As soon as Hermione was done eating she rushed to her quarters so fast it was as if the great hall was on fire.

Why had she reacted so strangely towards Draco? She could still picture him in her minds eye. His perfectly rumpled hair, his delicious pink lips, but most of all those haunting silver eyes. Ugh, what was she thinking? Since when had she dreamed about his lips?

She was clearly working to hard. Maybe she had run to much, Yes that was it. Hermione was so lost in her thoughts she bumped into someone. She was sent sprawling to the floor. "I'm sorry. Jeez you scraped your hands.", Draco said.

"What are you doing here?", Hermione asked.

"I work here now, remember?", Draco said as he smirked his trademark smirk.

"No I mean what are you doing here?", It was obvious she meant Hogwarts as a whole. "I'm tired of being….me. It's hard to explain. I just want to do something worthwhile. Do you know what I mean?", and strangely Hermione did know what he meant. She understood it perfectly.

"Yes.", she whispered. He gave her a look that seemed to say all the things she felt. The sadness in his gaze was what she saw everyday in the mirror. The look that meant she had been through the war. It meant she was a warrior.

But why didn't Ron or Harry share that look. When she looked at Harry she saw only happiness. Happiness for his kids, his wife and his job. Ron seemed perfectly content with his life too. She suddenly had the inexplicable hunch that Draco shared her pain.

Wait! What am I doing? Am I sharing a moment with Draco? Draco Malfoy!

"I have to go!", and with that Hermione ran off.

That was weird. I felt like I understood her. Like we had known each other for years. Like I'd really known her, her soul. Draco couldn't understand this weird connection between him and Hermione.

The day had simply been to stressful. He felt as if he could not function a minute longer if he did not get any rest.

Draco then realized he did not know where his sleeping quarters where.

Had Neville told him? He did not think so, if he had Draco had simply not been listening. He slumped his shoulders and began to make his way to Neville's office.

When he got to the door Draco then noted he didn't have the password. Great. This was just great. He thought of how Dumbledore had made the passwords candy names and wondered if Neville had continued the tradition. "Chocolate Frogs." The doors opened immediately. Feeling pleased with himself he entered. Draco began to make his way up the stairs.

"How could you! He was a traitor! What were you even thinking?", he heard the Miss. McGonagall. "Minerva you must remember he was just a boy trying to please his father. We must not hold him accountable. It was years ago. He blames himself more than you ever could.", the tone in Neville's voice held a note of finality to the conversation.

"Still! If Harry was old enough to decide to take on the quest Malfoy was old enough to be held accountable.", she responded.

Draco could not stand to listen to this anymore. How he could be so stupid to think that they would accept him back with open arms? Stupid. That's what he was. A stupid coward.

"Your right you know. I should be held completely accountable for what I did. I blame myself everyday. For the things I did. For the things I let happen. If I could change things I would.", McGonagall and Neville jumped in surprise They obviously hadn't know they were being listened to much less by Draco himself. McGonagall's back stiffened.

"I wish I could be a better person and forgive you but I can't. You've hurt to many of the people I love. If you want me to feel sorry for you I won't.", and with that she felt the room.

Hermione laid in her bed thinking about what a truly terrible day she'd had. First Ron then Draco. Why did I react that way to Draco? This is just ridiculous!

Hermione couldn't sleep and decided to go out on a run. When she stepped outside it was raining. Not a lot just a warm steady drizzle. She walked to the edge of the forest and started running at a steady pace.

Hermione concentrated on the pitter-patter of the rain. She was a mere mile into the forest when she heard the crunching of leaves. "Who's there?", Hermione pulled her wand out of her cloak and positioned it so that if anyone were to attack she could easily defend herself. That move marked her as someone who had fought for an amateur fighter probably wouldn't have know better.

All of a sudden a beast sprang out from behind the bushes and charged at her hand- evidently the wand holding her wand- Hermione heard a crack and a stinging in her wrist. Her wand rolled into one of the many identical bushes. It would take hours for her to find it when she only had seconds.

On instinct Hermione dropped and rolled just as the beast lunged at her again. It missed her by a mere millimeter.

It stood at least 20 feet tall and was a sleek black. It looked like a cross between a panther and a dragon. It's claws and teeth were the size of a baby. It would have been beautiful if not from the foam coming from the mouth. It didn't take an expert to know that it was rabid.

Quick! Think fast. I don't have a wand so magic is out. I'll have to this the muggle way. A weapon you need a weapon. This is all on you, your in the middle of the woods. No one is going to come and save me.

Frantically she scanned the perimeter searching for a weapon. She spotted a sharp stick. It wasn't much but you had to work with what you had.

The beast looked ready to lung again and she jumped out of the way just in time. Grabbing the stick and held it directly in front of her.

When the beast reared up on it's hind legs Hermione ran straight at it and plunged the stick directly into it's chest. It through back it's head and let out an inhuman sound that sounded something like a scream. Blindly it reached out with it's massive paws and scratched Hermione in down the front while it tore at the stick in it's midsection.

Immediately bleed seeped through Hermione's clothes. She knew it was useless. There was no way she would be able to make it back to school. She was as good as dead.

Before she passed out from blood loss she thought that before her stood a figure standing before her but she had no more time to ponder this for before the darkness overtook her.

As soon as Draco's head hit the pillow he was out like a light. He must have been asleep for some time- an hour maybe- before he was startled awake by the sound of scream. Not just any scream. Her scream. Hermione's.

He jumped out of bed before he had time to think, grabbing his wand from the night stand and blindly through open his door searching for the direction of the screams.

The only thing was that they weren't coming from any direction. They were coming from inside him.

He looked down and saw a gold thread connected to his chest. The thread pulled, insistent that he follow and follow he did. Running He took off. He didn't stop for breath and ran straight into the forbidden forest.

He followed the gold thread that was coming from his chest.

When he saw her he sucked in a breath. Would she survive? He looked at her. Her pale face was peaceful and her wild curls were fanning her face so she looked almost ethereal. Not far away from her was a giant beast. This thing was huge. How could she have killed this thing herself. She was laying in a pool of blood whether it was her blood or the beast he wasn't sure. How could someone lose so much blood and still be alive. It didn't look like anyone could possibly survive.

In fact he wasn't completely sure she was alive.

If it wasn't that golden thread that was connected to her chest was moving up and down- however faintly- he would have thought she was dead.

It was then. He heard a tiny groan. He wasn't sure he heard it until it came again.

Draco had to do something. Draco had to do something fast. He took her in his strong arms and started making his way out of the forest. He made it back in 15 minutes.

It was only then that he realized how exhausted he was.

He felt her shudder in his arms and he gripped her tighter. "Someone!", Draco screamed. "Anyone!", He yelled. Almost immediately Neville came out of his office. He immediately paled. Take her to the hospital he yelled.

He ran up the steps. Taking them two at a time. He set her down on the bed. By now most of the teachers were in the hospital. "McGonagall I need your assistance now!", Neville barked. Draco never knew that she could do medicine but he guessed that if Neville trusted her to fix Hermione he could to. "Oh no. This is most unusual. How is this even possible. It's almost unheard of.", McGonagall muttered.

"What's wrong", Draco asked.

"Well it seems that Hermione has the blood of her attacker mixed in her own. Whatever attacked her is most impervious to a lot of wizard healing spell. This means that Hermione now does not react to the spells the way she should. We will have to heal her using muggle technology. If we were able to heal her using our own spells she would be fine but", McGonagall swallowed. "there is a very real possibility that Hermione might not survive through the night."