CHAPTER TEN

Hermione woke up in a cold sweat. She couldn't remember the voices she heard or the nightmare she was having but she hoped the whole thing was a bad dream and she was in her bed at the shack. She slowly opened her eyes and realized she was wrong. Although it was dark, she knew she wasn't home. She looked down at Draco who was sleeping peacefully beside her. Lucky him.

She tossed and turned all night as haunting voices flew in and out of her head. Her ears were ringing when she woke up the next morning. Draco was still sleeping. She rolled over and observed his bedroom. It was large and his bed was twice the size of hers and a large black down comforter covered them both. His headboard was made out of steel and had snake details winding through it.

On the bedside table next to her, there were a few books stacked up that looked like they hadn't been touched in years. There was also a wizards chess board that looked as if it was made out of gold and silver. She didn't know he played. She got up to get a closer look at everything. His wardrobe was full of plain black clothes and a line of freshly polished shoes. Everything was tidy. Almost too tidy. It was like nobody lived there.

She walked around and stopped to admire an old hour glass on his desk. It was black with gold detail. Even the sand was black with gold flakes swimming around in there too. She sat down at the desk and flipped it over. She watched the sand sink and felt like she was counting down her deathday. She looked down and noticed a black leather journal with a D engraved into it. She had no idea that he journals. She couldn't help but to peek inside. As she opened the book, a hand came out of nowhere and slammed it shut. She almost screamed.

"I wouldn't look at that if I were you. It's mostly me in my adolescence cursing my parents for grounding me after I went snooping in their magic room." He paused. "I wouldn't go in there either." Hermione gave out a nervous laugh. She didn't hear him get up. How long has he been watching her?

"I'm sorry." Her voice felt like she had been screaming all night.

"Don't be. You're just getting used to the place. Probably going to be spending a lot more time here anyway."

"About that. Draco I don't know if I can support this. Harry is my best friend."

"Was. I couldn't help but overhear what he told you before we left. About how you were dead to him now." His voice turned cold. "That's what you're going to be if you leave." he cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Why don't you go get ready for breakfast." Hermione could tell he was trying to manipulate her. He was doing a damn good job at it too.

Hermione went to Draco's bathroom to get ready for the day. There had already been clothes laid out for her. There were black pants, a belt, and a short sleeve blouse that matched the pants. It wasn't her usual look but she went with it. She wondered if Harry would let her back to get her stuff. The Malfoy's would never allow it though.

They walked to the dining room together where their plates had already been prepared. The Malfoy's were there too. Hermione sat down avoiding eye contact. She expected another lecture about getting her to join. She didn't make a decision yet but death was sounding really sweet to her right now.

To her surprise they didn't bring it up. They didn't talk at all. They just sat in silence and acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Draco had already started eating. Hermione had no appetite. She stared at her eggs until they made her queasy. She averted her eyes before she got sick. As she looked away, something shiny caught her eye behind Lucius. It was a gorgeous china cabinet with liquors of all colors displayed in crystal bottles. Hermione bit her lip and forced herself to look away.

"Not hungry, dear?" Narcissa's voice was warm and reminded her of her mothers. Hermione shook her head while still avoiding eye contact. "That's okay. We will have Draco give you the grand tour and we will call you back for lunch.

"I think I need some fresh air." Hermione piped up.

"Perfect, you can start in the garden. It is beautiful this time of year. I am sure you will be impressed. Draco?"

Draco finished swallowing his bite and laid his napkin over her plate. She got up after him and followed him through the entry and out the back door. She couldn't believe her eyes. There were rows of perfectly trimmed hedges that led to an enormous three tier fountain. The water flowing out of it reminded her of the beach. She closed her eyes and pictured she was there. Draco sat her down on a bench and walked around the fountain. He bent down to pick a flower and then walked towards her. He handed her the most beautiful bunch of light blue forget-me-nots. She thought that was ironic of him. He sat down next to her.

"I don't want you to worry. I know you're under a lot of pressure right now and probably don't want to talk about it but my parents will be expecting a decision in a couple of days." Hermione looked down at her flowers and frowned. "I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to get close to you either but there was something that drew me to you. I know it's a lot to ask but I don't think I could live with myself if I let them kill you. They'd probably make me watch."

"I want to say yes, I really do. I guess I'm just having mixed feelings about Harry."

"I understand. Maybe I could obliviate his memory." Draco's suggestion made her stomach turn. She felt the guilt roll up her throat. She couldn't think of a response. Draco laughed. "I'm kidding. I won't do anything without your permission. My parents on the other hand." Hermione didn't want to hear it anymore. She grabbed him by the neck and kissed him. It was the only thing she could think to do to get him to shut up. He was surprised at her reaction and kissed her back. She thought back to the times they had shared at the shack together. He helped her get sober so he must care about her. At least a little.

They went about their day and shared another silent meal with his parents. Draco showed her around the mansion before they ended up back in his room for the night. She couldn't wait to get to bed even though her nightmares were probably going to be worse than staying awake. Draco on the other hand, had something else planned.

He shut the door behind him and locked it. He began undressing himself as he walked over to Hermione who was already laying down. Hermione didn't realize he was completely nude until he was on top of her. She was surprised that he wasn't as gentle as he usually was. He wrapped his hand around her throat and started kissing her. She didn't know what to do. He was suffocating her. She pushed him off with all the energy she had left.

"What the fuck, Hermione." Draco looked agitated.

"I should be asking you the same thing."

"What? I can't have sex with my girlfriend?" That word made her even more confused.

"I don't want to right now." Hermione turned away from him.

"Well if you're going to be a bitch about it then I don't want to either." He got up and put his boxers back on. Hermione had no idea where all this rage was coming from. It wasn't like him. Or was it? They had never been in a relationship like this before.

She closed her eyes and hoped she would fall asleep before he spoke again. She dozed off but got mad when she heard him speak again. She just wanted to be left alone. The more she listened to the voice she realized it wasn't Draco. It was a harsh raspy voice that hissed every time it spoke.

"If he wasss really your friend, he would've been happy for you."

"If he cared, you wouldn't have to keep sssecrets from him."

"He didn't give you the credit you dessserved for helping him defeat the Dark Lord."

Hermione looked around the room she was in. It was cold and there were no windows. Did the Malfoy's lock her up? Her arm started to burn. She scratched it as she explored the dungeon. She walked around the cell five or six times before she realized she had still been scratching. She looked down expecting to see her old scar but she had carved the Death Eater mark into her own arm. She watched the blood flow out of her and pour onto the cement floor. She felt herself scream but all she could hear were the drips of blood landing at her feet.

She awoke from her nightmare and screamed, waking Draco up.

"What's going on?" Hermione didn't want to talk. She fell out of bed and ran towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be fine on my own. I don't need you inside my head." Her words puzzled Draco but he quickly pulled himself out of bed to follow her.

Hermione rushed down the stairs and through the entry. She was almost to the front door when something shiny caught her eye. She remembered the similar sparkle from breakfast. She found herself walking backwards into the dining room. She stood in front of the elegant china cabinet and slowly slid the glass door open. She gaped at the variety of expensive liquors displayed in the intricate crystal bottles. They all had sets of matching glasses.

One particular bottle got her attention. She pulled it out. It was so heavy she had to hold it with two hands. She carefully unscrew the lid and pressed the bottle to her lips. As soon as she tasted it, she couldn't help herself. She started gulping it down. It didn't burn her throat but instantly warmed her belly up. She couldn't get enough. The liquid dripped out of her mouth as she drank. She had forgotten how good it felt to be intoxicated. Once she came up for air, something was off. She dropped the bottle on the ground and ran for the nearest bathroom.

Draco came down the stairs to look for her. He found her from the sound of her gagging in the next room over. He walked in and saw her hunched over the toilet sobbing. She was apologizing through her heaves saying something along the lines of "Im sorry" and "Please don't send me away." Draco knelt down beside her and held her hair back as she threw up.

"I'm not going to send you away but you shouldn't have drank that. My dad bewitched the bottles to stop anyone from stealing them. They make the thief incredibly sick with the first sip. I learned that the hard way the summer of my 5th year."

Hermione wiped her chin and started to stand up. Her eyesight went dark and she felt extremely dizzy. In one sudden movement, her knees collapsed sending her head first on the toilet tank. The blow knocked her out cold on the bathroom floor.