Chapter 10- Moving Forwards

It was too quiet when Malfoy woke next morning, perfect calm. He knew that Hermione would be up and getting dressed about now, he had set his alarm earlier so that he could get going at the same time as her, but he heard nothing. Dressed, he stepped out of his bedroom. No early morning sounds of dressing, no shower, nothing. Strange. He stood there for a few minutes waiting and the door was pushed open. Hermione emerged with damp hair obviously from a recent shower, dressed in her uniform but looking incredibly tired. It struck him as odd that he hadn't heard the shower. The thing was damn powerful with magic jets of steaming water which always spattered noisily on the tiled surface. He heard it every morning. Then, that must mean that Hermione had soundproofed her room... why? Was she enjoying some 'immoral' liaisons with some unknown body, maybe the red head? But that didn't seem likely. Or maybe she had 'alone time' but that wouldn't need a permanent silencio. Then he thought of all he suspected and the bags under her eyes. Nightmares. Of course, he couldn't imagine her having a serene night of sleep, not if all he suspected had happened to her. All of this took about a split second to pass through his mind, and he was brought back to reality with Hermione's crisp, if slightly fragile:

'Morning Malfoy'

'Granger' He nodded his head and they made their way to breakfast, he not wanting to enquire as to her night's sleep, and she obviously wanting to get on with the day ahead.

He met his friends at breakfast, Blaise was sitting there preening as usual, checking his reflection, not so subtly, in a spoon.

'Careful it doesn't crack, I doubt anyone's cracked a spoon before just by looking at it' He smirked at his best friend. Yes, Malfoy had a best friend. He hadn't before, what with the war and his family, he had to maintain a standard of intimidation, and power, but friendless.

'It'd be worse if you were looking at it pretty boy' Blaise retorted. 'Anyway, what have you been doing? I've hardly seen you, and you barely speak to me at breakfast, starting into space most of the time.'

'I've just been tied down by all this head stuff'

Draco thought about just what 'all this head stuff was. Hermione. Someone was hurting her, he thought it likely it had been for some time, and he was the only one who knew. The responsibility that gave him was incredible, but he also knew that she was scared, scared of the power that that gave him over her. But he would never use it, he couldn't taunt her, not with something so horrific. He didn't know the depth of the problem; he just knew something was seriously badly wrong.

'Well, some head duties' Blaise interrupted his thoughts 'I'm glad I'm not doing it'

'No' Draco laughed 'Well you wouldn't be would you, you spend far too much time preening to be able to do any kind of extra duty, I'm always immaculately turned out, but you seem to need several hours every morning to check every tiny detail'

'Well, it pays to be perfect' Blaise winked.

'Stop flirting Zabini, straight remember...'

'I know, but it's just so fun to know I can get under your skin, someone has to crack that Malfoy composure sometimes, you know you've smiled at least twice! People will be starting to think you're ill!'

'Blaise, enough. Let's head to class.' I was more of an order than a question, but he knew that Zabini would just refuse if he felt the need to pile some more eggs on his plate. However, he didn't so they headed off, Blaise trailing slightly behind, too get a good view Draco suspected, but it didn't bother him unduly, he knew that it was never going to happen. Draco took a quick look at the Gryffindor table as he walked out and found the red head and then Hermione, sighing, in relief or worry he didn't know, he pushed open the door.

'Good afternoon everyone' Professor Lupin addressed the class with his easy manner. He was looking slightly better, maybe the few good meals had helped? It was Hermione's last lesson before dinner in the Great Hall. She'd had no free periods today as of yet.

Charms with Professor Flitwick had been good, she'd taken part in some of Harry and Ron's silliness well Ron's, as they were creating minor reality altering charms such as the gravity reversal one Harry had faced in the maze. Ron had managed to make his alternate reality a Quidditch pitch where no one needed a broom to fly and scoring through one of the goals resulted in a shower of fireworks. Hermione laughed when she stepped into it, she quite enjoyed flying she found, when it didn't involve a broom or a hippogriff. Harry's alternative reality was simpler. He had made a small house in the country with a swing seat and trees and sun. There was the sound of laughter in the air and the table was set outside with tea for a family. It was Harry's dream and it made Hermione appreciate the love she had had for her Mum when she saw it. Harry had no one. She should be thankful.

After Charms she'd had the dull soporific voice of Professor Binns for an hour then lunch a quiet affair as everyone, Ron in particular of course was ravenously hungry. Hermione herself ate a full meal, under Ginny's watchful gaze. Then after lunch she made her way to Arithmancy to immerse herself in figures and complicated long divisions and mathematical theories until Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins, which was where she currently was.

'Now today in class we are going to continue our work on magical auras, I'm hoping that everyone has their books, we're just going to quickly skim through the main points of chapter 2 and then we shall work on recognition and practice our spell work from last time. If we're successful, we might even move onto compatibility'

Parvati tittered.

'Entirely theoretical Miss Patil, no one is certainly matched just because of a compatible aura, never the less, we shall discuss it and see if we think it has any merit as a theory. Now let's begin Chapter 2, a little theory. Magic auras are distinctive and each pertains to every individual, they are unique, no two auras are the same, yet there are some similarities which also make it easier to recognise possible compatibility, discussed later in the book...'

Lupin continued.

They completed the chapter; Hermione took notes on the relevant facts, and volunteered information when Lupin asked. She was finding the topic interesting, but was far too tired to participate actively in the lesson. She sighed barely noticeably when Harry and Ron grabbed her after the lesson and to her utter surprise; they dragged her to the library.

'What are you doing?' She was slightly confused as to what her two best friends were doing actively wanting to go to the library... this was certainly unusual.

'Hermione... you know you're our best friend...and we love you loads and loads...' Ah. Now she understood.

'What do you want?

'Well, do you think you could use your amazing wonderful talent and explain to us what on earth Professor Lupin was on about with all that stuff about auras?' Ron pleaded.

'What didn't you understand?'

'Um...'

'Okay wrong question. What did you understand?'

'Well, I sort of understood the bits about everyone having individual auras, because everyone's different aren't they...' Started Harry

'And I think I understand why people might have similarities, because, well, we all like chocolate ice cream...'

'Only you would related it to food Ron' Hermione laughed 'But yes, everyone has a unique aura, but you can compare different ones and there is always some sort of pattern'

'What is..?' Started Harry.

Hermione interrupted 'basically, each aura has three strands, the strand of magic, which connects every witch and wizard too their magical core, and the core of their wand, or whatever they channel their magic through'

'So when people do wandless magic, do they channel it through their...hands?'

'Yes, exactly Ron!'

'No need to sound so surprised' Ron grouched. Hermione laughed again.

'The other two strands are a little more controversial, some people say they are the strands of the soul, as they are basically your personality, but some warlocks believe that they are directly connected to your spirit, and are sucked out of you for example, when you receive the dementor's kiss'

'God, that's horrible and Sirius nearly!'

'Yes, yes nearly. So there is the strand of magic and the soul and then the third which again is controversial. It's the 'bond' strand. It is what is supposedly connected when a magical marriage takes place. However, it is unlikely that it is the marriage, as wizards may get a divorce, although rare.'

'Oh! Bill told me about this, when he married Fleur, and she sort of lit everyone up, but him the most the light around her because of her vela heritage literally surrounded him, and that was the soul bond. But he says it wasn't because of the marriage, it was because they were completely in love and pledged each other to one another. It isn't something that happens automatically, and it isn't like soul mates is it?'

'No, not like soul mates, you can in a sense choose who, or if you share a soul bond, but you choose with your emotions. Both people have to experience a sense of utter love for each other and devotion that cannot be broken. It's all very romantic, but it's not binding in the sense that you have one person you must be with, like soul mates it is just that if you find someone whose love for you is on that level, and you reciprocate, you become bonded. That's the idea of the 3rd strand. But as I say there is much speculation'.

'I understand' Said Harry 'and that's why Remus said that people weren't necessarily matched because of a compatible aura?'

'Yes' Hermione was feeling shocked at their understanding, but most of very proud at their genuine interest. The war had affected so many people, but they seemed to have grown up the most. Of course they'd had to.

-LATER-

Hermione was sitting on her bed when she heard Malfoy come up the stairs, at this point she was just too tired to move, so she left the door ajar and stayed sat where she was and hoped he could just walk by.

'Granger'

Apparently she would have to deal with him now.

'Yes Malfoy?'

'I was going to ask you for my shirt back?'

'Your'... shirt?'She raised her eyebrow, confused.

'Yes Granger, my shirt... the one I lent to you when I brought you up here?'

'You... oh, I didn't, of course, thank you' She handed him the shirt, rubbing her hands across the soft material as she passed it to him.

'Now, I know you've been avoiding me Hermione' She noticed the change to her first name. 'and I can understand why you might, but I want to ask you some things'

She dreaded this; she'd been waiting, hoping to avoid it, but of course...

'Why haven't you told Weasley and Potter?' He would have thought that they would be first to know and it worried him. Did she trust no one? Or maybe it was that she didn't trust them to not care for her too much and have to tell someone maybe that was her worst fear?

'What?' That was not at all what she'd been expecting, a lecture, even taunts maybe, despite the evidence of his understanding, but not that, was it concern?

'Why haven't you told Weasley and Potter?' Repeating himself he gritted his teeth.

'Well I didn't want to...'

'Worry them? Shatter their perfect image of you?' He was angry now, couldn't she help herself. He didn't understand why he was angry though, did he care that much?

'No! It's just, no one is meant to know.'

'Is it pride, because you Hermione are the smartest witch in the year, I would have thought you would know not to let pride get in the way...' He was incredulous.

'No!' She was getting angry now, and upset.

'Why then? I don't understand! Why not get help? Anyone would help!' He sounded desperate now.

'HELP!' She shouted 'I'm a damn witch aren't I, these things aren't meant to happen to me, I've got magic so everything must be perfect, I'm good in school so everything must be wonderful, I'm top in the year so my life must be just peachy, who the hell is going to want some image of me as a girl who goes home to be locked up, beaten ,touched' She went quiet , ' who is helpless to save herself, when they could have their perfect Hermione, their brilliant student and head girl, who the hell would want to look for anything else? And you think I could just go and find some help like it's a 'dial this number and you'll get someone to solve your problems' do you'

Draco interrupted, much too late, he was in shock, he thought she'd just been pushed around a bit, not that that was ever acceptable, but beaten locked up.

'..Dial your'...? Never mind. You could have told someone dammit! Anyone, jus t got out of there, or not gone home when you got off the train, got the night bus somewhere, lived off whatever, gone and stayed in the leaky cauldron... anything, anything else! Hermione please, tell me you thought about escaping, tell me you wanted to, you had some sort of plan.'

'You think I didn't?' She whispered. 'You think I didn't dream of it every day since my mum left us, you think that I didn't just want to get out of there, to be free? But he's my father.' She was close to tears, 'And I have to believe that he can get better, he can go back to how it was before, when he'd take me to school and make my packed lunches and we'd sit in the park and throw bread to the ducks' She smiled in memory, and then it faded. 'I hold onto all that love, because it's there somewhere, the man who does those things to me, he's not my Dad, he's just the man that grief has driven in, and I will wait until my Daddy comes back, because he will, he will' And she began to rock backwards and forwards on the bed, tears welling in her eyes, as though she was in another world, there was so much that Draco couldn't see swirling behind those chocolate brown orbs, they looked darker now as she sat there, as her rocking slowed and her breathing calmed.

Wow. An update. Quite a long one too! 2,530! Scary much. Well, RogueWeyah did some rather helpful beta-ing and stopped me skipping through the story a bit too quickly, I seemed to just go from lesson to head common room and back, so I've put in a bit more detail on other bits than before and I hope it helps :D R&R It would make me exceedingly happy to know what you think!