Disclaimer: I changed my username and all but still, I'm no JK Rowling. Boo me :(

A/N: Yay, here's the next chapter of Only a Pretense! Without further ado, I present to all of you, Chapter Twenty. Read and review afterwards! Have fun! :D

Chapter Twenty: Initiation

"WHAT?"

Hermione stared at her two roommates, astonished. It was four days before the initiation day of the new Death Eaters when she, together with Draco, dropped the bomb to both of her other roommates. She was expecting them to be surprised, all right. But she never expected them to react so violently over something that they'd be taking part of.

"What did you just say?" Blaise asked, trying to keep himself calm. The brunette looked at him curiously, surprised that his usual, unbreakable, cool demeanor broke when she told him about her plan.

"You… you can't." It was Teddy who said that. Hermione averted her eyes away from her Italian friend to Nott and frowned at the sight of his face. It was pallid… the color almost alarming. Hermione was afraid he would faint right there and then.

Hermione, for some strange reason, felt instantly dreadful. She gulped a forming lump in her throat before taking a deep breath. "I-I'm going to try to join the Death Eaters like you t-two," she repeated once again. Her eyes landed on Draco, whose face was void of any emotion. The only indication that he was furious of what was happening was the hardening of his jaw and his crossed arms. Seeing her eyes on him made him more infuriated, thus, he glared.

"Look, guys," the brunette continued, her voice pleading. "I-I have a reason why I'm doing this, okay? Maybe entirely different from the reasons why both of you want to become one. But this is important for me… becoming a Death Eater is important to me."

Blaise stood up from his bed and started to pace to and fro. "This is dangerous, Hermes. Are you out of your mind?" he exclaimed, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "You can't just decide to become one in a span of a week. We… we were trained ever since we're young by our parents to follow their footsteps and be a Death Eater. This is dangerous, I tell you. Dangerous."

"That's what I exactly told him, Zabini," Draco piped in callously. Hermione flinched and refused to stare back at his eyes. "But that nuisance is a stubborn bloke. Let him join, if he wants to. Let's just see if he'll stomach the trainings."

"Draco, you can't agree!" Teddy protested, also standing up. "You, of all people, should know the consequences of being that… that bastard's minion! Look what he did to you, Draco!"

"Theodore," the blond said with a glare. Teddy pursed his lips and huffed, his eyes now landing on Hermione.

He swiveled around and walked towards Hermione, crouching down so that his eyes would level with hers. "You can't be a Death Eater, Hermes," he beseeched. "You'll… you'll go mad if you become one. You'll become someone you don't want to be. I-I'll… I'll give you all of my sweets. Just don't become one, please?"

Hermione shook her head, a small amused smile on her face. "I can't, Teddy." She looked from one of her roommates to the other. "I have to become one." Her eyes landed on Draco. "You know I have to become one. I just… I can't tell you the real reason why. Someday, maybe. But not now. I can… I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy! I know more spells than all of you."

Blaise shook his head. "This isn't just about your magical ability, Hermes," he explained. "For goodness' sake, you're way better than everybody else here in this school. But, this is about your… your resolve. The Dark Lord does not want to have followers with weak hearts." Hermione was about to protest but Blaise raised his hand to stop her. "Let's face it, Hermes. You're too… too uncorrupted to become a Death Eater. Teddy's right, you might go madif you become one."

The brunette gritted her teeth and balled her hands into fists. "Fine, let's say I have a bloody weak heart," she spat, standing up in slight fury. "But… but, tell me, Blaise. And you, too, Teddy. Do you want to use the Unforgivable curses to other people? No, do you want to be a Death Eater yourself?"

Teddy released a soft whimper while Blaise groaned.

"We don't have a choice, Austen," Draco answered for his best friends. Hermione whipped around and glared at the blond. The blond, on the other hand, seemed unfazed. In fact, he gladly returned her glare with his own. "You… you're parents are not forcing you to be one. You have a goddamn choice."

"We've talked about this before, Malfoy," she exclaimed in exasperation. "Anything for them, right?" He looked away from her but she, determined, took a few hasty steps towards his direction and forced him to look back at her orbs. "Right, Malfoy?"

Draco stared squarely at her eyes for a few more minutes before he heaved a huge sigh and took a step back away from Hermione, his eyes landing everywhere but her. "You heard what the nuisance said. If he wants to be a Death Eater, let him." He glared at Teddy, who was about to protest. "Let him, Nott. In actuality, it's not our business at all. Austen has a reason and that's for him to know and you to find out, okay? Now, can we stop talking about this crap? I'm having a massive headache already and I need to sleep now."

With one last glare of finality, Draco strode towards their private bathroom.

Teddy huffed in annoyance, even glared petulantly at Hermes, before scrambling towards his bed and covering his whole body with his comforter, not even bothering to change from his school uniform.

Hermione stared beseechingly at Blaise. The Italian merely sighed and shook his head. "I hope you know what you're doing, Hermes." With that, he followed Teddy's lead and lied down on his bed, covering his whole body with his comforter.

The brunette looked resignedly at her two roommates. She shook her head, changed into her nightclothes, and crawled into her bed.

'Yes, Blaise,' she thought, her mind already shutting down. 'I hope I know what I am really doing.'

The Malfoy Manor was eerily beautiful. There was something… mysterious surrounding the whole Victorian manor that made her drawn. Hermione found herself gawking stupidly at the gorgeous establishment, her eyes seemingly glued on its perfect structure. If it wasn't for Blaise and Teddy tugging her arms, she would have stayed right there and then and marvel the beauty of the Malfoy Manor.

Today was a Saturday.

Today was the initiation day.

Malfoy had earlier told her she could take a nap for a while, seeing that the induction would happen at ten in the evening. Hermione agreed, even though she knew she wouldn't sleep a wink. Teddy claimed that he was tired, too. Blaise, on the other hand, went to the library for his nightly ritual.

The brunette had an inkling feeling that they had merely stared off into space for hours, waiting with apprehension as ten o'clock drew closer. That was what she certainly did.

Draco had ordered them to get ready once the clock struck to ten. He had hastily instructed them to wear a black cloak to cover themselves. He was anxious the whole time, cursing and snarling every time Hermione became too slow for his own liking. The brunette didn't complain; she knew he was having a hard time.

Once she emerged out of their room, Blaise and Teddy beside her, she was dumbfounded at the amount of people gathered all over the common room. Hermione felt distressed, knowing that there were young ones mingling with them, hoping to make their parents proud and become part of the Death Eaters.

The blond Death Eater then led them towards a secret passageway he had worked on a year ago. It was a Vanishing Cabinet, found in the Room of Requirement, and it gave them some passage to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. The alley was almost empty, except for some nocturnal beings roaming around. The brunette did not know if they found their awfully large group suspicious; they never showed any indication. But then again, Hermione had a feeling that they were used to this before.

Draco had led them farther from Knockturn Alley. They arrived at an abandoned shack and inside, there were a couple of portkeys, which would bring them to their destination.

Finally, they arrived.

Hermione's mind was brought back into reality when she heard the creaking sound emitted by the gate of the manor. Despite the hopefuls gathered in front of her, she was able to see Draco, whose hood fell off his blond hair because of his constant movement.

"We're here," Teddy gravely whispered, his right arm instinctively wrapping around Hermione's shoulders.

She looked up at her carefree roommate. Teddy's face was hard with nervousness, Hermione was afraid he'd lose it right there and then. "Teddy…" she faltered. She did not know what to say.

"Come on," Blaise whispered from her other side, absentmindedly gripping her elbow and gently dragging her inside.

If Hermione thought the façade of the Malfoy Manor was beautiful, the inside was ten times more. Everything was absolutely priceless. But then, she was not able to fully appreciate the beauty of the Headquarters of the Death Eaters. Draco had further led them deeper into the house and finally, they arrived at the dungeons.

Screams… Hermione had to force herself to block those god-awful sounds. It was a dungeon, after all. She distinctly wondered if one of those screams belonged to her parents…

Her parents. Her back instantly straightened up, an invisible stick supporting her position.

'Forget the beauty of this house,' she ordered herself, her eyes narrowing. 'Focus on your purpose, Hermione Granger. Save your parents, for Merlin's sake!'

The troupe had stopped moving now. The brunette looked all over a dingy room. There was an ornate wooden door on the opposite side of the room, the Malfoy insignia proudly plastered on it.

Draco had looked around, his eyes landing from one Slytherin to the other. Hermione swore his eyes lingered on her direction before he completely looked away. His jaw was firmly clamped once he opened the door, ushering one Slytherin inside.

Hermione saw his hood slip off his head and softly gasped. 'Ivan Raft,' she thought, grimacing. He was an extremely friendly sixth year and she wondered what would happen to him once he became a member of the Death Eaters.

He had been out for half an hour. The brunette tried to strain her ears just so she could hear anything but there were no sounds. She assumed Malfoy or some other Death Eaters enchanted the initiation room to be soundproofed and such.

The population of the waiting room had been decreasing as more hours passed by. Some stayed there for as short as fifteen minutes. Others had to stay a whooping one hour and thirty minutes before the next hopeful was called.

Blaise had been called earlier than Teddy and her. The brunette, gripped with sudden terror, squeezed the Italian's arm both for his comfort and hers. Teddy had turned extremely pallid as he struggled to say a soft 'good luck' to his best mate. All that ever came out from his mouth was a bunch of gibberish.

Hermione was able to see how Draco placed a hand on Blaise's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze. She looked away, her eyes awfully watering. Malfoy's expression as he gazed at his best friend was heart-wrenching. It seemed like he was seeing his best friend for the last time before he was put into death.

A couple more wannabes walked inside after Blaise and soon, only she and Teddy were left.

"Theo," Draco croaked. He cleared his throat and ushered him.

The once carefree Slytherin stood rooted on the spot. Hermione gave him a gentle push and he looked at her, terrified. "It'll be all right, Teddy. You can do it," she said. Only Merlin knows what she meant by it.

"How about a brief hug, huh, Hermes?" he offered weakly, a soft chuckle escaping from his mouth. Right now, his apprehension for his sudden newfound feelings for Hermes Austen be damned. For him, this was a life and death situation and just for now, he could be selfish all he wanted.

Teddy was surprised when his roommate gave him his wish. His cheeks splashed with red and he seemed to calm down a bit. "Thanks," he whispered, awkwardly patting Hermione's back. "I need this." He then gently pushed her away from him and determinedly strode towards his waiting best friend.

"You better treat me some sweets after I became one like you," he said, a weak smile on his face. "You promised."

Draco smirked and playfully ruffled his head. "Of course." He then ushered him inside and finally left him and Hermione alone.

Silence ensued at first. Both never dared to at least make a small sound to break the peaceful silence. Hermione chose to scrutinize the every curve and lines of the stone, cold floor. It was Draco who broke it.

"Nervous, Gr – nuisance?" he covered up quickly. They were in the Headquarters of Voldemort, after all. One wrong move would most probably be monitored.

Hermione's head shot up and her eyes stared intently into Malfoy's mercurial orbs. "Would you believe me if I say no?" she feebly asked.

He shook his head.

"I didn't think so," she said, softly chuckling. Hermione nervously wrung her wrist and broke their eye contact. "To tell you the truth, I'm scared shitless, Malfoy. And cursing now means I truly am." She nervously shuffled her feet and continued, "I'm terrified and I don't even know what will happen once I stepped out of this room. Ca-can you tell me?"

Her eyes sought for his. "I… can't," he said. He released a hollow laugh and ran a hand through his hair – he was frustrated. "If I do, I'd be telling each and every person in this room what they should expect for their initiation day." He grew grave as he took a few steps towards Hermione.

He stopped when he was a few feet away. "You… just, be ready for anything, huh, Austen?" he said. Hermione noticed that his hands were balled into tight fists in his sides. "There won't be brewing of advance potions or answering a three hundred-itemed test as fast as you can."

Hermione laughed and shook her head. "Silly, Malfoy. Of course I know that," she said. She calmed down a bit, although a smile was still on her face. "I'm assuming my parents are here, right?" she asked rhetorically and looked around the whole room. "I can… feel their presence." She shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck. "Gives me some more motivation to do my very best."

Malfoy was never given any chance to retort something back. Instead, his back went straighter than before and his eyes narrowed in worry. "Nott's initiation is done," he stated, turning around and slowly approaching the door. "He's calling for the last hopeful."

He stopped, turned around, and stared squarely into Hermione's eyes. "Do the best you can, Austen," he reminded. "Anything for them, right?"

The brunette, despite the sudden nausea she felt, nodded her head vigorously. "Anything for them."

She determinedly strode towards the door. Draco opened the door for her and she gave him a small smile before stepping inside.

Teddy stumbled off the threshold. Blaise, who was the nearest to him, grabbed his left arm to steady him. The carefree Slytherin hissed at him, his left arm still fresh with his new tattoo. "Oi, anywhere but there!" he exclaimed, cradling his sore arm.

Draco rolled his eyes and ushered Hermione inside their room in Hogwarts.

They had finally arrived back. The initiation was done and they all went back to Hogwarts at one in the morning. Teddy had been complaining about his exhaustion; the fact that he stumbled while going inside their room was enough proof.

"Being melodramatic now, aren't you?" Blaise asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. He, too, was absentmindedly rubbing the branded Dark Mark on his left arm. He strode towards his bed and sat down on it, looking from one of his roommates to the other.

Teddy mimicked his actions and sat down on his own bed, his expression now turning somber. "This is it now, eh?" he softly declared. "The real reason why we were trained so hard when we were young." He gave his tattoo a mixture of awe and uncertainty. "It's so… weird. You know, to be finally Death Eaters."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, her eyes looking at her tattoo in fear.

Yes, even she was accepted.

"I saw Annie," the carefree Slytherin whispered for continuation. "I saw Annie on the floor and Merlin, I thought I was really tasked to perform an Unforgivable on her. I almost backed out, you know. She's my little sister, for goodness' sake! She's the sole reason why I always look forward to going back home for our breaks." He released a hollow laugh and rubbed his eyes. "I actually thought I gave her the Cruciatus Curse. Merlin, I was so relieved when she turned into a bloody Death Eater."

Teddy's eyes connected with Draco, pure hatred ignited in his eyes. "I can't believe that bloody monster, master, whatever of ours would do that, Draco," he spat. Hermione frowned upon seeing that his eyes watered for a bit. "That was a low blow, you know."

Draco merely sighed, not knowing what to say. Teddy had been an emotional wreck ever since he was branded with the tattoo. He did not have the heart to say that everything he had seen a while ago was just the beginning.

"Annie's fine," Blaise assured, stressing the last word. "What you saw a while ago was merely a spell."

Teddy turned away from Draco to look at Blaise. "You saw your mother, right?" he simply asked.

Blaise shrugged and looked away from his penetrating gaze, frowning. "Who else will be the most important person in my life now?" he rhetorically asked. "I admit that I was shaken up for a bit but once the spell hit the Death Eater, I figured it out."

The Italian's eyes then landed on Hermione. "And who did you see, Hermes?" he gently asked. "You were… brilliant a while ago."

"Brilliant?" she asked in surprise, eyes widening. "I failed to produce a Cruciatus Curse, for Merlin's sake! It's a huge wonder why I was given this!" She showed her tattoo for everyone to see.

"Austen," Draco drawled. "You were one of the few, if not the first, who was able to break into the powerful spell placed on Macnair. Nobody was supposed to know that the person they were cursing a while ago was not their loved ones but merely a Death Eater that was being punished. So yes, you are bloody brilliant."

"He said you have potential, you know," Teddy added. "Maybe you were too distracted to hear him. Are you okay? You seem a little bit… shaken, 'til now."

Hermione swallowed a huge lump in her throat and managed to crack a half-hearted smile. "Still terrified, I guess. I actually thought I just cursed my…" Her voice faltered and she nervously cleared her throat. "Ah, I'm craving for butterbeer now. I'm just going to the kitchen to - ."

"Don't bother," Teddy said, standing up. "Blaise and I will get it for you, right Blaise?" He shot a glare towards his Italian best friend, clearly telling him that he had no other choice but to come with him.

"Fine, fine," he said in defeat. "I want something extra stronger than that, after all. Come on." He pulled Teddy out of their room and once again, left Malfoy and Hermione alone.

Hermione silently watched as Draco sat on top of Blaise's bed, just across from her. She shifted nervously under his profound gaze. His eyes scrutinized her for a few more minutes before breaking his study and looking away from her.

"You saw one of your parents, yeah?" he asked in a murmur.

"My mother, actually," she corrected, refusing to look into his eyes. "Thought I would fail after months of disguise…" Finally, her eyes were able to connect with his. "Malfoy?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," she said, a slight tinge of red on her cheeks.

Draco seemed surprised with her sudden gratitude. "For what?"

Hermione shrugged, a look of uncertainty on her face. "I'm not really sure," she confessed. "But I feel like I should be thanking you. So, thank you."

He looked at her strangely, an amused smile on his face. "Maybe that initiation thing messed up with your head, Granger," he said in humor. "You're acting strange."

The brunette shrugged once again. "Maybe," she said.

Silence ensued once again and this time, Draco was the one who took the time to examine their room. 'Cobwebs, ugh,' he thought in disgust, his eyes gazing on the ceiling above Hermione's four-poster bed. 'I have to inform the house-elves.'

When he looked back at Hermione, her mouth had just closed into a tight line. Apparently, she had just said something and Draco was too distracted to hear it. "Sorry?" he asked, eyebrows knitting together.

Hermione nervously shifted under his gaze once again and rubbed the back of her neck. "I said… I want to know who you saw on your initiation day, Malfoy," she repeated. She was looking intently into him and she observed that his cheeks flushed into a terrible shade of red.

"M-my…" he stuttered and cleared his throat. "My mother, nuisance. Who else?"

The brunette believed him and she looked at him in sympathy. "I'm sorry," she said. "Guess we have another similarity, huh, Malfoy?"

He absentmindedly nodded.

Unbeknownst to her, Draco Malfoy was remembering the time of his initiation day wherein a brunette was sprawled on the ground, begging him to spare her life, as he shakily shouted the Cruciatus Curse.

'My mother,' he sneered, looking away from her. 'Yeah right.'

"Can I see it?" Harry asked after moments of silence. He and Hermione were summoned to Dumbledore's Office the day after Hermione became a Death Eater. Once the brunette arrived, Harry was already there, a look of worry seen on his face. Hermione wouldn't be surprised if Harry had been there an hour earlier than their supposed meeting.

"'Mione?" he asked, noticing the blank look she was giving him.

Hermione shook her head to clear off her head. "I'm sorry, but…" She clutched her left arm and nervously looked at Dumbledore. The old wizard looked more stressed out than before as he rubbed bridge of his nose. "Do you really want to see it, Harry?"

The Gryffindor was silent for a while before croaking out a soft 'yes'.

The brunette looked back at her best friend, tears of shame gathering at the corner of her eyes. She slowly lifted up her left sleeve. The Dark Mark was soon visible for all of them to see and finally, the tears streamed down from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry," she blubbered out.

Harry launched himself towards his best friend and enveloped her into a huge hug. "Shh…" he said, rubbing her back in comfort.

"I-I'm so ashamed, Harry," she sobbed, burying her face at the crook of his neck.

"I'm not ashamed of you," he consoled her. His hug tightened when her tears started to be uncontrollable. "I'll never be ashamed of you, Hermione Granger. Remember that."

She sniffed a couple of times then lifted her head to stare straight into his eyes. Harry's heart painfully wrenched upon seeing the distressed look on her face. "I… I thought I cursed my Mom, Harry," she said. "S-she was there, on her knees, begging me to spare her life. It was her voice…"

Hermione crumpled the front material of his short and continued to cry. "I-I… heard screams in the du-dungeons. Wh-what if two of those were hers and Dad's?"

"Harry," Professor Dumbledore broke in. "Please let her sit down."

Harry nodded and directed his sobbing best friend on the chair across from the Headmaster. The-Boy-Who-Lived chose to stand up behind the brunette's chair, his hands resting on her shoulders in a comforting manner.

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore started, his eyes narrowed with worry. "Do you need me to call Madam Pomfrey?"

Hermione sniffed and vigorously shook her head. "N-no," she pathetically said, haphazardly wiping her tears with her hand. "I-I'm sorry. I think having this Dark Mark made me act out-of-character."

Professor Dumbledore seemed skeptical, but soon sighed and shook his head to clear off some thoughts. "Do you know why I called both of you here?" he asked, looking from his disguised student to The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"My being a Death Eater?" Hermione feebly offered, involuntary clutching Harry's hand resting on top of her shoulder.

"Yes, and some more information about your parents, Miss Granger," the Headmaster said. He took his time in fixing the unorganized papers on his desk before looking back at his students. "First, Severus had told me that the spell is still doing its job on both of your parents."

"It'll be a miracle if it is not," she softly snarled, eyes directed on her hands. Merlin, she was now turning into a real, bitter Slytherin! Hermione cleared her throat, looked at the Headmaster in embarrassment, and said, "I'm sorry. Please continue."

"And, I am aware of a large number of students accompanying you and Mister Malfoy. Is this true?" he asked.

Hermione remembered her fellow Housemates, young and late teenagers, and nodded. "Yes," she said, almost breathless. "And… and not all of us passed, sir."

Twenty. Twenty students did not pass. According to Draco, some of them, like her, were too weak to produce a proper Unforgivable curse. But unlike her, they were not deemed as 'potentials' by Voldemort.

"Voldemort's probably making his troupe stronger for the looming Second War," Harry said through gritted teeth. "I… I cannot believe the nerve of this bloody… bloody monster!"

"Harry."

He looked ashamedly at his hands. "I-I'm sorry, Professor. It's just…" Harry shook his head and clamped his lips tightly.

"I'm assuming that both Mister Nott and Mister Zabini passed," Dumbledore continued. Hermione, for her answer, nodded her head. "I cannot believe I am saying this but this is a good thing, Miss Granger."

"Professor!"

"Please," he said, an amused smile on his face, "do not get me wrong, my dearest student. What I am trying to say is that if you have more… let's just say, friends with you during Death Eater trainings, then you are safer."

"But they're" –

"I trust them, Harry," Hermione said, eyes looking up at him beseechingly. "They're not like our typical vision of a proud Slytherin-turned-Death-Eater." She released a hollow chuckle and shook her head, her short hair bouncing in the process. "They don't want to be Death Eaters, for goodness' sake! They are… they are only doing this for the sake of their families' reputation. Would you believe that?"

The brunette paused and heaved a huge breath, absentmindedly rubbing her new tattoo. "I've finally accomplished the part of my being a Death Eater," she continued. Her face held extreme determination as she stared squarely at her mentor's electric blue eyes. "All I need to do is find the location of my parents in the Malfoy Manor and save them."

Professor Dumbledore tiredly sighed and once again rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I believe so, Miss Granger," he said. He opened his eyes and looked at both of his students. "And I believe that both of you should retire back to your respective dormitories. This meeting is adjourned."

Harry nodded and helped Hermione up from the chair. "Goodnight, sir," they bid simultaneously and walked out of the Headmaster's office.

"Goodnight," Dumbledore greeted, hoping for the best.

A/N: And, end of chapter twenty! So, what do you think? Ooh, Herms is a Death Eater already! And Blaise and Teddy, too! And what was Draco's initiation about? Gah, questions, questions. I'm sure you're desperate to know the answers and all.

Speaking of questions, I think most of you are surprised to see that I changed my username. Gone was 2booklover4… here is WickedlyAwesomeMe! What a mouthful, but I adore it. I somehow got the inspiration to use this from Hogwarts Extreme, since that, too, is my username (wickedlyawesome_me). Have you heard of that website? If not, then you are missing a lot. :)

Anyway, again, there are no review responses. Two weeks from now and I probably will be able to answer your reviews. Be patient, okay? We have a week and two days left before ultimate freedom! I so cannot wait. If I were a real witch, I would have accio-ed summer already. Oh, well. It's better if I just wait.

Once again, review!

With love,
2bo – cough – WickedlyAwesomeMe (WAM) XD