Disclaimer: I own jack.

A/N Huzzah! Chapter 6, up and working! I keep getting more and more into this story! Each chapter is longer than the last, kinda like the actual books themselves, lol. Well, Thanks to all who review, you are my favorite people!

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Hermione screamed as she pushed Draco away. She stumbled up; destroying the attempted kiss he was about to give her. Draco stared at her from the floor where he sat, utterly stunned. He quickly regained his composure though and followed suit, leaping up right in front of Hermione.

"What's wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you?!" He yelled back. Hermione suddenly became very scared and started to pace backwards, toward the exit. "Oh, don't you dare!" Draco threatened.

"Stay away from me," Hermione shrieked, her voice cracking in fear. She wished she still had that candlestick; Draco wouldn't approach her when she would set him on fire.

"Damn it Hermione, what is your problem?" Draco yelled, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"What's my problem? What's yours?" Hermione countered, her voice echoing angrily off the walls, "Who do you think you are, telling me you love me and trying to make out with me, I'm not some tramp you know. What on earth made you think to try that?"

"Because, it's true!" Draco shouted.

"True! True?" Hermione howled, "You don't even know me! You've never even talked to me beside tonight, aside from 'mudblood' remarks over the years, what gives you the nerve to try and pull that on me?"

"I'm not 'pulling' anything," Draco said in exasperation, "God, how ungrateful are you? I not only save your life, but pay your medical bills and give you sanctuary in my home, and this is how you thank me?"

"Well, what did you have in mind as compensation?" Hermione snapped, "You save my life so therefore you can make out on me? Let me in your house and you can bang me? What the hell was going through your head when you thought that was acceptable? Or is it just what your father taught you? Help out a mudblood then you can bed them?"

"It's not like that," Draco started, but Hermione cut him off.

"Yeah, sure, not like us mudbloods are good for anything anyways, might as well just give us the wrong potion and we'll get left behind in your 'grand campaign' and your precious gene pool will be sterilized, no more dirty blood in your midst!" Hermione ranted.

"Oh please," Draco said disgustedly. Hermione lunged at him. She pushed on his chest, forcing him to take a step back, but he easily resisted her, she wasn't near as strong as him.

"Come on, show me what ya got!" Hermione fumed, "You want me, take me! Why don't you just freaking rape me and get it over with!" Draco stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh come now, the big heir to the Malfoy throne, can't get what he wants, might as well take it anyways, you know I can't fight you," Hermione hissed. Draco grabbed her fists because Hermione had started beating on his chest.

"Calm down!" he said as he shook her lightly, holding her writhing hands at bay. "Hermione, what are you going on about, bedding you?" Draco asked annoyed. "Bedding" was the lowest term for sex in the wizarding world and he had no idea why she was bringing it up.

"Yeah right, like you never consider it, I bet all men of power do just because they know they can get away with it!" Hermione said as she struggled against his grasp, her eyes wild, "Like you've never entertained the idea of rape."

"What are you going on about? What are you saying? What is rape?" Draco said as he released Hermione's hands. She was surprised at this and didn't know what to do with them, she didn't think it wise to start hitting him again; he'd only subdue her. She hastily crossed them over her chest and glared at him, the spirited glaze still present. Draco repeated, "What is rape?"

"You're kidding?" Hermione asked. Draco just stared at her, obviously not kidding. Hermione huffed and said, "Rape, forced intercourse." Draco just gave her a blank look. "It's when you force someone to have sex with you. Usually men rape women then kill them."

Draco's jaw dropped and his lips curled as if someone had just peed their pants. "That's absolutely vile, what man would ever do that, it's just... revolting," he said in disbelief.

"You've never heard of rape? Never known someone who was raped?" Hermione asked slowly.

"No, never, I've never even heard of such a thing, I don't see how anyone could conceive to do that," Draco replied. "Do you know someone who was... raped?" Draco asked, the word now falling bitterly off his tongue.

"Well, yeah, a couple. My mum was, so was my aunt, and two of my friends from muggle school were raped and had their throats slit after they got stoned at a party," Hermione said softly.

Draco shook his head in disbelief. "Is it a muggle thing? It certainly doesn't exist in our world."

"I guess it is," Hermione said, soft lines of realization crossing her face, "In the muggle world, one in three women gets raped."

"Oh my God," Draco said when he heard this statistic, "That's just appalling." He held his hands up and tried to brush the hair out of his face, but they were shaking too much with what seemed to be rage.

"I can't believe rape has never been heard of in the wizarding world, that's incredible. I never really thought about how safe and civil the people really were until now," Hermione thought to herself.

"Hey, it's okay," Hermione said reassuringly as she pulled the hair back for him. When she did this, she keyed in on his feelings. She felt his rage at the mere idea of rape. He seemed utterly stunned and even more hatred for the muggle world bubbled to the surface of his brain. Draco kept his eyes locked on the floor, his hands still shaking.

"Draco, it's okay, it really is," Hermione said tenderly as she took his hand. He quickly jerked is away and his head snapped up, his eyes looking apologetically into hers.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry, I can't believe I did that, I had no idea that you've had to experience something like that, if I had known, I wouldn't have ever touched you, I'm so sorry, I never meant to scare you or make you think that I would ever," Draco babbled as he nervously rubbed his cheek.

"Stop, stop," Hermione interjected, "You didn't know, it's fine. Besides, it's not like I was raped or anything, it's kind of a thing all the women in the muggle world have accepted... it happens. There are ways that have been developed to help cope: classes, books, counseling."

"That's not enough! You shouldn't have ever had to live with that threat! Why doesn't the muggle government do anything to put a stop to it?" Draco said angrily.

"They try, but they have a lot on their plate. Muggle governments aren't as precise as ours. We just use truth serums to find guilty parties, they have to conduct extensive trials and they often don't evev prove the rapist guilty," Hermione said.

Draco looked at her, a determined look on his face. He looked right at her and said firmly and reassuringly, "That's exactly why CLAW must and will succeed, as long as there are sick things out there like rape and muggle men who actually think it is acceptable, there can be no way to coexist with their world. We're going to separate... and I'm going to make sure you never have to live with that fear."

Hermione grinned at this and let out a small laugh. Draco looked intently at her, not knowing if she was laughing at him or something else. She easily caught onto this and wrapped her arms around his neck. He refused to grasp onto her at first, obviously not wanting to bring about any threatened feeling on her part, but quickly realized she was saying through body language, "It's okay, I know you aren't going to hurt me."

She smiled again and said cheerfully, "My knight in shining armor!" Draco let out a small laugh as well and swung her around, gently setting her back on the ground a second later.

Draco yawned and looked at his watch. "Little after midnight," he said as he yawned again.

Hermione smirked at him. "Not sweepy aw we? Lil Dracy want me to tew him a stowey?" She asked, teasing. He smirked at her and placed his watch back into his pocket. Wizards had never really caught on to the idea of wrist watches like muggles had and stayed with the traditional pocket watch, after all, Janus Minitus the Timekeeper invented them way back in the dark ages, and some bumbling squib introduced them into the muggle world a few centuries later.

"Just as long as you promise to tuck me in," He teased back, the earlier uncomfortable feeling forgotten because of their new understanding.

"Well, you haven't answered all my questions yet," Hermione said as he yawned again.

"But I'm tired," He wined.

"Please, I was tired when I had to stay up and talk with your parents the night I arrived," Hermione said, using his winy tone back on his, "Answer this question and we'll be even."

"Fine, but I'm not staying here," he said. He picked up the nearest quill and scribbled "Two hot chocolates." They appeared quickly, steam rising from the mugs. He picked them up and motioned for her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked.

"My room or yours, wherever you prefer," he said. Hermione got a devilish look in her eye, but Draco did not see is as he was busy getting the portrait to open. "Wake up morons!" he yelled at the painted men on the other side.

"I'll bet no one has ever seen Draco Malfoy's bedroom before," Hermione thought slyly, "I can totally hang it over Pansy Parkinson's head when I go back to school. She'll be so jealous to know that a nasty little Gryffindor went into his bedroom when that's the place she's been trying to wheedle into for the past six years." The soldiers on the outside had apparently woken up and the painting floated upward again. Hermione followed Draco out into the hollow hallway.

"Yours," she said unconcernedly.

"What?" he asked as he turned and waited for her to catch up.

"Yours, your room. You've seen mine, only fair I see yours," Hermione said as she walked beside him.

"Okay," he said, "But don't count on me walking you back to your room after this, I'm going to sleep, I'm exhausted."

"Capuche," Hermione said. Draco turned to her and gave her a quizzical look. "Oh, never mind," she said.

They walked for a few moments and turned down some corridors Hermione had not seen before and went up a few flights of stairs.

"Where's the magic carpet?" Hermione asked.

"In the Grand Hall," Draco said as they rounded a corner, "Didn't feel like using it today. Besides, my mum would flip if I spilt this on it. Those things are really rare."

They came to a stop at the end of a hall in front of a large taxidermied sea serpent. It was coiled up and in attack position; at least, hoped it was taxidermied. Hermione gulped as she looked it up and down, from its black poisonous barbs to its hundreds of fangs, each as long as a sword and all pressed tightly together like an unbreakable bear trap.

"Nice huh?" Draco asked, smirking at Hermione as she stared at it, a small look of fear on her face. "Loyalus Vigoruce por Malfoy," he said firmly as he stood off to the side of the corridor. The intimidating monster replied by slithering straight at Hermione, who stood in the middle of the hall. She screamed and dove out of the way, seeking shelter behind Draco, who obviously controlled the beast. The snake crept out a few more feet, its tail uncoiling and revealing a passageway beneath it. It stopped when it was uncovered. Hermione stayed still, staring at the snake that had stopped at the end of the hall, poised in attack position. Draco turned and looked at her, giving her a little baby look. "It's okay lil Nene, I'll protect you," he said as he patted her shoulder.

Hermione laughed out loud and playfully punched him, "shut up," she said, "You'd have been scared too if you'd never seen something like that. Jeez, who on earth uses that as an entry, whatever happened to nice talking portraits?"

"I do," Draco said with a smile, "Just hope you never have to see what it does when you say the wrong password." Hermione gulped again as she slowly followed Draco into the newly revealed passage. It led to a flight of wooden stairs leading downward. Chills went up Hermione's back as she heard the creature above slither back into its guarding position. "Here we are," Draco said as Hermione stepped down into Draco's chambers. Hermione was impressed with what she saw. It wasn't what she expected, but she definitely liked what was there. The floor was carpeted entirely by soft chinchilla pelts and a huge roaring fireplace crackled festively, keeping the room as cozy as hers. Large pillows littered the floor around the fireplace.

"That looks like the perfect place to read," Hermione thought as she looked at the inviting pillows warming by the fire. Also, a large overstuffed brown couch that matched the pelts on the floor set off to the side of the fire and had a few fuzzy blankets draped over the back. A couple bookshelves lined part of the opposite wall and an old-fashioned desk set by them. Several books and parchments were stacked neatly on the desk; obviously Draco had finished his summer homework too. Draco entered the room and set the cocoa on the stone in front of the fire. He turned and walked into the adjoining section of the room. Hermione followed and observed this room as well. A large mahogany bed with blood red sheets fur throws was strategically set in the path of the warmth flowing from the fire. Also, a matching chest of drawers and wardrobe set against the wall. A mirror hung from the ceiling to the floor against the wall and had a table holding cologne and combs, all the essentials. Hermione peeked around the corner and saw another section of the room; only a hanging curtain blocked the entrance. She reached up to pull it aside.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Draco said from across the room. Hermione whipped around and saw that Draco was changing. She whipped around again and intently studied the velvety fabric the curtain was made of. She heard Draco chuckling behind her. "Come on, not like you've ever seen a man shirtless before," he mocked playfully.

"Well, I've seen lots of boys shirtless, but I still have yet to see a man," she teased back.

"Then turn around and feast your eyes!" he said as he grabbed her and spun her around. She gave him a half-enthused look and ran her eyes from his face down to his feet. He wore no shirt, but had put black fleece scrubs on, and his toes wiggled on the fur beneath his bare feet.

She looked back up and sighed, placing a disappointed look on her face and said, "Nope, still never seen a man shirtless."

He smirked at her and pulled her lightly on the shoulder, "Come on, let's get this question asked that just couldn't wait." He led her back into the front room and they both collapsed on the soft pillows littered by the fire. She picked up her hot chocolate and sipped it. She glanced back at him casually as he did the same. "Yummy," she thought, only she wasn't thinking about the cocoa.

Hermione was glad she had just dressed comfortably when she left her room earlier. She wore her favorite broken in jeans with perfectly placed rips and tears to allow her the most comfort and movement. She took off her sweater and threw it on the couch, not really trying to reveal anything, but just be comfortable. She wore a loose t-shirt beneath it that was from her mum's teenage concert going days.

Draco mouthed the words confusedly and asked, "What's Blue Oyster Cult?"

Hermione grinned and replied, "They are one of the greatest classic rock bands in the muggle world."

"Oh," was all Draco said as he sipped his cocoa. He was obviously getting sick of all this muggle stuff, but hey, it's the world she grew up in. He looked at her and said, "Well, ask already, I'm getting tired and grumpy."

"Tired yes, grumpy, always," she replied as she lay back, piling her spilling hair over the top of the pillow her head rested on. "So, what is an Empath?" she asked, staring into the flames.

"Oh yeah, you're an Empath aren't you?" Draco said as he remembered his mother's words.

"Well?" Hermione asked.

"One sec," he said as he stood up and sauntered over to the bookshelves. He looked around for a minute, and then pulled down a large thick book. He brought it over and lay next to Hermione. She rolled over beside him and looked at the book he had set in front of them on the floor.

"The Extensive Guide to Magical Gifts?" Hermione asked as she read the title. The book cover was dated 792 A.D. with gold embossing around a metal decorate seal of a wizard with his hands on his head. Draco opened it to the table of contents till he found what he was looking for.

"Duplicity, Entrancement, Firebreathing," he mumbled to himself, "ah, here, Empathic." He flipped through the book until it fell onto the desired page. "Empathic," was in large gold letters at the top.

"Empathic," Draco began, "The ability to sense emotions, desires, and inner turmoil. This gift is only found in halfblood witches and is extremely rare. It is only found in halfblood witches because only women can hold an awakening for other's minds and requires a balance of both muggle and magic blood to be awakened for unknown reasons. The power becomes more dominant around those who have hidden pain or feelings due the buildup of their psyche. It was believed to have first been had and harnessed by the twin witch daughter of Adam and Eve. Through history, the power has only been seen in one witch every thousand years and comes about by extreme mental and physical trials that force the individual witch's power to develop and become active in order to control their own fate by seeing others' thoughts and manipulating them for survival or the well-being of the person they read. The power is not limited to reading just witches and wizards; it also extends to every other race in the magical world, as well as magical creatures and muggles. Other than the twin witch daughter of Adam and Eve, the most famous witch to be an Empath was Silvia the Guardian who ruled the inner wizard realm 5000 years ago. During this time there was no war, famine, or murder within the inner wizard realm because of her extreme control of this power and the other abilities Empaths develop. Witches who are Empaths usually develop the power of Telepathy, Astral Projection, and Imperiousity."

Hermione just stared at the book. She was entranced with the picture that took up the page next to the explanation. At the top it read "Silvia the Guardian" in large letters made of diamond shavings. Beneath that it there was a poem.

"Silvia the Guardian,

The lady in green whose soul was white.

She loved and she saved. She sacrificed and gave.

When those she loved most their flame death out did blow,

Her power revealed and her love did doth grow.

"The picture," Hermione whispered, "Silvia the Guardian, she's..."

"You," Draco finished as he too stared at the painting of the queen long dead. Her auburn hair fell below her waist and was held back by a silverish crown embedded with emeralds. She wore a long flowing gown of green silk with silver veil over the skirt. The bodice of the dress had emeralds sewn into the fabric and laced together with diamond thread. "The crown," Draco said softly, "It's made of unicorn blood."

"How can it be made of unicorn blood?" Hermione asked as she thought back to their experience with unicorn blood in their first year.

"Well, after it stays on the ground for 100 full moons it dries and turns into that metal, it's the rarest metal in the universe, all four of the Dwarf Rebellions were fought over unicorn blood. It is extremely light and ties itself to whatever person holds it. When that person dies, legend says that if the person was pure and good, a new herd of unicorns will spring forth from the metal to compensate for the goodness lost from that person's life. If they were wicked, then the metal dissolves and the owner's soul is lost. It's quite a statement to wear anything made of unicorn blood," Draco said as he traced the picture on the page.

"Incredible," Hermione said. She still couldn't take her eyes off the book. She looked and saw what appeared to be a bookmark sticking out the bottom. Draco shut the book and pushed it beneath a pillow.

"Now you know, you're an Empath and might get more gifts, who knows?" he said as he lay on his side and looked at Hermione.

"I still can't believe it, how could I ever come to have this ability? And wait, it said you must be halfblood to have it, but I'm muggle born! How is that possible?" she exclaimed as she looked back at him.

"Dunno, but it just might change everything," Draco said with a smile.

"But, I don't understand, I can't be a halfblood, both my parents are muggles!" Hermione said again. Draco yawned.

"Just, wait till morning okay? We have a busy day tomorrow, think about it then," he said between yawns.

"What's tomorrow?" Hermione asked, returning a yawn and rubbing her eyes. Sleep was contagious to her.

"We're going shopping," Draco said with a small grin.

"Shopping?" Hermione whispered baffled?

"Yep," Draco said, "For school supplies and to get you some new things. You can't just walk around in ripped up clothes like those." He gestured to her jeans.

"These are my favorite, and that happens to be the fashion," Hermione huffed at him as she snatched a large blanket and threw it over herself.

"Yeah, well, we'll find you some nice wizard clothes tomorrow, and anything else you need. Right now, just sleep, we have to be gone by nine," he said as he stole some of her blanket.

"Hey!" she giggled.

"Smine anyways, share the wealth," he said with his eyes closed. Hermione closed her eyes as well.