A/N: Hey again! Hope you all liked the last chapter, here's a new one squea! .. haha.. ah… alright then… on with story

Chapter 3

Hermione walked through the corridors as she made her way to the Head's Common Room. She wasn't paying attention to what was around her or where she was going. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they led her way. She barely noticed that Lucius Malfoy had walked past her and had given her a look of deepest loathing. She found her way into the Head's Room with her heavy books after dinner to see Malfoy already sitting on a couch. His face was red instead of being usually pale, and he looked dazed."

"Hey Hermione" he smiled half-heartily when he saw her.

Hermione waved. In a way she was feeling discouraged and hurt about what had happened before lunch.

"Hey" she said when she noticed how he was acting. "You okay? You look exhausted."

"Oh… no no I'm okay." Malfoy said. "Dumbledore came by earlier. You have the first shift tonight. You know, paroling the corridors after dark."

Hermione turned to Malfoy so fast that it startled him. "What! But… but I have so much homework! I still have to finish reading the Transfiguration textbook, and I have an Ancient Runes essay due this week! I don't have the time!" Hermione – being who she was – started to panic.

Malfoy hurried over to her and sat next to her. She faced him and he put his hands on her shoulders. "Hermione, its ok. I know how much this work means to you. Take it easy."

Hermione looked up at him with small tears in her eyes. "I… I don't even know why I'm crying…"

"Don't worry about it. You just had a little panic attack, that's all. It's ok. If it helps I can take your shift for you."

Hermione smiled sheepishly and Draco gave her a hug warm hug. She hugged him, not wanting to let go, when he held back and gasped as though in pain. Hermione look at him in surprise. She hadn't given him a bear hug or something.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"N-nothing" he said, holding his chest and talking steady breathes. "Just… a little… Quidditch injury. That's all" He avoided her concerning eyes and quickly went into his room.

Hermione watched after him as he left for his room. She slowly walked to his door and knocked the door softly. He didn't answer, so she opened it and looked inside. Malfoy was standing in front of a mirror.

He had taken off his shirt and there were dark bruises and a few cuts all over his chest, arms and back. There were a slow stream of tears forming in his eyes and going down his checks. He was trying to put ointment on the wounds when Hermione gasped and he turned around.

He looked at her and quickly wiped his tears and he ran towards her, trying to push her out of the room.

"Draco, what happened to you?" She asked but he pushed her out and slammed the door. She heard through the door soft cries and she tried to open it again. Malfoy was at his bed and had his bruised back to her.

"Draco…" she sat down next to him on the bed and saw more tears coming from his eyes. She but a hand on his and he looked up at her, with pink teary eyes. "Oh, Draco what happened?"

Draco suddenly hugged her and buried his head in her shoulder with loud sobs. Hermione wrapped her arms around him and leaned back against the wall and he cried louder into her shoulder. Hermione hugged him in a warm embrace and brushed his hair and she tried to calm him.

She looked at his chest and saw bruises everywhere. She looked back in her memory and remembered that when she caressed his chest on the train he had winced when she passed a bruise, and she had noticed these before when they were together earlier that day, but they were healing. These seemed like he had just gotten hit.

Draco mumbled something after he had calmed down, but Hermione didn't hear what he said. He lifted his head from her now damp shoulder and said in a quiet whisper, "My father…"

Hermione remembered how she had seen Draco's father in the halls of Hogwarts earlier and looked at him with deepest concern. "You're father did this to you? Oh Draco"

She pulled him into another hug and wiped away some of his tears. "Draco, how did this happen?"

Draco lied down on Hermione's lap she took one of his hands in hers, and her other hand brushing away the silent tears that fell as he told his story.

"Well… the Dark Lord was defeated by Potter… and everyone has practically become friends and crime rates have dropped significantly. But my father… he still believes in Voldemort. He still despises Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards. He and the Death Eaters have a secret organization and are planning to finish what Voldemort started. He had told me to join with him, but I don't want to. I hate the fact of killing and I hate living this lie. I never hated Muggles or Muggle-born witches or wizards, but I was forced to. My father would beat me and set the Crucio Curse on me when I refused anything, so I had no choice and I was forced to hate. Now that they are secretly still following what Voldemort believed in, and I have refused to join, he is starting it all over again."

When Draco finished he was crying again and looked up at Hermione. She was shocked. The Death Eaters, Draco admitting how he really felt about Muggles, what is father had done to him, and most of all, Draco had opened up to her. When he looked up to her, she had tears in her eyes too and she hugged him gently.

"Draco… I think we should tell Dumbledore all about this." She said softly.

"Pfft, he cannot help me now. It is too late. My father has too much power." Draco sadly started to cry and so did Hermione.

Together, Draco cried and Hermione cried for him too. Soon, she convinced him to go to Dumbledore. "But you have to come with me… please don't leave me." He said

"Draco, I will never leave you. If something goes wrong, I will always be by your side." Hermione smiled as tears ran down both of their faces. Hermione gently put the rest of the ointment on Draco's wounds and helped him put a shirt on. She walked with him and Draco was grateful that it was getting dark and most of the students were in there common rooms.

Draco was shaking from crying by the time they got to Dumbledore's office, and they were surprised to see him standing outside of his office as if he was expecting them.

"Mr. Malfoy, I was wondering when you were going to come to me. Please, come in." Professor Dumbledore beckoned Malfoy inside, but he said "Can Hermione come too? Please sir?"

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. They all entered his office and Draco and Hermione sat in the two chairs in front of his desk. Dumbledore sat at his desk and looked at Draco and he started to speak. He held Hermione's hand tightly to stop himself from crying as he told Dumbledore. When he finished, Dumbledore assured that something would be done.

Soon, Hermione and Draco left the office, still hand in hand. Draco whipped away the last of his tears and stopped. Hermione turned at looked at him in surprise. He put his hands at her waist and pulled her into him and held her close.

"Hermione" he said quietly. "Never have I been able to trust someone as much as I trust you. I actually half-expected you to laugh at me for well… for crying and stuff." He trailed off, his cheeks going slightly pink. Hermione hugged him and said "Draco, you shouldn't be ashamed to cry, especially about something like this. I'm here for you. I promise"

Draco smiled, and kissed her softly on the lips. They walked back to their Head Common Room and sat on one of the couches as Hermione made some hot chocolate. They cuddled under a blanket and watched the fire as they sipped their hot chocolate. Hermione was resting her head on Draco's chest, and his head was resting on hers.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm?" she mumbled tiredly.

"Hermione, you mean so much to me. We may have been horrible to each other in the past, and I want to apologize for that. Hermione will you… uh… will… youbemygirlfriend?"

Hermione sat up a bit and looked at him.

"I'm sorry" he quickly said, looking away. "It might have been too soon. I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked, I'm - " But Hermione moved his head to face her and kissed him on the lips.

"Draco, I would absolutely love to be your girlfriend."

Draco beamed at her and kissed her gently. They turned back to the fire and fell asleep in each other's embrace

A/N: Aw now wasn't that just so darn CUTE? Haha well its not finished. I still got a couple more chapters to go HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW