A/N First of all, you have no idea how hard it was to get this chapter out. Hermione has got to have one of the most boring summers to write about, ever. So I hope you enjoy.

I especially want to thank my beta, Kari, (her pen name's Cuppy). If she hadn't helped me, then this chapter would be incredibly boring and everyone would run away screaming. So mucho props to her. Especially to her extremely fast beta-ing. I gave her two weeks and she sent chapter 2 back not even one day after I sent it in.

So I hope you enjoy, and please drop a review after you read. ;)

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The Moment I Saw You Cry

Chapter 2

Hermione looked up from her book, frustrated at being disturbed. An owl was tapping the window with its beak, quite impatiently, it's brown eyes flashing angrily, its fawn feathers ruffled and flapping..

She stood up and unlatched the window, letting the bird fly in.  It zoomed around the room and she scowled at having to jump around madly and try to catch it. 

The owl dropped the letter into Hermione's hands and flew right back out.  Hermione watched the bird disappear into the distance before glancing back at the letter. 

She turned the envelope to see to whom it belonged to. On the front was written in neat, cursive and bold writing:

To Ms. Nymphadora Tonks

Hermione looked at the elegant script a moment more, and left the kitchen to go and find Tonks.

She walked into the living room, and, sure enough, Tonks was sitting on the couch, flipping through Vogue with a disdainful expression etched onto her face.  Why Tonks read such rubbish when she obviously didn't like it, no one knew.  However, Tonks insisted she might need one of these designs for her next face transformation.

"Tonks?" Hermione asked, disturbing Tonks from her reading.

Tonks looked up and smiled at the brown haired girl, rather pleased with a distraction.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Um, an owl just came for you. Here's the letter".

She handed her the letter. Tonks looked at the elegant script with her eyebrows raised. 

"It's from the Malfoys. Most likely Lucius. I wonder what he wants. We haven't spoken for years."

She opened the letter and read it through, her expression never changing.  Occasionally her eyes would flicker from confusion, to puzzlement, to sympathy but then they would always revert to complete blankness/

"Well," she said after having read the letter. "I was wrong. It isn't from Lucius."

"Who is it from, then?" Hermione asked curiously, ignorant of the fact that both Narcissa and Lucius

"It's from his son. Draco Malfoy."

"What did it say?" Hermione urged, wondering what Draco Malfoy would be asking Tonks, of all people. "The letter, I mean."

"Lucius Malfoy is dead," Tonks recited slowly. "Narcissa, too."

"Narcissa? You mean Malfoy's mother, don't you?"

"Of course."

Tonks sighed, and re-read the letter, aloud this time. "Dear Ms. Nymphadora Tonks, I write to inform you of your cousin's, Narcissa Malfoy, untimely death. On August 1st of this year, Narcissa Malfoy was found at the bottom of the Manor's East wing Tower. I write also to inform you that Lucius Malfoy, your relation in marriage, was executed a week after his wife, your cousin…" Tonks stopped. "Basically, he was informing me of Narcissa's death. Well…I wonder why I didn't read that in the Daily Prophet...maybe Lucius had something to do with it..."

"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked.

"Well…the boy has no one to stay with. I'll invite him to stay with us for the rest of the summer-"

"You can't do that!" Hermione interrupted, horrified at the thought that he, Draco Malfoy, would be staying for the rest of the holidays.  Those normal holidays.

"Have a bit of sympathy, Hermione. I know you, Harry and the Weasleys dislike-"

"Dislike!" Hermione intervened. "Tonks, we hate the Malfoys! They're just a bunch of cold-hearted pricks who would kill someone for the idiotic reason of not having pure blood!"

"Hermione, this is my decision. I am sure Dumbledore would agree."

Hermione sighed, looking disgruntled.  She figured that it didn't matter what Harry, the Weasleys or herself, or anyone else at the Order had to say.  If Tonks wanted her nephew to come and stay, Draco Malfoy would be coming.  Unless he didn't want to.

"I'll write back, and ask. I'm not forcing him. He doesn't have to come. Remember that."

With that, Tonks left the room in search for quill and parchment.  Hermione could vaguely hear what Tonks was writing to Draco under her breath.  She wished Tonks had nothing to say.

Hermione grimaced.  Spending the holidays with him would be rotten.  Awful.  Horrible. 

Why? Really, why can't he stay with his aunt Bellatrix? Oh, that's right, because she's too busy killing innocent Muggles!  Stupid git.  She'll die someday.

Hermione sighed, and went up the stairs to tell Harry and Ron what had just happened.

She wasn't sure whether she should be stampeding up the stairs or going slowly.  She was afraid of Harry's reaction.  But more afraid of Ron's.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione looked crossly at Draco Malfoy, who was, at the moment, unpacking his luggage in the room Tonks had prepared for him.  The soft, pastel greens shimmered softly with silver.  Perfect for a Slytherin, Tonks had said happily.

She was leaning against the doorframe, still furious at Tonks for inviting Draco Malfoy to stay with her, and even more furious with Draco for accepting the offer.  She had thought that Draco would have refused, knowing that his most hated rivals were at the place of the Order.  But, obviously not.  And Mrs. Weasley refused to let him stay on his own at the Manor, no matter how much she hated him.

"Do you mind?" Draco turned and asked irritably, glaring at the brown haired, amber eyed girl that was staring around the room, lost in her own thoughts.  Her eyes flared at his tone.

"Mind what?" she responded, her eyes alive with fire.

"Do you mind giving me a bit of privacy? I mean, for someone whose parents just died, nobody seems very sympathetic. Except for the old coot Dumbledore and Nymphadora, of course."

"Dumbledore isn't a coot."

"Sure he isn't. Now get out."

"I'm supposed to show you around. Harry didn't want to, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had to go somewhere, Ginny and Ron were about to shoot themselves, and the others had more important things to do. So I'm stuck with you until dinner."

"I don't need to be shown around," he responded, turning back to his unpacking, hoping Granger hadn't seen his emotionless face flash with pain.

"Fine, but I'm supposed to stay here with you."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"I said fine already."

Hermione went inside the room and dropped into a near-by chair, watching him as he took out his black pants, re-folded them and put them in his silver drawers..

"I never said you could come in."

"I never asked. Like I said, I'm supposed to stay with you."

"I'm not five. I know how to act in someone else's house."

He stood up and walked towards her, glancing down and realizing how much he towered over her when she was sitting.

She looked him over. He'd grown taller, yet he was still the same Draco Malfoy who'd tortured her over the years.  His body had formed into it's...well...runt sized (she wasn't going to complement her enemy now was she) body.  His shoulders had filled out a little, and most thought he was good looking, but she didn't care for a torturer.

Her gaze landed onto his eyes.

They were cold, just like every other aspect of his physique, never showing any sign of what he was really thinking or feeling. Hermione found it quite disturbing.   No one she knew, apart from Draco or Lucius had such blank eyes.  Even Voldemort's eyes crumpled with glee and malice when he had killed someone, or hurt them (or so Harry had told her). But Draco was so...devoid of showing his emotions.

No other 17-year-old she knew had that much self-restraint. She knew she certainly didn't. 

"You can stay outside. There's only one door."

"Alright then," Hermione stood and walked out of the room. 

She sighed. The real reason Tonks had sent her to watch Draco was because she didn't want him finding out anything about the Order. He could report any of their plans back to the Dark Lord.  And no one wanted that to happen.  They doubted that he could go to a meeting, and not be found out, but no one fully trusted him, nor wanted to allow anything to slip.

Hermione rolled her eyes. If Tonks really were worried about the Order, she'd never have invited Draco to stay at Grimmauld Place.  But, she reasoned, Mrs. Weasley hadn't wanted the boy to stay at home on his own.  And if Mrs. Weasley wanted something, it happened.

Hermione muttered a couple of obscenities beneath her breath and lost herself in her thoughts. 

After an hour of thinking, her stomach growled angrily, signaling it was dinnertime.  She knocked on Draco's door, called out that it was dinnertime and stomped down the stairs.

Harry and Ron smiled at her as she walked in and she returned the gesture.  She rolled her eyes at Ginny, who was requesting Tonks' hair to go canary yellow with multicolour streaks through it, but had to be a curly bob and tuned into some of the adults talking about new missions in very hushed voices.

She glanced at the meal.  Roast chicken with every possible type of vegetable available.  Her mouth watered.

She pulled out a chair in between Harry and Ron, wondering where to begin.

"How is he?" Ron asked, leaning over to take some potatoes.

"Hmm... Kicked me out of the room around an hour ago.  Didn't say much," Hermione replied, grabbing a bread roll from the basket.

"Well, I don't like that he's here, but your mum was right, Ron, he shouldn't be at home on his own," Harry said, picking up his fork and taking a bite from his chicken.

"Surely they've killed enough people to have evil spirits walking around.  Wouldn't that do?" Ron mumbled under his breath.

Hermione scowled at the comment, Harry chewed his chicken angrily, but Ginny had heard that whole comment.  She looked at her lap, trying desperately to keep her giggles in check.

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Thanks a lot to:

Eventuality, Kat, Dea Lofn, Crystal lacigam (sure, I'll add you! Thanks a lot for the

wonderful review!) Harmonic Friction (You are on of my favorite fanfiction authors

{seriously, just check in my favorite authors in my profile}  Having one of my

favorite authors review makes me so happy, it is beyond words! A million thanks!)

Ar-Zimraphel (no, I'm afraid I shall never be able to update two times a day, but.

You know, I try my best! Thanks a lot for reviewing. One more of my favorite

authors reviews! I am just overwhelmed!), catmint, ping, Jaye-Ven1988,  toriisen,

Scooby Doo (thanks so much Nina!), Sacred Magyck (ha, and yet another great

author! That story of yours, meet the Black Sisters, is awesome! I just checked it out

yesterday, yet due to the overwhelming amount of work I had to do, had no chance

to drop a review. Thanks a lot for the great review!) Kari (hah, I'll thank you again

for beta-ing. You rock!), Amdl Star (thanks a lot for your kind review!)

I don't think I missed anyone. I can't believe that I got 14 reviews for one chapter!

ONE! I've never done that well. **tears well up in eyes** Okay, I'm just getting waaaaaay too sappy. Thanks everyone, you guys rock!