Pain, Hurt, and…Love?

How did he find out?

Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and…well no that's it, the rest belongs to J.K. Rowling!! As we all well know by now…so why must I keep telling you????

            The next morning Hermione woke to the screeching of what seemed to be an owl. Hermione didn't understand why there would be an owl at their window but she carefully got up, so as not to disrupt Draco, and let the obnoxious owl in. It was a large owl, bigger then most she had seen before, but she wouldn't deny that it was beautiful. The owl was a sleek black that looked almost blue in the light, it eyes were big and dark. Hermione knew this owl must have come from Draco's family because her parents wouldn't have access to such a bird.

            It flew and landed on a chair, obviously waiting for Draco to get up and take it's burden from him. Hermione walked over to Draco and gently shook him.

            "Draco…Draco wake up. There is and owl waiting for you, he looks rather impatient." Draco groaned.

            "Take care of it Hermione. Just give me a few more minutes of sleep…please…" He had fallen back asleep. Hermione smiled. She walked toward the owl. And went to untie the letter but it wouldn't let her. Hermione let out a small yelp as it caught her hand with its sharp beak. It started bleeding but she would take care of it later. It was appearant that the owl would only give its letter to Draco.

            "Draco you have to get up. It won't let me take the letter. I think that it may be from your father or possibly your mother. I don't know but I can't get it." Draco rolled over and looked at Hermione.

            "Alright I'm up." He sat up and looked toward the owl, his face paled and he looked at Hermione sharply. "When did this get here?"

            "Not very long ago, about ten or fifteen minutes ago." Hermione didn't understand the urgency in his voice. He got up quckly and took the letter from the bird. It gave an annoyed hoot and flew off. Hermione watched it go. She then looked at Draco. His face looked very, very, sickly. He came to Hermione and hugged her. He hugged her so tightly that she had to push him away slightly because she couldn't breath.

            "Draco what's wrong? What did that letter say?" He handed her the letter. Hermione read it.

            Draco,

                I have been told of your rondevous with the mudblood. I thought I told you to stay away from such filth. I have been informed. I will not tell you who it is that has told me such things, but according to her, she found in bed with the mudblood. I do not wish to know what you were doing with such a girl in your bed, nor do I care. Has what I taught you meant nothing?

            I will find you and your mudblood. I am not stupid enough to do anything while the two of you are in school, but do not doubt that I will forget or leave you alone. I am a free wizard Draco. I will find you I will kill her. You can count on that.

                                                            Your father,

                                                                        Lucius

            Hermione dropped the letter. Dear lord. This couldn't be happening. How could he have gotten out of this? He attacked them and me, Hermione thought. She hugged Draco. They didn't need this right now. They really didn't. Hermione couldn't help it she had to cry. Draco took her to the couch. They would just stay here for the day. They would think of something. He hoped.

            As they sat there just trying to think of something to do about this.

            "I don't want you to go anywhere alone Hermione. And I mean it. I know he said that he wouldn't try anything but I don't trust him. He will and I know it. I don't want anything to happen to you Hermione. But I think that we need to visit mother. She needs to know if she doesn't already."

            "But Draco that's not fair! I don't want to be watched all the time. That's not fair!" Draco looked at her. He looked cold and distant.

            "Do you want to die Hermione? Is that what you want? Do want to be tortured until there is nothing left in you? My father will do that to you. He won't hesitate. But by all means if that is what you want then go ahead. But don't expect me to come after you." Hermione looked at him. She was mad.

            "No Draco that's not what I want…" He cut her off.

            "Then just do what I say Hermione. I don't want you to get hurt!" Hermione laughed a cold heartless laugh.

            "Yeah of course you don't Malfoy. That's why you want me to be followed at all hours. That is why you want me to have no privacy at all. You would just be suffocating me and killing me anyway!" Draco couldn't believe it. She had called him by his last name. She hadn't done that is such a long time that he forgot how much she used to hate him.

            "Fine Granger. Go get yourself killed. See if I care." He walked away. He was cold and indifferent. Hermione couldn't believe what she had just said. How does this always happen. How? She heard his door slam. She sat there unbelieving.

            After what must have been hours she got up. She went up to his room and knocked on the door. No answer. She opened the door to see him lying on his bed. He appeared to be asleep.

           She walked over to his bed and sat down. She looked at him for the longest time. He looked like he had been crying. She lay down and put her head on his chest. She sobbed.

           "Oh Draco! I am so sorry. I didn't mean it. I didn't. I love you so much, never…I was just…Draco." She said softly. She cried. She felt and arm wrap around her.

            "It's okay Hermione. It's okay." He was crying again, she felt his tears hit the top of her head. "I shouldn't have been so harsh to you. I am just worried about you Hermione. Losing you now would be like losing part of me. I couldn't live without part of me Hermione I couldn't do it." He was crying harder now. So was Hermione. She wrapped her small arm around him and hugged him with all her might.

            "I love you Draco Malfoy. I love you so very much." He hugged her back. He never wanted to let go of this beauty in his arms.

            "I love you to Hermione Granger. I love you more then you will ever know. And I will never let anything bad happen to you no matter what I may say. Don't you forget that, don't you forget it."

            "Draco?"

            "Hmm?"

            "Draco I'm scared. I don't think that I have ever been so scared." She was shaking and crying. Draco held her tightly.

            "It will be okay Hermione. You'll see it will be okay." He was reassuring her and himself. He didn't know if it would be okay, but he could tell her that for now. "Hermione please don't cry anymore. It will all be fine. You'll see." He was being a little hypocritical, for he was crying to.

            He and Hermione lay there, sometimes talking, sometimes crying, sometimes just holding each other. Never in either of their lives had they imagined that they would be lying here, holding on to one another like they were all that they had to hold on to. Never would they have thought that they would be saying I love you to the other person. Hermione and Draco both had changed. That could not be denied. If only so many bad things weren't to happen would everything be perfect. To bad they do not have the perfect lives.

            A/N: Sorry this is so short. This is more a set up for the next chapter. I couldn't think of a way to make in long with out running it all. But I thank you for all your reviews, many of them were helpful and are in consideration. But the funny thing is that this chapter was so not planned to go like it did…but that is what happened. So tell me what you think!! I hope that you like it! I did…but that doesn't mean that you will! 

~*DHL*~