Recap:

"Albus, why did you not read to them the entirety of the prophecy?" she asked suddenly, dabbing the corners of her eyes with a delicate tissue.

Dumbledore twiddled his fingers together and closed his eyes.

"They do not need to know their probable deaths before they even attempt anything. I do not have the heart to doom them when we really have no idea what is going to unfold in the next few months..." Dumbledore explained quietly, keeping his eyes locked on the desk below him the whole time.

Chapter Three

Welcome to Hell

Right after they had closed Dumbledore's heavy office door behind them, Hermione practically threw herself onto Harry. Her face was pressed hard against his neck and he felt her warm tears glide down his neck and under the collar of his shirt where they seeped into the cotton fabric. Standing there patiently while Hermione wept, Harry heard the muffled sound of voices on the other side of the door and assumed Dumbledore was having another discussion with Malfoy. As he wondered what Dumbledore wanted to say to Malfoy after everyone left, Hermione looked up from Harry's neck and hiccupped lightly.

"What am I going to tell my family?" Hermione whispered in a grave tone. "What am I going to tell Ron?" Her fingers were clenching the front of Harry's polo fiercely so that the blue fabric bunched in her hands.

"Calm down, Hermione, we'll figure something out…don't stress on it," Harry spoke absently, his mind concentrating hard on an entirely different matter; one dealing with Dumbledore and Malfoy's conversation. Hermione frowned and released the now wrinkled polo from her vice-like grip.

"Don't stress on it? Don't stress on it?! Harry Potter! I've just been sentenced to spend an undeterminable amount of time with Draco Malfoy that will result in the downfall of Lord Voldemort! How the hell do you expect me to not stress on it?" This is real! I'm going to have to live with Draco Malfoy, and-and, oh God, create something with him. Wouldn't you be a little on edge and a little stressed out if you were in my position? I can't talk to any of my friends, any of my family, nothing!" By the end of her outburst she sported bright pink spots high on her cheekbones. Harry was gaping rather guiltily at her by the end of this, his attention snapped back to the situation at hand.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, I was just-"

Hermione stopped him mid-stutter with a heavy sigh. "No, no, Harry, it's alright. I'm just a little high strung; I didn't mean to take it out on you. I know you're just trying to help. Although, that was rather stupid of you-"

"Okay, 'Mione I'm going to stop you there so that it actually sounds like a real apology." Harry smiled timidly at her and she reciprocated with a small, crooked grin.

"Where's the closest fireplace authorized for floo that we can get to?" Hermione asked him, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Harry thought silently for a moment before answering.

"Professor McGonagall's office."

…

When they arrived at the Burrow, staggering out of the fireplace and covered in soot, they found the Weasley family happily chatting around their dinners at the table. Everyone but Percy, Bill, and Charlie were there from the Weasley clan. Fred and George were in the middle of excitedly describing a new product they were going to endorse for their Joke Shop, and using very animated hand gestures to illustrate. Ginny was sitting opposite of them, her face shining with laughter and amusement. Ron sat next to her, smiling broadly and making hilarious off-hand comments about the products Fred and George described. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were talking with their heads together, seemingly unaware of the other conversation taking place at the same table. When the family noticed the two guests come into the dining room, all conversation ceased.

"Well?" Ron asked after no one spoke for a moment, for they had all just been staring at the pair in suspense. Harry felt Hermione next to him gulp nervously, and he decided to break the news instead.

"We haven't much time, and I'll explain more thoroughly later, but Hermione has to go away for…a while….and she's here to say goodbye quickly," Harry explained awkwardly. The Weasley's all frowned before exploding into questions.

"Go away? Where are you going away to?"

"Have you done something dodgy?"

"How long?!?

"Why can't I go, as well?"

"Are you going out of the country?"

"Is Harry going too?"

Ginny Weasley asked the last question, and she blushed deeply immediately after. It was no secret that she was still very much infatuated with Harry, who was still refusing to restart their relationship until after he was sure all the Horcruxes were found and destroyed. He loved Ginny, obviously, and wanted to protect her by doing this, despite Ginny's insistence that the danger didn't matter to her; she loved him and wanted to be with him. Harry was very resolute in his ways, and wouldn't even kiss her these days. He felt it led her on and made it harder for him to stay true to his initial plan.

"Like I said, I'll explain everything later when there is more time, but for now just say goodbye." Harry explained, throwing Ginny a meaningful look that she clearly interpreted as I'll tell you everything I know later.

After half an hour of bitter-sweet hugs and confused looks, Harry announced that they needed to leave and asked if Mrs. Weasley could write a note to send to the Granger's explaining everything that was going on and apologies for not being able to be there in person to deliver the staggering news. After collecting Hermione's luggage by wand, they left the Burrow and stepped out into the cloudy and humid night.

…

It was pouring at Malfoy Manor.

Draco took it as a very accurate representation of how his day had been going thus far. Earlier in the day with Pansy had started out with promising characteristics, but had taken a turn for the worst and ended in a bleeding, shouting match between the two of them. Then, he was summoned up to Hogwarts to be told he would be wasting his first summer holiday as a graduate with Hermione Granger. Oh, and she would be moving in any minute.

As if on cue, the house elves scurried to open the solid, dark wood doors at the front of the estate. Hermione Granger and Harry Potter scrambled inside, dripping wet and shivering with a few pieces of traveling luggage in tow.

"-know you feel this way, but I promise it will be easier for you in the long run…" Harry whispered frantically to her, only to receive a withering glance. Hermione sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her dripping hair. It was ridiculously tangled and she had quite a difficult time getting her fingers all the way to the bottom of the dark strands.

"They're my parents, Harry! They deserve to hear everything from me in person!" Hermione argued, her voice taking on a familiar hint of stubbornness. It was at that moment the duo noticed Draco standing across the room from them, his hands crossed over his chest and glaring; his usual persona of arrogance permeating through the room like tangible waves of heat.

"Oh, by all means, continue. I'm extremely interested to hear about the Mudblood's parents. Tell me, are they both raging alcoholics after raising her?" Draco spat venomously, gesturing towards the shivering girl in front of him. Harry took a few dangerous steps toward Draco, but was forced to stop when Hermione caught a hold of his bicep.

"Don't bother, Harry. Malfoy's just trying to compensate for what he inherited from his father- a tiny, shriveled little instrument that really isn't good for anything." She sent Draco a smug look while Harry burst into loud guffaws of laughter.

"Ha, ha. How clever, you stupid, insufferable, maggoty piece of filth. I knew you were a wretched Mudblood bitch the second I laid eyes on you. The one thing I never pegged you as was immature enough to make a fucking penis insult, which, if I may clarify, is far from tiny, shriveled, or useless." Draco responded coldly, his fists clenched by his side.

"Well that only proves Malfoy is twice the dick we thought he was," Harry responded, smirking at Hermione. Her face twisted into an identically triumphant smirk right as Malfoy opened his mouth angrily to reply, but a sudden rushing noise filled the room around them, distracting everyone from the argument. Dumbledore stepped out of the large, ostentatious fireplace and pleasantly dusted himself off before viewing the small crowd in front of him.

"I see Miss Granger has managed to find her way to the Manor without any major catastrophes?" Dumbledore asked cheerily, his calm and enjoyable demeanor slowly coming back to him.

"Yes, Professor," Hermione answered automatically, her voice betraying the sadness and fear she was experiencing. The arrival of Dumbledore meant one thing as far as she was concerned; Harry would have to be leaving her all alone with Malfoy, and it was the last she would see of one of her best friends for a long, long time.

"Excellent, well, Mr. Potter you should probably get going to speak with the Weasley's and the Granger's at the Burrow- yes, they are all there waiting your arrival and explanation quiet impatiently. Oh, and Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore added at the last minute, as Harry had started turning to leave. "Stop being afraid. There will never be an opportune time if you continue going about life the way you are now." Dumbledore smiled slightly at him. Confusion clouded Harry's features for a fraction of a second, but after a few silent moments, his face softened with what appeared to be comprehension.

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied with a nod of his head before turning to face Hermione. "You know I love you, along with everyone else who's at the Burrow right now," Harry whispered, pulling her into a tight hug. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut with her face pressed against his shoulder and took a few deep breaths.

"I know…" she whispered in response. "I love you too. Please make sure everyone else knows I'll miss them and I love them as well."

"Oh, God." Draco drawled, tilting his head back and looking thoroughly bored.

"Goodbye, 'Mione," Harry spoke with finality, and with a moment's hesitation, he kissed her lips. Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she did not pull away. Draco practically choked on his own spit. Potter kissing Granger? Wasn't she with Weasley?! What a fucking bitch move by Potter- to his best friend, no less! Draco's mind reeled with ideas when he was suddenly brought to the crashing realization that he would have no contact with these people for God knows how long and would not be able to cause appropriate havoc.

Hermione looked just as surprised as Draco when Harry finally pulled away from the chaste kiss. Her lips were parted slightly in awe and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Harry," she breathed quietly. "What about Ginny? Ron?" Her eyebrows furrowed in concern and a small amount of panic. Harry shook his head at her.

"I won't say anything." He assured her. "We'll just, deal with everything later. You're my best friend, I probably shouldn't have-" Hermione silenced him with another big hug, and then he was ushered away by Dumbledore (who chose to pretend nothing happened), and paused at the front doors.

"My suggestion to you both is to research possible ideas for Horcruxes. Key components to this include people, places, and historical events that may have influenced Voldemort. Best of luck to you both and you may owl me, only me, with questions or ideas." With that final statement, he left, letting the door shut resolutely behind him. It echoed in the large, stone room.

"Well, I guess we both know what Potter's going to be thinking about tonight when he's all alone in his room. You fucking disgust me, Mudblood."

With his last word Draco threw a small, shiny object at her. It abruptly hit her in the stomach and fell to the floor where it made a smart, tinkling noise.

"What's this?" Hermione ignored his previous comment, despite the small flush in her face, and bent to pick up the small object on the ground. It was a small, gold key. Inscribed on the glittering surface was the word 'MANOR' engraved in an elegant script parallel to the jagged edges that were carved into the gold.

"What does it look like?" Draco drawled, already beginning to head up the stairs. Hermione looked after him with disbelief and annoyance.

"Aren't you going to show me my room?" she called after him, louder than necessary. Draco didn't even pause.

"Pick one out yourself. I don't give a fuck. Just leave me alone."

"Oh, thanks! I'll just carry all this luggage myself, as well!" Hermione shouted after him, but he had already disappeared around a corner a floor above her.

…

Hermione chose a charming room, in her opinion. It was one of the biggest she found, having a few smaller rooms branching off of her main one so that it was almost like her own, small flat. Almost. She decorated everything according to her personal taste, with a great deal of help from her wand and numerous spells and charms. She was sad by the time she finished, thinking longingly of how she wished to show her handiwork off to Ginny, especially the cream colored lace curtains she had tastefully flowing from the French doors that opened to a gorgeous view of the gardens and estate. They tied to each side with lovely champagne colored ribbons. Thinking about Ginny caused her to feel a pang of guilt in her gut. What would Ginny do if she found out Harry had kissed her? What did that kiss mean, anyway? Friends don't usually kiss one another on the lips like that. And Ron… poor, Ron. Hermione suddenly found herself bubbling with anger; why would Harry do something like that to his best friends, and a girl he obviously loves? What the hell was wrong with him? Another guilty pang hit Hermione when her subconscious quietly reminded her that she didn't pull away when he kissed her. Pushing the thoughts hastily from her mind, Hermione concentrated on finishing her room.

Her four-poster bed was covered with a white, down comforter and pale pink sheets that felt like silk. A sheer, off-white canopy fell from the top of her four-poster bed and one side tied off to the left with the same champagne colored ribbon. Feeling as though Edgar Degas' oil paintings fit into her room beautifully, she summoned a few prints for the walls.

She was just unpacking the last of her clothing into the lavish mahogany dressers when Draco abruptly entered her room without knocking or any warning whatsoever.

"What the fuck did you do in here?" he asked incredulously, looking around the room in disgust. Hermione straightened and raised her chin defiantly.

"I fucking decorated. Is that a problem?" she retorted with twice as much attitude. He glared at her with more hatred that she thought she had ever seen in him before.

"Your taste is almost as repulsive and nauseating as your blood. You might as well just slash your wrist and bleed all over the walls; it would be equally as sordid." Draco spoke this calmly and coolly, which horrified Hermione more than the actual words he was saying.

"Get out. You awful, wretched, spoiled, nasty little child! Get out!" Hermione screamed wildly at him as he smirked and left the room. He closed the door behind him, and just as he did he heard a loud smashing noise that let him know Hermione had just thrown something valuable at his head as he left. "I hate you!" He heard her shriek at the closed door.

"What a bloody shame! I've grown ever so fond of you these past few minutes!" Draco retaliated, and then inwardly kicked himself for grabbing her bait. The door flew back open fiercely, and Hermione's figure practically leapt out of the room, wand drawn. Before he could even react, the tip of her wand was pressing uncomfortably hard next to his Adam's apple.

"Listen close, Malfoy because I'm only going to say this once." Hermione's voice was a hoarse whisper. "This is your warning. If you decide you want to try and fuck with me again, I want you to remember this moment where I have you completely helpless and I can do whatever I fucking please. Got it? You can either make this new transition easily and amiably or we can fight the whole bloody way. You pick, because I know I'll be fine either road."

Draco Malfoy was speechless. He would never admit it, but he didn't think the girl actually had it in her until this moment. All sorts of incredible stories had reached his ears during their years at Hogwarts of her bravery and courage, but never had he actually witnessed it. One thing he was damn sure of was her capability with her wand, and that was enough to make him back down. This time.

"Aren't you just a barrel of fun these days?" Draco drawled, and then choked slightly because she jabbed further into his neck with her wand. "You're preaching about easy, amiable transitions yet you're the only one with their wand drawn, practically goring me with it. Take a bit of your own advice, maybe?" Draco challenged, refusing to show any amount of fear or submission. Hermione's features changed rapidly, and she slowly applied less and less pressure on his neck until it just graced his skin. She then took a few steps backward, wand still aimed straight between his eyes and glared at him, breathing heavily.

"Look, I hate you Malfoy, and I know you hate me. It's not exactly breaking news, however we're stuck together until we figure this whole mess out so we might as well try and get along," she said with a sigh.

"Okay, Granger, now that you're playing peace maker lets just get formalities out of the way. I'm not going to tell you where my room is because I don't want you bothering me. You're to leave your bedroom door open at night so that I know you're not sneaking off or doing anything… dodgy." Draco narrowed his eyes at her and cocked his head slightly to the side. "I don't trust you now and I probably won't ever trust you, and it will do you well to remember you are in my house. My house, my rules. My word is law here." Draco finished and smirked, obviously very proud of himself.

"Are you done?" Hermione had stood with her arms crossed throughout his entire speech. Draco thought silently for a moment before nodding, yes. "Lovely. Well, all I have to say to that is fuck you, fuck your house, and especially fuck your rules." she whirled around after calmly stating the last part and slammed the door in Draco's face. He heard her murmur one locking spell after another until he couldn't keep up with it anymore.

…

Hermione hadn't seen Draco in two days. She knew he was still alive, because she kept finding traces of him around the Manor. Half-empty glasses of firewhisky, a pair of shoes, mud tracks on the stone. She came to the conclusion that he was a complete slob, and was so spoiled he didn't even know how to clean up after himself like a decent human being. Another slightly alarming discovery was that her bedroom door would always be open in the mornings when she awoke, no matter how many locking spells and charms she cast on it the night before. Whenever she finally did run into Draco, she made a mental note to yell at him about it.

Despite the small messes house elves scurried to clean up, Hermione found herself wandering into the expansive Malfoy library every evening to conduct two or three hours of grueling, yet thus far fruitless, research. She had absolutely no idea whether Malfoy was contributing nearly as much as she was because the library was always spotlessly clean, aside from the occasional dusty book.

Sitting down with a thud in one of the squashy leather armchairs, Hermione took out a roll of parchment and dated it June 1st in small, neat cursive at the top of the page. Beginning to pour over books, Hermione took careful notes of any information she deemed helpful or informative that related to their cause. So far she had taken almost ten feet of notes on the parchment, none of which helped fuel a breakthrough in her research.

Aside from studying in the evenings, Hermione found herself becoming more and more depressed as the days trudged on in solitude. She even took up running as an excuse to get out of the Manor and breathe fresh air every once in a while. To pass the time during the days, she would write letters to her friends that she would never be able to send. It was the only way she felt could ease the burden, because it made her feel as though she was actually talking to someone who cared about her.

Almost a week later, Hermione woke up abruptly from her dream in the early hours of the morning. She could not remember the details of it, only that it disturbed her greatly. She glanced around her room and noticed that the door was already wide open- despite her growing efforts to keep it locked at night. Knowing she would never be able to fall back asleep, she peered at her watch, which read 5:15 a.m. Yawning softly, she pulled herself out of bed and took a hot shower. It was almost six when she finished dressing, and not knowing what else to do she started heading down to the library as if on autopilot.

Opening the doors to the library, she was surprised to find Draco just having gotten there and drinking a steaming cup of coffee as he sat down to read a book. He looked up at her suddenly, but didn't glare. Hermione was almost so excited to see another human that she didn't even throw any insults out at him.

"I knew you would be here for some reason," Draco said casually, as if the statement would have no impact on her at all. Hermione frowned and looked at the old antique clock on the wall.

"What's the date?" she asked slowly, looking back over at Draco. She was starting to freak him out with the expression on her face. It was eerie.

"The sixth…" realization began to dawn on him as he said it. He felt his body erupt in shivers. Hermione's breathing increased rapidly and she looked around the library frantically, as if expecting to see some sort of demon creature jump out at her.

"So, let's get this straight," Hermione cleared her throat. "It's six a.m. on the sixth day of the sixth month and we're both here by coincidence?"

"Well, what do you think it means, then?" Draco asked, trying not to look as visibly shaken as he felt, for magic like this was very old and very dark. "If you're so fucking smart, why don't you just figure it out for the both of us and save time, eh?" Hermione turned her head sharply to look at him. She almost looked… sad.

"I don't know what it means, Malfoy. All I know is that it's a really odd coincidence that everything just happened to line up like this…" Hermione snapped, aggravated at his defensiveness.

"Well damn, Granger, you're so useful I might as well pack it up and leave everything to you." Draco stood up from his chair, grabbing his coffee and parchment. As much as Hermione wanted to let him walk out and leave, her curiosity got the best of her.

"Wait, Malfoy." She immediately regretted saying it. He half turned to look at her, a bored expression on his face.

"What do you want?"

"Have you found anything of use?" She asked the question as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Draco shuffled some papers around.

"Definitely. You?" Hermione stiffened at his words, not wanting to seem inferior.

"Of course. I just wanted to make sure you're pulling your weight."

"Awesome, thanks." Draco replied sarcastically. "I'm so grateful I have you around to keep me in check these days."

"Piss off, Malfoy." Hermione shot back at him, firing up immediately.

"Say that again and I'll have all your clothes thrown out so you have to do everything around the manor stark naked. That obnoxiously large chip on your shoulder needs to be brought down a few notches." With that last remark, Draco left Hermione in the library, seething but not daring to say another word.

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I have received thus far- they make me smile! Next chapter is almost done, so expect it soon! Also, thanks a ton to my new beta, Bookluvr16, for doing an amazing job!

Next chapter you can look forward to… A new boy who will cause LOTS of problems for Draco and Hermione… mostly because Draco gets a little jealous…also, some clues to figuring out the final Horcrux! It's going to be ridiculously long.

Don't forget to review… more reviews equal faster chapter postings!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with the stories. Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling except my plot line.