In all his 18 years of life, Draco Malfoy had seen many a surprising thing. From talking hats and dragons, to surprising acts of bravery and heroism from those he had once overlooked entirely, ignored with a hateful sneer or goaded with a barbed remark, therefore he was not usually at a loss for words. Yet Draco we rendered utterly speechless as he rolled up his shirtsleeves and strode around the corner, expecting to find his mother absorbed in her work, chatting with Granger as the two worked in tandem. Instead, he found his mother holding Hermione on the floor as the war heroine sobbed her heart out.

In truth, Narcissa's open affection towards Granger was not in the least surprising - the two of them had become close in the long hours they spent repairing the school they both loved so much and took great pride in, and both were incredibly smart and opinionated, but in an engaging way- but what was surprising was that Granger had broken down in the first place. She never let people see her cry, especially after all that had happened; the Ministry had practically branded her the poster girl for magic and heroism, as if she were some mythic goddess and not a girl who could only just legally buy alcohol. As if she had to be all things, to all people.

To Draco, she was now the only girl who ate lunch with him, who did not act as if to be within a hundred yards of him was to be tainted with evil and malignance. To Draco, she was the girl he had slowly and methodically expressed his pain with, in rare glimpses and slivers, like uncovering a buried treasure, but it could only be seen when the light hits it just so. It truly baffled him, how despite all he had done, all he had done to her, Granger did not make him feel like he shouldn't be allowed to grieve his father, his cousin Tonks who he should have made more of an effort for.

She did not make him feel bad for grieving the loss of his innocence.

As if she sensed his presence, Hermione looked up. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You, Granger," Draco began mildly. "I thought we had our emotional crisis scheduled for Thursday."

She chuckled and began to try to compose herself.

Without conscious volition, Draco crossed the space in a heartbeat, kneeling down and stalling her hands' progress.

"No, Hermione, don't do that. Don't think that you have to pretend with me. This is a place where we don't have to pretend to be okay." With that said, he picked her up from his mother's embrace, carrying her over to a nearby bench and depositing her lightly. He just sat beside her, while Narcissa sat beside him, giving Hermione space. Granger just put her head on his shoulder, and at first the contact was like a physical current, a shock. But Draco just offered his presence, as Hermione had done for him all these weeks, as she had at his trial and Narcissa's trial, as she had done when he apologized the first time he saw her after the Battle, and she had somehow found it in her heart to offer him her forgiveness, a gift he did not deserve but would strive to repay.

He looked down and saw the bandages covering her hands. Gently, he took her right and asked, in a voice he had never used before -one of concern and hurt and pain for her- "What happened, Hermione?"

And so she told him. She told him everything, and by the end, he had pulled her into his arms as a fresh barrage of tears streaked from her eyes. Draco should have been surprised, for he did not think he had ever given anyone a hug save his mother, but he couldn't just leave her like this. Slytherins were loyal by nature, and after her testimony at their trials, after every day she sat with him despite the venom she received from others, how could he not be loyal and protective of that? Especially, after all she had done, the Weasel had the sheer audacity to treat Hermione in such a manner, as if the same act of which he was berating her for had not been done because of him and Potter, because she loved them enough to leave her parents behind.

"I don't know if I can go back there, after everything. I don't want people to suffer, just because Ron and I aren't on speaking terms."

Gods, she was going to be the death of him.

"You don't have to. You could stay with us," he offered.

So entirely focused on Granger was he, Malfoy failed to see the shock on his mother's face, then her slight smile.

"I know, Draco," she said, her use of his first name highlighting the gravity of the situation, "but you should feel no such obligation to me. I'm an adult now and I shouldn't have to rely on the charity and generosity of others. I'll just stay in my old room here; at least I won't have to worry about apparating," she said with a weak laugh.

Draco sighed. "As you wish." Then, a thought hit him. "Have you even got anything of yours here? When was the last time you ate? Slept?"

She didn't answer.

"Hermione," he chided, tilting her chin up so that she was forced to look at him.

"All my belongings are at the Burrow. As to when I last ate, maybe Friday? Same with sleep. And you needn't be such a Mother Hen; I am well within my faculties to look after myself."

"Clearly."

A beat. Then, "I could go get your stuff."

Hermione smiled. "You'd walk into the den of Weasleys for me? What did I do to deserve such an act?" she joked.

"You listened, and didn't walk away," Draco replied truthfully. He stood up, and pulled Hermione with him, steadying her as she wobbled precariously.

"Now," he began, "I'm going to go get your things, but not until you eat something and then have a nice sleep, preferably for several hours."

"But the castle," Hermione protested.

"Will still be here tomorrow. Please, Hermione," Draco said, "please don't drive yourself into the ground; believe it or not, I'm not too adept with a shovel."

Hermione smirked at his classic sarcasm. "Fine."

As Draco escorted her to the Great Hall with his mother, Hermione abruptly turned around and gave him a fierce hug.

"Thank you," she murmured into his chest.

"Any time, Granger," he replied. "Any time."

Since Draco had never been to the Burrow, once he was satisfied that Hermione had eaten enough, had drunk her cup of tea with enough sugar in it to sink a ship, and wasn't about to fall over, he side-apparated with her to the Weasley home. It was indeed nothing like Malfoy Manor or any of the other residences in their possession, yet the place had an air of homeliness and comfort, of a house that had little yet made the most of it. Extensive wards bordered the property, remnants of the last few years and the darkness that had touched every person in that house, so Draco took Hermione's outstretched hand so he wouldn't get attacked or vaporized, especially with the scar that still remained on his arm. Faint, but still present.

"You know, you really don't have to do this," Granger began.

He smirked at her. "Yes, Granger, I do. Besides, if I happen across the Weasel I can exact chivalric justice on your behalf."

"No, you won't." She glared at him.

Draco deflated. "No, I won't."

Hermione gave him a pat on the arm and disappeared.

Squaring his shoulders, hand clenched in his pocket, Malfoy walked up to the front door and knocked.

A female voice floated to him from somewhere in the house, "Ginny, could you get that, please!"

Followed by a sullen reply, "Yes, Mum."

Footsteps sounded and the front door was practically flung off it's hinges by none other than the fiery Weaslette.

"Malfoy," Ginny remarked.

"Weasley."

"Care to explain what you're doing here?" she asked, crossing her arms and leaning in the doorway, nonchalantly-but-not-so-nonchalantly barring him from entering the house.

"I'm here because of Granger."

"I see."

"After what occured between her and Ronald, she doesn't feel comfortable being around him, and she doesn't want you and your family to have to deal with their issues and feel like you have to pick sides."

"Oh, believe me, I've already picked a side," Ginny quipped. "My brother is grieving, as we all are, but you can't skip out on pain. You can't go from point a to point b and expect to be fine. I take it things with her parents didn't go well?"

Draco shook his head.

"She's staying at Hogwarts?"

"For the time being," Draco answered. "The restoration is almost complete, so school should resume in September."

"Hermione didn't say what your plans were when I asked her," noted Ginny.

"Hermione respects people's privacy and things told in confidence. Will Potter and the Weasel be returning?"

"No, but I am. After everything, neither of them want to go back, at least for the time being. Ron never was one for academics," Ginny laughed.

"Indeed."

"I'll go get her things. I'll only be a moment." Ginny went back inside, but Draco still clearly heard Mrs Weasley ask, "Who was that, dear,?"

Ginny didn't miss a beat. "Hermione, mum. She just wanted a book that she'd left."

Knowing Granger, the lie was shockingly plausible.

"Why didn't she come and get it herself? Or even say hello?"

"Because she was practicing her levitation charm for fixing some bit of ancient wall that couldn't be moved or something."

Draco couldn't here Mrs Weasley's reply, for he was trying desperately not to laugh. Suddenly, his right hand, which had been clenched tightly in his pocket, caught on a piece of parchment.

It was folded over, and in Hermione's now-familiar scribble was 'For Mrs Weasley.'

Not wanting to invade her privacy, Draco simply kept the note folded over until Ginny reached him, trunks and Crookshanks in hand. God, her forgotten about her odious cat.

Ginny placed them at her feet and gave him a considering look. "You know, Hermione talks very highly of you," she stated.

"She does?" Draco asked incredulously.

Ginny nodded. "Please, just take care of her. And let her know that I'm always here if she needs me, no matter what my idiotic brother says. We all love her; she's family."

Draco smiled at that, relieved that if Hermione didn't have her parents, at least she had good people who still cared for her.

"This is for Mrs Weasley," he said, passing her the note.

Ginny took the note but didn't open it.

"See you in September, Weaslette."

"See you in September, Malfoy," she said, and shut the door.

With a grunt, Draco picked up Hermione's belongings and apparated back to Hogwarts.

In all her time, Hermione had seen many a funny thing, but seeing Draco Malfoy holding her cat in his arms, looking utterly bewildered, pretty much took the cake.

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I just wanted to say thank you for all the love I've had for this story so far, it means so very much to me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I had do much fun writing it. I will try my very best to get another chapter uploaded before the end of the week, so stay tuned. If you e got the time, I would love it if you could tell me your thoughts and leave a review.

Have a lovely rest of your day!

All my love, Temperance