Chapter 4

Meanwhile, Ronald is swaying inside his small flat. His red hair has turned auburn. There was a darkness in his eyes and his skin was grey. He face was distorted in anger as he said, "That stupid whore ran off with my money. When I find her I'll take what she owes me out of her hide. Fucking slut."

In the morning Hermione woke up to her head rested on Malfoy's chest. There was panic in her heart. She couldn't get close to anyone and get hurt. Hermione slipped out of his bed so slowly. Practiced movements she knew by heart now. She wondered up the stairs and for a balcony. There sat on the baluster and stared out. She thought about her life. Where had it gotten so off track. She had plans. Good job in magic, maybe teaching. Family.

Hermione looked down at her thin body and started to cry. It was so bleak. All she thought was why did she have to be different. Flash backs of Ron hitting her came to the forefront and she palmed her face in her hands. The world weighted on her back like Iron Lead.

Draco woke from his first dreamless sleep. He noticed the small body gone from his side. He casted a tracking spell he uses to find people. Out his room and up the stairs he followed the glowing prints. There on the fourth floor balcony he found Hermione staring out. Hermione was weakly singing a modern muggle song by Bush Out of this world. She finished a versus and chorus and started cry, "So we move we change by the speed of the choices that we make. And the barriers are all self-made. That's so retrograde. Are you drowning or waving. I just need you to save me. Should we try to get along. Just try to get along."

Draco walked up to her and leaned against the wall. She wiped her eyes and asked, "How did you find me?"

"I hunt Death Eaters and Dark Magic Users. I track people." Draco said as he watched her carefully.

"I'm not going to do anything I swear." Hermione said as she defending herself.

Draco came up and sat down on the baluster with Hermione and said, "I use to come here a lot. My father was so against muggles and muggle born wizards. Lady Ethriel said muggle born wizards were tiny miracles. It is Yggdrasil the world tree trying to save magic. I was so confused. Then she stopped coming to visit and all I had was my father's input. If you hear something long enough you'll believe it. Now my life was a lie."

"You mean humans don't normally possess magic? Then how? And the pure bloods? What are they?" Hermione asked.

Draco smirked and said, "Somethings never change, eh Hermione? Deep inside you still need to know."

"I don't need to know," Hermione said as she shyly looked down and then back up towards Draco, "I'm just curious. They don't teach muggle born wizards the origins of magic."

Draco laughed and teased, "You are Hermione. You not needing to know something would be like the sun not raising." Draco looked at Hermione as she squinched up her nose and lips irritated and he said, "Magical being like Elves and Veela gifted man with magic. And pure bloods are lines that comes from these fortunate people that received the gift of magic. Mine came to be because Lady Ethriel fell in love with the man gifted magic to."

"So when muggles started giving birth to magical children jealousy and prejudice started." Hermione said putting the pieces together.

"They thought two things first fear. Will they be better then us. Some like you were. Then came hate. They are inferior to us who are from magical families." Draco said as his face became more thoughtful.

"What do you think?" Hermione asked a little afraid of his answer.

Draco looked at her with no hatred or anger. Hermione had never seen such a different Draco before. Draco looked back down at his family's land and said, "I was envious of your intelligence. I was jealous of Potter for getting you attention. I hated that I wanted your attention. So I said the words I heard my father say. It worked and I didn't feel as much. But that didn't last long. My world was black and white. In this grey world you shined the brightest. I wanted that light. I felt dead. Now I'm numb. But I never hated you. I was just a confused child. I think you were my first crush and it violated my carefully constructed vision of my life and girls I would be with. Now I want to restore some portion of who you were to you. So you many finally become what everyone knew you would become."

"Why do this for me? No one even bothered to ask me what I want except Harry. God, I felt like I failed him. My last memory was his awkward smile while he tells me that he will get better." Hermione said as she put her head in her hands feeling guilty.

"What do you want me to do? I can ask Snape for help. He may have some idea. Harry is important to him. I can ask my family if you can read the family library. My mother has excess to the Black library as well." Draco asked wanting to do anything to stop tears that would becoming.

"I don't know. It's just too much right now. I just want to hide from everything." Hermione said as she shook her head.

"Alright. I won't push. But you are not staying alone here. My mother and father could use help sealing off the rest of the dark artifacts before they seal them away for good. My dad has been falling asleep at his desk from all the work that is coming into our business. We deal in all dark artifacts. You can imagine how many are being turned in after the war." Draco said as he got off the baluster and held out his hand to help Hermione.

"I could use the distraction. I would be glad to help." Hermione said as she took Draco's hand and got off the baluster.