A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews! I feel special (see the individual reviews below). And since I got a positive response I decided to keep going and wrote this chapter, so yay for me! Oh, and just to let you know when you review I will really try hard to read at least one of your stories. It's only fair, right?

Niarbeldoon: Thanks for the encouragement! And I really love your penname. It just made me laugh for some reason, it's awesome!

Amour-Lily: Ditto on the encouragement booster. You're great!

Lisi: Thanks for how just freakin' excited you sounded in your review! It made me laugh! And obviously I'm continuing this story so no need to let you down!

Shelina Aquastar: I can never resist the puppy dog face! Thanks for your review!

Pretty Blue Firefly: Yeah, I guess I did end the story acting like there was something more to come. I just kind of made the first chapter so that it could stand alone or be continued.

amanda-panda161: Yeah, you figure correctly, but I thought it was fun to add a little flair of mystery. And that was exactly what I was hoping for the end—that you'd want to come back and read the next chapter.

Chapter 2- Hey, maybe you don't suck so much…

I gasped. "Malfoy?"

The man's face, which had before seemed excited and anticipatory, fell as I managed to gasp out that one word. "Ah," he said slowly, "I see we've reverted to using first names… Granger."

I managed to sit up and glare at him but this time he made no move to help me up. Only then did I realize what I was wearing. Or more aptly, what I was not.

"Malfoy! I'm naked!"

Rather than the expected grin and leer he looked decidedly uncomfortable. "I wasn't trying to molest you or anything. It's just that your robes were practically," great blush, "blown off of you during the attack and I had to take them off so I could get at the wounds to heal them." He took a deep breath and seemed to regain some of his normal swagger. "But I got you some new robes. Hope they're not too expensive for you, Mudblood."

I gasped and recoiled. As low as I knew Malfoy to be I thought that we might have resolved at least that difference. Obviously not, I realized as I stared with a mixture of horror and revulsion at his face.

"Thanks. Thanks a lot for that. Glad to see you've grown up." I could almost feel his eyes rolling behind my back.

"Here." He stood and reached into a bag resting not too far from his feet. He pulled out an exquisite deep crimson robe and tossed it to me. "The potion should be fully in effect now. Get changed and then come out into the kitchen for some break- I mean, lunch."

"Gryffindor colours," I noted dryly. I heard him snort with laughter the moment before he slammed the door shut.

After I was sure he was gone and not peeping through the door, I laboriously stood (feeling hardly any pain) up clutching the robe around my exposed body. Unsteadily I managed to wobble through a door that led to a bathroom. Quickly I donned the robes and washed up as best I could.

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"Well, well, Granger cleans up nicely, no?" Malfoy's horribly annoying trademark smirk was plastered on his face and I wanted nothing more than to hit him.

Hard.

"Shut up," I snarled in no mood to be mocked.

He quirked an eyebrow and smirked even wider, glad to have hit one of my nerves. Honestly, couldn't he have grown up a little bit? I was so wrapped up in my psycho-analysis of the jerk that I totally missed him talking to me.

"I said, take some of these eggs. I always make too many," he repeated slowly. I rolled my eyes but took the eggs he handed me after a oversized flourish.

"Thanks." I sat down at the table, sitting directly across from him. We ate in silence for a few moments before my curiosity got the best of me and I tried to start a civil conversation with him. "You said you always make too many eggs? I don't see you as the cooking type of person. A servant bringing you breakfast in bed would be more your style." I knew this was the wrong thing to say as soon as I had said it.

"Contrary to your popular belief, Granger, I am not a slave driver. When I had servants I still did my fair share of the work." His face flickered with a sign of some emotion, but I couldn't tell what it was. "It didn't help that my parents constantly told me I could do whatever I wanted. Sure I was a little idiot, but I have grown up a little."

"Thanks, but when I want a lecture, I'll ask for it." I shoved more eggs in my mouth while continuing to stare at Malfoy.

"You look like some demented cow," he smirked after a few moments of intense staring.

I glared, but merely good naturedly slapped his hand.

"Thank you Mark."

Mark smiled and bowed as he began to take the empty glass away from the table. Draco was only six, but already had more common sense and plain human compassion than his father would ever have.

Lucius looked up from his morning newspaper towards his son and then shot a withering look towards the now frowning Mark. "You are dismissed," Lucius ordered more than requested with only a half hearted wave of his hand. Sighing, he put his paper down and addressed his son.

"Yes, Father?" Draco looked up from his breakfast, his cherub face just oozed innocence and humanity.

At that moment Draco Malfoy realized that his father hated him.

"I am severely disappointed in you Draco."

Why this time Father? Thought Draco. Instead he asked in his most emotionless tone, "And why is that?"

"I expect you to act like a true heir to the Malfoy throne. You will not consort or speak with people lower than you unless it is absolutely necessary. And, you will, under no circumstances, befriend any of the lowly things. Do you understand?"

"Of course."

"And this includes servants. And Mudbloods."

Well that just ruled out all of his likely candidates for friends in the manor. How he hated this man. And how he hated him even more for the fact that he was hated. Outwardly Draco was calm, but inwardly his eight year old mind was sadistically planning the numerous ways that he could kill his father.

"So were you happy when your father was killed?"

My question hit Malfoy like a slap in the face. His face flushed bright red and reverted quickly back to its normal paleness. How he despised me for asking that. Just when he thought he might have been able to put it out of his mind.

Draco closed his eyes tightly.

Too many painful memories, too much time to dwell on it, too many times he was utterly alone.

"You're not alone now." He obviously hadn't realized he commented on the last part out loud by the way his eyes snapped open at my voice. In a stroke of foolhardy compassion I laid my hand on his arm and gave him a small smile.

Almost as if by reflex he jerked his arm out of my touch. After seeing the hurt look on my face his expression softened, but not by much. "Look, just don't touch me."

I glared at him, no longer content with his act of half humanity. "Look, I think you're just pathetic Malfoy. You're just too damn scared of being hurt. If you just give someone the chance to make a connection with you and not immediately push away you might not be lonely anymore."

"I'm not lonely," he said petulantly. I rolled my eyes.

"Sure you aren't, but when you need comfort, don't expect it from me." I glared at him and for a split second caught something I had never seen in his eyes: longing. I cursed my damn sensitivity even as I spoke. " 'It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'," I said softly.

He sat across from me looking stunned as he slowly tilted his head and mouthed the words to himself. I couldn't help but smile at his thoughtful expression. As he was still considering my quote he rose from the table and absentmindedly picked up his plate. As he placed it in the sink, however, it clattered to the floor with a very loud clang. Suddenly I realized I had a pounding headache.

"Ouch," I muttered, grabbing my head as I leaned my elbow on the table.

Malfoy looked up sheepishly. "Sorry. I guess the potion's wearing off; I'll get some more."

He turned around and reached into a tall cabinet, giving me a chance to really study him.

I wondered how long I had really been here. We were both in our seventh year and both seventeen and we had been four weeks away from leaving Hogwarts forever. He and I had certainly changed since first year so long ago.

He had grown into a tall attractive young man with blonde hair that fell in his face rather than defied gravity with the use of gel as he used to. His eyes were piercing and mostly cold, but he was not so adept at hiding his emotions as he thought.

He turned around, perfectly modeling his lean body. He caught sight of me staring and tossed the bottle towards me. "Catch!"

I screamed and fumbled for it but it slipped through my hands and… bounced on the floor. "Unbreakable charm. How clever," I said as I smiled wryly. I picked it up and drank it quickly ignoring the foul taste as much as possible. As soon as I was sure I wouldn't vomit it back up when I opened my mouth I said, "So what is this potion exactly?"

"It's mainly a pain killer but also serves as a relaxant to dispel any of the aftershock from your attacks. The main ingredients are wolfsbane and shrivel fig, but also co-"

"Okay, okay! Stop," I pleaded holding up my hands, "if I wanted a lecture I'd go ask Snape. Which, by the way, you sounded almost exactly like." I shuddered. "Just what the world needs, another Snape."

I saw the shadow of a smile flit across his face. "I happen to like Severus very much." As he had lectured he had paced around the small kitchen. Now he went to sit back down, casually brushing my leg as he went.

"Professor, I'm sacred." Draco's eyes were open wide and had a wild look to them that Hermione had never seen. She saw unrestrained emotion in them.

The professor looked up from the scrap of parchment he had been writing on and stood up quickly, nearly upsetting the stool he had been sitting on. "What happened this time?"

"He- he tried to kill me." Draco gingerly lifted his robes to reveal one of his legs in an awkwardly cast splint.

Severus quickly took him by the arm and led him to a chair. He unstrapped the splint and muttered a spell to heal his leg. Ignoring Draco's pained protests he asked, "What did you do this time?"

Draco winced as he felt his broken bone realign, but managed to get out, "I told him I didn't want to be a Death Eater."

He could hear Severus' sharp intake of breath. "Brave. Exceptionally brave of you, but exceptionally foolish as well. You know there's no way to avoid that. Even Dumbledore said…" He trailed off at seeing the murderous look in Draco's eyes.

"I hate him so much," he said calmly, "I wish he would die. Maybe I'll kill myself."

Severus shook his head. "Draco, don't be an idiot. As much as you think this will ruin you, you have so much to live for yet. It would be foolish to do so."

"I know," Draco sighed, the regret heavy in his voice, "but I just want to be normal and be accepted for not wanting to kill people. I just hate my family so much."

"I know. I know Draco. But just know that you can always come talk to me."

Draco smiled, his eyes already starting to droop. Severus sighed. If only he could have been his father. None of this would have had to happen to him. But they could not decide to whom they were born to. He knew that all too well.

"I never knew," I said in nearly a whisper, "he just doesn't seem the paternal type."

Draco shrugged trying to make it not a big deal, but I could see through it. "I really didn't think so either, but when you've got on one else to turn to he was quite up to snuff. Well, considering what I had as the alternative."

I nodded thoughtfully. "I can see that." I paused, not quite sure if I should go on with what I had been thinking.

"What?"

He had seen me thinking. Too late to go back now. "Well, I just want to thank you for sharing… sharing these memories with me."

Draco seemed stunned and quite unable to speak for a few moments. "What? You think that I'm willingly passing these thoughts on to you Granger?"

"Yes. I think that I've read about it somewhere." I ignored his barely suppressed snort of laughter. "Oh yes! It was in Hogwarts, A History. It was a story about a pensive and it went off into some tangent about a Human Pensive. I think that I'm sort of like your pensive. You've just got so many memories and emotions blocked off that you would just share it with the first person you came to… trust."

He looked shocked, to say the least. "So you're saying I trust you?"

I shrugged. "I guess so." I threw a sideways glance at him as I considered my next statement carefully. "I hope so."

This time he was utterly speechless.

"Close your mouth Draco, the fish look is really is unbecoming."

He snapped his mouth shut and instead allowed his eyebrows to shoot up. "Draco, now, is it?"

"Just act like a normal human being for once, will you?"

"Alright, Hermione." He had his familiar smirk and impassive eyes as I shuddered at hearing him use my first name.

"And will you stop with the eyes?"

"What?"

I sighed and looked as deep into his eyes as I could, but saw nothing. "You're always so emotionless. Can't you just let go sometime and be a human being… with emotions?"

"I- I'm not sure if I can." As he said this his eyes flickered with doubt, making me grin.

"See?"

Draco took a deep breath. "I'll try." And almost inaudibly, "for you." And with that she unlocked Draco Malfoy.

Looking into them was like plunging into the sea, the current was somehow comforting but also deadly and powerful. I saw the agony in his dark grey eyes. The agony of seventeen years of pain and misplaced love.

"Father, I love you," the boy pleaded.

"Love is not real."

Too much agony for one sane person to bear. But he had done it. Somewhere in him was a small cache of happiness and joy. It was there, but it was too far and few in between.

The young boy smiled, the sunlight of spring making his grey eyes glitter as he danced under the falling rain.

I saw into his soul. I saw his repressed wants and dreams. I saw a woman, a beautiful woman being held in his strong arms. They were making love- then a flash to a cozy little home nearly overflowing with children. I saw him, smiling and laughing as he held as many as he could. I saw him thinking those thoughts and I felt his confusion. He did not know how to love. He was lost and had no one to turn to. No one to love and no one who loved him.

I saw in his soul the repressed anger and fear of all of his life. I saw his father with a whip, beating him as he cried for forgiveness. I saw him cry as his father forced him to watch scenes of Death Eaters killing Muggles. I saw him secretly hurting as the Golden Trio made another scathing remark. As much as he retaliated he could never top the with their friendship. And the love that he had no idea how to give.

And then they were blank.

I gasped and turned away, my hear beating wildly as I looked any where but at him.

"Scary, isn't it?" His voice was lower and harsher than usual. There was a tremor in it that I had never heard before.

I nodded, my own eyes closed. I was afraid to open them even though I knew mine were not like that. "Draco?"

He smiled softly at the use of his name, though I didn't see it or know it at the time. "What?"

"Just know that you can always come talk to me," I said softly using the words of the one person I knew he had come closest to loving.

I had finally opened my eyes and I was able to catch the first true smile I had ever seen on his face.

"Thank you," he said, "thank you."

I was practically beaming. I knew I looked like a dork, but I didn't care. "See how easy it was?"

"I guess. But that was just so out of charactre for me."

I just smiled knowingly.

"What? I know you're holding out on me Miss Bookworm," Draco asked impatiently as he bit his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Well, in Hogwarts, A History (eye rolling from Draco) it says that this so called Human Pensive has the ability to reveal the true nature of the person that they receive memories from."

"So I'm just some sappy Gryffin-dork?"

I couldn't help but giggle, even though I knew ! should be offended. "I guess so."

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A/N: Okay, this was a really hard chapter to write and I was trying to make it 'deep' at the end there, but I'm not really satisfied with it. If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, that would be greatly appreciated!