So... next week I am going to America, and it's the first time I will ever leave Europe, so naturally I'm extremely excited. Unfortunately, this means I won't be able to post a chapter next week, although I made this one a bit longer to make up for it. I've forgotten to write this previously, but obviously all rights go to J. K. Rowling and her immense imagination! As always, please review if you're willing- it really makes my day. Happy reading :)

Hermione couldn't remember how she had made it back to bed that night. She woke with a start, sitting bolt upright, her covers strewn around her in a heaped mess. She wondered for a moment how she had got there- she couldn't recall retiring to the girl's dorm in the evening. Then, out of the blue, her memories came flooding back.

Tumbling out of the Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes. The dark magic shop down Knockturn alley. Ducking behind a cabinet when she had heard approaching voices. Seeing Lucius Malfoy hit his son with such rage. Draco's Dark Mark. Lucius' announcement to kill Dumbledore. Draco's refusal to do so. Following Draco back through the Cabinet. And running, running all the way back to the Gryffindor common room without stopping.

'You look like you slept well,' a voice cut through her thoughts. Her head snapped up, and she saw Ginny Weasley, also sat up in bed, grinning at her from across the room.

'I... had a bad dream,' Hermione said with a yawn, stretching her arms out in front of her.

'After the first day back at school? Well if that isn't a bad sign...'Ginny said, kicking off her covers and stumbling to her feat with a groan.

'Oh, please,' Hermione huffed, mimicking her actions. 'You're starting to sound like Professor Trelawney,' she said, referring to the slightly batty teacher of Divination. 'Not something I want to deal with first thing in the morning.'

Ginny sighed. 'You're right. Everyone gets nightmares- it's just you usually sleep like a rock.'

'Um, says you,' Hermione replied in an accusing tone, raking a comb through her hair whilst juggling to untangle her robes from the heap she had left them in on the floor. 'You were passed out on the couch before we even had to make it upstairs.'

'Really?' Ginny said in mock surprise. 'I don't remember that. And, speaking of which, I also don't remember seeing you come to bed last night,' she scrunched up her face in thought, and then shook her head. 'Like, at all. Where were you?'

Hermione panicked briefly before saying, as calmly as she could, 'that's strange. I was there most of the evening. But, come to think of it, I did go out for a short walk early on whilst you were asleep, although I definitely came back before bed. I think...you were a little tired by that point,' she finished with a smile.

Ginny frowned. 'Oh,' she said. Then her face transformed into a picture of blissful happiness as another thought popped into her head, replacing the confusion caused by Hermione's lie. 'You went out by yourself? Look at you getting all rebellious. I'm liking it,' she said with a laugh, finishing getting ready by shrugging her Gryffindor cloak on over her uniform. 'I'm done, you?'

'I'm ready,' Hermione said with a nod, and with that the two girls marched through the door, down the stairs and out of the Gryffindor common room into one of the main corridors. It didn't take them long to make their way to the Great Hall, where breakfast was being served, chatting all the while about the different lessons they were taking, and how many boys Ginny had dated over the summer- the answer being a lot.

Ron and Harry were already sat at the Gryffindor table when the girls arrived at their places, Ron avoiding Hermione by holding up a newspaper and pretending to read it intently. Instead of going to sit by Ron, like she usually did, Hermione slipped into the seat beside Harry, who rolled his eyes at her and began reaching for some food.

Ginny gave a huge sigh as she went round the table to sit opposite them next to Ron. 'Please, can you guys just make up already? I hate sitting next to my brother!'

'Thanks, Ginny,' Ron muttered, not looking up.

'Oh come on guys!' Ginny whined in response. 'What did my brother even do?' she said, directing her question at Hermione.

But Hermione wasn't listening. She was scouting the Slytherin table, her eyes sweeping up and down, searching for any signs of a tall, slim, blonde haired boy. However, Draco was nowhere to be seen, and Hermione had come in quite late: the room was almost full of pupils. And it wasn't as if Draco wasn't in school- he had used the Vanishing Cabinet's to transport back to Hogwarts before Hermione had. Maybe he wasn't planning on showing up, but, surely he would, or else that would raise suspicion?

Hermione shook herself angrily. Why was she worrying about Draco? She should have reported what she saw immediately, as soon as she had got back. But...she couldn't. All she could think of was that look of terror she had seen plastered on a face that was usually brimming with so much confidence. The fear that consumed a boy who pretended he had none. Just the thought of doing something so horrific as committing murder had left him looking so lost...it had shocked her. Had the scene played out in her head, Hermione would have imagined Draco leaping at a chance to prove himself to Voldemort, and to his father. He was always so proud of his pure-blood heritage. But instead she had seen him flat out refuse to do something in a situation where he had had no choice- and to refuse his father, of all people. Hermione had never thought that Lucius was so controlling of Draco, she had believed both father and son adored one and other in equal measure. Yet it certainly wasn't the case at all, not after what she'd witnessed. Did she feel sorry for him? A Slytherin pure-blood who had spent the past five years calling her filthy words and laughing in her face? She didn't know. All she knew was she couldn't just hand him over to the Ministry of Magic. And that was what would happen if she alerted the school of what she had discovered.

'Hermione!' Ginny's impatient cry jolted her from her stupor. 'Are you even listening? What are you looking around for?'

'What? Oh, nothing,' Hermione said hurriedly. Her reply was met with a couple of raised eyebrows from her friends. 'Um,' Hermione continued, looking down at the empty plate that sat in front of her, 'so, what did you say again?'

'Why are you and Ron fighting?' Ginny pressed, leaning both her elbows on the table and shaking her long, ginger hair over her shoulders in impatience. 'Or, should I just ask Harry?'

'Huh?' Harry said at the mention of his name, the forkful of food he had just lifted to his mouth hovering midway to its destination.

Ginny sighed for the umpteenth time and reached moodily for a helping of potatoes from the platter to her left. 'Unbelievable,' she cried. 'What is with everyone today? Is nobody awake? It's the first day back at school! Is no one excited, or what?'

'Not really,' Ron said, flinging his newspaper down. He rolled his shoulders back slowly, and then finally looked up, directly at Hermione, who stared back plainly. After what felt like a long time gazing at one and other, Hermione quickly looked away, as did Ron. He cleared his throat and picked up his cutlery. 'I, for one, am starving, so...' He trailed off, and plucked one of Ginny's potatoes from her plate, popping it into his mouth with a foolish grin.

'Hey,' Ginny said, glaring at her brother. Ron's eyes locked with Hermione's again, and she couldn't help it, she gave out a short laugh, all her worries forgotten for the moment. Ron looked pleased as he munched away, reaching across Ginny- who batted at him with the newspaper- to snatch up the potato platter.

He held it out to Hermione. 'Potato,' he offered, his words slurred due to the fact his mouth was still stuffed with the food.

It was Hermione's turn to bat at Ron. 'I don't think so,' she said firmly, laughing again.

Harry let out a sigh of relief. 'Yay,' he celebrated. 'Everyone's made up. Thank the lord, because I was beginning to regret coming back this year. And yes Ron,' he said with a grin, 'I'd love a potato, thanks for offering.' He reached over and took the platter from Ron, who smiled back.

Bang. The doors to the Great Hall swung open, causing practically everyone in the room to turn and stare at whoever had just made an entrance. Hermione hadn't even realised the doors had been shut- which meant the person entering was very late, considering they shut the doors once everyone was supposed to have taken their seats. She followed the gaze of everyone else, and saw none other than Draco as he came striding into the Hall.

Her happiness was short lived, as the crushing weight of everything from the previous night was back, although she had never really forgotten anything. The physical appearance of Draco was a vivid reminder that it had all been real. His head was down as he stormed over to his seat at the Slytherin table, his hands shoved into his pockets, just like they always were. But even Hermione could see how awful he looked: his skin was paler than ever, if that was even possible, with his cheeks a sickly green tinge. As he took his place besides Pansy Parkinson and Gregory Goyle, she caught a glimpse of his eyes as he looked up to greet his friends, and they were the picture of tiredness, with big purple bruises underneath them, indicating little to no sleep. Hermione suspected the latter, and she wasn't surprised. She doubted she would be able to sleep after having been told she had to kill Dumbledore, a prospect that terrified her just as much as it must for Draco.

It was strange, knowing that only she and Draco were the ones who knew about this 'master Death Eater plan'. And that not even Draco was aware that she did. It must be a terrible burden to bear, Hermione thought to herself, just as the room began to grow loud with chatter again after Draco's entrance had stunned everyone to silence. She looked to the front of the room to see Dumbledore smiling and talking to his neighbours at the head of the staff table, and then back to Draco, who was staring down at his empty plate with a look of hatred.

It must be horrible, she wondered, to be in the same room as the person you are going to kill. This, she couldn't keep this to herself, she decided suddenly. This wasn't her burden, and murdering the school's professor- she realised with a jolt- was a very, very big deal. Her mind whirred as she was back again to considering her options. Earlier she had vowed to herself to keep it a secret but- Draco could kill Dumbledore at any time. It could be within the week, and she was officially a witness. If she didn't tell anyone- well, that could end badly for her, and she was risking Dumbledore's life the whole time. It didn't matter that Draco was unwilling, it wasn't her problem. Her problem was the potential life she could save- the headmaster's, of all people!

'Guys,' Hermione blurted, turning back to face her friends, who were all busily stuffing their faces, while her plate still lay empty. This is it, Hermione thought as everyone glanced up at her. Everyone except Ginny, who was staring wide eyed at the Daily Prophet. Hermione, not noticing this, opened her mouth to continue when Ginny spoke, cutting her off.

'Oh. My. God.' Everyone's attention- including Hermione- was now on her as her eyes flicked back and forth between the other three Gryffindors. 'Guys, you will never believe this,' she said, her eyes bulging as wide as saucers. 'You will never believe this,' she repeated.

Ron drummed his fingers on the table. 'What?' he snapped. 'You're keeping us in suspense here.'

'It's Lucius Malfoy,' she gaped, and Hermione was immediately drawn by the name. 'He's escaped from Azkaban; can you believe it? Apparently Death Eaters are doing that more often, and no one knows how.'

Of course, Hermione thought to herself. She had forgotten that last night, when she had seen Lucius. She remembered being shocked to see him, and not just because the whole experience had been shocking- but because of something she couldn't remember, and this was it! She'd read about Lucius' imprisonment at the end of last year and after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, in which she had fought alongside her friends against the likes of Lucius and other Death Eaters. 'Life sentence', the headline had read.

'I bet Malfoy over there knows how,' Ron said with disgust, jabbing his thumb towards where Draco sat at the Slytherin table. 'He's probably a bloody Death Eater himself, prancing around the place like he owns it. I bet he even helped his father escape, like a little Death Eater training exercise or something.'

'Wouldn't surprise me,' Harry agreed, the look of hatred in his eyes apparent as he followed Ron's gaze.

'Don't be stupid you guys,' Ginny butted in with a roll of her eyes. 'Draco's not a Death Eater. For one, he's too young. And they wouldn't let him into school if they thought that.'

Oh, if only you knew, Hermione thought, an image of Draco's Dark Mark floating up in her mind.

'It's Malfoy, not Draco,' Ron said, sounding exasperated. 'Pathetic little ferrets don't deserve to be called by their first names. And, Ginny, I'm just surprised they would trust someone whose family are all Death Eaters, and whose father is- sorry, was- in prison for it. Kind of suspicious.'

'You know,' a voice cut in, and everyone looked round to see Seamus Finnegan leaning towards them, who was sitting a little way away from Harry. 'I heard they weren't going to let him in, but Snape fought for him to get a place this year.'

'Snape?' Ron said mutely. 'Yeah, he kisses Malfoy's ass. I've never seen a teacher so head over heels for a pupil before. I think he's in love.' Harry sniggered.

'Yeah, well,' Ginny said with a shrug. 'Oh, Hermione! What was it you were going to say again?' she asked, facing Hermione with a questioning look. Suddenly all eyes were upon her again, this time including Seamus'.

'Oh, well, I...' she started. A moment of silence passed, with everyone still waiting patiently for Hermione to talk. But, she found she couldn't. The word's tasted like acid in her mouth, and for some unknown reason, she found she couldn't say a word. She thought that, of all people, her friends would be the easiest to tell. Had she left it too late? Would they think she'd been withholding information if she told them now? Would they think she had been protecting Draco? Whatever the reason, she realised that Draco's secret was now her secret. She had no idea what she would do with it, but for now, it would go unshared. 'Um, it was nothing. Doesn't matter,' she shrugged. Then, to avoid any curious stares, she began to pile any helpings of food she could see onto her plate. 'God, I am starving though.'

'What am I doing?' Hermione mumbled to herself as she rushed down corridor after corridor, a big pile of books in her hands. She was returning them to the library after borrowing them for the summer, as she had felt the need to catch up on some class work she had missed in fifth year. Going to the library was also the perfect excuse to take out something new to read, and a good place for her to sit down and think. Alone. At breakfast, having her friends around had made it difficult to concentrate. With so many complicated things going on in her head, she desperately felt the need to sort it all out- without distractions and questions from anybody else.

She walked on, head down, clasping her books to her chest like a lifeline, trying not to worry too much about... everything. Which is what she would do if she thought too long about what she was doing, and what she was doing, she had no idea. Then she rounded the corner, and felt like she had just collided with a brick wall.

The books she had been holding flew from her grasp as she toppled backwards, managing to regain her footing before she completely fell over. The 'brick wall' she had hit, stumbled the other way, a hand to his face. Hermione was in disbelief. Of all the people she could have bumped into, it was Draco Malfoy she had collided with.

'Ow,' the Slytherin hissed unceremoniously, rubbing his cheek vigorously where it must have been caught by one of Hermione's books, which were quite heavy. 'Watch it...' he continued, looking up. As soon as he saw Hermione standing in front of him, his expression changed from one of anger, to shock, and then finally to a look of hatred. 'Granger?' He sounded mad, and disbelieving. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm-' Hermione began, intending to explain that she was headed towards the library, and that is was none of his business where she was going. But as she looked around, she realised that she was nowhere near the library, and actually closer to the Slytherin common room. Had she been subconsciously heading this way, or had she just been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had lost her way and happened to end up in the place she least wanted to be... by chance? Whatever the case, there was no excuse to her being here, so instead Hermione did something ridiculously impulsive she would have regretted had she thought about it for even a split second.

Draco was still glaring at her, waiting impatiently for a response, a hand still to his face. His free arm was his left, which was hanging by his side. Hermione suddenly leapt forward, reaching for it, managing to grab it. Draco, certainly not expecting to be attacked, was unprepared. He was only just starting to pull away when Hermione twisted his arm up, yanking his sleeve down to his elbow and revealing his Dark Mark, in plain sight.

Draco stared at his exposed arm, then back at Hermione, who was still clinging to him with wide eyes, unsure of what she had just done. He spluttered slightly, before finally coming to his senses and realising what had just happened. With a cry he shoved her backwards, pulling his sleeve down hastily. Without a pause, he charged.

'Malfoy, wait!' Hermione cried just before he was on top of her, forcing her backwards against the cold stone wall of the corridor. He was bigger and stronger than her, and Hermione knew she didn't stand a change fighting Draco physically. Despite this she continued to flail and kick, trying in vain to force the body that was pressed up against her away. She could hear Draco's harsh breaths in her face as he held her in place with one hand, his other fumbling for something. His eyes were large, and Hermione knew he was panicking.

She continued to protest, slipping one hand into her robes, and feeling for her wand, also. Draco beat her to it, drawing his wand out and pressing it to her neck. 'How did you know?' he hissed, giving her a quick shake. 'Tell me.'

'Malfoy, please,' Hermione hissed back. Calm down-'

'Answer my question,' he snarled, interrupting her, pressing the wand down harder. 'Did someone tell you about this? Did you see it?' he demanded, his voice quivering.

Hermione gulped- the look on Draco's face was terrifying, and she had no idea what he was going to do. 'Please,' she said again, trying to keep her voice calm. 'I'll explain everything, but not here.'

'You can tell me now,' Draco said stubbornly. 'Don't mess with me Granger,' he warned, bringing his face even closer to hers. 'You don't understand what you're doing.'

'Just let me explain,' Hermione pleaded again. Her fingers were still grasping for her wand, but Draco's arm was pushed up against hers as he held her, trapping it. However, she could feel her fingers brushing against the wand tip. She could almost reach it...

'I have a better idea, Granger,' Draco said. 'Either you talk or I wipe your little mudblood memory clean. You won't even remember the past couple of days, let alone this ever happening. Your choice.'

Hermione gasped. 'That's insane. Malfoy, I promise I'll tell you everything I know, but not here. I promise you,' she blurted, trying feebly to lift herself off the wall again with little success. The look on Draco's face told her he wasn't listening to anything she was saying. He looked desperate and slightly mad as he lifted his wand to her head.

Hermione's heartbeat quickened as she began to struggle again. 'What are you doing?' she asked, even though she knew the answer. Draco was going to wipe her memory. Everything she had learnt would be gone: the Vanishing Cabinets, Borgin and Burkes, Draco's 'mission', everything.

Draco ignored her, opening his mouth to utter the incantation. 'Obli-'

'Expelliarmus,' Hermione cried before Draco could utter the fateful words. Just as he was about to wipe her memory the hand that had been grasping for her wand had finally closed around its target. She had managed to pull the wand from her robes and disarm Draco at the last second. She watched in relief as his wand flew from his grip and clattered to the floor a couple of metres from where the two stood. Draco let go of Hermione, darting for it, and releasing her from his hold. Hermione stepped away from the wall, ignoring her sore and most likely bruised back.

As soon as Draco had a hold of his wand again, he spun back towards Hermione, pointing it at her with an extended arm. Hermione mirrored his stance, feeling a lot calmer now that she was no longer in immediate danger. 'What do you say, Malfoy?' Hermione asked after a moment of silence. She kept a straight face whilst Draco made no effort to hide his hatred, his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed. The only clue to his anxiousness was the slight tremor in his hand as he held his wand, which was still aimed at Hermione. 'We can talk privately, and I'll explain what I know, or you can continue your attempt to commit an act of treason by attacking another pupil. Now, it's your choice,' she finished, raising an eyebrow.

'How do I know you won't tell somebody?' Draco asked furiously, shifting from one foot to another. He was nervous.

'You don't,' Hermione admitted simply. 'But I swear on my life that I won't tell anyone about this.'

'I don't believe you,' Draco said sharply, his eyes darting about. He was definitely getting more nervous the longer they were out in the corridor. It was extremely lucky that no one had walked by yet. 'Why wouldn't you tell anyone?'

'Because,' Hermione said calmly, 'I know more than you think.' Draco's brow furrowed as he processed this new information, Hermione stared meaningfully at him all the while. She lowered her wand, and after a few seconds, to her relief, so did he.

More silence passed. Then Draco spoke. One word, which sent relief washing over Hermione like a wave. 'Fine,' he said, pocketing his wand. 'I know a place. Follow me.'

And with that he began to walk away without another glance towards Hermione. He walked right past her and turned the corner- the other way from which she'd come. As he brushed past her it was impossible to tell what he was thinking, although it was obvious he was on edge as he strode ahead of her. Hermione followed, unsure of what she was doing herself, but she knew better than to start arguing with Draco. So she continued on after him, the pile of books left sprawled all over the floor, forgotten.

Next chapter in 2 weeks... Thanks for reading!