His words echoed in her head as they walked towards the Gryffindor tower. She could still feel the press of his forehead against hers, the feel of him still inside her. Hermione blushed deeply and chanced a look at him. He looked conflicted, as though there were a world of words, he wanted to say but couldn't quite find them in all his mess of thoughts. She gripped his hand tighter, hoping that this wasn't where he decided he didn't love her, that things were too difficult.

The fat lady came into view and Draco tugged her into the shadows, pulling her against him and kissing her soundly.

"I don't want you to go," the words were muttered across her bottom lip and she breathed them in, keeping her eyes closed. She didn't want to leave either. If only the night could drag on for their own eternity.

"I-" She heard the falter in his voice and her eyes snapped open.

"What is it?" She braced herself, knowing somehow that it was all too good to be true.

"I meant what I said, Hermione."

"But?" Hermione lifted her chin defiantly, only faltering a little when she saw the confusion flicker across his face.

"No, no but - it's true I…fuck this is harder than I thought it would be." He scrubbed a hand over his face, taking a deep breath. "I don't want you to hate me, I know I don't deserve any of this but -"

"Draco?" He paused at his name and grinned at her. His hand was in her hair, and he was kissing her again, pressing her back into the wall.

"They should bottle that shit you know, you saying my name is the cure for everything."

"Oh my god, even you have to be a bit embarrassed that came out your mouth." Hermione covered her burning face, shaking her head as he chuckled.

"I am, but right now I'm just too happy to care."

She peeked at him from between her fingers.

"You know I do too."

"What?" His smile was warm as he gently played with one of her curls.

"I didn't say it before but, I - I love you too. I am in love with you too." Her words petered off to a gasp as his lips covered hers, desperate and vulnerable.

"You mean that?" She could hear how scared he was, could feel his hands shaking again. She nodded, her hand covering his, already pressed to her cheek.

"You can tell me anything, that won't change."

She saw his jaw clench, working over the issue as he looked away from her at the stone floor between them.

"What Potter said about my father is true. I know you've always believed him but - he's planning something. He told me. Something to do with Potter."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because - because I want to help. I want to keep you safe and to do that, Potter needs to know."

"You mean -"

"Yes. You need to tell your friends about us and - fuck I'm going to tell mine. Merlin how old am I?" Hermione giggled and Draco chased the sound to her lips, gently kissing her again. "When you're ready, tell Potter that I want to help. He probably won't want it, but its there." She could see that the words were hard for him to say, but she didn't care, the happiness was threatening to bubble out of her.

"You know this isn't going to be easy?"

"I don't know about you, but right now I feel pretty fucking invincible."

"How very Gryffindor of you."

"You're rubbing off on me."

"In all the best ways"

"Hmm in all the incredible ways."

"Don't run away again." She hadn't really meant to say it, but when it was out there, she held her breath, meeting his grey eyes. He gently took her hand, eyes not leaving hers, and pressed a kiss to her palm.

"A thousand stroppy unicorns couldn't pull me away."

"Well, if they're tiny, a thousand isn't very many at all." Draco laughed but quickly sobered.

"I know the word of a Malfoy doesn't mean much, but I promise, Hermione." Hermione blinked back the tears, beaming up at him.

"O for effort, but we need to work on your sincerity."

"Argh I know. Sarcasm, it's in my blood."

"Wish me luck?"

"Fuck, yeah. Do you know any good defence spells?"

"You'll be fine."

"Just take a good look at this face, it might not be so pretty for much longer."

Hermione smacked his arm playfully and stepped round him.

"Goodnight."

"Night, Hermione." She cast one look back at him as she stepped through the portrait.

"I always knew you were brave."

Draco was glad when the witch disappeared into the portrait hole and he was left staring at an unimpressed fat lady because he wasn't sure he was ready for Hermione to see how much her words had affected him. One tear slipped down his cheek, and all at once he was the strongest and weakest he had ever been. Quickly he wiped the tear from his cheek and turned towards the Slytherin Room. It was time to be brave.

Blaise sat near the common room fire; chin resting on his hand as he watched Pansy check every available hiding place for a loitering Slytherin. Gossip was a valuable commodity amongst her fellow housemates, they'd gather any little slice of information through surprisingly inventive means, sitting on it till the right price came along and then they were as loose-lipped as Skeeter after a skinful.

"Come on then, explain what in Salazar's sweet name I just heard."

"Zabini, you and I both know what big ears everyone else in this dungeon has…

"Everyone else?"

"Do you want me to tell you?" Pansy paused, glaring at Blaise from across the room. The dark-haired boy raised his hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine. But I'd hurry if I were you, you leave it too long we're going to be celebrating Christmas again and you know how busy the common room gets that time of year."

"Oh, har har. Glad to see the trauma hasn't affected your sense of humour."

"It's all I have left Pans."

"I think that's everywhere."

"You haven't checked …" he pointed to an innocuous-looking basket secreted away up a dark corner of the common room. No one had been brave enough to move it since Christmas, choosing instead to dance round it as it snapped at them angrily.

"I think we're safe." Pansy cringed.

"I don't know, Slytherins are nothing if not persistent... I think you better check, just to be safe."

"You know I don't have to tell you." She sat down next to him, taking a deep calming breath. She noted that he didn't move his arm from the back of the sofa behind her, and she found she liked it. Maybe too much.

"I think I'm owed some sort of explanation."

"Well yes but, it's delicate. There are a lot of things to cover and…"

"We have all night." Pansy turned away as he said it, hoping he couldn't see her blush. There was a secret to the way he spoke that made her hope for things she knew she had no right to, not when she'd told him she didn't want them.

"Okay, okay but no freaking out."

"I think I've freaked my fill."

"Oh, prepare yourself."

"Not to drive a point home, but I've been sat here for a good fifteen minutes doing nothing but that."

"Okay, okay. Right, for a while now Draco has sort of - well he's had feelings for the know-it-all."

"Yes, there was quite a bit of feeling going on," Blaise grimaced. "How longs a while?"

"I don't know, how longs' a wand?"

"Really going into the specifics huh?" Pansy waved her hands dismissively,

"Anyway, he asked me to help him ignore them."

"Doing a grand job."

"Hey, I was. He told me about his feelings, and I was coming up with ways for him to get over them. I practically shoved Daphne under his nose."

"Again, a masterful success, they are in such a happy, long-term relationship…oh wait -"

"Will you shut up," Pansy half-heartedly hit his arm, allowing herself a small smile at his chuckle, "It worked for a bit, but something - he won't tell me what - but something keeps bringing them together and well..." Pansy shivered, "It's worse than I thought though, he said he'd ended things."

"Well, it seems to have gotten a new lease of life." Pansy blushed, burying her head in her hands.

"I can't believe we heard that."

"Yeah, I could have done without it," Blaise sighed, staring into the fire and tapping out an erratic rhythm on the sofa behind her head.

The fire crackled comfortingly in the quiet and Pansy sighed, sinking into the warmth of being near him. It was nice to be close again, nearer to where they had been before. But even as she looked at him, face half bathed by the firelight, a small frown furrowing his forehead, her chest ached with a new and dangerous want that made her want to run away and reach for him all at once. What would it be like, she wondered if they were drawn together by some unknown force, crashing together with the same need, unable to keep their hands off each other.

"What I don't get, I mean this whole situation is as unfathomable as one of Trewloonys lessons, but, if he likes her - which Merlin he clearly does right?"

"Just a bit," Pansy cringed.

"Why doesn't he just say? Sounds like she feels the same. Sure, it'd be an adjustment, and fuck we'd take the piss every chance we got, but when don't we?" He punctuated his words with a shrug.

"You're being very understanding."

"Yeah well, you can't help who you -" Blaise paused, hand covering his mouth, "I mean, we're friends. If he can't be honest about that stuff with us, then who can he tell? He should just go for it, balls to all the sneaking about."

"You make it sound easy."

"Isn't it? Merlin, she feels the same, he should be counting his lucky charms and making the most of it." Pansy lowered her head as she heard the sadness in his voice. "What's stopping him?"

Blaise turned when Pansy winced audibly. "What? What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm not supposed to-"

"Oh, come on Pans," he shifted in the seat next to her, turning fully to face her, "no more secrets, you know you can trust me."

"It's not my secret though."

"Malfoy lost his right to secrets when he subjected my ears to that bollocks earlier."

"Fine, fine but this is strictly need to know, and no one else does, okay?"

"Understood," Blaise mock saluted.

"Remember all that stuff that Potty has been spouting, about the ministry, you-know-who, and Draco's dad?"

"Yes," Blaise said slowly, eyes darkening.

"Well… it's true."

"What?"

"It's - it's all true."

Blaise was still, scarily still, only stirring to life when Pansy reached out and touched his arm.

"And this has what to do with the know-it-all?"

"Well, at first, I think he just didn't want to admit that he felt anything for her, but now? Now I think he just wants to protect her, and he's scared that if he admit how he feels then -"

"His dad will find out."

"And by extension the big fucking problem of a wizard."

"I'm going to kill him." Pansy's head snapped up at his words.

"What?" He was already getting to his feet, a look of determination on his face.

"Blaise wait, you don't even know where he is."

"Doesn't matter, I'm going to find the ferret and I'm going to hex him into oblivion. If you've got something to say to him, you're going to have to say it at his funeral."

"Well, that won't solve anything."

"I don't want to solve anything, Merlin," Blaise paused, hands on his head as he searched for the words, the anger was making it difficult to think, "that stuff he told you, that's dangerous Pans. If you-know-who is back and Draco's dads involved - he knows how dangerous it is, look at the lengths he went to just to protect her."

"Your point?" Blaise looked genuinely flabbergasted by her question.

"He dragged you into this, for her. He put you in danger, for her. What about you?" Pansy opened and closed her mouth several times, ignoring how his words made her heart race.

"Well, I sort of-"

"Don't defend him. Don't even - Merlin the best of it is he's out there right now messing up his own fucking plans."

"Blaise it's okay, it's like you said before, I can't help but stick my nose into other people's business, if he hadn't asked for my help he'd have sure as Salazar got it."

"That's not the point. This isn't okay, you're his oldest friend, he should be keeping you safe too."

"I can look after myself."

"I don't doubt it Pans, but against you-know-who? I'm going to hex his ass off."

"Blaise wait, wait," she grabbed his shoulders, holding him in place as she looked up at him earnestly, "look at me. I'm fine see, nothing out of place." He did look, begrudgingly smiling back at her.

"Not yet."

"Blaise."

"Fine I won't hex him, but we're going to have words."

"Yeah, yeah. You do know I can fight my own battles?"

"I know I - you just have this daft kindness," Pansy's breath caught as his thumb gently brushed her chin before his hand fell back down by his side.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing?"

"Not bad, it's just people take the piss and I -" Blaise stepped back out of her reach, "He's a dickhead and I'm going to tell him that."

"Ooo fighting talk from our resident Beanie-boy. Who's the unlucky bugger then, old chap and what are the odds?" Pansy and Blaise turned as Theo and Daphne sauntered into the common room looking very pleased with themselves.

"Do we want to know where you guys have been?"

"Dearest Parkinson, my lady and I required some alone time," Theo grinned, and Blaise groaned in disgust.

"Please don't, I can't, my poor ears have been violated enough tonight."

"Heard some sordid gossip, have we?"

"Front row seats."

"Ooh do tell," Daphne clapped her hands excitedly, perching on a chair to delicately remove her heels.

"I'm more interested as to where you love birds have been this late. This castle has big ears and those are big heels," Pansy pointed at Daphne's golden shoes, "lovely by the way."

"Thank you. Quietus on the heels, it works wonderfully."

"Genius." Pansy commented, picking up one of the heels and marvelling and the muffled knock as she brought it down on the wood of the table.

"We went to the room of requirement. Theo said with all the Gryffindors having been rooted out it would be nice and quiet."

"Oh, I bet he did," Theo looked sheepish under Blaise's judging gaze.

"Honestly a room like that I can't believe it's managed to stay such a secret." Daphne shrugged, tossing her long hair over one shoulder.

"Neither can I with such blabbermouths in Slytherin."

"Hey, no one else knows. Just thought, given the little lion club had been shut down that there wouldn't be as much foot traffic that way. Anyway, onto more to serious and potentially galleon-making matters, what's got you all worked up?"

"It's nothing I…"

The common room door swung open, and Draco walked in, a grin spread across his face. Before Pansy could stop him, Blaise was across the room pinning the shocked Slytherin to the door.

Harry and Ron stared at Hermione open-mouthed, eyes wide and vacant. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that they'd been hit by an immbolous charm or that a basilisk had slithered on through. But she did know better, and though being frozen in horror was much better than the anger she had expected, she almost felt that the anger might have been easier to cope with, she had after all prepared for that.

"I think they're taking it well, don't you?" Ginny crossed her arms as she looked between the two frozen Gryffindors.

"Wait, you knew?" Ron accused, cheeks turning a deep red.

"Oh, they are alive. Thank Merlin. Yes, Ron, I knew."

"And you didn't do anything about it?"

"What makes you think that? She's wearing a chastity belt as we speak."

"You're joking."

"Yes, Ronald, she's joking. Ginny has been very supportive."

"But why?" Harry cut in and Ginny looked disgusted by his words.

"Because that's what friends do, Harry, they look out for one another. I would have thought your whole thing with Ron last year would have told you that."

"That's not what I mean," Harry bristled, "I meant why did you tell Ginny and not us?"

"Oh." Hermione paused, not sure what to say. There were a hundred and one reasons why she hadn't, all of them having been used to push away her guilt every time she had gone to meet Draco. Now thought she couldn't settle on one, it was all too messy, and Harry looked too hurt.

"But he's the enemy. What about everything he's ever done to us, done to you."

"And that, that right there is why she didn't say anything," Ginny pointed an accusing finger at Ron, who narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Well, I'm right, what good has that blonde ever done?"

"Ron is right, Hermione." Hermione flinched at Harry's tone, one that he'd used a lot recently, as though he knew better. "Malfoy has done nothing but make our lives miserable. When has he ever done anything but hurt you?"

"He saved my life." It was whispered, but her friends reacted as though she had shouted at them like she'd wanted to.

"What?" It was Ginny, her head tipped to the side curiously.

"It was Christmas, remember when I snuck out?"

"YOU WHAT?" Ron exploded, jumping off the sofa and pacing angrily in front of them, "Are you mad? You snuck out to meet the ferret?"

"Yes, I did."

"Did you tell him where we all were?" Harry asked, his eyes dark.

"How can you ask me that?"

"I'm asking that because there is more at stake than some childish crush."

"This is not some childish crush. I love him."

"Don't be stupid Mione, you can't -"

"Harry Potter, don't you dare tell me what I feel. Neither of you know him. Yes, he is everything we have always thought of him, infuriating, mean, and a complete idiot, but…" she thought of the way he looked at her when he'd dropped her off at the door to the common room as if he didn't want her to step out of his sight. When he'd told her he wanted to make things different she'd felt like anything was possible. Now she wondered how she was ever going to get her friends to a point where they would accept her feelings for Draco, let alone talk to the Slytherin.

"But he wants to change things."

"He saved your life?" Ron had both hands braced on the back of the sofa, the redness had not gone from his cheeks, but he looked a little calmer.

"Yes," Hermione stumbled a bit over her words, shocked that out of the two of her friends, Ron was the one asking questions "we - there's a lot to explain."

They all looked at her expectantly and Hermione took a deep breath.

She hadn't quite realised how much had changed, how much they had been through, until Hermione recounted it all, step by step, right from the moment of finding the Sensieve and through each and every memory. When she finished, they were all staring at her, the silence somehow heavier than their earlier accusations.

"If you have any questions then…"

"I mean I don't know where to start, I knew some of it but that's, and he really saved you? Like put himself between you and those things and -" Ginny waved her hand and Hermione nodded.

"Yes, he did."

"I still can't believe you risked the order."

"Oh please, Harry will you leave it, if he'd wanted to dob us all into you-know-who don't you think we'd all be knee-deep in death eaters by now."

"Well, regardless of what happened he can't be trusted, you know what his father did." Harry pushed his glasses angrily up the bridge of his nose and pointed accusingly at Hermione.

"He can be trusted," Hermione pursed her lips as Harry scoffed, but she carried on, "There's another reason why I am telling you all of this. Draco -"

"Oh, it's Draco now?"

"Ron shush," Ginny admonished, nodding for Hermione to continue.

"Draco said that he has information that will help defeat you-know-who and that he wants to meet you to help." Hermione looked at Harry, closing her eyes in frustration when the young wizard began shaking his head.

"No, no. I won't. This is a trap. It's clearly a trap."

"Yes, I'm sure Malfoy went through all of that to ingratiate himself with Hermione, to get to you."

"But after everything, Ginny? You know how insidious Voldemort can be."

"Do not -" she held up her hand, "bring that up. This isn't about that arsehole. This is about Hermione and whether we trust her. Ron, what do you say?"

"I think I'm going to twat the arsehole."

"Merlin give me strength."

"Ronald Weasley, have you listened to nothing that I've said, he wants to make amends."

"Oh no, I heard. But first, he has to pay for everything he has done."

"Can you not make this about you for once?" Ginny admonished.

"It's not about me. I heard you Mione, that ferret has done nothing but mess with your emotions since the whole thing started. If you want to trust him then - well, I don't agree with it but I trust you. But he's still got to make up for all that other crap."

"And I'm sure he will," Hermione stated, holding back a smile at his words, "but not by receiving your fist to his face."

"I don't know, could make quite a few people rethink their decisions."

"Is that all you have to say about this?" Harry turned to Ron in disbelief and the ginger boy shrugged, giving his friend a small smile.

"I just think I've had some recent experience of not trusting my friend and I know how that turned out.

"Like I said."

"Shut up, will you just let me –" Ginny rolled her eyes but remained silent, "Mione's never let us down or really asked much of either of us. I mean this is a big deal and honestly, I'm not completely sure this isn't a nightmare, but – Ron shrugged, "Hermione's never done things by half."

"By Merlin, Ron that was almost coherent." Ginny dodged a swipe from Ron grinning up at him.

"I just think that Mione hasn't ever been wrong, don't know why she'd start now."

"Thank you, Ron."

"I'm still going to twat him one though."

"No, you're not. But I appreciate the sentiment, however misguided."

"I don't like this, he could be leading you, leading all of us into a trap."

"Harry, you sound like a broken record. Don't you think I've thought about all of these things? Seriously? But I know him, and I trust him, I really do. Maybe I shouldn't but I do, and he wants to help. Doesn't that count for something?"

"The worst you can do Harry, is give him a chance." Harry glared at Ginny for a long time before his shoulders slumped.

"Fine, fine. But I don't like it and let it be noted here that I don't agree."

"Yes, yes we know."

"And that I will twat him."

"Ronald Weasley, you will do nothing of the sort."

It wasn't perfect but it was something she supposed. She noticed however that they hadn't asked about Mina and Edward, and she realised as she looked at each of them, that the memories of Old Magic were already slipping away.