When he pulled away from her, he felt more alive than he had in weeks. Draco's eyes softened, and they found each other's gaze without embarrassment or shock. Even though neither expected the kiss, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Will you please tell me, now?" She said, toned subdued.

He leaned back and ran a hand through his hair at the same time, looking away from her for a brief moment to gather his thoughts. "What do you want to know?" He finally breathed along with a sigh of surrender.

At this, Hermione perked up and he caught sight of her wide smile, but neither of those things lessened the ache in his heart. He wished he could cover his ears and make it so he heard nothing, and said nothing. But he could see the halo of her frizzy hair and the silence of the night… Shadows within shadows of the walls and he heard the word her dreaded the most.

"Everything." She said.

"Okay, but you need to take this," he turned away from her and fumbled on the small table beside the bed, "and you need to promise me that you will always wear it."

"Won't you?" Draco held a short thin chain, drawn from the shadows. It looked like a silver snake coiled around a green sapphire but on closer inspection, it seemed like a glowing light trapped behind the bars of a gilded cage and fashioned into a bracelet.

Hermione took it from him and inspected it, "It's beautiful, Draco. Thank you." She said while fastening it onto her left wrist absentmindedly, more interested in the truth than a shiny piece of jewellery. She laid her fingers on the edge of the bed and peered up, waiting.

"You're right about Selgentar, I'm sure she's the reason I'm here… She's been cornering me all year, trying to get me to spy on Harry… through you." He began and continued from the moment that started it all. Telling her the insinuations and subtle threats the professor has made.

"You have to tell someone, Draco," she gasped when she heard about the professor's ties to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, "you must tell Dumbledore. He's the only wizard he's ever feared."

Draco scoffed involuntarily, "The dark lord is not afraid of that old man," he lamented, sounding like the old Draco that haunted her first few years at Hogwarts, "he fears nothing, except dying or losing his powers… No, he isn't fearful, he just doesn't want Dumbledore delaying his plans."

"And what are his plans?"

"To kill Harry, of course. And all muggle-borns… stripped of their wands if not enslaved." He said, looking at her regretfully.

Hermione digested this for a moment before saying, "What you said about Dumbledore being an annoyance to him, or a chink in his plans, is exactly why you should tell the headmaster. He needs to know there's a spy in his school and what He-Who-Must-Be-Named's plans are."

Draco nodded but did not agree, struggling internally about how she was essentially asking him to abandon his roots and his family… And for what?

"I… I don't know if I can do that, Hermione." The tenderness surfaced again and she found herself drawn into a vortex of what was implicated.

Understanding dawned on her and she lowered her head until she was resting her cheek on the side of the bed, temple against her fingers. "I wouldn't ask you to do anything you don't want to." Came her reply. The decision to do the good thing should come from him. It was unfair to expect a person to forsake everything they've believed in or to give up on all that he knows.

"He would kill my parents," Draco said in a low voice, "or he would kill you."

There was no easy way around it and Hermione took his hand, squeezing it to show him that she was there for him either way.

"You should go," He nodded towards the door, "I'll see you when I get out of here. Don't come back. We need to be smart because these castle walls have eyes and ears." He said in a low voice.

Hermione nodded and got up, pulling her hand away from his as she left silently while draping the cloak around her, telling herself that it is always better to know the truth, but the truth is seldom a friend.

The next day, when the reality of what has been happening sunk in and faded in the light of day, she kept reliving the moment their lips touched. Remembering how it felt. It was as if her legs fell away from a great height and she was left at the very top. Heart pounding and face flushed. She caught herself smiling several times and reprimanded herself for being a love-struck teenager, chiding herself for being silly and childish.

When Harry spotted her and avoided her gaze, she smiled happily at him and called out to him, "Harry! Harry, I borrowed this last night to see out little furry friend," hoping that he understood the reference. Even if he didn't, the moment he saw the silvery cloak, he knew.

"You saw him last night?"

She nodded, "And he's told me everything. Oh, Harry!" She flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, "I know it hasn't been easy for you, with me hounding you day and night and pushing you into telling me what you've promised not to say… But I know now, and I so appreciate it."

When she let him go, her eyes were shining with tears. "I'm sorry I didn't stop to consider, but I'm loath to be kept in the dark – as you should know."

Harry nodded hesitantly at first and smiled back, "I know, Hermione. I'm glad you found out the truth." She beamed at him.

"But he's not going to sell the dark lord out." He said flatly, as though there was no discussion to be had – and there were none.

"I know," she lowered her head, "but we can."

"Do you know what that means? Would you throw Dra-" Harry begun to say when he noticed a couple of students walking towards them, "Him, would you throw him under the bus?"

"We wouldn't have to, Harry. We could think of something." Hermione said haltingly, "We will think of something."

Harry merely nodded and went along with her. Soon, they were laughing like ever before, joined by Ron who seemed once again oblivious and merely happy that they were in high spirits together again.

That afternoon, Draco was discharged, and he walked with a certain swagger into class, milking the attention he got and grumbling about how his father would not let Dumbledore go for letting him be poisoned under his watch, "Must be the incompetent house-elves that contaminated the food with their filthy little paws." He spat vehemently, returned to his full vigour after the events of last night and feeling a little full of himself.

Nobody pointed out that they ate the same food as he and were not poisoned as he was. But the Slytherins have long learnt to not argue with Draco who thought himself higher than anyone in that house, if not all the houses.

He remained quite smug until a second year was sent to fetch him from the dungeons.

"Malfoy, Draco, sir," the tiny boy squeaked, "professor Selgentar told me to pass this to you. She said you knew where to find her." He handed him a small piece of parchment. Without a second glance or another word, the messenger slipped out of the room. Draco glanced down at the careful scrawl which seemed to have been written with a loving flourish:

Doesn't she care so wonderfully much?

His heart caught in his throat and he looked up to find the boy gone. Crushing the parchment in his hand, he quickly threw in into the fire and glared at it until the flames were seared into the back of his eyes.

Upon accepting the fact that he could not escape her, he left for her empty office, devoid of all artefacts or personal touches, almost like an office of a ghost.

"You wanted to see me, professor?" Draco said as Selgentar answered the door and left it wide open for him as she made her way to her desk.

She was settling into her chair when the door shut behind him.

"I would say everything worked out perfectly," she said with a little cackle, "ingenious, isn't it?"

Taken aback at her bold claims, though he was, Draco did not let his mask slip for once second. "A cunning move, befitting of the dark lord's servant."

The professor seemed appeased at this and said, "I'm sure there is nothing else stopping you from fulfilling your destiny, Draco?"

"Nothing will stop me from carrying out his wishes… It is my honour to serve," he said, "and my birth right."

Selgentar considered this for a moment and said, "Spoken like a true Slytherin. Voldemort has always overestimated the loyalty and the competence of his followers and I see now why that might be. Everyone speaks of him reverently because they are afraid of him." The professor leaned towards Draco and asked gently, "Do you fear him, Draco?"

Instead of responding instantly, the boy tilted his head and waited for her eagerness to grow before finally saying, "A loyal servant has nothing to fear."

At that, Selgentar threw her head back and laughed. For a split second, Draco almost saw the image of the dark lord's glee reflecting back at him but it was gone too quick, almost as though he had imagined it.

"Good, good… Very good. I am very much looking forward to what new information you will seek out and I am sure the dark lord shares my sentiments…" She stood up from her chair and Draco made a move towards the door, recognising that he was being dismissed but the professor stopped short in front of him, her hand raising towards him.

"You won't disappoint me now, will you?" She traced her fingers across his face, leaving a cold trail running down the back of his spine.

"I will not," he swallowed, "disappoint the dark lord." At this, he turned with his shoulder squared and back straight before exiting the room and heading back to his dormitory as fast as his long legs could take him, hearing the echo of her laughter following him into his dreams.