it without me, and she didn't steal my boyfriend, or anything of mine. Draco and I were through before Hermione and I met. If anyone should be accused of stealing my boyfriend, it's you, Breena, so don't even go there.
"You walk around here thinking you're such hot shit, well you know what you are? You're just a dirty god-damned slut, that's what you are. Don't think no one knows about you and all those guys, Breena, not for a second. We all know the truth, and you've been around the block a few too many times. I'm sick of you always telling people what to do, including me. I can take care of myself just fine without your help, thank you. And what's more-" Pansy was interrupted with a resounding smack across the face. Breena turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. Pansy's hand flew to her cheek as her eyes welled up with tears. "Well, that was productive," Pansy quipped, sitting down to steady her head.
* * *
"She's gone!" Ginny exclaimed coming down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room the next morning. Ron and Harry jumped to their feet. They had sent Ginny to get Sorcha so they could go on to breakfast.
"You mean she already left for breakfast?" Ron asked. Ginny shook her head no.
"All of her stuff is gone, completely. She didn't leave anything behind," Ginny said.
"That's odd," Harry remarked.
"You're telling us," Lavender said, coming down into the Common Room with Parvati right behind her.
"We went to sleep and she was there, and when we woke up, she had vanished," Parvati added. Ron sank into the sofa.
"I can't believe she didn't even say goodbye," he moaned. Harry and Ginny exchanged glances. Ron was going to be impossible to deal with for a long time.
They managed to convince him to come to breakfast, but he didn't eat much. He sat there and pushed the food around his plate until the mail came. Pig dropped a Daily Prophet in Ron's lap and then landed squarely on his head. Ginny couldn't help but snicker as Ron tried to shoo the bird away. Finally he left and Ron started to read the newspaper. It was only a few seconds later that he gasped and dropped the paper.
Harry looked up at his friend. If at all possible, Ron looked incredibly pale. Harry grabbed the paper.
"Ministry Workers Missing a Week," Harry read the headline aloud and then skimmed the article until he found what had upset Ron. The article listed the Ministry Workers who had disappeared in a separate column. Among those listed missing were Percy, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry shook his head. "Gee, I'm really sorry you guys," he said softly, putting his arm around Ginny who was crying quietly, next to him. Ron shook his head and ran out of the room.
Harry looked around the room and noticed that a lot of the kids were suffering the same fate. He re-read the list of names and recognized many of them as the parents of his classmates. Shaking his head again he read the article, which explained that the workers hadn't shown up to work for a week or more in some cases. A worker had been dispatched to their homes to check on them and the houses had been found empty. There was no sign of struggle or break-ins, and no clues as to where the missing ministry workers had gone. A feeling in the pit of Harry's stomach told him that this sort of thing was going to become a common occurrence.
* * *
The days passed by and soon a few weeks had passed. Each day the paper listed more names of people who had disappeared. Ron and Harry were on shaky speaking terms. As they sat in the Great Hall one morning, Harry looked around at all the other students.
"Ron, does it seem to you that there is an unusually low number of students eating breakfast today?" Harry asked. Ron looked up from his toast and turned his head to look around.
"I wonder where everyone is," Ron mused. Lavender and Parvati sat down at the table next to Ron.
"Their parents are taking them out of school," Lavender spoke up. "They want to spend time with their kids."
"Are your parents going to make you go home?" Harry asked. Lavender shook her head.
"They've disappeared," she said sadly. Parvati nodded in agreement. Harry shook his head.
"All this time I've wished the Dursleys would vanish," he muttered under his breath.
"Can I see the newspaper?" Parvati asked, pulling it from Harry's fingers. He shrugged and took a sip of his orange juice. "Look at this!" she exclaimed after reading for a minute. She pointed to the list of names. "These kids used to go here," she said, her eyes wide.
"Let's see," Ron said, pulling the newspaper from her. "Bloody hell! She's right, look, Katie Bell, Lisa Turpin, Ernie Macmillan, Blaise Zabini, Lee Jordan, Terry Boot, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Terence Higgs," he read the names to the rest of the group. He spread the paper flat across the table. The list of names took up a two-page spread.
"That's odd. Why would Slytherins be disappearing?" Ginny added.
"That's a good question, I thought they were all loyal to You-Know- Who," Lavender said.
"Well, they must have offended him somehow," Ron decided. The others nodded in agreement.
"Where could that many people have disappeared to?" Harry wondered aloud. No one offered him an answer; They were just as mystified as he was.
* * *
Pansy opened her eyes to stare at the tin roof of the little shack in which she now resided. She and her parents had been captured in the middle of the night and taken to the camp where they now lived in a tiny shack they'd built out of scraps. Their wands had been confiscated.
During the day her father went with the rest of the men to the work camp where they were building a palace. For whom, they had no idea as Voldemort already had one of the most magnificent palaces known to mankind.
Pansy and her mother spent the day with the other women, bored to tears. They had nothing to do except take care of the children and try to find food. Once a week the guards brought a basket of food down, but it was never enough to go around. More people came everyday. Every now and then the guards would wander through the camp, throwing things at the people and tormenting them in various ways. Pansy's mother always made Pansy's father sleep in front of the door so they couldn't kidnap one of the women. Pansy wasn't scared of the guards. She wasn't even scared of Voldemort. They lived in the worst poverty possible, but they weren't sick and they weren't being tortured. She knew her family had ended up there because she was a mudblood.
Today was a normal day for Pansy. She ate some bread, picking out the moldy parts, and then headed down to what was referred to as the depot. This was where the new arrivals came in. They came mostly in their pajamas, confused and scared. As they appeared one by one, the guards would hit them with two spells. The first one changed their clothes into the standard camp robe, which was basic gray wool. The second was a binding spell, making it impossible for them to leave the camp unbidden.
As the new arrivals gathered, their family members that had already been at the camp rushed forward to greet them and take them into their care. Others simply wandered lost, looking for a place to build their shack. Pansy waited every day to see a familiar face.
* * *
Up in Voldemort's Palace, Snape was showing the camp to Hermione and Draco. They stood on the balcony looking down at the people.
"And they have food?" Hermione asked. Snape nodded. He led them back inside.
"In a few weeks we'll go down and walk through the camp so you can see. They're really well taken care of," he assured them. Hermione nodded and they followed Snape back to their wing of the palace. "Draco, Lord Voldemort wishes to see you, he's in the east drawing room," Snape informed him. Draco nodded and headed down the stairs.
His father greeted him at the doors to the drawing room with a smile on his face. Draco returned the smile and they headed in together. Voldemort was sitting in a chair by the fire. "Draco and Lucius Malfoy. You two are quite a pair, I must say," he greeted them, gesturing for them to have a seat. "I'll waste no time, Draco, I have a task for you. A while back I sent you a gift that I said was for Hermione, do you still have it?"
"Yes, sir," Draco replied. It was still in the bottom of his trunk.
"Draco, did you ever open the gift?" Voldemort asked. Draco shook his head no. "Ah, well, let's do that now, shall we?" The Dark Lord snapped his fingers and the gift appeared on the table next to him. "Go on," he gestured to Draco. Draco took the package and opened it to reveal an antique diamond ring.
"Draco, do you know what that is?" Lucius asked his son. Draco shook his head yes.
"So then, Draco, you understand that your task is to ask Hermione to marry you?" Voldemort clarified.
"I understand sir," Draco began. "But I can't do it." The room fell uncomfortably silent. Lucius smacked his forehead mentally and then proceeded to mentally smack his son upside the head.
"Draco, you and Hermione are very much in love. This is painfully obvious to me, who hears all your thoughts, and even to those around you who don't have a clue what you are thinking. Am I incorrect?" Voldemort pressed.
"No sir, that's right," Draco replied.
"Then what the hell is wrong with you?" Lucius broke in. "Just give her the god-damned ring! Is it so hard?"
"Lucius," Voldemort warned. "Draco, explain your reasoning to me, please."
"We're too young," Draco replied. "I love Hermione, but I have yet to even say that to her. Our relationship isn't at a point where I feel like I can make such a commitment."
"Draco Aiden Malfoy!" Lucius snapped. Voldemort held his hand up.
"The boy makes a good point, Lucius. Draco, I must make it clear to you why I find it so important for you and Hermione to become engaged. If you two are to rule once I am dead, then you two must be legally bound to one another. Hermione as your queen will act in your place when you are called away or ill. She cannot do this if you two aren't recognized by the state as an official pair. It is not written that you must be married, so I am not asking that, as you are correct, you are far too young for marriage. However, we must announce your engagement soon.
"Another thing, Draco, is the fact that everyone thinks Miss Granger is a muggle-born. This will prove to them that she is not. She, like Harry Potter, was placed with a muggle family after the death of her true parents. Not even Hermione knows that," Voldemort grinned. Draco nodded.
"I understand sir, and I swear to you that in good time you will be able to announce my engagement to Hermione," Draco promised. The Dark Lord nodded and gestured for Draco to go. Draco took the ring as he left the room and headed back upstairs to see Hermione. His head was spinning. He'd never envisioned himself engaged before he finished school, let alone before his seventh year at school. And Hermione was a pureblood, which was the biggest surprise.
Draco found Hermione sitting on the sofa reading a book in the sitting room. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her, so peaceful. Watching her read and watching her sleep were his two favorite things to do. She looked up at him, and smiled expectantly.
"What did our Lord want?" she asked. It almost surprised him to hear her call Voldemort that, but then he couldn't remember why it would be strange. He smiled at her.
"Oh, just to make sure everything was going well. What are you reading?" he asked. Hermione lifted the book so he could see the title.
"You-Know-Who left it by my bed this morning," she informed him, jokingly referring to Voldemort's old nickname. Draco nodded and slid behind her on the sofa to massage her back and neck. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned against him. After a while, she turned her head to meet his lips.
Hermione stood up after they'd been kissing for a while. Her neck was starting to hurt from the strange angle. Draco looked up at her, his eyes big and begging her for more. She smiled coyly at him, looking incredibly attractive in the short skirt and button down shirt she'd chosen to wear that day. He grabbed her hands and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. Hermione giggled and started to smother him with kisses.
Thoughts flooding his mind, Draco wondered if there was something in the air at the palace that had disinhibited his sweet and innocent girlfriend. She wasn't playing shy anymore, that was for sure. He shrugged it off and started unbuttoning her blouse. As she realized what he was doing, she stopped kissing him and just watched him her brown eyes reflecting her insecurity. Draco looked up at her and covered her mouth with his, trying to make her relax. His hands slid across her stomach to her back, and pulled her closer to him. Much to his surprise, Hermione had neglected to wear a bra. Draco broke the kiss and lowered his head to kiss her stomach. His hands slid up her back, and guided one of her soft, supple breasts into his mouth. Hermione moaned softly, and Draco's hands left her back in favor of her long, silky legs. His hands traveled up her thighs as his mouth worked intently on her nipple.
"Ahem." Draco looked up to see Snape standing in the doorway. Hermione gasped and stood up, wrapping her shirt closed around her like a kimono. Draco gave Snape a sheepish grin. "Might I suggest that in the future such activities go on behind closed doors?" Snape ventured. Draco laughed.
"Severus, my man, this would be our wing, and I don't recall you having knocked," Draco joked. Snape bowed his head briefly.
"Sorry, Master Draco. I'll close the door," Snape closed the door behind him. After a moment there was a knock. Draco looked to Hermione to see that she was fully clothed again. She nodded.
"Come in, Severus," Draco called. Snape opened the door and came into the room.
"Where would you like your lunch served today?" Snape asked. Draco turned to Hermione.
"On the terrace, Severus," she replied. Snape nodded.
"Lunch will be served in one hour," he reminded the two as he left the room. Hermione and Draco burst into laughter as soon as he was out of earshot. Draco pulled Hermione onto the sofa with him.
"Hermione, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now," Draco started. He took Hermione's hands into his. "I've never really known what it meant until now, but I want you to know," he paused and took a deep breath before he went on. "Hermione, I love you."
* * *
Harry descended to dinner that night only to discover that the four long tables had been replaced by one large round table. He took a seat between Ron and Ginny and waited for the meal to begin. Professor Dumbledore stood up before they began to eat to make an announcement.
"Since there are so few students remaining with us right now, the other teachers and I think it best that we combine houses. From now all seventh years will take classes together, all sixth years, and so on. All students will now sleep in Gryffindor Tower, together. Enjoy your meal," Dumbledore sat down. Harry and Ron exchanged glances.
"At least Draco's gone," Ron whispered to Harry.
* * *
A few more weeks passed and the governors of Hogwarts decided it would be best to shut the school down. There were few children remaining, mostly the muggleborns and those few whose next-of-kin couldn't claim them. Sirius had agreed to take Harry, Ginny, and Ron in for a little while, so they left Hogwarts with the other children. They all boarded the train with heavy hearts.
* * *
Pansy woke one morning to the sound of screaming. She sat up quickly and crawled to look out the door of her hut. There was a large crowd gathered at the depot, so she ran down to see what was going on. All of the children who were left at Hogwart's were now here, at the camp. Ginny Weasley appeared, and her mother let out a shriek. Ginny ran into her mother's arms. A few moments later, Ron appeared, followed by Harry. Pansy smiled as the three children were embraced by Mrs. Weasley and led to the Weasley's shack a few rows over from Pansy's. After everyone had appeared, Pansy went back to her makeshift house. She was still hoping to see Hermione, even though she knew it wasn't going to happen.
She had some breakfast, and then tried to wash her face a little. Rumor had it that the Dark Lord and his heirs were coming to inspect the camp. A horn made her run outside to look. Sure enough, an army of men wearing black was pouring into the camp. Behind them was an old-looking man wearing black robes, escorting a girl also in black robes. Pansy couldn't help but envy the girl's finery. She looked down at her own tattered robe.
The army began to pass through each row of houses. The Dark Lord pointed out various structures as they passed through them. As they drew closer, Pansy could see that the girl looked very familiar. When they passed her house, Pansy stood up as straight as she could, and tried to look happy to see them. She had a strange feeling that she knew the girl, but couldn't place her. The boy walking behind the Dark Lord, however turned to look at her as they passed, as though he was trying to place her. Pansy could make no mistake about him. He was Draco Malfoy, she'd know him anywhere. Which meant that the girl had to be -
"Hermione!" A voice cried out. Pansy ran to see who had yelled. It had been Harry. Pansy's heart raced for fear of what would happen. Calling out had been a very foolish move on his part. Two men picked him up and carried him off. The Dark Lord continued his tour without disruption.
Ron watched as they carried his best friend away. His heart was breaking. Ron knew as soon as Harry has said it that they wouldn't let him live. Next to him, Ginny was crying softly. Their mother ushered them inside.
* * *
Hermione sat in her bed that night wondering who the boy had been that had known her name. He'd had an interesting scar on his forehead, and she somehow knew that came from fighting Voldemort last time he'd been alive, but that was all she knew. He looked strangely familiar. A lot of the people she saw in the camp had looked strangely familiar. She rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. Instead, she headed down the hall to Draco's room.
He was sitting up in his bed, staring off into space. Hermione smiled as she shut the door softly behind her.
"You can't sleep either, huh?" He asked, smiling as he saw her. She shook her head no and crawled into bed with him. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her.
"What's on your mind?" she asked him. His eyes grew faraway.
"There was this girl I saw today in the camp. She looked so familiar, but I don't know why. I could see in her eyes that she knew me, and I can't get that picture out of my mind," he confessed. Hermione nodded.
"That boy who called my name, I felt the same way. So many of those faces looked familiar, but I have no idea who they are," she said. Draco squeezed her in his arms.
"Listen to us, going on about something as silly as this. Thinking we know people, when we don't. We can't let that get to us," he decided, kissing the top of Hermione's head. She rolled over onto her stomach so she could look at him.
"You're right, we're being stupid," she agreed. She craned her neck and gave him a kiss. "I should go back to bed," she added.
"No, stay here, with me," Draco pleaded. Hermione considered it for a moment.
"I shouldn't," she decided, sitting up.
"Please?" He begged, taking one of her her hands. She shook her head no, but he decided to ignore it. He pulled her back down so she was lying almost on top of him and kissed her again. Resting his hand on her back, he could feel her muscles relax as she kissed him. "Stay with me," he said again, as their kiss ended. Hermione nodded her head yes, and curled up next to him. Content, Draco wrapped his arms around her and turned out the light.
Chapter 23
Pansy woke up the next morning with a terrible feeling in her stomach. She felt awful for treating Hermione the way she had been for the past few weeks. Hermione had always been there for Pansy, especially when she needed her most, and when it had finally been Hermione's turn to shine, Pansy couldn't handle it.
Throwing the covers back, Pansy crawled out of bed. The clock told her that it was noon, and that classes must have been cancelled. Pansy started looking through her trunk for something to wear.
"They only cancelled morning classes for a staff meeting," Breena announced coming into the room. She threw herself across her bed and began flipping through a stray magazine. Pansy sighed and pulled out her uniform. Even though Pansy was one of the prettiest girls at Hogwart's, next to Breena she felt like a little kid in her school clothes. Lifting her eyes slightly, Pansy examined the way each tuck and dart fell in just the right place. Even the gray knee socks fit just perfectly. On Pansy, they accentuated her knobby knees instead of her slender, graceful calves.
"Would you hurry up? We're going to be late to Transfiguration," Breena nagged. Pansy ran her fingers through her hair, grabbed her robes, wand, and books and headed out the door. Breena followed, using her wand to quickly correct her eyeliner like there had actually been something wrong with it.
The girls were five minutes late to class, prompting Professor McGonagall to grant them each a detention and extra homework.
"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions as to the occurrences of yesterday evening. Although we cannot explain what happened, we can assure you that you are all perfectly safe. The school Governors were here this morning, and they think the best thing to do is to keep the school open until Christmas time as originally planned," McGonagall explained. There were murmurs of dissent around the room, but they were fairly quiet. The rest of class went on with no further problems.
* * *
"I can't believe they're letting us stay here," Ron remarked. "I don't think it's safe at all. Students just disappearing like that."
"It was two people, Ron," Harry reminded his friend. "Obviously, you- know-who wants them in particular for some reason. We're not in any more danger by staying here than we are by going home."
"How can you say that!" Ron burst. "Hermione is gone, with Malfoy, of all people. She's probably miserable. Lord knows where she is or what You- Know-Who has done to her. Obviously you don't know exactly how bad things were when he last ruled our world."
"Actually, Ron, I've got a pretty good idea, thanks," Harry said curtly. Ron looked at his hands.
"I know he killed your mum and dad, Harry, but sometimes I still don't think you understand," Ron admitted. He walked out of the room and, after a moment or so, Sorcha followed him. Ginny leaned her head soothingly on Harry's shoulder.
"Don't mind him so much, Harry," Ginny said comfortingly. "Ron's just out of sorts because we haven't heard from Mum or Percy in a week, and Percy usually writes everyday. Ten pages at least. He doesn't want to admit it, but I think he's a little worried."
"He's right though," Harry sighed. "I don't really know that much about Voldemort."
"Don't worry about it," Ginny consoled him, wincing at the mention of his real name. "You know more than enough."
* * *
Hermione stretched her arms and rolled over. The black satin sheets felt cool under her cheek as she snuggled deeper into bed. Her eyes flew open. She was lying in the middle of a gigantic four-poster canopy bed. Crawling out of bed, Hermione discovered that she was in a huge bedroom in a stone castle. Whose castle or where it was, she had no idea.
"Good Morning Miss Granger," a familiar voice spoke up. Hermione spun to see who it was. Professor Snape was sitting in a chair in the corner of her room. He rose and gave her a slight nod of the head. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. Hermione wasn't sure how to reply.
"Yes, just fine, thank you," She said after a moment. He nodded, then gestured to a wardrobe on the other side of the room.
"I'll wait outside until you're dressed," He promised. Hermione nodded and crossed the room to get dressed. The wardrobe was full of beautiful dress robes, all increasingly intricate and elaborate. She picked a simple one and dressed quickly. Snape was waiting outside her door as promised.
"This morning you'll be dining with Lord Voldemort and Master Draco because the Dark Lord wishes to greet you and make sure you're comfortable with your room. Ordinarily you and Master Draco will dine together on the terrace for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is served at seven pm in the south dining hall, and there you'll join the Dark Lord and his honored guests of the evening," Snape explained. Hermione nodded as she followed him down the hall to the grand staircase in the foyer. Passing through the foyer, they took a left and headed down a series of corridors until they came to a set of double doors. Snape opened them and stood aside for Hermione to pass through. She smiled shyly as she entered the room, but her smile soon faded into an expression of awe. The walls of the dining room were dark, almost black wood, encrusted with emeralds and diamonds. The table in the center of the room matched the wood on the walls, and each chair had a diamond and two emeralds at the head.
At the head of the table sat Lord Voldemort himself with a self- satisfied smile on his face. Draco sat to his left, leaving a seat for Hermione on his right. As she took her seat, she thought to herself again that he didn't look so bad.
"I hope you like the décor, Hermione," Voldemort laughed. She nodded. "Did you sleep well? Good. It's good to see you again. I hope you didn't mind making that spectacular exit last night, believe me that was incredible. They'll be talking about that for years," he laughed again. As he continued to talk, Hermione was amazed at how at ease she felt in his presence. He was like a grandfather almost. She was almost disappointed when breakfast was over. "I trust Severus has been taking good care of you both?" Voldemort asked.
"The best," Draco replied. Hermione nodded in agreement.
"Wonderful. He is to be your most humble servant while you are most distinguished guests in my home. Tonight, I will announce your positions in my kingdom. You have both been selected as my heirs, as I am well aware this is my last life. Even in the magic world I have no prayer for further reincarnation. But let us speak of happy things. Severus will show you both around the castle and grounds, and you shall amuse yourselves as you see fit for the time being," The Dark Lord finished his conversation with that thought, and left the room. Hermione took a deep breath.
"Charming, isn't he?" Draco asked, taking a sip of his water.
"Absolutely," Hermione replied. "So, do you come here often?" she asked, not intending to be funny. Draco however, almost shot water out of his nose.
"Oh yes, all the time," He replied in a fit of laughter. Hermione just glared at him. Snape came into the room just then.
"I trust you are finished eating?" he asked, giving Draco a dirty look. The two decided to leave ther rest of their food and tour the grounds.
* * *
Pansy and Breena sat in their common room looking over the latest copy of Vogue that Pansy's mother had sent her. It wasn't as entertaining as witch fashion magazines because the runway models didn't move, but it served its purpose nonetheless. As Breena turned the page there was a full page spread of a model in the dress Hermione had been wearing the previous night. Breena snorted.
"It looked better on Hermione," she remarked. "Too bad she had to make such a hasty exit," she added tartly. Pansy raised her eyebrows in shock.
"Aren't you the least bit worried about Hermione?" Pansy asked. Breena shook her head no. "I am. Hermione's one of my best friends, I don't know how you can say something like that."
"She got herself in, let her find a way out. If she's so fucking smart, she'll figure something out," Breena retorted. Pansy stood up, taking the magazine with her.
"Don't talk about her like that," Pansy replied.
"What? Don't say the truth? Pansy, before Hermione met you, she was a nobody. You fixed her up, you made her pretty and popular, and then what did she do? She stole your boyfriend, and the spotlight that should have been yours. I think she deserves what's coming to her," Breena said, tossing her hair.
"Hermione wasn't a nobody!" Pansy was yelling now. "Hermione was happy who she was, and she has always been pretty. Yeah, I put some makeup on her and gave her some fashion tips, but she didn't need all that to become who she is today. She could have done it without me, and she didn't steal my boyfriend, or anything of mine. Draco and I were through before Hermione and I met. If anyone should be accused of stealing my boyfriend, it's you, Breena, so don't even go there.
"You walk around here thinking you're such hot shit, well you know what you are? You're just a dirty god-damned slut, that's what you are. Don't think no one knows about you and all those guys, Breena, not for a second. We all know the truth, and you've been around the block a few too many times. I'm sick of you always telling people what to do, including me. I can take care of myself just fine without your help, thank you. And what's more-" Pansy was interrupted with a resounding smack across the face. Breena turned on her heel and stormed out of the room. Pansy's hand flew to her cheek as her eyes welled up with tears. "Well, that was productive," Pansy quipped, sitting down to steady her head.
* * *
"She's gone!" Ginny exclaimed coming down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room the next morning. Ron and Harry jumped to their feet. They had sent Ginny to get Sorcha so they could go on to breakfast.
"You mean she already left for breakfast?" Ron asked. Ginny shook her head no.
"All of her stuff is gone, completely. She didn't leave anything behind," Ginny said.
"That's odd," Harry remarked.
"You're telling us," Lavender said, coming down into the Common Room with Parvati right behind her.
"We went to sleep and she was there, and when we woke up, she had vanished," Parvati added. Ron sank into the sofa.
"I can't believe she didn't even say goodbye," he moaned. Harry and Ginny exchanged glances. Ron was going to be impossible to deal with for a long time.
They managed to convince him to come to breakfast, but he didn't eat much. He sat there and pushed the food around his plate until the mail came. Pig dropped a Daily Prophet in Ron's lap and then landed squarely on his head. Ginny couldn't help but snicker as Ron tried to shoo the bird away. Finally he left and Ron started to read the newspaper. It was only a few seconds later that he gasped and dropped the paper.
Harry looked up at his friend. If at all possible, Ron looked incredibly pale. Harry grabbed the paper.
"Ministry Workers Missing a Week," Harry read the headline aloud and then skimmed the article until he found what had upset Ron. The article listed the Ministry Workers who had disappeared in a separate column. Among those listed missing were Percy, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry shook his head. "Gee, I'm really sorry you guys," he said softly, putting his arm around Ginny who was crying quietly, next to him. Ron shook his head and ran out of the room.
Harry looked around the room and noticed that a lot of the kids were suffering the same fate. He re-read the list of names and recognized many of them as the parents of his classmates. Shaking his head again he read the article, which explained that the workers hadn't shown up to work for a week or more in some cases. A worker had been dispatched to their homes to check on them and the houses had been found empty. There was no sign of struggle or break-ins, and no clues as to where the missing ministry workers had gone. A feeling in the pit of Harry's stomach told him that this sort of thing was going to become a common occurrence.
* * *
The days passed by and soon a few weeks had passed. Each day the paper listed more names of people who had disappeared. Ron and Harry were on shaky speaking terms. As they sat in the Great Hall one morning, Harry looked around at all the other students.
"Ron, does it seem to you that there is an unusually low number of students eating breakfast today?" Harry asked. Ron looked up from his toast and turned his head to look around.
"I wonder where everyone is," Ron mused. Lavender and Parvati sat down at the table next to Ron.
"Their parents are taking them out of school," Lavender spoke up. "They want to spend time with their kids."
"Are your parents going to make you go home?" Harry asked. Lavender shook her head.
"They've disappeared," she said sadly. Parvati nodded in agreement. Harry shook his head.
"All this time I've wished the Dursleys would vanish," he muttered under his breath.
"Can I see the newspaper?" Parvati asked, pulling it from Harry's fingers. He shrugged and took a sip of his orange juice. "Look at this!" she exclaimed after reading for a minute. She pointed to the list of names. "These kids used to go here," she said, her eyes wide.
"Let's see," Ron said, pulling the newspaper from her. "Bloody hell! She's right, look, Katie Bell, Lisa Turpin, Ernie Macmillan, Blaise Zabini, Lee Jordan, Terry Boot, Millicent Bulstrode, Pansy Parkinson, Terence Higgs," he read the names to the rest of the group. He spread the paper flat across the table. The list of names took up a two-page spread.
"That's odd. Why would Slytherins be disappearing?" Ginny added.
"That's a good question, I thought they were all loyal to You-Know- Who," Lavender said.
"Well, they must have offended him somehow," Ron decided. The others nodded in agreement.
"Where could that many people have disappeared to?" Harry wondered aloud. No one offered him an answer; They were just as mystified as he was.
* * *
Pansy opened her eyes to stare at the tin roof of the little shack in which she now resided. She and her parents had been captured in the middle of the night and taken to the camp where they now lived in a tiny shack they'd built out of scraps. Their wands had been confiscated.
During the day her father went with the rest of the men to the work camp where they were building a palace. For whom, they had no idea as Voldemort already had one of the most magnificent palaces known to mankind.
Pansy and her mother spent the day with the other women, bored to tears. They had nothing to do except take care of the children and try to find food. Once a week the guards brought a basket of food down, but it was never enough to go around. More people came everyday. Every now and then the guards would wander through the camp, throwing things at the people and tormenting them in various ways. Pansy's mother always made Pansy's father sleep in front of the door so they couldn't kidnap one of the women. Pansy wasn't scared of the guards. She wasn't even scared of Voldemort. They lived in the worst poverty possible, but they weren't sick and they weren't being tortured. She knew her family had ended up there because she was a mudblood.
Today was a normal day for Pansy. She ate some bread, picking out the moldy parts, and then headed down to what was referred to as the depot. This was where the new arrivals came in. They came mostly in their pajamas, confused and scared. As they appeared one by one, the guards would hit them with two spells. The first one changed their clothes into the standard camp robe, which was basic gray wool. The second was a binding spell, making it impossible for them to leave the camp unbidden.
As the new arrivals gathered, their family members that had already been at the camp rushed forward to greet them and take them into their care. Others simply wandered lost, looking for a place to build their shack. Pansy waited every day to see a familiar face.
* * *
Up in Voldemort's Palace, Snape was showing the camp to Hermione and Draco. They stood on the balcony looking down at the people.
"And they have food?" Hermione asked. Snape nodded. He led them back inside.
"In a few weeks we'll go down and walk through the camp so you can see. They're really well taken care of," he assured them. Hermione nodded and they followed Snape back to their wing of the palace. "Draco, Lord Voldemort wishes to see you, he's in the east drawing room," Snape informed him. Draco nodded and headed down the stairs.
His father greeted him at the doors to the drawing room with a smile on his face. Draco returned the smile and they headed in together. Voldemort was sitting in a chair by the fire. "Draco and Lucius Malfoy. You two are quite a pair, I must say," he greeted them, gesturing for them to have a seat. "I'll waste no time, Draco, I have a task for you. A while back I sent you a gift that I said was for Hermione, do you still have it?"
"Yes, sir," Draco replied. It was still in the bottom of his trunk.
"Draco, did you ever open the gift?" Voldemort asked. Draco shook his head no. "Ah, well, let's do that now, shall we?" The Dark Lord snapped his fingers and the gift appeared on the table next to him. "Go on," he gestured to Draco. Draco took the package and opened it to reveal an antique diamond ring.
"Draco, do you know what that is?" Lucius asked his son. Draco shook his head yes.
"So then, Draco, you understand that your task is to ask Hermione to marry you?" Voldemort clarified.
"I understand sir," Draco began. "But I can't do it." The room fell uncomfortably silent. Lucius smacked his forehead mentally and then proceeded to mentally smack his son upside the head.
"Draco, you and Hermione are very much in love. This is painfully obvious to me, who hears all your thoughts, and even to those around you who don't have a clue what you are thinking. Am I incorrect?" Voldemort pressed.
"No sir, that's right," Draco replied.
"Then what the hell is wrong with you?" Lucius broke in. "Just give her the god-damned ring! Is it so hard?"
"Lucius," Voldemort warned. "Draco, explain your reasoning to me, please."
"We're too young," Draco replied. "I love Hermione, but I have yet to even say that to her. Our relationship isn't at a point where I feel like I can make such a commitment."
"Draco Aiden Malfoy!" Lucius snapped. Voldemort held his hand up.
"The boy makes a good point, Lucius. Draco, I must make it clear to you why I find it so important for you and Hermione to become engaged. If you two are to rule once I am dead, then you two must be legally bound to one another. Hermione as your queen will act in your place when you are called away or ill. She cannot do this if you two aren't recognized by the state as an official pair. It is not written that you must be married, so I am not asking that, as you are correct, you are far too young for marriage. However, we must announce your engagement soon.
"Another thing, Draco, is the fact that everyone thinks Miss Granger is a muggle-born. This will prove to them that she is not. She, like Harry Potter, was placed with a muggle family after the death of her true parents. Not even Hermione knows that," Voldemort grinned. Draco nodded.
"I understand sir, and I swear to you that in good time you will be able to announce my engagement to Hermione," Draco promised. The Dark Lord nodded and gestured for Draco to go. Draco took the ring as he left the room and headed back upstairs to see Hermione. His head was spinning. He'd never envisioned himself engaged before he finished school, let alone before his seventh year at school. And Hermione was a pureblood, which was the biggest surprise.
Draco found Hermione sitting on the sofa reading a book in the sitting room. He couldn't help but smile as he watched her, so peaceful. Watching her read and watching her sleep were his two favorite things to do. She looked up at him, and smiled expectantly.
"What did our Lord want?" she asked. It almost surprised him to hear her call Voldemort that, but then he couldn't remember why it would be strange. He smiled at her.
"Oh, just to make sure everything was going well. What are you reading?" he asked. Hermione lifted the book so he could see the title.
"You-Know-Who left it by my bed this morning," she informed him, jokingly referring to Voldemort's old nickname. Draco nodded and slid behind her on the sofa to massage her back and neck. Hermione closed her eyes and leaned against him. After a while, she turned her head to meet his lips.
Hermione stood up after they'd been kissing for a while. Her neck was starting to hurt from the strange angle. Draco looked up at her, his eyes big and begging her for more. She smiled coyly at him, looking incredibly attractive in the short skirt and button down shirt she'd chosen to wear that day. He grabbed her hands and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. Hermione giggled and started to smother him with kisses.
Thoughts flooding his mind, Draco wondered if there was something in the air at the palace that had disinhibited his sweet and innocent girlfriend. She wasn't playing shy anymore, that was for sure. He shrugged it off and started unbuttoning her blouse. As she realized what he was doing, she stopped kissing him and just watched him her brown eyes reflecting her insecurity. Draco looked up at her and covered her mouth with his, trying to make her relax. His hands slid across her stomach to her back, and pulled her closer to him. Much to his surprise, Hermione had neglected to wear a bra. Draco broke the kiss and lowered his head to kiss her stomach. His hands slid up her back, and guided one of her soft, supple breasts into his mouth. Hermione moaned softly, and Draco's hands left her back in favor of her long, silky legs. His hands traveled up her thighs as his mouth worked intently on her nipple.
"Ahem." Draco looked up to see Snape standing in the doorway. Hermione gasped and stood up, wrapping her shirt closed around her like a kimono. Draco gave Snape a sheepish grin. "Might I suggest that in the future such activities go on behind closed doors?" Snape ventured. Draco laughed.
"Severus, my man, this would be our wing, and I don't recall you having knocked," Draco joked. Snape bowed his head briefly.
"Sorry, Master Draco. I'll close the door," Snape closed the door behind him. After a moment there was a knock. Draco looked to Hermione to see that she was fully clothed again. She nodded.
"Come in, Severus," Draco called. Snape opened the door and came into the room.
"Where would you like your lunch served today?" Snape asked. Draco turned to Hermione.
"On the terrace, Severus," she replied. Snape nodded.
"Lunch will be served in one hour," he reminded the two as he left the room. Hermione and Draco burst into laughter as soon as he was out of earshot. Draco pulled Hermione onto the sofa with him.
"Hermione, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now," Draco started. He took Hermione's hands into his. "I've never really known what it meant until now, but I want you to know," he paused and took a deep breath before he went on. "Hermione, I love you."
* * *
Harry descended to dinner that night only to discover that the four long tables had been replaced by one large round table. He took a seat between Ron and Ginny and waited for the meal to begin. Professor Dumbledore stood up before they began to eat to make an announcement.
"Since there are so few students remaining with us right now, the other teachers and I think it best that we combine houses. From now all seventh years will take classes together, all sixth years, and so on. All students will now sleep in Gryffindor Tower, together. Enjoy your meal," Dumbledore sat down. Harry and Ron exchanged glances.
"At least Draco's gone," Ron whispered to Harry.
* * *
A few more weeks passed and the governors of Hogwarts decided it would be best to shut the school down. There were few children remaining, mostly the muggleborns and those few whose next-of-kin couldn't claim them. Sirius had agreed to take Harry, Ginny, and Ron in for a little while, so they left Hogwarts with the other children. They all boarded the train with heavy hearts.
* * *
Pansy woke one morning to the sound of screaming. She sat up quickly and crawled to look out the door of her hut. There was a large crowd gathered at the depot, so she ran down to see what was going on. All of the children who were left at Hogwart's were now here, at the camp. Ginny Weasley appeared, and her mother let out a shriek. Ginny ran into her mother's arms. A few moments later, Ron appeared, followed by Harry. Pansy smiled as the three children were embraced by Mrs. Weasley and led to the Weasley's shack a few rows over from Pansy's. After everyone had appeared, Pansy went back to her makeshift house. She was still hoping to see Hermione, even though she knew it wasn't going to happen.
She had some breakfast, and then tried to wash her face a little. Rumor had it that the Dark Lord and his heirs were coming to inspect the camp. A horn made her run outside to look. Sure enough, an army of men wearing black was pouring into the camp. Behind them was an old-looking man wearing black robes, escorting a girl also in black robes. Pansy couldn't help but envy the girl's finery. She looked down at her own tattered robe.
The army began to pass through each row of houses. The Dark Lord pointed out various structures as they passed through them. As they drew closer, Pansy could see that the girl looked very familiar. When they passed her house, Pansy stood up as straight as she could, and tried to look happy to see them. She had a strange feeling that she knew the girl, but couldn't place her. The boy walking behind the Dark Lord, however turned to look at her as they passed, as though he was trying to place her. Pansy could make no mistake about him. He was Draco Malfoy, she'd know him anywhere. Which meant that the girl had to be -
"Hermione!" A voice cried out. Pansy ran to see who had yelled. It had been Harry. Pansy's heart raced for fear of what would happen. Calling out had been a very foolish move on his part. Two men picked him up and carried him off. The Dark Lord continued his tour without disruption.
Ron watched as they carried his best friend away. His heart was breaking. Ron knew as soon as Harry has said it that they wouldn't let him live. Next to him, Ginny was crying softly. Their mother ushered them inside.
* * *
Hermione sat in her bed that night wondering who the boy had been that had known her name. He'd had an interesting scar on his forehead, and she somehow knew that came from fighting Voldemort last time he'd been alive, but that was all she knew. He looked strangely familiar. A lot of the people she saw in the camp had looked strangely familiar. She rolled over and tried to go to sleep, but she just couldn't. Instead, she headed down the hall to Draco's room.
He was sitting up in his bed, staring off into space. Hermione smiled as she shut the door softly behind her.
"You can't sleep either, huh?" He asked, smiling as he saw her. She shook her head no and crawled into bed with him. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her.
"What's on your mind?" she asked him. His eyes grew faraway.
"There was this girl I saw today in the camp. She looked so familiar, but I don't know why. I could see in her eyes that she knew me, and I can't get that picture out of my mind," he confessed. Hermione nodded.
"That boy who called my name, I felt the same way. So many of those faces looked familiar, but I have no idea who they are," she said. Draco squeezed her in his arms.
"Listen to us, going on about something as silly as this. Thinking we know people, when we don't. We can't let that get to us," he decided, kissing the top of Hermione's head. She rolled over onto her stomach so she could look at him.
"You're right, we're being stupid," she agreed. She craned her neck and gave him a kiss. "I should go back to bed," she added.
"No, stay here, with me," Draco pleaded. Hermione considered it for a moment.
"I shouldn't," she decided, sitting up.
"Please?" He begged, taking one of her her hands. She shook her head no, but he decided to ignore it. He pulled her back down so she was lying almost on top of him and kissed her again. Resting his hand on her back, he could feel her muscles relax as she kissed him. "Stay with me," he said again, as their kiss ended. Hermione nodded her head yes, and curled up next to him. Content, Draco wrapped his arms around her and turned out the light.