Love and Manipulation

Chapter 4 In Chains

A/N: The title of my story has changed from Delusions of the Lost to, Love and Manipulation
It was changed to fit my new sumary.
As always, please review. Much love Azrabell

The crowd of students within the castle's drafty walls began to thin out as curfew approached. The more anxious students clamored to get within the comfort of their common rooms, intent on studying. The others whiled away the time before bed by playing cards, chess, and talking quietly in front of the fire. A group of first years were walking sedately throught the halls, laughing carelessly until they spotted the Bloody Baron. His appearance dampened their enthusiasim and caused the first years to walk faster, hoping to avoid the Baron's penetrating gaze. The numerous inhabitants of the portraits lining the Hogwarts walls began to yawn and stretch, preparing for bed. Hermione Granger wasn't yawning though. She smiled happily, relieved that she had finally caught up all of her missing assignments. It had taken Hermione more than five hours in the library before every last assignment was completed. She hurried back to her common room eager to sit down with the newest book she purchased. When she reached the suit of armor that gaurded the shared common room, Hermione took a moment to laugh at her forgetfullness. She had forgotten so quickly the charm that would have brought her from the library straight to her common room. It didn't bother her overly much, as she had a chance to stretch her legs after long hours of sitting.

"Snake's skin and lion's mane" Hermione said, walking towards the tapestry hung on the wall at the corriodors end. She took a moment to study it, loving the celtic knots that framed the dark blue tapestry. In the center was a flying phoenix, a griffin whose beak was open in a silent cry, a dragon who breathed a small stream of fire, and a unicorn who pawed at the air, its glowing horn thrust into the air. A thin gold thread encircled the stuning beasts of myth and legend. Hermione shook herself out of the trance she had slipped into and dissapeared behind the tapestry. In side the common room she quickly sprinted up the stairs to her room. For a moment Hermione paused to listen for any suggestion that Draco was in his room, but all she heard was silence. The prefects were patrolling the halls tonight and Hermione bet Draco was with his friends in the Slytherin common room. Hermione sighed in regret, she could be in the Griffindor common room right now but she hadn't completely mended things between Harry and herself. Instead Hermione planned to go down to the lake, glad that the prefects were patrolling tonight. She picked up a warm burgendy jacket from the foot of her bed and slipped back down the stairs. Before Hermione could make it to the common room door, she was stopped by a voice. "Well, well," Hermione spun around to see Draco lounging against the wall. "I didn't think you were here." He said watching her intently. Under his dark gaze Hermion felt her enthusiasim falter. "I... just got back from the library. I'm uh, heading down to the lake." She said, the uneasy feeling growing inside her. Draco came closer to her his face neutral, his manner calm, and yet there was a hidden malice in it.

Hermione inched away from him, wishing that she had never stopped inside the common room. Draco allowed his face to change into a sneer. "I heard about what you've done, and I'm warning you to back off." The Head Girl paused in her subtle escape manuvers to listen. "Really Malofy, what I do is no concern of yours." She spat in anger and meet his gaze unwaveringly. And he'd be damned if he didn't see a look of disgust in her eyes. Draco crossed the small gap between them in seconds. "You mudblood bitch." He said pushing her against the wall. "No concern of mine?" He spat, grabbing her wrist tightly and pushing up the sleeve of her robe. He spoke again with that malice Hermione had sensed in him. "This is what makes you my concern." Draco revealed the mark of the dark lord, now part of her flesh. She pulled out of his grasp and let her sleeve fall back into place. At first Hermione was determined not to speak, but the words forced themselves past her lips. "How did you know?" She whispered a hint of sadness in her tone. Draco narrowed his eyes in thought... Was the fool regretting her desicion?

"What in the name of Merlin's beard were you thinking? Playing spy? You're bloody stupid if you think the dark lord would ever trust you." He said hoping to get a rise out of her. But Granger stood there and a tear found its way out of the corner of her eye. "Shove off Malofy" Hermione choked out, disgusted with her little display of weakness. She tried to edge sideways as if to escpae him, but she would learn he could not be gotten rid of so easily. Quick as lightning Draco threw a hand up against the cool stone wall to keep Hemione from moving. "And where do you think you're going?" The coldness in his eyes wasn't surprising, but rather the way Draco let it creep into his voice that caused Hermione to shiver in surprise and fear.Yes, Draco scared her, that she could admit. He was dangerous, he could hurt her physicaly, she noted feeling the lingering pain in her wrist. "If you don't start talking soon...," Draco growled and then force his tone to become light. "or... I could just tell your friends about your new body art?"

It was a gamble that Granger had not alredy told her pals, but he guessed from the strange behavior of the trio that they were not as close as they were once before. And from the look of panic on Hermione's face Draco knew his guess had been correct. Draco allowed himself a smirk, it seemed as if the "perfect student" wasn't eager for anyone to know that she got messed up with Voldemort. And the fact that she had was strange indeed. Hermione Granger was not likely to, in a fit of sudden passion, change her loyalties. So how was she forced into the dark lord's service? "No, you can't do that!" She cried. "Y-y you'd ruin Voldemort's plan!" She said triumphantly. Draco didn't let the smirk on his face falter for even a second. "Yeah... I highly doubt that" He said, and before she could work up her defiance again he hit her with another question. "How did this happen?" Draco fell back into state of seriousness and waited for her response.

"I-I... I chose this" Hermione nearly screamed at him.

What did he care to know about her unfotunate circumstances? Why was he asking her all these bloody questions? And most importantly why was she about to spill her secret to Draco Malfoy, a boy she most certainly could not trust. Hermione stood there defiantely, and closed her lips tight. She dared Draco to try and force the truth out of her, but it appeared he would not. He watched her with unscrutiblel eyes, waiting in the same silence for her to continue. Hermione sighed and her head dropped slightly in a sign of defeat. The secret she had been holding within her was now going to come out. Her only confidant? A boy from the slytherin house, one who always taunted her and who may be working for Voldemort as well. "I was given a choice, by the death eaters... either be their informant, or watch my mum and dad die." Draco felt a strong surge of skepticsisim, Granger? A spy? No, somehow he couldn't imagine the girl obeying, even to save her parents lives. Was it possible she was stalling giving the Order time to rescue her mum and dad? "So how much information have you given them?" He asked. Hermione's head shot up. "I've told them nothing!" She spat, "And I never will!" "Come now, wether you will spy or not, what makes you think they'll trust you? An unwilling spy?" Draco couln't prevent the upraisal on an eyebrow in mockery.

"They've already brought me before Voldemort." Hermione whispered, while looking down at the floor. Draco's eyes narrowed, but he didn't reply. After another moment she looked up and continued speaking. "They want me to get information about... Dumbledore and..." Hermione said, not knowing if she could mention the Order. "And what?" Draco prompted, "The Order?" Hermione stiffend in surprise, mutely she nodded yes. How on earth, she wondered, does Draco know about the Order? Tucking this puzzle away for another time Hermione continued. "They want me to get this information from Harry. They must have known we were close friends." And how close are you now? Draco mused silently. "They, you keep saying They. Exactly how many people know of this?" "Well... Voldemort and two death eaters." "The Order? Do any of them know?" "Only Dumbledore." Well she would have to add Draco to the list now. "Tell me," He said interupting her thoughts, "wich two death eaters did this to you. Who are they?" Draco asked, watching carefully as she shiffted uneasily before answering. "MacNair...," She mumbled "And, your father." Draco froze and Hermione took the opportunity to push past him and dissapear up the stairs and into her room.

So... Draco pondered. His father was back in the game, back in Voldemort's favor. "What a fool!" He spat. There was a moment when a twinge of regret grabbed at his heart, a bitter wish that his father had been different. Not even prison managed to change that. Already he was tormenting another innocent. Innocence? Was that already lost in the mudblood? He considered her body language, the way she avoided eye-contact, her nervous agitation, it pointed to fear and shame. God, what if his father... It wasn't improbable that his father had done something that repulsive. Life had been complicated enough an hour ago and now all this. "Damn" Slowly he wandered upstairs into his room, collapsing onto the bed trying to ignore the persistant pounding of his head. He mutttered darkly into the black pillows. "Godric be damned!"

A/N: Here you are, chapter 4. Sorry for the wait, but my mom has the cancer... again.

So I'm kinda with the distracted, you know helping out around the house. Love you all, please R&R!