Chapter IX: Veritaserum
The foursome had apparated to a small woodland off the coast of Aberdeen. They had set up the tent again and cast protective wards before collapsing in a tired heap in the tent.
"Well done." Harry congratulated as Draco lay the package down on the floor. Hermione sighed and reached over, unwrapping the package.
"Be careful." Harry warned as Hermione tore the package off the tiara. She stared at it.
It was beautiful. A golden eagle encrusted in jewels, harnessing a giant blue on in the middle. Hermione was mesmerised. She reached over and picked it up, examining it.
Coldness seeped into her as she ran her fingers over it. She felt like a heavy weight had landed on her head as she held onto the tiara. She frowned as she looked up at Draco and suddenly the anger that had been rising in her from Knockturn Alley exploded.
He's deceived you, Hermione. You saw it with your own eyes...
She stood up, whipping her wand out and training it on a now bewildered Draco.
"Hermione what are you doing!" Harry hissed but Hermione just pointed her wand at him.
"Don't!" Hermione screeched.
"Calm down-" Draco started but Hermione flung a stunning jinx towards him, which Draco narrowly avoided by diving behind the sofa.
"Don't tell me to calm down!"
"She hates that." Ron muttered.
Ron. He's put you through so much, Hermione. Remember when he chose Lavender, remember when he left you, all alone...
"YOU! You shut up!" Hermione felt utterly hysterical as she pointed her wand at Ron who looked petrified. "Don't you even dare. I hate you, I hate you so much. What you put me through, when you left, I hate you for it."
"Hermione, please." Harry started but Hermione screamed and slammed Harry into the side of the tent with a powerful levitating spell. Harry groaned on the floor.
"Granger!"
He never calls you by your real name, Hermione. Not like I do.
"GRANGER? Why do you never call me Hermione?" Hermione screamed, as Draco reappeared from behind the sofa.
"I-"
"Shut up. Don't even talk." Hermione said, threatening with her wand again. "I saw what you did in Borgin and Burkes. I saw how you treated him."
"I was getting the bloody tiara!" Draco yelled angrily, pulling his own wand out. Then he thought better at the sight of Hermione's red face and pulsing temple and stuffed it back in his pocket.
He used an Unforgivable. How can you forgive him for that?
"You didn't have to use the Imperius Curse on him!" Hermione screeched, reaching boiling point. She had no idea why she was so angry. She was angry at him, yes, but this, this was a rage that was taking over her. "I heard you."
"I couldn't have him trace us." Draco replied, breathing heavily through his nose.
"Hermione, put the tiara down." Harry ordered from his position on the floor.
Harry Potter. He thinks he can control everything. Not this time. And this tiara is yours, my dear.
"No! Don't you tell me what to do, Harry Potter." Hermione hissed, wiping her hair from her face with her hand. "Draco, those curses are unforgivable for a reason."
"I used it for a good reason."
"Dark Arts are not for good reason!"
Tut tut, Hermione.
"What if they were used to save you? To save you all? Are they so evil then?"
"Shut up!" Hermione screamed, grabbing hold of her head. "Just shut up." She breathed heavily.
"Listen, I had to do it."
"No, there are other ways!"
"What, would you have wanted me to kill him? Eh, Granger? Because it wouldn't be the first time I killed someone to cover my tracks!"
He's killed, Hermione. He's taken another's life without even blinking. He could take your life without even caring.
Hermione stopped moving, staring at him with glassy eyes. She swayed dangerously on the spot.
"I know you've killed, you're a Death Eater. You always will be." Hermione felt sick as she leant heavily on one of the posts of the tent. "That's what you do, you kill people. You're sick."
"Go on, Hermione, hate me." Draco whispered. Hermione barely registered he'd used her first name.
You hate him, Hermione. You hate him, hate him. He enjoyed performing that beautiful curse, Hermione.
"I do. I hate you, Draco." Hermione pointed her wand at him higher, right at his chest. "We should never have trusted you. I saw the way you looked at him when you used that curse. You enjoyed it. Admit it."
"I enjoyed it." Draco whispered. "I enjoyed seeing him so scared, I enjoyed the way it felt to have power but Hermione, I've given it all up."
Liar.
"You're a liar." Hermione whispered. "I don't trust you, not anymore. After everything you've done before. You've tried to hurt me in the past."
"I have ne-"
"Don't, lie." Hermione let the angry tears fall down her cheeks. "You called me Mudblood whenever you had the chance. I've been called it by so many people. Slytherins, Death Eaters even Voldemort himself. But whenever you said it, you made me feel like a Mudblood. You made me who I am, and you let it be branded on my arm." Hermione wrenched her sleeve up, exposing the cruel word etched on her arm.
"I would never call you that again, you know that!" Draco yelled angrily.
Why did he save you, Hermione? He wants to kill you, he wanted to do it himself. You can't trust him Hermione, he's only trying to hurt you.
"Tell me, why did you save me, Draco?" Hermione whispered. "Was it to kill me yourself afterwards?"
Harry stared at his best friend. He'd never seen her act this crazy. He'd never seen her so hurt. Not even when Ron left. Ron was currently staring at her too, shock all over his face. They just remained silent, unable to speak.
"No! Of course not!" Draco insisted.
"Why did you save me?" Hermione asked, sobbing now. "And you bloody well tell me this time."
"I saved you because I couldn't lose you, alright." Draco said, forgetting that Ron and Harry were currently witnessing the entire argument unfold. "You were going to die and I couldn't let that happen."
If you were dead, his parents wouldn't be.
"You should have just let it happen Draco. If I were dead, your parents would still be alive."
"My parents are dead?" Draco said blankly. He stumbled backwards and stared at her. Hermione stared back.
(Hermione whispered his name. He looked up, eyeing her wand as she whispered; Obliviate)
"You Obliviated me." Draco whispered, remembering. Hermione stared at him. She felt herself wobbling on her feet. She squinted at him and suddenly felt her heart tear in two. Draco.
"Draco?" She whispered. "I'm so.." Don't. He hurt you. He deserves to hurt. Make him hurt, Hermione. "Voldemort killed your parents, and it's all your fault."
Draco's face cracked.
"No..."
"Yes, Draco. You killed them when you chose me over them. They're dead." Hermione felt unstable again and could barely concentrate on her own thoughts as dark malicious ones forced their way to the forefront of her mind. "I was beginning to like you, trust you, you know that? Then you do that. In that shop, you were a Death Eater again."
"I'm not in the darkness anymore, Hermione." Draco pleaded with her, pain still ripping through him about his parents, but it was nothing compared to the pain he felt tearing him apart at Hermione's words.
You can't escape the darkness. Draco will never escape the darkness, Hermione.
"Yes you are. You can never escape it. It's like a big black hole that sucks you in and no light ever finds it's way in."
"Yes it does. You did, Hermione." Draco said. "If you wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had reason to make a stand."
"Stop it." Hermione snapped. He's hurt you Hermione, but he won't tell you. Make him tell you how much he's hurt you, Hermione.
"Accio Veritaserum." Hermione pointed her wand at her bag and a small vial filled with midnight black liquid flew towards her. "I want the truth. I want you tell me all the times you've hurt me. Drink it." Hermione ordered, throwing the glass towards Draco who with impressive reflexes, caught it without flinching.
"I can tell you the truth without drinking this." Draco said, looking at the vial with contempt.
Liar. The voice taunted.
"Drink it." Hermione ordered again, her wand trained on him as Draco unstopped it and took a small sip.
"Tell me the last time you tried to hurt me."
"The last school year." Draco replied before he could stop himself. But he didn't even try.
"What did you try and do?"
"The cursed opal necklace was meant for you." Draco whispered. Hermione stared at him. "I was ordered by the Dark Lord to give it to you, for you to wear, as a gift. He wanted to take out those closest to Potter. Eventually it would end up in Dumbledore's possession, and kill him too. But I had to give it to Katie Bell. I couldn't let it hurt you."
He's still lying to you Hermione. I would never hurt you. Not like Draco did..
"Hermione, this is enough. Put the tiara down NOW!" Harry ordered, finding his voice again, and before Hermione could do anything, he had stunned her. Hermione fell forwards into Draco's arms, the tiara falling from her limp, cold fingers.
Let me know what you think of this chapter, I wanted to get it right. Hermione was rather hysterical there. I love hysterical Hermione. I was looking forward to making this chapter more angst filled. But, as promised the next chapter will be more intimate Dramione :) Please review, thank you :)