AN: Told you the next update would be soon. This was written a LONG time ago, though it's been severely edited since its inception.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter! Thank you to ShatteredTruth, cmtaylor531, Moonlight, Hermione09Weasley, lostxatx7thxsea:), ravenclaw123, and Linita. Your lovely reviews bring a smile to my face and a song to my heart. Or something like that. I'm really glad you guys still find my story intriguing, despite the lack of action. I just hope I don't fall short of your expectations!

As to those of you who wanted to know what happened three years ago... well... here you are.

Stand and Watch It Burn

XI. When She Learned

Three years ago...

Hermione hadn't really wanted to come, but Malfoy had been so bloody insistent, she had reluctantly relented. She had tried to avoid this place at all costs, and now, it seemed almost ironic that it would be Malfoy of all people who brought her back here. She'd always imagined it would be Harry, leading her and the Order of the Phoenix here in a victorious march. Or perhaps because of an invitation from Professor McGonagall, welcoming them to its reopening. (Hogwarts was currently closed for an indefinite period of time. The war was reaching its height and few parents wanted to have their children far away from home.) Of all the scenarios she had come up with, this hadn't even crossed her mind.

Being on Hogwarts grounds was strange, especially since now there were no students running around. School should have started by now, Hermione thought bitterly. The buildings were empty and oddly hollow without the shouts of excited students anticipating the new term. There was a feeling of desertion. Briefly, Hermione wondered if even the ghosts of Hogwarts were gone. Hermione felt a chill run up her spine, and she wasn't sure if it was from the brisk September weather or this odd feeling she got from being here again.

Malfoy had been bothering her for almost a week now to go to Hogwarts. She wasn't sure why he had wanted so desperately to come, and when she had asked, he had avoided answering her directly. He just kept saying he needed to go to Hogwarts. At times, it almost sounded like he was begging her… but Malfoy would never allow himself to sink to that, Hermione mused.

Hermione watched Malfoy carefully the moment they reached Hogwarts. There was a far off quality in his eyes, as if he were looking just beyond the grounds, the Whomping Willow, and the castle. He stood there, as if in a trance for a few minutes, doing nothing but standing and staring. Hermione shifted her weight from foot to foot. She didn't want to be here. It brought back too many memories that were still fresh and raw.

Then, Malfoy began to move, walking tentatively at first, but with each stride, he became more sure, every step filled with purpose. His sudden movement took Hermione by surprise, and she rushed to follow him.

"Where are you going?" Hermione called out. Malfoy didn't even look back.

Hermione grunted in frustration. "Malfoy!"

But he kept walking. His speed was increasing, and now Hermione was struggling to keep up. Now Hermione realized where Malfoy was headed – the Great Lake.

Perhaps he misses his mate, the Giant Squid, Hermione thought, slowing down and laughing to herself. But when he turned a corner and disappeared behind a hedge, a more sobering realisation hit her.

Dumbledore's tomb.

When Hermione crossed the hedges that surrounded the Great Lake, she noticed Malfoy had stopped before the great white marble fixture. Slowly, he approached it, walking with growing uncertainty. When he reached the tomb, Malfoy reached a hand out and gently stroked the white marble.

So this is what he had been so desperate to see. Hermione felt a faint sickness in her stomach. Of course. Why else would he come here but to see the results of his victorious mission? He was probably admiring the wonderful job he did – his crowning moment as a Death Eater. Hermione was surprised he hadn't gloated all the way here. She felt mildly disgusted with herself for not realizing this right away. And she felt disgust again at him for what he had done.

"Malfoy," Hermione said through clenched teeth, trying to contain her anger, "if you're quite finished reveling in your own glory, I'd like to go now."

Malfoy fell to his knees. One of his arms was on the tomb, and his head rested against this arm.

"What the hell are you doing Malfoy?" Hermione was furious now. "Are you trying to make a mockery of us all? Don't you think you've done enough damage? Now get the fuck up before I blow your bloody brains out!"

Malfoy did not move, remaining in his kneeling position. Completely enraged, Hermione ran up from behind him and yanked his shoulder so he was facing her. What she saw shocked her completely.

A single tear was falling down Malfoy's face.

"Malfoy?" Hermione gasped. "What…? Are you okay?"

"Leave me alone, Granger." He jerked his shoulder from her hand and turned around so she couldn't see his face.

Hermione stepped back, unsure of what to do. Should she… console him with kind words? Walk away? No, no that was out of the question. She had to keep watch over him and make sure he didn't run off. Or get killed. Perhaps a hug? Did Malfoy even know what a hug was? Hesitantly, Hermione approached him again. "Malfoy?" she asked softly.

"I said, sod off, Granger."

Ignoring him, Hermione knelt down beside to him. Timidly, she placed her hand on his back. This time, Malfoy didn't shake her off, but he didn't seem to respond either.

"Malfoy?" Hermione repeated.

"Look what I did," Malfoy said sharply. He lifted his head and stared into the distance. His face was dry and his eyes empty. "Just look. I did this, Granger. All this is because I tried to please a man who never even cared for me."

"Vol… You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked quietly.

Malfoy shook his head, emitting a soft mocking laugh. "No, no, Granger. My father," he spat out with vehemence. "My caring, loving father. The man who mocked and insulted me and told me I was no better than a Mudblood… insulted me for coming in second to you." He glared at Hermione, but his glare lacked the venom it had had before.

Hermione bit her lip. She had always suspected Lucius hadn't been exactly a model father, but she had never really stopped to consider what effects it might have had on his son. "I…" What could she possibly say in this circumstance? "I'm… not actually that smart. I… just… erm… I study a lot." She finished lamely.

Malfoy laughed again, more loudly this time. "Don't be daft, Granger. You're brilliant and you know it."

In spite of everything at that moment – all the melodrama and pent up emotion – Hermione flushed slightly at Malfoy's praise… however insultingly he had said it.

But what could she possibly tell Malfoy to comfort him? She couldn't possibly say that everything was going to be okay. He was responsible for the death of Dumbledore for Merlin's sake! Well, partially responsible. Mostly responsible. She could lie to him, but he would see right through that. Perhaps he didn't even want to be comforted. But Hermione felt a desperate need to say something… anything to try to make him feel better. Malfoy looked so miserable.

"You did what you thought you had to do," Hermione said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You thought you were doing the right thing."

"No," Malfoy said. He shook his head. "No," he repeated with conviction. "I did the easy thing. I took the easy way out. And at the last minute… I couldn't even do it. I couldn't kill him. Dumbledore saw through me. He knew, that bloody bastard. He knew I couldn't go through with it. He said he could protect me. Lies, all fucking lies!" Malfoy suddenly stood up, throwing Hermione off balance. She fell backwards, landing on her back. "Look at him," Malfoy said furiously, pointing at the marble tomb. "How could he protect me now?"

Hermione said nothing. She had heard Harry's account of what had happened in the tower, but he had never mentioned in detail what Dumbledore had said to Malfoy. Never had she dreamed she would hear Malfoy's side of the story.

Malfoy was speaking again. "Killed." He stared at the tomb. "Gone." His shoulders slumped and he dropped his head into his hands. "What have I done, Hermione?"

The sound of her first name stunned her. Did he just… Hermione stared. He did. He called me 'Hermione'. Not Mudblood. Not Granger. Hermione. The mere thought of that sent another chill up her spine. Maybe hell had frozen over.

Malfoy sat down, leaning against the tomb. He looked straight at Hermione and whispered, "What have I done?"

Hermione leaned over and wrapped her arms around him. This time, Malfoy willingly moved closer to her and rested his head on her shoulder. "It's all right, Mal-Draco," she said gently. "It's going to be okay."

x x x

Hermione bustled about the kitchen, gathering ingredients. Flour, eggs, cinnamon, butter… Pouring the dry ingredients together in a big bowl, she started mixing and combining and mashing. She loved baking. She especially liked eating her baked goods. But more importantly, Hermione had a strong belief that food had inexplicable healing properties. And Malfoy right now… Her eyes wandered over to where he sat in front of the fire. The living room was dark, illuminated only by the fire that she had conjured up earlier. Malfoy's face was covered in shadow.

Hermione sighed. She wished she could talk to him more, but she didn't want to pry. Moreover, even if he did talk to her, she wouldn't know what to say. So she was baking.

Finishing the batter, Hermione divided it into the muffin tin and popped the muffin tin into the oven. Hermione was straightening up when she heard a voice behind her. "What the hell are you doing?"

Hermione jumped a bit. "Wha…?" She peered over her shoulder and saw Malfoy, his eyes going back and forth between the oven and her.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm… baking," she stammered.

Malfoy stared at her. "Baking," he repeated. "Baking. May I state the obvious and point out that you are baking the Muggle way?"

Hermione crossed her arms. "What's wrong with that?"

"You're a witch. You have a wand."

"I prefer doing this the Muggle way," Hermione replied, dusting some flour from her sleeves. "It's nice sometimes."

Malfoy gave her a puzzled look and walked back to the sofa. Hermione sighed. She shrugged and started to prepare some tea.

A few minutes later, the timer Hermione had set dinged, and Hermione took out the tin from the oven. She smiled as she looked at it. Perfect, she thought. Carefully, she took the muffins out and set them on a plate. Hermione put the muffins and the tea onto a tray and carried it over to where Malfoy was sitting. An aroma of cinnamon and bananas wafted all around.

As she approached, Malfoy turned slightly and looked at the tray. His gaze went upwards to Hermione's eyes. Hermione shifted uneasily. "Care for some tea?" she asked.

"What the bloody hell is that?"

"Banana muffins with a crumb topping," she said. "Erm… would you like one?" Hermione practically shoved the tray into Malfoy's face. He flinched backwards and gave her a disgusted look.

"Why would I eat that?" he asked.

"They're not poisoned you know," Hermione said. She set the tray down and sat down next to him. Hermione picked up a muffin and a cup of tea and took a healthy bite from the muffin. "Mmm," she said. "'S good."

"Of course you'd say so," Malfoy drawled. "You made them." He glanced again at the muffins sitting innocently on the plate. After a few seconds of consideration, he reached over and picked up a muffin. Malfoy examined the specimen for a bit and then took a careful bite.

Hermione watched him as he chewed. "Well?" she asked.

Malfoy chewed a bit more and then swallowed. "It's all right," he said finally.

"All right?!" Hermione was annoyed. "My banana muffins are better than all right!"

"If you insist," Malfoy said, taking another, larger bite. He looked at Hermione, who seemed rather insulted, and chuckled. "All right, Granger. You make good banana muffins."

"That's all I'm saying," Hermione said.

The two sat quietly for a while, eating the muffins and drinking their tea. Hermione kept shooting Malfoy sidelong glances. She didn't want him to think she was watching him, but Hermione wanted to know what he was thinking right now. Hermione wanted to know how he was doing after his rather emotional afternoon. She took a deep breath. "So…" Hermione said softly.

"What?" Malfoy took another muffin.

"About today…" Hermione started before Malfoy cut her off.

"What about it?" He sounded slightly defensive.

"Nothing," Hermione answered. "I just… wanted to know if you wanted to talk about it."

Malfoy gave her a long, hard look that Hermione couldn't read. Was he upset? Was he angry? Did she cross the line?

"No, I'm fine," he finally said. There was a long pause. "But… thank you," he added softly.

Hermione stared. Malfoy just thanked me, she thought incredulously.

Malfoy turned his gaze to the fire and bit into the muffin he was holding. "Just promise me one thing, Granger."

"What?"

"Never tell Potter and Weasel you saw me crying. Never."

AN: I knew Hermione and Draco would need some sort of a "moment" where they both could see past their previous conceptions of each other, and I wondered for a while what it should be. Hermione needed to see a more human side of Draco - a more vulnerable side - and Draco needed to realise that Hermione would be open-minded enough to accept him despite the past. I think the two of them living together would soften their views on each other but they needed the big moment. Hence, this chapter. They're not best buddies yet, but they're beginning to open up to each other.

So? Thoughts? Reviews? Yes! Reviews. :D