Disclaimer: Once again, I don't really own anything you recognize in this story.

Chapter Six

"You did what?" Harry's eyes bugged out behind his glasses in anger.

Hermione sighed and stared straight into Harry's eyes. Somehow she knew this was going to happen, but knowing didn't make telling him any better.

"I let him go. I couldn't stand aside watching him being tortured by you just because you saw him and me talking. What's wrong with talking, Harry? And anyways, that's what Dumbledore wanted me to do, to talk to him, and you had to ruin it back there at the bar last night. Why?" Hermione asked.

For once, Harry remained silent, thoughtful. She hadn't seen him in this silent, thoughtful mood in a long time. All she could do was wait for him to answer.

"It's a bit complicated—a long story. I don't want to talk about it; it hurts too much to talk about it right now. Please understand, Hermione. My actions seem a bit strange, but you will understand in time," Harry finally answered.

Hermione wanted to ask him why, but after seeing the look in his eyes, she didn't ask. Instead, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, somehow trying to comfort him.

"I don't know what you've went through the past several years, Harry, and I'll probably never understand. But we must go on, you must go on." Hermione stepped back away from Harry. "I must go, now, Harry, but I'll be back later. Dumbledore called just before I woke you up telling me he had to talk to me."

Harry looked up, with surprise and anger in his eyes. "Dumbledore called?"

Hermione nodded affirmatively. "Yes, and—"

"Why do you have to go?" Harry asked. "I don't think you should go, it's dangerous and we've got Malfoy loose. Maybe we should go to his mansion with those instructions he gave you and get him again."

Hermione noticed the gleam in his eyes. She couldn't let him go with her, no matter what. And she also found it a bit odd that he wanted her to disobey Dumbledore—not that he'd ever broken the rules before, but same difference. These were strange times indeed.

"Harry…I don't think I should disobey Dumbledore. He IS the head of the Order, and—" Hermione began.

"Do you always follow the rules, Hermione?" Harry asked. "I remember a time in our first year when you lied to save everybody's butts with the cave troll in the girls' bathroom."

"That is something quite different, I'm afraid," Hermione said coldly.

"I'm afraid you love rules too much, Hermione, you're beginning to sound like McGonagall," Harry stated.

"And I'm afraid you are getting too reckless. These aren't the times to be acting stupid because of what's best for you and not for everybody as a whole," Hermione said.

"Hermione—"

"Don't 'Hermione' me, Harry. I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Hermione watched Harry sink slowly to the coach, placing his head in his hands. He was getting a little peaked and she started to feel worried about him. She had an inkling that his scar was starting to hurt him and with the pressures building since last night, nothing was going too well for him. She walked over to him and knelt in front of him, placing a hand on his knee.

"Are you going to be alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me," Harry snapped.

Hermione gave him a worried smile. "Of course you're fine. I'm just being stupid, is all. I guess I get worried about, really. How about this? I go and see what Dumbledore wants while you lie on the couch here and take a nap until I get back. Then we can discuss this Malfoy business, shall we?"

Harry nodded willingly. The pain he was feeling right now didn't leave him much room to argue. Pain caused him to be willing to do almost anything. Almost was the key word there.

Hermione nodded, still not convinced that he was going to be all right, but she didn't pursue it further. She didn't want to have another argument again after just coming to terms with the first one.

Standing, Hermione gathered the things she would need. When she was sure Harry wasn't looking, she slipped the instructions to Malfoy's mansion in the pocket just inside her coat so nothing would happen to it. One couldn't be too careful nowadays.

Standing at the door, Hermione turned around to look at Harry one more time before she left. He was on the couch with his eyes half closed. He looked so pale, yet…she shook her head. She mustn't dwell on it too much.

"I'll be leaving now, Harry," Hermione said quietly.

Harry grunted to acknowledge that he heard and Hermione slipped out the door quietly. Locking the door behind her, Hermione hurried down the hall and down the escalator. She had to look at Muggle as possible, or people would ask questions. Once outside, Hermione started walking towards Hogwarts. But the words of Harry echoed in her mind.

"Do you always follow the rules?" he had said and Hermione couldn't lie on the question, though both of them knew the truth. Hermione stopped short in her tracks. What if she DID bend the rules a little bit? Something inside her told her that she should keep on going to Dumbledore's office, yet, there was another part of her tugging at her to go to Malfoy's.

Pulling out the instructions, she read them twice, then three times over. Then she looked up, looking first the direction of Hogwarts, and then turning her head slightly, towards the direction of Malfoy's. Which way should she go? Either way there was going to be people disappointed in her, but she had to make a choice and move on, not regretting the choice she made.

After several moments of agonizing thought, Hermione made her decision and headed on to the direction she needed. There wasn't going to be any blaming except on her for the choices she had made. Her choice was finalized with every step she made.

"I have made my choice," Hermione said softly, and continued steadily down her path, without a falter.