A week had passed, maybe even two. Hermione had given up keeping track of days, because each one was so similar to the first they bled together without a second thought. She'd wake up early, avoid Draco, grab breakfast, try for hours to find a way to free them from the Manor. Usually these attempts were always seen by him, no matter where she tried to break the curse. Somehow he'd be there…watching. She would glare with anger when his face would fill with snide contempt as he watched her fail. She hated him for it…but still was glad he was there. Something in her understood why he'd be so flustered after staying here alone, it was torturous. And although they kept their distances, it didn't prevent them from being in each others presence.

After awhile Hermione had given up eating lunch to keep up her research and like clockwork he began to appear with food for her, still silent, and she never asked why. Something told her if she did his kindness would be short lived. And she was grateful for it, but still….her request for silence seemed idiotic now. When he wasn't around all she wanted was to see him, have him there, it made her feel safe…less alone. And she was certain he must feel it too. Part of her hated the fact something deep inside of her wanted him around, she once believed all she could ever feel was loathe for this boy. But part of her didn't care…it was the past wasn't it? Everything had changed…he changed…he must've. He just wasn't willing to show it. And it was in the second week Hermione decided to break their silence, just as he came to bring her lunch.

"Malfoy…" She said his name softly as he handed her a plate of food, their eyes usually met and then averted, but today his gray gaze stuck, a slightly interested look in their depths.

"Yes Granger?" He replied, trying best to mask the intense curiosity that threatened to overtake him. Yes he'd kept his silence and distance as she asked, and he also made sure she actually ate. No use watching her faint from hunger. But why today, after so many days, had she chosen to openly address him?

"I…I was wondering…instead of eating alone tonight, maybe we could eat dinner together?" Draco's insides turned to fire as she asked and Hermione's own face held an embarrassed blush, "We can talk about any theories we have to break the curse."

"Fine. Meet me in the dining room at five then." His face was stoic as ever and his voice still full of attitude as he spoke, and he turned and left right after. Hermione watched him go, hoping that she hadn't just made some great mistake. She knew that he would never had asked her, he was too stubborn, no matter how alone he felt. And so she continued trying to open library books as five o'clock slowly approached.

Hermione made her way down to the dining room, a slightly nervous feeling coming to life in her stomach. She glanced down at the simple dress she'd found in the closet to wear, blushing slightly as she wondered why she'd even bothered to put it on. And then she saw him. Draco was standing by the doors to the dining room, pale hands in the pockets of his smooth black pants, forearms revealed from under his black, button up shirt. Although she always hated to admit it, she couldn't deny he was attractive. His sour attitude had always spoiled it for her, but lately it had been different. Their lives weren't dominated by snide remarks in a school hallway. The slightest of smirks graced his lips as she approached, "All dressed up for me Granger?" He asked in a soft, dark voice as he opened the door for her. Hermione simply gave him a disbelieving look. But her gaze was soon distracted by the dining room. The great fireplace besides the long table had been lit, candles set up, the whole place had been decorated. Two chairs sat facing each other at one end.

"I think I should be asking you if you did all this on purpose." She smiled softly but instantly knew it was the wrong thing to saw. The smirk was gone from his lips as he shut the door with force, glaring slightly over at her.

"What else am I supposed to do all day? Don't think I'm trying to flatter you Granger, you know as well as I there's a hundred other people we'd rather be trapped inside a house with." The words stung for her to hear, and even for him to say, but still he remained a gentleman and pulled out her chair for her to sit, her eyes watching him as he moved to sit with his back to the fire. He was covered in shadow from this, but his pallor and eyes still had their light. And Hermione…basked in firelight. Draco found it all too convenient of what he felt inside when he gazed at her. The fire. Now tempting as ever. And the dress she wore was enough to drive him to insanity. Did she want to make this hard? Short…short enough to lift up and be cast aside…No. He wouldn't allow himself these thoughts. Instead he settled for her deep gaze, that alone could rip him up inside.

"You know I'm sick of this rude front you always seem so eager to put on. It's just you and me here Malfoy, no one else," His eyes were dark as she spoke, and she sighed as food appeared on the plates before them, "And I may've been wrong about keeping our distance. Clearly we need to work together to get out of here, I can't figure it out. I've tried everything I know how to do."

"Invite a bloke to dinner, accuse him of being rude, and take back the boundaries you so firmly set…no wonder I kept my distance." Stupid…idiot…Draco thought to himself as he spoke although his face never betrayed it, "Just because we're alone here doesn't mean I plan to spill my soul, least of all to you."

"And who exactly do you have left Malfoy?" There it was, the nerve. She knew she'd hit it and he felt the words sink in like a knife, "We may've hated each other at school but now we're all each other has and maybe if you let me in a little this would be easier, for both of us."

"You know nothing…" He said darkly, avoiding her gaze. She'd crossed the line. It was all much too fresh in his mind to just let out, even if truthfully he should have. Being stuck in this house made it even worse. Anger boiled up within him, "Do you honestly believe I care that no one's left? That no one has come to the Manor to at least check up on me? I don't. But you Granger…you're not trapped in here two weeks and already you can't take it. Little Chosen Potter hasn't come to save the day along with his other red-haired git of a sidekick. Has it even occurred to you maybe they haven't come looking? Maybe Weasley is still sore that you wouldn't fuck him after you both survived. And maybe Potter gave up caring now he doesn't need you to solve all his problems." Now it was him who had hit a nerve. She felt tears well in her eyes but didn't want them to fall.

"It's you who knows nothing Malfoy! Maybe if you showed an ounce of compassion people wouldn't mistake you for a heartless bastard!" She shouted as she stood up from her chair, storming towards the stairs and he followed. She tripped as she tried to angrily go up and she turned to look at him. He was on top of her in an instant, pinning her arms down and straddling her waist with his legs, his body close to hers. Hermione's eyes were wide in fear and excitement, although she fought against it. His eyes were dark, unreadable.

"I am not heartless!" He growled back, a sneer on his lips as their eyes met, "I don't run from the truth, I drown in it." His grip on her wrists tightened as she squirmed under him. His warm scent overtook her as their bodies pressed together. As much as she hated him in this moment, she couldn't deny the swooping feeling within her stomach. He was warm over her, powerful, and it did frighten her…and thrill her. For him the feeling was unbearable. Fire to touch, Fire to smell. And he wanted to burn. But he couldn't….he wouldn't do that, even as they were now. His lips went to her neck and Hermione gasped in surprise. They trailed soft, warm kisses up to her ear, "If I was so heartless, wouldn't I take you right here, right now?" His voice was low, sensual, dangerous. Her eyes widened as he spoke, her heart thudding rapidly. He took both her wrists in one of his large, strong hands and trailed the other hand down the valley of her breasts, across her stomach, and down her thigh, gripping it roughly, "Just because you think I'm so heartless…" He whispered as his teeth grazed her earlobe. Hermione shivered. It shouldn't be like this…it should never be like this.

"Stop…Malfoy stop…" She said weakly as his hand moved to her bare leg, trailing up to the base of her dress, toying with her. His fingertips grazed beneath the hem, slowly bringing his hand up. She knew it wouldn't be him who stopped willing, he was waiting for her. But she wouldn't revoke what she said so easily. This was all a game. A stupid game. But she didn't want him to keep going, she needed to stop him, let him understand.

"You wanted a heartless monster didn't you Granger? You have him." His voice was on the edge of fury as he spoke, bringing his hand further up her dress to slide his fingers up her side, breathing against her neck. What was he doing? Here he spent a year hating himself for the things he had done and now he was on the verge of raping the girl whom gripped his heart in a iron vice. Maybe he was heartless…no one with a real heart would do this. No one would have succumbed to their own demons like he had.

"Draco. Stop." The words froze them both. Like his hand had been hurt he recoiled it, bringing his head back to meet her eyes, his own filled with pain she didn't understand. Yet she was still, watching him mull over what she had just said. His name. The one she had never used. When he heard it come from her lips he could fucking weep, "Please." It wasn't begging, just a simple request. His hand released hers and he moved back, his gray eyes still on hers as they gazed at each other. He moved away, standing up and looking down at her, trying to mask his own horror at what he'd almost done. She stayed there, staring, waiting.

"I'm sorry…." He said softly, averting his eyes as he took off up the stairs, she heard the door of his room slam shut. She found herself able to breathe again. Had she somehow gotten through to him? She wasn't sure…but she did know that whatever emotion she felt other than fear had worried her. Maybe she didn't hate Draco Malfoy as much as she believed she did.

******

Hours had passed since the incident on the staircase. Hermione hated the feeling of loneliness she had now and the slight fear that followed it. Every night since she had been at the Malfoy Manor she had been plagued with horrible nightmares. She would wake up screaming in the night, stifling her sobs so he wouldn't hear them. But after what had happened tonight she felt vulnerable…and although she didn't want to believe what he said about Harry and Ron, she couldn't help but dwell on it. Draco…She had said it and he had stopped. This whole thing was crazy. Almost as crazy as the thoughts in her head. She couldn't shake the pained look in his eyes, the feeling of his warm hand trailing along her body, his soft, tender kisses….but why? She couldn't understand why she felt that way and he was compelled to kiss her. The world was backwards.

Despite her fear she slipped into bed and let sleep find her, somehow. But it didn't last long. The nightmares soon welcomed her and once more she awoke screaming. But this time had been so different….so much worse. She watched them killed…all of them…all the people she cared so fiercely about. Harry, Ron, her parents, Ginny, Luna, Neville, even the people she had already lost, and….Draco. And she couldn't stop them. Kill me! Kill me too! Please make it end! Let me go with them! Her own screaming still echoed in her head. She had watched them die, and they wouldn't kill her. This had been too much. Without even thinking Hermione jumped out of bed, tears still streaming down her cheeks as she ran to the door at the end of the hall…his door. She calmed herself the best she could, sobbing in front of Draco Malfoy was the last thing she wanted to do. Without even knocking she opened the door of the massive room. There wasn't much light except for that of the moon spilling onto the large, silken bed from a large open window. Hermione had expected him to be sleeping, but he was sitting up, looking at her. His face was indescribable but his eyes were a storm of gray, reflecting the emotions he truly felt within.

"Did you have another nightmare?" His voice was soft and Hermione was surprised slightly at what he said.

"How did you…?"

"I hear you scream every night. But I wait until you've fallen asleep again to check on you. I doubted you'd welcome me there when you were in that state." Draco replied coolly, while she was almost at a loss of words. He had heard her….but he had also snuck into her room to make sure she was alright. She felt her cheeks grow hot, flushed.

"Yes I had another nightmare….a bad one. I…I'm scared to sleep alone," She didn't want to ask him, and the look that encompassed his eyes was enough to make her back out of his room and leave. He was intrigued, floored to be exact. He had just began possibly raping this girl and here she was, about to ask something that he couldn't have ever predicted, "Can I…." He stopped her, although it would give him a sick pleasure of sorts for her to ask, he couldn't bare it, not after what he had done.

"You don't need to ask…" He pulled open the blankets for her and moved over as far as he could from her side of the bed, respecting her space, "But answer me this Granger. After what I almost did, how can you trust that I won't do anything like that again?" She met his gaze for a moment as she slipped into his warm, welcoming bed, their eyes still locked.

"Because you aren't a heartless bastard Malfoy. I saw the look in your eyes…" He laid back on his back and now Hermione fully noticed him in the moonlight, bare, pale chest exposed. His face wasn't a mask, it was contemplative. Scars covered his arms, and her eyes fell on the Dark Mark tattooed on his arm, when he noticed her looking he slipped his arms under the covers, ashamed, "I wouldn't have come here otherwise."

"Did I hurt you?" His voice was soft as he turned his head to look at her, a wide, cold space between them in the bed. She pulled the blankets up, breathing in the warm, sensual scent of his and smiled slightly as she met his gaze.

"No…I'm fine." She knew somehow that he needed the assurance.

"Good." His voice held a darker edge as he rolled over with his back to her and was silent. She left out a small sigh as he did, running her hand along part of the space between them. Half of her wished it wasn't there. There had always been a space in-between them, one she was too stubborn to cross and he was too cold. Maybe being locked in with him was a good thing. Maybe they'd be able to heal the years of pain they both harbored so closely. But she did feel better now, here, in his bed. Safer. Exhaustion hit her and she fell into a deep sleep. And for the first night since she had arrived. Hermione Granger did not have a nightmare.

*****

Draco woke up, the morning light was much too real, too bright. He turned over and gazed at Hermione…sleeping so sound, so peaceful. She hadn't woken up screaming again, and neither had he. He'd been so careful. Every night when he too had nightmares he had put a spell on his room to stop him from being heard. She wouldn't have to hear him cry out like a child. But it had been so peaceful with her there, no horrible dreams watching people die, watching torture, pain suffering. And the fact that she had even had the strength to look at him after what he'd done astounded him. This girl was everything he thought she was, and more. A few moments of gazing at her sleeping, her brown eyes slowly opened and regarded him curiously.

"Did you have any more nightmares?" His voice was dull, he had mastered it. A storm brewed inside of him but he kept perfect composure. A small smile crossed her pink lips as he asked her.

"No…No I didn't."

"Me either…" He said softly, not meeting her gaze as he got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom without allowing her to respond. Hermione hid a gasp at the realization. She had been nightmares since she got here….but Malfoy had been suffering through them for over a month. No wonder he was so unstable…he'd been forced to go through hell every single night.

AN: Much longer. This was originally going to be totally different. I was going to have Hermione and Draco try and open a magically stuck library book together and end up laughing because the spell doesn't work and the power forces them to fall back on the floor on top of each other. Then he was going to run to her aid after she had a nightmare and they were gonna get into a little fight. I fixed it to this. I think it's much better, and before he wasn't Malfoyish enough. Hopefully I'll write more soon. And thanks for the positive feedback. =)