A/N A new chapter arrives! I hope you enjoy it. Leave a review!

Disclaimer: JKR's, not mine.

Chapter 5

Hesitation

Hermione awoke to find that Harry and Ron had already left. She frowned as she looked into their room; the beds unmade, papers scattered throughout the room and the chess pieces lying everywhere made it seem like very clumsy giants had inhabited the room instead of Harry and Ron. Hermione sighed. She left the room and quietly pulled the door closed behind her. I don't suppose they could have bothered to say good-bye, she huffed, crossing her arms as she made her way down to the kitchen.

Hermione hummed as she walked through the dusty manor. She eyed the portraits on the walls, smiling when she noticed they were still asleep. Hermione thought about where Ron and Harry could be going; perhaps the dilluminator would lead them to an object that would help them destroy the locket. Hermione supposed that that would be a best case scenario and quite unlikely, but she still hoped. Perhaps it would lead them to another Horcrux. But Hermione doubted it, for if it did, why wouldn't it have started glowing earlier?

Hermione was so concentrated with her thoughts she didn't realize that there was someone in the kitchen. She screamed when she saw him, her hand moving immediately to her wand.

"Granger, it's only me!" a voice cried out. Hermione was breathing heavily and her wand was withdrawn. She saw Malfoy's face and closed her eyes for a moment. Malfoy reached over and gently lowered her arm. "Someone's a bit on edge," he said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Hermione muttered, placing her wand back in her pocket. She went over to the counter and fixed herself some toast and eggs before sitting across from Malfoy. However, she was determined not to say anything.

"You're awfully quiet this morning," Malfoy pointed out. Hermione only scowled at him. "What are you thinking about now?" Malfoy asked after another prolonged silence.

"Why don't you just invade my mind and find out?" Hermione asked testily. When she said the words, she didn't expect Malfoy to take them seriously, so she was surprised when she felt the familiar sensation of her mind being prodded again. Why can't he brave his emotions? They're nothing to be ashamed of! He just seems like even more of a coward now. And why did Harry and Ron have to leave? I just know something will go wrong; we didn't think this out! And—

"MALFOY!" Hermione shrieked.

"Yes?" Malfoy asked calmly.

"You had no right to do that, absolutely no right!" she shouted, now standing up. "I swear, Malfoy, you do that again and I'll kill you," she spat, venom in her voice. She picked up her last piece of toast and left Malfoy alone in the kitchen.

Hermione ranted silently while she walked back to her room. I can't believe him; arrogant bastard thinks he can get away with anything! Well, he can't, and I really will kill him if he tries that again, she fumed. She immediately regretted the thought, but her emotions still ran high. By the time she got back to her room, she banged the door shut and curled up again on her window seat, opening the window wide.

Hermione breathed in the cold air, its scent calming her. She longed to be outside, but this was the closest she could get for the moment. She sighed and bit her lip. Perhaps he was only trying to be funny, she thought. In the mean time, she decided to read the book Dumbledore had left her. It would clear her mind, and, hopefully, give her some time to think.

The door to Hermione's room banged open and Hermione leapt up from her seat. "It's only me," Malfoy muttered.

"You could've knocked," Hermione replied stiffly.

"Sorry."

"'T's alright." Hermione sat down again.

"I'm sorry."

"What about?"

"For hiding from my emotions, and not being open, and that I seem like a coward and that Potter and Weasley left you." Hermione scowled at this.

"You know, there's a reason sometimes people don't voice their thoughts," she said sardonically.

"You know, most people tell other people when something's bothering them," Malfoy retorted. Hermione sighed.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't've been so hostile."

"'T's alright." A small smile appeared on Hermione's face.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, placing a bookmark in her book before closing it.

"Occlumency?" Hermione pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"We'll do it in your room today," Malfoy said, conjuring a chair across from the window. He sat down while Hermione arranged herself into a more comfortable position.

"I'm ready," she said, bracing herself.

"Actually, I was thinking that maybe today we could work on your mastering the hex."

"Ah, alright; even better," Hermione said, a grin appearing on her face. It was Malfoy turn to scowl. Hermione prepared herself and then cast the hex, getting it right the first time. He was three and his mother was whacking him with his father's broomstick… He was five and his father was yelling at him for breaking another crystal vase… He was eleven and he had just gotten his acceptance letter to Hogwarts; glee ensued… He was thirteen and— The memories stopped abruptly. Hermione didn't realize that she was panting.

"I did it!" she gasped. Malfoy's smile seemed slightly twisted.

"Yes I suppose so… I understand why you don't want me looking into your memories now," he mused. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. She was slightly puzzled, as she hadn't yet looked at anything personal, but she supposed certain memories could be more important to someone than one could tell.

"Again?" Malfoy asked. Hermione quickly banished her thoughts and starting preparing herself to cast the hex again.

"Granger, we've been at it for hours," Malfoy said. If Hermione didn't know better, she could have sworn that Malfoy was groaning.

"No!" she gasped melodramatically. "Is it possible that the all powerful Draco Malfoy is getting tired?"

"You're funny, you are," Malfoy said, another twisted smile playing on his lips. "I was only concerned for your mental health, of course."

"Oh, of course," Hermione repeated, her eyes twinkling. "Yes, we may stop now," she affirmed getting off her window seat and stretching. She was getting a bit cold so she closed the window before turning back to Malfoy. "So… What shall we do now?"

"I was wondering…" Malfoy started, though he seemed a bit hesitant. "I've seen Potter and Weasley playing Wizard's Chess before… Do you know how to play?"

"I do, but I never really fancied it."

"In lack of anything better to do, shall we play a round?" Hermione was about to say no, but she could see Malfoy's eyes were sparkling.

"Why not?" she asked, getting up. She told Malfoy to wait while she fetched Ron's chess set.

Hermione was surprised at how quickly time passed while she played chess with Malfoy. She never enjoyed the sport as much as she did when she played it with him; he seemed to be so intense at certain moments, but then he would just laugh and all the tension would die, causing Hermione to laugh along with him. She had never seen this side of him; a side that enjoyed fun, that knew how to have fun.

After eleven losses and two draws, Hermione got hungry. "Do you mind if we take a break and come back to this later?" she asked, gesturing at the chess board.

"Of course," Malfoy said, inclining his head.

As Hermione headed to the kitchen to fix herself something to eat, she found herself thinking this might not be that bad after all…

"We have run out of food," Hermione declared, closing the cupboard with a bang. It had been ten days since Harry and Ron had left and she was starting to get concerned. No owls had come, and she had commenced fearing the worst.

"What do you mean? I just saw the cupboard…" Malfoy's voice trailed off as he looked into the cupboard. "Ah. Well, what do you usually do when you run out of food?"

"I stop by a Muggle store and get some," Hermione said, her eyes downcast. "But Harry and Ron took the invisibility cloak, so I can't leave…"

"Why don't we just cast disillusionment charms on ourselves and—"

"There is no 'we', Malfoy," Hermione said gently.

"But—"

"I'm sorry, I can't risk having you seen."

"But the charm—"

Hermione silenced him by raising her eyebrows. Malfoy huffed. "Fine!" he said. Hermione smiled at her triumph. "You'll be all right?" he blurted out.

Hermione raised one eyebrow delicately. "Draco Malfoy, concerned for my well being?" she scoffed. Malfoy scowled.

"I was only asking…" he muttered while Hermione laughed.

"Yes, I'll be fine. Anything in particular you want?"

"Some green apples would be nice," Malfoy admitted.

Hermione was surprised, but she didn't show it. "All right. I'll be off then," she said, grabbing her cloak while tapping herself hard on her head with her wand. She blended in with the walls and floor, and after making sure that Malfoy couldn't see her, she left.

Hermione breathed in the outside air, savoring it. She Apparated quickly, not being comfortable with so many Death Eaters around. She found the store she normally visited quite easily and slipped inside.

Hermione tried to be as quick as she could, but she found herself wanting to linger. She missed the feel of a cart in her hands and the calming beeps that the checkout counters made every so often. Well, she reasoned, I have been stuck inside Grimmauld place for a few weeks now… Hermione bought everything she thought she could safely shrink and place in her pocket and left the store, a green apple in her hand.

Hermione Disapparated with a loud crack! and she landed perfectly on the front step. Just as she was reaching for her keys she saw the green apple in her hand. And the thought hit her, like a thunderclap. She had forgotten to cast the Disillusionment charm on the apple. The Death Eaters surrounding her would see a green apple floating in the middle of nowhere. She fumbled for her keys, but as she did so, she felt something warm trickling down her neck. She heard the cruel voice of a Death Eater, then felt her arm being wrenched. She resisted who ever it was that was pulling her, but he was too strong; her arm exploded into pure pain and she fell off the step.

"What have we here?" a leering voice asked. It pinned Hermione's arms behind her. She struggled wildly, trying to break free. "No, now we can't have that, can we?" the voice said mockingly. Hermione stifled a cry as she was punched in the stomach. She could barely feel her arm at this point.

"No, no, no…" she muttered. She couldn't fall into the hands of the Death Eaters! Not now! They would torture her, and get information about the Horcruxes and Malfoy out of her! Someone punched her stomach again and she doubled over, retching.

Suddenly, she faintly heard someone cast the stunning hex. The Death Eater's arms went slack and Hermione broke free of his grasp. She was feeling slightly dizzy, and her arm no longer felt like part of her body, but she knew if she could just get back in the house she would be all right.

Hermione wasn't completely aware of what happened next; she heard the same discombobulated voice stun most of the other Death Eaters around her before laying an invisible arm about her waist to guide her back to the house. Hermione rested her head against the person's chest, though she wasn't sure who he was. Had Harry and Ron finally come back? She intended to give them a long lecture if it was indeed them; what were they thinking, taking the invisibility cloak without thinking about it first?

Just as she thought she would collapse from the pain in her arm, Hermione saw the door to Number 12 Grimmauld Place open and the person's arms went under her legs. She closed her eyes in the person's arms, trying not to cry out for pain.

Hermione felt herself being laid down on her bed gently. The person removed his Disillusionment charm and Hermione finally realized that it was Malfoy. No, of course not, she scoffed, why would Harry and Ron come back after almost two bloody weeks? Then pain was still pressing, and she hoped that Malfoy had remembered to lock the door. It didn't really matter, but it made her feel safer. She was about to ask him something, but found a cough to emerge from her throat instead.

She felt Malfoy hands, his blessedly cool hands, gently glide her bone back into its socket and she closed her eyes and finally blacked out.

Hermione awoke to find herself in her bed covered by a blanket. She could still feel the pain in her arm, but it was now much lessened, no doubt because Malfoy had put the bone back into place. Hermione turned her head to look up and found Malfoy looking worriedly down at her. His expression was so comical that she couldn't help but laugh.

"You should see your face right now, Malfoy," she said, a smile on her lips. Malfoy finally broke out into a smile.

"I am concerned for the well-being of a friend, is that so wrong?" he asked, inspecting his nails.

Hermione was surprised. "A friend?" she asked.

"Yes, a friend," Malfoy affirmed.

"Well, that will take some getting used to…" Hermione muttered. "And I suppose you know, friends normally call one another by their surnames?"

"I'd assume so."

"Well then, Draco."

"Yes, Hermione?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, trying to decide whether or not she liked Malfoy— rather, Draco, calling her by her surname.

"Thank you for saving me," she said thoughtfully. She hadn't considered it before, but now she realized that Draco saved her from people he knew. He probably went against everything he knew to save her. Draco only shrugged.

"I didn't see anyone else doing it," he said pointedly. Hermione only quirked her lips.

"In any case, thank you for saving my life."

"They wouldn't have killed you."

"Well then, thank you for saving my sanity," Hermione said, refusing to be bested.

"Touché," Draco murmured, narrowing his eyes. Hermione had a strange urge to reach up and brush the hair out of his eyes, but she quickly repressed the urge, blaming it on the sudden pain she felt around her middle. She looked down and saw nothing, but when she lifted up her shirt, she found an ugly bruise.

"Ugh. Well, isn't that pleasant?" she asked, pulling her shirt back down and looking away.

"Would you like me to—" Draco motioned with his wand. Hermione hesitated before she nodded. Draco briskly lifted up her shirt to perform a spell on the bruise. It quickly disappeared along with most of the pain.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." There as a small pause before Hermione said anything.

"I suppose this makes us even, then."

"I suppose so." Draco said, his voice emotionless.

"Draco… When you saw the tapestry downstairs and you turned away… What were you thinking about?"

Draco hesitated a moment before answering. "I just… I thought of you and how you saved me… And I felt horrible for hating you, and then I thought… this is all my parents' fault; if they hadn't joined the Death Eaters, I wouldn't be in this mess. If only they'd tried harder, you know?"

"So you think they were pressured to join the Death Eaters?"

Draco let out a short barking laugh. "There is no doubt. When your whole family has faithfully served the Dark Lord, you don't have a choice. I wouldn't have had a choice if you hadn't saved me." Draco went quiet. Hermione let the silence grow. She was surprised when Draco finally broke it. "What about your parents, Hermione? You never talk about them."

"They're… In Australia."

"In Australia, eh? And what, pray tell, are they doing there?" Draco asked in a jest.

"I wiped their memories and sent them there. I was— I was trying to get them as far away as I could and," here Hermione paused for breath, "and I did."

"I'm so sorry," Draco said, his eyes sad. "I didn't know."

"Of course not." Hermione said, though not unkindly. "But— you know what hurts most?"

"Tell me."

"I just feel like… I never really got to know them, you know? Like I was a part of their life, but they were never really a part of mine. Because i-it didn't m-matter how much I w-wanted it, they would always b-be different." Hermione was starting to tear up. "I could barely talk to them, and when I did, it was always about trivial things: 'oh, did you see the news today?' 'I can't believe how warm it is,' and I… You see, this is why I n—" Hermione completely lost control and the tears started pouring down her face.

"I'm sorry that you could never have a normal relationship with your parents," Draco whispered.

"I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me," she said, awkwardly wiping her eyes. "Thank you, though," she said.

"That's what friends are for, no?"

"That's what friends are for," Hermione affirmed, laughing.

"All right… I should probably let you get some rest; they weren't particularly gentle with you," Draco said, getting up.

"I'll see you later then," Hermione said, smiling as he closed the door. Traces of the smile lingered on her lips as he left. Hermione wasn't quite sure what was happening, but whatever it was, she liked it.

"Get off her, you lout!" Hermione heard Draco being lifted off the floor. She heard a loud thump, as though someone had fallen on to the floor. She forced her eyes open to be greeted by the sight of an irate Ron.

"Leave Draco alone!" she cried, going over to him to make sure he was all right. We must have fallen asleep playing chess again, she thought, spotting the chess set and groaning. She crouched over him. "Draco?" she questioned.

"I'm fine," he spat towards Ron. Hermione still flinched.

"What were you doing?" Ron demanded, his eyes ablaze and his ears bright red.

"We fell asleep, Ronald!" Hermione shouted, trying to appease him. "Calm down! We just fell asleep."

Ron seemed to relax at this.

"Weasley, how could you think otherwise?" Draco drawled from the other side of the room. Hermione turned towards him, unused to his tone of voice.

"You listen—" Draco didn't even pause to hear Ron's words. He simply walked out of the room. There was a silence between Ron and Hermione.

"You're back then?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah."

"What was all the shouting about?" Harry asked as he entered the room, completely oblivious to the events that had just taken place in the room.

"Nothing. Ronald's just being himself is all," Hermione said. A sudden fury had rushed through her; how dare he? How could he even think that she would… He clearly still didn't trust Draco. Hermione, feeling overwhelmed, marched out of the room in search of Draco, ignoring the protests she could hear behind her. And to think, she had been looking forward to their return…

A/N Enjoyable? Is the relationship growing at a believable rate? As a treat, here's a deleted scene that didn't make it to the final cut of this chapter; it happened in between Hermione's getting injured and Harry and Ron's return. I hope you like it! Review! Danke. Bisous ~ the shattered star

"A car accident has just been reported… There are no reported survivors; a head on collision…" Hermione stared open mouthed at the car lying in front of her, both her parents inside it. Both dead. A cry of horror rose from her lips and she was crying. She had sent them to Australia to save them from Voldemort and instead they got his by a car? It wasn't fair; nothing was fair; it was all her fault. If only she'd—

Hermione awoke screaming. She felt someone's hand on her arm, but it didn't help. She couldn't stop and the flashes kept coming; her mother with blood trickling down her lip. Her father with his skull broken. Someone held her close, pressing her mouth against his shirt. She finally gained enough clarity to see that she was screaming at nothing, and what she had seen had only been a nightmare. She started crying for the second time that day.

"You know, I rarely gave hugs," Draco said in an effort to make Hermione stop crying. She did, but only momentarily. "I suppose I did tell you that the next time you had a nightmare I would comfort you. Imagine that, all my debts have been paid in one day! Then again, you got me those green apples…" Hermione laughed aloud. Draco let her out of his embrace and looked her in the eye. "What did you see?" he asked.

"I dreamt… I dreamt that my parents died in a car crash."

"Car crash?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what a car is, because I know you do," Hermione said, though she was smiling weakly.

"It never happened, Hermione," Draco said firmly.

"Thank you for…" Hermione gestured with her hand. Draco only nodded, though his eyes were bright. "Would you mind…?" Draco shook his head, reclining on the chair next to the bed. Hermione shook her head gently and closed her eyes, still trying to understand how the tables had been turned so perfectly.