A/N I love Spring Break. It gives me loads of time to write and practice piano and listen to music and read… Anyway, new chapter! Enjoy, and review!

Chapter 3

Curiosity

Hermione was awakened by a sharp scream. She sat up in bed, her mind in a misty haze. She squinted her eyes in the darkness of her room, looking for her wand. "Lumos," she whispered. There it was, the same scream again. Hermione now realized where it was from. Barefoot, she sprinted up two flights of stairs. She banged open the door to the attic and found a writhing Malfoy.

"Malfoy!" she cried, rushing to him, desperately trying to wake him. "Malfoy!" He did not seem to hear her. "Draco!" Malfoy forced his eyes open. He was panting. "What happened, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her face pale.

"Granger?" Malfoy questioned, still bleary from sleep. "I— I…" Slow tears started to fall from his grey eyes. Hermione still couldn't get used to the sight of Malfoy crying. At this point, she wasn't sure what to do. She wanted to run out of the room and go back to sleep, but she couldn't just leave him alone crying. She knelt on the floor so that her face was level with his.

"What did you dream?" she asked. Malfoy didn't respond, only blinked slowly. Hermione repeated her question, this time with more force.

"He—" Malfoy gulped. "He killed my parents. And he f-forced me to watch. And there— there was n-nothing I could—" Malfoy closed his eyes as the tears started streaming again.

Hermione hung her head. "I'm sorry," she said, feeling like an idiot. Was there truly nothing else she could think to say? Her words sounded so hollow in her ears. Tired as she was, she was going to have to try and get Malfoy to talk to her. "Talk to me, Malfoy," she said in a weary voice. "Get it all out, tell me absolutely everything about what's happened to you since you became a Death Eater." Hermione pulled over a chair, and as in the tent, Malfoy sat up so that his legs dangled off the edge of the bed.

"You really want to know?"

Hermione didn't really want to know; in all honesty, although she pitied the boy in front of her, she still thought him a coward. But her conscience wouldn't allow her to simply stand-by while someone she knew she could help just by talking to him was slowly wasting away. "Yes, I do," she said firmly.

Malfoy swallowed and fixed his eyes downwards. "I joined the Death Eaters when I was in my sixth year. I'd been around them all my life, so I didn't think much of joining them. It's like going to school; something that, even if you don't want to, you have to do. I… er… I was asked to kill Dumbledore within a few days of getting the brand, and I agreed, not thinking much of it. After all, how hard could it be to kill an old man who would soon die anyway?" Here, Malfoy let out a contemptuous laugh. "I tried all year to avoid killing him with direct contact, but nothing worked." Malfoy looked at Hermione. "I dunno if Potter ever told you, but on the tower that night, Dumbledore said that perhaps my heart wasn't in it. Perhaps that's why the poison never seemed to reach him. I denied it, but now that I look back, I think he was right. I never actually wanted to kill him." Malfoy stared back down at the bed again. "I couldn't kill him, and instead, I had to let Snape finish my task for me," he said, tears wetting his eyes again. "Soon after that, the Dark Lord got control over the Ministry and Azkaban. He threw me in a cell as punishment for being a coward." Hermione was surprised to see that when Malfoy mentioned Voldemort, his eyes hardened and he looked irate. "And that's what happened to me."

Hermione sat in silence for a moment. "Did you truly never consider not joining the Death Eaters? Did you really feel like they were doing the right thing?" Hermione asked, rather shocked by the frankness in which Malfoy told her his story.

"I, um, suppose I did. I thought that Mudbloods and Muggles were un-pure and should be wiped off the planet, but," and here Malfoy looked straight into Hermione's eyes, "I swear, I don't think that anymore." Hermione resisted the temptation to scoff.

"I believe you," she said, finding that she believed his entire story. "But it's not me you have to convince." Before Malfoy could respond, Hermione asked another question. "What would have happened if you didn't join the Death Eaters?"

"I would have been killed," was the blunt answer. Hermione sat back in her chair. Would Voldemort truly kill someone because they refused to join? Shocked though she was, she thought it to be entirely possible. I guess he's not as much of a coward as I thought… Hermione thought.

"I suppose I didn't think he would go as far as killing one of his Death Eater's children," Hermione muttered. Her head snapped up at Malfoy's cruel laugh. "Do you think me naïve?" she asked haughtily.

"Extremely so," Malfoy drawled. Hermione scowled at him. This was the boy she remembered from school; a boy who didn't know how to emote any expressions save scorn, contempt and condescension. I think I preferred him when he was crying, Hermione thought, rolling her eyes. But perhaps she was looking too far into the past; perhaps he was honestly just trying to lighten a very heavy moment. Suddenly, Malfoy stopped laughing and his eyes clouded over again. "I wish I could go back to sixth year and…"

"And do what, Malfoy?" Hermione spat at him.

"Well not kill Dumbledore!" Malfoy exclaimed. "Just… I wish I could have somehow fixed everything that I did…"

Hermione sighed. "Don't waste your time on what ifs, Malfoy. Especially not now," she said gently. "For now, the present is our main concern."

There was a long silence between Hermione and Malfoy. Finally, after several moments, Malfoy broke it.

"Thank you. Again."

This time, Hermione didn't let the automatic response escape her lips. "For what?" she asked.

"For talking to me and listening to me and… saving me," Malfoy replied slowly. "It seems I'm in your debt, Granger."

"That's hardly fair!" Hermione cried. "It's not as if you could have done anything, locked up in Azkaban!"

"True. But I wouldn't have tried to comfort you if you were having a nightmare. At least, not before tonight."

"Are you saying that if I ever have a nightmare and start screaming in the middle of the night, you'll come and talk to me?" Hermione asked, her eyes bright. Malfoy nodded. "I'll have to keep you to that, in that case."

"Granger, I was wondering…" There was another moment of silence before Malfoy finished his thought. "This may sound strange, but could you… Could you stay where you are until I fall asleep?"

That one sentence evoked so much sympathy from Hermione that she was almost overwhelmed. He obviously did not want to ask her to stay, and yet he probably felt like he had to, or the nightmare's would come back. "I'll stay here until you fall asleep," Hermione whispered. Malfoy smiled at her, and pulled his blanket over him.

"Thank you," he said to her for the fourth time in two days. He closed his eyes and attempted to reach sleep's dark shores. Hermione extinguished the light from her wand and remained still in her chair, gazing at the boy in front of her, trying to understand him.

"Oi, what the hell did you do to her?!"

Hermione's head snapped up painfully. Her eyes forced themselves open. Through her bleary eyes, she could see that Ron was in her room. In her room? No, this was the attic. I must have fallen asleep on the chair… Sure enough, Hermione saw that her legs were tightly curled underneath her and she was indeed reposing on a chair. She saw Ron's furious face and then she saw him pull Malfoy's blanket off him.

"Ron, what're you doing?" she asked, her words slurring.

"Hermione, thank God, you're alright!" Ron exclaimed, approaching her. Hermione could see that Harry was right behind him.

"Why wouldn't I be? What, did you think that Malfoy had killed me or something?"

"What would I do to her, Weasley?" a voice demanded. "What would I gain from hurting her in any way?" Hermione turned to face Malfoy.

"'Morning," she greeted him, blinking slowly and lowering her legs to the ground. She winced as she did so, as they were cramped from being folded under her all night.

"'Morning," Malfoy responded, though he seemed rather preoccupied.

"There's no need to be so hostile, Ron," Hermione said crossly, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I went into your room and you weren't there, and I panicked and—"

"Sorry 'bout that, Hermione. Ron was just being paranoid," Harry finished for him, nudging Ron's shoulder. "Breakfast, Hermione?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll be down in a second," Hermione said, getting off her chair and stretching. She left to get dressed, but just as she opened the door, she could have sworn she heard Ron asking Harry, "What do you reckon she was doing up here, Harry?" Hermione shook her head. Ron would always be suspicious, and especially because of the locket… Hermione remembered the night they fell asleep holding hands and smiled. Perhaps after this whole bloody mess was over, she'd have some time to go back to him.

Hermione got dressed quickly and went downstairs to join the other for breakfast.

"'Morning, Remus, Kingsley," she greeted, nodding at both of them.

"'Morning, Hermione."

"Sleep well?" Remus asked her.

Hermione considered his question. She hadn't slept well, physically, but she thought that perhaps comforting someone was worth sacrificing an hour of sleep. "I woke up in the middle of the night, but I got back to sleep quickly," she said.

As soon as she sat down, Remus got to business.

"So, I think the best way to approach this is simply verateserum, as we discussed yesterday. What do you think Kingsly?" Remus asked.

Kingsley nodded slowly. "He'll trust us, which is crucial, and it'd be hard for him to find a way to hide the truth."

"And we'll give him back his wand after we've judged him not to be a threat?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Kingsly said, his voice grave.

"Hermione, I think it's you that should do the majority of the questioning," Remus said.

"Me?!" Hermione squeaked, surprised. "Why me?"

"I would have thought it obvious; Mister Malfoy clearly trusts you the most out of any of us, so I see it fit that—"

"But- but… Last night I told him that it wasn't me that he had to convince and—"

"You were with him last night?" a voice asked sharply. It was Ron. Who else? Hermione thought.

"No, of course not, he just dragged me to his room and gave me a chair to sleep on," Hermione snapped, sarcasm dripping from her lips. "Yes, I was with him last night! He was having a nightmare, and I was trying to comfort him—"

"Even more reason for you to question him," Remus pointed out.

Hermione looked around wildly. "But what if I'm wrong, and he's actually not to be trusted?!" she cried.

"I think we all trust you, so there should be no reason that you shouldn't do this. I agree with Remus," Harry said quietly.

"Kingsley," Hermione said, turning towards him. "Tell them I can't do this; what if I judge wrongly?"

"Hermione, take a moment and think," Kingsley said. Hermione found his deep voice to be oddly comforting. She inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly.

"Alright, I'll do it," she said. Remus smiled. Hermione, however, was confused. She wasn't sure why she felt so uncomfortable about the situation; it should have been no different if anyone else was to be questioned. She rationalized that it was only because she felt like she knew Malfoy, if only a little better than before.

Within a few moments, Malfoy came down the stairs. He said his polite hellos to everyone in the room and ate quietly. After he was done, Remus explained how he would be questioned. Malfoy listened attentively, but he had a request to make after Remus was finished.

"I agree to all your terms, but only if I am allowed to look into the mind of the person who questions me."

Hermione gasped. Why would he— But she stopped herself in mid-thought; he would want to know that no one was planning to use him. It made sense, but it still didn't make her comfortable with the situation.

"Hermione, do you agree to Malfoy's terms?" Remus asked mildly. Malfoy turned towards her, his eyes wide. He hadn't known that Hermione was the one who was going to be asking the questions.

"Yes," Hermione said, taking in a shaky breath. She had never had her mind searched, and from what Harry had described, it didn't seem like a very pleasant experience. But then again, if they could get a former Death Eater on their side, it would be worth a little discomfort. Remus handed her the small tube of verateserum.

"Shall we?" Hermione asked, gesturing towards the stairs. "We'll do it in your room."

Malfoy got up without a word and followed Hermione up to the attic. Upon her arrival, Hermione opened a window and set up two chairs across from each other. Malfoy sat in one, and Hermione sat in the other.

"Drink this," Hermione said, handing him the verateserum.

Malfoy eyed the contents of the tube before swallowing it in one gulp. His eyes became unfocused for a minute, but then the haze cleared.

"Can you hear me?" Hermione asked him speaking slowly and clearly.

"Yes."

"Are you Draco Black Malfoy, son of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Yes."

Well, I know he is who he says he is… Hermione thought nervously. She knew she could take as much time as she needed, but she honestly did not know where to go with her questions. Should she ask the hard ones first while she was sure that the potion was in effect, or should she wait a few minutes before asking the hard ones? The hard ones first, I suppose, she thought. Then I'll be sure of getting a truthful answer…

"Do you believe that all Mudbloods and Muggles should be exterminated from this world?"

"No." Hermione heaved a sigh of relief.

"Do you believe that some Mudbloods and Muggles should be killed?"

"Yes." Hermione's anxiousness came back again.

"Why do you think these people should be killed?"

"It is because they have done horrible things and deserve to die." Hermione shivered. The way Malfoy was speaking… It was similar to Voldemort.

"Why do they deserve to die?"

"Because they've done terrible things; killed people."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that they don't possess magical powers?"

"No." Another wave of relief swept over Hermione. So he had a superiority complex; it didn't necessarily make him treacherous. He had passed the first question.

"Are you loyal to the Dark Lord?" Hermione asked, thinking that the Death Eater's name for their master would keep Malfoy's answer true.

"No. Not anymore."

"What caused you to change your mind?"

"A Mudblood saved me from Azkaban. I can't keep believing that all Mudbloods are cold-hearted or evil." Though she knew she shouldn't, Hermione felt flattered that Malfoy thought her kind. She had been trying to get him to trust her. So Remus's plan did work… Hermione thought.

The interrogation continued easily, Hermione asking her questions and Malfoy giving her true answers. He passed almost every question save the last.

"Will you be loyal to the Order of the Phoenix and help us in our task to destroy the Dark Lord?"

"I don't know."

As much as Hermione poked and prodded, Malfoy would not— or could not elaborate. His answer, though not a definite fail, was not necessarily acceptable either. Hermione thought for a moment. He's been the servant of Voldemort for the past year; obviously it would be difficult for him to turn away. Hermione decided to let it go. She was almost positive that he would choose one side or the other within a few days. She had decided to trust him. Just as she came to her decision, Malfoy came round.

"So?" he asked.

"I think you can be trusted," Hermione said, grinning.

Malfoy made no signs of emotion at the news. All he said was, "and now it's my turn?"

"Yes," Hermione said, bracing herself. She got his wand from the back pocket of her jeans and handed it to him.. "Go ahead. I am ready." She barely had time to take a breath before Malfoy shot the spell at her.

"Legilimens," Malfoy hissed.

Hermione offered no resistance to his spell at first, thinking that it would over quicker that way. She was six and her mother was reprimanding her about wandering off… She was seven and she had accidentally caused it to snow inside for a moment… She was eleven and she had just received her letter inviting her to Hogwarts; she was ecstatic… She was in her first year at Hogwarts and Harry and Ron had just saved her from the troll… She was in her fifth year and she was pulling Ron away from Harry because he was so clearly trying to ask Cho Chang out on a date… Then the memories got personal. She was in her sixth year, sitting on the window seat in her room, crying herself to sleep because she had just seen Ron snogging Lavender… Hermione started to resist, only now thinking about the fact that there were some thoughts that she did not want Malfoy seeing. It was only a few months ago; she Harry and Ron had just escaped from some Death Eaters and Ron insisted that she slept on the couch; they fell asleep with their fingers entwined… Hermione was struggling; she was trying to rid the intruder from her mind. She and Ron were alone, and she had a strange urge to kiss him… Hermione was about to raise her wand and cast a spell when Malfoy backed away from her personal thoughts and finally found the ones he had been looking for. The ones about him. The entire conversation from the night before she freed Malfoy played in Hermione's head… The night she got him out of Azkaban… The following days… Her thoughts during their conversations; she didn't hate him, only thought him a coward and pitied him… And… The probe ended unexpectedly. Hermione hadn't realized at the time, but her eyes were closed in concentration. She forced them open

"You weren't meant to see all of that," she said quickly.

"Just curious," Malfoy drawled. Yet again, Hermione could see the spark of arrogance that she remembered from only a year ago.

"I didn't use my opportunity to get irrelevant information out of you!"

"I would hardly call your thoughts about me 'irrelevant', Granger."

"Did I pass the test?" Hermione asked sarcastically.

"I suppose so…" mused Malfoy.

"You're so power-hungry…" Hermione muttered, getting up and walking towards the door. "You stay here," she told Malfoy, without looking back. She slammed the door behind her and made her way to the kitchen where everyone was waiting for her verdict. He had no right to do that! Lousy moron, I cannot believe him! she fumed. She had run out of words to call Malfoy by the time she reached the kitchen.

"Well? It's been an hour," Harry said upon her arrival.

"I think he is to be trusted," Hermione said, though she sounded slightly uncertain.

"You think?" Remus asked her, a worried look on his face.

"I dunno, it's just that… When he searched my mind, he sort of…" Hermione squired. "He looked at some personal stuff is all," she sighed. "It doesn't matter in any case, it doesn't make him less trustworthy, so yes. Malfoy is to be trusted."

"Well then," Remus said, "I think the first thing you should do is ask him to teach you how to withstand Occlumency."

"So you're going to decide to trust him just like that?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, we all trust your judgment, so yes. We trust him," Kingsley said patiently.

"Alright," Hermione muttered. She knew she should lay her personal feelings aside and judge from there. "In that case, yes. I agree with you, Remus. That's the first thing we should do, along with trying to figure out how to destroy the locket." She was about to ask Harry a question, but thought better of it; she knew the answer would be no. But she couldn't help but wonder; didn't Malfoy have the right to know that they were searching and trying to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes? Perhaps he did… But she couldn't see herself telling him until he showed himself to have more self-restraint than he had shown in the attic. Only curious? Hermione thought, rolling her eyes.

A/N How was the dialogue? Cardboard like? Mediocre? Absolute crap? Decent? Let me know in a review! Danke! Bisous ~ the shattered star