Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: *PLEASE READ* For those reading The Governess, it is already done and ready to go, I promise. I've been writing this story for ages and I am particularly attached to it. It is...different, to say the least. I'm not sure the best way to set this up but essentially it is one story told in two parts. The first part is the "present" and is in Hermione's POV. The second part is in the "Past" and is told from Draco's POV. If you have any suggestions on how to make it easier to read (I tried italicizing the past but it's a lot to read like that and hard on the eyes) it's appreciated. Everything is interconnected, though it may not seem like it, and it's as much of a mystery as a dramatic love story. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. So please, let me know what you think and if I should even continue posting!

Chapter 1

Hermione
~Present~

Hermione came to with a start, her heart thudding behind her ears as the world swayed around her, a dizzying affect. She breathed deeply as the spinning eased and it was only then that she realized something wasn't right.

Before she could ponder on it too much, however, several things happened in quick succession. She sat up, noting the strange room in which she had just awoke, the window letting in just enough light to make her head explode in pain as the door burst open.

"Mummy!" came the shout and suddenly she was hit with a warm, solid, and very small body and she jumped as two equally as tiny arms wrapped around her neck in a vice grip. "I missed you."

The small voice prattled on and she reached down to pull the child away from her, sure there was some mistake just as a seperate pair of chubby little hands curled around the edge of the bed and an even smaller voice cried out in protest.

"I don't-who are you?" Hermione stammered as the child finally pulled away from her and she caught his eyes as the breath left her lungs.

"Mummy you're silly." the boy said with a laugh before turning to look at the other child on the floor beside the bed. "No Ly-Wa, go help Daddy."

Hermione looked at the boy in her arms as the little toddler somewhere to her left began to wail in earnest, exacerbating the drumming of blood in her skull as footsteps sounded in the hall.

She breathed in quiet relief, sure that this poor child was lost and confused and surer even still that her head was about to implode as the newcomer spoke from the doorway.

"Finally awake I see? Was beginning to wonder if you'd ever rejoin us love." Hermione's stomach rolled as she looked up, the voice jarring her insides as recognition filtered through her very core. Because she would know that voice anywhere, even as confusion settled in her gut and she pulled her eyes away from the child in her lap as she looked up every so slowly. Just as she met his steely gray gaze, the world we
nt black.

DRACO
~Past~

"Draco, dear." He stopped, mid stride to turn his head towards the sound of his mother's voice. He had currently been en route to the kitchens, in desperate need of a snack to help settle his stomach and ease the pounding in his skull. Of course it was his own fault, Blaise had been all too happy to go out and celebrate his promotion the night before, not that Draco could really blame him. If there was one thing he did well, it was celebrate, that man. Still, a few firewhiskys later and he was paying for it now.

"Yes mother?" He said, fighting the grimace as just moving his jaw sent shockwaves through his skull.

"We have company..." she trailed off and Draco stepped around the corner just enough to see the curly rat's nest of hair that stood awkwardly behind his mother.

"Granger." He all but snarled and he saw her jaw clench, even from the other side of the room.

"Malfoy." She replied, not hiding the face she made as his name rolled off her tongue.

"Draco, Miss Granger is here on business..." His mother cut in, interrupting the stare down between the two. "If you could please lead her to the drawing room."

He cut his eyes to his mother quickly and then back to Granger, of course she knew what room his mother was talking about. He could have laughed out loud. His mother was different from his father. She, in fact, was the soft one- as the patriarch had so often felt the need to remind her- she was not cruel, but she was cold and calculating.

"Very well." Draco said, bringing himself up to his full height. "This way Granger."

He didn't wait to see if she was following as he walked straight in to the room, holding the door open behind him to allow her to pass. He saw her, of course he saw her, as she paused at the threshold. The memory of the last time she had been in this very room no doubt etched in to her mind like the words on her skin. He wondered, briefly, if they were still there or if she had used magic to rid herself of the acknowledgment of her upbringing. Before he could wonder too long on why he actually wanted to know, she traipsed forward with her chin held high and he realized he had to give it to her. Had he been in the same situation... He stopped, shaking his head as his mother brushed past him, squeezing his arm in dismissal and he nodded, leaving the two women and making his way back towards the kitchens.

He had hardly had time to take the elf offered hangover potion and a small nibble of a sandwich when his mother's voice called to him from above and he sighed as he walked back up the steps and in to the drawing room.

"Yes?" he asked, looking only at his mother.

"Draco, Miss Granger is here... well, why don't you tell him?"

He startled then, looking to Granger and then back to his mother and he saw his mother's face was paler than normal and he perked up.

His father, having been a convicted death eater, was currently serving his time in Azkaban, and though he had heard the rumors, that things had changed at the prison, he still felt unease creep through his being at the look on his mother's face.

"I-That is-" Granger started uncomfortably and he saw her shift in her chair as he met her gaze. "As you may know, I work for the ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures-"

He scoffed, of course he knew, everyone knew the bloody swot was working to free the house elves or whatever the hell she was doing. There wasn't one edition of the Daily Prophet that left out the happenings of Potter and his pets.

"Right." She said, noticing his face. "Anyway, there have been some... happenings recently that have alerted our office to the fact that there may be some danger-"

"Just get on with it." Draco snapped, his head still protesting being vertical.

Her eyes narrowed and he could tell she was really holding back, a fact which made him smirk ever so, but she finally relented. "House elves are being murdered Malfoy, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the attacks at all. We just want to sound the alarm so to speak... hopefully curb this before it becomes something more."

"Murdered you say?" Draco asked, his eyes flitting to his mother and he knew why she was so stiff and wan, no doubt thinking of Ninny, the house elf who had practically raised her. "Why don't you bloody catch the filth committing the acts… or is that what you're doing? Going around, gauging people's reactions, trying to weed out the possible culprits. Tell me this, Granger, are we at the top of your list?"

"Draco." His mother said sternly from the chair, not so much as a reprimand but a warning. He knew his family was already in hot water but damned if he wouldn't drown in it before he let some muggleborn bitch accuse his family.

"No." Granger replied hotly, standing up and shouldering her pack. "In fact, you weren't. Aurors are working on figuring out who is behind the acts-"

"By Aurors you mean your precious Potter and Weasel?"

"And I simply wanted to ensure that families had a way to protect those who work for them, who may not be able to defend themselves against such a senseless attack..." She ignored him as she turned on her heel and started towards the door.

He looked to his mother, who shook her head ever so slightly and he sighed as he pushed away from the hearth and headed after her.

"Granger." He called as he hurried his steps, just as she turned the corner towards the front door and he skidded after her, grabbing her arm just as she opened the heavy oak front door.

She reeled, yanking her arm out of his grasp with a gasp and turning to face him angrily as her bag slipped from her shoulder. "Don't you dare touch me."

He relented, putting his hands up in front of him and taking a step back.

"I was simply-" She huffed, tossing her bag back as the contents spilled out and she sighed as she bent down to start scooping them up. "doing my job."

Draco rolled his eyes but bent down nonetheless as he picked up the unassuming black book that had fallen at his feet.

"Don't touch that." She snapped, yanking it out of his grasp and shoving it back inside her bag. "Just... keep an eye on your elves."

Before he could answer she had flung herself out of the door and with a 'pop' she was gone.

A/N: Again, please let me know what you think and if I should continue! If I do continue, the second chapter will be much longer!