Wow. Hey I realized that I screwed up the chapters a little… well not really, but I labeled the last one chapter six when it was seven….but oh well…It was supposed to be seven. And this ones eight! So enjoy!

Chapter Eight

Confessions

Hermione watched as Draco walked back and forth by the window. "You don't hate me?"

He looked at her and continued to walk. "No…"

Hermione stood and he stopped to face her. "You don't hate me? What about all the years you teased me and picked on me, calling me names… what was that?"

Draco looked her in the eye with a small pang of guilt. "Look, just forget it alright. Forget I said anything."

Draco moved to go up to his dormitory but Hermione caught his arm and stopped him.

"Forget it? Forget it? How can I forget six years of bullying? You made my life here hell, how can I just forget that?" Hermione was beyond livid by this point. "God, I can't believe you. You sound as if it were no big deal, like it didn't hurt anyone. Well guess what, it did, alright? And now-"

"Hermione, just shut up for a second!" He yelled. Hermione looked at him as he stood panting. "I couldn't be nice to you, alright? Do you know my father? If he found out I had any kinda of a relationship with a muggle born, he'd probably have me killed. I had to be mean to you… for both our sakes."

Hermione stared at him. "Draco…I…I'm sorry."

Draco shook his head. "Forget it." He said again.

"Draco… what happened this summer?"

Draco looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Hermione sat down on the couch and starred at the fire. "Well, I mean, you're so different this year. What made you stop having to be so cruel? There had to have been something."

Draco was a little taken aback, but he sat down beside Hermione on the couch. He looked like he was having trouble putting his thoughts into words.

"It's ok if you don't want to tell me." Hermione sighed. She had been hoping that he would open up to her, but if he wasn't comfortable, then there was nothing he could do.

"No." Draco shook his head. "I know your secret, it's only fair you know mine… last year… I was initiated, and became a Death Eater." Hermione gasped and Draco gave a small sad smile. "I never wanted to, but I wanted to make my father happy." He snorted. "Well it went really well. Well, last summer… it was…supposed to be my first kill. A girl…around fifteen. The things they did to her." Draco closed his eyes as images of torture and the sounds of her screams came to him. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't be like them."

Hermione had never seen Draco look so shaken. All the years she had known him, he had only been his calm and collected self, and nothing else. She walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder as began to shake with sobs. He wrapped his arms around her so he clung to her robs, while Hermione simply stood and rubbed his back. Of all the things she thought would happen this year, this was not on the list.

Hermione had spent close to an hour comforting Draco. Once he had calmed down that sat and talked for hours, swapping stories from their respective common rooms.

"Yeah well you may think Lavender and Parvati are bad, but try sharing a room with Crabbe and Goyle." Draco laughed with a hand on his forehead. "A year with them, and you'll start to doubt that intelligent life was ever discovered on earth."

Hermione laughed. She had to admit, she was really enjoying this.

Draco starred at the emerald part of the red and green carpet they were sitting on for a moment. He then looked at Hermione. "Hey, what ever happened with you and Weasley?"

"What?" Hermione said slightly surprised.

"Well, I may have noticed lately that you don't sit with him in class anymore, and he hardly ever talks to you, or even looks at you for that matter."

Hermione sighed with a look of hatred on her face. "Harry happened."

"Ah." Draco gave a small smirk. "The idiot thought there was something going on between the two of you?"

"Bingo."

He laughed. "What is it with people and jumping to conclusions?"

Hermione looked at him with a guilty expression. "Yeah…sorry about that."

Draco shook his head. "I gave you no reason to think I was a good guy. Besides, we we're both happy not knowing each other."

Hermione looked at for a moment as he looked at her. "I'm really glad you're here, Draco."

Draco gave a small smile and nodded. They stayed like this for hours until the fire died out and they fell asleep on the floor. Lucky for them it was a Friday night and there were no classes together because they were bound to wake up late.

Ok, so sorry it was kinda short. I don't know, I thought Draco was pretty uncharacteristic, but then again that was what I was going for. So im kinda at a loss as to what to do next. I have some ideas but I have to make them fit, so if anyone has some suggestions, let me no. now, review! Tnx! Ciao.