The Deal

Disclaimer: I own everything, every one of the Harry Potter books published by Bloomsbury….. Except the ones which are written by J.K. Rowling.

I looked at Hermione as she edged two steps backward with an expression of total shock. She didn't seem quite welcoming. Well, not that I thought she woul-

Wait a second. Did I say 'Hermione'? Merlin. Have I gone mad? A slip of tongue, and that too a very huge one. Goodness. I bit my tongue as I hard as I could. There you go, next time you utter words like that you're in for trouble.

I turned only to find that Hermio- Granger had regained her composure and looking at me through her narrowed eyes.

"And to what do I owe you this fatal pleasure?" she said still studying me from top to bottom with her arms crossed.

I sneered. "Fatal, surely. But let me tell you this Granger, pleasure is the last emotion that would run through me when I get a run-for-your-life opportunity to visit the nonsensically cheerful Weasel clan."

"Well, if it is really a 'run-for-your-life', then what the hell are you doing here Malfoy?" She seemed to have gone red with rage at my remark on the Weasels. If I am not as ill-fated, I might even get a chance to see the various rainbow shades of her range of rages.

"Not that I voluntarily decided to be a rehabilitated wizard whose first goodwill task is to kiss his dearest of all enemies, I had come here to meet the Golden Trio on some business." I faltered at the last word.

Her eyebrows nearly reached heaven. She released her hands and let them hang loosely by her side. If she would have opened her mouth wide, she definitely would have made a complete image of a 'Lady Who Witnessed the Resurrection of Voldemort in a Pink Tutu.'

"Am I dreaming or have you really decided to turn into a new leaf?" She looked ready to pinch herself into several places.

I scowled at her. She might have well said that I was coming here to dance with the Golden Trio. I was just about to say something really sarcastic when I stopped. Something in my hand burned. I froze when I realised what it was. Slowly, oblivious to the fact that Granger was standing before me, I held up my hand and pulled the sleeves backwards. The Dark Mark was twitching.

I could feel my blood turning cold. Suddenly I remembered and turned to the front to see whether she had seen it too. But Granger was looking elsewhere. And the expression etched on her face made me turn back and look at the direction which seemed to have left her horrified. The sight made me shiver. Up in the sky, the Dark Mark flashed with such radiance that it illuminated the whole region.

For an instance, I decided to flee from the place elsewhere. If Granger reveals anyone of my visit tonight then I am gone for. That is when the second option entered my mind and I did not even wait to consider it. I took one look at Granger and ran to her. She didn't even see me coming. Grasping her hand I pulled her with me as I ran towards the street. She mumbled something in protest but I paid no heed to her. I directed us towards the woods on the other side of the street. It was until I had covered at least half a kilometre inside the dense when I stopped for breath.

I looked back at her and found a disoriented girl. Her hair was undone and she was panting heavily. She stood bending in front of him as she tried to gain her breath back but her tiny feet couldn't hold her long as she collapsed to that ground groaning with pain. She opened her heels, massaged her toe and looked at me through the messy strands of hair.

"Could you have at least warned, you know. I had to run with these heels and now my toes are paining me to death." She said her voice almost inaudible.

I looked at her incredulously. She was worried about her Stupid Heels when there was a Death Eater on loose. Merlin forbid, she might even ask me to carry her next. But a slight groan disrupted my thoughts. I towards her and found her holding up a part of her dress that revealed a huge split. She looked at it with such distress that I had to try hard to hide the slight curve on my lips. I walked towards her and handed her my wand. She looked at it with raised eyebrows as she reached put for it slowly. She examined the wand in apprehension and I watched her as she did so. She did not know it but Potter had already returned me my wand after the trial. He had taken it a year ago in the Manor attack when he had seized it from my hands, probably because his wasn't with him at the moment. Being without a wand was like being disabled, like being handless. My rage and hatred for that Scar head grew by huge amount of possible imagination, not a surprise that I found it suffice to huff angrily rather than offering a vote of thanks when he gave me back my wand. But coming back to the precise moment, Granger actually got back her nerves and wisely stopped examining it to use it on the split. She returned it back without even glancing at me although she added, "Didn't know you sympathized ladies with a wardrobe malfunction."

"I don't want to be accused of raping the Golden Girl." I said simply without even looking at her while rubbing that part of the wand where she touched with the hem of my robes giving the impression that it was dirtied. "And I don't see a lady anywhere around."

She looked at me with her wide open while rage flashed in her eyes. I glanced at her indifferently. "That teaches you a lesson to talk less and do what I say." I said threateningly before she could open her mouth to speak anything else.

"You know what Malfoy; it would help if you stopped being such a prat."

"I asked you to stop talking. Of all the deformities in a Mudblood, your deafness is another addition. Score 1 Granger."

"Thank goodness we Mudbloods don't tattoo our wrists to categorise ourselves. Because if we did, I definitely would not be able stand the pain in it when we strike a score in jeopardizing the lives our dearest enemies."

"That," I spluttered angrily, "is the level of tolerance we have to keep the association active. And I am happy you can relate to it understandingly, something I never expected someone of your class to do. And if you must know, only the privileged are given the honour of marking themselves."

"And you are trying to imply that you are privileged because you are a Death Eater now? She asked with her eyebrows raised.

I opened my mouth to answer that only to find my mind blank. She watched as I fought a desire to blurt out all that I had tolerated these years. Every time that I found it hard to do whatever and however I was asked to do by Lucius. My reluctance became a long gone companion and I stand as a mere puppet in the Manor.

You see Granger, I am the son of the most notorious Death eater ever to be born and if you call that a privilege then get your wand out to protect yourself from my hexes. Because being Lucius Malfoy's son isn't a privilege; being forced to be a Death Eater isn't a privilege; being given the task of recruiting all those people on whose face you would like to shit isn't a privilege; Deciding to meet 'The Boy Who Lived And Fucked' for help cause you don't have any other alternative isn't a privilege. And if that isn't enough, coming here and kidnapping you for at least a few moments is not what I call a PRIVILEGE. So, unless you think you understand my life better than me you rather not question my intentions.

"Yes, if you would like to know," was all that I could say. And don't ask me why.

"Humph!"

Adding nothing else she got up and started walking towards the way we came from. I watched her go until I was confirmed she wouldn't turn back.

"And just where do you think you are going?" I asked irritably.

"Back where I came from." She shouted back.

Giving an angry growl, I marched towards her. On reaching her I grasped her arm and pulled her back forcefully so that she was only few inches away from my face.

"Listen you bitch, I don't have all the time in the world to play with you. I have a mad man over at my house who would slay me if he knew I was here and that too with you. And the amount of people present in that Black House, you could fall in trouble too if they knew you were here with me in the woods. So unless, you want both us to result in danger, you will hear me out now! I didn't come to that stupid party to garland you and welcome you back, but I can't say the same about the Death Eaters. Yes, they might have intended to meet the Order people," I said as she looked about to interrupt me. "The Death Mark being in such a close proximity to that place surely means they wanted to enter that place. But I guarantee you one thing; I did not call them. And I have no idea what is the reason for their arrival. But I know that it isn't the same as mine."

"Malfoy," Granger nearly shouted. " Would you mind if you leave my hand because I seem to concentrate more on what hexes I would like to use on you rather than what you are talking about. You are really hurting me."

I sighed helplessly. She might not have even paid any attention to what I had said till now. I dropped her hand roughly and glared at her.

She returned back my glare as she massaged her arms. "So, if their reason of coming is not as yours than why are you here, seeing that they are probably here to create some kind of havoc?"

Thank goodness, she listened.

"I need help," I said dryly.

Granger raised her eyebrows at me.

"From," I avoided her eyes, "you."

What followed was a deep, eerie kind of silence. Ones that you usually find in graveyard at night. I remembered some bird chirping while we were bickering at each other but even that seemed to have stopped now. The only sounds that can be heard now were the howl of some wolves far away and the croaks of some toads nearby, maybe in some pond. Even the sound of our breathing was inaudible and I wondered whether she was even breathing.

The silence continued for a few more minutes which seemed like hours for me. At last, getting the courage to look at the witch in front of me, I raised my eyes towards her. What I expected was to find her staring at me open mouthed. Instead I was mistaken. Seeing the amount of surprising statements I made to her tonight, her mouth must be paining by now after hanging it so much. Good, for the last thing I wanted was to get a glance at Granger's tonsils.

Granger was looking at me thoughtfully. The look that gave you the feel that you were being X-rayed. I returned back her stare. After a few moments my eyes started to water and I at once glanced down.

"Why?" she asked. It was more of a whisper.

"I actually needed Potter's help in this. But now that there must be an attack in your place, he would rather fart at me than decide to help me."

She still stared at me as if waiting for a further explanation.

I sighed. "Look Granger, surprised though you might be, I have no other alternative in my hands now. There's a big scheme being hatched by my father and he has forced me into it and I have no route of escape. It's a kind of recruitment of all the wizards who once supported Voldemort. Not only in Europe itself. There are some in South East Asia and a lot in Southern America. Apparently, they avoided the War but Lucius is determined to make their participation possible this time. He wants revenge and this time he is going to fight until his last breath."

"And how are you involved in it?" enquired Granger.

"I am the recruiter."

There was a moment's silence as I waited for her to comment on that. But when she said nothing, I continued.

"As much as I would want to avoid any association with the three of you, this is one of the rare times that I am using my conscience. I know that the consequence of this whole plot will end up in bloodshed. And I had seen enough of that during the War. We Malfoys have already lost all of our prestige in The Battle of Hogwarts and I don't want it to get worse. Lucius is not in his right mind now and no one can stop him. It is not something he is doing for the Dark Lord but for himself. He was never this evil, but now he is. And I am stuck in the middle of it."

"And you think I would and could help you?"

I looked at her sneered. "You owe me, Granger, if you would remember."

She looked at me for a few seconds.

"How can I be sure that you are not in his side and had not been sent by him?" She asked testily.

I looked at her with a composed expression whereas my mind was telling me too scream at her and leave her in the woods and go back home.

"I wonder, Granger, whether I have gone out of my mind by confiding in to you everything all this time."

"You did not answer my question."

"Granger, do you trust me or not?" I demanded.

I know it was a silly question and the expected answer was no. But when she looked uncomfortable as if she was debating upon this matter, my eyes couldn't help but stare at her wide. She was confused whether she did trust me. But why? It was then that it hit upon me the favour that I had involuntarily done to her once. And I assumed she was thinking the same thing. I did not know whether to be relieved that she might have a bit trust me a bit or get genuinely shocked by it.

"It might come as a surprise to you Malfoy," she said looking a bit unsure of herself, "but I do trust you till some amount. Not much but little. Teensy-weensy"

Hearing that from her mouth was more shocking. The fact that she admitted it was enough to pop my eyes out. I could have as well opened my mouth wide but that would be very un-Malfoyish. A confession from Granger on something as absurd as that was equal to a confession from Lucius on being guilty.

"Well," not knowing exactly what to say, "I admit I am shocked to hear that."

That may be the first time tonight but whatsoever, Granger smiled at me, genuinely. And it was somewhat a better sight than watching her fly off the handle.

"So, what's the plan?"

I was surprised to find that I couldn't resist a smirk.

A/N: I know it is really jumpy, abrupt and what not. Sorry I could not make their first interaction a bit special. But their histories clash, so I had to show that right? Anyway, I was a bit lazy with this chapter and that could be obviously seen here. Exams are finished so I have ample opportunity to write more. Already started the next chapter, so it might be posted soon. And I am sorry once again for the weak description and humour in this chapter. I realise I am not much good at it.

Recently read the fanfics "Silencio", "Everything Changes" and "Broken: Epilogue"… Sorry I forget the authors' name… But I recommend them to those who haven't read them. They are simply awesome. And also you need to read "Broken" by inadaze22 before you read its epilogue….. Enjoy these fanfics and if you know some great fanfics then please recommend me some…. I am in desperate need of Dramione fanfics.

But along with that, don't forget to Review okay? Like I said earlier, 'the existence of this fanfic depends on your Reviews'… PLEASE REVIEW!