A/N: Sorry this one took a little while longer, things have been super busy, but I promise I'll finish this story no matter what, as long as I have helpful and inspiring reviews of course (raises eyebrow at readers)

… … …

The following time spent at Malfoy Manor was the most uncomfortable and awkward yet, not to mention the most horrible, which was really unfortunate for Hermione because she had finally accepted the fact that she would be there for awhile. The cruel irony plagued at her when she realized that when she absolutely hated it there and couldn't wait to escape, Draco, as well as the rest of the family was, at least, fake nice to her and took her out a lot.

Now, when she was willing to stay to fulfill her Order duties, Draco was a bigger ass than ever.

But that was nothing compared to Lucius.

The next morning upon hearing that Hermione ventured out on the grounds with a strange man without insisting that Draco go with, he stormed her room.

First the shady incident regarding the picnic, now helping a professional vampire slayer? He wasn't about to let her think she could get away with little incredulous things. Letting her get too comfortable, letting her feel a little too safe, a little too liberated, would only bring trouble. It would start giving her rash ideas. What choice did Lucius have but to stomp out any inkling the little mudblood might have at escape attempts?

Hermione knew the instant he barged into her room that he was there to scare her back into line. But she was no fool. It didn't take an idiot to inference that Voldemort had specifically ordered Lucius not to harm her for the time being. He had said it before, she couldn't be seen with any black eyes.

The shouting and crashing match that ensued was enough to rise Draco out of his quarters to see what was going on. Never before had he witnessed anyone stand up to his father before. She was throwing chalices and golden miniatures from the fireplace mantel at him as he was screeching threats at her, trying to gather up her CD's and take them back.

"You will do exactly as you are told in this household!" he screamed, narrowly ducking out of the way of a flying lamp, "How DARE you do anything like that! You will never again do anything that would give anyone ANY REASON to suspect that you are-" a glass mirror crashed on the wall behind him, "UP TO SOMETHING!"

"I didn't do anything!" Hermione was firing back, "I just did what I was asked to!"

Crookshanks was squealing and hissing, posed up in a giant puff ball, hissing at Lucius, the commotion scaring him immensely.

But perhaps Hermione was a little too outlandish, and under minded how cruel Lucius truly was. After a marble trinket had hit him square in the nose he dropped his arm full of CD cases and whipped out his wand.

"Crucio!" he bellowed, and a surprised Hermione took the all too familiar hit in the shoulder, causing to her cry out and dropped her next weapon of home décor.

Before Hermione could even re-open her eyes after shutting them tightly, holding in her moan of pain, letting only a deep guttural "ooh" escape her mouth, clutching her throbbing shoulder with her hand, Lucius had made his way to her and swiftly backhanded her right across her cheek.

"I wouldn't go forgetting who is in charge here again, mudblood," he barked harshly into her pain stricken face. He swiftly turned around; leaving the CD's behind but instead plucked up an unsuspecting Crookshanks from his spitting position on the floor by the loose skin of his neck. Draco had to move out of the way to avoid the flailing, clawing limbs of the hysterical cat as Lucius glided out of the door with the feline held an arms length away from himself.

He watched his father ominously storm down the hall, his hair flowing behind him with the cat struggling all the while until he turned the corner and the animal's angry squeals could no longer be heard. He looked back into the now disheveled bedroom at Hermione who was still clutching her shoulder. A tear escaped from her closed eye and it rolled slowly and silently down her cheek.

A million thoughts raced through Draco's mind in the few seconds he watched her, each making less and less relevant sense. He marveled at her bravery to kick and scream at Lucius, he was almost even jealous of it, but he also pitied her stupidity, since he could have told her there was no way she could ever win against him. The thing that amazed him most though, was that the curse hadn't even knocked her down to the floor. The idea that someone could be subjected to that curse enough that they could actually grow accustomed to it sickened him… and his skin crawled at the thought of enduring torture under the containment of Voldemort.

Finally Hermione opened her eyes and the emotion behind them startled Draco. She was looking right at him and there was no doubt in his mind what they were saying.

"You."

Him. He was the one who had made such a big deal to Lucius about Hermione leaving with the Vampire Slayer… because he knew perfectly well Lucius would punish her somehow. After all, that's what he thought he had wanted… like he was going to let the muggle get away with insulting him… but he never thought it would escalate to such heights.

"You," her eyes were saying, "You're the reason for this. You let him in here, you're why he was going to take my things, why he cursed me and slapped me and took my cat. You." He was positive of it. What he didn't know for sure though, simply because it was so ridiculous to conceive, was that Hermione's eyes weren't accusing him in an angry tone, but in a sad one.

Draco said nothing, and finally turned away from her doorway to return to his bed for a night without sleep.

Hermione began avoiding everyone all together. She spent her time watching the house-elves make meals, trying to figure out if they truly liked their jobs or not, or she lounged about in the library.

Lucius had been working a lot from home the last few days, giving Hermione no chances to go back to his office and exam things more closely, so, with nothing better to do she read book after book in the private seclusion of the library.

Believe it or not, she actually grew a little tired of reading, and took up a bit of writing.

Every now and then she'd run into Draco, who would be particularly cruel or rude for no reason whatsoever, which is why she began hiding in any room she could find. To her surprise it turned out those guest rooms were much more interesting than she had first realized.

In one she found an old blank journal accompanied by an inkwell full of disappearing ink. She decided it would be best to start documenting her stay, since the Manor was a labyrinth who knows how knowing where a particular room is located may come in handy. Not to mention, she'd need to take detailed notes about the documents she'd be getting a closer look at.

After drawing out her version map of the house Hermione found herself writing absent minded thoughts of her own in the margins. Soon dairy entries became a daily thing, not just updates of what's been going on, but Hermione thoughts and concerns soon became a constant occurrence.

"Perhaps at first Draco was too surprised by the circumstances (much like myself) that he forgot to be an ass. Maybe with the distraction he was in a state of delusion and knew I wasn't the source of the problem, so he absent mindedly didn't take his frustrations out on me. Well no need to worry now, he's back to his old horrid self.

"I wonder how much of him is dedicated to the Dark Arts. He seems to hate Lucius as well. I can't forget the way he felt when Voldemort came into the dining room, so stiff and tense….

"Is the Order watching me right now? Are they really just waiting for Voldemort's intentions to become clear before stepping in to get me? These thoughts are driving me insane.

"I've been here for a little over a week, and only for the first time has there been any sign of the public catching on to how fast things are moving. The engagement party is in a few days and from what I gather at dinner, Narcissa is hoping to have the wedding a week after that. That makes mine and Draco's courtship barely a month. People can be so stupid. I wonder what they'll do about it; it's quite the hole in the credibility of this scheme.

"I wonder what Ginny is doing right now. Hell, I wonder what they're all doing right now.

"Just found out today that Lucius told someone from the Prophet that Draco and I have been secretly dating for four months, and that I wore his promise ring for a whole month before our engagement was announced. Looks like he's thought of everything, that crafty son of a bitch…

"There was a hilarious article in the Daily Prophet today. Rita Skeeter claims to have interviewed Malfoy to address rumors about me being pregnant, hence the short engagement. He denies it all but it had him saying something like "We may be living in the same house but I swear on my honor as a gentleman that Hermione and I have guarded our carnal treasures, which will be heavenly enjoyed for the first time on our wedding night." I don't know what to laugh at first, Malfoy as a "gentleman" or a "virgin" or the preposterous concept of us "heavenly sharing our carnal treasures". I mean honestly, me shagging Malfoy? He caught me laughing about it, so I told him it was so hilarious because "it was on top of a list of impossible things that will never happen." Man was he an exceptionally horrible git after that, he cursed me for a solid five minutes. He gets worse everyday. Not as bad as Lucius though, who was also quoted in the article about how he raised Draco to treat woman like the precious things they are and that he's a "family man" with "strong moral principles" that he of course "expects Draco to exemplify as well". I nearly vomited.

"Malfoy is insufferable. Even when I say nothing to him he still finds a way to say something critical or cruel. Even the way he looks at me makes me feel like I must be disgusting or something. What's wrong with him? How can anyone act in such a way?

"I wonder if my parents got my letter. Merlin I wish I could write them again, it kills me to think of what I must be putting them through. There's no way in hell Malfoy would ever let me send an owl again though. I wonder why he did in the first place…

"I don't even want to sleep, even though I have nothing better to do. The horrible dreams are practically every night now. I almost can't wait for this stupid wedding to happen. Sounds crazy I know, but the sooner it happens the sooner this whole thing is over."

In between venting and recording things with her disappearing ink, Hermione was constantly bothered by Narcissa, who always needed to take Hermione to pick out flowers, caterers and see a hair consultant on her up-do for the wedding. Hermione thought it nauseating that Narcissa would be planning both an engagement party and a wedding.

One night's peace did come though, although Hermione didn't expect it.

Upon reaching the dining room one evening she found no one there. An elderly house elf told her Lucius and Narcissa were invited out to dinner by Cornelius Fudge and that dinner would not be served.

"I'd be happy to make you something though miss." He said.

"If you wouldn't mind," said Hermione, "I'd like to see if I could cook something up myself."

"No miss," the elf forced himself to say through clenched teeth, "we don't mind at all, help yourself."...

… … …

The growls in Draco's stomach led him away from his ballroom gym and into the kitchen.

He entered only to see what looked to be a half eaten pizza on the island, which was absurd since Lucius would never do anything like order for a delivered pizza, it was far too muggle-like. Upon looking closer he realized the pizza wasn't cooked. Also, it was topped with a variety of chopped vegetables. There was no red sauce, but only a little bit of some kind of white spread visible through the abundant toppings.

"A thousand apologizes Young master Malfoy," said an elf entering the kitchen suddenly, "I was just about to clean that up."

"It's alright, it's alright," said Draco, stopping the elf from touching it. "What is it?"

"Veggie pizza I believe, Miss Hermione had it for dinner."

"Really?" said Draco, "You've never made that for us before."

"She made it herself sir, insisted sir, I tried to prepare something for her sir, but like you she wanted to do it herself, I thought it best to just let her…"

"Yeah that's fine," said Draco finally, "It's ok that you didn't cook for her, and you can follow her instructions." He picked up a piece of the veggie pizza and took a bite of it, some of the broccoli sliding off.

The flat bread tasted homemade, and the white spread, possibly dill, was quite good as well. All in all Draco thought it was delicious. He thought smugly of Rita Skeeter interviewing them after their marriage, Hermione having something cooking in the oven while she rubbed his feet. 'Wouldn't be so bad after all, if everything was like this pizza,' said Draco.

What a funny thought, Hermione as a housewife. Happy and ladylike during the day to visitors and the public, a smoldering sex cat at night… just for him.

Oh wait, that was on the top of the list of "impossible things that will never happen."

'Damn it,' thought Draco… angry at himself for thinking of her like that again. He thought he had stopped. Apparently being mean to her wasn't doing the trick, as much as he hated to admit it he was still attracted to her...

… … …

……… 'Smile', Hermione told herself, flipping her long curly black hair over her shoulder.

From across the room the young man smiled back.

'…Six feet, dark hair, thick eyebrows, overbite… it's got to be him', she thought in her head. "It is," said Harry's voice in her mind, clearly as her own. "Meet him," Harry continued to say. Taking a chocolate covered strawberry from a tray being walked by and nibbling on it seductively, she maintained eye contact with Ivan Karkaroff. It worked like a charm; the young man started making his way through the crowded ballroom.

"Nice," said Harry in her mind, his physical self being outside of the mansion, watching through a window in his invisibility cloak, "I'll be reconnecting with you in his room then. Remember, his father's office is just next to it, but the key is somewhere in Ivan's dwelling. I'll send out to you soon, but if you need me, just think strongly."

"Now vat is pretty thing like you doing at one of my fadder's boring business parties?" said Ivan, now right in front of her.

Hermione smiled wide, "I'm here with my father as well," she looked around, pouting dramatically, "Although, I don't know where he went off to, I've been so lonely and bored without him."

"Well then allow me to keep you company," said Ivan through squinted eyes, "Miss…"

"Natasha is just fine," said Hermione as Ivan took her hand to kiss it.

"Natasha IS fine," Ivan repeated snidely. Hermione giggled.

This was a little too easy. So easy Hermione couldn't help but feel that was about to change. Her job automatically seemed to feel a lot more vulnerable once Harry wasn't watching her. Whether she admitted it or not, she was afraid………