A/N: I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter telling me to keep writing; it really warmed me to know that so many people care! I promise to keep writing as long as there are people who want to read this . So, without further ado –

Chapter Fourteen – Trust

Hermione blinked furiously, but still her vision wouldn't clear. I really should get my eyes checked, she thought as she rubbed at them viciously, to no avail, knowing full well that failing eye-sight was not the culprit; she was just that exhausted. It was a week before the Christmas holidays and the seventh years were still labouring away at the enormous pile of work the teachers were setting them.

Hermione tried once again to focus on the essay Professor Vector had set them but her efforts were futile and so she did something very un-Hermione-like; she gave up, promising herself she'd do it before class tomorrow.

'I'm off to bed,' she said as she organised and packed away her things. It took her a few moments to note the silence. She raised her voice and tried again.

'Malfoy, Harry, I said I'm off to bed.'

The two boys looked up, finally realising they were being spoken to, and Hermione didn't know whether to laugh or to cry; Draco's hair, usually immaculately styled, looked as bad as Harry's unruly mop and the circles under the raven-haired boy's eyes were so dark they looked like shiners. She felt a rush of pride as she suddenly appreciated that the boys were working as hard as she was, but it was quickly quelled by worry; they looked worse than she felt.

'Oh, Hey 'Mione,' Harry as though noticing her for the first time although they'd been sharing the same table for hours, 'You done?' he asked.

'No, but I can't concentrate anymore, I'm exhausted, I'm going to bed and I suggest you both do the same; you look like hell.'

The two boys stared at her for a long moment, glanced at one another, down at their books, then back to Hermione and she had to bite back a laugh.

'Okay,' was all Malfoy said, but he made no move to pack away his things until Harry had already started. Hermione smiled as she watched the boys throw books and parchment into their bags somewhat reluctantly.

'Hey, where's Ron?' Harry looked around as they stood, noticing his absence for the first time.

'He left for bed ages ago,' Hermione told him, 'don't tell him this but, I think he was the smart one this time.'

Harry chuckled, 'Indeed he was. Come on, 'Mione, I'll walk you to your tower.'

Hermione bit her lip, reluctant to accept his offer, but Malfoy saved her the argument.

'No, Potter, you look about ready to pass out, I promise to escort our Head Girl to her Dormitory safely, and if I don't you are more than welcome to hex me tomorrow, but right now you need to get to bed, as do we all.'

Harry studied Draco through half-lidded eyes and Hermione thought he was going to argue but instead he nodded.

'Alright, I'll hold you to that,' he told Draco, who laughed. They parted at the doors of the library, Harry giving Hermione a swift hug before hurrying off the Gryffindor Tower as she and Draco made their way to their dorms.

'Harry must be exhausted if he didn't argue with you,' Hermione said after a five minute silence. Draco looked at her sharply.

'Don't you think I can be trusted?' he asked and she regretted her words immediately.

'No, no, I just meant…' she broke off, feeling foolish and he grunted. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two as they reached the portrait and Malfoy, besides muttering the password, said nothing as he followed her in and walked off to his room. Hermione stood in the Common Room, staring at his closed door, feeling confused and upset; she hadn't meant that he wasn't to be trusted, Harry trusted him and so did Hermione. She shook her head and walked to her room; she'd talk to him tomorrow. She hoped.

'I'm working, I'm working – oh, it's you.'

Harry looked up to see who Ron was shouting at and was surprised to see Ginny, laughing at her brother.

'Hey Gin, why you up so early?'

It was just gone five o'clock and Harry and Ron were desperately trying to finish their work, having dragged themselves out of bed at dawn after only a few hours of sleep. Harry marvelled at the fact that Hermione didn't have to wake them.

'Couldn't sleep,' the red-head girl told him, taking a seat beside him, laying her head on his shoulder.

'Bad dreams?' he asked, wrapping an arm around her, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before returning, one-handed, to his work. She murmured in consent and closed her eyes. There was a silence as the two boys carried on their work, occasionally throwing balls of crumpled parchment into the fire (or at one another) and Ginny drifted off into a light doze.

At seven the boys admitted defeat in favour of breakfast and Harry shook her gently, chuckling when she mumbled and tried snuggling closer to him. The trio made their way down to the Great Hall and were not at all surprised to find Hermione there. She and Draco sat side-by-side at the Gryffindor table, not speaking.

'Good Morning!' Ginny, who had probably had more sleep than any of her seventh year companions, chimed, receiving foul looks from the lot.

'You look almost as bad as you did last night,' Hermione told Harry, pouring him and Ron generous cups of coffee, 'Did you get any sleep at all?'

'We did, but we were up at the crack of dawn,' Ron told her, Harry being too busy making love to his coffee, 'You're one to talk though, 'Mione, you look like hell.' He ducked the muffin she tossed at him and they all laughed.

'Why are you up, Weaselette?' Draco asked Ginny. Harry, Ron and Hermione tensed at the old jibe, but Ginny didn't seem to mind.

'Bad dreams,' she simply replied and he nodded.

'You okay?' he asked her and she smiled at the blonde, 'I am, thank you Ferret,' she told him and they both chuckled, leaving the trio a little confused.

'Speaking of bad dreams,' Ginny said, turning to Hermione, 'Have you changed your mind about sharing dorms with Harry yet?' she asked and Hermione groaned.

'Ginny, I told you, I'm not going to. Harry and I agree that it's not necessary; neither of us are having nightmares anymore, are we Harry?'

Harry looked alarmed to be in the argument the two girls had been having ever since Ginny had been cured, 'I-I'm not, no.' he said quickly and Ron sniggered.

Hermione narrowed her eyes, 'Ron, has Harry been having nightmares?'

Ron stopped sniggering immediately.

'No, he hasn't,' Ron answered sincerely, but wearing the same alarmed expression as Harry. It was Draco's turn to snigger.

'See,' Hermione said to Ginny, 'It's not necessary anymore.'

The youngest Weasley studied her friend closely, glanced at Malfoy, then nodded, 'If you say so, I still think that it was silly of you.' She said, shrugging, and turned back to her breakfast. Once cured from her fake-jealousy, Ginny had been eager to find out whether Harry and Hermione were sharing a room and had been disappointed, to say the least, that the two weren't going forward with the plans. She had been furious with Hermione for 'taking away the one comfort to Harry' and it had taken a very Mrs-Weasley-ish lecture from Ron and multiple reassurances from Harry to get her to apologise to Hermione for flying off the handle, but though she wasn't angry anymore, she kept badgering Hermione to go to McGonagall and tell her she'd changed her mind, which Hermione flatly refused to do.

Once they had finished eating Harry suggested that they head to the library to try get some more work done before their lessons, to Hermione's relief. Draco followed them but, at the door to the Great Hall Ginny grabbed his arm, a finger held to her lips telling him to stay quiet. He obliged, stepping back into the hall with her.

'Malfoy, tell me, has Hermione been having nightmares?' she asked him after making sure the rest had gone ahead. Draco studied the ginger girl, impressed by what he saw; despite her age she was as mature as Potter and his friends and her questions were bred by concern, not petty teenage curiosity. He still was still rankled by Granger's words the night before but had realised upon entering his room, that she had been referring to Potter's stubbornness, not his trustworthiness and that it had been his own insecurities that had made it seem that way, so when he answered the Weaselette's question he did so honestly;

'I haven't heard her screaming or crying,' he told her, after assuring that they were alone, 'But, I have woken to find her sleeping on the couch in the Common Room, making me think that she is, in fact, still having nightmares and she hopes Potter might come looking for her,' he paused, looking at her carefully, 'Does this bother you?' he asked curiously and she frowned.

'That she sits in the Common Room waiting for Harry? Only because it means that she lied when she said she's sleeping fine, not because I think she and Harry have some sort of unsavoury relationship going on,' she told him sharply. He smiled and nodded, sweeping past her to follow the trio to the library. Ginny didn't move, she stood where she was, a small frown on her face as she stared up at the clouds that were gathering on the ceiling.

Harry slaved away at his Defence assignment, books strewn around him, frowning as he read and re-read incantations for spells and ingredients for potions. He was having another late night, but tonight he was alone; Hermione had finished her assignments hours ago and Ron had once again decided to throw in the towel after finishing his potions essay, but Harry wanted to get everything done before turning in so he had come back to the Gryffindor Tower but hadn't gone to bed. He knew that he was guaranteed a place in the Auror Office but he wanted to be accepted into the office because he had worked hard, not because he was Harry Potter.

'Harry?'

'Hey Gin,' he greeted, not glancing up. She sat at the opposite end of the table but said nothing and he looked up.

'Everything okay?' he asked, instantly concerned when he took in her appearance; she looked upset, her eyes were ringed with red and he swore he could see the tracks where tears had stained her cheeks. When she didn't reply he put aside his quill and went to sit beside her.

'What's wrong Ardor?' he asked her, using his pet name for her, wrapping his arm around her.

'Harry, do you love Hermione?' her voice broke over her last word and Harry pulled back but didn't remove his arm from around her shoulders.

'Of course I love 'Mione, Gin, but not the way I love you Ardor, 'Mione is like my sister, you know that Ginny,' he told her, searching her face as he spoke, but she looked away from him.

'But… All those times you guys slept together…?'

Harry couldn't help but laugh, stopping quickly when she looked at him, hurt.

'Oh, Gin, nothing romantic has ever happened between Hermione and I, even when we shared a bed,' he sighed, 'How long have you known Hermione and I, Gin?' he asked her.

'Very long,' she replied softly and he nodded, 'And have you ever seen anything pass between us that indicates that we might like one another the way you and I do?' he asked her and she frowned as she thought, then shook her head.

'But you two are so close…'

Harry smiled, 'Yes, I guess we are, but we've been through so much together, Hermione, Ron and I, it would be strange if we were anything but, Gin.'

He searched her features again, 'What brought this on, Gin; you were always so supportive, what's changed?'

She looked at him for a long moment then dropped her eyes to where her lands lay in her lap.

'I have, I know, but everyone keeps asking me if I trust that the two of you are just friends, if I believe that you guys aren't… aren't having sex… and I do, but after the potion I've been wondering the same thing..'

Harry stared at his girlfriend, shocked.

'But Gin, you were so upset when Hermione told you we weren't going through with McGonagall's suggestion!'

She nodded, tears falling into her lap, 'I know, I know, but I just… I can't help it, okay?!' she yelled, suddenly angry, and Harry pulled his arm away from her shoulders, his shock now mingled with anger.

'You wanted to see if she'd done it because of a guilty conscience, didn't you?' he asked her, not yelling like she had, but it was obvious he was angry, and maybe a little disgusted, and when she didn't deny it he laughed nastily, standing, upending his chair.

'That's rich, Ginny, very rich, you go from hating Ron for being ignorant to being just like him! You know, Gin, trust goes both ways, I trusted you when Brian was at the Burrow and I was away – oh yes, I know how much you like him,' Harry spat at her when her eyes widened at the mention of Bill's Egyptian friend, 'so maybe you should trust me with a friend I've always loved like a sister!' His voice never rose to a yell, instead it lowered to a snarl and Ginny cringed as he spoke and he smiled sardonically.

'I suggest you go back to bed and dream about Brian,' he hissed at her and her eyes widened but he ignored the hurt look she gave him and turned away, taking his seat again and going back to his work as if he wasn't seething with anger. She sat staring at him, horrified, but he made no indication that he knew she was still there and after a few minutes she stood and went back up the stairs to her room, shoulders hunched in defeat. When Harry heard the door to her dormitory closing he sat back, letting out a long breath, forcing himself to calm down.

So she thinks 'Mione and I have been fucking behind her back, does she? he thought to himself, seeing red again despite his best efforts and the quill in his hand snapped, spraying ink all over the library books before him, Well, FUCK HER! His breath picked up and he growled, but his anger quickly turned into sorrow and he stared down at the ink-spattered books morosely for a moment before snapping them all shut and pulling a sheet of parchment from his bag; he wouldn't be able to work on anything the way he felt now so instead he read.

Hey,

You're right about the "Dear Friend"; it had me worried as soon as I opened your letter! You can indeed tell Hermione that your "pen pal" didn't appreciate the sentiment at all, it did sound somewhat gay. I can understand beginning a correspondence with "Dear" or "To whom it may concern" if it's formal, but you and I are far past such formalities, don't you agree? And starting our letters with "Dear" may give too much away, as the muggles say; The walls have eyes.

In regards to Christmas, I'm just waiting for Mother to confirm, but your reference to "such a Mrs-Weasley-ish glare" has me slightly worried about meeting the mother hen, even though you mentioned her being excited about Mother and I, should I be worried? But, as I said, I'm just waiting for mother to confirm, but I think you can tell our Head Mistress I will be joining you, if Mother doesn't want to join you I will make other travel arrangements home from London.

Mother is doing very well from what I read in her last letter, the locals are warming to her quickly and she's made a few friends already and she's been invited to dinner at quite a few homes. She says she misses the extensive grounds of the Manor but that's all and that the forest behind her cottage more than makes up for her yearning. She's sent me a few photographs of her small garden and it looks beautiful, I will send them to you with your next letter if you want to see?

How are Teddy and Andromeda? Mother mentioned in her last letter that she misses her estranged sister terribly but she's afraid that Andromeda might not appreciate it if she tried to contact her. It pains me to have to ask this but, could you maybe contact Andromeda and ask her what her feelings toward her sister are? I want my mother to be happy but she won't be entirely content without family, I'm sure you understand when I say family is happiness. I would appreciate if you can do me this favour.

About the name change, you'll see that there's another letter attached to this; it's a letter to the Ministry, the second of two, that details the reasons for the changing of our names from 'Malfoy' to 'Black', as well as a section mentioning that I have permission from an adopted member of the Black family (you) to go forth with the change. I would appreciate it if you could sign the letter and maybe even write a short letter of permission. I'm planning to give my mother the Change of Surname Certificate for Christmas, I just hope it gets through in time; they took their sweet time to reply to my first letter.

I understand that the workload has been hard for you and I knew your letters would be shorter, so no hate there. I also agree with your observation of Professor Tarrant, besides his looks which, as you say, have half the boys in the castle feeling homo, something does seem off about him but I cannot put my finger on it, if he is a magical creature then the only clue we have to go on is his appearance, which really isn't much help.

I laughed when I read what you said about Hermione; it truly is something to wonder at! But, then again, the famous Harry Potter has always been an Ace at DADA, though I wonder if her sudden demise as 'Brightest Witch of her Age' has anything to do with the doodles she makes during the class!

Let me know what the arrangements for the Christmas Break are (when we're flooing to Grimmauld Place, etc.) and please remember to send off that letter to the Ministry as soon as you've signed it!

Thanks,

Draco.

Harry felt a lot better once he reached the end of his letter, chuckling as he read the last few lines. He pulled the second letter from behind the first, scanning it with a critical eye, nodding as he read it. Once he had signed the document he pulled a clean sheet of parchment toward him and quickly, but neatly, wrote a short letter stating that he, the godson of the last of The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black, had given permission to Draco Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy to restore their last names to Black. He also requested that the change be processed as soon as possible.

He surveyed his work carefully and once he was satisfied that it was suitable he rolled it up along with Draco's letter, sealing it with a tap of his wand. He sat back, glancing at the watch the Weasleys had given him, yawning. He hadn't forgotten about his fight with Ginny but he had put it to the back of his mind, deciding to deal with it later. He penned a quick letter back to Draco, putting it aside before packing away his books. He wondered if there were any people at the Ministry as he wandered to the Owlery.

Too bad for them, that owl's not going to give up until he's delivered this letter! he laughed as he called Pig down.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

Sorry if there are a few grammar mistakes (I'd appreciate it if you point them out to me), I finished this up after 2 in the morning, I'm not happy with the last paragraph but I feel all my readers deserve this update