Author's Note: I'm pleased that readers are enjoying the portrayal of Draco and how he feels for Hermione.

I really want to show that his attitudes and beliefs have already changed slowly over many years of growing up, but at the same time he is stuck in a situation that he cannot escape, and he is just trying to find his own way to survive that suits him. Poor Draco.

As always, JKR is Terrificus Totalus!

...

For the second time that week, Draco woke alone. It took him a while to blink his eyes open. They were glued shut and he reluctantly reached up to rub his hands sleepily over them. With an embarrassed groan, he felt his slightly damp cheeks and remembered crying last night.

Draco's memories of the previous night were mixed up with a lot of different emotions. As he peered up at the cream coloured ceiling of the cottage bedroom, he took in a deep breath. A part of him was still unable to stop picturing that poor girl writhing on the floor after he cast his spell, blood pouring from her nose. She had instantly fallen unconscious from the sleep enchantment, but he could feel the backlash reverberating up his arm from his wand, as her body fought against the myriad spells placed on her. He shuddered, turning his head to the side to stare at the bed next to him.

He could see the indentation on the pillow where Granger's head must have rested until recently. Leaning in a little closer, he breathed in and could smell her on the sheets, which were still a bit warm. She had held him last night. Draco shook his head in disbelief as the more pleasant memory washed over him, cleansing him just a little of the nightmarish evening he had endured before that. He could remember pressing himself into her neck as she wrapped an arm around him, her fingers gently stroking his hair. He also remembered waking up dazedly in the middle of the night as Tilly carefully levitated them both over to the bed. Granger had twitched a bit in her sleep and wriggled on the bed once they had been placed down, but never woke up. He had blearily thanked Tilly before rolling over to rest his head on Granger's shoulder again, one arm draping heavily over her waist as he settled down into deep sleep again.

Draco sat up in bed, his breathing starting to quicken as the sensory memory of being wrapped around Granger in bed stung him. Her scent was so strong in here now he could practically taste her on the back of his tongue. He wondered stupidly if he could get drunk on her taste. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. She hadn't just allowed him to touch her, she had initiated the contact. Last night he had, as the muggles would say, "spooned" her. He could vividly recall the feel of her curves against him, the soft weight of her breasts against his arm, and the sinfully smooth touch of skin he had felt on her waist when her pyjama shirt had ridden up.

Fuck… he swore to himself, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He was so confused, and upset, and painfully aroused, that his thoughts were in turmoil. Draco quickly walked over to the bathroom, locking himself in and turning on the shower in a quick blast of icy cold water. There was nothing he could do about the guilt he felt from last night; he suspected he would be carrying it with him to the grave. But he could get rid of the arousal. Well, not the actual feeling of wanting Granger, because that seemed to burn inside him no matter where he was or what he was doing, and seemed to flare up into a fire when they were in the same room. But he could get rid of the evidence of that desire for now.

Draco moved under the freezing water with a gasp of distaste. He usually liked his showers so hot they scolded him. He shivered uncomfortably. It took a while standing there in pain before he felt the lower half of his body calm down. As soon as he had accomplished that, Draco jumped out of the shower to dry himself vigorously with the warmest, fluffiest towel he owned. Dressing quickly; in a green shirt today for a change, he shuffled out nervously into the living room. When he saw Granger there, he couldn't help the involuntary smile that toyed at his lips at the sight of her. She was wearing one of his t-shirts he had transfigured to fit her the other day, as well as her jeans, which Tilly had cleaned and pressed.

He had to admit grudgingly that he did get a primal thrill from seeing her wearing his shirt. It was a totally inappropriate caveman response, and it didn't exactly help support his cold shower habit, but there was no stopping the feeling.

"Malfoy-" Granger gasped, and Draco couldn't stop the small flinch when he noticed that she'd reverted back to using his last name. She had turned in surprise as she glimpsed him out of the corner of her eye from where she had been standing looking over titles on one of the many bookshelves.

Wait…standing?

"You're on your feet," he exclaimed in surprise.

"So are you," she responded tartly, turning back to the books. She had a fairly large stack under one arm as she grabbed a couple more. Draco smiled wryly. So she was going to go back to how they had been before. Playful banter with a distrustful edge to it. Well he could play along with that if it's what she wanted.

"Just admit that you liked being carried around by me a little too much, Granger."

She twisted her body round to glare at him, and it was then that he noticed she had a little accomplice helping her. Tilly was standing beside her, hidden partially by Granger's legs, and she was also carrying a couple of heavy tomes that were far too large for her tiny body.

"Don't be absurd," Granger retorted, as Tilly stared at him with round, worried eyes. She was terrible at hiding her feelings. It was written all over her face. He supposed it was only fair, considering she had had to levitate them to bed last night because they'd been huddled up crying in the bathroom together. He'd have been surprised if she wasn't terrified for him.

"Is Master wanting any breakfast?"

He nodded thoughtfully, realising only just as she brought it up how famished he was. He hadn't exactly had an appetite last night after everything that went down. Not like his father and the others. They'd happily strolled away for a nice meal together afterwards. His skin crawled at the memory of their casual discussion of food. He tried to shake it away so he could cope normally with the hunger now gnawing at his stomach.

"Yeh, I guess I could have some toast, nothing fancy."

When Tilly went to put down the books, he stepped forward quickly.

"Don't worry, Tilly. It's just toast, I'll make it."

"But sir, Tilly is already making toast for Miss Hermninny, isn't she Miss?"

Granger was a little distracted, absorbed in the book in front of her as he had so often seen her in Hogwarts library.

"Huh?" she murmured absently, before she realised what the question had been, "OH! Yes. Tilly very kindly made me breakfast, but it's far too much for just me to eat by myself of course, because she likes to spoil me," Granger shot the elf a beautiful smile, and Draco watched in amusement as Tilly lit up. The tiny elf beamed from ear to ear, twisting one leg beneath her tutu bashfully. He wanted to laugh, seeing how the curly haired Gryffindor had Tilly wrapped around her little finger. He guessed that made two of them.

Then Granger looked up at him, and the smile lingering on her face made Draco's heart thump painfully in his chest. He thought it might stop for a second.

"You're welcome to share it with me," she said politely. Draco swallowed and nodded quickly.

"Sure, that's fine," he replied. Granger smiled again before placing the books down on a shelf nearby. Draco noticed the tray of food on the coffee table and moved to sit down. He started to pour the tea, keeping one eye on Granger. She hobbled stiffly over to the couch, her legs clearly still not working for her properly, and her eyes were scrunched up at the corners.

"Are you still experiencing any pain?" he asked, concerned, as she sank gingerly down onto the soft couch cushions with a sigh of relief.

"Not a lot of pain, no. My legs just won't co-operate with my brain."

Draco gave her a little smirk at the description.

"So that's why you're still researching?"

Granger grimaced.

"Partly. I'm also still looking into cursed daggers. My arm… well I'm not a really vain person, but this is one scar I would prefer not to have on me forever."

Draco grit his teeth and clenched his own fist, feeling the muscles in his forearm tighten where the dark mark was imprinted.

"I know what you mean," he said quietly. It took her a couple of seconds, but eventually she realised what he was referring to. Her eyes glanced down at the arm, covered by his long sleeve, and she pursed her lips sadly.

"Have you ever thought about removing it?" she asked nervously, picking up her tea and giving it a dainty sip. It was still scolding hot from whatever stasis charm Tilly had used.

"Of course I have," he took a big sip of the tea, smacking his lips pleasantly at the taste. It really had been ages since he'd had anything to eat or drink. He continued between sips, "I've heard that most muggles regret their tattoos eventually, but this one is a whole different level of regret." Granger giggled prettily at the comment and looked down.

"You know, muggles have this thing called Laser technology. They can use it to get rid of ink. It's expensive and painful, but it can be done."

Draco was impressed, but he didn't let it show on his face too much. He thought he was doing quite well with his coffee machine and stereo, but he didn't want to push it too far.

"I doubt it would be that easy. It's a magical tattoo, and it was made with dark magic linking it to You-Know-Who's, so I'm guessing it's more than just a bit of ink."

"You're probably right," she admitted grudgingly, frowning down into her teacup as Draco leaned forwards casually to grab a piece of buttered toast from the pile in front of him. He really didn't want to talk about his dark mark with Granger, and from her expression he was guessing she didn't want to anymore either. Before he could change the subject, however, Granger looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Last night…" she paused and he swallowed the piece of toast in his mouth as if it were ash, "does that kind of thing happen often?"

Draco wiped his hands, which were suddenly sweaty, on his pants.

"Yes," he replied quietly. He thought he might as well be honest with her. She had shown last night that she could be trusted not to turn on him or hate him for admitting his weaknesses, "I don't usually get forced into it. That was a special treat from my…from Lucius." He really didn't want to say the word father. The thought made him almost lose his appetite again, "But yes, the others do it quite regularly."

Granger swallowed her own piece of toast and squirmed a bit on the couch. He really didn't like the look of pity on her face, but he could tell the moment she set her lips in a determined pout and met his eye again. This time there was an unexpected glint of humour there, which made him curious.

"Well remind me not to get mad at my dad again next time he wants me to clean my room," she said with a completely serious expression.

Draco blinked at her a couple of times, surprised. Then he felt a laugh bubble up inside him, and he let it out in a disbelieving chuckle.

"Well Granger, you certainly pick your moments," he said, still laughing. Granger smiled at him, pleased with herself for earning this reaction.

"I'm not used to people laughing at my jokes," she said happily as she dug into her toast more.

Draco shook his head as he took a big bite as well. Of course those morons she called friends didn't appreciate her. He always knew they didn't deserve her. They sat in silence for a little while, munching on their breakfast as Tilly wandered in and out with the laundry, her big eyes constantly focused on Granger with a look of admiration. After a while Draco brushed his hands together to wipe off some crumbs and picked up his teacup again, working up the nerve to ask her a question.

"What is your father like?" he asked eventually, his voice curious. Granger looked at him in surprise for a moment, and he swallowed a large mouthful of hot tea a bit too quickly, "I mean…you don't have to-"

"It's alright," she interrupted, "I don't mind you asking me. I just didn't expect it."

Draco nodded and gestured for her to continue. Before she began speaking she paused for a moment, and a small, innocent smile twitched at her lips as her expression became wistful.

"Well…my dad has always been my hero, as lame as that sounds. My mother and I are very close, but I'm really a daddy's girl. Spoilt rotten, as my mum says. He's very smart, but he's terribly kind-hearted and affectionate. I remember when I was about four or five he took me to the zoo. It was a hot day and it was very crowded, and he had recently got his cast removed from a broken arm – football injury, of course," she chuckled and Draco just nodded. He really had no idea what football was, even though he had heard of it before, "and he must have been tired and hot and sore, but he still carried me around on his shoulders for most of the day so I could see the animals. Sometimes we argue, of course, but he never raises his voice at me. The only time we ever fought properly was one year when I wanted to put a star on top of the Christmas tree instead of our usual angel. It seems so silly now. But it never lasted. Ten minutes later we were dancing to Bing Crosby with the lights twinkling behind us."

As Granger trailed off, Draco found himself completely speechless. He hadn't expected her to open up with such raw honesty and love for the man. He watched as her affectionate smile turned sad, and he could have sworn her eyes started to glisten with tears before she lowered her head and those damned curls hid her face from his sight.

All of Draco's resentment and confusion thundered back with an impotent rage like he had never experienced before. He desperately searched his mind for one moment, just one, when his parents had shown him even a glimpse of the emotion Granger had just revealed. He couldn't find one. Another piece of his old prejudices crumbled instantly around him as he looked at Granger with an ache of despair. Her muggle parents were supposed to be inferior, weren't they? He had accepted long ago that muggle-born witches and wizards were no less than him, but Granger painted a picture of her fully muggle parents that was so…normal. Or what he believed normal was supposed to be like. Normal for him had never been that. He had been given a hundred gifts for Christmas in his youth, each more extravagant than the last, and he remembered being quite happy playing with his new toys. But his father had barely touched him when he was a little child, except for a warning pat on the shoulder when he wasn't living up to his expectations. And Granger had just shown more happiness in two miniscule, seemingly insignificant little memories of her dad than he had ever felt in his entire life. He wanted to scream or curse or something. But what was the point? It wouldn't change anything. Draco had all the money and power in the world growing up, but it didn't hold a candle to Granger's simple muggle upbringing.

"Malfoy?"

He heard her voice as if from a distance, and realised he had been staring at her without seeing her. She had an embarrassed, awkward look on her face, and was biting into her bottom lip in that adorable pout of concern.

"I'm sorry," she said in a rush, "That was so completely corny. I didn't mean to get carried away."

"No," Draco interrupted in a hoarse voice. He coughed a little to get rid of the burning in his throat that tasted a lot like jealousy and disappointment. "No, it wasn't corny, Granger. It was perfect."

She nodded, her curls bouncing a little as she stared at him in understanding.

"No family is perfect, you know," she said with a hesitant, compassionate smile. Draco snorted, feeling particularly self-pitying.

"Don't even think of comparing your family to mine, Granger. It's no contest. My mother's insane and my father is a murdering psychopath who volunteered his only son to serve a violent despot when he was sixteen."

Granger bit into that damn lip again, and this time he was afraid she had done it to stop herself from crying.

"I really am sorry, Draco."

Draco couldn't help but smile sadly at her. At least she had said his name again. Hearing her say it, even if it was brought on by pity, was almost worth this horrendous trip down memory lane for him.

"Don't be," he said with a shake of his head, forcing a wry smile back on his face, "and stop looking at me like I've got a terminal illness, alright?"

Granger chuckled at that, a mischievous smile forming on her face.

"Well, I have to say, Malfoy, this does shed a lot of light on why you were such a complete prat in school."

"Oh yeh? Well it also explains why you were an uppity little bitch."

Granger gasped.

"Well you were an arrogant bully!"

"Hey, maybe I was just trying to pull the stick from your ass!""

They were both grinning playfully at each other. He even noticed Tilly in the corner stifling giggles as she folded some linen.

"Don't make me slap you again!" she laughed, raising her hand a little bit as a threat.

Draco smirked sinfully, looking her up and down. He saw her swallow a little at the predatory gaze before he met her eyes again.

"Oh please do," he said suggestively.

He could practically see the goose bumps prickle over her skin in response to his words, and it gave him a thrill of desire. She managed to recover and roll her eyes at him as she huffed and crossed her arms.

"Gross, Malfoy."

He only winked at her in response, grabbing the last piece of toast off the plate and biting off the corner with a cheeky grin. Granger blushed and reached over quickly to snatch a couple of books from the pile she had made. With a thud and a wince of pain, she smacked him with one right in the belly as she handed it over violently, before she opened up her own text and buried her head in it.

"Ok, breakfast is over. Start researching," she said in her bossiest voice, which he still found unbelievably sexy. He did as she asked, but his mind kept replaying one inane thought…

Well I guess that cold shower was a waste.

...

Thanks for reading! Please Review.