I sat down on the bed and stared at my closed door."I do regret it Hermione. All of it." 'Why can't this ever be easy? Why does this boy seem to confuse me so much this year? He sounds so sorry. What am I going to do about the boxers? Maybe I'll just say he hasn't worn them yet or maybe I'll tell them I can't get the spell to work. I don't know. I just know that there was so much sadness in his eyes and voice that there is no way he could have been lying when he said that. I can't do it. I can't give him poison ivy boxers. I need to talk to him though because there is no way I can go through with Friday night. Damn it! This sucks! I want to help him! I can't help it! I just do.' I looked at Crookshanks who was sitting on the bed. He looked at me and then at the door and back at me again.

"Alright, alright. I'm going." I got up and walked over to my door preparing myself to go talk to Malfoy. When I opened my door Gidea was standing just outside it. "Ah good, Little One. I was just coming to find you and actually do my job and give you advice but it seems you've done it your self or has your clever cat helped you yet again."

"I was going to talk to him. Crookshanks just thought I should do it now." I admitted and Gidea nodded her head in agreement. I started toward his room but then stopped to look at Gidea. "What was wrong this evening? When you and Draco came down to the Great Hall something was seriously wrong."

"I cannot tell you now Little One but in time all will become clear."

"Alright." I sighed knowing that to argue would useless. I walked over to Malfoy's door and paused with my hand mid-air. I looked over to see both Crookshanks and Gidea watching me, both nodded their heads so took a deep breath. As I moved my hand to knock on the door it opened and knocked on Malfoy's shoulder. "Oh! I'm sorry." I said surprised.

"Don't be. Can I help you?" he asked almost wearily. I smiled weakly and shrugged.

"Can I come in and talk?"

He looked surprised but moved back to let me enter then stopped me by placing a hand on my shoulder. "I was going to get a drink. Do you want anything? A glass of water?" I nodded and he left to get the drinks. While he was gone I looked around his room which unsurprisingly looked just like mine except his room was fashioned in deep blue and greens where as mine was various shades of red. I was surprised by the blue though. I expected the room to be mostly green. Malfoy came back into the room and handed me the water. He sat down on his bed and I crossed legged next to him.

"Okay." We both said. He started to open his mouth but I held up my hand. "No, let me go first please." He nodded his agreement and I went on. "Alright, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know I went too far and you're right we need to be friends. It's just that I would rather be friends for the sake of being friends not because Dumbledore said so. Part of being friends is excepting them for everything and while I don't think it's fair the way you judged me I do understand. If you hadn't acted a certain way towards me than you would have had to deal with a lot more than I think I realized. I do still think it unfair about Harry and Ron too but again it was the way you were brought up. Maybe if you were to spend time with them you'd see. They aren't bad, not at all. I do want to be your friend Draco, we just have to take this one step at a time."

"Are you done?" he asked me and not unkindly and I nodded. "My turn and you can't interrupt. Don't apologize. You're absolutely right. I grew up in a world that I didn't realize until this past summer was very closed minded and very wrong. When you were little you were taught right and wrong. I was taught we are right, they are wrong. When I was little the only other children I knew were all purebloods because my parents didn't associate with those who didn't have pure lineage. When we came to Hogwarts that first year it was the first time I'd encountered others who weren't pureblood. We were eleven, by that time all this pureblood madness had been ingrained into my head and I just believed everything my parents told me.

There were little things that I knew were wrong. Like when I called you a...well a 'mublood' for the first time in our second year you were so upset and I felt it was wrong but I was twelve and for an immature twelve year old it was funny to make fun of others. Before our fourth year here we saw each other in the woods when the deatheaters were levitating that family. Why do you think I was in the woods? I'm not even going to pretend like you don't know that my father's a deatheater, everyone does.

I was hiding from him. He wanted me to join them but I was positive that levitating and torturing them was wrong. They had done nothing wrong and didn't deserve it. I also knew you didn't deserve anything to happen to you so in the woods I made a rude comment about Ron and Harry not wanting them to find you. It worked. You all went deeper into the forest. Farther away from my father and his friends.

Hermione," He grabbed my hand, "If my father had seen you..." he actually shuddered and his grip tightened on my hand. "I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened. In the past year and even before that I've been trying harder and harder not to use words like 'mudblood' and not to judge people on their blood. Sometimes, like earlier this year, when I'm around others who use it the word just comes out. I wasn't talking about you by the way. I would never call you a harlot."

"I know." I patted his hand that clasped mine with my free hand. "I heard you in the library. You said you didn't mean anything by it, and I believed you even then." He gave me a small smile then took a deep breath then continue on not releasing my hand.

"I know it's was unfair of me and I'm trying to correct my ways. Will you help me? I'll do whatever you want. I will spend time getting to know Potter and Weasly. Even Longbottom. Did you ever notice that he's really good in Herbology? You should suggest he become a teacher. I listened to him explain something to Crabbe and he actually understood it!" I smiled broadly at Draco. 'Draco had changed! He really had.'

"Well why don't you tell him? Well, maybe not right away, after Snape I think you and Voldemort are constantly battling for who scares him the most." Draco laughed and I could tell he was feeling better. "Now, I'm going to have to have a long talk with Harry, Ron, and Neville but I don't think it'll take long to convince them as long as you all promise to play nice."

"I promise!" Draco said enthusiastically. He finally let go of my hand, I'm not sure I wanted him to but he seemed happy and I wanted to see what he was going to do. "Well, I'll do my best which is getting a lot better and I'm sure they'll be the same way. Hermione!" He jumped off the bed and picked me up in his arms twirling me around in a circle. "You meant it! You're going to help me!" I laughed as he put me back on the floor.

"Yes, yes, of course I'm going to help you! But," I got serious again, "I do have one more question. What happened this summer that changed everything?"

Draco Malfoy smiled genuinely for the first time I can ever rememeber and said happily, "I left home, and my parents, and I'm never going back!"

Ray, WOOT! you liked it! sorry about the cliffy...there's on here too though! they just seem to be my speciality! feel better!

Cupcake, yay! i'm glad you liked it! yeah they are getting longer! enjoy it!

Nat,i've been sick so i've had time to write but pretty soon i'm going to slow down! school and work are going to take up my time!

Jaleo, I hope you liked what he had to say! we're beginning to find out exactly what's going on with him

Krickette , welcome! what do you mean you joined for me?

SpikesDreamer, thanks I'm glad you enjoyed it, they had to hash it out sometime!

Filthy x Gorgeous, glad you enjoyed it! hugs back for reading!

stefix3, welcome, i'm glad you like, the chapters are slowly getting longer!

Gentileschi, thanks, they both have sides, he's more hard and edgy while he's soft and caring, so it had to be a compromise of sorts:)

Gothhottie, yeah i don't blame her either, if someone acted like that to me for six years...i'm pretty sure i'd do the same ;)