Chapter 5... The Manor Part 2

"How can you see into my eyes when I've become so cold..."- Evanescence, Bring me to life...

Hermione`s POV...

The fire was excruciating, like my blood was a light, like the deadliest of poisons were flowing freely through me veins. But I must not let them see me weak, if they think that I'm weak then it will get a hundred times worse. After what seems like days it slowly subsides until it is a feeble ache in my bones and yet I still find myself unable to move of off the hard, cold, marble drawing room floor. I can barely crane my neck up to see my surroundings. And when I do a pair of cold blue- grey eyes pierces through mine.

And for the first time in twelve months I saw him.

Draco Malfoy just stood there but for once he wasn't smirking he just looked like he was living in a world of constant torture and it was killing him. His already pale skin was even fairer and had an unhealthy grey tint to it. Dark shadows formed a path under his eyes but that was what was worse... his eyes. They were just empty, lifeless...

Bellatrix grasps Malfoy's shoulder and all but drags him to kneel in front of me.

"Draco, we suspect this may be Potter's oh so dear little MudBlood companion, so we must be sure because if we call The Dark Lord and if it`s not then were all dead...do you understand what I'm saying?"

Malfoy swallows nods and then peers closely at my face. What is he doing?! He know that it`s me so why does he not say so?! I`m positive he can hear the pounding of my heart and he knows that I'm terrified. I don't dare look into that face that I've loathed with a passion for most of my life but I can't keep it up for long so when I do I recognise something that I've seen before I do not like one bit: an idea. And something in his eyes telling me to keep my mouth shut...

"Well is it her Draco?! The MudBlood! Is it her?!" The hope in her voice is awful. I can see him hesitating and then.

"I-I can't be sure" He whisper's.

Wait what!? What is he doing?

"Fine, just take her down to the cellar then!" Bellatrix snap`s.

He sighs, stands behind me and grips both of my forearms tightly.

"Just move and I won't kill you." He growls.

I steadily get to my feet, when I hear the sound of very inpatient huffing behind me I take a sense of pride that I am now annoying him. When he finally drags me into the cellar (after ten minutes of walking as slow as possible just to get to him more) he slams the door behind him, spins on his heel, stands there and glares at me for twenty minutes straight.

Suddenly I am flying backwards and find myself pressed up against the wall arms above my head, wrists digging against into the cold stone and a pale face full of anger inches from mine.

"Listen MudBlood!" He spits.

"I have my orders, Granger! We both know you're going to die in this hole, anyway, so here`s what I'll do, I'm going to try to keep you alive for as long as humanly possible, why? Because I`m a nice person... But in order to do that I need you to co-operate with me if you don't then were both dead"

He lets of go my wrists and walks to the other side of the cramped, murky room. He then stands with his back to me. As far as I can see he`s visibly shaking. From anger or anguish I'm not sure. When he speaks his voice is so full of pain.

"I-I'm just- I can't" He whimppers.

He takes in a shaking breath...

"I just can't watch anyone else die- not even you"

I stand there shocked at his words but wait...

"You- you're actually going to help me?" I question.

But he can't they- Voldemort and his own father- they'll kill him.

And as if he's reading my thoughts.

"I know they will, but" He turn`s round then and brown lock on to grey.

"I have nothing left to loose... Because we both know there's no chance of us making it out alive if we don't- I can't believe I'm saying this to you-"

I have to strongly fight the will to roll my eyes then.

"Just say it Malfoy"

"Just listen for one moment, then you can rant and hit me- yet again like you oh so kindly did back when we were thirteen, in third year!" He snap`s and that's when I give him my undivided attention.

"Fine then, what is it?" I speak softer this time because I don't want to get him madder then he already is, we may both be the same age- separated only by a few months- but I know- although I hate to admit it- that he's a lot stronger than me and I didn`t want a vulnerable seventeen year old boy attacking me out of fear.

Suddenly he spins around shock evident in his eyes and he looks like he just been hit across the face- the face he made when I myself punched him- it would have been quite funny if he did not look so offended.

"W-what- how can you say something lik" He starts to say but I cut him off.

"But I didn`t say anything, at all..."

Ok, now I'm confused.

We stay like that for a while, stood there staring at each other, each just as confused and disturbed as the other.

I break the silence by asking what I have wanted to know since I was first dragged in here.

"Why didn't you tell Bellatrix it was me? I mean you could of had me out of your life forever so why?! Malfoy look at me!" He's turned back the other way, hands on the wall, not even looking at me.

"For Merlin's sake, Malf-" He whirls round and looks me dead in the eye.

"I don't know! Ok, happy Granger? I don't even know why I saved you I just did alright!?"

"Fine, then!" He sighs. The words that next come from his mouth I would have never expected in a million years.

"Granger, just while were in here I-I think we should, at least attempt- and believe me I hate you as much as you hate me, there no denying that"

He gestures to the spot where I hit him- and if you looked closely enough then you could still barely see the oldest and smallest of scars were my finger nails must of scratched him.

"To call a temporary truce?"

"Wait... what?" I whisper, I can't be sure if what I've just heard is even real. I can't even process it.

"But... we hate each other- I mean to the point of insanity, and it's ridiculous we can't just- I mean, why? After all this time why?!"

It all came out in a rush that he'd probably been building up on in the space of the last twelve months'...

"BECAUSE I CAN'T DO THIS ALONE ANYMORE!" He screamed; I was surprised the other death eaters upstairs didn't hear him. Tears were streaming down his face now and I as well was barely chocking them back. There were several moments of a very awkward silence. But unlike Harry or R- NO, don`t even think about them, for you know they could be dead...

But unlike them... I could understand why, he's scared, no terrified of being thought of as weak- his father probably drilled into him the illusion that to show compassion, emotion or even to love another person in whatever way at all was being weak. So- in an act of great personal sacrifice- I slowly extend my hand and hold it out in front of me. I wait a few moments and he doesn't look up.

"Malfoy? Look at me, please" I ask softly, only because I know how it feels to be in that awful state of mind. Of feeling like there's no hope left on this earth that it will never get better... but it will.

He slowly looks up and his eyes widen slightly, swallows and his hand slowly but surely goes up to grip mine like a life line. Unexpected warmth shoots up my arm like fire... We stay like that for a while and it's unnerving, I mean were practically holding hands and yet... it just seems- never mind. I snap out of it however when he speaks it's barely above a whisper.

"You know Granger, for a griffin-dork you're not as annoying as I thought you'd be..." He mummers, softly.

Did he just complement me?! The world's gone mad... And yet I still can`t help returning the favor.

"You too Malfoy, you're not so bad either... for a ferret..."

I can feel him smirking.

We were still holding hands, and neither of us wanted to let go yet.

"So, I had a... idea..." He suggests.