Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did his father have to be thrown into Azkaban? He started to pace around his bedroom. Right now he was at a cross roads he had to choose between the Dark Lord and running for his life. The Dark Lord is very upset about his father failing his mission that he was given. Draco sat down on his bed. Then he heard his door start to open he then grabbed his wand to defend himself if need be.

"My Son." Narcissa his mother said as she walked in. Draco relaxed some. Narcissa looked her son up and down. "Draco please reconsider about severing The Dark Lord. You are only 17."

"Mother if The Dark Lord finds out that you are trying to dissuade me from serving him he will kill you!"

"I don't CARE! He will kill you to punish your father!" Narcissa cried looking at her son.

"Do you think I don't know that?" Draco said standing up and walking to his window to look out at the grounds that become his about a month after his father was arrested. "Mother if I don't follow The Dark Lord will you promise me something?"

"Anything!"

Draco smirked "Promise me you will run. Go to the American's until the war is over." Before his mother could answer he continued. "But if I don't follow him. I will fight along side with." He cringed "Potter. I will have to fight no matter which side I am on I will not run."

"I don't know Draco…."

"Promise Me!" Draco said forcefully which reminded Narcissa of Dracos' father.

"I Promise." She answered

"Good. The time is now to move mother get your stuff. You need to get out of here before The Dark Lord finds out. I will not lose you.

Narcissa looked socked "So you are not……"

"No mother. I am not joining the Death Eaters. The ONLY reason to join is going into hiding." Draco looked at his mother and she looked back smiled and ran off. 'Now is the time to move. If we don't Voldermort will be here soon and force me one way or another to join him."

"Draco?" a small voice came form behind him. "Where are we going?" Draco turned to see his little sister around the age of 6 standing by the door looking at him. He smiled at her just looking at her for a minute.

"We are going to Hogwarts and Mothers' going somewhere safe Kathleen. Are you packed yet?" Kathleen nodded at him looking scared. "What's wrong Kay?"

"Why aren't we going with mommy?" Kathleen said when Draco pick her up and sat on the bed putting her on his lap. "Mommy can keep us safe."

"I have to stay and No one knows about you but Mother, Father and I. You will be safe with me. Mother can't stay here she can't stay safe." Draco looked up when his mother came into his room. "Mother everything ready and sent off?" Narcissa nodded "Good." Draco said standing while setting down Kathleen "You take Kay to Hogwarts give her to Dumbledore and this letter also." He said handing the letter to his mother "He will help you get to America and into hiding safely. He will also be our contact to get hold of each other if something were to happen." Narcissa look shocked.

"How long have you been planning this?" Narcissa asked with Kathleen was hopping around the room making flying noises.

"Christmas of this past year, I knew father was going to either force me to become a death eater or the Dark Lord but I don't want to be one. Never have, I knew I had to place both you and Kathleen into hiding if I wanted to fight on the "light side" without worrying about you both. Father being sent to Azkaban made this a lot easier." Narcissa just nodded impressed. "Kathleen" Kathleen stopped hopping when she heard her big bother calls her by her birth name he only did that when he was serious about something. " I won't be to Hogwarts until September 1st. So I want you to be good."

"Yes D!" Kathleen jumped up and hugged him and he just sighed at being called D. Then Narcissa walked up to him and kiss his forehead.

"Be careful. Please! I would feel better if you went to Hogwarts now instead of waiting until school term starts again." Narcissa pleaded

"I have to stay here and take care of the business that father had so kindly left on my shoulders." Draco replied sarcastically. "I need to make sure everything is in order and will be sent to me while I am at school. Now go!" Narcissa nodded grabbing Kathleen's hand kissing Draco one last time and walked out the door to head to Hogwarts. 'Everything is going good so far but I need a secrete keeper for the manor. Who would be my secrete keeper? I have no real friends except Blaise but he is too noticeable everyone would know it would be him. Potter would give me away in a minute same for Weasley plus I do not want to ask for their help. Maybe… She wouldn't would she? I guess I should ask Granger she is the only person people would think I wouldn't ask short of Potter.' By this time Draco had walk from his room to the liberty on the other side of the manor. 'It's time to find Granger if I don't find her soon my home will be over run by death eaters.' He then grabbed a piece of paper and a photo of Hermione Grangers house that he got form his contacts form the ministry and threw on a green cloak.

"Mom DAD I am home!" Hermione yelled while opening the door. But was meet with silence "That weird there car is outside. MOM? DAD? Where are you? I'M HOME!" she heard a noise in the back yard, following that noise to look out the backyard form the kitchen window she saw five men in black cloaks standing around her parents that where bound but invisible ropes. "NO!" She said in a whispered yell. She grabbed her wand form where she hide it in her necklace it grew form the small charm to her real size wand, Then she ran into the backyard throwing hexes and curses that she could thing of. When she took her next breath she unbounded her parents and yelled for them to run. But before they could get up to run a green flash hit them both and they fell to the ground dead. "NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooo MOM! DAD! NO!" Next thing she heard was the Death Eaters standing around her laughing. When she looked up she had fire in her eyes. "You will pay all of you WILL!" pointing her wand at the first Death Eater she saw and said two word she would have never thought she would ever use "Avada Kedvera" Everyone froze when they saw the green light and the body fall. She thought she hear someone say under the breath Bella, But she was too shocked to care. When she pointed her wand at another one they all pointed their wands at her but she paused when she heard a pop and saw someone in green appear behind the Death Eater the last thing she heard was "Stupify" and then everything went black.

When Draco showed up at the scene he saw four death eaters standing around a knelling Hermione Granger and three people lying on the ground lifeless which one look like a death eater. The he heard one of the death eaters say stupify and Granger fall to the ground unconscious. "Shit" He whispered to himself before drawing his wand "Stupify… Expliomus. The death eaters panicked thinking the Ministry came, they ranaway before they found out it was only one person! "And they want me to join that bunch of chickens!" he then walk up to checked on Hermione. Before he got to here he saw the death eater on the ground apparently dead he bend over and flipped the hood over there head getting a shock "Aunt Bella?" he sighed after checking for a pulse and not finding one 'It seems Granger killed Bella. Amazing.' After looking to see her muggle parents laying on the ground dead "No wonder she killed Bella her parents where most likely killed in front of her' the stupify that hit Hermione wore off and she started to blink and rub her eyes "Accio Wand" he whispered 'No use in getting hexed as soon as she sees me' "Granger are you hurt?" He said knelling next to Hermione.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Hermione asked and started to panic "Where are the death eaters are you…" He cut her off.

"Don't you dare called me a death eater." He glared at her "For you information I ran them off." Then they heard a popping noise and the turned around Draco protectively stood in front of Hermione 'No point in getting the person I want as a secret keeper dead.." When he saw Dumbledore he relaxed "Professor! Did my mother make it out safely?" Hermione looked at him like he was crazy.

"Yes my dear boy." Dumbledore said while Draco stiffened but said nothing "Miss. Granger I advise you to get all your stuff and we'll take you to a safe place." While he said that people from the order started to show up and started to clean everything up.

"There is no need she can stay at Malfoy Manor and I'll get a house elf to come and get all her stuff." Draco said coming up with an idea "It would be safe and no one will know where she is but us."

"You must be crazy!" Hermione said coming out of her shock "I will not go anywhere with that future DEATH EATER!" she screamed but didn't notice when Draco tensed up.

"Miss Granger I think Mr. Malfoy has a great idea! Professor said clapping his hands going on not giving room for argument "Of course I'll be there after I finish here and some "other" business." He said looking at Draco.

"Yes sir. Here Granger here is your wand I didn't want you to attack me as soon as you saw me." He smirked and grabbed her arm and apparated away.

An hour after they apparated to the manor and after Malfoy just walked away and didn't say a word to Hermione. As soon as he left a house elf showed up and showed Hermione her rooms where she just started to pace not even looking at her surroundings. She was scared and mad, HOW could her parents be dead? Why did Dumbledore agree with Malfoy about bring her here? Why was Malfoy nice? Did she just kill someone? That made her stop pacing and plop down on the bed. She just sat there stunned she just killed someone! They were going to send her to Azkaban! 'No No No! They can't send me to Azkaban for protecting myself from Death Eaters! This can't be happening'

"You know Granger, Talking to yourself is the first sign on insanity. Plus Aunt Bella had it coming to her. You won't be sent off for that plus she WAS a Death Eater I bet there are going to many people praising you for killing her off since she was as hard to get to as my father was. Also, she had insanity on her side one thing my father didn't have; it made her even harder to catch." Malfoy laughs "You alright?" He asked looking at her shocked face.

"My parents are dead, I killed someone, AND my so called enemy just invited me to live with him until school starts! Do you think I am alright?" She started of soft and ended in a yell.

"Well that was a dumb question. I meant to ask, do you need anything?" She just blinked at him. "Granger I know it's hard on you. That's why I am here to say that you can go anywhere you want in this house. I even have a library almost as big as the one in Hogwarts. Actually bigger but some of the books I sent to the ministry because they where illegal and I didn't want them pounding down the doors after I was give this place because of my fathers predicament." He said grinning 'I got to get her to trust me fast because if I don't the Death Eaters will be here soon!'

"Ok Malfoy what do you want! You never are nice to anyone me in particular! And you love the Dark Arts so why give them away?" Hermione said tempted to just say she wanted to go to the library and ignore all this but she couldn't she had to figure out what is going on.

"Fine" Malfoy said standing up She just looked at him waiting for him to continue "First things first I am not a Death Eater I have been working with Dumbledore since last Christmas to get me out of it." Malfoy rolled up his left sleeve to show that there was no mark. She was shocked to say the least Draco Malfoy was not a Death Eater. Well Harry lost the bet, with that thought she almost laughed. Harry swore Malfoy would be the first one in the school to get the mark and do something stupid to show he was a death eater. She thought Malfoy would end up being on after they left school. Ron now, Ron thought Malfoy was one already. "Now I have a question to ask you its very important that you conceder this carefully. I was going to wait until everything has sunk in before asking this to you but since you asked the infamous question why, you will find out now. I am asking you to be the secret keeper of the Manor." Malfoy started when he saw Hermione open her mouth to say something he kept going "Before you answer. I'll tell you the reason I asked you, No one would think I would lower myself…." He held a hand up before she could say anything "That is what others think that I think I am higher than everyone now let me finish." She nodded "Ok. No one would think I would lower myself to ask a muggle-born to help me." She noticed he said muggle-born with no problem and no hint of sarcasm and that surprised her more than anything else he said. "Also I promised Dumbledore that I would pick a secret keeper that I know I can trust and that would be to low on the radar that the Dark Lord would never think I would think about asking for help. And that is you."

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold up! First of how do you know of the word radar?" She said bewildered.

"Granger I am not completely Muggle ignorant I now some off their terms and developments." He then smirked at her.

"Ok I get it. So you want me as your secret keeper?" Malfoy nodded. "How long do you want before I give you an answer?"

"As soon as possible, I don't know how long it will be before the Dark Lord will send someone to recruit me or kill me."

"Ok. Let me see you're Library and I'll tell you my answer in about two hours?"

"Fine!". Malfoy said turning around and walking her down the flight of stairs turning left on the bottom and three doors down. "I gave you the closest guest quarters to the library I figured you would want to spend most your time here." With that he opened the doors. When he did Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock.

"I thought you said it was about the size of Hogwarts library! This is twice it size." She turned to see Malfoy smirk.

"I'll be back in two hours" he said walking away leave Hermione to her own devices.