Blood Ties

A/N: : ) This what you guys make me do. You make me smile so hard that my cheeks hurt. Onward ho...

Choice? What choice did she have? She couldn't leave Harry on his own to take on Voldemort. He needed her to keep him from charging headlong into something that he wasn't prepared for. She was the voice of reason amongst the three of them. On the same token, she couldn't risk Malfoy ever coming to her. She would have to get him to agree to let her come to him. It would be disastrous to have someone who continually associated with Death Eater's know where Harry was at outside of school. While Harry was protected at Hogwarts, his protection was flimsy at best outside of school.

She shivered a little as his lips returned to her neck. "What will it be, Pet? It is getting awfully late."

Hermione took a deep breath and almost instantly regretted it. He smelled so good and breathing him in made her feel a lot like she was losing herself. She was sure that it was all a part of the vampire allure but that made her no less susceptible to it.

"On one condition," Hermione whispered.

He drew back away from her so that he could look in her eyes. "Go on," he urged.

She straightened herself and met his hypnotic gaze. "I must be the one to come to you. You must never seek me out. I will vow on my powers as a witch that I will answer your call and to never disclose your secret willingly."

He stared at her for a moment but she never flinched under his scrutinizing gaze. This was something that she wouldn't, that she couldn't compromise on. She would never jeopardize her friends safety. She might be doomed but that didn't mean she had to doom them as well.

"And if I accept," he finally answered.

Hermione let a small puff of air pass her lips as she exhaled in relief. He was considering it. "I will answer when you call. I will be your willing donor for whatever you hunger for. As long as it doesn't endanger my life."

He must have accepted her words because Malfoy looked like Christmas had come early for a split second before his face melted back to mask of indifference. "I'll accept those terms, Granger, but I have a few of my own as well. I will give you forty eight hours to answer when I call before I try to find you. I believe that's very generous. And secondly, the bond will be formed tonight. I know how smart you are and I will not give you time to try and find a way out of it."

Hermione gazed up at him. That was about as good as she could expect to get from the likes of him. She was sure that in the terms he was offering, he was being charitable. She had heard of instances that a vampire required their donor to actually live with them and to never go anywhere without them.

She took a deep breath. It was out of the frying pan and into the fire it seemed. She was sure that she would not make it through the night with her virginity intact.

"I accept," she murmured.

The words had hardly left her tongue and the tingle of magic tingled up her arms as their vow took hold of them. It didn't hurt per se, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling either. It terrified her to know that her very essence, her magical core was subject to Draco Malfoy's whimsy. She had to give him what he wanted now.

Within reason.

He pulled her trembling form close to his own and disapparated them with a crack.

End Note: Thoughts? Can you guess where Draco took her? What do you think is going to happen?