"I don't get it" Harper muttered, looking at all the Quiditch stats that Draco was working very hard to get her interested in. "What do you mean you don't get it! What is so confusing about these numbers?" Draco demanded, stabbing the paper with his foreginger, very put out by Harper's disinterest. She squinted her eyes and concentrated very hard on the huge table of numbers. "It's confusing…" Harper concluded, looking at Draco helplessly.

Draco rolled his eyes and tried to explain it again. "Look! This is a Chaser's table, so this first row of numbers is how many points he's scored for the team. The second row is how many goals he's scored, and the final column is his career total." Harper tossed the magazine at him. "There are way too many numbers, they're making me dizzy!" she proclaimed, crossing her arms across her chest. Draco just sighed. He was a 20 year old man, a respected member of the ministry of magic, and he was arguing with a 19 year old woman about Quiditch stats. Their immaturity astounded him.

Neither of them was aware of Mr. Malfoy watching them from the other room. He was uncomfortable with the amount of danger he was putting his son in without his knowledge, but he knew he needed to follow orders.

Flashback!

The Dark Lord had summoned Lucius to current Death Eater headquarters. He came obediently, kneeling before his lord, awaiting instructions.

"You've done well Lucius" came Voldemort's high-pitched hiss. "The Grey girl is the perfect candidate. How did you come across such a gem?" he asked amusedly. Lucius rose off of his knee to look his master in the face.

"She's Abacus Grey's daughter. I met her last week at a get together of his" Voldemort nodded, not looking away from the picture of the girl Lucius had provided for him in the file.

"You've talked to the parents? They've agreed?" he asked off handedly. Both he and Lucius knew that it would be both incredibly stupid and dangerous for the Greys to refuse the Dark Lord something that he wanted. The question was merely a formality.

"Yes, my Lord. They were thrilled by the honor." Lucius answered, conveniently leaving out the latest Mrs. Grey's hesitation. "Excellent" Voldemort hissed. "Has the girl been told yet?"

"Not yet My Lord… we thought it best that you be the one to decide how to tell the girl of… the honor you are bestowing upon her." Lucius said carefully. The Dark Lord simply nodded. "Yes… yes indeed. You said in her file, Lucius, that she was not a supporter of our cause." Lucius nodded nervously.

Voldemort took a moment to take this into consideration. "Well than I can suppose that she won't come quietly… It would be best to gain her trust before we tell her anything, don't you agree?" Lucius nodded, but it was unnecessary gesture. Voldemort had already assumed his compliance.

"What I want you to do, Lucius, is spend more time with the girl. Better yet, have your son spend more time with her. Gain the girls trust and friendship… then explain to her that how your stories of her have captivated me. She must be flattered that I'm interested, Lucius. You must ensure that she knows what an honor this is." Voldemort instructed.

Lucius began to swell a little bit. "Yes My Lord, but" Voldemort eyes flashed. "Did I hear any hesitation, Malfoy?" he hissed severely. Lucius went right back to bowing. "Of course not my Lord! I'm only concerned that my son might be tempted. She's a very beautiful girl, my lord, and I wouldn't want him to… lay a hand on your future bride," Voldemort smirked, enjoying the fact that something of his was a temptation to other men. "Well I trust you, Lucius, to make sure that doesn't happen."

End Flashback!

It had been three weeks since then, and the Dark Lord was getting impatient. Lucius had insisted that they needed just a little more time. He didn't know how long the Dark Lord's patience would last though.

He watched the two sitting on the couch together, looking through one of the photo albums Harper had put together when she was still in school. They were laughing and smiling at each other (Draco hardly smiled anymore). He knew that there was an attraction to each other was growing. "Draco, there's work for us to do at the ministry, they sent me to come get you" he said abruptly, not bothering to introduce himself.

Harper and Draco were both startled, looking up quickly from their places on the couch. "Mr. Malfoy, I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She got up quickly, helping Draco off of the couch. Draco smiled and kissed her on the cheek good bye, giving her a small smile before leaving with his father.

Harper smiled after them, waving good-bye. She had dreaded living at home after graduating from school, but now she was glad that she had. If she hadn't, she might have never seen Draco again.

There was another knock on the door. Harper was confused, maybe the Malfoy's had forgotten something? She walked back to the front door and opened it to see two men she didn't recognize.

"Are you looking for my father? He's out on Ministry business… can I help you?" She asked. One of them pulled out a wand and smiled deviously at her. She opened her mouth to scream but before she could, one whispered "Immobulus". She fell backwards and lost conciousness.

Hours later, Harper woke up to find herself in a very plush, comfortable bed in the middle of an opulently decorated room. She saw an armoir filled with her clothes, a dresser covered with her toiletries and make up. The only problem was that it wasn't her room. She tried to sit up and figure out where she was but she found the action difficult.

Harper groaned in pain, trying to rub the ache out of her muscles. "I'm sorry about that… I told them to be gentle with you. They have been punished, I promise." A voice from the corner of the strange room said. She gasped in surprise and looked towards the voice. She saw a man standing there, with a white as bone face, no hair, and only slits for eyes and nose. There was only one person this man could possibly be. She pressed herself as close to the headboard as she could, pulling her knees to her chest.

"I assume you know who I am," Voldemort said casually. Harper nodded numbly, terrified and confused. "Good, then it saves me from awkward introductions. Let me explain why you're here. You see, as the heir of Slytherin, I consider it my duty to continue my noble bloodline. I can't do this by myself. I need a woman… and you're perfect Harper."

Harper couldn't believe her ears. She was shaking like a leaf, heart racing so fast she could hear it beating in her ears. "I… I-I'm not going to marry you" she managed to get out. Voldemort just chuckled. "We don't have to if you don't want to. But you will give me a child. I'll wait for you to warm up to me but I won't wait long… so you better start warming up"

Harper wanted to think of something witty to say, something to make him think she wasn't afraid. But she was, she was terrified. All she could do was shake like a leaf and stare at his terrifying face. "Now I know you must be mad at the Malfoy's now… but you should get over that too. They've really done you a great favor…" Harper finally started to adjust to her surroundings.

"The Malfoys?" she asked slowly, looking at him inquisitively. Voldemort just laughed maniachly. "Girl, they told me you were intelligent! Why do you think the Malfoy's have been spending so much time with you? They were supposed to get you warmed up for me, convince you to come to me. But they took too long… I couldn't wait for you" he said, stroking some hair from her eyes.

She jerked her face away from his cold fingers. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Draco knew? Draco was the reason she was here.