Chapter Three:
Twenty-Four
Hermione sat down on the couch that was situated in front of a blazing fire. The Head's common room was beautifully decorated with rich fabrics and expensive furniture. A long oak table with large cushioned chairs sat right square in the middle. An entire library of books on every subject taught at Hogwarts was against one wall. Against the other was a tall stone fireplace. Hermione glanced at the grandfather clock and rolled her eyes. Figures he'd be late. Granted, it was only five after. The portrait door swung open, startling Hermione.
"You're late," She pointed at the clock. Draco looked at it and rolled his eyes.
"Five minutes. You're too damn uptight," He informed her, dropping his books onto the table. Hermione had already stacked her books neatly, organized by size.
"Let's get started, Malfoy. I already pulled some books out of the library that have to do with pixie dust and the Aphrodisiac potion."
"That's wonderful, Granger. Why don't you flip through those, take notes, write an outline for the essay, and I'll do the rest."
"If you really think that I'm going to do all of that work by myself, then you are even more delusional than I originally thought," Hermione stared at him incredulously. Draco grinned and put his feet up on the table.
"Call me what you want, just do it while you're working, okay?"
"No, not okay! You, Draco Malfoy, are the most arrogant prat I have ever had the misfortune to know!"
"Do you really mean that, Granger? You are so sweet."
"Furthermore! You are the most pathetic human being on the planet. If you have to put other people down to make you seem wonderful, then you're even lower than hippogriff shit!" Draco narrowed his eyes.
"Easy there, Granger."
"I'm not finished, Malfoy! You're not as good as you say you are! You just make sure people are afraid to think differently about you. Harry kicks your ass in Quidditch every single match, and that's not because he has a scar on his forehead. I kick your ass in every academic subject, and that's not because I'm a muggle born witch!"
"You know what, Granger? I didn't think it was possible, but I hate you even more right now."
"Does it look like I care what you think about me?"
"In fact," Draco continued as though he didn't hear her. "I might go as far to say that you are the most annoying person I have ever been forced to deal with. Always flaunting your intelligence, god it makes me sick. And no one would even know your name if you didn't hang around Potter."
"Just what do you mean by that, you self-absorbed pig?"
"Exactly what you think it means, bitch!"
"Oh you're asking for it, Malfoy. You're messing with the smartest witch in Hogwarts."
"Yes, I'm definitely scared now. Especially since the smartest witch in Hogwarts is a damn mudblood. What does that say about the rest of the witches in this school?"
"That they spend all of their time in your bed?"
"And don't you wish you could be one of them?"
"Ha! I wouldn't waste my time."
"I hardly imagine that any of them are wasting their time. I happen to be gifted in that particular arena."
"Yeah, I guess since you're shutting up the entire time, they don't have the opportunity to figure out what a complete ass hole you are!"
"At least I have a little action in my life. The only action you've had is being forced to hold hands with Crabbe that day in Potions."
"An occurrence I'd much rather forget, Malfoy, but nonetheless, I'd rather be a prude than a whore."
"That's laughable, Granger. You couldn't be a whore if you tried."
"I don't want to try."
"Well good. You wouldn't get many customers looking like that." Hermione's face flushed a deep crimson.
"If you stopped to talk to your whores before you just throw them onto a bed, then you wouldn't get many customers either."
"Poor, naive, little Granger. You don't understand. Whores aren't looking for conversation. They're looking for some good sex. I happen give out some good sex."
"I'd have better sex with a broom."
"Now what a sight that would be. I think I would pay to see that."
"You're despicable."
"Well you're a bitch, so we're square."
"No, we're not. I'm not finished with you, Malfoy."
"Then you'd better start working on some come backs, because yours are lacking."
"Bite me, Malfoy." Draco raised his eyebrows and licked his lips.
"With pleasure."
"Don't ever look at me like that again, you fucking prick!"
"Calm down, Granger, you're starting to piss me off."
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not among your whores or your house elves. Never order me around again!"
"Quit being such a bitch, and I won't have to order you around!" Draco was fuming. Arguing with Hermione was the one thing that irritated him more than everything else. Both of them were on their feet with their wands out. Draco was the first to send a curse her way. She repelled it quickly and spit out a curse of her own. Draco also repelled it.
"This is stupid, Granger. We could kill each other," Draco held up his hands. Hermione still looked like steam should be coming out of her ears, but she nodded and lowered her wand. Draco took advantage of the situation and shouted another curse, giving Hermione ugly bat wings. He was so busy smirking at her appearance, he barely had time to think before she had given him an uncontrollable sneezing fit. While he was constantly sneezing, Hermione got rid of the unsightly bat wings. When Draco had recovered, he hit her with the Tickling curse. She collapsed onto the couch, giggling and gasping for air. She managed to mutter another curse between heaving breaths. A giant sticky orb flew towards Draco. He dove under the table to avoid it. If the orb caught him, it would fuse itself to the wall, and he'd be stuck there until the stickiness wore off. Twenty-four hours later. The orb kept barreling forwards and came in contact with the wall. Draco looked at it and froze. He scampered out from under the table and rushed towards the sticky orb. He reached out to touch it.
"NO! Don't touch it!" Hermione shouted. Draco froze, his hand centimeters away from the blue goop. The orb had plastered and fused itself right over the door. Hermione rushed over to it and surveyed the situation hopelessly. Then she turned to Draco.
"Malfoy, you IDIOT!"
"How is this my fault? You cast the goddamn curse!"
"You started it by telling me that I had to do all of the work."
"If I recall correctly, and I do, you were the one who decided to go on a 'let's-see-how-long-it-takes-to-piss-Draco-off spree!" Hermione rolled her eyes and stalked back to the couch.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. What matters is the fact that we are stuck in here...together, until eight o'clock tomorrow night."
"Shit...that means we're missing classes tomorrow," Draco brought up this point purposely so he could see Hermione's reaction. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in horror.
"Oh my god you're right! What am I going to do? I need to get the notes and homework from other people! But no one takes the notes I want!"
"You mean no one else writes down every single lecture word for word?" Draco asked, sardonically. Hermione shot him a warning glare.
"If we're going to be in here together for twenty-four hours, I suggest you stop being an ass."
"Why? Are you going to destroy all hope of getting out next time?"
"Very funny, Malfoy. You slay me," Hermione muttered sarcastically. Draco rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch next to her. Hermione watched him out of the corner of her eye, preparing for any sort of defensive maneuver incase he tried to curse her again. Finally, he chuckled.
"Why are you so tense?" He asked.
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. As soon as I sat down, you got extremely tense."
"Maybe because you tried to curse me into oblivion five minutes ago," Hermione explained in a voice of strained calm. Draco chuckled again.
"You take things so personally, Granger. It's not like I'm going to try to curse you every chance I get just because we had a war five minutes ago."
"Why not?"
"It's stupid. Besides, I just got all my anger out by having that silly battle."
"So you're not pissed off at me?"
"Let's not suggest miracles, Granger, but I can certainly tolerate you now." Hermione was very confused, and decided that it was better if she didn't press the matter. They lapsed into silence and just stared at the fire for about ten minutes. Then Draco sighed.
"Is this really how we're going to spend our time? Just sitting here, staring into the fire?"
"Why not? At least we're getting along."
"I'll bet we could get along having a conversation."
"Ha. I doubt that."
"So, seriously, then. I'll bet you my hardcover special edition version of Hogwarts: A History that we can have a pleasant conversation at some point during the next twenty-four hours."
"You really are delusional."
"The rules are, you can't sabotage the deal by trying to make conversations fail. After all, would you rather have a conversation, or engage in another battle to the death that might trap us in here for an eternity? And if I win, then you have to answer one question."
"What kind of question?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Whatever I happen to come up with. Just one." Hermione slowly processed the thought. Chances were slim that they would actually converse in a positive manner. She had the better chance of winning. And she had always wanted the special edition of Hogwarts: A History. Even if she did lose, it was one question. How horrifying could that be? After mulling it over, Hermione held out her hand.
"Deal. You're on, Malfoy." Draco shook her hand, grinning.
"Ready to lose?" He asked. Hermione shook her head at him and curled up on the couch. Draco decided that it would be a good idea to let silence take over for a little longer. Fifteen minutes later, he was ready to engage in friendly conversation.
"So, Granger...had any gentlemen callers?"
"Excuse me?"
"Had any boyfriends?" Draco clarified. Hermione shot him a look.
"I knew what you meant."
"Good. So then answer my question."
"Do I have to?"
"No, but I don't see the harm." Hermione paused for a moment to realize that he was right. There was no harm in her answering his question.
"A few."
"How long did they last?"
"Not long. It was usually like muggle boys over the summers."
"Muggle boys? You can do better than that."
"If you're suggesting that muggle boys are inferior to wizards, then you had better get a reality check. Muggle boys are just as decent as wizards, if not more. The muggle race is very similar to the magical community. There are the nice boys who respect a girl, but there are those who are arrogant jerks. Like you."
"Thanks for the lecture, Granger."
"You should honestly work on your people skills. You're not going to be very popular in the work area."
"What if I want to work alone?"
"Why do you enjoy solitude so much? It's definitely not healthy."
"It's easier than working with people."
'Why would you say that?"
"When you're working with people, you have to worry about who is the leader, and who is doing what they're supposed to be doing. You have to worry about whether everyone likes you or not, or whether you're going to let the entire group down by not doing something right."
"What's the appeal of working alone?"
"You get to be your own boss. You don't have to worry about anyone but yourself. If you screw something up, then you're only hurting yourself. It's just easier."
"But then how will you meet her?"
"Meet who?"
"The future Mrs. Draco Malfoy?"
"Who said there was going to be a future Mrs. Draco Malfoy?"
"No one, but you're not going to spend your entire life alone, are you?"
"The idea is alluring, but I know I'm eventually going to have to interact with people."
"You're not going to be one of those people who seclude themselves in the middle of a forest and have no contact with anyone, are you?"
"I'm not that extreme. I just don't like being around people much."
"Is there any particular reason for that?"
"Not really. I guess I just don't trust anyone."
"Did a relationship go bad or something?"
"How did you suddenly think about my past relationships?"
"Usually loss of trust comes from a relationship that went sour. Did something like that happen?"
"No. My dad used to lie to a lot of people. He used to lie right to their faces while looking them straight in the eyes. Then he would betray them, usually kill them, and he would feel no guilt about it whatsoever. I was always some what nervous that he would do something like that to me."
"That's awful."
"Yeah...well, how about you, Granger? How did your past relationships go?"
"I already told you-"
"No, I mean like how far did you go?"
"What?" Draco groaned.
"Come on, do I have to spell it out for you?"
"No...I just think this is an extremely personal topic and you're the last person I would talk to about that sort of thing." Draco laughed and sprawled himself on the couch, leaving Hermione little room to get comfortable herself.
"First of all, I'd like to say that if I had the choice, you'd be the last person I'd talk to on this personal level. But secondly, I'd also like to say that this is no ordinary night. How often do you get trapped in a room with your worst enemy?" Hermione raised her eyebrows.
"Are you saying that we're here because of fate?"
"It could be. I'm also saying that perhaps this happened to us so that we can settle our differences in twenty-four hours and bridge the rift in our relationship."
"It makes sense, Malfoy, it truly does. But only if you believe in that sort of thing."
"And I take it that you don't?"
"Never have. That's why I don't get along too well with Professor Trelawney and that ridiculous Divination crap," Hermione spat out the last few words, making Draco laugh again. Hermione looked up into his eyes when he laughed. He wasn't laughing at her. Nor was he laughing at the expense of anyone else. He was simply...laughing. Like a normal guy. In that moment when she realized this, she barely perceived that she was looking at Draco Malfoy. Upon looking into his eyes, she noticed that the traces of loneliness were gone and replaced with contentment. It seemed odd that their situation could bring upon contentment. Then looking inside of herself, she found that she was no longer distressed either. In fact, she was completely at peace. It was as though they had both chosen to be there instead of forced to be there.
"You never answered my question, Granger," Draco pointed out impatiently.
"I'm not sure I want to."
"Come on, freckle face, nothing leaves this room."
"You swear?" Hermione demanded. Draco raised his right hand.
"I swear on my own life and yours," He declared solemnly.
"All right, then. Just kissing."
"That's all? That's bloody all?" Draco exclaimed, loudly. Hermione laughed.
"Were you expecting me to be a whore?"
"I guess not, but I was expecting a bit more than just kissing."
"Then I suppose I'm not the girl you expected me to be."
"I suppose not."
ðððððððððð
"Tell me about your childhood, Granger. Unless of course it wasn't a good one," Draco amended. Hermione shook her head.
"I didn't have a bad childhood. I don't remember much of it though."
"Come on! Hit me with all the sappy memories that will make me want to throw up," Draco pleaded. Hermione laughed.
"I don't know where you want me to start."
"You could start with your birthday."
"May fourteenth."
"I'm a February third person, myself."
"Born cold, always cold then?" Hermione asked.
"I'm not that cold hearted, am I?"
"Absolutely." He stared her directly in the eyes with a serious expression.
"I'm sorry then." Hermione thought he was being an ass again, but as she continued to stare into his eyes, she was surprised at the true sincerity. They remained in silence for a few long moments before Hermione spoke.
"You're not the person you pretend to be, are you?"
"No, I'm really not."
"But it's not your fault, right?"
"Not directly."
"Whose fault is it?"
"My father's."
"But he's-he's..."
"I know he's dead. But he's been raising me like this since I was born. That's an extensive period of time to erase," Draco pointed out.
"Yes, you're right. Who does your father want you to be?"
"An apathetic, cold hearted bastard who doesn't feel anything but hatred and pain."
"He wants you to be a Death Eater?"
"Pretty much."
"Who do you want to be?"
"If I could have a carbon copy of anyone's personality, I'd want yours."
"Mine?"
"Of course. Do you realize how many people look up to you? How many people respect you?"
"People respect you, though."
"They all respect me for the wrong reasons. They fear me. They respect me because they feel that if they don't, they'll be in trouble. People choose to respect you because you're perfect."
"Perfect? No one on earth can be absolutely perfect. It's not possible."
"You make it possible. You're just so perfect. You're brilliant. You're friendly. You're loyal. You're-" Draco paused in the middle of his sentence. Hermione watched him, waiting for him to continue, but he just sat there.
"I'm what?"
"Huh?"
"You started to say that I'm something...but then you stopped."
"Oh. Forget I did that. It's dumb."
"But-"
"Please drop it, Granger?" Normally, Hermione would protest, but a certain urgency in his voice made her compassionate towards him. Another silence encompassed the pair.
"What about your childhood, Malfoy?" A flash of pain passed quickly through his eyes.
"It was not a happy one."
"I'm sorry...do you want to talk about it?"
"I've never told anyone about it before. Actually, I've never really been with people I felt would understand." Hermione nodded. Draco looked at the girl sitting a few inches away on the couch. She was staring at him with warm brown eyes. They melted right through his icy exterior and somehow made him feel comfortable. Her skinny legs were tucked underneath her and her fingers were playing with a silver ring that had been on her left hand. Her hair was framing her petite face, accentuating her high cheekbones. Draco could describe her only as beautiful. Beautifully perfect. Perfectly amazing.
"I want to tell you about it," Draco finally said. Hermione gave him an uneasy glance.
"I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me anything at all-"
"I want to tell you," Draco stated firmly. Hermione fell silent and nodded. Draco took a deep breath and prepared to speak. "It started when I was five I think. My father used to go away for days at a time. When he was gone, my mother was very sullen. She kept to herself and ignored me completely. When my father came home, he would have this strange smile. I always used to think that he was happy to be home. Anyway, he would keep smiling like that for the rest of the day, maybe even two or three days. After his good mood wore off, he became easily irritated. One exceptionally loud chew at the dinner table would send him into a fit of rage. Then he would go out for another week or so, and he would come back in a good mood."
"As I got older, I started to realize that my father wasn't smiling because he was happy to be home. Even though I knew this, I couldn't figure out a reason as to why he would be smiling in such a way. Let me tell you, Malfoy Manor is not a cheery place. It's one of the dankest, most desolate places I have ever been to. And I have been to some horrible areas. In fact, as I think about it now, my childhood could have been drastically improved if I had just been raised in a more positive environment. I'm straying from my point. So anyway, three days after my father had come back from where ever he had gone, he was happier than ever. I didn't question him. That would have been foolish on my part. What I ended up doing was even more ridiculously moronic. I heard him telling a house elf that the drawing room was to be prepared for later. I decided that I wanted to find out what was making my father so happy." Draco paused here for a moment. The memories flooding through his mind were vividly horrendous and terrifying. Hermione watched the fear in his eyes, and instinctively touched his hand. Shocked at first, Draco almost jumped off the couch. Then, realizing that it was a comfort gesture, he seized the opportunity to take her hand. Initially, they both shared confusion with how comfortable they felt holding hands. Then Draco decided to continue. The sooner he got his story out, the better.
"My father had purchased an invisibility cloak. They're extremely rare and all, but money buys everything. So I took the cloak and hid in the drawing room until my father entered. Three more men entered, and I recognized them as men from my father's business. I had yet to learn that these men were all Death Eaters. My father cleared his throat and three burly men brought in a stunned family. There was a father, a mother, and a little girl, no older than five. When the room was secure, my father removed the stunning curse."
"Well, well, well. James Wakefield. I have been waiting for the day when I could have you in my home," Lucius sneered at the man.
"If it's me you're looking for, Lucius, then release my family. They have done nothing."
"Really? I was under the impression that your family knew that you were an Auror."
"Lucius, they are muggles. They know nothing," Wakefield pleaded. A sick, twisted smile crossed Lucius Malfoy's face. He approached them slowly, menacingly.
"You married a muggle, Wakefield? I must say, I am disappointed," Lucius drawled. Then he turned on the little girl. "And you have a daughter. How precious. What's her name?" The little girl stared up at Lucius with bright blue eyes swimming with tears. She was frightened out of her mind.
"Sarah," Wakefield replied reluctantly. Lucius lowered himself to look Sarah directly in the eyes.
"Hello, Sarah. Did you know your daddy has magical powers?"
"Get away from her, Lucius!" Wakefield demanded, starting towards Lucius. One of the three burly men intervened and held Wakefield back. Mrs. Wakefield appeared to be frozen to the spot. Sarah backed away from Lucius and ran into her mother's arms, crying softly.
"So, James, how's the Auror business going?"
"If you must know Lucius, you're going to make a nice addition to the several Death Eaters I have just sentenced to Azkaban." Lucius chuckled in a low, harsh tone. The hairs on the back of Draco's neck stood on end and a shiver slid down his spine.
"Do you honestly think I'm going to let you go?"
"I don't care if you keep me, Lucius, but let my family go. My wife has no idea what's going on, and you're scaring my daughter," Wakefield demanded, trying to sound confident and strong. Lucius had already weakened him.
"I can't let them go after all they have seen and heard."
"What are you going to do with them?"
"Just what I'm going to do with you," Lucius replied in a calm voice. Then he pulled his wand out of his pocket and the smile Draco recognized returned to Lucius' face. First, his wand was pointed directly at Wakefield. Then, without warning, he lowered it and pointed it at Sarah.
"Crucio," He muttered. Sarah's scream echoed through the drawing room, piercing the cold air. Wakefield was shouting threats and curses at Lucius, who merely smiled and continued to torture the little girl. Mrs. Wakefield had to be held back by another henchman. Draco didn't even try to listen to the protests of Mr. and Mrs. Wakefield. Sarah's screams were the only sounds he could hear. Lucius finally relented, leaving Sarah in a shuddering heap on the cold, stone floor. The strange smile on Lucius' face was still there.
"You should have joined under Lord Voldemort, Wakefield. Even if evil is defeated, they don't go down without tearing and clawing at the good," Lucius whispered dangerously. Then he turned to his cohorts. "Now then, leave the girl. Take the mother. Do what you want with her, but be sure that James is there to watch." Lucius' eyes glittered with such maliciousness, he almost looked demonic. Mrs. Wakefield paled and started to struggle against the men who were holding her tightly. Draco closed his eyes and tried to make it all go away when she started screaming as they dragged her away. Soon the room was empty except for Draco, Lucius, and Sarah. Sarah was crumpled up on the floor, sobbing quietly. Her fragile body was shaking violently. Lucius knelt down on the floor next to her. Draco had a horrible feeling in his stomach. Lucius was not about to comfort her.
"You're a strong little girl, Sarah. Most girls your age would have died. We're going to have to try a different method for you." Draco closed his eyes tightly and held his ears. He could still hear his father's voice say, "Avada Kedrava." When Draco opened his eyes, his father was directly in front of him, smiling his sick, twisted smile.
"Did you enjoy that, Draco?" His father asked, quietly. Draco remained stationary and silent. Lucius ripped off the invisibility cloak. "Didn't that give you chills? This is your future, Draco. This is what I'm training you for." Lucius pointed at the lifeless girl on the floor. Draco felt his heart rate speed up. Not from excitement or any of the emotions that his father was expecting him to feel. But from fear. Terror. All Draco wanted, was to be anywhere but right there.
Draco's eyes were filled with tears when he finished explaining about Sarah. Hermione's hand was closed tighter around his, and she was instinctively leaning closer to him. Draco looked at Hermione and broke into a weak smile.
"I feel like a complete idiot now," He confessed, wiping his eyes with his free hand. Hermione laughed gently and wiped her own eyes.
"Nothing leaves this room, remember?" Draco went serious again.
"You swear? I really don't want anyone else to know about that. It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life," Draco shuddered. Then he cracked a smile again. "And no one should know that I was crying either." Hermione laughed and nodded.
"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." When they trailed off into silence, Draco's stomach grumbled loudly. They both looked at each other oddly before breaking out into laughter.
"Is there any food in here? I think I might be hungry," Draco released Hermione's hand and stood up. Trying to hide the disappointment of breaking contact with him, Hermione stood up as well and began to search the room. Draco rummaged through his book bag and found a bag of dinner rolls he had taken with him.
"I found some dinner rolls," He called to Hermione, digging into the package.
"Why do you have dinner rolls?"
"I don't like to eat dinner in the Great Hall. I take some rolls back with me so I can have a little something while I'm studying."
"You study right through dinner? And I thought I was hard core," Hermione took a roll and ripped off a piece.
"Only if I have a lot of homework, or a big test or something," Draco admitted, biting off a huge chunk of bread.
"So what else do you have inside that bag of yours?" She asked. Draco poked around in his bag. He pulled out one of his folders and began leafing through it.
"God, would you believe every paper in here is a note from Pansy?"
"I believe it," Hermione replied, truthfully. If Pansy ruled the world, she would have herself surgically attached to Draco. Draco winced as he read through some of the notes. Then he started pulling them out and crumpling them up. Absentmindedly, he chucked them aside. The eighth one he threw ended up hitting Hermione in the face.
"Ouch!" She exclaimed. Draco dropped his folder.
"Oh my god, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" He apologized quickly. Hermione picked up one of the paper wads and beamed it at his head.
"As I didn't mean to do that," She grinned at him. They remained frozen for a split second before they scrambled to grab the paper wads. It became a paper war. Wads of parchment were flying through the air. Some missed, some hit right in the face. Using the furniture as blockades, the battle raged on. Draco couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so hard. Probably when Weasley had coughed up slugs. That was pretty hilarious. But the paper war surpassed that by far. His stomach actually hurt from laughing so much. Hermione was practically tearing from laughter. It was making her clumsy as well. If she was running and laughing at the same time, there was a good chance that she would trip over something and fall. After awhile, Hermione was running exceptionally fast, and she stumbled over her own two feet. She yelped and crashed into Draco. They collapsed to the floor in a heap. Hermione was lying on top of Draco, still laughing her head off. Draco was breathing heavily between the constant laughing and the running.
"Sorry about that!" Hermione gasped, still lying on top of Draco.
"It's quite all right. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself when you landed?"
"No. I had a nice soft cushion," She smiled at him. "Are you okay? I landed on you pretty hard."
"I think I'm okay. I didn't pass out yet, so I'm pretty sure I'm fine." Hermione managed to laugh some more. Then, exhausted, she let her head fall and rest on Draco's shoulder. Draco was paralyzed with shock for a moment. He wasn't exactly sure what to do. So he just laid there, with Hermione on top of him.
"That was fun," Hermione murmured.
"Yeah," Draco replied, yawning.
"Someone sounds tired," Hermione commented. Draco rolled over, pushing Hermione to the floor. "Oh thanks a lot!" She exclaimed, sarcastically. Draco grinned at her.
"Sorry, babe. I'm going to take a nap," He apologized and stood up. He collapsed onto the couch and sighed. It had been a long day.
"Draco! You were supposed to be up an hour ago!" Lucius snapped, ripping the covers off of Draco's bed. The cold winter air surrounded Draco's bare skin and he shivered. "Get dressed!" Draco wanted to kill himself right then and there. He was fourteen. The proper age to accompany his father on his missions when he came home for Christmas vacation. Draco would rather spend the holidays with the Weasley's. Unfortunately, if he didn't do what his father said, he would sorely regret it. In a somnolent manner, Draco got up and dressed. He met his father in the drawing room, where they prepared to travel by Floo powder.
"The Shrieking Shack!" Lucius boomed when he stepped into the fire. There was a bright green flash and he was gone. Draco followed. When he stepped out of the fireplace, the victims Lucius was about to kill were already there being supervised by the Death Eaters.
"What is our crime, Lucius? Why have you brought my son here?" A tall man with sandy blonde hair demanded. Lucius chuckled a frighteningly low chuckle.
"You are a muggle, are you not?"
"Yes."
"And your wife is a muggle?"
"Was," The man corrected, looking down at the floor. Lucius rolled his eyes. He had no patience for that sort of thing. The boy was about ten years of age with brown hair and dark brown eyes.
"But your boy is a wizard."
"Got the letter yesterday."
"That makes him a mudblood. Do you know what that means?"
"That is extremely foul language to use in front of my son, Lucius! I may not be a wizard, but that doesn't mean I do not converse with people in the wizarding world."
"My boy, Draco, is a pureblood wizard. He belongs in Hogwarts. Now...your son on the other hand...does not belong in a wizard school. He is not a pure wizard."
"What does that have to do with anything, Lucius? He's just as capable of magic as your son."
"That's where you're wrong, foolish muggle," Lucius glared at the man before turning to Draco. "Draco, show this man what you are capable of. Kill the boy." Draco's stomach dropped to the floor when he heard his father's orders. The ten year old boy suddenly paled and clung to his father with ultimate desperation. The moment Draco saw the fear in the little boy's eyes, he became certain that he could never do it. It didn't matter what his father would do to him for disobeying his orders. There was absolutely no chance of him ever killing anyone. Ever.
"No, father," Draco muttered. Lucius turned on Draco and stared at him with flashes of danger in his rock hard eyes.
"What did you say, Draco?" Lucius asked in a malevolent whisper.
"I said, no. I'm not killing anyone."
"God bless you, Draco," The man whispered. Draco barely heard him. He was barely thinking about anything besides what his father was about to do.
"You will regret embarrassing me, Draco. And you will dearly regret disobeying my orders," Lucius growled. Then he quickly turned and killed both the man and his son before Draco's eyes. "Your disobedience did not save their lives, and you will still be punished for it." With the utterance of one word, excruciating pain shot through every inch of Draco's body, and he cried out in anguish.
"Malfoy! Malfoy, wake up!" Hermione shook Draco gently. Draco's eyes flew open suddenly, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god."
"What's wrong?"
"I was just about to ask you the same question," Hermione replied, looking at him worriedly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You were just screaming your head off in your sleep. Scared me half to death."
"I was?"
"Yes. I'm surprised you didn't wake the entire castle! Are you all right?" Draco sat up and ran his hand through his hair. He suddenly remembered what he had been dreaming about and he shivered.
"I just had a nightmare."
"Oh...was it about what you told me before?" Hermione asked quietly. Draco nodded, avoided eye contact. Hermione took his hand gently and stroked his arm with her fingertips absentmindedly. "I'm here if you want to talk about it."
"I really just want to forget it ever happened," Draco admitted. Hermione nodded.
"I understand. Don't worry."
"Thank you," Draco looked at her with a weak smile on his face. Hermione smiled back. A weird sensation drifted through Hermione. It was almost as though she enjoyed being trapped in a room with Draco Malfoy. She was almost positive that she was going out of her mind when she thought this, but she couldn't quite deny it.
Sorry if this comes out in a different font than the rest of it. My computer decided that it was amusing to mess around with my head. Wow and half, that was a really long chapter. It's all I have at this point, so be patient. Chapter four will be up as soon as I can finish it, I swear