Three weeks passed by at an almost creeping pace. Hermione tried to get Malfoy to talk at first but that was to no avail, so she talked. It became a common thing for them; they would both meet in the common room shortly after dinner and start on homework together. They didn't plan it or anything it just happened. Hermione would talk some about the assignments and give him some helpful hints at times on a particularly difficult essay.

Malfoy talked little if at all. When he did it was half hearted or just not all there. She just she kept on. After about 2 weeks of trying and getting next to no where on figuring out what was wrong, she was ready to give up.

The day had been long and both were exhausted from their transfiguration class where they had been practicing on transforming their partners into animals. They did some homework in the common room, Hermione wasn't really in the mood to talk, and she was yawning too much. After about an hour they called it quits.

"Goodnight" she told him as usual as she went into her room. She changed and clasped on the bed dead tired. It wasn't long before she was sound asleep.

She sat up in bed. She didn't know what woke her but she knew something had. She looked at the clock. 3 o'clock, great. She laid back down hoping to fall back asleep quickly.

There it was again, she couldn't place what it was. It sounded like it was coming from outside the common room. Getting up she softly padded to her door. She opened it a crack, she didn't see anything in the common room the fire had all but died so there was some light.

Half way across the room she heard it. A strangled cry, it was coming from Malfoys room! She padded over to his door and listened. It sounded like he was struggling with his sheets.

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't very well go back to bed and except to get any sleep. She knocked softly… No answer.

Taking a deep breath she slowly opened his door. "Malfoy?" she call quietly not wanting to startle him.

When she had the door open enough to see in she gasped. He was indeed struggling with his sheets, fighting almost as if someone invincible was attacking him. He cried out still struggling.

She quickly ran to the edge of his bed and grabbed his shoulders. He started to struggle harder. "Malfoy!" she called to him. "Wake up Malfoy, it's me! It's me Hermione!" she called again.

He was still struggling with her and now had her by the forearms and had practically pulled her onto the bed. "Malfoy! Wake up!" she said louder.

Finally he stopped struggling but didn't release her arms. He froze, breathing heavy. Slowly he cracked open his eyes. He was staring at her, it took him a minute to realize who she was. When he did he quickly released her arms and sat up.

"Did I hurt you?" He whispered his eyes never leaving hers.

Speechless she shook her head. "Are you ok? What was that about?" she finally asked, thoughts buzzing. His eyes dropped to the bed.

"I'm sorry… I usually put a silencing charm on the room. I must have forgotten. I'm sorry I woke you." He said staring intently at the bedspread.

"You mean you usually have nightmare like this?" she asked eyes wide. "Malfoy please talk to me I want to help." She pleads.

He looks up at her at that. She thought he was going to be mad but instead he looked surprised. "I thought you hated me…" he whispered.

"I thought you hated me too. I guess we've both changed." She replied.

They both sat for a moment thinking. She looked around. She was sitting next to him on the bed from when he pulled her onto it. She looked at him and for the first time realized he was shirtless. She blushed slightly.

"Granger?" He said softly not looking up.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

She looked at him, his eyes were still focused on the bed but his attention was completely on her. He looked defeated, his face was vacant of expression but she knew without looking that his eyes held sadness.

She considered his question for a moment "Harry and Ron may still think you're the same old Malfoy, but your not. You've changed, your like a ghost of your old self. I want to help you Malfoy because that's what I would want someone to do for me."

He looked up at her then, eyes questioning, searching here for truth. Finding it there he nodded.

He began when summer started. He had gone home as usual, he spend most of the first part of summer cooped up in his room. His father would come home drunk most nights and he would hear his father and mother fight. He would throw things or beat her. Draco knew not to interfere, it would just upset his father more and he would take it out on Narcissa even more.

Then his father would come and find Draco and finish off his energy on beating him and telling him how worthless he was. This was a normal summer for Draco. He despised his father, but he feared him too.

Halfway through the summer was when it got bad. Lucius announced that Draco would be branded with the dark mark at the beginning of next summer, as soon as he was out of Hogwarts. Lucius also announced that he would be taking Draco to his meetings and he would begin training.

Draco had no choice but he hated what his father was, he hated what the Dark Lord was about. The last thing he wanted to do was become like his father.

At meetings Draco was forced to watch them torture muggles, he was forced to watch them rape girls and beat them. They always "played" with them before killing them. His father would beat Draco too because he "didn't look like he enjoyed the show."

Near the end of the summer if got worse, Draco was beaten just about everyday and not just by his father but by the other death eaters. They said it was to "toughen him up".

Then the worst happened. Lucius said he caught Narcissa with another man, He dragged her to the place the death eaters met and they beat her. They body-binded Draco was forced him to watch. The raped her and took turns beating her… then Lucius killed her.

Hermione had tears in her eyes after hearing his story. She couldn't believe that his father would do that to his own son and his own wife! Hermione had hated Lucius Malfoy before but now she hated him more than ever.

Draco became silent once more after he finished. Hermione looked at him, he looked so broken. She didn't know what else to do so she did what she would have done to Ron or Harry if they looked like that. She hugged him.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He froze at her touch but after a minute he slowly wrapped his arms around her. He held her like that for awhile; she could feel a few hot tears wet her shirt.

Finally his arms loosed there hold, Hermione gave him a quick squeeze and pulled back. His eyes were a little red, barley giving away the fact that he had cried.

"You don't have to join them; you don't have to become a death eater." She told him. "We, the order can protect you."

He shook his head. "My father will kill me, he'll come after anyone who helped me, and I can't do that to you."

"Malfoy, please we can help you."

"No!" he said firmly "you can't protect me. I'll figure something else out, I have till the end of the year."

Sensing that he had made his point, she nodded. She was determined to help him figure something out so that he wouldn't have to become a death eater at the end of the year.

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