Author's Note: I found a prompt on tumblr and rolled with it; it's on the first chapter. I don't own it. My amazing roommate/co-harry potter fanatic/literally one of my best friends is helping me edit and I couldn't thank her enough, Jackie S. Also, I am obviously not the queen JKR, bless her soul, so I don't own HP or any characters or any of that jazz. First fic, leave me something to improve onn or what you liked about it or what you'd want to see happen or whatevvvvs. Kthanks.

Thanks so much for the positive reviews of chapter 10! I literally smile at my phone when I get reivews it's the greastest (either that or i'm just that pathetic... whatever)

enjoy some angsty Draco. Damn he's got issues.

Draco lay, sprawled in discontent, on the couch by the door waiting for Blaise or Theo to come up with something else. It had been two hours since breakfast where the initial shock of finding another magical person at their school had worn off. However, they still were no further in figuring out a plan of action.

He was still thinking about her and all they'd done last night. He couldn't get her out of his head; those thighs, those red cheeks, that voice. Where could she have come from, whose side was she on, was she really a half-blood? Question after question raced through Draco's mind and they wouldn't stop. He put a hand over his eyes to attempt to soothe the ache starting to form.

Blaise kept scratching at the collar of his shirt, like he were unbearably uncomfortable and Theo sat, twirling his wand on the coffee table. "Well if we could just get in communication with someone we trust, we could get some dirt on this girl," Theo said.

"Except we've been completely unsuccessful with figuring out any sort of communication that could work," Blaise reminded him. "And I don't know anyone I'd trust to ask for help without them turning us in. Maybe Pansy, if she didn't kill Draco first for sleeping with someone else." Draco gave a short laugh.

"I don't understand how she honestly thought you didn't sleep with anyone else all through Hogwarts," said Theo, only making Draco laugh more.

"Not too bright that one," said Draco.

"What, not like Hermione then, the girl from last night? You never did quite explain why she left so soon besides the nightmare or you know, anything you might have discussed that could give us a clue to her identity," Blaise stated, still a sense of bitterness lingering in his voice. They could tell he was trying to push it away; he was more agitated by her being magical at this point.

Draco flinched nonetheless. He didn't like being called out because that was exactly what he was thinking of: her. He couldn't stop and he didn't know if it was because they needed to figure out who she was or that he actually wanted to remember the way she had felt against him. He shook his head in annoyance.

"It's the same one, the nightmare. The one about my dad using the Imperius on me the night after that meeting last summer. I was in pretty bad shape when he found me in the garden, I wasn't nice either. I'm sure I was flinching and mumbling enough crazy shit to scare anyone off," Draco's jaw tightened. "But otherwise, I was far too interested in getting her home than finding out anything about her."

It was mostly the truth; Draco didn't mention to Blaise and Theo how he had actually talked the whole walk home with her. He had been wasted so he only remembered half the things she had said, but it had been a fairly normal conversation. Whatever.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Leave it to you to be led by your dick rather than your brain. Did you honestly not think to ask her about the Ravenclaw uniform or the wandless magic at all?"

"Honestly I did consider the fact it was illogical for someone I've never seen before this year to have a Hogwarts uniform," the bitterness in Draco's tone growing stronger. "But I disregarded it once I'd talked to her. I had drank plenty before seeing her so I couldn't help myself. She looked great and I got her attention easy enough with your help."

Draco hoped mentioning Blaise's involvement would get Blaise off his back, but it did the opposite. Blaise looked even more annoyed. "Yes, sending me off like that was real clever, you must be so proud."

"You're the one that actually believed me," Draco reminded him.

"Yes, alright I did but that's beside the point now. Why didn't you tell us last night when you saw the magic? You had plenty of opportunities alone with me or Theo to mention it!"

"Well for starters I wanted my wand back," laughed Draco. "If you believed she was still a muggle and I slept with her I'd win. And like you said the first night Blaise, she's the first girl to actually give me a run at my own game so I wasn't going to just ignore her when I saw her," he explained.

"You said she was good for him after that first night Blaise?" Theo chuckled after listening to Draco plead his own case. "That's like asking him to go after her."

"Yes, I actually did," Blaise replied, "because I was impressed with her ability to stand up for herself and not let him walk all over her just because he was a nice sight on the eyes and she knew how rich he was." Blaise still sounded frustrated. "But I thought she was a muggle then so it was an ulterior motive. I wanted to get him to change his ways."

"So Draco, flirting with muggle girls doesn't bother you anymore, you sure you aren't willing to go further?" chided Theo.

"Listen, I came here willingly didn't I, to this muggle place? And I might have been a bit standoffish about muggles at first but I'm okay with them now. I go out with them and see them in class. I'm trying," Draco defended but his argument fell short. He didn't have the heart to tell them it was hard to shake his shitty reputation that was built for him by family.

"Yes but before you knew she was a witch you continually sought to make her life miserable and find ways to chat with her," said Blaise. "Was that because she was a muggle and you wanted to make her suffer or because her arguments were actually valid against you so you felt compelled to counter?"

Draco gave a heavy sigh. He didn't want to fight with his friends over this, but he knew Blaise was on to something. They had been best friends for so many years that it was easy for Blaise to read even his most guarded emotions.

"Well hell, I'm not going to let an intelligent, attractive girl like her escape me. I don't know what it is about her," Draco started. "Maybe I sensed she was magical and that's why I kept it up. She was fun to talk to, fierce and all, wouldn't give me the time of day if I asked nicely for once. Blaise, you liked her too, and still might I'm not sure, so there's that. She was different than a normal muggle girl okay, I just knew it. I don't' know why I kept talking to her but I did."

"I liked her, you did get that correct. But I've already slept with muggle girls mate, I don't really care what her blood status is. But for the little death eater himself to jump in bed with what he'd consider dirty blood? That's something else," Blaise said seriously.

Draco gritted his teeth. "Don't call me that."

"Fine, but answer me this, can you really prove she's a half-blood just because she can do magic and is successful at a muggle uni? Because I can bet you that a muggleborn could do just about the same…"

Blaise let his words sink into the air in the room and everything grew tense. It had been like someone had dumped cold water on Draco. He sat in a state of shock, his eyes looking like a storm about to break. He blinked several times before he could find his voice, his hands clenching in fists. "What do you mean, muggleborn?"

"You very well know what I mean Draco, don't tell me you didn't think it when Theo mentioned she could be half-blood earlier," Blaise said sternly. "She could be a half-blood but she could also have no magical lineage at all. And what do you think your dad would have to say about that?" Blaise finished, the anger fresh.

The words bit at Draco's thoughts and he hated hearing them. Blaise had intentionally mentioned his father, to get Draco to consider the reality of the situation or to spite Draco for getting with the girl he had wanted. Draco wasn't sure which it was but he didn't care; he got up without saying anything and walked to the front door. He let it slam behind him as he took off into the brisk November air, his mind reeling.

...

It was late into the night and the girls still sat, Hermione wide awake, as they continued to talk of magic and wands and spells. She was told of Hogwarts Castle and its beautiful, changing ceiling. She heard about owl post and flying brooms and love potions. She heard of spells for fixing mistakes on papers and spells for growing your hair and people who could shapeshift into animals. Of magical plants and Tri-Wizard Tournaments and St. Mungo's. Of magical creatures and N.E.W.T tests and Apparation and the Ministry of Magic. There seemed to be an unending amount of ever curious things that could be discussed and Hermione was eager to devour it all.

Hermione currently sat on her bed holding Ginny's wand and waving it in the air. She loved the feeling of the wand in her hand but couldn't help but feel a little silly.

"This is unreal," Hermione gushed. "I feel like I should be in a movie or some kind of fantasy story book!" Ginny watched and on her fourth try Hermione sent the piece of paper in front of her a few inches across the bed. Her smile became huge and excited.

"Not unreal but utterly cool," Ginny said laughing at Hermione's excitement. "It's cute you're so excited."

Hermione blushed and Luna patted her knee. "Ginny just means it's rather interesting to see someone our age see magic for the first time. Normally the innocence factor of being a child and discovering something as amazing as magic is quite the experience, but for you it's different."

"How so?" Hermione asked, wondering whether it was weird or not that she be so fascinated with what she considered an impossible skill until recently.

"It's more genuine," Ginny said slowly. "You can tell how much it means to you. Your heart is already in it." Hermione blushed again, feeling overwhelmed.

It meant the world to her to have finally found a safe place where she didn't feel ostracized because of her own secrets. She felt comfortable around these girls from the start and now it was like she found new hope. She smiled, hoping it would be enough of a response lest she cry in front of them again.

"So where does this leave us now?" Hermione asked after pausing to get her emotions under check. As much as she wanted to immediately learn everything in sight about magic, she knew it wasn't going to happen in one single night. Besides, it was the week before midterms.

Luna laughed. "Well, we can start teaching you magic, it would be the least we can do."

"And I kind of really need your help for all my muggle classes still anyway…" Ginny said reluctantly. "I'm terrible at all this Algebra. Who knew numbers could be so complicated! I'd give anything for a Transfiguration class instead!"

Hermione just beamed. "Of course! We can figure out as we go, I don't want to take up too much of your time; you'll need it for midterms! And I do have to warn you, I get a little crazy around this time of year, important grades coming up and all," she said, embarrassed.

She now could see just how lost Ginny must be in her classes; it was how she was now seeing the magical world, complicated and new. It was kind of nice to realize they had something in common like this. It only made their new friendship that much stronger.

"Well how about we put an end to the magic tonight," Luna said then, realizing the extent of material they had just bombarded Hermione with all day. "It's a lot to take in, this new world, and I don't want you to get too overwhelmed too fast." She smiled at Hermione.

"True, but I meant it when I said I want to help you! We can't let some crazy arsehole like this Moldmort person screw everybody over," Hermione said courageously. "That's not how equality works." Ginny laughed.

"It's Voldemort, but I like that too," Ginny said. "And honestly, we'll take all the help we can get, just don't say we didn't warn you. This shit is not for the fainthearted. This guy is not ordinary crazy and neither are his followers."

Ginny, who sounded very serious, looked sternly at Hermione to judge her reaction. Her tone was almost a threat as she mentioned his followers; Hermione could only think Ginny meant Malfoy.

But Hermione stood her ground, she felt compelled to help. She merely shrugged; if it had been anyone else thrust into this world at this moment, they probably would have opted out. Yet Hermione had the determination and bravery many envied with schoolwork and standing up to assholes that pushed her around. She had the ability to change things you could just tell. It was scary, the passion behind her eyes at the moment but her mind was made up.

"Alright, well we will come over as soon as we can after our class review tomorrow. How does that sound?" Luna spoke, hoping her light tone would lead the conversation back on topic.

"That's great, I originally had planned to get a jump start on research tonight and then get right into my papers tomorrow, so come whenever," Hermione explained, thinking back to academics. It felt like ages since she'd been in class on Friday and a week of studying and cramming was about to begin. Midterms were the following week after and they needed all the time they could to prepare.

She sighed and looked at Ginny and Luna as they stood to go. "Thank you, truly." Ginny and Luna both gave sincere smiles before leaving.

Left alone Hermione laid back on her own bed, blinking at the ceiling. She felt like everything was surreal; the magic, the craziness of the night before. The secrets Ginny and Luna shared cycled in and out of Hermione's thoughts so quickly she felt dizzy.

She reveled in all the new knowledge of the world she had longed for for so long. She was overcome with a mix of happiness and excitement but she couldn't stop the uneasy feeling that had settled in the back of her mind. It crept back to remind her of how scared she should be.

Ginny and Luna hadn't told her everything, but they told her enough to not think lightly of all the rioting and preparation taking place. And with Ginny's small threat only moments ago she knew not to think this was going to be a walk in the park to fix years of prejudiced witches and wizards. The girls were in hiding, forced from their homes for standing up for what was right. How tragically wrong the whole situation was.

Even worse, Hermione couldn't help thinking of the bigger picture of it all. The historical fights for civil rights that Hermione had taken time to learn about in regular schooling would be good insight into how this wizarding war could unfold. All those events now shot up like red flags in her memory; the civil rights movement for African Americans, the fight for Women's rights, the Holocaust, just to name a few.

She was well aware of the violence, abuse, and prejudice that plagued history, the lasting impact of consequences even years later. Prejudice in its purest forms. Hermione shivered, seeing the obvious signs that this war within the wizarding world was just adding magic to humanity's normal problems. And she worried what that could mean for her and her friends.

Yet her mind worked logically. For every one of those fights through history there had been powerful people standing their ground. There had been resistance. That's how change had to happen and she wasn't about to stand around while people were being taken advantage of and harmed, especially since they were people just like her.

She shivered again sadly. How could people privileged with such a beautiful gift like magic not want to share it? How could people be so mean that they would hate and insult and harm people for something they cannot control, something like blood status? Aren't we all human? Apparently not everyone felt that way.

And Malfoy. Malfoy was right in the middle of this. Fuck. She flipped over on her bed and searched underneath. She had a desperate need to organize all she'd just thought about, mostly to distract herself from letting her mind wander back to him. She wasn't ready to think about him and all that had happened. She pulled out a large purple notebook and a pen and began writing furiously.

After two and a half hours she looked over the list that sprawled several pages, scanning for any lost details. She wasn't sure everything was one hundred percent correct, but at least she got a lot of their details down for later reference. She also marked several questions to remind herself to bring up to Luna and Ginny the next day.

When she finally flipped opened the last page to where she had detailed the lunatic dark lord, she grew cold. She stared at it roughly, it was such an ugly name written down and the rest of the words on the page looked just as vile. She looked down at the descriptions of the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. She had underlined 'horcruxes' and 'soul-splitting' under the latter heading. There was a lot of question marks there too.

She chewed her pen cap, looking over the page again, and she glanced to the margin. She had written the name 'Malfoy' very small there and it appeared as if she had written over it more than a few times. It was off to the side, like she didn't want to fully include it with the dark magic she explained on the lines in the middle. A knot formed in the bottom of her stomach, twisting. It felt like a warning.

Her mind wandered to his touch when they were at the party, how he had danced so wonderfully. She thought of his kisses on the desk and his hands reaching for her as they fell asleep. Was that the same guy Ginny had been accusing of racial cruelty? And then Hermione recalled his anger, all the times he'd been aggressive and spiteful to her. How could someone have such conflicting personalities?

She couldn't shake the bad feeling as she stared one last time at the name. She hated him for taking up so much of her own thoughts. She considered the inevitable war that loomed ahead. Malfoy's family was wrapped up on that dark side and she wondered just what could possibly be going through his mind at a time like this.

She closed the notebook in an unsatisfied huff, deciding to get to sleep. She gathered her bag for the next day and tucked the notebook in with her other books, just in case. She went to the bathroom, realizing Erin's door wasn't open all day. When she went by, the chalkboard on her door read, " Halya's" and Hermione recalled seeing Erin's ex on Erin's arm all night Saturday. She smiled, at least Erin was doing well.

The sex from last night seemed almost insignificant to finding out about the existence of magic, but she lie awake anyway with it on her mind. She kept going over and over all the moves and lines he had used. Of the touches and kisses, and of his seemingly two sided personality.

He just got under her skin, she couldn't explain it. He was so interesting and so dangerous and so attractive, she couldn't doubt that. She did sleep with him and it had been very good, but something was warning her to be wary. When her eyes finally closed she slept restlessly, dreaming of spells and charms and gray eyes and danger.

Draco sat, his back against a window. He was in the magical library, the only other place he could think to go. The pane of glass felt cold and the darkness outside was seeping through, casting big shadows. He didn't bother to light the fireplace.

He let his head fall back, still unsure of how to take in all Blaise had said. Granger, Draco thought to himself. Granger the mudblood. The words did not seem right now but he kept repeating them.

Did I really sleep with someone of non-magical blood? He asked himself, someone with filthy heritage, a mudblood? The words were more his father's than his own, echoed from years of hearing such slander casually exchanged over dinner. If she was so filthy and tainted, how come he felt normal, sitting here now?

It confused him. Blaise was fine too, and Theo, who Draco assumed took that redheaded muggle girl home, was also sitting there without a scratch or sneeze of sickness. The ideas of Draco's past swirled around his mind, becoming less logical now.

He wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel differently. His father had made it seem like an abomination to fuck around with a half-blood let alone someone with non-magical blood. And Lucius made it clear that muggles who did magic were even worse, they were stealing what wasn't theirs.

So he had stayed away from muggles and half-bloods all through Hogwarts. He hated them solely for being mudbloods, a word he used often even though he wasn't 100% sure it was bad. He did it because his father wanted him to, he had just been trying to make his father proud.

And Lucius had been. Draco remembered when he turned thirteen and his father made sure that he knew what becoming a man in this family meant. He told him of how to seduce witches and charm his way into their hearts or, more importantly, their skirts. But Lucius made it clear before Draco went back to school to not forget his responsibility to his own bloodlines, lest he be tempted by plenty of early blooming muggle-borns.

"They'd only produce shitty, non-magic offspring one day. Don't taint the Malfoy name," his father had said before he got on the train. Draco frowned at the recollection.

He never explained how he knew this information or why he believed they would produce such shitty kids. Since he was young it was all about expressing and emphasizing his superiority, he knew nothing else.

And now he was here, in a strange new world surrounded by all he had been taught to hate. Coming to this muggle university gave Draco a reality check. A big one. It was becoming clearer that his father's superiority complex was held up by loose ends and no real proof.

Distancing himself had given him time to finally think his own thoughts, form his own opinions without the worry of being scolded or reminded of the proper way. He wasn't sure he had been ready for that and maybe that was why he was doing things unlike himself, like sleeping with a possible mudblood. Maybe that was why he felt like he were falling apart right now.

Sighing heavily, Draco turned to stare out the window. It was already dark, but he could still hear the wind whipping around through the buildings. Winter was coming and it was unsettling with his mixed up thoughts.

He'd arrived in early summer, escaping and hoping to find Blaise. It was a dangerous, rash decision to run away. But he made that decision on his own and that was something. At least Blaise thought it was.

And then there was a pseudo-peace. Fresh off of death eater training Draco was confused what to do now that his time was his own again. He was so used to decisions being made for him and following orders.

Death eaters don't take kindly to deserters though. Draco knew that before he left and he remembered it now. They had to try to fit in so their hiding place did not get discovered.

At first it was hard. All he could think about were the past few months. He didn't belong here. Draco looked down at the tattoo on his forearm, remembering how fresh and dark and new it had been then. He was angry all the time.

Then Blaise got him drunk, which was not in his best interest. Drunk enough to take him to the local muggle bar, where Draco's new lifestyle was challenged. When at least four girls eyed him interestedly within the first ten minutes of their arrival he felt right at home and Blaise wouldn't let him forget. He walked right over to the group of girls at a tall table in the back and well, Draco found himself chatty.

Yet you denied it the next day to Blaise over breakfast, he told himself. Remembering now, Draco definitely had liked talking to them. He definitely had eyed the one up and down and she reminded him of Pansy in a terrible way, but he eyed her all the same. He felt like his old self, from before all the problems and the war.

After that he started paying much more attention to the muggle girls walking their way around campus and in town. They weren't as plain as he imagined they'd be now that he took the time to actually look at them. Some of them were even attractive. His dad would have thrown up if he heard Draco admit that, he thought now, still sitting in the almost silent library. It was getting late.

His mind jumped to the first muggle party they attended in autumn, when all the college students returned. He met Granger then. She was so clumsy and irritating, spilling her drink on him and all. He had justification for his anger. But then her ability to logic her way out of his insults and formulate her own witty comebacks were things he hadn't been ready for. She sent him off the deep end that night.

After that night he found he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was infuriating. She was different, he didn't know why. Maybe he just had that strong of a desire to get back at Blaise and go after the girl he liked. Draco couldn't say she was ugly.

Draco chuckled darkly, thinking about her giving him candid glances in class and how mad she was when he showed up in her office. She had then proven to be even more interesting when she had been equally as intellectually tempting once he'd ventured a chat with her.

So what if she's muggle-born then? A loud voice in his head echoed. He sat, alone, still on the floor. Other people were always controlling his life, my dad obviously and mum. My Aunt Bella for sure. Voldemort. Dumbledore even, at one point, before I even got that vile mission. So why was he now only just noticing? He closed his eyes, trying to stop the wild thoughts for just one minute.

And he thought back to her arms. They draped around his neck and hadn't she massaged the base of his ear? A shiver tilted his spine. Was that wrong to have enjoyed? And he was honest to himself for the first time in a long time: it had felt anything but wrong. He punched the floor with his fist.

He hated Blaise right now. He had been a right arse in telling Draco his muggle-born theory the way he had. Mentioning Draco's dad was Blaise's ultimate weapon.

Draco felt like his mind was on fire; he didn't know what to believe anymore, his own actions causing him to question his very morals. He hated himself for it and the dark mark on his arm began to sting.

He looked at it after a minute or two and the ink seemed to darken. A shimmer of a protection spell was noticeable near the top of the skull but after a minute it subsided and the ink seemed to fade back to normal. As if I need even more to worry about, Draco yelled at himself. He turned to look out the window, anger welling in his throat.

As he stared at nothing letting the silence drown him, he missed the sound of the trapdoor below. Suddenly Theo and Blaise were on top of him, shuffling around the room. Theo was walking over to light a fire and Draco turned around sharply, looking agitated and sullen. He shifted closer to the window, wanting to stay in the dark.

"Knew you'd only go one of two places," Theo was saying, waving his wand over the logs. A fire sprang to life and the crackling of the burning wood flooded the silence. The light poured out over the floorboards and just reached Draco's face.

"So you've found me, what's it to you?" Draco said harshly. He hadn't expected to see them so soon. He needed more time to think.

"Oh nothing, just checking on you really. Making sure you don't mutilate someone, something, or yourself with all you've most likely been thinking about," Blaise said loftily, taking an armchair.

"Yeah," Theo chimed in, "making sure you didn't die from having your cock inside a muggle but I see you're still standing. Funny how that works." Theo sat down.

Draco looked murderous. "Hilarious," he said through his teeth.

"Draco you know we need to figure out what to do about her," Blaise said sternly to get to the point. "We can't let the discovery of another witch so close go unchecked. We are in hiding for a reason so you might as well just get over this now."

"Get over what exactly?" Draco asked, wanting to know what they thought of him and his reaction. He made no effort to get closer to the fire.

"Ugh, you're playing real thick, you know exactly what we mean. You need to get over these stupid pureblood values that were nothing but garbage," Blaise explained. His voice sounded strained. "You can't keep on going if all you can do is think of vengeance for a group of people you know nothing about."

Draco stayed quiet; Blaise was right. Draco didn't know how to just let go of all he'd ever known. It wasn't exactly easy. A huff of hot air escaped Draco's lips and he put his arms on his knees before resting his chin on top of them.

"It's not fair to hold prejudice against them for something they cannot control," Blaise was stern and the sound of his voice hung in the air. It weighed on Draco's shoulders. "Just because your dad was such a hard ass and controlled your life doesn't mean you can't decide differently. You can choose for yourself. You have to realize it's wrong what they're doing, the death eaters. You've seen it firsthand…"

Draco's features turned defensive. "It's not that easy." His voice was still quiet but it was suddenly cold, threatening. "All I've seen, all I've heard, all that's been done to me. You have no idea," he said. They just didn't understand the depth to which he was tied. They didn't have dark marks. They weren't bound to the wrong side. They hadn't suffered the Imperius or Cruciatus.

"How is it not easy Drake? We are literally hundreds of miles away! Across the fucking ocean for Merlin's sake! You haven't had to hear your mum's bitchy comments or your dad's disturbing orders for months. Something has to have made a change in you," Blaise said angrily. He stood, taking a few steps towards Draco, letting the silence build.

Aware of the closer proximity, Draco tensed. He watched Blaise place his wand arm defensively behind him; it was as if he expected a fight. Draco straightened.

"Do you see why this is such an issue? Do you actually understand what's going to happen Draco?" Blaise asked in complete seriousness. He doubted that Draco could see the extent of the war. Blaise had to make him starting questioning his upbringing again, no matter how hard it was for him. "Draco, whether it's fear induced or the Imperius or what, those new movement groups that have been forming, the ones that are basically death eater recruiting forums in disguise? Those aren't going to be just for political rallies on ministry groups, they're going to be for harming people, humans. For harming muggles, muggles like her. Is that fair?"

"Okay okay! I fucking get it! No, it's not fair at all. I don't fucking want that, I don't want to support that shit. Yeah I might still be bitter about muggles but I never wanted them killed, okay! They don't deserve torture," Draco defended himself as best he could in his anger.

It was true, what he said, he just hoped Blaise and Theo would see it that way. With all the violence and abuse in his own house, he never wished that upon anyone.

"So adding more kids like us to their numbers isn't going to help, they're going to get brainwashed! A lot of them aren't going to be able to escape like us. We are going to have to start making an effort to respond to all this, see if we can help the Order at all," Blaise stated, rather boldly.

"You've got to be fucking joking," Draco spat, his anger in full force. He wasn't ready for that rash of action. "Since when are we helping the skipping scar-face and his red-headed sidekick to fix this thing? I agreed to start making changes but I never signed up for this bullshit," said Draco, his wand suddenly slipping from his sleeve into his open hand. Blaise eyed it and took a step back.

"Are you kidding me? Look at our fucking families! Do you really want to go back to those hellholes we called homes? Theo had to fight his dad, I was close to doing so with mine! I know your dad is much, much more unpredictable and has no boundaries, so I get why you didn't. But you need to fucking realize you're either fighting for the Order or Voldemort, and it better not be him," Blaise shot back.

His words resonated in Draco's head. He obviously didn't want to fight for Voldemort, he was here wasn't he? But joining up with the people he had hated for so long seemed foolish; they would not accept his help anyway and would bring up the past he couldn't seem to escape from. But a very small part of him whispered, reminding him he couldn't just sit on the sidelines selfishly either.

He couldn't decide what to say, still fighting to understand the right choice he should make. He knew his friends were just trying to look out for him, but he didn't like looking the fool to them either. He was desperate to escape this conversation and all this backlash, if only it gave him more time to reason out his own ideas. He wasn't used to getting the opportunity to make his own choices anyway.

He gave a look to kill at Blaise before the anger really took over. "Don't act like you can fix me Blaise. It won't work. I told you already I'm too far gone. This mark, the nightmares. It's not going to stop just because I've gotten my cock dirty."

Blaise didn't move and Draco stared at him, eyes threateningly dark. When he stood, Draco's figure leered towards Blaise. Blaise tensed. The grip on Draco's wand was tight and he flashed it particularly close. Theo grew rigid when he noticed the brandished weapons.

"Do you truly believe that Draco? That you've dirtied yourself with her, that you've made yourself not pure? Because I think we both know you felt something more with her and now you just can't figure out how to move the fuck on," Blaise ranted, trying to counter Draco's aggression. "Just accept that you're fine because you are, there's no way around it."

"Piss off Blaise, I don't have to change just because you say so. It won't change the outcome of this bloody war that's going to rip apart everything. It doesn't matter because I've got a death warrant out on me anyway so who fucking cares what I say or believe," his words were sharp and anger flooded through them.

He hated his dad. He hated his family's legacy that was starting to look a lot like an elitist ploy for power. Draco's anger was beginning to overwhelm him and he felt his knuckles tighten into a fist.

For all the shit he'd gone through and all the backwards traditions he'd been taught, his family had loved him. He was loyal to them for that and he felt guilty. He looked at his forearm, the mark twitching with his anger. And this made him loyal in other ways. He was tied down and they were not, and that made all the difference for some reason.

"When are you going to realize that just because we're far away doesn't mean we still don't have a chance to fix things?" Blaise had been trying to hold back his growing anger but it was becoming obvious. He raised his voice. "You had to have had some doubts if you were willing to leave, I mean that, just like Theo and I. It was a difficult decision for all of us, but we had to do it. And now, surrounded by muggles, we've had to adjust. It's not the end of the world and fucking her was just what you needed to actually get with program and man up."

While Blaise might have made this comment lightly, Draco took it anything but. He seethed; in seconds his fist collided with Blaise's left cheek, a solid blow that sent Blaise stumbling. Theo jumped from his seat and rushed over, trying to figure out what to do.

When Draco took a step away, he flexed his fingers with a smile that looked dangerous and his words felt like ice. He was livid. "Don't you dare act like my departure was a walk in the park like your own. It was far from that. I'm too far gone, I mean that. Stop acting like you need to be my fucking savior."

And then Draco was pushing past them, half out the trap door. Blaise was bent over a little, rubbing the spot. His dark skin looked like it was starting to swell and a red welt sat on his cheekbone. Draco was too in his own head to hear him shout, "Fuck off Drake," before he was gone again.

"My Lord, there has been no word from Greyback or Yaxley since they left six weeks ago. Since we've gotten rumor that wizarding children are hiding amongst muggles for safety, we've been searching all over, schools, camps, cities, and the like, all over the country. Nothing. I'm sorry my Lord, once again, for my son's behavior. The minute I get my hands on that little, ungrateful piece of shit I'm going to-"

A chillingly soft voice spoke from his spot in front of the fire. "I know Lucius. It seems that our escaped members have really out did themselves. There's no need for so much punishment Lucius, they're just boys after all." It had been five months since they'd seen Draco and even longer since they'd since Blaise. Theo had left three months ago and that had triggered the search parties. Voldemort couldn't have some of his best recruits running off and spilling secrets.

"Yes, but my Lord I want you to know that I never suggested, I would never try to-" Lucius began to apologize again and but Lord Voldemort stopped him again.

"I know Lucius, I don't doubt your loyalty. He's a smart lad and we could use him, so I'm not ready to succumb him to torture and death. Yet."

"Thank you my Lord, really," said Lucius, half out of fear and half for his wife's sake. It seemed their son was the only think she cared about anymore.

"And Narcissa? How is she holding up, with his absence and all?" the Dark Lord asked, almost gently, as if he could read Lucius's thoughts.

Lucius had to try not to sneer. "Uh, she's- she misses him of course, he's our only son. But she knows it was wrong for him to have ran. She appreciates there are so many proud members out looking," Lucius explained, hoping it was a sufficient answer. He bowed his head to show his own concern even though he felt nothing. Draco could rot in the ground for all he care, some son.

"Well, she's fairly strong herself, I'm sure she'll survive," Voldemort was nonchalant as he cleared his throat. He was ready to change the subject. He looked up, his red eyes serious. "Lucius, how is the rebuild coming along? I need to know that we can open that school up. The quicker we can make it appear that this new ministry reform is good and well, the more we can do to change the wizarding world."

"Oh, yes my Lord. The repair work, well it has been going fairly smoothly," Lucius began, happy to switch over to strategy instead. "The first five floors are structurally intact and almost finished. Most of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor Towers are still standing, so we just need good, basic charm work to finish them up. But we've run in to a few problem areas; the moving staircases need to be looked at, they're taking far too long to change. And on the seventh floor everything looks magically scorched and we can't find a spell to remove it without vanishing parts of the floor and walls away."

Not enough had been done, but repairing a castle that was centuries full of magic was much more complicated than a few spells and new upholstery. Some things repaired easily, the school holding enough magic to fix parts of itself. But some parts it was like the school didn't want to forget what had happened to it.

Lucius looked up to see Voldemort's eyes glimmering blood red. "Well do your best. I expect nothing less and if you need more help we will acquire more experts and crew if necessary. Now remember, I want an additional dungeon made, exactly like the Slytherin one, only smaller and less exciting. That's where we can store the muggles that actually come back. I look forward to the feats we can accomplish with this school resurrected. Can you imagine Lucius, an entire horde of youth growing up like proper, pure witches and wizards?" the Dark Lord sounded excited, the anticipation rich in his plans. It sounded scary to hear such dark words in such an enthusiastic way. Lucius smiled broadly, obviously liking what he was hearing.

"Yes, we definitely will continue to work hard on it my Lord. And the idea of Hogwarts being our training grounds sounds like a dream come true," he said, thinking about how his own father used to brag about the glory days of the House of Malfoy, when they were trained only the highest forms of magic from private teachers at their own houses. It was a different time then but Lucius dreamed of living like that again. So much so he had tried to force lessons on Draco many times at home. He often hid from teachers or snuck away, much to Lucius's anger.

"Good. And that's just the start. Now run along and send Bellatrix up, I have some business matters to discuss with her," the Dark Lord said, looking incredibly mischievous. Lucius closed his eyes as he left as quickly as he could, not wanting to envision what the Dark Lord and his sister-in-law were going to discuss.

"Are you trying to tell me that you actually liked, no wait, you actually enjoyed a conversation with Draco Malfoy?" Ginny asked incredulous. It was Tuesday night and the girls had spent almost all night in the library studying.

They had Hermione's favorite spot in the library all to themselves; luckily, Malfoy had decided not to venture to that wing of the library since Hermione's encounter with him. It was now almost one in the morning and the girls sat in the quiet of the library, distracted. "Well, I'm not saying it was the greatest conversation I've ever had, but it wasn't boring," Hermione stated. "He has some level of intelligence to be in Sterns' class to begin with and he likes to read. That's a big deal for me in terms of attraction."

Ginny laughed. "I don't think I ever saw him read for fun at Hogwarts, sorry to say. With Quidditch practice and death eater training he didn't look like he had much time for reading."

"Sh, Ginny, someone might hear you!" Luna hushed, but Ginny waved a lazy hand.

"I already cast both a Muffliato and a Protego before we started. No one's coming to bother us," she chuckled. Hermione gaped at her. When?! She hadn't seen her do anything!

"What… what kind of spells are those?" Hermione said quietly. "And uh, Quidditch?" She raised her eyebrows in disbelief at the strange word on her lips. Luna sighed.

"Silencing spell and a Shield charm," Ginny smiled, speaking softer. "And Quidditch is the most amazing sport there is! It's played on brooms, you see, and there's the keeper, the beaters, the chaser, and the seeker, that's my favorite position. Basically, we fly around this pitch with gold hoops-"

Luna cut her off. "You can explain the rules to her later Gin, but I actually knew he was an avid reader, I spent a lot of time in the library at Hogwarts doing research for my dad's magazine. I spotted Draco once or twice in really obscure sections, but I don't think he ever noticed I was there. I like to read laying upside-down you see."

Hermione looked confused by this last piece of information, but she decided to disregard it. She was more compelled to hear about Malfoy. Since Sunday night, finding out all about magic and the like, she hadn't really considered his involvement in all this. He had done a spell that morning right in front of her very eyes and that changed everything.

Ginny and Luna had immediately told her of his hatred for her kind. They warned her to stay away from him, at least not intentionally engage him, for her own safety and so they wouldn't be found out. Who knew if Malfoy would be the type to capture Ginny and Luna for the death eaters if he discovered they were here, they said.

Hermione had a harder time than she would have liked, believing that Malfoy would actually turn them in. Maybe it was because she couldn't suppress just how comfortable and safe she had been with him on Saturday. The conflicted thoughts bounced through her head all week.

She thought about all their interactions, now noticing how she saw his two-sided personality even at the start. The first time they met he was nothing but arrogant and rude. He liked to manipulate her, but Hermione saw through the backwards compliments and snide remarks. He hadn't been ready for her to spit ones back at him, to challenge him. Maybe that made a difference; most people their age didn't stand up to him. Most women didn't stand up to him.

"So he can read, or at least likes to frequent obscure library sections only weirdos like. Big deal," Ginny said. Luna narrowed her eyes. "What else did you talk about with him? I can't believe he actually can hold whole conversations, honestly on the field all I heard was all about his dad's ability to buy pretty much anything. He was annoying as hell."

Hermione felt guilty about enjoying someone's company who clearly hadn't been kind to Ginny. He looked away as she spoke. "Well, we didn't talk that much but he mentioned Paris, he likes traveling and I've been there several times. My parents own a flat for the summertime. I know we were both wicked drunk and we barely know each other yes, but it was… nice. I don't know," she said. "Isn't that why we hook up with random guys? To hear nice things and feel wanted for a bit?"

"Figures he travels, they're so loaded it's not funny," Ginny said, a scowl marring her face. "And yes that's why you hook up with random guys. I had a few like that back at Hogwarts but none of them actually amused me quite like Harry. So was he good?"

"What?" Hermione gasped, wondering if she heard correctly.

Ginny snickered. "He might be a right git but I can't lie that's he's fairly attractive. Don't ever tell Harry that," she said.

Luna rolled her eyes but gave a sincere, if not apologetic smile to Hermione. "I guess there is a lot about him we don't know," she offered instead. "but we should remember that he's got to be in hiding too. He was reported missing back in June and they weren't too happy he left. They're out looking for him as we speak. They posted his picture in the paper. It didn't say why or how he'd gone though."

"That's quite the effort made on his behalf," Hermione remarked, unsure of how to take this information. "Getting it in the paper and sending search parties…"

"Yes it is, but by no means does that mean his family isn't possibly suffering his consequences," said Luna gravely. "Voldemort wants him found because Draco probably knows a lot more than he realizes."

"Says something, does it?" Hermione thought aloud then. "That he left, I mean."

"And why's that? It proves he's chicken shit?" asked Ginny. "He's running away."

"No. It proves that some part of him, however small, wanted to get out. Whether that was because it was getting dangerous or because he's starting to see that it's wrong or because he changed his mind I don't know," replied Hermione, her words sinking into the air heavily. She couldn't help see that Malfoy just might have more to his character than he let on.

Blinded by her own prejudice against a school rival, Ginny had a hard time seeing Malfoy as anything but foul. Yet Hermione made an excellent argument and Ginny couldn't find anything to respond with. "Whatever, he's still a prat," said Ginny, turning back to her paper. Hermione looked to Luna. She eyed Hermione, apologetically again.

"I've never looked at it that way before," said Luna softly. "It's just… I think we just have so much bad history with him Hermione. You have to understand. The things we've heard and seen from him in the past make it incredibly hard to accept he could actually come to his senses."

"I know," Hermione said. "But he's still human, he still has choices. What am I supposed to do if I see him again? I feel like he's going to try to talk to me, I mean I did literally ditch him..."

Luna looked like she was thinking hard. Her thin lips were a line of concentration. She looked nervous before she finally spoke. "I'm not sure. Part of me wants you to stay away, he still has potential to be trouble. He's a fairly skilled wizard Hermione, knows more dark magic than you could dream of. I don't want to see anything bad happen, but I do trust your judgement. The other part of me knows you aren't going to let this go are you?"

Hermione looked away from her friend. "There's just, there's something about him…" Hermione didn't know how to say how she was feeling. She was confused herself.

"Just please be careful Hermione. If he tries to talk to you, just don't let him go to your head. You know his ability to manipulate. Anyway, I need to finish this tonight, sorry," Luna turned back to the pages in front of her.

She was sorting through what looked like at least three scientific journals of articles on elephants. She pulled them closer and began scanning the page for what she needed. "Yeah, of course," Hermione mumbled, turning back to the papers scattered in front of her too.

A few minutes of reading the same sentence five times, she couldn't focus. She was too interested in Malfoy's choices and his past. It was curious that a boy so manipulated to thinking he was on top of the world was now hiding from it. What had caused him to leave? Fear? With his confidence she found that hard to believe, but maybe he had seen some things that were even too much for him. Maybe some things started to fray his belief in blood purity.