Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all Harry Potter characters and is solely responsible for the wonderful books that we have all come to know and love. She receives any and all money and recognition for this success. I'm just here to bend her lovely characters for my own personal gain and hopefully your enjoyment.

Emmeebee: I know I was terrible do make him act like that but if anyone needed a wake up call it was Draco. As far as Blaise I'm glad you liked him this way. It's a little OOC for any Slytherin but let's face it, we all need a good friend.

BelovedEnemy83, Venetiangrl92, Grovek26, dutch potterfan: I'm really glad you all liked it! Hopefully this chapter will get some good reviews as well…hint hint, wink wink J

09sasha, Amea: I promise that Hermione will know everything…eventually. LOL. She will learn more and more each day though, I promise.

Giada: I love questions! So it's absolutely no bother. I can't promise to answer everything but I think you'll love this chapter than because there are a few questions that will be answered for you. Narcissa is a character that I'm playing a bit more around with. I've always seen her as a very maternal figure and not the cold person that people usually see her as so hopefully you'll like what I have planned for her as well.

Tngirl: Thanks for the love! And if your penname means that you're in Tennessee then that's pretty amazing because I AM TOO! I'm pretty sure that means that we are best friends now tee hee hee.

A/N: Well another chapter done. I'm hoping I keep getting the positive feed back so far so good. So thanks for that everyone. This chapter shows a little more depth to the characters and plans some for the future plot so please be patient with me in the action department. No one throws any punches, yet. Enjoy!

Saving The Malfoy Line

By: thenext_Austen

Chapter 6: The Attention of Lucius Malfoy

The look of complete rage that twisted Lucius Malfoy's face would be enough indication to anyone that today he was having not a single happy thought. He had received an owl from his son only minutes earlier and he just knew that something was wrong, something had gone terribly wrong. What in the world could his son muck up so badly with in the course of a few hours? Surly no one had told him about his contract in the works with the Headmaster and Miss Granger so this was something else entirely. If he destroyed the plans he had for them already set into motion before anything actually came to it then son or not Draco would pay. This was their bloodline. Their families' entire magical essence and it was not something that some teenager could just screw away at the first available moment.

His plan was simple. Get Miss Granger to agree by any means necessary and then tell Draco once everything was in the works. Being the only Malfoy heir, his son knew that marriage wasn't going to be something he was able to choose freely and he had accepted that but knowing the past between him and Miss Granger, it would be best if things were in the right place before Draco could do something in order to change what he had planned.

Never in his life did Lucius think that he would be pushing to add a mud blood into his family. But a prophecy is a prophecy and he would no longer try to fight the fates. There was too much at stake. After reading Draco's short and simple letter again he decided that he would have to meet with the boy soon and most obviously do some damage control to set things back in their rightful place. Staring out at the never ending greenery that surrounded the Malfoy home in Scotland was always something that seemed to help Lucius reign in his thoughts. The view was vast, nothing but grass covered hills and an almost transparent fog meandered through the dips and twists of the valleys. It was relaxing and a nice solitude, a person could very easily lose themselves in a place like this.

"Darling, was the letter from Draco?"

The sound of his wife's voice brought him out of his trance like state. He turned around to see her and just as always, she was impeccably dressed and carried herself with the grace of royalty. Of course, his marriage was not one love, well not when it started at least. He was able to learn to tolerate, respect and then eventually love his wife. Something like that could happen for Draco, well surly not the loving part, however tolerate was something that just had to happen.

"Yes darling, he wishes to speak with me it would seem."

A look of worry quickly crossed Narcissa's face before she was able to slam her blank face back down. "Is Draco alright?" He didn't like the look of worry that was on her face. She loved her son and only wanted the best from him so telling her about the prophecy right now just didn't seem like the best course of action. Telling her eventually was a must, just not at this time. Narcissa was always a little better when it came to the mud blood situation. Her family wasn't accepting of them either so she was technically raised the same as Lucius, however, the woman had a big heart and didn't like to see people suffer no matter their heritage. That was one of the things that he loved most about her. Even with every bad occurrence in his life she still stood by his side. Being a dutiful and equally loving wife as always. Of course her only son marrying and eventually giving her half blood grandchildren might change her thoughts about it but he would be able to talk her into it. The very same way he was able to talk her into going to their vacation home for 'some quiet and relaxation'. She would never be the wiser until he wanted her to.

"He's fine Cissy, he just needed some advice man to man. I think I'll floo over to the school and see him in person. Important talks always go so much better in person."

"Good, I'm glad he owled you then. I'm still worried though Lucius. He has so much stress on him and he's still just a boy. I can't believe that all of this is being asked of him. Isn't there something you can do?"

"I promise you dear that it will all work out the way it is supposed to."

On their way to the hall for dinner, Blaise and Draco had hardly spoken. They had spent most of the night trying to come up with some façade of a plan. Draco leaving the country was the best they could come up with at this point, however that damned mark on his arm but a huge hindrance on that plan. Other than that though, they were clueless. He would not only be escaping the Dark Lord but his father as well and neither of the two gave up very easily. So they both went through the day as normal as possible. Go to class, muck around with some first years and all around give the impression that everything was exactly how it was supposed to be. It was all going fairly well, until he walked through the huge double doors of the Great Hall and saw her.

She really was the bane of his existence now. For a much different reason at this point though. Every time he saw her, it put him right back in the courtyard the night of 'the incident' as him and Blaise were calling it. She went straight back to seeing her writhing in pain at his feet, mouth open with no screams even escaping and the total disgust for himself when he thought of the power he had tapped into. He didn't know who he was anymore. He wasn't just a scared little boy trying to find his way, he was a monster. Just like the Dark Lord. Draco was no better than the tyrant that was trying his hand at world domination.

As their eyes met from across the hall she had almost a look of recognition cross her face, like she had remembered everything that had happened. It vanished almost as soon as it appeared however and was now nothing more than a look of absolute distain. She loathed him that was definite. Not that he could blame her really all things considered. He briefly thought about how she would look at him if she actually knew the whole truth. What he didn't know though was that she had a whole other reason for wishing his existence would cease to be but he had no clue of that. At that point his thoughts were interrupted as a regal looking black owl swooped in front of him dropping off a letter. The more suspicious event though, was when the same owl went straight to the Gryffindor table and dropped another letter off to none other than the girl that was currently occupying his thoughts. From the wax seal on the back he was positive that the letter was from his father but he was more than curious as to why his father would be sending an owl to Granger. The little that he knew, his father absolutely despised the girl.

Draco,

We do indeed have a few things to discuss and I believe that all of your questions will be answered with our meeting. I have spoken with Headmaster Dumbledore and he has agreed to give us the use of his private study in order to meet. Be at his office precisely at 8am tomorrow morning. Do not fret over missing breakfast for we will have something provided for us there. As well, you have been excused from your morning classes for tomorrow for there is a very important conversation that I'm sure will take a greater part of the day for us to deal with.

You're Father,

Lucius Malfoy

What in the bloody hell was his father on about? There was no way that he would know what he wanted to discuss with him so what was this oh so important conversation that he would need to be excused from classes? This night was just getting worse and worse.

The letter that landed in front of her was no doubt the reply that she was expecting from the senior Malfoy. For once she was able to abstain from piquing her curiosity right there at the table and quickly pushed the letter into a pocket of her robes. After looking up and into the eyes of her friend Ginny though, the knowing look on her face conformed that she wouldn't actually be reading this letter alone. She loved Ginny dearly, she really did but her being so overbearing at times was positively trying. There was no way of keeping the girl out of something once she decided that she wanted to be involved. That was just her luck of things. Hermione couldn't complain too much though because even with her being extremely pushy she was undeniably loyal and that was a trait she didn't so carelessly toss away.

Hermione proceeded to dig into her supper with vigor. She didn't realize just how starved she was until the food appeared in front of her. She had the most amazing fish and chips she could have possibly ever tasted. The fish was flakey and tender where the chips were crisp and piping hot with just the right amount of salt. Hermione was in food haven. As far as appetites go, hers could have easily rivaled that of Ron's but she just had more class than to act as if she was a swine at a trough. Seeing how some women could just barely pick at a salad was beyond her, if there was good food to be had then by Merlin she would have it. Never would she skip on dessert either. Chocolate was a must in her diet plan, no matter what the case may be, she was a fiend for anything chocolate.

That may have had something to do with her figure but she just couldn't find it in herself to care. She might ever have a size 1 or 2 body but she wasn't overly out of shape by any means. She just happened to be a woman that enjoyed a meal and she would do that, calorie counts her behind. Her mother had always told her that a man preferred a woman with meat on her bones instead of stick so that's exactly what she took to heart and that's how she lived. If I man didn't like her with the body that she had, than he obviously wasn't the man for her.

After thoroughly enjoying her dinner she headed back up to the Gryffindor tower with the rest of her friends. She spent a bit of time in the common room with everyone not doing anything in particular. Just reveling in her freedom to do nothing was something that she cherished. There was nothing pressing to be done or any issues requiring immediate attention. Well at least there wasn't in her mind, the mind of her best girl friend however, was a completely different. Ginny was badgering her constantly about her being tired and if she was ready to retire to bed. She almost gave in and did what the other girl wanted in order to shut her up but it was just too much fun to see Ginny's feathers ruffled by putting off the inevitable. That was another trait that she had inherited from her mother. The more that someone pushed her to do something the more she would put it off simply out of spite.

Hermione was unbelievably stubborn and once her mind was made up about something there was no changing it. She knew that she would have to read that letter at some point but now just wasn't the time because as soon as she read it then she knew that she would have to do something about it and this was essentially her last chance at living her life purely for herself and there was no way she was going to rush it. Assuming that her and Malfoy could come to agreement with everything then she was fairly decided that the hand fasting would happen.

It wasn't something to be overly excited about that was for sure but it was what had to be done. The information that the Order could receive from Lucius was just too great to pass up on. He could give them hiding spots, definite names of Death Eaters, future plans that Voldemort had come up with and those types of things were just too valuable to ignore. She would indefinitely be selling her soul to the devil but there was no way around it. She would be married to Draco Malfoy and would no doubt be going into hiding after they had received the information that they required. That was in itself a whole new set of issues however because she refused to idle sit by while Harry and the other Order members did everything that needed done to end this whole dark era.

It would be dangerous that was a given. Once it became public knowledge that the Order and the Malfoy's had allegiance then they would all be in a great deal of danger. There was just no way that she could give up when they would be so close. Not to mention the fact that sitting around trying to play house with Draco Malfoy nearly made her break out in hives. This could all work out if she thought about it long enough though, as long as she and Draco could keep from killing each other. That would essentially cause an even larger dilemma.

"Well Ginny I'm beat. I think I'll head to bed."

The look of glee on Ginny's face was almost hysterical to her. The girl had practically been vibrating with so much pent up anxiousness. Hermione was fairly certain that she heard a muffled 'about bloody time' but she refused to comment on it and settled with a snicker in the other girls direction. She bid good night to the rest of her friends and started up to their dorm.

"If I didn't know any better Mione, I would say you were purposely sitting down there for so long just to be a pain."

"Why whatever do you mean Gin? I was just relishing in the company of good friends."

"Bullocks. You can't stand listening to half of the drivel that was being spouted down there. You just wanted to see me squirm."

"Yes well that was a bit of a bonus to it as well." With another laugh and a quick dodge of the pillow that was thrown her direction Hermione finally pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket that held her fate. This meeting was a means to an end. That was all, nothing more nothing less. She hoped if she kept repeating it then maybe she would start to believe it. Once she and Ginny had settled themselves on her bed she opened the letter and began to read.

Miss Granger

Your eloquence of words is something to be desired. I'm sure spending some time with my lovely wife will greatly ensure that the next Mrs. Malfoy is much better prepared for her standing. With that being said I do agree that we should have a meeting to discuss the well thought out proposal I have so gracious bestowed upon you for my son. As such it is typically the patriarch of each family that is to have these meetings however given your, background, it might be better if you and I were to sit and discuss some technicalities first.

I have spoken with Headmaster Dumbledore and he has agreed to let us use his private study for our meeting. I will be at the school promptly at 6 am tomorrow morning and I shall expect to see you then. I would like to say that punctuality goes with out saying but in this case I would like to articulate that you should not be late.

The Headmaster has also assured me that there will be a breakfast provided for us and you shall be excused from your classes tomorrow so you will not be rushed by any means.

Lucius Malfoy

"That pompous, egotistical, arrogant asshole! Who the hell does he think he is? Ordering me about like that. 'Punctuality goes with out saying but in this case I would like to articulate that you should not be late'. Are you fucking kidding me? I have never been late a day in my life and he's going to talk to me like I'm some sort of unprepared slob. Well he's got another thing coming. He really thinks that this whole arrangement is for me? Oh hell no, he's going to get a piece of my mind tomorrow that's for sure."

Now it was the red head's turn to giggle. She could almost see the magically electricity coming off of her hair in waves. Hermione was pissed; there was no doubt about it. She had lost count of just how many curse words she used in that little rant alone and from the look on her face she looked like she was far from done.

Hermione continued to rant and bitch about not only Lucius Malfoy, but his wife and son as well. She admitted that she didn't really have anything against the female Malfoy other than the fact that she gave birth to the ferret, but the way Lucius had talked about his lovely wife just rubbed her the wrong way. After about a good hour of her tirade she finally simmered down enough to have a conversation.

"So you're going tomorrow right?"

"Well of course, I don't exactly have a choice. But I can promise you that I plan on being at least 10 minutes late just to piss the old man off."

Ginny laughed out loud at her friends antics. Once again the famous Granger stubborn streak showed its head once again. She figured as much since Lucius all but demanded that she be there on time.

"Oh Ginny, what in the world am I doing? I'm already exhausted from dealing with this and it hasn't even really started yet."

Now the sympathy came. It was all fun and games when she was cursing the entire Malfoy line but now that it was becoming reality, Ginny couldn't help but wish more for her friend. Hermione was an amazing person and she deserved so much more than this but she knew that once she had her mind set to doing something then there was no way it wasn't going to happen. She secretly had hopped that eventually her brother and best friend would end up together but it didn't look like it was happening any time soon. Not ever actually and that was bring a whole new wave of emotion for the two. They were practically sisters as is but the ideal of them actually becoming sisters was something they both looked forward to. Now it would never happen. They would never lose each other as friends though and she made that promise to Hermione right then and there.

"I know Mione and you have no idea how much I hate this for you. I will always be here for you though. I promise I will. If you ever feel like you have no one to turn to or no one is on your side you will always have me. I know how much shite you will be getting from Harry and Ron about this but once it is all said and done I will do my best to keep them in line."

Tears sprung to the older girls eyes at the end of Ginny's speech and she just couldn't hold them back anymore. Hermione was trying to be brave. Trying to put on a blank face to all of this but it was finally enough to break her. She lay with her head in Ginny's lap and cried as her friend stroked her hair trying to ease her pain. It didn't exactly work but knowing that she would be there made all the difference. She would be living a life that she was sure to hate, but she wouldn't be doing it alone. She would always have her best friend and that's what mattered the most to her.

After the tears had finally stopped and Hermione lay down in her bed alone she let sleep take her. She wasn't expecting the nightmare that started though. She was lying on the ground in pain. Excruciating pain that never seemed to end. It was the same dream she had the previous night however this one was just a little less fuzzy than the one before. She could distinctly see the outline of a person now. It was definitely a man. He was taller than her with broad shoulders but a very lean frame. She couldn't make out any facial features just simply the outline of him but the more she tried to concentrate, the more the pain in her head demanded attention instead. The pain just wouldn't stop. All she could assume was that is was a dream about Death Eaters seeing as how they are the only ones in the world that would love to inflict this much pain. She waited to hear the evil laughter that was sure to come at the end of her torture. Being sorely mistaken though, there was no laughter. There was crying, no that wasn't the right word. Sobbing inhibited broken down sobbing as if the man in front of her felt every ounce of pain that she was feeling.

Hermione shot up out of her bed in a cold sweat. She couldn't seem to wrap her mind around the nightmare. Where in the world were these dreams coming from. Never before had she had to deal with something like this but she wished with everything in her that she would never have to deal with it again. There were so many more questions in her head that she just couldn't handle at this ungodly hour so she just pushed them to the back of her mind and focused on her upcoming meeting with Lucius Malfoy. If there was one thing that she was certain of though it was that her mind was trying to tell her something. She just didn't have a clue of what.