If I Had A Heart

Seven

Hermione

Draco arrived at Malfoy Manor for the Easter holiday, and it gave us a chance to reconnect.

We were in the gardens when Draco asked, "When I heard what Dumbledore forced you to do, I was so pissed. But I have to ask, are you happy with him?"

Had it really been so short a time since I was married to Voldemort? Apparently so, because Draco and I had been dating on and off in secret.

"Yes, I actually am," I said truthfully. "He's very different behind closed doors. He's funny, flirtatious, and I can't explain it any more than that. I was so scared at first to be with him, but after we were intimate the first time, it kind of broke the ice between us."

"Yeah, after you gave up your free will," Draco grumbled. "He played you like an expert Slytherin."

"So what?!" I snapped. "I don't expect you to understand the dynamics of my marriage. Besides, I know what you have to do the rest of the year, and I have my own mission. One I appointed myself to do. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to practice for it."

Draco looked stunned, but I ignored him. I went out to the shooting range, and used the gun I took from my parent's house the last time I was there. A nice 9mm handgun. I put an old Daily Prophet picture of Harry Potter on the bullseye.

I took a few calming breaths, and thought of how many times I had to do his homework for my two 'friends'. One round...How many times I had to serve detention...Two shots...my fingers squeezed off the two successive rounds. How many times Weasley's family kept expecting me to date Ron...Five rounds...

I emptied the clip, and quickly reloaded, my hands acting independently from my brain. I accioed the picture to me, and saw how if Harry had been standing in front of me he would have been pumped full of lead.

Thanks dad, for your early firearms training, I thought. I felt Tom's hands wrap themselves around my waist, and his teeth lightly nipping my collar bone.

"Careful, this is loaded," I warned. "Do you know how to shoot?"

Tom grinned. "Of course. I prefer curses and hexes, but I hunted game in my time. Let me, I need the stress relief."

"Be my guest," I said, putting the gun in his hands.

I was amazed at Voldemort's expert use with a gun as he fired off the shots in each quick successive action. The gun barely kicked in his hands.

"Okay, that was hot," I whispered in his ear. "Wouldn't it really throw the wizarding world into a tail spin if the so called Chosen One was killed in such a way?"

Tom grinned wolfishly. "It would. But how will you accomplish this? I'm not ordering you to do it, but the idea appeals to me, I have to admit."

I holstered my piece on a hidden place on my outfit, and smoothed his dark hair back from his face. "Gryffindors are trustworthy to a fault," I tossed my hair to the side, "They have no sense of self preservation, and like to see the good in everyone. I like survival over stupid brave acts myself. Harry genuinely likes me, and he has liked to take advantage of our friendship in the past to excel in his classes. Let's just say that I can sneak in and either a) shoot him, or b) slit his throat to the bone. If you go along with your plan to kill him, his blood in you will ensure that you die, and I cannot have that. I love you too much to lose you."

He never said that he loved me out loud. I knew that it was uncomfortable for him to admit it, but that was okay.

He shifted into his glamour and he said, "My mother's ring. It suits you."