A/N: This chapter contains images of rape. Although not a Canon Character, I still wanted to warn you!

Hermione entered the control trailer and glanced around. Donald was examining a clipboard, looking sour and tired and Stevens was pressing buttons and yelling into his headset that there was something wrong with camera one. On one of the monitors, the men were listening to Brian Oceancrest as he announced that they needed to head to the recreation room for their next challenge. Theo looked over at her as she bumped his elbow while trying to get into the corner; she started to apologize before realizing who it was. He still looked like his alter-ego, which she thought did him no justice. He was really a nice looking guy as far as evil bastards go.

“Hello, Granger,” he said with a sly grin.

“Hello, Theo.” She curled her lip in disgust and quickly averted her eyes back to the monitors.

“Nice to hear my true name again. I was getting tired of Sam. What a hideous name.”

“And Theodore is any better?” she said, rolling her yes, but still not looking at him.

“Look, Granger, you have no room to talk smack about anyone’s name. Hermione? Were your parents drunk of their asses when they named you, or did they just hate you that much?”

That got a reaction and she couldn’t help but look over at him. “At least I’m not spending my time being Malfoy’s little pet! I would have never guessed you were such a subservient lap dog.” She smiled at him sweetly, loving the way the flush of embarrassment was creeping over his face. “Does he pay you in rawhide bones?”

“He doesn’t have to pay me, Granger. I help him because he’s my friend.”

Hermione lifted her brow, not believing a word of it. Malfoy and Nott were not the type to have friends- slaves and worshippers yes- but friends? No. “If you’re trying to tell me…”

“Will you two shut the fuck up?” Stevens snapped, turning his head in their direction. “We’re taping a damn show here and I can’t hear the fucking audio over your chattering!” He turned back to the monitor and checked camera one, which was still not working right. “Now, either sit down and shut your pie-holes or get the hell out!”

Hermione quickly took a seat and much to her dismay, Theo decided to sit next to her- way too close for her liking. She decided to try and ignore him and watch what was going on in the recreation room. Heidi Flume was walking towards the contestants, looking oh so glamorous. She stopped and grasped the black cloth that was draping the table in front of her. Hermione and Theo leaned in closer, intrigued.

“For your next challenge, you will be designing an evening gown for Miss Hermione Granger, using only these materials.”

“What?” Hermione asked, looking over at Donald, who only shrugged. She sat back in the chair and folded her arms over her chest defiantly. “I’m not wearing anything those buffoons sew!” She could only imagine what the gowns would look like, and it wasn’t pretty. “No way.”

“You don’t have a choice, now do you?” Theo said with a smirk.

“You never know, Hermione,” Donald said, trying to soothe the rage that he could see was slowly building inside her. “One of them may be a talented frock maker.”

Hermione doubted it very highly. The camera zoomed in as Draco swore, before focusing on the items on the table. Now Hermione was really worried.

….

“No fucking way!” Draco said in shock. The other two men were speechless in horror.

There on the table were three bolts of material; a black satin, a green silk that reminded Cormac of his mother’s dusty drapes, and lastly, a hot pink velour that was so bright it hurt their eyes. There were also various colored crinolines, laces and ribbons. It wasn’t this normal fabric that caused Draco to swear, but the accessories they were to use that made him and the others stare in a state of shock.

Heidi gave them a bright smile that could have given Brian Oceancrest a run for his money. “You must use at least four of the offered accessories to adorn your gown.”

“But…” Ron started to say and just stopped. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the buffet of ludicrousness that was spread out before him. There were rolls of aluminum foil, plastic wrap and toilet paper. Bowls of colorful confetti, beads, buttons and sequins that were shaped like cats, dolphins and snowflakes were scattered along the table. Also, there were shakers of glitter, stacks of colored tissue paper, construction paper and squeeze bottles of paint among the other accessories. His eyes roamed down the table and he saw tiny silk flowers, acorns, pinecones, sand, bright yellow Easter grass and even un-popped popcorn. It looked like craft supplies for a five year old.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Cormac said, his eyes pleading with Heidi. “This is a joke, right?”

Heidi shook her head. “Sorry, Cormac, but this is no joke.” She turned and motioned for someone behind her to come forward. They had all been so stupefied by the table that they had failed to notice the very well dressed man in the corner, with well coiffed white hair and glasses. “This,” Heidi said as he sauntered forward, his expensive shoes making no sound on the linoleum floor, “Is Jim Dunn. He will be your advisor on this challenge.”

“Hello, designers!” he said in a voice that made it quite impossible to tell if he was a snobby Brit, or just an arrogant gay guy. He handed Heidi a black velvet, drawstring bag and then stood there, looking over his glasses at them as if sizing them up.

“In this bag are three buttons; one button for each designer. The name I draw first will not only get first choice from the table, but first pick of the models.”

Down the stairs came three very tall, beautiful women who were wearing nothing but a small black slip dress.

Ron could barely believe what he was seeing. He had always heard tell of women that were so beautiful it could take your breath away, and now he was living it for real. To think he would be working along side one of them- close enough to smell, to touch! He was getting a boner just thinking about it.

“This is Tasha,” Heidi said, gesturing towards a golden-haired woman with bright blue eyes and dimples. “Ashley,” she named the stunning one with creamy white skin, long, luxurious auburn hair and eyes the color of caramel apples. “And last but not least, is Jenna.” This girl was the tallest, the thinnest and the most attractive. Her skin was naturally golden brown; her sparkling eyes and silky hair were as dark as a raven’s wing and she carried herself like she knew she was the shit.

“I will now pull the first name from the bag.” Heidi reached in and pulled out a button. “Draco. You’re first.”

Ron and Cormac looked at each other, pissed. It was just like Malfoy to get picked first. The last thing they wanted was for him to grab the best material and hottest model before they could, and both secretly and independently decided to try and sabotage him during this competition. He’d already spent enough time with Hermione, and it was time someone else had a chance.

…

“Hmph!” Hermione said as Draco’s name was pulled first. “Imagine that! Malfoy’s name is chosen first.”

“What are you trying to say, Granger?” Theo asked, his nostrils flaring.

She wanted to shout that he was a damn cheater, a fake and a selfish piece of shit, but instead lowered her voice so that only Theo could hear. “You know exactly what I’m saying. He runs this show, he’s a fraud and being the cheater he is, he probably forced them to pick his name first.”

Theo grabbed Hermione by the arm and jerked her to her feet as on the monitor, Draco was choosing the black satin, tiny pink silk roses, white ribbon, pink and silver glitter and some buttons that looked like huge, fake diamonds.

He also, much to Hermione’s dismay, chose the most beautiful model, Jenna. “Of course he’d pick her, wouldn’t he?” she huffed, her jealousy boiling over. “She’s probably working for him already. Maybe she’s his secretary and gives him blow jobs under his desk every morning…”

“I want to talk to you… alone,” Theo said through clenched teeth. He dug his nails into Hermione’s arm, making her wince.

“Sto…” She had no time to protest before he rudely shoved her out the door, Donald and Stevens looking after them curiously. He pulled her across the yard, digging his fingers into her arm painfully, and as soon as they were out of ear-shot of the house, she turned on him in a fury. “How dare you put your hands on me!” she said, twisting out of his grip and shoving him in the chest. “Just because I’m not afraid to say the truth doesn’t give you the right to man-handle me, Nott!”

“Truth?” he snapped, dangerously close to her face. “You wanna know the truth, Granger? The whole truth?”

He was scaring her and she took a step back, her ass hitting the trunk of the maple tree behind her, making her stumble. She caught her balance just in time for him to put his hands on either side of the tree, caging her in. He looked like a wild man; his eyes bulging and crackling with anger. “Theo…” she said, her voice full of warning, “I suggest you step back or…”

“You forget, Granger. You are wandless now, and seeing that I’m more physically fit than you, I do believe I have the upper hand. Now shut the fuck up and listen for once in your life!”

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You two are all buddy-buddy and in this together and like I’d believe anything you said, Theo. You’re just as big of a liar, cheater and swindler as he is!”

“Oh my fucking…” he said, pushing off the tree and clenching and unclenching his fists. “I just don’t… see in… pay me enough… annoying little… AHH! Fucking… why won’t she just listen!”

He paced back and forth, mumbling under his breath and Hermione was becoming increasingly uneasy. She glanced over to her right and thought perhaps she could make a break for the house. Just as she made her move, he turned back and stalked towards her. She held out her hands in front of her. “Please…” she closed her eyes, sure he was going to pounce on her and throttle her to death. When nothing of the sort happened, she slowly opened one eye and then the other, and saw him standing there, running his hand through his unruly brown hair. He looked exhausted, and although still a little agitated, he was at least calmer than before.

“Granger, Draco has handed over complete control of the station and the show to me.”

It took a second for Hermione to register what Theo had just announced. “He did what?”

“Yes, Granger. He signed it all over. Lock, stock and barrel. That is how much he wants to be with you.”

Hermione knew that Draco Malfoy relinquishing control of anything was extreme, and suddenly she felt guilty about jumping to conclusions. “I can’t believe he would do something like that.”

“Shocking, huh? Unbelievable that Draco Malfoy would give all this up for you, right? Here, all along, you thought him some heartless monster who cared only for himself and would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Sad that you were sitting in that control room thinking the worst of him, when he was more than willing to hand everything over everything he owns just to prove to you that he really does love you.”

“I… I don’t even know what to say.”

“Whatever needs to be said needs to be said to Draco, not to me. I’m telling you this though, I am no longer going to stand by and do nothing when someone like you or your sainted friends talk shit about him. You have no bloody idea what that man has been through.”

“What has he been through that was any worse than what any of us went through?” she asked. “We all lost people we loved and some of us even lost our own lives. You can’t use what happened as an excuse to think you can manipulate people for your own selfish gains. Hell, Harry lost numerous people he cherished and you don’t see him fucking people over to get ahead in life!”

Theo sighed in frustration. She was the most irritating woman he had ever met, and he had no frigging idea in Hades why Draco liked her so much. She was a Grade A 100 pure bitch; opinionated, close-minded and preachy, and he could only imagine what life with her would be like. Suddenly, he felt sorry for Potter and Weasely. “Walk with me, Granger.” He waved her on and after a tiny hesitation, she joined him.

They walked along the property in the warm sunshine for a bit, each lost in their own thoughts. The grounds weren’t that big, and so Theo slowed his pace to give him time to say what he needed to say.

“Has Draco ever told you about that year?” Theo asked, stopping and turning to her. Her silence was answer enough- no, he hadn’t. He wasn’t surprised though; as far as he knew, Draco had only discussed it with one person, and that was him. “What I’m going to tell you is between us, do you understand? I promised Draco I’d never say anything to another living soul and I’m not breaking this promise lightly. This has to be done in order to make you understand why he is the way he is.”

She looked at him curiously and followed as he began walking towards the tiny flower garden at the end of the drive. She had often reminisced about that ‘lost year’ as she and Harry called it, but never once had she thought about what Draco or any of the other children of the Death Eaters had gone through. To her and everyone else, they were just as guilty as their parents and didn’t deserve sympathy. She now realized perhaps they had been wrong to do that.

“I know you know about him being forced to kill Dumbledore- that’s common knowledge, but what you don’t know is the psychological and emotional trauma he went through in sixth year, and the violence he was forced to be a part of the following year. No one knew what he was going through except for me.”

“But why would he divulge such private information to someone who wasn’t even a close friend?” Hermione asked. It was true- she never saw Draco and Nott together, and assumed they moved in different circles at school.

“Oh, but we were close, Granger!” he said with a smirk, “It was out of necessity that we became friends.” He sat down on a wrought iron bench that was next to a bone-dry birdbath and a few sickly looking Rhododendron bushes. “We knew the repercussions of our parent’s beliefs all too well, and sought each other out simply out of loneliness. We needed to be around each other for sanity’s sake. It was hard to walk around not knowing if it was going to be your last day on earth, or wondering if you were going to be forced to kill or rape someone simply because the Dark Lord woke up hating you that day. We clung to each other desperately. Kept one another focused. Held the other tightly when… when our mission was over and we broke down sobbing uncontrollably.”

Theo looked out over the grounds and sighed. He hated remembering the time he spent with the Death Eaters and Voldemort. It was something he and Draco wished they could erase from their minds. Once, they had even given serious thought to Obliviating each other because the pain and the guilt was almost more than they could live with.

As things got worse, Draco seemed to just stop caring and would walk around like a zombie. He just stopped feeling- anything. It was too dangerous to feel. Your thoughts might betray you. After all, Voldemort could see into your mind, your heart, your soul and there was no bloody way Theo or Draco wanted that.

Hermione couldn’t believe what she was hearing. To think that these two young men were forced to… to… “Did you say you and… and Draco were forced to kill and ra…” she could barely get the foul word out of her mouth, “Rape people?” She closed her eyes for a second, trying to calm herself. She, Harry and Ron knew Draco was probably being forced to do unimaginable things under threat of death, but never, ever did she think it was anything as disgusting as rape and murder. “Tell me I heard you wrong,” she said, slowly opening her eyes and looking at Theo, who was stone-faced.

“Do you recall when you and Potter were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor?”

“Like that’s something that’s easily forgettable!” That day was burned into her memory, and there were still times when she awoke in the middle of the night, screaming as if she were still being tortured.

“Yes, well… you may think you suffered that day, but it’s nothing compared to what happened to Draco after you escaped.”

She was afraid to ask. “Theo, I don’t even want to know. I don’t think I can handle…”

“I’ll spare you the details, Granger. Let’s just say The Dark Lord was less than happy with everyone in the house, but most of all, he was furious with the Malfoys. Lucius had screwed up royally one to many times, and since Draco had failed to do in Dumbledore, he was deemed as much as a fuck up as his father.”

“Did… he hurt him?” Hermione knew it was a stupid question, but didn’t know what else to say.

“Hurt him?” Theo asked, leaning forward, his arms on his thighs, his head held in his shaking hands. “Hermione, he tortured him with the Cruciatus until he lost consciousness, and then he tossed him into the dungeon. He sent Death Eaters down there daily to beat the living shit out of him. I’m not sure how long he was in there without food or water, but I’ll never forget the way Narcissa screamed when the Dark… Voldemort brought him back up into the house, only to Crucio him some more.”

Hermione was appalled. “He made Narcissa watch?” She was suddenly aware of the horrified look in Theo’s eyes and it frightened her. “What? Did something else happen?”

Theo was groaning inside. Never had he nor Draco spoke about what happened that day- not even to each other. They liked to pretend it never happened… but it did, and no matter how much Theo tried to push it way- to pass it off as a nightmare- it was there. It was real and it had happened.

“Everyone was there,” he said, shutting his eyes recalling the vivid details that he had tried his hardest to repress all these years. “Vo… Voldemort stopped torturing him, and Draco managed to get to his knees. He was filthy, exhausted and had been beaten so badly, his left eye was swollen shut and there was dried blood on his face. I had never seen such a sorry sight in my life.”

Hermione, who had never seen Malfoy looking anything but tidy and well put together, could not even imagine what he would have looked like.

“He struggled to speak and when he did, all he said was ‘forgive me.’” He glanced over at Hermione, who looked appalled. “I know you think him crazy for not sticking up for himself, for fighting back and whatever else you courageous people do in times like those, but he was a defeated man, Hermione. He was a shell of his former self, and all he wanted was for his suffering to end.” Hermione said nothing, so Theo continued on, “Voldemort only laughed at him. You know, that high pitched psycho laugh only crazy people can achieve?”

“I’ve heard it once or twice,” she said.

“He told Draco he didn’t believe in forgiveness, but there was something he could do to prove that he was sorry for his incompetence…” The next part was something he never thought he’d be telling another living soul. “Draco said he was willing to do whatever it took. Voldemort snapped his fingers and motioned to Greyback, who left the room and quickly returned with someone… it was … was a Muggle girl who was screaming in terror and mumbling crazy nonsense. She looked like death warmed over and you could tell that Greyback had been ‘toying’ with her because she had bite marks on her arms and scratches on her face.”

The girl hadn’t looked familiar to him, but was about the same age as he and Draco, and as her liquid brown eyes met his and he saw that pleading, crazed look in them, he felt his stomach jump into his throat. He wasn’t sure what The Dark Lord had planned, but he could tell that something big was about to happen- something big that he wanted no part of. “He… told me to help Draco to his feet and then he snatched the girl by the hair and shoved her over to us. I remember she stumbled, almost knocking Draco over, and as she fell, she grabbed his robes and started begging for her mother and saying over and over that she just wanted to go home. Draco couldn’t even look at her and he was trying to shove her away, but all it did was make her cling even more to him.”

“We were disgusted, but the worst was yet to come. Voldemort said… he ordered Draco to…” Visions of girl’s white, scared face flashed through his mind. The way she shook with fear, the way her wide eyes were panic stricken. “He told Draco to rape the girl!” He almost shouted it out, and then with the back of his hand, he wiped his mouth like what just spewed form it was vomit. “Draco refused and then… and then Voldemort aimed his wand at Narcissa and Crucio’d her. Lucius darted towards her and he was blown across the room by some spell from Bella, who was laughing like a loon.”

“Voldemort again ordered Draco to rape her, and when he reused again, Narcissa got another dose. By now, she was screaming in pain and Draco pressed his hands over his ears to shut it out. Voldemort just kept at it, torturing her and laughing that if he didn’t do what he was told, then he was going to kill her. Draco finally couldn’t take it any longer and he just… just broke…”

He did more than that though. The poor man lost his marbles, and Theo had never seen anything like it before and never wanted to see it again. “There was this sound that came from him- it was like some trapped, crazed animal and he just attacked her; ripped off her clothes and…”

“Please!” Hermione said, through her tears. “I… I don’t want to hear… I can’t…”

“She was screaming at the top of her lungs; bucking her hips, scratching at him, drawing blood, and… and everyone was laughing and cheering him on. It was sick!” He remembered all those jeering faces, telling Draco to give that Muggle bitch what she deserved. “Voldemort saw how much the woman was fighting and he told me…” Theo licked his lips; all the spit in his mouth had suddenly dried up. “He told me to hold her down and I was so damn scared for my life that I didn’t even hesitate. I got down by her head and held her shoulders down and covered her mouth the best I could.”

The next part had given him nightmares for years, and was the cause of his former addiction to firewhisky and sleeping potions. “Draco was totally mad; crying and mumbling about wanting to die and that’s when it hit me.” He looked Hermione directly in the eyes. “This was it. This was our lives. This stinking, fucking mess- this violence, constant fear and pain was all there was. I hated my father for what my life had become. I hated Voldemort for causing so much suffering, but most of all, I hated myself for not having the courage to stand up and stop what was happening; I hated myself for not being able to save us- Draco and me from hell.”

Theo fell silent and Hermione thought perhaps this horror story was over, but she wasn’t that lucky.

“Draco and I happened to look up at the same time and our eyes connected. It was like we read each other’s minds. We now knew what we had signed up for. We knew there was no escaping our destiny, but here was this woman- this innocent girl who’s only crime was being a Muggle. What was going to happen to her? Were they going to simply Avada Kedravra her when this was over? Probably not; they’d keep her alive and treat her like a fuck toy is what they would do, and no matter if she was a Muggle or not, no one deserved a life like that, and so I did what I had to do. I…”

Theo could hear his voice cracking as he spoke and knew that at any second, he was going to start bawling like a baby- something he did not want to do in front of a woman. He bent forward, his hands over his face, trying to hide. “My hand had been covering her mouth to keep her screams silent and I slowly moved it so that it covered her nose as well. Draco blinked- his only way to convey to me that he agreed. I pressed my hand harder, suffocating her, and I’ll never forget the way her eyes flew open in sudden comprehension of what was happening and then how they changed- it was like they looked thankful or something…” He suddenly started sobbing and was immediately ashamed of his display of unmanly emotion.

Hermione scooted over and after a brief hesitation she placed her hand on his back. “It’s okay,” she said, tears rolling down her face. “You have to believe that that woman knew it wasn’t yours or Draco’s fault. I’m sure she was grateful to you for making sure she was safe.” She caressed his back lovingly, the tears falling from her eyes landing on his shirt. “No one can blame you for what happened, and you really shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You and Draco are survivors, and you might think you are a coward, but what you did for that girl was brave, Theo.”

Theo wiped the snot from his dripping nose with the back of his hand and turned his head to her. He finally understood what Malfoy saw in this girl. Even though he and Draco had made her life a living hell back in school and even after everything that happened in the war, she still was able to forgive. She was one in a million and Draco was a lucky man. “Thank you for your kindness, Hermione,” he said, the lump in his throat subsiding a bit. “It’s hard for Draco and I to go through life pretending these things never happened. All we want is to be normal- to have a normal life and Draco sees that with you this can be possible. All he wants is love and happiness- something he’s never had… something that everyone else takes for granted.”

He stood up, putting his hands in his pockets, his body blocking out the sun. Before he turned to leave, Theo said had something more to say. “Hermione, that time you spent with Draco on that reward was the happiest I’ve ever seen him. You give him hope. You make him believe that even for him, love is a possibility. Please, give him a chance to show you what truly lies in his heart. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.”

And with that, he turned and walked away. Hermione watched him go until he became a speck and then disappeared altogether. She thought about going back to the control trailer, but decided instead to just sit and think… about Draco.

Hours later, as the sun set and the crickets came out to serenade her, she smiled.

A/N: I know the last two chapters have been very depressing, but that’s now over and it’s fun and laughs from here on out- I promise!