Author's Notes: Hello! Thank you to my fellow reviewers. Its helps to know people appreciate my fanfic. This chapter should interest those who wish to see DH interaction...

Sorry about spelling mistakes, english isn't my first language, also writing mushiness and lime is not my strength so I hope u'll enjoy it anyway. Nuff said!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately Harry Potter does not belong to me but J K Rowling.

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Chapter 4

He was a Malfoy. He was destined to be the tyrant he had become. Nothing could stand against him or alter him. So why did he feel the need to keep telling himself this? And more importantly, why had Granger's words affected him? How could he lose his temper with the Serpent girl?

An obvious answer came to mind... No! He was not weak! That was only what his father wanted him to believe.

But he would not be like others who needed violence to be respected. No, people feared and respected Draco Malfoy because of his intelligence and cunning. It was that kind of power that he would need to use upon Granger and Serpent. He would break them to his will, shatter them to nothingness for his own entertainment and for revenge. Draco had always been one to hold a grudge.

Serpent would prove to be the easiest, she belonged to the same world as he did, and thus she was vulnerable to him. Besides, he remembered that she had dated Zabini last year and could therefore gain all the information he needed about her from his friend. Granger, on the other hand, was a Mudblood, a Gryffindor, but above all, she had successfully managed to mess with his mind last year - she had made him weak, and for that he would make her pay.

As Draco returned to Hogwarts castle he was eager to regain the privacy of his room in order to plan his revenge. However, it was already dinnertime and as he entered the Great Hall, he couldn't help but notice Granger's absence. His usual crowd of Slytherins called him over to their table. Pansy Parkinson had obviously kept him a seat next to her, whilst Zabini sat across from him. Malfoy watched as some Hufflepuffs took sudden interest in their food as he walked past them. It was obvious they didn't want to stir up any trouble with him and that they were scared of what he might do to them later, away from the teachers' stares, for his sheer pleasure, if he thought they had even looked at him the wrong way.

As he approached his reserved seat, Malfoy noticed the Serpent girl, further down the table, in deep conversation with her fellow sixth-years. She seemed to have completely forgotten the day's events with him.

He decided to remind her of them.

Draco swiftly crept up behind her and waited for her to notice him looming behind her. He could finally look at her more intently, now that he was seeing her in broad daylight, instead of the hazy dimness of the Hog's Head. The girl had the features of a Pureblood with her long, jet black curly hair, although her tanned skin gave her a foreign look.

Several of her friends noticed his presence and broke off from the conversation, watching him in surprise and consternation. Even fellow Slytherins feared him: in fact, perhaps they feared him most of all, knowing precisely what he was capable of. Looks of fear, respect and envy stared back at him. With all the arrogant confidence of a Malfoy, Draco bent down to Abigail's ear and as his warm breath caressed her neck, she stopped talking.

"I accept your apology," he stated quietly to her.

Several girls looked back at Abigail with obvious jealousy in their faces as they saw the white-blond hair angel whispering to her.

"We are obviously alike, you and I, both Purebloods and powerful. Therefore, I will forget about this afternoon. But next time, you should know that I will not be so forgiving."

He pressed his hand hard around her shoulder and stood up again, waiting for her answer.

"I'm thrilled," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm as a fake smile lingered on her lips. Draco simply smirked at her and left, well-concealed anger seething below the surface.

She'll definitely have it coming to her.

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After supper, Draco ran up to his room without seeing Granger as he walked through the common room: it always surprised him that they never bumped into each other. He sat down immediately at his desk to write a letter to his father.

Father,

I have discovered the identity of the last descendant. She is a Slytherin and thus should cause no trouble: it will be easy to make her reveal all of the information we need. However, I was troubled to see that she defended a Mudblood and, therefore, I believe she may have already joined the other side. I will do my best to learn more about the books.

Draco.

He immediately sent his letter by owl from his window, aware that his father would expect information as soon as it was available, and would not tolerate a delay. Collapsing on his bed, he began to ponder on the day's events. Was Serpent really working for Dumbledore? Is that why she had come to Granger's rescue?

However it didn't make sense. He had noticed the look of hatred that had crossed Abigail's face as she spoke to the Mudblood. He had instantly recognised it, seeing it almost everyday from his father. Granger herself had been surprised when Abigail had entered the room. It was if they already knew each other, but he didn't sense any bond of friendship.

But it was impossible that Hermione could have known who she was! Even Draco had not known who that girl truly was until today. He had recognised her as Blaise's ex-girlfriend, but they had never really spoken to each other before. They never had had reason to before. But if she was working for Dumbledore then perhaps that was how the two girls had already met. However, his train of thought just led him around in circles.

Inside Draco felt something still wasn't quite right. He didn't believe the old fool would have recruited such a powerful Pureblood, and a Slytherin. Dumbledore did not trust Malfoy's kind. It still didn't explain how Granger and Serpent knew each other, unless...

Draco got up quickly, realising the obvious. He shot out of his room and into the common room. He had decided to interrogate Granger, and headed quickly for her room.

However, as he crossed the common room again, he suddenly noticed a familiar shadow against the wall. Looking intently towards the fireplace, he noticed her. She was curled up in one of the big armchairs reading a book. Her bushy hair fell into her face and her eyes gazed intently at the page before her. She was obviously ignoring him.

Typical! But at least now he would have his answer.

"Evening, Granger," he greeted her maliciously, grabbing the book out of her hands.

"Malfoy, give me back my book!" she shot back, giving him a foul look.

"Tsk, tsk, manners Granger. I need you to explain something for me," he answered, as he threw the book aside. Granger instinctively went to pick it up, but he stopped her roughly with a strong arm and abruptly swung her round so that she was facing him.

She had changed since last year, he noticed. The Mudblood had nicer curves than the previous year but had also lost her refreshingly innocent look: the only features to stand out now were her round, dark brown eyes, which seemed empty and showed signs of constant stress and fatigue.

Still, she had her charms - more than one would expect from a Mudblood. This fact had often struck him during all those years, and especially the last one, but it was also one of the reasons why he hated her so much. Not only could she not keep her mouth shut, she also had enough audacity to catch his attention with her looks. At that instant, the lack of fear in her eyes angered him, and, not for the first time, he noticed how easy it was for the Gryffindor Mudblood to make him lose control with one look.

"Why would a sixth-year Slytherin come to your rescue?" he questioned bitterly.

"I don't know," she replied bluntly.

But Draco had already noticed the sudden tension in her body and flicker of fear in her eyes. She had poorly hidden her astonishment and discomfort at his question.

"Don't play dumb Granger! What's the link between Abigail Serpent and a Mudblood?"

Her eyes narrowed at the insult. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He looked down at her with pure contempt. "Really? Well it seems like your pretty ideas about helping me out have changed considerably since this morning."

Hermione lowered her head at his words and did not reply. Draco smiled inwardly to himself. She was already showing signs of weakness, but somehow the defeat felt a little hollow, as the words poured out of his mouth before he had time to think.

"Oh I see - so this morning was just a little act then. Let's go lure Draco so he can show us his Dark Mark to see if the rumours are true." It was impossible for him to conceal his bitterness now.

"Stop it," she whispered, still looking away. But he kept on.

"It was obvious all along that you would no longer want to 'save me' after spending a golden summer with Potter and Weasel. I'm sure you must have forgotten all about me, having fun with your precious friends. That's certainly what I did - I forgot all about the horrible sight of you - I never gave another thought about my little Mudblood." His tone suddenly became harsh. "So why don't you drop the saviour act, Granger? It looks bad for the both of us."

"Screw you!"

Before he knew it, she lifted her hand, wanting to smack him across the face. Fortunately for him, he caught her arm before the damage was done.

"What?"

Anger started to overtake him again, but to his surprise she wasn't intimidated, and pushed herself away from him with all her strength.

"I said screw you!" she shouted back at him. "I reached out my hand to you! I wanted to help you because I had faith in you - you creep! I'm the only one who could possibly want to save you now Malfoy – no one else has any interest in you. And when I realised that, I made more of an effort to make you realise it as well."

She stopped, her voice becoming a whisper and tears starting to well up in her eyes. "I didn't think this year would be the same. I thought forgetting about you would be easy. But all the time and effort I put into that task was for nothing; nothing has changed! For God's sake Draco, I spent all summer worrying about you!"

She stepped backwards, slowly, edging away from him, as if the mere sight of him pained her, and the pain grew less with distance.

"All these questions kept hammering in my head! Is he dead? Is it too late? Did his father finally oblige him to become one of them? Or did he refuse? Did he realise his own potential and refuse the path set for him by others?"

By now, her whole body seemed to shiver as she looked up deeply into Draco's silver stare. "Do you know what it feels like inside to be left in the dark for two whole months and then hear your worst fear has become true? Obviously not."

His face, which had been held in a cold expression, was gradually dropping to reveal his confusion, despite his best efforts.

"I was a fucking idiot to ever worry over an egoistical bastard like you!"

In a moment of weakness Draco crossed the room, grabbed her fiercely and kissed her, unwilling to listen to her tirade any longer. Sensing her surprise, he pressed his lips harder against hers and held a tight grip around her waist, keeping her locked in his embrace. He noticed she had started trembling under him but he did not break the kiss.

Her lips were soft and warm as she responded to him - this was all so different from anything he had ever experienced before. Passion seemed to run through his entire body only to concentrate in his mouth. He felt Hermione give in completely to him, her body sighing into his. She moaned against his mouth and it was her sudden yielding that caused Draco to realise what he was doing.

Furious with himself, he pushed her away and without a backward glance, stormed off into his room, leaving Hermione dizzy and confused in the middle of the darkened room.

That night, Granger's confused eyes haunted Draco's dreams. And in anger, he realised that his questions had not been answered.

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This chapter is shorter than the previous, sorry. I hope u enjoyed the kiss. Don't we all love evil Draco! Next chapter will be up soon, it'll be from Hermione's POV. Review this way please...