A/N: VERY IMPORTANT I just re-did this chapter as when I uploaded it last night, it put the whole body of text in one paragraph. THIS WAS NOT INTENTIONAL! Thank you too all who reviewed at such time and let me know about this. I'm really sorry for any who were inconvenienced or stopped reading at the sight of it… I know I would have ;)

I hope you enjoy it and it's easier to read now, and again, really sorry about the long update, but I already have half of chapter 3 written so hopefully the next one will be quicker :)

Chapter 2- Make Up Your Mind

The effect of Draco's words was similar to a bucket of ice water being poured on one's head. Hermione sat perfectly still, not daring to look directly at the man in front of her who was telling her that she was responsible for her best friend's apparent death. She could hear footsteps down the hall and the ticking of hospital's clock magnified in the deadened silence.

"Hermione, listen to me," Draco said urgently, his voice barely a whisper. Hermione's eyes focused on a crack that ran the length of the opposite wall. It was a large crack that seemed to go on forever. Why hadn't anyone tried to fix it?

"We don't have a lot of time; you have to focus on me." Draco's voice sounded as though it was coming from the end of a very long tunnel. Then again, Hermione mused, maybe some things just can't be fixed. Maybe some things just have to be left to crumble and fall.

"Hermione!" Draco's voice cut through the silent room like a whip. Hermione blinked, her eyes focusing on Draco once more.

"Did I really do it?" she asked, her voice tremulous with unshed tears. Draco looked sharply at the girl before him, her evident pain making him catch his breath.

"I don't believe you did," he said, grasping her hands. Who could have ever believed that this was the same girl he had tormented in his youth? "That is why we need to get you out of here." Hermione nodded. Without saying another word, Draco pulled her up to a standing position. "Can you walk, Hermione? Good. Ok, what I want you to do is follow me out this door into my office. No one will ask questions while you are with me. I have had a secret keeper set up since you were admitted for if you were to ever regain your memory so that you wouldn't be located before we could sort this out. I will take you to my house through a portkey that you can recognize as a snitch paperweight located on my desk in my office, and I want you to stay in the Manor, at least until I settle everything here. Are you listening to me?"

"Why are you doing this for me?" Hermione asked her eyes boring into Draco's. Draco released his hold on Hermione's arm and stepped towards the door.

"Because I am the only one who knows you're innocent," he said, sending her a quick glance before opening the door with a flick of his wand to the loud hallway beyond. "Follow me."

Hermione did follow. Down the long, white and empty corridor; sharp turn; another long, white, empty corridor. Feeling chilled, she pulled her patient's nightgown as tightly around herself as possible, unable to keep the cold pressing in on her from all sides. One thing ran through her head, spinning around in an indistinguishable blur of disbelief. Harry was dead. Not the Harry Potter hero who the wizarding world loved and hated, followed and deserted. Her Harry Potter. The Harry she had been friends with for the past… well, since she was eleven. One of the only people she could whole heartedly trust with her life. The corridor seemed endless.

Draco observed Hermione's disposition with amazement. He knew what she must be thinking, her feelings of disbelief, shock, anger, fear, anxiety and sadness were radiating off her powerful waves. It hurt him to see her like this. Oh how times had changed, he recollected, realizing that how he perceived her was completely different than how Hermione would look at him everyday: distrustful and resentful, never knowing just how much he cared for her. Never knowing what had taken place in the past eight years… he stopped short of his office, slipping a key in Hermione's hand. She looked at it as though unable to comprehend the situation at hand, before slowly turning to the door, the key in her outstretched hand. Draco continued down the hall, resisting the urge to look back and check on her safety. The conference room lay ahead, and he still needed to think of an excuse to explain the sudden disappearance of one of the only criminally insane patients admitted in St. Mungo's.

Hermione found the snitch, however did not grasp its smooth exterior immediately. She wondered briefly how it would know whether to take her to Malfoy Manor or not, but rationalized that there must have been new magical breakthroughs since she had woken up. The whole scenario was dreamlike, yet bitingly real. Hermione looked around the room, noting the impeccable neatness that made the room seem almost unbearable. Making her way to the desk, her curiosity brimmed as she noticed a filing cabinet in the corner. Now to see if this is reality or not, she resolved, yanking the draw open so hard the lock broke.

"What do you mean she's gone!" How can she be gone? You were with her the whole time!" Draco held his hand up, trying to silence the medi-witches, however was unheeded as the room spilled forth in a struggle of panicking wizards and witches.

Hermione was able to locate a Granger file, and the several other Granger files that followed it in chronological order. So it was true, she realized, flipping through each page, oblivious to the shouts and pounding footsteps taking place outside the door.

Finding himself alone in the room, Draco darted back to his office, trying his hardest to remain unnoticed to no avail. Just as he was pulling out his key, the same medi-witch who had been Hermione's nurse that very morning appeared at his side.

"Good thinking, Dr. Malfoy! She's a smart one, might have hidden in your office!" Draco gulped, trying to think of ways to stall.

Brought back to reality by hearing the nurse's voice on the other side of the door, Hermione quickly grabbed her files under one arm, extending the other to grab a hold of the golden snitch perched innocently on Malfoy's desk. The world dissolved into a blur of colors just as the door opened, and two indistinguishable characters stepped inside.

"She must have been in here! She probably apparated out, Dr. Malfoy!" Draco nodded, looking pensive.

"Of course, why didn't I think of that? She must of apparated out! Of course, it would help your theory if the girl actually knew how to apparate…"

Hermione collapsed in the middle of a lavish living room that one could only assume to be the center of Malfoy Manor. She was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling paintings that were currently pointing at her and whispering among themselves anxiously. She was lying on a blatantly expensive Victorian carpet that matched the dark green leather sofas and armchairs scattered around the room. Hermione quickly hid her files under one, before bringing herself to sit down, feeling very small in a very big room.

Draco apparated home immediately, after suggesting that Hermione may have run through all the security guards, dodged all the timer spells, and managed to recover a wand to utter the unknown spells used to lock and unlock the ward. Surprisingly enough, the hospital bought it, and now had the ministry on call. Draco shook his head. It would all be sorted out once he could gather enough information and evidence to prove to a judge that she was in fact, innocent of killing her best friend eight years ago.

"So, ready for the tour?" he offered, as though he snuck apparently criminally insane patients out of his work place all the time and offered them a tour around his house. Hermione conceded, restraining herself to one incredulous look. She still had a lot of things to work out. Like why she was eight years in the future, apparently staying in her enemy's house while he played the role of her doctor and her lawyer.

A/N: thanks again and please review :D