Hermione looked around in a daze. She was in the library with papers and books scattered everywhere. She had fallen asleep at her table again, as she had so many times before in the past few weeks. Her N.E.W.T. exams were creeping around the corner and no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to keep the things she studied lodged in her memory.

As she began picking up her things and placing them in her bag, a shadow consumed her. She looked up at its owner and saw herself inches away from Draco Malfoy.

"Draco, I can't do this right now. I need to go up and see Harry and Ron to see how far they've come with their essay for Professor McGonagall," she said quickly, walking around him to leave.

He stepped in her way. "Granger, I haven't seen you in days," he said with a slight tremble in his voice.

Hermione noticed the tremble and stopped, looking at him worriedly. "Draco, is everything all right? You seem," she paused, looking for the word. "depressed."

"I-" he stopped himself. He looked into her hazel-brown eyes and pulled her into a quick embrace. "I just got word from my mother. She said that my father has been sent to Hogwarts on a request from Lord Voldemort to find all muggle-borns and bring them to him. I need you to leave Hogwarts as soon as you can."

She pulled away and looked at him blankly. "I can't just leave Hogwarts, Draco. That's absurd!" she said, shaking her head.

Malfoy nodded and pulled her into the corner. "Granger, you have to trust me on this. My father will do anything for him. He'd sell my soul if he had to. I can find you somewhere to hide, anywhere. You need to leave before he finds you."

Hermione escaped his grasp and stepped around him, continuing to shake her head. "I can't leave, Draco," she said stubbornly. "I can take care of myself."

Hermione grabbed her things and walked to the doors to leave, only taking a glance of Draco as she left. He stood there dumbfounded, confused as to why she wouldn't trust him and do as he said.

When he awoke, his mind was buzzing with fear and anger. He slumped out of bed and looked at the sleeping Zabini on the floor. Draco kicked him in the stomach before slouching to the bathroom to get ready.

"What was that for?" Blaise asked angrily.

"You were asleep on the floor."

"Noticed that already."

"You would have done the same if it were vice versa," Draco said, ending the conversation. He went to his wardrobe and pulled out his uniform, putting it on over his undergarments.

Blaise had started doing the same ten minutes later, and by the time he had finished, Draco had left the room for the Great Hall.

Draco walked down the corridors and stared straightly ahead. His mind was producing a million thoughts per minute, giving him a slight headache. When he entered the Great Hall, it was almost empty. He looked at the time and realized he had woken up an hour late, thus making him late for Potions. He ran out in a rush to Professor Slughorn's room and walked in flustered.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. Come to join us?" Slughorn asked with a hearty laugh. "Go on, sit down. We were just talking about Amortentia. Would anyone like to repeat to Mr. Malfoy what that is, exactly?"

Only one hand shot up, and Draco could already sense who it was, without even seeing her face.

"Ms. Granger! Please, explain, then," Slughorn said.

Hermione stood up and looked at Draco. She studied him intensely, marking down every feature. He has begun looking thinner and paler. His hair was flat and not slicked back as it usually was, and his uniform was a bit tight.

"Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the entire world. It causes a powerful infatuation or obsession in the drinker," she began. "It appears to every scent you enjoy. For example, I smell freshly mowed grass, new parchment, and-" she stopped herself from saying the actual third thing. "Spearmint toothpaste."

Professor Slughorn smiled and told her she could sit again. Her eyes were locked with Draco's as she sat back down next to Harry.

When the class ended, Draco left the room slowly, waiting for Hermione without looking completely obvious. He waited outside until Harry and Ron left her alone and pulled her into the empty room with him.

"You need to leave, Granger, before you get killed," he said boldly, not taking no for an answer.

"Draco, we've discussed this. I'm not leaving Hogwarts no matter what you say," she replied calmly.

He sighed. "I've been spending weeks looking for somewhere to hide you. I can't let you die at the hands of my father, Granger, or else all I'd do is blame myself."

Hermione looked at him for a while before leaning in and giving him a slow, passionate kiss. "I won't get hurt, Draco. Please just trust me on that."

He shook his head. "I can't. My father can and will kill you, I just know it," he said, grabbing her wrist tightly. "I.. care about you, Granger. That's why you should let me take you to safety away from Hogwarts. Please."

She stared at the ground, avoiding his eyes. Her voice had seemed to disappear completely. Her eyes shifted to glance at him and see his face contorted with pain. She brought her gaze to his hand gripping her arm.

After another agonizing minute, she nodded her head. "I'll go," she said.

He widened his eyes. "I told Dumbledore everything. He's letting you and I leave until this all blows over."

She nodded and bit her lip. "What about the other muggle-borns? We can't leave them here to be killed."

"Dumbledore said he knew what to do," he said. "Voldemort's starting a war, Granger. You can't expect everyone to live afterward," he added after seeing the look in her eyes. The look of worry, fear.

She nodded once more, trying to take it all in. "Did you tell Harry? Ron?"

He shook his head. "I figured if you were coming, you'd tell them."

"Right."

The house was quiet, as usual. Her footsteps seemed heavy, although very light at the same time. She heard a bird chirp here and there. The dew was still fresh on the New Zealand grass.

Draco watched her from his window. It had been two weeks since they'd left Hogwarts mysteriously, without a trace. Dumbledore helped them Apparate here and should soon be coming to bring them back to Hogwarts.

Hermione was unhappy, Draco could see. She felt uncomfortable in this new place with the new language and the new food and the new everything. She felt.. out of place. Draco quickly adapted to his new home, actually felt it was better than his other one.

He walked to the front door and looked out on the porch, where Hermione was sitting on the swing. He sat next to her and she buried her head into his chest.

"When can we go home, Draco?" she asked again. Persistent girl, she is.

"Soon," he answered.

"You say that every time I ask."

"You ask that every time you see me."

She quickly gave in and sat quietly.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before an owl swooped under the porch roof and dropped a letter.

Hermione looked at it and opened it in a hurry. She scanned it and Draco saw tears form in her eyes. It was my father, he thought. He killed them all.

She handed him the letter. As he read it, a new worry formed in his head.

Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger,

Professor Dumbledore left me with your new address in case anything had happened so I could contact you.

On the night of June 3rd, Professor Dumbledore had been killed using the 'Avada Kedavra' curse. The accused is currently Professor Snape, as Mr. Harry Potter tells us on an eyewitness account.

I am here to inform you that you must stay away from here. It is far too dangerous to have even more children involved in this war.

Regards,

Minerva McGonagall

Draco dropped the letter and held the crying Hermione in his arms.

"We can't go back, can we?" she asked.

He simply shook his head and stared into the distance, trying to forget everything that has happened.