A/N: Hi all! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter for a LONG time! This one of the many ideas plaguing my head. My own personal goal for this story is over fifty chapters and over 100,000 words. Would you guy still read it if it was that long? Anyways, my next update might be two or three days late. My writing process requires for me to write the basic ideas on paper then branch out from that, but mostly I just wing it. Anyways, enough of my babble, Happy reading and PLEASE review/feedback.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JKR does.

True Love's Locket

Chapter 12- Origins Of Love, Hate, and Jealously

The crackling of fire was the only sound in the parlor as Mrs. Malfoy took another sip of tea. Hermione waited in somewhat eager patience for the older woman's story. When Hermione heard the rustling of fabric, her eyes followed Mrs. Malfoy as she crossed the room to a small dark wooden table tucked away in the corner. Bring the teacup to her lips, Hermione sat in silence, wondering what Mrs. Malfoy was looking for.

Hearing footsteps, Hermione placed her cup back onto the table then she looked up at the woman standing in front of her, holding something out in her direction. She plucked the small rectangle from the woman's hands before she sat down. Her eyes looked at the photograph of a smiling toddler Malfoy playing with a garden gnome. His breathtaking smile hasn't changed any from childhood innocence. In Malfoy's older age, his smile was just rarer to come by.

Hermione's eyes broke away from the photograph when Mrs. Malfoy began to speak,

"My husband wasn't always the hateful man that you faced in the Department of Mysteries. In our years together at Hogwarts, he was a nice man to those who didn't cross him. During our last year, both families of Malfoy and Black announced that we were betrothed since childhood to united the pure-blood lines."

The older woman paused for some tea as Hermione waited with her curiosity reeling. Then she continued, "Unknown to either family but myself, Lucius was seeing another woman, Margret Hill. She was a pure-blood Slytherin, Head Girl, and on the Quidditch team; whatever opportunities Hogwarts had for her, she pursued."

Hermione tried to ignore the wave of familiarity as Mrs. Malfoy spoke, "Towards the end of Seventh Year, Lucius admitted to me one night that he intended to break our betrothal to marry Margret. Being young, I certainly had no desire to get married directly out of school and there would be other pure-blood males to marry eventually. I was thrilled."

A small silence took over the room as Mrs. Malfoy sighed, "During Christmas Break, we stayed at the old Malfoy Manor, Draco's Grandfather's house. In the morning, my family would apparate for our engagement party. The night before we met with our families to inform them about Lucius's new bride, he stormed into my chambers as an absolute mess. While I was comforting him, he poured out his torment to me."

"Margret had apparated in the middle of night, confessing a secret of her own. She told Lucius that she wasn't the Pure-blood that he was lead to believe, but she was muggle-born. Her 'Pure-blood' status was the only advantage to get our families to change their minds. Seeing that his family wouldn't accept her, he broke off his secret engagement with her. His last words to her were, 'I will never marry filth like you.' Margret Hill, a muggle-born broke my husband's heart by being his first true love."

"After our wedding exactly one month later, his emotions still seething from her betrayal. He confessed that he would hate all filthy muggle-borns as long as he lived. From his confession, I knew that he was still in love with her even after marrying me. Even after he knew the truth of her blood status. As Draco was growing up, Lucius influenced his pure mind with that very same hatred, which my son follows blindly without question."

When the last of Mrs. Malfoy's words faded from the room, Hermione's curious mind took over her mouth as two questions spilled from her lips,

"Why don't you want Malfoy to know? What happened to Margret Hill?"

"Draco gets defensive anytime I mention his father these days,"another pause of silence past between them before she answered,

"She died."

Suddenly the front door opened with a bang and a thudding pair of footsteps. Her wand was in her hand instinctively. A gust of chilly air flowed through the house until she heard another bang of the door shutting. Several more footstep echoed through the room until the archway introduced a sopping wet Malfoy. Her brown eyes glued to his wet white shirt as she watched his muscles ripple underneath as he moved across the room to sit with his mother. She bit her lip as her mind teased on her thoughts that she shouldn't be having about the Slytherin Prince.

Fighting her blush, she muttered the Hot-Air spell on Malfoy as he was taking a sip of his tea. Her only response from him, was the arching of two very blond eyebrows. The tension was heavy from the secret conversation that Malfoy almost overheard. She looked down at the photograph in her hands before giving back to Mrs. Malfoy. Her voice lightly teasing while she ignored Malfoy,

"He was cute child Mrs. Malfoy. What happened?"

Mrs. Malfoy's light laughter with her answered echoed around the room, "He learned how to talk."

Hermione laughed when she spotted Malfoy's face twist into an entertained smirk as he was teased by his mother. Both woman laughed harder at Malfoy's reaction. Mrs. Malfoy was waving her hand to her eyes as she spoke,

"In Draco's letters, he mentioned that you were ordered to help him with the locket. How is the researching coming?"

Her brown eyes shot Malfoy a quick look; his mouth moved slowly so she could read his lips, 'Just Lie.' Hermione gave him a small shake of her head which Malfoy glared at her.

"Actually, we haven't made any headway because your son keeps rejecting my help. He even threw my school bag over Astronomy Tower to make his point."

She hated sounding like a snitch but Malfoy's reaction was priceless when his mother's angry face turned upon him. His head ducked away like the small child in his photograph while giving her a glare. She shrugged her shoulders, only feeling a bit sorry for Malfoy when she visibly flinched as Mrs. Malfoy's low voice calmly lectured her son,

"Draco Alexander Malfoy. As long as I'm your mother, you will take Hermione's help, do you understand?"

Draco resisted to glare more at Granger when he lifted his wand to write,

"Yes, Mother."

Mrs. Malfoy smiled, pleased. Then looked to Hermione, "There, he should be cooperative now. Send me a letter if he's stubborn again."

Hermione smiled and looked at Malfoy, "I will Mrs. Malfoy."

The older woman nodded her head, pleased again, "Would anyone like some lunch? Or more tea?"

Her stomach rumbled just from the word 'lunch' which was the first time in months. Malfoy was about to write with his wand stating that they should be heading back soon when Hermione's voice cut in as she stood up, "Lunch would be wonderful, Mrs. Malfoy. Can I help?"

"That would be wonderful and please call me Narcissa."

Draco's wand hand dropped forgotten, as his silver eyes watched Granger follow his mother out of the parlor as she carried the silver tray. Her chestnut curls bounced behind her happily as he roamed over the rest of her body. The pure white sweater hugged into her waist, extenuating her usually unseen hour-glass figure. When his silver eyes roamed over her backside, he licked his lips and decided he needed a few moments before following them into the kitchen.

He sat there, listening to chiming laughter as he willed his blood to rush back into his usual places. As his body cooled down, more happy laughter echoed from the kitchen down to the parlor, along with the smell of one of his favorite foods. Beef stew made his stomach cringe, reminding him of his giant breakfast that he had earlier. His eyes shifted to the moving rectangle on the table in front of him. Draco grimaced when he saw his younger self with a toothy grin and blond unruly locks chasing a garden gnome. It had been several years since he had seen this picture. Running one hand through his hair, Draco felt normal again, not longer lusting (not that he would admit aloud) for Granger.

When he was about to lift himself out of the cream-colored loveseat, Granger walked in. Her body bounced to unheard drum as she crossed into the room with another silver tray. Draco watched as she unloaded her tray of green soap bowls, when she placed one in front of him; their eyes met. Their stare was interrupted when his mother's voice called after her while addressing him, "As I was telling Hermione in the kitchen. Draco and I usually don't eat in the parlor, do we Draco?"

His mother entered with another tray just as he was shaking his head, silently agreeing with her, "But, it's freezing cold weather outside and we should all curl up by the fire eating warm food."

Granger and his mother handed out silverware and refilled the teacups before sitting. Both women had their soup bowls in hand as Draco entered a big spoonful into his mouth. Then he froze with the scalding hot liquid burning his tongue. The taste of the stew was absolutely unbearable, the taste repulsed him and prevented him from swallowing. This poison was not all the stew that he was used to at Malfoy Manor.

As tears of pain and disgusted burned the corner of his eyes, his mother's smiling face turned to him with a spoon in her hand full of the vile concoction. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught Granger her spoon in hand as well, not yet taken a bite.

"How is it Draco? Does it taste just like how Peaches made it?"

Almost violently, he nodded his head as he burned the roof of his mouth, lying to spare his mother's feelings. His mother beamed proudly before taking a bite of her own and Granger quickly followed. Faces of green passed between each of them as Draco's bite cooled down enough for him to swallow. Uncontrollable laughter bubbled up from his chest as he watched Granger suffer his same fate. When both Granger and his mother swallowed the horrid stew, both joined in his laughter. An unknown warmth flowed through his chest as his mind flashed images of Granger and him laughing like this all the time. Draco swallowed again while taking a sip of tea as he tried to shake off the happiness that instil in him from those images. As the laughter died, Mrs. Malfoy spoke, "That was awful! You didn't have to lie to spare my feelings."

Out of the blue, her hand rested on top of his head and rustled his blond locks, he tried not to look too much in shock after his mother removed her hand. She hadn't shown that kind of affection since he was a boy.

Hermione only watched the scene of family love in front of her in silence, with a yearning for her own mother and father to be with her. She took her cup from the table and sipped on the hot liquid. Her own mind was millions of light years away as she replayed Malfoy's abrupt laughter. His laughter wasn't at all the mean and teasing hateful laughter that she had known about, that she had grown up with. This was something more, something that Hermione wanted to know and hear more of.

For another hour, they talked and Draco wrote, about school, about goals and about favorite things. Hermione learned more about Draco Malfoy in the last several hours, then she had learned about in her own research in the library for the last month.

His favorite color wasn't as she would have guessed (green) instead it was gray. The food of his choice would be lasagna. What he enjoyed the most was flying on his broomstick as long as he liked. Which influenced his mother to tell a story about him refusing to come home, instead he wanted to live on his broomstick, of course didn't last too long. The sound of swishing in the air, was a noise that Hermione had grown to expect Malfoy saying something. Her eyes read, "It's time that we should be going."

She watched as Malfoy left the room and hearing the sound of a door, let her know that he was in the cupboard. The sinking feeling of disappointment hit into her stomach. Hermione realized that she didn't want to leave. Laughing and talking was something that she had grown to miss since Harry ended up comatose. Ron, Ginny and herself haven't laughed together for a long time; since the beginning of the summer when Ron lost his swimming trucks in the lake.

Movement in front of her eyes startled Hermione out of her thoughts. Standing in front of her was Malfoy holding her cream coat out for her. She stood up quickly, feeling embarrassed that he was holding her coat for her. As the coat glided up her arms and over shoulders, her heart was pounding in her chest. In that moment, she knew that she was sick. Hermione buttoned up her own coat and followed Malfoy into the foyer.

He rustled in the cupboard to gather his cloak and gloves. He spotted Granger leaning on the archway to the parlor with his mother directly behind her. When he was finished guarding himself from the outside elements, his mother's arms came barreling around him, giving him a spine-numbing hug. Her low voice whispered in his ear, " I love you. Be good to her Draco."

His mother's cryptic message played inside his head on repeat as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. When she pulled away from him, to his surprise, his mother gathered Granger in a spine-numbing hug too. He unknowingly smiled at the scene of laughing Granger in his mother's arms. Something filled his heart with warmth again. As quickly as his inner warmth came over him, it quickly left when he opened the door welcoming another chilly breeze into the room.

They stood on the front porch in silence then Mrs. Malfoy spoke, "Hermione, it's was so nice to meet you finally. I finally have a face to the name that Draco keeps writing about."

Draco blushed and proceeded to drag Granger off of the porch and onto the snowy ground before his mother could say anything else embarrassing, like she wanted grandchildren. Shivers of pleasure coursing up his arm, reminded him that it was possible. When he was by barrier of the protective magic, he looked over shoulder at his mother waving on the porch. "Good-bye Draco! Hermione, please come by again, with or without my son."

He nodded at his mother before glaring at the laughing Granger next to him. With her hand still in his; he apparated. Only hearing tidbits of his mother's last demand of him in time, 'Take her arm and escort her.' When they were on the other side of the fence, his mother was no where in sight, Draco held out his arm for her.

She looked at Draco's cloaked arm and took it in silence. Their footsteps crunched with the newly fresh snow. Her brown eyes looked at everywhere but him as her arm rested upon his. The coldness of the air attacked her fingertips, Hermione flexed her hand to try to stay warm. One question had plagued her mind since his mother's story about taking Dumbledore's protection. She didn't want to ask it in front of the older woman to spare her. The gap in Hermione's logic was odd, Narcissa knew her husband was a killer, but Hermione thought it would be different if it was her son.

Hermione broke the hushed silence, "Malfoy, since your mother explained about your mission and Dumbledore's offer; I've been wanting to ask you something."

Her chocolate eyes caught his slight nod to proceed. She flexed her fingers again before letting the question slip through her mouth, "What if you didn't take Dumbledore's offer? Would you had to kill him?"

His feet stop walking through the shin deep snow and looked into the barren forest. Thudding of snow hitting the ground from weakened branches chased away the echo of her question. Cold breezy wind played with his hair, brush it back from his eyes. Granger's words played inside his head, as he decided how to delicately answer her question. Stating that he would kill to protect his mother would come out too harsh, especially since it was Dumbledore who he was ordered to kill.

When he felt her hand flex on top of his for the third time. Draco shrugged her arm away from his and pulled her hands into his. Looking away from her, he brought her cupped hands to his mouth and blew his hot breath on them. Then he broke away from her to take off his gloves. To his surprise, she remained silent as he slipped his gloves on her blue tipped fingers.

Draco held his arm out for Granger again. When her arm was over his, they began walking again. As they traveled through the snow, he pursued to grab his wand from his black pant pocket. He didn't want to answer her question, but he would anyway. Just as they broke the line of trees, leading back in Hogsmeade, he was about to write his reply then a beckon of red hair flashed their way, angrily glaring at him.

"HERMIONE!?"

Hermione groaned loud enough for Malfoy to overhear and look at her with a funny expression on his face. In her time with the Malfoy's, she had completely forgotten about Ron and how she left him behind in the Three Broomsticks. Her mind flashed a memory of Ron's hand on Lavender's knee and the small voice in head said 'He wasn't that lonely.'

She dropped her arm from Malfoy's as the angry red-head stomped on the innocent snow to approach her. Her eyes spotted his wand in his hand before he was in front of her. When Ron pointed his wand to Malfoy; Hermione moved her body a shoulder ahead of Malfoy's when she could rate Ron's anger by the color of his face. The cross between blood-red and violet told her that he wasn't someone to cross with. Unfortunately, she knew she would have too, Hermione was done with his jealously of her nonexistent relationship with Malfoy.

"Hermione. Get. Out. Of. My. Way!"

Pointing her own wand at him, "Not until you listen to me Ron."

"NO!" His wand hand shook as he shook with rage, pointed at the blond ferret. Hours went by after she had left. When Lavender was getting too clingy, he ventured off to find Hermione. When he didn't find her in Tomes and Scrolls, Ron went into shop after shop, asking person after person, he was paranoid about her disappearance, especially what happen to Ginny in Second Year. His worry turned into hate when he saw them together. His blond straight hair glimmered in dreary sunlight, while her mane of bushy chestnut curls bounced in the wind. Their opposite characters made them look perfect together. Some dark place in Ron's heart, knew that he would have to hold on to Hermione tighter if he wanted her to be his, that the wicked sparks between them were stronger than ever. His voice growled between his teeth,

"I'm not going to tell you to move again Hermione."

She stepped in front of Malfoy with her wand still pointing at Ron. Her brown eyes challenged the red-head. Ron wasn't going to do anything to her, Hermione was confident. Her feet were firmly planted while she knew she would have to defend Malfoy from her best friend. The blond had no way to defend him from enraged Ron and she wasn't going to stand by as Ron harassed him. Biting her lip from her own growing frustrations, Hermione spoke, antagonizing him, "What are you going to do Ronald? Hit me? I'm not moving until you hear me out."

A mixture of yelling and growling escaped Ron's throat. His angry voice carried into the barren trees, making the forest seem hateful. Paranoid images played in his head, her late nights that continued growing later. 'Her' staring at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. The way she looked at 'Him' while in Potions. His whole body shook with built up rage. Sickening, perverted thoughts ran in his head, his own theory of Hermione's late nights and her loving looks to 'Him'. Ron pointed his wand at her, determined that he needed to hit 'Him,'

"Are you shagging him Hermione?"

"Excuse me?"

Those were the only two words that escaped her mouth reflexively. Her own bewilderment fogged her mind for a moment or two before she completely digested Ron's words. Before she could reply, Ron voice echoed again,

"You heard me. This last month you've disappeared in the library into the late hours of the night. When we agreed to share a bed, you firmly insisted nothing sexual which now makes sense. How long have you been shagging him Hermione? HOW LONG?!"

"Silencio!"

The charm was another reflex or so Hermione claimed. Her brown eyes watched as Ron opening his mouth in a silent angry realized what she had done. His violet-purple face developed the expression of utter hurt and betrayal as the unsaid words never left his mouth. Hermione felt that own emotional stab in her back for him. Warmth of tears pooled at the edge of her eyes, her own anger, her own frustration made her turn her wand at her best friend. She waved her wand again, lifting the spell. The red-head fell to his knees in shock and just stared. Inside her pounding head, she was glad that he moved to something else emotionally. Her own voice struggled with her saddened emotions,

"I'm sorry Ron, I don't know what came over me."

Ron's voice in the wind was so low, Hermione had to strain her ears to hear, "You promised me. You swore that you didn't have to help him anymore. Do you know it felt, sitting in the Three Broomsticks waiting for you? Now you're with him and for Merlin's knows how long. My question was serious, are you shagging ferret?"

Draco snorted automatically, slightly smirking about Weasel's unintentional bestiality reference. He knew it was poor timing, Granger had finally gotten through his iron skull but he couldn't help it. Thinking about a man-sized ferret shagging Granger was disgusting just as it was but his mind was pondering pick-up lines that the ferret would use to get into her knickers. All were truly horrible and entertained him in some sick way. When Weasel aimed his wand at him from the ground, Draco knew that this drama wasn't over quite yet. He only raised his eyebrows at him and stared down at him with a sneer on his face.

Hermione sighed when Ron's wand aimed at Malfoy again. This time he had better aim and she angled herself between the wand again. She answered his question slowly and as uninteresting as possible, hoping that Ron would get over whatever emotions he was feeling, "Unless the new definition of shagging is holding his arm, then I have been incredibly misinformed."

His words spat at her viciously, "Why were you even touching him?"

Before Hermione could answer, strong arms wrapped over her shoulders. His warm breath made her body shiver as he pressed his lips to her ear. Different pressure pressed against her as her mind suddenly clicked on what Malfoy was doing. She ignored the way his cologne made her insides twist along with his accidental seductive message of his lips. Her brown eyes drifted closed while she fought the building moan in her throat, instead she focused her mind to his message, one word at a time. 'Don't mention my mother,' was his message and the sound of rustling fabric made her eyes shoot open.

Ron was standing again with his wand still pointed at Malfoy, "Get your filthy hands off of her Malfoy!"

Hermione easily twisted out of Malfoy's and took one step forward. Her body still prevented Ron from getting a better angle to hit Malfoy but she was far away enough to hopefully, make Ron less angry.

Aiming her wand at the rage induced red-head, Hermione spoke softly, " Honestly Ron, I'm not shagging him."

"Then why do you keep refusing me? We've shared a bed for the last month and you don't ever let me touch you."

She felt her blush on her cheek as she looked at the snowy ground. Waves of heated embarrassment made her head spin, "Do you really want to have this conversation now? In front of Malfoy?"

He muttered softly, "Of course not."

"Then, please, put your wand down. I promise that I'll explain everything later."

Ron's arm trembled again, "Explain what? How you ditch me? That you lied to me? What are you going to tell me next Hermione, that you love him or something?"

Her heart leaped against her chest from Ron's last accusation. She didn't love Malfoy; falling in love with someone takes years. Both parties had to feel the same, the only thing that she had felt for the last several years had been hate. Only the last few months had been somewhat tolerable. She fought a sideways glance at him; wondering what kind of answers his pale face would contain. He was someone who made her curious and nothing she filed away Ron's words for a later time of reflecting, she spoke,

"The only reason why I lied to you Ron is because I knew that you would react just like this."

"React like what?"

Flabbergasted from his own blind denial, she shook her chestnut curls in disbelief, "Jealous."

"I'm not jealous."

His words quickly bit at her. Each word growled through his teeth like it was difficult for him to talk. Hermione shrugged, wordlessly refusing to comment about Ron's refusal to admit how he was feeling, instead, she cantered to him. Maybe if she could smooth down some feathers, then Malfoy could slip away undetected.

"What I can do to prove that I'm sorry for everything?"

Ron's blue eyes connected with hers as a growing blush pushed back the violet rage that was on his face, "I want you tonight."

Upon hearing his words, Draco clenched his cold hands into fists. He knew that he shouldn't have care but his mind screamed 'No' on repeat. A sour taste grew in the back of his throat, made him think that he would be physically sick. His own jealously and rage teased his mind with crudely made flashes of them shagging. Burning in his chest begged him, pleaded with him to say something. Draco knew that the decision was ultimately hers. Only an arse would ask for something like shagging to make himself feel better.

In the back of his mind, his own situation with Pansy played inside his head. His justification of his actions were, he was using her to make himself feel physically better. Pansy knew what she was getting into. Weasel, on the other hand, was going to use Granger to make himself feel better emotionally. Draco stood there, waiting for her answer that would either make his heart sink or soar.

She blinked her brown eyes at Ron for several moments. Being shocked by everything he said wasn't like her. With her logical mind, she would weigh out the pro and cons to each situation. All she could list were cons, if she agreed to Ron's request. She would forever regret giving away her virginity to someone she didn't fully love. Hermione didn't want to leave the impression that Ron would misunderstand but she would do it. Just to get his silver eyes from her mind, Sighing, she was about to deliver Ron's reply when the smell of his cologne rubbed like silk inside her mind.

Her eyes fell closed, somewhat enjoying the sensation. Hermione knew that she shouldn't be enjoying the scent of someone she hated but the very core of her knew that she didn't hate him anymore. It wasn't love that Ron accused her of, instead, Malfoy rated as a friend. A very snotty friend. She bit her lip, knowing that she couldn't go through with it. Hermione couldn't risk losing the light friendship between Malfoy and herself just to ease Ron's jealous rage. If Ron truly cared, he would trust her.

"Ron, I-"

The last of her words were cut off by a loud crack to her left. Her brown eyes whirled and spotted Narcissa Malfoy with her blond hair and red shawl only a few feet down, still hidden from sight by the line of trees. What seemed to Hermione as slow motion, she only watched in horror as Ron no longer pointed his wand at Malfoy but he aimed his wand at her with a hateful expression on his face. The jet red light soared through the air in her direction. Someone screamed 'No', which echoed loudly around them. Hermione knew from their visit that Narcissa couldn't reflect the spell at the risk of her magic being tracked. Blond glimmered from behind her and her eyes followed the billowing of his cloak. Automatically, her hand reached out to grab him but she met with empty air instead. 'stupefy' wouldn't hurt her, but with Ron's angry power behind it, their was a chance that she could seriously been hurt.

His feet ran when he saw his mother and Weasel's wand turn to her. When the red light shot from out of his wand, Draco ran desperately faster towards her. His cloak billowed around his ankles and threatened to trip him as his feet crunched through the shin deep snow. As the red light shot towards her; his arms extended and pushed his mother safely down onto the snow. With his own feet planted, he turned and waited, wishing that he would have learned shielding spells from the book.

With her heart in her in her throat, she watched as Malfoy pushed his mother aside as the red light grew closer. The older woman landed on the soft cold snow. Her wand was automatically pointed without thinking and her voice carried as she yelled,

"PROTEGO!"

Her white light raced forward to Malfoy along with Ron's red light. She could only stand there and wait to see which spell would hit him first.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please read/give feedback!