A/N: The title of this next chapter is taken from, my favorite movie, Sin City. So all credit goes to Frank Miller lol.

Chapter 2: She Smells Like Angels Ought To Smell

Once she was done, Draco looked at his arm Hermione had bandaged from the elbow down. He remembered right away what had caused it, and felt like he had deserved it. Here he was at a mudblood's house, about to have coffee with her. What had happened to him? Had his father been able to transform him into a scared little fragile boy? Apparently he had.

"Draco, when are you going to tell me what happened? This little charade you're playing isn't exactly fooling me. Did you get your arse kicked by a first year or something?"

Draco sneered at her coldly. How dare she think such a small, insignificant first year could hurt him like this. Draco could kill him before the boy even touched him! He tried to remain calm; he had to stay here. He knew that his parents would never look for him here. This was the last place that Draco, and his parents, had expected him to be.

"For your information, Granger, a first year didn't do this to be. You'd shit yourself if I told you who really did though."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, somewhat intrigued now.

"The truth is, I can't tell you because I can't even bring myself to even admit it."

The two students remained silent for several moments before Hermione changed the subject. "Would you like some tea or coffee, Draco?"

Draco sighed, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't deny himself caffeine at this point. He had been awake since ten o'clock and now, Draco looked at the digital clock on the oven, it was almost two in the morning.

"I'll have some coffee if you are," Draco replied, almost civilized.

Hermione must have thought the same thing since she looked at him in surprise. Draco Malfoy acting like a decent human being; now there had to be something wrong with him.

Hermione stood up. "I think that I'm actually going to turn in for the night; I'm really tired."

She yawned and stood up, about to make her way up the stairs when Draco stopped her.

"Wait, where can I sleep?"

She stepped forward towards him, giving him the dirtiest look she could muster.

"You can sleep on the floor, for all I care."

With that, she turned her heel and jogged up the stairs for the final time that night. Draco rolled his eyes and then lay down on the living room couch in front of the roaring fireplace. It had been just hours that she had bandaged him up been giving him the sympathy vote. Now, she was treating him like the scumbag he used to be. She was treating him as if they were at the school again, as rival houses.

"Fucking Mudblood," He swore under his breath, taking off his sweatshirt as he made it a pillow.

Even though she was acting like a prick, he was just thankful that he had a place to sleep for the night.

Draco woke up to the sound of the clattering of dishes. His body ached badly from laying on the couch. Draco stretched out, and then sat up as he tried to remember where he was.

He scanned his surroundings and then spied Hermione at the sink in the kitchen.

She felt eyes at her back as she washed and dried a large plate that rested in the sink.

"Good morning, Malfoy. How are you feeling?"

Draco couldn't decide if she was trying to be smart, or if she was actually sincere. He looked at her curiously and stood up, instantly regretting it.

"Your couch feels like a bed of nails, Granger," Draco said neutrally. "Besides that, I'm just grateful that you let me sleep here."

Hermione put away the dishes and washes her hands before making her way towards him.

"Why are you here, in all places to begin with? Why aren't you at your parents' house?"

The tone she had said this with made the young Slytherin cringe. Parents' was an overstated word in his case. Parents were people who took care of you, fed you, hugged you, etc. At this point, the term parents was a whole new word to him.

"Why do you think I would tell you the answer to any of those questions, Granger?"

Suddenly, Hermione Granger snapped.

"Stop calling me that! Stop calling me Granger! I have a first name, you know! I'm human too!"

Draco felt taken aback by all of this. She had always been the studious, gentle bookworm at Hogwarts. Was this a whole other side of her, or had something happened to her? The way she had yelled at him had actually hurt him. Draco felt confused; a Mudblood couldn't emotionally hurt a pure-blood Slytherin. No, it just wasn't "the way." It was supposed to always be the other way around. What had happened?

Draco looked into her chocolate brown eyes and saw tears in them. For some reason, his heart went out to her, on the verge of breaking.

"I'll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours," Draco offered lightly.

Hermione shook her head and let a few years escape and slide down her tan colored cheek.

"I have no secrets to you, Draco. Even if I did, there's no way I would tell you. You wouldn't even begin to understand them."

Draco felt himself fill up with anger; anger in place of fears and tears. He couldn't believe how much she was full of herself. She basically just told him the answer he was looking for.

"That's such bollocks, Granger! You know it! You have secrets just like me but you're just as terrified to tell them! You're terrified because you want someone to feel for you and hold you! You want so badly to feel like you're not alone..."

At this, Hermione looked down, pulling a lock of hair behind her ears. More tears fell from her sad eyes, slid down her cheek, and fell off her face, landing on her gray long sleeved nightshirt.

She sobbed, knowing with all her heart that he was absolutely right. Hermione and Draco both knew that they couldn't tiptoe around this forever. Hermione did want someone to feel for her, and she did want someone to hold her. She was just terrified that it had to be Draco Malfoy.

He watched her sob, feeling something inside him die. He felt such a great urge to take her and hold her in his muscular arms. Draco had had this urge since he first saw her cry in her second year.

"Alright! Alright, already! I-I don't l-like being called by my last name because...because Harry...he-he used to...he..."

Draco looked inquisitively at her. "What did Potter do?"

Hermione took a few moments and collected herself so she didn't end up bawling in front of him. She was already ashamed of crying like this in front of the Slytherin.

"He used to...he beat me..."

Draco felt like a giant wall had hit him head on. He got a knot in his stomach and then felt rage build up inside him. Not at Hermione, of course, but at Potter. He never thought that twat had the courage or even the heart to lay a hand on the beautiful angel. If anyone was to physically hurt her, Draco thought that it was going to be him.

"That bastard...but why? You two were best friends," Draco noted, just recognizing her frail, skinny figure.

Why hadn't he seen the difference in her body before? Had he been that oblivious to her?

Her legs were as skinny as toothpicks, her ribcage was visible through her nightshirt, and she looked like she had been sandwiched by some kind of cartoon smasher, Hermione hardly looked human.

"Harry and I went out last year. Things were so good between us and he really loved me, at least, so I thought he did. We were happily a couple until the end of our previous year at Hogwarts. I got him mad, and then he started to...abuse me. He called me fat, ugly, stupid, whatever. He also called me Granger whenever he beat me, but it was my fault. I deserved it, but after awhile, I couldn't take the emotional and physical abuse so I dumped him two weeks ago. Well, Harry was in denial and thought I still loved him. He's been coming over a lot this summer..." Hermione trailed off, trying to erase the painful memories from her mind.

Draco Malfoy wanted nothing more than to hurt Potter the way he had hurt her. He felt his blood boil with hatred, but controlled it for Hermione's sake. Now he understood why she hadn't told him right away.

"Well, we have one thing in common at least," Draco replied under his breath.

"What's that?"

"Someone we used to love abused us. Harry, for you. My father, for me."

Hermione opened her mouth in shock. Something clicked on inside her mind, piecing the bruises and scrapes together. Another tear fell from her face, but this time it wasn't for herself. It was for him.

He shook his head, still focusing his attention on the hurt beauty. She had been so beautiful, so surreal; Draco could not for the life of him figure out why anyone would call her hideous. Even though she appeared sickeningly skinny, Draco couldn't stop thinking that she was the most stunning girl in the world...

"I'm so sorry, Draco. That was...that was wrong of him do that."

Draco nodded slowly in agreement. "You're right, that was wrong of him to do that. You're also wrong though too; you didn't deserve your pain. No woman does..."

Hermione couldn't control her gratitude anymore. She ran up to Draco, still sobbing, and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. She needed a guardian angel since she met Harry, and found him in the most unlikely person; Draco Malfoy.

Draco was taken back by this, but embraced her as well and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"You don't have to be scared anymore, Hermione. You're safe..."

Hermione felt chills run up and down her spine, but in a good way. As he said these words, she believed him more than she ever believed anyone.

Draco held her close, taking in her scent, and her trust.