A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful support you are extending with your reviews, follows and favorites

pgoodrichboggs: Thank you so much for your reviews. I am really glad you liked the chapter. You have really been so amazing by your continuous support since the beginning.

Myrddin Emrys The Third: Thanks for a lovely review.

White Bishop: Oh! What can I say? You really are so wonderful. Thank you for your review, input, suggestions, encouragement, support and what not. I am glad you supported the dramatic element in the previous chapter. Yes, indeed I wanted to reinstate the urgency. The ideas about their friends are quite encouraging and I added that to my cards. I am trying to understand your mysterious anonymity, but it just added to your intellectual brilliance. Thanks again for your continuous support. I feel so blessed that you have taken time for this story and extended your gracious support.

A fine thread

Approach

Draco was pacing across the room in his cottage rubbing and clenching his fists. All the material was proving worthless. He couldn't find a single reference or a mention even in this tenth book. His prestigious Malfoy Library was proving to be nothing but a collection of rubbish books. He threw the book away with frustration, but immediately went and got it back and checked for any tears. His new habit of being very protective towards books was another trait picked from the bookworm.

He wondered how she was fairing. It had been two days since the traumatic episode. He had spent the two days completely scouring various books without any hint of sleep or rest. And the exhaustion was slowly taking over. He understood that if he continued he would gain nothing. Maybe a small kip would help. With that thought, he slumped on the couch and leaned his head on the back of it. He expected to fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head touched the cushions. Boy, was he wrong?

The deeply awaited rest evaded him. His eyes were hurting with exhaustion and his head felt like it was being stomped upon. He tried to move his neck and heard a series of cracks that relieved a bit of pressure acting there. He groaned at his clumsiness as he dropped the books that were haphazardly thrown around him as he tried to get up. He gave up and tried to summon a glass of water with his wand. He had not uttered a single word since that day. His throat seemed closed up and the command didn't come out. He cursed and strode to the kitchen. It felt like he was tumbling through his way to the kitchen. He filled the glass with water, took a sip and tried to clear his throat.

"Wow," Draco stretched the remaining parts of his body and massaged his shoulders trying to gain some kind of relief. But the intriguing rest was still far away. He took a glance at his reflection in the mirror on the wall. He was shocked to see a stranger in there. Mussed hair, blood shot eyes covered in black circles of exhaustion, and dry and parched lips greeted him.

"Fuck!" Draco exclaimed running his fingers through the hair. He needed a shower and then a full complete meal. It felt like ages he had food. Apparently few drinks and snacks didn't count as real food. He would not be able to accomplish a single thing in that state. He rushed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

When the hot spray hit his sore body Draco's thoughts shifted to the time he held Hermione in his hands. He wished he could remember their lovely chat and snogging sessions, but all that hit him was the image of limp Hermione in his arms. He scrubbed himself wondering how was she doing now? He hadn't found the courage to go and see her. The fear of gazing at her again in that way stopped him every time he encountered that thought. To stop those images he immersed in exploring his new discovery with regards to her. But maybe the time had to come confront her. Maybe she was waiting for him.

He didn't waste another minute when that particular idea hit him. He forgot about the food and gulped down a strong coffee to keep his thoughts straight. When he looked outside, it was getting dark, and Draco took that advantage to directly apparate behind Hermione's house.

His careful steps didn't make any sound as he climbed the steps. His door knock was answered by Jasmine with a lack of her usual cheer. She simply moved away without any offer of greeting and let Draco in. That should have been the first red flag but Draco still hoped. Jack was found nowhere around as Draco trudged towards the steps leading upstairs.

"Mr. Malfoy," Jane greeted him from Hermione's room.

But the still form of Hermione, on her bedding, made Draco speechless. She seemed to be in a restful sleep. He slumped down beside her taking her hand into his. When his eyes fell on her other hand, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Jane was fixing what looked like a water bottle. It was connected to Hermione's arm through a needle. He saw the water drip into the tube, drop by drop slowly moving into her body.

Sensing his confusion Jane explained. "Muggle contraption. It is a nutrition supplement, just to keep her hydrated." Draco nodded not exactly following.

"There was no change at all?" Draco inquired Jane.

"No."

"Where's Weasley?"

"He had been here since two days. But I guessed he was summoned urgently and had to leave. He left an hour ago." Jane answered still checking the muggle apparatus. "You look ghastly," and at that time Draco's stomach decided to embarrass him more by making a loud rumbling noise. "It seems you have rather neglected your hunger needs. I might have something in the kitchen." Jane moved without waiting for him.

"Oh! Hermione," Draco whispered placing a light kiss on her forehead.

Seeing her like this made Draco get further rooted into his resolve. He would find a way to restore her magical core. A wonderful person like her shouldn't be doomed to such a fate. He rubbed few stray hairs from her forehead and moved back. She didn't appear weak or fragile. Even after all this, she appeared rather composed.

He heard a small rustle near the door and turned his head in that direction. He saw Jack hovering there and gestured him to come inside.

Jack shook his head and pointed to Hermione. Draco understood his hesitation and joined him outside.

"Hey, buddy! How's it going?"

Jack nodded but didn't answer. "When is she going to wake up?"

"Soon". Draco didn't understand if he was assuring the boy or himself. "What are you doing up here? Haven't you got any school work?"

"I have a problem. But nobody is here to help." Jack said adding a little pout.

Draco chuckled and asked him why didn't he discuss with Jasmine.

"She's being mean. Whenever I ask her she tells me to solve it by my magical dreams."

Draco sighed. They had discussed this attitude of Jasmine after those revelations. He understood she felt left out and the little girl's mind hasn't quite envisaged the idea of some knowledge that couldn't be gained by books. He thought maybe she needed some time with her but he pondered a little talk with her, might help her gain some kind of perspective.

He gave Hermione another glance and nudged the boy downstairs. "Come on."

He heard some kind of rush from the kitchen and dining table and Jasmine was on one of the couches her head in a book. But Draco clearly saw her concentration was someplace else. He guided Jack to a nearby table and he moved to sit down beside the girl.

"Hello Jasmine," he greeted the girl bringing her out of her reverie.

"Draco! I didn't see you there," she muttered looking at him.

"Apparently. What is that you are reading?" He asked trying to take a peek at the book.

"Nothing," she said moving the book away from his reach.

"Is that a secret?"

"What? No. It is not your kind of book. It is not magical," she suddenly became defensive.

"What has that got to do with your book? Knowledge is wealth that can't be stolen. You can't deny me that right," Draco said with a smirk and took the book from her hand.

"Quite interesting. Sciences are something that always eluded me. You have to help me out here. What exactly are Thermodynamics?" Draco asked slightly scratching his head. He cast a sideward glance towards her and noticed that spark that was missing in her eyes in the recent past days.

"You see Draco. Here on this earth, as matter of fact on any part of the universe, various types of energies surround us. The beauty of it is that they can be interchanged from one into another. For example, you can change the electrical energy into heat and light and what not," Jasmine explained in her own eccentric way.

Draco, despite his exhaustion and tiredness, looked amused. She really was an amazing girl. She went on for quite some time explaining about various energies and how thermodynamics handles them. She really was quite intelligent for her age. It was quite a shame that beast of a man had fathered this sweet girl.

"So you are saying all this is possible? That you can convert any form of energy into another?"

"Not only that Draco, it can be used to power many new inventions."

"Wow, this is so much better. We can just apply these principles to many things and we can do wonders". Draco agreed. "I can say that this is almost better than magic."

Jasmine's face fell at Draco's last statement and she slumped back into her resigned attitude.

"Trust me, Jasmine. In the magical world, did you know they still use quills and ink pots? They haven't been able to adapt to the simple concept of a pencil, until now." Draco waited for her reaction. He was not disappointed when he saw a slight change in her demeanor. From the far corner of his eye, he saw Jack paying rapt attention to their conversation. "Having the power of magic made us all quite lazy, so we haven't adopted any new inventions." Now he had Jasmine's complete focus. "Believe me, muggles have always been most intelligent. That is one of the reasons that magic has to be hidden from them."

"Muggles?"

"People…," Draco waited to use an appropriate word to describe, "who are not burdened with the magic."

"Oh!" Jasmine sighed and whispered, "Like me." But before Draco could answer she asked again in a very timid voice, "So it is ok to not to have magic?"

"No honey, it is not ok. It is more than ok. You should feel lucky that you can be free from this."

"Really, you think so?"

"Absolutely! Just look at you. With this knowledge and understanding, you can achieve anything in the world. Nothing can stop you."

"Oh! Draco, I am so relieved," she jumped into his lap and hugged him tightly. Seeing this, Jack also took the opportunity to join them on the couch. The three of them sat like in that position for a while when Jasmine cleared her throat. "What's wrong with Hermione, Draco?" She turned her expectant eyes on him. "I heard Jane and Ron talking. He said that if Hermione hadn't lost her magic, she wouldn't have been like this. Is it true?"

Draco moved uncomfortably between them. He was seriously contemplating whether to tell them the truth or just to evade the whole topic, but when both children were looking at him for an answer he lost it. "Yes, the bloody magic itself had brought her into this. And if it hadn't been lost she would be with us arguing about your energy theories."

"Why did she lose it? Did somebody steal it from her?" This was from Jack and Draco put his face down rubbing his face. He didn't know what to answer. Should he tell them that Jasmine's father was the one who put her into this condition and his bitch of an aunt stole her capacity to live?

But he was saved when Jane chose that time to break up their little conversation. "That's enough. It is past your bedtime. Why don't you both get on with your before bedtime activities? I am sure Hermione would be very happy once she gets to know how properly behaved you were when she was not around," she chaperoned them to their rooms.

She was back in a minute, alone this time and brought Draco a bowl of a hearty soup. A strong aroma of wintry goodness invaded his nostrils. He thanked her for the gracious helping and took a spoonful. It tasted amazing to his tired body. He sat there sipping the soup elegantly while his mind wandered to his research. He thought of asking Tinky to procure some more books. But he thought it would be best if he went himself for checking exactly what he was looking for. Maybe he could check the Black Library or Hogwarts. Something should be there somewhere. He also had the task of talking to his mother and this may be the best time to convince her to face the reality. He could also suggest for outside help in the form of a therapy to assuage her. Yes, that should work out. He finished his meal as a plan slowly framed in his mind. He thanked Jane once again for the meal, bid a silent goodbye to Hermione and stepped into the night.

His destination was clear in his mind as he turned on the spot. He walked through the halls leading to the library. He was sure his arrival wouldn't go unnoticed, but he wanted to make the most of the time he had planned to spend in there. While he slowly walked through the aisles he thought that exhaustion as finally taken over him as a slight numb pain started in his chest. He accidentally rubbed over the spot trying to relieve the tension. His body felt like a tightly wound string. He was sure any slight amount more he would break.

"Master," the tiny squeak made him jump in mid step. "Sorry young master. Tinky is so excited to see you here. But why is master looking like that? Master had gone very sick. Tinky didn't take proper care of him. Tinky needs to be punished," the high pitch wails were hammering against Draco's ears.

"Tinky, stop. I am fine, just tired that's all," Draco tried through the wails.

"Should I fix some dinner for the young master. Tinky will make all his favorites."

Draco tried to stop saying he had already finished his dinner but stopped before the words came out. He understood the elf wouldn't understand his denial. "Yes, I would love some dessert bites."

The elf beamed and replied bowing graciously. "Tinky will get them in no time" and Tinky tried to apparate but Draco immediately caught hold of its tiny hand stopping him effectively.

"Tinky, don't inform my mother yet. I need some time on my own in here", he said pointing to the Library.

"Oh! Don't worry, young master, Mistress already knows. She is chatting with Mr. Zabini, when she noticed your arrival. They are on their way." The elf explained with pride not noticing his sudden distress.

Draco groaned realizing he had chosen not so perfect time for his research. "Could you stall them for a while. Tell them I need some time. Tell mother that I insisted." Draco gave extra caution knowing that his mother needed that.

"Of course young master, Tinky will see to it," the elf nodded and disapparated.

Draco released a breath and moved further into the aisles. He had been here last time, which was the time when Hermione confronted him and he had to rescue her before Potter discovered them.

A tiny shimmer of light caught his attention. It was no candlelight. It was coming from a corner he had hardly visited. But even then he didn't notice that light before. His steps automatically turned towards there. His drained mind might have been playing some tricks Draco thought as he glanced back at the place.

But that was no trick of the light, at the far end corner there sure was a glimmering ray of light. Now he was sure he had never seen that ripple of light at that corner.

It felt totally surreal standing there. How did he miss the thin veil that stood at one of the corners in his own house? He stretched his fingers to touch the fluttering veil, but his hand just seemed to pass through it without any hindrance. He gasped and drew his hand out. He jumped on his feet when he heard a pop just from beside him.

"Master, your dessert bites are here. Where do you want me to serve Master? Shall I arrange it near the reading tables?" Tinky exuberantly asked. The little thing seemed very happy that she was able to tend to his Master's wishes.

Draco still in a state of shock glanced at the elf and the plate in his hands. He asked in a trembling voice, "Tinky what is this?" He pointed to the dancing veil and asked.

"Master?" The elf asked curiously. "What is that you is asking about?"

"This veil? Tinky. Right here", Draco said gently pulling the elf by his hand.

"There is no veil Master, You is pointing to the wall", Tinky replied shying away from him.

"How can you not see it? It's right in front of you." Draco asked in an incredulous voice.

"Master, you is very tired. You need rest. It is a hallucination. I have been here for a very long time young Master. I know everything about this place", the elf explained.

The elf's words had thrown him into a self-doubt. Is it really not there? Was he hallucinating? He slowly walked back, his eyes still fixed on the veil. He turned to the elf and said, "Alright! You can set it up near the fireplace. I need a minute".

"Of course Master," the elf complied with hesitation but didn't force him.

"Tinky, don't let anyone come in yet," Draco confirmed his earlier assertion.

The elf nodded and disappeared through the aisles.

Draco turned his eyes to the veil again. There was something very intriguing about the veil that was for sure. He didn't care whether it was real or hallucination, he wanted to see what exactly is that. He didn't understand where his recklessness had come from, but a small hope that he may find something related to Hermione gave him the nudge to cross that barrier.

He finally took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Suppressing the dull throb coming from his chest, he took the plunge and entered the veil. An icy chill swept through him as Draco opened his eyes to see the mysteries the veil held within.

A/N : Sorry another cliffhanger. But I couldn't help myself. So any ideas what the veil is about? I love your input regarding all of that. Do let me know. Please R & R

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