Thank you to ForgetfulLove and Lady Lynn for the terrific beta work!

Hermione awoke to a peal of laughter. It was shrill and feminine, and she vaguely thought she was back in the dorms with Lavender and Parvati.

The blaring sunlight flooding her eyes and the sticky sweat that clung to her body reminded Hermione that she was nowhere as safe and comforting as Hogwarts. She had to blink several times to adjust her sight, and was surprised to find the clearing devoid of the others. She stood a bit shakily and made her way to the next clearing, adjusting her bathing suit under the ripped skirt and tattered blouse. It was too hot to even think of robes during the day.

Pansy and Lisa were clearly visible in the kitchen clearing, arranged in low chairs someone must have conjured that morning. They had a pile of ferns and fronds among them and were intently working with their wands as they exchanged fresh bits of gossip neither had been privy to in their respective houses.

Hermione thought she might just have something to add to the conversation before remembering that Parvati had most likely told Padma everything, effectively ruining her advantage.

She paused to watch them work before entering the clearing. Lisa was creating skeins of thread out of the veins of the palm fronds and fixing them about a bobbin at a rapid pace. Her wand looked like the needle on a spinning wheel as she balanced her finger gently at its tip while resting the base in her other palm. The thread wound itself neatly around the bobbin as it finished gliding across the pad of her finger.

Pansy was weaving her wand about the ferns and Transfiguring them into measures of cloth. It was a simple enough spell; the real magic came in when Pansy took her wand and created a pair of linen trousers in midair from the thread and cloth.

Hermione was impressed. She had never been impressed by Pansy Parkinson in her life, but she had to give it to the girl, it was bloody brilliant.

Hermione came into the clearing with a tentative smile as the girls set down their work to look at her. They gave her a keen once over with narrow slits of eyes, looking her up and down, before nodding curtly to one another. "I think we got it right, yeah?" Lisa asked Pansy.

Hermione briefly panicked as she thought over all the things they could know about her. Nothing scandalous came to mind, but maybe she was overlooking something.

Pansy picked up a simple tank, some trousers and a pair of knickers and held them up for her with a smirk. "We made you these. Turpin and I had to do it from memory, but I think we guessed about right."

Hermione felt her jaw drop. "You made me new clothes?"

Pansy gave an unimpressed shrug. "You looked at yourself lately? I am doing everyone a favour." She gave a short laugh, "Plus, we made new stuff for everyone. You can't keep wearing the same thing. Lisa and I are going to make a few pairs of basic things for everyone. Zabini is bringing us more supplies as we speak."

Hermione looked confused. "You did all of this this morning?"

Lisa smiled at her. "Hermione, it is almost noon, everyone else got up with the dawn. Harry even tried to wake you, but you were sleeping like the devil, so he left you be. We figured you need the rest more than anyone."

Hermione flushed a bit, it was thoroughly unlike her to sleep in. She felt a wreck since arriving at the island, and not at all like her normal self. "Well, thank you, for this, I am going to go try it on." She made her way into the bushes and found a decent spot, quickly changing into the fresh clothes. It was a glorious feeling and it was with resentment that she picked up her tattered Hogwarts uniform to take it back.

Hermione marvelled at the snug fit of the top, negating the need for a bra, and the gentle curve of the pants against her hips, cut at mid-calf to accommodate the sandy floor. When she made her way back to the girls, they shared a grin at their handiwork. "Looks brilliant, Parkinson," Lisa acknowledged with a smile.

"How do you two know how to do this?" Hermione asked, still amazed at the whole area of magic in which she was defunct.

Pansy shrugged, "I grew up watching witches tailor clothing for my mother and I. These don't hold a candle to them, but I know the basics. Besides, basic sewing charms and spells are taught to all pureblood girls before their formal magical education, not that you'd know about that sort of thing."

Hermione shook her head in agreement. "Not at all, I can only sew the Muggle way. I think I much prefer yours."

Pansy looked up in interest. "Can you embroider?"

Hermione wrinkled her brow. "Yes, why?"

Pansy smirked back. "Because, there isn't a spell that does it efficiently; has to be all the same colour and pattern and what not. A really fine witch seamstress will embroider by hand, costs an arm and a leg, of course."

Hermione smiled back. "Of course. Well, can I help?"

Pansy shook her head. "No, Draco wanted you to go find them at the tree when you got up. He was having some sort of construction issue, something about supports."

Hermione frowned in frustration. "I wish I hadn't slept so long. Thank you for the clothing, I will see you later."

She made her way at a decent clip towards the tree, leaving Pansy and Lisa behind to continue their conversations in peace. In the forest around her, she could hear animals calling to one another in the trees. Hermione stepped into the large clearing beneath the old growth and noted a steady flow of palm trunks Levitating by her in a march to form a growing pile near the tree.

Fantasia shot to the front of her brain; Muggles weren't so terribly different, now were they?

"Oi, Granger!" She turned to find Malfoy marching towards her in a pair of low slung black trousers and no shirt. She rolled her eyes at his appearance and sighed, "Forget something when you got dressed today, Malfoy?"

He made a slightly confused look before a smirk dawned across his face. "Pans didn't make us shirts, she may be hinting at something."

Hermione snorted a laugh. "Not very subtle, eh?"

He gave a coy smile back. "Never was one of her finer points. But listen, we have the four large trunks needed to build the supports, and I am going to need you to secure and double cast each spell I cast to make sure this thing stays in place. It is going to take at least six wizards to get each stalk in place."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, I can handle that. Where is everyone else?"

He looked over to the trees. "They are finishing up the last load of what we harvested this morning, they should be along shortly."

Hermione nodded and sank down against an adjacent tree to rest in the sand. Malfoy looked at her with a narrowed gaze. "You all right there, Granger?"

She nodded back. "Yeah, just feeling a bit peaky and tired. I can't even begin to explain the feeling of it, it is like everything has been sucked out of me. I feel hollow."

Malfoy sat heavily next to her on the ground; his body close enough to brush against hers as he settled. "You shouldn't have healed them like that," he said with a hint of harshness.

"What was I supposed to do, Malfoy? They were dying, you could see it yourself."

"And the spell for pain?" He looked sidelong at her.

Hermione shrugged back. "It isn't common."

Malfoy was shaking his head. "No, Granger, it isn't, but I think you know exactly what it is."

"A healing spell?" she asked timidly.

Draco gave her a piercing gaze. "Are you really stupid enough to use a spell you don't even know the ramifications of?"

Hermione froze and looked at him. "You know it?"

Draco turned away. "Oh, I know it. I'm just not stupid enough to use it. That was a Death Eater spell, Granger. How did you even learn it?"

She shivered a bit at the recollection. "I saw your father use it last year at the Ministry, on another Death Eater."

Draco nodded. "That is very dark magic, Granger."

She growled in frustration. "I didn't have another option!"

Draco shrugged. "Be that as it may, you gave them a bit of your soul and took a bit in return, which is no light magic."

Hermione felt a twinge of fear overtake her. "I did what?" Her voice came out no more than a hush.

"You gave a bit of yourself to heal them, and took a bit back in return. That bit back is what is plaguing your recovery. You won't be well until they are."

"Oh..." Hermione faltered. "If it isn't a healing spell, what is it for?"

Draco stood sharply. "It is a Leeching Spell. It gives the injured wizard a peaceful death while transferring magical power to the spell caster. You combined it with a series of healing charms, so the effect was quite different than the intent." He held out a hand to help her up. "Just don't do it again, unless you absolutely have to. It takes too much out of the caster, as you are currently witness to."

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up as Harry and the others emerged from the tree line laden with vines and various sizes of logs.

"Mione!" Harry dropped his load of vines and ran to her. "Don't you look better today! Are those new clothes from the girls?"

She smiled and hugged him warmly. "Yes, Lisa and Pansy made them for me. They told me I was out cold this morning. Sorry I couldn't be more help."

Harry leaned down and kissed the crown of her head. "Don't be ridiculous, you needed it. You are still healing."

Hermione looked to Malfoy to see if he would tell Harry about the dark spell, and was relieved to see he merely looked annoyed to be standing there. His face finally broke into a snarl. "All right, enough of the sweet talk Potter, we have work to do."

Harry turned and positively grinned at Malfoy. "Sorry to intrude on your conversation, Malfoy. I'll let you get back to it."

Malfoy growled under his breath. "What's that supposed to mean?" Harry shrugged and walked back to join the others, leaving Hermione alone with Malfoy again, lost in confusion over what had just happened.

Malfoy sighed, "Come on, Granger, never mind the riff-raff. We need to get up into the tree. We are ready to set the load bearers in place; I am going to need to be high up to guide the spells properly. Can you handle the heights?"

Hermione looked up into the swaying branches of the tree and felt her stomach drop. "I can manage," she ground out with a grimace.

Malfoy's face softened. "You don't have to, one of the others can do it."

Hermione shook her head no. "I want to do this. Besides, I am too weak for the other work right now."

"You want me to Levitate you up there?" He smirked as her face grew pale. "I'm not going to drop you in front of your fan club over there, Granger."

Hermione frowned. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm not worried about that. I can handle you."

"Well then?" he probed.

Hermione sighed, "I just don't do well with heights, it's why I don't fly. But I can do this, I know I can. Just send me up right now, Malfoy, don't even give me a chance to think about it. But I swear to Merlin if you toy with me I will hex--" Her voice broke off in a shriek as her body went weightless and she flew into the air. She hadn't even heard him cast his spell.

"Granger! Open your eyes, I am about to set you down!"

Hermione hadn't even realized her eyes were shut. She was too petrified to even move. She chanced a look around and felt her stomach plummet. She was hovering in front of a large branch around thirty meters off the ground.

Malfoy set her down surprisingly gently on a large area by the trunk, which she clung tightly to with a small shriek.

"You all right up there, Mione?" She heard Ron's voice from the ground, but wasn't able to look down, so instead, nodded her head rapidly while clenching shut her eyes.

"Yeah, Ron, just getting my bearings is all." There was a chorus of chuckles from the ground and she cursed them all in her head.

There was a drop in the branch next to her and she chanced a peek just in time to catch Malfoy landing confidently on the limb. He cast a spell on his feet and then repeated it on hers.

"Aerial Sticking Charm, you won't fall off now," he commented to her confused features.

Hermione took a cautious step and felt her feet cling to the limb like large suction cups.

After a few steps, Malfoy looked her over. "You ready to begin this?"

Hermione chanced a smile. "I think so."

Malfoy marched to the middle of the limb and called to the ground, "Potter, your team ready down there?"

Harry looked to Ron and Ernie. "Yeah, we're set."

"How about you, Boot?" Malfoy called to the other side of a massive palm trunk.

Hermione noted it had been planed and sanded into a square beam, the roots and top removed. It looked near to perfect timber, and she made a mental note to ask what they had used to create it later.

Terry and Michael stood at the end of the trunk and called back, "We're ready."

"All right then." Malfoy looked to Hermione and nodded. "On my count of three!"

The wizards all focused their wands of the trunk of the freshly felled palm. On Draco's count, all six wizards focused their magic and the tree slid into the air. The boys on the ground lifted the beam to a pre-marked spot some twenty meters in the air.

Draco beckoned her closer. "This is where you come in, Granger. Cast the charms exactly as I do, in succession."

Hermione concentrated intently on his enunciation and followed his wand move for move. After a series of ten spells, he called down again, "Back away and then cut your magic. We need to see if it will hold." Hermione was so intrigued she forget to be scared and watched as those on the ground ceased their casting.

There was a roar of approval from the bottom of the tree as the support held firm. Draco smiled with his whole face, and Hermione thought it might have been the first time she had ever seen him allow it in her presence. "Nicely done, Granger."

Hermione felt him grace her with his smile and her body went warm the length over. "Thank you, Malfoy."

"I'm going to go test it."

The smile fell off her face. "How?"

He shrugged. "Walk on it, jump a bit. See if it holds."

"No." She shook her head firmly.

He seemed to ignore her and called down, "Boot, cover me. I'm going out on the support."

"Got you covered!" Terry hollered from the ground.

"Malfoy, no!" She felt herself half shout without at all meaning to.

Draco turned and quirked an eyebrow at her. "What, are you worried about me, Granger?"

Hermione scowled and shook her head. "Do what you want. I don't care."

He nodded and jumped down to the support.

Hermione held her breath as he tested the branch, walking the full length before jumping at each point down the length. The five below watched in interest, but it made her stomach turn.

After a few long minutes of testing, he appeared next to her, once again on the branch. "It is quite safe. Did I scare you, Granger?"

She frowned. "This whole thing makes me nervous. I just hate heights."

He grinned. "Then let's get these other three up shall we?"

Hermione looked at the others on the ground. "Where's Theo?"

Malfoy stopped and looked oddly at her. "Hunting. He seems to think it is his calling here. Made himself a spear and a knife this morning."

"No Avada?" she asked in genuine surprise and was taken aback by the look of pure loathing he sent her way.

"In spite of popular belief, no one on this island has ever cast that spell. That is, of course, unless your lot has."

Hermione looked truly horrified. "Oh no! We always capture. Death is too easy for those we seek."

He sneered at her. "You mean those like my father?"

Hermione froze in mid-thought. "Malfoy...what can I say to that? The man tried to kill us. Dolohov had already attacked me. I have no regret for my actions, only perhaps, that you have lost your father."

"Malfoy, stop chatting with Granger, we have work to do!" Terry hollered from the ground.

Draco nodded solemnly to Hermione. "Perhaps we can discuss this at a later time, Granger," he said, before stepping away to resume his work.

It took several hours to set the rest of the supports in firmly. Hermione had practically forgotten about the heights by the time they finished, and felt a slight twinge of regret as Harry lowered her to ground in the setting sunlight.

Harry slipped an arm about her shoulders as they walked back with Ron. "Long day, huh?"

She nodded. "Although there was something quite liberating about being up so high. Once I got used to it, of course." Hermione nudged him in the ribs. "When we get back, maybe I can even try flying again."

He grinned at her. "I'll even let you borrow my broom."

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed in mock indignation, "You hardly ever let me do that!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I hardly think Hermione is as liable to test its limits as you are."

Ron smiled at his friends. "These pants are bloody comfy, eh?" he asked, changing the subject.

Hermione smiled back. "Yeah, we better remember to thank the girls."

Hermione had, of course, noted that none of the men wore shirts as they worked. It was decidedly odd to see their bare skin after years of formal school clothing and wizarding robes. She had immediately concluded that she didn't mind the lack of clothing in the least, they were all good looking young men, something she hadn't pondered before long hours of looking them over in the mottled sunlight of the clearing.

They arrived in the cooking area to find Theo Nott with a pig on a rotating spit. Theo grinned broadly and gestured to the animal. "Dinner is served."

Harry and Ron rushed forward to grab a plate while Hermione slumped down against a log to rest. The others arrived shortly with Malfoy carrying Pansy and Terry holding Lisa. The girls looked positively exhausted and Hermione could feel them draining on her.

She jumped briefly when a hand rest on her shoulder. "Shall I bring you a plate, Granger? I am sure it has been a long day."

Hermione looked up and smiled at Blaise Zabini in thanks. "It would mean the world to me, Zabini, thank you."

Blaise grinned and went to fetch them each a plate while Pansy and Lisa settled in next to her. Pansy beckoned her closer with an outstretched finger and Hermione leaned in with a hint of trepidation.

"Granger," Pansy hissed in a whisper, "they were talking about you."

Hermione cocked her head to the side in interest. "Who was?"

"The boys. They liked Lisa's top design." Pansy rose an eyebrow suggestively and Hermione felt her entire face alight in flame.

"What?" Hermione gasp out in shock.

Lisa giggled and leaned over, "They think you have a nice rack."

Hermione clasp one arm over her chest and the other to cover eyes in mortification. "You have to change my shirts, Lisa."

Lisa winked at her with a grin. "Not a chance."

Blaise dropped next to her on the ground and held out a plate laden with food. He looked at her face queerly before smirking. "What has you in such a blush?"

Hermione shook her head as she took the plate. "Nothing, the girls were just teasing me..."

"About?" he asked with a coy lilt to his voice.

"Granger's rack," Pansy offered with a smile.

Blaise grinned salaciously. "Well, it is a very nice rack, no offence meant, Granger."

Hermione tried to curl into herself as the other boys settled in around the fire with food.

"Today went brilliantly!" Michael said with a smile and a mouthful of food. "We got all four supports in place. I really can't believe we have accomplished so much."

Terry smiled at Lisa as he added to the conversation, "We might be able to get the floor up this week, and then we will be off the ground. How are you ladies feeling after today?"

Lisa smiled shyly back at him, and Hermione wondered if they had been dating at Hogwarts. "I feel much better today, thank you."

The other boys stretched out languidly and ate intently without speaking. After several long minutes of cutting and chewing, when they were all finally satiated, conversation slowly began in awkward spurts. As a whole, the people outside of their own houses were casual acquaintances at best, and finding common ground was proving to be a bit hard.

There was no precedent on how to proceed in a situation such as this. Hermione had read a good deal of magical history, but had never come across a case even remotely similar to transportation to an unknown site via potion. It was hard to determine if they were even in what she knew as the world.

Hell, Hermione thought with chagrin, we could all be dead right now and not even know it. If this was the afterlife, she didn't want to hazard a guess at where they were. Hermione frowned at herself for her thoughts, who was she to judge the rest of them. She had no actual knowledge of who they were outside of the shallow glimpses she caught in daily life. Even the Slytherins were proving to act right decent in the face of adversity and working with them to survive.

Speaking of Slytherins, Draco had been standing above her for an undetermined amount of time without her noticing. "When you finish your daydream, may I trouble you for a bit of your time?" He smirked down to her.

Hermione nodded hastily and sprung to her feet, forgetting her wearied legs and faltering a bit. She was startled when Malfoy shot out a hand to steady her. She looked to him in shock, but Malfoy appeared merely disinterested, as he often did.

Hermione followed him to the side of the fire, away from the others, and watched as he drew out the schematics they had created from a satchel he must have made at some undetermined point. "You mind looking at these some more?" he asked while idly unrolling the parchment.

Hermione smiled and shook her head as he proceeded.

"All right, so after setting the beams today, I am thinking about the floor panelling. I think if we lay the tongue in groove diagonally, instead of horizontally, we will achieve better floor stability overall, as well as an aesthetic advantage."

He conjured an image of the schematic with his wand and manipulated it to demonstrate his point. She looked it over before nodding eagerly. "I agree, I think it will go together well. You have an excellent eye for this, Malfoy."

He nodded curtly. "I have been interested in the family business since I was young boy. I would like to expand when I take over." He looked about to the group huddled about the fire and sighed loudly, "If I take over."

Hermione gave him a reassuring look. "It hasn't even been a week yet, Malfoy, don't lose all hope yet."

He gave another nod. "Not yet, Granger, not quite yet."

They studied the plans silently for a few minutes before Hermione hesitantly broke the silence. "I appreciate your effort...in regards to me, Malfoy."

He looked up and studied her sharply. His steel grey eyes surveyed her before he spoke with clipped syllables, "It was never personal, Granger."

Hermione felt her jaw physically drop. "It was never personal! You called me a Mudblood for six years! You made my life hell!"

He shrugged and looked towards the fire. "The feeling is mutual, Granger, I assure you. However, as much as I have despised the lot of your goody-two-shoes Gryffindors, my dislike of you has been the mere misfortune of your bloodline and your friendship with Potter. Hence, not personal." He looked up sharply. "It isn't about you as a person, Granger."

She scowled fiercely at him. "I'm not sure I follow."

"It is about you as an idea."

Her frown turned to shock. "Surely you couldn't be so petty?"

Malfoy had the decency to look mildly ashamed. "I don't hate you, Granger, and here, I need you. So, I am willing to put a turn as a slug and a ferret and a particularly vicious slap behind me. That is, if you can forgive me my insults."

Malfoy held out his hand. Hermione eyed him before begrudgingly setting forth her own. He shook it firmly. "I assure you it will not happen again."

She quirked an eyebrow. "Even if we are saved?"

He nodded. "It will not happen again."

The others were headed to bed and Ron came to collect her. She looked at Malfoy, who was once again studying the plans. As her friends helped her to bed, she forced herself not to think of the oddly intimate interactions she had had with Malfoy throughout the day.

Chapter End Notes:

I hope you enjoyed. I will continue to post as quickly as I can but the boyfriend and I got engaged and life is crazy! So thank you for the support I love it. ~Tem

Reviews are wonderful if you care to leave one ;-)

A huge shout-out to my readers around the world! I am in California and adore seeing the variety of people that have read this fic.

Thank you to America, England and Canada, the big three hits I have, but an EXTRA special thanks to….France, Belgium, Bosnia, Indonesia, Germany, Australia, Syria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Turkey, Singapore, Finland, New Zealand, Estonia, Sweden, Thailand, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, El Salvador, Colombia, Panama, Austria, Thailand, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Latvia, Luxembourg, Costa Rica and last, but certainly NOT least, Romania!

My god! I can't believe so many people have read this. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please drop me a note, I would love to hear from the readers around the world!

With love,

Tem