The Dragon, The Lion and The Serpent

Chapter 4: Evil and Confrontation

It was a bright autumn morning as Draco walked back towards Hogwarts castle. He had been called last night by the Dark Lord to attend the usual Death Eater 'ceremonies' and had apparated from the Forbidden Forest at sunrise.

As Draco hurriedly made his way across the grounds before the other students woke up and caught sight of him from the tower windows he recalled last night's events, which flooded clearly into his mind.

(flashback)

Voldemort's cackling voice resonated throughout the large hall. His pale, twisted, bony hands clapped together as he watched the scene before him. Dozens of Death Eaters were standing in the hall, looking down victoriously at their recent victims.

A Muggle family lay strewn across the stone floor, dead. They had been randomly chosen by two of the Death-Eaters and kidnapped for the ceremony.

There was no warning, no pity for them, simply death.

Death had violently struck all members of the family and it appeared to deeply amuse the Dark Lord.

Draco looked down at them as well. He was dressed in black robes from head to toe and his large black hood hid his angered face.

Bloody idiots!

The Muggles had tried to resist their inevitable fate. But it had only made matters worse, and the slaughter that stretched out before him confirmed that. Bodies or body parts were strewn across the sacrificial table and floor. Blood covered the robes of all those who had taken part in the massacre, including Draco's. They all had had to be murdered, assassinated, slaughtered and the Lord had made sure his newest Death Eater had taken part. Voldemort had specifically ordered him to 'finish them off' and it was this that angered Draco more than anything else.

He can't even finish his own dirty work! He needs someone else to kill his prey once he's done playing with it.

Sure, they were Muggles and they deserved no pity, but all these sacrificial ceremonies meant bullshit to him. There was no pleasure in torturing and slaughtering random Muggles. Of course, Draco had been taught to hate Muggles, and he was glad to get rid of some over protected bunch of idiots. They had to die; so be it. But there was no need for pleasure during the massacre. Draco secretly thought the Dark Lord's killings were simply degrading for Pureblood wizards.

Disgusted at the hideous sight of the dead Muggles Draco looked up at his father, who was now in deep conversation with the Dark Lord. Lucius had looked down approvingly at his son after he had killed the Muggle husband, still alive after hours of torture. This had only increased Draco's feeling of disgust with the Dark Lord, with his father, and also with himself.

Leaning against a pillar, standing aside from the other Death-Eaters, who he loathed just as much as Voldemort himself, Draco awaited his next orders whilst carefully listening to the conversation behind him.

As always Voldemort sat menacingly on his black throne at one end of the hall whilst Lucius loitered continuously by his side.

"Tell me about the wizard, Lucius," the Dark Lord hissed.

Draco listened as his father's voice became uneasy. "Everything is going according to the plan, my Lord."

"Has he revealed anything yet?"

Lucius paused.

"No, my Lord."

The hall became deathly silent as Voldemort's shrill shriek caught every Death-Eater's attention. "That's not good enough you imbecile!"

He then turned to the Slytherin Prince. "Draco!"

"My Lord," Draco barely answered from his pillar.

"You shall hurry with the heir by all means. I want results and my patience has limits!" His beady red eyes were fixed intently on Draco, but the Malfoy heir did not flinch.

"Whatever my Lord wishes."

(End of flashback)

Stripping off his black robes, revealing black trousers and shirt, Draco walked into the castle and straight for his room. He called out the password to the Head quarters, entering the common room and hurrying for the bathroom before Granger woke up and caught him. There would be some awkward questions if she realised he had been out all night, and although he could handle the Mudblood, he didn't relish the idea of Dumbledore catching wind of his nighttime expeditions.

Twenty minutes later, stepping out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom, Draco wiped the condensation off the mirror and looked intently at his own reflection. Although his soul had been considerably tainted the previous night, his pale white flawless skin seemed to shine after being washed. Merlin, he truly was a living paradox.

But he could not forget the Dark Lord's words. He needed to hurry up and discover more about the Serpent books for Voldemort - no not for Voldemort - for himself. If Abigail Serpent became his ally, and her knowledge was indeed as great as the history books assured him, then nothing could possibly stop Draco from gaining incredible power. He would no longer need to grovel at Voldemort's feet or silently accept his father's punishments. He would be his own master, do whatever he pleased, and kill all those in his way.

But for that he needed to cautiously plan his next encounters with Abigail and gain her trust.

Lost in his thoughts he was caught off guard when Granger suddenly stepped inside the bathroom.

Draco spun around to face her; he was still naked.

He silently kicked himself for not having a towel around his waist, but soon changed his mind as he saw Granger's shocked expression. It was priceless and well worth the embarrassment.

"Like what you see?" he drawled at her with a faint smirk.

Blushing furiously the Gryffindor bolted out of the bathroom, muttering "sorry" as she left.

Draco finally grabbed a towel and once he was ready, he gathered his belongings and left the bathroom as well. She was waiting outside, lost in her thoughts, as he came out and brushed past her, heading for his room. He saw her collect herself and disappear inside the bathroom through the steam that was creeping into the common room through the open door.

Smirking to himself, Draco threw his things on his bed and then frowned as he suddenly realised that something was missing.

His robes.

"Malfoy! You forgot your -" He heard Granger's voice loud and clear from the bathroom. However, she didn't finish her sentence.

Storming out of his room, across the common room and into the bathroom, Draco stopped only inches away from her as she held out his robes, her eyes fixed on the blood stains.

"Is that - blood?" she asked in a whisper.

Angry with himself he snatched the robes from her. "Good thing you're smart Granger!"

*****

Draco quickly descended the flights of stairs leading to the Great Hall. How foolish he had been! Granger was bound to relay everything she had seen to Dumbledore and then he would have to explain himself to the old man, or, even worse, he'd get expelled. Cursing himself once more the blond hair Slytherin reached the portrait of the Black Knight, a favourite meeting place of his, where he stopped and looked around.

Withdrawing back into a dark corner he waited impatiently for a brunette Slytherin to join him.

Pansy.

"Where were you?" he barked at her when she finally reached the portrait. She was late, and Draco didn't appreciate being kept waiting.

"I ran into Filch," she answered breathlessly.

His eyes narrowed to silver slits. "Don't lie to me Pansy."

She smirked at him. "I was - occupied with someone else."

She really had become a whore since they had broken up last year. "Did you do as I asked you to?"

"Of course," she said, stepping closer to him. "Here." She handed him a bunch of letters. Abigail's letters.

"She ripped some up, but I managed to fix them with a simple Reparo spell," she informed him.

However, she pulled them away from Draco's reach before he could take them and then stepped closer to him.

"Not so fast Draco! Don't I get a reward for all this good work?" she purred in his ear, teasingly.

"Not now Pansy," he replied bluntly. He really didn't have time for her games, and didn't feel the need to hide his disgust for her.

Hearing his answer she stopped massaging his arm and pouted her lips in what Draco thought was a very vulgar manner. "What's up with you? You've been in a foul mood ever since the start of school! Where's the fun Draco I knew? The one who never said 'no' to the occasional shag?"

"The 'fun' Draco, as you say, has more important things to do," he replied icily.

"Fine," she replied casually, the tip of her fingers lingering down his chest. "Then I guess I won't tell you who I accidentally saw Abigail become friends with the other day."

Draco's ears perked up at her words - he knew that Pansy spent a good deal of her time lurking in dark corners spying on others, and she often had some good information - but his face remained expressionless. "And this will interest me because..."

"Because if you don't want the info, then I'm sure it will interest some other Slytherin only too keen to exploit it and punish the bitch," Pansy spat back at him dangerously.

"Zabini."

"Correct."

Looking into her fiery brown eyes, Draco smirked. "Well I guess I'll just have to make you tell me first."

He pulled her closer to him and kissed her fervently. Smiling under his lips, Pansy grabbed Malfoy equally and dragged him into the nearby broom closet.

A pair of blue eyes continued to watch the scene in disgust as the couple disappeared into the small room.

*****

Potter!

Ten minutes later Draco was in the library, skipping breakfast and reading Abigail's letters, but his mind was elsewhere.

How could she become friends with Potter? Surely Pansy had misunderstood what she had seen, which wouldn't really surprise him. Still, it was good to know these things.

The letters proved quite an interesting read as Draco realised that the wizard imprisoned at Malfoy Manor was none other than Abigail's father. But that was not all.

So she thinks I'm a sadistic bastard?

Well, it was too bad she blindly did what her father told her, according to what Blaise had told him about her. Now she would have to accept Draco's friendship whether she liked him or not.

*****

When lunch finally came Draco realised that this was his chance to meet up with Serpent. As he was about to enter the castle he caught sight of her outside in the grounds, sitting on the rocks by the lake. Her long dark hair gleamed in the sunlight and her tan skin seemed only too pleased it was such a bright and sunny day.

As he approached her Draco noticed something else. It was her bony arms and thin face. Abigail was quite skinny, but due to her large school robes, he had never noticed before. Had she always been so thin? He couldn't remember.

Preparing himself for the encounter Draco stepped up onto the rocks next to Abigail, startling her in the process. She was listening to music. Muggle stuff.

"Hello."

Nearly falling off the rock she was sitting on, she hastily turned off her music. "Oh, hi. Merlin, you scared me."

Draco grinned devilishly back at her. "There's no need to be afraid of me. Are you expecting anyone, because I need to talk to you? Then again, everybody knows that Zabini and you aren't an item anymore... so who could you possibly be expecting?"

He paused dramatically.

"Potter maybe?"

Abigail glared back at him, but watched as Draco's white-blond hair shone incredibly bright as the sun's rays bounced off it. His stunning good looks were mesmerizing.

"I'm not afraid of you, Malfoy," she answered quickly, looking back at the lake. "And for your information, no, I'm not expecting anybody."

Even better.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily.

"As I told you, I need to talk to you," he replied casually, "I heard your father wants you and I to become better acquainted."

Her eyes undoubtedly narrowed at his words. "How do you -"

"My father told me," Draco answered instantly. He couldn't have her suspecting that he had read her letters, or else his chances would be dashed.

Luckily for him she seemed convinced by his answer. He stepped closer to her, facing her back and confidently clasped a hand around her shoulder as he continued. "And I think you and I can become very close Abigail."

He felt her shiver at his touch. He knew that she felt uneasy by his sudden closeness, but he also knew that she liked it. Although her voice sounded distant and cold, he knew her body would respond to him.

However, she quickly stood up and shrugged him off her.

Gaining her trust was proving more difficult than he had previously thought. Any other girl at Hogwarts would have been delighted by his charming attention, although he could name of few exceptions, such as Granger.

Far from giving up, Draco stepped forward and took her by the (bony) shoulders, looking deep down into her dark eyes, almost trying to hypnotise her.

"Think about it Abigail," he urged her, "think about who I am and what I can offer you. Your father is no fool when he said he wanted us to be friends! Of course he wants what's best for his daughter, and I can give you that."

Her eyes dropped to the ground in discomfort as he leaned even closer, but he would not let her refuse him. It was now all too obvious the effect he was having on her - her skin was beginning to flush, and her lips were quivering with anticipation of where this might lead. Lifting her chin up gently with his hand, Draco's silver steel eyes continued to bore into hers.

"This is your chance to have everything you've ever wanted, everything you've ever desired but could only dream of -" his voice dropped lower, "including me."

But she did not seem to have heard this last part and appeared to have almost forgotten about him entirely for a second, she appeared so lost in her thoughts. Draco was confused by her lack of interest, and whilst he did not let it show, he could feel some panic rising in his stomach. Could she actually manage to resist him?!

Finally she spoke up.

"And does this offer extend to the Muggle world?"

She paused.

"Actually, that's beside the point. Do you have any influence over the Ministry of Magic?"

Her eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle.

Draco let go of her, smiling to himself - she was so naive.

"It depends," he answered, intrigued. "What would you ask from me?"

She sat back down on the rock, refusing to meet his eyes. He could sense that they were coming to the crux of their relationship. If she confided in him now, she would be his forever.

"Well my mother - my mother is very sick and she's stuck in this Muggle hospital in London. The Ministry won't let her out or even let her change to St Mungo's. We've tried everything, appealing to them several times but apparently, there's nothing my father can do but -"

She turned around to Malfoy, who stood patiently by her side, masking his satisfaction. She smiled at him as she continued. "But maybe, if you could talk to them, persuade them, then -"

But her voice dropped, as she seemed to realise exactly who she was asking help from.

Draco Malfoy - a Death Eater.

She stood up and shot him a cold glare, one of disgust, on the other hand, Draco was suddenly aware of how close she was to him.

"Then, what would I have to do?" she inquired in a dangerous tone. "Grovel at Voldemort's feet, become one of his sordid Death Eaters?"

"No," he answered truthfully, "being in my debt doesn't necessarily mean being in his. You would have to become my ally, teach me your magical knowledge and, maybe, you could become much more."

Draco leaned in towards her but was caught by surprise when Abigail was the first to crush her lips onto his fervently.

Smirking inwardly, Draco responded. It was all too easy; once he managed to kiss a girl he usually had her in the palm of his hand.

But Abigail quickly pulled away. "No, this is wrong!" she breathed out. "I can't do this."

She stepped away from him, turning to gather her belongings, which were scattered among the rocks, and hurried back towards the castle before Draco could stop her.

Left alone, he laughed softly. He was surprised by her reaction, but it hadn't gone so badly after all. She had admitted that there was something he could do for her, and he would do it, even without a precise agreement. Then she would be indebted to him, whether she wished to be or not.

*****

"You're late Granger!" Snape announced, as she walked into the classroom.

Draco looked up from his desk and smirked at her.

"Sorry Professor, I -" Granger started.

"Spare me the pitiful excuses Miss Granger! I have no time for them. Indeed, I will be in my office working, whilst you are in detention. I shall be back in four hours, at which time I expect to find a perfectly completed potion on my desk."

And with a swish of his robes Snape strode out of the classroom and was out of sight. Draco, however, knew better. He had purposely asked his teacher, and fellow Death Eater, not to be present during their detention. He had other plans for those four long hours.

Therefore, as soon as the professor left, Draco picked up his stuff and headed for the door.

"See you in two hours, Mudblood," he called out as he reached to open the door.

But Granger was quicker. "Colloportus!" she cast, effectively locking the classroom door.

Draco spun around, annoyed. "Granger, open the door."

"Excuse me?" she answered, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Like I said, I'll be back in two hours. That gives you enough time to do the Animagus potion," he said coolly.

"And where the hell will you be during that time?" she inquired, equally annoyed.

He opened the door with a simple spell and then answered her question. "That's strictly none of your business. Now get to work."

Before she could disagree he was out of view, although he clearly heard her call, "stupid ferret" as he hurried down the corridor.

*****

(Hermione's POV)

Two hours later Draco returned. Strangely enough, the first thing she though when she saw him again was not how angry she was with him for burdening her with all that work. Hermione noticed his platinum blond hair was gleaming in the moonlight.

She had worked hard on the potion during those solitary hours in the dungeon. But part of her mind had wandered during all that time, dwelling on the recent events; the kiss with Malfoy in their dorm, her encounter with him this morning, her conversation with Ginny after breakfast.

(flashback)

Hermione had spent breakfast avoiding a certain Slytherin's gaze. What was going to happen to her tonight? She had discovered Malfoy's robes full of blood, after all, and he certainly didn't feel happy about it. But other images trotted through her head. Those of a naked Malfoy...

"Ok, who? What? And how?" Ginny asked her, as they both walked out of the Great Hall.

"Ginny, what -?"

"Oh come on Hermione! The grin on your face, it's like you've been hexed or something! There's got to be a guy behind all this! So tell me everything!" the red-head argued.

"Ginny, there is no way I'm telling you! You never keep your mouth shut!" Hermione laughed.

"Hermoine, pleeeeease!!!"

"Alright but this time, you KEEP YOUR BIG MOUTH SHUT!" the seventh-year said in a loud whisper. She grabbed Ginny's hand and took a different turn to lose the crowd of students. When she judged that no one could hear them, Hermione told Ginny about the bathroom incident the same morning, leaving out the bloody robes.

Hermione never was the kind to divulge her feelings like this, but this was something completely new for her, and she thought she might explode if she didn't tell someone! She certainly couldn't tell Ron or Harry. Ginny was her closest girl friend and the only one she could talk to.

Ginny's eyes opened wide as she listened carefully to Hermione. "Oh Merlin! You saw Malfoy NAKED!"

Hermione shushed her friend and blushed again against her will.

"You have got to tell me everything!" Ginny said excitedly. "Hermione, he's the most wanted guy at Hogwarts. He's like a sex god, girls are crazy about him and YOU saw him NA -"

"Yes, I think I got the point Gin!" Hermione said laughing softly. "Merlin, why am I telling you this?"

Ginny's face fell at her words. "You mean you weren't going to tell me? Hermione, this is vital information!"

Ginny could be shallow at times, but Hermione nodded at her friend and willingly told her everything she wanted to know. It was just the sort of girlish indulgence she needed to take her mind off her fear of Malfoy.

(end of flashback)

As she watched the Slytherin strut into the classroom, she also remembered her conversation with Ron. It had been strange at the time, but seeing Malfoy's assurance and the glares he sent her, Hermione began to understand Ron's concern.

(flashback)

"Ron, you don't need to accompany me all the way there! I know my way perfectly well," Hermione had complained for the tenth time.

"I know 'Mione," he had answered hesitantly, "but well, I just wanted to make sure that stupid Malferret doesn't meet you before."

"It'd be rather surprising considering that I'm late," she said coldly. Indeed, Ron had insisted that they take a longer route to the dungeons, just in case.

They walked in silence until they reached the flight of stairs leading to the dungeon classrooms. Hermione muttered a quick bye and started down the stairs, but Ron had called after her.

"Hermione wait! There's something you need to know!" he had said urgently. His blue eyes peered deeply into hers as he stepped closer to her.

For a moment she was confused - why was Ron keeping her waiting? Why had they suddenly become uncomfortable with each other?

"Ron, I don't have much time -"

"Hermione, please take care of yourself!" he blurted out suddenly. "I don't think I could take it if anything happened to you."

His cheeks quickly became red and Hermione felt her own change colour at Ron's words. His eyes, however, expressed something else. Compassion, maybe? Friendship - or love? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that Ron cared about her and somehow, he knew she was in trouble with Malfoy.

"Ron, please don't worry about me. And please don't say anything to Harry. He really doesn't need the extra stress. I'll see you tomorrow." She kissed him on the cheek lightly and ran down the stairs, more anxious about her detention than Ron's concerns.

(end of flashback)

Malfoy looked up at Snape's desk and nodded approvingly as he saw two samples of the potion standing on top.

It annoyed her even more the way he was judging her own work.

What a pretentious git! Why am I even bothering with this guy?

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking back at him sternly.

"So, where were you?" she asked him crossly. "You left me to prepare that potion by myself and now you're inspecting my work? Who do you think you are?"

"A Malfoy."

She narrowed her eyes at him. She hated it when he used his family name like that, as if he owned everything - and everyone.

"I can't believe you sometimes!" Hermione burst out in exasperation. "Fine, after all, I really don't give a damn where you were these past two hours! I'm not your mum!"

He laughed lightly at her words and leaned against the wall. He propped a leg up and crossed his arms over his chest nonchalantly.

"Good," he said, "because where I was is still none of your business!"

"Fine!" she shouted back. God, why was she shouting already? How did he get her worked up like this so easily? And why did he need to take his cloak off and show off his body in that black shirt?

She had noticed that her temper always got a little more out of control when Malfoy was around. Why was he so damn good-looking?

Stop it! Don't go there! Remember he's a Death Eater.

But her body didn't seem to care when he was around.

Hermione knew she had to regain control of the conversation or her temper would only get worse. It was time to get some answers one way or another.

She sat down quietly at a desk and turned to face him. "So, did you use a healing spell on yourself?" She thought a radical change of tack might be in order.

"What makes you say that?" he answered with a question, his steel grey eyes revealing nothing.

"Well, your robes were stained with blood this morning and as you obviously have no cuts on yourself, I simply guessed..."

"That the blood was mine?" he inquired amused. "But how do you know it wasn't somebody else's?" His voice had become darker and he moved slowly towards her as he spoke. "A Muggle's for example?"

Hermione couldn't help her gasp as she heard him speak and cursed under her breath. The harsh truth dawned upon her. He was a murderer now, he had to be, he was a Death Eater after all!

"Doesn't mean I'm a murderer," said Malfoy, as if he had read her mind, "or maybe I am. What do you think?"

"Who? Why?" Those were the only words that came out of Hermione's mouth. Millions of unanswered questions whizzed through her mind as Malfoy's words hit her. If he had really killed a Muggle last night, did that mean he had killed others? Was she in danger? Dumbledore did warn her against him, but still...

Malfoy stopped at her questions. His gray gaze darkened considerably. His fists clenched and unclenched as he spoke.

"You see, my dear Granger, that, once again, is strictly none of your business," he hissed at her. Seeing Hermione's pained face, he smirked at her and lifted her chin. "What do you think? That I'm suddenly going to reveal all my deepest darkest secrets to you, a pathetic Mudblood know-it-all, a well-known member of Dumbledore's little gang and Weasel's worthless whore!"

His cold voice had turned into a shout, but even then he still seemed in control. However, his expression soon changed from a smirk into confusion as Hermione slowly stood up, pointing her wand at him. Her pained light brown eyes betrayed her heightened emotional state, and she was angrier than Draco had ever seen her before.

"How dare you!" she shouted back at the Slytherin Prince. She stood mere inches from him, threatening him with her wand, but he did not flinch at her words, although he could tell that it would take much before he was seriously cursed. "How dare you call me that after all we've been through! I always thought you had more respect for me than that Draco, especially after the other night when you kissed me! How could you say this to me? You sly, evil bastard! Expelliarmus!"

Tears were falling from her eyes, but she didn't care. She had watched as Malfoy looked up surprised when she spoke. Was it because she had called him Draco? Was it because her words actually affected him? She didn't care anymore, she wanted to hurt the bastard, make him suffer like she had.

But he didn't. Nothing happened. At least not what she had expected. Malfoy hardly took a couple of steps backwards after she had shouted her curse. What had happened? Hadn't she hit him squarely in the chest? Surely she hadn't missed....

"Come on Granger! You know it takes more than that to hurt me now," he replied calmly, referring to his Death Eater training. "I believe it's my turn now. Expelliarmus!"

His curse sent her flying backwards into the wall. The last thing she remembered before blacking out was the incredible pain that shot through her head as it hit the stone wall.

***

(Draco's POV)

Triumph flared up in Draco's eyes as he watched Granger's body hit the hard floor after crashing into the wall. She was going to be extremely angry when she got up. But Draco didn't care anymore; he was ready for her. He had had enough of the Mudblood trying to get in his way, in between him and his destiny.

Merlin, when she gets up, she'll finally fucking understand what I've been telling her all this time! She'll understand who I am! When she gets up...

But Granger still did not move. Her body seemed lifeless against the cold floor, her eyes were closed and her face had gone incredibly pale. Malfoy's face turned the same colour and his triumphant gaze vanished as he realised what he had done.

"Granger! Hermione!" He rushed to her and touched her face gently. Her skin was ice cold. Without thinking, he picked her up in his arms and laid her down on a nearby table.

"Hermione, Hermione can you hear me? Hermione wake up!" Draco shouted desperately. If she didn't wake up soon, he'd have to take her to the hospital wing. What would he say to Pomfrey? What would Snape say - and Dumbledore?

But Draco didn't have time to think of the consequences as Hermione stirred under him. He pulled her up in his arms, helping her to gain consciousness.

***

(Hermione's POV)

As Hermione opened her eyes, she instantly regretted it. Pain ran through her head, causing her to feel dizzy and very faint. It took her a few moments to realise where she was and what had happened.

"Draco -" she said faintly, staring at him.

"Oh Merlin! Are you ok? Are you badly hurt?" he cut in, distressed. He helped her up in a sitting position and waited for her to regain full consciousness.

"I think it's just my head," answered Hermione, touching the back of her skull. "It hurts like hell."

"Come on. I'll get you to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey better examine it."

Hermione watched as he put an arm around her waist, ready to carry her there.

"It's ok, I don't need to go. I think I just need to sit down," she said, gladly accepting Malfoy's offer to help her to the chair.

But as she got up, the room began to swing around her and she felt very faint again. Sensing her weak in his arms, Draco quickly sat her down and kneeled in front of her, with genuine concern in his face.

"I'm sorry Hermione. I didn't mean to hurt you like that. It's just when I'm with you, I - you make me lose my temper so damn quickly!" he said truthfully.

Hermione blinked her eyes twice and her jaw dropped open. "Draco, did you just say that you were sorry? To me? You've just attacked me and now you're apologising?!"

"Like I said," he answered calmly, standing up, "I lose control over myself when I'm with you." His eyes averted the soft chocolate-brown gaze Hermione sent him.

Was he finally going to confess his hidden feelings for her or did she just seriously piss him off? But Hermione knew within herself that Malfoy did have affection for her, whether it was love or not. Last year had proved it to her and never before had she seen him lose control like that when she had argued with him.

An unbearable silence followed Malfoy's last words. Sensing the unease between them, he added. "But that is the first and last time you will hear me say sorry to you Granger."

Hermione's face fell at his cold words. "So we're back to calling each other by our last names," she stated plainly. She said it more to herself than to him.

"What do you mean?" He arched his eyebrow in amusement. "When did it ever change?"

"I mean, that you still won't admit it," Hermione continued as she stood up, grasping the table for help, refusing his outstretched hand.

"Admit what?" He demanded, rising to his feet again.

"You're feelings for me!" she cried out.

Still amused, Draco chuckled and nodded his head, although his clouded grey eyes avoided hers. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No."

"You know, you must have received a bigger hit on the head than I thought, Granger -" he started, turning his back to Hermione, but this only worked to her advantage, making it easier for her to surprise him.

Grabbing his arm, she swung Draco around to face her and kissed him.

Hermione didn't know what possessed her at that exact moment, but her lips came crashing onto his. She kissed him hungrily, wanting to awaken the hidden emotions inside his cold heart. Before she knew it, his soft lips were kissing her back.

After several moments, she broke away.

"Don't tell me that you still felt nothing?" she asked breathlessly.

Her answer came when Malfoy roughly pulled her against him and kissed her again. His arms made their way to her waist, pulling her closer to him, whilst hers were around his neck. Her body quickly gave in to him and her lips soon parted, granting entrance to his tongue, which glided across hers. Hermione felt weak in the knees and she moaned unwillingly against his lips as the kiss deepened becoming more lustful, more passionate.

Suddenly, Malfoy quickly broke away before she felt herself lose all control. They both breathed heavily, eyeing each other in silence.

"What do you want from me?" he finally asked, looking confused.

His silver grey eyes had softened, but his face remained expressionless, as always. "I want you not to be afraid of who you truly are," she pleaded.

He nervously ran his hand through his blond hair, causing random strands to fall back in his eyes. "Hermione, I -"

But she cut in before she heard his excuses. "You might say that you don't care about me, but I know that you do inside!" she cried out.

"You're out of your mind!" he shouted back at her, his arms waving out in frustration. "You're living in a fantasy world Hermione! Things aren't all rainbows and butterflies here! In the real world, I'm a Death-Eater and you're a Mudblood!"

Seeing her shocked face didn't seem to help his anger.

"What did you expect; you're scum to me! You shouldn't be telling me these things! You can't argue with me like before! Merlin, you're in danger around me!" he announced, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Don't you understand?"

Tears rolled down Hermione's cheeks as she took in each and every word he had said to her. There was nothing more she could do now. She had used every possible idea she had to make him realise that being a Death Eater wasn't him. Following his father's footsteps wasn't him. Denying his feelings for her wasn't the Draco Malfoy she had known. No, her Draco Malfoy would have fought against the system for his love, he would have told his father to go to hell before becoming a Death Eater, but that didn't mean he would have joined Dumbledore. No, he surely would have said the same thing to him too and gone it alone.

"We have nothing more to do with each other except for Head duties," he told her, letting go. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hermione nodded and looked for the last time into his now hardened steel-grey eyes.

"This aching won't stop," she cried deadpanned, still peering into his eyes.

He looked away hurriedly, turning his back to her, as he gathered his stuff. He seemed to want to flee her as quickly as possible. "You should get something for your head."

"I'm not talking about my head," she barely whispered.

Picking up her bag swiftly, Hermione ran out of the classroom, almost knocking over Snape at the door, who was returning early.

"Miss Granger, where do you think you are going?" he snapped at her fleeing form.

But Hermione didn't care. He could take away as many points as he wanted from Gryffindor, she wouldn't turn back; she couldn't turn back. She had already been broken down enough for the day to last a century.

"Let her go Snape," Malfoy urged his Head of House.