Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warnings: Scenes of a sexual nature

Spoilers:SS/PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OoTP

Summary: Before starting his 7th year of Hogwarts, Draco is given the challenge of ridding Voldemort of Harry Potter in order to join the Deatheaters. What unexpected surprises does his plan hold? DMHG

In the Eyes of the Enemy- Chapter Two Parents and Their Children

Lucius paced back and forth in his study, eyeing his son carefully to judge his resolve on the matter. "You're sure the mudblood is the key to Potter's undoing?"

Draco sighed. They had been going over the plan for hours, and although his father hadn't 'fixed' anything, he was obviously not happy with what Draco had decided upon. "Yes, Father. That mudblood, Granger, is the smartest one in their group. Without her, Potter couldn't figure out his way out of a bathroom, let alone the Dark Lord's grasp, especially if he was giving himself over freely to save her."

Lucius shook his head again. "Why don't we just take her and wait for Potter to find her, rather than having you fraternizing with that filth. The other Pureblood families will be horrified at you having relations with something so vile. It will besmirch the Malfoy name."

Draco growled. "Not in the end. When the Dark Lord has Potter, the families that matter will see that it was all a hoax to get Potter, and the Malfoy name will be given more honor than ever before." One look from Draco's father told him that he was still not convinced. "The only way to get Potter to Voldemort, without risking him taking shots at us or the Dark Lord, is to get him to trust me and think he is saving her."

That had done it. His father had always been about self-preservation. He did not want to risk a full attack from Potter and his crew in a rescue attempt. Lucius nodded in agreement to Draco's plan.

Draco wearily headed back to his room for one last night at home before heading back to school the next morning. It had been a long night arguing with his father over what he intended to do, and he want to get as much rest as he could before boarding the train. He was about to give the performance of his life.

The next morning, Draco woke to find his house elves busying themselves about his room, packing his items carefully in his trunk. He trotted downstairs to have breakfast before his father took him to platform nine and three quarters to catch the Hogwarts Express.

"Mum!" Hermione screamed from the top of the stairs to her mother, who was in the kitchen cooking an enormous going away breakfast for her only child.

"Yes, Hermione, what do you need?" her mother lazily replied from the confines of the kitchen.

"I can't find the book we bought yesterday in Diagon Alley."

Mrs. Granger smiled and said, "Dear, there were so many. Could you be a bit more specific?"

Hermione replied crossly, "Top of the Class: Head Boys and Girls of Hogwarts." Hermione was too busy tearing through the rooms looking feverishly for the book to notice the nervous look come upon her mother's face.

Her mother relaxed her features and asked her daughter, "Hermione, you're Head Girl only this year, and your picture won't be in the book until next year, so why are you fretting over this now? We can find another copy with your picture in it; wouldn't that be even better?"

Hermione gasped, "Absolutely not! I had to look for two hours in Flourish and Blotts for the book, and it was only by accident that I found it at all. It was stuck behind a shelf covered in dust. It's at least 2 years old since it didn't even have the last 3 Heads in it, but lucky for me, I already knew them."

After casting an exasperated look at her husband, who was hiding in the corner behind a paper, she looked over to her daughter who was now destroying the living room. She asked, "What do you want the book for, dear?"

Hermione turned from her place in front of the couch, surrounded by pillows that had been cast on the floor. "I want to know what every Head before me accomplished, so I can uphold the high standards of the position. Since Malfoy is Head Boy, any accomplishments will need to be on my end, as he'll be to busy tormenting students and abusing power." Mrs. Granger sighed. She knew her daughter had always been an overachiever, and it sometimes worried her that she took so much on, but she trusted her only offspring and knew it would all work out in the end.

"Hermione, it's getting late, why don't you sit and have breakfast. I promise that if I find the book, I'll send it right to you at school."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, mum. As soon as you find it, send my owl with it. I'll leave her here until you can send her with it. I'll use a school owl or Harry's owl if I need to write you before the book turns up." Reluctantly, her mother shook her head and motioned for her to go eat while she started cleaning the destruction her daughter had left behind.

Once Hermione had gone upstairs, Mrs. Granger turned on her husband, who was still hiding behind the paper and asked in a low, agitated whisper, "Albert Granger, I thought you said you got them all?"

He halfheartedly grinned back at her, stating, "I've got them all now." Andrea Granger was not a woman to anger, and she was obviously more than angry.

"This is not a joking matter, Albert! I did this for you and your father, but if you're not going to help, then what was the point of it all?" She had tears in her eyes now, so he held her against his chest, softly rubbing her hair and back.

In a gentle voice he said, "It was for her, dear, that's why we did it."

Nearly sobbing, she said, "I know, but when she's with Harry and Ron, she gets into more trouble than I like to think about. I just wish I was there to protect her."

Nodding in agreement, he said, "Me too, dear, me too."

"Heads up, Harry!" Ron screamed, as a terrified garden gnome was hurled in Harry's direction.

"Damn it, Ron, will you stop throwing them at me and start throwing them over the wall?"

Ron lowered his eyes sheepishly and said, "Sorry, Harry. Maybe if you moved to the other side of the garden, it would be better. You're in front of my whipping tree."

With a confused look on his face, Harry asked, "Whipping tree?"

Ron smiled and pointed to the thick oak no more than five feet behind the fence. "When I was little, I learned that if I whipped them hard enough at the tree, they'd be knocked unconscious long enough that I wouldn't have to degnome again for a week." With that Ron's smile widened into an ear to ear grin.

Seeing the humor in the situation, Harry chuckled and said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Your mum's had me out here every third day since I got here 2 weeks ago!"

Ron laughed and said, "I was doing you a favor. If she thought you were too good at degnoming, she'd have Dobby helping her convince you to forgo your final year at Hogwarts in favor of being the Weasley family gardener."

"So, how did you manage not to get the job, then, since you such a pro?" He retorted.

Ron smirked. "Don't ever tell mum, but every day I'd come out and take a nap behind the shed at the back of the garden, so she would always tell me I was the worst gardener the family had ever had, and that I better study hard at school because I was going to need it to get a real job." With that, the boys fell and rolled on the ground laughing so hard that tears were pouring out of their eyes.

Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Weasley ran outside, and seeing Ron and Harry rolling on the ground in a fit of laughter, she panicked. "Oh, no, boys! You didn't take any candy from Fred or George did you? I know they were working on 'ticklish taffy, ' but they promised they wouldn't use it on you boys until they worked out all the kinks!" Mrs. Weasley hardly approved of the twins' career choice, but had long ago accepted that it was inevitable.

Harry and Ron stopped their fitful laughs and calmed Mrs. Weasley saying, "Don't worry, it's okay. Fred and George didn't give us anything."

"Ron was just telling me that he was going to be a gardener once he finished school."

"Oh, no, he won't!" Mrs Weasley shouted. "Ronald Weasley, you will study harder this year! I don't see a Head Boy badge on your chest, and we both know you would be a horrid gardener since you can't even degnome a garden to save your life."

With a knowing smirk to Harry, Ron replied, "Okay, mum. I promise, no gardening for me." With that, Mrs. Weasley shooed the boys into the house. It was getting late, and the cars would be arriving soon to take them to Kings Cross Station.