Author's Note: Here is a quick update. I will actually be uploading the next chapter quite soon as well I think. It's going to get a bit murky soon. JKR can, as always, transfigure magic out of thin air!

"Stop staring at me like I'm going to curse you and get up."

Draco tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Granger to take his outstretched hands. She was staring at them as if she wasn't sure whether to leap into them or run as fast as she could the other way.

While doing some research they had decided that they would try some different nerve charms. When Draco had begun to cast the spells, she had impulsively decided that if they were going to make progress, she would have to practice walking and moving around. He had agreed instantly. But now she was chewing on her bottom lip and looking around the living room uncertainly.

"I don't know. What if I fall? Should we add some cushioning charms?"

Draco couldn't stop the chuckle from bubbling up and past his lips.

"Really, Granger? I thought you trusted me."

She snorted, quirking an eyebrow up at him in disbelief.

"Where did you get that crazy idea from?"

His smile only widened.

"You mean apart from my obvious dependability?"

Granger lowered her head, but not before he caught a glimpse of her wry smile. After she took a few deep, encouraging breaths, she finally raised her eyes to meet his, this time with determination.

"Alright. Let's do this."

She reached out and took his hands gently. He wrapped his fingers around hers, the contact sending pinpricks of yearning through him. Just linking their fingers together was like the promise of pleasure. His skin felt starved for more, and he was overcome by the fierce need to feel all of her. He had never had such a visceral physical reaction to something so innocent. He was sure that if she wasn't so focused on getting her feet steady, then she would have noticed the intensity on his face, the way his eyes had widened as he stared at her, and the shivers passing up and down his arms from where he held her.

Finally she built up the courage and effort to hoist herself off the couch. He helped by pulling on her hands and then keeping her steady once she was upright. For a second, she teetered and almost fell forwards, but he stepped closer so that she could lean her weight on him. They were so close it was making him want to roll his eyes back into his head. He could feel her little puffs of air on his neck as she panted and concentrated on her balance. After a moment he let her have more space as she prepared to walk.

"Ok, Granger. Let's juts take this nice and slow."

"Alright," she said through gritted teeth.

Then she took a step forward. Her legs were clearly shaking, but she managed to support herself and keep her balance.

"That's good. Let's go for another one," he tried to sound upbeat, but she raised her head to glare at him.

"Can you not?" she spat, her face flushing with anger.

"Hey, I'm trying to be positive here."

She huffed out an irritated breath, blowing the curls away from her face.

"Exactly, it's unsettling," she retorted.

Draco smirked, amused by her irritation. She didn't like him being nice to her, he noticed. In fact, she was visibly uncomfortable with him when he was being charming. He thought maybe it was because it was easier for her to accept his presence when he was a smarmy git like she remembered him. Once she had taken a couple more steps, with him moving slowly backwards and tugging her along, he squeezed her hands.

"You're doing a shit job, Granger."

She actually laughed out loud then.

"That's much better," she said with a genuine smile that made his heart beat a little faster, "tough love is much more your style."

Draco smiled drolly to himself, thinking how much he'd like to really give her some tough love.

"You only have to ask, Granger," he said cockily, wondering how far he could push her while she was in a good mood.

Her eyes darted to his in surprise. She had been staring at her feet as she walked slowly across the room, but now she was gazing at him in shock, her mouth hanging open.

"What the-" she started, but then suddenly gasped as she lost her equilibrium. Draco smoothly stepped forward to catch her as she toppled forward. But when his arms came around her she panicked, and when she tried to push him off, they both tumbled to the ground. Draco fell first onto his back with a hard thump, and she ended up sprawled on top of him, her brown curls falling to curtain them both.

"Damnit, Malfoy!" she yelled down at him, her face scrunched up into an adorable frown.

"Hey, I'm not the one who freaked out."

"You distracted me!"

Draco rolled his eyes and rested his hands on her waist to help her up. She squirmed around a bit as she rolled off him, and he had to grit his teeth and think of Umbridge to stop himself from getting aroused.

"Well it's not my fault you find me so distracting," he hissed out through his teeth as he pushed her hips off him as quickly as he possible could. She was so warm and it was turning his brain to liquid want.

Granger groaned and shoved him further away.

"For goodness sake, Malfoy! Are you always this arrogant?"

"Are you always this clumsy?"

Granger let out a little scream of frustration and she shifted her legs so they weren't still spread out over his thighs. Draco just managed to get a hand out to stop her knee from bumping into his crotch, afraid of his body's reaction. He wanted to laugh at her ungainliness but had a feeling she'd slap him if he did. Not that he didn't enjoy the first time she had slapped him. In fact, even though it had only been third year and he'd still hated her, at the time even he couldn't deny the effect it had on him. Pushing her to get so angry that she would strike him with unbridled rage across the face had made him quiver with some unfamiliar feeling. But his third year self hadn't known how to deal with those conflicting thoughts, and he'd studiously denied and repressed them.

So it was very difficult not to smile lewdly at her when she was getting angry with him again. Especially as he knew it was mostly an act. If she had been really mad at him, she wouldn't still have her feet draped across him, making no serious move to get up. That thought alone made him want to grab hold of her and move her closer to him, instead of just watching her glare crossly at him.

"I'm trying my best, alright? It's hard!" she scolded

Draco was about to reply with a witty retort that would have been far too inappropriate, when pain suddenly tore through his arm. It was the only thing that could have instantly erased his good mood. And he had been in a good mood. Spending the morning with Granger, flirting with Granger had been so much more than he could have imagined. And even though she still snapped at him, her tone had lost its harsh edge. And now he was being called back to the manor. Back to Voldemort.

Draco grasped his arm, clenching his teeth together and jumping to his feet. He heard Granger behind him scrambling to pull herself up onto the nearby couch. He didn't want her to see his hurt and shame, but of course Granger was far too perceptive for that. He had practically shoved her off him in his haste to escape her notice.

"Malfoy?" she asked sharply, panting for breath.

Draco spun around to face her guiltily. She was sitting perched on the couch where she had pulled herself up. Her clothes and hair were all skewed from their tumble, but her eyes were clear and intent. His hand clenched tighter around his forearm, and Granger finally dropped her gaze to see his white knuckled grip.

"Wait…" she began hesitantly.

"I have to go," Draco interrupted, pulling out his wand and conjuring his robe and his mask in a whirl of black. He started to fling the robe round his shoulder as he made his way to the door.

"No, wait a moment, you can't just-"

"What?" he asked sharply, pivoting quickly to face her again where she sat confused on the couch. When she just looked at him with wide, fearful eyes, he sighed and took a step closer, "Look, Granger-" he started to run his hand through his pale blonde hair, tugging it up and causing a mess.

"So… he just calls you and you turn up?" she finally said softly.

"Yes." He didn't know what else to say. He'd always resented being a Death Eater. He simply didn't enjoy it. But meeting her wide, betrayed gaze now, he realised he'd never felt more ashamed of himself.

"Why? Why can't you stay here?"

Draco ignored the twinge of hope he felt at her wanting him to stay, even if she probably didn't mean stay with her.

"Stay here? Are you insane, Granger?"

She frowned, her lips drawing into a pout.

"Well, why not? Tilly said this place is warded and untraceable!"

Draco laughed coldly.

"We're talking about the Dark Lord here. No protection could stop him from hunting me down if he even suspected that I was unwilling, let alone harbouring a…" he trailed off guiltily, and lowered his head. A few blonde hairs drooped down over his eyes.

"A mudblood," Granger said through pursed lips, "Right?"

Draco lifted his eyes again to peer at her through his hair.

"A muggleborn," he corrected quietly, causing Granger's frown to deepen in confusion. She was thinking hard and Draco shuffled a bit nervously on his feet, knowing he didn't have a lot of time to apparate to Voldemort's side.

"But Malfoy…" she started slowly, twirling her fingers together in her lap, "Isn't You-Know-Who an expert at legilimency? I mean, couldn't he just-"

"It's alright," he reassured her in a quiet, falsely calm voice, "I've been studying occlumency for years. He doesn't suspect a thing about you being here. As far as any of the Death Eaters know I am a devoted follower and servant of the Dark Lord."

Hermione nodded slowly before leaning closer to him. Her face was scrunched up into an adorably puzzled expression.

"Are you?" she asked in a whispering voice that he had to strain to hear.

He returned her gaze evenly, knowing that she already had the answer; she just hadn't wanted to accept it yet. But Granger had good instincts, and deep down she knew he wasn't really a Death Eater.

Before Draco could answer her, another lash of pain rocketed up his arm in a cold wave. He hissed and cradled his arm to his stomach. Granger looked at him with unconcealed terror.

"Go," she urged quietly, "You should go. I'm sorry."

Draco stared at her for another intense moment, wishing he could stay and prolong this moment. He felt like they were finally breaking down some walls, and now he had to leave to go to the side of the man trying to kill everyone like her. Eventually the pain became too much, and he nodded mutely to her, grateful for her sudden understanding. Reluctantly, he turned and started donning his cloak and mask as he left behind the cottage and Granger.

…...

Draco was dragging his feet a bit as he walked towards the muggleborn house they had been sent to. He had arrived at the manor just in time to avoid the Dark Lord's temper. He had actually been quite lucky that Mulciber and a couple of his cronies had been even later, so Draco's absence was barely noted. He had managed to slip in and stand towards the back near his mother, who didn't even glance his way. She had been curling a long piece of hair around her finger that had managed to escape her bun, and swaying from side to side as she smiled at the paintings. Seeing Narcissa like this made his heart break a little, but a part of him preferred her crazy and happy, rather than sane and aware of the horrors going on in her own home, committed by her own husband. He supposed it was better in the end that she was mad.

Draco shook his head and concentrated on where he was going, since it was dark and he couldn't quite trust his footing on the steep hill. There were anti-apparition wards on the place, but the stupid family had not protected themselves enough against anyone who could just walk in. Voldemort had gathered the inner circle of Death Eaters earlier to go out on a few separate raids to punish wizards and witches who were defying the new order by protesting against the treatment of their mudblood spouses. Draco shivered in anticipation of what would happen when they got there. He had managed to avoid most of the more gruesome raids and so-called festivities because of his relative youth. But he had a bad feeling his father had insisted that Draco join him on this one. Maybe it was some kind of perverted form of father-son bonding.

In an attempt to ignore what was probably about to go down, Draco turned his thoughts to Granger. As he had arrived at the manor, he had quickly called Tilly and asked her to stay at the cottage with the Gryffindor to take care of her. Although he couldn't help noticing at dinner the previous night and then breakfast and lunch today, Tilly and Granger had formed some kind of weird bond. He didn't really know who was looking after whom. Granger was overly polite to the elf, and Tilly seemed touched by, if a little wary of, her kindness. Draco allowed a small smile to tug at his lips. She was incorrigible. The righteous little swot was determined to be nice to everyone and everything.

Draco's thoughts were halted by their arrival at the house. There were bright cheery lights glowing inside, and vines growing over the brickwork. It had one of those sweet little paths winding up to the front door. It was a lovely house. Draco could hear a child laughing inside. With a gesture of his father's hand, the small group of Death Eaters split up to prowl around the perimeter of the house. Draco wanted to run. He wanted to throw an unforgivable at his father. He wanted to go home to Granger.

"Are you ready, son?" Lucius whispered to him, a sick gleam in his eye.

Draco shrugged non-committedly, aiming for blasé.

"I suppose," he sneered.

His father glared across at him. Draco could remember a time when he had been scared of that look. Lucius had seemed so towering and imposing when Draco was younger. But now he had grown so much he was the same height as his father, even a little taller.

"It is a precious gift to honour our lord, Draco."

Draco nodded in casual agreement, inwardly laughing at how robotic his father sounded.

"Sure, father. I'm looking forward to it," he said as sarcastically as he dared. Too much, by the look of it.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, boy. This isn't some kind of joke."

Draco sobered immediately. His lip twitched with disdain, but he didn't let it show too much.

"Don't worry, father. I don't think it's a joke either."

Lucius looked at him darkly, before sniffing and waving at him imperiously to get into position. Draco obediently went round to the back door, his stomach turning over with fear and disgust.

After a few moments, he heard the first bang as Lucius and Dolohov stormed through the front. The laughing child started screaming. The sound of glass shattering reverberated through the still night air. A man's voice yelling was suddenly cut off mid-scream.

Draco suppressed the urge to retch. He needed to get through this. He needed to. He shakily drew on his occlumency walls, concentrating with all his energy and closing his eyes to focus on the feeling of numbness it brought.

Then he entered the house.

...

Thanks for reading. Sorry for the sort-of-cliffhanger: please review!