"What are you doing out here at this hour? It's past curfew." The platinum haired boy didn't respond, instead he clutched his arm tightly.

He was leaning against the stone wall, a few buttons of his shirt popped open, exposing his chest. A familiar sight. Despite the voice that screamed in the back of her mind; telling her, warning her to run, she took a defiant step forward.

"Malfoy are you alright?"

There was nothing but silence. She couldn't help but gasp when his eyes met her own. They were cold and distant. But beyond that, something else glinted in the silver orbs. Something foreign and terrifying.

You're a Gryffindor godamnit.

She closed the gap between them, standing directly before him. Her hand clutched the wand in her robes tightly. It gave her a sense of comfort and safety. The Slytheryn's eyes were cast down towards his arm, a silent plead for help.

Before he could object, Hermione removed his hand, examining the now bare forearm. Her eyes immediately sought his own in horror. The arm bearing the mark of the dark lord was taking on a hideous black hue. It was snaking its way towards his upper arm. He closed his eyes.

"It hurts so fucking bad."

He didn't know why he said it. He didn't know why he let her touch him. But he did.

"You should get this checked out with Madame Pomfrey." He jerked his arm from her grasp.

"Why don't I just announce it to the whole fucking school? Perhaps even call Rita Skeeter to publish an article on how Draco fucking Malfoy turned out to be a death eater after all. I bet Potter would be amused to hear that his theory was dead on."

He was right. She couldn't just present a death eater in Hogwarts and expect normalcy.

"Malfoy stop being so bloody stubborn."

She held out her hand, waiting for him to offer his own. When he did, she examined it tenderly. She ran her fingers over the discolored area, receiving a wince in the process.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you doing this?"

His voice was soft; lacking that sharp, biting quality that all Slitheryns seemed to possess.

"Because I'm head girl and it's my duty to ensure that every student is…." He cut her off with a raise of his hand.

"Bullshit."

"What are you really up to? Writing a paper perhaps?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You always assume the worst of me Malfoy."

"As do you Granger." He suddenly growled in pain as if an imaginary entity were assaulting him. Without another thought, the Head Girl placed a hand on his cheek.

She could not bare to see anyone in this much pain. Her friends called her a bleeding heart for her humanity, but she was just human. And not even past enmities would change that.

"Let me help you... please.

His eyes studied her features for a moment. An attempt at exposing her deceit. Exposing her concern as nothing more than mere curiosity. He found nothing. Nothing but genuine concern. He knew he couldn't run from this forever. He couldn't drink the pain away, no matter if it were physical or emotional.

He nodded, and she silently wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm hug.

I know I've been jumping around a bit, but its all for effect. If anything confuses you, just PM and I'll explain it. The next update will be... God, I don't know. I have to get an article published and its been taking up most of my time. So... lets hope its soon. Fingers crossed*

It's just one thing after another for me. First the article, now my research paper. I will update the next chapter tomorrow. Thank you for all your encouraging words!