Touch

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Summary: "Don't touch me!" "I won't; I can't." Early sixth year. Draco isn't a Death Eater yet and Lucius hasn't been sent to Azkaban yet. When Hermione's parents are murdered at the hands of his own father, what will Draco do about it? Hermione's POV.

I was sitting in transfiguration with Ron and Harry when it happened. It had been a normal day up until then. Ron had failed at turning his book into a bird and I had needed to help him after Professor McGonagall gave him a disapproving scowl. Harry seemed distracted by his potions book. I would really have to give him a talking to about focus. It was about halfway through class when a student walked in and handed the Professor a note.

"From the Headmaster." He said and walked out after a nod of acknowledgement. Professor opened the note and skimmed her eyes cross it. She paled and then, she looked up at me. I swallowed. Was I in trouble? I watched her clear her throat with an unreadable look in her eyes.

"Miss Granger." She announced. "The Headmaster would like to see you in his office. He has some-" She faltered, "-unfortunate news for you. Perhaps it would be best if Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley were to accompany you."

This sounded serious. I looked over at Harry who was frowning at me. He gripped my hand and I felt Ron's hand on my shoulder. It was good to know that my friends were there for me. We got up and gathered our things. McGonagall walked us down to Dumbledore's office and we spoke the password to the staircase. I stepped on to them and Harry started to follow me when he was stopped.

"While I believe she will need you, this is something I believe that Miss Granger needs to hear first."

Harry stepped back to wait and the staircase I stood on started to move. I soon reached the hallway just outside Dumbledore's office and as I approached the door, it opened. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk starring at a sheet of paper. He didn't smile at me. Something was really wrong.

"Headmaster?" I spoke up. He looked up.

"Ah, Hermione, dear." He said in greeting. "Why don't you sit down." I sat in a nearby chair and Dumbledore crouched down next to me. "I am afraid I have some terrible news. Early this morning, your parents were murdered in their home by a Death Eater."

"What?" My mind went into shut down. I couldn't even believe what he was saying. Murdered? But I thought they'd put up wards? Who could have gotten through them? Who? "Who?" I asked.

"It is believed, it was Lucius Malfoy." Malfoy. I shook my head. This couldn't be happening. It was all a bad nightmare. I'd wake up soon. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't. And then I was crying. I was sobbing, with my head in my hands. I felt Dumbledore's strong hands on my shoulders. "He has been brought to justice, Hermione. That I can assure you." I nodded, still sobbing silently.

There was a timid knock at the door and Dumbledore stepped away to answer it. There was a voice on the other side.

"Does she know?" It was Cornelius Fudge. What was the ministry doing here?

"Yes. I have told her, but I do not believe that now is the best time."

"We have to go, Albus. I can't keep him here and I have to honor his last wish, you know that! He wants to talk to her." Last wish? That was for someone being arrested by the Ministry for Murder. Was it Lucius? Why would he want to see me? To rub it in? To cause me more pain? I heard Dumbledore sigh.

"Very well bring him in." No! How could Dumbledore do this to me. I didn't want to face the man who'd killed my parents. Fresh tears came to my eyes and I squirmed away in my chair as a shock of pale blond hair appeared from around the door.

"No!" I shouted, thrashing. "Don't touch me!"

"I won't; I can't." I frowned. Wrong Malfoy.

"Draco?" I asked looking up. He was kneeling next to my chair, looking up at me. His hands were bound and his cheeks were stained with dry tears. Was he guilty too? Did he play some part in my parent's death? Why else would he be here. He smiled at me, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Why are-?" I trailed off. What was I going to ask? Why was he crying? Why was he being hauled off for murder? Why'd he let himself get caught? Why was he here?

"I'm sorry." He said looking at the leg of the chair.

"Did you help?" His head snapped up.

"What?"

"Did you help him kill my parents?" He bit his lip.

"I might as well have. I didn't stop him; that's practically the same thing. I didn't know, Hermione. I swear! But, it doesn't make it any better. I have known for a long time who he was, and what he was doing when he went out late at night. I was too afraid to stand up to him, too afraid he'd hurt me. So I let him hurt others. I never thought he'd target you parents, because they were muggles. I was wrong. And when he came home this morning boasting about what he'd done, I could stand there and watch anymore." He was being arrested for murder. Suddenly I figured out what had happened.

"You-" I started but he cut me off.

"I killed him. He won't hurt you again. None of us Malfoys will." He gestured to his bound hands. "I turned myself in. I figure that anything the Ministry can do to me has got to be better than the Dark Lord's punishment for betrayal, which is what I've done. I was raised to serve him, to be a Death Eater, from the day I was born. I was practically promised to him, but I never wanted to be." He was crying now. I reached out to touch his face.

"But Draco, the punishment for the murder of a Wizard, is the Dementor's Kiss." He nodded in my hands.

"I know. But that's okay. I've screwed up my chance at life; it's better this way."

"How can you say that?" I slipped off the chair to my knees in front of him. My own suffering pushed to the back of my mind to cry for the boy, no the man, who had killed the cause of my pain. "You've done good things too." He choked out a laugh.

"How can you say that?" He asked bringing his bound hands up to wrap lightly around my wrists. My hands still cupped his face. "After everything I've done to you and your friends, after all the horrible things I've said to you, how can you look at me like this? How can you look at me at all?" I shook my head, tears flying from my cheeks to the floor.

"Why did you have to do this? Why couldn't you have just let the Ministry handle it? Why'd you have to take the law into your own hands? Why'd you have to kill him?" I sobbed loudly.

"I did it for you!" He roared.

"WHY? Why me? What have I ever done for you that made you do this for me? Why would you throw your life away to avenge me?" He sighed and hung his head. I leaned forward and rested my forehead against him. I didn't care that he had made my life miserable through the school years. I didn't care that he was a Malfoy and I was a Mudblood. I definitely didn't care that both Dumbledore and Fudge were watching. Then after a pause he started laughing.

"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one." He said soon after.

"What?"

"You never knew." He continued, "You never even guessed. I was so mean to you. I was awful to you. It wasn't because I was raised that way, though I was, it wasn't because I was jealous of your grades or your friends or your adventures, and it wasn't because I hated you. I can remember the first time I saw you, before we spoke, before I ever made you cry, all the way back in first year, waiting to get on the train. Back when I wore too much gel my hair and you wore not enough to keep it from turning into a bush, do you remember? That day, and ever since, I've been in love with you."

I gasped reflexively.

"You do?" I felt surprisingly calm and not nearly as confused as I should have been. I knew I should have been shocked. I should have been reluctant to believe him, but after everything that I had discovered in the last few minutes, this seemed expected almost. And as I thought more about it, it made sense really. Just like a little boy pulling on a girl's pigtail, we were always meanest to those we cared the most about. I was awfully mean to him too, and I found myself realizing, only now, that I cared.

"I think it's time to go, Mr. Malfoy." Fudge suggested with slightly less authority than he should have. Draco nodded once and ripped himself away from me. I collapsed into a sitting position and watched, frozen, as he disappeared. He didn't even look back before walking out the door. I looked to Dumbledore.

"Please." I begged him, "Do something!" He nodded. He had been planning on it. I allowed myself a small smile at this.

"Cornelius." He called to Fudge. "Surely there is something we can do to avoid, young Draco's fate. He's only a boy, and even you can't deny the justification of his actions." Fudged sighed tiredly and shut the door.

"Albus." He began after a pause. "You know as well as I that the law is the law. He is no longer under-aged so he will be tried as an adult. He murdered his father and turned himself in. That is an automatic guilty plea, unless you can prove that he is crazy or being threatened. The Ministry may be able to lessen the sentence, however." He paused. "But you'll need some cracking defense. I recommend hunting down your only witness. His mother was present and ran from the scene. She may be willing to come out of hiding to protect her son. Also you must have some people to attest to Mr. Malfoy's character. You'd need examples of good deeds for example, if he has any. Also, I suggest that they themselves be fairly well known for their moral character. Perhaps, yourself, a professor or two, or, err, maybe, young Mr. Potter?" He tittered off unsurely. Dumbledore nodded.

"Thank you for your help. We will be in touch." He turned to me and held out a hand. "I believe you have some friends waiting with many hugs and comfort." I nodded and walked to his side.

We found Harry and Ron outside, glaring daggers at Draco. It looked like the Ministry's guards were the only thing keeping them from jumping him. They obviously thought that he had done something wrong. I would have to do a lot of explaining tonight. I needed them on my side if we were going to save Draco. As I later told them about my parent's death and Draco's not so sudden but still surprising change of heart. I wondered what my mother and father would think of my falling in love with a murderer.

Author's Note: So this story popped into my head and I couldn't get it out. So I wrote it down. I have two more chapters in the works. At the end of this story will be a timeline of all the billions of Harry Potter Fanfics I have brewing in my mind. It's subject to change, so if you see one that you like a lot and it is far down, send me a message or a review telling me what you want and it will probably move up.
Keep in mind I write stories for other worlds besides Harry Potter and those will be taking up my time. Also this is my 41st story on here, sort of passing a barrier. *cheers* Thanks for reading. More soon, I promise.

~Scifigeek14~