"He's going to take me away!" Draco whimpered, "I knew he'd find me! I knew he's come looking!" Hermione tried to calm the almost hysterical child by rubbing his back, but nothing seemed to work.

"Ssh, he hasn't seen you yet." She soothed, her own pulse racing rapidly. If Draco got taken away again, she was sure that Snape would stand by his threat of failing her in every exam and probably worse, "Umm Harry, have you got your cloak?" Harry nodded silently and passed his faithful invisibility cloak to Hermione who, in turn, draped it over the small blonde boy, "Quickly Draco, under the table." He complied meekly and was soon crouching at Hermione's feet, hidden by the cloak.

"Okay everyone, drink up!" The brunette stated in a falsely cheery manner,

"Umm Mione, what's going on?" Seamus asked in a hushed tone, "Why's Draco under the table?"

"I'll explain everything later." Hermione whispered back, "It's quite compli-"

"Well well, if it isn't Hermione Granger." Hermione stiffened as the distinctive silvery voice of Lucius Malfoy carried clearly through her ears. She raised her head, meeting the blonde man directly in the eyes,

"Hello Mr.Malfoy." Lucius nodded to her curtly and swept his cold eyes searchingly over the group.

Hermione felt Draco's hand grip her ankle tightly under the table,

"I don't suppose you have seen my son around here anywhere have you?" Lucius continued, staring at her pointedly, giving Hermione the distinct impression that he could see right into her mind, "I appears to have run away and I am, of course, very concerned."

"No I haven't seen him." Hermione snapped back, "Not that I would tell you if I had."

"Liar." Lucius hissed, "Really Granger, I thought that you, apparently being the brightest witch of your year, would have more sense than to think that you can lie to me." His hand snaked out and grabbed her wrist, the silver signet ring worn on his right index finger biting painfully into her skin, "Now, I will ask you once more and not again, where is my son?"

"Let go of me!"

"Answer my question!"

"Papa stop it!" Hermione instantly stopped struggling as Draco slowly rose from underneath the table, Harry's cloak clutched firmly in his small hand. He glared up at Lucius, although still terribly frightened, "Stop it." He repeated, "You're hurting her!" Mr.Malfoy stood still for a moment, clearly very surprised that Draco had chosen to show himself of his own accord.

But then suddenly, Lucius released Hermione's arm and grabbed Draco's, forcing the little boy roughly to his feet,

"So," He snarled, shaking his son hard, "You think that you can get away from me that easily, do you?" Draco tried his best to answer, but the words just wouldn't respond to him. All he could do was stare, transfixed, up at his father, "Answer me!" Lucius commanded, tightening the hold he had on his son's wrist, making Draco wince with pain, but still the boy was unable to reply.

Becoming thoroughly annoyed and forgetting, for the moment, where he was, Lucius raised his hand to slap Draco, who instinctively flung his good arm across his face to shield himself from the blow…

"If you touch him," Came Hermione's voice shrill and a tad hysterical, "I'll report you to the authorities for child abuse!" Lucius released his son, who instantly drew back, wrist falling limply by his side, and turned calmly, definitely, to Hermione.

"And what…'Authorities' might that be, Miss Granger? The aurors?" He gave a derisive laugh, "I think not. Do you seriously believe that they would want to be bothered with such a trivial affair as child abuse? I do not know how you do things in the muggle world, but here I think you'll find this sort of thing rather…common place, one might say. Not that you'll here of it, I might add.

"But here in the Wizarding community, parents have the right to discipline their children in whatever way they think appropriate. So do whatever you want, Mudblood, you can't protect him forever. He will be returned to me one day. One day soon." Lucius turned away from Hermione, who was looking positively sickened, and back to Draco,

"Don't worry, Draco. I'm not going to take you away today. But," He reached down to tilt the little boy's head up, forcing their eyes to meet, "But I will be back and when I am, remember this my little Dragon; I am a Malfoy, and a Malfoy always gets what he wants." He gave the shocked group of Gryffindors a sardonic bow,

"Good day."

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Heya! Woa, 21 reviews in 2 days! Record! Thankyou so much! xxxxxxx >ahem

Candy coated Dragon hugs to the following...>ba ba ba bummmm

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XxXgoddessXofXSlytherinXxX, miniuncy, timemage0955, KatieMalfoy19, Lollenk, Nikki's Evil Doppelganger, Dark princesses, perfectpureblood (I promise to email u!), harry potter princess H, queen of darkness evilness and chaos, lilmissgullable, Tamika DanarDraco, twilight dragoness, 13Black Angels, blueeyedchibi, Hogaboom!

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Hogaboom, lollenk, Niki's Evil Doppelganger, perfectpureblood, legolass' lady 101, Dark Princesses, 13BlackAngels, miniuncy22, Natural-181, blueeyedchibi, Twilight Dragoness, thinkb4uspeak, carmelita, I Estel vinta amarbarenna lomeo A Duath , TimeMage0955, Slytherin corps, Ilya of Smeg, Tamika DanarDraco, Ellie, lilmissgullable, the look of lve.

Thank you so much! Lilyxxxx