A/N-> Yes yes, I know I haven't updated in forever but work is a pain in the arse. And then I have eating and sleeping problems where I had to go to the hospital and get bloodwork done and god, it's just horrible. But I don't have to work for another 4 hours today so I decided to write the next part to this and update as I had ideas. Hope you all enjoy. Please review!

SammyM -> I wuv joo...ummm daint...superstore seems to be our new hangout place. hope you enjoy.

Monica7725 -> Omg, I thought we had something! I really thought we did! sigh well fine then, I guess this is the end of us. I think we're going to have to break up now! Oh! The heartbreak and the tragedy!

drunkonlife -> I think Hermione would've been more shocked that she was actually there to batt an eyelash, and my guess is they left the door open.

CrapEmotions -> Glad I rock. Sweet. I'm hard as nails. Hope you like this chappie.

preciousonee -> Dun dun dun Lucius...oh boy. I forgive you for not reviewing right away. It's not like I've been able to update right away. Though my thinker is at work right now and you might have another update sooner then you think!

ILoveMyDraco -> How for art thou I adore thee? One day we should write a fic together, kinda like Sam and I do, but make ours more serious. You write a chappie, I write a chappie. It could be great! I've been looking for someone to do one with. You're so full of ideas! Tis great!

Chapter 19 (can you believe we're at that number already!) Dancing Shadows

Hermione walked cautiously down the dark hallways by herself. She was doing her midnight rounds which she ended up doing alone because Draco had detention with McGonagall (and trust me, she was not thrilled that one of the Heads misbehaved in class).

Hermione knew she needed to be more cautious these days with Lucius on the loose. She knew for a fact that he wouldn't be too thrilled about his pureblood son dating a muggleborn girl. Dirty blood and Pure didn't mix in his world.

She continued down the hallways that were dimly lit. The flames from the torches were dying down slightly leaving ghostly shadows on the walls that danced in tribal-like routines. It was as if they were enchanted to do that sort of thing.

Had they always been like this? Had she just not noticed them before? Hermione was pretty sure that these shadows would have been mentioned in 'Hogwarts: A History" and she was also pretty sure she hadn't recalled it in it. And she had the book memorized by now.

Hermione stopped at the sense that someone was following her, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of the shadows, they were entrancing her, drawing her in, making her want to make the strange movements with them. She couldn't control herself as a voice echoed inside her head for her to dance with them.

She could feel her body moving to the beat of the flame, but was it really her doing it? Her body sped up, as if not wanting to stop, but deep down, she could feel the need and the want to stop. What was going on? It was almost like she was under the Imperius Curse.

Hermione suddenly fell to the floor, scraping her leg, leaving a long gash that was slowly but surely turning a deep crimson. It was then that someone stepped out of the shadows. "Ms. Granger, how lovely to see you. Didn't you know that you shouldn't walk down dark hallways by yourself?" came the voice of Lucius Malfoy.

Draco walked silently back to his common room alone. He was used to doing rounds at this time of night with Hermione, but stupid McGonagall gave him detention for laughing behind Nevilles back for not transfiguring the cushion into a full mattress. It wasn't Draco's fault that the boy was terrible at everything that he did.

He walked toward the common room. For some reason the hallways seemed darker than usual, and Draco couldn't seem to figure out why. Maybe this happened every so often. It's not like Draco knew everything about the school like Hermione did. But that could be from her multiple readings of "Hogwarts: A History". He didn't know how she could do it. He could only ever read a book once.

He walked into the common room, rubbing his aching shoulders. Never again in his life would he say that muggles had it easy, especially when it came to cleaning. Scrubbing the floors was not what he had planned on. Sure, he could've cleaned out cages, but was she trying to get him to have an injury before the upcoming quidditch match? Obviously, as it was between Slytherin and Gryffindor. Well he'd show her that he won this match.

He sunk into the arm chair, expecting Hermione to arrive back at any moment, but she didn't. A feeling which Draco couldn't identify, grew inside the pit of Draco's stomach until it filled him up inside.

Suddenly there was a rapping at the window and Draco's head spun around as he saw his mother's owl rapping on the window. Why would his mother's owl be here? And at this precise moment when he feared something had happened to Hermione. He quickly opened the window letting the dark owl into the room. It dropped a letter off into his hands and was about to take off, but not before scratching his arm, leaving a deep gash.

Draco cursed as the owl flew out the window and in the direction that he was certain was Hogsmeade. He clutched his arm and headed towards the bathroom. He opened the door and headed for a cotton towel that was lying on the floor. He wrapped the gash in it and could see the blood seeping through.

He headed back out into the common room to the lamp light. He took the envelope which he had dropped while heading to the bathroom and sat down on a chair, expecting it to be a letter lecturing him about his marks or maybe even Hermione, but it was worse than he had expected.

"Draco,

I have your precious mudblood that you seem to be all worked up over. Now if you follow my orders along with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, then maybe we'll spare her, but that is highly doubtful. If you wish to fight for her to have her back, well then, be my guest, but your life will come to an end sooner than you can say Avada Kedavra. If you follow the path in Hogsmeade to a rocky edge which goes up into the hills, you'll find me and this filth of a girl in one of the caves. You don't have long, she doesn't seem like she can take the torturing much longer, so if I were you I'd hurry.

Your Father"

Draco dropped the letter. He could almost hear his father drawling at that very moment that he was a coward for not coming to battle him like a man.

Draco sighed and picked up his wand. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't really want to do it. Well, he did, just to get Hermione back, but the thought of facing his father after betraying him, well that didn't exactly appeal to him.

Draco tapped himself with his wand to Illusion himself. He could afford to be caught leaving the school.

Thank god tomorrows not a school day, Draco thought as he trudged down the hallways.

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