Chapter 5: Promises

They had been traveling for weeks trying to find the last horcrux. Hermione felt filthy and starved, but she kept trudging along hoping that they would be there soon. Harry looked worse for wear. His hair was matted with blood in chunky places atop his head. His smooth face, covered in small cuts and bruises, looked as though it been permanently set to look in pain. Ron hadn't said a word for days. He hadn't even complained about food!

This made Hermione laugh.

Who could think of food at a time like this anyway? She thought.

The two boys looked over at her, as if she were crazy. She shrugged and they pressed on.

They had been traveling like muggles so the Dark Lord couldn't sense any magic. It was the only way they could stay off radar. Without magic they had to hunt their own food and find their own clean water to drink, as well as bathe in. Hermione felt like she had gone back to the stone ages without being able to properly brush her teeth or wash her clothes.

"According to our map, we should arrive around nightfall." Hermione suggested. She couldn't take the silence anymore. "We'll have to find a safe place to camp out before we go in. We're going to need all the strength we have to get past all the Deatheaters and kill Nagini."

"And Voldemort." Harry added.

"But only if absolutely necessary. You may not have the strength to take on all that on at once Harry. Especially if we don't eat and get some sleep."

"She's right Harry." Hermione jumped at hearing Ron's voice. She couldn't remember the last time he had spoken.

Harry closed his eyes.

"I know. It's just that I'll be right there. It would be so easy if I could just—"

"No Harry, it's not going to be easy. You'll have to wait a bit longer and gain all your strength back before you kill Voldemort."

Harry looked defeated. Hermione put her arm around him.

"This will all be over before you know it Harry. I believe in you"

"We all do." Ron added.

"Thanks guys. We'd better get on our way then. We'll hunt in a few hour, then find a place to stay for the night. We attack at dawn."

With that said, the Golden Trio continued their long journey to the Dark Lord's latest hideout to kill the last horcrux, Lord Voldemort's beloved pet snake, Nagini.

They had been taking turns with hunting every meal. Tonight, however was special because they knew they would need all their strength, so it was decided they would all hunt and eat as much as their bellies would allow them.

In the past months, each of them had been practicing bow hunting and they had all become quite good at moving targets. It was the perfect way to hunt without being caught, since guns were so loud.

The three of them took off in opposite directions several hours before nightfall and met up to clean them. Their location that night couldn't have been any better. There was plenty of tree and bush coverage by a small stream the flowed right to Voldemort's current lair.

Ron brought back three jack rabbits for his kill and threw them on the ground before plopping beside them and began cleaning them to eat. Harry was second to come back, bringing with him several quail, in which he followed Ron's suit by plopping down his kill then himself on the ground and readying them to eat. Hermione came back last with several fish hanging from her arrows. She sat next to the boys and they all sat in silence cleaning their kill. They would eat very well tonight, indeed.

Hermione filled their pot with water and sat it over their small fire. They had made it a point to eat before nightfall so their fire would be less noticeable. They stewed the quail with some potatoes, carrots, and onions they had knicked from gardens along the way. The rabbit and fish were stuck through with arrows and roasted over the fire. Harry had used his pot to boil water to drink for the three and Ron disposed of the evidence of their presence.

They all had jobs. It was how they made it work. Teamwork was a remarkable thing.

Once the food was finally done, their mouths watering heavier by the minutes, they all smiled happily and feasted on their rewards.

Hermione woke with a start and tears immediately filled her eyes. It was the last meal Hermione got to eat with her best friends. The last time they all smiled at each other and reminisced about the good days. It was her last happy memory of her best friends.

"Miss must wake up!" Hermione finally realized what had woken her from her most unpleasant sleep. It was the house elf Astarte again. "Master Mafloy expects his dinner soon and you is to be dressed!"

"What time is it Astarte?" The girl sat up on her bed rubbing her head. She had a pounding headache.

"You has slept for two days and master is tired of waiting for you, he is. So now you must wake up and dress! Hurry!"

Two days?

"What do you mean I've been asleep for two days? How is that possible?"

"You must hurry and dress!" The house elf ignored her questions and shoved an article of clothing at her.

Hermione looked at the piece of material in her hand and saw that it was a black satin dress. It was simple and elegant with a v-neck front and open back. She reluctantly slipped into the dress and the house elf continued to push her into the bathroom. She snapped her fingers several times. Each time her hair was done in a different formal up-do until she finally decided on leaving it down and wavy. Next she snapped her fingers and the make-up practically attacked the young woman, leaving her coughing and sputtering up powder.

Just as Hermione was slipping on the shoes the house elf had given her, a hot pain shot through her wrist. She hissed and grabbed her wrist, then realized it was the bracelet Malfoy had given her at breakfast to summon her when he pleased.

"You must go!" The house elf squeaked, seeing that her pain was from the bracelet. "Master summons you to him."

Reluctantly she followed the house elf's shouts and thought of Draco Malfoy, anything to stop the pain on her wrist. Instantly, she felt a pull at her navel, and with a pop she disappeared from her room.

"Well it's about bloody time." Malfoy said grumpily. "I'm hungry."

Hermione sat down at the table, grudgingly next to Malfoy, as he had ordered. The house elves served the first round of the evening meal. Hermione waited for Malfoy to take the first bite, her mouth watering from the delicious smelling food in front of her.

Neither of them attempted at any conversation. Hermione was grateful for this. She had nothing to say to the man sitting next to her. She loathed him more than ever. To think she once defended him against Harry back at Hogwarts.

"I trust you're well rested." Malfoy smirked, at last speaking.

"What did you do to me?"

"I had to leave for a few days and didn't trust you not to escape, after the last time I left you alone."

"How dare you! What gives you the right to drug me?"

"I own you." He said simply. "I can do whatever I please with you."

"You don't own me." Hermione stood from her chair in frustration.

"Sit down. We are going to have a pleasant dinner if I have to imperio you to behave properly."

Malfoy was too calm with his words as he continued to cut into his steak and chewed painstakingly slowly. The girl was just about to refuse when Malfoy pulled his wand out and whispered something.

Sit.

Hermione tried to fight off the curse, but it was useless. His magic was much too powerful.

Eat.

Her body obeyed the orders and she cut into her steak. The rest of the meal was peaceful, minus Hermione's inner ranting about the man sitting next to her.

After they were done with their meal the house elves brought firewhiskey out with two mugs. Malfoy filled the two glasses to the brim, handed one to Velia and drank out of his, never taking his eyes off the girl.

"Drink up. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the man, but took a sip of the drink anyway. She knew that if she refused he would merely imperio her to drink the whiskey anyhow. It seemed like a losing battle.

After drinking about a quarter of the mug she could already feel the effects of the drink working on her. She was a little embarrassed to say the least. The most alcoholic beverage she had ever had was butterbeer, which also had an effect on her as well.

She didn't like the way this was turning out one bit. What was his plan for her? Why was he attempting to inebriate her? And in the name of Merlin why was he staring at her like that?

Malfoy smirked as he watched her sip on her drink. He could tell she was trying to drink it as slowly as possible so she wouldn't lose herself, but he would make sure she was good and intoxicated before he continued the night. By the looks of it, it wouldn't be much longer.

He had many years of growing accustomed to the effects of firewhiskey. It took several mug fulls of the amber liquid to cause him inebriation.

As he stared at her he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. She had a strong jaw with high cheek bones giving her a beautiful exotic look. The thing that bothered him the most was that she looked vaguely familiar. Something was off about her familiarity though. He knew she was hiding something and he'd be damned if he didn't figure it out.

"Malfoy." She spoke causing him to come out of his reverie. He gave her a questioning look, deciding to ignore the fact she refuse to call him master like his previous slaves. It was actually one of the reasons he liked her so much. She wasn't afraid to fight back and refuse his orders. He would let her get away with not calling him Master. "Could you please stop staring at me?"

He smirked. That stupid trademark smirk of his was going to haunt Hermione's dreams.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?"

"No. It's just annoying." She took a larger sip this time forgetting what she was drinking then made an awful face nearly spluttering it back out. He let out a laugh as she turned red and swallowed hard, trying to keep the drink in her stomach.

"How do you know me?" He said suddenly. She had finally finished off her drink. The house elf immediately refilled it. She looked at it suspiciously but took another swig before answering.

"Everyone knows who you are." She said matter-of-factly. There it was again, that familiar know-it-all edge to her voice. "You're Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. The Dark Lord's new favorite pet, for now."

"I know who I am, but that doesn't explain how you know me or the way you recognized me when we first met."

"You're a widely-known face. I was just surprised to actually meet you."

"And you were afraid."

"Of course I was. You're notorious for your women." Hermione took several more drinks, her speech becoming more slurred.

"And how is my reputation holding up to your expectations?"

"What does it matter?"

"I like to take interest in my women, see what they think."

"Well I think you're perfectly horrid and arrogant, but you all are."

"All?"

"Followers of the Dark Lord."

He waited for her to finish off her second glass then stood. He grabbed her empty glass and his, along the bottle. "Come." She stood obediently and followed him out of the dining room and into the sitting room. He took a seat at the couch in front of the fireplace and motioned her to sit down.

He filled their glasses and gave one to the girl. She took it and sipped on it.

Hermione sat in a chair, away from Malfoy. She felt oddly comfortable. Relaxed. To be completely honest with herself, she was positive she was a little more than intoxicated. She wished she had water instead, but she was so thirsty that she had to keep drinking the poison.

They sat in silence for a few moments, drinking the firewhiskey. Hermione stared into the fire, mesmerized by the flames. Draco on the other hand was staring at the drunken girl sitting in front her him.

He was glad he had picked out that dress. It was simple. Elegant. But it was also very sexy. It showed just enough cleavage to leave a little to the imagination, but hugged the upper half of her body. She looked extraordinary. He felt his sex start pumping blood. Malfoy closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. He would have her eventually, but he wasn't just yet finished with tonight's set of questions.

"Come sit with me." He scooted over a bit to make room beside him. She obeyed his orders, but sat as far away from him as she could possibly manage. Malfoy huffed and scooted closer to her. He ran his fingers through her hair. It was just a soft as it looked, feeling like silk in his fingers. She visibly stiffened with his touch. "Relax." He breathed in her ear and planted a soft kiss on her neck. He moved up her jaw then back down her neck as he gently caressed her head. "Tell me more about yourself."

"I—" Hermione trembled at his touch. Her mind was clouded with the effects of the whiskey, but she still knew she should be scared. However, she couldn't find it in herself to fight against his touch. "I was homeschooled after my family took me in." Hermione was shocked at how well she let the lie slide off her tongue. "I was eager to learn more magic once she had shown me the basics. I worked hard at my chores so I could earn enough money to get my own wand and books." This was partially true. She did home school herself once she found out she was a witch and read as many magical books she could get her hands on before her first day at Hogwarts.

"How is it you're halfblood, but you didn't have a wand until you met this family." He was now caressing her back and arms, planting gentle kisses here and there.

"Because I was living on the streets, I knew I was different. I just didn't know there was a whole world of people like me."

"Who are your parents?" He was now leaning slightly over her. The girls back was up against the arm of the couch. She was trying her hardest not to look in his eyes.

"I don't know. I never knew them."

"Where is your wand now?" He knew the answer to his own question but was curious of her answer.

"They took it from me when they took me from my family." Her glass was still in her hands. It was about half empty. He took her hands in his and held her glass up to her lips, making her drink the last half. She only coughed a little before he set the glass on the side table.

"Are you scared of me?"

"No."

"Do you love me?"

"No."

"You will." Then he took her. He smashed his lips against hers, forcefully sticking his tongue in her mouth. She only struggled a little bit. He knew the effects of the firewhiskey would make her lose her inhibitions.

Malfoy laid her completely on her back, straddling her over the couch. He continued kissing and caressing her body while he slowly pushed her dress up and slid off her underwear. His sex was hard and ready for the intake. After discarding his pants he positioned himself in front of her and slowly made his way in. He moaned with every thrust as he went deeper and faster, coming close to his own fruition.

The girl under him didn't put up much of a fight. At one point, he was sure she was moving her hips in motion with his. That's what pushed him over the edge. He released his seed into her with one last push before collapsing on top of her.

Hermione didn't sleep well that night. She kept rolling around on the ground trying to find a comfortable position, but there was none. It was just too nerve-wracking to sleep. They were going to attack Voldemort's hideout. It seemed like a suicidal idea, but she knew it had to be done. They needed to kill the last horcrux so Voldemort couldn't come back this time.

Terrible thoughts kept running through her head of Harry and Ron being killed, each time in different ways. Her eyes filled with tears, she couldn't imagine her life without them. They were everything to her. They were all she had left in this world.

Hermione could hear Ron slightly snoring to her left. She looked over at the red head and smiled. His mouth was slightly open and there was a puddle of drool on the ground. Good old Ron, she thought. He's never missed a wink of sleep or a crumb of food, even in the midst of all this.

Harry was rolling around and muttered in his sleep. His face looked pained. She knew he was having nightmares. They hadn't stopped since Sirius's death. He had told her about them many times. She had even brewed up a batch of dreamless sleep, but it was all gone now. She hated that she couldn't help him. He needed as much sleep as he could get, especially tonight.

As the sun gently began to rise Hermione realized that she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. She sighed and pushed herself off of the ground, going to the small stream to splash a little water in her face. She took in the morning air in a big gulp and let it out slowly. She loved to see the world at dawn. It was beautiful. The sun was just barely peeping over the edge of the earth, slowly lighting the world.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Harry came up behind her putting his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It always is."

"Hermione, if this doesn't go well today. If I don't—"

"Harry! Don't even mention it! I won't lose you! We will make it out of this. You'll kill Voldemort and we can all go back to the way things were."

"It's not that simple Hermione. You know it isn't. This is going to be one the most dangerous things we've done. His hideout will be filled with deatheaters and you know Nagini will put up a fight."

"You killed a basilisk when you were in second year Harry. Nagini isn't near as big as that thing was. "

"No, but it's smarter and she'll warn Voldemort the second I see her."

"We'll make it through this Harry. Just like everything else we've done. We have to. The world is counting on us."

"I know."

They stood in silence before one of Ron's snores broke them out of their trance.

"Promise me you'll take care of yourself Hermione. Promise me you'll never give up no matter what happens. You're the only one who can stop this if I don't make it."

"Harry—" Hermione's eyes filled with tears.

"Let me finish. You're the smartest witch of our year. Hell, you're probably the smartest witch alive now. I have faith in you. I know you could figure out a way to defeat Voldemort if I don't make it. The only reason the both of us," at this point he nodded to Ron. "Are alive, is because of you. So I need you to promise to fight back, to never give up or lose hope. I need you to promise me you'll kill Voldemort."

"Of course, Harry, I promise." Hermione wrapped her arms around her best friend in the tightest hug she had ever given anyone. They stayed like that for a few moments, wishing they could stop time and never move forward, but alas they knew this wasn't a possibility. They had a world to save, afterall.

"It's time to go."

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