A.N - A big thank you for everyone that has added this story to their favorites/follows. I'm so happy reading all your reviews and it definitely encourages me to keep writing. I have the entire plot outlined and completed and I'm working through jotting down the actual story. A special thanks goes to my Beta MrsFelton1988. If you are interested, I have a Pinterest board dedicated to this story: rhetorictier/maledictus/

Chapter 8

Theo looked at Draco with a smile on his face, "Actually, she's Nott."

Draco turned to face him. "Not what? Not Granger?"

Hermione saw a smirk forming on Blaise's face. He nodded his head, "Hmm. She's Nott." He said kicking his legs up on the couch, spreading his arms out and holding the back of his head. His eyes twinkled and looking up at her, he winked. A small mischievous smile began to tug at the corner of Daphne's mouth.

Theo shot a stinging jinx at Blaise's legs. "That's from the 18th century." Blaise raised his hand's up in surrender and brought his feet back down to the plush rug.

"Who's that then? Did you use Polyjuice?" Draco questioned

"No. Not Polyjuice." Blaise replied.

"How? Why? Some sick and twisted fantasy of yours Blaise?" Draco smirked at him

"No… Is it your fantasy? I read that she passionately defended you, I wondered why?" Blaise drawled.

A pink flush began to appear on Draco's neck and his face twisted into scowl.

"Alright. Enough." Theo said. "Hermione, do you want to sit with us?"

Draco's eyebrow was raised slightly. He looked at Theo. "Is that really Granger?"

Hermione walked over to the group and sat beside Theo. Draco's eyes never left her face, and they remained neutral and passive, not displaying an ounce of emotion as Theo explained that they were related. The more information Theo began to share, the more Hermione noticed something changing in his eyes. At first, his eyes were light silver and shining with curiosity. Slowly, it almost appeared as if the color began to change, glazing over and turning into a dark shade of grey, almost like cold hard steel.

"Stop it Daphne, or I will hex you." Draco's voice called out softly.

"You know I can't control it." Daphne purred.

"Trying to force through is controlling it." He replied curtly

Hermione turned towards Daphne filled confused at the interaction. She found the blonde smiling at her. "He's occluding. That's why his eyes are changing." She was about to ask why, and Daphne had already started responding to her questions.

"The Greengrass family have always been natural-born legilimens. My sister's lucky, she can choose when to listen or not. I sadly hear every single pathetic thought people have…well.. except if they occlude…although I have been trying to find ways around it." She giggled. "Hmm you're right it is awful, but I've learned to live with it. Draco doesn't want me to know all his secrets."

Hermione smiled at Daphne as she had replied to all her questions before she could even ask them. Blaise chucked. "Don't expect an ounce of privacy around her."

Turning to Draco, she asked "How'd you learn Occlumency?"

"Father, Aunt Bella, Snape." He replied shortly

"Oh! Snape taught Harry too. Although he really struggled to learn it; but I'm not sure he tried very hard if I'm honest. I wish I could have learned." Hermione noticed that his eyes never left her face. She remembered him staring at a single spot in the courtroom.

"Do you have to stare at one spot? Is that what you were doing at the trial? "she asked curiosity picking at her.

His eyes flashed and for a minute she saw fury within them. Taken back, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"No." his voice was chilling

Blaise perked up. "Tell me Granger. Why were you at his trial?"

She felt Theo tense up slightly.

"I didn't think he deserved a life sentence in Azkaban. He was young and made a mistake." She looked at Draco.

"Young?" his voice was like ice. "I'm the same age as you."

"Draco…" Theo cautioned.

"Yes. And you were placed in a difficult situation." Hermione thought back to Theo's words last night about the ideology they grew up with. She remembered Theo saying that Draco had begun to question the concepts of pureblood superiority a few years back. "It's unfair and I thought you needed to have someone fight for you."

Draco stood up and walked slowly over. Hermione automatically responded, standing too, shoulder straight, eyes blazing with bravery. The ache in her head turned into a dull throb slipping to the forefront of her mind.

"I didn't need you to fight for me. I don't need your pity Granger." He snarled at her.

"That wasn't pity! That was me standing up and fighting for what's right! And it seemed like you needed it Thursday – I didn't see anyone other than Harry and me lining up!" She quipped irrational anger building up in her. Hermione could feel the heat from his body pouring out from him in waves.

"Watch it." He growled, taking another step closer to her. His broad shoulder was shaking slightly in anger as he towered over her.

"Or what?" she glared up at him. She could feel his palpable hatred.

"Draco, take a step away from her." Theo also stood up, placed a hand on his friend trying to calm him down.

"She may be pureblood…but she's still – "

Hermione raised her wand and angled it at his neck. Every single memory of him being mean over the past several years flashed in her mind.

"Don't blow his brains out dear. All your hard-work getting him out will be for naught." Daphne's voice playfully called out from the couch. Blaise began chuckling. Draco rolled his eyes, turned around calmly, and lazed back down on the chair. His face sneered cruelly at her; eyes filled with disdain.

Hermione looked at Daphne and although her voice was teasing, Hermione knew that she could see every cruel and mocking thing Draco had said to her in the past from her mind. This was too much. Her head was pounding now. The ache almost unbearable. She didn't want to be in this room. She wasn't a Nott, wasn't Adeline Lyra, wasn't a pureblood. She didn't belong here. She was tired, emotionally wrought and could not stand to be around Draco for another minute. Hermione could feel a slight tension of rage building within her mind.

Daphne stood up about to respond to the thoughts she had heard in Hermione's mind. Before she could say a thing, Hermione called out for Vippy and he appeared right beside her.

"Can you please take me home?" She asked the elf.

"You is home Mistress." Vippy responded with confusion on his face.

"My flat. Take me to my flat." He grabbed her hand.

"Wait! Hermione!" Theo called out.

As she began to feel the elf's gravitational pressure tug her away, she heard Draco's voice ask, "She has the manor?"

A/N - I got a great question in the reviews asking why Draco hates Hermione and wanted to address it in case anyone else was wondering. This story follows canon up to end of Deathly Hallows and before the epilogue - so even though Draco recognizes that she is no longer muggle-born, he has still disliked her for seven years through their time at Hogwarts. He thought she was obnoxious at school, she punched him in the face third year, and they have been on opposing sides for almost the entire of time of knowing each other.

It's not easy to let go of disliking someone. In addition to all of that, there is some misplaced hatred - projecting his own self-inflicted hate onto her. He feels guilty about witnessing her torture, having to torture others, seeing countless people killed in his own home and he hates himself. He wanted to just go to Azkaban, be punished for his sins and that is why he didn't try to fight for himself during the trial because he thought he deserved it.

Seeing her come to his defense after he re-watched the memory where he revealed her identity made him feel worse. He knew acknowledging her would be a death sentence for her, but he still did it (reluctantly). I used the quote (as close to it) from the book where he says "I...maybe...yeah" - confirming her identity. He hates himself and he hates her for not letting him go to Azkaban.

Hope that helps explain his emotional response. :)