A/N: Okay. So for those of you who are reading my fic here, I have just a few things to say. The first one is to tell you that this will not be a sugar-coated, fairy-tail like story. Even though the beginning has them lovey-dovey, it will not be that way the entire story.

Chapter 3- Connection

Funerals were held almost everyday. People that they loved and cared for were being buried left and right and it was almost too much for some people to take. Harry was buried next to his parents, and although there was no body, Sirius was buried beside him. Ron and Ginny were buried next to Harry as well, Ginny the closest to him. There was a sense of hope that they all found each other after death, and that they would all be together again.

Any student that had died in the midst of the battle, and whose parents approved, were buried on Hogwarts grounds. A clearing was made in the Forbidden Forest and almost thirty children where buried there. It was a heart-wrenching sight that Hermione had yet to visit. In her own grief over Ron, Harry, and Ginny, Hermione had only left the Burrow to visit their graves. She hadn't spoken to anyone, except for the quiet words she whispered to her fallen friends' graves. She wasn't eating, she wasn't sleep; she had become a walking version of the dead. It was heart-wrenching as the people that cared for her watched her sink into a darkness they feared she would never return from.

-x-

Four weeks after the burial of Harry, Ginny, and Ron; Malfoy appeared at the Burrow. It was shocking, the way his appearance had changed. He still had the good looks, the same walk that spoke of power and money, but his cool-gray eyes were filled with sadness and lose. Even though he had killed his father, he had also lost his mother in fate's cruel hands. He had no one now, and he didn't even know if he had anyone here. Something had compelled him to come to her, to see how she had taken burying her closest friends. He had gone mad, shouting blame at the Death Eaters that came to Lucius's funeral (not many were there to honor his mother). He left his house three weeks later, unable to sleep in the house he grew up in. Malfoy didn't know why he had felt drawn to her, why he wanted to know if she was okay. They had shared something, a kiss filled with the happiness to be alive and the sorrow of those who weren't. She had found comfort in his arms that day, and he had found comforting in having her there. But, it was just that, comfort. There were no true feelings behind it, yet here he stood. In front of the house of a family that he had humiliated, taunted, and made their lives hell. And inside were members of a group that thought him evil and a young girl who believed he wasn't. His head was filled with mixed thoughts, calculating what he would say to everyone when they saw him. He knocked, waited only a few minutes, and saw the door open. Ms. Weasley opened the door, her eyes wide with fear of him. But, she locked eyes with him. As she stared into the cold-gray eyes that had once been filled with power and greed, she stepped aside and motioned for him to enter the house. He entered, hoping the no one else would see him before he could visit her, but the whole house stood waiting in the drawing room, their wands out. "Put those silly wands away, this war is over and I won't have duels in my house any longer." Everyone put their wands away, with the exception of Fred and George. They stood there, wands pointed right at Malfoy's chest. "Fred and George Weasley, you will put your wands away. I won't have you two doing anything to provoke ANYONE into a duel. I will not bury anymore of my children."

The room was silent at the comment; the only noise was that of Fred and George putting their wands away. Remus Lupin walked towards the boy and paused in front of him. "What do you want here, Malfoy?"

Malfoy was quiet for a while, but then he spoke. His voice was less cold and distant then it was before, and there wasn't the bite of venom in it. "I wish to see Hermione."

"I don't think so." Fred yelled from across the room.

"Be quiet!" Ms. Weasley yelled. She moved to the bottom of the stairs. "Come along then, it will do her some good to see you."

"Are you mad woman?" George said.

"If you didn't see the connection on the battlefield, then trust those of us who did." This time Professor McGonagall spoke in defense for him. Malfoy heard the twins growl as he headed up the stairs.

At the top, Ms. Weasley knocked lightly on a door. "Hermione, dear, there is someone here to see you." Malfoy heard the door unlock, but Hermione made no effort to open it. "She's very weak and she won't eat or sleep. Be careful with her."

Malfoy nodded and he opened the door. He walked into the dark room slowly and walked directly over to the window. He opened the curtains, letting the light from the sun shine in. Hermione was sitting on her bed, the brown-curly hair that once had so much life, hung around her face as if it too had given up. She was skinner, so much that her bones were almost visible. Her eyes were sunken in slightly and dark circles were present under her eyes. She looked like she'd been through hell, and he knew how close to the truth that statement was. He stood there, looking at her, and wondered what he should do. "Granger," he said, not entirely sure that it was okay to use her first name.

She looked up at him, finally noticing who had entered the room. "Malfoy," she whispered, her eyes sparking with a tiny bit of life.

The look in her eyes was his proof that she too needed him. He sauntered over to her and sat next to her, wrapping her in his arms. "You haven't been as strong as I though you would be."

"It's hard to be strong when you are the only one out of your friends that is alive. When you want so much to die, but don't have the courage to kill yourself." She said through tears that came naturally.

He looked down at her. "My mother is dead, along with my father. At least you have all those people down there that love and care for you, I have no one. Anyone I was associated with was a Death Eater, and I am not."

Hermione smiled; the first smile that she had since the funerals. "You have someone who cares for you."

Malfoy smirked slightly, and turned Hermione so that she was looking at him. "Are you implying that you care?"

Hermione detangled herself from his arms and stood up. She walked over to the open window. The bright blue sky was shinning, so unlike it had been before the end of the war. The grass was green, brightly colored flowers bloomed around the yard, birds chirped and flew in the sky, and Hermione felt like she was out of place in this world. "Don't hold yourself in such high regard Malfoy. I care for everyone."

"Is that so?" Malfoy said, rising from her bed. He sauntered over to her. She backed up on instinct, the same way that she always had when a boy advanced on her, but she ran out of room. With her back against the wall, Malfoy stood close to her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck and her ear as he whispered. "Are you sure there's nothing more to it?"

She took a deep breath. "Do you want there to be something more?" She said in a husky, low voice.

Malfoy didn't answer; he just leaned down and kissed her. It was filled with passion, with lust. He broke away from her and stared into her chocolate-brown eyes. "Tell me you don't feel something."

Hermione looked at him and smirked. "I can't feel anything but pain Malfoy."

"Then let me find a way to make it better for you." Malfoy said.

He kissed her again, but this time she pulled away. "No Malfoy, I won't let you use me because you are in pain. And I'll be damned if I use someone else because I am."

"Granger, we need each other. What about that do you not understand? Does fate need to drop something heavy on your head to make you understand? We are practically the only two from our year left; well the ones that fought. We happened to find each other, happened to be there to comfort each other, and happened to make a connection. Everyone else who saw us that day will tell you, we have something between us. It's not hate anymore, because I'm not longer under the power of my father to hate mudbloods."

"Stop it Malfoy," Hermione said as she moved away from him. "I can't do this with you."

"What, sex?" Malfoy smirked. "That's the easy part Granger. Having sex with me is simple; it's an act of comfort, of passion and lust. Loving me will be the hard part," he said as he looked in her eyes.

"What makes you think that I will love you?" Hermione said, annoyed already.

Malfoy smiled. "You already do," he said. "Want to know how I know?"

"How," she asked.

He closed the distance between them and kissed her. They broke away when they both ran out of air. "No one can kiss someone like that and not love them."

"Implying that you love me too?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"I might," Malfoy said, "if you give me the chance to find out."

"Hermione, dinner's ready. Malfoy would you, for the love of Merlin, get that child to eat? She's going to disappear soon," Mrs. Weasley's voice traveled up the stairs.

"Come on, let's eat." Malfoy said. "You need it."

Hermione looked at him hesitantly as he held out his hand for her to hold. "Okay, but don't think that you being here is what changed my mind. I'm just really hungry."

"Right Granger," he said as she grabbed his hand. "Whatever you say."