Breaking Her Chains

Chapter One

Hermione Granger, Head Girl and top of her year, sat on a bench outside the Great Hall. She was miserable. Inside the hall, the Yule Ball was taking place, and she could see couples happily dancing to a lively waltz through the large windows that faced out on the lush garden where she sat. She watched them, half-wishing she was in there as well, dancing and laughing with her friends.

Then she spotted Harry. He was dancing with another girl, a Ravenclaw prefect she vaguely remembered talking to once or twice. They were smiling and laughing, talking brightly. She clenched her teeth, turning her head away. She couldn't bear to watch, not like this. She sniffed, a few gleaming tears sliding down her cheeks as she shivered in the thin dressrobes she wore.

Lost in thoughts and tears, she didn't hear the quiet footsteps behind her, and she jumped with a gasp when a warm black cloak was carefully placed on her shoulders. She turned around quickly, looking around.

Draco Malfoy stepped out of the shadow of a large statue, elegant as ever in black dressrobes, contrasting sharply with his pale skin and silver hair. "Did I startle you?" he asked her, sitting down on the bench next to her. 'He moves like a cat, like a panther prowling a forest,' Hermione thought for a moment, before banishing the thought from her head. He was a Slytherin! Worst of the worst... they were snakes, not cats.

"What do you think?" she said icily, glaring at him. "What do you want?" She asked as she pulled the cloak closer around her, slowly warming up.

He looked down at his knees, shrugging. "There's many things I want. Which of them are you wondering about?" he asked her.

She looked at him quizzically. "What could you want for?" she asked. "I thought your life was perfect."

He laughed, a clear sound, like a silver bell in the cold winter air. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" he said. "My life is far from perfect." He shrugged. "You didn't answer my question, you know," he said, glancing up at her.

She smiled slightly, meeting his eyes. Brown met silver for a moment, and she saw a different person for that moment, one that didn't sneer and taunt for no reason. She saw someone else, not the devil-spawn that she had always thought Draco Malfoy to be. The smile slipped from her lips, and she looked away. This wasn't what was supposed to be happening. He was supposed to be evil incarnate, a daemon child with no feelings or emotions.

"I want to know why you're out here, giving me your cloak, when you're probably just as cold as I am," she said. "I want to know why suddenly you've decided to be nice to me. I want to know why you've insulted me for the past seven years, given everyone ample reason to believe you're a Death Eater and possibly the heir of Voldemort, and suddenly you want to have a casual conversation. I just want to know why!"

He looked at her for a moment, and then sneered, the Draco she was used to making his appearance once more. "There's not always a reason for things in life, Granger," he drawled, a smirk on his face once more. "You of all people should know that. I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. Oh well... once a Gryffindor, always an idiot." He stood up gracefully, his movements fluid, and began to walk away.

'So like a cat...' Hermione thought again, watching him walk- no, prowl. He never just walked... he was too graceful for that. Her thoughts came crashing back to earth when she realised she still had his cloak. She stood up, nearly falling over in the high heels she had borrowed from Lavender. "Wait," she called out to him.

He turned around, an eyebrow arched haughtily. "Yes, Granger?" he sneered. "What worthless babblings do you have to take up my time now?"

She flushed, nervous suddenly. "Your cloak," she muttered, pulling it off and brandishing it towards him.

He flapped a hand. "Keep it," he told her, turning and walking down the path. Hermione watched him, and then slung the heavy woollen winter cloak back over her shoulders. She noticed a piece of parchment flutter out of the pocket, and bent down to pick it up, precarious in her borrowed shoes. She finally managed to grab it without falling over, and unfolded it to see an elegant scrawl that she assumed to be Malfoy's. She read it carefully, stopping and rereading once or twice.

Hermione-

You can be great, you know. It's all in your mind; in fact, your mind is what will lead you to greatness. All you have to do is open it... you're sure you want Gryffindor? Ravenclaw or Slytherin will suit you better... that's where all the dark ones live, you know... well, if you're sure...

I have information for you. It can make you the greatest witch to come out of Hogwarts since Ravenclaw's time. And if anything can be gleaned from your reading materials, than that is what holds your interest the most, becoming great. I can help you with that. Light isn't the only way... and I think we both know that.

If you are interested, than meet me in the Astronomy Tower at midnight on the same day you read this message. Wear my cloak. I'll be expecting you...

-D. Malfoy

TBC!