Temptation - Dramione

Chapter 1

Draco

"They caught the Mudblood." My father's voice rang out, filled with pride, as he barged into my room.

"Did they find Potter as well?" I inquired. An irritable sigh escaped my father's lips, a visible annoyance on his face.

"No. Potter managed to escape. Weasley seemed to have abandoned them, the blood traitor that he is. However, the Mudblood wasn't as fortunate," a cruel smirk curled my father's lips. "We need you to identify her and gather any information about her connection with Potter." I nodded, my expression tense, and headed downstairs.

As soon as my gaze landed on her, a surge of emotions gripped me. Hermione Granger knelt on the floor, held at wand-point by my Aunt Bellatrix.

"Well, Draco, what are you waiting for?" I approached her slowly, a smug grin playing on my lips.

"Granger, long time no see, huh? I guess Potter was too busy saving his own arse to care about what happened to you," I spat, my disgust evident. As I got closer, I couldn't ignore the state she was in – her once shiny chestnut locks now dulled by dirt.

"I suppose the Dark Lord will want to see her. She must possess valuable information about Potter's whereabouts," Bellatrix sneered. Hermione's doe-like eyes widened at the mention of the Dark Lord, her rosy lips trembling with fear and anger, a mix I recognized all too well.

A pang of guilt tugged at my heart – I despised Mudbloods, but I also knew the horrors the Dark Lord was capable of.

I gripped her arm roughly, guiding her towards what could be her impending doom.

"Ah, Draco, what do we have here? Is she one of the muggle-born slaves ?" Voldemort's voice dripped with malice. His crimson eyes bore into Hermione, making her visibly tremble.

"No, my Lord. Snatchers captured her while she was attempting to flee Godric's Hollow with Potter and his friends. She's likely to possess valuable information," I answered, meeting his gaze with a feigned confidence. He rewarded me with a chilling smile.

"Excellent, Draco. You continue to prove your worth. I'll have a conversation with this one. You may leave," he dismissed me.

"Of course, my Lord." I left the room, finally releasing a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

It was not long after stepping out of the room that I heard piercing screams coming out of it, making my blood run cold.

I never grew accustomed to the sounds of suffering – the cries and pleas clawed at my conscience.

Over the past months, I had been assigned various tasks – capturing Muggle-borns, half-bloods, sometimes extracting information through torture. My aunt Bellatrix reveled in it, but I struggled to fully embrace such cruelty. The Cruciatus Curse, a spell of the Dark Arts, proved too much for me. It required a dark intent that I couldn't summon.

Occlumency became my shield against guilt. Whenever remorse crept in, I would just put my occlumency walls back up. This was war – a realm where remorse had no place. Survival was paramount. I had trained relentlessly since my fifth year, determined to restore the Malfoy name, distancing myself from my father's errors and charting my own path. Bellatrix became my teacher, instructing me in Occlumency and Legilimency. Though I could manipulate minds, torture and murder remained steps too far, much to my aunt's dismay. I knew that was not what my mother would have wanted me to be. She didn't want her son to be a killer. Althought, she didn't appear to have a problem with her husband being one.

The door swung open, revealing Hermione's tear-stained face. "Potter will come for her. We'll use her as bait. Assign her a room and ward it. She can't be in the dungeons; that's where Potter will search first. Feed her once daily – enough to keep her alive for now. You're in charge of our guest, Draco. do as you please but she mustn't die yet." Voldemort commanded.

"Yes, my Lord."

I grabbed her by the arm once more, helping her up. She stopped sobbing as I guided her to one of the rooms of the manor. It was small and empty, containing only a double bed, a dresser, and a desk.

"Are you okay?" The question slipped out, surprising even me. I had no reason to care about a mudblood's well-being, yet there I was, asking.

"Don't pretend to care. You hate me," she mumbled. Irritation crossed my features, but I didn't respond.

"You should take a shower, you look disgusting." I spat, "The bathroom's there. A house elf will bring dinner in an hour." With that, I turned and left, casting a locking charm and placing wards on her room.

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Hello, thank you for reading the first chapter of Temptation !
It was a small introduction chapter, just to set the story.
Most chapters will be longer but not too much, I prefer stories with shorter chapters as it's easier to perfect the prose and really focus on what matters !

There will be a sequel to Temptation (which will be even better in my humble opinion).

I will try to post each Sunday.

Please leave a review so I can improve and even change the story along the way if you give me some ideas :)

Next chapter will be out sunday 03/09.

See you next week :)