Hey, I got a beta! Yaaah!! Thanks to Fervesco for some of the grammar problems, and for being a human thesaurus for those pesky words that keep wanting to repeat themselves. Read and Review please!!

Hey, don't own it, never will, though I'm flattered you would think so.

Ch. 3-Painful rebirth

Draco woke up, partly from the pain of trying to roll over, and partly because his arm had just brushed across warm skin that did not belong to himself. Under normal circumstances, his eyes would have flown open as he leapt up in panic. Now, however, he pried his eyelids apart and let his head roll to one side.

His startled silver eyes met confused gold ones.

"What . . .?" Hermione asked, looking sleepy and disheveled.

"You fainted. Figure you'd be more comfortable on the bed than the floor." When her eyes questioned him further, he continued, "I felt faint, so I decided I would rather be on the bed as well, seeing as how there would be no one to put me there."

She nodded faintly, then winced. There was a horrible crick in her neck. *Come to think of it,* she thought, *my whole body hurts.* "I don't think I can get up," she moaned.

"I'd offer to help you but I know I can't move," he told her drily. "I think my muscles are frozen in place."

They laid there in silence for a few minutes, contemplating their dilemma. Hermione was nearly in despair when she realized that she desperately needed to use the loo. With this urgent incentive she managed to get up and walk, albeit stiffly, painfully and with a limp, across her room to the attached bathroom.

"I thought you said you couldn't get up," Draco called to her when she came back out, still not having moved a muscle himself.

"I thought I couldn't," she retorted, but there was no anger apparent in her voice or eyes. In fact, there was a small smile playing around her lips. "But, you know, when nature calls. . ." She limped over to his side of the bed and sat down next to him. "Never thought I'd be this grateful to my parents for buying me this monstrosity of a bed," Hermione said, looking at it. It was indeed gigantic, with a huge headboard inscribed with angels. "Though I'm sure they never thought I'd drag a boy here under any circumstances."

Draco chuckled weakly and then gasped in pain as a muscle spasm ran through his body. He curled into the fetal position, trying in vain to decrease the pain. It lasted what seemed like an eternity, while in reality it was only a few minutes. When he came out of it, he found his head in Hermione's lap, her cool hands stroking his face and hair.

"You had the Cruciatis cast on you, huh?" she asked gently. He grunted affirmatively, not feeling up to anything else. *Of course she would know the side effects,* he thought, *she's the know-it-all.* The name no longer held any malice, however, and he was grateful not to have to explain.

"I'll be back in a moment," she told him, easing his head off of her lap. "I'm going to get my wand."

She spotted it lying in the middle of the room. She bent over carefully, trying not to topple over, and managed to successfully retrieve it. Hermione heard another gasp of pain as she slowly stood, and she rushed back to Draco's side.

She waited for it to pass before casting a few minor healing charms. The tension in his face lessened a little but Hermione knew that pain still had him in its tyrannical grip. Smoothing his long hair back again, she got up, shoving her own discomfort to the back of her mind in order to deal with his.

He looked at her, his eyes filled with torment and questions, but she motioned for him to wait a moment before walking to her bathroom again. She dug around in the cabinet under the sink until she found what she was looking for: her emergency potions kit. It contained a few ingredients, but most importantly a small amount of long-keeping pain relief and healing potions. She hauled the container back towards the bed and pulled out a vial. "We need to sit you up," she told him, a professional air surrounding her.

She piled some pillows behind him and with a little help from him she managed to get him in a sitting position, though both were out of breath when they were finished. "Drink this." She handed him the vial, which contained a dark purple liquid. He looked at it warily. "For goodness sakes, it's not poison!"

"I know it's not. I just happen to know what it is, and I don't particularly like it." At her exasperated her look, he reluctantly downed the potion. A shudder ran through him, "Ugh! Disgusting!!" Suddenly, much of his tension oozed out of him. "But, oooh, better."

"Glad it worked so well. Now, I know you were bleeding at some point, we need to check and heal the wounds." She paused before continuing, "I think you need to take off your shirt."

Draco looked at her, and resigned himself to his fate. Hermione obviously wasn't go to take no for an answer. Despite the potion, however, he needed help to get it off. This gave him a small opportunity for revenge. "Always knew you'd be undressing me someday, Granger," he said with a fake leer.
To his surprise and pleasure, she burst out laughing. He was glad; for a moment of sudden regret he had thought that she would take it the wrong way. She gently began rubbing a healing salve on some knife wounds on his back, not asking the questions he knew must be running themselves ragged in her mind. "I'll tell you someday," he said softly. She nodded with understanding. To fill the silence, he asked the first thing that came to his mind, "Where are your parents? I would have expected them to be knocking down your door, it's nearly noon."

"They're on a cruise, and I'm here alone, except for Crookshanks," at his blank look, she said, "My cat. They haven't had a vacation in God- knows-how-long, so they're taking a well deserved break. That's why I was shopping-I got bored here, with no one to talk to."

"Isn't it a little dangerous to be here all on your own, with the Death Eaters out there?"

"Maybe, but I've kept my wands with me at all times, and there are wards around my house. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't an Auror or two lurking around every once in a while."

"That disturbs you?" he asked, surprised at the biting resentment present in her voice.

"Yes, it does. They could just tell me up-front, instead of hiding. Anyway, one of the ones I've seen gives me the creeps. I swear, I think he spies on me even when I'm in the loo." She stopped and snickered. "I got him good last time, though, and he doesn't even know it. He had been sitting down eating lunch, and Crookshanks stole his hat. While he was distracted, I slipped a time delayed potion into his flask to turn his hair all shades of the rainbow and to grow a matching beard. I didn't get to see it, but I bet it was hysterical. He hasn't been here since. I get the feeling that he's still psychedelic."

For a moment, Draco was shocked, and then made a note to himself to never get Hermione riled up like that. He had felt enough taste of her hexes on the train at the end of fourth year, and he definitely did not want the humiliation that Townsend had received. "I saw him," he told her through a laugh. "Gods, that was the hardest I've laughed in forever. I don't think he's turned back to normal yet, either. They can't seem to find a counter-curse or an antidote."

She laughed with him. She knew that the laughter and the jokes were their way of temporarily putting off thinking about what had happened, but couldn't help thinking that laughter was healing, as well.

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In hopes of finding out what had happened at the shopping center, Severus Snape decided to pay a visit to his old friend, Lucius Malfoy. After exchanging greetings and the required small talk, Severus decided to ask about his godson. "So, how is Draco faring? He is bored with the summer holidays already, I don't doubt."

A savage look came into Lucius's eyes. "Don't speak that name in here ever again, Severus, unless you are planning on telling me that he is dead," he hissed. "I have no son, and you no godson. If you so much as see a strand of his hair outside of that school, he is to be killed. My orders, and the Dark Lord's."

Severus raised one eyebrow at this outburst. Lucius was usually much more controlled. "Why, Lucius?"

"He is a blood traitor, my friend; he refused the mark and claimed that he would see the Dark Lord fall." Severus couldn't help but feel pride at Draco's doings, but was careful not to make Lucius aware of that. "He was being . . . punished, but somehow managed to escape. He was, of course, pursued, but upon reaching a Muggle shopping center, another person joined the fray."

Anger roiled visibly around the elder Malfoy. "We do not know who it was, as of yet, but after more fighting, they somehow managed to flee to an undisclosed location."

"And the damage, Lucius?" He had to know if Hermione or Draco had been badly hurt.

"I know they were hit with several curses, but were still going strong. Too strong. Avery is dead, as is Nott and Flint, Jr. Several others are at their homes recovering at this very moment." He was seething in rage.

Severus quickly changed the subject and let Lucius calm down before he left, Apparating to Hogwarts' gates.

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Snape hurried up the stairs and towards the Headmaster's office. He snapped out the password (Twinkies) and took the moving steps two at a time.

Inside the other Heads of Houses were still waiting to be able to get in Hermione's room. Their anxious faces turned towards his when he entered. "I believe there's more trouble ahead for everyone," he announced. There was complete silence.

"What now?" McGonagall asked, weariness and worry apparent in her voice.

"Draco has gone missing. The Deatheaters at the mall were chasing him. He," here he let the pride he felt infuse his voice, "refused to take the Mark."

This time the silence was a stunned one. "Well," Dumbledore started, "maybe Miss Granger will have some knowledge about his whereabouts and well- being when she exits her room. If she exits her room." The colleagues looked at one another, surprised. It was rare to hear impatience and frustration from the Headmaster, but that was definitely what they were hearing now.
Severus sighed, wishing he could go looking for his godson, but knowing that, for now, his best hope for finding them was waiting for one little chit of a witch to grace them with her presence.

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Hermione sighed as Draco rubbed a little bit of healing salve into her back where she couldn't reach. The shoulder muscles had been cramping too much to ignore. "Thank you," she told him.

"Least I can do," Draco said breezily.

"Smart ass," she said affectionately.

"Bookworm," he returned easily.

Hermione merely harumphed and looked down at her hands. She promptly wrinkled her nose. "I'm filthy!" she proclaimed. "I'm going to take a shower. You can have one when I'm done."

With those words, she rifled through her dresser and pulled out a set of clean clothes and undergarments, which she hid from Draco, and marched to the bathroom. After a moment the sound of running water could be heard, and Draco decided that, instead of dwelling on the thought of Hermione in the shower, he would doze for awhile.

That was Hermione found him when she came out, but the moment she approached the bed he jerked awake and looked around wildly. "Shhh, it's over," she said, and he immediately calmed.

"Can I have a shower now?" he asked.

She nodded, still towel drying her hair, which was beginning to frizz up. Slowly, Draco swung his legs off the bed, but swayed alarmingly once he managed to get to his feet. Instantly Hermione was by his side, her arm around his waist, his arm over her shoulder. "I guess you're going to have to settle for a bath, huh?" she said softly. "I don't think you can stand long enough to shower."

He reluctantly nodded his agreement. They made their way to the bathroom, and she closed the toilet seat and sat him on it. She then proceeded to draw him a hot bath. "I'll leave you to it, then," she said, give him a cocky grin. "Call if you need me, and when you're done, dress in these-" she ran back into her room and came back with a pair of boxers, and jeans and a short sleeve shirt. "The boxers are mine, use them as pajama bottoms, they're clean, and the other stuff is my dad's. As I said, when you're done dressing, call me in and I'll wash your hair in the sink."

He nodded, struck mute by her sudden burst of speech, but grateful, in a way, that someone was taking charge. Slowly, he undressed and, after using the other facilities, climbed into the large tub. He tensed at first- the water was bloody hot! After a moment, though, it became relaxing.

He soaked for quite a while, and managed to pull himself out and dress slowly. "I'm done," he called.

A moment later Hermione came in and gave him a small half-smile. Behind her she dragged a chair, which she placed in front of the sink. "Sit down," she told him, and while he was moving, she went over to the shower and grabbed two bottles. Draco eyed them nervously, but they didn't look too girly. She saw his look and her smile broadened. "What, afraid that when I'm done with you, you'll smell like a giirlll?" she drawled out the last word. "Just lean your head back, trust me."

He looked at her again and did as she said. Strangely enough, he did trust her, more than he ever thought possible. First she wet his hair, and then rubbed the shampoo in gently. He knew that, if he were not so tired, he would be turned on by this, but for now, it was simply relaxing. So much so that he actually dozed off for several minutes. When he woke again, she was rinsing the conditioner out of his hair.

"Done!" she told him triumphantly, and he sat up.

"Thanks," he said, a little embarrassed by it. "Never thought you'd do something like that for someone like me."

"No problem," she murmured, looking at him with eyes that were suddenly sad and contemplative. After a moment, she seemed to come to a decision. She reached back and briefly turned on the water, and then turned to him and slicked his hair back with her wet hand. "I rename thee Draco Kaden Lysander Malfoy. You are new, not bound by what has happened before, not accountable for what was done before. You are a new person, ready to remake your life as you see fit."

He gazed at her, wonder in his eyes. He could feel magic in her touch; not magic as he knew it, but an ancient magic, having more to do with emotion than learning. She had just remade him in the eyes of the universe. He was no longer Draco Bronwen Malfoy, the pure dark dragon.

"What does it mean?" he asked softly, knowing instinctively that the names had other meaning.

"Kaden means fighter-and you are one. But Lysander . . . well, Lysander means one who is freed." She shrugged. "I thought it was appropriate."

He pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," he said roughly.
She made a small sound in the back of her throat and hugged him back. She didn't completely understand why she had done it, but she knew that somehow, she had done magic along with it. He was a new person now. She just hoped it would give him a sense of purpose, and incentive to right the wrongs he had done in the past, even though he was no longer accountable for them. *God knows,* she thought *we sure do need another good fighter for the war against the Dark.*

But right now, the war could go to hell. She felt safe in this embrace, protected, and . . . loved? *That's ridiculous* she thought, but let herself feel nonetheless. So they both stood there, comforting and drawing comfort from one another, for a long while, before stumbling back to the bed and the much needed oblivion of sleep.