A/N: Another Song chapter, this one based on "If I can't Love her" from Beauty and the Beast. This song kind of shaped my "beauty and the beast" themed fanfic here, so I hope you enjoy!

And in my twisted face
There's not the slightest trace
Of anything that even hints of kindness
And from my tortured shape
No comfort, no escape
I see, but deep within is utter blindness

Hopeless
As my dream dies
As the time flies
Love a lost illusion
Helpless
Unforgiven
Cold and driven
To this sad conclusion

No beauty could move me
No goodness improve me
No power on earth, if I can't love her
No passion could reach me
No lesson could teach me
How I could have loved her and make her love me too
If I can't love her, then who?

Long ago I should have seen
All the things I could have been
Careless and unthinking, I moved onward

No pain could be deeper
No life could be cheaper
No point anymore, if I can't love her
No spirit could win me
No hope left within me
Hope I could have loved her and that she'd set me free
But it's not to be
If I can't love her
Let the world be done with me.

Draco stared into the eyes of the man in front of him, feeling as if he would lose the small amount of food from inside his stomach. He couldn't speak. Perkins lowly laughed.

"So…if I don't…fall In love with her and make her love me…I'll be your next batch for some poor unfortunate soul to consume." Perkins's smile widened.

"Precisely! Then it will be YOUR spirit trying to guide the next victim to succeed." Draco thought for a moment.

"So, Tamine…its her spirit you stole for this batch. What happens if I succeed? What if, somehow, I was able to make Hermione love me? What happens to Tamine then?" The shifty soul stealer adjusted his weight on to his other foot, seemingly bored.

"Well, her soul will return to her body. It's in suspended animation in my home, ya see. When your soul is finally ripe for the taking, when you've failed your task, her soul will be completely consumed by yours and her body will rot, your soul and spirit replacing hers in the bottle." Draco tried to swallow the lump in his throat, afraid to ask the next question.

"How…how many people…have succeeded in their task?" He hid his hands in his robe pockets, trying to hide their shaking. A Cheshire grin spread across his lips.

"Not a single one."

Hermione turned on her heels and ran, tears streaming down her face. Her stomach felt as if it was full of cement. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Draco Malfoy…love her? It could never happen. He could pretend…but his heart would never belong to her, and she surly couldn't fall in love with him, the mere idea was absurd. He was going to lose his soul to a madman…and she was the key to his freedom. She felt bile rise in her throat. She had to tell Harry.

"Wait…say that again?" Harry said, urgency in his voice. Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, her head pounding.

"According to this man, Malfoy has been using an almost cursed potion, made out of souls. The soul of the wizard before him that failed their redemption is tasked with guiding him to succeed in his own redemption. If he stops taking the drug he will die and if he fails to achieve the goal set for him within the time period his soul goes into the next batch." Harry swallowed, taking all the new information in. He looked around the common room, thankfully no one had walked in on their little chat. Despite sitting next to the fireplace, the room seemed cold. Harry shivered.

"Did you happen to hear anything else?" He asked. Hermione thought for a moment, wondering if she should tell Harry every detail. She trusted him, but felt maybe the last portion should be left alone for now.

"No…that's all I heard before I panicked and ran away." She said, biting her lip. She hated lying to her best friend, but she couldn't bring herself to let that bit slip, not yet.

"I see." Harry said, pushing his glasses up with his finger. "I'm not sure what to say. It's his fault for drabbling into shifty potion making." Hermione frowned, surprised at Harry's callous reply.

"You know, he's got so much guilt built up inside him and no one to support him like we do. Honestly if I were in his shoes I may have gone down the same path." Her eyes widened, surprised at her snappiness. "Harry…I'm sorry…"

"No, it's okay. You have a big heart Hermione. I understand." He stood, stretching out his back. "Just…please don't get too invested. This seems to be something only he can complete himself." He turned to walk out of the common room, lunch time approaching. Hermione sighed, standing up to follow him out.

"If you only knew." She said quietly to herself.

Draco sat in his room, blankly staring at the beautiful red flower he had been given, Perkins's words echoing in his head. 'When the last petal falls…your soul will be mine.' His heart was beating out of his chest. This was his punishment for all the evil things he did in his lifetime. Tears began to slide down his cheeks. He deserved this, he thought to himself. He stood, walking over to the desk where his bottle of Nymphetamine sat, taunting him. He wanted to throw it at the wall, but he knew if he did that he would die. He had to use it, Perkins said. So he took the needle, injecting double what he usually did. He laid back on his bed, looking to the ceiling.

"Draco?" Her ghostly voice said to his side. He turned his head, tears still falling, to look at his spirit guide.

"What's your real name?" He asked, his voice devoid of any emotion. The woman sighed, sitting on the bed next to him.

"My name was Lyra. I see that snake finally told you the purpose and ingredients on his little guilt cure." Draco simply nodded his head.

"You failed your task then." He stated. It wasn't a question. If she hadn't she wouldn't be here right now.

"It's my job to guide you to succeed. The goals seem so easy, yet impossible at the same time. They always are trials of the heart." Draco sat, looking into the deep red petals of his rose again.

"What was your goal?" He asked. Lyra looked at him with misty eyes.

"I had to forgive my father. He hired an assassin to get rid of my fiancé, saying he wasn't good enough for me. I figured forgiving my father would be easy…but I couldn't do it." She put a wispy hand on his shaking shoulder.

"How do you make yourself love someone? Or make them love you for that matter." He said, sniffing.

"That's the tough part. We will have to work on it. For starters, try to spend time with her. Take her to dinners, talk to her, be sweet and respectful." Lyra dreamily sighed, remembering her deceased fiancé. Before Draco could answer her, a knock sounded at his door. Lyra disappeared.

"Come in I suppose." Draco said blankly, not looking to see who it is.

"Draco…you are going to be late to lunch." Pansy said, walking into the room. She noticed his condition right away. "Why are you crying?" Draco looked at the floor, patting the bed next to him, motioning for her to sit.

"I'm going to die Pansy." He bitterly spat out as his tears hit the floor.

"You are not going to die Draco. Just stop taking the potion. You are high on it right now aren't you?!" She semi shouted, making him flinch back.

"No, you don't understand." He growled, looking at her with swollen eyes. "I went and bought more this morning. The horrid beast of a man selling it let me in on a pretty big detail he left out my first time purchasing it. If I stop taking it, I'll die. Not only that, but the damn things cursed, and made from souls. The woman I told you about that appears to me? She's the spirit of the woman whose soul I'm injecting into my veins. She's supposed to guide me in a quest to break the spell. If I succeed her soul returns to her body. If I fail…" He choked on his words, swallowing hard before continuing. "If I fail I lose my soul, and become the next batch of Nymphetamine." Pansy's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"You can't be serious. What's your task?" She asked, her heart thudding in her ears. Draco bitterly laughed.

"Get this. I have to fall in love." Pansy cut him off, a sigh of relief leaving her lips.

"Oh Draco that will be easy! There's plenty of girls who would give their left leg to be yours." He shook his head.

"I wasn't finished. It's not just any girl, I have to fall in love with Hermione fucking Granger, and make her fall in love with me in return." Pansy let her jaw drop.

"Oh…well that could be a problem then." She said, shaking her head.

"A pretty big problem Pans. There will be no point anymore if I can't love her. How could I love her and have her love me too?" Pansy wrapped her arms around her friend's neck, trying to comfort him.

"Blaise and I will help you any way we can. Even if it means getting close with her. We can start today!" She pulled away from Draco, who sadly smiled at her.

"You two are some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Thank you." He looked at his clock, noticing it was time for lunch. "Go down to lunch, I'm going to clean up and meet you down there." She nodded, standing up and walking towards the door.

"I promise, you aren't going to lose your soul to some bottom feeder soul stealer." She exited the room. Lyra reappeared, standing in front of Draco.

"That's three people helping you. I hope this works." Draco looked at her, his cheeks tear stained.

"I hope I could love her and she would set me free." He said, standing and facing the spirit. "But if it's not meant to be and If I can't love her…then let the world be done with me!"