Sorry for the wait guys! Hopefully it was worth it. Life's been pretty crazy with college stuff over here. (Still waiting for my SAT scores!)

I promise I'll write faster the more you review! I see a lot of you are favoriting this story and such, but very few comment. Anything would be appreciated!

We're getting some action going in this chapter, and some tension between our favorite enemies! It's taking so long for them to like each other... I'm sort of letting them direct this story, so blame them for the length, not me!

Anything you recognize is not mine.

Chapter Nine

By the time ten o'clock rolled around, Hermione was thankful to have rounds. She had spent the last two hours sitting at the kitchen table, attempting to focus on her homework while being unable to think of anything but Malfoy. She was confused; for all he spoke of family and blood, he sure didn't share much about his. In the last twenty-four hours she had discovered that he had a younger sister whom he actually was sweet to, and that his father was dead. What else was he hiding?

Hermione saw Marissa standing by the dungeon common rooms, waiting for her, and waved. Although Malfoy probably didn't associate with the girl very often, she was still a Slytherin, and might know something about his family.

"Hello Marissa," she said, smiling at the chubby girl. "How are you?"

"I'm well, thank you," replied the girl shyly. She looked down at her feet, shuffling slightly. "How does this work? I've never done rounds before."

"Well, since it's already after curfew, our main job is to make sure no student is out of bed. We just have to patrol the hallways for an hour. Are you ready?"

Marissa smiled, nodding, and the two took off down the hallway to begin their rounds. Hermione urged the girl to talk, asking about her home life and classes, and once Marissa realized that Hermione didn't mind the chatter she began to speak willingly.

"It's just a little strange being part of Slytherin with my parents," Marissa said, after a long commentary on the different Houses in Hogwarts. Hermione perked up at the mention of Slytherin; she had tuned the girl out twenty minutes before.

"What do you mean?" she asked, attempting to appear nonchalant. Although it was typically Harry who had the crazy Slytherin theories, she was curious about the inner-workings of the House, and now that she had finally met someone willing to openly share such information she was not about to give up the opportunity.

"Well, you know, just that my parents aren't anti-Muggle," Marissa replied calmly. "They never supported Voldemort at all – in fact, they openly objected to his treatment of Muggles. You see, my Mum's brother was a Squib, so she became really interested in what life was like without magic, and came to the realization that Muggles were no worse than wizards. Of course, I got a lot of grief for that standpoint in Slytherin!" Marissa said, laughing. Hermione paused, unsure how to respond to such a blunt statement.

Marissa turned to the older girl, realizing that she had shocked her. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so used to Slytherin's talking openly about Voldemort and their parents' relations with him; I'm sure it must be really painful for you to hear of him."

Hermione shook her head, forcing a smile back on her face. "No, it's not that," she said. "Most Slytherin's just don't seem too willing to discuss such… personal matters, is all."

"Oh, I've never minded sharing my opinion. Most people don't think I belong in Slytherin – my parents certainly were not in it – but I'm really ambitious. Once I set my mind to something, I do it, no matter what. I guess that's why the Hat put me in here. And the other Slytherin's just have to be careful, because if they say something incriminating they can get kicked out of the school. But you see, I have nothing to worry about, since my parents were always on Dumbledore's side."

"But it must be easier this year, with those who openly supported Voldemort gone and the Death Eaters having left?"

Marissa paused, looking over her shoulder. "Well, I'm not so sure how true that is. A lot of people were just really good at hiding their true feelings from those who mattered. They would never speak ill of Dumbledore to his face, but in the dungeons, they would openly support Voldemort. And I've heard there are a few Death Eaters trying to get going again."

"What?" Hermione asked, shocked.

Marissa chewed her on her lower lip, clearly flustered. "I'm sorry – I tend to just say things as they come to my mind. I didn't mean that. I mean, there has been some talk, but it's probably just some kids trying to reestablish honor in their families by making things up. Without Voldemort there's no way the Death Eater's can resurface."

"Of course," replied Hermione, her mind elsewhere. She ran over a list of Slytherins in her head, trying to decide which ones might secretly be with Voldemort. Obviously some, like Malfoy, could have simply bribed their way into the school…

"Oh, I've upset you know, haven't I? I'm sorry. Harry Potter got rid of Voldemort. There's no danger left, everyone's in Azkaban."

Hermione smiled lightly at the girl. "You haven't upset me," she said. Marissa beamed at Hermione's apparent forgiveness, and began to go on about the different plants she had been exploring in Herbology, allowing Hermione's mind to wander. By the time it was eleven o'clock and they had returned to the dungeons, Marissa had exhausted herself from talking and Hermione had a potential list of Slytherin's who were with Voldemort in her mind.

"Good night!" Marissa said as they came to a stop in front of the Slytherin Common Room. "I had such a good time; I can't wait for our rounds next week! It's so great to have someone to talk to who shares my views." She dropped her voice to a whisper, again looking over her shoulder. "To be honest, I'm rather scared for rounds with Malfoy. He seems rather… intimidating. I've never even spoken to him."

Hermione laughed, for a moment forgetting her worries, and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry, Malfoy is no one to be concerned about. Just don't let him get to you. Good night!"

Hermione sighed and tapped her foot, glancing at the clock on the mantelpiece yet again. It was five minutes after midnight, and she was waiting for Malfoy to return from his rounds. She fought back a yawn, willing herself to stay awake. She had been waiting an hour to talk to Malfoy about what Marissa had said, and was not going to let him walk off without discussing things again.

She was about to get up and start searching for him herself when she heard a knock at the door. She jumped up and opened it before Malfoy had even lowered his arm.

"Wow, Granger, excited to see me?" Malfoy said, a snide grin on his face. He stepped in past her, pushing her slightly with his shoulder.

Hermione gritted her teeth, unwilling to let him jostle her. They had a lot to talk about and he wouldn't say anything if they were fighting.

"Sit down, Malfoy. We need to talk."

He glanced at the clock, sighing. "Granger, it's after midnight. I'm sure your obsessive Head duties can wait until the morning." He yanked off his clock and threw it on the couch, then stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "I know it must come to a surprise to you, but not all of us are studying robots who can last days without sleep."

"This isn't about Head duties," she said, sitting down at the kitchen table. "Will you just sit down?"

Malfoy sighed. "Fine. Wait a sec." He walked over to the kitchen and took out some ground coffee and mugs.

"What are you doing?"

"Making coffee," replied Malfoy, putting two scoops into the coffee maker. "I need something to make sure the drone of your voice doesn't put me to sleep."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his insult, then paused, thinking. "How do you know what coffee is? They don't serve it in the Wizarding world."

"I'm not completely ignorant of Muggle life."

"Could have fooled me," Hermione muttered, but she still watched intently as he placed cream, sugar, and two steaming cups of coffee on the table in front of her, then sat down across the table.

"So, what is so important that I'm being forced away from my bed?" Malfoy asked, sipping his coffee black. Hermione cringed, pulling the sugar to her and placing several scoops in the mug. She couldn't stand the bitter taste of black coffee.

"A few things," Hermione said, musing over what to start with so as to not scare him away before they discussed everything. She stirred her coffee thoughtfully and decided to start with the most pressing matter. "Marissa told me something interesting today…"

Malfoy snorted. "Marissa is about as air-headed as Loony Lovegood. You shouldn't believe everything she says."

Hermione glared at him. "That's no way to speak about a fellow Prefect," she scolded, but he ignored her. She continued on, still angry. "Anyways, what she said is pretty serious, and as a Slytherin, I figured you might know something about it…" The ticking of the clock above the mantelpiece seemed oddly loud to Hermione in the silence, and she counted fifteen seconds before continuing in a soft voice. "She said the Death Eaters were coming back."

Malfoy was silent for a long time, his jaw set and his coffee cooling in front of him. "You mean as a Death Eater, I might know something about it," he whispered, his voice vicious.

"Your words, not mine."

Malfoy looked up to meet Hermione's eyes, and she drew back slightly, shocked at the anger smoldering in his gray orbs. "Your people put hundreds in Azkaban. Many with families, with children… all of whom are angry. They have no solid leader yet, but there are many who are willing. Did you really think they would just disappear?" He shook his head, turning away. "They're mad at me. My family publically denounced Voldemort, and they're angry. That's why my sister slept here the other night; she's frightened by the other kids talking about their return. I promised I had switched sides when I returned this year, and I'm not going back on that promise, not with Clarise. That life is no life for a little girl."

"Or any child," replied Hermione before she even realized she was speaking, staring at Malfoy and taking in the lines on his face once again. He had only been a little kid when circumstances had thrust him into the war, just like Harry had been.

Malfoy laughed bitterly. "Better to be a boy than a girl in that world. But it's nothing to worry about yet. I know what's going on, and I'm keeping an eye on it." He took a long sip of his coffee, apparently letting the hot liquid sooth his nerves. "What else was there? Clarise, I'm assuming?"

"Yes, and… and your father."

"Like I said, dead. After he denounced Voldemort, some Death Eaters paid our Manor a visit… I only just got Clarise out in time. I Apparated both of us to the castle before the rest of the school arrived. I was able to go back a few weeks ago, and I got all our stuff… found my parent's bodies and buried them behind the house without markers, so their graves wouldn't be disturbed." His eyes had lost all emotion, and he spoke the words calmly, as if they were discussing the weather.

"Malfoy… I'm so sorry…" murmured Hermione, reaching out unconsciously and placing her hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. He yanked his arm away immediately and glared at her.

"They were Death Eaters, remember? According to your kind, they deserved it."

"No one deserves that. They had switched sides…"

"But no one believed them. You can never be trusted once you switch sides."

Hermione turned her head away, letting the sweet aroma of the coffee waft into her nose and envelope her in memories of her home. She didn't know how to continue; with Harry and Ron, she had always firmly believed they were good, despite any stupid mistake they might have made. But it was much harder to convince Malfoy of something when she wasn't fully sure of it herself.

"If no one trusts you, why did Professor McGonagall name you Head Boy?"

Malfoy laughed again. "Please. Head Boy is the most public role she could give me. My schedule is always posted for teachers to see. These new dorms keep me conveniently away from the other Slytherins who might be plotting something. And it doesn't hurt that the Head Girl is Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes, War-Hero Hermione Granger."

"Professor McGonagall wouldn't do that…"

"But Dumbledore would, and he's the one who assigned us to this stupid job." Draco finished his coffee in one last swig and stood up, shoving his chair back behind him with a loud screech. "Look, it doesn't matter. I get it. I'm a Slytherin. I automatically get treated differently. I bet you were shocked by Marissa, weren't you? You didn't think she belonged in that House, because she's so good?"

"I never said that!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "I know you're used to Potter and Weasel, but not everyone needs you to say what you think to know what's on your mind. It's what everyone thinks when they see Marissa. And I'm used to it, because nothing's going to change. So if you're done interrogating me, I'm going to bed." With that Malfoy turned on his heels and stormed into his room, his face emotionless.

Hermione let her head fall to the cool wooden table, her hair fanning out around her and shielding her from the violent light above. She had assumed he would become angry at her questions, but his reaction hadn't been what she had expected. She had caught a glimpse of his eyes as he turned around. She had expected to see pain, but they were empty.

She quickly cleared the table, not wanting any evidence of their conversation to be left in the morning to spark another argument. After she set the mugs in the drying rack she walked back to her room, drying her hands on the front of her robes as she walked and trying not to look at Malfoy's door, which he had slammed shut. Her mind was foggy from lack of sleep and confusion.

That night, images of hooded figures with white masks haunted her dreams for the first time since they had defeated Voldemort.