A/N: Alright, getting cracking on this chapter. It's been a work in the making for a while now, everyone once in a while I'd start writing it and now I finally can! YAY! Excitement! Giggle. Sorry, I've just been waiting to write this chapter and a one in a few more chapters for since like the second one, so bear with my excitement. ;P Alright, no more ranting for me. I'm going to get to the story ;D

Okay, so opened my email today and I had 17 messages O_o First thing I thought was "Da fuck?" I don't talk like that, but it's something my friends have gotten me to say – ANYWAY! Bunches of alerts. It was so surprising! My god I've never gotten that many! Thanks to everyone who added me to their alerts! Made my day! :D

Draco's P.O.V:

The Hogsmeade trip has dreadfully arrived and I feel sick to my stomach. I'd been trying not to think about it actually happening, but now it is and I can't back out. It's not like I agreed to this or anything, I just can't not join. It would cost lives.

I was standing outside, waiting for the carriages, my arms wrapped around my stomach when I felt like someone was watching me. Fearing that somehow Father got into Hogwarts to take me, I didn't want to turn around even though the more logical part of me said that that would never happen.

Sucking in a breath, I slowly turned around to find Hermione staring at me.

"What do you want?" I asked her, practically spewing venom.

Granger looked at me evenly, "I'm waiting for the carriages, Malfoy. Is that all you wanted?"

I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, hoping to Merlin I didn't puke in front of her, "Why no, Granger, I'd like to keep up this wonderful conversation with you."

"Good. How are you feeling?"

"I know you're smart and all, but that was sarcasm."

"Please answer my question."

"Great! Dandy! Fan-freaking-tastic! The best I've ever felt!"

"I do know sarcasm, Draco," She narrowed her eyes.

I was angry and ready to explode. Stalking over to Granger, I started yelling in her face, "Want to know the truth? I feel like shit! I feel like I'm going to puke! I feel like I'm going to explode! I feel angry!" My voice lowered to a whisper and my voice shook, "And I'm scared, god damn it." It was the first time I'd ever admitted it to anyone.

She looked up into my eyes and I started tearing up, blinking quickly to stop myself from crying. I was not going cry in front of her, not in front of her!

"Why are you scared?" She asked gently, probably expecting an explosive reaction.

I took in a shuddering breathe and shook my head, "None of your business, Mu –"

"Don't call me that, Malfoy. No one else is around."

"It's none of your business, Hermione." I sneered, "It's not like you would even care."

Something flashed in her eyes and she reached her hand up before slapping me, "Merlin, Malfoy! How can you ever think I don't care?"

I stumbled back a little bit when she slapped me, completely caught off guard, "Why should you? I don't deserve it!"

"You've got that right."

"Then why don't you just leave me alone?" No matter how much I said I wanted her out of my life, a part of me knew I couldn't handle it without her.

"Because, I –"

"Hermione! What's going on?" Ron yelled and jogged over, standing in between me and Hermione.

"What did you do, Ferret?" He was getting protective of her and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Really, Weasel? Going to get protective of a girl you supposed love with all of your heart but won't even dump that tramp for her? How sweet." I narrowed my eyes. I really hated him, there was no way I could ever be civil.

He tried to say something but I just left. I couldn't beat the shit out of him yet. I needed to, but I couldn't. The carriages arrived and I got onto one without being able to feel anything anymore.

It was a short ride to Hogsmeade. I was stuck in a carriage with three first years who eyed me warily the entire time. It didn't matter. I was going to be made a Death Eater soon so it didn't matter what else happened before then.

When it stopped I made my way to The Hogs Head, dragging my feet and staring at the ground. As expected Father walked up to me and violently grabbed my arm as soon as I was in there.

"Where," His grip tightened, "Have you been?"

"Walking, Father," I could barely even feel the pain in my arm.

"Much too slow!" He shook his head in disgust before Apparating us to what we seem to call our home.

Hermione's P.O.V:

He needed to know that I cared about him and how much I really liked, that I even possibly loved him. I mustered up all of my Gryffindor courage and decided to tell him, "Because, I –"

"Hermione! What's going on?" Ron yelled as he came to stand in front of me.

"What did you do, Ferret?" Why was he getting protective? It was just Draco.

"Really, Weasel? Going to get protective of a girl you supposed love with all of your heart but won't even dump that tramp for her? How sweet," Draco told him coldly.

My eyes bugged and my jaw dropped. Did he really just do that? I wanted in amazement as he walked off.

Ron was fuming as the carriages arrived, "He's right you know, Ron," I told him as I passed him to a carriage. Ginny caught up to me and sat down.

"What's with Ron?" She asked sounding a little confused.

"Malfoy. He told him off."

"Oh."

We talked about random things as we waited to arrive at Hogsmeade. Nothing of any real importance. Once the carriage had stopped, we just walked around for about forty minutes, Ron and Harry avoiding us. After much browsing we ended up In the Hogs Head.

After a few minutes of sitting down, Blaise approached us, "Have either of you seen Draco?"

"Yes," I told him as politely as possible with Ginny batting her eyelashes, "I saw him get onto a carriage earlier, why?"

He looked confused, "None of us have been able to find him since this morning. We didn't even think he came."

Now I was confused, "Blaise, would you care to keep Ginny company while I see if I can find him?"

"Of course," I stood up and he took my seat. Without a glance back I started looking all over Hogsmeade. After half an hour I was starting to get nervous. What happened to him? Was it about what was scaring him? Where was he? Was he okay? Things like those were popping into my head and I started to think the worse. I ended my search in the area that we'd been in our third year on a Hogsmeade trip. The one near the Shrieking Shack.

I sat on a tree stump and put my head in my hands. I was hoping he was okay.

Draco's P.O.V:

Once we arrived I walked up to my room, locking the door once I was inside and put my back to it. I pulled out my wand and sat on the floor.

If I was going to meet the Dark Lord, I knew I'd need to be fully capable of actually thinking, so I did the only thing I could think of to pull me back into reality; I pulled up my right sleeve, muttered the incarnation I knew so well, and drug it across my arm, pushing down much harder than usual.

I watched the blood drip down my arm when it finally hit me: I was really going to be a Death Eater. I'd be stuck as one for the rest of my life.

Frantically I stood up and stuck my wand in my pocket. A Death Eater! Followers of Voldemort! They killed without a second thought, hated people like Hermione, and would do anything to get what they wanted. I couldn't do that, be that!

"Draco!" Father yelled as he burst into my room, "It's time to go into the dining room."

"N-no. I won't." I muttered. His eyes flashed and he grabbed me by my hair.

"What did you just say?"

"I said no!"

"Good thing you don't have a choice."

I felt more afraid than I ever had before.

Hermione's P.O.V:

I sat there a while longer when Ron and Harry passed by. I jumped up and ran after them, "Hey! Where have you two been?"

Ron and Harry looked at each other, both of their faces bright red.

My eyebrow involuntarily raised, "What have you two been doing?"

Harry cleared his throat, "No-nothing, Hermione."

I looked at Ron, "What were you doing, Ronald?"

He looked panicky, "Well, we were, uhm…" He mumbled something that I couldn't quite make out.

"What?"

"Snogging…" He mumbled.

My eyes widened and I asked squeakily, "Each other?"

They both nodded while looking at the ground.

Draco's P.O.V:

"I don't want this! I don't!" I screamed at my father as he was pulling me by my hair downstairs.

He growled in response, "I don't care what you want, Draco! You've always been meant to be a Death Eater and I will not have wasted sixteen years training you as such!"

I thrashed around, trying to get him to let go. I'd be stuck as a Death Eater for the rest of my life; the mark would always be there, "Please, don't make me do this!"

He threw me against the wall once we were off the steps, "A Malfoy does not beg!" I hit it with an Oomph sound and getting the breath knocked out of me, trying to catch it while sitting in a huddled mass on the floor.

"You will be made a Death Eater, no matter what you say. No matter how much you beg, plead, scream, or cry," Father was glaring down at me. He knew it was only a matter of time before he was put in Azkaban and he was scared. He just didn't want to admit it. A Malfoy never does.

"The-then just k-kill me," I gasped out, staring up at him, hopeful he would.

He laughed mercilessly, "I'd rather watch you suffer." He kicked me in the side a few times then lifted me up by the collar of my shirt, "Are you going to go willingly, Draco?"

I was shaking horribly, the pain in my side terrible, but somehow I whispered, "Never." And got backhanded for it, my lip dripping blood down my chin.

"Stop making this difficult! The Dark Lord is waiting for us!"

I tried to argue back, but suddenly I felt too tired to and the pain was too bad. Looking into his eyes, which were so much like mine, I nodded and gave into my fate.

"Good." He smirked and dropped me, "And clean yourself up, Draco. You're looking a little bloody." He started to walk away and I got to my feet, only to have him poke me in the side with his (pimp) cane. I hissed between my teeth, but didn't yell out like he wanted.

He narrowed his eyes, "Meet me in the dining room in five minutes." I nodded carefully, and once he left hobbled over to the mirror hanging on the wall. I used my palm to wipe the blood off of below my lip. I did a half ass job at using the healing spell on it, wincing every time I raised my arm.

My forearm was still bleeding slightly but I didn't care. I squeezed my eyes shut and lifted up my shirt. Slowly I opened them again to see that my entire side was already turning a horrible shade of purple. I shuddered and whispered a healing spell for it.

After a few more minutes I walked into the dining room to find Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters seated.

"Ahh, Draco, you've decided to join us," Voldemort said which made a chill go up my spin.

"Yes and I'd like to become a Death Eater, my lord," I said it without any hesitation as I blocked my mind.

"Good. Now come over here," He was smiling as I followed his order, "Now pull up your sleeve."

I looked at Snape and pulled my left sleeve up, "I see we have someone who enjoys pain. Don't we, Draco?" I nodded and kept my eyes locked on Snape. The surprise he couldn't hide, no matter how hard he tried.

"Well, we'll just have to fix these before you get your mark, my dear boy." He said a spell I couldn't understand, but felt my skin painfully mending itself. I sucked in a breath but stayed calm.

He asked me a few questions to see if I would be loyal and I answered them how I was taught to. Finally he burned the Dark Mark into my skin with some spell or other.

I stared at it and it stared back, "Thank you, My Lord. I will serve you well," I took my seat next to my father and kept all emotions stuffed inside me.

"Yes, you will. To prove your loyalties, Draco, I have a task. You must kill Albus Dumbledore."

My eyes widened slightly as I felt dread wash over me, "I-I won't disappoint you, My Lord."

Bellatrix stood up angrily, "He's not going to do it! He's going to fail!"

"Now, now, Bella. Sit down. I will figure out what I will do in the case he does."

The rest of the meeting lasted about ten minutes before I apparated back to Hogsmeade, near the Shrieking Shack. The first thing I heard was sobbing. The next thing I knew someone had wrapped their arms around my neck and was sobbing into my shoulder. Somehow I knew it was Hermione.

I hugged her back and closed my eyes, wishing we could stay like that forever.

"You look horrible," She said once she'd stopped crying.

A small smile tugged at my lips, "You don't look so great yourself, Granger," I wiped off some of her tears when she grabbed my wrist.

"Why is there blood on your hand?" She asked gently.

"I got a bloody nose." It was getting easier to lie to her.

"Don't lie." I guess it wasn't that easy.

I sighed loudly, "Fine. I'll admit it. I left to go slaughter muggle cows then drink their blood for my cult." Merlin, I really was in something like that now.

"Oh, really? Because I just had a nice meal of Kneazles about an hour ago."

"Cow blood is much better."

"Psh, in what world?"

"This one," I'm not even sure where it came from or who leaned in first, but soon we were kissing, everything about my day forgotten.

A/N: Yay! Finally got to write it! Yes, Harry is gay. Ron is just hem, hem, "curious."

I'm still decideing on the epiloge. Bwhahaha! It's probably not coming soon, but I'm still planning it. Hope you're liking this story so far. Thanks again for all the alerts :)