AN: In these next couple chapters Draco is really fighting with himself over whether or not he should try to make Hermione like him or not. If confused please ask.

Why We Hate Each Other

She had desperately tried to talk her father out of his decision, but he had felt that it was best if she went away for the summer. To the one place that no one would ever think to look for her as Lord Voldemort's daughter, the Malfoy manor. She hated him for it, she had threatened to refuse, and return to the Order of Harry Potter's Vigilante Aurors, but Vulcan had promised her he would visit every chance he got, and that if she gave things a chance, they probably wouldn't be so bad in the end.

She reluctantly obeyed her father's wishes then, all the while staring down both Lucius and Draco Malfoy, mostly Lucius for suggesting something so absurd, knowing the pugnacious history between her and the Malfoy men. Nevertheless, as usual the dark lord had gotten his way, and she knew better than to push her luck once Vulcan got involved in the argument.

Hermione was curled up in front of the toilet in the bathroom the next morning, dreading the fact that she would be living with the one person she deprecated more than any other human being on the face of the planet. Just the thought of having to spend the next ten and a half months living in the same building as him (whether it be castle of mansion) made her want to vomit until she couldn't heave any more. The only thing that turned her stomach more was the idea of her possibly being stuck with the arrogant wanker for the rest of her miserable little life. It was at that moment that she wished she had be born a boy, at least then she would have been able to chose whom she was going to marry, but because Vulcan had asked her to, she was going to give Malfoy a chance to prove his worth to her.

When she finally emerged from the bathroom, nearly three hours later, she looked perfect as was typical for her during the holiday months. She was wearing a jean mini skirt with a pair of brown plat formed chunky sandals, with a ode green halter top, and her soft, feathery, black hair billowed down her back in large curls. She wore a thin line of burnt raisin colored eye liner on her top lid, and some pale green eye shadow, along with a sparkle of mocha colored and flavored lip gloss to give her lips a bit more life.

Vulcan followed her closely as he levitated her luggage down the stairs for her. While all Draco could do was admire her in stone faced awe, as she descended the stairs as if she was an Angel. She noticed that her was staring at her and a very Slytherin-like smirk crept across her shiny lips, as she made her way straight to him.

"Enjoy that did you?" She whispered in his ear, her voice making shivers run down his spine. It was all he could do to not nod his head in response, as she smirked a very Draco like smirk while passing him.

She felt him admiring her long elegant legs from across the distance of the car they were sitting in, a few moments later. "You know, if you took a picture it would last a lot longer, and wouldn't be nearly as vicious," she mused, giggling as she took out a nail file, and began to touch up her nearly perfect nails.

"And miss out on the true hostility of the real Hermione Granger, or should I say Hermione Riddle, now?" Draco chuckled, loving the glares she was sending his way.

"Malfoy, this is no way changes anything between us, so don't pretend that it will. You are not good enough for my family, you never have been and you never will be, so stop acting as if things will some how change in your favor," Hermione spat, not bothering to glance in his direction. She had become even more bitter, belligerent, and hostile than she had been when they had danced together the day before.

"My, my, my, what are Saint Pot Head and Wonder Weasel going to say when we return to school?" Draco teased, not sure if he had struck a soft spot with this prissy brat that was now the real Hermione Granger, daughter of the Lord Voldemort.

"As I've stated before Malfoy, they will hardly be at school since finding Father's Horcruxes are so bloody important to their existence."

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

"What the bloody hell do you expect to hear from me? It isn't as if I'm now going to have all the students of Hogwarts throwing themselves at my feet. I am the enemy now remember? It's not just you anymore, which is beside the point that you have your friends to welcome you back. I will have no one to faun over, and no one will faun over me," She pointed out as she stared out the window and let out a frustrated sigh.

"That could change by the end of the summer. You said so yourself, you get what you want, if you want them to love you, then they will, whether they like it or not."

"I think I'm going to have my father send Fenrir Greyback to infect you with Lycanthropy for being so bloody idiotic," she smiled at him, "That also, of course, will be equal payback for what you've put me through for the past six years."

"Bloody hell girl! If I would have known how bloody evil you were years ago I would have given you a chance sooner. You know, I could fall in love with you if you keep sweet talking me as you are, and that in turn would force me to plot how I could make you fall in love with me," Draco explained as he laughed, finding this quite entertaining. He brushed her arm with his fingertips lightly, which she quickly slapped his hand away for.

"Don't be ridiculous, I am the daughter of the dark lord, no one in their right mind would dare to actually try to get me to fall in love with them."

"Who said anything about me being in my right mind?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her.

"You disgust me," she snarled as the vehicle came to a halt. She didn't wait for the driver to open the door for her, as she hastily exited the car, grateful to get a few more meters of distance between her and Malfoy.

As they walked up to the house Narcissa Malfoy ran out of the house in near hysterics throwing herself at her son, "Oh my poor baby! Those Aurors didn't lay a finger on you did they, for if they have I will be speaking with the minister of magic myself! It must have been terrifying!" she wailed as she examined her only son for any signs of injury.

"No mother I'm perfectly fine." Draco muttered as he tried desperately to retrieve his body from the rib cracking hold she hand on him.

"Narcissa, please release the boy, we have a much more important guest than your son," Lucius ordered as she slowly relinquished Draco from her long, elegant, arms. "This, is Miss Hermione Ganger, daughter of the Dark Lord, she has been entrusted to our care for the rest of the summer until her return to Hogwarts, where she will remain under Draco's watchful eyes." Lucius explained.

"Well, my dear, let me just say that it has been an honor working under your father, and if you need anything feel free to ask and you shall receive it at our expense. Please, make yourself at home, and I hope you enjoy your stay," Narcissa gushed as she curtsied shortly and led Hermione it to the Malfoy Manor.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure for me as well, my father always speaks so highly of your families loyalties and the great deeds you have done for our cause," Hermione was a flatterer, just like her father before her had been, and had no problem lying through her teeth to get exactly what she wanted.

Narcissa took the liberty of showing Hermione the entire estate herself, she loved it when they had company that had never been to their residence before, especially if it was a young woman, so she had someone to socialize with and get in touch with her feminine side, which she did not often get to do while she was at home. In fact, she didn't get to be much of herself at Death Eater get-togethers either, because Lucius made it a habit of forcing her to be rather stuck up and drab, which she hated, she loved being the life of the parties, but as her husband had told her many times, "Malfoy's do not make spectacles of themselves if they can help it,".

"Now, Lucius tells me that the negotiations for your engagement to Draco are finalized, so I'm given strict orders to put you in the bedroom next to his that has the conjoining bathroom. And when you two become comfortable enough with each other you will be moving into the same room until your school starts, which typically gives you four weeks of acclimation time." Narcissa explained as she opened the door to Hermione's new room, which was very much like the one she had at Riddle manor. "Dinner will be served at seven thirty sharp. There isn't any special occasion, so dress as you would normally. Typically I have the house elves lay out dress robes if there is to be something special, just to let you know, good bye dear,"

'Just great, now I'm stuck marrying that blasted ferret,' she thought as Narcissa left her to herself. Barely hearing what she had said about the house elves. 'Could father possibly make this any worse for me I wonder?' she sighed as she sat at the window seat, staring out the window, where she saw Draco preparing for his fencing lessons for the day.

Hermione watched for a few minutes, and then decided that she would take a chance and go to the drawing room that look out across the garden, so she could enlighten herself with some stress relieving melody that her fingers would dance across a piano keyboard of the Grand Piano she had spied in there on her tour with Narcissa.

She played various symphonies for nearly an hour before she realized she was not the only one in the room anymore, she had just finished playing a rather heartfelt instrumental version of a song she had fell in love with in a Muggle animated film called Anastasia the song was "Once Upon a December". It had taken her many months to learn because she taught herself the chords from watching and listening over and over and over again.

"Bravo, that was quite impressive, I feel as if that song has a very deep meaning to you," Draco applauded as she finally noticed him leaning against the door frame behind her.

"Nothing has a deep meaning to me anymore besides what my father's plans are," she sighed heavily forgetting momentarily that she was actually being civil to the one man she hated more than The-Boy-Who-Was-Always-Dumbledore's-Favorite.

"Now why do I find that so hard to believe?" Draco half chuckled at that statement.

"Once, every song I played and learned by heart meant something to me, now I've forgotten what it's like to have true friends, and I've forgotten where the lines between enemies and friends were drawn. I've known love from my family, but not from anyone I've ever wanted to love me, so you tell me, why do you find it so hard to believe?" she nearly severed his head with the hostility embedded in her words. She had a twisted bitter look on her face, and he thought he saw the shimmer of a tear run down her cheek.

"Well, maybe its just time to move on and make new friends, and try to love your old enemies…" he blurted out before he could stop himself from saying what he was thinking.

"That's exactly why I hate you, you can't even just not say something when questions aren't meant to be answered but left alone." She barked.

"You're one to be talking miss-I-Know-Every-Answer-To-Every-Bloody-Question!" he snapped in return, "I used to hate you because I thought you were nothing but a know-it-all-book-work-Muggle, now I hate you because you just ooze of everything that you shouldn't be because now, since I'm engaged to you, it's alright for me to fall in love with you! Now it's alright for me to try to impress you, to try to win you over! Do you think I like being brought to my knees with envy by the one woman I've considered insufferable for seven years nearly? Do you think I want to want you even though I know you will never truly have me in your heart? I would much rather marry a girl that I could get along with and pretend to love, than marry someone I hate and now have to learn to love!" He once again couldn't believe that he had just admitted that was in fact quite attracted to her. After saying more than he should have and now realizing it, he stormed out of the room and up to his bedroom which was set on the third floor.