AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thank-you again for all the feedback! You guys spoil me :') Two notes on the reviews: Anonymous, I totally agree that falling in love with someone who calls you cruel names seems stupid, yet it does happen. All the time. Also this is DRAMIONE FANFICTION we're talking about here. Malfoy reforming in the first chapter just isn't realistic. And they're not in love yet, remember? Far from it, or the Vow would've been fulfilled. Now to love-them-all10, I know I didn't mention it previously, I kind of wanted to spring it on readers hence the information on the Unbreakable Vow being brought up in an exchange between Nott and Malfoy.

Now that that's out of the way, we can continue on, because some things are not what they seem…

CHAPTER SEVEN: THE VOW

Although Malfoy was closer to winning Hermione's affections than ever before, he knew she was still far from being in love with him. The days trickled on, and Malfoy began to feel uneasy. He repeated the memory of his Unbreakable Vow with Blaise.

"Listen, Draco, I know you think you're Salazar's gift to women, but please," Zabini said, smoking a cigarette. It was a lazy summer day in the middle of June. "You think you can make any Hogwarts girl fall for you?"

Malfoy looked at him, "Why do you smoke that thing, Blaise? It's for Mugg-"

"Answer," Zabini interjected. Theodore Nott shook his head at Zabini's words and grinned to himself.

"Yes, then," Draco said.

"Really?" Zabini pressed. "Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood?"

Malfoy snorted. "The lady weasel could be mine with a snap of my fingers, and you don't need Veritaserum to know Lovegood would be down."

"And what about Granger?" Zabini asked, squinting as smoke drifted near his eyes.

"The Mudblood? The hell would I want her to fall in love with me for-"

"Who knows? That's not my question though. Could – you – make – her – love – you?" Zabini asked. He was staring as Malfoy intently now, no trace of a smile on his face.

"Yes," Malfoy said warningly, indicating the conversation was over.

But Zabini continued, "Then do it."

"Fine."

"Make the Unbreakable Vow?"

Malfoy swore. "The Unbreakable Vow? Zabini are you f-"

Zabini laughed and threw away his cigarette. "Knew you couldn't do it."

Malfoy thought intently for a moment. Hating himself, he resigned.

"Fine."

Nott had been quiet during the entire exchange, but now made a noise to remind them he was still there.

"Right then – Theo, you'll be our Bonder."

Malfoy and Zabini grabbed each other's arm, while Nott hurried to them with his wand raised.

"Do you, Draco Malfoy, promise to make Hermione Granger fall in love with you?" Zabini asked. There was cold hate in his eyes.

"Yes," Malfoy replied.

"And do you accept this challenge: that you have one year to make her fall in love with you, and that if you fail you will die?"

"Yes."

"And finally," Zabini continued, to the surprise of both Nott and Malfoy, "Do you accept that if you fail….she dies as well?"

There was silence. Malfoy was about to refuse, but then images of Granger floated through his mind – her slapping him in third year, how close she was to Potter, the way she looked at Weasley – and a burst of anger shot through him.

"Yes."

Streams of what looked like liquid fire shot out of Nott's wand around Zabini and Malfoy's intertwined arms, connecting them. And as soon as they had appeared, they were gone.

"One year," Zabini said, before turning and walking away.

Malfoy ran his hands through his hair. How could he have been so arrogant? Not only would he die from his idiocy, but Granger would die as well. Not that he particularly cared, he forcefully reminded himself, but she was still an innocent person in the equation. Malfoy slammed his Potions book. Homework would have to wait. He pondered about telling Hermione what he had done. She was smart; she probably knew a loophole of some sort, maybe something the Ministry could handle. But he knew she would never forgive him, so leaving that option as a last resort, he opened his Potions book again.

Hermione walked through the portrait into their common room.

"Oh, hello," she said awkwardly, as if not expecting Malfoy to be there for some reason.

"Granger, do you think you'd ever fall in love with me?" Malfoy asked, smiling at her in encouragement. He expected her to drop her books and stutter, flustered, but instead she raised an eyebrow.

"That's like expecting me to get lower than an 'Outstanding' on an exam," she answered smugly.

"Wow, a little conceited, are we?" Malfoy said in surprise. Hermione shrugged.

"Why are you asking?" she asked suspiciously. "I'm not going to fall in love with you and shag you just so you can win a bet. You can afford to lose ten galleons, ferret boy."

"Okay, you need to stop calling me that. I stopped with the M word-"

"Yes, because that's remotely the same," Hermione said sarcastically.

A line in Malfoy's face tightened.

"Hermione?" Came a voice from outside the common room. It was Ron.

"What is he doing here?" Malfoy asked coldly.

"We're going for a walk," Hermione said with purpose.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because he's my friend?"

"Is Potter tagging along?"

"No."

"So, it's just you and the Weasel."

"That's right."

"I don't like that."

"You don't have to." Hermione said bluntly. "My, I didn't know ferrets were capable of jealousy."

"Does your little boyfriend know the password to the portrait hole?" Malfoy retorted. "Why don't you tell him what it is?" he probed through gritted teeth.

Hermione seethed, "Why don't you kill yourself?"

Malfoy was silent. Fear ebbed in him. Suicide was one way to end the Unbreakable Vow. If Malfoy was dead the vow would automatically be broken. Had Hermione found out? But then he realized it was impossible, she was only being cruel.

"Just go," he said, slumping himself into an armchair, but Hermione was already on her way out. She opened the door to a startled Ron.

"Hermione- I heard yelling-" but he was cut off by the slam of the portrait.

A/N: Ahhh, was gonna add some more but I've decided to be a tease! I hope you are all ashamed of Malfoy's reckless behaviour. My my, this was supposed to be a story focusing on Malfoy being nothing but mean, but now I've got an actual plot on my hands.

PS Do you guys think I need funnier lines? Tell me what you think :D