Breath trapped in her chest, Hermione pointed her wand at Neville, his body crumpled on the floor of Draco's otherwise spotless bedroom.

Malfoy's grey eyes flashed to her, but he held his wand on Neville.

Hermione had to find a way out of this. It didn't matter how much Neville changed. She would torture no one, except maybe Malfoy or Voldemort if she ever got the chance.

Her heart pounded frantically. If this went wrong, it meanat death – or worse. But it was what she had to do.

With a speed she didn't know she possessed, Hermione flicked her wand at Draco. "Stupefy!" she shouted. A red light erupted from the tip of her wand and collided with Draco's chest. He jolted backwards and smacked his head against the wall.

Her wand aimed directly down at him. She flashed back to her third year when she'd held that wand to his throat. How he'd trembled, how she'd frightened him. So different now. His eyes staring at her, steady and steeled, like two polished coins.

Hermione opened her mouth to shout another curse when she heard.

"Expelliarmus!"

Hermione's wand shot from her hand and clattered against the window.

She gasped. Her head twisted to Neville. He was still hunched on the ground, his wand now pointing at her. Malfoy was on his feet again, dusting his pants with a thin, pale hand. He had a death grip on his wand, eyes narrowed at Hermione with a cool, calmness that scared her more than outright anger would have.

"How can you possibly be this stubborn?" he spat through gritted teeth.

She straightened her back, pulled her shoulders up. "Determination to do what is right regardless of the consequences is not goodness not stubbornness."

Malfoy shook his head and sighed. "Can you really know what's right if you don't consider the consequences?"

He glanced at Neville and then at Hermione with something she would have considered pity had it not been Malfoy. He stepped closer to her, his face now clear of any emotion. If she lifted her arm, her hand would be on his chest. She swallowed and forced herself to keep eye contact with him.

Malfoy leaned in, his mouth just inches from her ear. "You don't trust me. You have no reason to – but we're living in a new world Hermione and all I'm trying to do is give you the tools to survive. The old rules no longer apply." He looked at Neville who now stood, arms behind his back at attention. "Longbottom understands that."

Neville nodded curtly to Malfoy who nodded back at him. Without warning, Malfoy jolted forward, knocking into Hermione, his hand gripping her arms.

She inhaled sharply, an unwelcome current of electricity pulsing through her body as his skin met her skin. Hermione jumped away from him.

"What is it, sir?" asked Neville, stepping closer.

Malfoy gripped his forearm, gritting his teeth. "I have to leave, Longbottom. I'm being summoned." Malfoy's voice sounded heavy. "Keep an eye on Granger. I will return as soon as permitted. Neither one of you will leave this room until I come back. I'll arrange for your meals to be sent up."

"Yes, sir," said Neville.

"Thank you, Longbottom."

Hermione drew back, surprise on her face. Gratitude from Malfoy. She never expected it, especially after what he just did to Neville. How could Malfoy manage to look at Neville. or anyone else, or even himself? How could he live with what he'd done?

Draco adjusted his clothes, smoothed his hair in the mirror and then exited the room, leaving her with nothing but a fleeting and worryingly warm glance before shutting the door.

Holding her breath, Hermione turned to Neville who looked as harsh and empty and unrelenting as ever. Outside the door, she heard the familiar whoosh and snap of Death Eater disapparation.

Neville's arms were around her. Her eyes widened, her whole body tensed with shock. His strong arms pulled her body into his, one hand tangled in her locks, the other on the small of her back. His cheek pressed against her.

"Merlin, Hermione. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His words muffled against her skin.

When the shock dwindled, Hermione lifted her arms around her old friend, holding him tightly. Relief washed over her like a cool bath. The world turned beautiful, right side up again.

"I should have stopped him hurting you. Neville, I wish I could have. I should've-"

"No." Neville pulled away slightly. "You should have cursed me."

Her hand fell on his cheek, the scruff scratching her palm. "I couldn't. I'd never."

Neville turned away, his hand running through his dark brown hair. "It would have saved me some pain."

Guilt rose inside Hermione, but it quickly gave way to anger. How could Draco put her in a position like that? Oh yeah, he was a prat.

"I'm sorry." She sighed.

Neville sat down by the window. "Don't worry. I'm used to it."

Hermione joined him in the window alcove, leaning on his shoulder. "I thought you'd changed."

His eyes reflected in the glass, gleaming dark and distant. "I have. Just not like that."

Neville may have changed, but she could still see the old him in there, feel him too. She laid her hand on top of his and gently squeezed.

"You're not a Death Eater?" She scooted closer to him, glancing up.

"Oh I am." Neville pushed back his shirt sleeve, revealing the same black tattooed snake that was on Draco's arm.

"Why didn't your arm hurt when Draco's did?"

"There's more than one kind of Dark Mark. The Dark Lord's high council – that's Draco, Bellatrix and Snape – all have one, the original one. Then the lower level Death Eaters, like me and the ones who worked in the prison you were at, have another. It also has the mark of our Council master. Look closely."

Hermione ran her fingers down the soft skin of Neville's forearm, over the mark. It took her a moment, but there it was. A tiny, wriggling dragon, hidden with the twists and turns of the snake.

"So Draco ran the prison?"

Neville shook his head, pulling his sleeve back down over the mark. "No. That is Bellatrix's domain."

Hermione shuddered as horrifying memories of starvation and torture brimmed in her thoughts. "Seems like Bellatrix."

"Yes." He let out a breath. "It does...they're sort of together, you know?"

Hermione crossed her legs, sitting up straighter. "Who?"

Neville looked down at his wand as he moved it through his fingers. "Bellatrix and the Dark Lord."

"What? No they're not-"

He chuckled, a deeper laugh than she remembered him having. "Obviously, he doesn't take it too seriously, but she did leave her husband. I caught them kissing once."

"No! Eww-" Hermione covered her face with hands. "Thanks for that image, Neville."

"Think about how I feel." He smiled and Hermione smiled back.

"Why'd you do it, anyway? Become a Death Eater? Did Draco make you?"

"You can't make someone be a Death Eater. They have to want it."

She looked away from Neville. How could he have wanted this?

"I don't understand, Neville. Your friends, your parents."

He grabbed her chin and gently tugged it so they faced each other again. "It's for the Order."

The world stopped, everything just stopped, breathing, moving, living all of it. The Order of Phoenix had dissolved. It was gone, gone, gone. That's what Draco had said – that's what everyone had said, had believed.

"But I thought it had dissolved."

Neville leaned in and whispered. "That's just what we want them to believe." Something glimmered in his eyes, hope maybe. He pulled back his other sleeve, revealing pale, untarnished skin.

He muttered a few incoherent words then waved his wand over his arm. A red mark flickered into view. An inked phoenix flew over his skin.

Warmth filled up Hermione, the universe a thousand times brighter, shimmering, brimming with the one thing Hermione had missed most: purpose.

Gently, Neville took Hermione's arm, running his fingers over her skin. She held her breath.

"What do you say Hermione?" Neville pressed the tip of his wand to the inside of her right forearm. "Want to officially join the Order? Will you help us take down the Dark Lord and his forces from the inside?"

She swallowed, a swell of pride pressing on her chest. "Yes. I will."

There was a sharp burn, then cool, icy calm. Several small red dots sprinkled her skin, then a baby bird emerged from the inked ashes. In just a few seconds it grew to it's full size, it's wide wings sweeping across her arm.

"Welcome, Hermione Granger, to the new Order of the Phoenix."

Thanks for reading. Sorry this is a bit short. I wanted to keep the Neville and Hermione stuff in it's own chapter. We'll get Draco's High Council meeting in the next chapter and some more interaction between Draco and Hermione. Also, I apologize for the lack of them together in this chapter. Hope you liked it anyway. If you get a chance, please leave a review. I love to know your thoughts.