I do not own any of the characters or anything awesome like that. We thank the amazing J K Rowling for that :3

-EDIT-

Just a few stupid edits, like fixing the random commas at the end of paragraphs and spelling errors. Don't get too excited. I'm still debating on whether or not I should expand a bit on this. I need to finish A Love For Potions first though. So until then, you'll have to be patient. sorry... ~A/N

There were many times before where Draco would love to see Hermione like this. But now, as he saw the conjured humming birds singing to her as she wept at the stairs of an abandoned hall, he felt compelled to comfort her. He knew, however, that he was the last person she would want to see at a time like this… It wasn't the first time he'd seen her cry, he regretted to admit. Last time she had cried, it was out of physical pain. The pain she had felt as his aunt carved "Mudblood" into her forearm. It was the reason he flinched and turned his head every time he saw her, whether it was covered or not. Every time he saw her arm, her screams sounded in his thoughts, growing louder and louder the longer he looked.

No… this time she cried because of that idiotic red head, Weasley… He'd heard the news during lunch. By then the whole school knew that he had broken up with her during breakfast… by bloody owl, the moronic bastard…

He debated on what to do as he stood a few pillars away from her. He knew he would not be welcomed immediately, so he had to enter in a way that would not emit arrogance, as she had always thought whenever he walked. He could send his own cheering charm to her, but she would probably see it as somehow a way to get dirt on her… Even after the war, she had never fully trusted him… He could cast an invisibility charm on himself and act as an anonymous friend, but she would recognize his voice… besides, she knew how to counteract that charm… He could use the Imperious curse and make sure she wouldn't lash out at him, but that was too dark, he could get sent to Azkaban for that…

He cursed under his breath as he realized his options were running out. He knew the only proper way to do this was to just walk up to her and accept the negative comments he would undoubtedly get. He took in a breath, preparing himself for what was to come as he approached her.

Hermione's head shot up at the sound of his footsteps and the birds around her instantly stopped singing. Her head whipped back behind her and she glared at the person approaching her. "What the bloody hell do you want, Malfoy? Come to see me at my weakest?" She choked out, harshly wiping away her tears. Draco shoved his hands in his pockets, balling them into fists as she stood. With the flick of her wand the birds dive bombed towards him.

Each bird aimed for him and he did nothing as they rammed into him, bursting into feathers as they smashed upon his chest. "I'm not here to mock you Granger." He stated quietly after the last bird flew into his shoulder. Feathers were stuck in his hair and shirt as he took a careful step towards her. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What are you here for then?" She mumbled back, a slight strain in her voice as her pink eyes began to water again. "For support…" Draco started, not sure how to apologize for the years of torture he had put her through. "I heard about what that Weasel did…" He finished, taking another step in front of her. She scoffed. "You and the rest of the school." They stood in silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"You're not exactly my first pick to talk to."

"So what? It's good to get it off your chest, otherwise it'll eat you alive."

"How would you know?"

"Why do you think I became a Death Eater?"

He didn't mean for it to come out as harsh as it had. It sounded stern and irritated, almost as if he were about to lash out at her... He'd sounded a lot like his father… She'd closed her mouth quickly at that and stared down at the cobblestone before she sat back down. "He said it would be best to break up because we wouldn't be able to see each other as often…" She said softly, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on her knees. Draco stood behind her, not entirely sure of what to do… What would mother do? He thought desperately as she choked out another sentence.

"He said it would be too much for him to have a long distance relationship…" She started to cry again, and, as if by instinct, he knew what to do. He sat down next to her and carefully placed his hand on her back, testing the waters to make sure she wouldn't yell at him for touching her. Instead, she leaned onto his shoulder and continued to weep. He let out a breath and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him and allowing her to wrap her arms around his waist. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as she shook and clutched his shirt.

He stroked her hair and hummed quietly to her, like his mother had done when he was little during a thunder storm. "He's even more of an idiot than I thought if those were his only excuses for breaking up with you." He whispered softly as she quieted and calmed herself. He heard a strangled chuckle and felt the faint vibration of her voice against him as she spoke. "You have no idea… You should have seen him the first time we-" She cut herself off, suddenly sitting up-right and letting go of Draco.

He cocked an eyebrow towards her. "The first time you what…? Shagged...?" He guessed with a slight smirk. Hermione sighed, wiping her face once more and nodded. He chuckled lightly. "What? Did he put it in the wrong one?" He asked in between chuckles. She smirked with him and nodded. His laughter increased as he clutched his stomach and she joined his laughter, leaning on him for support. Slowly, they calmed down and sat on the steps quietly. It was then when Hermione noticed that he had his sleeves rolled up. That's odd… usually he's afraid of letting people see it…

Draco flinched when he felt her hand lightly take his arm. She traced the dark mark lightly with her fingertips and studied it curiously. It had faded after the dark lord died, but it would never go away, not even with the oldest of magic. "Did it hurt?" She whispered quietly, sounding like she didn't want to ask. He allowed her to examine it some more before she looked up at him. He nodded. "Yes… It's given through a very old spell… The tip of his wand seared it into place…" He replied, carefully taking Hermione's arm into his own hands. He slowly rolled up her sleeve and saw the scared word written on her forearm. He hissed in a breath of pain and closed his eyes. She tried taking her arm away from him but he tightened his grip lightly.

"No…" He stated quietly. "… I need to face it…" He opened his eyes slowly and looked again. He took in a shaky breath as Hermione's screams began playing through his mind. His eyes traced every letter slowly and with each one, the screams grew louder. He clamped his hand over it and shut his eyes, resting his forehead on his hand. He took in a shaky breath, letting the screams die down. He felt her other hand come gently down on his shoulders and opened his eyes.

"It's alright…" She whispered, stroking his back slowly. "… you couldn't do anything… It's not your fault Draco… I never blamed you…" She fought the urge kiss him and instead picked his head up and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry Hermione…"

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you from becoming a death eater, Draco…"