Fast update for you all! I'm being left all these wonderful reviews that motivate me to update really fast. So...

I dedicate this chapter to my reviewers: Pug 1998, born4thesaddle, annaea3077, sarahy, makaya, Sandy, Ginny1810, Dorothy Malfoy, SuperWhoLockianGirl, editorofthequibbler, 27, xXxCorsaRoo450xXx, and You know me (yeah I know who you are) as well as the numerous guests who have reviews.

But I especially dedicate it to MioSole, MuppetKatie, and Justanothertypicalbookworm and several guests (you know who you are) for leaving very motivational reviews that made me extremely happy!

Thank you to everyone who folloewed and favorited this story. I can't list all of you because that would be quite extensive but still, thank you! And also all the readers. I looked at my traffic graph the other day and whoa!

Now for the memory...

The hazy veil that usually surrounded memories clouded my vision, but unfortunately not enough.

Memory Malfoy stood to one side with his parents and Bellatrix. They were in the dining area where I had been tortured. A lot happened in that room I noted. I looked at the ground and immediately regretted it. Goblins, dead and dying lay everywhere, blood oozing from their wounds onto the wood floor.

Real Malfoy stood at my side and pointed to the center of the room.

Voldemort stepped over Goblin bodies speaking parselmouth to his snake, Nagini. Even I could tell he was angry, about what I didn't know. The whole family seemed to cower into the corner each time he looked their way.

There was a moment of silence before Voldemort spoke again, this time in English.

"Your family has failed the death eaters once again Lucius," Voldemort began.

"My lord-," Lucius interrupted.

"SILENCE! Harry Potter was in this very house with his mudblood friend and the blood traitor and yet I was not summoned! Of course, I shouldn't have expected anything more from you Lucius and Narcissa and especially Draco, but Bella. You were always my most devoted followed and now you have failed me too," his voice was like a snake or a nails scraping on a chalkboard.

It gave me chills.

"But my lord," Bellatrix's sickly sweet voice cut through the silence. "The headline today was about Potter and Weasley's death. In fact Draco used it was used to destroy the mudblood's last bit of fighting spirit this afternoon."

"You fools! Of course they are not dead! Do you think I could let the wizarding world know that Harry Potter broke into your vault, the highest security vault at Gringotts, and stole something of dire importance? Of course not! The two of them are completely safe somewhere unknown!" The calmness of his voice scared me more than if he had yelled.

They're alive! I couldn't fully process how overjoyed I was right now.

Memory Malfoy's eyes widened at his words while I felt a blossom of pride for my two friends in my chest. They had put the pieces together in a way normally only I could. Bellatrix thought we had been in her vault and was panic stricken which meant Voldemort must have had something in there for safekeeping. And what else but a Horcrux? Brilliant boys!

"Come here Draco," Voldemort hissed.

Memory Malfoy took a shaky step towards him.

"Crucio."

The boy dropped to his knees and then to the floor writhing in pain. A scream tore from his throat.

"Perhaps torturing your son will have a greater affect on you then torturing you would," Voldemort's voice projected over Malfoy's screams.

Narcissa's lip quivered and she took a step forward then stepped back thinking better of it. Voldemort lifted the curse and Memory Malfoy lay on the ground twitching with the aftershocks.

"Lucius, Bellatrix, and Narcissa I expect you can handle the extremely simple task of sorting out new security measures at Gringotts. I expect it to take you a week at least. Draco perhaps you can just stay here and continue your schoolwork. I know how important school is to children," Voldemort's last words were mocking. "Come Nagini!"

With that, they disapparated from the room.

"This is your fault Draco! You realize that don't you?" Lucius snarled.

Memory Malfoy still lay on the floor, trembling a little.

"Had you told us if it was Potter we could have summoned the Dark Lord sooner!"

"Lucius," Narcissa warned.

"Crucio! You pathetic excuse for a son, I am embarrassed to call you my heir," Lucius growled, ignoring his wife.

Another scream filled the room and I could only keep my eyes fixed on Malfoy's body twisting in ways it shouldn't on the ground. His father lifted the curse and the memory faded.

I pulled my face from the bowl and looked over at Malfoy. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"They're alive? Malfoy, you lied to me!" I half screamed, half whispered

"I can expl-."

"No you can't!"

"You actually thought I was telling the truth? I'm a Slytherin remember?!" He asked incredulously.

"I didn't think that even you could be that cruel! Even you! Do you have any idea how I felt?"

"In case you didn't pick up on it, I didn't know they weren't actually dead until after I read you that article!"

"You knew for the last three, four days!" I sobbed. "I had no reason to live when I thought they were dead. I have no one except them Malfoy!"

"At least you have parents," he murmured fixing me with a harsh gaze.

"Not anymore."

"What do you mean not anymore?" Malfoy asked.

"Why should I tell you! You lied to me. I should get to lie to you too."

He took several steps towards me, "Don't push it Granger."

With the knowledge that Harry and Ron were alive I didn't feel as afraid of Malfoy as I had just minutes before.

"I just let you in my head," he snapped.

He had a point, "With you lot, the death eaters, killing muggle borns and their families left and right I knew they weren't safe. I... I... erased their memories and sent them away. I knew... knew they couldn't be safe if I could be traced back to them. They... uh... they don't know they have a daughter. If I saw them now they would think I was a complete stranger... and memory charms, well it's not very common that they can be reversed."

"Granger..."

"Don't. Nothing you say will..." I trailed off. "Look, I understand you thought the paper was telling the truth but I don't understand what changed your mind about me. I don't understand why you seem to actually care. I don't understand why you didn't tell me they are alive, but more than that I don't understand why you did. Most importantly I don't understand you!"

Cold tears dripped off of my cheeks and to the floor. A thumb smoothed them away gently and immediately pulled back. I looked up at Malfoy, standing over me.

"But maybe I do know what made you bring me out of the dungeon."

I had started to put the pieces together. My first real tears were the day before I woke up in Malfoy's bed. Please don't do that Granger. I remembered him saying that when I cried earlier and then I had cried just now. Tears. My tears are what bothered him. I didn't know why, but I planned on finding out.

"It's my tears isn't it? Don't even answer, I know. But why?"

He didn't want to tell me, I could tell. And I was smart enough to know he wasn't going to.

"It's four in the morning. Can we just go back to bed?"

"We can't. I'll stay on the couch since you can't handle my nightmares," I snapped.

"The idea of showing you that memory was so you wouldn't have nightmares and just maybe I could get a goodnight's sleep for the first time in almost a mo- week," he said.

"I'll stay on the couch."

He sighed and led me back to the room with the fireplace. I stretched back out on the couch and he left for his room.

Ron and Harry are alive and hiding somewhere, waiting for their chance. If they destroyed the horcrux they found in Bellatrix's vault that meant two were left. I almost cried tears of joy. Seven years of adventures and they had survived a month, almost, without me. They were alive. No more nightmares.

I needed an escape plan. Of course, escape was probably next to impossible but I was Hermione Granger, I'd figure something out.

Something was still nagging at my mind though.

Of course I was still Malfoy's, prisoner for all intents and purposes. But it was more than that, that troubled me. I think I was starting to care about him.

Despite my best attempts to ignore it, I had seen what Voldemort did to him. I had seen what his own father had done to him. No wonder he was a bully at school, he was hiding the pain he endured here behind that mask of cruelty.

I knew what the cruciatus curse felt like, and I would wish it on no one, except perhaps Bellatrix and Voldemort.

I pitied Draco for the way he was treated. I pitied him for having this cold empty house to call home. But mostly I pitied him because none of this was his fault. I was realizing he didn't have a choice whether or not to join the deatheaters.

As I fell asleep I realized my subconscious had used his first name. Draco, not Malfoy.

So the idea was to give Hermione some hope and let you all know Harry and Ron are alive. I hope that I did successfully. So there you go! I consider this a turning point in their relationship but not the main turning point. I like to think of the next chapter as that but I won't really know until I've finished writing it.

I am so excited for the next chapter though. I've been looking forward to writing it literally since I started this story. I consider that their turning point. I might have to split it into two chapters.

Also, yes I have a story about the tears.

Anyway, have a great day! keep leaving reviews and I'll keep updating often! Hugs!