A/N: Dude! I got reviews!! I'm so excited. I would thank everyone individually, but I figure you want me to get right to the chapter, right? I thought so. So, thanks everyone, and keep reading!
Disclaimer: Don't sue! My name is not J.K. Rowling. Pinky promise. But I would not object to Tom Felton being mine. Just thought I'd bring that up, again.
Chapter 3: Shock
A vision filled Hermione's eyes. She was standing in a corner, covered covertly by the shadows. The house gave off a weird sense of foreboding. A tall, regal man with shoulder length silver hair was standing ominously at the center. Lucius Malfoy. He had his wand drawn and was pointing it at someone.
Hermione shifted herself about a foot and gasped in shock. Lucius had his own wand pointed at Draco. He had his wand drawn on his own flesh and blood. The man was seriously deranged. Draco had his hands clenched into fists at his sides, and Hermione was alarmed to see a small ribbon of blood make its way down his carved cheek.
"I don't know what you want from me," he said, his teeth clenched together like his hands. Maybe in anger, maybe in pain. It was hard to tell. His father raised his wand again and Draco fell to his knees, his fists raised to his platinum hair. He seemed to be fighting the urge to scream.
Hermione, as much as she hated Draco, felt her heart go out to him at that moment. Until his father spoke up.
"You are supposed to be furthering yourself in the mission. Have you forgotten, Draco?" his father asked patronizingly, as if his son, who was in extreme pain, could answer. "We want the Granger girl dead. Do. You. Understand. Me?"
He withdrew his wand and Draco stood shakily. His sneer was still intact. Hermione thought she was going to faint. Draco was supposed to kill her? She steadied herself on the wall next to her.
"I am not like you," Draco spat. "I will not be told how to behave and who to kill."
His father raised his wand in warning, but Draco plowed on.
"She may be a Mudblood, but she has nothing to do with the mission. You know he only wants me to fail so he can kill me anyway. Well, I'm not doing what I did last year. I'm through with you."
"So what, you're going to be in the Order now, huh son?" he father said tauntingly, raising his wand. This time, Draco did scream. A piercing yell that made the hair on Hermione's neck stand up and tears spring to her eyes.
"I will not join the Order, but I refuse to get the Mark," he spat, standing again. Hermione was amazed he could still talk. His mouth was bleeding profusely.
"Maybe your mother can convince you then."
Draco's eyes widened. "Don't you touch her." Lucius raised his wand again, and Hermione flinched, waiting Draco's scream.
"That's why you are the way you are, huh?" Draco said. Hermione blinked and looked away from his grey eyes. She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Ron and Harry looked perplexed.
She gathered her books, picked up her bag, and positively fled from the classroom, feeling Draco's anger fade the farther she got. She sank pathetically down to the floor next to a suit of armor. She realized with a start that if she had seen something in his mind, he surely could have seen something in hers…
Oh dear.
Malfoy stood complacently in a small but cozy house, and looked around, casting about for his bearings. He had no idea where he was. He jumped when he heard loud voices.
"Herm, honey," a plump man said, seating himself next to his daughter, "I don't understand why you don't want to go to school. It's a wonderful secondary school. Mrs. Perrine's son goes there. You always fancied him, didn't you?"
"But daaaaad," the smaller Hermione said, stomping her foot, "I can go to Hogwarts. The letter said! And Jacob's a prat. I never fancied him!"
Hermione's father ran his hand though his thick hair warily. "I'm not sure you're smart enough, Herm. You don't listen in class, you never do your homework, and you're lucky to have passed!"
Draco was shocked. Granger, not doing homework? Not listening? He was amazed. Granger was always the picture-perfect student. What the hell happened?
Hermione stomped her foot again. Draco chuckled. "I'll show you! I am smart enough! I'll be the smartest one there!" As she turned to make her dramatic exit, her father grabbed her arm.
"Listen here, young lady," he said sternly. Hermione's chocolate eyes clouded over with tears as he squeezed her arm. "I will not be spoken to like that. You will not be going, and that's that." He pushed Hermione away from him roughly, but Hermione stuck her chin out and stomped away and waited until she was in her room to cry.
She sat dejectedly in her room, making random objects float and sink back down. She stared at her little cat sleeping peacefully on her bed. "I will go to Hogwarts, Sasha, we'll show them. And you can come with me!" A silent tear fell down her cheek.
Malfoy sat at his desk, wondering how she had managed to get to Hogwarts after all. He had never pictured her having a tough childhood. She always seemed so rainbows and sunshine.
Maybe he knew nothing about Hermione Granger after all.
She collapsed in her Head's dormitory, connected by a door and a small hallway to Malfoy's dormitory. Their common room was continuously empty, considering they mostly preferred the company of their own House to each other. But this time, Hermione was sitting in the loveseat, staring at the wall when Draco strutted in.
"Why are you here, Granger?" he spat, baiting her.
"I live here, you imbecile," she retorted. "Sit."
Draco raised his eyebrows. "Since when do I take orders from you?" he asked.
"Since you decided not to kill me for the sake of Voldemort," she said calmly.
If there was an answer he was expecting, it wasn't that. Malfoy jaw went slack and his face went, if possible, even paler. "How did you know that?" he asked.
"If your father tortures you again, tell me," Hermione said, ignoring him. "I'd be willing to take the torture for you."
He was taken aback. "Why on earth...?"
"Because you saved my life," she said simply. "In an indirect way, and for your own selfish reasons, but I'm still breathing, so," she took a deep breath. "I am in your debt."
Malfoy just stood there. Hermione took that as her cue to leave. She gathered her books and when she was about to walk through the portrait, Draco called her back. "What Malfoy?" she asked.
"You definitely proved your dad wrong Granger," he said softly. "That's all I had to say."
Now it was Hermione's turn to be shocked.
"But don't start thinking I'm going to be nice to you or whatever," Malfoy said coolly. "You're still a bushy haired Mudblood, whether you're wearing a Malfoy heirloom or not."
Any nice feelings Hermione had for Malfoy were gone in that second. Egotistical prat.
"Whatever Malfoy," she said, and sidled out of the portrait hole, a ghost of a smile gracing her face.
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