CHAPTER 2: AFTER FIVE YEARS...

Hermione gazed at the house she had just apparated too with awe. Actually 'house' wasn't what Hermione would call it, it was more a manor, one that was probably of much importance once, but what had happened to it since, Hermione didn't know. She couldn't even see it properly as her apparation course had been unusually thrown off course so that she landed in front of two large gates instead of in front of the two large front doors.

Opening the gates she walked it, taking in the many garden beds that had since died. The property was amazing, very historical actually, but it also had a creepy feeling about it that frightened Hermione to no end, it wasn't just the feeling that she shouldn't be there, but also the feeling that she was being watched. Holding her head high with Gryffindor courage she walked on.

Nearing the great manor she noticed it's detail. It looked like it was orginally made of black stone, but it had faded into a solid grey. Cob-webs hung around the tops of doors, but whatever spiders had lived there were now gone. Then a thought came into Hermione's head that pretty much sumed up the whole property, it looked like what was once a beautiful place had been drained of magic.

Finally she walked up what was at least twenty steps and stopped in front of the large doors. She knocked loudly, wondering if whatever person was game enough to live here might not here her knocking.

"HELLO?" She called loudly, knocking once more. No answer. She knocked again, even louder if that was possible. Still no answer. It was either no-one lived here, or they were somewhere so far in the manor that the sound of knocking would die a long time before it even reached their ears.

"HELLO! I'M FROM THE MINISTRY!" she said, never being one to give up.

"Hear that boys, the ministry!" Someone, whose voice sounded like they were struggling to breath, said from behind her. She spun around.

"Can I help you?" She said formally, not daring to take a step towards them.

The men just laughed, all pulling out a wand and pointing it at her.

Her eyes flicked from each person to the wand they held. That must of been like what? 7 wands pointing at her.

"Ok, look, I'm from the ministry and I just came to see what the trouble was here, I have no problem with you, if you don't cause trouble" Hermione said, trying to sound friendly.

One of the men sorted and said something in the same type of voice as the first.

They started to move towards her, wands raised. She backed up against the door. What was it they planned on doing? Maybe they were just trying to frighten her. Butit was more likely they weregoing to kill her.

Please don'tkill me she said in her mind. I couldn't leave Dom...

Then it happened, all of the men muttered something under their breaths and the tips of their wands started to glow green. They were going to kill her. She closed her eyes and looked away, a tear sliding down her face.She heard a large bang and she flew backwards, whether she was being pushed or pulled she didn't know or care, the only thing her mind was focusing on was the tiny baby at home that would never see his mummy again.

Then she noticed that there was no noise, well only a faint sound, and she could feel herself sitting on solid ground. She opened her eyes.

She was inside the manor! Standing up swiftly she made her way to the window. The men were all out there, lurking back behind bushes, waiting for someone to leave the manor.

To her left someone coughed. She spun around and faced them, feeling very sick.

A man was sitting at the window, she couldn't see his face due to the fact that hair had fallen over it. He was clutching his wand tightly, obviously watching the men.

"Excuse me..." Hermione said nervously, was he a good guy or a bad guy?

He didn't answer.

"Who were those men?" she asked. He didn't answer. Her impatience growing with the stanger she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder to turn me around and face her.

Things did not go as she had planned. His reflexes were quick and before she knew it she was on the floor with his hand around her throat, his face dangerously close to hers.

"Please..." She tried to say, but his grip on her neck was to tight, she couldn't breath.

In one last desperate attempt she lifted her hand up and tried to remove his hand from her throat. Hemoved his face closer to hers, as if he were trying to tell if she were a threat or not and then suddenly his hand shot away from her neck as if it had burned him.

Gasping for breath she sat up and leaned against the wall to stand up. Looking over at the man she saw he was staring at her openly, mouth open. She stared back at him, and the more she did so, the more familiar he became.

"Do I...know you?" Hermione suddenly asked.

The man looked at her in shock.

"You're not serious are you?" he said in barely a whisper. She shook her head slowly and started to walk towards him before thinking better of the idea and remaining where she was.

"Hermione...it's...it's...me" he said.

Hermione tilted her head to the side and taking the chance he walked towards him.

"I'm sorry..." she said, she just couldn't put a name to that face...

The man looked at the floor with a look of grief and anger sweeping over his face. He looked up at her once more and she swear she saw the traces of a tear of his cheek.

"Look into my eyes and tell me who I am" It was worded as a demand, but it sounded like he was asking her a favour.

She did as he asked. His eyes were like silver pools and all at once a thousand memories came flooding back.

"Draco..." She barely whispered, walking backwards into a wall.

Draco smiled at her, it wasn't like his old smiles, but it was still his. He walked over to her and drew her into a kiss, ignoring the small fight she had put up.

"How I've missed you!" he said, pulling out of the kiss and hugging her instead.

"I...I didn't miss you..." Hermione said. Draco's smile faded, he looked at her with a confused and hurt expression.

"Wh-what?" He said.

"I didn't...miss you" She said more queitly. "I couldn't, I didn't...remember you"

She looked into his eyes again, the hurt was still there, as plain as ever.

"So you just forgot about me, forgot about us!" he roared. She shrunk back.

"No, I could never forget...that was the whole problem" She murmured. "You were ruining me, I couldn't hold a relationship for more then a week because of you, I couldn't even get a job because my mind kept drifting to you, I tried looking for you, but I never found you, that's why you have to understand why I..." She stopped abruptly. Draco looked at her, the hurt wasn't there anymore.

"That's why you what?" He asked. She shook her head. Judging by how he just reacted a moment ago he wouldn't take what she did very lightly.

"Tell me Hermione!" He yelled, grabbing her shoulders. Hermione let out a small whimper. She was afraid.

Draco's eyes softened when he saw the fear in hers.

"I'm sorry..." he murmured, letting go of her and walking back over to the window to see where the men were now.

"Who are those men?" Hermione asked, not going near him.

"Deatheaters" he replied simply, glancing at her. "They were sent by the Dark Lord to kill me"

"Kill you? Why?" Hermione asked, glancing out of the nearest window.

"I betrayed the Dark Lord. I led my men on a mission for him and instead of retrieving a powerful artifact I destroyed it" Draco said.

"Why?" Hermione said, completely shocked.

"Because the Dark Lord finally found a way to break Potter...by killing his friends. Don't you see? He was going to use the artifact to kill you and Weasley, I couldn't let that happen to you" Draco said.

Hermione looked at him in shock.

"What was the artifact?" she asked. Draco shook his head and bit his lip. He was not going to tell her. She sighed, she couldn't argue with him, they were both too stubborn to give up on an argument.

"When was this?" Hermione asked instead.

"About a month ago" Draco answered.

"A month? You still liked me a month ago!" Hermione exclaimed.

"No" Draco replied bluntly. "I loved you, and I still do"

Hermione faced away from him, not sure where to look.

"I have to leave" She muttered.

"Why?..." Draco asked, desperation written in every corner of his face.

"Because I have a job to get back too..." Hermione said. Draoo could see that there was no truth behind those words.

"You can't leave, walk out of here and you're as good as dead" Draco said.

"Well, I'll apparate" Hermione said.

"I think you already figured out that you can't" Draco said.

"Honestly, give me more credit then that! If you are the master of this manor you can lift the spell long enough for me to apparate" Hermione said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sure, and give those deatheaters outside enough time to apparate in" Draco replied quietly.

"Fine then, I'll take a portkey" Hermione said. Draco looked down, he hadn't wanted her to think of that.

"Fine" Draco mumbled. Heleft the room, and several minutes later returned. He handed Hermionean emerald necklace.

"Use that" he said, before leaving the room for good. Hermione watched as he closed the door behind him before casting the charm on the necklace.

a/n: Ok, another chapter done. please review to this, i want to see what you all think of the description of the manor grounds. Anyways,pretty much everything will be explainedthrough-out the story. Until then, what do you think the 'artifact' was? and what do you think Hermione did?

lol, cya all xox.

P2MU