Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot

He woke up in the cold, dreary dungeons. Well aware of the near freezing temperature of the air around him he got out of his bed and walked over to the heater that stood in the center of the room as a measly attempt at warmth. He combed threw his platinum blonde hair and didn't bother putting it back with all of the gel. He got dressed in a long sleeved black silk shirt and black jeans. After fine-tuning his look he went up to see his 'friends'.

She opened her eyes and wanted to close them again, to go back to the world of her dreams where everything was perfect, where there were no secrets, where she was loved. She got dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt and walked out of the Gryffindor common room and into the cruel world she had come to know and hate. She walked down to the Great Hall and sat down alone.

Draco heard his friends talking but didn't really listen. He glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw Hermione sitting alone. "Hmm," He thought, "Granger looks depressed." He shrugged off the thoughts and went back to eating his food.

Hermione sat down and didn't fell hungry so she didn't grab anything. She preferred to stay invisible to the world so she didn't even bother going near Harry and Ron. As she sat there she glanced over at the Slytherin table she saw Malfoy staring at her, he quickly glanced down.

He looked down after she looked over at him and finished eating, he wanted to get away from his 'friends' so he stood and started to walk out, but the group followed him. He looked at them all disgustedly and tried to wriggle free of Pansy's grip.

Hermione got up, her head facing the ground and ran out of the Great Hall and to the lake where she fell down crying.

Draco finally got out of Pansy's clinging grasp and told them all to leave him alone. He ran outside and saw Hermione curled in a ball beside the lake, crying. He walked over to her and, afraid to loose his cover said,

"What did Weaslebee break off your engagement?"

Hermione stood up, eyes burning with anger, "Don't ever say anything like that to me again Malfoy." She glared at him.

"Wow you must really like him," he added as an afterthought. She slapped him with all of her might.

"I don't like him Malfoy so just stop." Her eyes pleaded with him to stop. He looked down into her eyes and glared.

"Don't touch me you mudblood," he said and walked away. Hermione was truly sorry for what she had done.

"Mal…Draco!" She yelled for him. He turned around and she ran to him.

"I'm sorry, I over reacted." She looked at him.

"Why do you do this Granger?" He asked her angrily, his blood boiling.

"Do what?" She asked, hurt.

"Make my life even harder, you have no clue what I have to do to, 'uphold the family name', do you? You don't know the meaning of pain!" He was screaming at her.

"Do you?" He finished, Eyes filled to the brim with his father's temper. She looked up into his eyes and said, "Yes I do." She then turned and walked to the astronomy tower. He continued on the path and started to cause fires with his wand, he was really angry with Hermione for thinking she knew what he had to deal with.

Hermione looked over the balcony and saw a fire on the trail to Hogshead. She ran outside threw the Hogwarts gates; she looked for the fire and saw it. She hid behind a tree to see who caused it and she saw Draco Malfoy, crying.

He wanted everything to be destroyed, his life already was. Then, out of nowhere his father appeared and extinguished the fires.

"Are you daft boy? His father yelled at him, "You could get in trouble, like you already are." The tip of his cane collided with Draco's face and sent the boy flying to the ground. He screamed in pain.

"I thought I taught you better Draco," His father said and then yelled, "Crucio!" Draco's body was twisted and his back bent backwards. His father turned off the curse and walked over to the boy, practically lifeless and said,

"Don't ever talk to that mudblood again." And with that, he was gone.

Hermione was horrified at what she just saw and ran from her hiding place.

"Draco! Are you okay?" She sat beside him trying to help him up.

"Why are you here?" He asked, his voice full of fear.

"I saw what your father did Draco, come here." She helped him up and they were in walking distance of the Shrieking Shack, so they went in there.

"Don't tell anyone about what you saw Granger," Draco said as soon as Hermione put a locking and quiet spell on the door.

"Draco, why do you let him do that? He could have killed you." Hermione said to Draco while trying to fix his wounds.

"He's my father, I can't do anything to him." He looked at he ground wincing when she wiped his cuts with the soap and water she conjured up.

"Draco, you can always do something, never give up." She put down the sponge

"When you give up, the problems get worse, and more painful." She seemed to be drawing from personal experiences as she recollected herself and turned towards him.

"Promise me that you will never give up." He looked up at her, confused.

"What do you mean?" She started crying and he wondered if he said something wrong.

"My father… beats me too." She said in between sobs. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her like a wall to keep her safe.

"Shhhhh." He whispered in her ear, "Don't cry I know how you feel." She stopped crying and looked at him. "Do you know how it feels to be ripped from your reality and told that something you thought didn't exist existed, then your father decides to hate you and starts beating you and your mother? Then your mother dies, because she gave up, do you know how that feels?" She was crying hard now.

"No," he answered honestly.

"I do, I do, and Draco I hate that I do." Her face was now a blank mask of no emotion. He wanted to fight away her tears, to make her happy, but he separated himself from her feelings and each tear, was a knife pounding through his chest, killing his heart.

"That's terrible." Was all he could say to her.

"Yeah, I know." She looked into his eyes.

"Now do you understand what I mean about not giving up?" She kept his eyes with her own not even blinking.

"Yes." He said and then tightened his hold on her. She got out of his hold and walked a little bit away from him then turned back.

"What are we going to do?" She asked him.

"Well we could move into a house together away from our fathers." Draco offered.

"Oh how will we explain that? Oh father I have decided to move in with Hermione Granger, yes you heard me mudblood Granger. I don't think it will work." She added in. He looked upset and moved closer to her.

"I wouldn't say that, I'd say that I really liked you and only made fun of you because I liked you." He said and immediately regretted his words.

"Is that true?" She looked him dead in the eye.

"Yes." He whispered and turned away because he was turning pink. She put her hand to his bruised face and he winced. She turned his face toward hers and she gave him a sweet kiss on his lips. He was shocked and didn't know what to do. She pulled away and smiled at him.

"I like you too." She said. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a warm embrace. She felt safe in his arms and stayed there until he said something.

"We really need to be going." He said and she looked at the clock.

"Only one hour until dinner. You're right, but first we need to hide your bruises." She said and took out her wand, "Overti!" She yelled and the bruises disappeared.

"You truly amaze me Hermione Granger," Draco said and they walked back, hand in hand. Little did they know, they were being watched.