Disclaimer: Yeah right… That would be the life.
Lady-Delphinea: I'll have to use "rocks my socks" more often, then.
mysterio: Yeah, Green Day, Maroon 5 and Simple Plan rock! I did choose those songs cuz they related to the story so well. And, a good story need drama, angst, action and of course, ROMANCE!
Red-head Hufflepuff attack: Is "motherfuckingbitchbastards" a good thing?
Samantha Cameron: They were supposed to be safe… but it's not safe anywhere, now… Dun dun dun… Lol, jk.
The infamous draco's secret lover: Freaking addicting? I hope that's a compliment.
Mysticsecret: You can't have a story without action!
Orlilover16: Well, yeah, it's not exactly boring, but Draco and Hermione are in that room the whole time.
Cantatedomino: Thank you. I love the Draco/Hermione pairing!
Strawberrylemonade520: "I hope they don't Hermione"? They don't what Hermione?
Sexyslytherin2: I will!
WAREWOLFFE: The best fanfic you've ever read? I highly doubt that, but thank you anyways.
Ishtar: Thank you.
Ritsu-the-monkey a.k.a Mz122: Yeah, my chapters are a little short, but I try to update as quickly as possible.
Cassandra: More action and romance? Is that a good thing? You read them in Spanish? How cool!
Nicole: The best story yet? I doubt it, but thanks anyways. It's still good to hear that!
A/N: Everyone, I started a new story. It's actually James/Lily, and it's called It Takes Two To Fall In Love. I know that title was already used in a couple other stories, but I got the idea from somebody else and it really fits my plot.
Chapter 23 (holy crap, 23!)…
Draco heard voices around him. He moaned and rubbed his head. The voices seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't figure out who they belonged too. He tried opening his eyes. Blink.
He was in a dark chamber. The air was moist and damp, yet there was a funny smell, almost like wet hay. Groggily, he tried to rub his eyes, but found that his hands were chained to the floor.
"Hermione," he whispered. He turned his head slightly. She was lying a few feet away from him, her eyes wide open.
"Shh… Don't move. Listen," she mouthed. Draco paused and strained his ears, trying to hear what they were saying.
"… the Dark Mark… young Malfoy… tonight… the girl must…" He was only able to pick up small fragments.
Suddenly, he felt a hard kick in his back. "Get up, boy," a gruff voice said. Draco whipped his head around and saw a tall, bony man with a long, black cape.
"I can't. I'm chained to the ground," he snapped back, rattling the chains for emphasis. The man glared at him.
"Don't be fresh with me. Alcidio corone!" he snarled. The chains disappeared, and a weak Draco got up. He wobbled slightly.
"Good. Now, follow me," the man ordered. Draco panicked. His eyes darted over to Hermione, who was staring at him pleadingly.
"Wait! But what about Hermione?" he questioned, grabbing the man's arm. The man jerked away. He glared at him icily.
"The girl stays." Draco looked back at her. She had tears in her eyes and she was murmuring something.
"Please, sir, can I have two minutes with her?" he begged. The man looked down a narrow hallway. He then glanced back at him.
"You can have one minute," he said. "But only because this may be the last time you ever see her again."
"Oh, Lord, Hermione, don't cry. Whatever you do, don't cry. Crying is giving in to them. We're going to get through this. We're stronger than them, Hermione. I promise you, I'll be back," Draco vowed.
"God, Draco, I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much…" Draco took a deep breath.
"I love you too, Hermione. That's how we're going to get through this. I'll come back for you, okay?" With that, he planted a firm kiss on her lips.
"Get up, boy!" the man sharply said, yanking him up by the collar of his shirt. Draco paused and grabbed Hermione's hand.
"Go, Draco… Go," she said. Draco hesitated before letting go of her. He stumbled out of the room after the man, refusing to look back, afraid that he wouldn't be strong enough to handle it.
"Draco, you have disappointed me greatly. I warned you to not hang around that mudblood, but you refused to listen. I even punished you for thinking of such a thing, but you continued to defy me," Lucius said.
"What makes her so different, father?" Draco cried.
"She is a mudblood! She's not one of our kind! She doesn't deserve to have the title of a witch!" Lucius shouted. Draco fixed his face into a stony glare.
"You're right. She deserves more. Does it matter if she is a mudblood? She is still one of the best witches of her time! She scored the highest ever recorded on our OWLS! You cannot even tell that she is a mudblood by looking at her!" he yelled.
"That does not matter, Draco. We have the strongest, the purest blood in the magical world today! It's been like that for centuries, and not just one foolish boy will change that! She is not worthy enough to handle a wand! Dirty blood, that's what she has!"
"She -," Draco began, but he was interrupted.
"Very well. If you will not listen. I'll teach you to listen! If you want to run around with a mudblood… Crucio!" Draco howled in pain. He clutched his stomach and collapsed onto the floor, shaking.
"You will be getting the Dark Mark tonight, Draco. I want you to forget all about that mudblood and focus on your Lord. Your Lord, who was great enough to bring me back from the dead. You will please him, is that understood?" Lucius demanded. Draco glared at him.
"No."
"Crucio! I will ask you again. Is that understood?" Lucius repeated. Draco began choking, writhing on the floor in pain. No… I've got to… stay strong for… Hermione… I can't give in… to my father…
"N-no…" he answered in a shaky voice. Lucius growled and kicked him. He rolled over, determined not to cry even though the pain was intolerable. It shot down his spine like an elevator.
"You will think about your Lord. You will obey to him. And tonight, you will get your Dark Mark, and you will apologize for ever even thinking about that mudblood, for even thinking that you could defy him! Crucio!" Lucius snarled. He spun around and left the room, locking it behind him.
After the pain was gone, Draco lay there, tears welling up in his eyes. I've failed. I've failed myself… I've failed Hermione. We're never going to get out of here. Oh God, I'm sorry Hermione… I love you…
About half an hour after Draco was taken away, somebody came for Hermione too. "Alcidio corone!" a voice said firmly. The chains disappeared. Hermione looked up. A tall man with a long cape was standing there. His hood prevented anyone from seeing his face. "Get up!" he roared. Hermione quickly scrambled to her feet, but almost toppled over from all the blood rushing to her head. She could feel the eyes of the other Death Eaters laughing at her.
The man grabbed her arm and led her down an empty hallway. To her surprise, his touch was now gentle. "Quick, hurry up," he whispered. His voice was now less harsh. They stopped at the end of the hall.
For a split second, Hermione almost believed that it was Draco. But she knew she was wrong. It can't be Draco. There's no way he could have gotten away from all those Death Eaters. And he didn't have a cape with him, either. Still, there was something familiar about his voice.
"Grab onto this," he said. Hermione took hold of the boot. What am I supposed to do with this? "Okay, hold on…" Suddenly, she felt the recognizable jerking on her navel. The room began to spin before her vision completely blacked out.
Hermione's eyes fluttered open. Professor Lupin was hovering over her, his face full with concern. "Where am I?" she grunted, trying to focus. Lupin smiled weakly and handed her a large slab of chocolate.
"You're back at Grimmauld Place," he answered. Hermione blinked once… twice. "We were able to get you out of there… Well, I shouldn't say 'we'. Professor Snape was able to," he corrected himself. Hermione's eyes widened.
"PROFESSOR SNAPE!" she hollered.
"Yes, he was the one who led you out of there. He was a Death Eater you know. He still has the Dark Mark, but now he is a spy for the Order. He was able to get in and back out. He's risking his life to save you guys. Right now, he's back in there, looking for Draco."
"DRACO? He's still in there! Oh my God, Draco…"
A/N: Bad cut off point, but I'm having serious writer's block. Please review!
