A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing! If you don't like it don't read it!

Chapter Seven

His Promise

It is said that everywhere you go, there is a rebel waiting to be born. Someone so meant for complete and utter destruction, that when given the power and the right weapons, they run with it and turn it into something so sinister that you can't utter their name without shivering. The coldness sweeps over you and you wish that you'd never heard that one name escape from unwilling lips. Someone so demonic that you feel all hope sweep out of you when they take you in their arms.

Well that someone was Draco Malfoy. He had great potential to become that sinister thing that was worse than Lord Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters and unforgivable curses combined. Worse than his snake eyes that saw right through a good man's soul. Malfoy had the weapons…he had the power.

Now the question was…what did he want? Draco that is. (We don't really care what Voldemort wants now do we?)

Truthfully Draco had many thoughts of evil things. No denying that, he grew up on evil. He used to go with his father on torture escapades in the Death Eater Dungeons. All you had to do was hand him popcorn and a grape soda and Draco was set for some action!

When you have a Death Eater for a father, there wasn't much else to believe in. It was their way or no way at all. Their way was the right way, no matter how cruel you thought it was. And if you spoke out against the pain that went on in the D.E. Dungeons…Well, we don't talk about that now do we?

Draco had begun to think for himself on his fourteenth birthday. His mother had taken him aside in secrecy that night. At that point he was already taller than her, for Narcissa Malfoy was a small woman, but quite scary when you got her angry. And as they sat in the back yard in the shadows, away from Draco's party, Narcissa had spoken words that had changed Draco's whole perception on beliefs he had had his whole life.

Flash Back:

He felt her soft hand cuff his elbow and he turned around to find his mother staring up at him through her straight curtain of white blonde hair.

Draco was holding a plate that contained chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream.

She smiled at him but he knew differently. There was something in her eyes that told him otherwise. He stared at her in confusion seeing what seemed like a mix of pain and love and worry all rolled up into one fantastic taquito!

"Come with me onto the patio will you?" she asked.

"Alright," he said nodding. He turned and set his cake down on the table where it lay forgotten, and followed her with a troubled expression on his face.

They sat on the patio chairs and looked up at the stars. It had seemed like forever since he and his mother had shared a moment like this alone together.

Anyone who ran across Narcissa Malfoy with her son and ONLY her son would know she was a nurturing caring mother who only wanted the best for him. But when she was found in the company of Lucius Malfoy and her son, she was pegged as a hard woman who lacked the maternal instinct and was as cruel as her husband. When Draco heard people speak of her like this, it angered him for they were so off the mark it wasn't even funny.

"Mother?" he asked when he felt it was appropriate to talk. "What is it?"

"You're nearly a man now," she said.

"So I've been told," Draco murmured just loud enough so she could hear. Narcissa let out a soft laugh.

"Yes, your father has probably been stressing that quite a bit lately hasn't he?" she asked.

"Mmmm," Draco sighed. "Often indeed."

Narcissa laughed again. Something she only did in the company of her son, and at dinner parties. (Only to be polite to fellow Death Eaters of course. Draco knew differently.)

"Well he's right," she continued.

"I don't feel any different," Draco said thoughtfully. They sat in silence for a bit and then she spoke again.

"It's time for you to start thinking for yourself," she said. "It's now right for you to choose whether you let your father influence you or if you follow your own judgment."

Draco had never heard anything like this escape his father's lips but he chose to keep quiet to see if there was more.

"Sometimes I feel as though he's corrupting you. Infecting you with his cruelty. Over time you've developed his cold eyes and his set jaw. But when you're with me, and I'm with you, we seem to change together and become very different people. It's like we take off our masks and become ourselves again. Even if it's just for a little while," she said sadly.

Draco nodded.

"But every time we return to the normal way, I feel that you'll drift a little bit further and slowly change into one of them.

"Is it what you want? To torture people for the rest of your life?"

Draco was struck by the question. His gray eyes turned to her in the night, and they were wide. They were a child's eyes.

"I-I," he stammered. "I don't know…"

It was then that Narcissa stood and knelt in front of him, interlacing her clammy fingers with his and he found her trembling before him, her eyes as wide as his.

"Well then make the decision on your own Draco!" she said squeezing his finger's in hers fiercly. "Don't let him decide your fate! The only one that has the right to build your future is you! Do you understand me?" she asked desperately. He could only stare down at her.

"You need to promise me Draco! Promise me the decision will be yours to make!" and for the first time he heard the pain and worry in her voice. He felt something wet drop onto his hand, and he realized with sudden shock that his strong mother, his safety barrier had deteriorated and was crying before him on her knees.

"I-" he began. "I promise."

It was then that Narcissa stood up and grabbed a hold of her son, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly around his mid section. Draco hugged her back as she cried into his chest, in relief.

When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes, which were still shimmering and put her soft hand against her son's cheek.

"You'd better get to your friends. You've been away from the party for too long," she said giving him a smile. It still lacked its natural sparkle. "Go on," she said.

He turned to leave when she spoke once more.

"And Draco?"

He turned to face her small form that was silhouetted against the moonlight.

"Tell no one of this," she said sternly, although he could still hear the slight shake in her voice. He nodded and entered the house again.

End Flashback.

That was the last time he had alone with her before summer ended. After that his father kept him busy with D.E meetings and torture sessions, and Narcissa saw her innocent boy melt away again into that cold creature she neither knew, nor understood.

Draco sat at lunch staring down at his food suddenly not very hungry.

What did he want?

That had been two years ago and Draco still didn't know.

He thought he wanted to be the new age Dark Lord. He thought he wanted to strike fear into people's heart. He thought he wanted to wreak havoc on the world of mudbloods. But then he saw his mother and that sad scared look she'd had in her eyes that night. But on top of all that sorrow, there was hope. Hope that he'd turn out more like her. Dreams that he would want good for the world not pain. His mother had no prejudices surprisingly. She believed all wizards were created equal.

Much to her misfortune, he'd grown up angry and with prejudices. Always having the pressure of being perfect for Lucius Malfoy. Polished and quiet at dinner parties. On top of all that anger there was resentment for the man that had made him.

It was then that Draco realized he wanted to make the evil ones fear him. Not the innocent. That's what all the thoughts of overthrowing Voldemort had been about. Then he'd be in control to do what he liked with the Death Eaters and maybe Voldemort himself.

Suddenly he was feeling very Harry Potterish and shook his head slowly to clear the disturbing image from his head. Nope. He was all for the burn, rape, and pillage! Why he needed to steal things, he didn't know. It just sounded fun.

Feeling a little more like himself he went back to his sandwich as his friends talked around him cheerily, not noticing his sudden silence. Except for Blaise who gave him a strange look and went back to the conversation.

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"It's very strange that nothing has appeared in the papers about the vampire attack!" Hermione said. She had finished eating quickly and now they were in the library surrounded by books. Nobody else was around, which was surprising. She brushed a curl out of her face and went back to searching.

"You know Hermione," Ron began. She stopped searching and looked up.

"What?" she snapped. She was extremely agitated that she couldn't find what she was looking for. Until… "Here it is!" She pulled the big book off of the shelf and put it on the table.

"Most pure blood families are quick to accept a vampire into their family. It's actually very well respected that a pure blood should be immortal. They say to become a vampire is-"

"To become a God!" Hermione gasped. "Of course! Why didn't I remember! I read that in here before!" she held the huge book up and then began to flip through it furiously.

"What are you looking for Hermi-" Harry began.

"A cure," she said. "A reversal to what's happened to Malfoy."

"What? Why!" Harry and Ron gasped in unison.

"I'm not doing it to help him," Hermione said impatiently. "I can just see Malfoy now. Now that he's a vampire he's going to use it to boost his social status. Can't you see it? It's perfect for him! If he tricks innocent students into believing he's turning them into something better, before you know it, we'll be overrun by vampires!"

"Of course. It would be just like Malfoy to do a thing like that!" Ron said.

They didn't realize that Malfoy had come into the library to do a bit of light reading. Not really. He'd seen the three stooges slink out of the Great Hall. They were trying not to look obvious but Draco had had nearly six years of experience with them and he knew when they were up to something. They all got these stupid concentrated looks on their face and they looked around to make sure people weren't watching too closely.

His eyes narrowed and he bit down on his finger to keep him from flaring up at them and knocking the bookshelf over right on top of them. He was quite sure with his new strength that he could do it. Instead he strolled out casually and snuck up behind Granger.

Both Harry and Ron had seen him come out from behind his hiding place.

"I always try to be one step ahead," she said smiling. She hadn't heard him sneak up. Harry and Ron looked slightly drained of color, which was a reaction Draco wasn't used to getting from them. "What's the matter?" she asked, oblivious to the demonic being behind her.

"What're you reading Granger?" came his silky voice from behind her. She turned to find his cold gray eyes boring into her chocolate brown ones.

She gave Harry and Ron death glares for not warning her. Truthfully they couldn't have. He caught them all off guard.

She made a sad attempt to cover up the book and bring it towards her body but he was too fast. Way too fast. He had the book and he was looking through it. It took him about five minutes to scan over the table of contents which was thirty pages long and he put it down.

"Nope, nothing about any cures in there," he said dropping it with a loud thud on the table glaring. "So much for you being one step ahead, ay Granger?"

They just stared at him dumbfounded. They hadn't even seen his hands move to grab the book from her.

"Now if you're all through plotting against me," Malfoy said, his eyebrows raised.

"Sod off Malfoy," Ron snapped, finding his voice again. Draco smiled his signature smirk, only this time it was lined with his sharper teeth.

"Found your balls again Weasle?" Malfoy asked. "Funny. I thought Potter would've achieved that first."

They glared.

"In a way it's a compliment," Malfoy said in a falsely reassuring voice. "At least the closest you'll ever get to a compliment."

In all the excitement Granger had gotten a huge paper cut from him ripping the book out of her hands. When the blood finally reached the surface of her skin, the scent hit Draco hard. He froze and he looked down at her, as she clutched her hand.

Everything was suddenly quiet and Hermione turned in her seat to face Malfoy slowly. He was staring fixedly at her hand almost in a trance. He then reached out quickly and grabbed her by her small wrist lifting her forcefully out of her chair. She gasped in horror, finding herself in his grasp once again. He then put the wound to his mouth and began to suck hard.

"He's going to bite me. Oh God, don't let him bite me!" she prayed as she tried to pull away.

There was no need for him to bite her. The wound was already made. Since the process hadn't been quite completed, the virus wasn't in his saliva. He sucked hard and found that the blood he drew came willingly, with the force he was using.

"Let go of her," Harry growled suddenly. He shifted his eyes from the floor to Potter, who was glaring at him, his wand drawn.

He looked up at Granger, not taking his mouth from the wound and found she was grimacing in pain. He had heard the wound rip open further when he had begun to suck on her palm. He chuckled low in his throat, and he could have sworn he saw Potter falter for a moment. Draco took his mouth from the wound and shoved Hermione away.

"Well, well, well," Draco said reaching into his robes.

Hermione wrapped her bleeding hand in the spare cloth of her cloak and was applying pressure. When Draco's mouth had touched her flesh, the wound had again, become cursed. It wouldn't close on it's own. Yet she wasn't infected.

"You want to do this with me right here Potter?" Draco asked him. He was actually quite curious about the power he'd have behind his spells with his new form.

"Harry," Hermione said wide eyed. "Take me to the infirmary."

Draco had a feeling her hand didn't hurt so badly. She was afraid for her friend. Harry didn't seem to want to back down, until he saw the look on Hermione's face. He then put his wand away, not taking his eyes off of Malfoy as he did so.

Draco's wand dropped to his side and he sat down feeling the rush of fresh blood inside of him. It hadn't been much but it was enough to make him feel good. Like a drug but not quite. It was better.

He smiled after them.

"And my first target will be you!" he said pointing after Hermione. It was the ultimate revenge.

A/N: This is not going to be a Draco/Hermione romance fan fic for anybody who might think it has potential to turn into that. Just fair warning for people who like that sort of thing. (Not saying they're not good, just saying they're not for me.) Anyways! Hope you like it! Leave me a review and tell me what you think!