The raven haired witch exhaled slowly her cutting, ice blue eyes trained to his face.

"You're doing what?" she breathed.

Draco watched the small orange sparks dying in the cold, dank, autumnal air with an easy smirk. The soft orange firelight played on her face, illuminating every shadow of her barley suppressed awe. The room was darkened, the only light coming from the softly glowing fire, making everything glow with a shimmering, soft orange hue. The trio sat in Draco and Blaise's two man dormitory, a small smattering of rain drops still assaulting the high arched window in which the darkening sky was clearly visible. It was only around 6pm, but the remnants of last night's storm had not quite relinquished the castle from its icy embrace, turning everything a dull, mundane shade of grey.

"Oh don't sound too shocked" he drawled "it was only a matter of time. I can't say I'm too surprised myself, you see some people have actually earned his respect." He raised an eyebrow at Blaise who was lounging haughty and indifferent on the opposite bed, long dark fingers picking absently at the emerald bedspread, somehow immune to the explosive atmosphere Draco's words had induced.

"Draco" Pansy muttered softly, extending one pale hand to touch his face, then immediately withdrawing, as though she thought better of it "this is incredible."Blaise scoffed.

"What in hell would he want with you? You're not even of age, and you have no qualifications; what use could he possibly have for you?" The poised boy laughed mirthlessly.

"Well maybe" Draco snarled "the type of job he's assigned me doesn't need skill...Maybe he wants me to do something more important; something only I can do." He let his sentence fall away, feeling the charged air quiver with the aftershock of his words, outside the drizzle picked up momentum, filling the room the dull, rhythmic sound of falling rain. Blaise's eyes flashed in the fire light and Pansy's hand shot to her mouth.

"So" she whispered tentatively "he's already- I mean, you actually have a mission."

Her eyes glowed with admiration and warmth coursed through Draco's veins. He felt almost like his old self again; like a Malfoy. His pride swelled inside him chasing away the doubts of the past few days. Hell, Parkinson certainly didn't do anything for him anymore, but just now with her ebony hair hanging loose and her eyes watching him like he was some glorious deity; he felt a bout of affection for the ashen witch. At least she was making him feel like himself again, like this mission wasn't completely futile. "Obviously" he sneered "he didn't choose me to hug fucking Hufflepuff's did he! No the Dark Lord certainly has a mission for me." Pansy's wide eyes searched his face with open fascination, whilst Blaise just watched Draco carefully; his dark, slanting eyes unreadable.

"What is it?" the awestruck witch breathed.

"Well I can't tell you can I!" he snapped, "the Dark Lord trusted me above all over's."Blaise gave a humourless laugh.

"You can laugh Blaise" he sneered "we'll see just who's laughing in the end..."


Hermione had always taught herself to be patient. To be forgiving and kind and understanding, she had alwaysprided herself on being a good person, a decent, honest person. So why did she suddenly feel like she was none of those things anymore?

She sat in the darkened common room, head in her hands, her unspoken apology hanging on the end of her tongue, making the newly descended silence almost painful. The shadows encircled her and she let her eyes flicker closed, biting the bottom of her lip, drawing blood. She knew her best friends had only been trying to help, to understand, and of course her outburst had been inexcusable but they couldn't understand. That was the problem, no one could. It was as if the horrors of that dreadful night had been imprinted within her; snapped some vital part of her existence. As though the ever vigilant storm that had held the castle captive for so long raged inside of her; a dull grey mist eloping her, turning her kindling Gryffindor fire to ash, extinguishing the light in her eyes. The whole world was crumbling, falling apart; so why not let herself be taken with it? They had sat on the hearth rug for hours, talking once again in circles all night long. Always the same, the war, The Order, Dumbledore, Horcruxes, and most recently Draco Malfoy, all these subjects blurring together into one unattainable question mark until she'd finally snapped. It wasn't them, she just didn't want to listen anymore; she couldn't take anymore darkness in her life. War was taking its toll on her, consuming her like everything else in its path. And when did it end? When did it begin? Was it when he returned two years ago? Was it when he tried to get the philosophers stone? Was it before that even? Had she been unknowingly born into the darkness? She was almost certain she would die in it. Maybe it never ended, maybe it never began, perhaps there was only brief rest bites between it, illusions of sunlight and one thing was certain, this war had broken her, perhaps irreparably.

Footsteps sounded on the marble stairs leading to the girl's dormitory. She knew before the fiery mane of crimson appeared who it would be. Should have known the boys wouldn't just take my advice and leave me well alone...

"Hermione?" her voice was soft, horribly sympathetic. She didn't deserve that.

"Hey Ginny, let me guess Ron sent you too check up on me?"

"No" she said, not at all convincing, "I just noticed you hadn't come up to bed, I was worried..."

"I'm fine Ginny" she spoke, perhaps a little too briskly.

"Yeah" she raised an eyebrow "you sure, I mean, you can talk to me, you know that right?"

"Of course, thank you" she said quietly, eyes fixed on the dying embers of the fire, spitting elusive orange sparks into the frigid night air. "I just, um, McGonagall said I should do some research for the Order and I'm kind of busy right now..." She didn't enjoy lying to her, but the thought of company or of even continuing this conversation made Hermione want to curl up and scream. Couldn't they see she needed to be alone?

"Oh right" Ginny said unabashed "well I'll leave you too it then" and without further ado she turned to mount the marble staircase back to her dormitory. Somehow the lie caught hold of her. Professor McGonagall had given her permission to visit the library anytime she needed regarding her work for the Order, and technically this didn't exclude 2am, she never said explicitly when 'anytime' was... Her need to do something useful overcame her and casting a glance around the deserted room she got shakily to her feet. Sitting still was killing her. She wanted to go do something, to fight. But she was underage, and even being the 'brightest witch of her age' had restrictions. She could only help the order from inside Hogwarts. She sighed.

And fat lot of good I've been caged up here. She started towards the portrait hole, her mind whirling, her breaths laboured.


They were coming for him; faceless, nameless, monsters their eyes sunken and hollow, their stale, cold breath rising in swirls of smoke on the air. He couldn't move; arms pinned behind him, body rigid with terror. Somewhere to his left his mother was screaming, blind terror in her shrill voice slicing Draco's ear drums, cleaving his head in two.

"Draco!" she screeched, "save me, save me Draco!"

But he couldn't move. It was too dark, and he was held rigid by some unknowable force. The black, faceless beings around him began to change; their forms shifting, distorting violently until they morphed into one being. Lord Voldemort stood before him, scarlet eyes burning. "Draco" he hissed, but instead of the high, cold voice he anticipated, it was the slur of a snake, rasping and drawn. "Do it Draco, you know your destiny" the snakelike man slurred, a forked tongue slivering out of his master's mouth.The darkness was sliced by a blinding flash of green. His mother screamed one last time. He watched as her chest heaved and stopped. She was lying, broken and defeated at his feet; her blood pooling black around her. Her soft, blonde features a dull crimson, lips slightly parted, her eyes still alive in her face, watching him agonisingly.

The screaming never ended. His eyes searched the darkness, a much lighter, softer colour than the absolute blackness he had endured. Someone was calling his name again. He looked around, terror consuming him, eyes wild, searching for her scarlet features in the darkness. Trying desperately to mend the broken, bloody mess he had created. To put the light back in her eyes...

"DRACO!" the voice was heavy, masculine; thick with worry. Clamping his mouth firmly closed; silencing the screams he now recognized as his own, he raised a shaking, ghostly pale hand to wipe the sweat and unmistakably tears from his cheeks. A small light flared into existence inches from his, revealing the dark, slanting eyes of Blaise Zabini peering at him through the charged night air.

"Draco" he repeated, his voice soft yet reproachful "you ok mate..."

Draco sighed, a small sound of relief escaping his trembling lips into the darkness. "I'm fine" he supplied hastily, trying hard to hide the tremor in his voice. "Just a bad dream that's all" he spoke firmly, more to himself than the bedraggled Wizard across from him; he swore he could still feel her warm, scarlet blood on his hands...

Blaise watched him apprehensively. "You sure, I mean I can go get someone if you want..." his sentence trailed away meekly at the look on Draco's face.

"I said I'm fine Blaise" he snapped "I don't need anyone, go back to sleep."

The taller wizard gave him one last searching look before plunging the room once more into the greying darkness, and in what seemed like no time at all his deep, heavy, sleeping breaths had filled the room. Cautiously Draco lay back on the covers, pressing his sweaty palms to his eyes.

What the fuck had that been?

He'd had nightmares before of course- a lot more than he cared to admit lately- but never had one been so vivid, so real. He lay still for a long time, but the deep-seated fatigue he knew he should feel within him never came. The aftershock of his dream chasing away any remnants of hope born from Pansy's awe and shrouding him in a cold plague of despair. It was about 3am and the sky was a dull, starless black, the same pressing darkness that had smothered him in his dream; threatening to overtake him once more. Deciding he would rather fight exhaustion tomorrow than return to his nightmares, Draco tugged an ill fitting black tee shirt over his subtly muscled chest and carefully left the room. The door closed with a muffled thump and pausing for a moment to check his friend was still asleep, he started down the heavily carpeted corridor. There was, he decided, a good chance of getting caught if he so much as set a foot outside the common room but a daring reckless seized him and without further thought he stole away into the eerily silent corridors of Hogwarts castle. Letting his feet carry him up to the third floor and not even bothering to keep to the shadows Draco let out a long, deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

It's this fucking castle he mused being caged up here is driving me round the twist. It was dark, silent and empty in the lonely corridors. He felt like he was a ghost wandering the halls and meandering silently down a musty corridor he found himself outside the surprisingly unlocked library. Peering at the unlatched door inquisitively he took a tentative step inside, feeling the quite, calm, muffled air of the place close around him. Not a place he would have visited normally, but tonight he was a nought but a shadow. A window was open, a small breeze penetrating the room, a sliver of pearly moonlight casting elongated shadows between the bookshelves. Immediately craving the fresh air he set out toward it, his eyes firmly set on the patch of starless sky visible between the dusty, enclosed bookshelves, his heart beating far too loud.

He didn't even notice her until they collided.


a/n: Ok first and foremost I do hope you enjoyed this and if you did, review pretty please, and if you didn't well, constructive criticism is always welcome! Ok secondly, alas I have changed the name! If you read the first chapter as 'Safe and Sound' and are now confused, fear not, 'Reparations' is here to stay (I think) so tell me what you think of that. Most importantly, please if you see any grammatical/ spelling errors don't hesitate to let me know! I suck at that and I tend to only get time to write at about 3am, at which point my brain doesn't really register punctuation.

Now for an abundance of apologies: - Sorry if this is a bit- well, boring at the moment, I promise it will get more exciting, starting in the next chapter *duh-duh-duh* also, sorry the romance is a build up, but it will be worth it and sorry for the semi cliffhanger, I promise to upload soon, going away in a week so plenty of time for scribbling on the 4 hour train ride *sigh*. Finally, you might want to look out for a lot of hidden meanings, metaphors and foreshadowing in this chapter (my old English teacher would be proud) 10 points to Gryffindor (or whatever house you're) in if you leave me a review spotting it, or just any review really.

Please review. Please. Yes I'm shamelessly begging. Pleeeaaaaseee, even if it's only one word, I appreciate it so much, and it makes my day. Literally when I see that little notification email pop up on my phone I squeal with joy and jump up and down!

THBH x