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Chapter 9: Distrust:

As soon as Draco became oriented to his surrounding, he found that he was back at his own apartment. He was confused. Wasn't he supposed to go to a high security-hiding place? He looked over at Potter, who looked very guilty indeed.

"Why am I at my own apartment?' Draco requested.

"Sorry to lie to you, Malfoy," Harry stated, "I was going to take you to the safe house, but I couldn't. I thought you would rather come here, especially when I tell you everything I know."

Draco was curious. He was also worried. What about Hermione? "Where is Martini taking Hermione?" Draco asked.

"He really is supposed to take her to her house. I'm sure that is what he'll do. She'll be safe for the time being," Harry explained. "The head of Special Intelligence Affairs contacted my boss, the head of the Auror's Department, a couple of days ago. It seems that Bruno was not the only agent undercover in the Mud Ones. Unbeknownst to Bruno, this other agent was able to uncover much more about the organization than Bruno ever did. The fact of the matter is, he uncovered more than we could hoped."

Harry continued, "It appears that Bruno was holding out on us. His brother, Robert Martini, is the know ringleader and founder of the Mud Ones. Our intelligence shows that Death Eaters killed their mother, father, and little sister, during the reign of Voldemort. We have reasons to believe, however, that Bruno was sincere in his efforts to want to stop his brother and this group. He just ended up playing both sides against the other, and it got too much for him. We believe his brother probably felt he was loyal to them, and we thought he was loyal to the Ministry. When he was pulled off the case, the Ministry thought they would find out his true loyalty. The other undercover agent told us Bruno hadn't been in contact with his brother, or anyone else from the group, since he was taken off the case. Therefore, we assumed he was loyal to us."

"This is all completely fascinating Potter, but what about Hermione?" Draco said franticly, "How do we know that he hasn't hand delivered her to this group by now?"

"He's not aware that we're privy to all this information, and he's being closely followed. We have to try to find where they're hiding, and we hope that Bruno will lead us to them," Harry stated with an air of indifference.

"Again, I ask, how do we know he won't hand deliver Hermione to them?" Draco asked. Then he realized. That was what they wanted. The Ministry, and Potter himself; they were using Hermione as bait. As soon as this realization came to him, he said, "Potter, you fucking bastard. You want him to turn over Hermione. You're putting her life in danger to find this fucking group!"

"Draco," Harry began, "Hermione is perfectly safe. They are being followed by half of the Auror Department."

"What does all of this have to do with the fact that I was brought here, instead of to the safe house?" Draco asked again.

"Bruno made arrangements for you to be placed at the safe house. I was afraid that perhaps he would be less than honest, and you might not be safe there, so I took it upon myself to bring you here instead," Harry told him.

"I'm probably not safe here!" Draco yelled. "It just occurred to me, Martini got into my flat the night I came back here for Hermione's medicine. How did he accomplish that? I had wards and charms up that would only allow me to apparate or disapparate in and out; unless my floo connection was opened without my knowledge."

"You're floo connection was opened, if you remember. That's how I got here that night," Harry responded.

Draco was trying desperately to figure out how that man got into his flat, not that any of that mattered at that moment. What mattered, really mattered, was finding Hermione.

"Potter, can we please go and see if Granger's all right?" Draco pleaded.

"I really think you should stay here," Harry said.

"Unless I'm under arrest, I still have my freedom, and I'll do what I want," Draco argued.

Harry nodded to Draco, they both ran back to Draco's fireplace, and Harry said, "Let's go see if she's at her flat."

The two men went to Hermione's flat, but she wasn't there. They went back to the little cabin, but it was of no avail; still no Hermione. They went to the other safe house location; the one Draco was to be taken, and still couldn't find her. Harry told Draco to go back to his flat and Harry would alert the Ministry and the Auror's, and they would find her.

Draco tried to argue again, but he decided to let Potter have his way. He went back to his flat and waited.

How could he have left her behind? He was such an idiot. She counted on him to watch over her; keep her safe. He let her down.

He went out to his balcony, sat down, and watched the sun set in the evening sky. Where was Hermione? Why did he care so much? Had Draco Malfoy, former Slytherin, son of a Death Eater, all around bad man, actually fallen for a Muggle-born? Not just any Muggle-born: Hermione, "queen of the Mudbloods", Granger. Draco refused to accept that his feelings had anything to do with love. He didn't love her. He couldn't love her.

He stood back up and walked into his living room. He went and made himself a drink. He sat on a chair and stared into the open space in front of him. It was then that he had a startling revelation. It was at that exact moment that he decided if he couldn't be honest with himself, then he could never be honest with anyone. He loved her. He hung his head and shook it back and forth. How the hell had that happen?

He had felt restless for so long, almost to the point of distress. Like he had been waiting for something. The thing he was restlessly waiting for, could it have been Hermione?

Draco decided he had to go find her, even if he didn't have the faintest idea were to look. At that precise moment, Potter returned to Draco's flat by floo. "Draco, we received a message from the Mud Ones. It seems Bruno was working for them all along. They want an exchange. It's Hermione's life for yours."

"When?" Draco asked. He didn't know what else to ask. If he could give his life for hers that was what he would do.

"Tonight, at 10:00 pm. Draco, you don't have to do this. We can easily use polyjuice potion on one of the Auror, and make the exchange," Harry told him.

"I want to do this. My life doesn't mean anything if she's not safe," Draco told him.

"What are you saying, Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"I love her," he said back simply.

Harry understood. He nodded his head. Then he told Draco, "I'll be back for you tonight."

When Harry left Draco's apartment, Draco looked at this watch, two more hours. The only thing he could have hope was that he might at least get to see her again. He wanted her at least to know how he felt about her. He sat down at his desk. He thought he would write a letter to her. He put quill to parchment, and started the letter, but when no words came, he balled the parchment up and threw it over his shoulder. Whom was he kidding? He wasn't some romantic sap that wrote love letters, poems, or sonnets. He had never been in love before. He had never had a real girlfriend before. He didn't know what to say to her. What could be said anyway? "Hey Granger, I love you, so what do you think about that?"

Draco wasn't even sure what love was. His parents loved him. He loved them back. However, what he felt for Granger wasn't the same.

He put his quill to the paper once more, and he wrote repeatedly, "I love her, I love her, I love her, I love her." He looked at that piece of paper and balled it up as well. He banged his hands on his desk and yelled, "I am a pathetic fool!" He put his quill to a piece of parchment for the third time, and the words almost erupted out of him:

If you call, I'll be beside you,

If you cry, I'll wipe your tears.

If you drown, I'll be your anchor,

If you're scared, I'll chase your fears.

If you run, I will run beside you

If you're lost, I'll be your guide

If you sleep, I'll slumber by you,

If you live, I'll never die.

If you fall, I will try to catch you,

If you want, my love is true.

If you hide, I'll come to find you,

If you ask, that's what I'll do.

If you promise to stay forever,

Then for you, I would give my life,

If you love me, I will never leave you,

If you love me, you will be my wife.

He looked at the words he had written. With a feeling of great sadness, he folded the piece of parchment over once, and then twice. He put it in his pocket.

At a quarter till 10 pm, Potter showed up. He said, "Are you sure about this Malfoy? You can still back down."

Draco, who felt he had aged ten years that day, shook his head no. Then he took the piece of parchment out of his pocket, and performed an enchantment on the paper, so that the words were invisible to anyone but Hermione. "If I die tonight, will you give this to Granger?" Draco asked, as he passed the piece of paper to Harry.

"You're not going to die. I'll make sure you both get out of there alive," Harry promised.

"Potter, you shouldn't make promises you can't keep. Just tell me if you will give this to her or not?" Draco asked, half-expecting Potter to refuse. Harry just held out his hand and took the paper from Draco.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"I've never been more ready for anything in my entire life," Draco riposted quickly.

"Hang on," Harry said as he grabbed Draco's arm. They apparated a way.

(Coming up in Chapter 10, Harry and Draco find Hermione.)