A/N: First of all, shout out to everyone who reviewed //smiles//. They really make my day, and as much as I like the story alerts, reading people's feedback just feels good. Okay, this is Part II of Duels and Revelations and possibly the most important chapter thus far- it really sets the tone for the rest of the story, and I'm not sure how often I'm going to refer back to this chapter, but I can just say it was a little hard to write. I don't read many dueling scenes in fics... in fact, I don't recall ever reading one hahaha, but I hope this is still believable. Yes, I did make up some of these spells and I'm hoping I used their Latin forms right haha. Please review! Love you all.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own Draco Malfoy!... in this fanfiction.

Chapter 2
Part II: Duels and Revelations

"Expulso," she shouted. Wow, I hadn't realized she wanted to hurt me that bad. I ducked just in time and watched the spell crash into an abandoned crate with a bemused smile.

"Nagfara Rumora," I whisked languidly, the bluish-ice colored spell seemed to be aiming for her center, and she would have dodged it, had it not been for her overlooking the swish-flick I added to it that made the spell separate into five long strands to block her maneuver and encase her waist to constrict her painfully.

"Petrificus Totalus," she squealed in a gasp, my binds locked themselves on her, making it more difficult for her to breathe. I blocked her spell… or more absorbed it, with the tip of my wand.

"Aculeatus!"

"A stinging spell? Come now Granger, is that the best you have in creativity?" Her spell fell victim to my wand.

"Impedimenta!"

Again, I absorbed her spell.

"C-Confundus," she all but whispered as my constricting spell firmed its grasp.

My wand tip sucked the orange-hued spell easily.

"Stop playing with me, there is no counter spell for this!" Granger yelled breathily, referring to my curse engulfing her waist.

Tired of her efforts I swished my wand and commanded an Invisus, and all her spells my wand withdrew into its tip back-lashed at her except with strength times ten-fold. I watched her writhe in pain for a few moments before it got boring. "Finito Alteracion," I muttered lazily, and the spells stopped working immediately, but not without a last tingling whip reminisce of a very weak Expelliarmus.

"I'll stop playing with you, when you use a spell outside school teaching."

She was sprawled on the ground, her breathing harsh and erratic.

"Granger, I barely touched you, don't be so melodramatic." I kept my wand level. Rule number 5 in Dark Arts 101: Never let your guard down.

"Agua… ENSIFERUM!"

I saw water form out of the air molecules in front of me and reform itself into double edged icicles in midair. I just had time to duck before the newborn icicles raced towards my body, but one nicked my shoulder painfully, and I could feel a tear became evident on my robes. I couldn't stop the smirk that presented itself on my lips.

"Finally!" I yelled back, unable to hide how pleased I was, "Something illegal!"

Granger was back on her feet and riled. "It was legalized for Dark wizard catching just a few months ago," she spat.

I chanced a glance at my left arm where the icicle tore it, and noted how much of my mark was actually revealed, then held her gaze once more. "So you noticed."

She gave a small inclination of her head, barely visible.

"Well then, all the more motivation to defeat me, eh, Granger?"

"Requito!" she yelled.

I called a small form of dark energy from my wand, and it spurred out easily to meet her half-hearted offensive spell, destroying it halfway before her spell met its mark.

"Deatheater? That's a new low even for you, Malfoy."

"What's it to you with what I do with my life?" I asked her lazily. I gathered dark energy into the edge of my wand with half concentration as she replied.

"I just thought you might have been above the Slytherin stereotype."

Something about the way she said that made me smile, and I had no problem unleashing the shadowed energy into her. It blasted her back about 20 feet. Not bad for only four seconds of recoiling it- had it not been for the bubble charm she cast around her to slow her descent, she would've flew to the wall.

"Now now, Granger, no need to bring our Houses into this. I never attacked your foolish attempts at preaching never breaking the rules when you don't mind the hypocrisy."

"Conflag." I heard her mutter, and the space around me rushed into flames.

Ooh. This is new.

"Dark Arts, Granger? You continue to surprise me!" I shouted over the flame. There was no dispelling Conflag without, literally, drowning in the flames- it was much like how water would rush into your lungs except in fire. Much more painful. Conflag would eventually burn itself out, but until then, one was trapped. Well, most would be trapped, but I wasn't most. I whispered a small defensive spell that my aunt taught me before she became busy with the Dark Lord. It was barely a twitch of the lips, and thanks to the flames around me, Granger noticed nothing.

She answered my previous question with a burning spell that was meant to dance along my skin, "Immolacion."

Perfect. Granger took the bait.

"That was anything but light magic, Love."

I felt a smirk pull at my lips when she yelled one more fire spell, "Inferio."

"Och. Terrible mistake."

My defensive spell took action almost simultaneously as the curse hit my shielding. Three dark spells in a row. Granger has been a naughty girl indeed. The shields became visible and blasted up and out, fire and dark magic burst out so intensely around me in all directions I had to cover my eyes. Sounds of crates opening and popping with pressure filled my ears, and the crackle of flame more prominent as if the fire was upon me. A few seconds passed, and I opened my eyes to see the room even more ruined than before- ashes laid a thin sheet of black everywhere beyond a perfectly clean two foot radius around me, and quelled fire danced lightly on imploded boxes and rubbish in an ironically beautiful way. Two things happened at once.

I recast a defensive spell around myself and felt an extremely rough blow at my waist. It took me a split second to realize that it wasn't a spell, but something physical. Hermione Granger had tackled me. I had a moment to think 'How did she survive?' before I realized that I was the one in danger.

"You nearly killed Crookshanks!" she screeched. I was on the ground with Granger on top of me before I could recover myself, and my wand dropped out of my hand. She was positioned in such a way that I was forced to hold her down in her awkward straddling position or else she might 'accidentally' crush some very important family jewels. Her thick hair was matted and horribly tangled, face dirty and sweating with nerves, and her mouth was possibly foaming. In other words, she looked absolutely terrifying.

"Oh, leave it out! Crookshanks is part kneazle and naturally performs his own magic for defense mechanisms." I spat.

Her cat. She nearly died, and she was thinking about her cat.

She shifted onto me, as if threatening to grind her knee further in my thigh. It was deliriously close to my personal Malfoy manor, and although I love a bit of pain, this was pushing it. I dug my fingers into the backs of her own thighs to warn her that I was in a position to hurt her too. She seemed to know she was on the upper hand though, because she paid no heed to the fact I was crushing her upper leg.

"What do you have against me anyway, Malfoy?"

Her voice was curiously calm next to the fact she had her wand now pointed to my neck and from my peripheral I could see it was glowing a truesilver blue. Which meant either one of two things: she was extremely angry and her magical energy was being channeled, or, she was calling her own brand of magic into the wand tip for preparation of an offensive spell. I was betting more on the latter than the former.

"Well I'm flattered that you care about what I think, but I don't think we'd work. We both have our differences magically"-she grounded her knee into my thigh-"and psychologically, apparently." I gritted the last out half in pain and half in a last rush of breath.

"I'm not joking. Muggleborns, why do you hate them?"

"Oh you already know the answer, Granger." I chanced a look to my left and saw where my wand had rolled about 2 feet from my grasp, but made the look seem like I was getting frustrated with the pain shooting up in my leg. I half focused on talking, as I willed my wand to return to my hand with dark energy. "I'm an insufferable prejudiced jackass, who just needs a little bit of pink ponies and rainbows to make me get back to the right path that I'm sure you know all about."

She shifted on me and punched me clean in the face, causing me to lose focus and instead make my wand skitter further from me. "Wrong answer," she said angrily, her wand practically stuffed right under my jugular, and the room started to spin.

"Give me the script you want me to memorize and I'll say exactly what you want me to-" I cut short because just then a small spurt of her energy channeled into my veins and felt like liquid flame pouring into my body. It hurt, like hell, but I couldn't show it. I thanked my mother for teaching me early how to handle pain.

"Love," I said, a little more breathless than I intended, "I don't know what you're looking for. Some complicated, idiotic reason whatever the staff at Hogwarts feeds you, as to why the Dark Lord is as he is, and why we follow him. But, I can assure you, that's not it. Some things are much simpler than you think." That was more truth than I thought she'd believe. But she wanted a long answer.

"Then tell me."

For a split second I focused all my concentration on regaining my wand back. But I concentrated too hard because the wand scraped loudly against the ashy pavement and drew Granger's attention momentarily. I took advantage of this and shoved her so she landed on an unceremonious heap, as I made a dive for my wand. Before we knew it, we were back where started, face to face, just this time, more winded and dirty. So Granger did have a dark side, maybe she was a better dueler than I gave her credit for- my mistake. Better end this quickly.

She was frowning deeply, and I gave her a half smile.

"Sorry, Granger, but this is a duel, not a confession."

Granger held her wand steadily at me, but she was visibly shaking everywhere else. She no longer looked scared, just tired. Alert, but tired. It was the type of tired that you get not out of need to sleep but of putting up with so much.

"You are the most pathetic person… I've ever encountered in my whole life."

"The feeling is mutual," I replied nonchalantly, a sardonic smirk gracing my lips.

"You've got to have a reason for doing all this- for kidnapping Crookshanks, for dueling me here, and for skipping the Express yourself."

"Siccus," I whispered. The gray smoke formed spell floated toward her like a heavy plague that was unavoidable. She wiped the smoke idly away with a swish of her wand and it fell thickly around her instead. A drying spell never worked well when the target was still able to fight back.

"Do you run from all your problems, Malfoy? Try to blind them out like that choking spell you cast on me?"

"This isn't a counseling session either," I said.

"Casus Clausula!"

I dodged her spell with a duck of my head, but met up with her fist again. This woman was pure physical, and it was really starting to piss me off. I grabbed her fist just as it started to recoil, and pulled her close to me, which caught her off guard. I kicked her shin angrily, not to hurt her, but to distract her, and she gave out a sharp yelp as I jerked her wand out of hand and turned her around with her back pressed against my front, my wand pointed at her throat. Her breathing went back to that shallow quality again.

With her so close in range to killing, I can feel the thrum of something larger and bigger than myself, spill out over me that was so unexpected I almost buckled. I didn't think she noticed, because she barely shifted, but I felt the hairs on my left arm which bore the mark raise up almost painfully. Everything seemed to slow down as this overwhelming rushing feeling swam up into my senses and I could barely hear myself think. It was warm, cool, soothing, and if it was possible to taste a feeling, I could've sworn the lilt of bittersweet on my tongue. Kill, it was saying.

"I'm going to die today, right?" her small voice said.

I heard laughter and it took a few moments to realize it was my own. Kill her, Kill her. My hand was shaking, and I found it increasingly harder by each passing second to hold my wand still. Something was wrong and I was losing my nerve- I had to stop this duel now. In the attempt to grab hold of my fading sanity I took her wand I held prisoner and crushed it beneath my foot. There was a momentary hiss of magical static that flew up my leg in protest, before the wand gave way to my heel's efforts altogether. I pushed her away from me, and as if the previous spell that ridden me went with her, it was gone. I felt strangely refreshed.

I noticed that sound was suddenly more prominent and everything felt a little more natural, and knew the wards and shields I cast earlier were lifted. The duel had ended. Hermione Granger could no longer use her wand. In that instant I couldn't remember quite what made me want to move from Granger as fast as possible, it was as if my mind was momentarily wiped. I knew what happened, just can't remember really what I was so worried about. A soft purring brought me out of my reprieve. I looked down and saw Crookshanks rubbing his cheek against the hems of my robes. Oh, right. I had to kill Granger. I looked up and around and found Granger where I shoved her away- on the ground next to the wall. I performed a simple but effective binding spell on her wrists, and she didn't seem to notice, she was too shaken. Near death experiences do that to you, I suppose.

I bent down so Crookshanks could crawl into my arms before striding over to her and sitting next to her. Crookshanks jumped out of my arms to provide a physical but very furry divider between us. I was so lost. I wasn't really feeling like myself, it was as if I lost something but wasn't quite sure what. I turned my head to the girl next to me.

Granger looked at me with those large, probing eyes of hers, that were reminiscent so much of her sunset-furred cat. I knew she didn't know occlumency, but I was sure she was reading every single thought fleeting through my mind.

"Will it hurt?" she asked. So quietly, barely audible in it's cautiousness. It was shaking with fear, but at the same time it seemed to have the soft irony of acceptance at what was to come, whatever my reply would be.

I cupped her chin, lifting it into a comfortable position and surveyed her, ignoring the dirt that ran through her veins, and no longer doing guesswork upon her abilities now that I first hand witnessed she was the best duelist I ever encountered. It was amazing how one fight can change everything about someone. For a moment, she didn't even look like a Gryffindor- her bravery was now gone, a stereotype, was thrown out the window. I was definitely, out of it. I was touching Granger, and I didn't mind.

"I never wanted to kill you," I whispered, my voice sounding strangled even to myself.

"But," she said slowly, and I knew it took every ounce of her willpower not to let the tears that now formed in the wells of her eyes to betray her now carefully even voice, "you still are, aren't you?" It sounded more like a statement.

Instead of answering, I stalled. It was the something I picked up after years of getting in trouble with Mum and running to Auntie Bella in the end.

"You know, if it wasn't for your blood, my Mum would have kidnapped you herself."

"Wha- what?" Granger asked, unsurely.

I let go of her chin, my eyes strayed momentarily from her face, down to her shattered wand before us, and then finally to the binds on her wrists that kept her in place next to me. I noted she was no longer shivering violently.

"Same with my father. Actually, I think he fancied you a little. If Mum was out of the picture, he'd find some loophole to get your intensely magicked blood linked into our line. Mum was stricter about the pureblood only thing, mind you." I said conversely. Hermione was quiet.

"Even after she figured out about your ancestry, I vaguely remember her telling me that it was a shame how all the right powers go into the hands of the wrong people. I know that sounds like an insult, but my mother's too proud to outright compliment, uh, Muggleborn folk." I said awkwardly.

"Do they all look like that?" Granger said. It was so out of place, I almost forgot it was a question.

"Sorry?"

"I mean, your mark. I always thought they'd look like the ones they cast in the sky." she said.

I thought it was a strange thing to ask your enemy, how a representation of what was to kill you looked like. But then again, we were never normal enemies. In fact, it felt like limbo sitting her and talking to her, as if I actually cared about her. I still had to kill her but I was stalling, and I didn't know why. Too many things had happened today- take one problem at a time.

"No. Well, at least mine doesn't. I don't know about everyone else's," I realigned my position next to her, so Crookshanks felt more comfortable lying in between us. I ruffled the cat's ears affectionately while she asked me another question. I noticed that I moved too much when I was confused.

"Can I see it?"

And before I realized what I was doing, I rolled up my left sleeve to show her the ancient burnings engraved into my skin. She wasn't a Death Eater, it shouldn't be anything to worry about. Crookshank's eyes seemed to widen in amazement at the arm that leaned above him, and I let out a chuckle at the incredulous cat, giving it a rub down on his stomach as he purred in blissful triumph. I was wondering why she wasn't saying anything, so I looked up at her, and was surprised when she cocked her head to the side and mouthing something incoherently.

"What?" I asked.

"Does it hurt?" Granger asked, ignoring my question.

"No. Well, I'm sure it did, but not anymore."

She was staring at it again, longer than I had when I was looking at it though the mirror, and it unnerved me. It wasn't a damn book, I didn't know what made her look for so long. I pulled my sleeve back down, but before I could properly arrange the cuffs on my robes, she interrupted my movements,

"Was there more to that?"

I sighed impatiently, "You're more demanding than my fiancée."

"No," she said, either overlooking my words, or simply not caring, "Your arm said something."

"I'm pretty sure they're just intricate designs not meant to be interpreted, Granger," I fingered my wand again, trying to remember why I was keeping her alive for so long.

"'None to break a promise, intercepting,' that's all I was able to read."

"What the bloody hell are you babbling about?"

"I had to study Latin during Ancient Runes since there's some symbols that traced to Latin roots. That's what it looked like was on your arm," she craned her neck around as much as she could against the binds around her wrists would allow as if she could peek into and under my sleeve. I pulled it away from her prying eyes immediately.

"What are you trying to get to?" I was a Slytherin at heart, suspicion was a norm. Besides, it almost seemed like she wanted to help me right as I had told her just earlier I was going to kill her.

"You're going to kill me, right?" she said dismissively, as if it didn't matter to her anymore, her Gryffindor characteristics starting to kick in again. "That arm of yours isn't normal. I don't know how I know, but something tells me it's not a common distinction among the Death Eaters." She pulled back into a more comfortable sitting position after she realized I wasn't going to show her my arm again, "Look. I already accepted that you're going to kill me. I was never scared of death," she said quietly. "Given, there are plenty of things I never did that I wanted to, the least I can do is not to die in vain."

"Wait. What?" Was this Mudblood crazy? "Are you proposing what I think you are? You do realize you're helping a Death Eater!"

"You're not like the rest of them!" she said angrily.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because you would've killed be by now! You're an idiotic, biased, self-centered, arse, but you're also one of the most intelligent people I've ever met! You have reasons for everything, and I'm sure the reason you went to this level is a better one than most!"

We were silent for some time, and the cat between us seemed unaffected by our row. He actually got up, to crawl onto Granger's outstretched legs. Hermione Granger. Smart, talented, pretty, and ruled by her logic, not her emotions. I really didn't want to kill her. She would probably be the one to solve incurable ailments at St. Mungo's, or find a potion to help Mum's hacking coughs in the middle of the night for all I know. I didn't have a time limit did I? I could kill her whenever, it never said when I had to. Wait? Who cares? Why should I spare her? She knows I'm a Death Eater, and sure she wasn't surprised at all, and yes, she was terrified. What are the chances she WOULDN'T turn me in as soon as we got back to school? She's goody-good, wonder woman against all that is "evil," alongside the famous Potter. She's smart. Granger is fucking smart, and she has something up her sleeve, because no one offers help not expecting anything in return. In the end she'll either turn me in or kill me. We're on opposite sides, she's convinced about something. Then I should kill her. But why can't I kill her? Damn it, why couldn't it have been Weasley for my first target? Or maybe-

"Let me see the rest of it." Her voice was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. Fine, I'll play her little game. I'll humor her a bit, see where she's trying to get to, and when I figure out what her motive is, it'll be all the easier to do what I was supposed to do. I got up, shed my robes easily, undid my tie quickly, and then followed after with my shirt. The cold nipped momentarily at me, but I was already numb. I just realized I was half naked in front of my worst enemy so she could read me. That sounded hilarious now that I thought about it. But whatever, I had time to spare. I kneeled again, and got close to her so she could see every part of the mark.

"You can put your robe on the rest of you, I just need to see your left side," she said in what sounded like embarrassment. I smirked. I almost forgot she was capable of having hormones.

"The cold doesn't bother me." I said in reply. It seemed to unnerve her. Yes, squirm, Mudblood, squirm.

After a few minutes though, she said slowly out loud,

"Nullus fidem fallere. Intercipio corpus aeternus spondeo. Augurium invisus."

Something about the way she said those words sent a shiver through my body. It was as if my body was replying to her voice, because a whisper of something huge and hot seared inside what was I believe, the depths of my gut, and surged through the rest of me. It wasn't a good feeling. I couldn't help but let out a ragged breath. Granger seemed to notice this.

"You heard these words before?" she asked calmly.

"First time," I said. Okay, I no longer thought she was playing around.

"'Nullus fidem fallere.' 'None to break a promise.'?"

Again, that uncomfortable feeling that could only be compared to de ja vu or nostalgia swam up inside me. This felt familiar, but I couldn't quite remember when I felt it. She was definitely, not making the words up.

"The next words confuse me," she went on, "I thought it said 'intercepting' or something, but coupled with the next word meaning 'without a soul,' vaguely, it doesn't really make sense. It has other meanings, maybe 'through death,' or…"

"Granger," I barked more than said, humorlessly. It was no longer amusing. I felt extremely uncomfortable, as if someone took a fuzzy rake and was pulling it all along my innards right underneath my skin with every word she said.

"Wait, I almost got this, 'Nullus fidem fallere. Intercip-'"

"Silencio." I said quickly, unable to handle the brush of unseen velvet roll through the inside of my body, pronouncing itself even more. She was quiet. Finally.

I looked at her and a million thoughts ran through my head. They all pointed to one thing. Whatever it was that I was feeling right now, was not normal. I was confused, but at least that much was clear to me- the mark on me had an effect I couldn't control, and I didn't like it. Worst of all, I couldn't go to anyone at the moment who would know, and it's not like sending out owls about your secret death eater life to your mother was the safest thing to do at the moment. Okay. So here's the deal. I won't kill her, not yet. I need her since she's probably the only one who could help me with this later. I got the information of the words. What were they again…?

Unable to think of any other way, I pulled out a scratch of parchment and conjured a quill out of thin air before doing the counterspell on Granger so she was able to talk again. I inhaled sharply as I cut her off whatever she was about to say,

"What did my arm say again?"

"'Nullus fidem fallere. Intercipio corpus aeternus spondeo. Augurium invisus.'" She was looking at me weird.

A white heat spread across me again, and I had to stomp my foot to keep in focus. I looked down at the parchment, and was pleased to see that my bewitched quill wrote down every one of her words without missing a beat.

"Thank you."

"What are-"

But before she could finish I knocked her out swiftly with my elbow against her head, "Sorry," I said instinctively, even though I didn't mean it at all, "I'm going to kill you," I continued to say to her unconscious body as I removed her bindings and pulled her out within view of where a wandering wizard may find her, Crookshanks trailing me and not seeming the least bit worried, "But as of now, I need you. So I'm going to use you during school. Without you knowing of course."

I arranged her body in a way so it seemed like she fainted, and was careful to make sure her jacket was on properly so she wouldn't catch cold….Oh, who gives a shit? I got back up and then moved to put my own clothes on.

"Ah, almost forgot," I said aloud, "Obliviate." Granger barely shuddered. I looked down at Crookshanks, who was looking at me intently, and I couldn't help but feel like he was accusing me of something, "I didn't kill her." I said to the cat, unsure why I was doing it- the cat wasn't looking at me like that when I was dueling Granger, but somehow me casting a forgetting spell on her had offended the house pet. "Just take care of her. I hope we meet again, Crookshanks, and I hope you like Pansy."

A/N: I don't think that was too out of character. I put more emphasis on Hermione's dialogue and reactions, so I'm hoping I did Draco right. People are probably wondering why she reacted that way, but you'll probably never know seeing this is from Draco's perspective. But- if you were able to see from third person, it'd've all made sense. Ah...the joys of first person writing. //smirks// Anyway, there's been a lot of static with me and my beta when comparing the differences between Fanon and Canon Draco. We've both noticed that Canon Draco was pretty one-dimensional in books 1-3 and then 4-5 developed a sort of personality shift that showed Draco had emotions and beliefs- book 6 obviously having the most focus on him... but then, at book 7 Draco all of a sudden turned into a one-dimensional hop skip of emotions. We both detested that. So, both Holy Pancake and I are putting our efforts in creating the Draco we both always perceived him as, and unfortunately it's very much more in line with Fanon Draco. There's two types of Fanon Dracos- the coward/confused/comedic-ish Draco that tries to stay in line with Canon, and then there's the popular Fanon Draco which I'm writing with more depth- the sexy, seductive, intelligent and calculating Draco. I've always had the impression that Draco would grow up to be this way, so in this sense, the story will be very AU since the actual books didn't let him grow up as fast as I'd've liked him too. This plot idea was also thought up with plot lines and everything when the 5th book was out and the 6th was still incoming, so it will have trouble following year 6 and 7 of the books.
I'm sorry it has to be that way, because I really like staying true to the storyline (if you haven't noticed already with me bringing back Lockheart's dueling club and whatnot), but the story would be completely different if I followed the last two books.
I have a lot more to say but I think I made this author note a little too long. I hope you still keep reading even though Draco is Fanon in character, not Canon. By the way, it's still a fic challenge response.
yoshi09