Disclaimer: -sigh- once again, I don't own any of these characters...Granted, I may bend their personalities to my liking, but they have already been created. I really want to be in Venice...

(This is edited again because I was too lazy to do it the first time. :D)

A/N- The song in the first chapter was False Pretense, by the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. I have a tendency to put music in my stories. xD

I'm sitting in a room

made up of only big white walls and in the halls there are people looking through

the window in the door they know exactly what you're here for

Don't look up just let them think there's no place else you'd rather be

-x-x-x-

"I don't know what to do with her!" Hermione awoke to a familiar voice outside her door, and sat up, rubbing her eyes. Once she could see properly, she felt her heart skip a beat, realizing that she wasn't actually in her room. Her gaze drifted to the door then, and she stood up, creeping towards it to listen. There were three voices, and she recognized them easily. Her tormentors from Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott. Just her luck.

As her mind went over everything that had happened, she remembered why she was there in the first place, and frowned. Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince, had tried to save her? That was just ridiculous! It had to be some sort of dream.

"I can't keep her here," She heard Malfoy say. "My father will find her, then he'll kill her. One of you has to take her."

Take her? Where were they taking her?!

"Well we all know I can't," Zabini put in. "My mother is having guests in our home for the remainder of the summer, and they'd tear her apart."

Why did they sound like they cared? They used to be the ones to tear her apart!

"Well, Theo, we all know your mother wouldn't mind," Draco said, and an aggravated sigh was heard from the boy in question.

"My mum might not, but my brother will!" He hissed, and she could almost imagine him crossing his arms.

"Your brother can be dealt with," Blaise said, his voice quite soft, but gently urging at the same time.

"Look, I'll ask her, alright?" He said, clearly irritated. "We might as well take her with to ask."

Hermione jumped back as the door was pushed open, and crossed her arms upon seeing them. They looked quite surprised that she was already up, but she ignored their looks.

"Take me home," She said immediately.

"Hmph, home?" Draco snorted. "Some home you had, with the little Weasel."

Hermione looked at the floor for a moment, still trying to gather her thoughts. "It's none of your business, Malfoy," She said finally. "You just happened to see us at a bad time."

"Oh, and how many of those bad times are there?" He retorted. "Every few hours? When he doesn't get his way?"

She clenched her fists in anger, and looked back up at them, her gaze drifting from face to face. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Well what does it look like we're doing?" Draco asked. "We're kidnapping you."

Blaise sighed, and put his hand on Draco's arm. It seemed to calm him, because he simply stood, watching Hermione through narrowed eyes.

"We aren't kidnapping you," Blaise said, his tone gentler than Draco's. "We simply aren't letting you go back to Weasley."

"Well then take me to my home," She said, frowning.

"Granger, you don't have a home," Draco snapped. "We're not idiots, alright? We know that your parents were killed."

"Yes, by your father," She replied, her tone cold. He seemed to regret bringing it up immediately, and something flashed in his eyes. Guilt, perhaps? No, Draco Malfoy never felt guilty for anything. It was unheard of.

"That isn't the point," Blaise sighed. "You've got nowhere else to go, you should be happy for the help."

"How do I know you're really trying to help me?" She replied.

"You're very ridiculous, you know that, Granger? Bloody hell, at least give us a bit of a chance. After all, Draco here saved you from getting raped in an alley, and this is how you repay him?"

Hermione winced at the phrasing, but took a deep breath, quickly composing herself. "Thank you, Malfoy," She said. "Now will you please take me home?"

"You're welcome, and no," He replied, shaking his head. "You just don't get it, do you?"
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Theo suddenly stepped in, speaking to her for the first time. He stepped directly in front of her, ignoring the small step she took backwards.

"Listen, Granger," He said, his voice low, and stern. "We aren't the ones trying to hurt you. We may be Slytherins, but we don't sit around and watch as abusive relationships grow into something more than that. What if he killed you one of these times?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's not like that, you don't understand," She said softly. "Ron isn't like that, he just...I-"

"You refused to spread your legs for him, so he decided to force you to do it. That should be reason enough to take this chance to get away from him," Draco said. Blaise sent him a warning look, and he sighed, backing off again.

"Now, we're going to apparate to my house. You're of age, aren't you?" Theo asked, and Hermione shook her head.

"I don't turn seventeen until October," She said quietly, sounding a bit resigned.

Blaise nodded. "Theo, you can take her then, we'll come along right after you."

Theo nodded, and reached out for her arm. She immediately took another step back, but looked at him cautiously. He kept his arm out for her, and after a moment, she took his hand. There was a loud pop, then an unpleasant feeling, and she found herself in the front yard of a large estate. The Nott Manor.

She pulled her hand away from his then, and looked behind her as the other two Slytherins appeared behind them.

"Now, we're going to tell my mum what's going on," Theo said, turning her to face him. She immediately shook her head again, and he sighed. "We have to, Granger, if we want her to let you stay here. We don't usually get visitors, and she'll want a reason to have one now."

She looked a tad bit worried at that, but nodded. "Aright, I suppose," She murmured. "But I'm not staying long, remember that. I am going home eventually."

Draco raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. If it were up to him, she would get the entire house to herself, completely free of the Weasel. If it were up to him, the weasel would be in the ground.

"Why are you three doing this?" She asked as they walked with her towards the front door. "You've hated me since first year. Bushy haired mudblood, ring any bells?"

Blaise smirked. "Who says we don't still hate you?" He asked, then at her confused look, he continued. "Look, we never hated you. Yes, we disliked you, but things change. I'm not saying we like you now, but like we said before, we won't just sit around and watch the Weasel do that to anybody. Besides, your hair isn't bushy anymore. It actually looks really smooth."

Hermione rolled her eyes at that. "Thanks, Zabini, but I really don't need your pity."

"Yes you do, Granger," Theo said, then looked up as he walked in the door. "Mum," He called out.

"In the kitchen, dear," A high soprano sang out, amusement in her tone. Theo nodded, and led the other three into the kitchen, grinning at the delicious smell lingering in the air.

"Mum, I'm sure you've heard a lot about Hermione Granger..."Theo said, and Hermione bit her lip, waiting for the woman's reaction.

She just smiled, nodding. "Yes, Harry Potter's friend," She said. "What about her?" She hadn't turned to them yet; she was too busy with the stove and her cooking. After a moment, she turned the heat down, and turned to them, her eyes widening. "OH!"

Theo nodded, and gestured for her to sit, before Blaise pushed Hermione gently into a seat.

"Not that I mind at all, dear, but what is she doing here?" The woman asked.

"She got into a spat with the Weasel boy," Draco said, glancing at Hermione. "Apparently he's an abusive bastard, and we're offering her a place to stay."

She laughed softly. "Language, Draco," She said, before turning to Hermione, whose gaze was on the floor. "Well of course you can stay here, dear, for as long as you'd like. I think it would be good for Theo to have some company around the house anyway."

Theo grumbled something under his breath, but his mother shot him a stern look, and he quickly nodded. "Alright, Mum," He said, sighing.

Blaise and Draco both looked slightly amused at this, but said nothing. "Well then, let's show her to a room, shall we?" Draco asked cheerfully.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder what was going on..There was no way she could have just been accepted into Nott's household without even a second thought. These boys were up to something...There was an ulterior motive, and she was going to figure it out!

A/N Alright, so it's not the greatest. This is my second attempt at a serious fanfiction story. I have a oneshot, that I need to go edit. Anyway, review, criticize, flame if you want.