Hermione was sitting in a huge chair, at a huge dining table. Everyone around her was dressed in their best clothes, eating with little dainty forks, chatting to the person beside them. She, on the other hand, was very confused as to which fork she was supposed to use and to whom she was supposed to make polite discussion with. But then again she was stuck between Draco and Blaise Zabini, so not much a choice anyway.

"So, Granger, having fun?" Blaise asked her casually, breaking the comfortable silence between the three.

Her look was dead pan. "Do you think I'm having fun? I'm stuck between you two, eating I don't know what, at a party that's welcoming me to a family I don't even like. Worst of all, I'm wearing a dress and make-up. I never wear dresses and make-up! If you were in my position, do you think you'd be having fun?"

"Well, it just depends really."

"What?"

"If you look good in a dress, why not be happy? Besides, I think Lucius is about to announce that the dancing is about to start." Hermione's eyes lit up at the thought of dancing.

"Welcome to the Malfoy Manor! I know I greeted you all at the door; I just wanted to greet you formally, altogether. As you all know, we have a very special guest here with us tonight. Hermione Granger, my son Draco's fiancé." He gestured to them. Draco pulled Hermione with him as he stood up. Everyone politely clapped. Draco pulled Hermione with as he sat down.

"We are about to enter the ballroom for dancing and then a performance by our lovely Miss Granger." Lucius swept out the room, towards the adjoining one. Everyone else slowly started to follow him. Hermione sat in her chair, stunned. She felt someone prod her in her side and turned to them.

"Perform what?"

"You can sing can't you?" Draco asked with a smirk. "Come on, we have to dance first. You can dance can't you Granger?"

"Of course I can dance. And yes, I can sing. But that doesn't mean I want to do either, especially in this house, in front of you!" She stood up and Blaise took the opportunity to grasp her elbow and pull her towards the ballroom. Draco walked in close behind.

Draco led Hermione out into the middle of the room. A slow waltz began to play.

"Ready?" He asked, as he held onto her hand and placed the other one on her hip. "It'll be nice and easy."

"Nothing is nice and easy when you're concerned." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You lead."

After the painfully routine dance, Draco got swept off by a bunch of admirers, all begging to dance with him. Following rolling her eyes, Hermione moved to sit down, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Will you dance with me Miss Granger?" She was spun around to look into green eyes. Surveying the rest of his face she saw he was amazingly handsome and had dark hair. No matter how gorgeous he was, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong about him. A simple feeling that told her 'step away from him slowly'. It could have been the way his eyes were only looking at her, or the way his touch seemed to make her shiver. Whatever it was, she brushed it aside.

"Of course." Smiling slightly at him, she allowed him to lead her to the side of the room, closest to the French doors leading to a balcony that looked over an intricate maze in the center of the huge garden.

"So, Miss Granger, are you happy to be in this family and joining it at this particular time. I'm sure you are aware of the Boy Who Lived and his slight dilemma." Feeling lulled into a sense of false security, she felt herself opening up all the thoughts she had about the Malfoys and the situation. She told a perfect stranger about how Draco had called her mudblood all through school, made her life hell and how she didn't see how Lucius and Narcissa could be any better than their 'little angel'. How she felt like she was drowning, losing her personality in the mess of the Famous Harry Potter trying to kill Voldemort and how Voldemort keeps luring Harry and it keeps working. How she didn't know what to think anymore, about anything. How everything was frustrating her. Even the small things.

"Very interesting Miss Granger. Perhaps we'll talk again soon." With that he swept away from her, leaving her alone to look out over the complex garden maze.

"Personally I don't see what's so interesting about the garden, but if you enlighten me maybe we'll chat about it." Someone had walked up behind Hermione.

"So, they finally let you go, did they?" She knew exactly who it was that was talking to her.

"Having a bunch of admirers is fun, maybe you should try it." Draco leaned forward, onto the balcony railing, beside her.

"Who would want to be an admirer of me?" Hermione looked over at him.

"The person who you were dancing with just before might have wanted to join."

"Oh, jealousy doesn't suit you Malfoy. And I'm afraid after our talk, where I completely spilled my heart out to him, I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to any more. I don't know what made me talk to him so readily."

"Perfect strangers usually make others around them open up, faster than to a friend even." There was a pause. Nothing was said, and the two enjoyed the silence as they gazed out to the stars above them.

"Guys, I suggest we go now." Blaise Zabini was walking steadily towards them.

"Why?" Hermione asked frowning. Draco caught the worried look in Blaise's eyes, and grabbed Hermione's elbow and started to lead to lead her off to the middle of the dance floor.

"Look, just follow us." Draco looked at her, eyebrows raised. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why she trusted him.

"Ok." Why was it, that with that small, simplistic word she felt like she was handing her life over to them on a silver platter?

Hermione allowed the two to lead her out into the hallway, up two flights of stairs, into a room she didn't recognize. It was starting to feel like some creepy horror movie, where people who pretend to be your friends lead you away into a secluded room, while no one was watching and then tortured and killed you.

"Wait." Hermione pulled her elbow out of Draco's grip, getting steadily more scared by the looks passed between Blaise and Draco as they walked. "Where are we?" She looked apprehensively at her surroundings.

"We're in one of the lounges. Except this one has a very special door, over there." Draco pointed to a door that resided in the far side of the room, between a bookcase and painting of a long dead relative who was snoring.

"Quick." Blaise was looking at the door. He squinted his eyes at the door and it clicked locked.

"Wandless magic? Why didn't you tell me?" Hermione looked immensely shocked.

"There are a lot of things we didn't tell you. But right now we don't have time to tell you. There are also many other wizards and witches who don't reveal themselves either." Blaise said hurriedly.

"Such as? Harry Potter?" Hermione glared at him.

"No, Potter's arch enemy. The man you were dancing with was Voldemort."