Disclaimer: Sadly, I didn't come up with the Harry Potter series, so the credit for the characters, settings, and a few parts of the plot used in my story goes to the amazing woman known as J.K. Rowling. Otherwise, it's all mine. ;)

Chapter 1

Peace. Glorious, blissful, wonderful peace. This island paradise with its gentle breeze, luscious palm trees, soft sand, and lazy waves. It was like one of those ads one sees in travel magazines; advertising a cool tropical getaway from the busy world where time and money are everything. Except this tropical getaway was better than any that could exist on Earth, and quite literally too, for this paradise was one concocted by Hermione Granger's mind, and it was perhaps the one thing that kept her sane amongst her insane surroundings; her own, personal Heaven amidst a world that was Hell.

"Daydreaming are we?" a low, throaty chuckle broke Hermione out of her reverie.

She silently looked up at the cold, grey eyes that met her gaze in a hard, icy stare. The man's shoulder-length pale blonde hair fell about his face, which was hard with its clearly visible wrinkles and deep-set frown heightening the stately air that surrounded him. He was a man of fallen power and a hungry prowess that had no goal besides survival.

"Mr. Malfoy," Hermione greeted curtly, nodding her head and refusing to show any sign of fear, no matter how scared she really felt.

All her polite greeting met was a sneer, though, as the man's face twisted up in disgust at having been addressed by her, "I came to tell you Mudblood, that you have about a week before the Dark Lord will meet with you."

Hermione didn't flinch. "Thank you. Is there…anything else I must be aware of? Perhaps in preparation for meeting the Dark Lord?" she asked, looking at Lucius Malfoy straight in the eye as his face hardened even more before collapsing into a smug look.

"Only thing you need to prepare for Mudblood is meeting a very painful death. In the meantime, I trust that your accommodations are comfortable?" he asked, sweeping his right arm to indicate the cold, damp cell in which she was being kept prisoner.

With a sarcastic smile Hermione replied, "Oh yes, they are just fine. A few hours in this cell, and I already feel at home."

Lucius smirked, "Well, I'm glad to hear it. Now what would a home be without a housewarming? I brought you a visitor."

He stepped aside to reveal a seemingly crazed woman with wild black hair looking as if it had been washed a few times in her life and never brushed at all. Her devilish smirk stretched wide as she brandished a pocketknife; her eyes glinting with the anticipated pain she hoped to inflict.

"Ms. Granger," Lucius said in a strangely polite manner, "I trust you have met my sister-in-law Ms. Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Ooooo Lucius you're too kind!" Bellatrix crowed as she pushed him further away and placed a sharp finger under Hermione's chin to force her eyes into meeting hers, "No need for formal introductions with this filth! We most certainly have met before. I remember her quite well from last year; saw her and the rest of Potter's pathetic crew when I killed that cousin of mine. You remember me don't you dearie?" Bellatrix crooned, pinching Hermione's cheek purposely hard enough that it left a bruise.

"How could I forget?" Hermione replied with a sickly sweet smile, flinching slightly from the pain, "That day marked me and one of my best friends for life."

A loud, shrieking cackle broke out of the black-haired woman; as if the memory was one of the best she had ever experienced. As quick as a her laugh began, though, it ended, and any sign of her pleasure disappeared as she pressed her face against the cell, causing Hermione to step as far away as possible, and grabbed the bars, shaking them violently as she cried out,

"Filthy little Mudblood! Lucius, let me in, let me in! She's here to lure in that blasted boy isn't she? Let me get my hands on that scum so that Potter hears what fun his dear little friend is having at our house! Oh you'll love this Mudblood; you'll love what I have in store for you! Or perhaps…I'll love it more! Hahahahaha!"

Lucius jerked her back from the cell, pulling her close to him, and whispered furiously into her ear something Hermione couldn't make out. Bellatrix's face visibly saddened as she crossed her arms and pouted, but didn't argue with whatever she had been told. Instead, she just glared as Lucius, turned to Hermione with a feral grin as if to say "next time," and nearly skipped up the stairs and out of the dungeon.

After hearing the thud of the entrance door shutting, Lucius turned back to Hermione with a blank face and said monotonously, "Your food will be brought down once a day by my son. You'll only be allowed one bathroom break, so it is my suggestion you use it wisely. If you haven't figured it out already, escape from here is impossible. Not only do we have guards securing the dungeon, but we have placed some outside to secure the manor as well. I assume you already know, but apparating isn't an option either. I have wards set up around my house Mudblood, nobody gets in or out without my knowledge. If you truly are as smart as they say you are, you'll do what's best for you, and right now, that's staying quiet and doing as you are told. Any questions?"

Hermione silently glared at the man before her. She was shaking with anger, but kept it in check and slowly shook her head in a "no." Like he said, it was in her best interest not to lash out right now. She was in a very perilous position at the mercy of some of the worst criminals in the Wizarding World, and if she didn't control her fiery temper, she could forget escape; she would be dead before she even planned one out.

"Good," Lucius stated simply, and turned around to look at the boy who had been hiding quietly in the shadows the entire time as he witnessed his father and aunt confront his classmate, "Come Draco."

With that he elegantly walked up the stairs, cane in hand and robes flowing about him, making him seem more imperious than ever. His son followed, but before he went up, he glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye. She stared back at him, as if waiting to see what he would do. Draco turned away silently, betraying no emotion, and climbed slowly up the stairs, shutting the door behind him with an echoing thud.

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm proud to say this is my very first fanfiction for ANY fandom! I'm a late Potterhead; avoiding the series until literally last July when I got HOOKED. I mean, I watched the movies since like 1st grade, but I hadn't read the books and naturally any fanfiction. All credit for getting me so obsessed with Dramiones goes to my good friend and cousin, thunder2010. Shout out to my friend DominoTyler as well; I was inspired for this story while texting her haha! Many of you have probably noticed my reviews in some of these other wonderful stories, and I hope you will leave a review in my own! Constructive criticism is appreciated and welcome. I will be updating, hopefully, every Saturday (including this one!) afternoon; so check between 3-5pm ET. Enjoy!