A/N: I hope this clears up a few of the questions regarding Hermione's end of the bargain. It is a little confusing but everything will be fine in about one or two chapters. And Voldemort does know that Hermione is pregnant because he's Voldemort and he saw the book with the prophesy. It's self-fulfilling. Hope that answers some questions!

Chapter 17

Hermione opened her eyes to darkness. Her brow furrowed as she tried to work out why she had awoken. It wasn't in her nature to generally wake during the night but as she listened, there didn't seem to be anything that could have startled her. She sighed and pushed back the many folds of blankets, pulling herself from the cocoon. The floor was cool beneath her feet, succumbing to the frostiness of the November air. Hermione groped for her wand on the bedside table and pointed it at the fireplace.

A warm fire ignited there, throwing a bit of warmth about the room. Hermione padded to her closet and retrieved a robe before she exited her room. A few candles were still burning in the sitting room but to her amazement, light freely flooded from the library. Hermione crept closer, curious as to why light would be so abundant in there when clearly there was no light beneath Voldemort's bedroom door. She stopped in the doorway to the library, yet again mesmerized by the sheer number of volumes that the library seemed to hold.

Yet, her gaze was drawn the heavy, mahogany table littered with books and various bits of parchment, some rolling off the surface. And the man asleep in the chair before it. Hermione again found it striking how his face relaxed from the hard lines usually displayed there and how angelic he seemed to look. Her curiosity compelled her to walk to the desk, to discover exactly what had kept Voldemort awake. One of the parchments rolling from the desk began to pool at her feet. She bent down to retrieve it when her name caught her eyes.

"Home in Devonshire… Hermione will be… attack against… know prophesy… Ebony…"

Hermione bent forward to examine it more closely when an iron grip closed over her hand. "What are you doing?"

Hermione met the dark, heavy lidded gaze of Voldemort. "Nothing," she lied.

He quirked a brow but withdrew his hand from her own, taking the parchment from her. "This doesn't concern you. Now, what are you doing in here?"

"I saw a light on in here and I wondered why. Why are you in here at this time anyways?"

Voldemort was silent for a few minutes, busy putting away parchment and books from her inquisitive eyes. "I have work to do Hermione."

"I can see that, but why? And why is my name on that parchment?"

"I already told you that it doesn't concern you," he replied as he rose from his chair.

Hermione planted her hands on her hips. "It most certainly does concern me. Anything with my name involves does concern me."

Voldemort sighed heavily. "You're not going to give up are you?"

"No, and I want to know why Ebony's name is on there also."

"That most certainly is none of your concern," Voldemort said, his previously light tone turning to steel.

"She is my friend."

"And my daughter. It doesn't concern you and that is the end of it."

"There's going to be an attack, isn't there," Hermione asked, remembering the words about an attack.

"Perhaps but don't worry over it."

"Is Ebony involved? Am I involved?"

Voldemort turned to face her with exasperated look. "It is nothing but there could be an attack. I'll not tell you anymore but to remember what I told you when we made that deal for the wand."

Voldemort left Hermione standing in the library as his words about Ebony came back to her. "She would do anything for you Hermione. She would even betray your trust to keep you safe." He knew that Ebony worked for the Order, he had known it all along but he didn't do a thing about it. Hermione wanted to believe it was a bit of sentimentality as she was his daughter or maybe there was something else. But Hermione was discomforted by Voldemort bringing those words back to her because she could make nothing of them. She knew for some reason he was trying to tell her something but what it was, she didn't know.

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Hermione looked up from her book to find Voldemort hovering in front of her. "Ginevra is here to see you."

She immediately could tell that it wasn't good from his expression. "I suppose I'll take her to my room then."

He nodded his head but his eyes didn't leave hers. "Is there something you wished to tell me?"

"She knows."

Hermione knew exactly what he was talking about. Yet she really couldn't understand how Ginny knew. She hadn't betrayed herself at all! "What should I do?"

Voldemort eyed her with a thoughtful expression. "That, my dear, is for you to decide."

Hermione threw up her hands. "Should I tell her the truth?"

"She knows you too well and that is exactly why she knew you were lying in the first place. Do you really believe that you could lie to her now?"

Hermione shook her head. "Unfortunately I'm not as clever a liar as I believed."

Voldemort's lips quirked teasingly up, as if he was about to smile. "You could never lie to me, dearest," he said, brushing his fingers over her cheek.

Hermione struggled against her body, refusing herself to respond to him. She had known when she had made her bargain with the Devil that she would spend quite a bit of time with him. But she hadn't expected to realize that he very different from anything she had ever been told. It didn't help that when he touched her, she felt as if flames would engulf her.

Voldemort brushed a teasing kiss against her forehead before he rose. "Your resistance will do no good my dear," he called before the library door shut.

Hermione let out a shuddering breath before she went to the hallway door. Ginny stood there, still patiently waiting. Hermione greeted Ginny warmly, half expecting her observant friend to note how flustered she was. Ginny's eyes bore in Hermione's but she didn't say a word. Hermione led Ginny to her bedroom and seated her on the settee before she called for the little house elf, Kaly.

She was a sweet little thing and really seemed taken with Hermione. Hermione had discovered the little house elf had been assigned to take care of her, a fact she realized only the day after the wand pact with Voldemort. Hermione had become more acquainted with the little elf over the last few days and although Hermione desperately wanted to give the little darling clothes, she knew it would be fruitless.

Kaly immediately brought the tea and Hermione and Ginny sat in relative silence, sipping away. However, Hermione's seemingly good luck immediately ran out. Ginny set down her tea and turned to address Hermione. "Why did you lie?"

Hermione took another sip of her tea, trying to collect her thoughts as she did so. She knew why she had lied but she wasn't exactly sure how she would go about explaining that. "Oh yes, Ginny, you see I made this deal with Voldemort and it involved lying to my own friends for my own good!"

Hermione couldn't exactly see that going well for Ginny. She also couldn't tell her that because she didn't understand it herself. Her friends would never hurt her, would they? She was reminded again of Voldemort's remark of Ebony but she firmly squashed that thought. Ebony would never betray her, would she? Hermione refused to acknowledge that the seed of doubt had already been planted. That was one of the reasons she had lied in the first place. Voldemort had also instructed her to do so. He feared the duplicity of Draco because he couldn't read him and he refused to allow Lucius to know anything of importance.

"I had to lie," Hermione finally replied.

Ginny's eyebrows raised disbelievingly. "You had to? No one made you lie, Hermione."

"It was part of the deal I made with Voldemort."

"He told you to lie to your friends. Why?"

Hermione put her tea cup down also. "He can't read Draco, Ginny. I believe that he wanted to be sure that bargain for a wand didn't reach Lucius's ears. I think he knows how dangerous Lucius is to me."

"Then why doesn't he just rid himself of the pompous git?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Ginny, unfortunately, even I must admit that Lucius is powerful in his own right, one of the reasons that he is so dangerous to me. He and Bellatrix are some of Voldemort's most loyal and powerful supporters. He isn't going to get rid of people like that."

"Oh right, I forgot this is Voldemort we are talking about. He only cares about power and ruling the world over his own wife. Who is pregnant I might add."

Hermione was silent. Did he really care so little about her? "Why do you care?" another part of her whispered. "Because he is my husband."

"Of course dearie but you didn't care before."

Hermione shook away the voice. She only cared because she was carrying their child and she wanted Voldemort to care for her/him. Right? Ginny pulled her from her musings.

"So what was in this deal you made?"

"I can't tell you."

"You mean you won't tell me," Ginny said, her voice reflecting her restrained anger.

"No, I can't tell you," Hermione replied, lifting the necklace she wore at her neck to reveal one white scar.

Ginny's eyes widened as she almost seemed to realize what it was. "You didn't," she breathed.

"I did. Voldemort gave me the necklace to hide the scar though."

"Dear God Hermione, why would you do such a thing?"

"I did it to protect myself, Ginny and I really don't regret it, especially since I have a wand."

Ginny drew away from her. "Why is everything about the wand? Did you even know what you were getting into when you made the bond?"

"Yes, I did. And I did of my own free will. Voldemort merely suggested it but didn't demand it like you might want to think."

Ginny stared at her appalled. "I can't believe you would do that! It just isn't you, what happened to the Hermione I once knew, hmm?"

Ginny stormed from the room, leaving Hermione to stare in the flames. "I changed," she softly said to the empty room.

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Hermione dreaded the Occulmency lessons she was about to endure with Ebony, Draco and…Ginny. Voldemort had known when he had looked at her and had given her a pitying glance. It hurt that her best girlfriend had stormed from the room, angry that Hermione had made a stupid bond with Voldemort. Hermione loathed that Ginny was right that the old Hermione would never have made such a vow.

Then again, Hermione also reasoned that old Hermione would never have married Voldemort, never have been caught by the infuriating man and she certainly would never have gotten pregnant by the same infuriating man. Hermione had changed but only because she had had to. Hermione told herself that she wasn't going to stand around and hope that someone would protect her. That had gotten her captured. No, she was looking out for herself and if she had to go to enormous lengths to do so, then so be it.

"You do know, lovely, that putting off going to Ginevra's chambers won't stop the inevitable," Voldemort's amused voice said over his book.

Hermione shot him a glare before she grudgingly rose. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I am, I'm always right."

"Right. But what about the Occulmency we did?"

"You did well one time. Generally that happens. I did the same when I first began before I fell back into the tedious role of getting nowhere. The first time someone of power is generally subjected to the invasion, they can push the person out but then afterwards they have to work up and build the skill like everyone else."

"Why can they do it in the first place though?"

"Hmm, I'm not really sure but I'd wager the guess that it has something to do with the fact that powerful people are more sensitive to the invasion of their mind and therefore very logical that they would be able to culminate their power to push the person from their mind. Then afterwards, the feeling isn't so knew so they have to work to hone the skill like every other person."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "But why would powerful people be more sensitive?"

"They're more developed in their magic than others. They have a deeper understanding of magic and they are therefore more sensitive to it. Take for example that many powerful wizards can detect magic in the air "

"Hmm, I never thought of that before."

"You can contemplate it later after you've returned from you Occulmency lesson."

Hermione cursed Voldemort for being utterly too observant and reluctantly left for Ginny's chambers. She paused outside the door to listen to the voices inside.

"She made a vow with Voldemort."

"You mean that vow? But why?"

"She said something about protecting herself and about the wand of course. Yet she did say that Voldemort didn't force her into it."

"Is she betraying us?" Draco's furious voice demanded.

"No but Voldemort is having an influence on her. She needs to get out before it's too late."

Hermione drew away from the door in shock. How dare her friends presume to believe that Voldemort was having any influence on her! And they believed that she needed to get away. How dare they make decisions for her. Hermione drew herself up and thrust the door open, pretending that she hadn't heard the previous conversation.

Any conversation that the three were having stopped immediately and they greeted her with smiles. Well, except for Ginny. Hermione pointedly avoided meeting Ebony's eyes and instead settled for looking about the room. It had been transformed into a dueling arena of sorts with plenty of cushions in case of falls so no one would be hurt.

Draco cleared his throat, breaking the tense silence that had settled over the room. Hermione glanced at him briefly and only at his chest. "Do you hate me so much you can't look at me?" he goaded.

Hermione briefly let her eyes flit across his face, careful not to catch his gaze. She knew what she was trying to do and now that she knew he was an accomplished Occlumens, it was reasonable to assume that he was also skilled in Legilimency. "Today," Ebony's calm voice cut through the silence, "we're going to be working on dueling. Ginny will be with me and Draco with Hermione."

Hermione drew her wand and turned to face Draco. She stared at his forehead as they faced one another. Suddenly an orange light shot at Hermione. She quickly conjured a shield then returned the volley. She leapt out of the way of the next spell he threw before sending another spell.

This time the spell hit its target and Draco looked temporarily dazed. He suddenly shook his head, throwing off the curse. "What was that Granger!"

"My name isn't Granger anymore Draco."

Draco stalked towards her. "I really didn't find that amusing and I wouldn't do it again if I were you."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a promise," he hissed in her ear.

Hermione drew away from him angrily. Ebony and Ginny had stopped dueling and came over to the glaring pair. "I do believe that I have to be back in my chambers," Hermione said, hoping that they didn't ask for a reason.

Ebony eyed her suspiciously but nodded. "Of course, I wouldn't want to keep you."

Hermione smiled gratefully, hardly sparing a glance for Draco and Ginny. She could feel their burning gazes on her back. She calmly walked from the room before she broke into a run, already feeling the hot tears threatening to spill over. Hermione rushed into her chambers and collapsed on the settee in the sitting room. She hardly noticed that Voldemort sat on the other settee or when he knelt beside her.

"What is it?" he asked.

Hermione lifted her tear stained face, startled that he was there. "It's everything. Draco, Ginny, Ebony. My vow with you. My entire life."

"What happened?"

"They presume to think that they can dictate my life and Draco even threatened me after I temporarily blinded him. Ginny practically hates me for my vow with you and Ebony is suspicious. I have no one!"

Voldemort pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "You have me."