sTwo day late. I know I am so sorry about that- I have had an incredibly busy weekend. Barely had time to think. But anyway here's chapter 7. There might be quite a few typos since I haven't had the time to do a proper check so feel free to point them out. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Oh yeah I wish. None of it is mine!

Chapter 7

After half an hour of endless sobbing, Hermione slowly lifted herself off the ground and made her way to the tiny basin in the corner of her office. It took a while but she managed to wash off all evidence of her melt down before carefully reapplying her make up. She wasn't one for make-up. It was too much of a fuss to do every day, but the eyeliner and touch of lipstick really did do wonders for her face. So it was after quickly applying that that she straightened out her robes and made her way out of the office.

"Clara, did Stacy bring the post-op report by?" she asked her secretary, who was seated behind a tiny desk and had her head buried in a frivolous magazine.

Clara let out a tiny squeak of surprise before siting up straight and replying, "Yes Miss Granger, its right here." She finished, handing Hermione a folder.

"Alright, well I have nothing else for today so I'll be heading home. Call me if there's an emergency." Hermione told her as she took hold of the file and walked over to the nearest fireplace.

It came back to him with a tremendously sharp pain which shot through the left side of his head. At first it was fuzzy but eventually it started becoming clearer.

"Turning your back on the Dark Lord was one thing Draco, but this, this is far worse than I feared. Consorting with blood traitors and mudbloods? How did you sink so low?" Lucius spat at his son who lay wreathing on the ground.

"I've sunk low? Me? You're the one who's been rotting in Azkaban for 2 years!" Draco shouted, once he managed to break free of the curse his father had put on him.

"I see… you've turned on me Draco, your own father. Have you no shame?" Lucius sneered, shooting a curse which Draco managed to dodge.

"Shame? The only thing I have to be ashamed of is you!" Draco spat back.

"You insolent brat!" Lucius screamed before shooting curse after curse at his son until he stopped moving. Before he could check whether the boy was alive or not a low hiss sounded from nearby. After giving his son one last look, Lucius Malfoy disappeared into the night in a cloud of black.

Of course it would be his father who landed him in the bloody hospital- granted his intention was probably for Draco to end up dead. Carefully Draco managed to sit up in his bed. Bringing his fingers to his head he began rubbing small circles against his temples. Hermione did that for him once, it was wear he picked the habit up from. Remembering her caused Draco to let out a groan. Of course it had to be her who saved him. Why she even bothered he had no idea. He had royally fucked up that relationship, the one good thing that ever happened to him and he messed it up.

What he did, what he said, was unforgivable. He knew that, and yet he couldn't help but hope that maybe she did forgive him. It has been two whole years.

Sighing softly, Draco laid back down and closed his eyes, thoughts of one bushy haired Gryffindor filling his mind. She was the only thing that kept him going through that horrible year. The memory of her soft kiss was still fresh in his mind. That memory was the reason he wasn't completely driven out of his mind, the amount of torture he had been under should have done that. Yet, he was there. Alive and well, once again thanks to Granger, only this time it wasn't her memory that saved him, but her.

As thoughts of her overtook his mind he was suddenly dragged back to the memory of that night, the night he screwed everything up.

"Damn it Draco! You have got to stop doing that!" Hermione yelled as she was pulled back into a tiny alcove.

"How else am I supposed to get your attention Granger?" He asked, his voice low, his eyes downcast.

"Like a normal person, just call my name." she replied with a soft smile.

Cautiously she took a step towards him, he quickly stepped back, pushing her away. Her smile turned to a frown as she straightened up and crossed her arms across her chest, pretending as though his rejection didn't bother her.

"These past few years, whatever happened. You need to forget about it Granger." He said coldly.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confusion lacing her voice.

"We can't- Granger we can never be friends." He said to her, his eyes cold, betraying no hint of emotion.

"What do you mean? The war is over, no one is going to care!" she whisper yelled at him.

"Yeah well I do okay! You're a mudblood! The war didn't change anything!" he spat at her.

With a resounding smack her hand met his cheek. Tears streaming down her face, she gave him one last loath filled glare before storming off.

When he could no longer hear her footsteps he slowly slumped to the ground, buried his head in his hands and began to sob silently. It killed him to do that, to say those things to her, but he had to. He was too damaged for her, damaged beyond repair. He was the epitome of darkness, and she was his polar opposite. He couldn't let her get close to him and then have her watch him being dragged off to Azkaban along with his pathetic excuse for a father.

Of course if he had known he would have been let off, perhaps things would have been different. But he had screwed it up, she would never forgive him for that and he knew it.

"Hermione! Are you home?" came a yell from her living room. Hermione was currently in her kitchen, scrubbing down the stove- cleaning was the only thing that seemed to help when she didn't know what she was feeling.

"In the kitchen Harry!" she yelled back. She continued her scrubbing as she heard his footsteps approaching and then coming to a stop.

"You're cleaning again." He said, matter-of-factly, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes I am. I hardly get off work, the grime was piling up." She replied, her back to him.

"I'm your best friend Mione- I know you. You only clean when you're anxious. So, again. You're cleaning. Why?" he questioned, taking a few steps forward and settling into one of her barstools.

Hermione gave a long sigh before dropping her sponge and gloves and finally turning around to face him.

"Why are you here Harry?" she asked.

"You can't answer a question with a question Mione- you thought me that remember." He told her with a soft smile.

"It's nothing Harry, I promise- just work. I think the long hours and pent up frustration is finally getting to me." She said with a small laugh.

"Okay," he replied, seeming to believe her, "There's actually a reason I stopped by. It's about Malfoy." He finished.

"He's doing well so far, if that's what you want to know- he should be out by this evening."

"No Hermione, that's what I came to talk to you about." He told her seriously.

"What do mean?"

"Hermione we can't let it get out that he survived." Harry said with a grave expression.

"Harry, that is insane- the entire hospital staff knows he's alive. And besides, what on earth would be the point?" Hermione said, baffled.

"Lucius is still free Mione. The only chance we have at keeping Draco safe is if Lucius believes that he's dead."

"Okay, getting that. But harry, we can't just tell everyone his dead. Eventually word will get out."

"I have a plan for that." harry said with a smirk worthy of Salazar himself.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND POTTER?!" Draco yelled, 2 hours later as Hermione and Harry sat calmly by his bedside. The room had been silenced on their arrival since his reaction was expected.

"Malfoy, think about this. If he believes that you're dead then your life can carry on like normal- after his captured that is." Harry said, in a normal tone.

"Exactly, only after his captured. Who knows how bloody long that will take?" Draco replied with a sneer.

"Malfoy think about this logically," Hermione said suddenly, having been silent up until that point, "with you out of the way, your father's next target is obviously going to be your mother. We have her under the orders protection already- she's at a safe house so he'll never get near her. But he will try looking for her and that is when we'll get him. If you're declared as living and well his moves will be harder to predict." She finished, a little out of breath.

"Fine. Say I agree to this ridiculous plan, Potter," he said, turning to Harry after giving Hermione a long look, "you said I would have to go into hiding. Where do you plan on keeping me until then?"

"You'll be staying with me. Grimmuld Place is the headquarters of the order of the phoenix. You'll be safe there.

"Oh wonderful." Draco replied, rolling his eyes.

This is going to be a complete disaster, Hermione thought to herself as she watched her best friend and the man who broke her heart shake hands.

Let me know what you're thinking so far. It's great for my motivation which seems to take a holiday every so often.Until next week!