What Lies Within

Sophie had always wanted to live in the muggle world after she finished at Hogwarts but when she married Draco, she saw that idea fly out the window. She was fine with that, just a little bummed out. Now, here she sat, in a muggle living room, watching television. She's studied muggles so much that she knew how to change the channels and adjust the volume, and didn't need any help from Hermione, who sat next to her. Her mother was in the kitchen, making dinner, and her father on his way home from work.

"So, enjoying muggle life?" Hermione asked Sophie who grinned and nodded her head.

"I had always wanted to live like this. Then when I joined the Malfoy, that became impossible and I'm sure if they found out I was staying here, The Dark Lord would probably throw me into a fire for being a disgrace. He had no problem murdering my father." She claps her hand over her mouth as soon as the last sentence was out. No one but Draco and the Malfoy's, and the death eaters, knew that is how her father had died.

"You know who killed your father?!" Hermione gasps. Sophie sighs and nods, looking down at her hands. "But why?" Sophie found herself wanting to tell Hermione everything.. but she couldn't trust that she wouldn't go straight to Harry and tell him everything. Especially with how suspicious of Draco he was.

"I can't tell you." Sophie answers. "I want to but... I can't. Harry can't know anything about it."

"I won't tell him, Sophie. You know I won't. I'll make the unbreakable vow with you if you want." Sophie laughs and shakes her head.

"We don't have to go that extreme, Hermione." Hermione laughs a little too.

"You can trust me... I've never told anyone anything you've told me about you and your family. I won't start now. Does it have to do with Draco?" Sophie nods, her eyes welling up with tears. "Please, talk to me."

"You won't tell Harry? Please, it will ruin our friendship for good if he knew, Ron as well."

"It will not leave this room, okay? I just want to make sure you're okay." Hermione was concerned for her best friend. Was she into trouble? Was You Know Who out to get her?

"Harry is right about... everything." Sophie whispers, a tear falling down her cheek. Hermione doesn't even gasp, but she reaches over and grasps her hand. "Draco was made a Death Eater this summer. I was supposed to be too." She can't believe she was talking about this to someone other than her husband. But she needed this, she needed to get it out.

"You aren't, though?" Hermione asks. Sophie shakes her head.

"Draco got me out of it... but my father died because The Dark Lord came to him last year, wanting to have me join the... club. My father refused and when my mother found out she..." Sophie couldn't say it. She couldn't confess that her father was dead because her mother cared more about power and being The Dark Lord's puppet than her own family.

"She what, Sophie?"

"She went to The Dark Lord, angry that my father had refused. So she... offered me up as if I was nothing to her, I am nothing to her. She also got him to kill my father for refusing. He originally was going to just leave it alone, I wasn't a big asset then. Now that I'm married to Draco, I am. In fact... we had to get married because of The Dark Lord, he made us." Hermione now had tears in her eyes as well. She couldn't believe all of this was happening to her best friend.

"He then set Draco to do tasks for him this year." She probably shouldn't talk about this, but once she started she found it hard to stop. "He has to fix the vanishing cabinet so Death Eaters can come and... attack the school while... while.."

"It's okay, you can tell me." Hermione squeezes her hand, neither of them trying to hide their tears.

"Draco has to kill Dumbledore." She whispers. Hermione gives a sob and shakes her head.

"He can't. I mean, he's a terrible person towards everyone but you but he could never murder someone."

"I know. I've been begging for weeks to now do it but he says he has to."

"Why? Why does he have to?" Hermione questioned. She couldn't believe all of this was happening to her best friend this past year.

"If he doesn't do those two tasks.. I become a Death Eater as well. Though I have a feeling I'll probably just be killed. I haven't been doing what he told me to do." She confessed, looking up at Hermione. "He wants me to stay close to Harry, get as much information out of him as I can but.. I can't do that to my best friend like that. Even if it means me getting harmed. That's why Draco is doing this, because he doesn't want anything to happen to me. I'd rather become a Death Eater than have him become a murderer."

"So that's why you haven't been speaking to Harry at all." Hermione mumbles. Sophie nods and takes a deep breath, letting it out quickly and trying to wipe at her wet cheeks to get rid of the tears that had fallen. Hermione does the same.

"It's been a crazy year, and it's only going to get worse." Sophie says once they are calm and collected once more.

"I think it's more than just crazy, it's insane. You shouldn't have to go through this. You don't have to go back." Hermione tries to suggest but Sophie gives a small laugh.

"Yes I do. I can't leave Draco. And... you know He would find me no matter where we go." Hermione sighs.

"I can't believe I actually feel sympathy towards Draco." Sophie laughs.

"Me neither." She agrees, both of them laughing. "He's under so much stress, that's why we've been having trouble. He spends every second on the cabinet and just seems so.. angry lately. It feels like he's pushing me away."

"Like you said, he's just stressed and wants you as far away from the situation as possible. He really loves you, Sophie. Don't start thinking he doesn't. I know you're missing him and I am pretty sure he's definitely missing you. You guys need each other."

"Hermione, it's not a good time right now. I'm stuck though." Hermione gives her a confused look so Sophie continues. "I want Draco to be done with this stuff so we can go back to our marriage, and not have this dark cloud hanging over us. If that happens though, when he's done, that means... Dumbledore is dead and I am terrified at what will happen without Dumbledore."

"Me too." Hermione whispers. "Was it Draco that cursed Katie Bell?" She asks, curious to know the answer. Though she would never tell Harry of course.

"He didn't mean to but... yeah, that was him. I didn't even know about it until he'd already gotten the necklace to Hogsmeade. He didn't want me involved what's so ever. He couldn't risk me getting in trouble for it. It was meant for Dumbledore. We figure that.. there may be a way to do it without Draco actually pointing the wand. As much as I wish it could be like that, it won't. Dumbledore is too smart for that."

"I agree. I don't want Draco to be a murderer but I don't want you to be a Death Eater though." Sophie smiles and wraps her arms around Hermione's shoulder, hugging her.

"Don't worry... I'll deal with whatever happens. I'll still be me." She assured her friend. She knew though that if it came down to it, she'd rather be dead than join that terrible man's little club of worshipers. "Me and Draco will figure each other out."

"Good." Hermione answers, smiling.

As the next two weeks went by, she was having the time of her life. She stopped thinking about Draco's tasks, or that Draco and her were having problems. She thought about Draco but just how much she missed him. He sent her a letter though, two days before Christmas. He used Jonesy, Sophie's own owl. The letter contained a small diamond necklace and a note. To Sophie, my gorgeous and incredible wife. I actually went into a muggle shop and bought that. That's how much I love you. I hope you are having a good Holiday. I'll see you soon, I can't wait to have you back in my arms. I love you. Draco(your loving and incredibly sexy husband.)

"Now that's pureblood true love, especially with a Malfoy, him going into a muggle shop." Hermione joked after Sophie showed her the necklace and note.

"I am loving it here but I miss him so much." Sophie said, sitting on her bed in Hermione's room. Hermione sat across from her on her own bed. "I wish he had a way to escape Hogwarts for a little while too, just to clear his head a little. Actually have happiness for once."

"Well he got an escape when he went into the muggle store." Both girls laugh.

"I'm not sure that counts as happiness." Sophie laughs, Hermione nods, grinning.

"Well, I'm sure that as soon as we're back in five days, he'll have his happiness back. Like he said, he wants you back in his arms. And he made jokes in the note, that's a good sign, right?"

"Yeah, I guess it is. Maybe he's made progress." Sophie sighs. "Being married is the hardest thing in the world." She groans, laying back on her bed.

"Really? I assume taking orders from You Know Who would be much worse."

"You'd be surprised, Hermione." Sophie mumbles, pulling a pillow over her, making her voice muffled. Hermione just breaks into laughter.

"I'll just never get married then." Sophie lifts the pillow from her face and narrows her eyes at Hermione.

"No? You don't want to marry Won Won and become a weasley?" Sophie uses the nickname that Lavender Brown, his... girlfriend, came up with.

"Ugh, don't mention that name, makes me sick." She makes a fake gagging noise.

"Which one? Won Won or Weasley?" Sophie questioned, laughing when Hermione throws a pillow at her.

"Quiet, you!" Sophie laughs, throwing back the pillow at her best friend.

Being here, away from all of the drama, just relaxing and having a good time with her best friend. She wished she could just stay here forever...