Draco walked over from his shower and picked her up, a towel wrapped around his waist. He scratched behind her ears and under her chin and she rubbed against him. Draco was really quite tenderhearted once you realized that he was really just acting under his father's orders. At first, Hermione had come to conclude, it had been genuine. He was jealous of Harry and Hermione, both. Her being muggle born was just an excuse to pick on her. She had found out over her time in the Malfoy manner that Draco was in love with her. He was fighting it and had been for years now. He was angry to start with and had degraded her to make himself feel better, but then he began to mature. When that awful Umbridge woman had come along he had seen his chance to seize power and after that fiasco his father had given him a beating so bad that he could barely get back to his room, his house elf had to help him back.
It was some time during that one long night, so wracked with pain that Draco had realized that his life…this life wasn't what he wanted. Hermione had found this out, or rather pieced it together, from Draco's murmurings in the night. Sometimes he would relive the beating until Hermione woke him with her cold, wet nose. He would wake up and look at her with those piercing blue eyes and sometimes she felt like he could tell it was her in there. One night he had been sleeping and he had said her name out loud. It was few moments before she worked up the courage to look at him to see if he was awake or not. When she looked, he had turned over, and she resettled herself on the other side of his feet.
Draco set her down and began to get dressed. Hermione looked at his back; the welts had turned red in the hot shower. Hermione went into the bathroom and padded around, jumping up on the sink to look in the mirror. She hadn't seen her human self for days but was still not used to her cat self. She had chosen to be a Siamese cat, sleek and silver. Draco came back into the bathroom, grinning. "You're such a pretty girl, you know that don't you?" He leaned down and kissed her on the head. She pressed her head back to his face, enjoying the attention. There was a sharp knock at the door.
"Draco," came the voice of the house elf. They both breathed a sigh of relief. "Time for breakfast girl, I'll be back later," he said scratching her behind the ears one last time. She meowed at him and jumped down from the bathroom's marble counter. Maybe now she could contact the Order with little to no risk. She watched him close the door behind him and ran back into the bathroom and transformed. She looked into the mirror at her human face for the first time in days. She touched her face and looked at her own blue eyes. They looked just like her cat transformation's eyes. Could Draco tell? She shook her head and used the bathroom, then hurried to the fireplace.
She reached up into the almost empty jar, she would need to leave soon or get more floo powder. She tossed the powder into the fire and stuck her head in and said quietly "Grimmauld Place." She felt the rushing of many grates go past and began to felt dizzy but was soon calling out of the fireplace for Lupin. "Remus," she whispered desperately, "Remus!" He came over to fireplace with a look of relief on his face. "Hermione, we thought you were…" Hermione shook her head, "There's no time for that Remus I finally have some information. I heard the name Grimwalde." Remus looked serious. "Grindelwalde? But Hermione, he's dead. Dumbledore killed him nearly fifty years ago." Hermione let this sink in for a few moments then replied "Well then maybe they can bring him back like Voldemort made himself a new body, I don't know but it's got Lucius in a good mood, and that can't possibly be good for us."
Lupin nodded, "Are you ready to come back yet Hermione?" Hermione bit her lip, "No, Remus, I can't. Draco's here, and," she sighed. "And what?" "He comes back here with bruises and cuts Remus, and huge welts. He's changed, Remus, he's on our side, they're trying to beat him into submission." Remus suddenly looked very serious, "Are you sure Hermione?" She nodded, "He relives it in his sleep, it's-" her eyes began to tear up, "it's awful. I have to get him out of here." Remus did not argue, but asked "You must be nearly out of floo powder; I got you a new supply." She felt something being pushed into the grate and put her hands into the tickling flame and took the large bag. 'Thank you Remus. One more thing, it's hard to get to the fireplace every fourth day. I know I left it late this time, can we extend it to seven days and then you'll send someone?" Remus nodded, "As long as you'll be safe Hermione." "I will Remus. How is Harry's auror training going with Moody?" "It's going well Hermione. Harry and the Weasleys send their love, as do I. Be careful Hermione. I'll talk to you in a few days." Hermione pulled her head out of the fireplace and was about to turn herself back into a cat when she realized that she was being watched.