Disclaimer: I'm still not J.K. Rowling, so I still do not own Harry Potter. However that doesn't mean I can't pretend by writing fanfics!

Chapter 10: Reunion

A loud and incessant tapping woke Hermione up just as the sun inched its way completely over the horizon. Even though she should have been exhausted from tossing and turning all night, she felt wide awake as she sprung from her bed to receive Draco's response. Her heart was thumping adrenaline through her veins; filling her with both nervousness and excitement, she hoped that his reply would be positive, but she couldn't be sure until she read it. Hermione barely said 'good morning' to Aries as she fumbled to untie the letter.

Aries viewed Hermione as she struggled with the knot with his head cocked to one side. One would almost think that if he could have, he would have been laughing at her.

Finally, Hermione managed to get the letter undone and as soon as she had it free, she tore it open and began to read;

Hermione,
I was beginning to think I was never going to hear from you.

That wasn't exactly the way she had hoped his reply would begin. But perhaps it would get better;

Mimi told me what my mother said to you and you have my word that none of it was true. I was frustrated and angry that night yes, but not enough to break up with you. I think I was just as mad at her as I was with you anyway. When Mimi told me what Narcissa said, I lost it. I'm sorry for what she said; she had no right to speak to you like that. But shit Hermione, I can't take this anymore. Even when I'm mad at you, I still want to be with you. And whenever I'm not with you I feel this pain; like I've been I've just been hit in the chest by a bludger. I hate it! I hate having those feelings; I hate feeling like I need you just to get through the day.

By this point tears had begun to sting at the corners of Hermione's eyes, though whether the tears were because she was touched or because she was worried, she couldn't decide. His letter was sending her such mixed messages; she was flattered that he felt so strongly for her, but it worried her too. He said he hated the feeling, what if that meant he wished he didn't feel it?

But even with all that, I love you. I don't think I can ever stop loving you, and even though I'm angry I don't want to try. I just hate these secrets Hermione. Please no more secrets. I can't handle them anymore, not from you. You mean so much to me, but I need to know that you trust me. I can't go on like this unless I know you trust me. Anyway, meet me in the lobby of the Phoenix Grange outside of Diagon Alley; I'm staying there for a while. Just please promise me, no more secrets.
Draco

Draco's letter left Hermione's heart pounding in her throat, all she wanted to do was hold him, kiss him and make all their problems disappear. He just seemed so sad, and even a bit vulnerable. She did not like the idea of him in that state, and it pained her that she was a large part of the reason why he was feeling that way. Still, she was glad that the letter had come so early because it gave her time to think before she really had to begin her day. She would definitely meet Draco as she had promised, but now she had to decide whether or not to tell him about the Order.

She had been so sure about telling him after their fight, but her day off had brought doubts back to her mind. Would telling him about the Order really solve her problems? Or would it just create new ones? She would still have to keep the Order's secrets from him, which he wouldn't appreciate at all. Plus he would probably be angry with her for putting herself in danger. There was just no easy answer, and while Hermione usually loved a challenge, she wished she didn't have to tackle this one.

She thought about it as she showered, and was so distracted that she nearly shampooed with shaving gel. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that telling Draco about the Order might not be the best solution. She felt that it would probably create more problems and even more distrust between them that they already had to deal with, not to mention the fact that it would infuriate the entire Order, and she really didn't need to deal with all of them right now.

- - - - - - - - - -

A sudden and intense searing on Draco's left forearm jolted him from a deep sleep into startled wakefulness. His heart was pounding and his entire body shook from the sudden start. He grimaced in pain and clutched his arm until the pain subsided. His entire body was damp with sweat, and he glared at the Mark as it faded from black to blood red.

In a rage of frustration, he grabbed the closest thing to him, which happened to be his pillow, and hurled it across the room. The pillow hit a vase on a dresser and sent the delicate object crashing to the floor. Broken shards of glass, water and beautiful flowers lay on the ground, but Draco did nothing about it. Instead he stormed out of bed and out to the balcony where the sun was rising and showering the world in it's golden glow.

Draco roared a cry filled with hate and anger just to relieve his stress, but it did little to help anything other than startle a nearby group of owls who had just started snoozing for the day. As he watched the owls fly away, he caught a glimpse of something down below. It appeared as if something had just disappeared behind the building across the street. Was it the swish of a cloak of just a trick of his eye? Draco continued to watch the spot where he had seen something, but nothing happened, "I'm becoming fucking paranoid," he muttered to himself.

But just before he turned away, he saw it. A figure poked their head out from behind the building and looked directly up at him. Draco glared back with a scowl, but in the blink-of-an-eye, the figure vanished.

Draco whipped around and retreated back into the hotel room, making sure to lock the balcony door behind him. 'Quit being a baby Draco,' he chastised himself. 'Narcissa probably just sent someone to follow me,'

But Draco knew he was wrong, even if he didn't realize that he was absentmindedly rubbing the Dark Mark tattooed on his arm, he knew the two incidents were related. This wasn't the first time he'd caught someone following him, nor was it the first time he'd felt someone watching him. He knew somehow this linked back to the Dark Lord, but he didn't want to think of the significance that held for him right now.

Surely the Dark Lord was powerful enough to kill him without a second thought. So, if the Dark Lord had any plans involving Draco, surely he would have been killed already, right? Draco didn't actually believe these thoughts for a second, but he allowed them to delude his conscience for the time being. He had other issues, which he had more control over, to occupy his mind with right now anyway. After all, there was no use worrying oneself over something that he had no control over anyway.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hermione made sure to arrive especially early to training that morning, so she wasn't surprised that she was the first one there. She was however surprised that Harry and Ron arrived rather early as well. She was sitting in her chair staring up at the ceiling and twirling her wand around in her fingers when she heard the door open.

"Hermione!" cried Harry and Ron.

Together, the boys rushed forward and both enveloped Hermione in big hugs. Hermione laughed partly from surprise, but mostly because it felt good to be with her best friends again. They all knew that they still had some serious issues to discuss, but for now they were determined to be satisfied with just being together as friends again. They would deal with the important stuff some other time.

"You had us worried sick!" exclaimed Harry.

Hermione shrugged, "I just needed a break from my life I guess."

"I'm just glad you're back with us," smiled Ron. "I hope you're ready to deal with Kingsley though, he seemed pretty angry that you weren't here yesterday."

"I'll just tell him the truth."

The three of them talked until Michael and Toby arrived, and then the entire group chatted until Kingsley entered. Kingsley took a glance at the room and immediately began with the day's instructions. "I'm glad to see everyone here today," he gave Hermione a look. "Today you will be with you mentors all day, and tomorrow we will meet in the training room for a whole day of practical work."

The trainees all nodded at their instructions, but none of them seemed to enthusiastic about an entire day shadowing their mentors.

"Hermione we will go to the training room so you can make up the lesson you missed yesterday. The rest of you, your mentors are waiting in their offices. I will see you tomorrow."

The four boys got up and left the room. Hermione meanwhile stood and waited for Kingsley to lead the way. She stopped walking when she sensed he had something to say to her.

"We have some very important matters to discuss Hermione."

Hermione's expression turned solemn, but she nodded anyway.

"We will get to them after you have completed the obstacle course."

"Yes Sir," Hermione nodded.

Hermione focused all her energy into the obstacle course, but still did not perform as well as she knew she could have. She just couldn't get Draco's letter and their upcoming meeting out of her head. She was so looking forward to seeing him again, but at the same time she was worried, he didn't want her to be keeping secrets from him and she couldn't blame him. No one liked being in the dark, especially when they knew they were in the dark; that just made everything worse.

When she finished, she walked over to where Kingsley stood evaluating her progress. "We will work on improving your performance another time," he said gruffly.

Hermione nodded her head with a small frown; she hated not performing to her usual standard. She hung her head as Kingsley led the way from the training room to his office. She took deep breaths the entire way bracing herself for the lecture which was sure to come.

"I am very disappointed with you Hermione," Kingsley began once they'd arrived and he'd closed the door behind them. "Not just because of your absence yesterday, but also because of the risk you almost took with the Order's secrets."

Hermione frowned in defiance, but remained silent.

"I don't understand Hermione. This is the very reason why I taught you occlumency, so you would not have to give up any secrets to anyone," Kingsley shook his head with disappointment.

"Occlumency does nothing to help when he asks me a question," she argued, the 'he' referring to Draco of course. "Just because he can't penetrate my thoughts, doesn't mean that he can't see it written all over my face when I have to lie or hide something from him. The fact is I don't want to keep secrets from him, and no matter how hard I try to disguise it, when I am hiding something, it shows."

Kingsley began to reply, but Hermione cut him off, not even caring that she was being rude. "But you can spare us both the lecture. I've thought about it, and decided that for my own reasons and purposes telling Draco anything about the Order would only make him more suspicious." Hermione dropped her head along with her angry defiance. "You win."

Kingsley softened his generally dominating persona when he heard the tone of Hermione's voice. It almost sounded as if she was giving up. When he spoke, it was in a calm voice, "This isn't a competition Hermione. There are no winners or losers because we're all on the same team. We all care for each other, so it is the responsibility of us all to see to it that everyone is doing what's best for the group."

Hermione was frowning again, but this time from sadness. A solitary tear rolled down her check, "and what about the people we care about who are not in the group? Why can't they at least be on the team too?"

Kingsley opened his mouth, but upon realizing he had no proper response, he closed it again.

Hermione, though she knew she shouldn't expect one, was looking to Kingsley for some meaningful response, a solution to her dilemma; dropped her eyes to the ground, turned and took a seat on the opposite side of Kingsley's desk. She just sat there staring into her lap, she didn't cry or get angry, she was just sad.

Kingsley stood in silence for several moments watching his young protégé. She was quite a remarkable witch for her age, or for any age for that matter. She was sure to be a success no matter what she did, but right now she seemed completely dejected, all because of Draco Malfoy. Kingsley finally began to realize that he had never fully appreciated the importance the young wizard had to Hermione. While Kingsley still found it difficult to trust someone he had once arrested as a Death Eater, he began to think that perhaps he, Dumbledore, and the rest of the Order should reconsider the young Malfoy. Perhaps, because of his relationship to Hermione, he was actually more of a threat to the success of the Order out of it than he would be if he were in it…

- - - - - - - - - -

Once Kingsley had dismissed her from training, Hermione apparated directly to the lobby of the Phoenix Grande. She was so eager to see Draco and to apologize again for everything that she didn't even notice the luxurious furnishings. Nor did she marvel at the dazzling crystal chandelier with what looked like hundreds of tiny fairies dancing around in it providing the light. Instead, she took a seat in the lounge area and tried not to look nervous as she waited for Draco. Since she had arrived nearly 30 minutes early, she practically drove herself mad just sitting and waiting, but she refused to move until she saw Draco. She couldn't help but glance at her watch just about every two seconds, which only seemed to make the time pass slower and increase her nerves. She did not by any means expect him to be early, in fact she would not be surprised if he was uncharacteristically late, maybe as a way to pay her back for her previous tardiness. She hoped that wouldn't be the case, but she couldn't totally blame him if it was.

When the second hand finally ticked to four o'clock, Hermione's heart sped up so fast it almost hurt. She told herself to calm down and relax, that he would probably be another few minutes at least. But she couldn't help but look around for him anyway, and to her surprise she saw him almost instantly. He was standing at the entrance between the lobby and the lounge staring at her, and she wondered just how long he'd been there without her noticing. His expression was not cold exactly, but it was not too welcoming either. His was face rather blank; as if he did not want to reveal whatever emotion he might be experiencing within. That however didn't deter Hermione's emotions from showing through in the least bit. The moment she saw him, sh stood up and beamed at him, she was so happy that she thought she might burst right there on the spot.

For a moment the two stood there, half a room apart just staring at each other, both oblivious to the hotel patrons mingling about around them. Unable to take the distance between them any longer, Hermione charged forward and launched her arms around Draco. She squeezed him so tight it was difficult for him to breathe, but he made no complaint, instead he returned the embrace, holding her firmly though not as painfully as she held him.

Hermione allowed herself to just take him in as they held each other. The feel of his arms around her, of his body next to her, his scent, everything about him; it all made her happy in a way hat nothing and no one else could. When they held each other it just felt like everything was okay, like the world was perfect. It was the greatest feeling in the world, and she never wanted it to go away. Before letting go, Hermione couldn't resist giving Draco a small, yet loving kiss.

When the finally released each other, even before their eyes met, Hermione launched into a whirlwind of apologies and pleading. "Please Draco, you have no idea how sorry I am about the other night and how terrible the past couple days have been without you. I love you so much and I hate fighting like this…"

Draco calmly placed his finger on Hermione's lips to silence her. "I don't enjoy fighting with you either you know."

Hermione took Draco's hand in hers and lowered it from her mouth. She stood on her tiptoes and gently, almost cautiously kissed him again. This time, he returned the kiss, but did not make a move to deepen it, instead he pulled away. Hermione, whose mind had nearly gone numb the she felt him kissing her back, was left feeling nervous and unsure. She knew they had many issues to discuss, but she had still hoped for a warmer, more joyous reunion than this was turning out to be. She began to doubt whether or not he'd missed her as much as she'd missed him.

She looked up hoping to see some emotion in his grey eyes, but he was not looking at her. He was scanning the room with an unreadable expression on his face. "Come on, I don't want to talk here." Draco took Hermione's hand and led her to the lifts.

Hermione looked around the lobby behind her as she allowed Draco to lead the way, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. 'Maybe he doesn't want to make another scene like at the restaurant,' she thought to herself glumly.

They did not speak in the lift the entire way up to Draco's room and Hermione couldn't even begin to fathom what thoughts were running through Draco's mind. But, Hermione noticed that he didn't stop holding her hand either, which she decided to take as a good sign.

Once they'd arrived at the proper floor, Draco unlocked his door and led Hermione in. Once inside, Draco dropped Hermione's hand and continued moving forward. Hermione stood just inside the doorway, and to avoid desperately staring at Draco, she took a moment to take in the surroundings. It was a gorgeous room with very plush, expensive furnishings. Exactly what she'd come to expect from Draco of course.

"Butterbeer?"

Hermione snapped her attention back to Draco and nodded vaguely. Draco retrieved two butterbeers and as he was removing the caps he raised his eyebrow and sent Hermione an amused smile, the first real trace of emotion she'd seen from him, "you do know it's okay to walk in and sit down."

A faint blush covered Hermione's cheeks and she walked over to the living room area and took a seat on the edge of the couch. Draco met her there and handed her one of the butterbeers before taking a seat next to her.

"Thanks," she whispered. She lowered her eyes to the bottle and stared at it, but didn't drink any.

Draco casually took a swig from his bottle, and then took to staring at the ground in front of him. There was so much he wanted to say to Hermione, but he still didn't know how best to say it. After a very long and uncomfortable silence, he decided on the direct, brutally honest approach. "You know Hermione," he finally began, "aside from my family, you're the only one who I've ever really let in. I've never cared for or trusted anyone else like that."

Hermione placed her butterbeer on the table and shifted so that she was facing Draco, "I know, and that's why I'm so-"

"No," Draco interrupted, "let me finish."

Hermione closed her mouth and stared at Draco intently, though he was still looking at the ground.

"I learned a long time ago that if I don't let people in, they can't really hurt me."

Hermione began to frown, and she was already working to hold back the tears she could feel welling up beneath her eyelids.

"And you…when you keep secrets from me, that hurts. And I can't deal with that Hermione; I can't take it. I can't stand getting hurt like that anymore."

Hermione could almost feel the dread swirling in her head, clouding all her thoughts. She shook her head, "No, no Draco please don't do thins, I love you, you know I do. And I've never kept my feelings for you a secret please know that!"

Draco raised his head up and stared Hermione directly in the eye. But his expression was not hard or angry as she had anticipated it would be. It was vulnerable and frightened in a way. "I can't deal with it, but I can't stop it. The fact is, I did let you in and I can never change that. There's no turning back. And the truth is, I don't want to change it, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. But that's why it kills me so much. I can't function right without you anymore Hermione. I was so angry with you that night at dinner, but that didn't hurt me nearly as much as not hearing from you for the next two days did. I felt like I was lost with nowhere to go. I hate that feeling, but the only cure for it is to be with you."

By then Hermione completely lost it. She threw her arms around Draco sobbing hysterically. She kissed his mouth and face several times before she'd calmed down enough to respond. "Do you think it was easy for me to go without seeing you or talking to you? It was torture, those two days felt like an eternity. And when I went to the Manor that morning, all I could think of was apologizing to you and making things better between us, all I wanted was to see you again. So when I saw your mother and she told me you'd broken up with me, I lost it. I didn't know what to do with myself."

"Really?" Draco sounded as if he really needed clarification.

"Yes," Hermione cried earnestly. "Draco one fight doesn't change the way I feel about you." She held his hands tight in hers, so tight that both their knuckles nearly turned white. "Draco do you remember all that stuff you wrote to me in your letter. About needing to be together even when you're mad, and feeling an unbearable pain when we're apart? Well I feel that too! It's torture, but that's what love is. And I wouldn't trade those feelings for anything in the world, because when we are together my world is perfect."

Draco shifted in his seat and shrugged as if this sudden overload of honest emotion was too uncomfortable for him to bear. "I just figured you didn't write cause you were too busy with Potter and Weasley to miss me much." He was trying to appear as nonchalant as possible to disguise how much the idea really bothered him, but the bitterness in his voice betrayed his efforts.

Hermione's heart sank knowing that he still thought she could so easily forget about him. "I didn't see them much after the next morning. I wasn't too thrilled with how happy they seemed to be at the prospect of us breaking up." Hermione paused for dramatic effect and to take in a breath. She couldn't tell Draco the real reason she had fought with Harry and Ron, but she hoped her little fib would serve its purpose. "Anyway, I blew up at them, and then I stayed at my parents' house until this morning. I didn't even go to training yesterday."

A lot of the tension, which had filled the room since they entered, seemed to disappear once Draco found out that Hermione had not spent her time away from him with her two guard dog friends. And since Draco didn't want to discuss them any longer, he focused on the other thing Hermione had said. He sent Hermione a look of disbelief, "You? Skipped training? I don't believe it."

"It's true," Hermione said with complete seriousness. She continued in a more solemn tone, turning her eyes up to Draco's, "What would have been the point, when all my thoughts would have been focused on you?"

There was a long and heavy silence in which the two just stared at each other. Draco's expression was difficult to read, but Hermione thought she might see a trace of guilt, or was it relief? She couldn't decide. But after several long moments when it became clear that Draco was not going to respond, Hermione decided to attempt to completely break the tension. "I mean honestly," she said with a casual wave of her hand, "we were practicing stealth training yesterday. Can you imagine how dismally I would have performed if my mind was in this hotel with you? As it is I did horribly at it today."

Finally, much to Hermione's delight, Draco cracked a small smile. She was getting through again, past that wall which Draco used to protect himself so diligently. "So," Draco said, going along with the lighter mood that their conversation had taken. "What did you do all day then? Just hang around at your parents' house?"

"Of course not! I spent the day in muggle London. I saw a great show with my parents. We should go to one together sometime. It would be fun."

Draco scoffed, "Me? Go to a muggle show? Over my dead body," his tone was completely serious, but Hermione managed to detect a playful glint in his eye. She almost got the feeling that he was challenging her; that is she pressed hard enough, in time she might just be able to get Draco to do it. It would be an exciting challenge to undertake anyway.

"So," Hermione ventured, returning to a more serious subject just because she needed closure on it. "Are we alright then? We can go back to being together and happy."

Draco stared into her pleading eyes as he considered the question. He really didn't want to continue fighting with Hermione, but he couldn't take knowing that she still held secrets from him either. "I want us to be alright, more than anything…"

Hermione sighed with a frown, "but…"

"But, the secrets Hermione, I can't take anymore secrets."

Hermione bit her lip, and looking into his eyes almost caused her resolve to break down. But instead, she managed to hold it in and settled instead on a half-truth. "The project I was working on, it was about dangerous magical creatures. Kingsley has me writing up on a ton of them so they can reconsider their monitoring policies and stuff."

Draco frowned, "and why is it 'dangerous' to tell me that?"

"I don't know, Kingsley's just cautious, and I think he still has trouble trusting you."

Draco grumbled, he didn't like remembering that part of his life.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned it," Hermione turned her head away; cursing the turn their conversation had taken.

"What about where you live? Or is that still a secret?"

"Draco I can't tell you. If I could tell you I would, but Harry's scar has been burning constantly lately, so Dumbledore had us perform a fidelius charm on the location to keep him safe."

Draco rolled his eyes, and spoke in a mocking tone, "and you're not the secret keeper, how convenient."

"Draco look at me please, I'm telling you the truth. If I could tell you, I would I swear to you I would."

Draco turned back to Hermione, he looked intensely into her eyes, but he did not see any indication that she was lying. Usually Hermione sent plenty of signals that told him when she was telling a lie, she wasn't very good at it. But today he saw nothing but truth in her eyes. He did believe that she wanted to tell him. And what she said made sense, in or out of Hogwarts; Potter would always be Dumbledore's golden boy so of course he would be annoyingly protective of the scar-head.

"I promise, I would tell you if I could and I don't even want to keep things from you again, it tears me apart inside."

Draco continued gazing at Hermione until he finally replied, "I believe you." He leaned his head forward touching her lips softly with his. Together they deepened the kiss. They each kissed with all the passion they had, neither wanted to stop because neither wanted to let go of what they felt by being together.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hermione and Draco sat in each other's arms for well over an hour, snogging every now and then when they got bored, but mostly just enjoying each other's presence. Hermione was snuggled against Draco, and Draco was absentmindedly rubbing his hand up and down her arm as he held her. Then, out of the blue, a question popped into Hermione's head, and before she stopped to consider whether or not is was a good idea to ask, it came out of her mouth; "what made you leave the Manor?"

Draco's hand stopped moving, and for a moment Hermione thought she had ruined their calm peace. "I couldn't stay there anymore with Narcissa."

"Why?"

"Ever since she returned she's been trying to break us apart. She's even got one of her friend's daughter's from France coming to stay at the Manor for a couple of weeks."

"What!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said," Draco said as he wrapped his arms tighter around Hermione. "She's trying to control my life, just like Lucius used to do," he spat.

Hermione could feel the tension in Draco's arms, and to help relieve it, she brought one of his hands up to her lips and kissed it sweetly.

"It was like all of a sudden everything about the Manor disgusted me, and felt like a prison."

"I can definitely see how you could feel that way," commented Hermione matter-of-factly, she had similar thoughts about the Manor every time she stayed there, even before Narcissa had returned home it had felt like a large cold prison to her.

"Anyway, I decided that as long as Narcissa is there, thinking she has the right to control my life, I couldn't stay there."

Hermione tilted her head back so that she could see Draco's face; he was looking intently out at nothing. She could see the conflict in his eyes, and as much as it pained her, she knew what she had to do. She shifted out of Draco's arms and sat up facing him. "Draco, you should talk to your Mother."

Draco gaped at her incredulously, "what? You think I should let her control my life? Have you forgotten how horrible she was to you?"

"No that's not what I meant," Hermione interjected. "What I mean is, I know you care for your mother, and you should she's your family. And Draco, all parents try to hold on to the right to control their children's lives, they can't help it, they don't like to see their children grow up to the point where they are no longer needed."

Draco was wearing a stubborn frown, so Hermione continued trying to convince him.

"I'm not saying you should go over there right now. It's probably best if you both have some time apart to cool down, plus I'm not about to let you go anywhere anytime soon." Hermione moved so that she was sitting with her legs across Draco's lap, she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, and he instinctively wrapped hi around her waist. She kissed him tenderly, but before she allowed either of them to get lost in another snogging session, she broke the kiss, and sent Draco a meaningful look, "but Draco you should talk to your mother. I'm sure she only wants what's best for you, so you need to remind her that you're a grown man and are fully capable of making your own decisions. But, you should not let this destroy the relationship between you and your mother forever. It's not worth it."

Draco sighed and let his head fall back so that he was looking up at the ceiling, some of what Hermione had said seemed to have gotten through and made sense to him. "Alright, I'll talk to her," he finally conceded. "But I want you to come with me."

"What!" Hermione cried. "No Draco, I really think that's a bad idea. Your mother already hates me, and the last time I went over there I looked a mess, so I'm sure she never wants to see me again."

"Well she's going to have to get used to it, I want her to know that I am going to make my own decisions no matter what. And I think it's important that she meet you, and that you meet her, because I don't want you two hating each other. Please Hermione."

Saying 'yes' went against every fiber in Hermione's being, not to mention against her better judgment. But when Draco looked at her like that, she just couldn't refuse him. 'Maybe it is better that we meet while Draco's there,' she reasoned. "But Draco, don't you think it would be better for you to try to fix things up a bit with your mother first, before you bring me into it?"

"No, I want her to see that we're still together, and how much we care for each other."

Hermione sighed, clearly she lost this one, and now she was stuck with having to meet Narcissa face to face again. At least time she'd be prepared, and better dressed for the occasion.

Draco could see the dread in Hermione's eyes, so he pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "I promise I will not let her speak to you like she did before, and if she does we'll leave. Alright?"

Hermione nodded, and buried her face into his neck, holding on as if her life depended on it.

- - - - - - - - - -

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry deep in thought. There were so many questions and uncertainties running through his mind. His pensieve of silvery liquid-vapor thoughts sat on the table in front of him swirling restlessly but providing no additional clues or answers. Dumbledore took off his glasses and massaged his temple, it had been far too long since he had received any definite information regarding Lord Voldemort's plans or whereabouts, and too much hung in the balance for him to be uncertain. There were just too many lives at stake.

Dumbledore's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden burst of green flames in his fireplace. "Albus?" said the talking head from within the fire.

"Yes Kingsley, I am here." Dumbledore moved to a poufy armchair by the fireplace, "I presume you are here to talk about Miss Granger?" That was another issue that had been weighing heavily on Dumbledore's mind for the past couple days. Hermione, with all her intelligence and power, was a valuable asset to the Order, particularly because of her close friendship with Harry, which was why her behavior as of late had been disconcerting to say the least.

"Yes I am," responded Kingsley's head. "I spoke with her during her training today, and she informed me that she no longer intends to inform the young Malfoy about the Order or her tasks."

Dumbledore smiled, a bit of a twinkle returned to his faded blue eyes, "excellent, I knew she would see to reason once she'd calmed down." Kingsley however, did not look so relieved, which Dumbledore did not fail to notice. "Is something else the matter Kingsley?"

"Indeed there is Albus. Even though Hermione made the decision on her own, I do not know how long it will last. I have never seen her so devoid of spirit as she was today, she asked a question and though it was said somewhat rhetorically, I think she would have liked an answer. And even if I had wanted to, I would not have been able to give her one."

"What are you saying Kingsley?" Albus questioned with a thoughtful frown.

"I believe we all, including Harry and Ron, have underestimated just how important Mr. Malfoy is to Hermione. And if her recent behavior and attitude are any indication, Hermione will not be able to perform at her best as long as she is forced to keep secrets from him."

"Are you suggesting we encourage her to tell him about the Order? After she's finally decided not to on her own." Dumbledore asked.

"No," Kingsley shook his head. "What I am suggesting is perhaps we allow Draco himself into the Order."

If Dumbledore was shocked, or at all surprised by this suggestion, his face did not show it. Instead he appeared as calm and kind as ever as he took a moment to consider Kingsley's suggestion. "I am afraid, allowing Mr. Malfoy into the Order would cause far more problems for far more people. The majority of the Order still cannot trust him. In fact, I admit that I am a bit surprised by your suggestion because I had thought you were one of those people."

"I was," agreed Kingsley, "however I have a lot of trust in Hermione, and she trusts him, and I know that you trust him as well."

"I do, however I'm afraid Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley never will, there is too much animosity in their past for any of them to forget."

Kingsley's head nodded from the fire.

"I am sorry that Miss Granger has to balance so much, however I have confidence in her abilities, and the situation as it is now, though imperfect, is better than what it would be if we tried to force Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy to work together or even to be part of the same group."

"I understand Albus, but I do worry for Hermione, there is only so much stress anyone can take before something brings everything crashing down."

"Watch her carefully Kingsley, and offer support whenever you can. That's the most we can do at the moment."

"I will Albus"

"Thank you for keeping me informed Kingsley."

With another whoosh of green flames, Kingsely's head vanished from the fireplace, and Dumbledore returned to his desk. Though Kingsley seemed concerned for Hermione, Dumbledore felt relieved that he no longer had to worry about Mr. Malfoy knowing any Order secrets. With that one small comfort, he returned to his ponderings, occasionally stirring up a memory for further observation in his pensieve, trying to fit together the pieces.

A/N: Thanks to my readers and reviewers, you guys are the best! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and as always I'd love to hear your thoughts in a review! (On a completely unrelated note, was anyone else as excited as I was about all the OotP promo pics that came out this week? YAY!)