Disclaimer: I don't really own anything you recognize in this story, or I would be really rich by now.

Chapter Five

Waking up, Hermione saw two luminous eyes staring back at her. She gasped and sat up quickly. Malfoy laughed, somewhat sneeringly.

"Fell asleep, did you? I thought you were going to keep watch over your captive. You're obviously not doing a good job of it, are you? Your friend Potter's not doing a good job of it, either, for he's asleep in his room," Malfoy stated simply.

Hermione glared as she sat up and yawned, rubbing her eyes. Hand it to Malfoy to point out everything wrong. Sometimes she wondered…

Malfoy walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. She wanted to smack the chrome out of him, but she decided against it. She didn't really want to have another repeat of last night.

"So why did you do it?" Malfoy asked.

"Did what?" Hermione yawned. Why couldn't men just be straightforward sometimes about what was on their minds?

"About making Harry let me go? I thought you hated me," Malfoy said.

"As much as I hate you, you are still a human and you didn't deserve the treatment," Hermione answered carefully.

"It's still not justified. You wouldn't have done that if we were still in school," Malfoy pointed out.

"Well, guess what, we're not in school and one would think that age would come maturity, wouldn't you think?" Hermione asked.

"Not always."

Silence wrapped around them as each sat in his or her thoughts. Just then, Hermione remembered the question that she didn't get back to last night. The drama had made her questions drive out of her mind.

"Malfoy, did you have anything to do with Ron's disappearance? It IS kind of suspicious that two enemies happen to meet in the same place and then one of them disappears mysteriously," Hermione exclaimed.

Malfoy looked deep into Hermione's eyes. "No, I didn't have anything to do with Ron's disappearance. I just happened to come into the bar the same time you and he went in there."

"Right." Hermione fell silent again. Why was she having a conversation with Malfoy? This was totally ridiculous. Because Dumbledore wanted you to talk to him, a small voice echoed in Hermione's mind. But she had no idea what he wanted her to get from him other than a whole lot of lies.

"You know, if we go to my family's mansion, we'd be a whole lot safer," Malfoy said suddenly.

Hermione glanced over at Malfoy. "What?"

"I said that if we go to my family's mansion, we'd be a whole lot safer than where we are now," Malfoy repeated.

"You're retarded. I would never go to your family's mansion even if I were paid in person. For all I know you'll take me hostage and bring me to Voldemort," Hermione laughed.

"And that is not what I'm going to do. I'm a changed man, Hermione. Why won't you trust me?" Malfoy asked.

"Because you're still hinting that you haven't changed since I last saw you," Hermione exclaimed.

"What can I do to prove you differently?"

Hermione laughed again. "This is so stupid. You're never going to change, Malfoy, mark my words."

"You don't know that."

The two of them tried to stare the other off. Though Hermione wanted to trust him, her senses told her not to, after all, he was a Malfoy and the Malfoys weren't that nice or to be trusted.

"Do you love him?" Malfoy asked suddenly.

Hermione gawked at him in surprise. "What? Do I love who?"

"Potter, do you love him?" Malfoy asked.

"Why would you care who I love, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy shrugged. "I don't know I was only trying to strike up a conversation. Is it wrong for one to ask questions?"

"No…but I don't usually anticipate talking with my enemy," Hermione stated.

Malfoy leaned back, a small smirk spreading across his face. Hermione's brow furrowed in disgust. What was the man thinking about? She didn't really want to be the butt-end of some joke if he ever walked free again.

"I see how it is," Malfoy said, "You are afraid."

Hermione snorted. "Me, afraid?"

"Yes, you, afraid. For one, you don't want to admit that you're I love with your old school friend, and second, you don't really want to talk about it with an old coot who teased and bullied him ruthlessly. Am I right, or am I right?" Malfoy exclaimed, smiling broadly now.

"You're a liar," Hermione said.

"Oh, am I? Just wait and see, and you'll know that I'm right. Just wait and see," Malfoy said.

Hermione just shook her head. There might be a small grain of truth to that, but that wasn't what she was feeling just now.

As Hermione sat thinking, her phone began to ring nonstop. She sighed. Just once, she would like her phone to not ring for a day, not once the whole entire bloody day. She stood and crossed the room to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"This is Dumbledore, Hermione. Can you come in to my office; I need to talk to you. It's important," Dumbledore's voice filled the receiver.

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Professor, this is kind of an inconvenient time for this. I'm kind of preoccupied with something right now."

"Hermione, I need to see you to talk to you and can't require time and patience right now," Dumbledore said sternly.

"Fine, I'll do just that, professor," Hermione said, emphasizing the last word. She didn't want to go see Dumbledore just now—she was still trying to finish his assignment for her.

"Good, I'll see you in an hour, then," Dumbledore said and hung up the phone.

Hermione slammed the phone onto the cradle and turned towards Malfoy.

"I think I'll have to take up on your offer of going to your mansion sometime in the near future—perhaps in the next forty-eight hours or so," Hermione exclaimed.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "Why the sudden change of decisions?"

"Because I have other business with the headmaster. Is that enough for you?" Hermione demanded.

"Fine, I'll tell you if you give me a piece of paper." Hermione searched through her desk, and finally tearing a piece out of her notebook she handed it to him with a paper. Malfoy took it and after scribbling down instructions on the paper, he handed it back to her.

Hermione snatched it out of his hands and folded it, nodding slightly. "I will let you go if you speak nothing of what has been happening, Malfoy."

"I can keep that promise, by my honor," Malfoy exclaimed.

"Good. Now, fly. Fly, Malfoy, as fast as you can, before I change my mind," Hermione said.

He didn't need to be told twice. He stood and scrambled out of the apartment as fast as his unnaturally skinny legs could carry him. Watching him leave, Hermione turned back towards the bedrooms. On to other business. She hoped Harry wouldn't be too mad at what she had done.