A/N: I don't own Harry Potter, but I wish I owned Draco Malfoy. Enough said. Welcome to my Dramione fic. It's a Dark fic. It has a plot that I know has been used before, but it isn't even close to anything I've read as far as how the characters act and what plays out between them. It takes place during Draco and Hermione's summer before 7th year and will continue into 7th year. Draco is in character but Hermione is slightly OOC. Mostly book six compliant, obviously not so for book 7. Enjoy! And REVIEW!

Chapter One: The Snatch

"Goodnight!" Hermione yelled downstairs to her parents."See you both in the morning!"

She heard a faint goodnight from each of them as she entered her modest room and shut the door behind her. Hermione's summer before her seventh year was about a month in, and the weather was in rare form. Lightning and thunder cracked outside, and she turned to open her window and let the storm inside. She inhaled deeply, leaning on the window frame. Hermione loved the smell of a good storm. Her mind wandered to her previous year at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore had died at the hands of Snape. Draco Malfoy was an official death eater after letting the others into the school to kill Dumbledore. Thankfully Dumbledore had destroyed all of the horcrux's except the bit inside Voldemort's soul and the one apparently held within his snake, Nagini.

There was much careful thought after Dumbledore's funeral, and the trio had decided to stay at Hogwarts. It seemed the safest place now that Voldemort was out in the open. He hadn't taken over the ministry yet, and until that happened, Hogwarts was the safest place for the three of them. Besides, Dumbledore had left Harry with just one more horcrux to destroy, and then Voldemort himself. They had decided they would just wait for the fight to come to them.

Hermione sighed pulling the window back down and moving to lock it in its place. She stopped suddenly and peered out staring at her neighbors oak tree across the street. She could have sworn she saw a pair of eyes staring back at her, but shook off the feeling as she peered out once more and saw no one.

Hermione turned toward her dresser and began taking off the day's clothes to put on a pair of shorts and a tank top to sleep in. The entire time she couldn't get rid of the feeling that someone was staring at her through the window.

She tried to ignore it again, and walked across the room to her light switch, flipping it off. Hermione paused by her window once more before climbing into bed. Quietly she slipped on a pair of giant headphones and flipped her ipod on to help get her to sleep. She saw nothing out of the ordinary.

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Draco Malfoy turned behind a large tree in the night, giving Hermione Granger the privacy she needed as she changed into her pajamas. The fresh spout of rain was beginning to be bothersome to his clothing, so quickly muttered an incantation. The rain started to pour around him, missing his body completely.

He sighed, frustrated, and walked over to lean against the fence of some muggle neighbor as he waited for the light in her room to shut off.

The time went by drastically slow. It was nearly two in the morning when the light downstairs turned off signaling her parent's descent to the bedroom. He slowly crept up to the house. Draco thought hard of his destination and apparated into Hermione Granger's bedroom.

He immediately hid himself in the shadow of her closet in case she had heard the faint 'pop' of his entering. He peeked out to find her sound asleep. Muggle headphones were over her ears, blasting music Draco had never heard before. He found himself wondering what it was, but quickly shook himself. He had a mission to do, and he could not fail.

Draco Malfoy was hesitating as he watched the girl breathe. Sure it wasn't like he had to kill her…but wasn't this almost like assisting in murder? He didn't care for her in any way, but he had known her for six entire years, most of his adolescence. It was an odd feeling to play a role in someone's death who he had known for so long, even if it was only a small role. He stood completely still as she turned in her bed to face him, still asleep. He observed her long auburn hair that she had learned to tame in their sixth year. A bit of the covers had fallen off and one of her slender legs was exposed. Her face was peaceful.

Draco admired her from across the room, forgetting his mission for the moment, just as he had done two years prior at the Yule Ball. It wasn't so much that Granger was a mudblood or an insufferable know-it-all; it was more bothersome that she was friends with Harry Potter. 'The boy who won't die' had previously landed his father in Azkaban, and continued to insult his mother every chance he got. Potter was the bane of his existence and next was Weasel who was nearly just as bad. They were her best friends and his worst enemies. If that wasn't a reason to hate her then what was?

Draco shook away his thoughts and carefully got his wand out. He could do this. Draco thought of what Potters face would look like if he ever found out what happened to Hermione and that was enough force his feet to move forward.

He silently crept over to the glass of water on her windowsill and poured the clear liquid into it from the vial in his pocket. Then he took a deep breath, pointing his wand at Hermione's sleeping form, before slipping back into the shadows of her closet.

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Hermione woke abruptly in the night looking around in a panic. Water. She needed water. She sat up and looked around until her eyes fell on the windowsill. She quickly got up and scurried toward the glass of water that sat there. She chugged the water inside it and it poured down her throat. She finished exhausted and let out a long breath.

Draco watched from the closet still hidden in the shadows. The incantation for her desperate need of water worked perfectly, but he hoped he poured in enough of the knock out potion. Her face looked relieved as she set the empty bottle back and walked once more to her bed. Draco started to panic. It hadn't worked.

Then suddenly, inches from her bed Hermione's eyes became hazy and her steps became staggered. She took one look around her room and stared straight into Draco Malfoy's face.

"Malfo-," was all she got out of her mouth before she fell backwards and collapsed on the floor in a deep sleep.

Draco sighed in relief as he kneeled down to her to make sure she was still breathing. She was. He gazed at her and wondered why the Dark Lord had asked him to bring her to him. It seemed odd. Sure she was Potters friend. But really, what use could she be? When he was assigned this task he thought for sure he was going to have to kill the little mudblood.

But Voldemort's instructions were VERY clear. Draco relayed them in his head from the previous night.

"Bring the girl to me. You will use this sleep potion and get her to drink it without her realizing you are there. Then once she is knocked out you are to bring her to your manor and our headquarters and leave her there to sleep. She is not to escape. Oh and Draco?" Voldemort's voice stopped him from leaving and he starred straight into his snake eyes. "She in no way is to be harmed, is that clear?"

Draco had murmured a 'Yes, my Lord', and hastily retreated.

The only reason he could think of for Voldemort wanting her was 'torture'. Bring her in fresh, and break her slowly. Draco Malfoy picked Hermione up to a standing position. She leaned on him like a rag doll. He grabbed her hand and thought of the Malfoy Manor.

Without so much as a split second, Draco landed in a room fit for a princess. It was a large magnificent bedroom decorated in Gold and Silver: Everything from the bed, to the carpet, to the ceiling, and even the bathroom. A canopy bed lay in the middle of the room. Draco dragged the sleeping Hermione to the bed and placed her down on it. He looked at her once more. She looked almost beautiful, but not quite.

"Tomorrow she'll be dead," Draco said out loud, as if to reassure himself there was nothing he could do.

And without so much as another look toward her he strode out the bedroom door, sealing it with a magical charm so she could not escape.