Helllllooooo again my lovely readers, long time no see! That was a joke, because I'm updating the next chapter less than a week away from my last one! Woohoo! I feel so proud, I think I'll go indulge in some chocolate.

But I digress. Here's the next chapter, hope you like it!

See you all at the bottom.

Dislaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series!

Draco Malfoy stretched luxuriously, sliding out from between the covers of his bed. He had slept soundly last night after a long day at the ministry, and the 10 hours of undisturbed sleep had put him in a much better mood.

He dressed quickly into black trousers and a clean white collared shirt, leaving the top two buttons unbuttoned; this was his day off. He would look unprofessional if he wanted to. Who would tell him not to? Well, maybe his aunt, but she hardly mattered.

He grabbed a gray coat from where it lay on the armchair by the door (yes, it was a muggle coat, but when one is walking around muggle London, one doesn't want to be in wizarding robes...plus it was a comfortable coat which happened to highlight his eyes...) and tossed it around his shoulders as he headed down the stairs.

Turning the corner, he walked down the hallway with a spring in his step towards the front door. Passing by the large living room, he heard a soft snort of contempt and sighed, his hand resting on the doorknob.

"What do you want, Bellatrix. I'm in a rather good mood this morning, and I'd rather you didn't ruin it." he said without turning around, his hand still on the doorknob, ready to leave whenever.

"A muggle coat? Really? Do you want to be wearing that filth, Draco? Imagine all those muggles who are going to be looking just like you; you're putting yourself at their level. Tsk, tsk, I expected so much more from a Malfoy. You're disgracing the family. I guess it makes sense, seeing as your parents were just as bad." Bellatrix sneered.

"Is that all?" Draco ground out, starting to turn the knob on the door.

"Why, I suppose so, unless you want to know how the mudblood's doing..." Bellatrix feigned innocence and looked at her nails as she said this, pausing to look up at Draco to see if he would take the bait.

Draco hesitated, weighing her words in his mind; his hand slipped off the doorknob. "What do you mean? I told you she was mine, why wouldn't I know how she was doing? I haven't been down there in a few days, anyway. What did you do?"

"Me? I did nothing, nephew, seeing as I've been forbidden, why should I?" Bellatrix laughed.

Draco's irritation grew, and he snapped out, "Stop lying, Bellatrix. What did you do to her?"

"Well," Bellatrix drawled, pausing long enough to bask in her nephew's frustration, "I became a bit tired of being so magnificent all the time, and decided to share the mudblood with some of our lower companions...Do you remember Silas? He was most upset that you wouldn't give him his share of the catch darling." The last word was laced with venom as it came from Bellatrix's mouth, which was painted in a smirk as she watched Draco trying to connect the dots.

After a few moments of silence, she rolled her eyes and sighed. "Since you couldn't spare one of the muggle girls going to the camps, I gave him the day with our favorite little mudblood. He left a little after 3 a.m. this morning."

"You...gave him...a day?" Draco managed to stutter out. All of a sudden, something sparked inside him, and instantly he turned on his aunt.

"Do you know what that brute can do to her? What he probably DID do to her? You heartless bitch! I gave you explicit orders that the mudblood was under my protection in this household, and you have gone behind my back!" At this point he turned his back swiftly on her, and started off down the hallway towards the dungeons at a run.

"Draco!What are you doing?" Bellatrix screeched after him, enraged at her nephew's resistance.

"To see Hermione! I'll deal with you later, that's a promise, Auntie." Draco called back over his shoulder, gritting his teeth and turning the last line into a threat.

He raced down the steps three at a time and landed uncerimoniously at Hermione's cell door. Everything was quiet, and he felt beads of sweat forming on his brow as he aimed his wand at the door. "Alohomora." With a soft click, the lock unlatched, and the door swung softly inwards.

Draco stepped inside the small room. The smell of blood and excrement engulfed him, making him want to instantly puke.

As he strained to hear anything at all, he heard a soft whimper come from the corner of the cell, where a dark lump was quivering. As Draco stepped closer, the thing trembled even more violently, and curled in on itself even more. The whimpering increased as he approached.

"Hermione?" Draco whispered. "Oh, Merlin, Hermione, what did he do to you? Please, talk to me. Hermione?"

"Don't...please-leave me alone." Came the fragmented reply.

Draco reached out a hand and placed it on Hermione's quivering shoulder. She shrank back instantly with a small cry. It was then that Draco looked around the cell, noticed the torn trousers flung into the corner, the robe pieces scattered around the room, and her blouse hanging from her shoulder, and withdrew his hand, horrified. He stumbled back,fell on his knees, and unable to stop the bile rising in this throat, vomited on the ground beside the cell door.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he crawled back on all fours to where Hermione still lay. He again placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hermione, please. I can help you. I swear, I didn't know what happened. Please, let me help you. Trust me, Hermione."

When he didn't get a response other than another choked sob, he tried to find her hand. It was curled up under her chin, but when he wrapped his fingers around hers, she again recoiled violently, shifting herself further back into the corner against the wall.

Draco stepped back from her, and turned to the fragments of clothing scattered across the room. He bent to pick up the trousers, but seeing they were torn beyond repair, took the robes instead, and, bringing them back to Hermione, placed them over her so that she might have a little more decency. As he finished arranging them around her, he heard her speak softly.

"What was that?" He asked, bending down to heard her better.

"I said, you don't...feel like...him. I thought you...might." She whispered again.

Draco pulled back to sit on his heels. "I would never act like him, Hermione. I think it's wrong, and disgusting. I would never do that to someone. You have to believe me, Hermione."

Somewhere from the mass of tangled hair, Draco saw two eyes, brown eyes, that seemed to look right through him. These eyes weren't Hermione's; they were lifeless and dull, reflecting defeat and lost hope. And finally, they closed, weary of life.

Draco once again felt a surge of anger towards his aunt, and pity towards Hermione. He gently wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up to carry bridal style, with little protest from her; Hermione had finally fainted from her exhaustion, and her body relaxed, her head lolling to the side as he began the ascent up the stairs with her in his arms.

He walked past the living room, which Bellatrix had evacuated, and walked down the long corridors and up the great staircase until he reached his private quarters. Inside, a house elf was making the bed, and she let out a surprised shriek at seeing the wounded and unconscious Hermione.

"Biddy, can you set out a fresh set of clothes for Hermione? Not Astoria's; some of my mother's old things will do. And some chocolate. I'll be with you momentarily."

The elf nodded and instantly disappeared. Draco headed towards the bathroom, where he transfigured a soft armchair by the bath where he now placed Hermione on. He left her there as he went to start the bath. When the tub was half full, he turned off the tap and looked back at Hermione.

The cut on her head was still oozing blood, he noticed, so without any preamble, he took out his wand and murmured "Vulnera Sanentur." The cut began to sew itself back up. As it was healing, Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and once she realized she wasn't in the cells and who she was with, she began to panic, desperately trying to get away from him. Draco pinned her arms to her sides, fearing that with her uncontrollable flailing she would hurt herself further, and she went deathly still.

"Hermione, calm down. I've just drawn you a bath, I'll leave you alone now for you to wash yourself. If you want, I can send in a house elf to help you. I'm going to let go now, okay?" He dropped his hands from her arms, and studied her face for a reaction.

She didn't respond, only stayed sitting still on the chair, her arms drawn around her and her eyes staring blankly ahead. He started off towards the door.

Once back inside his bedroom, he called for Biddy again, noticing the clothes and chocolate that she had left on the bedside table.

"Thank you Biddy. Can you go into the bathroom and help Miss Granger undress and bathe? Just leave her old clothes out here, I'll dispose of them."

The elf nodded again, and ducked inside the bathroom door.

Draco neatly folded the new clothes on top of the bed. Biddy would help Hermione bathe and dress herself again, and in the meantime he could go find some bandages and dittany for the minor abrasions; though he was afraid nothing could heal her memories or the scarring that had taken place.

With this thought in mind, Draco left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Well, there's that chapter! Let me know what you think! Next chapter might be up soon, I don't know...

Also, I don't know if any of you guys actually read these Author's Notes, but I'm beta-ing (turning that into a verb) a story called 'What Reason Cannot Heal' by SeptemberSkies. Check it out, it's centered around Lily, James, and Snape.

Thanks for reading! Please review for more goodness!

Thanks! See you soon!