The room was furnished in verdant hues, velvet and silk coated the walls and floor. Hermione found it stifling and distasteful, but perhaps her horror at the situation had something to do with that. The sides of the room pressed in on her menacingly as she sat on the carpet by the foot of the bed with the sleeve of her robe torn and her wand quickly removed. If she hadn't been in shock she would have been terrified. The black-swathed figure had come out of nowhere like a shadow or a pool of water seeping through cracks, enveloping its prey. There had only been a second to react, and though she had tried to scream, it was hard to remember whether or not a sound had actually come out of her throat.

Hermione had almost pulled her hair out with frustration at Snape's silence, but had finally decided to try and relax in town. The road had been damp with rain from the early morning, and she had been thinking – thinking about, of all people – Draco Malfoy, when it had happened.

It was easy to guess the identity of her abductor, but she was almost afraid to. The thought crept around the corners of her mind like a spider spinning the edges of its web. And she was the fly.

---

Harry flung open the castle's main doors, skidding down the entryway and almost slipping in a puddle of spilled pumpkin juice.

"Professor!" he yelled, running breathless into the Great Hall. Professors McGonagall, Snape, Dumbledore and Vector had just sat down to what looked like scones and tea. "Hermoine's been taken," he panted, wilding searching the teacher's faces for more than a confused reaction.

"What?" asked McGonagall incredulously. "What on earth do you mean?" She narrowed her eyes as Ron ran into the hall seconds behind his friend, equally breathless.

"Someone grabbed her in Hogsmeade and they apparated, I mean, he took her – apparated her away with him – or her," stammered Harry, gasping for breath.

"Hermione's been acting rather strangely, lately," added Ron, looking straight at Snape. "We were worried about her after she passed out in class, and now this-," he broke off, his voice suddenly high-pitched. "Someone's taken her!"

"Do you have any idea why?" McGonagall's eyebrows had almost disappeared into her hairline and her hand was shaking.

"If you have no explanation, then the best thing to do is simply notify the ministry immediately," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Well then let's do it!" said Harry. "Hermione's life might be in danger. Whatever is going on, I think it has implications for more than just Hermione."

"What makes you say that?" asked McGonagall. Professor Vector observed the conversation from behind a pink enamel cup of Earl Grey.

Dumbledore rose from his seat in a regal manner and places his index fingers on his temples before anyone could reply. "Come to my office Harry, Ron you too. Minerva?" he questioned with a glance, leading them out of the Great Hall. "We must look into this immediately. One can never be too careful these days – Somehow I don't think that this is a school prank."

"I don't think so either, Professor," said Harry cautiously as they exited.

Professor Snape's hold on his fork loosened from the vise-like grip it had taken on. He excused himself hastily and, robes billowing, retired to his quarters with a look of fear upon his face.

Professor Vector shrugged and continued his tea without his colleagues.

---

"Hermione," drawled the voice. "So glad you're finding yourself at home." Hermione rose from her seated position and faced her abductor. The carpet gave way under her wobbly feet. It felt as if sand had been poured into her shoes and her legs turned to jelly.

"Oh, don't rise on my part," he smirked. "I might like you better if you were less co-operative."

"And why would I want you to like me?" hissed Hermione scathingly, hands tightening around the footboard of the bed.

"You're right," replied Lucius. "It's more fun when the feeling is mutual." He narrowed his eyes at the girls' petite form. Hermione had to stifle a shudder of anticipation. Adrenaline coursed through her body as she waited, waited, waited. But the man did not speak. She took a step forward hesitantly.

"I want my wand back," she stated. The corners of Lucius' mouth curled upward like burning paper.

"We can't have everything we want, now can we?" he replied, entering further into the room. Hermione inched towards the exit as he approached a window, facing away from her.

"For example, I cannot have a perfect son." His eyes tracked hers as they followed him across the room. He turned around before she had reached her destination. His eyes slitted in anger. "And you cannot have a pristine reputation, Mublood whore." He spat out the words like they were poison on his tongue. Hermione felt them hit her like a slap in the face. She reeled back physically from the attack, groping for the doorframe with her hands.

"Don't try to leave," he advised. "Better to be good now, and receive just rewards later." He flared his nostrils and licked his lower lip obscenely.

"My affairs are none of your business," whispered Hermione hoarsely.

"Oh but they are." Lucius stepped towards her quickly until the hem of his robes swished noiselessly against hers. "They are when you involve my family. When you involve my son."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, but you do."

"No –," Hermione panted. "Someone's been telling you -," she broke off, hyperventilating. "- lies," she finished.

Draco, Draco, Draco . . . what have you told him, what? There was nothing to tell, nothing happened, nothing happened, nothing happened. There was only Severus! What -

"I know all about your sordid comings and goings!" he spat out. His face hovered above hers, arms blocking her from moving past the doorway. His proximity was intimidating, and made Hermione feel almost nauseous. "I wonder what he sees in you, filthy dirt running through your veins." He ran an elegant finger across her collarbone. "Perhaps I should see for myself."

Hermione looked up fiercely into Lucius Malfoy's eyes. "What do you want?" she asked boldly.

"Nothing I don't already have," he countered, and with a swish of his wand, closed the door."

---

Sorry this chapter took so long, I realized I had a social life to attend to and got caught up with friends. Please review, more coming soon . . . The long-awaited answers to some very important questions will ensue in a few more chapters!