Hermione lightly chuckled, flashing him a strained smile as they walked along the corridor.

"Ron, you've already apologized-."

"I know, but… I just feel like it will never be enough," Ron interrupted, eyes apologetic. "I feel like the biggest tosser in the world. First, for everything that happened with Lavender, and then…"

Hermione didn't respond, because she didn't have anything to say that would make the situation better. She agreed with him, but at the same time, she knew Ron and Harry would have believed her lie so easily. Their anger was expected, she supposed, but the treatment that had followed, however, was not.

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to keep sitting with those snakes, anymore…" Ah, she thought. "I know you did it for appearances' sake, the lie and all-."

"Actually, Ron, I did it, because I didn't feel welcome at my own house table. I wasn't wanted, so I left," she responded, eyes boring into his own as she corrected him.

Ron looked genuinely ashamed, but it was gone just as quick as it came, and he perked up.

"…but you don't have to, now! I'm sure it was miserable for you, being over there with Malfoy and his cult," he chuckled.

There were several responses that Hermione thought of to that, a few of them unpleasant, but she simply sighed. Clearly, Ron was having a hard time accepting that things weren't just going to go back to how they were before.

"No, it wasn't," she calmly disagreed.

He wasn't expecting that answer as he looked at her with wide eyes, but Hermione only shrugged in response.

"You knew that Draco and I had been getting along before the whole Lavender thing, so it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that I was rather content sitting with them. No, it wasn't my first choice, especially considering the circumstances, but I definitely wasn't miserable," she elaborated.

Ron swallowed, an unfamiliar look crossing his features as he gazed at her.

"What happened to the two of you not even being friends?"

Hermione sighed again, unsure of how she should answer that. She hated lying, truly she did, but she wasn't going to tell him that they'd crossed the line and had hopped into bed together. Well, hopped onto the floor…

"We…kind of are, now. No, we aren't braiding each other's hair every night and gossiping over Firewhisky, but it's what happened when I was ostracized by my own house. Aside from Ginny, I didn't have anyone else to talk to," she answered.

"Everyone is sorry about that, Hermione, believe me. If you want, they'll all grovel for it. We're here, now, so you don't need to…continue whatever this is with Malfoy," Ron tried to reason with a forced laugh, visibly bothered by her confession.

"I understand where you're coming from, Ron, but… I'm not just going to forget how easy it was for you all to turn on me. I was treated like absolute scum, and I suppose I don't have anyone else to blame but myself, but at the same time… You all have known me for years. I've been your friend for years. I've been a staple in the Gryffindor house for years. That should warrant…some trust, I feel."

Ron stopped her, hands resting on her shoulders, eyes pleading.

"You're right. You're absolutely right, Hermione, but you have to give us the chance to make it up to you. I don't like the thought of you and Malfoy being close enough to sit next to each other during meals. It bothers me. Merlin, you're even calling him Draco, now! I don't like it," he honestly said.

Before Hermione could even come up with a response, a giggly voice cut in.

"There you are, Ron! I've been looking all over for you. I thought we were walking to breakfast together?" Lavender questioned, eyes big and curious as she looked between them, latching onto the redhead's arm.

"Sorry, I forgot. I just needed to…," he trailed off, seemingly hesitant to tell Lavender that he'd just wanted to speak to Hermione.

Lavender turned to face her, golden tresses swinging, genuine regret in her eyes.

"Granger, I just wanted to say I'm terribly sorry. We were all so stupid to think you'd shag Malfoy," she scoffed. "I don't know how Harry possibly thought that. It's so…silly."

Hermione forced a laugh of her own as Lavender giggled, the blonde tickled by the thought.

"I should head to the hall-."

"We can all walk together. We're all going that way, anyway," Lavender suggested, oblivious to how uncomfortable Ron seemed to be.

Hermione didn't refuse, because Lavender had a point, and the sight of her and Ron together didn't make her ill, anymore. She truly didn't care, and the thought brought a smile to her face. The buzz of Lavender's voice as she talked to Ron became background noise as they made their way to breakfast. She could feel Ron's heavy gaze from time to time, but Hermione paid it no attention.

They'd barely made it inside when Harry came up to them, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Have you lot heard?"

"Heard what?" Ron voiced for her as she frowned in confusion.

"Nott Sr. was found dead this morning in his home," Harry answered, and her eyes widened.

She barely heard Ron's response nor Lavender's horrified gasp, her brown eyes traveling towards the Slytherin table. The blue eyed boy was absent, which wasn't surprising, but her eyes did meet Draco's. She clenched her jaw, and walked away without a backwards glance, deaf to the sound of Ron and Harry calling her name. She could see Draco visibly sigh as she glanced at him again, shoulders heaving as his lithe frame already began to rise as she exited the hall.

"When?"

Her voice was but a whisper in the corridor.

"Over the weekend," he quietly answered.

Hermione exhaled, leaning against the wall as she glanced around the empty corridor, paranoid. Draco didn't seem worried in the slightest as he stood before her, arms crossed over his chest as he gazed down at her.

"I went…home for the weekend to visit my mum. At least, that's the story…"

"So…you did…?"

"I did," he confirmed.

Hermione felt lightheaded, and she wobbled, Draco's hands reaching out to steady her.

"Hey, you're not going to pass out on me, are you?"

"I…no. No, I'm fine," she said, but Draco was unconvinced.

To be honest, she wasn't so convinced herself. Here the two of them were, standing in the corridor and talking about murder so casually. The only sense of comfort she could provide herself was that someone like Nott Sr. wouldn't be missed in the slightest. Not to mention, the world was a safer place with him gone. Draco pulled her closer, chest grazing her own as he ran his eyes over her.

"I need to know that you can handle this. You said I could trust you…"

"You can," she reassured him. "I just…"

She sighed, looking away.

"I wasn't prepared for that when I walked into breakfast, this morning. I just wish that you'd given me a head's up or something," she murmured.

He gripped her chin, turning her to face him as he tilted his head at her.

"You're right. I should've mentioned it to you. I didn't think anything of it, and I'm sorry that it was sort of sprung on you," he apologized.

"I'm alright. Is Nott going to be okay, now?"

Draco smirked, nodding as he brushed her hair away from her face.

"Yeah, he's going to be just fine," he answered.

"Are you?" she suddenly asked.

He frowned in confusion, and she continued.

"You took a life, Draco, and I know that in the grand scheme of things, the world will be much better off without someone like him, but… You took a life. I imagine that can be quite…life changing," she lamely finished.

Draco sighed, and briefly glanced away. A myriad of emotions danced along his face before he eventually just closed his eyes.

"I'm fine. Really, I am…"

Hermione wasn't sure that she believed him, but she let it go, nonetheless. Instead, she ran her eyes over him as he stood before her, eyes closed and heartbeat fluttering against her own. She leaned up, pressing a kiss to his lips, and watched in satisfaction as he opened his eyes, the silver irises sparkling.

"I've wanted to do that all week," she confessed, fighting a smile.

Draco chuckled, stepping forward and pressing her back against the wall again.

"Why haven't you…?"

"I don't know," she honestly replied with a shrug.

Draco exhaled, a crooked smile on his face as he pressed one hand against the wall beside her head, the other resting along her hip. He bent his head, a stray hair brushing along his forehead as he ran his eyes over her, drinking her in. He suddenly tutted.

"Granger, Granger, Granger… We've talked about this. Anytime you want me, you know where I am. I'm yours," he chuckled.

Hermione suddenly frowned, slipping from in between him and the corridor wall.

"…but…you're not though," she slowly said.

Draco frowned too, reaching out to grip her hand.

"You're not anyone's, and that's fine. I knew that when I slept with you, and although it was something I didn't dwell too much on before, I am, now. The thing is… I'm not sure how I feel about that exactly."

It was the truth. She couldn't figure out if it bothered her or not, and what if she realized it bothered her, but by then she was in too deep? Draco bit his lip, pulling her back to him as he rested his other hand on the side of her neck.

"Is that what this is about? This is why you haven't come to visit me in a week? Hermione, I'll drop anyone you want me to if it means…" he backed her up, pressing her into the wall as he brushed his lips against hers, both hands resting underneath her jaw. "…I get to have you underneath me on a regular basis."

"That just doesn't sound fair. I'm unsure about whether or not it even bothers me, and I know what kind of lifestyle you're accustomed to. You shouldn't have to drop anyone for an inexperienced girl who doesn't know what she wants," Hermione whispered against his lips.

"Oh, Granger," he breathed. "You're more than enough for me."

He pressed his lips against hers, thumbs brushing along her cheeks as he did so. Hermione tilted her head up as she kissed him back, pulling a moan from deep within his throat.

"Someone could see," she voiced into his mouth.

Draco hummed in agreement, but he didn't make any moves to pull away.

"Draco," she chided as he began to kiss along her jaw.

He pulled away with a sigh, looking down at her with a look that made her stomach twist into knots.

"I suppose we do have to go to class…"

Hermione bit her lip, the fire in his eyes matching what she was sure was in her own.

"Yes, we shouldn't miss any more days," she added.

Draco's smirk grew as he yanked her away from the wall.

Hermione's back arched, chest heaving as her feet dug into her mattress, clenching around her blond dorm mate as she came. Her nails dug crescent moons into his back, his hips pinning her own against her bed. He nipped at her parted lips as she came undone, hair fanned around her head like a halo as she fought to catch her breath.

"Merlin, I could watch you do that all day," he murmured.

"You have," she panted, and he chuckled.

Hermione wasn't sure of the time, but she knew that it was late. She imagined that her friends were probably wondering where she ran off to. She shouldn't have skipped classes again, but as she lay beneath Draco's toned form, the after effects of her climax still sending shivers throughout her frame, she couldn't recall why.

He rolled off of her, and they both stared up at her ceiling, the only sound being that of their mingled breathing. Hermione felt like Jell-O, and thought to herself that it would be so easy for her to slip away into sleep. She hummed, closing her eyes when Draco began to trace patters into her forearm.

"He didn't die quickly."

Hermione's eyes were suddenly open as the words danced off of his lips. She swallowed, turning to face him, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, his gaze was focused on her arm, fingers running over the unblemished skin.

"He suffered, Hermione…greatly, and I didn't feel any remorse," he quietly continued.

Hermione didn't know what to say as she stared at him with wide eyes.

"Earlier, you asked me was I alright, because you were worried about the affect it would have on me, but… What if I told you that wasn't my first time?"

Hermione slowly sat up to lean back on her elbows, eyes even wider as he looked up at her from beneath his eyelashes. A mixture of emotions ran through her all at once at his confession.

"I've had to do some unspeakable things to protect those I care about, Hermione."

Again, she didn't have a response to that. Not yet, anyway.

"Is that alright with you?"

Draco confessing to killing more people should have scared her to her core, but Hermione imagined that if she'd been put into a position to protect her loved ones, she would at whatever means necessary. Her heart was going haywire, but she swallowed her nerves down. She shifted, laying on her side as she propped her head up, elbow digging into her pillow.

"I told you… You can trust me," she honestly replied.

Draco turned to stare at the ceiling with a humorless chuckle escaping his lips, shaking his head.

"Merlin, I want to," he breathed.

"You can," she argued, slightly offended.

"Not with this…not yet…"

Hermione pursed her lips, looking down at him. The thought that he didn't trust her with whatever was on his mind bothered her. Hermione was a lot of things, and trustworthy was at the top of the list.

"I guess I'll just have to prove it to you then," she whispered, eyes tracing patterns into her sheets.

Her head was suddenly lifted, familiar fingers clutching her chin. Draco was sitting up, now, and he brushed his nose against hers.

"Don't take it too personally. I'm just protecting myself-."

"From me?"

"You and Potter are friends…"

She understood what he was getting at.

"Somewhat. You know that we're barely on friendly terms after how he treated me. I'm not going to go running off and telling him all of your secrets."

"I don't know that. Especially, if you feel like it's important for our Headmaster to know," he scoffed. "Potter's been having one on one time with him as of late, and it's pretty obvious it isn't just for tutoring."

Hermione frowned, completely sitting up, now as she gazed at him in confusion.

"…what?" she asked.

Draco tilted his head at her, suddenly blinking in realization.

"You didn't know…"

"No…I didn't. Then again, how could I? Why would I? Harry admitted that he didn't trust me, anymore," she said with a shrug.

Hermione found that trust was a touchy subject for her. She didn't like the feeling of not being trusted. She shuffled closer to him, gripping the sheets to her chest.

"They don't trust me, Draco. If what you're saying is true, then Harry has been doing something rather important with Dumbledore, and there's no doubt in my mind that Ron knows too. Why would I tell them anything when they don't even trust me after all of these years? I've more than proven my loyalty to them, and…they completely spat on it," she suddenly continued.

"It's different, now. They want to trust you again, and I'm sure Potter will be divulging everything he's discussed with Dumbledore to you in no time," he replied.

"Well, I don't care. I shouldn't have had to re-earn their trust, to begin with."

"You'll feel differently about that when they start including you again," he said, rising from her bed before she had a chance to respond.

She watched him leave the room, shoulders heaving as she sighed.

Hermione felt like she was in such a weird place. Sure, maybe Ron and Harry did trust her again, but she honestly found that she didn't care. Before the lie, she hadn't given them a reason to doubt her, to begin with, but that was why they'd believed the lie so easily…because they had already written her off.

On the other hand, Draco was there for her when her friends weren't. He'd helped her and comforted her, and she was thankful for it. He didn't completely trust her, with good reason she supposed, but it seriously bothered her that he didn't. She had the trust of her friends, but it mattered little to her when the person whose trust she wanted the most wasn't willing to give it.

"Horcruxes…"

Hermione tested the word in her mouth, frowning as she listened to Harry recount what he and Dumbledore had been discussing. She tried not to dwell on the fact that Draco seemed far more in the loop with what her friends were up to than she was.

"It makes him practically immortal," Harry solemnly added.

"Practically immortal, because if all of them are destroyed, then the same can be said for him," Ron said.

She eyed him.

"You two have been discussing this in great detail, I see," she murmured.

Harry frowned, seeing what she was hinting at.

"Not…not really. Only once or twice, but mainly just to clear up the confusion. I mean…splitting your soul once is horrific, especially when considering what it is that you have to do to successfully do it…," Harry replied.

"Murder," Hermione guessed.

"Exactly, but…several times? I can barely stomach the thought of killing someone once. I almost did…after Bellatrix killed Sirius, but afterwards…"

Harry shook his head.

"I felt sick to my stomach about it," he said, shuddering.

Hermione suddenly blinked, frowning in thought, a rather dark theory crossing her mind.

"So…does it only work for cold blooded murder or…?"

Both of their eyes snapped to her, frowns crossing both of their faces.

"Is there any other kind?" Ron half joked.

Hermione sighed, wary of the looks they were giving her.

"I'm just saying… There's a difference between murdering children and murdering a rapist, or an abuser," she clarified. "I get that making a Horcrux requires the person to murder someone, because it's a supreme act of evil, but…not in every case…?"

"Murder is murder, Hermione. Self-defense is one thing, sure, but when it comes to rapists and abusers, that's what laws are for. They exact justice," Harry argued.

"Not always. Surely, you of all people know how certain laws aim to do more harm than good," she replied.

Harry pursed his lips, understanding what she was hinting at.

"There's a difference between breaking rules to fight back against the system, and, oh, I don't know…murder," he snapped, a strange look in his eyes as he gazed at her.

"I know that, Harry, I just wanted to clarify the specifics of how it all works… I just wanted to know if there were…exceptions, per say, if someone was thinking about doing such a thing… You know, if they wanted to find a way to ease their guilt about it."

"What is there to clarify? Murder is murder," he sternly said.

Hermione nodded in agreement, wanting the topic to be over with considering how close to home it hit, but Harry still looked unconvinced.

"…so what else did Dumbledore tell you?"

Hermione was on her way back to her dorm later that night, walking down the corridors. They were fairly empty, only passing a handful of students as she took the stairs. She was two floors below where she needed to be when she heard familiar voices coming from a rarely used corridor not far from her.

A feminine voice scoffed, displeasure evident in her next words.

"Since when have you ever refused me? That's how this works, Malfoy. Yes, I may hate you, and you may think I'm scum, but when has that ever stopped us from using each other as we see fit?"

Hermione tightened her grip on her bag as Parvati's words reached her ears.

"Things change, Gryffindor twin," Draco's voice was cold, and Hermione shivered at the evident detachment and dismissal in his tone.

"Why…?"

Parvati was angry, that much was obvious as much as she tried to conceal it. Apparently, Hermione wasn't the only one to recognize it, because Draco chuckled, a mocking sound.

"Oh, we are desperate, aren't we?"

The girl spluttered, huffing.

"No. I just… It's a simple question, is all. We had a good arrangement going. I just want to know why the sudden change…"

"Why do you think I owe you anything? You're nothing to me," Draco coolly replied, and Hermione almost felt bad for her housemate.

"Heh. That's quite harsh, don't you think? Especially considering we've seen each other naked on more than one occasion."

"Is that supposed to mean something? I've seen plenty of people naked, including one of my best friends," he commented.

There was a brief silence, one filled with tension and anger.

"Why?" she desperately asked again, and if Hermione had to guess, she'd say that Parvati wasn't doing a good job anymore of hiding how she felt.

Draco didn't reply for a while, and Hermione could almost imagine him standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking down his nose at the dark haired girl.

"Have you grown attached to me, Patil?"

Draco's tone hinted that it was a rhetorical question, and that he already knew the answer. He continued when she didn't reply.

"You have, haven't you? Do you fancy yourself in love with me?" he chuckled.

"Don't flatter yourself, Malfoy. We… We were both desperate and alone and I thought-."

"Desperate? Me? That's the funniest thing you've ever said to me. Only one of us was desperate in this arrangement, and it wasn't me. You throw yourself at me, fighting to fill some pathetic, gaping hole in your life, and what am I supposed to do? Say no?"

"You're saying no, now," she snapped.

"...because I don't want you."

Draco said it so casually, like mentioning the weather, and the feminine gasp that followed, filled with betrayal and offense, was loud.

"Is it Granger? Were the rumors true, after all?" Parvati whispered in a shaky voice.

"Is that why you were so nasty to her, because the rumors hit something personal inside of you?"

His tone shifted, and Hermione was tempted to take a step back, suddenly wanting to be anywhere but there.

"N-no, I-."

"You're a fucking liar, Patil. Is that why you made her feel unwanted? Like scum? You had to do everything you could to tear her down, to make yourself feel better about the possibility of me going to her… I mean, why would I ever sleep with her when I had you, right? ...because you're so superior to her?"

"I am," Parvati sneered, finally losing her composure. "I am better than her! Brains count for nothing when you're an insufferable, bossy snob who looks down on anyone you deem to be less intelligent than you. She lacks character and a personality outside of her precious books. So yes, the rumors did anger me for personal reasons, but looking back, I don't know how I ever believed them. As if you would ever stoop so low to shag, Granger. No one in the world is that desperate."

Draco didn't reply, and Hermione swallowed as she processed Parvati's words. She took a step back, shoulders tense from the emotions that her words had evoked in her. Is that really what she thought of her? Did everyone think that?

"So…I don't know what is going on with you, Malfoy, but when you come to your senses and get over whatever you seem to be going through, I-."

"Will die waiting for me," he calmly interrupted.

She heard Parvati gasp again, the sound of her stumbling feet reached her ears, and Hermione guessed that she was backing up.

"You're nothing to me. You never were. You were desperate, and I wanted a good release. I don't want you, now, because you were never anything more than temporary…"

Draco's voice was low, venom coating every single word that he spat out.

"You are painfully mediocre in every single way. There is absolutely nothing outstanding or memorable about you. As if you weren't already an annoying cliché, you had to go and add dolefully insecure and jealous to the mix. Your entire personality is wrapped up into what you can offer people, and I think that is the funniest thing I have ever seen…"

"Stop," Parvati mumbled.

"Did you stop when Hermione was already down? Her friends turned their backs on her, the whole school was talking about her, and you went and made her feel even more unwelcome at her own table. The kicker is that you did it because you were jealous. You did it to make yourself feel better, more superior. If I were something like my former self, I might admire you a little, but I'm not."

She could heard Parvati crying, now.

"You are a bottom feeding coward if I've ever seen one. You disgust me," Draco sneered. "Find someone else to give your body to as a replacement for love, because I wouldn't have you again if you paid me."

Hermione, sensing that the conversation was over, stepped away and hurriedly continued her trek to her dorm. The poorly concealed anger and darkness hidden in Draco's words both terrified her and…excited her. On one hand, she felt bad for Parvati, even if only just a little. However, the fact that Parvati's behavior towards Hermione angered Draco that much made her feel…flattered. Merlin, what was wrong with her?

The portrait shut behind her, and she sighed. She began to make her way to her room when Draco's bag on the floor caught her attention. It wasn't a habit of his to just leave it there, and she wondered if Zabini brought it by for him. She crossed the room to grab it, intending to take it into his room for him. However, when she picked it up, one of his books fell out.

Hermione frowned at it, having not recognized it. It wasn't a school book, and it wasn't the one from home that she was used to seeing attached to him. It was small, and upon closer inspection, she noted that it didn't have a title. She guessed that it was another book from his personal library, and Hermione squashed down the envy that she felt.

She was shagging him, now, so… Perhaps, he would let her borrow a book or two? Hermione chuckled at the thought of using her "feminine charm" into convincing him to let her have access to his book collection. She reached down to pick the book up when the portrait opened.

"I think Zabini dropped your bag off, so I was just-."

"Hermione, don't touch that!"

It was the most serious she'd ever heard him, and Hermione wondered if she imagined the slight fear in his voice, but it was too late. As soon as her hands came into contact with the book, she felt the worse pain she'd ever felt in her life. She collapsed, crying out as every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire. She could faintly hear Draco saying something next to her, hands frantically scooping her up into his arms, but Hermione couldn't even focus to hear what it was.

Her vision started to go in and out, and she twisted her fingers into his shirt as the corridor walls breezed past her in her peripheral vision. Her body felt it was being turned inside out, and she squirmed in his arms. He was still speaking, his voice closer, now as his lips brushed against her forehead.

Hermione closed her eyes for what felt like a few seconds, but it was clearly longer than that, because when she opened them again, she recognized a monotone voice. The elongated words that left his mouth were unintelligible, but he sounded affected by the current situation, nonetheless, something she'd hardly ever witnessed from the greasy haired professor.

She was laying down, thrashing as her body seized, Draco's hands pinning her shoulders down as Snape worked in a flurry behind him. She opened her mouth, and Hermione was sure that she said something, but she had no idea as to what. Draco's face filled her vision, one hand coming up to brush along her jaw. The last thing she felt was his lips pressing against hers as she succumbed to darkness.

~ SD ~