Rating:
M for violence, strong language, and sexual content.

Disclaimer:
I don't own Harry Potter or any other character. All rights fully belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling. However, the plot is completely mine, as is Randy Evans and Bellona Malfoy.

Summary:
"War slowly approaches. Things are finally starting to heat up. Voldermort has finally restored to full power and is slowly coming out of hiding. But when he realizes Hermione holds a special part of the 'key', he sends the one person he knows and trusts to carry out his devious mission…Draco Malfoy. But will his plan prevail or will it crumble beneath his feet?"

Author's Note:
This story contains some serious issues not meant for younger readers. If you decide to read anyway, be forewarned. Even though this is a prequel, technically you don't have to read the first one. So if you do not its okay, and if you want to…go for it Hope you enjoy the prequel to the Astronomy Tower! Please R&R!

xXx

The Astronomy Tower: Part Two
Chapter One
A New Prophecy

xXx

"Get down here!"

Lucius sneered from the bottom of the stairs. "Where is that boy?"

"Probably in his room or somewhere." Bellona replied from the couch of the Malfoy Mansion as she read the Daily Prophet. (Bellona, Latin for 'goddess of war.' She had straight raven black hair down to about the middle of her back. Bellona might have even looked like an older version of Pansy Parkinson, the seventeen-year-old edition of Draco would have thought.)

Probably??? It was that kind of attitude that Draco could not stand. For all they knew—or cared—he could have been laying dead somewhere and all his parents would have said was… 'He's somewhere around here.' or 'He's probably in his room.'

No! SHE…was not his parent, not his mother. She would never be his mother and he would never—EVER—see her as this. Oh how he truly did miss his REAL mother. He could never see her again and it aggrieved him so much.

Draco was just only six when he lost her forever.

Oh so very young he was, too young to comprehend the true meanings of life and death.

Ten years old now, Draco had spent these past years motherless…and fatherless for that matter. Sure, he had his true father but was it really any different from having no father at all?

Lucius ascend the stairs at once: all the while continuing to mutter and curse under his breath to himself.

"When I call you…you better answer me dammit!!"

He reached the top of the stairs and immediately headed for Draco's room. Listening to his father's footsteps, Draco gaped wide-eyed at the door for a few seconds. The ten year old quickly amputated his lights, darted for his bed, and dashed under the covers, pulling them way above his head.

Lucius grunted as he kicked open his son's bedroom door.

"You dare defy your father?" he said from the doorway, his chest expending and contrasting as heavy waves of breath escaped from his flaring nostrils. "Did you not hear me calling you?" Lucius narrowed his eyes at Draco's silence, watching his covers trembling slightly. He took a deep breathe as his anger grew wilder inside him.

Draco quivered under his blankets still, feeling his father's eyes on him with every breath he took.

"Don't you dare pretend to be sleeping, Draco. I know you're not." Lucius's voice rang out through Draco's room. "GET UP!!!" he hastily stalked over to the ten year old's bed.

He laid there on his side under his covers. He could feel his father growing closer to him. Draco closed his eyes tight, listening to his father's footsteps as they approached. He suddenly stopped right at the foot of Draco's bed, glaring.

"GET UP!!!" Lucius yelled again, heaving back the covers from his son's bed. "I said…GET UP NOW!!!!!!"

He grabbed Draco by one of his ankles, turning him over on his back and dragging him across his bed closer to him, dragging him closer to the edge so that Draco was forced to sit up straight. "Let go of me." Draco demanded. Everything happened all at once, so fast.

"Get off the bed!" his father screamed at him. "GET OFF THE DAMN BED!"

"Let go of me…please." The ten year old shrieked, shedding tears as his father grabbed on his wrist and pulled him from the bed. "GET OFF ME! Get off me!"

"SHUT UP…or I'll give you something to cry about!" Lucius's voice rang out as he watched tears leak from his son's eyes. He narrowed his eyes at Draco's cries and pleas. He then smacked his only son across the face to get him to shut up, tightening his grip on his wrist.

Although naturally, that did anything but calm the boy down.

"Please. Stop. Please." Draco cried out; he could smell the aroma of liquor on his father's breath. "Please, father, you're hurting me." The boy was only ten and just about every day for those ten years, he was beaten severely for no reason at all. Not counting when he was still a baby, where his father neglected him completely.

Draco continued to cry out to his father and begged him to stop. He plunged to his knees at his father's feet as Lucius finally let go of him.

Lucius then undid his belt from around his waist and cracked it in the air like a whip. Draco cringed at the sound as he sat on his knees at his father's feet. "Please don't." Draco whispered.

"You lousy, poor excuse for a son." Lucius came down hard with the metal part of his belt. Draco cried out in pain. He felt the warm stinging on his back. Lucius repeatedly hit him; the belt came down harder and harder each time.

Over and over again.

He could feel the warm stings exploding from his flesh, could feel it shooting up his spine with every blow.

"I hate you." He whispered, wondering what he could have possibly done this time to deserve this.

"I hate you." Draco whispered again.

"I BLOODY HATE YOU!" the now seven-teen year old rang out as he jerked awake, bolting up straight. Draco breathed hard as he sat there in his bed down in the dungeons with the rest of the Slytherins.

He looked around. Surprisingly no one had awoken. He looked straight across from his bed and saw Blaise laying fast asleep in his four-post and Crabbe and Goyle were both snoring soundlessly on either side of Draco.

Draco pulled back his covers and quietly slipped from his own four-post. The cold floor tingled beneath his bare feet. He quickly got dressed, putting on his robes and what not. He rubbed on his lower back as if still feeling his father's repeatedly hard blows crashing down and smashing against his skin.

He ran his fingers through his white blonde hair as he cursed to himself and walked over to the dormitory door, wrenching it open.

Draco walked out into the hallway and quickly descended down the spiral stairs and into their common room. Thoughts, memories continued to drift through his mind all at once. He slowly walked over to the circular table in the corner by the window, which was supposed to exist there for studying; however, people generally used it as a make-out spot.

He sat on the edge of the round table and looked at his wristwatch; nearly midnight it read.

His head slowly fell into his hands, his forehead resting in his palms.

(Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same
And I still remember how you kept me so afraid
Strength is my mother for all the love she gave
And every morning that I wake
I look back at yesterday
And I'm OK

I often wonder why I carry all this guilt
When it's you that helped me put up all these walls I've built
Shadows stir at night through a crack in the door
The echo of a broken child screaming, please no more
Daddy don't you understand the damage you have done
For you it's just a memory, but for me it still lives on

Bruises fade father, but the pain remains the same
And I still remember how you kept me so, so afraid
Strength is my mother for all the love she gave
Every morning that I wake
I look back at yesterday) (Christina Aguilera- "I'm Ok")

Draco ran both hands through his hair again and jumped from the edge. He expelled his thoughts from his mind and proceeded from the common room and out of the portrait. He continued to walk the corridors, his feet making small taps with each step. His hands rested in his pants pockets as he looked down at the floor, memories pouring and pushing their way through his mind.

He remembered that day…the meeting…the prophecy. Draco sustained to watch his feet move along the corridors as that day came into play.

FLASHBACK

"I can feel myself starting to regain strength again." Voldermort's voice rang out. He sat in a throne type of chair, slightly hidden away by the shadows that filled the crypt.

Lucius smirked as he stood beside his son.

"A new prophecy was found…" Voldermort continued slowly, his eyes flashing excitingly and his elbows resting on the arms of the throne like chair. His fingertips pressed against each other in front of him.

His fellow death eaters gawked and gasped at their master's words. They stood around, leaning against the walls of the cavern, leaving Voldermort, Lucius, and Draco in the center of them all. They all glanced around at each other as if to see if they all had really heard the same thing.

Blaise, Draco's best friend, stood against the wall next to his own father. He watched Draco curiously.

Draco narrowed his eyes, watching his master carefully as he and his father stood in front of Voldermort. "…A prophecy that holds great importance to us and should be dealt with, with care and precaution. This is just the thing that the dark side has been looking for and with it completely undetected by Dumbledore or the Ministry…evil shall once again prevail!"

Lucius continued to smirk as he stood at Draco's left.

"The prophecy states that a muggleborn is destined to have a child. If cared for and raised in the right hands that child…the key… will be the chosen one, the one to vanquish the boy who lived."

Voldermort's lips curled and twisted into an evil cold grin. "And once again…the dark side shall rule and triumph over all who dare fight and try to over power me, the ones who cower and dread to speak the dark lords name… and the ones who are from future generations to come."

Draco dared not peal his eyes away from Voldermort as he stood a few feet away from his master. Instead he merely stood in front of his master, listening and clinging to his every word very intently. He felt his father's hand suddenly upon his shoulder. His grip tightened as Voldermort pressed on.

"This is a very important part in my return to power. It shall not be interfered and tampered with AND it shall not be talked about with anyone else outside this crypt. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" He added to the room at large.

Draco nodded as the room was filled with mumbling 'Yes, Master' and 'Understood, Master'.

"Good. If word got out to Dumbledore about this prophecy…" He broke off at the very thought.

"Sir?" Draco finally spoke up, feeling uneasy under his father's strong grip. As if reading his thoughts, Lucius alleviated his grip on his son's shoulder. "Sir, I still don't understand why exactly you asked for me to be here."

Some of the death eater's eyes remained lingering on Voldermort but others quickly shifted over toward the seventeen-year-old. Pansy Parkinson smiled slightly as she caught Draco's eyes.

"You are one of the greatest aspects in this prophecy." Voldermort smiled simply. Eyes began to shift back on Voldermort as he spoke again. "The prophecy doesn't state that any particular man from the dark side is destined to fulfill this…" he took a pause, searching for the right word. "…quest…if you will. However, I—AM—choosing someone. This mudblood attends Dumbledore's school and in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled…someone from the school will be giving the opportunity to prove themselves."

Blaise gave a smirk, brushed off his clothing, and gave a small cough as if trying to direct the dark lord's attention onto him. However, Voldermort did not take his eyes from Draco, didn't even give the slightest notation that he had even heard Blaise.

He coughed again.

'Look at me! I'm over here! I should be the one to take on this quest.' He wanted to say…but did not, just simply remained silent. Blaise continued to watch the scene in font of him, annoyed. He knew what was going to happen, knew exactly what Voldermort would say.

"Your father has been a very loyal servant of mine for some time now, Draco. Probably the most loyalist servant I have ever had. And now standing before me is his son."

Draco's gaze fell toward the floor; he couldn't seem to look into the eyes of his master for some reason. He felt ashamed somehow for being the spawn of his father but on the contrary—he was in fact being praised for it.

"What an honor it is indeed. Hopefully your father's traits have been passed down to you and not your mothers."

Draco looked back up at Voldermort at the very mention of his mother.

What exactly did he mean by that? Draco had wondered. His mother had been a very caring and loving person. In fact, she was the complete opposite of her husband: so free, so sweet and affectionate, beautiful in every possible way. Draco loved her. He missed her, needed her more than ever but she was no longer here. Narcissa would remain in his heart even now that she was dead.

Draco's hand slipped into his pants pocket and felt the locket—his mother's locket—that rested there but he did not dare take it out. Mainly because his father never knew he had it.

While he did naturally receive some of Narcissa's traits, he had unfortunately acquired more of his father's—bad—qualities. But then again—did Lucius really have any good qualities in him??

"I think it is obvious what I'm about to do." Voldermort continued, smiling. "Draco Malfoy." He nodded then quickly carried on. "I'm giving you a chance to prove you are in fact like your father and will become a very loyal follower of mine. Know that this task is not going to be a very easy one. Know that it will take a great deal of patients but the outcome—assuming it all goes as planed—will be tremendously worth all of the risks.

"Do you accept this offer? If not…I will reluctantly have to choose another."

Draco thought for a second and swallowed hard. He felt his father's, Voldermort's, and every other member of the dark side watching him with great apprehension.

Was he really, at all like his father?

No.

But that was a lie, he knew. He was almost exactly like his father…he hated to admit it.

'Deny it! Please…deny it!' Blaise prayed.

"I…" Draco's voice trailed off. He knew his father wanted him to accept it; he could feel it in his stare. What would happen if he really did deny it? His father would kill him! But if he did accept it…and failed…his father would still kill him.

It was a lose-lose situation.

A catch twenty-two, if you will.

"Draco?" Voldermort called.

"Yes. I accept." He replied.

"Good."

Draco heard a sigh of relieve escape from his father.

'Damn!' annoyances washed over Blaise. He was Draco's best friend. Wasn't he supposed to be happy for him? The truth was…he actually was happy for him…yet somehow…jealous?

Pansy smiled over at Draco from in between her mother and father. She was honored to have her boyfriend, her man, fulfilling Voldermort's prophecy. However, if she really knew who the muggleborn was…she wouldn't have liked it at all.

Draco smiled back. Slowly lowering his head, the smile faded away. He let the locket fall from his grip finally and took his hand from his pocket. He looked back up at Voldermort.

"What am I suppose to do? Rape the broad?"

Voldermort laughed. "Not in so many words, my boy.

"You should know…" Voldermort quickly pressed on. "That once the child is in my hands…the girl must die and if you can not succeed in fulfilling the prophecy or dare speak about this to anyone outside of this room or if you are ever overheard and word gets out…then you must die as well. Fear not the chance to prove yourself to me…you long for the taste of power and chaos; I can feel it."

Silence filled the room as Draco thought to himself for a second. He knew exactly whom Voldermort was talking about but still…he asked…

"Who exactly is this mudblood anyway?"

END OF FLASHBACK

It did not exactly take a genius to figure out just whom the muggleborn in the prophecy was.

"'The girl who has been your rival for so many years… Hermione Granger.'" Voldermort's words buzzed inside Draco's head as he walked along the corridors absentmindedly.

"'Don't fuck this up, Draco.'" His father had told him as they stood at platform nine and three quarters. "'I'm warning you. Don't fuck this up. Do you understand how bad that would make me look? Don't fuck up or I'll make sure I personal come after you and I won't have any remorse about killing you. So don't.'"

Before he realized it—Draco was walking along so absentmindedly and lost in thought that he suddenly stopped at the double doors leading up to the Astronomy Tower. He sighed, pushing his thoughts from his mind once more and opening the double doors. He walked in slightly and up the stairs pushing another set of doors open, leading to the empty classroom… or at least he thought it was empty.

Draco could see that a figure was seated at one of the many stools at one of the tables. She had her head tilted downward as it rest on the top of the desk and her hands lay upon her head as if she were shielding herself from something.

(I've been looking in the mirror for so long.
That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.
All the little pieces falling, shatter.
Shards of me,
Too sharp to put back together.
Too small to matter,
But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.
If I try to touch her,
And I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no more.

Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.
Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.
Lie to me,
Convince me that I've been sick forever.
And all of this,
Will make sense when I get better.
But I know the difference,
Between myself and my reflection.
I just can't help but to wonder,
Which of us do you love.
So I bleed,
I bleed,
And I breathe,
I breathe no…) (Evanescence- "Breath No More")

"Oh…sorry. I didn't know anyway was up here." He spoke softly. "I'll just…" he pointed to the door behind him with his thumb as he spoke.

The girl looked up at the sound of his voice. Shadow spread across her face. "No, it's fine." She replied in a rather shaky voice. "I was just about to leave." The girl got up from her stool and slowly walked up to Draco.

"Granger?"

"Malfoy?"

"What are you doing here?" they asked snottily in union.

"Nothing…I just…." Hermione started, about to explain but then quickly came to her senses. "I asked you first."

"No you didn't, Granger." Draco replied as he stood in front of her. "We asked each other at the same time."

Silence filled the room and Hermione narrowed her eyes at Draco but then quickly looked down at the floor. Her eyes were all red and blotchy. Draco could tell she had obviously been up here crying her eyes out.

"If you must know, Malfoy…" she began. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about what you said this morning." Draco continued to stare at her but said nothing. "You really hurt me you know? We weren't even at school for more then ten minutes and you already have to start with me outside by the lake." Hermione looked back up.

"Oh sing a new song will ya." Draco replied rudely. "You're not seriously sitting up here—crying—all because of what I said, are you? Get over it." He pushed past her and walked over to the professor's desk.

"No, I can't just get over it." Hermione said angrily, spinning to face the back of Draco. "Malfoy, you were talking about my parents."

"So?" he said simply, smirking as he rummaged through the objects on Professor Sinistra desk.

"Draco, my parents are dead." She replied seriously, tears starting to fill up in her eyes again.

He spun around quickly to face her and stared at her for a few seconds, studying her. "Oh." was all he managed to get out. A concerned look spread over his face, for he was thinking about his own mother, knew how much it hurt.

"Voldermort…" Hermione whispered. "He…he killed them." Her head suddenly fell into her hands as she stood there. "He's coming back….he's already starting to make kills." She sobbed into her hands.

Draco quickly looked away.

He suddenly looked back up at Hermione and slowly walked up to her.

"So…what now?" he started. "Are you going to be like Pothead now?"

"What?" Hermione looked up to find him walking toward her.

"Should we all just start feeling sorry for you now?!" Draco continued to taunt. He stopped in front of her. "Are you going to get a scar too?" he asked, pushing her golden brown bangs to one side with his finger.

"That's not funny." Hermione sneered, slapping his hand away from her forehead. She quickly turned on her heal and headed for the door.

"I couldn't sleep either."

Hermione stopped, a hand already resting on the door.

"I had a dream…so I went for a walk. Just to clear my head… thinking about certain things. You know?" Draco told her. Ok so he didn't really want her to leave. He didn't want to be alone. She was remotely the closest thing he had to company right now and like usual, he got amusement out of tormenting her. At least it would take his mind off things…sort of.

Besides, she was part of the prophecy like it or not. He had to start somewhere and he may not get another chance like this for them to be alone together.

Hermione turned around smirking. "AWWW! Did the big bad scary nightmare frighten poor little Draco?" she said, pretending to be sympathetic, babying him.

"SHUT UP, Granger." Draco hollered rather sharply. Hermione fell silent, closing her mouth tight in a gulp. She had done a lot more than just pricked at nerve.

"I'd rather have dead parents then parents who…." His voice trailed off. Hermione looked up at him, real sympathy spread across her face this time. Draco looked away.

"What? Then what?" she asked softly.

Draco turned away, moving over toward the balcony.

"Nothing." He whispered. He had said too much already. Malfoys did not talk about their 'feelings.' They did not spend time together…and they sure as hell did not open up and share things. They kept things bottled up inside where they belonged. Fuck Granger if she thought he was just going to put his life on display for her right here!

"You can tell me." Hermione said as she moved slightly toward him. She gave him a sympatric look. "I won't tell anyone." She spoke softly as she stopped beside him on the balcony.

"It's nothing. OK? So would you just come off it?" Draco said rather seriously. He stood on the balcony, his hands resting on the railing. He looked away to his right as Hermione came and stopped on his left. She watched him for a few seconds.

"Listen." She began. "Whatever it is…I know something is obviously bothering you and I know you're not ready to talk about it. But…" her voice trailed off. "I just want you to know that… I'm here. I'm ready to listen when you're ready to talk."

He continued to stare off into the night.

"How touching." Draco replied bitterly.

"I just mean…" she began and he turned his gaze upon her finally. "That we spend so much time trying to torture and making each other feel so bad and lousy…." Her voice trailed off. "That…you know? We should…maybe…"

He continued to look down at her.

"I just mean we're both obviously upset about something…me with my parent's death and you with….." Hermione's voice once again trailed off. "The point is we have enough things to worry about without us down each others throats all the time. We should learn to get along…you know? At least try not to be such a pain in the ass around each other. It might make things a lot easier for us…okay? So could we just call a truce? Please?"

Draco stood there studying her. His hands still resting on the balcony post, he gave her a quizzing look. 'Is she really serious?' Draco thought. Hermione stuck out a hand for him to take.

"Yeah…okay." He replied taking her hand in his.

"Well I'd better get going." Hermione smiled, letting go of his hand. "I'm so glad we can put aside our differences for once… and finally become friends."

"What?!" Draco blurted out before he could stop himself. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I said nothing about being friends with you, Granger."

'Hello! Stop! Remember the prophecy?'

"But—"

"What I said was that I would try not to argue and bicker with you. That does not mean I have to like you and that does not mean we have to be 'friends'." Draco finished rather rudely in his usual cold Malfoy tone.

'Shut up, you moron!'

Hermione's mouth dropped open slightly as she glared up at him. She took a deep breath as he continued to smirk. "Fight it, Hermione." She told herself aloud. "Just walk away. He's definitely not worth any of your time or energy to smash your fist against his face."

"Fight the urged, Draco." He mocked as he turned to face her, letting go of the balcony post completely. "Just walk away because it's not worth your time or energy to fuck the brains out of this little cunt."

"Yeah because why go for Pansy Parkinson when the man-whore can go after any girl he wants to and still win their heart's over with his cunning charm and wit." She replied rather sarcastically.

Without giving Draco another word she turned on her heal and walked off toward the classroom door, descending the stairs and slamming it shut behind her.

Draco stared at the door, smirking.

Part of him just did it to piss her off, did it all just for the reaction and loved every moment of it. Nevertheless, giving the situation of the prophecy, it was a very stupid thing to do. Especially, since she was willing to become friends. So why was it so hard for him to shut his mouth?

If things kept going like this, if he kept running his mouth like that, then things are definitely going to tough.

Draco could not help but think why she was being so nice all of a sudden. Was she really getting sick of it all? Had he really gone too far over these past six years?

Draco gave a shrug.

He was set out to do a job. Whether he liked it or not…he was going to have to take Granger's advice and try to get along for once.

Draco's lips curled into an evil, cold grin as he continued to stare out into the starry night sky.

XxX

'What a cold, conniving, selfish…GIT!' Hermione's thoughts sprang to live. 'The nerve of him…' She let out a sign as she continued down the corridor toward the Head's Tower, arms crossed over her chest in an angry fashion. She struggled to fight back tears.

"I tried." She said aloud. "I wanted to finally be able to get along with you." She spoke as if he really was standing there, walking beside her. She gave another sigh. "I thought things would be different this year this time around. I thought…"

Hermione suddenly felt something rubbing up against her legs and she stopped. She looked down abruptly.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione said relieved as she snatched him up from the ground and cradled him in her arms. "You scared me." She laughed.

"Have you ever…you know…liked someone, Crookshanks?" Hermione began. "But they don't even seem to notice that you're even alive…except when they're treating you like you're nothing more to them than the shit on the bottom of their shoes they just happened to step it?" she finished, stroking his head softly as she continued toward her tower.

Crookshanks meowed as he rubbed his head gracefully on Hermione's hand as if he actually understood, purring away like a motor.

So Hermione had a small crush on—okay so she had a bigger crush on the man that tortured her for these past six years then she was letting on but she was sure not going to tell him that. Why? So he could taunt her and laugh in her face some more? So he could continue to tease her, calling her names and poking fun every chance he got? No thank you!

She finally reached the Head's Tower and whispered the password to the portrait of a beautiful young mistress in a flowing, elegant Victorian dress.

xXx

A/N:
So, any thoughts? Ideas to make it better? Advice on anything? Too much cursing? lol Or perhaps anything you'd like to happen?

Reviews are very much appreciated. So, please review. Thanks.

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Christina Aguilera-I'm Okay
Evanescence-Breath No More