A/N: I mention Harry and the Weasley twins- small detail from OotP. It's not really a spoiler, but it was in the book. Just to let you know.

Why were the dead so morbid- the coffins, the dead bodies, the graveyards. This graveyard in particular held a certain looming malevolence. The mist clung closely to the ground, blanketing the tomestones. It stopped right at the gates though. Strange. The stones were crooked, lined up in wonky rows.

'Who would want to be in a disturbing place like this,' I had to wonder to myself as I stood next to the open grave. The entire thing just felt wrong. I took a deep breath and waved my wand. My hand shook slightly as I focused my eyes on my prey. I tried not to focus on the debris all around me. I had to finish this spell.

"Vivificus proficuus!"

A red light flashed three times from the tip of my wand before the corpse twitched to life. It seemed to lift up from its abdomen. It's back rose and it stood crookedly, its spine refusing to realign. Its breath was rugged as it wheezed and walked towards me haphazardly. It seemed to walk with a sort of limp from a broken leg. Even though it was walking around, it had to visibly fight the death that clung to it and weighed it down. It was unnatural and appallingly sinister.

I felt the vomit rise in my esophagus. My muscles were going numb, and there was an aching pain deep in the pit of my stomach. The ugly thing made its way around me towards the blond behind.

Draco was completely calm despite the ugly thing that was coming steadily closer to him. He had his hands deep in his robe pockets when I glanced at him. He checked the watch on his wrist as if we were pressed for time. He was all too smug as he nodded at me.

I flickered my wand and said, "Finite Incantatem."

The corpse let out a wheezy cry as a blue streak shot it in the back. It collapsed to the muddy ground. I stood a safe distance away from it. It seemed even scarier when it wasn't moving.

Draco saw nothing of it as he levitated the body back into coffin and closed the ground back up. He didn't think it was abnormal at all that two teenagers were performing dark spells in a graveyard when they should be in school eating breakfast. I kept my eyes locked onto the covered spot as if the thing might jump back out of the ground and strangle me for disturbing it. Nothing happened though. The ground stayed misty and still.

He smirked at me. "Excellent. You're doing much better than I would've ever thought."

"Uh-huh. A bit too fast for my taste." I looked reluctantly up at him not wanting to turn my back.

I was supposed to learn spells so when it came time to kill Hermione Granger I would have the upper hand. I was learning them with a speed that I was even unaware of. I learned multiple spells a day and mastered all of them by the end of it. Learning normal spells (legal spells) took at least a week or so. One spell would take me a few days and the number of spells I'd learned so far (around 30) would've taken me ages to master, but I did it all within a few days. It made me wonder if I really was evil. Did all Slytherins have this potential, to be natural born killers and grave robbers?

Seeming completely oblivious to my apprehension, he took me by the waist and grabbed the portkey. We whizzed from the little graveyard back to his room. He was smirking the whole way.

"Honestly Emma, I would've thought that you'd be happy. You're halfway through the list."

"Sure." My mouth felt too dry to say any more. I just sat on his bed waiting for the next spell to be given to me. I wanted to ask him if all of these incantations were necessary, but it was too early. It never seemed like the right time though. We always seemed to get back to the same argument with how smart and resourceful Hermione was and how the Dark Lord expected it. That wasn't my only worry though. Every time I performed one of these Dark Arts spells, I'd become exhausted and totally drained. By the time I made it to my first class, I was ready to roll back into my bed, cuddle up in my sheets, and sleep all day long. I could do the spells, but they wore me out.

Draco seemed to be brighter than ever. He grabbed his school bag and pulled me to the door. Right before he opened it he said in a low voice, "The next spell is the conjuring spell. It's sort of like Potter's patronous except you have to control it before it controls you."

My hand twitched clutching my wand tighter. I tried to study his face to see how serious he was, but he was just staring down the stairs blankly. The common room was nearly deserted with only one or two first years making bets on the upcoming Quidditch match. I'd had too much on my mind to think about it, but Draco loved telling me how the Weasley twins and Harry got kicked off the team and Slytherin was in a sorry lead.

We made our way down to the Great Hall. We didn't have much time to eat. Half of the students were already headed towards their first class. Many would grab a piece of fruit and go bolting up all the way to the seventh floor. I could never imagine going from the ground floor all the way up to the seventh floor, but someone could probably imagine me running low on breath, wheezing and panting looking like the corpse that I'd brought to life.

I took a seat beside Cody who was stuffing his face because he was running late. He grinned at me as he forced a sausage to go down his throat whole.

"So, how was it?" He asked me knowingly. Draco gave me a smirk before diving into a conversation about his match today with Blaise. I sighed grabbing a sour green apple and taking a huge bite out of the side. I let the sour juices sit in my mouth for a few moments before I swallowed. I subconsciously glanced around the Hall for a little bushy haired girl within the deserted Gryffindor table. When I couldn't find her, I turned back to Cody and shrugged.

"Like it always does. Mastered it. Starting the Conjurer next."

He furrowed his eyebrows together. "I think you should slow down. I mean, all those spells have to be taking a toll on you. What does your mum think about all this?"

"My mum doesn't tell me anything lately. She hardly writes to me. It's always my dad saying, 'your mother sends her love', and you know how much me and my dad have been getting along. What does my mum have to do with this anyway?" I replied mocking my dad's stern voice.

My mum has been ultra-secretive since my last visit to the Malfoy mansion. Usually it's her who wrote me letters during their long trips. No matter what they were doing-even if they were in a hidden forest running from werewolves-she'd cop a squat under a Weeping Willow and write me a short note telling me that 3 wolves were chasing her and that she'd bring me back an extra fang if they got their hands on one. She'd say that my dad sent his love to me and then have it flown right to me with a small gift. Now, my mum sent me a two sentence letter of 'how are you' and 'I'm pretty busy' with a love mum at the end. I'd sent her all my worries of Draco and the mission and the heirs and Hermione. She sent back 'it'll get better' and left it at that.

Cody was the only one who seemed to get where I was coming from. He coached me through what Draco didn't. He told me tricks and ways to deal with the exhaustion. I was glad that at least one person had sympathized with me- not that Kim didn't too, but she was quickly losing her patience with me.

"Hey Cody, bye Cody. Come on, walk and talk." Kimberly squawked pulling me away from my half-finished apple onto our first class. "So, you have a slight problem."

I groaned at her, flinging my bag over my shoulders. We went up the stairs with a few other kids. "What now?"

"Well, Pansy's working my nerves. Ugh, you should've seen her early. She's telling everyone that Draco and her are in love. Going on about how perfect the two of them would be together once they've gotten married. I almost said something."

"But you didn't, did you?" I asked a little unsure. I knew that I couldn't be too sure when Kim was involved.

She scoffed and looked back at me when we reached the top of the stairs. "Of course not. I'm not completely stupid. Would she have said one more thing about you, I would have."

"Well don't. I've got enough problems without you putting me on Pansy's hit list."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Of course…"

I raised an eyebrow. Kim looked a little jittery. She rotated a small gold ring on her forefinger over and over. Kim wasn't one to bite her lip either- ever. She thought it was a waste of perfectly good lipstick. "Kim, are you sure that you didn't say anything to Pansy?"

"Oh, I say lots of stuff to Pansy- how ugly her wig looks, how she just wants to have long hair like you, how she was too thick to even seduce Crabbe and Goyle, how... you're ten times better for Draco than she is."

"What!"

I hit her with my bag as we rounded the corner to Professor Flitwick's class. The students entering the room all stared at the pair of us. I glanced at them and lowered my voice.

"How could you?"

"Don't worry. I did tell her that you two were together. Cool down."

"Yeah, uh-huh."

"Besides, she's walking around like she's the Slytherin princess. You need to set her straight. Do something, anything… or I will. And I'm pretty sure no one wants me in charge."

"What is this- battle of arms?"

She thought back to our Muggle Studies lesson. "Yes, yes it is. Pansy wants power and, with you doing nothing, she's getting it. She's making a mockery out of you."

"Draco is in charge, Kimberly. Take it up with him."

"You're his right hand man, I'm asking you. So far you've got 3 people on your side- me, Cody, and Draco. If you set yourself straight, you'll have Blaise and the boys on your side too. You just have to make Pansy's friends warm up to you. Tracey and Millicent will be the quickest to fall in line."

"If they don't?"

"Then make them. They don't have to like you, but they will fear you…by the time I'm done with them…I know you're having a hard time, but get over yourself. You have the power in your hands. Word to the wise- use it." She poked my shoulder and walked into the room.

I rolled my eyes and stomped over to my classmates. Hermione raised an eyebrow at me. I shook my head.

The coin she'd given me changed 3 times since I gotten it. So, I had been to 3 meetings thus far. That morning, right before I went to meet Draco, it had changed. There was another meeting tonight and I had to figure out a way to get away from Draco. It wasn't an easy task since Draco hardly ever left me alone now. He wasn't too keen of me skipping training.

I'd have to butter him up and keep him busy for an hour or so while I was gone. Being a Slytherin- an heir no less- and being in the DA was hard. I'd been training with Draco, going to his meetings with the heirs (mostly it was just informing us of all the terrible things the Death Eaters were doing and Crabbe and the boys sneaking off to steal dark objects), and going to the DA meetings. I wasn't complaining though. I went to Draco's match like a good little secret yet not-so-secret girlfriend and wished him good luck.

Just as his team headed off to the field after lunch, I pulled him into an alcove and brought him into a sweet kiss. He grinned wrapping his arms around my waist. I looked up at him and sighed. "Good luck."

"Thanks, but it's not like we need it. Hufflepuff is easy enough to beat with that pathetic team of theirs."

"A 'thank you' will suffice." I scoffed with a small laugh.

He laughed too and pressed his brief kiss to my cheek before jogging onto the field with his broom in hand.

I furrowed my eyebrows and let the knots in my stomach subside before I turned around. I was met with a furious looking Pansy staring me down. The corridor wasn't nearly long enough- nearly tall, or even wide enough to have such rage emanating from one person. There was no way around her. She stood with her normal group of friends who weren't half as bad as her.

"Hey, Pansy." I said politely. Her friends grinned.

"So, Kim wasn't joking. She is with Draco." Millicent said with an almost manly voice. Her manliness took care of all the testosterone for the group.

"No, as always, Kim has no idea what she's talking about." Pansy said smoothly but obviously carried a bit of panic in her eyes. "Take a walk with me, Paniettiere."

I raised an eyebrow, but followed her. We walked along the edge of the pitch and listened to the roaring crowds. I wasn't shaken until a small smirk appeared on her lips.

"Emma, you continuously insist on pushing me over the edge." She said looking over the cliff that the Quidditch field was perched on. It looked steep enough that I backed away from the edge not wanting Pansy to push me off. She laughed at the movement. "Emma, I've got better ways to punish you than to push you over cliffs."

"You and your friends aren't going to touch me." I said bravely. I was still one of the most important heirs at the school. She wouldn't do any permanent damage to me. Painful- yes, but she'd never kill me.

"I won't have to." She still had the smirk stretched along her thin lips. "I wanted to tell you about another... dark magic that Draco didn't get around to telling you about."

"Really?" It wasn't a question. I didn't trust anything that came out of her lying little mouth.

She nodded and stepped away from the edge closing the space in between the two of us. "Here. Have a look." She opened her gloved hand to reveal a small pendant.

It was small enough to fit completely in the palm of her hand. The gold and diamonds reflected the sun's rays bouncing all around creating a rainbow of colors. It didn't look like an evil object whatsoever. I guess that's what threw me off.

I'm not sure what came over me. The moment I looked at the thing I was in love with it. It shined a bit too brightly and its color was a bit too pure.

I reached out my hand.

Her smirk turned into a wide grin. "It's called the Portal. It's an... original version of the portkey. This one has all the real qualities of a portkey that the Ministry didn't want getting around."

With that, she turned her palm down and the pendant fell into my hand. It was painful. Instead of spinning at light's speed, it was like my body was actually being transported, piece by piece, somewhere else. I felt heat engulf my entire body and I felt strangely naked. My organs felt grappled and tight. I didn't have the strength to even open my eyes once my body settled. As my feet finally touched the ground, my entire body went numb, and I collapsed. I welcomed the cool feel of the ground as my scorching limbs touched the grass, but I wasn't about to just lay there. I imagined that I was still near the Quidditch field because I could hear the screams of the students.

I felt damp and hot, but my body was too numb for me to tell if it was all in my head. As I opened my eyes a bit, I saw students hovering above me in stands- almost as if I was...

I was laying in the dead center of the Quidditch field. I heard the screams and gasps of them all- then a shout.

"Emma, Emma!"

I looked in the direction of the sound. Draco was flying over to me with a panicked look on his face. He jumped off his broom and threw off his team robe.

I frowned as his face became completely focused. I could now feel the wet grass below me. I looked down in horror. My body lay stripped and completely naked in the center of the mile high Quidditch field. The screams were of the thousands of students peering down at me. Somewhere I could hear the flickering of Colin Creevey's camera.

"Oh my god." Horrified, I pulled my shaky knees up over my chest. The pit of my bare stomach churned. Draco pulled his robe over me and rushed me off the field. I had trouble running with my quivering body, but he got me into the locker room within seconds.

I dropped to the floor once the door shut behind everyone. I was surrounded by the Slytherin team who were all smirking down at me. I stared at the floor with fury. I barely noticed Draco screaming at me.

"What the hell happened?" He said shaking my shoulders so hard my head bobbed back and forth.

"I-it-" I shook my head trying to clear all of my thoughts. I felt my hand clutched around a small object. I opened my palm to see the dull locket placed innocently in my hand.

The team thought it was quite amusing. Flint chuckled. "I knew you looked good Emma, but bloody hell- you look even better with you clothes off."

Everyone laughed but Draco. I could see the scowl on his face. He stood up and let his fist meet Flint's smug face. The laughter died out immediately as we watched the boy writhe in pain on the floor.

"Anyone else have anything to say?" Draco bellowed.

"Mr. Malfoy, that's quite enough." Professor Snape cooed in his brooding voice as he lifted me off the slightly wet surface. "Come with me Ms. Paniettiere..."

I let him take me up to the castle ahead of the rest of the students into the common room. I could hear the students on the floor above being ushered into the Great Hall.

"I suggest you get some clothes on Ms. Paniettiere. I believe you're going to have a long day ahead of you."

Just as he said that I could hear the bellowing voice of McGonagall. "All students are to report to the Great Hall with the exception of the fifth year Slytherins. They are to report to their common room."

"We are in trouble, aren't we?" Snape said with slightly raised eyebrows. He grunted and took a seat in one of the wooden chairs at a double long Birchwood table.

I groaned and sprinted up to my room. I threw off Draco's robe and threw open my trunk. I didn't bother with what I put on. I threw on a V-neck t-shirt and some faded jeans. I slipped on my flip flops, idly shrugging on Draco's robe, and headed back into the common room.

It was now filled with fifth year students. They all simultaneously looked at me as I descended the short staircase. I felt their eyes scorching me, now with the perfect image of what I looked like beneath my clothing. I wanted to go to the very back of the crowd and try to blend into the wall, but Draco beckoned me up to the very front of the crowd at the double long table. I took a seat, sinking as low as Draco would let me. He handed me my wand as I tried hard not to notice the dozens of eyes boring into the back of my head. Instead, I focused on the row of flickering candles on the far wall.

Professor Snape glared at all the students sending a wave of terror through each and every person in the room. He looked from me to Draco going down the line of students. The heirs looked coolly up at Snape as if nothing was the least bit wrong. I, on the other hand, scanned them all for one person in particular.

Pansy sat, hands folded over the table gracefully with a mocking smirk on her lips. She stared straight at me with those thin curled lips even as Snape began to speak. I glared fiercely back at her from across the table.

"Now, it is obvious that we have a problem." Snape began sternly. He touched his hand to the very end of the table peering at everyone. "I'm highly disappointed in you all. I thought that Slytherin would have more sense than this, and, yes, I do think that Slytherin is responsible for this and I will be quite blunt. This is a serious matter. If I find out who is responsible for this mess, they will be on… the next… train… home. Do you…understand?"

Everyone mumbled a small 'yes, professor' with the exception of the short bob haired girl, Pansy. "How do we know it wasn't just Patty girl trying to show off and be the slut that she truly is?"

"Now, now Parkinson. You don't want people thinking it was you were the one who gave Miss Paniettiere this rare and illegal pendant, would you? People will start to wonder how such an object was in the hands of the Slytherin house. They might just start to do random searching of your belonging… all of your belongings." Snape reasoned just as coolly as when he began. A knowing glint filled his black eyes as he held up the pendant that was now wrapped in a handkerchief.

The smirk slid off of her face to be replaced with a scowl. "Of course, Professor."

"That's what I thought. Now, all of the students are getting memory charms placed on them in the Great Hall. None of you are to utter a word to them. Am I clear?"

More murmurs were heard throughout the common room. Snape approached Draco and mumbled in a low voice. "I suggest you get you peers in line. I don't want a repeat of this ordeal. Your power hungry female counterparts are going to ruin you Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes Professor." He mumbled just as quietly as Snape.

Snape gave one last piercing glance at the common room before sweeping away with his robe billowing behind him.

I sighed and got up to go to my room. Draco grabbed my hand shaking his head. The glare he gave the rest of the people sitting at the table kept them motionless until everyone else went up to their rooms. I guessed that classes were over for the day. The match was obviously cancelled. My day wasn't anywhere near over though.

Draco didn't have to say anything. No one uttered a word as they all followed Draco out of the common room. He pulled me down the familiar corridors. The candles were just as dim, and the door at the end of the hall was just as eerie.

Crabbe pulled opened the heavy door and let it swing. The stone chairs were still there still placed in a circle. They were almost as grand as the two seated next to each other near the door. Draco pulled me into one of the chairs. I sat down and grasped the arm.

Pansy's eyes darted to mine as she slowly walked past me and into her seat. I was thankful that Blaise sat next to Draco. Kim was on my other side. Cody looked at me from across the way. He looked frustrated. He had no idea what was going on seeing as he was a fourth year.

No one spoke for a long time. They all watched Draco. He had his hand under his chin in deep thought. He didn't cease his deathly glares for a moment though. He watched every single one of us. Then, he pulled out his wand and conjured a worn down wooden chair.

What he did next took me by surprise. He turned to me and nodded. "Emma, why don't you take this one?"

I looked at him as if he'd grown two heads. "Sorry?"

"Who needs to be punished?" He said pointing his wand to everyone in the circle.

"No, I-I don't think-"

"God dammit, Emma. Do it."

I made no move. He clenched his jaws and stood up. He looked at everyone with his even glare bouncing off the dark walls and back at us.

"This is going to stop now. We know who holds the power. Don't try and change it now."

"She doesn't even want to be an heir. She's a waste of all our time. We've all got our jobs, and she's walking around whining about how she doesn't want to do a few measly spells. I stole a scepter from a troll last month, and Nott went with his father to deliver poison to the French minister." Pansy said coolly. She stood up and walked up to Draco with ease. She circled him, her finger trailing from his chest to his shoulder blades and back again. "We all know who's meant to be in her place."

Draco rolled his angry eyes. "Pansy sit do-"

He didn't get to finish. Kim had leapt out of her seat and onto Pansy before anyone had even noticed. She punched her straight in the nose. Pansy wailed in pain. Even then, Kim didn't stop she kicked and punched at the girl's head until Pansy stopped trying to get up. Then, Kim stood up, straightened her robes, and looked at me with serious eyes.

"Now, I don't care who you think you are, but the Dark Lord chose Emma. If you have any more objections, I suggest you take it up with him. Otherwise, don't bloody complain. And Emma, you need to start taking control. Even if you have to knock their asses off their feet," She gestured to the heap on the ground, "do it because I'm not doing this again."

With that, Kim sat back down in her seat. "Continue Malfoy." She said as if she didn't just beat the living hell out of Pansy and leave her silently sobbing on the ground.

Now, Draco grinned. "No, I think you just about covered it all Anderson. I hope everyone learned a valuable lesson today."

Kim sighed and got up to leave. "Are you coming?" She asked when I didn't make a move to get up.

I shook my head watching the still girl on the ground. "No, you go ahead. I'll be right behind you."

Everyone filed out of the room all glancing sideways at me as they did. I ignored Draco as he beckoned me. Instead, I kneeled over the heap on the floor. I'm not sure why I did it, but I couldn't just leave her. I touched her shoulder gently. "Pansy, are you okay?"

I swore I could hear her growl. "Get away from me."

"Pansy, come on. I can help."

I pulled her face up. It had bruises and was bloody because of the broken nose she had. I pulled out my wand and muttered a spell that I'd seen Luna use on Neville's broken nose.

Her nose snapped back in place with a deafening crack. Her head wretched to one side as the bones realigned. It actually looked better that way. I grinned at my work. "Better?"

"Get the hell away from me." She stood up and, with the little pride that she had left, strode out of the dungeon passing by Draco without so much as a sideways glance.

"You're too nice. You know that?" He told me as I sighed and joined him at the door.

"Draco, I-I actually feel kind of sorry for her now."

She was head over heels for Draco. So were half of the girls in Slytherin, but that was beside the point. She'd gone very far to get power, and it was ripped out of her hands and placed into my feeble un-wanting ones. She had hordes of Slytherins behind her-whether they were her gossiping banshees or the boys, she had them. I should have hated her for what she did, and I did. The simple truth was… she deserved everything that she got. My temples throbbed painfully at the realization that came over me.

I finally saw things from Pansy Parkinson's point of view. For the first time, I felt very small compared to her. Even though I sat in the seat, she still had all the power. And if I was going to avoid a disaster like this afternoon, I'd have to rip every ounce of power she had left in her hands away from her.

Peace, Love, & Apple Pie