A/N: So here is the sequel to Face Down. As I promised, there will be more Dramione going on and I do apologize for the long wait. I'd like to say thank you to my reviewers that kept reading Face Down, even if they did not like what was happening to certain characters.

Also, I just want to forewarn you that this fanfic may not have 100% magical elements in it. That is to say, that someone, witch or wizard, might smoke cigarettes. If this happens, it means I did it on purpose and I am already fully aware that this action is OOC for the person who is smoking the said cigarettes. On this note, you might keep your unpleasant comments to yourself if you're just going to thrash me on being OOC. Just saying.

Rating: M for violence, language, possible self destructive behavior later on. I'm telling you know because I don't want to remind you when it's about to happen. Be careful if you get triggered easily. Read at your own risk.

Okay, okay. I'm done now.

Chapter One: Secrets Abound

. . .

"I never thought I'd ever see you in here, Hermione."

The voice woke Hermione up from her sleep, never having heard anyone speak directly to her since she arrived here about five days ago. She felt her heart jump into her throat as she instantly recognized who was speaking to her.

"Me either. I suppose they told you what I did?" Hermione asked the man standing in front of her jail cell.

He leaned against the bars and smirked slyly at her. "Found out from Ginny. Apparently, you killed them both without cause."

Hermione could feel her blood boiling at the sound of her name. She would never forgive her for what she did. "I can't believe that lying bitch," she spoke softly, shaking her head in incredulity. "Of all people, I expected her to be with me in doing what I did."

Hermione heard Draco laugh a little and she felt a twinge of resentment towards him. "Did you honestly think she'd be with you in killing her brother, Hermione? Since you left the school, she's held a pretty mean grudge. How are you fairing in here?"

She looked up at him and chuckled, letting that answer his question. Hermione ran a hand through her oily hair and stood up before walking towards him. "I haven't eaten in days, been given only water, no phone call, no social interaction of any kind… how do you think I'm fairing in here? What are you doing here anyway?"

Draco's expression softened now and he sighed, obviously feeling uncomfortable with showing vulnerability or sympathy towards her. "I'm here to… post your bail. It's a lot, but… I can easily afford it."

She placed her fingers around the cold steel bars that separated them and bit her lip, silent for a few moments before she then searched his stormy grey eyes. "What's in it for you?"

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her dirty hands that held the bar, he assumed for support from her dizziness. "Excuse me?"

"Draco, I don't want you to post my bail because you think it's a noble thing for you to do. I don't want it to be one of those deals where later on, I don't want to do something that you want to do, and then you hold posting my bail against me. I don't want to be in your debt," Hermione replied softly, sighing to herself, secretly wishing that she could reach out and touch something warm.

Draco seemed to sense her discomfort because he reached in and gently took her cold hand in his warm one and held it, quiet for awhile before he looked from her soft hand to her tired eyes. "You won't. I want to do this because I know that you did what you had to do in the circumstances that were given to you," he spoke calmly and sincerely. "I hate what Ginny did to you, making it seem like it wasn't in self defense, and… I know I don't know the entire story, but… I'm hoping that if I post your bail, then you'll fill me in a bit," Draco finished, his voice laced with the tone of hope.

Hermione's first instinct when he took her hand was to retract it, but once he spoke, she couldn't think of anything else; his touch had entranced her completely and it felt… human to feel someone else's warmth. She hesitated for a few seconds but then reluctantly nodded; she was afraid that if she told him everything, that Draco would become angry at her. What if he thought that she had brought it all upon herself, bouncing around from Ron, to Draco, and back to Ron? She was afraid to take the chance of him turning against her like Ginny did.

"Why? Why are you doing this, after everything… after how I treated you? Don't get me wrong, but… I know I deserve to be in here. I don't… deserve to be happy," Hermione nearly whispered, but still searching his eyes pleadingly for an answer.

Draco let go of her hand and shook his head, sadness in his eyes now. "You're wrong, Hermione… you're wrong about everything. Just because we've had our problems, it doesn't mean that you deserve to rot in jail. I want to do this because you're my friend and… it's almost Christmas. I think everyone deserves another chance around Christmastime."

Hermione nodded appreciatively and smiled weakly. "What about school? I know I'm expelled but you still have at least six more months until you graduate."

Draco laughed and looked away before he finally smiled. "Well, being that two students that the whole school knew were both murdered a week ago, they've decided to break early for Christmas and bring everyone back in three weeks," he smirked. "I thought that we could spend that time at my house."

Hermione swallowed and felt like there was a sharp twisted ball in her stomach. "Spend Christmas together at your Manor?" She asked unsurely.

He rolled his eyes and chortled. "Did I say the Manor? No, we'd be staying at my house. It's in Hogsmeade, so it's not like we'd be far from the school when it did start up again."

"I…I can't, Draco…"

"Oh don't be so humble, Hermione. You're not a serial killer for God's sake; they were hurting you and Ginny and you were just protecting the two of you. It was self defense, and it's not your fault that Ginny's brainwashed most everyone in believing that you were plotting their murders from the get-go," Draco said in a tone that no longer sounded easy-going and patient.

She bit her lip and was about to look down when she had heard the key word in his statement. "M-Most everyone? Who…Who doesn't believe her?"

His eyes became stern and she watched him lick his lips once. "I think you know who, Hermione. I'm the one still in the dark, you know."

She sighed, not wanting to fight with him when she was so close to finally being out of jail. "I'm sorry, Draco. Just… get me out and I promise I'll let you in on what I've been too afraid to tell you, just like we agreed earlier."

Draco ran a hand through his hair and nodded, his eyes no longer cold and firm. He waved a guard over and handed him the bail money. Hermione watched eagerly as the guard unlocked her cell and stepped aside so she could walk out. She glanced at Draco and then started to walk down the cell block towards the exit.

As they walked, Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken as the other men in the cells whistled and cat-called her, some of them even making daring grabs out of the bars. Draco placed a protective hand on the small of Hermione's back and gently pushed her to move faster.

"Don't worry about them. Just keep moving…"

Hermione nodded obediently, having no intentions of stopping and asking any of them to be pen pals. When they were finally outside, she had to squint at first to get her eyes used to being out in daylight again. She slowly opened them again and when she had regained her vision properly, she looked over and found Draco staring at her.

"What, what's wrong?"

For the first time since Hermione didn't remember when, he was looking genuinely worried. "From the looks of it, I'd say you. You never answered my offer of staying with me until after the holiday."

Hermione was surprised at the abrupt change in subject but she nodded. "Yeah… umm, I'll stay, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. I just wanted to know where you stood," Draco replied coolly before he took her hand and Disapparated with her, shortly landing in Hogsmeade out of sight of the castle.

Hermione looked around after almost reluctantly letting go of his rough hand. It looked like they were behind the pubs in Hogsmeade but it wasn't so far away that she couldn't see the people out and about, moving from one store to the next. She shivered absentmindedly, only now remembering that all her belongings were still at the castle.

"Do you think Professor McGonagall would… frown upon me being out of jail and back in the school? I don't have any clothes…"

Draco rubbed the back of his neck and looked apprehensively towards the direction of the school. "Last time I was there, Pomfrey was trying to persuade the old bat to let you back in but… she's too set in her ways. I think she's just trying to do what's best for the school and doesn't want to be considered bias, because of who you are. She probably thinks that if she lets you in again, then it might be thought of as favoritism. I don't know; we'll get new clothes tomorrow."

"No, I'm not going to use your money just to get me clothes that are at the school," she said persistently. "You already posted my bail. I couldn't have asked for anything more."

Draco sighed and laughed before he ushered her into the three story house that had cobblestone siding on the outside and looked rather small. On the inside, Hermione wasn't surprised how large it was on the inside, considering what the Malfoy Manor looked like. Upon entering, she was also surprised to find that it was actually warm inside the dark house.

He leaned over and flicked a switch, soon illuminating what looked to be the living room. Hermione looked at him and smirked herself now. "What happened, did your wand break?"

Draco shrugged. "I've been using magic for six years. I find it mundane after awhile. It's not that much of a hassle to use muggle appliances."

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when you invested in muggle appliances," Hermione replied, thoroughly impressed. "Do you use magic for anything?"

Draco walked into the living room and waved his wand to start a fire in the fireplace before turning to her. "Sometimes, for time consuming things. You have to be starving. What do you want to eat?"

Hermione smiled softly, feeling flattered that he was being so kind and considerate to her. "Umm, I can eat whatever. Just make whatever you want. I could eat anything right now."

Draco nodded and then walked into the kitchen, pulling out pans and bowls. He started making what looked to be pancakes and eggs. "Go ahead and shower if you want. It's going to be awhile…"

She could feel herself turning red at this offer and she bit her lip nervously. "Umm… I-I would but… I don't… have any clothes," Hermione stammered.

He said a non-burning spell and waved his wand slowly before he walked over to Hermione and chuckled. "Right, follow me then."

Hermione followed him up the wooden staircase and then down a hall. She saw Draco enter a small room at the very end, but didn't go with him, feeling like it was a private room that he didn't want her to see. He hadn't spent two minutes inside the room before she saw him reappear with a pair of grey sweatpants. Grateful that she had followed her instincts to stay where she was, she smiled and took the sweatpants from him and examined them.

"A little small for you, aren't they?" Hermione joked, seeing that they could fit a girl that was either eleven or had a natural, small frame.

The color from Draco's face seemed to disappear and he avoided her eyes as he started for the stairs again. "The bathroom's just there. Take your time; there's no real rush," he said calmly but icily at the same time.

Sensing that she had crossed the line, she bit her lip and started towards the bathroom and closed the door, undressing so she could shower. Once she pulled off the grungy clothes onto the floor, she stepped cautiously into the shower and then began washing off the grime and grit off her skin and from her hair. She soon finished and dried herself off and hand washed her underclothes before putting them on again, vowing to buy some more as soon as possible.

With a forced effort, she stepped into the soft sweatpants, amazed at how perfect they fit her body and at the same time she was curious how he had gotten them. Were they a pair of his ex's clothes? If they were, then Hermione decided that she would definitely need to get a pair of her own.

Hermione dried her hair and brushed it out before she realized that she hadn't even bothered to ask for a clean shirt. She wrapped her towel around her front and threw the dirty clothes in the hamper before she walked out and started towards the room that she had seen Draco come back out of. She turned the light on and looked around; it certainly looked like the room of a young girl. It was colored in light pink paint and even had a bed with pink bed covers. She walked over to the dresser and began to open and close drawers as she rummaged for a shirt of some kind.

"What are you doing in here?"

She froze, not even having heard Draco's footsteps on the landings. She turned around and found her tongue frozen to her mouth as she tightened the towel around her top.

"I… I just… I-I needed a shirt - "

Draco stormed over to her and slammed all the drawers closed before closing in on her. "What were you doing? What gave you the right to come in here?"

She started to back out slowly, unable to find reasons behind her actions. "I-I'm sorry! I… I didn't think -" Hermione spoke but Draco cut across her.

"That's right! You didn't think! Get out of here!"

Hermione ran into the bathroom now and closed the door, forcing back tears. She had never seen Draco so angry, even when he had been upset at her for not telling him what Ron had done. The look in his eyes scared her more than his yelling. She realized that there was probably a good chance that he was going to kick her out now. At this thought, Hermione had to swallow back a sob. Where would go? What would she do? She'd be homeless and living on the streets, doing Merlin knows what.

She sat down on the closed toilet seat and took a deep breath, her heart pounding hard against her ribcage in anticipation. She stayed inside the room for what felt like an hour, but knew it had only been ten minutes. Hermione jumped suddenly when she heard a door slam, and then the sound of a lock turn and then footsteps. She looked down at her hands as she heard the bathroom doorknob turn and Draco appear in the doorway, holding a tee shirt that obviously belonged to him.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I… I shouldn't have yelled like that. You were… just in a place that I didn't want you to be,"

She wasn't really sure what to say so she remained silent.

Draco walked over to her and handed her the shirt. "You… you can wear that until we can buy you some new clothes," he said gently. "I know it's really big but… it's better than nothing."

She had so many questions for him but knew it wasn't the right time to ask him. Hermione saw him turn around and decided to change quickly, a part of her thankful that he at least had the decency to turn around in the first place.

She dropped the towel and let it fall to the floor before she slipped the large Quidditch team shirt over her head and straightened it out. "T-Thank you," she stammered quietly, afraid that she already put herself on his bad side.

He nodded and turned to face her, his eyes no longer filled with rage, but looked relatively calm now. "I don't want us to fight like we did at the school, Hermione. I want to be able to trust you again. I know… that I obviously am hiding something from you too, but I think we should take things slow this time, give us time to ease into things again. You tell me what I don't already know about Ron, and… I-I'll tell you about my secret."

Hermione felt unsure what to say or do. She was overly curious about the room and already realized how much it affected Draco. She ran a hand through her damp hair, her insides twisting uncomfortably still. "O-Okay," she whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Good. Breakfast is ready whenever you are," he said, almost as quietly before he turned on his heel and started out of the bathroom rather quickly before his footsteps pounded down the stairs.

Hermione stood up again and cleaned up after herself before she also exited the bathroom, the smell of hot coffee, pancakes, toast and eggs invaded her nostrils and suddenly, somehow, relaxed her once again. She sat down at the place at the table that held a plate of food with a mug of coffee off to the top right.

"It looks really good. Are you going to have any?" Hermione inquired, noticing that he didn't have a plate in front of him.

Draco shook his head and then gave a weak smile. He searched her face and sighed before running a hand through his hair. "I'm not hungry."

She just nodded in understanding and took a bite of her pancakes before sipping her coffee, feeling awkward that he was sitting there watching her eat. When she glanced over at him, it looked like he had something that he wanted to say but the words didn't come out. Hermione bit her lip and turned to him.

"Let's just… start over. I'm sorry that I went into that room. I should've asked you for one of your shirts or something.

At this suggestion, Draco seemed to relax a little and he wrapped his fingers around the warm cup of his own coffee. "I'm sorry for yelling. I… I overreacted and lost my head. How about tomorrow, we put the tree up and decorate it?"

She grinned wide. "You have a Christmas tree?"

"Of course I have a tree. I haven't… decorated it in awhile, but… if you'd like, we can do that tomorrow. Does that sound alright?"

Hermione seemed at a loss for words, surprised that he actually decorated for the holidays. True, Draco wasn't a totally cold, unfeeling monster, but it just seemed out of his character to like to decorate anything for any reason.

"Yeah, that sounds great, Draco," she answered, hiding her excitement now. It had been forever since she had been home for a Christmas so her parents rarely decorated anymore.

The two continued talking and Hermione continued eating, satisfying her hunger for food and conversation. She laughed, forgetting about the mishap earlier and forgetting about the agreement they settled to tell each other what they've been withholding from the other. Once Hermione finished eating, she rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"I'll clean up here. You go on upstairs and take a nap; I bet you haven't slept well in your jail cell," Draco said, already grabbing her empty plate.

She smiled softly at him. "Thank you. Are you sure I can't do anything to help you clean up first though?"

Draco chuckled and shook his head. "Go, you stubborn girl! I got this. Go on up and sleep in my room."

Hermione smiled brighter and put her hands up in defeat. "Okay, fine. I'm going right now."

She walked up the stairs and soon found Draco's bedroom. The walls were painted a dark blue color and there was a large, four poster bed against one of the walls. She pulled back the covers and crawled into the comfy bed, instantly feeling comfort at the feel and smell of clean sheets. Hermione guessed that Draco had been planning her stay here for awhile. She curled up in the wide bed and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt herself succumb to it and quickly fall asleep.

Let me know what ya'll think! :)