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The Inner Peace	By : Katay Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 16048 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
A/N:
Here you go loves! I just wanted to give a quick shout out to Kayy Enn for her fabulous reviews
and following of my story. You make it worth writing my dear! And to everyone
else who have written such sweet reviews, thank you!

Chapter
13:

�Mon Dieu!�

Hermione darted her eyes to the couch where
the exclamation came from and grinned. Her mother had fainted. Of course she doesn�t faint under the worst
curses known to magic, she doesn�t faint after 14 years of Azkaban, she doesn�t
faint from the sight of pain or blood, no, Bellatrix Lestrange, Death Eater
extraordinaire, elite Dark Mistress, faints due to daughter�s reappearance.

�Oh dear. Father? Will she
be alright?� Hermione glanced at her father�s worried glance.

�Well I�d assume so, but I�ve never seen her
faint before,� he said perplexed.

The twins were beaming like Cheshire cats in the background, and Hermione
sensing this, turned on them and spoke menacingly, �This does not leave your
minds or this room. Got it?�

They gulped, �Yes V.� They had begun to see
exactly why the Dark Lord wanted the Lestrange heir in His ranks. Her eyes
blazed with cold fury, she was innately calm, but the kind of calm that foreshadowed
the end of the world.

There was a shuffling on the couch and
Hermione turned around to see her mother�s eyes opening slightly. She walked
quickly over to the couch and sat down next to it. Her mother�s hand rose up to
her daughter�s cheek and caressed it, �You�re back! I thought I was seeing
things.� Hermione smiled down at her mother.

�As did I when you fainted,� she said
cheekily.

�Well I�m not what I used to be,� Bella said
sadly. Rodolphus clasped her hand and helped her sit up on the couch. He
motioned to the other two seats and couch for the twins and Hermione to side
down. Hermione looked at him questioningly after Bella�s statement, suppressing
her shock. She might be a little
unhinged, but she was always strong � what is wrong?

�Father?�

She watched her mother and father glance at
each other in silent communication before turning to the twins. �We take it
you�ve been silent?�

They nodded together in agreement.

Rodolphus sighed, �Alright then. Veri, the
Dark Lord has become even more obsessed with Potter and strengthening His own
power. He has been waiting for you and young Malfoy to return from Asia to recommence His attacks. The two of you will head
the new ranks. Per his orders, you are the up and coming along with the best
trained. The Inner Circle
is now led by Lucius, so the Malfoys are clearly
wielding a lot of influence.� Hermione raised an eyebrow over the change in
power. Her parents had been the heads when she had left.

�What happened while I was gone?� She
questioned warily.

�The Dark Lord was impatient for you to be
home it seems. You made quite an impression at the ball. Quite the impression. He was more
than happy that you were training, but considering his twisted nature, wanted
you home. So He took it out on Bella and myself.� His
voice shook and he looked away. �He couldn�t have you, so He took her.�
Hermione shot a horrified glance at her mother.

�Why?! Why would you do this? All you had to do
was call me back! You know I would have come.� She walked over to her mother
and sat down beside her, hugging her, tears falling of their own accord for
what her mother had gone through. �At least with me He would be somewhat
gentle. He knows that I am a Pureblood and He will want to woo me to his side.
Oh, Mother.�

�Hush darling. I did what I had to, just
like I�ve done before. You needed all the training you could get to live
through this war and I stand by what I did. Your father wasn�t let off the hook
either. The Dark Lord is a depraved man, no matter what you might think of his
wooing practices.� Her mother glanced down at her, her gaunt cheeks eerie and
her eyes broken.

The twins were shifting warily at the
intensely private scene in front of them. They really hadn�t needed the mental
pictures floating through their brains.

Hermione glanced back at them, her tears
clearing and her check on her emotions back. She stood up. �Well this only
stiffens my resolve that something must be done. Clearly the Dark Lord is
insane, that�s a given. However, Harry is the only one that can kill him, and
Harry isn�t much better off.� She glanced at Fred and George who nodded. �With
Ginny by his side, he is weak. She keeps him off-balance and kills his
self-esteem. We need to cut her out. Unfortunately, I think I�m the only one
able to do so; which will make politics a whole lot of fun at Headquarters.�
She glanced at her parents. �Now, I�m going to have to go the Dark Lord and get
my Mark. I know that and accept it. I will play the part of Pureblood Princess.�
She looked out the window at the gardens, praying for peace, �He wants me. I
can use that. I�m no easy slut from Slytherin House
and He knows it. I�m unattainable. As long as I stay that way, with a few
concessions, I can keep Him on a tight leash. Our problem will be the other
Death Eaters. How many have you talked to?� She glanced questioningly over at
her parents.

�We have Lucius. He is tired of taking
orders, and the killing of other Purebloods does not sit well with him. Plus
Our Lord killed Narcissa as a lesson to the other
female wives, not to expect to be above the Dark Lord in their husband�s
loyalty. Narcissa was one of the only good things in
Lucius� life,� commented Bellatrix, looking forlorn.

�My brother is also on board, primarily due
to you, daughter. We have most of the new recruits who have been shown the
rougher parts and want out. We are slowly working our wa through the middle ranks. That is hopefully where
you will come in. Fred and George have been doing what they can; they have gotten
a number of former classmates to consider.� She looked over at the twins.

George picked up, �What we need is someone
who can exemplify what we are trying to talk about. You�ll be leading most of
the middle ranks. You are in more of a position to mold them than anyone else.�

Fred continued, �The biggest problem is
keeping it all quiet from Our Lord. He is fairly overconfident now, but we all
know not to underestimate Him. What we need to concentrate on is how to
approach the Order. Our family seems to comprehend, but we have been
compromising for thousands of years, we�re used to it. Remus
and Tonks are both supportive as well,
they only want revenge upon Greyback.�

Hermione paced the room, filing everything
they said into her brain. �Ok, so what we need to ensure is that we aren�t
approaching any Death Eaters that will cause conflict with the Order, or vice
versa. I think, however, that they are generally self-avoided, since people who
support the Dark Lord fully are not going to support a quick end to this war.�
She took a deep breath. �That is our goal. This war needs to end. We need to
build bridges between the two worlds, not attempt for extremes. The Dark Lord�s
goal of complete annihilation of Muggleborns and Muggles is implausible at best. They will continue to crop
up, magic obviously has its own agenda. What we need to do is offer more for
the entire Magical world. Muggleborns need to be
introduced into our traditions and customs.� She looked up at a sound from
George.

�Don�t be an idealist V,
you know that isn�t all it will take.�

She nodded and continued, �I know, they will
bring their own traditions into it, but the basis should be magical. We have Muggle Studies classes, why not Magical Societal History,
etc. Once this war is over, that is what we shall need to address.� She waved
her hands a little and rolled her neck.

�Right now, we need to make it clear to both
parties that all we want is an end to the killing and peace. We need to assure
them that their opinions will be taken into account and that it won�t be an
extremist government that rules after the war is over. For
now that will have to be good enough.�

She walked over to her parents, �Mother and
Father, I would like to speak with Lucius. Perhaps we can host a dinner between
the families or something to that affect. Fred and George, we need to broach
this with your family. Right now, Molly is key. Death
Eaters killed her husband, and she clearly sticks by her morals, turning her
own daughter out. The Order will follow her in the end. If we can get her to
understand, it will make everything easier. Bill and Charlie will also be big
proponents for the younger crowd. Those that are opposed to Molly�s outspoken ways
may be more persuaded by Bill or Charlie�s level heads. So Fred and George, I
want you to be placing some of what we talked about in front of her. Ease it
into conversation, see how she reacts. We will go from there.� She ran her hand
through her hair and sat down in her chair.

She glanced at the other four and noted
their surprised but comprehending glazes. Her mother looked proud, her father
grim, and the twins looked determined. �Alright, I think that�s enough of me
talking your ears off for the night. Fred and George, I�m going to stay here tonight.
Simply tell anyone who asks, that I freaked out after waking up between you two
and ran off to the library. None of them know me well enough to refute it.� The
two nodded, hugged her, and apparated away.

She walked over to her parents and hugged
them tightly, whispering, �I missed you so much.�

They hugged her back and let her sit between
them on the couch. �We need to discuss the Dark Lord dear one. He will be going
after you in both a military sense and a marital sense. He wants an heir. To
Him it�s the only way to stay strong. To make it worse, we aren�t quite sure
why, but He hasn�t connected you with Hermione Granger; which means that he is
gunning for her as well. He is frustrated that she disappeared after the
divorce and hopes that she is dead, but has Dolohov
out especially for her.� Hermione rolled her eyes at that.

�Of course he wouldn�t connect the two. The
interesting thing will be to see if He knows of her return today. There is a
spy in the Order and that is a wrench that could destroy us. I have a feeling I
know who it is, but I need to prove it first. Has there been any strange
activity from the Dark Lord and specific members?�

�Lucius will be the one who would know
darling. We have attempted to stay under the radar lately. Also if the Order
knows you�re back at the same time as their Granger, they might start
connecting dots, no?�

�V will act as though she has been back for
at least a week. I was unpacking and acclimating will be the story. Voldemort
will know that I only just returned; if He wants me as much as I think He does,
He�ll have spells awaiting my return. But if I explain that I wanted to instill
a mysterious air about me, I think He may fall for it. I shall go to Him
tonight. I have a feeling that an upfront approach will be best. It will offset
His expectations and show Him that I won�t be pushed around easily. This will
give me a chance to get into his Headquarters and feel around. I can hopefully
get the spy that way too.�

She saw the worried looks on her parents�
faces and reached out to their hands.

�I�ll be fine I promise. I�ve learnt a few
things and I can take care of myself. I want you two to rest and recover. I can
help now and we�ll soon be back in the Dark Lord�s graces, just you wait.� Her
eyes flashed.

Her mother smiled and her father was
reminded of another Lestrange female who had that same fervor in protecting her
own family. �Alright dear one. We shall let you go get
ready. Come and get me when you are ready to go to Him. I shall have to take
you,� said Rodolphus as he led her mother out of the sitting room and to their
own bedchambers.

Hermione stood up quickly and walked to her
own. As she entered the long vacant room, she glanced at the bed, remembering the
night of the ball and her interlude with Draco. She shook her head wearily. She
would deal with him when the time came. She would need to ensure that he didn�t
spill her secret to the Dark Lord, but also knew he was unready to hear about
her plan.

She walked over to her armoire and pulled
out an outfit that she had sent there earlier in the day. As she pulled off her
robes and replaced them with the other outfit, she mentally relaxed and revved
herself up for the strenuous night ahead. Once she had pulled up the last
zipper she glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked like a full-out Dark
Witch. She had put on supple, soft, black leather pants and a matching soft
leather bustier halter. In all honesty it reminded her of a 1940�s swimsuit
top, but it was comfortable and bared her toned stomach and curves. She left
her matching collar on and put on black leather sandals that tied up her
calves. The pants had slits up to her knees, so the sandal ties could be seen.
They allowed for easier movement and she looked reminiscent of a modern warrior
princess. Two strips of braided leather adorned each bicep; both were ingrained
with multiple protective and healing spells. She left her hair free, letting it
flow down her back, the colors shimmering. She painted her eyes a smoky green
and put blood red lipstick on her lips. She painted her nails blood red as
well. Over top she put on a cloak of the same leather material.

The leather was clearly well made and
expensive. It didn�t shine or make a sound. It fit like a second skin and was
duller, which allowed her to slip in and out of the shadows unnoticed. She
placed her hood over her head and went to get her father from his room.

When he had slipped out and joined her in
the hall in his full Death Eater regalia, he looked down at her cloak and said,
�I don�t want to know what you have on under that do I?�

�I highly doubt it Father.�

�Indeed. Let�s go then.�

He grasped her hand in his left, while his
right hand held his wand against the Mark. He tapped it twice and they apparated away. They landed
in a large marble foyer. Rodolphus cursed under his breath.

Hermione glanced around and took in the
opulence of the foyer and her father�s cursing. �We�re at Malfoy Manor, aren�t
we?�

�How did you .. yes we are.� He looked over at her attempting to see her
face under the cloak and led her up a large staircase.

�Well there are very few people who would
recognize me, and I have a feeling you don�t want Lucius knowing what I am
about to do, considering it rather goes against your pride, no?�

�You, daughter, should have been in Slytherin.�

�I was too smart for them.� She grinned
cheekily in the shadows of her cloak.

Then, she tapped her father�s arm softly and
motioned to the hallway before them. �Someone is coming.�

�I�ll assume they are coming to see why we
are here, let me do the talking.� He replied stiffly.

They continued to stroll down the hallway,
waiting for the other person to make an appearance. Hermione was watching the
corners closely and noticed a shadow slip in and meld with those of the wall up
ahead. She smirked. As they passed the spot, she pulled her arm from her
father�s gently and said in a disguised voice, �No point in hiding Mr. Malfoy.
I know where you are.� Her father looked at her slightly shocked; he hadn�t
seen or heard anything at all.

Suddenly a figure lunged out of the darkness
towards the pair. Hermione stepped in front of her father and stopped the black
clothed figure mid motion with a punch to his arm joint and a short kick to his
opposing hip joint. She muttered a quick binding spell in conjunction with the
kick, stopping any form of retribution in its path. She looked down at the
slightly shocked face of Draco Malfoy and grinned. She pulled her hood back and
saw his eyes narrow in dislike.

�You,� he spat.

�Me,� she said calmly.

She looked back at her father who was
watching the conversation with narrowed eyes and said, �Father, I believe Mr.
Malfoy can take me to where I need to go.

I shall be fine. Goodnight.� She hoped he
got her message that she would explain everything later. Right now she needed
to concentrate on Malfoy and ensure that he would keep her secret.

Her father nodded shortly and stalked back
to the apparition point.

She turned back to Malfoy. �So if I release
you, are you going to attack me again?�

�Of course not you bitch. Far be it for me
to protect my home against intruders.� He glared at her.

She waved her hand at his bindings and they
fell away as she said, �Oh hush. You knew very well who I was, or you wouldn�t
have hidden.�

�Yes and that leads to the question of why
are you here? I had assumed we were no longer in contact.� He sneered.

�I�m here for Our Lord.� She watched his
face closely.

His eyes flashed for a moment but he
maintained the rest of his composure, �Ah and the whore comes to do her job.�
He stalked closer to her and grabbed both of her arms tightly and pinned her to
him.

Ok,
so he�s a bit stronger than you are. He is jealous! That�s a point towards my
goal, now to work with it.
�I only do what He bids me to Draco.� She hoped his first name would catch his
attention. �You know very well that you are my other half; but right now,
neither of us can do anything about it. You deny it just as much as I do. If
the war was over, things would be different. Right now though, right now, we
have no choice. We are His pawns and I will do what I have to in order to win,
just as you will.� She stopped talking and hoped her words would sink in.

He gripped her arms a bit harder and leaned
down closer to her face. �He does not know who you were,
I suppose you want me to keep it that way?� It was the only thing he could say
that would let her know he understood. At her short nod he pulled back. He
glanced down at her once more and the sight of her painted lips and face
enraged him, purely because it was not for him to see, but another. He pulled
her fiercely up to him and grabbed her lips in a bruising kiss. He let go after
a minute, her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen and even redder. �You
will be mine and no one else�s. Just you wait.� He shoved her away and stalked
down the hallway.

�Follow me.� He said shortly as he
disappeared around a corner. She hurried after him, closing down her mind and
pushing the memory away where she could think about it later.

When they reached a particularly opulent
door he raised his fist to knock lightly, but she grabbed his hand and quickly
muttered, �I have a feeling you�re going to need a headache potion later. A
cloth soaked in murtlap essence placed over your
forehead will help the most. I apologize for what you may go through, but just
know that I went through it every time you had another girl.�

With that she knocked lightly on the door
and waited to be allowed in.

Malfoy was looking at her curiously and
suddenly winced. She then felt something attempting to broach her mind but
stopped by the impenetrable walls.

The door was quickly opened and Wormtail stood looking at the two with an apprehensive
gaze. He motioned Hermione into the room and closed the door quickly in
Malfoy�s face.

The room was a dark forest green. While it
was a full suite of rooms, the one she had walked into was the sitting room.
The fire crackled and just next to it, in a leather,
high-back chair sat the Dark Lord. His face had grown more wrinkled and thin.
The scaley tint was more noticeable and his height
seemed slightly diminished. She was glad she had worn flats. He caught her eyes
and held them for what seemed like eternity before standing up and walking
towards her. She bowed slightly, showing Him that she knew her place. He lifted
her chin and turned her to help her with her cloak. She felt his hands against
her skin and shivered in contempt, hoping he took it as lust. He handed the
cloak to Wormtail and sent him away.

He drew her to a chair in front of His own
and helped her sit. He then took His own seat and looked over at her. �I see
that Asia did you good my dear. You look even
more beautiful than before.� His voice had lost the �s�
sound, something she suspected was an affectation for his Death Eaters.

She hooded her eyes and pulled all of her
geisha training to the front of her thoughts. �Thank you My Lord. You too are a
sight for mine eyes, sore or not. The time was long but I thought of you
frequently. That is why I have come the night of my return to speak with you.�
She forced a blush onto her cheeks.

He smiled at her, or at least what she
thought was a smile. �I am glad you speak so plainly my dear. It is refreshing
to not need to sort through the twisted lines of my followers. Do you want me
to Mark you little one? I am sure you will find it quite pleasurable.� He winked
at her.

Did
the Dark Lord just wink at me?! Dirty, old pervert! She bit back bile and murmured huskily, �My
Lord, I believe your Dark Mark on my arm would be the perfect adornment for it.
As well as a way to remember you by each day I am forced to go without your
presence.�

He had stood up and walked over to her at
her last sentence. He was running his scaly hand over her bare shoulders and
tracing the skin down her arms and just below the top on her stomach. She hated
herself for allowing it and for causing Draco the pain he was likely in. Malfoy! Get it together girl. You have a
point to all of this. Don�t get distracted.

She caught his hand in her own, pulling it
away from her body. She looked up at him and said blushingly, �I�m unsure if I
should allow such boldness, even to my Lord. I do not want you to think that I
am below my Pureblood line, My Lord.� She caressed his hand with her fingers,
even as she said that damning statement, praying he wouldn�t kill her for her
audacity. Instead she felt a spell wash over her.� A purity spell, why that sneaky bastard. She forced herself
to think of pure thoughts and the fact that she was still a virgin. The light
around her changed from its cast blue into a pure white. She smirked inwardly. It helps to know how the spell works. Since
it reads your thoughts, looking for evidence of either physical or mental
impurity, if skilled enough, you can get around it quite easily. But I doubt he
knows that. And the know-it-all wins again!

She felt him stiffen as the light changed to
pure white and saw his face turn into insane elation. He quickly withdrew his
hands from her body and said, �You should maintain your purity at all costs. It
is a rare and precious thing my dear.� He took her hand and kissed it, turned
it over and kissed the pulse, then ran his forked tongue up her forearm to a
spot just below the elbow where he nipped lightly. She held herself steady and
waited. Her own body was coursing with slight shocks of pain as he bestowed his
affection on her, and she knew it was the results of her semi-bond with Malfoy.

Voldemort straightened up and held his wand
to the bite mark on her arm. He muttered �Morsemordre�
and she felt pain akin to Crucio course up her arm
and through her body. She sat still, keeping the pain at bay and not showing a
single emotion aside from desire and loyalty to the Man-Snake in front of her.

She saw his snake eyes widen in amazement at
her ability to withstand the Marking and grinned slightly. Her ninja training
had prepared her well with many courses on withstanding pain, increasing pain
tolerance, and pain management. He looked down at her lustily and said, �Your
strength impresses me little one. But I fear that my control shall slip if you
sit there much longer and impress me tonight.� He helped her stand up, keeping
a hand on her nude waist. He grasped it firmly, saying, �Stay at Malfoy Manor
tonight, have young Malfoy watch over you. I have plans for the two of you in
the morning.�

She smirked inwardly, He has no idea at the advantage he has just given �young Malfoy.�
She looked up at him with admiration in her eyes and said softly, �Yes Milord, and here is something for you to remember me by.�
With that she ghosted her lips over his quickly and then walked to the door.
She turned as she opened it and said huskily, �Until tomorrow My Lord.� With
that she slipped out the door and closed it softly behind her.

She placed her hand over her mouth to hold
the bile in and attempted to sense out where Malfoy was. She quickly found him
and sprinted in the direction of his room. Once she found his door she pounded
on it, hoping that he wasn�t asleep.

The door was thrown open and a disheveled,
pissed off Malfoy appeared dressed in silken pajama bottoms alone. He saw her
in the hall and dragged her into the room, slamming the door behind her. She
glanced around and rushed into the bathroom. She spent another few minutes in
there, throwing up the bile that had risen from her dealings with the Dark Lord
and then cleaning out her mouth and body. Malfoy stood in the doorway watching
her dispassionately.

As she straightened up from washing out her mouth she looked
at him. �I�m sorry for that. I was supposed to tell you that Our Lord wants you
to watch over me for the night and we have a meeting with Him in the morning.�

�You really have his confidence in you? Why do you do this? It�s
treason.� He raised an eyebrow at her.

She brushed past him quickly. �I do it so my mother doesn�t
have to. I do it to keep my parents safe. I do it to stay on top.� She turned
to him furiously, �Why do you continue to fight for the one who killed you own
mother as a lesson?� Her eyes flashed as he stopped in his tracks. �We do many
things for different reasons Malfoy. The Weasley
twins joined to keep their lives. They were ambushed in their shop and
threatened with the rape and torturing of their family members if they didn�t
turn spies. What would you have done? We fight this war about blood, but that's
not what it comes down to, is it? It�s about our loved ones being safe. Can�t
you understand that?� She turned away from him, transfigured her clothing into
a silk, floor length nightgown and walked to the window. She pressed a hand
against the pane and closed her eyes against the thoughts rushing through her
mind.

Draco�s own mind was reeling. He had joined the Death Eaters
at sixteen, proud to be following in his family�s footsteps. Before going to Asia he had been witness to countless revels and raids. The
mass murdering and varied attacks made him question the Dark Lord�s sanity, but
assumed that there was a greater plan. However, after his time in Asia, he was forced to reexamine things. His mother had
been killed to teach others a lesson. If that could happen to the Dark Lord�s
right hand man, then there was no true loyalty. Now the only other person that
he had come to care for was threatened. I
admit it, I care for her. Gods I can�t afford this, but who says we pick the
best times to fall?

He stepped up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders
lightly. �I understand that sometimes we have to let those we love do what they
need to do, as we ourselves must do all we can.� She turned to face him, her
eyes looking up at him questioningly. He sighed, �We should head to bed; tomorrow
will be a long day.� He kissed her forehead and pulled her towards the bed.

She crawled in next to him and curled up in his arms, �I won�t
be like this every time, I promise. Just hold me tonight Draco. I don�t think I�m
going to be able to do this alone.� Tears coursed down her cheeks and her body
shook as pent up emotions coursed through her.

Draco wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his
chest, �You won�t have to. I won�t say it often, but I don�t think I can do it
without you either.�

Hermione�s short breaths soon evened out and Draco�s firm
grip relaxed into that of contented sleep.

A/N: Well there you go;
I hope that clears up a few things. The two were both a little out of character
towards the end, but I felt that after their relationship being threatened,
each has admitted to themselves their need for the other. Hermione is about to
become a double agent, loathed by both sides, while Draco is questioning
everything he believed for 24 years. At any rate, enjoy and review to let me
know what you think!
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The Inner Peace