Unfortunately my dear readers I will be out of town for four or five days, which means you'll have to wait a while before I'm able to update, but don't worry, you'll live. ************************************************************************

Hermione rushed up the stairs to Astronomy, she was going to be late, again. She reached the summit and froze as her gaze beheld Lucius Malfoy.

"Ms. Granger is it?" He took a step closer to her.

"Yes." She managed in a small voice.

He nodded. Suddenly he gripped her by the forearm and slammed her into the wall lining the corridor.

He leant down so that he could give her the full benefit of his slashing gaze. "Now you listen and listen well. You are to leave my son alone. If you ever touch him with your filthy hands again, I will personally kill you."

He tightened his grip on her arm and she whimpered. "Do I make myself clear?"

Hermione gritted her teeth and bobbed her head tightly.

"Good." With that he released her with a jerk before stalking down the steps and out of sight.

Hermione bit down on her lower lip and felt tears well in her eyes. But the tears were not of pain, but of grief. She would never see Draco again, in battle or in love.

She gathered her fallen books and ran to her common room, with certainty in her step and determination on her face.

Harry returned from Astronomy to gather some forgotten essay for Potions. He stepped through the portrait hole and he headed across the crimson carpet for the boys dorm when something caught his eye.

It was something white lying on the common room couch. Upon closer inspection he realized it was a letter...from Hermione.

His emerald eyes followed the lines swiftly and at their completion a look of shock twisted onto Harry's face.

He had to tell Ron. He raced to the Potions room.

"Ah, late again, Mr. Potter. Ten points from Gryffindor" Jeered Snape.

Harry wasn't listening, he rushed over to Ron "Ron, you've got to hear this." "You were just in time Mr. Potter. I had divided the class into pairs. Get with your partner." He gestured to Millicent Bulstrude.

"But sir I-"

"Now!" Demanded Snape.

Harry sighed and took his place beside Millicent.

That night Harry sat down beside Ron at dinner. Ron looked around "Where's Hermione?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you in Potions." Harry exclaimed. He reached into his robes and extracted the letter he'd found on the couch.

Ron took it from Harry's outstretched hand, unfolded the parchment and read.

Ron's face became that of growing shock the further he read. "She went to the muggle world?"

Harry nodded.

"To become a nun?" Ron's voice was growing higher in pitch due to disbelief.

From across the room Draco's head snapped up as Weasley's voice sliced through Pansy's yammering about dresses.

"What?" He mouthed to himself. He had read about nuns. Apparently they were some religious order who took vows in the church. What were they again? Poverty, Obedience and Chastity.

He stopped as realization dawned. Chastity. That was the perfect escape from any love affair. Men couldn't even kiss nuns. She was using another shield.

But why? He thought they had decided he was going to help her through her vulnerability. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

He rose from his place and glided out of the Hall into a darkened corridor. He drew his wand from his robes and pointed it at his wrist. "Breakium Amendo."

His wrist immediately turned to the equivalent of jelly. He replaced his wand and headed for the Hospital Wing.

Madame Pompfrey shook her head with disapproval. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, students should not be allowed to try to mend their own bones when they break."

The nurse thrust a beaker of silver Skel-i-grow into Draco face and waited for him to finish the vile concoction before abandoning him to tend to a female patient in the next room.

Draco sighed and rose from his bed, his left arm in a sling. He looked at the sinking sun and turned to the locked door. The nurse was not coming back for a while.

He brought his wand out "Wingardium Leviosa."

The bed began to rise as Draco plopped back on it before it escalated too far. He then turned to the window.

"Alohamora" The window flew open as it's bolts fell open.

Draco steered the bed out the window and down the wall of the castle. He jumped off and replaced the bed to it's original position in the Hospital Wing.

He gritted his teeth as he felt one of his bones crack back to existence with an audible snap.

He made for Kings Cross. He was going to track Hermione and bring her back if it was the last thing he did.

************************************************************************ Whatcha think? Like? Don't like? Do tell. Until next time, have a good Fourth of July! Bye!