Chapter beta:Dark Akuma Hunter

In the library Hermione feverishly worked on not only her homework, but Harry and Ron's homework as well. She was trying to make their homework believable, that it was done by them. If she were to do her best on them, they would look like replicas of hers. This might indicate to the professors that she had allowed them to copy her assignments, getting herself into trouble along with them. If they were to get into trouble because of this, well, she didn't want to think about what they would do to her. On the flip side she didn't want to dumb it down too much, to the point of offending them and receiving a different sort of anger and possible punishment from them. Her mind began to wander for a moment, wishing she hadn't fended off the friendly advances of the other girls. She had dismissed them for being dumb and shallow. In fact, she had done that to most of the Hogwarts students. Would she be in this predicament if she had befriended some of the other students? Probably not. She had begun to think about the friendships she had back at her muggle elementary school when her thoughts were interrupted by none other than Malfoy. She tried to ignore him, but that never seemed to work.

"All alone Granger?" he drawled, anticipating the good sport that mudblood heckling was. "Where are those friends of yours? You see, I can say that in plural because I know that you have at least two. After all, the crumbs of life are often friends with the dregs of the world."

"Bugger off Malfoy, I am in no mood." She managed to ground out, trying to concentrate on finishing her task.

"Alright," he said lightly, miming the retrieval of a pencil from behind his ear and a book from his robes, "would you like to make an appointment for next Tuesday then? I am free at lunch and possibly after dinner. An actual dinner session will not work, seeing how I am already booked." He looked at her with both eyebrows raised, as if her were actually eagerly waiting for her to make a selection. When she didn't make any sort of reply he scoffed and began looking for something else in which to bother her with. He was rather bored. And that was when he spotted that the paper she was currently working on did not have her name at the top, and that she was making an effort to disguise her handwriting. Noticing him staring at the paper like a child on Christmas morning, she shifted nervously, trying to conceal the papers underneath the rest of her work. Still, it didn't do much in the way of stopping him as he swiftly snatched the papers up. Hermione looked down, her mind running through all the awful scenarios that could happen next. He could tell the professors, they might believe him. But that wouldn't save her from those who she thought were her friends. Or he could blackmail her into doing some other task. Or, or, or… the possibilities were endless. And then came the taunting.

"You are doing Potter and Weasley's homework! That is rich! I knew they were hopelessly dumb, but for you to pity them enough to do their homework? What would the professors say if they knew their perfect little princess was breaking the rules! They would…" he trailed off, realizing a few things. One, she had started crying before he had even said anything, and two, there must be more to this story, something better. Maybe he was simply nosey, or maybe his nose smelled an opportunity; either way, he sat down. He wasn't sure how to proceed next. Should he try and comfort her, and let the information come to him? No, not in the middle of the library, plus she might ruin his shirt. Should he try and intimidate her? Again, not in the library, too many people could take notice. Besides, that wouldn't win him any information in this case. While trying to figure this out, she finally spoke up.

"I don't care what the professors think, that is not as bad as the alternative. I don't know why you wouldn't, but please don't tell them." She said in a small voice. That's when it all fell into place for him.

"You're being blackmailed? By your friends? What could they possibly have on you? Little miss perfect?" The idea was absurd. Weren't friends supposed to help guard each other's secrets? Not exploit them? One might say that they were being very Slytherin, but that was far off base. Slytherins were actually very loyal to their own, and to betray them was a high offense.

"Not blackmailed, threatened," She answered. She wasn't sure why she was telling Malfoy. Maybe it was because she was tired and scared, but maybe she knew he was one of the few people who would be willing to believe that the golden boys were not so golden. So she told him, and he listened. She told him how she had thought that Harry and Ron were up to something, and she would have to find out what it was to help them out when they got in over their heads. She told them how she had tracked them down to a hidden room behind the tapestry. She told them how…how she found them. That was when the story became harder to tell, and details became less and less. She told him how they …invited... her to join, and how they had reacted when she had refused. She told him how she had to pretend everything was fine and normal, even though it was the farthest from the truth. When she was finished she took a shuddering breath, and for the first time since she began her monologue she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "Do you believe me?" She asked in a tone that suggested the world pendulum pivoted on this singular notion of him believing her story.

"I do," he replied with a sense of shock and sincerity, "I believe you. What more is I want to help you." Her eyes widened at this, her heart filling with first hope, then suspicion.

Her eyes narrow and her words sharp, she demanded "Why would you help me?" She wanted to know. She kept her heart guarded as she waited for his answer. He waited a moment as he calculated his answer. People should really think out what they have to say before they do if they are given the chance. After all, once spoken one could not retrieve the words. Unless, of course, you were to obliviate them.

"Simply because I can," he began, "but more complexly, there are a variety of reasons . For starters, I hate them more than I have an… aversion to your lineage. Furthermore, this is additional proof as to why I have good reason to harbor an extreme hatred for them. Any excuse for the professors as to why I was in a fight with them is good to have. History aside, what they are doing is deplorable in a multitude of ways. And lastly," he says with hesitation, "you have…something I…need." At the last word her heart stopped, one of her prior suspicions confirmed. He is going to use this against me; to make me…her thoughts began once again to go wild, seemingly unable to be stopped. That is, until she heard what he had to say next.

"I need help with my muggle studies homework." He said in a quiet voice, as if even uttering it might trigger an avalanche of books to fall off the mountainous shelves.

It was her turn to begin with shock, her voice laced with mirth as she cackled out, "You are taking Muggle Studies?! Why would the great Draco Malfoy stoop to such an awful class?" Hermione ended with much sarcasm, and for a moment forgot why they were even having this conversation. When she looked at his face, she could see he was making a conscious effort to retain his retaliation and she immediately sobered once again. "Of course, I will help you. Helping someone understand an assignment is much easier and very different than forcing one to do them for you. The difficult part of our contract remains, how will you help me?"

Malfoy began to work on a plan. "I could help you write their homework, that way you won't have to do as much. The time you save will be used to help me, so I know it's not much, but it's a start. This will give you time to try and convince your friends," he said this word with a sneer, "that they should do their own work. If that doesn't work we will try something different. I know this isn't the best plan, but now you aren't in it alone." With that said Hermione started crying again. Why is she crying again? What did I say? He thought for a moment, trying to figure out why she was crying.

"You don't know what this means to me, I mean this is so bizarre and backwards. Normally you are the one to make me cry and my friends are the ones who are there to make me feel better, and here you are helping me because of them!" This was indeed strange, he thought. After all, when he had walked over here his intent was to upset her. And now he was helping her? What's next, campaigning for house elves? No, this was simply an opportunity of the moment. He would help her, possibly get those wonder boys into trouble, and pass muggle studies! On top of that, tomorrow was tater-tot Tuesday!

"Before we get too chummy," Malfoy's signature drawl had her holding her breath, not sure what he was about to say next. "We cannot meet here in this library." He grabbed a piece of paper and began to scribble on it. "Here is a map to the lower library, it has several private study rooms connected to it."

"Lower library? Why have I never heard of this library? And surely it cannot have all the books that we will need! Now I know you are making this up!" If anything could be said about Hermione Granger, it was that she had read Hogwarts: A History more than a dozen times, and knew all there was to know about the books and library at the school.

"I assure you that I am certainly not making this up! Plus, every book we could want from this library can be sent there upon request." Seeing that she wasn't convinced he tried again. "You think we would advertize it? Think about it, how often do you see any Slytherins in this library? Yet how many of us have more than exemplary marks?" Malfoy paused for a moment to let the information sink in. "Rowena wasn't the only founder that wanted her house to be known for its knowledge. Salazar wanted his house to be known for its smarts as well. Being the ambitious and resourceful wizard he was he made sure to make a library special for his house in the lower levels. That way we could study without as many interruptions, as well as having the element of surprise on our side. You are surprised aren't you?" He said with a smug smile on his face.

"Honestly yes," Hermione said while scrunching her nose, displeased that there was in fact still many things she had yet to learn about Hogwarts and its residents.

"Just because you don't see a herd of Slytherins in here you assume we don't care to study, therefore couldn't be anywhere near as smart as you! Ha!" Hermione was starting to feel more at ease. Malfoy bragging about something or another was normal. The feeling didn't last long. Malfoy sobered, his face morphing once again into this Malfoy she didn't rightly know. A Malfoy that seemed to not only care about people, but included her in that spectrum.

"The dungeons hold many secrets, and it shall stay that way. You are not to share the library with others if you know what's good for you. You should definitely not go without me or without another member of my house, although I doubt anyone else would take you there with the connotation of goodwill." He grabbed a scrap of paper from her stack, drawing what seemed to be a map of the dungeons. After he finished drawing the map he handed it to her and said, "Esoteric ex Libris, that's the password. I will expect to meet you there after dinner." And with that he actually pulled a small notebook from his breast pocket and entered the information using a small charcoal pencil. "If you do get there before I do, enter quickly and take the third study room on the right; however I do not plan for that to happen." He had already spent too much time talking to her and it was time to leave, so with that he walked away. As Hermione watched him go, she was left with a large amount of confusion as well as gratitude.