Author's Note: Thank you for being patient with me! Life has kind of gotten in the way of my writing, but I'm back. Thank you so much for the positive response towards this story! It means a lot. And thank you again for being patient!

Chapter Three

"I cannot fucking believe it!" Draco was fuming as he, Vincent, and Gregory headed back to their dormitory, "I do not know what the world has come to, but this is madness! Outsiders being allowed to come to our school! And being allowed to take advanced classes! Like...like they're us? Like they have bloodlines. It's an insult. It is an absolute insult to the past generations. We have to do something, my boys. We have to get her out of Kingswright!"

"Her?" Vincent raised an eyebrow. He and Gregory shot one another a sidelong glance.

"Them!" Draco corrected, "All of them. But...we can start with her. She'll be the easiest. Once she's gone, we can go for the others."

"But how are we going to make her leave?" Gregory asked, "She is in love with this school already."

"Love?" Draco could almost feel the cogs rotating in his head. Love. Love and war. What brought countries to ruin? What brought fearless conquerors to their knees? What had the power to destroy anyone?

"Yeah," Vincent chuckled, "it's a wonder she didn't have the Alma Mater as her ringtone."

"Probably does," Gregory broke into a fit of laughter.

"Her home screen is the school colors," Vincent roared.

"She gets a call and just lets it ring so she can hear the school song," Gregory buckled underneath his laughter.

"Enough!" Draco raised a hand, "Boys," he cleared his throat, a plan hatching in his head, "Hermione Granger is a girl. A woman, if you will. And what is a woman's ultimate weakness?" Vincent and Gregory both shrugged, "Love, gentlemen! Love! If you want to strike a woman where it hurts, you go for the heart. It is most easily penetrated and can cause even the most powerful women to crumble into nothing. You follow?"

"Sure," Vincent shrugged, trying his best to follow Draco's line of thought, "But what does that have to do with us getting rid of her?"

"Someone here has to break her heart. Shatter it. Obliterate it. Destroy it. Annihilate it. Totally break her so she has no other choice but to leave and never look back. Make it so she cannot stand to be here anymore. Someone has to destroy her," Draco was seething with an anger he didn't quite understand.

"You could do it," Gregory offered, "You could make her fall for you. Flirt with her a bit. Make her think she's special. Maybe even date her. And then kick her sorry ass to the curb."

"Me?" Draco held up his hands in surrender, "I want no contact with that girl. Someone else is just going to have to be the one to do it. One of you fine gentlemen for example. But I can't. I won't. In order for this plan to work, someone is going to have to get close enough to her to hurt her. And there is no way I am getting close to that excuse of a girl. She's...nope. Not doing it. No fucking way."

"I dare you," Vincent's lips pulled back revealing a toothy grin. Draco's ears prickled. Oh how dare he! He knew full-well that Draco could not turn down a dare. He'd have to do it now. He'd have to be the one to get close enough to Hermione Granger to crush her. Draco felt his blood bubble in his veins. The very thought was enough to make him want to expel his dinner.

"You bastard!" Draco turned on him, "You dirty bastard! Fine," he caved. He knew he didn't have any choice in the matter now, "I'll do it. I'll make her fall in love with me - which shouldn't be difficult considering... - and then I will crush her. The whole mess shouldn't take longer than a month tops. And then she will be out of here never to return again. She'll pack her bags and be gone for good, my men! And I will start tomorrow. Humanities. With Doctor Stein."

Gregory clapped Draco on the back, "This is going to be awesome!"

Draco tried not to wince under the pain, "Well, what can I say," Draco smirked, "I've quite the reputation for being a genius."

"Evil genius!"

"Bow before me," Draco swung his bangs out of his hair, willing his brain not to register the pain, "The master is back on campus!"