Battle-lines.
Hermione Granger let out a low groan as her eyes slowly flickered open. Her head was absolutely pounding, and her shoulders were on fire. Groggily Hermione tried to move her arms to try and ease the pain in her shoulders and was panic stricken when she found she couldn't move them. In fact, she couldn't move at all and the shock helped drag her to full alertness. Only what she found wasn't good, she was bound to a wooden chair, with his ankles tied to the legs of the chair and her arms bound behind her back.
"What the hell happened?" she muttered to herself, trying to work out how she'd ended up in such a situation.
The last thing Hermione could remember was enjoying a peaceful morning in Hogsmeade. Unusually she'd been alone in the village as her best friends, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, were at quidditch practice. The final game of the season was rapidly approaching and as always, the boys were treating it as though it was a matter of life and death, so extra practices had been arranged, even if it meant them missing out on visiting Hogsmeade. Still, Hermione hadn't let being alone stop her and she'd had an enjoyable morning. That was until she woke up tied to a chair, obviously a captive of some kind.
"But who's?" she mused.
Wondering just who could have snatched her, and why, Hermione finally looked around where she was being held captive. However, she'd barely even managed to take in she was in a bedroom when she became aware of a figure lounging on the bed. Only it wasn't a stranger she was faced with, it was someone she knew from Hogwarts.
"Malfoy," she spat as the blond Slytherin smirked at her.
"I was wondering when you would notice me, Granger," Draco chuckled. "I have to say, I expected more from you."
"I'm sorry I'm so slow, but it feels as though I was whacked over the head," Hermione retorted sharply.
"It has taken you longer than I thought for you to come around," Draco conceded. "Blaise must have hit you too hard."
"Zabini hit me? Were you afraid to do your own dirty work, Malfoy?" Hermione sneered. "Or were you worried I would get the upper hand and you would be the one knocked out. If I recall correctly, it feels so very good to punch you. And I can promise you this, once I'm free, I'm going to do it again."
"As if I would let you do it again," Draco snorted. Although Hermione could see the flush of red on his cheeks and knew he was embarrassed to recall the incident where she'd punched him in the face.
"Just you try and stop me," Hermione warned in a low voice. "Do you honestly think you will get away with this, Malfoy? I've got friends, and they will find me."
"You mean Potter and Weasley?" Draco laughed. "Those two dip-shits couldn't find their way out of a paper bag, let alone find you. Plus, have they even noticed you've gone yet, Granger? They're so caught up in their pathetic quidditch training that they won't notice you've gone until later tonight. And by then, you'll be long gone."
"Long gone from where?" Hermione asked as she looked around and confirmed that she was indeed being held in a bedroom of some sort. "What is this place?"
"It's a small place in Hogsmeade," Draco answered, surprising Hermione with his willingness to let her know where she was being held captive. "Blaise uses the place for privacy."
Hermione wrinkled her nose in distaste. She'd heard rumours that certain Slytherins, Draco included, had a place in Hogsmeade they used for their romantic liaisons, but she'd always dismissed them as fantasy. But it seems she was wrong, and the Slytherins did indeed have some sort of secret love nest where they could bring their latest conquests.
"And I suppose this is the first time you've used the place," Hermione scathingly remarked.
"You're not jealous, are you Granger?" Draco chuckled. "Most girls at Hogwarts would kill to be here with me right now."
"Most girls at Hogwarts must be missing a few brain cells then," Hermione retorted. "You're really not as hot as you think you are. I wouldn't go near you if you were the last wizard on earth."
"Stop, you're breaking my heart," Draco gasped with mock grief. "Now, let's get on with this, shall we?"
"Get on with what?" Hermione questioned as Draco opened one of the bedside drawers and pulled out a camera. "Do I even want to know what that is doing there?"
"It's never been used for that, Granger," Draco replied with a laugh, easily reading Hermione's mind as the direction of her thoughts was obvious for him to see. "But if you're volunteering, I won't say no."
"Sod off, Malfoy," Hermione snapped. "You even think of taking explicit pictures of me, and you will regret it."
"Better just stick to the pictures I've already got in mind then," Draco remarked with a casual shrug.
Hermione watched through narrowed eyes as Draco checked the camera had a full film inside and was working. He then pulled out his wand and cast a silent spell at her.
"What did you do?" Hermione asked warily. She felt no different, but she knew the blond wizard had done something to her given the way he'd nodded his head after he'd cast the spell.
"You'll see," Draco remarked as he lifted the camera to his eyes and began snapping pictures.
Hermione was surprised to find the camera was an instant one, and every time Draco snapped a picture it emerged from the front of the camera and he placed it on the desk behind him. By the time he'd finished he must have had nearly twenty pictures of Hermione. Not that she could see them, but she could tell they pleased Draco as he stood watching as the pictures developed.
"So, this is a kidnap is it?" Hermione questioned. "What are you expecting? Money? My parents aren't rich, Malfoy."
"You think I would kidnap you for money?" Draco chuckled, turning his head back to face Hermione. "I have more money than I could spend in twenty lifetimes, Granger. I don't need money."
"Then what?" Hermione pressed. "Why are you doing this?"
"I'm doing this because it's time for Hermione Granger to disappear," Draco replied as he scooped up a selection of the pictures he'd just taken.
Walking over to Hermione, he knelt beside her and began spreading the pictures over her knee. Initially Hermione refused to look, but her curiosity got the better of her and she eventually glanced down at the pictures. However, when she did, she did a double take. In all the pictures she looked bloody, bruised and in very bad condition. In fact, in a couple of the shots she almost looked dead.
"How is this possible?" she whispered. "I can't be that badly hurt, apart from the headache and aching shoulder, I feel fine. I look half dead on these pictures."
"Magic," Draco retorted as he waved his wand and ended the spell he'd cast on Hermione before taking the photos. "It's all an illusion, Granger. But now it's caught on camera it looks very real. Anyone seeing these pictures will see a badly wounded, possibly even dead, Hermione Granger."
"But why?" Hermione asked. "Why fake my injuries?"
"Why would I want to hurt you?" Draco chuckled. "This isn't about hurting you. It's about making Hermione Granger disappear."
"Why do you keep saying my name like that?" Hermione questioned. For the last few times he'd used her full name, she could hear the emphasis he was placing on it.
"Haven't you worked it out yet?" Draco chuckled as he regathered the pictures and headed back over to the desk. "I know Hermione Granger doesn't exist," he said, leaning against the desk and smirking at his captive.
"So, what am I, scotch mist?" Hermione snorted. "I'm very real, Malfoy. And when I get out of this mess, you're going to regret doing this to me."
"I'm merely following orders," Draco shrugged.
"Orders?" Hermione repeated. "Whose orders?"
"Who do you think?" Draco asked with a smirk. "Who else would order me to do this, but your father."
"My father," Hermione laughed. "You're working for a muggle dentist?"
"Not that stupid fool who believes himself to be your father," Draco snorted. "I'm talking about your real father. Your father who wants you back. He's had enough of the charade. He wants you back at his side."
"You're delusional," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "You're making no sense, Malfoy."
"You don't believe me, do you?" Draco chuckled. "You honestly don't believe I know the truth."
"What truth?" Hermione demanded. "Tell me the truth, Malfoy. Just who do you think I am?"
"I don't think, I know," Draco replied confidently. "You are not Hermione Granger, innocent little muggleborn. Your name is Autumn Hermione Riddle, and you are the daughter of The Dark Lord."
"And just where did you hear that?" Hermione demanded, neither confirming or denying Draco's claims.
"Are you forgetting who my father is?" Draco scoffed. "He's one of The Dark Lord's must trusted followers. How do you think your mother got you into Hogwarts as a muggleborn? She needed help, and my father provided it."
"Severus Snape provided it," Hermione snapped. "He's the only person who knows who I am."
"No, he's the only person you think knows who you are," Draco corrected. "And you're right, Severus also helped with the groundwork. But father was also a part of the plan. You just didn't know it."
"And you did?" Hermione questioned sceptically. "You've known who I was all this time?"
"No," Draco replied with a shake of his head. "I've only been made aware of the secret since your father returned. And I must admit, if I hadn't heard it from The Dark Lord himself, I never would have believed it. You're a hell of an actress, Autumn. I would never have believed you were anything other than the prissy mudblood you were pretending to be. Your act doesn't drop even for a moment. Well, until now when you've virtually conformed who you are."
"Why deny what you so clearly know," Hermione muttered. "But tell me, Malfoy, what do you think my father is going to do to you when I tell him you knocked me out and kept me tied up against my will? You may not have noticed, but he's very protective of me. I'm his little girl, and he will kill anyone who lays a finger on me."
"Everything that has been done to you has been done with The Dark Lord's knowledge," Draco replied. "Hell, he was the one who came up with the plan. All I had to do was follow his instructions."
"His instructions were to knock me out and kidnap me?" Hermione asked in disbelief. She knew her father was tough, but she never would have dreamt he would have ordered such drastic measures to be taken against her.
"They were," Draco confirmed with another nod of his head. "He said you were the most stubborn witch he's ever met, and just informing you that it was time to end the charade wouldn't work. He said you would find some reason to carry on your act."
"You mean like being close to Harry and having the ability to lure him into whatever trap my father wants?" Hermione questioned. "Think about it, Malfoy. What's best? Having me close to the enemy, or having me stuck with the dark unable to help?"
"It's not my choice to make," Draco replied with a shrug. "The Dark Lord wants you with him."
"Sod my father," Hermione snapped. "He's not thinking clearly. We've got the advantage with me by Harry's side. As long as I'm with Harry, we've got this war won. Take me away and who knows what he'll do or how he'll react. We might never get close to him again."
"And this is why he didn't just tell you of the change of plan," Draco pointed out. "I'm sorry Autumn, but I've got my instructions. I intend to do as your father wants. It's my chance to prove myself to him. In a couple of months once school is over and me and my friends can join him, I will already be highly thought of."
"Not by me," Hermione spat. "Do this and I will never forgive you, Malfoy. I will make your life a living hell."
"Bring it on," Draco smirked as he advanced on Hermione. "Something tells me life is going to be a lot more fun with you in it."
"More like a lot more dangerous," Hermione warned. "You will regret this, Malfoy."
"So, you say now, but one day soon you're going to see that this was for the best," Draco retorted. "The Dark Lord knows what he's doing, Autumn. You have to trust him."
"I don't have to do anything," Hermione snapped. "And stop calling me Autumn. Only those closest to me get that privilege, and that will never include you."
"We'll see," Draco replied with a smug smirk. "I think I've decided something here. I think I want you, and I always get what I want."
"In your dreams, Malfoy," Hermione sneered. "You have the advantage now, but you won't have it forever. Next time we see each other, I'll be by my father's side and I have a lot of sway with him. You might think you're gaining his trust, but I can turn him against you with a click of my fingers."
"I don't doubt you have substantial influence with The Dark Lord, but I don't for one minute think he will take your word over his own judgement," Draco said.
"I guess we'll find out soon enough," Hermione remarked. "Let the games begin, Malfoy. And be prepared to lose. I fully intended to win."
"As do I," Draco retorted. "I guess we'll have to see who comes out on top."
"That would be me," Hermione shot back. "When this is all over, I will be on top and you will be helpless beneath me."
"Now that actually sounds like fun," Draco chuckled, throwing Hermione a saucy wink.
"Perv," Hermione sneered. "Now hadn't you better be getting on with your plan? If you stay here too long suspicion of my disappearance will fall on you. Or better yet, take your time and get caught. That will prove to father how useless you truly are."
With a smug smirk, Draco set about carrying out the rest of The Dark Lord's plan. After immobilising Hermione again, he transported her to a Malfoy property far from Hogwarts, where his father would collect her and deliver her to The Dark Lord himself. Once he was sure his father knew Hermione was ready to be picked up, he used a newly purchased, and totally untraceable, owl to send a selection of the pictures to Potter. He then headed back to Hogwarts to watch the fun and games commence as Harry Potter learned that he'd lost Hermione Granger for good.
In time the truth would come out about who she truly was and that would destroy Potter and his friends even more. But in the meantime, Draco was looking forward to seeing Hermione again. Battle-lines had been drawn, but Draco was determined to break down Hermione's defences. Not that it was going to be easy, but he was looking forward to doing battle with The Dark Lord's daughter. And more importantly he was looking forward to the day they would join forces, as Draco had every confidence that it would happen. One day Autumn Hermione Riddle would be by his side willingly, and Draco knew that when that day came, he would be the happiest wizard alive. And quite possibly one of the most powerful. After all, once The Dark Lord won the war, his daughter would be next in line to take over the world, and whoever was by her side would surely take over with her.
Draco rather liked the idea of becoming the next Dark Lord, but he knew that was a long way off in the future. Right now, he had to focus on surviving and doing battle with Hermione. At this precise moment in time The Dark Lord's daughter was his enemy, but he didn't plan on letting it stay that way for long. He was going to prove himself to Hermione and prove that he was a more than worthy partner for the daughter of The Dark Lord. He was going to prove to her that together they would be unstoppable, and they could be the darkest pair the wizarding world had ever seen.