"Granger?" thought Draco to himself. He was sitting in his large spacious room at the Malfoy Manner, sinking in his little talk he just had with his father.

- FlAsHbAcK

"Draco, could you please come down!" Narcissa's voice came gliding through the Malfoy Manner. "Your Father is home!"

Draco slowly walked down the stairs from his room and entered the lounging room.

"Hello Father" came his voice, a little tense than he expected. He strode over to his father, and putting a professional hand out, shook his hand. He usually found it difficult to talk to his father. His father definitely made himself a role model for Draco, and did the best for Draco by teaching him 'the tricks of the trade'. But sometimes, Draco wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. He definitely didn't want to become a Death Eater, and he also didn't want to become a typical Auror, who actually hunted death eaters, so he was a little stuck between worlds, which depressed him, and make him wonder why he had to think so differently from other people, and just accept, that he, like his well known wealthy father, will become a death eater.

"Sit." his father ordered, and with that, Draco took a seat across from his father. His father eyed him very closely. "You're a very handsome young man, Draco."

Draco found himself blushing. He didn't think of this as a comment and found it rather embarrassing. He looked towards his mother, and she was smiling a somewhat evil, yet hungry look.

"Err … Thank you Father." Draco's voice seemed a little embarrassed.

Lucius sat back in his chair, relaxing, although deep in thought, trying to manage how to say what he needed to say in a clear, but cool manner.

"This is your last year at Hogwarts."

Draco nodded.

"Head boy as well! Very proud of you son." Lucious gave a superior smile. "You've got to be the smartest boy in the school!" It was strange to hear his father call him 'son'. It wasn't a common word that was brought up in a Malfoy conversation. They tended to keep things more formal to show that they were capable of living independently and didn't need to rely on anyone.

"Though, a lot of people seem to think I pay for my marks." Said Draco, remembering all the taunting remarks he would get from the filthy Gryffindors.

Ignoring this, Lucious went on. "You are due to wed soon."

Draco shot a quick glance at his father.

Draco thought back to his last conversation with his father. "Pansy Parkinson". Draco shuddered at the thought. He didn't mind being betrothed to someone, but Pansy Parkinson. Draco always thought of her as so typical. Although she had the looks, he didn't want a wife who managed to have a crush on every Slytherin that walked past her. A Malfoy was much more higher class than that.

"There has actually been a change of plans." Came Lucius' voice, distracting Draco from his thoughts. Lucius eyed Draco carefully. Watching his every face expression, to distinguish his every thought.

"A change?" Asked Draco somewhat confused. "Is that possible?" Once someone was betrothed, they were bound to each other for the rest of their life.

"It's the Dark Lords request." Lucius' voice was very serious now. "Draco, do you believe in prophecy's?"

"Of course I do Father!" Said Draco.

"Would you believe us, if we were to say, that one was made for you?"

Draco thought about what he had just said. He had never thought of a prophecy being made for him. He didn't really like the thought of himself being forced into fate. Wouldn't that mean, that you can't even control your own life?

"Then I would believe you." Draco's reply had been very slow. He looked towards the fire that was burning in the fireplace, not wanting to look towards his father. He was expecting that his father was going to go on about death until -

"Hermione Granger." At the sound of that name, Draco looked directly at his Father.

"Hermione Granger?" Asked a very confused Draco.

"She would have to be the most smartest witch at Hogwarts, is she not?" Asked Lucius matter-of-factly.

"Yes" sighed Draco. She had always been ahead of Draco no matter how hard he tried. So smart, intelligent and …

"Beautiful, wouldn't you say?"

Draco looked at his Father in a shocked state. What was he suppose to say? What was his father implying? If he said "yes" than his father would consider him a traitor, but then again, her beauty is quite obvious, so if he said "No", then his father would consider him a liar.

"I guess so …" Draco's voice trailed off and was hoping he gave his father the right answer, whatever that might be.

"The heir of the Dark Lord will be the next powerful figure to both good and evil. His father will be a pureblood - the wealthiest of all, and His mother will be muggleborn, - the smartest of all." Lucius sounded as though he was reading from a book. Lucius took this chance to look directly as his son. Draco's face expression showed confusion as if he was just playing a character in a dream. "A prophecy has been made and planted for you. It's your fate, your destiny."

Lucius thought that Draco would rant in range and not believing what he had heard, but to his surprise he sat there, stunned and silent.

"To think, a Malfoy, the most powerful being in the world!" This voice came from his Mother Narcissa. His mother had always been attracted to power, though not enough to drive her to a Death-Eater, but enough to lead her to her present husband.
It was quite a shock when he heard her speak, since she had stayed silent throughout the whole talk. A small glint of light shone in her eyes, as if playing the future in her mind.
Draco saw that his father also smiled.

"Power Draco. It's all about Power! And to think, he'd be even more powerful than the Dark Lord himself. A Malfoy!" Lucius face showed triumph. "We will be the strongest pureblood family a wizard could ever see!"

Silence rang throughout the manner. Both parents were staring wildly at their only son with supremacy in their eyes.

"Excuse me Mother, Father. I just need to lay down for a bit."

Narcissa and Lucius watched as their son walked out of view and vanish up the stairs, heading for his room.

- EnD Of FlAsHbAcK -

Draco had always found Hermione quite interesting throughout his time at Hogwarts. She was different from the other girls, more vigilant and successful. She never based her life at Hogwarts by chasing all the guys at school, but stuck to her books. These books made her intelligent, which added to her elegance. She was not an immature girl at Hogwarts, but a woman, and that's why Draco found her so amusing.

Throughout his years at Hogwarts, he never really 'liked' Hermione; there was just something about her that intrigued him. He never really thought about being with her, or to be more correct, was scared to think of her because of her blood, but the fact that he HAS to be with her, made the situation a lot easier to handle in the mind. She was full of surprises. Along with her natural beauty came her intelligence and that was very rare quality at Hogwarts.

"Damn that Weasley and Potter" thought Draco to himself. They would make it extremely difficult for Draco to speak to her, let alone even look at her! He had never got on well with King Potter and pitiable Weasley. Nearly everyone in the school seemed to look up to them both, and just the sight of them would drive Draco mad.

"This is going to be a very interesting year" he thought to himself.