A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. Had writer's block again. This chapter is for you. :)

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 9: A Pain That Sleeps Inside

Hermione was blinded by anger. How could he think so lowly of her? She just didn't understand. Why should he be so jealous? She knew he had his inadequacy issues, but this? This was a step too far. Not only did he have no say in who she liked (or who she didn't, in this case), but he had no right to insinuate that she, of all people, was some common trollop!

Embarassed that tears were still streaming down her face, no matter how hard she tried to stop it, she ran to the first place she could think of: The Black family library. Most people didn't know it even existed, let alone care about it. But she did.

She closed the door behind her and sank into a musty smelling chair and just cried. She must have been there for about fifteen minutes before a voice caused her to jump.

"Whatever he did, he's a right bastard."

Hermione scanned the dark room and saw his sillouette on the window sill.

Draco.

Hermione let out a small chuckle. "He's jealous of you."

Her voice was still thick from crying.

"Don't know why he would be jealous of me." Draco said sardonically, "You cry over him because you're his friend and he's being an arse. You cry over me because I'm just an arse."

Hermione smiled through her tears, "Never thought I'd see the day Malfoy would describe himself as anything other than perfect."

"Don't get used to it."

"Not to worry," She laughed, "Tommorow things will be back to normal, with you being the one to make me cry and Ron the one to comfort me."

"Come to think of it, have I ever actually made you cry?"

Hermione shook her head, "I don't think Ron has ever done any comforting either. Though, I might have cried if I hadn't punched you back in third year."

"Did I ever tell you how amazing that was? Minus the fact of you marring my gorgeous face."

Hermione snorted, "If anything I made it better."

Draco looked mock offended. Hermione laughed and Draco even let out a small chuckle. The room fell silent again for a moment.

"So this is where you've been off to all day?" Hermione asked, breaking the silence.

He laughed darkly, "Noticed that, have you?"

"I suppose you wouldn't have much to celebrate."

Draco didn't respond to this, preferring only to stare out of the window and on to the street below.

"We haven't really much to celebrate either. People are dying in this senseless war everyday." hermione continued.

"You have eachother." He said, not looking up from the window.

Hermione let out a small laugh. "Sometimes...Sometimes I don't even know if we have that anymore."

"Never thought I'd see the day one of the golden trio would describe their friendship as less than perfect."

Hermione smiled. "Don't get used to it."

Draco finally looked up at her from his solemn window gazing.

"Not to worry. Tommorow everything will be back to normal, with you being best friends with potty and weasel and I will be alone in this godforsaken place." The small smile slid off his face at the end of the sentence. Quite possibly because he realized just how alone he really was.

Hermione's brow furrowed and she let out a sigh. "At least you are safe. That seems like a good enough reason to celebrate, to me."

They were silent for another moment, and Draco has resumed his forlorn window gaze, until it was he who broke the silence.

"Its starting to snow." he said quietly.

Hermione smiled brightly and joined him on the window sill. As they peered out the window together, they were almost touching, but niether seemed to notice. But if they had, they wouldn't have minded. They just sat in silence enjoying eachother's company, for a long time.

Some time later, well past midnight, a quiet pair of feet padded into the library. Her beautiful red hair touselled as though she'd been running her hand through it alot. She sighed with relief when she spotted Hermione, fast asleep on the window sill.

Her relief lasted only a second when she spotted the other person beside her, who's shoulder her head was resting delicately upon. Ginny inwardly laughed at the irony; Ron was being an arse and she somehow found solace beside Draco Malfoy.

She smiled to herself at the way things seemed to work for those two and padded silently out the same way she had come.

"There's a pain that sleeps inside
It sleeps with just one eye
And awakens the moment that you leave
Though I try to look away
The pain it still remains
Only leaving when you're next to me"

Disappear, Hoobastank