Chapter 7: An Unknown Connection

They arrived back at the Burrow and Hermione quickly ran inside, straight up to Ginny's room, and flung herself on the bed. She had already begun sobbing almost incoherently at what she had seen in her mind. She wasn't exactly sure HOW or WHY she was seeing it. She refused to believe that Draco had returned to being a Death Eater. They had been through so much in the past few months. She still had feelings for him, even if they had decided to stick to being just friends for now. She laid on the bed, sobbing herself to sleep.

She awoke a few hours later to the sound of voices downstairs. They didn't sound like happy voices either but she recognized one of them. 'Draco!' she thought happily to herself, got off the bed and bounded down the stairs, trying not to seem too enthusiastic. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, listening to what she now realized was an argument between Ron and Harry and Draco.

"I don't have any clue what you are ranting about Weasley. I went to visit my mother, I didn't realize that was such a crime!" she heard Draco's voice getting louder. "And I didn't do anything to Hermione."

Hermione quickly appeared from the stairs and cleared her throat to get the room's attention.

"Do you all always argue about me behind my back?" she asked, a tone of mock anger in her voice. "For your information, no one has done anything to me. I'm pretty sure that it wasn't Malfoy who put those images in my head but I'm glad that they aren't true. If he says he was at his mother's then I think we should leave it at that." she gave a genuinely fake smile to show she believed it, even though deep down something was telling her not to be so sure. The three boys looked at her confused.

"Um Hermione, what do you mean images?" asked Harry timidly, remembering fifth year when Voldemort purposely placed images in his own mind to make him think that his godfather was being tortured. "Did you see something? Is that what made you black out at Diagon Alley?"

"Oh never mind, Harry. It was nothing." Hermione answered quickly, not really wanting everyone to know about what she'd seen or felt earlier. "Now, if you all don't mind, I'd like to enjoy the last night we have before going back to school tomorrow." And with that, she walked out of the room to find Ginny, leaving everyone to just stand there and watch her, speechless.

The next morning, on the train

Hermione walked through the corridors with Ron (who was still a Gryffindor prefect) doing patrols. She was supposed to be walking with Draco but she still wasn't completely ready to be alone with him. Something was still haunting her about her "vision" (if that's what it was) and the pain she felt deep inside when it hit her. Draco had told them that he was only visiting his mother but Hermione had a very sinking suspicion that he wasn't being completely honest about it. She didn't want to admit that he really had rejoined them. The Draco that she'd grown to know in the past few months would never in a million years be a Death Eater. 'I guess people cant always change completely' she thought to herself sadly. Somehow though, she knew deep down that she was right….Draco had betrayed them.

"Ron, we're going to be at the station in 15 minutes. I've got to go back to the Heads compartment and get my stuff ready. I'll see you when we get there okay?" Hermione said once they had finished their latest round of patrol. She gave Ron a quick hug and rushed back to her compartment. As soon as she opened up the compartment door, she found Draco sitting there staring out the window lost in his own thoughts. She quietly walked in and closed the door and began checking her luggage to make sure she had everything.

Draco snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that Hermione had came in and was now rummaging through her trunk. "Hey there." he said.

"Hello Malfoy." Hermione said, very unemotionally, without taking her eyes off of her trunk. Draco looked at her curiously…she hadn't called him that since their kiss back the morning of Bill and Fleur's wedding.

"Malfoy? Are you mad at me or something?" Draco asked her.

"Like you really should ask. Look, Malfoy, I'm not stupid. I know what happened and I know what you are. I just cant believe that I allowed myself to actually believe your crap about wanting to change." She replied, very unemotionally, looking directly at him.

"What do you mean you know? There's no way you could. Besides it's not what you think Hermione." Draco told her quietly.

"You lied to me, you betrayed me, you actually made me start to have feelings for you!" Hermione yelled at him and turned to leave, but Draco grabbed her arm.

"Listen, Granger. You have no idea what you are talking about. You try living my life for a day and you tell me how easy it is." Draco leaned into her, lowering his voice.

"DO. NOT. TOUCH. ME. MALFOY. You lost that right the moment you left us in Diagon Alley. I thought that you really had changed. I was here for you and you betrayed me anyway! I guess it's true what they say…some people will never change." Hermione said, her voice full of anguish and sadness, pulling her arm out of his grip. She reached back and slapped him then stormed out of the compartment, tears swelling up behind her eyes.

Later that night, after the welcoming feast, Headmistress McGonagall, lead the new Heads up to their living quarters. Draco constantly trying to catch Hermione's eye and Hermione doing a very good job at completely avoiding his presence. This was going to be a very long year indeed if she never even acknowledged him. What bothered Draco however the most, was not the fact that she felt betrayed and lied to (even though truthfully it was tearing him up inside), it was the blatant curiosity as to HOW she knew. There's no possible way she could have known. He didn't tell anyone where he was going and he was only gone for maybe three hours. And yet somehow, she seemed to know immediately. He looked in her eyes when he'd arrived back at the Weasley's house the night before…she looked hurt and sad, even though she didn't show it. She had defended him, true, but then when he'd tried to talk to her today on the train she yelled at him to stay away from her and said that she knew what happened.

When they arrived at their new living quarters, Hermione went directly to her room and shut the door so she wouldn't have to stay in the same room as Draco for longer than she wanted to. She quickly changed into her pajamas (simple light blue flannel pants and a crisp white tank top with blue clouds on it), pulled her golden brown curls up in a ponytail, and threw herself down on her bed. She still didn't want to fully believe that she'd been tricked for the past three months. She had seen a side of him that she had never known existed and she desperately wanted to see that side again, but she knew she couldn't allow herself to be swept into his "trap" again, so she avoided him. Her "vision" at Diagon Alley the previous day still haunted her. She wasn't sure if it was real or not but something deep down told her that it really happened. It was as if there was some sort of unknown connection between her and Draco. She had felt the curse hit him just as plainly as if it had actually struck her own body. She still felt the pain of it. She could see him lying there on the hard ground as the curse agonized through his body and her own. It was almost as if she'd been right there. But how? How could she have seen what she did? How could she have felt it? There was an answer and Hermione Granger was determined to find out what it was. She glanced at her bedside clock…it was only ten pm. She knew that the library was open until midnight so, still in her pajamas and bare feet, she quickly ran through the common room pausing only for a moment to watch Draco lying on the couch, apparently asleep, before disappearing out the portrait hole and down the corridor.

The following month seemed to pass by like a blur and before anyone knew it, it was two weeks before Halloween. Hermione had gone to the library to search for anything about the vision she'd had in Diagon Alley but she didn't find much. She had almost every single class with Draco so she never really got away from him. It became harder and harder to avoid him. Whenever she found herself sneaking glances towards him, he was right there glancing back at her. She could tell that something was really bothering the blonde Slytherin. The light and sparkle that she saw in his eyes over the summer was no longer there, it was replaced by sadness it seemed.

That day they had potions for their final class of the day. Half way through the hour, a beautiful tawny owl flew into the classroom and landed on Professor Slughorn's desk (yes Slughorn was still there since Snape obviously couldn't return). The professor took the note off the owl's leg and read through it as the owl took off back out of the classroom.

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy? The Headmistress would like a meeting with you after class is done for the day." he told the Head Boy and Girl. They exchanged a quick glance at each other before turning back to their work. As soon as the class was finished, everyone began filing out of the classroom. Harry and waited patiently for his friend. Just as Hermione was about to walk out the classroom, Draco stopped her.

"You coming Hermione?" Draco asked her, refusing to use her last name determinedly trying to prove that he was still not back to his old ways. Hermione glanced up at him but instead of replying, she simply grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out the door, pushing past Draco.

"Walk with me up okay Harry?", Hermione asked her best friend. "I really don't want to be alone with him anymore than I have to." she added, nodding over her shoulder to the tall blonde boy walking behind them.

Harry nodded. " 'Mione, are you ever going to tell me what happened between you and Malfoy? I mean seriously, all summer you two were like the best of friends. But ever since you passed out at Diagon Alley that day, you haven't spoken a word to him? What gives? First you tell me to grow up and get over the past and then you go right back to the way things were? Come on 'Mione, talk to me!" Harry replied as they made their way up to the Headmistress' office, Draco walking not very far behind them. He'd been curious as to what was going on since they'd left on the train to return to Hogwarts a month and a half ago. He had never fully trusted Malfoy, but he'd also never seen Hermione switch up like she had.

Hermione took a quick glance over her shoulder seeing that Draco was still behind them, obviously because they were going to the same place. "I promise Harry, I'll tell you about it as soon as I figure things out okay? Things are just really confusing to me right now." Her friend nodded his understanding. They reached the griffin marking the passageway to the Headmistress' office.

" 'Mione, I have to catch up with Ron. We need to go over some plans for our first practice tomorrow." He leaned in and gave her a hug. "Do me a favor? Just talk to him okay? I can tell you really want to." Harry whispered in her ear. Hermione nodded in agreement, not really looking forward to talking to Draco again just yet. She muttered the password to the gargoyle and was quickly joined by Draco as she started her ascent up the stairs. Draco was directly behind her but both kept their eyes forward and did not utter a single word. The reached McGonagall's office door and Draco knocked. Hearing McGonagall beckon them inside they opened the door and took their seats across from her, taking quick glances at each other.

"Well thank you two for joining me. I have a task for the two of you…." McGonagall said.