I can't believe how well this story is doing at the moment, so many of you following/favourited/reviewing it, it makes me so happy and makes me want to carry on writing it and posting it! Don't forget to leave a review - each one acts as a bit more motivation! Enjoy the new chapter

- HermionesPolyjuice xo

Chapter 6

Another full moon had just passed, the wolf in Eastern Europe making no progress on the scent, Remus forever anxious about his packmate having not heard anything from her since they met for breakfast, and Hermione slowly getting accustomed to this whole 'wolf' thing. It had taken a while, but she was now used to her heightened senses, especially her ability to smell fresh meat from miles away, and how she was able to see in the dark without the need of a light or her ability to experience tastes she'd never experienced before. It had been a tough month, with no contact to the outside world except her weekly trips into the village of Kinzig for supplies and the frustration at the Wolfsbane potion. She had got further than ever before, and just before the full moon believed she had got to the final stage before adding the fairy wings, but the timing of the full moon hadn't helped her and so she found herself sat in front of the simmering cauldron on the morning of Friday 11th July.

It was just as she was adding the first lot of powdered silver that she heard something, something she didn't want to hear. It sounded like footsteps, and the sounded close; within a few hundred metres. Hermione froze, her hand just above the cauldron; what was she going to do? She cast a quick eye around the small cabin, it was clearly inhabited, and she wouldn't have time to clear out. The crunching of leaves and breaking of twigs was getting closer. Whoever it was had seen the hut and was heading straight for it; she didn't have any time to do anything. She quickly added the powder and banished the cauldron to the far corner of the room, it was fortunate she had a couple of hours before she had to doing anything more. She quickly cleared away the ingredients and any other sign of magic, primarily the potion book and other spell and healing books. She tucked her wand up her sleeve, not wanting to part with that, and waited as she saw the figure walk towards the front door. She cocked her head to the side as he looked up, he looked horribly familiar.

The door unlocked with a click and Hermione's suspicions were confirmed, it was a wizard. She never left the door unlocked and with no key hole it was only possible to enter through the use of magic. She silently pulled her wand out from her sleeve and raised it slightly, pointing it towards the door and where the man would enter in a few moments. Her heart was hammering in her chest, racing at 200 beats a minute. Her hand was clammy with sweat, beads trickling down her back. She was beginning to shake with apprehension.

The door opened and he entered. Hermione watched from the corner as he looked around, his wand held in front, a dim light at its tip. Hermione took a step out of the shadows.

"What the – Granger?" he said, shocked to see a tatty Hermione standing in front of him, a wand pointing straight at his forehead.

"What…what are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound confident but couldn't stop her voice from shaking.

"I could ask you the exact same question," the man said coolly giving off an air of arrogance. Hermione rolled her eyes, typical. She didn't answer so he spoke again. "I was enjoying a nice walk in the woods and decided to rest here for the night, if you must know. Now, what are you doing here? You do know everyone in the Wizarding World is looking for you." Hermione gulped, guilt filling her.

"I…I needed…I needed time," she stammered, lowering her wand a touch.

"Who would have thought, the brains behind the Golden Trio needed time. There's got to be another reason," he smirked.

"Are you on the run, Malfoy?" she finally asked.

"Me? Running away? As if. I received a full pardon just last week because of my help in the war," the blonde-haired Draco Malfoy sneered, now pocketing his wand.

"You? A full pardon? Help in the war? No need to lie to me, ferret," Hermione said sternly, not putting her wand away.

"You would be surprised, but that can be a story for another day. Judging by the looks of you, you've been here since when, the end of the war. So I have a question, have you got food?" he asked walking towards the cupboards.

"Help yourself," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She did, however, put her wand away. He may still be Draco Malfoy, but there was something about him that made her feel comfortable in his presence. Probably something to do with her heightened senses.

"Biscuits?" he asked, taking a pack from a cupboard and walking towards one of the armchairs.

"Yeah, alright then," Hermione said taking one gratefully and collapsing into the chair he wasn't heading to. They sat in silence, Malfoy eating biscuit after biscuit and Hermione just staring anywhere than at the Slytherin.

"You going to tell me why you're here?" Malfoy finally asked, brushing the crumbs off his grey trousers. Hermione shook her head, the last person she wanted to know about her was Malfoy. He would disappear to The Daily Prophet immediately after she told him, and she couldn't have that.

"OK, then. I guess everyone has their own secrets." At this Hermione looked up and was surprised to see the look in Malfoy's eyes. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but it looked like something between guilt, confusion and sadness.

"Why are you here Malfoy?" she inquired quietly. There was silence for a bit, both of them looking straight into the others' eyes.

"I needed to get away. Like I said, I got a full pardon and I think I needed time to come to terms with everything and decide how to change my life for the better," he said, almost sadly.

"You're going to change your life for the better?" Hermione repeated, shocked to have heard that. Malfoy nodded.

"The past two years were hell for me. I was forced to do things I never wanted to do. I watched people I loved, yes I have the ability to love, also be forced to do things they didn't want to do. I watched them get tortured and I knew I needed an out. That's why, when it got to the battle, I stopped fighting as a Death Eater, and started fighting against them. I knew I would never survive if Potter didn't win because of my 'betrayal' and I didn't think I was capable of being that appreciative of him, but he quite literally saved my arse. It was because of him I didn't get sent to Azkaban. He came to my trial, told the jury about the time at the Manor, how he saw me fighting with him at the battle, and how he believed I needed a second chance. So, I'm here instead. It's going to take time to work out what I'm going to do, but in a weird kind of way I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to a better life, one where I can do what I want, I've never been able to do that, not since I was a young boy." Draco let out a sigh and Hermione was surprised to see how vulnerable he looked.

"I…I'm not quite sure what to say. But I'm glad you've come to your senses and you're trying to change, good for you," she finally said.

"Thank you," Draco replied, the corners of his mouth twitching. Hermione was just about to open her mouth to ask him something when there was a loud explosion from just behind the chair Malfoy was sitting in.

"What the? Bloody hell, Granger, you still trying to kill me?" Malfoy shouted as he jumped out of his seat. It took all of her strength not to laugh at the look on his face.

"No! Not at all. I've been working on a potion. And well, I think that's the end of that batch," she said sadly, confused why it hadn't worked, when she had been so successful with it recently. Malfoy looked behind him and knew she wasn't lying, a melted cauldron was sat in the corner, a silvery liquid spilling over the floor. He lazily flicked his wand and the mess disappeared.

"What are you trying to brew that would cause and explosion like that?" Malfoy asked turning back to Hermione.

"I can't say," she said quietly, looking down at her feet.

"You know, potions was my best OWL and I was on track for some pretty good results in my NEWT. I can help, if you really need," he said smirking. Not for the first time that afternoon, Hermione found herself surprised by his comment.

"No, it's OK. I'll get there in the end, I probably shouldn't have put it there in the dark, it needs light to brew properly," Hermione responded morosely.

"Whatever suits you." The sat in silence once again, this one less awkward and more comfortable than before, until Hermione asked what she had been dying to ask since he had first arrived.

"You said Harry was at your trial. How was he? Have you seen anyone else?" Malfoy didn't answer straight away.

"He seemed fine from what I could tell. We've exchanged a couple of owls since and, well, I dunno. I don't really know him normally so don't know what's not normal, you know?" Hermione nodded, another wave of guilt and sadness washing over her. She had let him down; she had let everyone down and there was no way she could get back from this. "I've seen a few of the Weasel's and that oaf of a giant and some professors but not many."

"You know, if you're wanting to change, you should stop calling everyone by names and treat them with respect," Hermione commented, bitterness evident in her voice.

"Right, yes, I guess you're right." Draco nodded his head. Once again, silence filled the cabin, and darkness ensued as the sun began to set and it wasn't long before Hermione lit a fire and began making dinner, this time for herself and her unlikely guest, who she was beginning to see in a different light than the past seven years.

[-||-]

"THAT GIT GOT A FULL PARDON?" Ron shouted as he read the headline of The Daily Prophet, it finally reporting the recent trial results of the Death Eaters.

"He's changed Ron. He was fighting for us during the battle. He wants to change," Harry sighed taking a sip of pumpkin juice. Malfoy's trial hadn't been the first, nor was it the last, he had attended and like always Harry had been sworn to secrecy to not tell anyone the results until an official statement had been made.

"He's changed, my arse-"

"RONALD WEASLEY. You watch your language, or you'll be getting mouthful of soap," Mrs. Weasley growled from the sink.

"But it can't be true. There's no way he'd want to change. This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about," Ron said, his temper still high and his voice loud.

"Yes, I know, Ron. But like I said he was fighting against Voldemort at the end, not with him. I saw it with my own lives. He's the reason we made it out of Malfoy Manor. He's the reason the snake died. He's the reason we won," Harry explained as he began to eat his breakfast.

"But –"

"No but's Ron. It's happened, it's in the past. He's changed and you're going to see more of him whether you like it or not," Harry said, signalling the end of the conversation. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but the looks from both Harry and Ginny silenced him and he began to stuff bacon into his mouth instead.

"Have you heard anything from the Aurors, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley finally asked. Harry could tell she had been wanting to ask him for a while now but never got it out.

"I have, but nothing good. They haven't found her or any trace of her. And legally, they have to stop next week. They're only allowed to spend resources on looking for missing persons for two months, after which, well, they have to stop," Harry said sadly. He had spoken to Kingsley just the other day, having got an owl from him asking him to meet the head Auror.

"They've got to be having a laugh. They can't give up. This is Hermione Granger they're looking for. She's part of The Golden Trio. She helped win the war just as much as you did," Ginny said, tears spilling out of her eyes, her voice raising.

"That doesn't matter, Gin. She's not a Death Eater, she's not a threat to society so if they can't find her after two months of looking, they legally have to stop. It's been a law for centuries," Harry responded gloomily.

"It won't stop us looking, though," Mrs. Weasley said, trying to brighten the mood of the kitchen.

"No, we can carry on. And we need to. But I think we need to start thinking about going further afield. The chances of her being in the UK is, well, it's very slim," Harry said pushing his food away suddenly not hungry.

"We can't lose hope. She'll be out there. And she'll be fine. She is Hermione after all."

"Easier said than done, Gin. Right I'm off to see Kingsley about this trainee job with the Aurors I told you about the other night," Harry pushed his chair back and stood up. He planted a quick kiss on the top of Ginny's head, waved goodbye to Ron and Mrs. Weasley and headed to the fireplace to floo over to the ministry to start his Auror training. He needed something to do and he needed to keep his mind busy and he needed it to start asap.

[-||-]

Hermione finished making dinner and together, she and Draco Malfoy sat down to eat, something Hermione would never have envisioned herself doing.

"How long have you been here, Granger?" Draco asked after a few mouthfuls.

"Ever since the war. I used to come camping to the Black Forest with my parents when I was younger, so it was the first place I thought of when I disapparated. I stumbled across this hut a few days later and have lived here ever since," Hermione explained.

"I see. I have to say, I would have expected you to have kept a much tidier hut," Malfoy said with a laugh.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's just you're you. You're Miss Know-it-all, Miss Perfect, I just would have expected you to be a bit of a neat freak," Malfoy explained through mouthfuls of lamb. Hermione couldn't supress a laugh.

"This is tidy for me. I think because I'm so organised in my brain, that I'm a mess outside of my own head." Malfoy snorted at her comment and Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not going to lie. When I set off on my adventure, I was not expecting to find myself eating dinner in a hut in the middle of a forest with a Gryffindor," Malfoy finally said after they'd eaten for a while in silence.

"Well, if you're wanting to change it's a pretty good way to start," Hermione added.

"I guess."

Malfoy?"

"Granger?"

"How long are you planning on staying?"

"Umm…I can leave now if you want."

"No, it's fine. I don't mind. I was just wondering because there's only one bed, and well, I'm not sure that's very suitable," Hermione said blushing bright red. Malfoy let out a loud laugh, a sound Hermione had never heard come from him.

"The floor doesn't bother me. If it's OK I stay for a little while, otherwise I'm not sure where I'd go."

"No, of course you can stay. If you're wanting to become a different you, it'll be easier if someone helps you in any case, stop you from your awful habits," Hermione said far too quickly that it took a moment for even herself to register what she'd just said.

"Awful habits? I don't have any awful habits," Malfoy said defensively. Hermione let out a laugh before she started reeling off a long list of bad habits Draco Malfoy had accumulated over his lifetime so far, and so their friendship began.