Lounging in Draco's arms, Hermione was very near to drifting off to sleep, and Draco softly stroking her hair was aiding matters. The pair were curled up in Draco's private room, where they'd been all evening. After a week of bed rest, Draco was preparing to appear in public once again and he'd been telling Hermione his plans. Draco being Draco was planning on miking his injury for all it was worth and he'd already spoken to Severus, and received permission to skip classes if he felt too tired or if his leg was bothering him. Hermione knew that meant he would skip the classes he found boring, and more than likely would skip Transfiguration simply to annoy McGonagall.

The conversation had then turned to the perpetrators of his 'accident', and Hermione had admitted how frustrating she was finding things at the moment. She could completely see where Bellatrix was coming from, and she knew the older witch had made utter sense when she said it was best to act with caution. Her father had taken the route he had to protect her and her mother, and Hermione didn't want to ruin that. She respected her father's choices, and even though part of her wished there had been a bit more action, she could appreciate everything had father had achieved without too much fighting. It actually was quite impressive and showed what a persuasive man he truly was. However, that didn't make sitting back and doing nothing any easier.

Acting with subterfuge wasn't a novel concept for Hermione, and she'd thoroughly enjoyed toying with Harry and Ron the way she'd done before Christmas. But things were different now. Neither of her former friends were around for her to subtly mess with. She was alone with her anger, and they were safe miles away from her and her retribution. Draco had tried to reassure her that they would get their revenge in time, they just had to be patient, but Hermione didn't want to be patient. She wanted to make sure Harry and Ron got what they deserved for hurting Draco.

Eventually Draco had distracted Hermione in another, more pleasurable way, and despite his bad leg the couple were able to get rather inventive. And now Hermione's frustration was curtailed for the moment and she was just enjoying being with Draco. In fact she was just drifting off to sleep when a knock on Draco's door had her jerking awake.

"Go away," Draco yelled in annoyance.

"I don't think so," Bellatrix's voice returned from the other side of the door. "Open the door, Draco."

"Two minutes," Draco called back as he and Hermione reluctantly parted to find some clothes.

However, neither of them bothered to dress fully. Draco merely pulled on some underwear as he was remaining in bed, while Hermione also pulled on her underwear and covered herself with Draco's t-shirt. If it had been another Professor at the door, the couple would have hidden what they'd been doing more carefully, but they both trusted Bella and neither of them thought she would scold them for their activities.

"Finally," Bellatrix sighed as she strode into the room once Hermione had cracked open the door.

"It took us less than a minute to open the door," Draco remarked as Hermione perched on the bed beside him.

"That's what happens when you don't bother to dress correctly," Bellatrix remarked with an arched eyebrow.

"I very much doubt you came to discuss our state of dress," Draco said with a snort.

"Or undress as the case may be," Bellatrix countered. "But you're right, I'm not here about what you are or are not wearing. Frankly, I don't care either way. I would just remind the pair of you to be to careful. I can't see Lucius or The Dark Lord appreciating becoming grandparents just yet."

"That won't happen," Hermione assured Bellatrix. "So why are you here?"

"I just thought you might like to know that old man Weasley passed away this evening," Bellatrix replied with a smirk.

"Arthur died? Today?" Hermione gasped. "That's an awful coincidence."

"How so?" Bellatrix asked, unable to stop grinning.

"He's been in St Mungo's since Christmas, in a pretty bad way from what I've been able to gather. And now just after we discover Draco's accident wasn't an accident, he dies. Someone had to have had a hand in that. Who was it, my father?"

"No, not your father," Bellatrix answered.

"Mine?" Draco checked as his Aunt's gaze turned to him.

"Don't look so shocked, Draco," Bellatrix laughed. "Lucius is more than capable of hurting someone. Especially when it is to avenge his own son."

"I know he is, I just didn't expect him to get involved," Draco admitted. "So how did he kill the old Weasel?"

"A bit of snake venom from Nagini caused an infection that he was too weak to fight," Bellatrix answered with an unconcerned shrug. As far as she was concerned Arthur was dead, so there was no need to worry about how he had died.

"Why kill the old man in return for what happened to me?" Draco asked. "I want revenge on the actual people who hurt me."

"And you don't think this will hurt them?" Bellatrix questioned with a laugh. "We know for certain that the youngest Weasley boy was involved, and quite possibly the oldest couple. More than likely some other siblings as well. So losing their father should hurt them deeply."

"And Harry," Hermione added. "He thought of Arthur as a father. The Weasleys and Harry will be torn up by his death."

"I guess so," Draco conceded with a thoughtful nod. "But I do hope this isn't the extent of our revenge. Don't they deserve to suffer for the pain they've put me through."

"Don't worry, this is only the beginning," Bellatrix assured her nephew. "Our plan is to do to them what they did to us. They wanted to provoke Hermione into attacking, so we're going to provoke them into doing the same. Believe me when I say, it will be them initiating some sort of final confrontation not us, therefore we will retain the public's support."

"What are you planning on doing? Can I help?" Hermione asked. It sounded as though Bella, and probably Lucius and had father had been in cahoots and had a plan, and she didn't want to be left out.

"Everything is in hand," Bellatrix replied, chuckling slightly when she spotted Hermione's pout. "I know you want to be part of this, Hermione, but you can't do everything. Besides, it is safer that we handle things while you are here at Hogwarts. If they want to accuse you of anything, they will find an entire school can back up the fact you've never left the castle, including McGonagall."

"I can see that makes sense," Hermione admitted reluctantly. "But I wanted to be involved."

"I'm sure you will be involved again," Bellatrix soothed. "As I say, our plan is to provoke them into making the first move, that way we get a chance to end this. If that happens, I'm sure you'll be right by your father's side."

"We just have to be patient," Draco said to his girlfriend. "We'll have our day, I know we will."

"I guess," Hermione sighed, turning her attention back to Bellatrix. "Just make sure that whatever you do, you make them hurt. I want them in agony."

"That I can promise," Bellatrix replied with an evil grin.

However, Bellatrix wouldn't be drawn further on what the adults had planned for Harry, Ron and the other Weasleys. All she would say was that it would be good and by the time they were done with them, they would be a broken family. She then left the couple, not making any remark about the fact Hermione was clearly planning on spending the entire night with her nephew rather than in her own bed.

"I wonder what will happen," Hermione mused as she slipped back out of Draco's shirt and crawled into bed beside him.

"Something good, I'm sure," Draco replied, his hands creeping down Hermione's body and tugging at the underwear she'd put back on when his Aunt had knocked. "And I'm sure something good is going to happen here as well," he added, sliding Hermione's lacy knickers down her legs.

"I think that can be arranged," Hermione said with a smile, divesting Draco of his underwear as she pushed him onto his back and took charge of the situation, while being mindful not to hurt his bad leg.

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The next morning, Draco made a triumphant return to public life, complete with Lucius's old cane. As he entered The Great Hall for breakfast, Hermione by his side, there wasn't a single person not looking at him. Usually Draco walked with long, confident strides, but with needing to support his leg, he was moving much slower than usual. So of course that meant his entrance was prolonged and for several minutes no-one said a word as Draco made his way to the Slytherin table.

"I have to hand it to you, that was some entrance," Blaise chuckled once Draco was in his seat and conversation slowly started up around the Great Hall.

"Yeah, every eye was on you," Theo added.

"And your very dramatic cane," Daphne chuckled.

"A Malfoy has to look the part," Draco smirked.

"That you did," Theo laughed. "You're like a mini version of Lucius."

"Less of the mini," Draco pouted. "I'm anything but mini, aren't I Hermione."

"Your ego certainly isn't mini," Hermione joked.

As the friends laughed and joked together, several of the other Slytherins briefly popped over to say how pleased they were to see Draco was up and about again. A few people even asked if there was any word on who had caused his injuries, but Draco claimed not to know anything, although he did reassure anyone who asked that he was confident that whoever did injure him would one day get their comeuppance.

It wasn't until breakfast was nearly over that Hermione decided it was time to break the news about Arthur's death to her friends, but before she could say anything a young Slytherin hurried over to the group and asked if they'd heard the latest gossip about the Weasleys.

"What latest gossip?" Blaise asked.

"Their father is dead," the young Slytherin replied. "It's all around The Great Hall. Apparently he died last night in agonising pain."

"How do you know he died in pain?" Hermione asked.

"It's what I heard," the young Slytherin shrugged before he headed off to rejoin his friends.

"Do you think it's true?" Daphne asked.

"I don't know about the pain part, but I do know the dead part is true," Hermione said. "Bellatrix told us last night that Arthur had died."

"But how did everyone else find out," Draco mused, looking around The Great Hall at the gossiping students. He was guessing most of them were talking about Arthur, but considering some people were glancing his way, he was guessing he was also the subject of several conversation across the room.

"Yeah, it's not like there's any Weasleys here," Theo agreed. "No-one in the school would have needed to be informed of the death, meaning no-one could have overheard anything. So how is it common knowledge that there's been a death in the family?"

"I think I can guess at that one," Hermione said, turning towards the Professors table and catching Bellatrix's eye, who merely smirked in response.

"Bella," Blaise guessed with a wide smile. "She started the rumour."

"I very much doubt it can be traced back to her," Hermione said with a shrug. "Not that it matters how the word got out. All that matters if that it's true. Right now the Weasleys and Harry are in mourning. They've lost one of their own, and I'm sure by the time this is over, they'll have lost a few more."

"Maybe even all of them," Draco added. "Whose to say any of them will survive."

"I guess only time will tell," Hermione remarked.

She wasn't bothered about Draco been right and them getting rid of everyone that could be a threat to her and her father. All she wanted was to extinguish that threat, and of course the chance to get her revenge for Draco's injury. But she was confident that both things would happen, and ultimately not only would she make sure those involved in hurting Draco suffered, but any danger to her father's regime would be dealt with and they could live a peaceful life, with all the power her father had always craved.