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I actually didn't catch the part in the book that said Hogsmeade was the only wizarding village in Britain… (Inner Neko: YOU CALL YOURSELF AN HP NERD?!) But I already wrote it, so… : P

Glad you're all curious about Xanthe and everything, that is exactly what I wanted… (Mwuhaha!)

Chapter Nine

Hello

Hermione didn't move from her spot; the knock on the door just made it easier. Now she didn't even have to call for Erkki, he'd come answer the door and let her out at the same time, and she would run, far from this house, back to the Burrow, her home…

But it just wasn't that simple.

Erkki came walking out of the kitchen. "Who might it be?"

"I believe Draco knows very well who I am," said the person on the other side.

Is it…? Hermione began to think, but then Erkki squawked in fright and ran back into the kitchen as if it would shelter him from a nuclear bomb. "No, no, go away please! I do not know Mr. Draco Malfoy…"

Hermione heard the person mutter something, and then she had only a nanosecond to leap out of the way of the door, howling, as it swung open. A young woman with long neatly cut blonde hair walked in briskly, looking determined. Hermione's suspicions had been confirmed; it was the same woman she had seen before, the night Malfoy tried to kill Ginny. Hermione tried to run out, but as if she could read the cat's mind, Xanthe picked her up.

"I need you to stay here," she whispered. "I'm on your side."

Hermione was so shocked that when Xanthe sat her back down on the floor, she didn't try to go anywhere near the door, but just listened as Xanthe yelled to the house elf.

"If you don't know him, how'd you know his surname?" she asked. She tapped her wand on the palm of her free hand threateningly.

Erkki's large, bug-like eyes peeked out from behind the kitchen door. "I – I – "

"He's a Death Eater and he doesn't even have the sense to get a house elf that can shut its mouth…" She sighed. "So where is he? Out murdering some more 'blood traitors'?"

"Erkki does not know…"

"Oh, come off it, of course you know!"

"Erkki does not lie! Master does not tell him where he goes! Please leave, I beg you – "

"Erkki!" Pansy yelled demandingly from upstairs. "I heard the door slam. What's the matter?" She came running down the staircase, and she stopped at the sight of the intruder.

"Draco doesn't want you here, Xanthe! So get out!"

"Oh, he told you about me, did he?" the blonde responded. "I suppose you're his girlfriend. I'm surprised you got far enough to move in with him. You must be, what, the fifty-third one he's had?…"

Pansy turned red. "What are you suggesting?"

Xanthe smirked and turned around, pretending to look at the pictures on the wall. "Oh, nothing at all… Now, where'd he go? If you know about me, you damn well know what he's up to."

"I'll not tell you," Pansy said, putting her hands on her hips.

Xanthe turned and smiled devilishly. "Well, then, I guess I'll just have to wait for him to get home, won't I?"

Pansy gasped. "I don't think so! Get out!"

"No."

"Yes!"

At that exact moment, Malfoy walked in through the door, and as fast as he came in, he'd whipped out his wand, pointed it at Xanthe, and yelled, "Petrificus – "

"Expelliarmus!"

Before he could finish his spell, he was knocked backward, his wand flying out of his hand. Xanthe kept her wand pointed at him as she slowly approached him. Pansy screamed.

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Xanthe snapped.

You tell her, Hermione thought.

"What the hell do you want?" Malfoy hissed, not making a move.

"I just want to talk to you, Draco," she said.

"About what?"

"You were always the rebellious git, weren't you? Can't shut up and listen to others…"

"About what, damnit?"

"Things, that's what. Now get up. We need to talk privately." Xanthe nodded toward the living room. Malfoy glared at her for a long moment, then finally clambered up from the floor, grabbing his wand and walking into the living room as she followed. Hermione scampered in before any of them, not wanting to miss a bit of this conversation.

Malfoy sat down on the couch without putting his wand away. Hermione leapt up onto the back of an armchair. Xanthe shut the door, locked it, and turned to look at Malfoy.

"You know, don't you?" Malfoy said in a defeated tone.

Xanthe didn't move. "Of course I know. You kill that girl and you're just going to be stuck here forever, you know that, right?"

Malfoy said nothing. He looked down at the floor as if he hadn't heard her.

"You were already suppose to kill Dumbledore. Kill Ginny and you can never turn from Voldemort."

Hermione was even more shocked. What was it about this Xanthe that could shut him up? Why did she say Voldemort's name? Hermione had heard few other people use that name… And she didn't even flinch…

Malfoy still didn't look up. "Well, I'm not turning to the blood traitors, if that's what you want."

"Because you think Voldemort will kill you. You know, it's not just Mudbloods and people not on his side that he wants murdered. Once he makes the world so it's only purebloods, he'll probably turn on you, too. And you're going to help him?"

"Don't try to change my mind, I can live my own damn life, you know."

"So could Lucius," Xanthe said, snarling the name as if it was a disgrace just to say it. "But he let himself end up in Azkaban and now he's a loon, isn't he?"

"SHUT UP!" Malfoy yelled. Hermione jumped, but Xanthe still didn't move.

"I'm just saying. If you do change your mind, you can always talk to me." She turned to walk out the door, but then Malfoy snarled, "Why would I ever go to you?"

Xanthe turned back around and marched right over to Hermione. While the witch-turned-cat tried to figure out why she was going to her, Xanthe picked her up and carried her over to Malfoy. "Alright, so maybe you wouldn't want help from me. But Moggy's always here."

She dropped Hermione right on Malfoy's lap. Hermione's muscles locked up, then she tried to relax. That's right… I'm always here, so start coughing up some information, you git…

"I actually think she wants to be friends with you," Xanthe said. She gave a mock smile, then pivoted around on one foot and left, not saying a word. Malfoy didn't say anything for a while, then said, "Get off of me, you bloody animal."

In case you didn't notice, a lot of the chapters are named after Evanescence songs. (Evanescence is THE band! XD) REVIEW!