Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who's read this. Please review, criticism is welcomed.
Light streamed through the castle window. Hermione sat up, feeling comfortable and at home in her Hogwarts bed. Then she looked out the window at the destruction surrounding the Gryffindor tower and her face fell. She remembered the battle that had taken place less than a week before. The Daily Prophet had already deemed it The Final Battle, or the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had agreed to stay at Hogwarts for a couple days to help repair the castle. Hermione couldn't believe the amount of damage that had been done. Luckily, her favorite room of the castle hadn't been damaged. The Room of Requirement was as mysterious and helpful as always. After the battle when the trio had started helping clean up, Hermione had become so overwhelmed an hour later she'd found herself crying quietly in the enchanted room. Since then Hermione visited the room whenever she felt too upset or just needed to be alone. Hermione glanced at the clock on her bedside table and saw it was only about four in the morning. She frowned, but slid out of bed. The night before had been the first that she'd slept through without nightmares since the battle. She was sure if she drifted back to sleep she would enter the dark, terrifying world that her dreams took place in. Hermione didn't have to even think about where to go. Her slipper clad feet took the familiar route to the Room of Requirement. She didn't think about what she wanted the room to look like anymore. She just paced silently in front of it for a minute. The room was always better at knowing what she needed then she was. When she turned to face the doorway she was surprised. Instead of the large, stone doorway that usually appeared, she faced an intricate mahogany door. She hesitated for only a second before pushing the door open.
When she stepped inside the room, Hermione gasped. She found herself standing in a shockingly familiar room, one she had hoped to never see again. She was standing in a large, dim room with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and an empty fire place against the wall. Hermione shivered, the room was as cold and cruel as the people it belonged to. She was confused. Why would the room take the form of the room in Malfoy Manor in which she had been tortured by Bellatrix? Bellatrix was dead, and Hermione had been close to dead when she'd last been in the room. She'd been trying to forget the memories that had taken place there, and had almost succeeded. She hadn't thought about the events at Malfoy Manor in days, but apparently her subconscious wasn't giving up so easily. Maybe the room was telling her she needed to conquer her fears. Hermione wasn't sure she was really afraid of the room itself though, just the memories. Still…
Hermione heard a gasp, and whipped around, startled, her wand in a defensive position. A boy clad in all black stood in front of her, his hair platinum white, his eyes an icy blue. "What are you doing here?" She blurted out, uncertainly.
Draco Malfoy looked at her, equally startled. "What are you doing here?" He shot her question back at her.
"I like to come here. I thought you and your parents left after the battle." She stared at the boy in front of her, not knowing what to think. She had such bigger problems than a school bully at the moment, but over the past year or two Malfoy had proved he was more than just a school bully, he was dangerous. He was a death eater. Harry said he didn't think Malfoy would've really killed Dumbledore, but…
"They did." Malfoy's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "I thought it would be better to stay then to run." His voice was flat and devoid of emotion, but she thought she caught a glimpse of bitterness in his expression.
Hermione's instinct was to console him, but this was Malfoy, and he wouldn't appreciate it. She considered letting go of her wand to show she didn't want to fight unless she had to, but noticed he was also gripping his wand defensively. They stared at each other for another tense minute.
"So that's why the room morphed into this." Hermione realized.
"What?" Malfoy asked tightly.
"I just realized why the room looks like this." Hermione said a little louder. "I mean, it makes sense that you would want to see your childhood home after everything."
He gave her a strange look. "You think I chose this place because it comforts me?" He asked.
Hermione bit her lip but didn't say anything. Why else would he have picked to see the Manor?
A dark look passed over Malfoy's face. "I saw you and dozens of others tortured there. This place doesn't hold happy memories for me either, Granger."
That made Hermione think. Malfoy didn't care about anyone but himself, and maybe his family. Why would he care if she was tortured there? "Why does that matter to you?" She asked cautiously, keeping her wand at the ready.
Malfoy glared at her. "I know you think of me as some sort of monster, but I don't watch people get tortured for fun." He spat. "Just because Bellatrix is my blood relative doesn't mean I'm anything like her. Or was my relative, I guess." He met her eyes there, no apparent emotion, just waiting for Hermione's reaction. Hermione didn't know what to say. He didn't seem particularly bothered by his aunt's death, but at the same time, she was close to the people who killed her. She almost wanted to apologize for that, but it wouldn't be sincere. Hermione believed in sparing as many as possible, but Bellatrix and killed and tortured to many to go unpunished. The horrible things she had done… Even Malfoy would never do any of those things.
"I never said you were anything like her." She said quietly.
Her words seemed to surprise Malfoy, who looked sad, and slightly confused for a second. "How do you know?" He asked, still sounding guarded.
Hermione had once been practicing her legilimency on Harry and had seen into one of his Voldemort episodes. She had seen Draco being forced to torture a death eater by Voldemort. "Because," She answered, "I don't know what you've done, but Bellatrix took pleasure in hurting others. You did it because you had to, to save your family."
Malfoy seemed to ponder this for a second, and he looked slightly less tense, but still kept a guarded expression. "Are you going to tell anyone you saw me here?" He asked Hermione.
Hermione looked taken aback. "I don't know. Why?"
Malfoy took a step towards her. "You can't tell anyone." His tone was threatening.
Hermione frowned at him. "I can tell anyone I want."
Malfoy looked mad. "No, you can't!" He exclaimed, his voice rising. "I'll be put in Azkaban as soon as anyone knows where I am and you know it!"
Hermione took a step back. "No you won't. They have to give you a fair trial, it's illegal not to."
Malfoy let out a humorless laugh. "You think they'll give death eater's a fair trial? You're delusional. All the evidence they need against me is right here on my arm." He yanked the sleeve of his robe up to reveal his dark mark. Hermione wasn't surprised. The trio had suspected he'd had the dark mark for a long time, and Harry had seen it more than once, but even though Hermione knew it was there, seeing it was different. She wondered if there was some sort of muggle/muggle-born repelling charm on it.
"Disgusts you doesn't it?" Malfoy was watching her closely.
"You were forced to get that mark." Hermione tried to hide her true feelings. Yes, it repulsed her. She remembered how Bellatrix had had her finger inches away from her identical mark, about to summon the dark lord, when-
"Granger?" Malfoy was looking at her, eye brow raised.
"What?" Hermione snapped, feeling foolish, caught lost in thought by Malfoy of all people.
"So you aren't going to tell anyone?" He asked her slowly. Hermione sensed an unspoken threat hidden in his words.
Hermione hesitated for a moment before responding. "No." Malfoy's face relaxed visibly. "But if I even suspect you're doing anything wrong-"Her voice was rising to a louder, higher pitch.
"I know; you'll turn me in." Malfoy finished flatly.
Hermione shook her head. "I'm not sure I have to. The ministry will be sending Aurors after you soon, trying to round up all the escaped death eaters. People who murdered and tortured innocent-"
Malfoy whipped out his wand suddenly, Hermione brandished hers too and the two stared at each other for a moment. "Just don't tell anyone you saw me here." He said for about the tenth time in the last minute or so and turned to walk away.
"I'll send someone to check on you tomorrow to make sure you're not doing anything." Hermione called to him.
He turned around and was suddenly right in front of her, gripping her shoulders tightly. "You will not! I told you, you can't tell anyone you saw me, not even your precious Potter can know I'm here. Got it?"
Hermione stepped back out of his grasp, startled. "I didn't mean Harry, I meant a teacher or-"
"No!" Malfoy snarled. "Tell no one. Check on me yourself if you really have to." He said bitterly.
Hermione raised her chin, trying not to look intimidated. "Fine, I will." She turned on her heel and marched out of the room, feeling more confused and conflicted then she had upon entering the room.