Okay so first Harry Potter story I'm posting on my new profile, I was formerly Seleen but forgot the password to that account. Sad day. Anyway, I've been grounded for a while but luckily my school has a library so now I can write again. Chapters might be a little short due to limited time. I've only got thirty minutes to write every day, give or take a little. I've already got a good deal of this written so updates should happen at least twice a week.

Summary: Sixth year. Decision time. Everyone has a choice to make, but a secret between Draco and Hermione may prevent them from making the right one. Staying away doesn't work, she can't fight it. What exactly is it, though? This magnetic attraction to Draco that has her falling to pieces- literally. More importantly, how will she survive the year? With a war looming and a terrible secret ripping her apart, Hermione is more vulnerable than ever. And where does Draco stand in all this? No one knows. No one knows anything for sure anymore.

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"Where have you been?" She stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed.

"Out." Was his simple reply.

"You have blood on you."

He shuddered. "I'm being prepared for my initiation." He eyed her carefully. "You don't want to know whose blood it is."

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"Harry! Ron!" Hermione yelled happily, throwing her arms around her two best friends. She stepped back, smiling brightly, but she was tired. Just hugging them had caused waves of fatigue to wash over her. "Come on, we can sit in the Gryffindor Prefect compartment."

"Are you sure? I didn't make Prefect." Harry said uneasily. After last years extensive rule breaking, even he was being cautious.

Hermione looked at Ron.

"I didn't either."

"But that doesn't make sense… you were one last year." Another thought occurred to her even as she spoke. "This means neither of you can be Head Boy next year… You have to be a Prefect for both fifth and sixth year to qualify."

"No offense Mione, but that wasn't something I was looking forward to do." Ron shrugged. "Too much responsibility."

"Yes, but we get out own dorm room with a kitchen and everything." They were approaching the Prefect compartments, the train chugging gently along, but occasionally jostling them. Loud laughter could be heard from all the compartments and as she passed each one, she peeked inside. Ravenclaw: Luna and Ernie, with Ginny, Neville, and Padma sitting with them. Hufflepuff: Hannah and Justin, talking quietly to a few others. Slytherin: Draco Malfoy lounging casually across from a tall blonde, twirling his badge in his pale hands. The compartment was completely filled; Parkinson, Nott and Zabini had joined them. Pansy's blue eyes met her honey ones and she sneered, flipping her off. Hermione supposed the flipping the bird worked in any world. She stepped back, frowning. Another wave of exhaustion hit her and she leaned back against the wall.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked concern evident in his green eyes.

"Oh nothing. Just Slytherins being Slytherins. Come on, we're here anyway." She slid the compartment door open and immediately sat down, happy to be off her feet. Harry and Ron had just settled into the seats across from her when Ginny walked in.

"Hey, Hermione they're kicking all of us non-Prefects out so you can have a meeting with the Head Boy and Girl." She said an apologetic look on her face as she took notice of how tired Hermione looked.

"Oh." Hermione sighed. "Well, I'll see you lot later, I suppose."

"Bye, Mione." Ginny said, watching her exit carefully. She was thinner, too.

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Hermione walked into the Heads' compartment and took a seat in the corner. She could hear his voice, so close, finally, after so long. She'd gone a whole summer without it and wondering why she craved it so and now here he was, so, so close. She didn't look up, but she knew where he sat down. Ever since that day, she was acutely aware of his presence; of his every movement. She couldn't help it, he was just so overwhelming. Her breath caught in her throat and her chest tightened. She closed her eyes, squeezing them shut and shook her hair down in front of her face, hiding.

"Settle down! Please, everyone, settle down. Take a seat!" A tall, bony girl with brown hair in a single, neat braid called above the chatter. She had to be in Ravenclaw. Next to her, a boy stood, already in school robes.

"I'm Carl Kimsman and this is Shana Lyner. We are this year's Head Boy and Girl." He paused, taking a deep breath. Not exactly your big, motivational speak type. "We know very well that this next announcement won't go over well. However, we feel it will be a good way to promote inter-house unity."

"Which we're going to need, given the circumstances." Shana said, firmly looking them all in the eye. "We're all in 5th, 6th, and 7th year. Old enough to know what's coming." Here she looked directly at Hermione, whose lips were pressed into a thin line as she took in what they were saying. She already knew what was coming, better then almost anyone. Hell, it wasn't even in the coming for her, it had arrived her first year at Hogwarts.

"Now, we would like you all to submit a copy of your schedule, and then we will pair you with a member of a different house whose schedule is the most similar to yours. After your have received your partner, you will need to get together and discuss what times will be best for you to patrol and on what days."

There was a lot of muttering as the Prefects reluctantly made copies of their schedules. Keeping her head down, Hermione went to hand hers in, just as another hand did, this one pale, like hers, but wearing a silver ring inscribed with a family crest. Her heart fluttered and she withdrew to her seat as soon as Shana had taken her schedule.

Could there be a chance she would get paired with him? Hermione pondered this question and what it would mean for her if they did get paired.

Would it dig up past memories? Ones that they had taken great pains to bury and had then done their best to forget.

But those kinds of memories were not easily forgotten.