Disclaimer: I get nothing but pleasure and distraction for writing this. I have no rights over the characters

Yeay! Due to all the wonderful reviews I decided to keep updating this one. Thanks to everyone who reviewed :). Also, I do try to ensure that I catch any glaring mistakes or errors but I get exited to post a chapter once I finish it- so please notify me of any uncorrected errors.

seghen: no, i have not read Hannibal- just seen Silence of the Lambs...but wow! thanks for the comparison

Quinn Bella Riddle: am I H/Hr, R/hr or D/H...you'll have to find out, Muaawhhaha
strawberrylemonade520: "death eater draco" in character.. thanks, he's totally in character in my warped little world :)

"You bastard!" she slapped him. "You piece of shit!" she lunged at him, trying to claw his face.

Malfoy grabbed her wrists, a smile in his face.

"Ah, I knew it would be worth it" he told her, after she calmed down. "So now you have to prepare yourself for dinner tonight, shall we snog now or later- darling?" he asked.

"I'm not touching you" she hissed.

Draco pushed her back dismissively but so roughly that she fell to the ground. He turned away, pacing towards the door.

"Don't even dream that this whole wedding thing is going to happen. It's all a show. It's all to mock you and yours. The Dark Lord thought it would be a lovely idea to torture those two fools he's got chained up in there" he smiled. "I love the fact that you are aware of it and so will your little friends on the outside. It's going to be big news. We are hoping some of them will show to try to rescue you" he stated the last words sarcastically.

Hermione shook her head in disgust as he turned to face her.

"I have to get working on getting your Weasel free, preparing for the wedding and the next assault on muggle Europe. I don't want to have to worry about you, do you understand? Don't make me regret the bargain and change my mind"

Hermione stared at him. Their eyes met for a few seconds, a battle of wills. Was she really submitting to him? Was she really going to go along with it? Even she didn't know. All that mattered now, more than her pride and anything else, was getting Ronald free. She would deal with everything else later.

Draco was trying to read her mind, through her eyes. He could feel the hatred. There was something else there, she was plotting something. With her he could never tell. What was Weasley going to be worth anyway? He was a fool, he won't be any trouble once freed and he was going to be easy to kill while he was out with the rebels. Malfoy was going to set all his forces to chase him down like a dog, take him out once and for all. The boy was not going to last a week, so all that mattered was that he freed him this once.

He ran his hand through his blond hair as he turned back to the door and Hermione got a sudden memory of running her fingers through his hair- his hair had been very soft, like Ron's. She had felt his hair during one of the many memories he had forced her to relive, when she thought she was touching Ron, but instead had been touching him. Slowly standing up she cringed at her own thoughts: was Draco's hair really that soft? Or was it only the memory of Ron's that made her think it was.

Unable to help herself she lunged at him from behind and yanked on his hair- which turned out to feel exactly as she expected it to.

"You bloody…" he pried her hands from his hair. "Are you mad?"

"Just slightly!" she hissed. "After all, I did make a pact with the devil!"

She was seething, she hated him, she wanted to tear him to pieces with her hands and she was crying as she stared at him.

"You got the better end of the deal here, mudblood" he growled at her.

"You think so?" she stared him down. "I think you're the one who needs me. So how about I tell you that I don't have to worry about you? If you don't save Ronald, by god Malfoy, I will tear you apart"

Malfoy couldn't control the smile. He tried to keep it as minimal as possible. She was trying to threaten him, to intimidate him and he found it incredibly amusing. The last thing he wanted to do, however, was anger the harpy before him.

"So I take it no kiss and 'see you later honey'?" he mocked, unable to hold back.

She pushed away from him.

"Get lost"

Blaise Zabini's Apartment: Friday Afternoon:

"Ronald Weasley is being transferred to the site of his execution. Malfoy is going to partake in a mock-wedding, which will be used to lure some of the rebels to come to Hermione Granger's rescue. More than anything, though, I think the Voldemort wants Potter to witness the whole thing" Blaise Zabini shrugged his shoulder as he talked to Lavander Brown. "Think it might help crush him"

"Hmm, poor Ronald" she sighed.

"Poor Ronald indeed" Blaise sat up, leaving Lavander in behind in bed as he reached for his clothes. "I got to get to the Manor early, help prepare for this whole mess tonight"

"Are you going to come back for me or should I just meet you there?" Lavander asked reaching for her own clothes.

"I'll just meet you there. I'll be too busy tonight to come back" he reached for his shirt. "Did you sign your name on the list I gave you?"

"Yep" she smiled looking at him. He really was the most handsome man she had ever seen.

"Great, then you won't have a hard time getting in" he smiled taking the parchment and putting it in his jacket pocket. "Just close the door behind you"

"I'm really glad you called Blaise" she smiled.

"I'm glad I called too" he nodded before walking out. The list was now complete, time to hand it to Malfoy. Everyone who would be attending tonight had written their name on the parchment. What had happened between him and Lavander last night, that had just been an on the job bonus.

Malfoy Manor: Friday Afternoon

Ronald was to be burned to death. The site had already been built. At sunset the ceremony would start. That was only a few hours away. Ronald was being led by two armed men towards the raised platform where he was going to be tied and left to wait his death tonight.

He wasn't scared. Only Hermione kept going through his mind as he made his way to the gardens, across the courtyard. The platform was clearly in view now, but it made no difference to him.

'She's gone. She's gone' his mind would repeat over and over. His heart, however, would tell him that even though her mind was gone, her heart was still there. It was still Hermione, under Malfoy's lies and he should not be so accepting of death. He should be trying to rescue her. 'She's gone' his mind would repeat whenever an ounce of hope or any desire to do something stirred up in him.

It was no use trying to focus on that pain. The real pain, the one he was trying to hide, the one he didn't want to have while he died was the fact that Harry had betrayed him. Ron knew he had seduced her. Ron knew that he had not been content to be the boy who lived, the quidditch hero, everyone's favorite martyr, he also had to prove that he could have had her- if he wanted her. It made Ron sick to think like this. It made him sick to start down that train of thought because it led to the fact that Harry had failed- their little hero, his best friend, had let them all down and everything in his life was gone, everyone's lives had been destroyed.

'Harry didn't mean to fail' he would tell himself. 'No one feels this more than him' he would continue. His heart did not believe it, was Harry the biggest loser here? Had Harry's life been worth anything to him before the world came crashing down? Had he just led them on a crazy suicide mission because in the end he really had nothing to lose and a hero's title to gain? Had he been desperate enough for more glory that this had happened?

'Harry failed' he thought to himself. 'He wasn't supposed to fail. Had he just not tried hard enough? Had the cockiness he had developed in the last few months been the reason that Voldemort and his freaks had destroyed everything? Had Harry just thrown in the towel? Why had he failed? Why had he let them all down? Why had he ever trusted Harry Potter, a frail, darkhaired boy with really, really bad luck'

A small house-elf popped in front of him and stunned the two men beside him with a quick spell that shot past Ron. Ronald was so shocked by the occurrence he didn't have time to react and neither did his guards. Standing there as the two guards regained their footing all he could see now was Draco Malfoy heading their way.

"Stop him! He's trying to escape!" Malfoy shouted.

The two guards were reaching for their wands, but the small house elf bit the hand of the first guard to reach for his.

"Petrificus totalus!" Malfoy chanted and aimed his wand at the guard to Ron's left. Ron was running now, but he was running directly at Malfoy. "Stupefy!" he stunned the other guard.

Before Malfoy could cast a third spell, to stop Ron, he was on the ground with Ron pummeling him in the face. There was no thought to go for Malfoy's wand, no thought of escape, just the sheer bliss of feelings his fists collide with Draco Malfoy's face. He punched harder and harder, relentlessly feeling a bone break under his hand- this only made him want to punch harder.

"STOP!" a high pitched voice shouted.

Ron looked up. Hermione was running from the courtyard, she was dressed in a long white gown, with slim sleeves that reached her hands. Her hair was free and flying messily as she rushed towards the two men.

"Mione!" Ron stood up immediately. She had come back for him. She was here with him now. Ronald smiled and moved towards her, Hermione froze and stared at him with something akin to terror in her eyes.

"Go!" Malfoy coughed from below. "Get out of here, you stupid fool"

Ron glanced at him, not really listening before turning back to Hermione. "Mione, come with me. I know you're scared but you know it inside, you know that we love each other"

Hermione glanced looked at his outstretched hand and then cast a glance at Malfoy, on the ground.

"Mione, he's lying to you. They took you from me!" he shouted and he knew that 'they' was more than Malfoy and his death eaters, but also Harry. "We have to go"

"No, you have to go! This is your only chance, Weasley. She doesn't know you anymore" Malfoy told him slowly getting up.

Ron turned and kicked him. "Shut up, Malfoy!" he roared.

Hermione yelped.

"Come with me!" Ron turned to her and was about to run to grab her when she turned and ran as fast as she could towards the house. Stunned Ron glanced at Malfoy, whose face was covered in blood.

"I told you Weasley" he stated. "She's mine"

"I will be back for her" Ron threatened, every ounce of his being begging him to run after her. There was nothing in the world without her. His mind, however, knew he had to let her go- for now.

"Brilliant plan, mate, but first you need to leave in order to come back for her"

Ron started to run when he heard other men approach.