A/N: Amazing! -applauds self- Two updates in one day! Granted, this chapter's incredibly short, but I thought that since I need 6,000 words to become a Beta, I'd post as much as I can! So here's the fourth chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and named this as a favorite story. It's you guys who fuel me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...no matter how much I want to.

Chapter Four

Draco was right. The morning came early for him, pale sunlight streaming onto his face, piercing through his eyelids. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the sky outside his window was full of clouds, but the rain had stopped. Blinking blearily, he pushed back his silk sheets. He rubbed his eyes as he proceeded to his bathroom, where he looked dazedly at his reflection. His eyes were blurry and they were shadowed by dark circles. His bare chest was pale and plain. What caught his attention was the angry red mark around his throat. He touched it gently, rage boiling in his chest.

He pulled his wand from the counter where he had left it the night before and cast a brief concealing charm. Satisfied, he turned his attention to his hair. It was well past his ears, and he had never liked it too long. A quick, clean severing charm brought the length back to just above his eyes.

"Malfoy! Get your arse out here. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Draco opened his bedroom door to see a disheveled Hermione glaring impatiently at him.

"Tsk, such language, Granger. I would hardly expect such vulgar words to escape your mouth."

Her perfect brown eyes narrowed, and he immediately regretted his words. "Granger, I—"

He could see her resisting her urge to slap him, and instead stormed away, out of the hallway. Draco watched her go with a growing feeling of gloom. He sighed and turned back into his room to get a clean shirt.

XXX

Draco came into the cavernous kitchens of his manor to find the Golden Trio already huddled around a small table in the center. A house elf approached him and bowed, but he waved his hand to dismiss it.

"So, made yourself comfortable in my kitchens, have you?" he said by way of greeting.

The trio looked up. Hermione glared at him and went back to the steaming mug of tea between her hands. A pang of regret stabbed Draco's heart, but he ignored it and turned his gaze to Ron.

"You told us to make ourselves at home, so we did," he protested.

"Mind you, it took us about an hour to find this place." Harry looked as though he was about to laugh. Draco glared at him.

"These are my kitchens. When I was at home, I practically lived in here. So I would appreciate it if you would not mess it up."

"Oh, you cook, Draco?" Hermione spoke up at last, looking at him with interest in his eyes.

"Yes," he replied coldly, thinking she was making fun of him.
"No need to be so rude, Malfoy. I was just wondering."

Draco swore to himself that by the time something went right with he and Hermione, he would be mentally bludgeoned to death.

"What are we doing today?" he asked, mostly forgetting why they were at his home anyway. The fact that he had killed his father the day previously had pushed it out of his mind.

"We're going through your library, to see if there're any books on Horcruxes." Hermione looked positively giddy with excitement. She hadn't even seen his library yet, and she was still looking forward to it.

"Right. Well, I guess I'll have a house elf bring breakfast up. Shall we?" Draco gestured to the door. Harry, Ron and Hermione got to their feet and crossed the large kitchen to stand by the door.

"I'll take two pieces of toast and a glass of orange juice. Thank you," Draco said to the kitchen at large. A pair of house elves immediately came out of a door and began fixing his breakfast. "We'll be in the library."

Hermione was watching him, her eyes blazing with some implacable emotion. Draco squirmed, uncomfortable under her scorching gaze. He took the lead and led them all up a flight of stairs to the left of the kitchen. Draco pushed open a door on the right of a long hallway. Hermione gasped.

"Oh my--!"

Walls and walls of books were displayed in a massive room, and shelves lines the perimeter. A locked gate led into what looked like a close replica of the Hogwarts library Restricted Section. Several green armchairs clustered around a fireplace, with side tables carrying enchanted flames to see by.

Draco glanced sideways at Hermione. She was staring around, dazed.

"Gryffindork Know-It-All Heaven, eh, Granger?"

"Oh, Draco!" Her voice was light and airy, sending a tingling feeling up Draco's spine. She reached out and gripped Ron's hand and Draco's pleasant feeling dropped away immediately. He ignored the creature snarling and hissing in his mind and gestured toward the gated section.

"This is where we'll find information about Horcruxes. It's my father's restricted section. Even I've never been in it before." He led the Trio toward the gate. He heard Ron speak from behind him.

"How do we know you won't lock—"

"Ron, shut up. He just killed his own father. He's on our side, you dolt." Draco was surprised that Harry spoke before he even turned around.

"Thank you, Potter," he said quietly, taking a larger step forward. He placed his finger on the gate and it immediately dissolved away. "Quickly," He stepped through, pausing halfway through. Harry led the Trio through and Hermione followed. Ron hesitated, but Draco shoved him through. "You git," he muttered angrily.

Hermione was busy looking around, her eyes wide with mingled disgust and interest. The restricted section was possibly grander, since it was where Lucius had spent most of his time, but the books residing on the shelves were clearly more gruesome. The room was quite smaller than the outer library, but still large enough to give them several days' worth of research. Draco sighed, leaning against the walls. "I'll leave it to Granger to lead us, then?"

The girl turned around, clapping her hands together. She whipped out her wand and conjured several rolls of parchment and spare quills. There was a strange glint in her eye as she spoke. "Gladly."

A/N: I told you it was short! The next one will be longer, I promise!