A Dragon's Heart

A Dragon´s Heart

By: Lilie Blaze

Prologue

The night sky, filled with stars, darkened as the clock reached midnight. The stars disappeared one by one, falling sadly from the sky like the tears of a child. The Malfoys left the safety of their home and walked out into the melancholy night, carrying their infant son, their little dragon.

Each time Lucius Malfoy looked upon the face of his son, the Dark Lord´s words rang loudly in his ears:

'Til the day the Dragon loves the Angel...
'Til the day he suffers for her...
Til the day she cries for the Dragon...
`Til they taste each other´s souls...
`Til the day the Angel loves the Dragon...
`Til then, the Malfoy heir, shall serve ME,
The Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort!'

The Malfoys knew it was for the best...they knew they had to do it...they did not have any other choice...

Soon they found themselves in the Dark Forest, where the ceremony was to take place. Looking around, they saw the other couple waiting, silently, with their newborn baby girl. Slowly, the two couples made their way toward each other. They knew they were doing the right thing. So, the betrothal ceremony began. The babies´ futures were planned out and the seed of love was planted within each heart, waiting to be discovered.

~*~*~*~

Lord and Lady Saige walked slowly toward the small Muggle home, their destination, holding their precious daughter. Meeting them at the door were Mr. And Mrs. Granger. With tearful eyes, Lady Saige handed her baby girl to the eager couple.

"We´ve always wanted a daughter..." whispered Mrs. Granger. "Thank you."

Leaning over the baby, Lady Saige whispered her good-byes before casting the last spell.

"Though pure blood flows through your veins,
Muggleborn is what you shall be.
No longer our Angelique Saige,
Hermione Granger, forever you will be."

And with that, the heartbroken couple left, not knowing when they would see their precious Angel again.

Chapter 1: An Angel's Dreams

It was a warm, sunny day. The sky was clear and the sun smiled down on Hogwarts as the students arrived on their first day of school. Sixteen-year-old Hermione Granger had arrived a few days early, as she had been appointed Head Girl and felt it was her duty to be here to welcome the arriving students. Draco Malfoy was Head Boy but had chosen not to show up until the very last minute.

Looking around the common room, which joined Hermione´s and Draco´s new rooms, she noticed how nicely the Gryffindor and Slytherin colors looked together. Dumbledore had done a good job decorating the rooms to match both of Draco´s and Hermione´s tastes. The room was round and contained two of everything, including two fluffy chairs with each one´s initial embroidered into it. The wall facing the door contained a fireplace and near it was a set of French doors leading out onto the balcony. On the left was a painting of a beautiful woman known as Lady Saige, holding her newborn daughter. This led to Hermione´s room. On the right, was a painting of a dragon with a star-crossed pendent behind it, which leads to Draco´s room.

Walking out onto their adjoined balcony, Hermione watched as the students poured into the school. After a few minutes of taking in the beautiful scenery in front of her, she slowly turned and walked back into her room in order to prepare for the Welcoming Ceremony.

Standing in front of the mirror, she noted how much she had really changed since her first year. She was still only 5'2" but her body had developed and she was graced with a figure that most girls would kill for. Her face had matured as well; her honey-colored eyes were much more vibrant thanks to her new tan and her lips resembled two pink rosebuds. Her hair, now reaching just inches above her waist, fell in soft, none-frizzy, perfect curls. She used to hate her hair, not only for its frizz but also its color. However, over time the dull brown had changed into a deep chocolate brown with cinnamon highlights. Her body wasn´t the only thing that had changed; her style changed as well. Instead of spending the entire summer pouring over books, she spent it traveling all over Europe, shopping in the best wizard shops and experimenting with beauty charms and glamours. When buying her school robes, she chose ones that were more sophisticated and fashionable rather than her old librarian-like robes. Her new look suited her, and she loved the new attention she had received from the opposite sex this summer.

After about an hour of beauty charms and glamours, Hogwarts new Head Girl stood before the mirror once again for a final check. She chose to leave her hair down and only applied minimal makeup. The liner-mascara-blush-gloss was her favorite day routine. It was a Muggle routine she had seen her mother do. She wore her black fitted robes and pinned on her Head Girl badge before walking out and making her way to the ceremony.

~*~*~*~

Draco Malfoy, sitting comfortably at the Slytherin table, continued to brag about the great places his father, Lucius, had taken him during the summer. He was seventeen years old now and had become the object of affection for most of the girls attending Hogwarts. He was 6'2", muscular and self-confidant. His platinum hair hung loosely near his slate colored eyes. He glanced around the hall trying to see if Potter and Weasley had returned for another year. He hoped they hadn´t but was disappointed to find them both in their usual seats. But where was Granger, that Mudblood? Suddenly something caught his eye. That `something´ was actually a girl...she was breathtaking...she was graceful...she was self-confident...she was...Hermione Granger?! It had to be, seeing as the girl was wearing the `Head Girl´ badge, which he knew, now belonged to Hermione! Draco could not believe his eyes, `the little Mudblood finally grew up...´ It took all his self-control not to stare at her throughout the Welcoming Ceremony.

~*~*~*~

Once the ceremony had ended, Hermione got up and began to make her way toward her room when she noticed Malfoy´s eyes on her. Looking at him now, she had to admit he really was quite good-looking, but why was he starring at her with that look in his eyes and that smile playing on his lips? Soon the smile turned into a smirk and he looked away, making Hermione feel stupid for thinking anything at all. Looking toward the entrance, she quickly made her way to her room.

Once in her room, she slowly undressed and pulled on a pair of pink drawstring pajama pants and a matching tank top. Grabbing an elastic, she pulled her long hair into a loose and slightly messy pony tail. Placing her school robes on a chair, she walked out of her room and out onto the balcony. Standing outside, she took in the wonderful landscape in front of her...

It was almost midnight, her favorite hour.... it was the hour of lovers....

`Within a lonely heart there dwells a soul of untold dreams...
Within a heart of love there dwells a dreamer, so it seems...´

~*~*~*~

Draco silently made his way to his new room and changed into his own sleeping robes. He lay down and closed his eyes but could not clear his mind. After twisting and turning, he realized sleep would not come. Sitting up, thoughts of Hermione flooded his mind. He could not believe how great she looked. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get her off his mind. And that look on her face when she had caught him staring...so confused and innocent...

"Ugh! Stupid Mudblood!" he sighed in frustration as he tried to forget her. "Fresh air; that´s what I need," he stated, getting up and making his way into the common room and out onto the balcony. The moment he stepped outside, his breath caught and he stopped in his tracks.

There she was, just standing there, her beautiful eyes glazed over, her face full of thought. He couldn´t help but wonder what she was thinking at that very moment. She looked as though nothing could hurt her, nothing could ruin that peacefulness. Just standing there...she looked like...an angel.

Suddenly, Draco lost his grip on the door and it shut noisily behind him, making both Hermione and himself jump. The angry look on Hermione´s face quickly brought him back to reality.

"What the hell are you doing here, Mudblood?" he spat out, angrily. He was angry with her for making him feel as he did, but more angry with himself for letting a stupid Mudblood affect him this way.

"Same as you, Malfoy," she hissed, "getting some fresh air"

"Whatever, Granger; just because you finally made something of yourself does not mean you can even begin to compare to a pure-blood...even dumb pure-bloods like Weasley are better that you, Mudblood," he sneered, immediately regretting his words.

"Go to hell, Malfoy." she whispered, turning away quickly so he wouldn´t see the tears in her eyes...

`Born in your pools, depthless brown,
Falling slowly, without a sound...´

Walking through the common room and into her room, she quickly closed the door behind her and threw herself onto her bed. `He´s right,´ she thought.

`I´ll never be seen as anything more than a Mudblood...´ she whispered, sobbing slightly as the tears slipped down her soft cheeks.

`Trail left behind, your cheeks untouched,
Soft, beautiful, loved so much...´

Exhausted from the tears, she fell into a heavy, restless sleep...

Resting on your lips, melting away,
Warm, wet, forgotten one day..´.

~*~*~*~

Hearing the door to Hermione´s room shut, Draco cursed himself. `I cannot believe you just said that to her!´ his conscience raged, `Malfoy, you idiot!´ Calming down slightly, he made his way back inside. He stopped suddenly, hearing a quiet sob coming from Hermione´s room...she was crying; he had made her cry! Normally this would not upset him, but right now was different and he didn´t know why. Why did he care if he´d made her cry? She was just a stupid Mudblood...right? `Yeah, that´s it,´ he thought, sighing loudly, `just a stupid Mudblood.´ But why did he feel so awful for making her cry? Frustrated, he walked into his room, and slammed the door loudly behind him.

~*~*~*~

Sleep did not bring Hermione the peace she had hoped for; instead her mind was filled with strange images and nightmares...

*Looking around, she found herself in the Forbidden Forest. The stars were falling all around her as the hour neared midnight. Sensing another presence, she turned around slowly and found a man standing only inches away from her. As he moved closer, she saw it. He was wearing an exact replica of the necklace her mother had given her so many years ago. It was a gold pendent with a small star crossing a heart, "It represents `star-crossed lovers," she heard her mother´s voice say. The man before her was wearing the same pendent, except his was silver. He moved closer, putting his hands on her shoulders and pulling her toward him.

"Angelique, you came," he whispered, his voice full of hope, "he said you wouldn´t, he said you´d never come back; never love me...I knew he was lying...I just knew it...I knew you´d come back to me." he said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

`Oh my God, what is going on?!´ her mind screamed, `Who is this and who the hell is Angelique?´ She tried to pull away but couldn´t help noticing how right it felt to be in his arms. His embrace was firm but gentle and warm. His muscular physique encircled her delicate one as she rested her head against his chest. `No! What am I doing?!´ she thought, getting back to reality.

"No!" she screamed, pushing him away, "I´m not Angelique!" That´s when she saw his eyes.... those slate eyes she knew all too well.... except now they were not filled with hatred and anger; now she saw what looked like pain and hurt. `No, it´s just an act, what the hell would he want with me?´ His voice broke into her thoughts as he pulled her toward him once again.

"No, Angelique, listen to me, please; you have to help me. You´re the only one that can save me, save us.... please." he pleaded, looking into her eyes.

"NO! I don´t know you and I am most certainly NOT Angelique so leave me alone!" she screamed again before pulling away and running as fast as she could, heading deeper and deeper into the forest.

Suddenly, she stopped and saw what looked like a couple standing before her. The man was tall and lean with honey-brown eyes remarkably similar to her own and blond hair that fell in curls around his handsome face. She had often thought her eyes were unique as she had never met anyone with eyes like hers. Her parents both had blue eyes and had told her that she had inherited her eyes from her great-grandmother, but this man had the exact same color she did! He had his arm around a stunningly beautiful woman who looked as though she was his wife. She was quite short, about Hermione´s height with the same slim yet curvy figure, which she had. The woman had long black hair that fell softly down her back in perfectly straight wisps. Her emerald green eyes reminded her of Harry´s eyes. The couple smiled at her with tears in their eyes.

"Angelique, you came back..." whispered the womam. "You´re all grown up..." The woman looked very familiar, yet Hermione could not place exactly who she was.

"No; I don´t know you...I´m not Angelique, I´m Hermione Granger! Leave me alone!" she cried.

The woman´s smile disappeared as tears of hurt streamed down her pretty face. She turned to the man beside her, hoping he could say something to change Hermione´s mind, but he simply shook his head sadly.

"She isn´t ready yet, Verity," the man said, his voice soothing. Then, the couple disappeared.

Turning around, Hermione found herself in a large white room. `Where am I?´ she asked silently as she looked around the empty room. Suddenly, she saw a large mirror. She walked over to it, noting its old appearance, and looked into it. She was taken aback by what she saw. The face in the mirror wasn´t the one Hermione saw when looking in a regular mirror. The girl had long, silky hair that appeared to be black, but at a closer glance, one would notice it was actually a dark, rich brown and fell in large, perfect curls just above her waist. Her skin was milky smooth, without a trace of freckles. Looking closer at the girl, Hermione gasped. `That´s me!´ she thought,

"Those are my eyes and my lips, and that´s my hair...but it´s darker.... what is going on here?!" she screamed and the room began to spin faster and faster until it disappeared. Everything was gone...except the darkness.... then she heard it....the piercing scream....*

~*~*~*~