Disclaimer – Everything you recognise, belongs not to me, but the talented JK.  Anything else is more than likely mine.

Authors Note – Another Pansy Draco story, our favourite couple.  This is going to get quite dark and our three favourite main characters are going to be shown in quite a different light.

Crudelis Ferreus

Chapter One – Introductions

"Cruciatus," I scream.  The three wizards blocking my way crumpled to the floor, writhing in agony.  I smile and step lightly over them, heels clicking on the marble floor.

"Parkinson," a raspy voice whispers in my head, "I said not to draw attention to yourself."

I roll my eyes and turn on my heel, pointing my wand at the men, "Ripagus" I mutter.  Their screams of pain fell silent.  Turning once again I resume my quick pace down the shadowy corridor.

"Interesting.  Very interesting that you chose to rip out their voice boxes rather than just use a simple silencing charm," there was a hint of amusement in his tone, "But Parkinson, never roll your eyes at me again."

If anyone else had rolled their eyes at the Dark Lord they would have probably been forced to eat them by now but me, no, I'm special.  The Dark Lord needs me.  Pansy Parkinson, his most accomplished, devious and beautiful spy.  Well spy and thief.  I haven't survived six years in Slytherin house without picking up certain skills, although my power, status and certain connections offer a certain amount of protection.  In Slytherin house no one is safe, not even the Slytherins.

I brush away a stray dark hair as I crouch down outside a door.

"Locking charm…too easy…triple strength-who put that on?  A magical barrier…powerful but nothing I can't handle," I mutter.  Pulling out my wand again I tap the door handle.  It clicks and the door slowly slides open.

"Oh too easy," I laugh, "They underestimate me."

Pushing the door open further I crawl inside the dark room.

"Lumos," shouted what sounded like a thousand voices.  Light filled the room.  Startled for a moment I stare round wildly.  Then I regain my composure.  The Order, Dumbledore and Potter at its head.  I sighed resignedly as I climb to my feet.

"Foiled again, it is just to hard to beat you guys"

"Shut it Parkinson," Granger spat.

I look over to the mudblood.  Bushy and toothy as always, flanked on either side by Potter and Weasel as Draco refers to him.  Personally I'd just call him downtrodden.

"Sorry about the parents Granger, my hand slipped," I retort.

She dived towards me, rage shining in her eyes.  Ron grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back.

"Aw Weasley, is this the only time you can cop a feel?"

Ron went crimson and pulled out his wand with one hand, the other still gripping Hermione by her robe.  He pointed it directly at my heart.

"Give me one reason," he said in a low, dangerous voice.  I stare him down, a malicious smile implanted on my lips.  Oh how his sister squealed.  He dropped his gaze.

Harry stepped forwards.  "Pansy if you come quietly we will spare you,"

Oh Potter.  He always liked to do things nicely; he didn't like the blatant shows of emotion his two best friends went in for.

"Sorry Potter," I reply, readying my wand "No can do" and raising it over my head I scream the words, "Estric Torlasus"

A blinding purple light blasted outwards from my body and filled the room, knocking them all to the ground.  For minutes they crawled round blindly, banging into each other as they searched for me.  They had no chance.

"She's gone again," Harry said in a defeated voice as the light cleared.

"Harry, Harry," Hermione called urgently from where her head was stuck into a hole in the wall.  A metal door lay twisted and blackened on the floor.  He rushed across to her and she looked up into his eyes,

"She took it Harry, she took it,"

"You have pleased me yet again Parkinson.  I shall have to find you a suitable reward"

"Your praise is reward enough, Master" I reply.  Technically it wasn't, but hey it was the traditional answer.

"You forget Pansy," I look up in shock.  Not once has he ever addressed me by my first name, not even when I was initiated, "I can see into your mind.  I have big plans for you, my pet.  Plans to make our connection stronger, closer."

He stood up and began to move toward me.  My stomach tightened, I knew what was coming.  So it was time.  I had heard all the stories, everything that had ever happened down the years in The Dark Lords own personal initiation of his women.  I was scared, terrified and he could feel it.  It only made him smile more.

Suddenly his cold hand shot out and cupped my chin, pulling it roughly upward so I was looking directly into those deadly slits.

"I have been waiting for this moment for quite some time now Pansy," he said, "This has been something I have been looking forward to for such a long time.  I haven't had someone so young in years."  His hand reached out and caressed my bare leg with its cold touch.  It was all I could do not to shudder.

"But, but Master I'm-" I choked out.

"Not yet betrothed, my pet," his face inched closer to mine-

"Master"

He swung round, dropping his hold of my chin.  I fell to the floor, shaking, and slowly began to edge backward.

Draco lowered his eyes in a gesture of apology.  As if a Malfloy ever felt apologetic, absurd.

"I beg your forgiveness Master, I, I did not realise-"

"I know you did not realise Malfloy, what is so important that you must come barging into my private quarters at such an inconvenient time?"

"Inconvenient?"  I thought.  That was the best possible time for Draco to ever have come barging into a room.

"Er," he looked past The Dark Lord to me, his eyes searching.  The Dark Lord noticed this however.

"Parkinson is not of your concern Malfloy, now what is it you want?  I have important business to attend to,"

I gulped and my gaze shot to Draco.  My eyes pleaded with him, don't leave me here.  The look I saw on his face however when he heard our Masters words nearly made me jump up and dance, if I did that kind of thing.  He looked so, well protective and alarmed and even angry?  If I weren't scared for my virginity and possibly my sanity I would have danced around the room.  Draco cared?

His eyes lingered for one more moment before he turned his gaze on The Dark Lord.  His steel eyes visibly hardened as he spoke to him in clipped, short tones,

"There has been a development.  Father wishes you to come immediately,"

I could have sworn that if they moved that way, Master's eyes had rolled.

"Very well," he said turning back to me.  "We shall continue this at another time, Pansy."

He whispered the last word directly into my ear, so Draco wouldn't hear.  But it gave me the opportunity to look at Draco.  He took a jerky step forward as The Dark Lord bent toward me, and when his lips brushed my ear his arm jerked automatically toward his wand.

"Come, Malfloy," Master said as he swept from the room.  With one last lingering look Draco left.

I sighed and collapsed fully onto the floor.  The marble was cool against my body.  My eyes closed as I tried to quell the feeling of dread inside me.  It wasn't over yet.

"Pansy" I jumped as his voice rasped through my head, through my skull, "Don't fear it.  It has only just begun."

"Goodbye Mother," I say, graciously kissing her cheek.

"Father," he kisses the top of my head, the annual leaving for Hogwarts family tradition.  Now don't get me wrong, my parents do love me, they just have a different way of showing it.  You can't become respected in Dark Arts Circles by being loving and kind now can you?

Mother.  Well her way of showing me love is to pamper and preen me.  Buying me the latest in make-up lines from "WitchFace" a designer beauty shop which stocks only the most expensive potions and mixtures, always making sure I have the newest perfecting and beatifying charms and always making sure I have the most fashionable and expensive robes.

I didn't say it was a bad life now did I?

Fathers job is to pay for all this and to make sure I have all the studying materials I need.  Now I don't mean those boring, childish books they set at Hogwarts.  Those are kids play for someone like me.  These are truly useful spells.  Useful for a thief and spy anyway.  How to make oneself invisible, how to read the minds of others, how to kill someone by looking at them.  All extremely powerful, and I might add complicated, spells to perform.  Father makes sure I'm the most educated and powerful female member of the Dark Circle.

I broke a few rules you see.

Before me there had never been any women in the forefront of the action.  Sure, there were female Death Eaters, and both Narcissa and my Mother have been granted the Dark Mark, as have many women before them.  But none of them were ever given any important tasks; none of them ever gained The Dark Lords trust and admiration as I have.

But it came with a price.  I have to share my mind with him.  Father said it was a small price to pay, but he just wanted something with which to gloat over the Malfloys with.  My being The Dark Lords pet was just that thing.  He comes and goes as he pleases, and he can hear every thought in my head when he wishes.  It's not like the Imperious Curse-he doesn't control my actions.  He just speaks to me, guides me.  Not that I need guidance.  I have a talent for what I do.  Father recognised it and he set up a phoney attack on our home, using some poor, unsuspecting Muggles as the attackers.  Well maybe not poor.  But anyway, I was the only thing that came out of our house alive that day and I must say it was the hardest test anyone had ever put me through.  Father was a tough man to beat.  I still don't know the spell he used but he managed to put himself into the Muggles, they could perform magic.  And he certainly didn't go easy on me.  Fighting the whole of The Order single-handedly is like a walk in the Hogwarts Grounds compared to what my Father put me through.

But anyway I survived and The Dark Lord heard of my prowess.  So he summoned me and asked what I would like to do to serve him with my power.  And I said I wanted to be a spy and thief, (ok so I wanted to wear a sexy black catsuit and cloak and slink around everywhere) and he agreed.  He said he needed someone capable to help him with certain, projects he called them.  Basically stealing ingredients and talismans to help him again achieve immortal life.  I looked up everything I've stole so far and putting two and two together realised what they were for.

So anyway, back to leaving for Hogwarts.

"Now do remember to write every week.  Are you sure you packed enough Formositas Moisturiser Crème, you know how dull your skin looks if you don't use it.  Make sure you eat now Pansy, but only vegetables and fruit mind you, I remember how fatty the food at Hogwarts was in my day," Mother said, eyeing Millicent Bulstrode's bulk as she lumbered passed us.

God I wish she would lose some weight, and get a wash at least once a month.  It's the disgusting idiots like her, and Crabbe and Goyle, which give us Slytherins our bad name.  I've heard them, striding down the corridor, round little Hufflepuffs talking about how we all look like trolls and ogres.  They can talk.  They all look like little round pods waiting to burst out of their robes.

"And keep on top of your studies, both sets of them," my Father reminds me.

"I am in the top five of the year, Father," I reply, a hint of smugness in my voice.  I worked really hard to get there, to please him, Draco correcting all my botched Transfiguration efforts as so McGonagall would not fail me.

I spot Draco out of the corner of my eye, hanging out of the train door.  He is staring in my direction intently and there is no mistaking the fact he is waiting for me.

"Don't keep Draco waiting now dear," my Mother chirps, her hands clasped and her eyes going remarkably bright.  This must be her dream come true, Draco Malfoy waiting to escort me onto the Hogwarts Express.

"Goodbye," I call over my shoulder as I walk across to him.  Mother waves a handkerchief and Father nods, the traditional Hogwarts goodbye from them.  As I reach up to pull myself into the carriage Draco grabs my arm roughly and yanks me through the door.

"What the hell do you think you are doing, ignoring my letters?" he hissed into my ear.

"What, you actually care Draco?" I reply nonchalantly, striding off down the corridor.  I can hear his seething breath behind me as he follows.

"I, I…"

I turn and grab the front of his robes, pulling him into an empty compartment.

"You don't have to hide it from me, Draco," I said teasingly.  He yanked himself away from me, collapsing onto a seat.

"I swear if you were anyone else, Parkinson."

I grin and flop down onto a seat myself.  I never have to keep up the ladylike graces and airs in front of Draco.  We've been best friends since we were playing with his Fathers potion ingredients in Malfloy Manor, and trying to steal our parents wands so we could perform spells at the age of three.  I must say I was good then as well.

His eyes clouded over and he grabbed hold of my hand suddenly.  I stared at his hand on my own and then into his eyes, wondering.

"I'm sorry, was I to late?"

There was no need for further explanation.

"No," I reply quietly, "He never…"

And that was it.  Draco dived across the space between us, wrapping me in his arms.

"Draco," I gasped, completely taken-aback, "I'm ok, he never-"

"When I walked in there, I, I could have died on the spot.  I didn't know what to do.  Pansy I have never been so worried and you refused to write back.  If it wasn't for Fathers constant reports I'd have thought you were dead."

"Well I'm not," I said, pushing him away.  If anyone happened to walk past and glance in his reputation would be in tatters.  Neither of us wanted that.  You see around me Draco allows his cold, cruel image to fall away.  He lets some of it fall in front of the other Slytherins, but I'm the only one who truly knows him.  He does care you know, admittedly only over a select few people.

Someone knocks on the carriage door and we jump apart as if we'd been burnt.  Blaise enters.

I stand automatically, Draco stands to.  The rules must be obeyed now.  The façade cannot fall in front of Blaise; if he wrote home and told my parents about how un-ladylike I was conducting myself I'm not sure what they would do.  Probably send me to etiquette classes again.  The bane of my existence.

Blaise takes my hand and bows deeply to me as I curtsy.  God we must look so idiotic to anyone watching outside, all these formal traditions.  Now don't get me wrong I do adore them but in the right place.  Yes they would all look pretty at a ball, or revel but on the train to school, no.

They both wait to sit until I have.  "Its not a ball" I long to shout, but a Lady doesn't shout.

Oh yeah I should inform you.  There are two types of revels in our circles.  The normal, elegant balls and banquets that any ordinary wizard might hold, well any ordinary wizard with extreme amounts of money and taste, and the Dark Revels.  I've been to one and it made me sick.  I'm not squeamish, well not very, and I hate Muggles and Mudbloods as much as the next Death Eater but there was just blood everywhere.  People drinking it, bathing in it.  Some of them had completely stripped, it made it easier to go along the lines of Muggle women and rape them.  And the women, they too had their own Muggle men to torment.  And all wore masks, a staple of The Dark Lords.  Everyone wore masks so they could be unidentifiable and could be free to do as they wished.  They hid behind a mask.  I never touched any of the men.  I had fun placing various spells on them in different orders to see the outcome but I never wanted to, you know, rape them.  I want to keep my virginity intact until I am married, just like a proper Lady.

"How was your summer Pansy? I heard it was most exciting." Blaise said in his harmonious lilt.  I have reason to believe he has tampered with his voice box to get it sounding that sexy.

I smile, "Nothing I couldn't handle Blaise," I pat his hand, gently.  Oh what obvious flirting.  Draco raises his eyebrows.  What he doesn't know is that over the summer Blaises and my own parents had a little meeting.  Blaise and I had some fun I must say.  Nothing to heavy, just some innocent kissing and groping.  But anyway Mother seems to want me to make a decision on him, but Father wants to wait to see if any word comes from the Malfloys.

"I heard Potter and the Mudblood unmasked you."

I sigh, God that interfering, bushy haired freak.  I got quite irate about that fact actually.  I had made no mistakes up till then, and then she went and ruined it with a well-placed charm.  The mask was off before I could even breathed.  So I killed her parents.  Tit for tat.

"Unfortunate but it hasn't changed anything.  They still allowed me back into Hogwarts,"

"But why?  I thought Dumbledore would want you out now he knew what you have achieved?"

"Dumbledore knows everything that goes on in this school, and he knows everyone who is on his side, and everyone who is on ours.  He couldn't expel the whole of Slytherin House now could he?  And plus I think he still believes he might be able to save us from the evil" I wave my hands for dramatic effect on the last words.

"We don't want to be saved," Draco grunts from beside me.  Since Blaise walked in his moods been completely off.

"How was your summer then Bla-" I stop mid-sentence.  Draco stood up and stormed out of the compartment, slamming the door shut behind him like a spoilt child.  Blaise turns to me and I shrug demurely.

"Well now we can have some fun," he says, crossing the short space between us in the blink of an eyelid.  His soft lips find mine, teasing them slowly open.  He pushes me down onto the seat, positioning himself on top me.  He's being rather forward I must say, probably because of last time.  His kiss deepens and his hand slides up and down my robe before resting on the top of my thigh.  His lips move to explore my neck, sending tingles across my whole body.

"Blaise," I whisper, "We can't, not here,"

He nods and pulls away, sitting himself down next to me.  Not a moment to soon either as Draco came barging in holding three Pumpkin Juices.  He throws mine at me and almost knocks Blaises head off with his.  He throws himself down onto seat opposite me and glares.  The famous Malfloy glare.  I think he spends hours at home practicing that in front of the mirror.  It's made a few girls faint that look, and not from fear either.

"Summer Blaise?" he said shortly.

"Fine," he says, "Mother and Father, thought I could benefit from a break so they took me to France for a week and then on to Germany and Spain.  France was beautiful, you really must go sometime Pansy, its exquisite."

Draco, humphed and crossed his arms.

"I was in France a year ago," I reply, "With Draco in fact.  But I never had the chance to see the sights."

Blaise smiled, "Another mission?"

I nod.  Those French wizards know some bloody difficult locking charms, worse than the Indians.

"How was yours, Draco?" he asks, although his tone seems to suggest he really doesn't care.

"Fine"

"Draco" I say, exasperated.

He shoots me a death glare.  But I can see his eyes have softened.

"Went to The Middle East, Egypt and Morocco.  Then America and then we came home for Avery's Dark Revel."

My head shot up, "You went?" I say, gripping the cushion of the seat so hard my knuckles turn white.

"Of course," he scoffed, "Why, couldn't you get yourself an invite Parkinson?" but I could tell that was only an act for Blaise, who was known to be an advocate for the Dark Revels.  Draco's eyes were searching my own, looking for the reason I seemed so alarmed.  My stomach felt like it had dropped to the floor.  Which one had he been?  The one who found it funny to stick sharp objects up the women?  The one who had found his sadistic pleasure in placing two strangers under the Imperious Curse and contorting them into the most horrific sexual positions?  I looked away from him-he made me feel ill.

"Pansy are you feeling unwell?" Blaise asks.  He's staring at where I'm gripping my stomach with my hand now.

"Yes," I hear myself say, "Would you please excuse me?"  They both stand as I do and Draco grabs the door for me.  I rush out and along the corridor, knocking into some poor unfortunate first year that looks as if she'll be a Hufflepuff.

I reach the toilets and rush inside, slamming the door and locking it.  I fall in front of the toilet just in time.  The sick burns my throat and makes tears fall from my eyes as I retch.  Once I've finished I lean back against the cool wall, silently crying.  I never, ever thought Draco could, would, I can't ever bring myself to say it.

"Pansy? Pansy are you ok?" a familiar voice calls from outside.  The tears fall harder.

"I'm fine Draco," I reply, my voice shaky.  I'm not though.

"I'll just wait here for you then,"

That brings a smile to my face.  How silly he'll look waiting outside the girl's toilets on his own.  He'll get some funny looks.  I stand and lumber toward a sink, splashing my blotchy skin with the cool water.  My eyes are watering and my face has gone red.  Sighing I pull out my wand and mutter some spells to clean myself up.  Then pointing it into my mouth I whisper I clever little charm to freshen ones breath, "Mintus Smellick"

"Pansy hurry up, I'm getting strange looks," Draco hissed though the keyhole.  The next minute I could hear high-pitched squealing and when I threw open the door a girl was writhing on the floor, her body covered in snakes.  A flashback hit me, a Muggle women rolling on the floor, her body covered in snakes.  The man performing the spell had ended it and climbed on top of her.  That was all the proof I needed.  Stalking past him I stormed down the corridor.  I could hear his running steps following me.  He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the nearest compartment.

"Out," he barked to the group of girls, all Slytherins.  They eyed us suspiciously and Meliance Zambini piped up, "Oh hello Pansy, our house was so much more interesting whilst you were there."

I thought Draco was going to explode, "OUT" he roared.  The girls jumped and scampered out.

"Firstly we will address your sudden interest in puking in the train toilets," he said, "And then we will address the reason you visited the Blaises over the summer."

"Draco you know why I-" his look silenced me.  He crossed the distance between us in one stride and grabbed my shoulders gently with his hands.  He looked into my eyes but I couldn't hold his gaze.

"I didn't you know," he said, dropping his hold and sitting down, "I didn't touch any of them."

I stare at him in shock, "But that spell?"

"Father taught me it.  It's one of his favourites.  It was probably him."

I sigh and sit next to him, making sure our bodies are close.  "Sorry," I whisper, "How did you know why I was, ill?" Draco never lies to me.

"It wasn't hard Pansy," he replied, "You ran out of there as if I had just set fire to you when I mentioned the revel and then when you saw that spell I thought you were going to throw your guts up all over again in the corridor."

I smiled.  So he does care.

"I knew you were there," he carried on, "And I wouldn't do anything anyway.  It might suit some others but I certainly do not like attending these Dark Revels.  I told Father and he said I need not attend another, he says that unless The Dark Lord is there they are not compulsory, just fun."

I shudder, fun?

"Of course I enjoy a good spot of Muggle torture," he says, "Extremely akin to what you were doing with your time at the revel,"

"You knew which one I was?" I say in surprise.

"Of course.  How long have I known you and you think I can't recognise you under a mask?"

I felt bad now.  Draco had been able to recognise me but I had no idea which one he was.  Then again I wasn't looking for him.

"Now Blaise," he said, his eyes hardening.

"His parents and mine set up a meeting over the summer," was the simple answer.

"Oh," he said, "And?"

"Blaise was very nice.  It was enjoyable."

"Have you agreed yet?"  His grip on my arm tightened.

"No," I whisper.

"Good.  Because you'll want to consider all options before you decide, Parkinson."