WHEEEE! I just had an AWESOME breakthrough my writers block for this story! I'm sooo proud of myself I could laugh hysterically. Muahahhaha. Anyways, I know that I said last chapter that I would be updating weekly, but then my mom got me an internship at the lab she works at, and I was busy (again). So therefore I was resolved to updating maybe once every two weeks or even less. gasp but now that I know EXACTLY where this story is going, I will try to update faster. Maybe once a week. Hehh… ok. Its not that much better, but hey, I try. Anyways, this chapter will be a little lahdedah but it's a VERY important chapter.

I thank everyone who have been keeping with the story, and wish you all Happy Reading!

Chapter 6

(A/N this takes place after Draco seals the mental connection and before Hermione wakes up.)

Draco's POV

I startled awake after my stupor. Shit, I thought. How long have I been in the Vortex? Glancing at the clock, I started. Shit shit shit! It had been over forty-five minutes since Dumbledore told me I was to take care of Granger!

Fuck.

I glared at the door. That damned old man! I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, forcing me to take care of Granger. Granger, of all people. Her mere mudblood essence would soil my reputation! Its one thing to have a mental connection with her, because then I can use her without anyone ever suspecting me of having a connection with her, but to be seen together with her in public! He has even "kindly" arranged a meeting with me this afternoon to discuss possible "accommodations" to meet her needs! What the bloody hell is he thinking? I don't even want to see her around let alone take care of her. Goddam, he'll probably want me to teach her about what a goody-two-shoes she is and how important and dangerous playing around with the abilities of a ShadowStalker is. As if!

Whack. I stared at the one who so rudely karate-chopped my stomach. It was Pansy. I should have known. Shaking my head disbelievingly, I shoved her off. What are Potty and Weasel doing in the corner? I decided to intrude. After all, arriving uninvited into a very embarrassing situation is what Malfoys do best.

"If we can't trust Dumbledore, who can we trust?" Harry was saying. Ho hum, maybe the conversation wasn't so interesting after all. Oh well, I had already come this far.

I dropped down between Potty and Weasel, considering what tone to use. Scalding seemed too inviting, and a fight was never good with 2v1 odds even if it WAS the King Weasel and a scrawny white boy as opponents. Sympathetic? Father would be ashamed. "So, what's the Fantastic Tr… I mean, Duo talking about today? How glad you are that you finally got rid of the Mudblood?" Conversational seems safe.

"You… Bastard." Harry growled.

I suppressed a giggle. Malfoys don't giggle. His retort was so weak, almost asking for a beating. But wait, the King Weasel speaks.

"Go suck slugs," Weasley spewed, not bothering to stand as Potter had.

My eyebrows flew up. And I thought Weasel was the one who always fought. Interesting. However, that comment was the opening to a perfect retort. "Why, it seems that would perfectly describe you!"

Personally, I think that comment was pretty clever. Weasel didn't share my moment of brilliance, however. He tried to curse me! I smirked, and deflected his curse with a simple flick of my wand.

Dark Arts have their uses.

Especially for making freckled white boys pale with fright.

Well, why pass up a chance to curse the knickers off a Weasley? I pointed my wand at the lock of red hair brushing the Weasley's forehead. "Taran…"

A burst of pain exploded in my chest. My eyes widened with the shock and I dropped my wand. That was no ordinary heartburn; it was the side-effect of a serious malfunction in a connection.

Shit. If that means what I think it means, I'm screwed.

I hurredly turned away from Potty and Weasley. With the side-effect came a strange phenomenon: my eyes would change color briefly. I stared at the wall determinedly, knowing that my pupils were flashing, from gray to blue to green to brown. Granger lay, muttering in her bed about vases and Voldemort. I looked at her.

Of course. The vase that she had seen was the Jar of Sacrifice, used to bond the minds of two shadowstalkers. The bonding process was painstaking and complicated, and only people who had exemplary mental ability were able to withstand the procedure. The Jar of Sacrifice was used to test the mental ability and also to forge the connection of the two people. Each person saw a different thing: his or her deepest fear and secret, reflected in the face of the vase. To give up a piece of their mind to the Jar was to demonstrate the mental capacity required in the procedure. Granger must have seen Voldemort reflected in the Jar. The pain I had felt must have been the tearing away of a piece of her conscience or the after-images (A/N these will be explained later).

Suddenly, Granger sat up and asked desperately, "Who are you?"

I doubt she could have said that of Voldemort, so the only legitimate choices were Potty, Weasel, or I. It was most likely I, because I had projected my image in her conscience once before, therefore it was likely to show again as an after-image.

I smirked. The connection was already working. I felt her struggle to understand the images placed before her, and in a vacant part of my brain, I saw the silver and gold smudges in her vision. I readied myself to speak to her, when suddenly, her mind contracted as a face stuck itself into her peripheral vision. "Hermione?" Potty asked. I grinned. Time to work my magic.

I pushed a sliver of anger into her brain. Such was my skill that I didn't even have to feel it! Obviously she shouldn't be exposed to the glee I was experiencing. I watched Granger closely. Her pupils dilated a bit and her grip on her mattress tightened. I smiled. Bingo. Feeling her mentality forming a probe, getting ready to touch Potter's conscience, I knew exactly what I had to do. Concealing my triumph carefully, I spat into her conscience. "Do not dare to touch his conscience. He is not your friend. Trust me." I sent the last part with feigned care and sympathy. Her probe retreated after a bit of hesitation. I could have laughed, but I held it. Maniacal laughing would come later, in my dorm where no one would hear.

Granger struggled to speak. I thought about giving her a boost, then shrugged. Why not? I thought. "Control your voice." I commanded into her conscience. I felt, through the connection, her contemplation of my words. I mentally shoved her forward.

"What do you want?" Granger growled.

I grinned. Phase one, complete. I didn't bother to hide my pleasure from Granger. She might as well think that I was proud of her.

Potty gave Granger a huge hug. I felt Granger's surprise and delight. Her getting too attached to Potty wouldn't be good for my purposes. I forced disgust into her brain, and felt her handing control to me. She pushed Potter away. "I don't know you." She declared. Potter stepped back and let go of Granger, then, after throwing a frantic look at Weasel, stumbled out of the room. Weasley shot a strange look at Granger, and followed Potter.

I stood up slowly, applauding her. "Good job, Granger." What? She deserved it. Granger lifted her eyes to me. They showed a scared girl, unsure of where she was or what she was doing.

Perfect. She was in my control.

"Draco… Granger…?" A girl simpered from the corner. I rolled my eyes. I had forgotten about Pansy after she had stopped doing "CPR" on me. "Go away, Pansy." I snapped.

"But Drakkie, What if she tries to jump you?" Merlin, that idiot. It was highly improbable that Pansy had even one brain cell.

I sighed, and explained in what I thought was a convincing tone of one speaking to a retarded child. "Only you would do that. I can take care of her. Now, leave." I added a malicious glare to the last two words. Pansy backed away from me and out the door.

I made a huge show of relaxing. Why shouldn't Granger think that I was at odds with Pansy? Pansy was, in fact, a cow, and Granger would do much more than replace her after I'm done. "Never know when she wants to jump on you, that one." I said wisely. It seemed like a good way to get on her side.

Granger raised her eyebrows in an uncannily good impression of me. Hmph. I do it better.

I spent my time walking slowly to her bedside and scrutinized her. Dumbledore gave me a job to care for her, to protect her, and to educate her. I would do so, with a bit of twisting on the intended effect. Perhaps this job wouldn't be so bad. Granger wasn't all that bad looking either, and perhaps, I would have some fun on the side. I mean, she is not really Granger any longer, so I wasn't derailing my status by associating with mudbloods. Therefore, it was ok for me to do as I willed.

I let my gray eyes draw her brown ones in, knowing that she would think that I was having "inappropriate" thoughts. She looked away. Well, as long as she wasn't looking, I might as well. My eyes drifted lower. Olive skin, straight nose, plump lips. I smirked inwardly. Lower: head held high, average length neck, bosom not quite big but not small either. Granger had looked back and seen my eyes, and with a gasp, drew her covers around her. Ever the goody-good; I should check whether she still had her old personality.

"Do you know who you are?" I asked.

She opened her mouth, and I felt her confusion at the edge of my brain. I felt her frantically thinking, digging, prowling. She didn't know, and she confirmed it with a whisper.

I could barely suppress my glee. "You're Hermione Granger. You're of Slytherin House, and you hate Gryffindors like Potter and Weasley." I could have quite a bit of fun with this.

She nodded slowly, and I felt comprehension in her brain. "Potter and Weasley?" she asked.

"Those two boys who were in the room with us." I explained.

She nodded, and I felt her struggling to remember them. Obviously, she failed. I smirked. It was off with me to my meeting with Dumbledore, where I would explain to him my arrangements for Granger, how I think that her transferring dorms would help her regain "a stable environment in which she can slowly regain her memory in peace." Then, tomorrow, would begin the best tormenting of Granger I've ever had in my life.

"Now, sleep. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow." Somehow, I knew that she would get used to it after long. I laughed freely as I sauntered from the room.

Well I hope you guys enjoyed that. It's basically just Draco's POV of the whole "reunion" scene and why he interfered. Obviously, for perfectly selfish reasons, but eventually his curse would rebound upon himself and oops. I shouldn't have said that.

Next chapter will be a bit dull also, considering when I plan on getting to the scandal and ect. Keep reading! You won't be let down. I promise I will make this story juicilicious.

Shoutouts to:

Halfdemongurl and Terry Moon. And the other people who read but did not review. )

And remember to make my day and review! Faster the purple clicks, faster I write. (seriously.)

Much love to my readers.

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