WARNING: Violence and Drug use

A house made of cards, and us, inside

Even though the end is visible, even if it's going to collapse soon

-House of Cards, BTS

Piercing silver eyes was the first thing to greet her when she woke up the next morning.

"Morning," he whispered.

"Morning," she whispered back.

She didn't protest like she normally would with the excuse of morning breath when he leaned over to kiss her, fingers grazing along her shoulder.

"How does it feel to be a betrothed woman?" he murmured against her lips.

"…strange," she breathed, sighing when he rolled to hover over her.

He stared down at her, a look of wonder on his angelic face as he brushed his fingers over first her mouth, then her jaw, and finally her collarbone. They simply breathed together for just a moment, basking in the sensation of warmth that cocooned around them. Hermione was going to be his in every sense of the word, and she found that that did not scare her. She welcomed it.

She suddenly laughed, mind spinning.

"What?"

"I can't believe that this is my life, now," she quietly said.

In just under a year, her life had done a complete one-eighty. Her and her parents were completely out of debt, she knew how to properly defend herself, and she'd killed a man. She owned her own gun, she flew around in fancy sports cars like it was nothing, and she was engaged to the son of the head of an organized criminal organization.

With that being said, she'd been put into several dangerous and frightening situations. She'd been on the receiving end of Riddle's anger more times than she would like, and…Ron was gone. Someone who'd been a big part of her life since she was a child was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

She didn't register that Draco was beside her now, studying her with intense eyes as she seemed to be lost in thought.

"Hey…," he said, taking her chin in between his fingers.

"Sorry. I was just thinking," she answered his unspoken question.

"…about?"

She suddenly sat up with a sigh.

"Everything. God, everything's just so different now. If someone had told me a year ago that this is where I'd be, I would have laughed in their face."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Draco asked, brushing her hair away from her neck, fingers grazing the skin.

"A little bit of both, I suppose," she replied, and they both knew that she was mainly referring to Ron.

"I know I've said it before, but I am sorry for your loss, Hermione. He wasn't my favorite person, no. Despite what happened between the two of you, you did grow up with him, and he was a constant in your life up until…," he trailed off, fingers ghosting over her naked back.

"Yeah. Do you want to join me?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject and nodding towards the bathroom.

Draco sat up, resting his arms on his knees with a smile, hair falling into his eyes.

"I'd love to, but Blaise is here to talk about something, and I need to get that out of the way as soon as possible."

"Okay," she was sure that she did a piss poor job of hiding her disappointment.

Her shower was rather lengthy, often finding herself distracted to the point where she'd just stand in the shower with the water running over her. She wondered what would happen, now. It would be suicide to even think of returning to Riddle, but what choice did she have? Draco had made it perfectly clear that compared to her own safety, he did not care about her friends' in the slightest.

However, Hermione couldn't think that way, she could never think that way. Her friends were her family, and she would do anything for them. She wondered if there would be a repeat performance of the last time she left. It was highly likely, and Hermione sighed. Until Draco could secure her friends' safety, she didn't have much of a choice.

Upon exiting the bathroom, she noticed that Draco still hadn't returned. As she walked past the bed to get some clothes, a small box nestled in the covers caught her eye. The placement of it told her that she was meant to find it. With a curious gaze, she opened it, and a small amused chuckle left her lips.

It was a bracelet.

It was gold with a collection of gold and silver diamond encrusted charms adorning it. She studied it some more, and noticed that the lone charm that dangled from the bracelet was a single die. She softly inhaled, an unfamiliar emotion bubbling up inside of her as it sparkled when the sunlight from the balcony windows caught it. How…fitting.

She put it on, prepared to go and thank him when a small note caught her eye as well.

I'm sorry

That was all that it said, and Hermione's confusion returned. She didn't understand what he meant by that, but she figured that it could apply to a lot of things that had happened recently. She got dressed, wrist a bit heavier now with the weight of the bracelet, before making her way to the door.

It wouldn't open.

She stared at it, not fully comprehending what was going on. Thinking it to be a mistake or jammed, she tried again only to end up with the same results.

"What the bloody hell is…?"

She yanked on it, trying yet again to open it when it suddenly dawned on her. She spun around, hair flying and eyes wide as she looked over her shoulder at the note that was still on the bed. She swallowed, anger and confusion bubbling in her chest just before slamming her hand against the door.

"Draco!"

She got no answer, and she banged on it again. She yanked on the doorknob, the action repeatedly proving to be futile.

"No, no, no," she murmured.

She slammed her fists against the door, screaming his name in anger, now.

"I'm sorry, Hermione, but it's for your own good…"

She paused, glancing at the door as if trying to look through it.

"Blaise… Blaise, you have to let me out," she said.

"I can't do that. It will be my head," was his calm reply.

She kicked the door, screaming in frustration before striding over to the balcony. She flung the doors open, eyes searching the yard and finding exactly what she suspected. His car was gone.

"Where is he?" she demanded, back in front of the door, now.

"Hermione, just calm down-."

"Oh, shove it, Blaise! Who the hell does he think he is? He thinks he can just lock me up like some damn princess-?"

"He just wants you to be safe."

"…and I want my friends to be safe! He butters me up with pretty jewelry before acting like a complete brute? Is that how it works? Screw him, and screw you too!"

Hermione was so mad she could hardly think straight. She had half a mind to fling the stupid bracelet at his big head as soon as she saw him. She turned around, combing through the room only to end up empty handed of her gun and her phone. Tears of frustration sprung to her eyes while her chest heaved in anger.

She was trapped, helpless.

Even with bed sheets, she wouldn't even risk trying to escape off of the balcony. She was likely to break something, and then she'd really be in a pickle. Draco knew that.

She stormed back over to the door, tears skipping down her cheeks now as she glared at it. She spoke through trembling lips.

"If one of them dies, if anything happens to them… I will never forgive him."

Blaise didn't respond, but she knew he was listening.

"He can walk himself down the aisle."

Hermione wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting inside of Draco's bedroom. The sun was high in the sky, now, so she guessed that it was probably around noon. She hadn't spoken to Blaise again, and he didn't return as far as she knew. Not even for food, and based on that tidbit, she surmised that Draco was supposed to be back already.

She felt numb, now, her anger and worry resting in the pit of her stomach, just waiting to be unleashed. There was no telling what could be happening to her loved ones at the moment, and as the hours ticked on, worry for Draco began to rear its ugly head. Occasionally, she could hear Blaise on the phone in the hall, telling Draco to call him. This only further confirmed her suspicions that something wasn't right.

Before she had a chance to call for Blaise, she heard a car coming down the driveway. Hurriedly, she made her way to the balcony, relief and anger warring with one another. She couldn't wait to wrap her arms around him and wring his neck. She could hear Blaise making his way down the stairs.

She blinked, taken aback as a sleek dark blue car made its way down the driveway instead. That was Teddy's new car. Disappointment and confusion swirled inside of her as she slumped against the wall. Was he there to see Blaise? Did Blaise call him over? Her thoughts only halted when three more black SUVs followed. Her eyes widened, and she straightened up in horror, heart dropping to the bottom of her stomach.

"Blaise!"

No sooner than his name had fallen from her lips did the sound of gunfire ring throughout the property. Hermione dropped to the floor, slamming the windows shut just as the sound of glass shattering from below reached her ears. She crawled along the floor as gunshots echoed throughout the house.

She was stuck in the bedroom with no gun and no phone. If Draco were there…she'd punch him in his pretty face. She swept everything off of the dresser and onto the floor, pulling the drawers out one by one before struggling to push the waist high piece of furniture in front of the door. She had just begun shoving the drawers back in when she nearly fell.

The dresser jerked again from the force behind the door, and Hermione knew that it wasn't Blaise. She grabbed the lamp as she ran to the bathroom, slamming it against the mirror. She flinched when gunshots sounded at the door, adrenaline pumping as she wrapped her hand around a piece of broken glass. The sound of wood splintering filled the room, and Hermione had only just begun to close the door when it was shoved back against her.

She fell to the floor, clutching her nose, pain shooting across her face. She screamed when she was harshly yanked up by her hair, strands popping from her scalp from the grip. A rough hand found its way to her throat, and Hermione brought the piece of broken mirror down into his thigh with a swiftness. She spun away, his loosened grip allowing her to do so, and she swiped the weapon across his face, watching as he reared back with a howl, clutching his eye.

She didn't bother to linger for another minute, grabbing his dropped gun and sprinting out of the room. She could hear footsteps and gunshots all throughout the large house, and she tiptoed down the hall with caution. She could feel blood trickling down over her lip, but she paid it no mind as she peeked around corners. She needed to find Blaise…or Teddy…or a set of keys, whichever came first really.

She felt a presence and spun, aiming her gun only to shoot a hole in the ceiling when he knocked it up and out of her hands. She didn't recognize the man, but he recognized her with a sinister smile. She struggled against his grip on her throat as he pushed her back.

"Nott! I found her," the stranger yelled towards the stairs.

She slapped at his face, his hold slipping with a grimace when she brought her foot up in between his legs. Her ankle twisted, falling down the stairs, but Hermione managed to stop herself halfway by catching onto the railing. She struggled to stand, hissing when a tight grip on her hair yanked her up, only to shove her down the rest of the way. She landed at the bottom in a heap, healing shoulder flaring with pain all over again as she pushed herself up.

She gasped in pain, wincing all the more when she was shoved against a wall.

"What part of 'don't touch' do you not understand?" a familiar voice snapped, approaching.

"Those were your orders, not his," her assailant hissed, yanking her away from the wall, fingers digging into her jaw.

Her eyes met familiar blue ones as he closed in on them, jaw clenched, a vision in black.

"You gonna fight me over this bitch, Nott? I-."

Hermione shrieked in surprise, ears ringing from the sound of the gunshot being so close. The side of her face and neck were sprayed with blood, and she almost fell over from the dead weight if Teddy hadn't wrapped his arm around her. She collapsed against him as he practically dragged her out of the lively mansion. She struggled to keep up.

"Where is Blaise?"

"…he's alive," was his simple reply.

"…and Draco? I know he should've been back by now," she continued.

He didn't answer, and her worry grew.

"Teddy… Where is he?"

"I don't know," he nonchalantly replied with a shrug, but his smug tone gave him away.

She began to struggle against him, but his grip was unwavering.

"Where is he? What did you do to him?" she demanded, punching his arm now as he yanked her towards his car.

A yelp escaped her when he slammed her against his car, hands coming down to rest on either side of her. She swallowed, only just noticing how bloodshot his eyes were. His nose brushed against hers, heaving chests in sync as he ran his eyes over her, a smirk gracing his lips.

"Last time I saw him…I was running his car off of the road and into a tree."

Her eyes widened in horror, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She hissed when he caught her swinging arm in his hand. He spun her around, pinning her frame against his own before opening his door and roughly shoving her inside. As soon as he shut the door behind himself, she was on him, nails and fists reaching out to anything she could get her hands on.

She hovered over him, screaming in frustration when he caught her hands, pushing back against her. Her back harshly met the inside of the door, head banging against the window. She kicked out at him, and Theo leaned over the seat, pushing her knees against her chest as he damn near straddled her.

"All of this over him?" he yelled in her face, eyes blazing.

She didn't respond, only glaring at him as he pinned her down. His eyes were wide, face pinched and nostrils flaring.

"I'm your best friend! You've known him for less than a year. He is the reason you are in this mess to begin with," he snarled.

"Was it just orders? You're going to look me in my face and tell me that you were just following orders?"

Theo looked down at her, a frightening expression on his face as a cruel smirked danced its way along his lips. His dark hair fell into his face, bloodshot eyes the darkest she'd ever seen them.

"No. That was my own personal addition to the plan," he whispered.

She swallowed, chest heaving as tears sprang to her eyes. He leaned down, face only a hair's width away from her own, the temperature in the car dropping.

"I hope I did kill him. At least now I won't have to watch you trail after him like one of his brainless whores…"

She glared at him as he backed up, settling in his seat and starting the car. She struck out then, fist connecting with his jaw hard enough to turn his head. Pain flared to life in her hand, but she didn't care. He adjusted his jaw, sparing her a brief glance before continuing. Neither one of them said a word as he peeled out of the driveway.

She spat in his face, saliva and blood mixing together to land on his cheek. An unfamiliar man held her arms behind her back, Theo at Riddle's side as he stood before her, blue eyes downcast. She watched Riddle pull a handkerchief from his pocket, reaching up to wipe the excrement from his features, dark eyes never leaving her haggard form. He took a step towards her, and Hermione braced herself.

Her head whipped to the side, wild hair falling over her face, cheek screaming in protest at the abuse. She could feel the body heat coming off of him, and that's how she knew that he was close. She flinched, eyes watering when he brought his hands up to gently brush against her jaw, turning her to face him.

He suddenly chuckled, thumbs brushing along her cheek as she glared at him.

"A match made in heaven," he mused in mirth. "Malfoy is quite angry with me as well, and I imagine that the two of you together could really do some damage."

Her eyes widened just the slightest, but it was noticeable enough for him.

"Oh, yes. He is alive…" she chanced a glance at Theo, noticing his stiff shoulders. "…alive and rather upset."

He turned away from her with such casual dismissal, signaling for them to follow.

"That was anticipated, of course. Hoped for, even," he continued as he led them down the dark hallways.

The day's events were starting to wear on her, head pounding and legs aching. She was led through a door at the back of the mansion, the harsh sunlight forcing her to squint her eyes. A small house, if you could even call it that, was at the back of the property. Upon entering, she noted that it was lavishly decorated with couches and pillows and fancy rugs. There was a small kitchenette area and one door that led to what she assumed was the bathroom.

She was forced to sit down, vision wavering just a bit.

"You might as well make yourself comfortable," Riddle added, and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

He chuckled at her expression, walking around the room.

"You're here for however long I need you to be. However long it takes your boyfriend to give me everything I ask for," he drawled.

Her eyes sought out Theo's in confusion, but Riddle's voice drew her back in.

"Don't look at him, love. I own you, remember? Your BFF can't save you, now."

She glared at him, scooting away when he sat down beside her, dark eyes drinking her in. He reached up, brushing a finger along her face, flicking a stray curl out of the way.

"I've really outdone myself...," he started, throwing an arm over her shoulder and bringing her closer. "I control you through your friends, and I control him through you."

"You're a fool if you think Draco would risk everything for me," she finally said.

He gripped her chin, forcing her head back, lips hovering over her own.

"…and you are either in denial or mind-numbingly naïve enough to think that he wouldn't hand over his entire empire for you. That he wouldn't gift me his father's body to get you back."

Her jaw clenched, and he cruelly smiled, turning to look at Theo and the unfamiliar man.

"…hell, I might even be able to throw in his mum too."

She jerked away from him, only to have him jerk her back with a frown.

"Line something up for her, Theo. She seems rather tense…," he said, looking down his nose at her.

Her struggles increased, and he tightened his hold as Theo followed his instructions.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will show you how. Theo's a pro, after all," he hummed.

Hermione had never done drugs in her life, and the thought of her first time being in the presence of these people terrified her.

"Or…" Riddle reached out, taking a lit blunt from the other man, voice a soft purr. "…perhaps you want to start off with something a little lighter."

"No," she shrieked, kicking out.

Riddle inhaled, wrapping an arm around her head to hold her in place as his lips descended over hers. The smoke filled her mouth, taking refuge in her lungs when she breathed in. She beat against his chest when he pulled away, only to lean back in to repeat his actions.

He held her face in his hands, lips pressed against hers and forcing her to inhale. She coughed into his mouth, chest heaving and burning as tears threatened to spill over. He flung her away from him so callously, rising just as Theo sat on her other side. He pulled her into his side, wrapping his arm around her as he looked up at his boss.

"Well…? Get on with it. Unless, you'd rather I bring a needle in here."

Hermione jumped, pressing into Theo further at the mention of…heavier drugs. His dark eyes never left them as he waited. Hermione trembled as Theo brought a small mirror into his lap, the white substance perfectly lined up. Her heart went haywire beneath her chest as Theo pulled her closer.

"You have to do this," he said, lips brushing against her ear.

She glanced up, shrinking under Riddle's unrelenting gaze. She swallowed, looking back down. Theo pressed his face into her hair, bringing the mirror up.

"I won't let anything happen to you, Hermione. I promise," he whispered.

One hand came up to rest on the back of her neck. Hermione choked down a sob and leaned over.

For the bracelet, search Luxury Crystal Heart Gold Silver Charm Bracelet Dice. We have about 13-15 more chapters to go, and this is just a heads up that the next chapter is going to be pretty bad. Let me know what you think!