A/N: Well this didn't take as long as I thought it would. I have a plot outlined for chapters three and four so I'll start those soon. Thanks for reviewing and enjoy...

"Draco?" The sound of his name made Draco Malfoy ALMOST drop the trey he held. The boy looked up and Hermione gasped again. He looked horrible, to say the least, his usually neat platinum blonde hair looked like it hadn't been brushed much less washed in weeks. He had a scar running from below his left eye to his chin, like a slashing knife cut. He had more scratches and bruises than possible on his neck and arms and who knew where else. "What are you staring at?" He snapped placing the tray on the desk with a dull thud.

Crookshanks watched from the bed as Hermione walked over him and passed a hand over his whole body, much like she had done to Snape the night before, while say a spell. Most of his cuts and marks started to fade leaving only the cut under his eye. "Why" she asked stepping back.

"Mind your own business Granger!" He snarled leaving the room and slamming the door shut behind himself. Hermione turned to the tray and surveyed the contents toast, eggs, and milk. She downed the glass of milk and ate the eggs, leaving the toast for later, just in case. She looked at the books that littered the desk with surprise.

Most were Mediwitch training books; a few were, oddly, Muggle decorating books; still others contained Dark information and the last few were seventh year Hogwarts school books. She glared at the schoolbooks suspiciously before snatching up the Standard Book of Spells Grade 7 by Miranda Goshawk just as a fire roared to life in the fireplace. Hermione sat down cross-legged and became instantly absorbed in the book.

Lord Voldemort sat in his private study with Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy standing by him. "Isn't it odd that she isn't panicking or trying to figure an escape root, Milord?" Lucius asked from his spot head bowed in respect. Voldemort said nothing for a time carefully thinking of how to word his answer.

"It seems we might have underestimated the true Miss Granger. From what she's shown me she is going to present us with a fight we'd never have expected of a Muggleborn, even one with her intellect." He said finally.

Hermione calculated only one set of footsteps had ended at her door and she was already looking at it when it opened. Severus Snape entered the room eyes focusing on her at once. "What no knocking?" She questioned as he tossed a set of blood red robes at her.

She looked at him pointedly and he turned around but stayed inside the room. Hermione yanked off the white nightdress, relieved her erm undergarments were still intact, tossed it onto the floor and donned the robes that "happened" to be her favorite color. "Professor."

Snape turned around to look at her; the robes clung to all the right places, her hair tied back and the fire common in her eyes burned brighter and more defiant than ever. Their eyes connected and she knew he was going to read her mind. Snape managed to see a single thought as she put up the metal wall around her mind. "Miss Granger?" He started but she shook her head.

He led her from her room to a small anti-chamber smaller than her room. Hermione found herself once again face to hood with Voldemort. This time only Lucius and Severus were present. "Miss Granger, how lovely! I trust you had an…interesting night?" When Hermione didn't answer he continued, "As you've already guessed you will remain here for a time, so I have decided to make you useful to me.

"You will be making me a potion to restore me to the body of sweet Tom Riddle." Hermione snorted in amusement before saying, "And if I don't?" "Crucio" She sinks to the ground her eyes becoming empty of everything and other than a few twitches she doesn't move, doesn't cry out in pain and only when the curse is lifted does she blink, her eyes filling up again.

A stunned silence fills the room and she smirks. "Never seen anyone Withdraw have you?" (See the A/N at the end about Withdrawing). Hermione smiled at her captors. "We have other methods of breaking you, or at least getting you to comply." Voldemort hissed after a lengthy silence. "Please, I've shown you how I'd react to rape, Crucio, torture." "Oh we have out ways."

"Then what are we to do master?" Lucius had asked back in the study. "Lucius, how would you like Draco to redeem himself in my eyes?" At Lucius' nod Voldemort smirked, "We can make her do the potion with Severus's help of course, but your son will be most helpful to test and see if she is the one to be trusted with an heir."
Hermione sighed at this statement and decided against asking for their other methods. "Well good luck with that." She said sarcastically, "Can I go now?" " And here I thought you were a grade A kiss up, who respected her betters." Lucius sneered at her. "And here I thought you were smart. You people know nothing of Hermione Granger. Nor will any of you get close enough to do so.

"As for respecting my betters, I see no one here that I would call my better." She retorted before storming out of the room and back into her own. "She isn't afraid of us…of you?" Voldemort pulled down his hood to look at the two men. "Something has happened to her to make her this way, something we didn't figure into our plans. Severus this is what you must find out. Then, we can break her turn her to our side."

Snape bowed low before speaking, "My Lord, she showed me...she let it slip rather…a fear she has. She is afraid to be alone."

Hermione was surprised to find Draco sitting on the floor of her room reading a book and munching on toast. He looked up as she sat across from him. "Did he tell you about wanting his body back?" Draco asked handing her the last bit of toast. She nodded, both in answer to his question and accepting him as an ally.

An hour later found both teens sprawled out on the floor talking about past years. "I never knew you had it in you, I remember thinking 'Man what a right hook'!" "Oh remember when Ron's spell backfired and he ended up throwing up slugs. That was gross but so funny!" Draco looked at the girl he'd been around but never knew for six years. She looked more relaxed than ever and hadn't once spoken of escaping but he knew, he knew she'd have a plan ready when the time came.

"You should have seen me earlier," Hermione was saying, "I was acting all moody and dark, scared them witless!" "I did see you and that was no act Gr- Hermione. I know that look; you're not that dark but I'm not as dumb as you think I am. I know something really did happen to you and you're right when you said none knows the real you. Whatever happened made you more cynical, more devious but it gave you more spirit and a sense of fight you only pretended to have before.

"I know all I've ever done was treat you like shit and now I'm a slave of the Dark Lord lower than anyone, but I'm here because I finally realized all the bull shit they've been feeding me is exactly that bull. You, Hermione Jane Granger, one of the best students Hogwarts had seen since Harry's mum and the Founders of the bloody school, you /are/ better than them and they know it.

"My door is always open when you want to talk. I have chores now so I'll see you later." With that Draco left Hermione alone to marvel at his un-Draco like niceness, his complete OCCness (my words not hers). To keep her mind busy she started to read again but Draco's words hung in the back of her mind causing her to smile to herself and Crookshanks who'd remained on her bed half asleep.

A/N: There you have it folks. Chapter two. Now Withdrawing is something I made up but it is based on a process called Astral Projection which is like an Out of Body experience. If you want more infor on it PM me or look it up on google. I just want to thank all my readers/reviewers and can't wait to hear what you have to say on this chapter. Chapter three coming soon
Layla