I do not own the characters in this story. They belong to JK Rowling.

*Warning. There is some strong language in this chapter and will continue throughout the story. There will be scenes with violence and some sexual content. I will provide warnings in the beginning of any of these chapters.

Thank you for reading!

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Hermione shot up in bed, heart pounding and her breathing labored. A loud boom of thunder reverberated off the sides of her home. Nights like this, when storms would rage on outside, the nightmares would come for her full force. The war left it scars on everyone, but sometimes she felt as if the dark magic that cut into her forearm those years ago lingered, making the side effects of war more difficult to bear.

She calmed her breathing and made her way downstairs to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. She leaned her back to the counter top as she tried to reel herself back in and come down from the adrenaline rush her nightmare had brought on. Just as she set the glass down, she was startled as her fireplace erupted in green flames followed by Harry stepping through.

"Harry, it's bloody three in the morning what the hell-"

She stopped as her fireplace erupted once more as Malfoy stepped through. A flash of rage swept through her eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Pleasure to see you too Granger."

"You have some bloody nerve stepping into my home you ass-"

"That's enough Hermione. We don't have time for this." Harry interrupted her.

"You better start explaining now Harry. Before I hex his ass into oblivion."

"Oh come off it Granger." Draco spat.

"That goes for you as well Malfoy. I agreed to help you with this. Don't make me regret it." Harry shot him a warning glare.

"What's going in Harry?" she asked.

"We've been working on something. We underestimated how big it was though..." he trailed off.

"What is it?" she pressed.

Harry gave her a grim look. "Death Eaters Hermione."

"What about them?"

"There have been whispers about a new group rising up. So far though, every lead has been a dead end, until tonight that is."

"What happened?"

"There was a breakout at Azkaban. We believe someone bribed a guard."

Her face went pale. "How many escaped?" she asked.

"Only one." he said as he looked at Malfoy.

"No." she said barely above a whisper.

While she still held a great deal of distaste for the blonde that now stood before her, she knew that his father forced him into his decisions in their teen years. She knew that Draco was reformed, that he abandoned blood prejudice. Most importantly, that his testimony was what sealed Lucius' fate. Combining all of that with Harry's willingness to take him on was how Draco was able to become an auror.

The anger fleeted from her eyes as she looked to Draco. Harry did not need to delve into the details of it. Her old nemesis was in danger.

"I'm sorry Malfoy." she said. He did not reply, merely nodded.

"What does this have to do with me Harry? I have no authority, I write laws, and do most of my work from home. I'm barely ever even at the Ministry."

"That's exactly the point. We need your help."

"With what?"

"No one knows we are here. Not even the minister. I told Kingsley I had an idea of where to hide Malfoy, but insisted even he shouldn't know where. The less people that know for now the better, at least until we come up with something else."

Her eyes went wide as she came to the realization of what was being suggested. "Here? You want him to stay here?" she asked incredulously.

"It's the only immediate place where no one will look for him." Harry pleaded.

The pair launched in to a series of exchanges before Draco had enough.

"For fucks sake!" he yelled, silencing the two. "Look Granger, I'm no more thrilled about this then you are. Hell, when Potter suggested it I told him he was mad. If you're that adamant about my leaving then I will, but Harry assured me it will only be for a few days until we can get to the bottom of this or come up with another arrangement."

Hermione crossed her arms in front as she paced back and fourth. She didn't like Draco. He was still a pompous asshole, but he wasn't a bad person. He was in danger, and she knew he was telling the truth about not wanting this anymore then her. Harry was right, with her status as war heroine, as well as her employment with the ministry, her house was one of the most heavily warded in the country. She finally stopped and looked at the two men before her. "Alright fine. He can stay. But as soon as you can, I want him gone. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Hermione."

"As for you." she rounded on Draco. "This is my home, and you will respect it as well as me. Do you have a problem with that?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "No Granger no problem, I'm fairly certain I can behave myself for a few bloody days." he said.

"Right then, Malfoy, I'll floo over the trunk you have at the Ministry tonight. I'll check in as soon as I have any information, you're still on this case and I need you on it." Draco nodded at him. "And Hermione, do not owl me or anyone else about his presence here, we don't yet know how big this scheme is, and we can't risk anything." he said.

"I know Harry." she said in a calm tone. She did know, the war ended five years ago, but their time on the run was still fresh within her mind.

"Well, I need to get back. I'll let you know once I have something." he leaned over and gave Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek. He nodded to Draco before grabbing a handful of floo powder and stepping back into the fireplace. With a flash of green he was gone. The air seeming to become thicker at his departure.

The two stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity. When Hermione finally spoke her voice was much softer. "Look Malfoy, I don't like you and you don't like me."

"Well thank you for stating the obvious." he sneered.

"Can you ever keep your damn mouth shut?"

"Can you?"

She narrowed her eyes on him. "Can we just agree to try and remain civil and not kill one another?"

"Fine." he scoffed.

Silence again. Another crash of thunder shuttered the house causing Hermione to jump slightly. The action did not go unnoticed by him.

"Your welcome to the kitchen if you're hungry. There's a guest room at the top of the stairs. It has a bathroom, there are linens inside."

"Thanks."

"I'm going to bed then." she said as she turned to make her way back up the stairs. She gasped before turning back to him.

"What about your mother?" she asked.

He was caught off guard by the question. "What about her?"

"Is she...is she somewhere safe?"

His brows furrowed. "She's safe. He wouldn't hurt her anyway, but she is in Italy right now. Harry will be sending Andromeda there as well, and Teddy will be with the Weasley's."

She seemed relax a bit. "Good. That's good...Malfoy?"

"Yeah?"

"How bad is this?" she asked out of genuine concern.

"We don't know yet Granger, but Harry and I set up multiple protocols months ago as a precaution."

"Do you think it will be enough?"

He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. "I sure as hell hope so." he said.

She didn't say anything. The two looked into one another's eyes. There was a silent understanding between the two about what this situation could potentially be. She broke their gaze and resumed her way back up the stairs.

Left to himself he thought about exactly what could happen. He thought about what could happen to the young witch upstairs who had just agreed to help him. He was suddenly filled with a strong sense of desire to protect her from all of this. They weren't friends, not in the least. They didn't like each other, but after what she had already endured, the torture that had already been afflicted upon her, he was determined to never let that happen again.

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