A/N: I figured while I was here, I might as well write and post the next chapter at the same time. Novel idea, huh? OK, enough blah-ing. On to the chapter.

Disclaimer: I disclaim the characters (still).

"Well? I'm waiting. Why would a female in this house be so important to you?"

"Um, well, I can't say." Blaise flushed.

"And why is that?"

"'Cause you'll tell."

"Blaise, do I look like I'm in fifth grade? I didn't think so. Now, tell me. Why are you so anxious to know about this female?"

"Well, I'm... um... well... I'mseeingginnyweasleywevebeentogetherfortwoyearsandtheDarkLordcan'tknowandyou'dtellhim." Blaise said all this really fast. Draco only caught a few words, but he pieced them together.

Draco didn't say anything for a minute. He was so relieved Blaise wasn't referring to Hermione he nearly fell over and had to grab onto the railing so he wouldn't fall to his knees. Then what Blaise said actually sank in.

"You're seeing a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" he asked quietly.

"Mmm... yes. Yes, I am." Blaise wasn't sure what to think. Draco's voice was only quiet when he was either extremely pissed off, in which case he wanted to be far, far away from here right now; or he was considering the information and trying to decide what he could do with it. Blaise did know, however, that once Draco caught on, he didn't just let it go. He ran with it all the way.

Draco couldn't hold it against him. He tried, he really did, but he just couldn't. He understood what it was like to have a forbidden love. His had left him some time ago, but sometimes it felt like she had only left him yesterday. Those eyes popped into his mind again, only this time they were shooting sparks at him and sparkling with tears. His heart had hurt so bad to see such beauty clouded by pain. It still did.

"Why?" Draco asked.

"That I really can't tell you. If I tried, I wouldn't be able to answer anything again, due to my head having imploded. But, as I like my head right where it is, I won't tell you."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

"Better than you know." Draco proceeded to the top of the stairs and down the hall.

XXXXX

Now that the immediate threat of danger had been taken care of, she sat on the bed, knees shaking, and took a deep breath. OK, now what?

Hermione needed to know how close the intruders were to the room she was in. Unfortunately, the Imperturbable Charm made it impossible for anything to enter the room, including sound. Carefully, she lifted the spell and heard two voices talking. Shit! How the hell am I supposed to get out of this one? She glanced quickly around the room and realized the windows were just big enough for her to get out. Had she been even a few centimeters taller, or any broader in the shoulders, she would not have made it. I knew being small would come in handy someday. Hermione grinned to herself.

She realized the talking had stopped. She couldn't see anything, but sensed the presence of two men standing outside the door. Their auras are surprisingly light for Death Eaters. That could mean a number of things: they were relatively new; they were stupid; they were only along for the ride to the top; or...

Hermione quit breathing. One of the men out there was Draco Malfoy. She recognized his aura. It was a lime green, unlike the deep forest green of so many of the Death Eaters, and his had streaks of silver in it. The other man's aura was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. It was a blue so deep as to almost be purple. This man had no evil in his aura. Why the fuck would a man become a Death Eater if he had no wish to harm others? What a conundrum.

She slowly backed away from the door. There was a knock. It was quiet, like the person knocking was trying to get her attention but didn't want to disturb her. Hermione continued to back away from the door towards the window. If she could get it open, she could climb down the tree she had seen outside. From there, as long as she got out of Grimmauld Place, she could Apparate to the Ministry, where she knew Dumbledore would be waiting for her.

As she turned to the window, the door sprung open. She jerked around to see Draco standing in the doorframe. Hatred fueled by pain welled up inside her and shone from her every pore. Quickly, before she lost her train of thought, she turned back to the window and opened it with a tap of her wand.

Draco strode forward into the room, but before he could grab her hand, she spun around again to spit words of fury at him. The words died on her lips as she looked into his eyes, which used to be so bright but had since turned steely. All thought left her head.

Draco was once again caught under the spell of her eyes. They were so beautiful, just like she was. Even now, filled with a hate he knew was only for him, he stared deeply, storing the memories for future use.

Blaise cleared his throat. "Um, Draco, the others are waiting for us." Draco snapped out of the spell he seemed to fall under any time he even thought about Hermione. He made his decision.

"Blaise, help me with this window."

A/N: Ha, another chapter done. OK, I think I'll go pass out. Please review, and I'll love you forever.

-Kat