Now that her book was useless, Hermione had no way to contact Draco, not that he was even making an effort to reply to her constant attempts at communication. Hermione had hoped that maybe now that their books didn't work, Draco would actually make the effort to talk to her and find out what had happened, though she knew it would be a longshot. There was just so much that Hermione needed to talk to him about, so much that she needed to know.

It was hard keeping her suspicions to herself now that Hermione was assuming that Draco was attempting to assassinate Dumbledore. Harry was still convinced that he was up to no good, and Hermione had to keep on reminding herself just how catastrophic it would be if she let Harry in on her suspicions. It was just better she kept that hunch to herself, since Hermione didn't even want to think about what Harry would do if she told him what she thought Draco was up to.

A week soon passed after her initial confrontation with Draco in the Room of Requirement, and he had made himself more scarce than ever. It was frustrating beyond belief for Hermione, because all she wanted to do was talk to him, yet Draco wanted nothing to do with her. That was, until one day on her way to Charms, Hermione found herself suddenly yanked by her arm and rudely shoved into a closet.

"What the?" Hermione stammered as she stared into the darkness of the closet.

"If you hex me, I'll hex you back even harder," a familiar voice growled.

Looking up, Hermione stared into the steal grey eyes of Draco Malfoy. His face bore his usual glare which did nothing to unnerve Hermione as she stood face to face with him in a closet. For some inexplicable reason, Hermione found herself feeling embarrassingly uncomfortable in this situation, so she quickly backed away from Draco to create as much distance between them.

"Well, that was unexpected," Hermione muttered.

"That was the point," Draco snorted.

Hermione crossed her arms, "What is the point of this? First you say that you want nothing to do with me and then you ignore me at all costs and now you're cornering me in some abandoned closet that you yanked me into? Start talking!"

"Would you just be quiet for one second, Granger?" Draco snarled.

"Only so that you can start talking," Hermione said.

"You know," Draco stated.

"Know what?" Hermione clarified.

"What I am trying to achieve," Draco replied.

Hermione glared at him, "That you're trying to murder Dumbledore? Yeah, I figured it out on my own."

"Of course you did," Draco muttered.

"So what are you going to do, obliviate me now?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"I'm gonna tell you to keep your damn mouth shut," Draco growled.

"And why should I? Surely I should just go to Dumbledore or Harry and tell them what you're doing. You're giving the Death Eaters a route into the school through the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Listen, Granger. I've already got enough on my plate right now so the last thing that I need is to worry about you and your big mouth which is what I've been doing since you caught me in the Room of Requirement. If you knew what was good for you, you'd stay out of my way," Draco said.

"Or else what?" Hermione challenged.

Draco chuckled darkly, "Granger, I have Death Eater connections. With a simple word from me, I can make them come after you and your pesky little friends. You don't even wanna know what those Death Eaters are capable of."

Hermione scoffed, "Please, Malfoy, that's an empty threat and you know it, especially when I already have Death Eaters after me and my friends."

"But if I have my way, I could have the most dangerous Death Eaters sent after you. Surely you remember my Aunt Bella from the Department of Mysteries last year? She's quite ruthless, and she prides herself on being one of the Dark Lords best Death Eaters. She's got a particular hate for muggleborns, especially muggleborns who are friends with Potter. There's also Fenrir Greyback. You know, it's his mission to make as many werewolves as possible? I'm sure he'd fancy a bite with you," Draco threatened.

"I wouldn't think that you'd think so highly of Greyback after you're so scared of him, not to mention Hippogriffs as well," Hermione smirked.

"Funny, Granger. Really funny," Draco drawled. "Just know that if you keep on interfering with my task, I will make sure that the worst happens to you. Come the end of the school year, Dumbledore will be dead and there's nothing you can do about it."

"You're no killer, Malfoy," Hermione murmured.

"You don't know me at all, Granger. I've done things that would shock you," Draco said.

"It doesn't have to be like this," Hermione insisted.

"Unfortunately, it does," Draco scowled as he pointed his wand at Hermione's throat. "Now, stay out of my damn business, Granger. You're better off not getting Potter involved either cause he'll just make things worse."

With one last glare at her, Draco shoved her against the wall of the closet as he made his exit. That left Hermione standing there feeling shaken yet again by another encounter with him. There was just something about the way that Draco got up into her face that gave Hermione shivers. As much as she didn't want to think that he would actually hurt her, Hermione had to remind herself that he'd already gotten two people caught in the crossfire of his futile attempts to assassinate Dumbledore.

Now it looked like Hermione was going to get herself caught in the crossfire no matter what, but she was willing to do what she had to in order to make sure that nobody else got hurt, including Draco Malfoy.

~*•°•*~

In the days that followed, Hermione found it hard to meet Draco's eye whenever she saw him around, not that he even showed up anymore. Anytime that Hermione saw him, it was always briefly before he'd disappear into the halls of the castle. Hermione figured that he'd be spending most of his time in the Room of Requirement to repair the vanishing cabinet, and after their latest confrontation, Hermione wasn't sure how she was supposed to approach the situation again.

Before any of this came to light, Hermione spent most of her years ignoring Draco Malfoy. Now, she couldn't even bring herself to look away from him. It was hard not to notice Draco when she did, especially when he looked so stressed and worn out. Hermione was surprised that nobody even seemed to notice, let alone care that Draco was practically wasting away. So it was in the middle of a Potions lesson when Hermione actually found herself feeling sorry for him, and it was also in the middle of Potions when Hermione got an idea as to how she could make another approach to the situation. Hermione had remembered how Slughorn had brewed a batch of Veritaserum at the beginning of the year, and after raiding Slughorn's supply closet, Hermione had found just enough of a batch that she planned to use on Draco if given the opportunity.

Everything came to a head on the day that Katie Bell returned from St Mungo's. Once Hermione figured out that Draco had been responsible for Katie's situation, she had been worrying about what would happen once Katie returned from the hospital. Hermione knew that Harry would immediately go to question her about what happened, which is exactly what he did once Katie made her first appearance in the Great Hall. But Katie wasn't the only one who appeared in the Great Hall, since Hermione saw Draco there as well. At first he didn't notice Katie, but when he did see her Hermione could've sworn that she saw a glimmer of guilt on his face. Harry then spotted Draco as well, but Hermione stopped him before he could make a move, knowing that any confrontation between them would end in someone getting hurt.

"Stop, Harry," Hermione said.

"But he did it, Hermione. I know he did it. He cursed Katie and almost got her killed. He can't just get away with it!" Harry insisted.

"Harry, do you really think that it's wise to go chasing after Malfoy? You might be looking for a fight, but it could only end badly for both of you," Hermione argued.

"She's right, mate," Ron agreed.

Harry sighed with frustration, "But we can't just let him get away with it!"

"Harry, you need to think rationally about this. You can't just go around accusing Malfoy of everything, without any real proof that can be taken seriously," Hermione said.

"Fine, I won't get into a fight with him. I'll just talk to him about it," Harry grumbled, causing Ron to snort loudly beside him.

"As if any conversation between you and Malfoy could end without the two of you hexing each other," Ron remarked.

"Let me handle it, Harry. I'll try talking to him," Hermione suggested.

"But he'll hurt you," Harry argued.

"I think I can handle Malfoy better than you can, Harry," Hermione pointed out.

"Fine," Harry conceded. "Just be careful, Hermione."

"I will be," Hermione promised.

And she certainly had no intentions of getting involved in any violence with Draco, but just in case, she grabbed her wand and headed off in the same direction as him. As well as her wand, Hermione made sure that she had a vial of Veritaserum on her if she was given the chance to use it on him. It was hard not to notice how fast Draco moved this days, and Hermione figured that he'd gotten that speed as a way to keep people from following him. But Hermione was persistent, and despite having no idea where Draco could've been going, she was still surprised to see him dash into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Then Hermione remembered what Harry told her about Draco confiding with Myrtle, so that part of it made sense. As Hermione carefully approached the old bathroom, she could hear what sounded like sobs echoing through the walls. Despite trying her best to approach this with no personal feelings, Hermione couldn't help but feel sorry for Draco once again. She never would've that that she'd find herself feeling sorry for the boy who had made her school life miserable for the past five years, but things have certainly changed.

Draco seemed to notice that somebody was nearby, as he quickly turned around and pulled out his wand as he spoke in a threatening manner, "Who is there?"

"It's just me," Hermione said as she revealed herself.

Draco groaned, "You just don't know when to give up, don't you, Granger? Well, if you came here to mock me just go ahead and get it done and over with."

"I'm not here to mock you, I'm here to help you," Hermione replied.

"I don't want your help," Draco hissed.

"So you've mentioned," Hermione mumbled.

"And yet it hasn't sunk in yet," Draco growled.

Hermione sighed, "Look, I'm only here because Harry was on his way to do something undoubtedly stupid so would you rather deal with me or him?"

"I'd rather deal with neither of you pathetic Gryffindors," Draco spat.

"Well, I'd rather neither of you idiots get yourselves hurt which is what would've happened if Harry had come barging in here," Hermione said.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Potter will come after me again."

"Because he thinks that you cursed Katie," Hermione crossed her arms.

"Of course he does," Draco muttered.

"But you did, didn't you?" Hermione murmured. "Just like you sent that poisoned mead to Slughorn so that he'd give it to Dumbledore as a way of achieving your mission."

"You've just got everything figured out, haven't you?" Draco drawled.

"Of course I do. I'm Hermione Granger, remember?" Hermione remarked.

Draco scoffed, "Yeah, cause being an obnoxious know-it-all is part of your identity."

"Just like being an ass is part of your identity," Hermione commented.

"Whatever, Granger. Can you just fuck off back to your little friends?" Draco snarled as he turned back around to face the sink.

Knowing that this would be her best chance to catch Draco by surprise, Hermione quickly pulled out her wand and cast the Incarcerous spell on Draco. In an instant, he was bound in ropes as he fell to the ground from the impact of the spell. Hermione then pulled out the vial of Veritaserum and carefully approached Draco as he struggled to free himself.

"Just what do you think you're playing at, Granger?" Draco seethed.

"I'm doing this for your own good," Hermione muttered as she grabbed Draco by the shoulders and forced his mouth open. She then shoved the truth serum down his mouth and waited for the effects to kick in.

"You fucking bitch," Draco snarled.

"Are you Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

"Of course I am," Draco snorted.

"Have you been assigned to assassinate Albus Dumbledore by Lord Voldemort?" Hermione questioned.

Draco rolled his eyes, "I thought that we already established that?"

"How did you curse Katie Bell if you were nowhere near her at the time that the event took place?" Hermione interrogated him.

"I'd been using the Imperious curse on Madam Rosmerta for months to the point where I was able to use it so that she'd use it on Bell too," Draco confessed. "Fucking hell."

"Are you planning on letting Death Eaters into the school by repairing the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement?" Hermione demanded.

"Yes," Draco spat out.

"How do you feel about me being the person that you were unknowingly conversing with through the journals?" Hermione asked.

Draco let out a frustrated grunt, "I was pissed at first, but I'd kind of suspected that it was you anyways. I didn't even have any real clues to go on, it was just a gut feeling that I'd hoped I'd be wrong about because you're the last person who I'd want to figure out what I'm up to, next to Potter, of course."

"Why won't you let me help you?" Hermione wondered.

"Because I've already let people like Bell and Weasley almost get killed. I might not care for either of them, but I never intended for them to get in the way. My target was always Dumbledore," Draco answered.

"Do you actually want to kill Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

"I might hate the man, but I don't want to kill him. Just like I might hate you, Granger, but I wouldn't want you to die at my hands or because of my actions. I thought that killing would be easy, but I can't bring myself to do it because I'm a fucking wimp," Draco admitted.

"Are you an official Death Eater?" Hermione inquired.

"Yes, but not willingly," Draco replied.

"Why are you doing this if you do not want to do it?" Hermione questioned.

"Because that bald snake man has me on a fucking leash. I was forced to take the Mark as punishment for my father's failure at the Department of Mysteries. They're threatening to torture my mother unless I do everything that they want me to," Draco revealed.

As much as Hermione had suspected that these would be the answers to the questions that she needed to ask, it didn't make hearing them any better. Though there was still one question that Hermione needed the answer to more than anything.

"Do you hate me?" she asked.

"Not like I used to," Draco admitted. "Not as much as I hate myself for being a fucking failure, or Voldy Baldy for forcing me to do this."

"If you don't hate me, then why do you still treat me the same, even after discovering who I was?" Hermione wondered.

"Because it's easier to have you hate me than it is for you to actually care about me. I can't even understand why you would be able to care about me. I'm only saying this cause of the truth serum, but I've been a fucking arse to you for five years," Draco said.

"I care because unlike you, Draco Malfoy, I am a good person. And as crazy as it might sound, the fact that you can't bring yourself to be a cold-blooded killer makes me think that there is hope for you to be a good person," Hermione proclaimed.

"Yeah, well, keep dreaming, Granger," Draco muttered.

Deciding that she had gotten what she needed to know from this, Hermione untied Draco from the ropes that she had conjured to trap him in. To her surprise, Draco didn't just immediately get up and leave the bathroom like she would've expected him to. Instead, Draco just turned away from her and leaned against the sink. An uncomfortable silence fell over them, and Hermione realised that this was probably the most civil that they had ever been in each other's company.

"I'm sorry for using Veritaserum on you," Hermione apologised.

"We do what we have to do," Draco stated.

"I just needed to get some answers from you to know what I was truly getting myself into. And it's okay… Draco. You really should know that I am the only person who could actually get you some help, because I don't need to ask you to know that you really don't want to face this on your own," Hermione said.

"I really don't see how you could help me, Granger. You're fighting a lost cause," Draco argued.

"I refuse to accept that," Hermione insisted.

"You're better off walking away now while you still can. This is pretty dark stuff that you don't want to be involved with. Even I don't want to be involved with this mess. You're too good for this, Granger," Draco said.

"I'm not as sweet and innocent as you might think I am. Like everyone else, I too have my ugly side," Hermione said.

Draco scoffed, "Yours couldn't compare to mine."

"Oh really? Well, then. You should know that last year when we formed Dumbledore's Army, I was the one who jinxed the parchment that everyone signed so that something horrible would happen if they thought to betray us. Then I just stood by and let a herd of centaurs take Umbridge away to do Merlin knows what to her. And how could I forget fourth year when I trapped Rita Skeeter in a damn cage while she was in her Animagus form," Hermione admitted.

"You actually trapped Skeeter in her bug form?" Draco squawked. "That's ruthless, even for you."

"See? I told you that everyone has their dark side. Mine only tends to come out when I choose to be vindictive, like when I conjured a swarm of birds to swoop on Ron," Hermione said.

"Okay, so you might've done some bad things. But you've never tried to kill people or almost actually killed people," Draco argued.

"You didn't mean to almost kill Katie and Ron," Hermione pointed out.

"Oh, like manslaughter is so much better?" Draco remarked.

"I just want to help you, Draco," Hermione sighed.

"Well, I don't want your help, Granger. Thanks for the talk," Draco muttered as he got up to leave. "Next time, you might as well let Potter come after me."

Once again, it was Draco who left Hermione to her own devices after she had tried getting through to him. At least this time, Hermione had made more progress with Draco than she had before. But he still didn't want her help, and unless it wasn't the Veritaserum talking, she was pretty sure that he meant it. Despite the fact that Draco wanted her to give up on him, Hermione wasn't going to do that. She was going to help him no matter what, even if it meant bringing in some extra help.


Here we are with some more Dramione development and few twists on things. So, Hermione didn't let Harry go attack Draco in Myrtle's bathroom. But will Harry just stand by and do nothing the next time? Who knows? I do, of course ;). And just who does Hermione plan on going to for help in this delicate situation? The next chapter shall answer those questions and more.