Draco Malfoy returns to Hogwarts for his seventh year miserable as it's the only place he has left to go.

His parents are ashamed of him and he has a task to do. He just doesn't know if he can do it, especially when it involves her.

Ps: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters or story's. This is purely an AU of what I think happened once they returned to seventh year.

Hermione spun around behind the tree, her curls hitting her face and her arms scratching on the bark. But she kept her lips sealed. Her heart was pounding. Surely he'd noticed the loud sound of her feet on the leaves?

She let out a silent sigh of relief as he turned around, the back of his blonde head showing.

She peered around the tree waiting for him to disappear before she turned to her scratched arms and bit her lip as she saw the blood. "Don't scream." She whispered as she took a soft step forward, wincing as she continued at every sound.

She hid behind another tree as he glanced behind him cautiously.

She spun around again feeling that firmiliar bark hitting her skin as she was reminded of a few days ago.

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(Flashback, three days ago, Thursday.)

"We can't be friends anymore." He snapped.

Hermione stopped, holding the lantern up high. "What?"

He glared at her, "People are starting to notice I'm being nicer to you." He lied. Hermione eyes him off, "And why does that matter?" She asked.

He starred at the light flaring off the lantern to the dark blue lit empty hallways in which scared him in the gloominess. "Because it does okay?"

He turned around and took a few steps on the echoing stone before she shouted at him.

"Is it because I'm a muggleborn?" She asked.

"No!" He snapped as he turned back to her,

She crossed her arms after placing the lantern of the ground, "Well yeah, maybe." He said.

Hermione took a step forward, "What did they say to you?" She asked.

Draco frowned, "What?"

"You were so persistent on being my friend and changing your ways, what did they tell you to make you forget this alliance, to forget the blood difference?" She asked.

Draco stood for a few moments as he assumed 'they' meant his friends. "They didn't tell me anything." He said, which was half true.

"I hate this pattern we have." She said.

Draco frowned, "What pattern?"

She sighed, "The one where you trust me. And then over time we get good," she took a step forward to him. He watched her closely. "and then really good and you lower down your walls and open your doors," she took another step towards him, a bigger one. "and tell me things and we become friends..." she sighed again as she took another step, standing right in front of him now., "And then someone says something or someone does something that reminds you what you used to be. Something that makes you hold on to who you were back then. And then you become that person again, your walls rise up."

She took a few steps back, "And then we're back to square one."

He sighed. "It's not that I don't want to."

Hermione sighed, "What do you mean by that? How can you not be able to to be friends with me, but you don't want to stop being friends with me?"

"I still trust you." He said. He took a few steps forward as he picked up the lantern looking her in the eyes. "It's me I don't trust."

Then he turned and walked away.

(End of flashback.)

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She turned from the tree trying to forget what happened. She turned back around and continued her way near him. But then another memory crossed her mind as she continued following him. This one was from earlier.

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(A day ago, Friday.)

She glanced up.

He was looking at her.

She quickly looked down at her dinner plate glancing at Harry and Ron who were deeply in a conversation, she was making sure they hadn't seen her.

She ignored the food on her plate as the thought of him looking at her consumed her appetite with interest instead.

She looked up again, keeping her head lower this time. He was loooking at her with apologetic look on his face. What was he sorry for?

She had found him starring at her a lot lately. And she didn't know why. There had been siring suspicions about Deatheaters on school, especially with what was going on about the horcruxes and Harry but she didn't know why he was always upset over her.

She ignored it as she shoved something in her mouth to try bring her appetite for food back. She looked back to him and he had the solem look on his face. It looked miserable. As if a dementor had just kissed him, like all the happiness he ever had had been sucked from his soul.

She tried to ignore it as she continued eating, ignoring him but she did realise that he hadn't been happy since they stopped being friends. Harry and Ron had been a lot happier. But he hadn't.

Maybe she was his happiness? And now she was gone...

She tried not to think about it. She just knew ignoring him was hard when she had to share a dorm with him as Head boy and Head girl.

She sighed. Why did he feel bad for her like he always stated, nothing had happened.

(end of flashback.)

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Hermione stopped as she spotted wee they'd finally gotten. It dawned on her what he was doing as he stood in the forbidden forest at midnight, he was standing by a a field of nothing but trees. And she saw it.

He was eyeing down a unicorn. It had a long shiny horn and bright silver and white skin. It's mane was long and flowed down it shoulder in a silvery grey.

She watched as he, Draco Malfoy, put out his arms and he yelled out to the unicorn in a a pained voice that she recognised from someone that would've been crying. "Come get me!" He yelled.

Hermione dashed across the leaves the same time the unicorn did. She watched as it brandished it's head down aiming it horn right at him.

"Malfoy!" Hermione yelled, "Move!" She yelled.

She watched as he turned towards her but remained in place, "This is how I belong Granger." He had the most sorrow look on his face as if he felt bad for himself.

There was tears in his eyes. Hermione continued running towards him, "Malfoy move!"

He ignored her and she realised she had to save him. She leaped in front of him and pointed her wand at the unicorn wich was 20 meters away, but her mind blanked.

What was the spell? She thought. She frowned as she shouted, "Immobulus!"

She winced as the unicorn continued running she shut her eyes and winced, waiting for the pain.

A few moments lasted in the darkness, drifting away in the woods breeze. But the impact didn't hit. She looked down finally and saw the unicorn in front of her, and it's horn frozen just before he neck.

She took a step back but bumped in Draco, remembering why she was even here.

She pushed him backwards as she pointed her wand at him, "You git, What were you thinking!?" She snapped.

He just looked at her blankly. "I know I'm stupid."

Hermione nodded as she sniffed as tears filled her eyes, knowing now that she almost watched Draco Malfoy commit suicide.

She sighed, "You idiot!" She snapped as she jumped forward and hugged him. "I thought you were gonna die!" She sniffed as a tear fell from her eyes. Causing her to sob for a moment.

Draco was frozen for a moment before he softly put his arms around her. A few moments passed. "Granger were not friends you know that right-"

"I know, but just let me enjoy the fact that I didn't just watch you get killed." She said softly as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

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Hello! Sorry this chapters short, this is the introduction chapter sort of. I'm trying to mak my writing better but...I suck at it, let's be honest XD anyway, I will try post the next chapter relatively close to after I post this one, but please favourite this fanfic so I know people actually like it and they want more, anyway see you next chapter :)