As always, thank you so much for the reviews and words of encouragement...they all mean a lot to me and give me the inspiration to write! Here is the next chapter, enjoy!

Time seemed to slow down as Draco stared at Hermione. Slowly, almost as if in slow motion, she turned and their eyes locked. All of the background noises faded away and it was just the two of them, standing alone in the remnants of the Great Hall.

Hermione gasped, and the moment was shattered. Draco felt shame and remorse creep over him as Hermione's weary expression changed to one of fear, and then anger. Weasley watched her face, and then followed her gaze. He quickly put an arm around Hermione and pulled her close to him, giving Draco a hard look.

"Hermione..." Draco said quietly, but Weasley interrupted him.

"Get away from us, Malfoy." His tone was scathing, and he pulled Hermione behind him and faced Draco head on. He started to raise his fist. Draco touched his slightly swollen jaw and smirked at Weasley.

"You only get one freebie tonight, Weasel King." He drawled, raising his wand. Weasley glared at him, and then turned back to watch the escalating confrontation between Potter and the Dark Lord. Draco shifted his feet, not sure what to do. He felt more desperate than ever to fix the situation, he couldn't stand for Hermione to look at him like that. He tried to think of a way to get her away from Weasley so he could just talk with her, but was distracted by something Potter was saying.

"The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy."

Draco felt his heart thump wildly. The Elder Wand? He continued to listen, along with everyone else in the Great Hall, as Potter explained that since he had disarmed Draco at the Manor, he was now the wand's master. He watched the Dark Lord closely. Voldemort was very angry, more angry and dangerous than Draco had ever seen him. He had an overwhelming urge to run, get away from there as fast as he could, but he couldn't tear himself away. Something was going to happen...

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort's high voice shrieked through the castle as a green jet shot out of his wand.

At the same time, Potter raised Draco's wand and cried out "Expelliarmus!" The two spells collided, and the Dark Lord's wand left his hand and spun through the room toward Potter. The green jet that was the killing curse bounced back toward Voldemort and struck him directly in the chest. Draco held his breath as the evil wizard who had held his family prisoner for so long collapsed backward, arms splayed. He fell upon the floor and lay still. Screams broke out around Draco. Hermione and Weasley ran headlong toward Potter, and then it seemed as though everyone was running, desperate to get to the Boy Who Lived. Draco ran forward too, surrounded by tears and happy faces. He pushed through until he reached Hermione, grabbed on to her hand and pulled her away. Breathlessly, they pushed onward and out of the Great Hall. Draco stopped when he found himself in a quiet corridor. He turned to face Hermione, and at that moment she realized who had hold of her. Her eyes opened wide, and she yanked her hand away.

"What are you doing?" She cried, tears in her eyes. "Why did you take me out of the Hall?"

"I..." Draco faced her, unable to form his thoughts into words. "I just wanted to tell you..." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"What?" Her tone was contemptuous. "What could you, the Slytherin Prince, possibly have to say to me?"

"I..." Draco tried again. "Oh, the hell with it..." In the next instant, he put his hands on her waist and pulled a shocked Hermione to him. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her with an urgency and need that had been building up within him for weeks.

Hermione melted against him for a moment, returning his kiss. Then she pushed her hands against his chest, moved away and faced him, horror in her wide brown eyes. "What...what are you playing at, Malfoy?" She asked breathlessly, her words laced with confusion. Draco smiled sadly.

"I know I've done a lot of bad things, Hermione. Things that I'm not proud of and that I'll keep with me the rest of my life. But I'm not that person anymore."

Her eyes narrowed, and she put her hands on her hips. "Oh really? How convenient that you've had this...this..epiphany right after the Dark Lord was killed! That wasn't the tune you were singing a few weeks ago at your Manor! You were content to let your aunt torture me, and you were going to stand by and let Greyback kill me! But now...now that your side is finished, you're not that person anymore?" She was screaming now, face bright red and anger seething from her voice.

Draco shook his head frantically and held out his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hermione, I know that you don't have any reason to trust or believe me, but its true...I've changed. And it was well before this, I knew before Dumbledore's death that I couldn't do this anymore, didn't believe in the Dark Side anymore. He held my family captive for a year, Hermione! He lived in my house, I saw him for what he was! He's a monster, all he cared about was power and his own agenda! He had no loyalty, no compassion...not even for those on his side!" Draco closed the gap between them and grasped her hands. "If Potter and Weasley hadn't burst in, I WAS going to stop Greyback. I had my wand raised and I was ready to die before I let him hurt you. I stunned you so that Bellatrix's curse couldn't torture you anymore, and I used a duplicating spell on your last scream so she wouldn't know. You don't have to believe me, but its the truth." He looked directly into her eyes. "You know I'm not lying, Hermione. You told Weasley to come back for us in the Room of Requirement tonight, didn't you?" Hermione lowered her eyes slightly, but she didn't remove her hands.

"I did tell Ron to go back. I knew that Harry wouldn't let you die and he would need help." Draco placed a finger under her chin and tipped it up gently so that their eyes locked again.

"Is that the only reason you wanted him to go back? To help Potter?" Hermione didn't say anything for a few moments, and then shook her head as if to clear it. She pulled her hands out of his and stepped back again.

"I...I have to go." She gave him one last confused look, and then turned and ran back toward the hall.

"Think about what I said!" Draco called after her, and then followed slowly, heading toward the mixed sounds of cheering and grieving.