Harry Potter 1. Default Chapter

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The Return of Draco Malfoy

Chapter One

The hair was unmistakable; fine, silver blond, each strand perfectly placed. Yes, that was definitely Draco Malfoy. The very same Malfoy who hadn't been seen since he was outed as a spy during the final battle. He had been instrumental in the elimination of Voldemort and many of his followers nearly ten years ago.

During the years following his disappearance, Hermione had thought of him frequently, hoping, in fact, that he was still alive somewhere. She couldn't help wondering what precisely had happened to the boy whom she had just begun to get to know. As rumour had it, he had been taken by the remaining rogue Death Eaters, directly from the battle, and was then tortured for days until his unceremonious and inevitable death. This was pure speculation, as no body was ever found and there were no evil wizards with ready confessions. The post-war recovery and rebuilding had consumed many months; and by the time she really began to question the validity of the rumour, the trail had gone cold.

Before the final battle, only a select few Order members had been aware that Draco was a spy working for Dumbledore. It was just a given, due to his family name, that he was a Death Eater and a very loyal servant of the Dark Lord. His position came to light during a fierce confrontation between Harry and Voldemort, while everyone else was trying to fend off the minions who were closing ranks to assist their Master. Almost all at the scene were shocked to see Draco Malfoy remove his mask, step from the ranks of evil, and begin cursing his fellow henchmen. He was, without question, one of the most determined soldiers that day; his courage never wavered as the dark wizards tried to kill the traitor to their cause.

Hermione had been entrusted with the truth about Draco's loyalty to ensure that the knowledge of his allegiance would come to light, should both Dumbledore and Snape perish before the end of the war. They were brought together frequently and in secret to plan out modes of attack and to work on the spell that would eventually bring about the demise of the most evil wizard since Grindelwald. It had been difficult at first for them to work together; Hermione had been called a filthy Mudblood one to many times, and Draco didn't feel that he could trust one of the Golden Trio.

She was surprised by the vast knowledge that Draco brought to the table, and her intellectual curiosity was piqued by his apparent brilliance in the field of research and the formulation of new spells. The Dark Lord had had him trained for use in this capacity. They worked tirelessly for months while she lied to her closest friends about what was keeping her busy nearly every evening. Harry and Ron would not have been so easily swayed into thinking of the ferret as a loyal follower of the light. They would certainly have vehemently opposed her association with the self-proclaimed leader of Slytherin house.

Now, ten years later, Hermione was assigned to meet Draco at the portkey station upon his return to England from an undisclosed foreign land. She was dumbstruck when the head of her department told her that not only was Draco Malfoy still alive, he had been given a position in the Department of Mysteries alongside of her. So much time had passed that she assumed the rumors of his death must be true, and the revelation of his continued existence was quite a shock.

Draco had contacted the Ministry three months ago, she was told, and several of the top aurors had been sent to debrief him. It could be assumed that this took place under the influence of liberal amounts of Veritaserum. Once they had been sufficiently assured that he wished to return to the Wizarding world as one of the good guys, he was offered a position as an Unspeakable. This was due to his knowledge of and experience with dark artifacts, many of which now held permanent residence in the Department of Mysteries.

Hermione, also an Unspeakable, was to escort Draco back to the Ministry where he could be introduced in person to the heads of the department. She was informed of this only yesterday and was feeling a bit out of sorts, and if she were to admit the truth, she was also slightly excited at the prospect of seeing him again.

"Right over here, Malfoy." she called while waving her hand over her head. Hermione was taken aback by the sight of him when he turned in her direction.

The previous decade had been good to him; he had always been one of the most attractive boys at Hogwarts, but now he was stunning. His aristocratic face had filled in just a bit and his very fair skin sported a touch of sun, while still remaining flawless. He retained a thin build and moved his body across the room with elegance and grace. The biggest difference was in his eyes; they were still the same steely grey, but the cold calculating look had vanished. Maturity was one trait that would not have been ascribed to him before, but now he seemed to exude it.

He strode forward putting his hand out, first to Hermione, and then to the auror assigned to accompany her. "Thank you for meeting me." He said. "It is so lovely to see you again, Ms Granger. It is still Ms. Granger, is it not?"

Was that a polite inquiry, actual curiosity, or an underhanded attempt to point out her lack of marriageability? Berating herself for instantly thinking negatively of his motives, she replied. "Yes, it is still Ms Granger. A career as an Unspeakable lends little to your personal life, and I really haven't the time or inclination to go in search of a spouse. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, after all." She wondered, fleetingly, why she was unable to control the defensive edge her voice had taken

With a forced smile, she turned on her heel and headed toward the floo connections. "Follow me, please." She hadn't intended to sound so abrupt, but being just a little nervous always brought out the less congenial side of her personality.

Draco followed obediently, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth, and the auror brought up the rear. His expression was quickly schooled when she swung back around, holding out a pot of floo powder.

"Ladies first, of course, Ms. Granger." He bowed his head, ever so slightly, as he motioned her towards the hearth.

With an upraised eyebrow, she gave him an appraising look. Without a word, she handed him the pot, took a handful of dust, and stepped into the floo. "Director Park's office – Ministry of Magic."

After being dismissed from Director Park's office, Hermione realized that she was feeling exceptionally tense. With the door firmly shut behind her, she stood there for a few seconds, inhaling deeply and trying to bury the feeling of betrayal. Why had he vanished without at least sending word that he was still alive and well? It was simply cruel to let her, and all the others, imagine him dead for the last ten years. The bigger question, however, was why did Hermione care?

Chapter Two

Hermione was very ready to go when the clock struck half five. After she left Malfoy in Park's office, she just couldn't get her mind focused on work. The assignment currently allocated to her department required every bit of her capable brain, and parts of it were otherwise occupied. She told herself that it was simple curiosity; she merely wished to know what he had been doing with himself for ten years because he had so effectively evaded notice for so long. She was very rarely unable to concentrate when she worked. The fact that Malfoy was the cause of her distraction set her on edge.

Hermione tidied up her desk and the workstation she was using in the adjoining lab, not even noticing that someone had walked in and was currently standing just inside the doorway. Turning and nearly running right into him, she gasped as her hand flew to her chest.

"Oh, bloody hell, you scared the life out of me, Malfoy!" she railed as she moved her hands to smooth nonexistent wrinkles from her skirt – a nervous habit she had acquired some years ago.

"You have my apologies, Ms. Granger, I'm afraid I inherited the Slytherin stealth." He replied, sounding sincere enough. "I wonder if you would be so kind as to join me for dinner this evening, I have some questions about my new position and assume you would have the answers?"

Hermione did not feel up to it this evening and she had already told Lavender she would come over to help her with plans for the upcoming "Tenth Annual Celebration of Peace" party. Lavender had volunteered to head up the Remembrance committee and was feeling quite overwhelmed, as she had never been the best organizer.

"I assure you that I can adequately answer any questions you have, tomorrow, when you arrive at work, Mr. Malfoy."

She thought she caught a hint of the old Malfoy smirk ghost across his face before he spoke.

"I'm certain you can, Ms. Granger. I won't keep you." he said politely, as he stepped aside to let her through the doorway. "Until tomorrow, then."

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy." She said, wondering why she felt the need to behave so formally towards a person she had once spent a fair amount of time alone with.

"Good evening."

Hermione left quickly, trying not to worry that Malfoy might be dining alone on his first night back – it was really none of her concern. She made her way to the Apparation point and popped out of sight.

Arriving in front of Lavender's flat, Hermione took a brief moment to gather her wits about her before knocking on the door. She promised herself that she would make it through this evening without thinking of the infuriating man. _Infuriating?_ _What had he done to warrant that description? _With a shake of her head she dismissed that train of thought as Lavender opened the door.

"I'm so glad you're here! This is just all too much, what was I thinking? I'm no good at this sort of thing. Why, oh, why did I volunteer?" Lavender asked herself more than her friend as she took Hermione's arm and led her over the threshold into her disheveled flat.

"Probably because you wanted the glory of being the party coordinator while at the same time knowing full well that you could depend on me to do all of the actual work." There was no malice in her statement, she merely knew her friend well enough to guess.

"Well, 'glory' may be overstating the matter a bit, but I know that I can depend on you no matter what I get myself into. Don't think I'm unappreciative of that fact either, I'll repay you," a broad grin spread across her face, " with a make over!" Lavender replied, as she made a place for Hermione on the sofa with a simple flick of her wand. "Have a seat."

For the next two hours, they sat together on the sofa with papers and brochures scattered on the low table in front of them. Hermione was shuffling through the different offers from bands that wished to provide the musical entertainment. Lavender was sitting back, relaxed and curling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"You could at least appear to be helping, you know," Hermione said as she threw a sideways glance at her friend.

"I was just thinking, I heard that Draco Malfoy is back. I can't believe he's still alive after all this time." She put her hands out in front of her to inspect her manicure. "Do you think he's single?"

"Now, why in Merlin's name would you want to know that, Lavender Brown?" Hermione turned a questioning glare at Lavender. Her friend was very fickle when it came to men and had dated most of the eligible wizards in Britain.

"He was always very good looking, and I can imagine that he held on to a fair bit of his family wealth. Besides, after he disappeared, you told all of us about the time you spent with him, you said that he could actually be...'quite tolerable', I believe were your words." Lavender grinned as she always did when she was able to use Hermione's own statements against her.

After looking at her friend with an upraised eyebrow for a moment she said, "I did actually see him today; in fact, he invited me to dinner." Hermione wished she hadn't said it the moment the sentence left her lips. "Damn!" She uttered under her breath as Lavender's face lit up.

"Why have you been sitting here with me? Surely he expected you hours ago." She jumped off of the sofa, pulling Hermione up by the hand. "We need to do SOMETHING with your hair if you're going on a date." She was pushing up one side of the unmanageable mass and frowning.

Hermione slapped her hand away playfully. "I turned him down."

Lavender's eyes looked like they would pop right out of her head and she adopted her most scandalized tone. "What! This is the first time someone has asked you out in years! Oh... not that there aren't wizards who want to ask you out, you've just turned them all down so they've given up," she backtracked, when Hermione looked offended.

"I had already promised to meet you, hadn't I? It wasn't that sort of invitation anyway; he said he had some questions about the Department."

"Sure he did. You're hopeless." Lavender threw her hands up in mock frustration. "If he asks you again, you will say 'yes', do you understand!" She was now poking her index finger into Hermione's sternum.

"Ouch, stop that!" She backed away to get out of Lavender's reach. "If you don't mind, I would like to review what we've accomplished tonight so that I know how much more time I'll need to invest in your project."

"_I_ thought we were done. We decided on the band, the food, the decorations, the order in which each speaker would be presented. Not only did the decisions get made, but you drafted letters to everyone, including the offer to the Hogwarts house elves – you do know they'd work for free, we didn't need to offer payment for their catering services." Lavender got a sudden mischievous gleam in her eyes, "You should ask Draco to the celebration!" She was nearly jumping with joy at the idea. "That would be perfect."

"I'm going now, Lavender, I'll leave you to your delusions." Hermione neatly organized all of the parchments she was going to send off in the morning and made her way to the door.

"Don't think you've heard the last on this topic..." Hermione heard Lavender call as she disappeared.

Hermione Appararted into her home and sagged into an arm chair, exhausted. "This has been some day." She said aloud to herself. Closing her eyes, she leaned back to rest her head on the chair. For the first time in years her mind wandered back to her final year at Hogwarts.

_November, 1997_

"_Just because I've seen the light and abandoned my family traditions to help in the fight against evil, don't take it as given that I will willingly spend my precious time with this insufferable Gryffindor! Draco huffed with his arms crossed over his chest. _

_Hermione was fuming, "You expect me to believe that this vile excuse for a wizard has not only been reformed, but that he should be trusted with Order secrets?" She glared at Dumbledore and Snape, "You've both gone round the bend!" She waited for the reprimand for being disrespectful._

_The headmaster looked between the two of them before commenting, first to Hermione. "I understand your hesitation, Ms. Granger, but I assure you that all necessary precautions have been taken to verify Mr. Malfoy's loyalties and agenda. While not the most altruistic of motivations, he does have the desire to break free of his family legacy." He turned to face Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, you and Hermione are two of our brightest students, and your joint efforts could prove quite invaluable to the Order. Please consider the importance of what we are asking you to do before you refuse, outright, to help."_

_Snape cut in. "While I do understand that it is asking a lot of you," he glared reproachfully at Hermione, then turned back to Draco, "I expect that as a member of my House, you will do what is required and you will do so with no further complaints."_

_Draco growled low in his throat, resigning himself to his fate. "Yes, sir." _

"_Do you also agree, Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked as if he were actually giving her a choice._

_Not wanting to be less reasonable than the ferret, she knew she needed to agree. "Yes, Headmaster." _

"_Well, that is wonderful. I am expecting the highest level of discretion in this matter. I'm afraid I will have to ask that you not discuss this with anyone – yes Ms Granger that includes Misters Potter and Weasley." He beat her to the punch just as she opened her mouth to speak. "I think we shall tell them that you are taking on an extra Transfiguration project and will thus need to be away from the common room frequently. Does that suit?"_

"_I suppose it will have to, but I really detest lying."_

"_I understand. However, we must sometimes make such sacrifices for the greater good. All of the people who know of Draco's true allegiance are in this office at this very moment, and you can understand the grave danger he would be in, should that information inadvertently pass into the wrong hands through an overheard conversation or the like."_

"_Of course, Headmaster."_

"_I will have Professor Snape brief you with the pertinent information tonight in the Room of Requirement at half seven. You both may go."_

_Hermione arrived back at the common room in such a state that the younger Gryffindors gave her a wide berth as she made her way to the sofa, where she found Harry and Ron playing exploding snap instead of working on their Charms essays. "Can't you two be responsible for just one day without me breathing down your necks!" She flung the words at them and then, in a huff, stomped off to the girl's dorms._

"_What in the bloody hell was that for?" Ron asked Harry as he stared at Hermione's retreating back. Harry only shrugged in response._

_Not wanting to face her wrath for a second time in one day, they didn't question her when she left later that evening._

_February, 1998_

"_This is absolutely brilliant, how did you come upon this hypothesis, Draco?" Hermione asked enthusiastically as she quickly read through the scroll he had handed her._

"_Oh, you know, I have exceptional breeding, so brilliance is just another burden I must bear – a long with acerbic wit, undeniable charm, and having devastatingly handsome features." He ticked each off, in all seriousness, with a put-upon look._

"_Well, if you consider inbreeding to be exceptional and ferret-like looks to be attractive, I suppose you would be a fine specimen." Hermione teased back._

"_You are such the nasty little Mudblood, aren't you?"_

"_I do try," she said, as they both wore matching smirks._

_May, 1998_

"_I suppose this will be our last strategy-slash-research and development session," Hermione said quietly. They had just been informed that Harry was going to use the spell they had developed to attempt to defeat the Dark Lord the following day. _

"_I don't think our work will be needed again after tomorrow, no matter the outcome. Do you want to run through the arithmancy one final time?" he asked, looking a bit pale. "I wouldn't want to go into battle with a spell based on flawed Arithmantic theory."_

"_It isn't flawed, we've gone over it a thousand times," Hermione retorted._

"_I know," was all he said in reply as he stared at his hands._

"_Are you frightened?" she asked, looking directly at Draco, but moving her hands nervously over her skirt, belying the calmness of her expression._

"_I am NOT a coward," he shot back with an intense glare._

"_I wasn't implying that you are, Draco. It's only logical that you would be frightened at the prospect of a possibly vicious battle, especially when you may come up against your own father in the fray." She leaned in a bit towards him and put her hand over his. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen." _

"_I don't need to snivel about the possibility of having to kill my own terribly abusive, unloving father. He has done enough to warrant punishment with The Kiss and if justice comes at my hand then so be it." He pulled his hand away from Hermione's roughly and moved to leave._

"_Wait, Draco, I'm sorry. Please don't leave on bad terms when we may never see each other again." She couldn't control the pleading look in her eyes._

"_I'm sure you would like to get back to your common room to spend this, of all, evenings, with your other two-thirds." He said as their eyes locked. He didn't move to leave again._

"_I do want to spend some time with them, but a little more time with you would be nice, too." Hermione's eyes flicked down to Malfoy's lips and then back to his now curious grey eyes._

"_I can spare a few minutes." His voice cracked nearly imperceptibly and he leaned ever so slightly closer to Hermione._

"_I believe I'll miss our work sessions. I hope you'll stay in touch." Hermione felt like her body temperature was rising and she licked her lips reflexively. All clear thought seemed to leave her mind as she and Draco moved very slowly towards each other. _

"_If we live beyond tomorrow, I'd like that." Malfoy sounded strange; perhaps it was the fact that he sounded completely sincere._

_Hermione's eyelids fluttered shut just as their lips met. She was lost in a swirling world of soft lips, warm breath, and thundering pulses. This kiss was far more intense than any she had previously experienced. It was as if she knew they would never get this chance again and she wasn't willing to let it go._

_The door to the Room of Requirement swung open and Dumbledore strode in, then cleared his throat. They took no notice of him. He coughed rather loudly and, startled, they broke apart, looking appropriately mortified that the Headmaster had caught them kissing._

"_Sorry to interrupt, but we are expected in my office to review the details of the spell with several of the higher ranking Order members." With a twinkle in his eye he added, "I feel it would be appropriate to allow you to break curfew this evening if you need a little more time to review tactics after our meeting." That was definitely a smile trying to pull at the corners of his mouth._

_Neither Hermione nor Draco commented; they simply followed him down the corridor. _

_Draco left the meeting, abruptly, after being summoned by his father._

With the exception of a very quick glimpse of him on the battle field, that was the last time Hermione had seen Draco...until today.

Thanks for reading, I have also posted this story at Pureblood : A Malfoy Family Archive. I had chosen my user name there before I ever decided to write anything so it is weaslybigfan.


	2. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: JKR owns them.

Beta: The most fabulous sorbet.

The Return of Draco Malfoy

Chapter Three

The sun shone brightly through the sheers covering the eastern window, something that usually gave Hermione a bit of a nice nudge to begin the day. This morning, however, she was irritable and exhausted; the night had all at once felt far too short and interminably long. Hermione grumbled as she threw her legs over the side of the bed. Throughout the night her thoughts had continuously led her back to The Kiss, as she now referred to it. The memory had been unearthed in vivid detail causing sleep to be elusive.

She grudgingly shoved her bum off of the mattress, and when the old springs protested their unfurling, she glared back at the inanimate object. "I don't need comment from you," she snapped.

Lack of sleep always made her look pale and drawn, even after only one night; the bathroom mirror reflected as much. She grabbed her bush from the drawer and dragged it ruthlessly through the mass of tangles that a restless night had caused. When she stepped into the steaming shower a few moments later, her thoughts carried her away to Hogwarts once more.

January 1998

_The session today was their first since the Winter Hols had ended, and Hermione was eager to discuss her recent findings with Malfoy – not that she wanted to speak to him, but he did have more intelligence than she had previously given him credit for, and she could use his input. She headed toward the Room of Requirement, arms overloaded with a tower of precariously stacked books, barely able to see. Hermione wasn't one to not take advantage of the unlimited library privileges Dumbledore had allowed her. Just as she rounded the corner to the RoR corridor, she ran into some sort of solid barrier. The books slipped from her arms to thump and thud into a heap on the stone floor. _

"_Sorry," a distracted voice mumbled from beside her. _

_She was shocked to see the top of a platinum head as someone knelt next to her to retrieve the tomes. This was unexpected, Malfoy was picking up the books rather than drawling a rude comment about her inferior ability to navigate the halls of Hogwarts, and, if she wasn't mistaken, he had actually apologized. Surely she had not heard that particular word fall from the lips of Draco Malfoy. They had barely spoken to one another during their forced association of the past couple of months. Communication was short and to the point, and always, only in reference to their work. _

"_Excuse me, but did you just apologize, Malfoy?" Hermione had to be sure, but Draco only mumbled something inaudible in response as he carried the books through the entryway that had just appeared before them. Hermione watched his back with a curious expression as he disappeared into the room. A few seconds later she entered and sat across from him as he absently leafed through one of the books. _

"_I've marked the relevant passages, just open to a tab and the information will be highlighted," she stated. _

_Malfoy merely flipped from tab to tab without comment. Hermione sighed and opened the notebook she was using for Arithmancy calculations. _

_They worked in silence for about a quarter of an hour. Hermione looked up to see Draco staring off at a spot on the wall, apparently lost in thought. "Malfoy?"_

_He turned to look at her, pink spots appeared on his cheeks from the embarrassment of being caught day dreaming, though he attempted to look as if Hermione had disturbed something important._

"_I'd like to share my notes with you; I've come to several new conclusions based upon the research I did over the Hols."_

"_Proceed," he said in the same clipped tone he'd used during all of their meetings._

_Hermione pushed a notebook over the table, and cleared her throat. "Please note the first section, it deals with the controversial Detachment Theory found in 'A Sorcerers's Guide to Mid-Century Theory'." She paused to allow him time to read the segment. "I believe that if we adjust the Arithmancy very slightly and use the resulting spell in conjunction with the Binding Hex, and the Containment Curse which can be found in 'Soul Solutions for Dark Wizards', we may have just what we need. I'm certain that we can work out a way to combine the three so that Harry can cast them simultaneously. What are your thoughts?" she asked, very curious to hear his answer. Draco didn't reply; his head was bent over her notes as if he was still reading._

_After waiting for several seconds Hermione became impatient. "Are you going to answer my question, Malfoy?" she queried, causing him to look up with a hint of confusion in his eyes. She was surprised at an errant thought concerning the attractiveness of those eyes. _

"_What?"_

"_I just asked you for your thoughts on my hypothesis." _

"_Perhaps you need to speak up," he replied defensively._

_Though she intensely disliked him, she couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for the boy. He was not usually so easily distracted from their work, even she had to admit he normally took it quite seriously, and had contributed just as much as she so far. "I spoke at a sufficient level to be heard, perhaps you could pay attention. Something seems to have you rather distracted today."_

_He appeared to crack under some sort of pressure and snapped, "Presenting a false front to one's family over the course of an entire holiday can be quite taxing."_

_Hermione felt slightly guilty and let her shoulders sag as she inhaled and released a deep breath. "I can see how that would be difficult."_

_Draco's expression tightened in obvious anger. "I don't need your pity, Granger," he spat._

"_It's not pity, simply an understanding that you're no longer living the easy life of an aristocrat." She tried to soothe his ego, not needing a research partner who was both reluctant and angry._

"_You've no idea." His voice sounded weary and a little vulnerable as he rubbed his temples._

_The gesture alone spoke volumes of the state he must be in; the fact that he would allow her to see even a small sign that things were not perfect in his world meant that he had let a bit of the wall he always surrounded himself with crumble. It was now or never, Hermione decided, and steeled herself for the Malfoy Tirade that was sure to follow her next prying question. "I would very much like to know why you chose to turn on your father and his ideals. How did you decide to become a spy? It has been rather obvious that you truly believe the garbage that Voldemort spews to his followers, so why the sudden turn around?" Hermione had, of course, been curious about this since the moment she was told of his defection but never thought she had any chance of obtaining an answer before today. _

_Draco studied her with a piercing gaze for several seconds; he really did look exhausted. Hermione could see a ghosting of purple under his eyes and his skin appeared a slightly paler shade than normal. _

"_I expected you to demand that information long ago, what caused the delay?" There was no bite in his words, actually, he seemed resigned to the fact that she would need an answer._

_Without thinking twice, Hermione answered bluntly, "I didn't feel that anything you had to say would change my mind about your intentions. It's been difficult to reconcile the old 'Death Eater in Training Malfoy' with the new and improved 'Spy for the Order Malfoy'. You've made no secret of your hatred for Harry, Ron, and myself, so it seemed all too suspicious that you would suddenly change sides."_

"_I certainly didn't do it out of a desire to support Potter," he growled. _

_She was losing her tenuous hold on his lowered defenses. "Of course not, but I wasn't asking what reasons didn't contribute to your reformation." She wasn't going to back down now._

_Draco sighed deeply before giving her an oversimplified answer. "If you must know, I can't abide giving up all control over my own future." _

"_Could you be more specific?" Hermione pushed, hoping it wasn't too much._

"_You're quite demanding," he stated in what could possibly have been considered an almost joking manner. That unnerved Hermione a bit; he had either changed dramatically over the break or he was trying to do something devious that she wasn't catching onto._

"_Just contribute it to my insatiable thirst for knowledge of any sort." She matched his subtle attempt at humor, hoping to set him even more at ease._

_Draco snorted quietly under his breath, but didn't respond._

"_You know I can't tell anyone what you say in here, so your secrets won't leave these walls."_

_One more sigh escaped his lips and his gaze settled across the room; several seconds passed in silence before he spoke. "Obviously you know that my father expects me to become a Death Eater, I'm actually set to take the Mark immediately upon the completion of my Hogwarts education. I've been receiving training over the last two summers."_

_Hermione tilted her head in question as to what type of training, but she didn't interrupt._

"_I can tell you want to ask," he said turning minutely toward her. "The Dark Lord wanted me trained in spell development."_

_Ah-ha, Hermione thought as the realization of Dumbledore's motives for pairing them up came to light._

"_Apparently he'd been keeping tabs on my progress at school and decided that my most useful talent would be critical thinking; there aren't too many in his ranks who can contribute more than brute force. My father had also taken it upon himself to ensure that I had a good knowledge of tactical defense strategy; he didn't want me to be useless in actual battle situations." He shifted a bit in his chair. "Anyway, this past August, I was finally summoned to appear before the Dark Lord; my father was elated as none of the others my age had been called yet. He went on and on about what an honor it was, and I believed him."_

_Hermione couldn't help but bristle a bit at the thought that anyone would consider it an honor to come face to face with Voldemort, but she kept her thoughts to herself._

"_I was portkeyed to the meeting place and waited with my father and several others for the arrival of the Dark Lord. Upon hearing a loud crack, my father shoved me to my knees; everyone else had fallen immediately in a show of subjugation."_

_Hermione listened intently, very curious to hear a first hand account of the happenings at a Death Eater meeting._

"_I was none too happy with sullying my best dress robes on the filthy floor of the room we were in."_

_This comment made her laugh lightly – he did always seem to have an immaculate appearance. _

_Draco raised an eyebrow at her and continued. "The Dark Lord was angry about something. He called two men, whom I recognized from my fathers parties, to his feet. They crawled, actually crawled to him, begging his forgiveness. Crucio flew from his mouth several times over the next few minutes and the men writhed and screamed while we watched. When the Dark Lord tired of torturing his minions, they lay broken and weeping on the dirty floor. He motioned to someone else and the two were dragged off to a corner." He paused, a shadow seemed to envelop his face. "His attention then turned to me."_

_Hermione's heartbeat quickened in anticipation and a small amount of fear for Draco._

"_He seemed pleased when he spoke next, 'Ah, Lucius, you have not failed me today. I see that your son is present as I requested.' His voice had this terrible hissing quality. 'Yes, my Lord', my father answered from his spot on the ground." _

_Draco's brow was furrowed, and his eyes where diverted; she could tell that he didn't like reliving the evening. Hermione silently asked the Room for tea service and it appeared on the table within seconds. She poured a cup and handed it to Draco who accepted it with a nod of thanks and sipped before he continued._

"_He told my father to come forward, to show me how to give proper respect to my new Master. I couldn't believe what I saw next." Draco glared straight ahead without looking at Hermione. "My father, just like the two others summoned before him, crawled," he emphasized the word, "across the room to the Dark Lord's feet. He kissed the hem of his robe and kept his head lowered. My father sat on his knees in the dirt, head bowed, extolling the virtues of his Master for what seemed an eternity. I heard Crucio once more, and this time it was directed at me."_

_Hermione gasped as her hand flew to her chest._

_He paused at her reaction looking at her from the corner of his eye. "He actually held it for a shorter period of time than my father had any of the times he'd cast it on me."_

_Hermione stared at him, mouth agape. "Your FATHER has cast Cruciatus on you?"_

"_It's his favored form of punishment these days. When I was younger he would lock me in the Manor's dungeons for a couple of days at a time and threaten the house elves so they wouldn't bring me food; but I digress." The horrified look on Hermione's face triggered another angry outburst. "I said that I don't need your pity, Granger, besides, these forms of punishment are not altogether unheard of in the Pureblood community."_

"_It's just so awful..." Her voice trailed off as she shook her head in what she wished could be disbelief. _

"_Let's get back to the point of this story, shall we? I'll just skip over the rest of the meeting, it was really just more of the same. That night as I sat in my chambers, I thought about the fact that my father had utterly humiliated himself. I'd always been taught that pride was of the utmost importance and that I should protect the pride of the Malfoy name at all costs. I'd always seen my father as one of the most powerful and influential wizards of our time. He could make anything happen with a single word." His fists clenched in his lap. "That night, however, he was nothing; he was a follower, he was pathetic. I felt that my world had turned upside down. My father was no longer someone I wanted to emulate. I knew that I didn't want to become a lackey with no self respect, I wasn't going to give up everything to follow the psychotic...what ever he is, just to be treated as badly as he treats his enemies."_

_Hermione interrupted, saying, "So you went to Dumbledore."_

_He nodded. "When term began a few days later I asked for an audience with the Headmaster. I'd always thought of him as an old fool, thanks to my father, so it was difficult to trust my life to him, but my father had apparently been very wrong about so many other things that I took a chance." He looked at Hermione, and then with darkened eyes looked away once more. "Dumbledore sat quietly as I told my story. When I finished, he regarded me for a moment, and then asked if I'd willingly submit to questioning under the influence of Veritiserum." _

_A lock of his hair fell to brush his cheek causing her to wonder if it was really as soft and fine as it looked. She quickly banished that thought from her mind and refocused on Draco's words. _

"_I agreed. The questioning lasted only about ten minutes before he summoned someone through the floo. I was shocked to see Snape appear in the office; I'd not known of his true loyalty until that very moment." Draco finally reached to smooth his hair back before continuing. "They asked several more questions, and then discussed me as if I weren't there." His face contorted in annoyance at the thought. "I was then presented with a choice; they could send me off to the Continent to hide, or I could become a spy."_

_Hermione would have thought that he'd have chosen the former; his presence proved otherwise._

"_That would be how I find myself in this situation; spilling my guts to a Muggleborn that I don't even like. It has become very tiring to have to watch every thing I say and do around the people I once considered friends or family. I don't know how Snape has done it all this time." He was rubbing his temple again, this time with his eyes closed._

_Hermione felt something for him that she couldn't explain; she wanted to ease his burden. She also thought that something else must have happened over Yule to facilitate the change that was apparent in him only now, but she didn't want to pry too much at once._

"_I could summon my headache potion," she said reaching for her wand._

"_No, I'm fine."_

The nerve endings in her skin jolted her from the memory suddenly as the water had gone ice

cold. "Bloody Hell!" Her morning routine was going to be all out of whack if she had been in the shower long enough to drain the hot water tank. She grabbed a towel, dried off quickly, and picked her wrist watch up from the vanity. "Shit" She'd have to skip her trip to the bakery down the street if she wanted to get to work twenty minutes early as she always did.

When she flooed into the Ministry she was doubly irritated. Not only had she not slept a wink, but she had also had to set aside the trip to the bakery that she had made every Tuesday for the last eight years.

The last thing she wanted to see that morning was the smiling face and crossed-legged form of Draco Malfoy sitting in her office. "You're early," she snapped at him from the doorway.

The smile faded from his face and he stood. "I could come back another time if you would

prefer, Ms. Granger."

She inhaled deeply, knowing she was being unreasonably rude, and crossed the small room to take her seat on the opposite side of the desk. "No, do sit down." She motioned to the chair he had just evacuated. "I'm going to have tea. You?"

"Yes, please," he politely replied as he took a seat once more.

Hermione conjured tea service for two, prepared a cup, and sipped it slowly. The warm liquid in her belly helped sooth the annoyance a bit. She offered Draco a croissant, which he declined, and spoke again. "I believe that you have some questions."

Draco set his teacup down and rested his right hand over the left that had been sitting still on his thigh.

The next thirty minutes were spent replying to Draco's queries with answers that could easily have been found in the Ministry Handbook that he was undoubtedly given upon his offer of employment. She thought it was strange that he was so anxious to meet with her in regards to general Ministry policy; none of what he asked about seemed of particular importance.

"That covers all of my questions, thank you for your time," he said as he rose and stepped towards the door.

Just as he was about to leave, a green envelope came whizzing into the room, smacked into his chest, and fell to the floor. "What in Merlin's name is that?" he asked, pointing to the bit of folded and sealed parchment at his feet.

Hermione couldn't restrain a giggle. "That's a note from the Director's secretary – hers are always green, unless the matter is extremely urgent. You're probably being asked to meet with Director Parks sometime today."

Draco bent to pick up the parchment and opened it. After a moment, he looked at Hermione with what might be mistaken as a smirk. "This is my office assignment. It would appear that we'll be sharing a work space. I've been assigned the office adjoining your lab."

_Damn_, she cursed internally. Hermione had forgotten about the fact that the office adjoining her lab had been vacant since Dobbs moved to Romania a month ago. She forced a smile. "How lovely." The comment didn't sound quite sincere.

"Yes, it is. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon. Good day."

"Good day," she returned.

After he left the room, she wondered how she was ever going to get any work done.

_A/N - My profuse apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. I started over several times, and then ruthlessly distracted my beta with fifteen pointless emails per day while she was trying to find all of my errors. Thanks to all who read and especially to those who reviewed. I am endlessly flattered that you took the time to comment. _


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