A/N: Heyo, ZL here! I know these are short chapters but I'm planning on putting them out every couple of days. Once I'm done I'm probably going to re-write the whole thing and upload it again, so if you're sticking with me thats the plan. :) Let me know if they are too OOC for you, and hopefully thats something I will be able to fix. Anyway, a little bit of fluffy in this chapter, if you squint. Enjoy.

Summary: In 6th year when Hermione discovers that Harry's baseless acusations about Malfoy are more true than she had anticipated, she goes to Dumbledore who stages Draco's death and sends him into hiding. But thats not where her part ends. Dumbledore expects her to tutor him on the 6th year material. Left with more time together alone then ever before, they begin to see things differently, in this, the prelude to their end.

Chapter 4: Might As Well Be Walking on the Sun

When she stepped out of the fireplace she recognized the bright kitchen in the otherwise gloomy Grimmauld Place. She was greeted by Mrs. Weasley who, she noticed, was wearing an apron, no doubt cooking up some food for the residents.

"Hermione dear! How are you? Dumbledore told me you would be coming. Would you care for some stew?"

"Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I already had dinner." Hermione said politely.

"No matter. I suppose you'll be wanting to get straight to work then?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Hermione smiled.

"Very well, dear. He's in the library. Holed himself up in there, and really only comes out for meals. Doesn't feel very welcome, I expect."

Hermione laughed "I wouldn't either if I were being held in the headquarters of the enemy as though I'm a prisoner 'for my own good'."

"Its is very noble what you are doing, dear. Not many would claim such an open kindness as their own. Its acts like these that separate us from evil." Mrs. Weasley mused on this for a moment, and then sighed, "But are you sure you can do this? Just because Dumbledore asked doesn't mean you are obligated to."

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I'm sure." Hermione said, "Its like you said...We need to do things like this because if we don't, we're as hateful as they are. He's just a kid like Harry, Ron and I. I would never wish this on anyone."

Mrs. Weasley just nodded and Hermione took her leave. She walked lightly through the halls out of habit. No need to wake the portrait of Mrs. Black and cause undue disruption to the Order's daily activities. Coming up to the door of the library, she knocked lightly. She waited for what she considered to be an appropriate amount of time before letting herself in.

She wasn't greeted with foul words or an angry sneer, as she had expected. No, it was something else entirely. She was greeted by the sleeping form of Draco Malfoy, face pressed heavily onto the pages of an open book.

She giggled at how silly he looked. His hair was sticking up wildly and his arms were sprawled across the desk. He was even drooling a bit. She couldn't help but find this Draco to be very endearing.

Hold on...had she just thought of him as 'Draco'?

No matter how cute (she mentally cringed at this word) he might have looked, it was no reason to go about thinking of him as 'Draco'. They were nowhere near being on a first name basis.

She couldn't help tacking on a 'yet' to the end of her thoughts.

Occupied by her own musings she didn't notice Malfoy begin to stir, no doubt from her tinkling laughter, until he muttered a curse and groaned. She waited patiently for him to notice her standing there. And notice he did.

The moment he spotted her, he shrieked like a cat and fell backwards off his chair. Hermione started cracking up.

"Oh God, Malfoy," She said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye, "You should have seen your face."

He frowned and grumbled something that sounded like 'stupid mudblood' before getting up and reclaiming his former place at the desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly after a long moment of purposely not looking at her.

"What? Didn't Dumbledore tell you?"

"Tell me what?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm here to bring you your homework, and review the lessons with you so that you can keep up with your schooling." She said, matter-of-factly.

He groaned loudly now. "Is it not enough that I've got to be trapped here with bloody former Gryffindors all day long, I have to keep doing school work too? I knew the old man set out to torture me from the start!"

Hermione frowned. "There's no need for melodrama. Be grateful that Mrs. Weasley is feeding you and that you have the option to continue your education at all! Most would label you a traitor and lock you away. Be even more grateful you're not facing the wrath of You-Know-Who and your death instead of the kindness of Dumbledore with a warm bed and three meals a day!"

"Just who do you think you are?" Malfoy asked acidly.

"Just who do you think you are?" she replied angrily.

"I am Draco, son of Lucius of the most noble house of Malfoy, and I will not be spoken to as if I'm some vagrant, much less by you!"

"Newsflash, Mr.'I think I'm better than everyone else', you are a vagrant."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Just look it up in the dictionary!" She finally shouted, "I don't have time for your petty antics!"

It was then she realized just how close they had gotten in their argument. Their noses were almost touching. She could see clearly the angry flush that had crept into his pale cheeks...

She took one large step back, and let out and uncomfortable cough. He must have too, because he didn't respond to her last comment. After a long moment Malfoy finally broke the awkward silence.

"Thank you." he muttered, almost too quietly for her to hear.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Don't make me say it again!" He growled.

"Thats not what I mean, Malfoy. I heard what you said. Why?"

He closed his eyes and replied equally as quietly as before. "For giving me a choice."

Almost as if it had never even existed, the forlorn look in his eyes disapeared and he returned to his usual demeanor.

"So, Granger, where is the homework you were supposed to bring me? I've been here a week and its starting to get extremely boring."

"Its..." she realized she didn't have them in her hand. "Oh! Its probably in the kitchen. I must have left it there when I was speaking to Mrs. Weasley."

"Smart, Granger." he replied sarcastically.

She huffed and decided not to encourage him.

"Well, come on then." she said, and turned to leave.

As her back was turned to him, she was not privy to the silent look of fear that crossed Malfoy's face. She had taken a few steps befre she realized that he was not with her, and she turned around again. He attemped to school his features before she saw, and it had almost worked, but Hermione was too quick.

"Malfoy," she said mockingly, "the bunch of 'bloody former Gryffindors' are not going to hurt you."

"Thats not what I'm worried about." he grumbled.

"What? Worried they're going to treat you like you're a piece of scum?"

He frowned, but said nothing, not even looking in her direction.

"Well, welcome to the club." she said waspishly, and turned quickly on her heal leaving him in the library to stew in his own thoughts.

"So don't delay act now supplies are running out
Allow if you're still alive six to eight years to arrive
And if you follow there may be a tomorrow
But if the offer is shun you might as well be walkin' on the sun"

Walkin' on the Sun, Smash Mouth