Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; those belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling. I do, however, own this plot.

MELTING THE ICE

Chapter 1: Voldemort's Kingdom

"Draco," Lucius Malfoy began. "Today is your eighteenth birthday." Draco looked up from his breakfast, startled. He hadn't expected his father to remember. "You are no longer a child, and it is time to introduce you into the world of men," Lucius continued.

He leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "It's traditional for the Malfoy heir to receive a certain gift, shall we say, when his father deems him of age. I'm sure you will find this present quite… pleasurable."

Draco cleared his throat. "I don't think I quite understand, father."

Lucius looked slightly irritated. "I didn't expect you to. I have been too soft with you, and it is my fault you don't know of the finer aspects of adulthood in the Malfoy family. Leave us, Narcissa." She left the table silently as two half-bloods moved in to clear her dishes.

Lucius leaned closer to his son. "You are not a virgin, I presume?"

Draco looked startled at this unexpected question, but answered. "No, father."

"How old were you?" Lucius asked.

"Fourteen," Draco responded.

Lucius grunted in annoyance at himself. "I should have done this much sooner. Come, we will go to get you your birthday present." He raised his voice. "Bring me a coat." A houseelf scurried up, doing its best not to trip over the long black cloak it carried in front of it. Lucius muttered a few words, then disappeared. Draco lazily flicked his wand as he apparated after his father.

The two Malfoys appeared with a crack in the middle of a busy market. Surrounding them were cages filled with females of all ages, ranging from prepubescent to near adult.

Draco wandered past the cages of several scantily clad blonds. He leered at them, and one sent him a wink. The owner scurried over to them.

"Master Malfoy! And the young heir, learning the rites of passage into the world of adults. You've come to the right place. We have some of the best mudbloods left," he said. "They are all trained to follow your bidding, not that there's really any other use for them…" his voice trailed off.

"There never was any use for mudbloods," Lucius responded. "A scar on the surface of an otherwise perfect world." Voldemort's rise to power in the summer after Draco's sixth year had not been kind to those he deemed inappropriate for proper society. With the help of his death-eaters, he had destroyed the muggle population of the world. Mudbloods he left alive, but they were forced into slavery with their wands taken from them to prevent a rebellion. Half-bloods, and others tainted by the blood of the non-pure, were allowed certain rights, but they were the working class, unfit to rule to partake in the activities of the upper class. Purebloods were the favored ones, the wizards who governed and owned the world. The original death-eaters were given roles of prominence in the new world, with Voldemort ruling over all as the master of the world.

Draco walked past dozens of cages, casting an eye over each female inside. Lucius and the owner followed a step behind as Draco browsed, ignoring each one in turn.

"Well, Draco?" Lucius asked. "Have you found one to suit your fancy?"

"Not yet, father," Draco said. "They all seem to be… lacking, somewhat."

"I can assure you," the owner said. "We have all types of females here. They are specifically trained to pleasure you, and to passively follow your orders."

"It is time you had a slave to have fun with," Lucius told Draco, "take your time, after all, as a Malfoy, you deserve only the best whore possible." Draco continued to walk down the row, staring at woman after woman. Some were blonds, some were brunettes, and some were redheads. The one thing they all had in common was the eagerness in which they stared out at the men strolling by: they had realized the only thing left to them in this world was to find a pureblooded male to please. That is, all except for one.

Draco came to a stop in front of a cage that held a brunette. Her head was tilted downward so her tumbling locks would cover her face. The owner twisted his hands nervously. "This one, well, we've had some trouble with this one. She didn't take to the training quite as well as some of the others, fighting whenever she has the chance. All the stories you hear about grateful mudbloods, thankful for their lives? She isn't one of them. I get the feeling she'd rather be dead than captive, the way she acts. I tell you, this girl is trouble. She's managed to deflect a few of our minor spells." He looked around before whispering, "It's even rumored that she is strong enough to perform wandless magic."

"Make her look up," Draco commanded. "I want to see her face." Lucius came to stand beside him.

"You! Wench!" the owner pounded on the cage. "You heard the young master!" She refused to budge.

"Stubborn," Lucius remarked. A gleam appeared in Draco's eye: there was nothing he loved more than a challenge, and breaking this girl in would amuse him for weeks.

The owner saw this, and made an effort not to lose the sale. "Look up now before you lose meal privileges!" he threatened the girl. She slowly moved her head, turning her face upward, still stubbornly refusing to meet the eyes of the men outside her cage.

Draco recognized the curve of her profile even before it fully hit him. He gasped. "Granger?"

She reeled backwards from the shock before a spark of defiance leaped into her chocolate eyes. She stared him full in the face. "Malfoy," she spat, as if it were a curse word.

Draco looked on in amazement for a moment. He had always thought the prissy schoolgirl might be hiding something underneath her robes, but he had never quite realized how good she looked. Somehow, she had transformed from the bossy, know-it-all first year to a gorgeous, full-figured woman. Although she was dressed in hardly more than rags, they displayed her figure to an advantage. He turned. "I'll take this one."

"Are you sure that's wise, Draco?" Lucius began. "After all, this one seems a bit resistant. Wouldn't you enjoy a more seductive slave?"

"Father, I have my reasons for this one," he said firmly. Lucius took a closer look at the girl. His expression changed as he realized who it was.

"How ironic. The clever mudblood isn't quite at the top anymore, are you?" He turned to his son. "Maybe now you won't be beaten in everything by a muggle-born girl."

"Yes, father." Draco answered promptly, never taking his eyes off Hermione. She refused to let herself be shaken by his presence, but instead continued to stare stonily ahead as the men discussed her.

"Get this… thing prepared," Lucius ordered. "How much does she cost?"

"One hundred and fifty galleons," the owner replied. "A fine deal for this one, too," he added smartly.

Lucius tone turned silky as he addressed the owner. "You said it yourself. This one is… troublesome. Surely you couldn't knock another twenty galleons off the price? After all, you would hate for us to have to take our business elsewhere."

The owner nodded quickly. "One hundred-thirty it is." He produced his wand and muttered a spell under his breath to unlock the cage. He prodded Hermione out, and forced a set of chains on her. "A pleasure to do business with you, Master Malfoy."

Lucius smiled thinly. "I'm sure it is. Come, Draco. Mind you keep hold of her." With Hermione struggling to break free, Draco took hold of the chains and apparated them back to Malfoy Mansion, following in his father's path.