I would like to say I spent the walk back to the common room trying to think of an ingenious reason to tell Ron why I had left in such a hurry. I really would. But I didn't even think twice about Ron, or what he would have thought about my rapid departure.

Malfoy kissed me.

My insides felt like mush. Very churned up mush. One part of me felt like it was flying, Malfoy had kissed me! But the other half was still in a numb sort of shock. Not only had he kissed me, but there was every possibility that he, and his father, would be dead in two days. I didn't even realise that I had reached the common room until Ron started waving a hand in my face.

"Hermione? Earth to Hermione?"

I blinked out of my stupor, and looked at him for a moment.

"You left in kind of a hurry ... are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I just, um, I got an owl from Flitwick about my charms assignment, I had to go talk to him."

Guilt spasmed through me. I was surprised at how easy it was to lie to Ron. Surprised, and worried. He seemed to accept my excuse easily enough, and started to make his way back to the table we had been working at. I swallowed.

"Ron? I ... I think I need to lie down for a while. I'm feeling kind of dizzy."

"Oh" he looked at me oddly. "Right. Okay. Harry should be back soon ... should I come and get you when he gets back?"

I nodded, slowly. I could feel the strain on my brain as I tried to function normally.

Suddenly, a familiar darkness began to creep over me. I could feel my knees buckling beneath me, and barely had time to put my hands out before I hit the ground.

---

I certainly knew where I was when I opened my eyes again, and quickly I pressed my eye to the crack in the doorway in front of me.

"Has your son done what you asked of him?"

I gasped. It was the man who had been speaking to Lucius in my first dream. I could see his face, and it was heavily scarred, even missing one of his eyes. His other eye was a very pale brown, and appeared very unearthly and creepy.

Lucius swallowed.

"He hasn't sent word yet, but then, I'm not expecting his owl until tomorrow night at the least."

"You do realise, Lucius, that failure to comply will cost your son's life."

"He will comply."

The steely determination with which Malfoy's father said this sent a cold finger of panic down my spine. He was absolutely positive that Draco had performed the task.

"Are you so sure? We have heard nothing from the Ministry about disturbances at Hogwarts. Nothing at all."

"Well, I'm sure that Dumbledore would be very eager to cover such things up."

"I'm sure he would."

I heard the tone of disbelief in the scarred stranger's voice, and after a moment it became clear that Lucius had, too.

"Wilder, my son will do anything our Lord asks of him. It is in his blood."

"And if he does not?"

There was a pause.

"If he does not, then he is not worthy of his name..."

My eyes widened.

"...And his death will be at his own hands."

---

"Hermione? Hermione?!"

My eyes shot open, and I found myself looking up at half of Gryffindor house, all of them staring down at me in worry.

Ignoring the helping hands that were held out to me, I stood up and started towards the portrait hole. I needed to talk to Draco.

---

I stomped my way right up to the Slytherin dungeons, and shouted the password.

"Loch Ness!"

The dungeon door stayed firmly closed.

I stared at it in horror. They had changed the password!

"Loch Ness!" I yelled at the door.

Nothing.

In frustration, I kicked the dungeon door as hard as I could, but it still didn't open.

I was about to attempt to charm the door open, when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Just couldn't keep away, could you?"

I wheeled around, and was greeted with Malfoy's smirk. To my annoyance, Crabbe and Goyle were in tow. Getting them away from their idol was going to be difficult.

"I need to-"

"Get away from our common room, mudblood, you don't deserve to be here."

My eyes widened. He had promised he would never call me that again. Ever.

"Excuse me?" My voice came out high and sort of squeaky, causing Crabbe and Goyle to start laughing.

Malfoy's smirk did not falter, even though I knew he was probably wondering why I was down there. He knew I would never come to his common room unless something was seriously wrong.

"You heard me, Granger. You don't deserve to be down here."

I glared at him, and took out my wand. I noticed with amusement that Crabbe and Goyle took a step back, although Malfoy didn't move a muscle.

"Petrificus Totalus" I said, quietly, pointing my wand at Crabbe.

I watched as his entire body seized up and he fell, stiff as a board, onto the stone floor. I was about to do the same to Goyle, when he launched himself at me, fists first.

I had barely enough time to duck out of the way before I heard Malfoy yelling the same spell I had just used. Goyle fell next to his fellow, and they both lay paralyzed on the ground.

"Sorry, old chum" he said, and smirked down at his cronies' unblinking eyes.

Malfoy's eyes came up and met mine, and I felt a small chill down my spine. Mentally, I shut it out, and opened my mouth to speak but he shushed me. He grabbed my arm and started to pull me away.

"Not here. Somebody might hear you."

He pulled me around the corner to a small alcove along the corridor.

"Here. Now, what is it?"

I pulled my arm away from him and glared.

"You told me you'd never call me that again!"

He looked genuinely confused for a moment, then rolled his eyes at me.

"Look, Granger, it was a slip of the tongue, alright? Besides, Crabbe and Goyle would think something was up if I didn't call you that."

I snorted.

"I didn't know Crabbe and Goyle could think."

I felt another small chill as Malfoy smiled at me.

"Well, that's true. But, better safe than sorry. Anyway, what's wrong? Why did you come all the way down here?"

I looked up at him and sighed heavily.

"Well, I had another dream."

He frowned.

"What? You mean, you were asleep between when I saw you last and ..."

"No! I meant like the one I had the other day in the hallway. I was talking to Ron and I just collapsed. I don't know how long I was out for."

He reached out and held onto my shoulders, peering down at my face.

"Are you okay?"

I involuntarily took a small step backward, and he let go of my shoulders. I nodded.

"I'm fine. You're not."

He looked down at himself, as if looking for a wound, and I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean. I was watching your dad talking to somebody he called Wilder and-"

"Wilder?" Malfoy interrupted me. "I know that name ..."

"I suppose you would. It seems like your father works for him or something."

Malfoy frowned, obviously trying to remember a face to match the name.

"Lots of scars. Missing an eye. Charming fellow, I'm sure."

I watched as realization crossed his face.

"Oh, him. Right. Keep going."

I wondered for the millionth how much Malfoy knew about his father's business, but pushed the thought aside and continued on with my story.

"Right. Well, Wilder told Lucius that if you didn't send the owl with your progress then-" I swallowed "-then he was going to kill you."

Malfoy blinked once, but no emotion showed on his face. I continued.

"And, well, Lucius seemed pretty sure you were going to what he said, so he said that wouldn't be necessary."

My mouth was going dry. I was approaching the hard point in the recollection. I avoided eye-contact.

"So Wilder said that there hadn't been any news of things going on at Hogwarts, he obviously suspects you haven't been doing anything. But your father said that Dumbledore was probably just trying to cover it up."

"So he ... he really thinks I'm doing the job?"

I looked back up at him, to see that his mask of control was beginning to slip. He had obviously run his hand through his hair, because it was sticking up in all sorts of ways, making him look about eight years old. I sighed.

"Well, I guess he does. Wilder asked what Lucius would do if you hadn't done it and he said ..." My voice caught. I swallowed and started again.

"He said that if you hadn't done it then you ... deserved what you got. Draco, he would let them kill you."