Harry returned to Hagrid's Cabin around lunchtime after having taken a nap and a nice, long shower. He didn't want to return to Malfoy, but at the same time he didn't want to leave Hermione there by herself.

When he arrived, Draco was stretched out on the couch looking incredibly weary, his eyes glazed over with exhaustion. Hermione was sitting on the bed with a book in her lap and waved when Harry entered.

"He just... crashed. Did you two sleep at all last night?" Hermione asked.

"He wouldn't settle until 2am. It was hell. He kept babbling about Quidditch."

"Now you know how I feel when you and Ron get started." Hermione said, grinning when Harry's mouth closed and gave her the 'you're right' look. Just then a muffled snore came from the sofa. Draco had finally drifted off to sleep.

Hermione did not tell Harry about what had happened that morning. It just seemed too unnatural for words. That and she might have to admit that she enjoyed the feeling of being hugged like that, as if she matter. She and Ron had fought so many times before, but whenever they made up he never hugged her like that. And he had smelled so good... his arms had felt so strong.

When Draco woke up, he was nearly normal, minus the bitter hatred. He and Harry sat on the couch and talked away the good part of an hour about what they liked in a girl. Harry described Cho Chang rather well, but Draco's description was once again shocking, as everything else had been for the past 48 hours.

"Brown curly hair," he said, gazing past Harry's shoulder and at nothing, "brown eyes. Really smart, but really kind, too, not like McGonagall. Adventurous- things would be dull if she weren't."

Harry's eyes flicked between Hermione, who was trying not to gape, and Draco, who was still looking dreamily at the wall. "Err, good choice, Malfoy." Hermione noticed that Draco had not asked Harry to call him by his first name.

"Good response, Harry," Hermione said cheerfully, though she could feel her cheeks burning.

Draco erupted into fits of giggles then. He clutched his stomach and laughed heartily, his eyes squeezed shut. "You said... you said good response..." he wheezed and laughed harder, "good response... because if he hadn't... hahaha.... he would have dissed you... he said the right thing." He erupted into peels of uncontrollable laughter. Draco slipped off his chair, rolling on the floor. Now he was laughing so hard no sound came out. Harry and Hermione couldn't help but start laughing as well.

Suddenly, Draco choked and gagged and curled up into a ball. The tears pouring down his face were no longer tears of laughter. He was talking to himself, muttering under his breath. Hermione stood and moved closer, Harry sat forward in his seat.

Hermione knelt by Draco's head and pushed the hair that had fall in his face away. "Draco? Draco, what's wrong?" she said gently but urgently. Harry, though engrossed by Draco's agony, was distracted by Hermione's oddly soft and caring voice. He had never heard that tone before, and he had known Hermione for six years.

"It hurt... it hurt so bad..." Draco was saying, more clearly now. "It was an accident. I didn't mean it to go so wrong. I just wanted him to be proud of me..."

"Who? What happened?" Hermione's brow was knit together and she kept stroke Draco's hair softly, trying to calm him down.

"My... my father... I tried so hard to make him proud, so hard. But I failed. I always fail... I'm never good enough for him. It hurt so bad..."

Hermione's brain was working furiously. She wanted dearly to wrap her arms around him and comfort him, but with Harry there it would be awkward for both of them. She continued stroking his hair. In the meantime, something else in her mind clicked. "What did he do, Draco? Did he hurt you?"

Draco nodded and sat up slowly. Hermione looked at Harry, both of them speechless. In the meantime, Malfoy rubbed his shoulder, now looking at the floor numbly.

"What now?" Harry mouthed at Hermione.

"I don't know!" she mouthed back, looking tenderly at Draco. She knew she couldn't hold him, but she still wanted to make him feel better. She moved over next to him and put a hand on his back. She glanced at Harry, who did likewise, though much more reluctantly. They sat in silence, and Hermione couldn't help but notice the bond that was forming between them, between Draco and herself in particular. Even Harry, though he looked awkward occasionally, couldn't help but like this Draco. And now they both knew one of his darkest secrets. If it was awkward now, Hermione could only imagine what it would be like when Draco was back to normal.

Draco's mood finally changed from silent brooding to hyperactiveness (is that a word?). "Let's go flying, Harry! Hermione can throw things into the air for us to catch- it'll be like Quidditch practice!"

Harry grinned at Hermione. "I can't say no to that..."

"Fine, but I'll inform you that my aim is awful," Hermione said.

After summoning Draco and Harry's brooms, they spent the afternoon at the Quidditch pitch playing games. Draco offered to take Hermione for a ride on his broom, which she readily declined, admitting her fear of moving at extreme speeds at high elevations.

Hermione chucked balls up into the air while the two boys raced to catch it first before it fell. After Harry won 3 times in a row (after they had been generally even throughout the game), Draco landed huffily on the ground and sneered.

"He's cheating, I won't play with a cheater!" he announced, dismounting from his broom and stomping off to Hagrid's cabin.

Harry landed next to Hermione and the two followed their patient back. "I thought girls were bad..." Harry muttered.

"Watch it, Harry," Hermione said mock threateningly and continued back to the cabin.