A big thanks goes to the guest and girlonfire123456789 for the reviews. I'm so grateful for them and it makes me squeal in delight every time I see one. You're welcome, guest, for the shout outs. I haven't ever done them before but I thought it was time I really thanked people for what they're doing for me. And thanks girlonfire...I'm so glad you love the story so far. Thanks also goes to Bianca the crazy slytherin, BrookeCandy, DarkheartsRU, TiaMalfoy1D, aidyleigh, girlonfire12345789, jmbarrientos, kiwiroo, and ndavis77 for the follows. They mean just as much to me as the reviews. Means I'm writing something that matters. I love all of you and thanks for your continued support.

Hermione's week had been particularly uneventful. She'd finally managed, for the first time in her life, to beat Ron at Wizard's chess, but besides that...she'd just gone to work, where she still hadn't managed to change the law she was trying to, and then came back to the Potter's. Ron was now stopping by often in the evenings to entertain Hermione while Harry and Ginny did their own thing. Sometimes they went out to dinner, sometimes they disappeared into their bedroom, but more often then not they stayed with Hermione and Ron.

Hermione was at work now and she glanced up at the clock to see that she only had one hour left before she could leave. She wasn't going back to the Potter's today, though, she was going to Malfoy's first. Now that a whole week had gone by, she was having trouble remembering why she'd agreed to this in the first place. All the memories she'd chosen to forgotten flooded back as she thought his name. She had been so embarrassed and yet she was beginning to recall that that wasn't why she'd made herself shove the event in the back of her mind. The thought the voice in the back of head was having while she'd been fleeing was one that scared her. "You know, I don't think this relationship is going to go negatively." Hermione never in a million years wanted to admit to a single soul that she was friends with Malfoy. So she wasn't going to be. This relationship was going to end badly if it was the last thing she did.

She slowly packed up after work, hopelessly trying to delay the inevitable. She apparated from work which was new because she normally flooed, and she ended up in the same bush she'd been in last week. She peered through the tickling branches and saw no death eaters, so she creeped out and jogged up to Malfoy's door, which was opening just as she reached it.

"How did you..."

"I saw you. I'm constantly staring out my window now, remember?" He smirked and leaned up against the door frame the same way as last time and dared her to shove past him.

"Malfoy," she groaned, "Can't you move? I came here for the report and I will be leaving pretty quick with said report."

"Say please," he said, drawing out the e in please. Hermione wanted to punch him, just like in third year.

"Please," she clipped. Malfoy got out of her way but my moving closer to her. He sidled up the side of the door until his shoulder was almost touching her chest and he waved a hand for her to go ahead. She ignored the smug smile on his face and was careful not to touch him as she slipped through the door.

"So where is it?"

"Straight to business? Won't you entertain me for a while?"

"That was not part of the arrangement."

"Arrangements can always be expanded upon."

She glared at him.

"I knew you'd be a hardass about it," he sighed, "You were the same way in school. Always follow the rules unless Harry asked you nicely not to."

"That's not how it was, and you know it," she said furiously, shoving her index finger into his sternum. She would never let Malfoy degrade Harry in any way. Harry had never forced her to do anything she did. She willingly did it for him and it disgusted Hermione that Malfoy was even thinking about questioning his...honor. That wasn't quite the right word, but whatever. The point still stood.

"Fine. So Potter is innocent like always and I'm the bad guy like always for saying anything against the saint. Either way, you're still a hardass about rules."

"You're trying to make me prove you wrong. It's not going to work."

"It already is," he smiled, meeting his eyes with hers. She suddenly remembered how close she was standing to him and stepped back a foot. He laughed cruelly, before going back into the kitchen. Hermione assumed she was supposed to follow but she wasn't quite comfortable with how much control he had over this encounter. She dallied around the entryway staring at the other pictures she had missed last week before entering the kitchen.

"Took you long enough."

"Sorry, I was just admiring the pictures."

His face hardened slightly, "I wish you wouldn't."

Hermione was about to retort that she could do whatever the hell she wanted while she was here almost against her will before she noticed the expression on his face. It was no longer stone battering away the waves of emotion, but simply older and sadder. "Your house, your rules," she finally murmured. He didn't brighten up much at her words but pulled the report out of his pant's pocket.

"You had that in your pocket the entire time," she mused.

"Yep."

"Why the hell did you not give it to me and let me be on my merry way then?"

"Granger," he sighed, "Is it so hard to try and be my friend? Give me one chance?"

"I'm pretty sure if I'd given you this chance in school that you would have failed miserably. To be honest, I'm not very keen."

"I'm different now."

"Bullshit."

"Come on, Granger. You're smart. Smartest person I've ever met. It can not have avoided your attention that I am not the same boy that went to school with you and tortured you endlessly. While I admit that I wish I was because torturing you was some of the most fun I ever had, I don't enjoy it anymore. I've realized it forces people away and that can't keep happening to me. Maybe I should've had some foresight and been kinder, realizing I would have no friends when I was older, but I didn't think I would ever need any. I had Crabbe and Goyle to control and Pansy to fuck. What more did I need? But I need a friend, Granger. I need to stop being lonely and talking to my reflection in the mirror and to my pet fish. I mean, seriously, I think I'm literally best friends with my fish. I tell him everything and there is something very wrong with that. You're the only one that comes around here anymore. I need you. I'm just as human as you and while it's taken me a while to realize that, I realize it now, and all humans need to feel loved."

Hermione was speechless. What did anyone say to something like that? I'm sorry? Okay, but I really don't want to be you friend? Maybe you should find someone else? I could send Harry over? So instead of giving him a response she just stared, hoping he would carry on the conversation all by himself.

"Are you going to say something?"

"Love?" she scoffed, unable to come up with anything else in the period of time she was given, "I will never love you, Malfoy. Platonic or otherwise. If we did become friends, it would be grudgingly. There's too much history."

"Will you give me a chance?"

She eyed him curiously and sat on the same bar stool as last time. There were pros and cons to this proposal. If he was trying to be her friend, he would theoretically treat her better, but then she'd have to spend more time with him. Although, if there was a way to make these visits less painful...

"Okay," she said, "Prove it to me. I'm not promising you anything...any extra time spent here or something...but I'll give you your chance which is more than you deserve, so be happy about it."

"Thank you, Granger."

"You know, friends generally call each other by their first names, Malfoy."

"Seems weird though, doesn't it? I mean...could you really call me Draco?"

Hermione shook her head hurriedly. He was right. That would be totally bizarre.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Give it time, Granger. So are you going to stay for a while then?"

"Er...okay?" Hermione said slowly. This was already becoming the strangest thing she'd ever done in her life. Malfoy grinned, although Hermione had the feeling that it wasn't because he was actually thrilled she was staying. She was under the impression that he was much more glad that he'd won. As she thought about the motive behind his smile, Malfoy strolled across his kitchen to the fridge and opened it. "Do you want something to eat?"

Hermione's leg was shaking up and down and she was twirling her hair around her finger. She was stressed, a bit confused, and very very uncomfortable. What had she done? "Er...sure."

"What happened to all that fire and eloquence, Granger?" he laughed.

"Don't know," she murmured.

"Stop panicking. I don't bite...much. What would you like, then?"

"What do you have?"

"Better," he said, "Still not that impressive."

"Would you just shut up and answer my question! Jesus..."

"Ah, all better. Let's see...I have some eclairs, some strawberries, some chicken, and a shit ton of cheese and crackers."

"I'll take the cheese and crackers, then, and a couple of the strawberries as well."

"Done," he replied, pulling out a tray that was in fact stacked to the brim with all sorts of cheeses and crackers. What was he even doing with all that? It's not like he had company. He saw her expression and said, "Goyle does the shopping, remember? He thought this seemed easy and provided enough food that he wouldn't have to stop by for a week or so. I never claimed that he was particularly talented at anything he does."

Hermione pulled the tray over to herself and tugged one of the sliced cheeses out of a stack and placed it between two round crackers with little seeds on top. She bit down and smiled gently at the familiar taste of one of her favorite snacks as a kid.

"Bring back good memories?" Draco asked.

"I used to have this as a snack all the time before I went to Hogwarts. My parents could get it ready quickly and it wasn't as sugary as some after school snacks. They were dentists, see, and sugar is bad for your teeth. Wears away the enamel."

"If you say so. Do you see your parents much anymore?" Malfoy was standing over the sink cutting the heads off the strawberries.

"Why aren't you using magic?"

"Answer my question and I'll answer yours."

"No. I haven't for over a year. When Harry, Ron, and I went to search for the horcruxes, I needed to get rid of my parents so that they wouldn't get tortured or killed by Voldemort. I placed a memory charm on them. They don't even know they have a daughter and currently they live in Australia."

"Why haven't you gone and made them remember you, yet?"

"Why aren't you using magic?" she retorted.

"It was my mother's idea before she died. My father was being ridiculously stubborn about his beliefs in the superiority of pure blood and my mother thought it would be a smart idea to try and correct our beliefs with the times so that no one would have a reason to attack our family. She said we should take some time to try and understand Muggles and Muggle-borns by doing small tasks the way they would. My father refused but I did it with my mother. Let's just say it stuck. Another reason is the Muggle way of doing things has a way of taking a very long time and I don't have all that much to do."

"Why did you join your mother when you could've done what your father was doing?"

"He was only refusing now that the war was over and he wouldn't get killed for being a dick. He'd raised me to be coward and I started to understand in those months that I didn't want to be that anymore. It was my first step in the right direction. So why haven't you gone to Australia?"

"I haven't had the time. I know it's only a couple of seconds away but every time I mean to, something else comes up."

"No, that's not it."

"Huh?"

"That's not why you haven't gone to your parents. That's what I like to call a petty excuse and trust me I would know since I was particularly good at coming up with them most of my life."

Hermione popped a strawberry he handed her into her mouth and pondered what he said. "Well what else could it be? They're my parents. I love them and of course I want them back more than anything. What else would stop me?"

"Are you asking for my opinion? You actually care what I think? Is that what I'm hearing?"

"Just answer the question, Malfoy."

"You didn't say no. Wow, you totally want to be my friend. I should've known. There's always allure for the bad boy isn't there, Granger?"

"You know what? Never mind. I could care less what the hell you think. Here I was trying to make it easy for you to prove me wrong and, as expected, you suck at it. Thanks for the cheese and strawberries. I'll have that report now, I think."

"Granger, wait, I'm sorry. I am horrible at this. I know that. But I don't know how I'm supposed to act around you. It's all very new."

"Well maybe that's because this just wasn't supposed to happen. Let's forget you were ever thinking this was a good idea, because it's not."

"I'm never giving up," he laughed, "But perhaps I have tortured you enough for today. Here," he handed her the report and showed her to the door. "I'll see you next week," he winked as she left. Hermione was still angry by the time she got back to Harry's house but instead of sticking all the way through dinner, it disappeared half way through and was replaced with a light, bubbly feeling. She'd actually enjoyed herself. She was learning things about Malfoy she could never have dreamed up and she scolded her endless thirst for knowledge for ruining everything. She'd always known it would be the end of her, but she'd hoped it wouldn't be the crash and burn sort of end. It wasn't looking good.

"So let's see the report," Harry said after dinner when Ginny had finally managed to rip the remote from his hands and turn the TV off. Ron eagerly sat forward in anticipation of Malfoy's labor. Hermione didn't know if it was actually about the information inside or the fact that it was likely a shit report and he could tease Malfoy. Undoubtedly everyone would laugh. Hermione wondered if she would laugh too. She jostled the notes Malfoy had given her from her pocket and handed them over to Harry.

"Have you read them yet?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head, "I figured it was something we should all do together. We're all affected by this information.

"Wow," Harry breathed, "This is actually impressive. What did you say to Malfoy, Hermione? I didn't even know he could be this diligent." Harry laid the crinkled pieces of notebook paper in the middle of the table and everyone extended their necks so they could read the words.

Every day of the week had it's own heading and underneath were extensive notes about the movements and topics of discussion of the death eaters. Some of the discussions were brief...especially if they were about sex or some other personal matter. Only when Malfoy thought it might be something helpful did he expand...almost quoting the dialogue word for word. Everyone's mouth was hanging open by the end. They were so impressed. They now knew that Alecto would be at the Hog's Head tomorrow night, disguised as a woman because he had been complaining about how he could hardly go out of his house anymore without dressing up. Besides that, there was nothing else, but Harry was ecstatic.

"I was gonna say that you never had to go back, Hermione, because I was so sure that this relationship we've developed with Malfoy was going to be as useless as he is, but I was wrong about both things. We need him. This is...this is brilliant. He's brilliant."

Everyone around the table was nodding, even Ron. His mouth was slightly more agape than anyone else's, but he was agreeing with Harry nonetheless. "Did you have sex with him?" he finally asked Hermione.

"No, Ron!" she shrieked, "Jesus, who do you think I am? I'm not some slut that sleeps with guys to get what I want. I just asked and he said okay. That's all that happened. What is wrong with you?" Normally Hermione would've stalked off after yelling at Ron who had always been a little insensitive at times, but this time she wanted to hear his excuse.

"Sorry," he murmured, "That was out of line. It wasn't about you anyways, it was about him. I don't understand why he would go to all this trouble unless he was getting something out of it."

Hermione thought it was perhaps time to come clean with her friends. They needed to stop making wild guesses about what was going on with Malfoy, because more often than not it included her and a bedroom. That better not be all he wanted, anyways, because Hermione was going to back him up here in front of her friends.

"He's doing this all because he's alone and he wants to prove to me that he's worthy of my friendship. It's all he goes on about when I'm over there. That's why I was late home. We actually talked and sort of hung out for a while until I got mad at him. I'm not trying to say that he's not the Malfoy we know and that I won't continue to be cautious, but I think he's changed. Call my crazy, but I really do."

"You are crazy," Ron said, "He's obviously tricking you. He was always a charismatic son of a bitch. He managed to convince a lot of people of a lot of things. More often than not that Harry, you, and I all sucked and we're fucking awesome."

Harry and Hermione laughed. Then Ginny said, "You really think so Hermione?"

"Yeah. It could be a ruse I suppose but he's been so honest about everything else and he hasn't called me mudblood once."

"Oh congratulations for him," Ron jeered, "He's decided to be a sub-par human being instead of a horrible one."

"Well I trust Hermione's instincts," Ginny stated. "And does it actually even matter what he wants? I mean of course it does if it means Hermione is in danger, but even then. We still want what he can provide for us. Malfoy can save us more lives then he can expend."

"I agree," Harry decided.

"How can you say that?" Ron demanded, "This is Hermione we're talking about. If he wants to do something...unsavory to her we shouldn't let her go back. It matters entirely why he's doing this."

"And Hermione can take care of herself," Harry said.

"God you always do this. Risk the lives of the people you love for the greater good."

"I thought you would understand better than anyone Ron, seeing as you've been in this position before. I know that about myself and it kills me almost daily and yet if Hermione said no there's nothing I would do about it. It's ultimately down to her. She could back out just like you did."

"Boys," Ginny whispered, "Stop. Go cool off, Ron."

"I'll go cool off at my own house, thanks," Ron sneered and exited the house in a dramatic turn of his heel.

"I think he's still in love with you, Hermione," Ginny sighed.

"He's not. Perhaps he fancies himself to be, but he's not. That's how much it wasn't working. If we ever got back together it would become all the more obvious and I don't need to go through the same break up again, however civilized it was."

"Well, I have to run to the office," Harry declared, kissing his wife on the top of the head, "We need to prepare for Carrow. I probably won't be back until tomorrow night so don't wait up, sweetheart." Ginny nodded grimly and Harry swiftly hugged Hermione's shoulders and then flooed away.

"So what did you and Malfoy talk about while you were over there?"

"Who cares?" Hermione sighed. "I'm too exhausted to think about that right now. Why can't Ron have faith in me?"

"It's Malfoy," Ginny whispered in explanation. "What other reason does he need?"

Hermione couldn't find a way to argue with her logic so she simply took a sip of her water and sighed as she swirled the liquid around in the cup, "I think I might need something stronger."

"Not this soon before bed," Ginny replied, "You're going to go sleep. That's the best cure. Come on, let's go. I'll help you get ready."

Ginny followed her upstairs and laid out Hermione's pajamas on the bed and turned on the bedside light. She folded the covers down on the side Hermione liked to sleep on and then kissed her best friend on the cheek. "Sleep, Hermione. Ron will understand. Give him some time."

"Do you actually believe Malfoy could be a different person?"

"Anyone is capable of change, Hermione and Malfoy has had enough huge life experiences and decisions to have the opportunity. Do I believe he took it? I don't know. But I'd like to think so. I'd like to think he isn't what we've seen, because if there's no one that believes in him how can he believe in himself? Help him become a better person, Hermione. I know you can.

"But I don't owe that to him."

"No," Ginny replied. "But in asking to be your friend he's asking for forgiveness. Something tells me he's never been forgiven for anything his life. Maybe we owe that to him."

"When did you get wise?"

"When your two best friends and your entire family enters a war that they keep telling you to sit on the side of you learn a lot about life and death and love. More importantly, I was not often the subject of Malfoy's cruelty. It's easier for me to see past all of the history and consider him as a human being and not a heartless machine. I'm a different perspective. With that being said I still say he's an asshole and you can't be too careful."

Hermione laughed and hugged Ginny hard. "I don't know what I would do without you. Harry and Ron would drive me crazy otherwise."

Hermione crawled into bed and opened the book on her nightstand. She couldn't get a good night's sleep without reading first. As Ginny left she said, "Give him the chance he's asking for but more than that give him a few mistakes because he's learning. Forgiveness, Hermione. That's my opinion."

"Night, Ginny."

"Good night, Hermione." She flicked off the larger light on her way out and the room was barely lit by the light on the nightstand, but it was enough to read from and Hermione sunk farther into her sheets and the world inside the book whisked her away from her thoughts. Needless to say, Malfoy would still be there when she got back.