CHAPTER 9

Hermione had been lying on the floor for at least ten minutes, staring at nothing, when she heard a knock on the door. For some reason, a feeling of dread welled up inside her. Perhaps the Dark Lord had returned. Her stomach clenched.

Why am I so worried?

'C- Come in,' she stammered.

The door opened, and Draco entered. She heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn't face the Dark Lord right now.

'Hey,' Draco said, walking in and sitting on her bed. He had changed, and was now wearing a pair of black jeans and a t-shirt. Somehow, his attire seemed too mundane in this surreal place.

'H-hi,' she managed.

'You look shaken up.'

She just nodded. Draco was silent for sometime.

'Granger,' he said, finally. Hermione wanted to tell him to call her by her first name, but refrained.

'Look,' he continued, 'Things aren't going the way we planned. I think both of us need a friend right now. We're more or less alone.'

Hermione nodded.

'I'm sorry for leaving earlier. I was kinda overwhelmed by everything in general.'

He heard a muffled ok.

He leant over, and gripped her shoulders, setting her straight against the wall. Then, he held out his hand.

'Friends?' he asked, softly.

Hermione paused for a moment. Then, she held out her hand. 'Friends.' She agreed, in a bit of a whisper.

'Come sit,' Draco said, patting the bed next to him. 'We need to talk.'

She nodded, and standing up, settled down by his side.

'I can't believe you joined him,' he said, running a hand through his hair. 'You, of all people…' he voice trailed off. When she said nothing, he looked up.

'Why?' he asked, simply.

She shrugged.

'I don't know. It's just that – earlier, I was so fond of being good, and people telling me that. And maybe I grew sick of it…and when He—the Dark Lord spoke to me that day, the day you killed Dumbledore and the attack on Hogwarts, I felt something- something new and exciting- this sudden rush of power. And I admired the Dark Lord. His mind is as sharp as the edge of the knife. He is as clever as Dumbledore was, and as powerful, but the difference is he was so lucid- so cold, and ruthless. I felt honored to be with him. And I began hating Harry, and the Weasleys…they seemed to weak!'

'So you're happy now,' he was looking her straight in the eye, 'You're with the Dark Lord.'

She bit her lips.

'Something seems to be missing,' she said, quietly, 'something isn't there. It isn't the same. It changed at some point.'

'When?' he asked, softly.

She paused.

'Tonight- when I met you. I had left my old world completely behind. I began thinking a new way. But when you came, you were those last tendrils connecting to my old world. And you sort of- pulled me back. I didn't realize it until just now, when the Dark Lord-.' She faltered. He kept looking expectantly at her.

She dropped her gaze, feeling slightly panicky.

'I miss Harry,' she confessed. 'After this- he touched me- and something happened…and I- miss Harry…'

With a sudden jolt, she realized what she was doing. Confiding all this in a Death Eater! He would tell the Dark Lord…he would…

She leapt to her feet, and drew her wand.

'I'll kill you!' she said, fiercely. 'I'll bloody kill you!'

Draco looked surprised at her sudden burst of anger. 'Granger? What-?'

'I know what you'll do!' she raged. 'You'll go tell him!'

'Granger, I-.'

'He'll know, you'll make up a lot of lies! You'll have me killed!'

'Granger, listen to me-.'

'No, I won't!' she said, hysterical now. 'Why did I, why did I tell you-?'

Suddenly, Draco was towering over her. He gripped her shoulders, and stared at her face. He rant ceased immediately.

'Because you need a friend.' He hissed.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Draco let go of her, and sat down on the bed breathing deeply. There was no noise, except for their harsh breathing. Hermione thought he might get up and walk out, like he did before.

'No,' he said, as if reading her mind, 'I won't leave.'

She looked slightly surprised.

He looked up at her now.

'Forget who I am.' He said, quietly, 'Just forget who I am for a moment. Forget I'm a death eater, that I'm Draco Malfoy, forget everything. Now tell me- are you happy being a Death Eater?"

Her mouth opened, but she couldn't say anything. She just stared blankly at him. He got up again.

'You have my word,' he said, 'I won't tell anyone. Just think about it, and tell me. You were impressed by The Dark Lord in the beginning. It was so different- you were so different. You got caught up in it. But do you really want to continue. Tell me, Hermione.'

She didn't know why she did. Perhaps it was because he used her first name.

'No,' she admitted, 'No, I'm not at all happy. I don't like it at all. I- I killed Ron!'

Suddenly, the true impact of what she had done crashed down on her. She broke down into sobs.

Draco moved forward, and gently took her hand. 'Hermione- do you want to leave?"

She sobbed, 'yes,'

He gently tugged her hand. 'Listen to me,' he said, 'stop crying, and listen to me.'

She gently wiped her tears, and tried to control herself. Draco walked up to the door of the room, and locked it. Then, he placed silencing spells all around the room.

'I have to tell you something,' he said, gravely. 'Because I think we both want out.'