A/N: Wow...it's been THAT long...sorry everyone! A thank you to BroadwayBrunnett! And a thank you to the ever wonderful Drakulya for betaing this chapter!


Disclaimer: I don't own anything of the Harry Potter brand


Darkness is a power that takes over you in the worst way. It can put a veil over your eyes and you don't even know it's there until it's under your skin. Why does darkness exist? Why would anyone want to feel the tainted power? It's beyond any of us. We truly don't know, and that's what truly scares people when they hear about the power of the darkness. We don't know if one day we'll wake up and BAM we're depressed, or anything. But whatever the cause or effects darkness shouldn't be wished upon anyone.

But we have friends and family. People who care about us no matter what, who can get us out ofthe hole of darkness.

Unfortunately no one was there to save Hermione. Harry and Ron didn't suspect anything. They just thought she was dealing. Her family was dead, after all...

Of course there was Malfoy, but she knew he wouldn't help her. She didn't even know why she was considering him as a person who would care even a bit about her. She knew his heart turned black long ago, that isif he had a heart. After meeting Maire, the trio went their seperate ways, Harry going to Hagrid's and Ron going with Maire to work on their project. Hermione ran up to the astromony tower, knowing that no one would be in there till lunch. She could skip a couple classes - she didn't care what people would think of her anymore. She didn't care if they worried. She knew she had the right to do it, considering the day it was today. She sat on the windowsill and looked at the younger students learning to fly on their brooms. She smiled. To be young and be able to laugh in such a carefree way...she would give everything she had to be able to do just that now. To have a time turner and have even one more day of happiness.Yet she could feel the tears slipping down one by one. A painful reminder of what reality was. She tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and willed herself to be taken away.

She didn't like to cry. She thought it showed weakness. But with no one to judge her, she didn't care and let the tears flowed freely. She choked her sobs as she hear someone enter the tower. She quickly wiped her tears away and looked up.

"Ron?" she asked the shadow. Crap. She didn't have a valid excuse at hand for what she was doing up here; he'd get angry at her for sure. But yet when the light caught the person's hair it showed a bright yellow, almost white color, Hermione felt her heart speed up a little for some strange reason. "Malfoy." she said, a little disappointed and with a touch of disgust. The last time she had seen him, they almost kissed. She knew that, THAT wasn't going to happen again. Not on her watch!

"Sorry I'm not your weasel lover." Draco said. Hermione glared at him.

"He's not my lover," she corrected him. "What are you doing here, anyway?" she asked, interested in spite of herself.

"I come here to think sometimes." he said simply, but as he spokeHermione rolled her eyes. Like he needs to think when he can pay them all off instead, she thought. "It is a free country." he pointed out, as if guessing her thoughts.

"We're in England, not the states." Nowit washis turn toroll his eyes at her.

"You know what I mean, Granger." He paused. "But you want to know why I come up here to think? It's peaceful, you can see everything and no one can see you." Hermione nodded in agreement. She had spent countless hours just sitting onthiswindow and thinking about her life. She wondered what the boy who had everything would do up here.

"I should be going." she said quickly, getting up, knowing that if she was caught with him, Harry and Ron would freak out. Draco's arm reached out and caught her wrist. She looked back in confusion. He, himself was confused on why he had done. It was like a reflex, he couldn't help it. A very strange reflex, but one all the same.

"Stay" was all he said, and it was all she needed to hear. She went back and sat on the window ledge, Draco being on the other side. He turned to ask her.

"So why are you up here?" She looked away and didn't answer him. She couldn't say the words. She just stared at the first years. When she saw a group of them, a girl and two boys laughing together, her face took on a weird expression. As if she were trying to process something terrible. More tears fell. Draco had no idea what possessed him but he pulled Hermione over and hugged her as he allowed her to sob into his chest, letting the dam of tearsstream down. Hermione felt the strange feeling of being... being...

Safe?

The thought scared her a bit. She was so used to living life on the edge, never knowing what would happen. One minute she could be alright but the next dead. But yet it was her enemy that had made her feel safe for the first time in months, maybe even years. She couldn't figure it out. They both slowly pulled apart, they stared at each other, wondering what had just happened and wondering what the other was feeling. Hermione wiped her eyes and sniffled.

"I'm sorry." she said quietly, not really sure if that was the right thing to say. Draco looked at her.

"Looks like things aren't so perfect," he commented. "Granger, for once in your life, look past your pride and vent." She looked at him.

"Vent?" she questioned. Draco rolled his eyes again.

"Say what's on your mind." Hermione only shook her head.

"Every time I open my mouth it only hurts people." she said sadly. "My parents were killed for what I believed in," she said softlyas tears, again,began to slowly trail down her face. "If I had just kept my stupid mouth shut I wouldn't be feeling this crap!" She pounded her fist angrily against the wall, not caring about the searing pain. "Do you know what it feels like to have everything taken away from you and you have no clue how to rebuild your life?" she asked quietly, knowing he would just smirk or make fun of her. But to her surprise he looked at her pained eyes and said,

"Yes."


She was taken aback.

"How could you be? Your father was evil, but you certainly aren't. You're free. You have money; you can go anywhere you want." she said, but added to herself. You can escape. She tried to push the memory of her killing his father from her head.

"Not everything is how it appears," he said. "Some scars never truly heal." Hermione nodded mutely. "Now Granger, I ask you again, what are you doing up here?"

"Why do you care?"

"You never skip a class, and it worries me as it does everyone. We can't lose our resident know-it-all." he explained with a bit of smile, hoping to earn hers.

"My parents died a month ago. Today." she said softly. She didn't know why she had said it out loud, to her worst enemy. But she needed to tell someone. Who better to tell than someone who seemed to understand darkness? Draco's head snapped around.

"What?"

She laughed at his expression. "It seemslonger than that, you know. It's like they've been gone for a year." She sighed. "You always expect them to leave when your ready. When your married and have money... I dunno... I suppose I foolishly thought they wouldn't -couldn't -leave now. When I needed them the most." She wiped an eye absently and tried to stop sniffing. "You're very lucky you didn't fight in the war. You didn't have to kill anyone...you didn't have to see your friends get hurt. You didn't see the people weeping for thefriends and familythey lost. You didn'tfeel... like you actually likedkilling the enemy." She closed her eyes and shuddered. "And for that, I'm a monster."

"No, you're not." Draco whispered. She looked at him.

"This is coming from the boy who wanted me dead last year... I thought you'd havesaid I was. Don't you want my mental stability to shatter?" she asked, only half joking.

"Granger, I may be a jerk, but I'm not evil." She laughed.

"Just because you were a spy for us and supported our side doesn't mean you're not evil." she countered.

"Well for your information, Granger, I have a heart." he paused. "Yours, on the other hand, is disintegrating."

"Why would you care?" she said, suddenly feeling a surge of anger well up. "I'll go throw myself off some tower and you can laugh all you want. I mean, you've wanted that since day one." But Draco knew that he didn't want that to happen. Sure -last year, maybe yes. But now as he looked at Hermione Granger, her face red and tear-streaked, her eyes watery and her scared, innocent expression, he found her to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she whispered. He leaned in toward her.

"If you were a monster, you wouldn't be feeling the regret and guilt you do now. Monsters don't care. But you, Hermione, do." She looked at him through herteary eyes. He had said Hermione. But she didn't notice it at first, because she was still digesting the fact that he, Draco Malfoy, of all people, was the first to not say she was a monster.Oh sure, her previous friends never said it to her face, but she could see it in their eyes; "She's the killer. The one who took joy in murdering others. The monster." She had told him nearlyeverything and he didn't make fun of her. Maybe there was hope...

He smiled at her. "I know."

"Oh." she whispered. And without knowing what hit him -

Draco bent down and kissed Hermione.


Okay everyone, next chapter is with another couple!Shall it be Luna and Harry as they watch fairies or Ron and Marie as they try to make a muggle object? REVIEW!