A/N: Eeek!! I know you all must hate me, and I'm VERY sorry about taking ages to update! But I'll try to do a callout next chapter. Thank-you to everyone who reviewed my new story, Cupid's Mistake. I really appreciate it!!

Narcissa and Lucius sat next to each other, watching their son fight with his wife.

'It's not really working out well, is it?' Lucius whispered to her.

'Yes,' agreed Narcissa. 'Maybe we should let her meet these people once she's calmed down a bit.'

He nodded. They continued surveying the couple, who were completely oblivious.

'Remind me why we let those... people enter our domain,' Lucius said acidly.

'Because,' Narcissa gently explained. 'Draco was begging us to let them visit Hermione for a couple of minutes, remember?'

Lucius raised a disdainful eyebrow which clearly signaled that he didn't.

Narcissa continued. 'He knew Hermione was going to be furious – the evidence is clear before our very eyes – and he knew we weren't going to let her out of this house while she was here. So he thought it would make things easier if she could see her friends and family. It would help calm her down. Clearly, however, he was wrong.' She jerked her head over to Hermione and Draco. Hermione had just slapped Draco again, and he was holding her wrist down with one hand, while trying desperately to talk to her. Hermione was screaming.

'Good lord,' Lucius concurred.

'I think they've had enough time,' Narcissa checked her watch as if she had been timing them. 'Er – Hermione! Draco!'

They both looked up.

'I think that before we get Hermione to meet these friends of ours, Draco, we should leave you two to get over these stupid grudges of ours so when the time does come for Hermione to meet these people, you both will be calm.'

Hermione snorted. Like that was ever going to happen. Like she would ever willingly go meet Tom Riddle. Not today.

Or any day, for that matter.

'Mrs. Malfoy,' Hermione interrupted. 'I think it would actually be better for Draco and me to be separated.'

Narcissa shook her head, a twisted smile upon her face. She loved seeing Hermione in 'pain'. 'No, no. Draco, go take her out to dinner or something.' She whispered something in his ear. 'And make sure she has forgiven you. She must come with us willingly, is that clear? It is vital. Seduce her, bribe her, blackmail her, do whatever you must, but get her to forgive you.'

Draco started the car.

'Why are we driving this anyway?' Hermione demanded. 'Can't we just apparate?'

Draco shrugged. 'I thought you'd like to go to a muggle restaurant for a change, so I thought it best to arrive muggle style.' He got the car started, and smoothly starting driving, as if he'd been doing it all his life. Hermione raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing.

'I'm not meeting him,' she said, finality laded through her voice and tone.

'Who?' said Draco, though he knew who. He was thinking on how he was to get Hermione to forgive him.

'You know who!' she snarled. 'Don't play these games with me, I'm already pissed enough!'

He decided just to let her rant on and just be silent. And rant on she did. All the way to the restaurant.

He parked the car artfully, and caught her hand as she got out of the car.

Swiftly and smoothly, he backed her up against the car, his tongue making a thorough investigation of her mouth. She moaned against his mouth, their tongues battling, and her arms wrapped tightly about his neck. Draco felt himself getting hard just as she pulled away.

'What are you doing?' she was appalled. All of a sudden, she pushed him away. 'Don't you dare try that on me again!'

'But you want me,' he whispered, stepping closer to her again. 'You kissed me back.'

She turned red. 'I – no – don't – okay! I do want you, and I want you bad, but I know what you're doing. You think that if you just kiss me, I'll fall at your feet. News flash, Draco, that's not happening.'

She turned, ready to walk into the restaurant, when an owl swooped down upon her, a letter clutched in it's talons.

A smile alightened on her face. She took the letter, and the owl flew off. She opened it.

Hermione, it said in a very quick scribble. She was puzzled – not only was it written hastily, but it was stained at random with tear marks, as if whoever had written it was crying. She read on.

It's Harry here. I have to write this quickly, because I have so much NEWT homework. I just had to let you know this – Hedwig is dead. Goyle strangled her as she was delivering a message. I found her mangled body lying in a water fountain. Ron and I confronted Goyle and he admitted Malfoy ordered him to do it. And I realized something – he wants you to meet Tom Riddle. It did take me a while to figure that out, I'm not smart, but I hope I am not too late. I remembered that he's back and that Malfoy wanted you to meet someone. I put two and two together and – bang. Hope I'm of help and not too late.

Take care. I'm fine,

Harry

But judging by the number of tearstains that dotted the letter, Harry was not fine.

A single tear escaped from her eyes, and ran down her face. She could feel Harry's pain. If someone had killed Crookshanks – she'd want to kill them.

Draco put a hand on her shoulder. She was so furious for a few moments, that she was almost paralyzed. Then, after breathing in and out a couple of times, she made herself push his hand off.

'What's wrong?' he asked worriedly, brushing the tear away. She snarled and backed away.

'You killed Harry's bird, didn't you?' she almost screamed. It was loud enough that a few people in the restaurant turned to look.

She watched the worried look slide off Draco's face the way cheese slides off pizza. It was replaced by sheer panic.

'Hermione, sweetheart, it wasn't me,' he said imploringly. 'I swear to God I would never hurt any animal of your best friend – '

'Bullshit!!' she screamed. 'Absolute bullshit, Malfoy! You don't love me, to you I'm just there for you for sex, right! Don't you dare try and tell me that's not true, cause it is! If you cared about me so much – you would think before you do something that breaks up our relationship!'

tears now streaming down her face, she whirled around and stormed back to the car. All ready to jump in there and drive away, she remembered that she couldn't drive. She had tried once – almost ended up killing her mother and herself. She'd never sat in the driver's seat of any vehicle since.

'Take me home,' she said, her voice shaking with anger.

His face heavy with emotions, Draco slid into the driver's seat. Hermione sat next to him.

He turned to her. 'I do love you, Hermione. You're not just my little sex kitten or anything. I love everything about you – you've got to understand that though I'm in love with you, it doesn't mean I'm gonna treat your friends the same.' He put a stray hair behind her ears. 'Please forgive me, Hermione.'

She did nothing, just stared straight ahead, her eyes bright with rage. 'Take me home please.'

He started driving.

When they neared the road Draco lived on, she spoke again. 'No, take me to my real home.'

He kept driving, and dropped her off at her parent's house.

Without saying a word, she rushed inside and slammed the door behind her. The tears which had dried before came down in torrents again.

Weeping her heart out, she rushed into her old bedroom, the one that was familiar and comforting to her, fell onto the bed and cried.

The next morning, she awoke feeling infinitely better than she had the other night. Most of her anger and adrenaline had been slept off, which is what usually happens, but it was not completely gone. Oh, no. how could she ever forgive him for what he had done? Killed her best friend's owl and 'kidnapped' her from her school.

Well he had been nice and invited her friends and family over but she was willing to bet that was only to soften her up so she would go willingly to see Tom Riddle.

Not gonna happen. It was exceptionally nice of her friends and family to venture into the house of their enemy just to see her. She cracked a small smile at the thought.

She looked down at herself, realizing she was still wearing her ripped black tee-shirt and jeans, which were still randomly spotted with mud. Sighing, she got changed.

Her mother almost dropped her plate of breakfast when Hermione stepped into the room.

'Hermione!' she squealed. 'Why, come to visit us? I'd never think Narcissa and Lucius would let you! My, this is jolly good. Sit down. I'll make you some breakfast.'

Smiling gratefully, Hermione sank down into one of the chairs that she was so familiar with and yawned. Being back in the bright, yellow kitchen she loved made her glow with warmth inside. This room had life in it – character. Unlike the Malfoy home, where each room was simply that – a room. No life was in it.

'Well, actually Mum,' she said. 'Narcissa and Lucius don't know I'm here. I'll expect they're gonna come and get me soon.'

Her mother paused while frying bacon and gave her daughter a puzzled look.

Hermione elaborated. 'Er – Draco and I had a row. A really large one, actually. I demanded he take me home.'

'Oh,' her mother nodded. 'This morning, was it?'

'Last night.'

'I guess it was late – I didn't hear you come in.'

'It was.'

'Do you mind me asking what the row was about? Perhaps I can help.'

'I'm a big girl, Mum,' Hermione sighed. 'I can take care of myself. It's nothing.'

Nancy didn't ask for any more information.

There was a long pause, but not an uncomfortable one, in which the sound of sizzling bacon could be heard.

'What a shame,' her mother mused. 'I thought you and Draco were such a cute couple. Getting along so nicely.'

Hermione felt a pang of guilt. It was obvious her mother still thought they were jolly friends, not cruel enemies, and her face was downcast. Maybe because she'd always dreamed about her little daughter getting married. But now it wasn't working out.

Hermione felt guiltier. 'No, Mum. It's just a temporary thing. We'll probably we back together by tonight.' God, that was unlikely. But she didn't say that aloud.

A smile bloomed on Nancy's face. She put the bacon in front of Hermione. 'Lovely to see you again. I've got to go get ready for an appointment now. Your father should be down soon.'

Left alone, Hermione toyed with her bacon, unable to eat it. She stared out at the view the kitchen had – it was a view of the sea – and was just appreciating how enjoyable it was, when the doorbell rang and interrupted her thoughts.

Instantly, she panicked. Leaping from her seat, eyes wide with terror, she grabbed her jersey from the seat and rushed to her bedroom. Her dad was already answering the door – there was no time to warn him.

But Draco had already spotted her mad dash through the corridor. 'Hello, Hermione.'

She froze, and then straightened, realizing that hiding now would be pointless. So instead she tried glaring holes through his head. 'Draco.'

He shifted awkwardly. 'Uh, I'm here because – '

'Don't even think about it!' she cried. She knew he was here to force her to come back with him – and she wouldn't do it. Just seeing him now sparked some of the anger she had felt yesterday.

Draco gave her a sad, puppy-dog look that would have melted her heart if she were not so angry. 'Hermione, please forgive me. I just want to talk...'

Hermione snorted. It was obvious – he was usually this sad, guilty look to reel her in again, so she'd just fall for him and come easier.

This is some bullshit, she thought to herself.

'Hermione.'

It wasn't the seductive voice of Draco this time, it was that of her father.

'Yes, Dad?'

'I suggest you talk with your husband – ' Hermione flinched. ' – but you don't have to go with him yet. Just listen to what he has to say.'

It hurt a bit, that her father was taking sides over her, if that what it even was.

But she took his words to heart. When ever had her father not told her the truth?

Excluding the whole pureblood issue.

'Come in, Draco,' she said.

A triumphant smile on his face that irked Hermione, he said something to her father, who then left, and came to stand next to Hermione.

'Here,' she led him into her bedroom that she had come so close to escaping into.

'Thank-you for agreeing to listen to me, sweet pea.'

Hermione sat on her bed, graciously giving Draco the sofa. She choked. 'What?'

'Thank-you for agreeing – '

'No, what did you just call me?'

'Sweetpea,' his sarcastically innocent grey bored into hers. 'Like I always do.'

'You never do,' she corrected sharply. 'And it doesn't start here.'

'Sweetpea doesn't suit you, anyway,' he mused. 'How about babe?'

'Hermione's fine,' she said stiffly, 'and do you really think it wise to provoke me when you're trying to make me forgive you?'

'I'm sorry,' his voice was suspiciously sincere.

'Whatever. What do you have to say for yourself?'

'I've come to bring you home.'

'I'm not going.'

'Please, sweetheart. I only just managed to cover for you last night, but I warn you, if my parents find that you aren't home soon, there will be hell to pay. We're supposed to be married, and if any of the press have spotted that you're here... the shit will really hit the fan.'

She saw the logic in it. 'Did you just call me sweetheart?'

He blinked. 'Oh, yeah.'

'Well, don't.'

'Okay.'

She sat there, eyes downcast, just thinking. Finally, she made up her mind.

'I'll come home with you,' she said, standing up firmly. 'But this doesn't mean that I forgive you or anything. I just see the logic in your words.'

Draco stood as well, unsuccessfully trying to keep the triumphant smirk off his face. Hermione didn't see his lips twitching, however, for she was already marching out the door.

'Bye Mum, Dad!' she called. Her dad's head appeared from behind the kitchen door.

'Going already? Gosh, I barely said goodbye!' he waved. 'Ah well, I'll come by and visit.'

'We'll ring,' Draco spoke up. 'Hermione's going to be very busy.' And he marched her outside and into his car.

'I'll be the one to say if I'm busy or not,' she snarled at him.

A/N: As I understand it, there was a bit of confusion about the Order and stuff coming into the Malfoy's home. Well, it was because they really wanted to see Hermione, and Draco invited them because he was trying to make Hermione forgive him (ha! It didn't work; he's such a sneaky bugger! Lol). Hope that clears up a few questions!