'Each betrayal begins with trust,'

My eyes slowly fluttered open and I groaned at the ache in my arms and legs, my back was stiff and I very slowly managed to sit up and stretch it, a few swear words passing my lips as I did so.

I pushed the pillows up the headboard of the bed and looked around to find that I was in the Hospital Wing.

"Oh shit,"

I shut my eyes and groaned again, I hated the Hospital Wing, it was my least favourite place in the whole of Hogwarts. I opened my eyes to see Sancus peering at me, his eyes glinting in the darkness, he was perched lightly on my stomach and for such a big bird he weighed hardly anything. We stared at each other for a while as I waited for him to do something.

"Urm hello?" I whispered and with a soft squawk he flew off my body and out of the Hospital Wing door, I stared after him, trying to decide if maybe I was still dreaming.

I settled myself back down into the pillows and winced at the growling off my stomach. I glanced down at the bedside table beside me and grinned as I saw a chocolate bar, unopened, lying there. It was very easy to eat half of it and I felt as the warmth and energy of the chocolate flew through my body, I glanced over at the huge clock that was hung on the wall and saw that the time was two o'clock- in the morning I assumed, seeing as there was no-one else around.

I threw the bedcovers off and swung my legs over the bed, clamping my mouth shut as the pain shot through my body, it was a really intense ache, that made me just want to go back to sleep. But I hated hospitals and was determined to leave.

With small whimpers passing my mouth every few seconds I crept slowly across the stone cold floor, my robes pulled tight around my body and the hospital pyjamas left folded on my deserted bed. I had reached the door and with very slow careful movements I pulled the door handle and opened it, glancing back at the room to make sure that I hadn't been seen.

"Going somewhere?"

"Fuck."

"How very eloquent of you Draco, get back to bed,"

So with Sancus' beak pushing into the small of my back I made my way painfully slowly back over to my bed.

"I'll give you time to change,"

The curtains were pulled around my bed and I heard as the Muffliato charm was muttered, I guessed, towards Madam Pomfrey's door. I climbed into bed and waited anxious of what would happen next.

"You're an idiot," Ginny said calmly as she pulled the curtains back and settled herself down in the chair next to my bed.

"You need to stay here at least overnight, and you need to rest, so that the potion Madam Pomfrey gave you can work its magic," she continued, giggling a little. I rolled my eyes at her and huffed grumpily.

"Oh by the way, Hermione's going to be here in a minute," she added casually and I felt as my heart stopped. I opened my mouth to speak but only a hiss of air came out.

"Oh not happy about that are you? Well you were going to have to face her someday. Oh yeah, and Draco? 'I know' is not an appropriate response, ya ninny," she chided me and I stared at her, my face a picture of complete horror.

"How the hell did you know that?" I asked.

She sighed and looked at me as if I was the most moronic person she had ever spoken to. "Because, Hermione's a girl. She talks, to other girls, mainly me. Anything happens, I know about it,"

"Anything?" I asked my voice a little more high pitched than I wanted it to be.

"Anything." She repeated, before grinning at my shocked expression "Anyways Sancus came to wake her up, she asked him to if you showed any signs of life, but he got me as well in the process, she's just making herself more presentable, but as you know I don't really care what you think about my appearance," she said drawing her deep blue dressing gown further around her.

I sat there staring at her, my heart beating faster than ever before. She laughed softly at me, but her eyes were filled with sympathy and a sort of understanding.

"I better get going," she said softly standing up from her chair and I suddenly wished for her not to leave, but I'm a Malfoy and Malfoys never run or take help from others, if they can help it.

Ginny was half way across the room by the time my thoughts had drifted away and I watched as Sancus slowly flew after her, I sighed deeply and squeezed my eyes shut. What could I say to her? How would I even be able to look at her after the way I had responded? I felt a warm finger under my chin and I immediately knew she was there, her smell invaded my body.

It caressed me and held onto me tightly, she smelt of parchment and vanilla and just herself. The pure of aroma of Hermione. She tilted my head up and I knew she wanted me to open my eyes but I couldn't bring myself to.

"Look at me," she demanded gently and I felt my body obeying her, because I had no control around her and a part of me had a feeling she knew it.

My eyes opened slowly and her face was so close to mine, so close. I blinked at her and I found that I had forgotten how to breathe, she smiled at me lovingly, her eyes soft and full of such understanding. I let out a shudder of breath and with that we collided. Ignoring the pain in my arms I wrapped them around her neck and pulled her close to me as she bent down.

"It's okay, it's okay," she murmured over and over again, I pulled away from her suddenly and cupped her face in my hands, her curls tangled in between my fingers.

"No, it's not okay," I said firmly "What I said to you… I mean how I said it, I was just, it's not that I don't- I just…. I'm sorry," I whispered and again she smiled at me and a quiet giggle burst from her lips.

"Draco. I know, I know. It is fine, I don't expect anything from you- I know this is new to you. So, stop it, it sounds wrong when you don't know what to say, like the world is spinning in the wrong direction," she replied silencing me, she leant forward and pressed her lips against mine quickly, pulling away again before we could get too caught up.

"I feel like an arse,"

"Yes and were you any other person I would think you were one too, but you're not. So don't think things like that,"

"I still feel like an arse,"

"Fine. Feel like that if it makes you feel better," she huffed and I grinned cheekily at her.

"Not really," I replied, she leant down, shaking her head in amusement and catching my lips in another kiss. She ran her tongue lightly across my bottom lip and I smiled into the kiss, she wasn't so timid in her actions any more. She moaned at me and still smiling I obediently opened my mouth, loving the feeling of kissing her deeply. She pulled away suddenly and pressed her slightly swollen lips together, making her look like a caught out school girl.

"I've got to go," she panted, standing up straight and glancing around the empty room. "But Draco Malfoy, you stay in your bed do you hear me? No sneaking out?" she told me sternly and I nodded innocently at her, feeling as fatigue swept through my aching bones.

"Sleep now," she whispered, dropping a kiss on my forehead before jogging silently out of the room. I leaned back in my pillows and breathed a sigh of relief, I still felt like a total idiot for what had happened in the Lake, but it would do no good to dwell on it, it would probably make things even more awkward around us now.

"Yes Mr Malfoy, sleep now," Madam Pomfrey's voice floated through into my head and my eyes shot open to see her walking towards me, her hand clutching a bottle, her eyes amused as she approached my bed.

I wondered how long she had been waiting, and a rush of gratitude went towards the witch for giving me my privacy. She lifted the bottle to my lips and I felt the sudden dulling of all my senses as the Dreamless Sleep Potion began to work itself throughout my veins my head sank back into the pillows as I waited for my blissful sleep to come.

XXXXXXXXX

It had surprised me how accepting people had been of mine and Hermione's new found relationship and when I voiced this to Ginny she laughed at me.

"Oh come off it, everyone had seen the way you looked at her and the way she used to go out of her way to find you," she had explained and I felt like blushing at what seemed to be the sheer obviousness of our relationship.

"Don't you miss him?" I asked Hermione one day as we walked around the grounds of Hogwarts, the sun still in the sky but you could feel as the warmth of summer slowly started to drift away. She shifted her hand in mine and looked up at me, frowning slightly.

"Who?"

"Weasley,"

"I still see him," she replied and I shook my head.

"No I mean as a boyfriend, or whatever the hell you two were," I rolled my eyes, wondering slightly why I had decided to bring this topic up. She looked at me thoughtfully for a moment and then shook her head.

"No, me and Ronald were never together, despite the rumours you hear. I think that if certain things hadn't happened we probably would have been but I just lost interest in him that way, though I don't think I can regret liking him for the years that I did. However much heartache he put me through," she said half grimacing, half smiling.

"What changed?" I asked curious.

"You did," I looked at her for a minute, trying to see if she was joking. She giggled at my expression and pulled me down to sit on the grass with her. She didn't seat herself in between my legs or lean up against me or anything, she just sat opposite me and I had a feeling that this talk was important to her.

"You, and you constant looking," she carried on, her hair pushed back from her face by a hair band, it suited her, to have her face shown completely.

"It used to baffle me. At first I thought that maybe you were doing it to try and intimidate me but I noticed that it wasn't the usual death stares you'd normally send. You just looked sad and lonely, so I decided to just watch you for a day. I'd been the subject of your observations for a while and I thought it was your turn and, well, you turned out to be just as interesting as I seemed to you," she smiled at me and my heart stuttered a little bit.

"After that I decided to talk to you and well you know the rest from there,"

I nodded and we fell silent for a while, just enjoying each other's company. I was just about to speak when I heard my name being called.

"Malfoy,"

I looked up and saw Potter stalking towards us, his face angry and almost betrayed. I stood up straight and Hermione followed me, shifting uncomfortably around.

"What?"

"You're wanted," he replied stiffly as though he was forcing out the words.

"By who?"

"Dumbledore." He winced and I frowned at him, something was wrong.

"Why does he want to see me?" I asked suspiciously and Hermione moved closer towards my body, I wrapped my arm around her waist and she gulped nervously. Something was very wrong.

"He wouldn't say but I really think you should go and see him," Potter replied and his tone was dead, there was nothing behind his face. The air crackled with tension.

I pressed a kiss to the top of Hermione's forehead and together we walked up towards the castle, my arm still tight around her. Potter was walking in front of us, holding himself tightly as though he were in pain and I frowned. The sun was still shining and it seemed wrong, if this was a movie or a book the clouds would be turning gray and there would be thunder in the distance.

We walked into the Castle and together we turned to walk down towards Dumbledore's office.

"No." Harry said suddenly "He's in there," he gestured to the Great Hall.

"You stay here," I murmured to Hermione, beginning to move away.

"No, it's best she goes in to," Potter spoke up again and I looked at him my eyes questioning. I glanced down at Hermione and felt as my gut was telling me to push her away, make her run from here, but Potter was on my side.

I knew Potter he would never let anything happen to Hermione and so with a small nod and a strong feeling of dread I pushed open the door to the Great Hall, releasing Hermione's hand as I did so.

"Sorry," I hear Potter whisper but before I could turn and ask him why he said it, I felt a large and very painful smack on the back of my head. My hand reached out for Hermione but as I fell to the floor I grabbed nothing but air.

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