Okay loves, my first note would be to thank every who has reviewed, either in the comments or by PM. I know the story can move slow at times, but yet you all still read! I'm getting less and less hits with each chapter I write, but I really enjoy this and I'm going to keep at if for those of you who keep favoriting, alerting and commenting because it at least let's me know that you are reading it, although some days I can't figure out why.

My second note will be to inform you of the sad fact that I won't be able to keep with my old update schedule of every few days. I got my syllabi for all my classes this semester a couple days ago and needless to say, it isn't pretty. I will now be updating once a week, which I still consider good timing. Also, I'm sorry this is a bit of a short chapter. I had to cut if off because the next chapter blends together better and it's looking pretty long so far :) Please review if you read and let me know what you think. There is a very light theme to this chapter, if you pointed it out, comment! It's hardly noticeable though. I love you guys! - Valerie Ann


The cold wind blew through Hermione's hair as she leaned on the edge of the tower. The terror of the night showed through her appearance. The outfit she was wearing was from the day before; her hair was ratty and uncombed, still slightly caked in her own dry blood. She had managed to heal her busted lip, but the large gash on her right shoulder wouldn't heal, so she bandaged it instead, her blood already soaking the gauze. The sun was rising over the hillside now, making the damages to the castle more visible. The only remains of Hagrid's hut were a small rock foundation, and the front steps. There were burn marks in the grass on the grounds from misfired spells as the Carrow twins didn't want to leave the battle without causing as much trouble as possible the previous night. She followed the trail that the Death Eater's had used to escape over and over from her point on the tower with her eyes.

Sleep was an impossible feat the night before. Hermione had lead Draco to the tower, as she had many times prior. He allowed her to climb through the trap door first, with him following right behind. Wordlessly, she had walked straight over to the pile of blankets under the gazebo, and he laid right next to her. When she began to cry, he simply pulled her close to him and stroked her hair because although there were so many things left unsaid, last night, there was no room for words.

She continued to stare out into the grounds, he eyes still groggy from her lack of sleep. Footsteps came closer to the spot she was standing, then she peeked over to her side to see Draco was in the same stance as she was now, arms leaning on the edge of the tower and eyes glazing the grounds.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Draco said in a flat tone. "You know what the worst part is though?"

Hermione looked at his eyes, which weren't meeting hers and raised an eyebrow.

"Things are only going to get worse from here. Last night was merely the beginning." His eyes met hers now, his expression emotionless as he continued. "He has a lot of plans, and those aren't going to be stopped overnight."

"Draco, you do realize that all this probably would have happened with or without you right?"

"But that isn't how it happened, is it?" he snapped. "I should have left last night when I had the chance."

Hermione's expression turned to one of rage, "Oh, so you could die a valiant death, with no one to clean up the mess?"

"He's going to come after me Hermione!" Draco shouted. "I know too much for him to let me off that easy. His plans were belated for Potter, but don't doubt that since I stayed he isn't going to expand his efforts to the highest possible degree."

"I saw Snape last night… I think he saw you." Hermione muttered, her features softening and her eyes dropping to the ground. "That is why I was late to the office. He put me in a body bind before he left and I-I think he saw you."

Draco let out low sarcastic chuckle. "Well if that doesn't ensure my immediate death, I don't know what does."

"Will you stop talking like that? For one godforsaken moment could you just be grateful you're alive and not lying in some lifeless pit?"

"It's hard to do that when I'm putting everyone here in danger."

"No, before you were putting everyone in danger but now you have a chance to save them." She turned her head and went back to looking at the grounds. "McGonagall will find you a safe house. Just promise me you'll tell her everything you know about his plans and any quarters they may be hiding in." Hermione finished, not needing to explain who he was, because Draco knew all too well.

Draco lightly nodded in reply. They both stared out into the distance for nearly a half hour before the silence was finally broken. "If they're sending me to a safe house, that you means you won't be there, doesn't it?" He asked timidly, which was unlike the typical Malfoy she knew.

"Yes. That is exactly what it means."

He sighed and moved behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. "So if I'm not going to be with you, how is any of this worth it?"

"Isn't survival worth it?"

It was a few more moments before Hermione softly pushed Draco's arms of her waist. "I'm starving. I'm guessing now would be about breakfast time in the hall, so I'm going to head down and grab some food."

She turned around and rose on her tippy toes to give him a chaste kiss. "I'll be back in an hour, please stay here. I will bring you food, okay?"

"Okay." He curtly replied, but she was already pulling up the trap door and lowering herself down the ladder.

Hermione's nerves were rising with each staircase she descended down to the first floor. Not a single student crossed paths with her as she walked, and she couldn't help but wonder how many crazed parents had come and picked up their children when word spread that Death Eaters had entered their school. The same school that was supposed to be impenetrable to dark magic. She finally came to the doors of the Great Hall when she realized that by now, word had probably spread that she had saved Draco Malfoy, just moments after he attempted to kill their headmaster. She braced herself for the world of hate she was about to enter, straightened her posture and opened the door.

The scene before her was not at all what she had expected. Only half of the students that normally stuffed themselves in the Great Hall were present. No one hurled and curses at her, nor did they glare at her. Hardly anyone even rose their heads from their plates to look at her, and the few who did only looked at her with pity. She looked over towards the Gryffindor table only to see Ron wave her over solemnly. She walked over and saw everyone had the same expression on their faces that Ron did; one of gloom and sadness.

She took the empty seat next to Ron, with Harry and Ginny sitting across from them. Ginny looked up and gave her a small, but empty welcoming smile.

"Classes are cancelled," Ron started, "but instead of evacuating the students, a lot of us refused to leave so we could stay for Dumbledore's funeral, which is in two days."

"Oh, okay I'll be there." Hermione quietly replied. 'They aren't yelling at me yet, why aren't they yelling at me?' She thought, her mind going a million miles per second.

Harry hadn't so much as glance her direction, that is unless she was looking away she would catch him glaring at her, in her peripheral vision, but if she turned her head back the anger would instantly drop from his eyes. Hermione was relieved at the thought that he must have not told anyone, but couldn't help but wonder why.

She looked over at him, trying to act as oblivious as possible as she did. She noticed by the awkward angle of both his left arm and Ginny's right, that they must be holding hands under the table.

By all means their relationship wasn't easy, but at least they had each other. They were able to be together without outside judgment because everyone had been able to see that they were perfect for one another. They didn't have to worry about any glares and mumbles behind their backs… well, except for Dean's maybe. Even though there is a war building up to a climax and they have their own problems, when Harry and Ginny are together, everything seems simpler.

There was nothing Hermione wanted more, as she looked at the young couple across from her, than to be able to have that with Draco. To be able to hold his hand down the halls of Hogwarts, take him home to meet her family and kiss him goodnight after he would walk her back to her dorm. At this point, it looked like they would never get to that point in their relationship.

Everyone continued eating in silence and slowly begin to file out one by one. A fifth year girl in Gryffindor began to cry at the table out of nowhere, and Ginny being herself, ran over there to comfort her. Harry's pose had stiffened without Ginny by his side, but he began to file out with the rest of them. Before the food disappeared Hermione quickly made a plate and covered it with a cloth napkin before catching up to Ron and Harry in the crowd.

"Harry!" she called after him repeatedly until he finally turned around.

"I have nothing to say to you, Hermione." He seethed out through clenched teeth. Ron kept walking, not even paying attention to the fact that Harry had stopped in his place.

"You didn't tell anyone so first I must thank you, but I have to ask; why didn't you?"

"Because unlike some people Hermione, I don't betray my friends. I'm sure it'll come out one way or another soon, but now isn't the time." He said in a low but angry voice before sauntering of towards the stairs.

Hermione wasn't sure whether to be hurt or relieved as ascended the stairs, taking her time so all the students would be out of the corridors before she made her way into the abandoned classroom. It wasn't easy climbing a ladder with a plate of food, but she somehow managed to. She pulled herself through the trap door to see Draco in the same exact place she had left him, leaning on the edge and staring out into the fields. She transfigured book into table, low enough to not need chairs, and set his food on it.

"Draco," She called to him since he had not yet acknowledged her presence. "I brought you food as promised. I'm going to go talk to the Order, just so I can catch up on some of the events I may have missed and plans for the funer- well just general plans."

He turned around to look at her with surprise as if he hadn't actually noticed she was back until she spoke. "Nobody said anything to you about us, did they?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"He didn't tell anyone… Harry didn't tell anyone you were still here."

"Well I have to say, I wouldn't expect as much from Potter."

"He really is a good guy Draco, and I know you two don't get along, but if you're staying you are going to have to trust him."

Draco sneered at the thought of trusting Potter, something that he had never considered in all his time at Hogwarts. He had already given him a chance during first year and it was rare for him to give second chances, but he was willing to at least act civilly for Hermione.

She looked up at him, but he still had a sneer on his face and looked lost in thought.

"I've got to go again, okay? Please promise me you'll stay here and not do anything stupid. We're going to figure this all out." Hermione said

Draco just stood as she rose on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek, then for the second time that day; she disappeared through the trap door. The more he thought about it, the less any of this seemed real. The smartest girl of their generation was in love with him. The dark side hated him and wanted him dead. The light side hated him and wanted him dead. He wondered what his parents would think of him. He was hoping they would think he just got captured or died in battle, but if Hermione was right and Snape saw him leave, there was no way they weren't being shamed by the other Death Eaters at this very moment.

For now, Lucius was safe from the ridicule in jail. His mother on the other hand, didn't have the benefit and stuck near her sister Bellatrix; a favorite of the Dark Lord.

Hermione was all he had now. He didn't have money to fall back on, he didn't have the favor of either side of the war, nor did he have friends anymore. She is all there is. She is home. She is real.


Hermione ran straight to the hospital wing, where the entire Weasley family was still gathered around a wounded Bill, just as they had the night before until she had left to go find Draco. Fleur was softly putting an ointment on the gashes on Bill's face, and everyone else was just looking at him somberly. This wasn't a time for the usual Weasley chatter and jokes. This wasn't a time for the warmth that usually surrounded the family or the random bickers that ended in smiles and hugs. This was war.

This is reality. She wandered over to the empty seat between Charlie and Ron, and noticed Tonks, who was leaning against the wall near Arthur, looking at her with an unidentifiable expression, her eyes nearly squinting and her mouth tightened in a line. Hermione acted as though she hadn't noticed and looked away.

"Ron." She whispered in his direction, to no reply. "Ronald!" she whispered louder as she snapped her fingers near his ear.

"Oh, hey 'Mione." Hermione tried to hide the empathy in her face. He looked so out of it, but she guessed anyone would considering what had happened the previous night. Madame Pomfrey said that Bill would live, but there was no way to determine exactly how the wounds would affect him since Greyback wasn't in werewolf form when he had attacked Bill.

"I-I just wanted to know if you knew where McGonagall was."

"Erm, yeah, I think she is in Dumble- erm, the headmaster's office with some of the teachers to make burial arrangements."

"Thank you." She replied with a false smile. After quickly pulling him into an awkward side hug, she rose from her chair and ran out the door to head to the headmaster's tower office.

She wanted to know what was going to happen to Draco. There was nothing she wanted more than for him to be placed with her, but considering she may be on the frontlines of the war, it was understandable how that may not be a possible option. She muttered the password to the gargoyle outside the door, which then swung open to a curved stairwell. It was odd for her to think that just last night, she had been running up these exact steps to save Draco, and now she was doing the same thing.

Three loud knocks later, she heard a low "Come in." on the other side of the door. She entered the room to see McGonagall alone in the large office and sitting at the desk in the room, rummaging through paper work. Her always perfectly pulled back hair was slightly disheveled with a few pieces falling out of position and framing her face. Her spectacle were slightly crooked and she never even looked up from her work to see who had entered the room.

Hermione lightly cleared her throat, but the woman before her still didn't divert her gaze from her papers.

"I need to know what is going to happen to him Professor. Where is Draco going after this?"

"Miss Granger, I understand your predicament, but please consider that I have been very busy and I am very tired at the present moment. I will try-"

"But you promised!" Hermione cut off the temporary headmistress, using a tone she had never dared to use against a professor. "Professor, please… he has nowhere to go and everyone else will leave after the funeral in two days and he has to go somewhere. It isn't as if we can take him to the Burrow, or Grimmauld because the others don't understand him and they probably won't try to." She finished her plea with a low and shaky voice, hoping it would make up for her earlier outburst.

McGonagall took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose with closed eyes, which was a fitting pose considering the amount of stress she was dealing with at the moment.

"I assure you that I will do as I said I would and find a place for Mr. Malfoy to reside, but I am going to have to ask you to have patience."

"Okay, I can at least do that," Hermione murmured.

"Is Draco still willing to comply with my demands that I set earlier?"

"Yes, he said he would tell you everything he knows."

"Good then. I will owl you later concerning my discussion with Mr. Malfoy, all the details will be included."

The professor then put her classes back on, and went back to fumbling through the papers on the desk.

"One last question ma'am. Will I be able to go home after this?"

"I don't exactly commend that plan, but I think it would be best if you were able to see your parents, if only for a short time."

"Thank you professor… for everything," Hermione said before bursting out the door and down the stairs running in the direction of the tower, where he was waiting for her. Her Draco.