A/N: Ok..so here it is! This chapter is superly huge..so no complaints! and i even updated before you guys met the 20 review quota. i've been doing this alot lately..so get cracking! i expect 20 for this chapter..at least! it has some very IMPORTANT info..and of course comedy..you gotta have blaise, its just necessary.
this has nothing to do with the story..but i just asked this guy out and he hasn't answered, and he's being a jerk about it..so i'm gonna be dealing with that for the next few days..but i updated BEFORE i deal with it so i dont get any flames.
-hands out lemon cookies- tht deserves at least 3 reviews! come on! im buying reviews here..they should be free!
Brooke198: sorry for the confusion there...i hope i cleared it up!
PrincessSamantha621: and now the cold voice! whoo whoo
luckycharm04: HOLEY MOLEY lol..tht review made me laugh..thanks!and thanks for the review...heres your chapter!
avchocaholich: i kno it was kinda cliche..but there have been many Dramion stories..so cut me some slack! lol..j/k..here's the un-cliche chapter.
much love
gypsy♥
Quintessence
Chapter 20 Your still corny
Draco stood rooted to the spot, eyes wide, staring at where Hermione used to be. He then looked back and he saw the cloaked figure.
"Wh-wh-who are you?" he asked.
"Your father, you insolent boy. Why were you with that mudblood? I specifically told you that the Dark Mark ceremony was being held during break. I think that after the Christmas Ball could be considered break. You are coming with me, the mudblood will be used by the Dark Lord. I want no words coming out of your mouth, you've already caused enough shame to the Malfoy name. I don't need any further embarrassment," Lucius walked over to Draco. He yanked him up by his arm, and disapparated.
Hermione was sitting in some form of a dungeon, chained to a wall. She was sobbing, mumbling every so often. She was curled up in the farthest corner, away from the light.
She heard footsteps. Then she heard voices.
"The mudblood is in there. I want you to inform her of what will be happening, and then I want you on the third floor, preparing for the ceremony. It begins at six sharp. If your late you will pay," Lucius drawled.
"Yes, father," Draco replied. Hermione heard more footsteps and some clinking. She then saw Draco walk in. She smiled, but when she saw the cold look he was giving, she immediately frowned.
"Draco?" she questioned, searching his eyes. They weren't the usual icy blue, they were gray with flecks of red. Hermione's eyes widened, 'He's under the Imperius Curse,' she thought.
"You will be forced to watch the branding of myself, and we will then proceed to perform various torture procedures on you, just for fun," he smirked. Hermione saw him blink back tears.
"Draco! This isn't you! Please, you have to come back, your father is forcing you to be this way. You're under the Imperius Curse, please come back, Draco! I need you. I love you!" she started crying as he looked at her curiously.
"How could I love a mudblood?" Draco asked. Immediately, he felt a huge wave of guilt. He shook his head, his vision became blurred, and he fell to the floor.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, crawling over to him.
He opened his eyes, looking around. He then looked at Hermione, his eyes brightening a bit, "Hermione?"
Hermione started sobbing.
"Why are you chained to the wall?"
Hermione didn't answer.
"Answer me Hermione! Why are you crying?" he pleaded.
Hermione looked up, her big honey eyes were mixed with sadness and delight.
"I thought that you really didn't love me. You c-called me a m-m-mudblood again. You were telling me the horrible things the Death Eaters were going to do. Oh, please, Draco, get me out of here!" she begged, crying into his chest.
Just then he heard some footsteps, "Draco?"
"Coming, father. The mudblood started crying and flung herself on me. I'm going to need a bath. I think a good Cruciatus Curse would do it," Draco spoke from the dungeon. He turned to Hermione. "Start shaking violently, I won't really do it." he whispered very softly.
Hermione nodded. Draco cleared his throat, "CRUCIO!"
Hermione then started convulsing, fakely, but still nevertheless, convulsing. Draco gave a weak smile and walked out of her cell.
"You aren't going to end the curse?" his father asked.
"Oh, right." Draco smirked. He walked back, "Finite Incantatum."
Hermione just crawled back over to her corner, continuing her crying.
Blaise walked into the Head's common room, looking for Draco. He walked up the stairs and opened the door.
Expecting to see Draco, he screamed, "DRA-," he paused, "-co?' he finished, lamely, and looked around, checking in the closets. He sighed. "Probably banging, Granger."
He walked out and down the hall towards Hermione's room. He opened the door and saw no one, "One would think if his best mate was off screwing another girl, he would tell. Poor, Granger," he shook his head.
He walked out, heading towards the Great Hall.
Ron looked at the empty seat beside him quizzically, wondering where Hermione would be. She never skipped breakfast, she believed it was the most important meal of the day. And now look, she wasn't there. He looked over at Harry, who was all smiles as he talked to Ginny.
Ron scoffed. He couldn't believe Ginny was still with Harry after all the things he had done to Hermione. And on top of that they were in love. Personally, Ron could probably barf every time he saw them, but he held back because Ginny would wring his neck and ship him to Egypt to be fed to the Dragons. His life was worth more than barf, most definitely.
He looked away from Harry and Ginny and saw that dark haired friend of Malfoy's walking towards him. He narrowed his eyes at him as he stood up.
"Weasley?" the guy asked.
"What do you want?" Ron muttered.
"Do you know that Granger and Draco are together?" he whispered, tugging on Ron's arm, leading him out of the Great Hall.
"What are you doing?" Ron cried, yanking his arm from Blaise's grasp.
"Where's Granger?" he asked.
"I don't know! She wasn't in the Great Hall."
"Well, Draco isn't here, either," Blaise stated.
"What?"
"Draco isn't here, and neither is Hermione. They're together, so I was thinking..." Blaise trailed off.
"Wait, whoa..whoa..whoa.. You mean to tell me you think they're...going at it?" Ron stopped him.
"No! They're not even in their room, I checked."
"How come they gave you the password?" Ron asked suddenly.
"That's beside the point! We need to find them," Blaise reminded. "Maybe if we go to Dumbledore, then he could tell us."
"No, it's probably confidential," Ron sighed. "Wait...Harry!" Ron cried.
Blaise ran after Ron into the Great Hall. The whole hall watched as a Slytherin chased the red haired, Gryffindor. Ron stopped in front of Harry, panting, as he caught his breath.
Harry turned away from Ginny, looking up at Ron, "What do you want?"
"Do you know why Hermione isn't here?" Ron asked.
A loud sigh emitted from the hall as they learned that the conversation was of no use to start rumors...eavesdropping idiots.
"Why would I know? I haven't heard from her in a while."
"Well, since you were so eager to give payback before, I was just making sure. Because Malfoy is also missing," Ron stated.
"Thank God. He finally got what he deserved."
Blaise, who had been quiet this whole time, spoke up, "He does not deserve that. If you actually got to know him, he isn't what people make him seem. He's a great friend, and you should see how he treats Hermione. So if you have a problem with Draco, then take it up with me 'cause he's currently away."
"You sound like a bloody bodyguard," Ron chuckled.
"He is not caring and he probably isn't a great friend. Malfoy is cold-hearted, and he takes after his father."
"Mate, you should really listen to him," Ron sighed, pointing towards Blaise.
"Why should I? He associates with Malfoy," Harry cringed.
"I honestly don't see what's wrong with him," Ginny spoke up.
"Not you, too," Harry groaned.
"I mean, look at him, he's hot, he's such a romantic, Hermione has told me stories, and he isn't like he used to be. He's really wonderful to Hermione," Ginny defended.
"So your taking a liking to him too?" Harry asked incredulously.
"No, I'm just defending him in Hermione's honor. If Hermione found out I was talking trash of him, I wouldn't be here anymore."
"Now that that's settled, WE NEED TO FIND HERMIONE!" Ron cried, turning around and marching out of the Great Hall.
"I think I should bring him to Dumbledore, he probably knows where they are," Blaise excused himself and walked out after Ron. Harry looked around and saw disgusted looks on their faces. He then looked back and saw Blaise dragging Ron towards Dumbledore.
"I hope you're not thinking what I think you're thinking," Harry said to a random Ravenclaw.
The Ravenclaw just widened his eyes and went back to eating. Harry shook his head, laughing at what the Ravenclaw could have been thinking, 'Poor Ron.'
Blaise and Ron finally reached Dumbledore's office.
"So, Weasley, you've been here enough, what's the password?"
"I don't know, we usually get lucky and see a teacher," Ron sighed, leaning against the wall.
"You're cool, you don't even know your beloved Headmaster's password?" Blaise asked.
"No, got a problem?" Ron sneered.
"Don't get an attitude. So, we'll just wait here until a teacher walks by."
"We don't have all day, have any better ideas?" Ron questioned.
"What do you take me for, a creative thinker?"
"Definitely."
"Do you have any better ideas?" he asked.
"No."
There was a thick silence as they both drowned in their thoughts. A few minutes later they heard loud thumping. Blaise looked around the corner and his head collided with Harry's.
"Holy Shit!" he cried, holding his head and stumbling back.
Harry just grabbed his head and walked towards Dumbledore's office, "Acid Pops."
"And we couldn't have guessed that?" Ron muttered as the eagle sprung to life. The three walked up the stairs. The door opened magically. Ron just stared at the door as he walked by it. They each took a seat in front of Dumbledore.
"Sir, Hermione and Draco are missing. We've checked they're rooms, and they aren't in the Great Hall," Ron stated bluntly.
"Have you checked any other part of the castle Mr. Weasley? This castle is very large, if I do say so myself," Dumbledore smiled.
"But, sir! We each haven't heard from any of them since yesterday. Trust me when I say Hermione is very loud and doesn't make herself scarce," Ron insisted.
"Mr. Weasley, I will have the staff check the castle. We will be setting up Aurors outside, but until we have full proof they aren't hidden in the library, then you're going to have to wait. I will inform you when we receive any news. Now off to class, boys."
Draco sat in his room, twirling his quill in his hand. He was thinking of ways to get Hermione out of here, alive. Karma was probably going to come into play and damage his plans just because he's been cruel and inconsiderate his whole life. He silently prayed Merlin would hold off until later in his life.
He heard shuffling behind his door.
"I will teach him whatever I want, Narcissa. Don't tell me how to teach my son. I know how to discipline my child."
"But, Lucius! He's just a boy! He doesn't need all of this on his shoulders so early in his life. Give him some time, let him choose-," he then heard the sound of flesh against flesh.
"He doesn't know what is right for him. Therefore, I will be choosing for him. If he disagrees, then I will show him that I'm right. Now be off, I don't want you to be here for this talk."
He heard his mother walk off, and he saw his father walk in.
"If you didn't want me to hear that, then you should learn to perfect the silencing charm," Draco muttered, dropping his quill.
"Don't speak that way to your father!" Lucius screamed.
"You don't act much like one," Draco muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," Draco smiled, fakely.
"I came here to tell you that the Dark Lord wants to make you a Death Eater now, earlier than before. He believes you are very promising," Lucius smiled proudly.
"Why so soon?" he asked, thinking of Hermione. "Shouldn't we wait until school is over? People might notice!"
"You need to be sly. It's one of the most important qualities you need to possess to be a Death Eater. You will hide the Mark, showing no one. You will also help lure more people onto the Dark Side. I assume Blaise is going to become one?" Lucius asked.
"I have no idea, ask his dad," Draco muttered. "And why do we need more people on the Dark Side? Aren't there enough psychopaths out there?"
"Why? Oh, Draco, you make me laugh. The Dark Lord needs as many people as he can get. He will stop at nothing. And neither will you. I want you to make recruiting Death Eaters your mission. Don't stray from the mission or you will pay."
"Whatever."
Lucius just glared and walked out of his room.
"Finally learned that beating me doesn't fix everything," Draco muttered.
"What are we going to do?" Ron cried, his head sitting in his hands.
"I don't know," Blaise shrugged, working on his homework.
"How can you be doing homework at a moment like this..um...what was your name again?" Ron asked, blushing a deep shade of red.
"Blaise. You mean to tell me you didn't know my name?"
"Well..yeah."
"Wow," he smirked.
"What?"
"I thought Granger would have told you about the Blaise-mistier by now," Blaise smirked, popping his collar. (A/N: there I go again!...)
Ron laughed, "Your really corny."
"Draco says that too. How can I be corny?"
"Take a look at yourself and maybe you can figure it out."
"Whatever, man, I'll be doing homework. If you think of any ideas for project 'Save Hermione and Draco' then tell me."
"There you go being corny again."
"Oh, shut up." Blaise snapped, not taking his eyes off of his homework.
Draco was still contemplating what he would do to get Hermione out of this mess. He couldn't believe that he had threatened his life and her life just so they could be together. Hermione insisted that she would do anything for them, but did she really mean it?
Draco was about to write a letter to Blaise, to tell him that everything was all right, when his father walked in, cane in his hand and a black cloak draped over his shoulders.
"Draco, it's time."
"Already?"
"Yes. What did you think, that the Dark Lord would wait for, a Malfoy? I think not. Now get your arse moving, we're going to be late," Lucius yanked him up by his shirt collar. Draco grabbed his wand as he walked out.
They reached Voldemort's lair shortly after. Draco walked confidently behind his father, nose high in the air, mimicking him. Lucius stopped in front of a chair that was turned around. Draco peered over his dad's shoulder and came face to face with the most hideous thing he had ever encountered. He saw Voldemort there, in all his 'glory'. He had a black cloak draped over his shoulders, the hood pulled above his head. His skin was as pale as a sheet of paper, and he had more wrinkles than probably his dead grandfather. His hands were pure bone, and he could see the dark mark poking out from under his cloak sleeve.
Lucius bowed, "My Lord."
"And where is the boy?" he hissed.
Lucius stepped aside, introducing Draco with a show of his arm. Draco just stood there, a confused expression on his face.
"Come forward!" he screamed.
Lucius pushed Draco towards Voldemort with his cane. Draco staggered forward, and instead of bowing, he fell over and hit his head.
"Not a bright one is he?" Voldemort asked Lucius.
"He's been nervous for quite some time, right Draco?" Lucius whispered menacingly through gritted teeth.
Draco just nodded quickly, not taking his eyes off of Voldemort. Voldemort smirked.
"So, you want to become a Death Eater, Draco?"
"No." he replied.
"Excuse me?" Voldemort hissed.
"I will become one, but it doesn't mean I want to."
"So, you're doing this for the Malfoy reputation, even though it goes against your wishes?"
"Yes."
"CRUCIO!" Voldemort screamed.
Draco fell on the floor, convulsing. He didn't dare say a word, considering he would be cursed again.
"You will become a Death Eater, and you will do it with a passion. I don't want to here anything else coming out of your ungrateful mouth for the rest of this ceremony!"
Voldemort yanked Draco up by the arm. Draco stood in front of him, his mouth curling into a smirk.
"You won't be smirking pretty soon," Voldemort hissed. He took out his wand and pointed it at Draco's arm.
Draco was looking around at the other Death Eater's when he felt a searing, white hot pain shoot through him. His vision became blurred, but he didn't dare let out one cry. This would make him seem weak, and they would want to make him 'immune' to the pain. Draco looked down and saw Voldemort drawing the mark with his wand. He felt like a thousand knives were being sent into his arm at once. He had never felt anything more painful in his life. He had to stay strong. 'Stay strong for Hermione' He had to get her out...he...he felt himself become weak in the knees and he blacked out.
Hermione was in her small cell, thinking what Draco could possibly be doing at this very moment. She hoped he was doing something to help get her out. Her thoughts then drifted to Draco and him getting the dark mark. 'Oh no! The attack!' Hermione thought. She started to panic when all of a sudden she heard an ear piercing scream shoot through the thick silence.
A/N: And there ya have it folks! I expect 20 reviews at least for this chapter..it was totally awesome! lol..j/k. I hope you liked this cuz the next update might take a while..i have to plan what's going to happen. -hides in corner- all your reviews made me laugh..so keep those up! I also am putting this suggestion up: If any of you want to suggest a different summary for this story, then email it to me, and i will pick the best one. i will announce the winner in the next update! and thanks for the idea Becka Klien!
and on another note..i am threatening to end this story sooner than expected if u dont review! so all you silent readers, shape up! reviews keep my brain running and it keeps me sane! do you want me to go insane? i think not..now get to it!
and check out my other story, In Too Deep! you kno you want to!