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Pride and Morality	By : misleadingeyes Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 18131 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I own nothing Harry Potter related. That glory goes to the great J K Rowling. I'm just borrowing them for a bit. No profit is being made from these works. This is for enjoyment purposes only.

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“Rennervate," Dumbledore waved his wand and Hermione's eyelids fluttered open, taking in her surroundings. Well, not a dream then. She thought with not a small bit of disappointment. Her parents had been captured, taken hostage, and the ransom was.....Her. Voldemort wanted her. Wanted to kill her, eradicate her kind; Muggleborns. "He wants to kill me, Sir." It was not a question. If Voldemort wanted her, there could be only one reason. One less ally to the great Harry Potter. One less person to help him vanquish him. Grudgingly, she had to admit, it was a sound plan. Take out the most intelligent resource so he's left with the dimwitted Ronald Weasley. A brilliant plan, but she was not thrilled at becoming the sacrificial lamb.
"Perhaps not, Miss Granger." Dumbledore's voice brought her out of her dark thoughts and she gave him a quizzical look.
"I'm sorry Sir, I don't quite understand. Voldemort despises Muggleborns. Why would he want me, if not to kill me and take away one of Harry's allies?" Her brows knitted together in confusion at the professor's vague words.
"As it happens, I have it on good authority that Voldemort has other plans for you. Your intellect is unparalleled. He wishes to harness this, use it to his advantage. I wish I could tell you that you don't have to go, but I'm afraid you have no choice. If you do not, your parents' lives will be forfeit." He gave her a moment to allow this information to sink in. he'd given her a lot to think about in one sitting. Taking pity on her, he gave her a sad smile. "Go to bed, Miss Granger. Sleep on it. And then go talk to Professor Snape." She sat there a moment, too stunned to move while Dumbledore watched patiently as he always did. “Professor Snape will make all the arrangements and is under strict orders to protect you to the best of his abilities." He hoped that would reassure her, even a small bit. "Now, off to bed with you.”
As Hermione trudged up to Gryffindor Tower, her mind swam with thoughts of what Dumbledore had told her. He wants to harness my intellect. It was somewhat of a relief that perhaps she wouldn't die in the next few days but he still had her parents and that worried her more than anything.
As she entered the portrait hole, her mind in a tailspin, she headed straight upstairs to her dorm and lay down, hoping that sleep would take her away from her troubles. If only for a few hours.
Sleep eluded Hermione that night though as she lay in bed, staring at the canopy above her. So much to think about yet only one conclusion; She must go to the Dark Lord. No matter the cost. With her mind made up, she reached to her bedside table and retrieved a Dreamless Sleeping Drought to chase away the nightmares she was sure to have and rolled over, giving in to the potion's effects.
Hermione's day passed by in a blur, her classwork the only repreive from her dark thoughts of the near future. Her last class of the day was Advanced Potions and her nerves about seeing Snape were causing her to tremble. That will never do. She had about fifteen minutes before she had to be to class, so she hurried to the hospital wing.
"Madame Pompfrey?" She asked loudly as there was no one to be seen. The older lady came bustling out from her office with a cheery smile on her face for Hermione. She'd certainly been in here enough, but her smile was infectious and she couldn't help but smile back.
"What can I do for you, dearie?" The old mediwitch asked politely.
"Could I bother you for a Calming Drought? It seems my studies have caught up with me and I find myself a bit anxious and jittery." It would not do to tell her the true reason for Hermione’s anxiety, besides, the excuse seemed to work.
"Of course, dear." She reached into her cupboard and pulled out a small vial. "Here you go. I do hope you feel better and don't push yourself so hard. Its only school, after all." She chuckled. Oh, Madame Pompfrey, if you only knew.
It took longer than she'd expected in the infirmary and Hermione had to race to make it to Potions on time. And of course, Snape was waiting for her by the doorway, the ever-present scowl etched upon his face. "Cutting it a bit close, aren't we Miss Granger?" His slow, deep timbre never failed to send a shiver up her spine and she squeaked out a quiet apology. "Find a seat and next time, make sure you have plenty of time to make it to my class. I have no patience for my student's frivolities." And with a flourish of his robes, he turned around and entered the classroom. She entered right behind him, only to find that her usual seat next to Harry was currently occupied by Ron. They eyed her with disdain as she passed and she resolved to confront them about their attitudes in the dormitory later that evening. Making her way to the back of the class, she was dismayed to find that the only empty seat left was at the table with none other than Draco Malfoy. Bloody hell. Can this day get any worse? But then she remembered her meeting with Snape and she had to resist the urge to bang her head against a wall. Of course it can get worse. Soon, I'll be meeting the Dark Lord and then my life will be over for real.
Taking her books and parchment from her bag, she sat down next to Malfoy, sliding her chair to the furthest end of the table and began arranging her supplies neatly on her side of the desk. Her nerves were already shot, her hands trembling visibly despite the Calming Drought she'd taken before class. "Nervous, Granger?" Malfoy's whisper penetrated the fog in her brain and brought her out of her bleak thoughts. She refused to answer him, her eyes cast ahead as Professor Snape began his lesson.
"Today we will be brewing the Felix Felicis potion, also known as Liquid Luck." Snape drawled from the front of the classroom while Hermione furiously took notes. "None of you will be taking your work with you once you leave so don't get excited." A collective groan filled the room and Hermione had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Of course Snape wouldn't allow them to take such a powerful potion when they left! Glancing at her book, Hermione rose to gather the proper ingredients and the cauldron they'd need to brew the potion. "Bet you could use some of that potion when you meet the Dark Lord..." Malfoy said sardonically. Hermione’s eyes widened and her head whipped around in surprise. "I was there when they brought your parents in, Granger. I reckoned it would only be a matter of time before you were summoned. Enjoy your last days, Mudblood.” Hermione's blood boiled at his words and her hand itched to reach for her wand, but that would do no good in the presence of Professor Snape. But oh how she wanted to hex him into next week.
"Don't you have a potion to brew, Malfoy?" She hissed. "That is, if you want to stay second in class.” Hermione took little delight in the shade of purple that Malfoy's face turned at her comment, but her mood lifted slightly despite the heavy burden weighing upon her.
"Miss Granger, please stay after class. Everyone else, class dismissed." Snape announced and Hermione took her time packing her things, waiting for the rest of the class to leave the room. As the last student filed out, she approached the professor's desk warily, though she held her head high as if she wasn't scared out of her wits. "First of all, your potion was perfect, as always." He said, his eyes on the stack of parchments he was grading. "Secondly, Dumbledore has asked me to handle the situation of you meeting the Dark Lord."
"I'll do it." She said before he could continue. "My parents' lives are in danger. If going to Volde--The Dark Lord will spare them, or at the very least, prolong their death sentence, then I'm going."
"And what do your pets think of this plan?" He asked, referring to Harry and Ron.
"It is none of their concern." Her voice betrayed the hurt and anger she felt. "They've....they've turned their backs on me, Sir. I am no longer a part of the 'Golden Trio'. They hate me." She didn't understand why she was explaining this to Snape of all people, but it felt good to say it out loud, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
The professor could not have looked any more disinterested if he tried and didn’t respond to her comment. In fact, if possible, Hermione could have sworn she saw just the ghost of a smile flit across his stony features for a second. “We leave Friday night and most likely will not return until late Sunday. I do not know what is planned for you, but I suggest you prepare for the worst. How proficient are you in Occlumency?"
"Very, Sir. Remus....I mean, Professor Lupin taught me last summer. Would you like to see?" She asked timidly. Hermione wasn't sure she wanted Snape invading her mind, but if the rumor was to be believed, he was the best legilmens this school has ever seen.
"As a matter of fact, I do.” Before she had time to blink the professor stood and aimed his wand. "LEGILMENS!"
Hermione stood stock still, feeling a small push in her mind and she pushed back, forcing him from her mind and feeling quite proud of herself. "Very good, Miss Granger. Now let's see how proficient you are at allowing selective memories through while blocking the rest of your mind." And he cast the spell again.
This time, when she felt the push, instead of pushing back, she opened the part of her mind that remembered being on the stairs the night she caught Harry and Ron bashing her. It seemed fitting to let him see that memory, thinking that Voldemort would enjoy knowing that she'd been abandoned by the light, to be claimed by the dark. "Well done. And interesting choice of memory to share. Might I ask why?"
"Well," She began, "It can go one of two ways. The Dark Lord could become angry that I am no longer close to his precious Harry Potter," She spat the name as if it were poison on her tongue, "Or he can be delighted that I, my intelligence, and my personal knowledge of the Golden Boy could be his for the taking. I'm hoping for the latter."
"I can see why they call you the brightest witch of your age." Snape remarked uncharacteristically. It was a rare compliment and Hermione found herself smiling despite herself. But just as quickly, the moment passed and he was back to being the big, black bat. "We leave at eight sharp Friday night. Do not be late, Miss Granger, or the consequences may be dire. The Dark Lord is not a patient or forgiving man. Tell no one. And take this.” He handed her a vial of the Felix Felicis potion and she furrowed her brows. "I have a feeling you may be needing it."

******
"Why are Harry and Ron glaring at you?" Ginny Weasley whispered in Hermione's ear during dinner in the Great Hall. They'd chosen seats at the furthest end of the table away from the two boys but she could still feel their glares boring into her. She still couldn't fathom their sudden hatred of her when just last week they'd been laughing and getting on just fine.
"Apparently they think I'm a bitch that thinks she knows everything and should be running the show." She replied quietly. "I can almost sympathize with Malfoy with the way they treat me now. It's as if I'd killed Hedwig or something. I really don't know, Gin." She pushed her food around on her plate, her appetite suddenly absent. "I'm going to confront them about it tonight when we get back to the commonroom." Yes, she was definitely going to confront them and demand to know why they've been treating her like a pariah. A movement caught her eye and she turned just in time to see Harry's head twitch, the way it did when Voldemort invaded his mind and his glare turned to a look of pure hatred. Something was definitely up and she would get to the bottom of it. Tonight. Getting up from the table, she said her goodbye to Ginny and exited the Great Hall, heading to Gryffindor Tower to get some homework done and await the boys arrival.
Hermione was sitting in an armchair in the corner of the commonroom, her Ancient Runes book open in her lap as she studied, waiting for the room to clear out so that she could confront Harry and Ron without an audience. It took longer than she'd expected but finally, around eleven, everyone had cleared out with the exception of the two boys she needed to speak to. Closing her book, Hermione stood and made her way over to them and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch. As they started to get up and she immediately pulled her wand. "Locomotor Mortis," she said quickly, effectively immobilizing their legs and preventing them from leaving. "Oh no you don't. We're going to hash this out and we're going to do it now." Her voice brooked no argument and despite the fact that they may hate her at the moment, they knew that tone well. The two boys sat back down. "Now, why is it that you hate me all of a sudden? We were fine last week and now you look at me worse than you look at Malfoy. What gives?"
Harry spoke first, his green eyes flashing in anger and hatred. "Honestly, Hermione, what do you want me to say? That you're a know-it-all? That you think you're better than everyone else? I AM THE CHOSEN ONE! Not you. What makes you think you can help ME? You're just a bushy-haired bookworm Mudblood! Why would we ever truly want to be friends with you? I'm just glad it's all out in the open so I can stop pretending!" His voice was so full of hatred, so full of disgust that it stunned Hermione.
"That's not you, Harry! That's Voldemort invading your mind and corrupting you! You'd never be saying these things if he wasn't in your head! Harry! It's me, it's Hermione. Your best friend. I've been there for you through everything! How can you say these things? How can you call me that name? This is not like you at all!" Hermione pleaded, desperate not to lose her best friend.
The look on Harry's face was one of loathing and he shook his head, eyes cast heavenward. "No, Hermione. I've felt this way since first year on the train. You had such a nasty attitude and then I found out that you were Muggleborn. It left a bad taste in my mouth for all Mudbloods ever since." His face screwed up in distaste. "Don't you see? You set this all in motion with your know-it-all, superior attitude. As if, just because you were good with spells, it made you better than me. I survived the killing curse for Merlin's sake! No matter how great you are with spells, you'll never be my equal. You'll never deserve the gift of magic you've been given. You're a disgrace to the Wizarding world and you always will be."
Turning to Ron, betrayal and hurt in her eyes as they blurred from unshed tears, she raised an eyebrow. "And what about you?" She asked with a shaky voice. But he said nothing and his silence spoke volumes. He agreed with Harry. "So all these years, after all we've been through, you were both just pretending?" Her voice broke at the end, showing her anguish. "You were just using me for my researching skills. Using me to help you do your schoolwork for you. You were just using me." Her voice was small now, just barely above a whisper. I was such a fool. Without another word, Hermione stood and left the Tower.
Hermione found herself in the restricted section of the library a few minutes later, reading up on mind control, convinced that was the reason for Harry's change in behavior and his abhorrence of her. Since First Year? Then why did he pretend to be her friend for so long. Of course, she knew the answer to that question. He'd seen the benefits of her studying and ability to retain knowledge and deduce answers to questions he couldn't. Closing her book, she pulled it to her chest, sandwiching it between her chest and knees as she hugged herself and sobbed, truly alone in her anguish.
Her cries drowned out the sound of approaching footsteps and she was startled when Malfoy rounded the corner into her aisle, appraising her distraught state. Jumping up from her spot on the floor, wand in hand, she narrowed her puffy-eyed gaze and aimed her wand at Malfoy. "What are you doing here? Come to gloat about how my friends betrayed and disowned me?" Her tone was meant to be stern but broke at the end, showing her hurt and pain.
Malfoy turned his head sideways and gave her his trademark smirk, sauntering slowly over to her. "So Scarhead and Weasel disowned you, eh? No one to come running to rescue you. No one that even cares. And you sit here crying over it?" He eyed her darkly. "Pathetic. You could take them out with the smallest flick of your wrist and yet they disown you and you cry. It's you that should have disowned them long ago. The Chosen One and The Dimwit. How pathetic can you get?"
Hermione quickly swiped her tears away and straightened her spine. She'd be damned if she was going to take this from Malfoy, now of all times. Her parents taken hostage, her friends abandoning her, and being caught by her enemy in her most vulnerable state. It angered her like never before. For the second time in her life, her magic sparked and crackled around her and without uttering a single incantation, she sent a stinging hex at him, shoving him back a few feet, causing the startled blond to stumble and stare at her in bewilderment. Non-verbal spells had yet to be taught in class and he wondered for a brief moment how she'd done it. "Leave me be, Malfoy, or I promise you, I'll do a lot worse next time."
"Like you could actually do anything to me. I was trained in the Dark Arts, Granger! I could put you on your arse quicker than you can say ‘Quiddich'." He sneered before Hermione gave a flourish of her wand and he landed on his own arse a few feet away. Without another word, she brushed past him, her eyes landing on his prone form on the floor and giving him a Malfoy-worthy smirk.
"You're not the only one who has studied the Dark Arts, Malfoy."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Firstly, I want to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews! They're what make me want to keep this story moving along, and hopefully at a good pace. I'm loving writing this story and I hope you all enjoy reading it. Starr: I know it's a little mindboggling that Harry and Ron would be so callous to their best friend but I promise it will make sense later in the story. Just keep reading and you'll find out. JaxPendragon: I like the way you think. Draco and Hermione teaming up. But for which side? The light or the dark? I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out. And last, but certainly not least, I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to my wonderful BETA, and one of my best friends, Lorett. Who would have thought we'd go from role-playing together 5 years ago (Yes, it's really been that long. Haha.) to writing fanfics together now? You're the greatest! Love you, girl, and thank you so so much. I look forward to working with you more in the near future.
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Pride and Morality