Hello everybody!

Thanks you so much for the reviews for the last chapter. You reminded me why I love writing for you lot so much! YAY!

Okay, well I shall not prattle on and ruin the chappy.

Read on...

It was foggy and unclear. He tried to blink his eyes but still he could see very little.

"Who is there?" a little voice asked. There was no doubt in his mind that it was the voice of the departed house elf.

Draco said nothing but tried to clear his eyes again. Slowly the lone elf came into view. It was standing in front of the statue looking in the opposite direction to which he stood.

"I is knowing that someone is there. I is feeling it." The elf said in a voice that only shook slightly. "I has been told not to let anyone in."

Looking in the direction the house elf was he could see nothing. Then a skittering noise caught his attention, looking down he saw a rat but other than that there was nothing. Considering that they lived in a castle this was nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly the elf screamed and was holding onto his neck, but blood slipped past his fingers. Then, like always, time froze and the elf turned to look at him, just his head and nothing else.

"Will you make sure they do the ritual?" He asked softly.

"Yes, of course." Draco replied.

"Thank you kindly master."

And with that the elf turned back the way he was and time started once more. The screaming went on. Then the elf's body floated up to hock itself on the statue.

He had seen all that there was to see, it was time he left. Concentration hard he let go of the lifeless elf's arm and took a step back.

A bushy head attached to a not-bad-body threw itself into his arms and held on tight. He thought about pushing her away but didn't. He found an odd kind of comfort having her in his arms. It helped to get rid of the images to fresh in his mind.

"Tell me, child, what did you see?" Dumbledore asked, and thanks to Grangers help, he was ready to answer.

"I saw nothing headmaster." His body gave a heartfelt shudder that he knew Granger felt because she tightened her arms around him.

"What do you mean you saw nothing?" Snape raised an eyebrow and asked.

Thinking hard about what he saw, he tried to pick up on something he was missing, but nothing came.

"Exactly that, sir. From what I could see, the elf's neck was cut by nothing and his body floated to hang it's self on the statue. I saw nobody else." A puzzled frown graced his face. "It was foggy…it has never been like that before. But that may have been my fault. I found it hard to go back."

"Completely understandable, Mister Malfoy. Nobody wishes to see death, especially when we know there is nothing we could do to stop it." Dumbledore said.

Hermione gave a sob and moved away from Malfoy and muttered "sorry."

Draco frowned at the odd behaviour. One minute she was hanging on to him like she was scared that she would die if she did not, and now she could not get far enough away from him. Shock…that's what it will be, shock.

"What were you asked?" Snape asked.

Every time he was sent back, somebody in the past he was seeing would ask for something. This was one of the more understandable ones he had been asked to do. Some had been very hard, but he had felt honour bound to do them. They had let him see there past the least he could do was help them.

"The elf asked for the ritual to be done."

Both Dumbledore and Snape nodded.

"I said it would be done." Draco looked at Snape, knowing the older wizard will understand his need to help.

"And it shall be. In the mean time I think the headmaster would agree that you should both go to the hospital wing and get some rest." There was no amount of emotion in his voice. It was said clearly with no concern. It was clear that he was just trying to get rid of them so that he could speak to the headmaster.

"Yes, sir," he said and turned to Hermione.

She was once again looking at the dead elf. If she heard what the professor said she made no sign of it. Instead she walked towards the elf and touched his arm. The same place he had. She closed her eyes then slowly let go. She turned back to look at the group, not looking anyone in the eye.

"Yes, sir." She said softly and headed back down the corridor.

Hermione could not remember the journey to the hospital wing, nor did she care.

Nothing…that's what she had felt when she had touched the elf…nothing. She shouldn't be surprised, the poor thing was dead, and what did she think she would be able to feel anyway? Sadly her logical brain seemed to have shut off for the night and she could not think straight. In fact she was sure that any moment now her legs were going to give way under her.

So when the medi witch gave her something to help her sleep and keep the dreams at bay, she was happy to sink into the pillow and let oblivion take her away.

Morning came to soon, and no matter how many times she tried to shut her eyes and make it go away it would not.

"Granger? How long are you going to lie there? I am fed up of waiting for you to wake up?" a deep voice snapped.

Lifting her head slightly she looked at the bed next to her only to find Malfoy glaring over at her.

"Nobody made you wait." She said back and rolled on her back to look at the ceiling. Unwanted images running through her head.

"No, nobody made me wait, but I was fed up of seeing your dream inside me bloody head. You need to work on that." he snapped and looked away from her.

Hermione blushed. She had no idea that she could do that. He had seen her dream. She hoped it had not been anything dirty.

Hold on a second! She had been given something to stop herself from dreaming.

"How can u have seen my dream?" she asked looking over at the silent male next to her. She could have sworn she saw a blush creep over his checks. He was saved from answering when the medi witch walked in and sent them on their way.

Hermione thought about going to their common room but the library was the only place she really wanted to be. So it was in that direction she headed. Without looking back she knew Malfoy had gone to the common room.

Draco paced the head common room. His mind was swimming, he thought about taking a potion to stop the ache but it would dull his gift and at a time like this that was a bad idea.

There was something bad going on…that was more than clear, and yet he could not keep his mind off of one Hermione Granger. She was right; of course he had not been able to see her dreams. But if he had not woken her up he would have crawled into her bed and took the pale witch into his arms. He felt stupid, like a little boy that had no way to control his body. By waking her he had gotten her snapping back at him, which in turn helped get rid of the raging hard-on he had been hiding underneath the covers.

What the hell was going on! He had had a stiff over a mudblood, worse than that she was Harry-bloody-Potters mudblood. Since when did a wizard let alone a Malfoy sink to such levels? The answer to that was easy…never! That's why this…this…whatever it is needs to stop now. He would not come rushing to her every time she asked him to. Sure last time there had been a reason for it. Anything dead was a good reason. But dammit he had not even known what was wrong and the first thing he had done was take her in his arms. Why the hell had he done that! It must have been because he knew that calming her down would be the only way to get an answer out of her. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had looked to vulnerable, or that when she had called for him her voice had been filled with nothing but fear. Nor was it that he had felt so much pride that she had called for him without even thinking of anybody else, or the way he had felt such a fierce need to protect, felt worry that she had been hurt that holding her in his arms was the only way to know she was really not harmed.

Dammit!

He shouted inside his head without even thinking.

For Fuck sake Malfoy, keep the racket down. You nearly made me fall off of the firkin' ladder!

Wow, did Miss-I-am-holier-than-thou just swore…more than once.

Well it's your own fault for being on a ladder when I felt like shouting.

He snapped back. So what if it had been his fault. He was never going to admit that to her. She had him tied up into enough knots as it is.

Right and I am just meant to know when you feel like shouting.

You have the 'gift' do you not? Learnt o bloody use it!

Oh get over yourself Malfoy. I don't need this right now.

Your right, you are having too much fun burying away in your god damn books so that you don't have to face the real world. Well go ahead. Nobody in the real world would miss you.

He got no reply.

Draco dropped onto the sofa and cringed. She had not disserved that and as much as he hated it he knew that he had over stepped the line. He should not be taking his anger out on her, and as much as he hates it, they do have to work together to get this things sorted out. There was no way he could do that if she was mad at him.

Granger, I didn't mean that.

He waited for a moment and when he only got silence he tried again.

Granger, there is no point in ignoring me. I was mad that's all there is to it. I said I didn't mean it. What more do you want?

Still nothing but silence.

Maybe he should go and speak to her face to face. Or he could be the lazy ass he was and just look inside her head. Closing his eyes he concentrated hard. Nothing, it was like brick wall had been put around her head.

So that's what it's like when you come across someone else's metal barriers.

Growling he stood up and focused his sense on her. He might not be able to get inside her head but he could still find her and speak to her, this was just bloody stupid, just as bloody stupid as his hard-on had been.

Outside the sun was setting. He had spent all day looking for the bloody witch. Every time he got close she would move, as if she could sense he was coming. Which of course she could. He had tried to talk to her inside their heads but she would never reply, just leave him talking to himself.

Rounding one of the many corners of the castle that was Hogwarts, he saw Granger sitting hunched by the lake. So she was no longer running. Must mean she had had time to cool down and knew that it was in her own interests to talk to him. At least call a truce, that way he would not have to keep running after her.

As Draco got closer he could see her shoulders shaking and closer still he could here her crying. Aw man, he had never meant to make her cry. But then what did he think would happen when he said something like.

"Don't come any closer." she said not turning to face him. "Can't you tell by now that I just want to be left alone?"

He took a step closer and watches her body tense even more.

"As much as I would love to that, I can't. Not until I know that we have called a truce."

Granger sighed and nodded.

"Fine, truce called. Now will you leave me alone?"

"Once again, I would love to but I can't." Draco answered.

"Why the hell not!" she snapped.

"Because I know you don't mean it about the truce. Plus you are still crying." He walked closer to her again and kept going until he could sit down beside her. She had her legs up and her arms wrapped around her knees. Her head tucked in, her wild hair stopping him from being able to see her face. He looked away from her and looked out across the lake.

Here it came again, that feeling to protect her. But that was bloody stupid because the only thing she needed to be protected from was him. Yet he would not get up and leave her like this.

You know what...this whole day was just bloody stupid!

Well people, do you fancy letting me know what you think.

Please don't be a prude!

HC