The rest of the night, Draco checked on Hermione periodically, every time he would come in, he would walk in to see her asleep, shaking, as if something was literally shaking her, he wanted to wake her, but felt it best not to. He saw a part of the blanket had wrapped around her shaking leg, revealing her flawless skin beneath it, Draco reached out as his hand brushed her leg, bringing the blanket fully back over her. She shook as the blanket fully covered her. He set a glass of water on the side table and sighed, "What are you doing to me Granger…"

Hermione dreamt horrible dreams that night, about Snape…Voldemort, even Lucius, she was no longer feeling a cold feeling, she was frightened, she didn't want to be touched, she knew Draco would come in and adjust her blankets every few hours, which she didn't mind, it was when his hands brushed against her now and then, it wasn't meant to scare her, but it did.

She awoke the next morning, yawned and crawled out of her bed. She walked to the one bathroom in the whole common room and sighed and looked in the mirror…

She shivered as she crossed her arms over her chest, now regretting the growing she'd done over the summer, she looked at the soft highlights she had added to her hair that she loved so dearly, just seemed as if they made her look even more dirty.

She put her hair up in a loose pony-tail and brushed her teeth.

Thoughts of the night before rushed through her head, Snape…and Voldemort, what was she to do? Tell Dumbledore the potions master raped a 7th year? Yeah…real believable, or tell Dumbledore that Voldemort provoked it? Draco would be the only one to know.

She felt sorry for Draco after the incident, knowing that he saving her would for sure shatter the loyalty that Voldemort believed he had. His father would no longer accept him, and it was entirely her fault.

Days had gone by and even Harry and Ron who didn't dare speak to her noticed things were wrong, Draco had began to check on her more every night only to find the same shaking 17 year old girl in the bed he had so wished to sleep in for one night to see if it would somehow make that pain go away.

She wasn't Hermione Granger anymore, she walked as if she had and hour to get to class, and her sparkling brown eyes no longer shown in the sun, her face was fallen and she never smiled, she soon began ignoring her homework and skipping class to sulk in the girls bathroom at times.

She wore her Gryffindor cloak at all times, even when it was beautiful outside, she didn't dare show skin, she even began showering with her undergarments on, she didn't feel safe, she felt scared of everyone, she wished that it would go away. She wished this feeling would leave her, she wanted to feel happy, she wanted to laugh, but whenever she tried, images of Snape would flash through her mind.

Draco and Hermione share limited conversations, leaving and returning to the head common room. After Draco would ask her how school was, she'd reply with a "Fine…" and begin to walk up the stairs, and that's where she'd stay, lying in her bed all night until she would fall asleep again to find dreams of fear.

Snape never looked at Hermione in class; she didn't raise her hand, even though she knew the answers.

Harry and Ron began to try to talk to her some days with simple, "How are you Hermione?" she'd answer with just a, "Alright." The begin to walk towards class again.

The girl who never stopped talking was silenced.

Draco was sick of it, he wouldn't admit it, but he missed who she was.

Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room at 6:45 as she always did, but this time Draco stood in front of her.

She shivered.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked.

"I'm fine Draco…please….just let me…." She began to walk past him.

He pulled her arm as gently as he could, she still shivered.

"You know what happened, and I know what happened, Hermione we need to tell someone, look at yourself!" Draco said worriedly.

Hermione looked at the ground.

"Let me go to bed…" She said looking up, tears in her eyes.

"No…" Draco said sternly.

Hermione began to cry.

"Please…don't cry." Draco's face fell.

She wiped a few tears away.

Draco walked towards her, she whispered, 'no' 'no…please stop' Draco's arms wrapped around her.

She felt as if a freezing charm had been put over her now, her arms stern, until she felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. As Draco's arms tightened, she felt warmth. She began to let the tears flow down her porcelain cheeks as she cried into his shoulder, she'd been holding it in for so long, it worried her to think of how long it'd be till it stopped.

"We'll get through this Granger…" Draco whispered.

Hermione nodded and let go.

"You should get to bed now…" Draco said looking at the floor.

"No…can we just sit…" Hermione said looking at the fire.

Draco nodded and led her to the couch. He sat her down as he sat down next to her, they sat back looking at the fire, Hermione's eyes still glazed from the tears, her head fell on his shoulder, he lifted his arm and led it to her shoulder as she leaned next to his chest.

"Sometimes you can't make it on your own…" Draco whispered.

Hermione nodded and began to doze off. She knew tonight would not be filled with dreams of Snape and Voldemort, but filled with the security she was feeling next to the person she thought her enemy for 6 years.