She hated him, but she loved what he did to her. When he rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair, she couldn't help but purr. When he ignored her, she had no choice but to rub against him to get his attention. And when she did, she hated the smirk on his face and in those pale blue eyes. He had placed a collar around her neck that made her his property. She had no choice.

She had once been a beautiful and intelligent young witch. And he had been her enemy from the time they had met. She had also been an unregistered animagus. And he, like his father, served the Dark Lord.

He had been acting suspiciously, so she had transformed herself into a long-haired ginger cat so that she could follow him. As he skulked through the castle at night, her cat eyes allowed her to follow his every move. Through one deserted corridor after another, she stayed close upon his heels.

But he had known somehow. He had turned, pointed his wand at her and whispered, "Stupefy". He had then placed the accursed collar around her neck. As long as she wore it, or as long as he still lived, she could not return to her own form. She must remain, forever a cat. Forever bonded to her enemy.

Since her disappearance, she had seen her friends, but they had not known her. Her heart had gone out to them when she saw the worried looks in their eyes, the tears that lay just below the surface, ready to fall. But she could not go to them; the accursed collar kept her from them.

And now she is in the Slytherin common room, sitting next to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy who had become her lord and master. As he softly stroked her back, and runs his fingers through her long hair, he brags to his followers about how he had bested the beautiful young witch. About how he had stunned her, and how he had enslaved her by placing the accursed collar around her neck.

And the name on the collar says "Hermione".