Chapter 2

'What are you doing here?' she demanded to Malfoy, then whirled around. 'What is he doing here?' she asked Kingsley.

'I am here to join the Order,' Malfoy said, with a sneer. She looked at him, as if he was demented.

'The Order? You want to join the Order?' she squeaked.

'Did I stutter?'

Hermione turned back to Kingsley and saw Sirius and Ginny also there staring wide-eyed at Malfoy who just looked back as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

'Kingsley, how does he -' she spat out. '- know what the Order is?'

'Well, Snape told him. And then Mister Malfoy found Arthur Weasley at the Ministry, and he told me to bring him here,' he said, in matter-of-fact tone.

'But why? I don't understand. Malfoy is a Death Eater,' she whispered to Kingsley and the rest.

'Actually, I'm not. Well, I am, but I didn't want to be,' he stated from behind her. Crossing his arms over his chest, they could just see the Dark Mark visible on his arm. Hermione shuddered and looked into Malfoy's eyes. She made a decision.

'Ginny, get me some Verita serum and privacy. I'll find everything out.' Ginny ran to do her bidding, while Kingsley marched out.

'If you are lying Malfoy, so help me Merlin, not even Voldemort will recognise you. Understand me?' she whispered menacingly, but only received a smirk in return.

'I got it, Granger,' he sat back down on the coach and spread out to get comfortable. Stupid ferret, the same pureblood prat from Hogwarts.

He hadn't changed at all. She bet he was a spy to Voldemort, seeking information on the Order and its where-abouts. Ugh, he was smiling now, Merlin she wanted to punch his face in.

Ginny came in and handed the potion to Hermione. Malfoy raised an eyebrow and asked 'So, Weaslette, where's scarhead?'

Hermione was horrified when Ginny suddenly bursted into heart-wrenching tears. Then she turned with blazing eyes to Malfoy, who just grinned and started humming a tune under his breath. She marched over and when she was close to squeezing the life out of his neck, a hand stopped her.

'Hermione, you can't be thinking of hurting Mister Malfoy here, were you?' Sirius said, eying Malfoy with distate. Apparently she wasn't the only one who didn't like him.

'Yeah, were you Granger?' Malfoy muttered, his eyes darkening considerably. He looked right at her with those piercing eyes and she felt light-headed. Oh, Merlin.

'I was,' she whispered faintly. She sat down right beside him, and he made no move of being repulsed he just looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

She handed the potion to him, better to get it over now, then to worry about it tomorrow. Something was wrong with her, she felt her heart accelerate and her mouth turn dry. Shaking her head, she saw Malfoy drink only half. Because if he drank too much, it would reveal things that not even his mother should know.

'Why are you here?' was Hermione's first question.

'I want to join the Order,' he murmured, looking up at her with glazed eyes, a sign that the potion was working.

'Why?'

'They tortured my mother, kidnapped her in the dead of night and tortured her. I want to take every last one of them. That's why I am here,' he said, the potion not permitting him to show any emotion. Regardless, Hermione could sense the anger and resentment underneath the surface, and it almost sent tears to her eyes.

'I'm sorry, Malfoy,' she whispered.

His head snapped up, the potion clearly losing its effect, and those eyes darkened until they were almost black. 'I don't need your pity, filthy little thing. I just need to get in the Order so I can get those bastards, all right?'

She nodded, not knowing what else to say. Malfoy might have changed, the anger had done this to him, made him so bitter that even the thoughts he had about her hadn't changed. She willed the tears not to fall and slowly backed out of the room.

Malfoy's head was bowed and he was breathing raggedly through his nose. His knuckles were clenching on the armrest and silent tears were streaming down his face.

Hermione turned to Sirius and Kingsley who were waiting outside the door. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she gave them a small smile. 'Let him in, he told me everything.'

Walking up the stairs, she laid down on her bed and tried to sleep. A little while later her eyes were still open, and footsteps sounded behind her door. A knock and a soft 'come in.'

Malfoy entered and closed the door behind him. She quickly sat up and told herself to calm down. This was Malfoy, Lord, but he looked so forlorn.

'What do you want?' her voice strained.

'I wanted to say thank you,' he looked at his feet then up at her. 'I just, even after everything I put you through the past 6 years you're still letting me join.'

'Well, if I was in your situation, well, I don't know what I would do,' she muttered.

He shot her a small grin and started for the door. 'Thanks, Granger.' and silently let himself out.

She never thought those words would ever come out of Malfoy's mouth. Ever.