So, here is the new chapter.

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Hermione climbed the tower slowly while inspecting the other floors. Some of them were closed, she didn't risk opening them. One of the open rooms was a kitchen, and another one a large art room with unfinished works.

While Hermione skipped the impersonal kitchen, she wanted to take a look around the mostly full art room. The works were mostly still life's of wizarding items such as cauldrons and different types of wands. On an easel in the corner stood an unfinished landscape of what seemed to be a grand Manor. She couldn't recognize the place and while the manor looked grand, it was pictured as depressing.

With further investigation, she found a stack of dark, surreal illustrations drawn on paper with charcoal, some half-finished portraits of people she didn't know and one canvas suspiciously covered with a white linen. Taking it off, Hermione blushed to see the oil painting of a nude man in dark waters.

While only his back was visible to the viewer, he was depicted with broad muscular shoulders, bulging arms connecting to the strong hands which carded through the wet, shiny black hair. The water drops on his milk smooth skin made him look ethereal. This painting looked much more meticulously detailed than the others. Taking another appreciative look at the painting, Hermione covered it again to leave it like it wasn't touched.

There was an airy study room on the upper floor, she again chose to take a quick look but found nothing interesting in it. The book collection was similar to what she had seen before in the common room. Mostly fiction or books covering useless topics.

Before she reached the bedroom, she had to make a quick stop at the loo. She didn't waste her time looking around it as it was similar to Prefect bathrooms one could find in Hogwarts.

Reaching the room, she closed the door and set a ward around the room to alert her in the case someone tried to enter. The wand she was using was still unfamiliar and using it made her feel unsettled but the results she got with it was great. The simple alarming ward stood strong. Taking a look at the time again with her wand, she saw it was reaching late afternoon.

And Hermione was still here, not at her destroyed Hogwarts. She slouched a little and sighed. Putting the wand on the bedside table, she threw herself to now made bed. Hermione cried for a while to let it out. Whatever happened with Lily was crazy. She went berserk on Hermione. Which made Hermione wary of people around here. Well, she wasn't expecting anyone under the rule of Voldemort to keep their sanity in fully check but to be attacked was different.

She thought about Lily's reaction to her and decided to never ask about Harry or Potters ever again. She might have confused the fragile minded Lily with her questions, actions or maybe even kindness. She still wasn't certain what type of person she was supposed to be here but she surely wasn't a kind person.

After crying a little bit more while remembering snippets from the last night's battle, her stomach grumbled. The lunch Lily was supposed to bring her wasn't on the table now, so Hermione decided to find herself food. She quickly went to kitchen downstairs, avoiding to come across Lily. She made herself a sandwich with whatever she could find and got herself a cup of tea. Her eyes were on the door whole time. She sat her food at the table to quickly finish it while taking big gulps of her tea, still eyeing the door.

Which was the reason she managed to burn her thighs when a loud pop from behind scared her to death. The teacup wobbled in her hand and the hot tea escaped from the cup to her lap. She jumped from her chair to avoid further contact with her tea sodden robes.

Behind her stood a panicked house elf, with his large ears drooping down with the weight of numerous hoop earrings pierced into it. His eyes were large as saucers.

Hermione fanned her robe's skirt, she said "Um, I need to get cold water," and ran to the bath. She tried to get herself rid of the robe, when she couldn't she sat in the bath beneath the sink to get some cold water to her skin.

But suddenly, her robes and skin were tea-free, her skin no longer burning. She looked up to see that elf followed her to bath, and cast a spell on her burns.

"Thank you," she said embarrassed.

"No need, miss." The elf raised his chin with eyebrows high up, copying the butlers she would see on TV. "But I must apologize for surprising you." He bowed his head, his earrings clanking from the movement. He had a little patch of white hair on top of his head. He was wearing a dark green vest, a silver watch tucked into the pocket. Dressed elf, was he free? Should she ask?

"It's okay, I am okay now," Hermione said.

"Ringo came to prepare a meal for the miss, but is she still hungry?"

"No, thank you but I am not." Hermione thought of a way to dismiss him politely. "If you have any other work to do, you can go back to it."

"Ringo will be waiting for your orders, miss." He nodded politely and disappeared with a pop.

She had an elf. Was he a personal elf or a school elf, she wasn't sure but he would answer her if she needed. She decided to try it out.

"Ringo!" He appeared again with a pop. He bowed like he wasn't there a second ago and waited for her orders.

"Um, I was wrong, I still feel a bit hungry. Can you bring me another sandwich and a cup of tea, to my bedroom?"

"Of course, miss." He disappeared.

Hermione righted her clothes and went directly to her room. While it didn't sit right with her to order him, she decided to play ugly after Lily fiasco. As ugly as she could get anyway.

She was lounging on the armchair near the fireplace in the bedroom thinking possible ways to get herself back to her reality. After taking the same position she woke up before on the bed, she focused her magic as hard as she could, wished as hard as she could to go back to home. She wasted at least an hour before admitting it wasn't working.

She thought of leaving the room and searching the castle for Ron to get some books for her research, but she knew she couldn't solve things in a night, so she decided to get her head together for the dinner with the headmaster.

Clearly, Professor Snape told on her. She thought he didn't see anything from her head. She hoped he didn't. Regulus was insistent but didn't sound as alarmed as he would if he knew of her current situation.

While she sipped her tea, there was a soft knock on the door before Parkinson darted into the room activating the blaring alarm. The ward she set went a high beep, louder than she expected almost hurting her ears. And from the look on Parkinson's face, her ears too.

Hermione quickly vanished the ward, shutting up the alarm. Behind scowling Parkinson, a panicked Malfoy ran into the room, his wand drawn. Looking at them, he lowered his wand and tried to even his breath before speaking.

"What was that sound?" he asked angrily.

"Yeah, Hermione, are you trying to make me go deaf?" Parkinson grimaced.

"Um, an alarm ward," Hermione answered.

"What for?" Parkinson asked curiously.

"I didn't want to be disturbed."

"And you cast a ward?" Malfoy asked unbelievingly.

"Yes, sorry about the high pitch. Wasn't expecting that." Hermione added.

Malfoy wasn't convinced for some reason. "You?" He pointed at her, "Cast a ward?"

Oh, she wasn't supposed to do any advanced magic. That was the problem. "Yeah, I just wanted to try it out. I mean, it wasn't even good. Too high pitched. Unbalanced. must have failed to cast it successfully." Hermione tried to reason. She knew it was a perfectly casted ward, but maybe she could defend it wasn't.

Malfoy gave her a scrutinizing look before shrugging, "Sure, but don't cast anything you don't know babe, you and Parkinson could have gone deaf with your skills." He smirked.

Parkinson rolled her eyes at Malfoy before turning to Hermione. "You didn't show up to tea today, what is going on?" She asked a little worriedly.

"Yeah, and Snape went on saying you wouldn't interrupt classes for a while," Malfoy added.

"Um, yes, I am feeling under the weather, I don't want to join classes for a while," Hermione explained.

"Why?" Pansy asked while she went to seat herself in the other armchair. Malfoy sat on the arm on the same chair.

Both were looking at Hermione so intently, she felt herself being interrogated. "You know, with what happened last week, I feel stressed." That was the reason she used with Snape, she could use it with them.

"Did you really care about Carrow that much?" Malfoy asked.

Before Hermione could answer, Pansy defended Hermione, "Draco, you know how her father gets when things like that happen."

Hermione was still unsure what happened, she didn't expect them to ask anything after she said she was stressed. Maybe things weren't going so great for Voldemort here either. "Yes, you know," she said with her eyes on the ground. She could only imagine Voldemort's anger if something didn't go the way he wanted.

"They will catch that awful guy, don't you worry." Pansy smiled. "Come on, you are the queen."

Malfoy interrupted, "I don't know Pansy, they would have found whoever was responsible by now if they could. I asked my father, he said Aurors had no clue."

Hermione quietly watched as Pansy answered, "Maybe they died with the explosion? I heard it wiped out all twenty wizard almost completely."

"Yes, but they can trace wand residues, Father said whoever cast it, got out." Malfoy insisted.

"I am sure they will find the culprit," Pansy said. Malfoy opened his mouth to debunk Pansy's claim but she pinched his thigh, which shut him up. "I wonder who they will hire for Carrow's position, though. He wasn't great at DADA but it was fun to watch him go crazy at blood traitors." Pansy fondly recalled.

"Yes, it was such a great joy, Pansy." Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Except that time when he tried to cut off Potter's leg. That was terrifying."

"Well, half-blood attacked first. He kind of deserved it, don't you think Hermione?" Malfoy asked her.

Hermione scowled and sipped her tea. Malfoy smirked.

"But when you think about it, he saved us that weekend. I remember you were too injured to play and he was the one who caught the snitch, Draco." Pansy smirked this time.

Malfoy tussled his hair. "Yeah." He looked conflicted for a moment before saying, "I think I will let him play this weekend, too."

Pansy turned to look his face directly. "Really? Why?"

"I am betting a big amount this time. I need to win."

"You need money? Why don't you ask daddy?" Pansy asked curiously.

Malfoy shrugged. "I can't. I want to get myself a mudblood but he doesn't want me to."

"Are you talking about Palmer?" Pansy asked somewhat anxiously.

He huffed. "Yes, Pansy. I know you guys don't want me to, but I will buy him, okay?"

"I don't get why you obsess over him that much Draco. I would have thought you a poof if not for Hermione." Pansy said. He shrugged again.

"I even thought about selling my broom. But it wouldn't be enough. I heard they were starting from 2000 galleons per mudblood this year."

Hermione watched them as they talked about muggleborns being bought and sold.

"He wouldn't be worth it, Draco. He is not Granger. He won't do your homework for you."

"I don't care. I have already decided. I will need a mudblood of my own next year anyway."

"Alright. Do what you want, Draco." Pansy dismissed the topic when it was clear they wouldn't be able to come to an agreement and turned back to Hermione. "You are coming down to the dinner though, right? Goyle whined all afternoon when you didn't show up any of the classes. He is such a puppy for you." Pansy smirked. "You are lucky your boyfriend doesn't get jealous easily."

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

So, he was really her boyfriend? Other Hermione had a weird taste. Would she be forced to act like a girlfriend? She blushed, thinking of that morning.

Malfoy was looking at her intently. Whatever he saw, he turned to Pansy and they exchanged weird looks.

"You are truly quiet today, queen. Were you that affected? You were fine over the weekend," Pansy said.

"Yep, she was fine, real fine," Malfoy drawled smugly. Was he... Was he insinuating whatever they did last night? Ugh, they really had slept together, didn't they? Terrible taste other Hermione, terrible taste.

"Ugh, don't be gross Malfoy." Pansy grimaced. From Pansy's reaction, it wasn't a one-time thing either. "Could it be?" Pansy wondered aloud. "Did Weasley give something to you?"

"What?" Malfoy turned to Pansy and then to Hermione angrily.

"What? No," Hermione answered. Ron wouldn't drug her. Not only that but she didn't recall drinking anything he offered. Plus the effect Pansy was talking about was normal considering the current situation Hermione was in. "No, Pansy. He didn't give me anything."

"Still, he had an arm over your shoulders, you might've got some germs on you," Pansy said.

"What?" Malfoy asked Pansy. "He did?" He asked Hermione this time.

She nodded guiltily. So, she was right. People seeing her with Ron was suspicious. She would try to approach without being seen next time.

"Why?" He asked. He started to walk around the room.

"Yes, why, Hermione? It would be unseemly for you to be seen on another man's arm when you already have a boyfriend," Pansy asked, eyebrow raised.

"Um, yeah. I had a headache. So he was trying to help me," that was somewhat the truth.

Hermione turned to Malfoy for his reaction. "Sorry," she said. He looked stunned. Then his expression turned into a grin.

"I don't know what I have done but okay," he said and came to her side. He leaned over her and when she understood his intention it was too late. He landed a quick kiss on her lips. It wasn't rough like the one in the morning but it wasn't exceptionally gentle either.

Hermione felt herself blushing.

Pansy cleared her throat and raising from her seat, she said, "See you at dinner lovebirds!" before closing the door behind her.

Malfoy snorted. just as he was about to go for a second round, Hermione put her hand on his chest to push him gently.

He raised his eyebrow.

"I am not in the mood," she said. Nice excuse, Hermione, she congratulated herself.

Luckily he backed off, his grin was gone but he didn't seem angry at the refusal.

Uncomfortable with staying alone with Malfoy, Hermione said, "I feel so tired, I think I will sleep. Oh, by the way, Headmaster said he wanted to have dinner with me, so I won't have it in Great Hall with you today."

Malfoy nodded. He turned to leave her to rest but he seemed indecisive about something. He turned back to her and asked, "I really need that money, Hermione. Can you... Would you help me get the rest if I can't collect enough?"

Hell, no she wouldn't. She would have no business in the slave trade.

"I don't think I can't." She answered politely.

"I am even considering selling my broom. Please ask Regulus for me." He pleaded.

"I don't-" He cut her speaking with his lips.

His soft lips attacked hers gently this time. His one hand moved slowly into her curly hair, while the other gently held her hand and rubbed over her knuckles. When his tongue traced over her lips, she suddenly became aware of what she was doing and jerked back, getting rid of the effects of his hypnotizing touch.

His cheeks were reddened, surely rivalling her blushing face.

He ran a hand over his face and said, "So you know, I can be much more attentive than I usually am. I am promising you the best time, Hermione. Please find me that money and I will do whatever you want in bed. Just ask Regulus, okay?"

He couldn't look her in the eye and turned his back and left the room with a mumbled, "See you tomorrow."

She was left stunned, her fingers tracing over her still-tingling lips unaware of herself. He was right with what he said. This was the best snog she ever got.

She also took her previous statement back. Other Hermione had a great taste in men.

Thanks for reading!