DISCLAIMER: If you think you've seen it before then it is NOT mine! Thanks J.K. for lending me your fabulous characters so they can spend a few days in my crazy world! O_o!





A/N: MY FIRST FIC!! Note: This is a PROLOGUE, please excuse the brevity of the chapter, I promise that future submissions will be MUCH longer! Please R & R! :o)







---PROLOGUE---











Draco Malfoy was frightened beyond words; he was worried for his life, his family's life, and worried because he had heard something he would have done better without knowing.





"You have failed to complete the task, boy," hissed Voldemort in his cold, high-pitched voice.





"M-m-master, h-have mercy, I b-beg you have mercy on me!" Draco sobbed and shuddered.





"ONLY THOSE WHO DESERVE MERCY RECEIVE IT! CRUCIO!"





Unbearable, burning pain was spreading throughout Draco's body, lighting his fingers on fire and leaving them throbbing. It was as if a thousand knives were skinning him alive, and as soon as he healed, the excruciating torture began once more. Malfoy screamed as he twitched and writhed on the cold hard floor of the dank, gloomy cave. Black-hooded Death Eaters jeered and shrieked in mirth.



One voice stood out above the others, Malfoy realized it was his mother, begging for her son's release.





"My Lord, he is my son! My only son! Please free him and take me instead…I'll do anything for him! JUST STOP HURTING HIM!" Narcissa was sobbing hysterically as she screamed, letting her emotions take over.





"You dare raise your voice at your lord?" Voldemort's fury leaked perilously from his treacherously soft hiss.





The pain lifted from Malfoy's body and he was free from the torture long enough to see something that would scar him forever…





"AVADA KEDAVRA!"





The words, full of spite and loathing, were nothing compared to the look on Draco's face as he watched his mother's slender body fall into a graceful arc, shock and fear etched onto her face.



The hot fires of revenge burned inside of him as he looked into the face of his mother's murderer, and in the second before he fled, he swore to himself that he would avenge her.





CRACK!





Draco Apparated into the dark, deadly woods behind the caves where the Death Eaters took refuge…he could hear the frighteningly conformed march of the Dark Lord's servants as they hurtled out of their posts to find him.



He began running, the fatal tendrils of the venomous plants reached out to strangle him, the poison tipped thorns scratched his face and arms as he tripped through the forest, creatures of the dark stirred and their wrath was woken as they headed to destroy the boy that had disturbed their peace.



The Death Eaters had spotted him and were blocking his egress.





"MALFOY!" Draco looked with loathing at his old potions professor.





"Get back here, you damn fool!" cried a voice that Draco did not recognize.





Another voice jeered, "Oho! He's not finished with you! Oh no!" And Draco heard him laugh mirthlessly.





Draco looked around for a way out, gasping with pain and fear, but the Death Eaters had enclosed him in a complete circle, and the hags and werewolves were staring at him with unmistakable hunger gleaming in their evil eyes.



He had no where to go…they were coming closer. Cold wooden wands were thrust up against his throat, choking him.



He felt their hot, putrid breath against his skin...



He prepared to meet his end...



Dumbledore had offered him complete and secure protection, he was an idiot not to have accepted it. They reached out and grabbed at him. He had no where to go. He was going to die,in his mind he saw the haven of shelter that he had been so close to accepting;it was getting clearer…





CRACK !





Draco Malfoy looked up into the frightened, shocked face of Hermione Granger before collapsing with a sickening thud onto the dank, dirty floor.

---

A/N: Please R&R



THANK YOU:



***Little Kitty: MY FANTASTIC BETA!!

***Potterphile12: MY OTHER OUTSTANDING BETA!



Ha ha...alone they are just superb, but when you put them together they are JKResque~!... :o)

Thanks!

Lilly (Mrs.Roonil Wazlib aka Won Won's Lill Lill)



~*::*~

DISCLAIMER: It isn't called Draco Malfoy and the Half Blood Prince, therefore we can logically assume that it is NOT Lilly's! ;o)



---CHAPTER I. FROM THE PERCH OF THE PHOENIX---





She was in the headmaster's office, but strangely enough it was housing Albus Dumbledore instead of Minerva McGonagall.

Hermione glanced around from her perch, her scarlet and gold plumage fanned out behind her and she held her bird-like head at an angle to hear what Dumbledore was saying…


"Severus, it must be done…there is no other way." Dumbledore was pacing back and forth in his office.


"Perhaps, but it is not my job to do so…the Dark Lord has bequeathed the task upon Draco Malfoy." Severus's reply seemed coldly distant.


"We will find a way around that…you know as well as I do, that Harry cannot destroy Voldemort when there are so many who are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect him. He must be isolated from me."


Severus hesitated before he replied ,"Have you told him everything he needs to know, regarding Voldemort's past?"


Dumbledore replied softly," I have told him everything I know, and all that I have guessed. I will take him with me tonight to destroy the one that I have found. When I return I assume that Draco will be waiting to try and kill me, is that correct?"


"He confided in me only that he has found a way to let the Death Eaters in, and yes it will be tonight."


Severus paused and awkwardly asked, "I have not met any men as noble as you are…to destroy yourself for that boy, are you sure you will be able to go through with it?"


"Severus, I do it not for the boy. I do it for Harry Potter, and the fate of the world…besides, to the well organized mind, death is but the next greatest adventure…"

Dumbledore smiled sadly.


"Well, I suppose this is good-bye and I hope we meet again in another life. Thank you for all you have done…" Severus broke off uncomfortably.


"Thank you, Severus."


Hermione spread her beautiful scarlet wings and silently glided over to Dumbledore's shoulder.


"Fawkes, I must leave this world soon…, but I will only truly be gone when none here are loyal to me…"


Hermione's opal tears slid down her beak and landed on Dumbledore's silver head…. Then she flew out the window into the deep night….

---

Hermione woke with a start; she had drifted off while researching the properties of a Horcrux…


"What an odd dream…I can hardly remember it …it was about Snape and Dumbledore …and I was Fawkes.


Hermione shook her head and resumed her reading.


"Of the Horcruxe we will state not the means by which it may be used, for it can destroey the soule much more so than it can save the life." ...


Hermione paused to copy this information down and proceeded to the next sentence in the moldy, mottled book she was reading.

Of the Darkeste of the Evile Artes was perhaps the most foul book she had read, and being quite the bookworm, this was saying something.


"Splitting one's soule through the most wicked deed feasible and storing that parte in an objecte ensures that if the Castore of the Spell suffers from an attempte at murdere, he will not die. This is highly discouraged because of the cursede life that a creatore of a horcruxe will lead. Thus it shall not be further discussed."


Hermione paused thoughtfully and scribbled down some more in her notes.

It had been a month since the death of Dumbledore, yet the feeling of loss and helplessness hadn't left her. How could she possibly find any information regarding the Horcrux without Dumbledore?

She only had those memories. She glanced up at the silvery liquid swirling in the vials that lined the shelves of the dank, musty bedroom in which she was working. She, Harry, and Ron, had looked at every single one of them only an hour before, scouring them for any information that might aid their search. The result had been nothing.

Hermione decided that she might as well stop her research on Horcruxes for now and move on to another bit of elusive information…R.A.B.


She opened the immense volume of An International Recording of All Witches and Wizards Volume MXCIICVMCIII She hated this book, not only because she had it illegally (Mundungus had stolen it from the Ministry) but especially since it kept on getting thicker by the second, but magically never larger than the reader could handle.

She flipped to the section labeled " Baabka-Byuorning" and began skimming the list for first names beginning with the letter "R."


"Oliemeka Baabka, Lance Babbs, Ellena Bacheer,"


The Muggle way would never work.

" Tabellae Ordinatio," she muttered as she tapped the page with her wand.

"Exhibeo Increpito Initiales R A B." The words on the page immediately rearranged themselves and about a thousand of the names disappeared.

Hermione grinned as she began reading the mercifully brief list of 15 names.


Reginald Adair Burman …………………1935-______

Ronaldo Acton Bighting…………………1402-1491

Regulus Accursius Black…….…………1963-1990

Rebecca Adalia Burson………………… 1994-______

Roland Alidan Bae………………………...760-769

Raina Alexsavia Baird……..............1349-1379

Ryanna Arwen Billiard ………………….1693-1799

Riollo Albert Bones……..…………………1302-1302


Rissert Aelladonna Barden …………..1928-1986

Ryman Adrian Barinthess……………1902-____

Reaelame Althea Bhayanna……….1984-____

Ridsertio Alexander Barse………….1954-____

Rebella Alesti Boot….…………………1276-1365

Roderick Acario Barrett………..……1953-1991

Rosalind Antigone Bungs………..….1901-1995

"Process of Elimination, Hermione!" she muttered to herself.


Hermione crossed out all the people who were still living and those born before the twentieth century.

That left Regulus Black, Rissert Barden, Roderick Barrett and Rosalind Bungs.

It couldn't possibly be Bungs,because she had no relationship with Voldemort. She had spent most of her life in Austria researching the pollen density of the Venomous Tentacula, until she died when one of her favorite plants strangled her.


Now Hermione had three candidates left, not including the recently added Roberta Allysia Brown who had probably been born just a few moments ago.

"Indicium Revelio!" Hermione whispered as she prodded


Rissert Barden's name with her wand. Immediately a summary of Barden's life appeared wear the list of names had once been.


Born to Ameliea Frather and Rodolphus Barden, Rissert Barden was always a prudent little child, though her magical powers were quite below average she was quite famous for her Muggle cooking habits…

Hermione groaned as she skipped down the famous "Barden Spinach Prosciutto Quiche" recipe to how Barden died.


Rissert died at the age of 56 in her sleep, cause unkown, but the Healers of St. Mungo's suspect an accidentally overdosed sleeping potion.

"Definitely not her..."

Hermione scanned down to the next name on her list, Regulus Black. As a reflex, Hermione scowled at the name. His past was somewhat already quite familiar to her, but she whispered the Information Revealing charm anyway.


Brother of the infamous Sirius Black, it comes with little surprise that Regulus pursued the lifestyle of Death Eater. He was under the impression that He Who Must Not Be Named's rally was only to purify the wizard race. He was later murdered on You-Know-Who's orders when he backed out of the Dark Lord's plan to murder Cardaroc Dearborn.

Hermione pause and let out a noise of disgust. She thought she would not be able to read any more of Sirius's brother's past, and moved down to the next and last name: Roderick Barrett.


Roderick Barrett was a famous Seer of his time, a powerful wizard and alchemist as well. He spent most of his time studying the Dark Arts in an effort to be aware of the enemy's tactics.

He was a known wizard recluse, but he often disappearinged for long period'ss of time to places such as London, Fen, Wild Moor,Valley Broad, Glen, and upon his last trip to Albania, he was found dead in a forest, presumably murdered by the killing curse.

His murderer was never discovered, but, many wise wizards assume that it had something to do with his relationship with the Dark Lord.


Hermione hardly believed the words she was reading, her eyes shining she stood up and was about to rush upstairs to wake Harry and Ron to tell them the good news.

Her glee was cut short, however, when suddenly a loud ear-splitting crack resounded in the dank room, and Draco Malfoy appeared bleeding and half unconscious on the floor in front of her.

To Be Continued...

---

A/N: I am DREADFULLY sorry for the evil cliffie...but perhaps if you leave some nice LONG reviews, I will give answer all of your questions with nice LONG chapters! MUAHAHAHA...*grins evilly*

SPECIAL THANKS:

~My WONDERFUL reviewers
~My AMAZING Betas: Little Kitty and Potterphile12
~JKR for Lending me her characters
~Tom Felton for being HOTT!

Love,
Lilly

~*::*~

DISCLAIMER: Nooo! You've caught me! I am indeed JKR spouting off my unrequited love for DM/HG on petty fanfiction networks…Do I really need to add the J/P (just playing)?



---CHAPTER II- LIKE A MILKWEED---





Anonymous as cherubs over the crib of God,
White seeds are floating,
Out of my burst pod,
What power had I,
Before I learned yield?
Shatter me great wind…
I shall posess the field…

-"The Milkweed"






She clutched her chest and collapsed against the wall, taking deep, shuddering breaths…


This was NOT happening.


Yet, fate has an odd way of brutally thrusting your worst fear at you…


"OH…BLOODY…EFFING…MERLIN!"


Hermione supported herself against the moldy old wall as she gaspingly took in the terrifyingly bizarre scene before her…


Draco Malfoy was slumped over, unconscious, in a painful position, scarlet blood flowing torrentially from various wounds all over his body. His silver-blonde hair was sweaty and encrusted with dirt and dried blood, a dark trickle running down his blue-tinged cheek and seeping into the shredded fabric of his grimy, black robes. He was dying.


He was dying.


Hermione Granger was watching one of the people she had loathed for years wasting away right in front of her.


It took Hermione a while, brilliant as she was, to realize the situation and then do the most sensible, intelligent thing she could possibly think of.

She screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!"

Ear-splitting. Deafening. Piercing through the dismal chill of the dank room, Hermione screamed louder than she had…ever!


"Harry! Ron!! AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGHH!"


CRACK!


"What's wrong! Hermione, are you all right?" Harry had just apparated to her side, wand pointed at the dark.


"Bloody Hell!"


Harry had just seen Draco.


CRACK!


Ron, obviously rudely awoken from a deep sleep appeared, swaying lazily and bleary eyed where he stood.


"Hermione,� he whined, “What was that for?" He asked. "Screaming like a banshee who’d just seen Malfoy’s ugly face..."


Here Ron stopped to snicker at his pathetic joke, but it wasn’t too long before…

“Is that…no that can't be…but…BLOODY MORGANA! It's… MALFOY!"


Ron had just seen Malfoy.


THUD!


Ron fainted dead to the floor with a sickeningly ear-splitting noise.


The few moments after Ron’s unceremonious collapse were crucial, one of the trio lying unconscious on the floor, a dying death eater bleeding his guts out, and his two arch rivals debating whether or not to try and save him.


Hermione was gasping for breath, and came only to her senses when she heard-


"AVADA-!"


"NOOO! HARRY! YOU CAN'T!"


Hermione knocked the wand out of his hand, and shrunk back as she looked up at his eyes, for a moment they were scarlet with fury, before quickly receding to vivid emerald.


"S-s-sorry…I don't know what came over me," Harry whispered, seemingly astounded by his own actions.


Hermione glanced apprehensively at her friend before she uncomfortably made her way over to Draco, and aimed her wand at him.


"Wingardium Leviosa!"


Hermione levitated the nearly lifeless body on to a magically conjured stretcher and moved him into the open parlor.


Harry followed Hermione’s example and followed her, balancing Ron’s body in mid air. Hermione and Harry made there way to the parlor where Harry abruptly dropped Ron onto the sofa, and stood back, amazed and incredulous, to watch Hermione at work.


"Accio first-aid kit!" she cried, wand pointed to the door.


A miniature white trunk, emblazoned with a gleaming white fairy clutching a golden caduceus zoomed from the opening to the hallway and into Harry's well trained hands.


He wordlessly handed it to Hermione, before stepping back and collapsing faintly on to the couch.


Hermione muttered the Revitalizing Spell.


"Ennervate!"


Draco's red rimmed eyes blinked up at the figure before him and began to pull his weary body out of the stretcher, but gasped with pain as he fell back on to the stretcher, and closed his eyes falsely assuring himself that this was all just a dream.


Hermione stoically tended his wounds, binding the deeper gashes in his chest the "muggle" way, wrapping them with Madam Sretuiopia’s Special Unicorn Hair Gauze and and soon clapped her hands together and (for lack of a better expression) stood back to admire her handiwork. She noticed the grime encrusted wand still clutched in his hands and wrenched it free hastily,


Harry had fallen asleep on the couch, and Hermione dropped down next to him, too exhausted to make her way back to her room.


"Oh Dear Lord, please let me wake up to find that this is all a horrible, awful nightmare," she muttered, hopefully, as she drifted off next to the three least likely people in the world, The Boy Who Lived, Gryffindor’s Keeper King and the Slytherin Prince.

---

Draco Malfoy was in excruciating pain, but suddenly he felt a pair of strong, warm hands tending his wounds with gentle concern. The pain was nearly gone, he glanced at his torso and discovered that his entire chest was covered in bandages, his shirt and robes now conspicuously missing.


Among the billions of questions bombarding his thoughts, he found salvation in the hands of someone he chose not to believe was worthy of living.


Hermione Granger was saving him.


No…it couldn't be. He was hallucinating and yet he watched her save his life.


Draco dropped back onto a soft warm pillow, praying that he his brains hadn’t been addled when he was tortured. He didn’t want to end up like those Longbottom fools. He closed his eyes and was lost in dreams filled with the same beautiful chocolate eyes.

---

Golden sunlight streamed through the moth-eaten curtains adorning the old windows of Godric's Hollow. The lanky gray material trembled in the non existent breeze. Though no wind, nor even the slightest morning breeze, was blowing, the trees around the idyllic cottage seemed to shiver with anticipation of change, or perhaps with something larger…


Perhaps magic?


Inside the house, four pairs of eyes simultaneously blinked open; a pair that was vivid emerald green, a pair that was sapphire blue, a pair was chocolate brown, and the last was red rimmed and steely silvery gray.

A thousand miles away, in the gloomy dark of a chilled cave, a pair of scarlet, snake-like eyes blinked open as well....

To Be Continued...

---

A/N: I am SO SO SO SO sorry for the DREADFULLY LONG wait I submitted a while ago, but what with the MODs being so EXTREMELY busy, and my idiocy when it came to submitting (and resubmitting) chapters that were too short.

Thanx to my beta SilverQuill92 (a.k.a Mrs. George Weasley), and my great reviewers!!



--Mrs. Roonil Wazlib (aka Won Won's Lill Lill)

BETA NOTES:

Great Chapter! ^_^

-Steph- a.k.a Mrs.George Weasley

~*::*~

DISCLAIMER: I WISH!

WARNING: Contains foul language (courtesy of Ron of course! :o) lol)







--- CHAPTER III : AWAKENINGS---











Draco’s bleary eyes blinked open as the dimly lit room slid into focus after a second or so of spinning tauntingly around his head. He lay there in that comfortable bed in a daze, dully asking himself the same questions over and over again.



Where the hell am I?



What happened?



Why am I here?



Over and over these thoughts bombarded his mind as he lay peacefully in the bed. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized that he wasn’t going to figure out unless he got up.



Draco groaned slightly and lifted his sore, aching body away from the warm, soft bed and lifted his head to survey his surrounding. A burning, intense throbbing pain darted up his legs and spread like wildfire throughout his body. Stifling his screams of torture he sank back into the safety of the warm white sheets.



The burning pain and ripped him brutally out of his confused daze and dropped him carelessly onto the ice cold floors of reality.



Memories came flooding back to him torrentially.

The excruciating pain…running away from the Death Eater’s cave…and dear God what would we he give to perform occlumency on himself right now.



…her back was arched gracefully…the expression on her face shocked…



NO!



He would not remember…not now…



He had more pressing issues to deal with. He slowly glanced up dreading what he would see.



A flash of shocking red hair…a whip of bushy brown hair…



Damn it all to bloodly hell. He was in the house with his worst enemies.



Draco squeezed his eyes shut and fell back on to the bed, telling himself dishonestly that this was just a nightmare.



A horrible, dreadful nightmare.

---

Hermione woke up suddenly, unwilling to let go of the wondrously deep sleep that she had been so grateful to fall into.



Something, though, pulled her eyelids open, with a tingling prickle and it felt as though if she did not comply, doom would await.



Slowly, groggily she blinked her eyes open and looked directly ahead.



Even before she opened her eyes, she knew from that familiar, ominous sense of foreboding near her heart that something was not right.



Even so, she had to muffle her instinctive scream when she fully grasped he situation before her.



Directly in front of her, tangled up in a mess of white sheets and bandages, lay Draco Malfoy, apparently asleep. He was her worst childhood enemy, and the top person on her Most Hated list. He was so bound in bandages that the little skin that had escaped her fusillade of nursing instinct the night before was brilliantly flushed and glistening with perspiration.



“What the fucking hell?�



She pushed the barrage of questions regarding Malfoy’s surprise appearance to the back of her mind as the two people sprawled on either side of her caught her attention.



Ron and Harry had seemingly been awake as long as she had, judging from there disheveled and distraught appearances.



“Why the hell is that bastard ferret face sleeping in the same damn room as I am?�



At this point Ron emitted a slur of profane language that would be best if left unrepeated.



Harry, who had been wide awake, instead of collapsed unconscious on the sofa like Ron, the night previous to his morning, was still staring fervently at Malfoy’s face.



Hermione, instead of reprimanding Ron’s diarrhea of the mouth as she usually would have done sat down beside him and began to patiently explain the series of events that had happened the night before in answer to Ron’s questions.



Shakily she said,� Well…um…yesterday I was studying, see….when I had this really strange dream about Fawkes and Dumbledore …..and erm….when I woke up…I er….�



“Are you gonna answer the damn question or not?�

Harry’s hoarse, voice rang through the room for the first time.



“I was reading something really important from that book Dung snitched from the ministry,� Hermione continued her voice defiant at Harry’s rude outburst.



“I’m not exactly sure…I think it had something to do with (here Hermione lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper) RAB !�



Ron and Harry both made quick movements as their bodies stiffened into an upright position, intently hanging on to every word Hermione was saying.



“I was just about to call you and he apparated to the room!� She directed a meaningful glance at Malfoy.



“He was bleeding everywhere and …I think he was d-dying…�

Hermione broke off shakily.



Malfoy twitched convulsively, before quickly lying still.



“Bloody hell, Hermione, why’d you take him in?� said Ron tetchily, his freckled face rather flustered.



“I told you,� said Hermione, incensed. “He was dying, I fixed him up. What else was I supposed to do?�



Ron twitched spastically, as Malfoy had done moments before, demonstrating that he had many other options that didn’t involve any empathy or compassion, whatsoever.



“He would have died!� said Hermione. She could feel the color rising in her cheeks.



Ron was her best friend, but he was so infuriatingly ignorant sometimes.



“So?� said Ron, as if this was an extremely favorable option. “He’s a Death Eater.� Ron’s scowl deepened. “He tried to—�



“I know what he’s tried to do,� said Hermione, cutting him off moodily. “I just…I mean, I couldn’t…�



“For someone so smart, you’re awfully stupid sometimes,� said Ron harshly. “I can’t believe—� Hermione flushed, furious.



“Well that’s just fine, Ron!� she shouted angrily. “Let’s just let people we don’t like die! If we do that—I mean—then—what is it that separates us from the Death Eaters anyway?�



Ron quickly shut his mouth, his face now as red as hers. For a moment, neither of them spoke.



Harry turned his head from looking out the window as something broke the silence broke the silence.



“The Mudblood isn’t lying.� Draco’s cool drawl echoed through the brief pause, with no hint of pain or discomfort.



“I don’t trust him,� said Ron finally, stubbornly crossing his arms and leaning back on his chair. “He’s probably trying to trick us.�



“I suppose that’s a possibility,� said Harry, casting a shrewd glance towards Draco. He frowned. “Which does beg the question… just what the hell do we do with him?�



“We could carve his heart out with those spork things that Hermione’s got…I swear those things aren’t meant to be used for cutlery…or we could transfigure him into a ferret (he put quite a great deal of emphasis on the word) put him on Harry’s Firebolt, and chuck him in the middle of the sea!� said Ron brightly.



“No one’s asked for your opinion, Weasel, no one ever has,� sneered Malfoy.



“Shut up Malfoy, the way I see it just because we’re the good guys doesn’t mean we can’t be bad sometimes.� Harry’s icy tone sounded like he meant business.



“Hmph…your Mudblood wouldn’t let you lay a finger on me…�



In less then a second two wands were pressed hard against Malfoy’s throat.



“Never,� hissed Harry, so that it very nearly could be mistaken for parseltongue, “call Hermione a mudblood in my presence, again.�



“And just because she won’t let us lay a finger on you,� continued Ron “doesn’t mean we always listen to her…�



“SILENCIO!� cried Harry.



Billowing silence.



Hermione said quietly, “I’m hungry…it’s long past breakfast time anyhow…�



Harry and Ron backed away from Malfoy’s side, never once breaking eye contact, never once laying down their wands.



“What should we feed ferret ass over here, we can’t starve him…� Harry asked.



“I dunno let’s chuck him some leftover soup or something.� Hermione said. “we’ve still got it from last night.�



“Or we could just starve him,� said Ron hopefully. Everyone ignored him.



Hermione emerged from the kitchen after a few minutes, carrying a steaming mug.



“Do you want the soup?� She offered Malfoy the steaming mug.



Malfoy looked at it. The thought of the dirty veined Mudblood feeding him something that she had prepared with her bare, filthy hands was absolutely repulsive to him.



Even worse was thought that Scarface and Weasel King hand been at it with their disgustingly obscene ways of feeding…it was almost animalistic.



Malfoy shuddered Still…he was absolutely starving, and he doubted the boys would be quite as generous in the distribution of food when Hermione went away.



He couldn’t answer her question, bloody Pothead’s silencing charm was still kicking.



“Finite Incantatem.� Hermione said.



“Well, do you want it or not?�



“Fine, give it here…�



“Umm, Malfoy, both you arm’s are broken, so do you need any help?�



Dammit. The mudblood was offering to feed him…still he didn’t deny his perfect looks, his amazing body, his brilliance…his fantastic performance on the fields, his genius magical ability…but feeding your significant other was definitely second date.



Malfoy grinned lewdly in spite of himself. Unfortunately Hermione was still watching him…



“Ugh…pervert …�



Hermione stalked back into the Kitchen, where Ron and Harry had taken to wolfing down mountains of food.



“WAIT! Mud-Granger…I mean HERMIONE!� Malfoy cried desperately. “I need help!�



Hermione gave him a burning, furious glance, as though contemplating the situation before her Gryffindor conscious got the better of her and she strode over to his side.



To Be Continued...

---

A/N: See...not QUITE as evil a cliffies as the last time...=)Please Review...you know you want to!

Thanks again to my fantastic BETA: SilverQuill92!!

She's a doll!



~*::*~FELLOW LTWS FANS I AM DREADFULLY SORRY TO INFORM YOU THAT IT WILL BE QUITE A WHILE TILLNEXT CHAPTER! THE ACADEMIC YEAR'S CLOSING IS FAST APPROACHING AND I HAVE ALOT ON MY MIND...CONCERTS, APPLICATIONS, SCHEDULES, EXAMS, SPORT TOURNAMETS, COMPETITIONS...ETC. I BARELY HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO EAT/SLEEP BUT REST ASSURED THIS IS NOT THE END mUCH LOVE AND DEEPEST REGRETS!!

lILLY!

xo

__________________________________________

Hermione gave him a burning, furious glance, as though contemplating torture methods before her Gryffindor conscious got the better of her, and she strode over to his side.







Hermione strode over with a sneer, worthy of a Malfoy, on her lips. As she picked up the steaming mug of soup, Draco's first reaction was to jump out of her line of fire. He still remembered that awful slap from third year. Instead, he opted to sit. After all, he was starving.

---

Hermione was absolutely disgusted with herself. In her seventeen years of life, she would have never guessed that one day she would be feeding Draco Malfoy.







And, of all things, Chicken Soup.







In her disgusted reverie, an amazing thought struck her, as most amazing thoughts tend to always strike.







She was a witch!







Hermione flipped out her wand and pointed it at the soup.







"You're not going to poison me are you?!" squeaked Draco.







"I wish!" Hermione sneered, then proceeded to enchant the spoon with a few well-placed moving spells to feed Malfoy, and levitate the mug towards him.







Satisfied with her work, she turned around and stalked off, but not before she heard:







"AAAAHH!"



Draco spluttered his soup out everywhere. "Bloody! YOU DIDN’T PUT A COOLING CHARM ON IT!"







Hermione snickered. With a toss of her hair, that would have made Lavender Brown proud, she simpered:







"Oh! Drakey-Poo, I thought you liked it hot!"







Malfoy scowled as the spoon kept on force feeding him edible chicken flavored magma.

---

Two hours later, a well-fed, and well-rested Draco Malfoy decided to test his limbs. He obviously could not let that mudblood feed him again. He shuddered convulsively at the disgusting thought. In fact, his stomach was still writhing from the fact that he had been fed food prepared by someone with filthy blood.







If my parents ever found out, Draco thought. Hot tears prickled his eyes as he swung himself over the conjured stretcher. Angry at his weakness, he swiped quickly at his eyes, and searched around for his wand trying to forget the death of his parents.







A shadow fell over him from across the parlor. Granger was standing at the foot of the steps smirking at him.







" Where's my wand?" he asked.







She glared at him.







"Are you kidding me?" she scoffed. She could have laughed. It was so ridiculous. "You're lucky you aren't tied up. You would be if it wasn't for your stupid wounds."







"I don't want to be here," he snapped stubbornly, glowering at her. "Living in this filthy hovel you call a home…Mudblood," he sneered. Well, so much for that.







She stood up straighter whilst raising her chin haughtily. "I suppose you'd rather be dead?" she huffed. "You might as well be if you don't have any useful information," she added while clutching her wand, and drawing herself up to her full height. "You don't know anything, do you?" she taunted.







"I do," he protested. "I just don't remember what it is," he added, mumbling.







"What do you remember?" she asked crossly.







"Why would I tell you?" he spat viciously.







She leaned into his face with a saccharine smile on her lips. The tip of her wand occupied the short distance separating their noses. "I can think of one very good reason why you should tell me, and it involves a lifetime supply of ferret pellets," she said sweetly.







"Ah." “I’m sure I would love to live in that bushy monstrosity you call hair, buck toothed beaver,� he scowled.

---

br />





Hermione glared at him as she stood up, and pointed her wand at him tauntingly. Her anger appeared to vanish as a sly smile took the place of her previous scowl.







"Tell me, ferret, why did I slap you in third year," her voice taunted.







" I called Hagrid something rude," Draco involuntarily replied with a haughty upper class tone.







He clapped his hands over his mouth as realization dawned on him.







"Veritaserum! You spiked my soup," he cried accusingly.







"Yes," Hermione chortled, "I got the idea from Harry and Ron in sixth year when they spiked [fill in here what they spiked here and for what purposes]."







Draco rolled his eyes, and slumped back on the hideous maroon, plush sofa he had moved to be more comfortable. [I thought he was on a stretcher? And unless he moved during the time period in which he and Hermione were talking, he would still be sitting in the stretcher – so I added that line up there.]







His current situation was getting worse with every passing minute. He could not think of how it could possibly get any worse.







"Oy! Harry! Ron!"







Oh no! The mudblood is calling for back up, Draco thought.







CRACK! CRACK!







Footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the old wood house as Harry and Ron made their way to Hermione. Suddenly, two tall, lanky figures appeared in the shadows of the parlor walls.







"The ferret been acting up?" growled Ron, evilly brandishing his wand.







"No, just prepping for our interrogation. But why don’t we have some fun first? Ask him anything that you've ever wanted Malfoy to truthfully answer," Hermione methodically answered.







"Have you ever worn women's underwear?" blurted out Ron.







Draco looked incredulously at the trio. It was obvious that he was going to try to refuse to answer. Slowly, Draco began to look as if he was very constipated before he squawked: "YES!"







"I already knew the answer to that one," cried Harry rolling around on the floor laughing. "Fred and George transfigured all of the Slytherin boys' knickers when Sprout sent them to do the laundry for detention in their 3rd year."







"Any more horrifically embarrassing questions you'd like to ask before we proceed?� Hermione asked of her best friends. "Keep in mind that we can do this whenever…," she grinned evilly as she flashed a minute bottle of crystal liquid to Draco’s horrified countenance.







Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were trying to catch their breath, and clutching at the sides of the maroon sofa to hold themselves from falling on the floor.







“Ok. We should probably begin before it wears off,� a more somber Hermione stated.







Once everyone was adjusted to the renewed glum aura of the room, Hermione sat down and asked Draco: "Why are you here?"







"I'm not saying anything while they are here! Veritaserum can make me tell the truth but it doesn't make me tell everyone present," he sneered.







Hermione sighed as she turned to face Harry and Ron. "We need all the time we can. The potion won't last much longer. Anyway, it's not like I won't tell you everything that he says. Best not argue with him," she informed the boys apologetically.







After a few minutes of grumping and arguing, Hermione waved them out of the parlor and into the kitchen.







Once the boys were gone, Hermione sat down and stared at Malfoy before she prompted him: "Well, ferret, why are you here? And more importantly, how did you find us?"







Draco once more appeared as though he was trying to keep from vomiting, but then spilled out his reply in a stoic voice.







"The Dark Lord killed my mother in front of me. Then he swore to kill father, and he tortured me. I ran away when I had the opportunity and apparated while imagining Dumbledore's promise to protect me. I guess that's why I ended up here. But, I just had to get away from him. He was punishing me for not carrying out the task of killing Dumbledore. And…and for almost divulging his secrets to the old wizard."







"You mean about the Horcruxes?" Hermione asked tentatively, her voice more gentle than before.







This time Malfoy's expression did not contort with pain at the question; the potion's effects had worn off.







"Clever of you to figure that out, Granger. However, I am no longer a slave to the effects of the potion and I won't be forced to tell you anything else anymore,� he taunted. “However, I can say it freely. I want to help destroy the man who killed the only person I ever loved," Draco finished sadly.







Hermione felt a tang of guilt and realized that Malfoy was talking more to himself than her. She timidly reached out to pat him on the arm.







Malfoy was pulled out of his horrifying memories as Hermione's hand made contact with his.







"I DON'T WANT YOUR SYMPATHY!" he cried, trying to hide the unshed tears in his eyes. Hermione quickly retrieved her hand, making a mental note to never give a rat’s arse about the stuck-up pureblood.







After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Malfoy shifted back to the stretcher and lay down.



"I just know that to defeat him, Potter has to destroy him, and that I can help," he stated in a cool, drawled out manner.







Hermione, thinking that he was done, began to shift in her seat and make leave when Draco spoke again:



"Granger, I will avenge my mother…or die trying."







"All right, then," Hermione drawled out, "tell me, what you know."







Draco took a deep breath before continuing, " the Dark Lord always spoke of a guy named…Roderick Barrett."







Hermione gasped and screamed with joy at the revelation. At the same time, Ron and Harry came rushing their wands pointed at Draco, when they heard Hermione’s screaming. The scene before them, however, left them perplexed.







Hermione stood in the middle of the parlor, stunned and pointing a finger at Draco. Then she said three letters, before she fainted, that would change the destiny of the four adolescents in the old, abandoned parlor room at Godric's Hollow.







"R. A. B."

The atmosphere was one of tense anticipation and ominous bewilderment in Godric’s Hollow that day. It was full of trepidation in stark contrast to the morning’s gorgeous appearance: birds were twittering cheerfully in the vivid green foliage of the trees outside, and a soft breezy summer wind tickled the tattered, moth eaten scarlet curtains around the open window. However, despite the beautiful day, if a stranger were to look inside, he would have witnessed an unbelievable scene.

A young girl lay unconscious on the floor, a red head teen stood pointing a wooden stick at a heavily bandaged blonde lad, and a black haired, bespectacled adolescent getting ready to pick up the bushy haired, fainted, girl.

Harry Potter jumped back in shock for a few seconds before he realized that one of his best friends was sprawled on the floor in a dead faint. He scooped her up like she was a sack of potatoes, and slung her over his shoulder.

Ponce, thought Draco. Honestly! What dignified person picks up a lady like that for crying out loud, even if it is the Mudblood! Besides, wasn’t Granger all cozy with Potter?

Harry strode quickly out of the room uncivilly dragging Hermione along with him. Ron stayed behind glaring at Draco with a meaningful look in his blue eyes. Draco stared back at the red-head. He was not going to be the one to lose this little staring contest.

“So,� hissed Ron through clenched teeth, “now that we’re alone, why don’t we settle some unfinished business?�

Draco stared back, with a small smirk playing on his lips. “Weaselbee, I’d love to, but I’m not like that.�

Ron began to cough in embarrassment but quickly concealed it with a snort of disgust. His ears felt like they were on fire.

“Oi! Ears that match your hair! The next trend in Secondhand Fashion,� Draco snorted with mirthless glee.

“I wouldn’t be laughing so hard if I were you,� said the red head, with the air of a child who had a better toy than his inferior. “See this here wooden stick?� He brandished his wand mockingly in front of Draco’s face. “I have one and you don’t!�

Draco grinned evilly. “Brings back memories of Second Year, you remember that day, Weasel? You remember all those slugs? I don’t recall using a wand back then either. But we were just boys back then weren’t we?� he mocked.

Draco stepped closer and closer as he taunted the Weasel. He was so close that he could almost feel the Weasel’s putrid breath. Draco stepped back so that he wouldn’t be contaminated with his inferiority.

“Scared, Malfoy?� Ron sneered. “We’re not two little boys anymore…in fact, we’re two men.�

“You sure about that?� asked Malfoy jauntily, the brilliant shafts of light streaming through the window making his eyes water.
Weasley’s eyes are kind of wet, too. But that is probably because he is scared, Draco noted. “I mean if someone walked into this room they would surely see a man and a litte girl,� he sneered.

“Oh. I quite agree!� Ron hissed.

“The question is which is which…� Malfoy had a maniacal grin on his face.

“Death Eater!

“Ponce!�

“Git!

“Pauper!�

“Buggerbrain!�

“Weasel!�

“Ferret!�

“SQUIB!�

“PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!� Ron shrieked with the enthusiastic shrillness of someone unleashing several years of bottled up hatred.

Malfoy’s body froze, his arms and legs snapped to his sides, and he fell back on the tattered maroon and gold oriental rug with a thud. Small clouds of dust puffed up around him.

“That was for all that insults and jokes you’ve made at my expense.�

Ron waved his wand wildly about sending fuchsia sparks all over the room.

Draco couldn’t move with the exception of his eyes, but he could feel. He felt a painful sensation forming around his toes.

RIIIIIPPP! The tips of his trainers split open as his toenails forced themselves out of his shoes. With horror, Draco saw as they kept on growing until they reached the ceiling, and could no longer force their way through the cracked, spotted plaster.

“That was for all the times you called Hermione, Mudblood,� Ron yelled.

“FURNUNCULUS!�

Hot, angry red boils erupted all over Draco’s face, each burning and pussing, making him feel as if a great vat of undiluted bubotuber pus had been dumped on his countenance.

“That was for all the crap your Inquisitorial Squad gave us in Fifth Year.�

Ron jabbed his wand into Malfoy’s cheeks. “DENSAUGEO,� he hissed with a maniacal glint in his eyes.

Draco felt his molars being rapidly enlarged, growing longer and longer, making him look like some sort of mutant beaver. CRIPES! He probably looked like a cross between Eloise Midgen and Mudblood Granger!

“You can work out for yourself what that was for!�

Ron looked confused about what to do next, but his face quickly changed from one of hesitance to a grin of victorious glee.

He waved his wand over Draco’s head and turned it to a very fiery shade of ginger.

Draco’s hair was now Weasel Red!

Ron conjured a mirror over Draco’s face and allowed his enemy to indulge in his new makeover: red hair, bulging boils, unnaturally large teeth, and gross toenails. He savored the panicked expression in Draco’s eyes.

He blew at the tip of his wand, twirled it like a baton, and strutted toward the room Harry and Hermione had just disappeared into.

He did not get very far though because Harry stepped out looking very pale and peaky with a sickly looking Hermione hanging onto his arm.

“Hermione? You okay?� Ron asked.

“I am now, nice of you to show up after Harry enervates me!� Hermione hissed.

“Sorry ‘bout that…I was…er…busy…� he said sheepishly. Ron dodged around to block Harry and Hermione from being able to see Malfoy’s dreadful state.

“Busy? With what ?� Hermione’s face was reddening ominously.

“Erm…don’t get angry, okay…� Ron begged stepping from side to side so that he guarded Hermione’s line of vision.

“Oh, come off it! You can’t have done anything that bad.� Hermione shoved Ron out of he way and gasped as she saw Malfoy’s grotesque figure draped across the rug.


“ROOOONNAAALLLLLLDD WEEEEASSELLY!!!�