Disclaimer: As we all know, I am not JKR which means I do not own any of this.

A/N: Please review! You people are Wonderful!

Chapter 3

Past and Present

And I'm haunted by your face
And the memory of your kisses
Sweet kisses
Do you remember?
I still remember so much
I remember never feeling so alive
Do you remember?
I still can't forget your touch
We swore that we would never end
We knew our love transcend space and time

--Stabbing Westward

Hermione clicked her tongue in exasperation. Obviously, Malfoy had been out in the elements too long and was delusional. What exactly did he mean by 'you came back?' She just got there. As she levitated him, she looked around. She was in the middle of the forbidden forest, where was she supposed to take him? Her eyes fell upon the quaint little cabin. Sighing, she realized there was nowhere else.

She paused just outside the cabin door, unsure of how the door would open. Dumbledore's letter did say it would open only for her. Tentatively she reached out her hand. The knob began to glow a deep green before it succumbed to Hermione's pressure on it and turned opening up the cabin to her.

Stepping inside, the first thing she did was look around for somewhere to lay Malfoy down. It wasn't an overly large cabin. Standing in what appeared to be the living area she noticed something behind the stairs that led up to a loft above. Peering around it, she discovered it to be a bed.

Perfect.

Gently, she levitated Lucius over to it and slowly sat him down on the bed. Biting her bottom lip, she looked around. What to do? The kitchen was across from the bed and the living area had several bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Her eyes fell on the injured man lying in the bed. Did he even escape Azkaban? He looked as if he were incapable of doing such a thing in his condition. Pointing her wand at him, she made a very intricate wand movement.

A couple minutes later, Hermione had an assessment as to what was wrong with Lucius. She could only conclude one thing from his injuries and it was a realization that left her in a disconcert state. Lucius Malfoy had been tortured to the brink of death. She could think of only one person who would do this, but she had to know. She had to be sure. Lucius moaned again. Cautiously Hermione approached the bed.

"M..Mister Malfoy, who did this to you?"

Time seemed to overlap time for Lucius as he barely opened up his eyes to see her face. It was as if he was seventeen again and his angel was looking down on him. When she asked who did this to him his immediate response was to tell her.

"Bellatrix," he barely got out.

Her face changed. It became angry and drawn. A fire erupted in her eyes as she flew from the bedside into the bathroom. In the distance, he could hear the clanging of phials and the occasional "bloody hell" from the bathroom. Slowly the sounds faded into nothingness.

Hermione's hands shook as she frantically searched the bathroom for any potions to help her care for Lucius' injuries. True, he was no friend, but the fact of the matter was that she hated Bellatrix more. At that moment there was only one thing on Hermione's mind—saving Lucius Malfoy so one day she could laugh in the face of Bellatrix Lestrange at preventing the Death Eater's desired outcome of her tortures. She would not allow that woman to take another life if she could do something about it.

It quickly became obvious to Hermione that she would need to brew a few potions. Grabbing what she had found, she headed back toward the bed. Rechecking the bottles, she realized that it wasn't much, but they would help. She looked down at Malfoy helplessly. The sun was starting to set causing a strange orange glow to flow through the front windows. Resigning herself to what she had to do, Hermione sat on the bed next to Lucius. Reaching over in front of him, she slipped her hand behind his head and slightly lifted it up. She slowly poured one potion down his throat and then another.

The potions were not a cure, but a start. He would still be weak she knew. His eyes started to feebly flutter open. His eyes stopped her movements. Still hovering over him, she felt trapped. His eyes, normally cold and demanding, held something different…something warm.

He thinks you are someone else.

Hermione moved to get up, but Lucius stopped her. He grabbed her arm with more strength than what she would have thought he had and pulled her backward to the bed. His arms wrapped around from behind her giving Hermione no option but to remain there. She tried to get out of his grip but he wouldn't let go, forcing her down next to him. She felt the tears sting her eyes as she realized he still didn't have his strength back and how much danger would she be in when he did. He wouldn't let go.

"Don't leave me like that again."

Hermione felt her lip tremble.

"Please, Mister Malfoy. Let me go. Please."

He didn't let go. Hermione lay next to Lucius in the darkening cabin with tears slowly falling from her eyes. His arms were tight around her as if he were afraid to let go. He held her close as if it were perfectly normal. She felt his chest rise and fall with each breath. Looking down she could see Lucius' fingers entangled in her own and held against her chest.

It was almost an hour later that Lucius Malfoy's grip on Hermione loosened up. Ever slowly, she slipped from his arms onto the floor and breathed a sigh of relief. She knew he was distraught and knew he was under the delusion that she was someone else.

Apparently, someone he cares about.

Hermione laughed slightly. Who would have thought Lucius Malfoy could care about anything outside of himself. Then she suddenly recalled the strength he had. Shaking her head, she didn't want to think what that strength would be once he was better. Turning, she ran from the cabin wanting to get as far away as possible.

"Hermione you okay?"

She looked up from her breakfast into the curious face of her boyfriend.

"What do you think, Ronald?"

Harry nudged Ron in the side causing him to turn to Harry with a perturbed look on his face. Hermione's fork clattered onto her plate as she abruptly stood, shouldering her bag.

"I'm going to class early. See you there," she said over her shoulder as she bolted for the door.

Ron shook his head and looked back at Harry.

"She's mental, I'm telling you."

Harry's brow furrowed as he looked at his friend. How could he be friends with someone so dense? His friend's attention was diverted for a moment when Lavender smiled at him. Harry stood up to follow Hermione.

"Nice Ron," he said, "real nice."

Hermione entered the DADA classroom to find it empty. Just what she wanted—time before class to review the chapter and ignore Ron. Why was he so insensitive? Could he not figure out that her parents' death was still lingering in her presence? She heard the creak of the door behind her and the soft footsteps that followed. Turning in her seat, she saw Harry walk in attempting a small smile at her. She turned back around as Harry sat next to her.

"Don't worry about Ron. He doesn't understand."

Hermione smiled slightly.

"But you do Harry."

Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"A little maybe. I never got to know my parents. You at least had that."

Hermione simply nodded her head. Harry placed a friendly arm around her and squeezed in a comforting way.

"Thanks Harry."

"What are friends for?"

The door leading to Professor Lupin's office opened and the professor stepped out smiling warmly at the two students.

"Just the two I needed to see."

Hermione quickly wiped the tears away and sat up straight.

"Yes, Professor?"

He smiled at the girl and then looked to Harry.

"Well, the staff has agreed that your little DA should begin again…in the open as you have been granted permission."

Both students' faces lit up.

"Really," Harry asked.

"Really, Harry. There is only one condition—you are to consult with me on what you plan on doing at each meeting so I can okay it."

Harry jumped from his desk and hugged the professor. The DA was back on! The sound of students approaching sent Harry running back to his seat next to Hermione. The morning's disagreement with Ron was temporarily forgotten when he walked in and they told him about their conversation with Remus. For the remainder of the day the three of them discussed a date and began telling everyone who would listen about it.

Hermione was relieved when Harry didn't ask her why she needed the invisibility cloak. She really didn't want to have to explain that one. Carefully concealed by the cloak, Hermione eased into the hospital wing and waited. Madame Pomfrey looked rather irritated as she looked at Draco Malfoy in the bed with bunny ears.

"Just get rid of them," Draco seethed.

Hermione could hear Madame Pomfrey's tongue clicking as she shook her head. Hermione saw her chance and swiftly moved across the room toward the supply cupboard.

"I will need to have a word with your Head of House, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco rolled his eyes when Madame Pomfrey turned her back and headed into her office. This was it…this was her chance. Not caring that Draco was sitting right there and would see the supply cupboard open, Hermione reached out and opened the door.

"Hey!"

She heard Draco's surprised voice and knew that Madame Pomfrey had to hear it too. Frantically, she searched through the cupboard until she found the phial she was looking for. Reaching out quickly to grab it, she knocked a Pepper-Up potion to the floor. As it shattered, she ran for the door while Draco yelled.

"Who's there?"

Hermione was out in the corridor before Madame Pomfrey rushed back into the room. It was raining as Hermione rushed out onto the grounds and turned the serpent on her necklace. She found her self on the path to the cabin in the pouring rain.

It was dark when Lucius woke up. The only light was the warm glow coming from the fireplace in the living area. He looked around trying to remember how he got there. He barely remembered being removed from Azkaban, but time was a funny thing. He kept remembering someone's face…a face from the past, but that couldn't be. So, who saved him? Who took him to this…cabin?

Lucius heard the doorknob move as the door slowly opened, but no one seemed to be there even after the door closed. He watched between the steps of the stairs from his bed as the girl threw an invisibility cloak off her, tossing it onto a chair. She was soaked through, pale, and drawn looking. It was exactly how his evanescent memory of the girl from his past appeared to him. He watched silently as the girl rushed across the room toward him.

"I brought a potion that should work better than the last."

He watched her hesitate before stepping within reach of him. He reached out and took the phial, his fingers brushing against hers.

"Thank you, Miss…"

Hermione briefly thought about lying. He apparently did not remember her?

"Granger," she supplied.

He was tipping up part of the phial. He felt the shock run through him when she said that. It couldn't be that Mudblood…she looked so much like her. Sitting the phial and its remaining contents on the table next to the bed, he turned to Hermione. His eyes swept over the girl. He could just see the vestige of that insufferable little girl in there—the Mudblood. An eyebrow quirked up slightly as he looked at her.

"My Miss Granger, not the little girl anymore are we?"