A Snake's Secrets ~Draco&Hermione FF~

Chapter 5 ~ The Dark Mark

               Hermione woke me up when the train stopped. She didn't bother me with questions, but I could tell she was worried. I knew I would have to tell her that I was a Death Eater sooner or later. I didn't want her to think I would hide something like that from her forever. It was hard to hide anything from her since she was so smart anyway. I just hoped she wouldn't be too upset with me for hiding something from her. That was my second worry to what she would think about me being a Death Eater.

               Once we got inside the school, I pulled Hermione into an empty class room so no one could see us. As soon as the door was closed, she was kissing me. I could practically feel what she was thinking as I kissed her back. She knew I was hiding something. But she wasn't bothering me because she knew that I would tell her. I tried to put as much emotion and feeling into the kiss as I could, trying to make it last since I still didn't know how she would react. I shuddered to think that it might be the last time I kissed her.

               "Meet me at the lake at ten tonight," I whispered, pulling back just slightly to look in her eyes. "I'll tell you everything then."

               Hermione nodded. "Just promise me you'll be okay," she said quietly, her eyes pleading with mine.

               "I promise," I said quietly. But my voice gave away the lie.

               I kissed her again quickly. Then I walked out briskly and didn't look back.

~*~

               When I was in potions class that afternoon, I was unfortunate enough to be paired with Pansy. I wondered if Snape did it just to get on my nerves because I was pretty sure he knew I really didn't like her anymore. But I knew better than to complain when it came to Snape anyway. So I just worked with Pansy silently.

               "You look really pale today, Draco," Pansy whispered as she stirred the potion. "I heard You-Know-Who made you a Death Eater yesterday."

               I shot her a look, but didn't say anything. She was talking quietly, so I didn't think anyone would hear her as they were working. But even if someone did hear her, most of the students were Slytherins. So they probably wouldn't be surprised if I was a Death Eater.

               "Are you hurting?" Pansy whispered, leaning closer to me. "I guess the Mark hurts pretty badly at first, right?"

               I gave her another look and moved my arm away. There was only a couple minutes left of the class. Then I could get as far away from her as I could.

               "I just want to help you," she whispered in my ear, pulling at my sleeve.

               When she touched my Dark Mark, the pain exploded in my arm again. And I felt a dark power shoot through me. I acted without even realizing it, shooting a spell at her. Pansy flew off her chair and hit the opposite wall. Then she crashed to the floor and didn't move.

               The whole class room had gone silent. Everyone was staring at me in shock. I was shocked too. What had just happened? Did I really just do that? But it felt like something had made me do....

               The bell rang, and the students hurried out of the room. Snape was helping Pansy out of the room. He closed the door once she was out and turned to face me. I just looked at him silently, waiting to see what he had planned for me.

               "I know you are under a lot of stress right now, Draco," he said calmly. "But that doesn't mean you can just go around attacking students."

               I narrowed my eyes and looked down silently. Of course Snape knew I was a Death Eater. And he probably knew what Voldemort wanted me to do too.

               "I can help you if you let me," he said, moving closer to me. "You don't have to do this alone."

               I glared at him. "He assigned this to me and me alone. I don't need your help."

               His eyes hardened. "You felt something inside you when you attacked Pansy, didn't you? Something dark and powerful? It was painful and it scared you-"

               I shook my head and pushed past him angrily. "Leave me alone!" I hissed as I hurried down the hall away from him.

~*~

               When I was finally going down to the lake to talk to Hermione, my stomach was in knots. I was still shaky from the incident in Potions. And I was even more nervous about what she was going to think of me.

               Hermione was already waiting for me by the lake. As soon as I got to her, she pulled me close and wrapped her arms around me tightly. I slipped my arms around her waist and just looked at her beautiful face for a minute. Then I had to kiss her again softly.

               "Please tell me what's wrong," she whispered against my lips, squeezing me tightly.

               I sighed quietly and looked into her eyes. "Voldemort made me a Death Eater and he wants me to kill Dumbledore."