Chapter 3: The Truth and An Ultimatum

Hermione and Draco's sarcastic and sometimes harsh and offending comments went back and forth so much that they were secretly finding it hard to come up with comebacks every time an attack was made by the other. The arguments sometimes got so heated that their voices were heard by many students and teachers alike, and all resulted in both Heads retreating to their respective bedrooms, red-faced and fuming. Draco's calm, misleading appearance didn't hide his emotions by this stage; the anger was clearly evident when he saw the curly brown hair of his room-mate. Hermione, like-wise, couldn't hide her disgust at the blonde and often avoided the common room in an attempt to avoid him.

During Potions however, they both acted as if the other didn't exist. It would only be too easy for Snape to dock a lot of house points for any arguments between the two and Hermione didn't want to give him the satisfaction. However, due to the fact that they had been made potion-partners for the entire year made it hard for them. It was hard to ignore the other completely and still work together. In an attempt to achieve the marks they knew that were theirs they scribbled notes to each other or actually muttered comments, but never meeting the others eyes, scared that they would blow up at each other as they had so many times before.

"Today" Came Professor Snape's voice from the door, "We will be working on a potion that is immensely complex, I am certain that you have all heard of it, Veritaserum will take a full moon cycle and it is the right time of the month to commence it's making. You will be working with your partners and if you manage to do it correctly you will have a full hour of questioning, if you don't, which is likely, you may only get five minutes if any at all"

He tapped the board and the instructions for the day's lesson appeared instantaneously.

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A month later the class were assembled around their cauldrons nervously waiting, in five minutes their Veritaserum would be ready. Snape was standing behind his desk looking at his watch. The entire class was silently waiting for his signal to add the final ingredient.

"Now" Said the Professor.

An instant hiss fill the room from each of the cauldron's as their respective owners had added the last ingredient. Hermione cauldron hissed for a few seconds before becoming silent and again and the bright red substance turned instantly clear.

She smiled at Draco happy of their achievements he looked at her shocked for a second and she withdrew her smile, cursing herself. He turned his attention back to the cauldron, he grabbed two cups of pumpkin juice and used an eye-dropper to put a drop of their Veritaserum in each of the juices.

"You go first" Said Hermione before he made her.

He shrugged and downed the drink in one gulp. His eyes moved out of focus instantly and Hermione looked worried for a second but then decided to ask a question.

"Err... What is you name?"

"Draco Malfoy" Replied Draco instantly.

Hermione racked her brains for a question.

"Why do you hate me?" She asked confidently.

"I don't" He replied and continued in a flat tone, "You have everything I don't"

Hermione stared at him shocked, did Draco Malfoy, The Slytherin Ice Prince, just say that Hermione Granger had everything?

"What do I have that you don't?"

"People that care for you, a good home, a happy childhood, good friends that love you, you have everything"

"You have people that care for you, you parents" Said Hermione

"They don't care for me, especially my father; I am just there for show, simply an heir to the Malfoy name, I hate him"

"What's wrong with your home and your childhood?"

Hermione was worried that she was digging to deep in the scars of his past but she couldn't help herself.

"Hogwarts is my home now, it's the only place I can escape my father," Draco murmured onwards, "My childhood was dreadful, I used to watch as my father beat my mother because of my mistakes, when I was six, I received the beatings instead of my mother, my first was when I knocked over a vase, my father broke two of my ribs that day"

Hermione gasped but Draco kept going, "After that the beating became regular, if I made any mistakes he would hit me and kick me, a few weeks after my ninth birthday he started using the unforgivables on me, my childhood was pain beyond what you could imagine"

Hermione stared at him for a long time before recovering.

"You will be eighteen soon, you won't have to worry"

"No, My future was decided before I was born, not only am I to marry shortly after graduation, but I am to produce an heir before a year of marriage, he will be able to carry on the name of Malfoy, he is also planned to be the Dark Lord's heir, to lead the next generation in the Dark Lord's ways, I cannot escape this future or my father will have e killed"

Hermione again stared at him while she digested this information. Draco had a horrifying childhood and had a terrible life of murder and crime waiting for him just around the corner. For the first time ever she felt sorry for the blonde, he was trapped in his own life.

Draco suddenly snapped out of the trance and glared at Hermione before snatching his bag and stalking out of the classroom, leaving the entire class shocked and staring at Hermione.

"What happened here?" Said Professor Snape's cold voice.

Hermione just shook her head slowly, she was speechless of the information she had just found out, she had to help him, he was alone in this world and she had to help him. He was right he didn't have anyone, but she was certain that next time she would be there to help him.

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Draco stormed through the Hogwarts corridors frightening any students that he saw. He knew that Veritaserum was powerful, but he didn't count on spilling his deepest, darkest secret that he had vowed to take to his own grave. He was sure that Hermione would reveal his secret to the world and if she did he would die. Something he wasn't particularly happy about. His life was always screwed but now it was literally fucked. Why did his life have to be so damn difficult?

He stormed around the halls while a storm raged inside of him, the anger so clearly plastered on his face that people were giving him an extremely wide berth. He headed for the place that he knew would calm him down, the library. He retrieves Hogwarts, A History and disappears behind it, forgetting his problems.

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As soon as the bell went and Hermione, Harry and Ron were out of ear-shot from their potions professor she was bombarded with the questions she knew would come.

"What Happened?"

"What did he do?"

"If he did anything to you, we promise he will pay for it"

"Why did he storm out?"

"Guy...GUYS!" Hermione raised her voice, "He just...er...revealed something that I guess he never wanted anyone to know"

She then walked off before their questioning could go any further. They reached the Great Hall and found seat next to Ginny. Harry gave a kiss on the forehead as he covered her eyes playfully.

"Harry..."

He then sat down and they shared a short but passionate kiss.

"Egh... tell me when they've finished" Said Ron disgusted.

Hermione chuckled to herself. She was happy for the subject change, she had thought that they would push her to tell them what Malfoy had told her, but she didn't know if she could tell them, it seemed too ... personal, even if it was Malfoy, he didn't deserve for his deepest secret to be spread around the school, and she was certain if it went round the school his father would find out and kill him without a backward glance. Malfoy was right; he didn't have anyone that cared for him, so she would help him. She would talk to him in the common room later and persuade him to tell someone, an adult, or a close friend.

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Hermione found it hard to talk to Draco during the next few days; he either ignored her or just avoided her questioning. Her attempts to help him, always ending in him storming away, yelling at her to leave him alone.

A week later, the entire student body was getting sick of their bickering and the teachers were realising that their situation couldn't continue. Dumbledore called them to his office for a meeting; he was going to give them an ultimatum.

"You two, if you bickering does not cease you will both be forced to give up your Head titles," He said sternly, "You are suppose to set an example for the other students, and if you cannot learn to get along then I will be forced to remove your titles, I do not want to do this, you are the two smartest students in this school, I am sure you will find away"

"We're sorry professor" Said Hermione, "We will try"

"Now shake hands and leave"