Chapter 41-

AN-Hella all. How is you guys doing??? I hope you like this chapter…

Draco, Harry, Ginny, and Ron crept through long corridors and dark passages for what seemed like hours but was only a few short minutes. Then, suddenly Draco stops abruptly, causing the others to run into each other.

"Malf--" Ron started, but was cut off when Draco's hand flew up and covered his mouth.

Draco held a finger to his lips and strained his ears for any hint of movement or sound from the next room. He stood there for a few minutes before he heard something. It sounded like someone was putting on clothes. Draco stood confused for a moment before turning to the other three. They all bent their heads in as he told them to stay where they were and he was going to go check it out. They all looked like they wanted to argue, but after Draco said please they all nodded and Harry even gave him his invisibility cloak.

Draco went to the left few feet and pushed the secret passage door open slightly. He crept inside and saw that Hermione was standing in the middle of the room with a house elf. The house elf was trying to put a dress on Hermione, but Hermione refused. Draco stood there for a few minutes trying to decided what to do. Then he saw the elf raise it hand and snap it's long skinny fingers. The dress suddenly appeared on Hermione, who looked furious.

"I am not going to this stupid engagement party!! I refuse!!" she said to nobody, since the elf had disappeared.

Draco crept towards her and whispered a silencing charm before taking off the cloak. Hermione opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She threw her arms around Draco obviously relieved to see him. Draco smiled, but in the back of his mind, he couldn't help thinking, 'that was to easy.' he took off the silencing charm and they headed back to the passage. He tried to open the door, but found it to be sealed tightly. 'uh oh.' he thought.

A sinister chuckle caused the couple to jump and turn. Hermione screamed and Draco gasped. Voldemort stood there with a dark black cloak covering his pale white skin. The hood was down, revealing his red eyes, the slits for a nose, and his snake-like skin. "Leaving so soon, are we?" he hissed at them.

Draco stood up straight and looked at the man in front of him. "Yes. We are leaving." he said with all the courage that he could muster.

"Now, now. Come, Genevieve, you haven't seen your father in 16 years. I was told that you wanted to have a chat with me." he said in a fake, caring voice.

"First, my name is Hermione. Second, you are not my father!" Hermione said in a strong voice that even amazed herself.

"No. You are wrong." Voldemort said in a strained voice. He didn't want to yell at her because he knew that if he wanted her to join him that force would not work. "Your name is Genevieve, and I am your rightful father. However, if you wish to be called Hermione," he said the name with a small grimace, "then I will do so for now."

Hermione and Draco both looked at the Dark Lord shocked. 'Had he just said something that was semi-nice?' they both wondered as they looked at him with bewildered expressions.

"Now, would you two please join me for dinner? If after staying and hearing me out, you do not want to stay then I will let you go back to Hogwarts with no problem. First, however, I must ask that you do not interrupt the engagement party. We will discuss everything afterwards. Do we have a deal?? " Voldemort concluded.

Both Hermione and Draco knew that it would not be that easy, but they also knew that they had no other choice. "Fine." Hermione said with a defeated look, and Draco nodded.

Voldemort opened the door and escorted them through. Hermione's extravagant red dress was billowing around her as her and Draco swept from the room and headed towards the dining hall. "Wait one moment, Draco." Voldemort called after them.

Draco and Hermione stopped and turned. "Would you please change into some more appropriate clothes. Those are not suitable for my future heir."

"What about Hermione. She doesn't know where to go." Draco said in an effort to not leave Hermione alone with him.

"I will escort her."

Draco turned to Hermione to see if it was ok and when she nodded he left down the hall to where she assumed his room was. "Shall we go?" Voldemort asked as he offered her his arm.

Hermione hesitated, but eventually slipped her arm through his and allowed him to escort her to the dining hall. When they entered the room, Hermione couldn't help gasping. The room was decorated in a splendid mixture of Silver and Green. The tapestries were deep, dark green and were lined with silver cording. The table was made of a dark, elegantly carved wood, with matching chairs. As they got closer, Hermione could see that the carvings were all snakes and dragons. They were all very detailed and it was definitely a creative way to blend the two ferocious animals. The room in itself was huge. The table could sit twenty plus people and there was tons of room around it.

Voldemort led her to a chair farthest away from the door and pulled it out for her. Hermione took the chair and watched as he went and sat at the other side of the table. Hermione let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. It was a relief to be a distance away from him. Hermione began to feel very uncomfortable as they sat at the tanle in silence. 'Where are you Draco?' she wondered as she sat there staring at her plate.

After a few more minutes, she heard the door open. She turned her head thinking that it was Draco, but was disappointed to see a man wearing a black cape and a smirk. Not Draco but his father Lucius. He walked to Voldemort and took a bow. "Good evening, My Lord." he said before taking the seat next to him.

Hermione scowled in disgust as the scene played out in front of her. How could anyone be willing to get down of knee for a man like that. It made her sick.

Once again, she heard the door open and she turned to see not Draco, but about 15 Death Eaters walked into the room. They all did as Lucius did. Some of them even kissed the hem of his robes.

At this point, Hermione really was about to throw up. 'Draco!!!' her mind yelled. 'If you don't get your arse down here in one minute I am going to beat the crap out of you!!!' Just then, as if he heard her violent demand, he sauntered into the room. He glided across the room with his chin held high and an air of cockiness about him. He, however, did not go greet Voldemort. He went directly to where Hermione sat. He leaned down, placed a light kiss on her forehead, and took the seat next to her.

"Ah, the last and second most important guest of the evening. Now we may begin the ceremonies. Draco, please begin."

Hermione looked puzzled, but said nothing. Draco stood, reached into his pocket and pulled out something. He got down on one knee and took Hermione's hand. "Hermione, would you do me the honor of changing your last name? I would feel the deepest happiness if you would be my wife." he said as he opened the green velvet box in his hands. Inside was an simple silver ring with a small pink, heart diamond and two smaller diamonds on either side.

Hermione sat there for several minutes before she was able to close her mouth. "Draco, it's beautiful…"

Draco smiled. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes." Hermione said.

Draco smiled again as he stood up, kissed her lovingly on the lips, and took the ring from it cushiony perch. He placed it on her finger and she let out a gasp. Draco's eyebrows furrowed before he too let out an audible gasp.

"What the--?" Draco was cut off by Voldemort's chuckles.

"Silly boy. Now you are bound together forever through me. The only way that you will ever escape me is if I die." he said the last as if it was impossible. All of the Death Eaters laughed along with him as Draco's face filled with rage.

"Well I'll just have to kill you then!!!!" he yelled as he lunged at him, but he was held back by something.

"You can not touch me as long as you wear that ring." Voldemort said as he pointed to the ring that had appeared on Draco's finger. Once again, the room filled with the unpleasant laughter of all the Death Eaters.

"No…" Hermione whispered as she tried in vain to pry the offending jewelry from her finger. "I hate you…I HATE YOU!!!" she yelled as she got up and ran from the room. Followed shortly by Draco.

Harry listened closely. When he heard nothing, he peeked through a vent that gave a partial view of the room. Then, he saw Hermione and Draco walking towards the door to their passage. Then he saw them tug at the door, but it wouldn't budge. He went to the door and tried to open it for them, but again it wouldn't open. Then, he went back to the vent and saw that Draco and Hermione had frozen with expressions of terror etched on their faces. Then he saw the object of their distress. Voldemort was standing by the door chuckling. 'Shoot.' he thought. He listened to the whole conversation before turning to Ron and Ginny, who were looking at him with confused expressions. He told them what happened.

"So, they actually went with him?" Ron asked when he was finished.

Harry nodded. "Well, we will just have to go get help. He is never going to let them go like he says he will." Ginny said immediately.

Both Harry and Ron nodded. "Well, let's see if we can find them and see what happens first." Harry said.

"Ok. Lead the way." Ron said.

"Right. Well let's go this way." Harry said as he led them to the left.

"What are we going to do, Draco?" Hermione asked when they got to his room.

"I don't know. We will figure out something." he thought as he held Hermione. He had totally forgotten the presence of Harry, Ron and Ginny. "Let's just go to sleep. Ok?"

Hermione wiped her eyes and nodded. They both climbed into his bed and Draco pulled the sheet up over them. He kissed her gently on the forehead before they both fell into a horrible, nightmarish (AN- did you know that Nightmarish is an actual word?? You think about that…) sleep.

Harry, Ron and Ginny finally found the dining room about halfway through Draco's engagement speech… "I would feel the deepest happiness if you would be my wife."

"What?" Ron nearly yelled.

"Shh!!!" Ginny and Harry hissed. "Listen."

"Draco, it's beautiful…"

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

"What the--?"

Draco was cut off by Voldemort's chuckles. "Silly boy. Now you are bound together forever through me. The only way that you will ever escape me is if I die."

"Well I'll just have to kill you then!!!!" Draco yelled and from the commotion, Harry assumed he had jumped at Voldemort.

"You can not touch me as long as you wear that ring." Voldemort said in a light, amused voice.

"No…" Hermione said then there was a pause before she yelled, "I hate you…I HATE YOU!!!"

After that, they heard two sets of footsteps leaving the room which they guessed were Draco's and Hermione's. Then they heard Voldemort speak again, "They will join the dark side either willingly or not. It matters not to me. They have no choice now that I have bound them to me."

There was loud rumbling laughter for a minute before the room went silent. "Now, go. The next meeting will be two weeks from today."

There was a murmur of agreement and several distinct 'pops' that meant that several people disappartated.

They waited for another twenty minutes until they were sure that Voldemort had gone before they said or did anything. "Now what?" Ron asked Harry.

"We need to get out of here and go to Dumbledore. He will know what to do." Harry said as he started to slowly and quietly more along the hidden passages.

Ginny and Ron nodded and followed.

Forty-five minutes later, Harry finally reached a passage that he recognized. He gave Ron and Ginny a thumbs-up before continuing, occasionally pausing to hear any sound. After thirty more minutes, they reached the last passage that led outside. They stood inside the door listening for ten minutes before Harry climbed out and looked around. When he saw that the coast was clear, he signaled for Ron and Ginny to join him. Soon, they were on their brooms, zooming towards Hogwarts.

AN- I think that I will stop there…I will update as soon as possible!! Bye-Eye!!!