"Expelliarmus!" Hermione's wand flew out of her hand, she gasped. Draco Malfoy advanced on her, wand out, smirking.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" Hermione backed up, stealing glances behind Draco's right shoulder, to where her wand lay. "A filthy Mudblood, running for her life." She dodged; he moved his wand into her path, blocking her. His grin widened.
"You're despicable!" she spat, glaring. He laughed.
"Despicable, am I?" his face became more serious, dropping the maniacal facade that they had all become accustomed to over the past months. "I think that had you not been a Mudblood, you would have joined us long ago."
"That would never happen!"
"Oh wouldn't it?" We aren't so different - except that your blood is dirtier than-"
"You were sorted into Slytherin, I was sorted into Gryfindor. We couldn't be more different!" She made another dodge toward her wand, thinking him distracted, but was blocked again. "And I stand by my friends!"
"So have I, in case you weren't paying attention" he commented, dryly. "Crabbe and Goyle are living in luxury, and Pansy - well..." he broke off, with a laugh. "It's a very Slytherin trait, standing with one's own kind, you know."
Hermione fumed, not expecting this turn of things. "Well, you're still a coward."
"Quiet, wench!" his face contorted in sudden anger; he brought his fist up from where it had been blocking her escape and knocked her down. "No-one speaks to me like that, understand! No-one!" Hermione cradled her bruising chin in her hands; he advanced and kicked her in the stomach. Twice. A third time. She whimpered, he leant down over her and grabbed her hair, yanking her head up so that he could see the defiant set of her jaw. The sight only served to enrage him further, and he threw her head down, stalking off a little way, growling. She shook herself, recovering, but not standing up again.
"My friends," she started, "will defeat you. Because you're Evil. And weak!"
"When Draco turned back around, it seemed that he had composed himself once more. "And your side is so good, eh Mudblood?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Well, yes! We are." She asserted, sticking out her chin, daring him to disagree.
"I should really kill you" he mused. "But you know what? I don't think that I will." His face twitched back to it's now-usual maniac grin. He walked over to her and crookied down so that his face was just above hers - close and authoritative. "I want someone to tell your precious Order of the Phoenix (she gasped - how could he know about it?) that they will never defeat my Master, Lord Voldemort. Not without old Scar-head, at any rate." The grin spread across his face as the full implication of the words sunk into Hermione's mind.
"What have you done with him, you monster! What have you done with Harry?" she cried, grabbing Draco by his shoulders and shaking him.
"Oh, I haven't done anything," he grinned, taking a hold on her wrists. "The Dark Lord had the pleasure of finishing Potter off - something that I very much envy him. It. Whatever."
"You're a monster." She repeated, looking at him with horror in her eyes. "An utter Monster."
"Thank you." He stood up again, and twirled his wand in his fingers. Then he frowned. "You cease to amuse me. Get going, before I change my mind. Avadra..."
Hermione's eyes widened as he began the killing curse She bolted for the dungeon door, kicking her wand away as she hastened to pick it up. Clutching it in her fingers, she ran for the door. Malfoy made no move to stop her, but his cruel, cold laughter followed her out.
