"Tell Draco I'm ready. I've decided it's time to go dark."
Sitting there in the quiet after the little elf popped away, she knew she had to make a list and quickly at that. She wasn't just going to give up things about the people she loved without having any of her demands met.
In her head, the list went as so:
Absolutely, in no way is she to be crucio'd again by any of his followers.
Even though they were muggles, her parents were to be left alone and never searched for.
She would be let out of the dungeons and treated like any other member of the death eaters.
She wanted to be taught and trained by Draco and Draco only.
She wanted to go out on raids and not kept in the manor like some princess in a tower.
Last but not least, they were to go find her beloved cat, Crookshanks. She had left him at the Weasley's house before everyone abandoned ship.
After going over the list several times in her mind, she decided she was ready. Gone was the Hermione who thought of everyone else's well-being before herself. The new Hermione meant business.
When Draco finally appeared, he had a look of shock on his face. "Did Dinky tell me the golden girl really wants to go dark, or was that a figment of my imagination?" He asked in disbelief.
"You heard right. After being enlightened on the fact that my 'friends' weren't really my friends," she stared at him pointedly. "I decided to evaluate, and low and behold, you… were right, Draco." She grimaced. She definitely did not like those words rolling off her tongue.
"Sorry, I need you to say that again, didn't hear you." He gave her a real smile, not just one of his signature smirks. Hermione had to look away so he didn't catch her blushing from how handsome she thought he looked with a smile on his face.
"No, I don't think I will. I don't quite like the way that sounded coming from my mouth." She smirked at him as she came closer to the bars of her cell. "So, Malfoy, what is the first order of business now that I'm changing sides? Personally, I would like a little one-on-one meeting with 'Your Lord'." She snorted at the fact that he would also be her 'lord' now too.
Draco pinned her with a hard stare as he spoke, "First things first, Granger, you're going to have to tone down the attitude. He doesn't take too kindly to jokes made on his behalf. And second, we are going to have to get you cleaned up before you are in his presence. No offense, but you fucking stink." He deadpanned, looking at her disgust, in order to drive the point home.
"Well, it's not like I've had the best accommodations the last few days. Lacking in the comfort and bathroom privileges, honestly." She wrung her hands, feeling a bit insecure now.
"Well come on then, Granger." He moved his hands towards the stairs. "Let's get you to one of the guest rooms so you can get cleaned up. I will have Dinky look around for an extra set of clothing for you to wear."
As they made it up to the guest bedroom, Hermione gasped, "This is a guest room?"
The spacious room had its own sitting room, a massive four poster king-sized bed, and two doors, which she could only assume went to the closet and bathroom. She desperately wanted to curl up on the inviting couch and read a book in front of the fireplace.
"What do you mean 'this is a guest room'? This is quite small compared to the other bedrooms we have in the manor, Granger." Draco looked at her with a furrowed brow.
"Malfoy, this room is two times the size of my room back at home." Hermione laughed. How could he even begin to think this was normal for guest rooms? She thought to herself, then remembered that this was the 'Slytherin Prince', of course he's used to grandiose things.
Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Come on, Granger, the bathroom is the door to the left. I will be waiting in the sitting area. Dinky will leave clothing on the bed for you."
She huffed and walked towards the bathroom. The moment she walked in, she thought she must be in heaven. The bathroom had the biggest clawfoot tub she had ever seen. Turning the tap on, she walked over to stand in front of the mirror to get a look at herself for the first time in days.
When she looked in the mirror, she wanted to cry. Her braid was a matted brown mess. She was covered in scratches, and numerous bruises from the rounds of torture and having to live in a dungeon. Slowly undressing, she tried not to look in the mirror again.
She walked over to the tub and couldn't help but let a small moan slip from her mouth as she lowered herself into the steaming water. Due to being on the run, she hadn't had a proper bath in months. Even though she knew she needed to hurry, she couldn't help but take her time scrubbing her body and lathering her hair in the conditioner that had been left on the side of the tub.
As she got out of the tub, she wrapped herself up in a fluffy towel and slowly padded into the bedroom. When she walked into the bedroom, she saw Draco bent over, whispering in Dinky's ear. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but she knew he wasn't threatening her because the little elf had a smile on her face.
When Draco looked up and noticed Hermione standing there his breath hitched. Gone was the grungy mess he had brought up here, and now standing in her place was the beautiful Golden Girl he loved to take small peeks at when nobody was watching.
Realizing he was staring, he cleared his throat. "Well, you certainly look better, Granger. How was the bath? Any intimate details you want to share with me?" He smirked and shot a wink at her.
"In. Your. Dreams." She made sure to punctuate every word.
"How did you know?" He shot back with a chuckle.
"Where are the clothes you promised me, Malfoy? I don't particularly like to stand in front of people with just a towel on," she asked quietly, feeling her cheeks heat.
"Dinky is going to fetch them now. So I will just… go…in there," he stammered, knowing damn well his ears and cheeks had both turned bright red.
Did Draco Malfoy really just try to flirt with me? Her cheeks were hot just thinking about it. As much as she didn't want to entertain the idea, she couldn't help but realize just how much she enjoyed the attention coming from him.
Dinky popped into the room, interrupting her thoughts. "I bring clothes for Ms. Hermy," she smiled.
"Thank you, Dinky. I really appreciate it." Hermione gave her a warm smile back, and just like, that the little elf popped away again.
While getting dressed, her anxiety started to flare up. She was really going to meet Lord Voldemort in just a few short minutes. Trying to calm herself was useless; if he were anything like Harry said he was, he would probably be able to smell her fear a mile away.
"You can do this," she chanted to herself out loud. After checking her appearance in the mirror, she walked into the sitting room, looking at Draco pointedly, and with her best attempt of Gryffindor bravery, she said, "I'm ready to go. Take me to The Dark Lord."