Hermione awoke in her cell and was glad to find herself alone for the time being. She had a splitting headache and her body aches from being crucioed so many times. She sat up and leaned against the damp cold stone wall and stretched her legs out in front of her.

'How am I going to get out of here?' She thought miserably to herself. 'What if I never get out of here?' Despair had set in and chilled her to the core. She shuddered at the direction her thoughts were going.

'No,' she thought clenching her jaw in a determined fashion. 'The order will come for me, I know they will. Otherwise I will just have to figure a way out myself. I am the brightest witch of the age after all.' Her newfound confidence was short lived however as she heard the main door of the dungeon creak open and shut behind someone as they entered.

Hermione decided that even though she was terrified she would not let her captors intimidate her. She was a Gryffindor and she was brave and courageous. At least that was what she told herself to give herself some comfort. She sat up straight eyes forward as whoever had come down began to open her cell door.

"Lumos," she heard a voice say, and suddenly her cell was illuminated with a small light allowing her to see that the person who had come to visit was, "Malfoy?" She asked timidly not as afraid as she had been a moment ago.

"In the flesh Granger." He said looking at her with a small smile before shutting the door behind him and casting a silencing charm he frowned as he walked over to her.

She wasn't quite sure if she could trust him but she figured he was better than his aunt so she wasn't too worried. He crouched next to her reaching his hand toward her face and she closed her eyes still not sure if he would hurt her or not, but he merely moved her wild curls out of the way and touched where her shoulder and neck met his fingers coming back with blood on them. "You're hurt." He said with a frown.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked at her blood on his fingers and was slightly shocked as she heard him mutter a healing spell. Some of the ache from her previous torture as well as the cuts she had gotten from thrashing on the rough stone floor disappearing from her body. Hermione was stunned that he had healed her and was even more astounded when he brought both of his hands in front of her. She watched in awe and confusion as he cut his right hand a bit with his wand and held it up next to his left comparing them.

"I see no difference," he said calmly looking at his bloody hands. "Do you?" He asked her with a ponderous expression on his face.

She reached out tentatively and grasped his wrists in her hands bringing his hands closer to her. She looked in his eyes as she said, "I have never seen a difference, Draco." She smiled as he looked into her eyes as if he were searching for answers to all of the impossible questions that he wanted to ask but didn't dare.

"You make me question everything I'm supposed to believe in." He said looking down at their hands, a tortured expression on his face. "You are intelligent, beautiful, kind and polite. You have beaten me in almost every class at school while managing to keep boy wonder and his sidekick alive. You are a puzzle that I want to figure out but I know I never will get to the right answer. Your blood makes you something I was taught to loathe but all the rest makes you something that I want to love."

She had still been staring at his hands in hers while he said what he did and her brown eyes shot up to meet his grey ones when he got to the end. There were so many emotions swirling in those stormy depths and she knew she wanted to analyze each one. She saw pain, despair, love and hope. "What made you change your mind about me?" She asked awe in her voice.

"Third year, when you punched me," he smiled at the memory and she joined him, remembering. "I didn't think a girl, a muggleborn no less, could be so strong and in one move show me how wrong I was in the way I viewed the world." He said sadly. "I wasted so much time being a hateful little bastard and telling perfectly normal good people that they were not worthy to lick my shoes." He looked down ashamed at the way he had behaved in the past.

"I noticed you." Hermione said putting her hand under his chin and making his eyes meet hers. "I noticed how after third year you stopped using the word mudblood and tried to steer clear of any muggleborns so you didn't have to put them in their place. I also noticed you following me on patrols when I had to do the dungeons, normally I would tell you that I can handle myself but seeing where we are now I'm glad you had and still have my back."

She smiled at him. "You are so brave Draco, to be challenging what your family has thought you. I cannot even imagine how confusing it must be."

Draco sat next to her and held one of her hands in his. "It is confusing but I've made up my mind. I'm not going to turn into my father, and I refuse to spout off all the pure blood supremacy crap that the Dark Lord uses to keep people like my father on his side." He turned to look at her with an apologetic expression. "I wish I knew a way to help you get out of here and as soon as I figure one out I am going to leave with you and join the Order of the Phoenix."

Hermione gripped his hand tight and he squeezed back. They both sat there for some time just enjoying giving and receiving comfort from each other. After a while Draco gave her hand one last squeeze and let go as he stood up.

"My aunt was out on business with the Dark Lord today so I knew she wouldn't come down here. I don't know when I'll be down here next but I hope when I am it's to see you again and not because I'm accompanying my aunt." Draco said with a frown turning to look at her again. "You know occlumency correct?"

"Yes, Professor Snape taught me after I read about it and found it helps with wandless and nonverbal magic." She replied easily.

"Good." He said with a smile. "I'm glad you have some sort of protection when she questions you." Draco walked over to the door and lifted the silencing charm he had placed when he came in.

"Until next time Granger." He said in his coldest sneer afraid who could be listening.

Their eyes met, then she watched him leave taking the light with him, a coldness settling around her where so much warmth had just been shared between them. She resigned herself to sitting in her cell and thinking over what had just happened between her and Draco. She wasn't quite sure what it was but something, a connection, was there and she needed to figure it out. If there was one thing Hermione knew for certain about herself it was that she could figure anything out if she dedicated enough time to it. And with the absence of Bellatrix she had nothing but time.

A/N Hi there, it's been a while. I wasn't really sure if I was going to expand this fic but I got inspired the other day and this happened. I can't promise regular or frequent updates but I'll do my best. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!