Circle of Love

Hermione stretched as the morning sun hit her eyelids waking her from her sleep. It had been her nastiest nightmare yet and she couldn't wait to talk to Harry and Ron about it. They'd both laugh at the thought of Draco helping her. Slowly her eyes opened and she looked into the face of her nightmare's focus.

Draco Malfoy lay asleep, just a few feet from Hermione; his blond bangs falling over his eyes and his hand clutching his wand loosely. I must still be asleep and this must be part of my nightmare. She thought in denial. Hermione sat up as quietly as she could and reached out to grab Draco’s wand. Jerking it from his flaccid grasp, she held it tightly as she watched Draco wake up and immediately jump at her in order to retrieve his wand.

“Feeling better I see, Granger.” He landed on the damp grass as she dodged his leap. “My wand, please.” Draco held out his hand expectantly as Hermione pointed it at him.

“No, you tell me why you have kidnapped me!” She shouted, her words bouncing off the stone pillars. Hermione watched as Draco stood up and casually brushed the leaves off his pants.

“Hardly a kidnapping Granger. As a favor to Professor Snape I brought you here for safety. Soon as he arrives, my obligations end and you can flit merrily away with him into the arms of Potter.” Draco sneered, trying to think of how to get his wand back.

“Why would Professor Snape order you to kidnap me?”

“It's called a life debt, Granger. I owe him my life for a service which I won't mention to you.” Draco snapped at her. “The terms are to keep you safe until Professor Snape arrives. After that, I can cancel some of my debt and we all can move on and forget this little incident.”

“Why would you owe Professor Snape a life debt? You Death Eaters kill each other without thought. You killed Ron.....” With that Hermione felt the tears well in her eyes again. She rubbed at them angrily with her free hand, missing Draco's next move.

“I did not kill Weasel. I told you Goyle did.” Draco said indignantly as he tackled Hermione to the ground, pinning her down with his body and holding her arms high over her head. “My wand, please.”

Hermione looked up into the face of her captor. Draco's eyes were filled with anger as he held her down. “Impedia--” She furiously tried to mumble a curse while attempting to point his wand at him from her outreached hands.

“Dammit, Granger!!” Draco didn’t know how else to cut her spell off. Horrified with himself, he placed his lips on hers and kissed Hermione, trying to distract her as he snaked his hand up to reach for his wand. Just as he grabbed it from her he felt intense pain in his nether regions. He bounded off her with difficulty and pointed his wand at Hermione.


Draco managed to cast a binding spell on her before he fell to the ground in agony. “I assure you, Granger, that was as pleasurable for you as it was for me.” The pain slowly subsided and he sat up to look at her. “I am going to unbind you now. Act like the smart witch you are and work with me.”

“Where are we?” Hermione asked as she sat down by the now cold fire. Folding her arms across her chest, she stared at Draco. Her brown eyes glared icily into his cold, grey ones.

“Memory failure, Granger? So unlike you. I'll humor you though because you have been sick.” Draco sat across from her. “We are in a druid circle that Professor Snape's portkey brought us to. I have been to Stonehenge so I can say it's not that one. Where specifically we are I cannot tell you because I do not know.”

“I want to go home.” Hermione said in a small voice which made her seem uncharacteristically vulnerable.

“As do I.” Draco looked at her strangely, as if he had never seen her before. “Hungry?”

“A little, yes.” She watched as he conjured up a few sandwiches and some pumpkin juice for them before hiding his wand back in a pocket.

Draco started eating, his eyes on Granger as her mouth watered yet she made no move towards the food. “Eat up, Granger. I'm not sure when I will conjure up more. Too much magic will attract unwanted attention.”

“I'll wait for Professor Snape to come for me.” Hermione replied. She was unsure why she still trusted Snape, but Remus had assured them all he was still working undercover as a spy.

“I have no idea when he will be here. I expected him last night. No telling what the Dark Lord has done to him because of all of this. He may have not been in Hogsmeade for the attack, but he could still be held responsible for it. The Dark Lord does not take ingenuity or failure too well. Weasel's death precipitated his plans--”

“Stop calling him Weasel!” Hermione hissed. “His name was Ron... Ronald Weasley.” She began to cry again; Draco's clinical analysis angering her. “You…you say his death was an accident? As if you care....” She wanted nothing more than to slap that silly smirk off his face.

“Yes, Granger. This is war, after all. Death will come to those who do and those who don't deserve it. Now eat before you expire from hunger.” Begrudgingly Hermione picked up a sandwich and sniffed it taking a hesitant, small bite.

They both ate in silence as the repast offered them much needed sustenance. Pulling out another vial of Pepper Up, he offered it to her. “This will help with any lingering spell effects.”

“No-” Hermione tried to protest as he shoved it into her hand.

“Granger, drink it.” Draco watched her lips as she drank it down. Granger is a great kisser, the Slytherin thought. Too bad she wasted it on the Weasel. Too bad she's a mudblood also. He sneered at that thought.

Draco scratched at his left forearm as it started to tingle. Now was definitely not a good time. The pain was a dull ache for now, but the longer he ignored it the worse it would get.

“Malfoy?” Hermione watched as he clutched at his arm.

“It is of no concern of yours.” Draco stood and started to pace as the pain began to worsen. “The Dark Lord grows impatient with my lack of attendance. Hopefully something distracts him enough to forget me for a time.”

“So you do wear the Death Eater's mark like Harry suspected?” Hermione's eyes widened in fear.

“Yes, mudblood. I have fulfilled all of your worst expectations of me.” Draco sarcastically replied while smirking down at her.

“So, Professor Snape really is a traitor? Professor Lupin is wrong about him? Oh Merlin, I need to get back and tell him.” With that she jumped up and started running. Draco chased after Hermione.

“Mudblood, stop!” He called after her.

Hermione stopped because she had no clue as to where to run to. "...Mudblood...” Hermione ignored the phrase for probably the thousandth time in her life. No one, especially Malfoy was going to get under her skin this way. "And how exactly does it feel to be beaten in Potions by someone of muggle lineage?" she spat at him. “With Professor Snape gone as Potions teacher, everyone finally is able to achieve the results they should have a long time ago.”

“Did you ever consider that Professor Snape was challenging you all to do better? That there were reasons he was so hard on you and the other houses?” Draco asked her.

“He hated us and gave us low marks to spite us. He made poor Neville feel like a failure to his own house. How would you feel if your boggart was Snape?” Hermione yelled back at him.

“My boggart, I assure you Granger, is far worse then Severus Snape.” Draco snorted, nearly laughing out loud in spite of himself.

“What is it then?”

“It's my father.” Draco spat out in anger.

“What?” Hermione was confused. All the times she had seen the Malfoy men together they had seemed so close. “Your father is your boggart?”

“Yes, Granger. My father as he killed my mother is my boggart. Gah!! Why am I even telling you?” Draco turned away. “Go, run away from here. I'm tired of your mudblood tainting my senses.” He added bitterly, then turned and walked back to the druid circle. Draco stood, lost in his own thoughts, by the now dead fire and kicked at a rock, watching it bounce off one of the stone pillars.


“Malfoy?” Draco heard Hermione behind him. He didn't need or want her concern.

“I'm done with you, Granger. You're free to leave. No honor debt is worth enough to suffer your presence any longer.” He lashed out at her, but the expected, witty remark from Hermione didn’t come. Silence spread between them and Draco began to calm down again. He turned to look at her, while asking “What's your boggart, Granger?”

But Hermione was gone.


****


“Yes, my Lord?” Snape bowed down before Voldemort. Surrounding them were other Death Eaters.

“I have decided to call you all to watch Lucius' punishment. Severus' authority has been superseded with the young ones for the last time. Any of you get the urge to interfere again, his punishment will be your pain also.” Voldemort nodded at Snape. “Begin please, Severus, when young Malfoy has arrived.”

“Draco is on a potions component assignment as his punishment for not informing me about Hogsmeade in time, my Lord. I beg you to cancel his call for the items he is bringing me are needed. His presence at this time is not.” Snape watched as Voldemort nodded.

“Duel me, Lucius.” Snape sneered at the older wizard as he pulled his wand from his pocket and assumed the duelling stance. Lucius's eyebrow arched in surprise at this request. He had expected a punishment, not a duel. Lucius complied as he warily took the same pose as Snape.

They both bowed as they surveyed each other. Voldemort and the other Death Eaters watched their fight in sadistic delight.

Both dodged as curses flew heedlessly through the room. Snape laughed inwardly as the unwary onlookers took the brunt of the spells that missed their intended target. He saw Bellatrix trying to dodge one and fail, falling to the ground in pain. Old bat!! He sneered.

“Crucio!!” Snape had enough of the game. “Impedimenta!!” He cursed again. Petrificus Totalus!!” He grinned down at the immobile Lucius Malfoy and mouthed out For Cissa! “Sectumsempra!!” His wand shot out the cutting curse, causing Lucius to bleed puddles on the floor.
“Enough!” Voldemort’s firm voice stopped all activities instantly. He suspected the next curse that Snape uttered would be a final one of death and he did not want Lucius Malfoy dead, not yet at least. “Rudolphus, clean up your brother-in-law. Thank you for the entertainment, Severus.”

Snape stowed his wand in its pocket, and turned to bow before the Dark Lord who dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Even as Snape exited the room, his overwhelming hatred overshadowed the enjoyment of the moment.