A/N: Thanks for the TWO reviews. That's right. TWO! So, unarosaesunarosa, thank you for your review, and you seemed pretty excited, and thank you, Secretly-In-Love, for the compliment. So I decided to continue the fic. Yeah, worship me. *insert smiley of your choice here*

Disclaimer: Tom Felton is all I wish to own. I own nothing but my plot. Don't sue me!!! I'm a mere teenager with no means to support myself! Take pity!

Chapter Two: Listen

"What do you mean, what have I done?" Hermione asked, her fingers jumping to push back her unruly hair that, over the years, had tamed somewhat to mere tendrils instead of just a frizzball. Draco narrowed his eyes at her and felt fear cloud his anger, and he blinked suddenly.

"That bracelet is an heirloom from Salazar Slytherin," he explained, trying to be patient.

She merely stared at him. "Meaning…?" she asked, waving her hand with the bracelet on it, making Draco wince. He hated that he had recognized the bracelet instantly, even though he'd never set eyes on it. He knew, without a doubt, that the bracelet on that Mudblood's wrist was the matching piece to the ring he was wearing on his right middle finger.

As soon as the thought stated itself in his mind, Hermione gasped. "This bracelet is a piece of a set? The one you're wearing?"

Malfoy jumped. "How did you know that?" he asked.

"I just heard it in my mind," Hermione confessed, shrugging. "You know, like a thought?"

A smirk painted itself across Malfoy's pale face. "I think you're mistaking me for Weasel, Granger," he said, deadpan.

"That's not what I meant, you lousy ferret!" she exclaimed, exasperated. He smirked, satisfied that he made her angry, and explained.

"My mother gave me this ring," he said, holding out his hand. "She said it was an heirloom from Salazar Slytherin that had been passed down from generation to generation from our family. There was another piece of jewelry, much like the one on your wrist, which matched my ring. My grandfather was supposed to give it to my grandmother."

Hermione was intrigued now. They had both abandoned cleaning, but had retreated to opposite sides of the room. "But what happened to it?"

"It was lost. Or stolen. No one really knows that happened to it. But it seems it was lost in Hogwarts, and now you found it."

"Well, that's great!" she said excitedly. She clapped her hands, and Draco's sneer deepened.

"Why, Granger, is that great?"

"Because if we found it, your family can get the heirloom back!"

Draco sighed, finally resigning himself to his frustration. "You don't understand, do you?" he asked. "I thought you were a know-it-all!"

Hermione looked taken aback. "It's not my fault I'm intelligent," she huffed.

"Well, if you would put those books down every now and then 'know-it-all' wouldn't be synonymous with 'Granger', would it?" he asked.

"Don't patronize me, arse," she snapped. "Just tell me how to get the damn thing off."

Malfoy looked surprised. "What do you mean, help?" he asked. "Just unclasp it."

Hermione held out her wrist. "See for yourself know-it-all," she mocked, waving her arm around. Malfoy peered at it, unwilling to touch her. The longer he stared, the more she waved.

Jesus, Granger, stop moving! He thought, enraged.

"Sorry," she said aloud, ceasing all movement at once.

"What are you talking about now?" he asked.

"You told me to stop moving," she said matter-of-factly.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out if she was messing with him or if he really heard what he had said in the confines of his mind. When he decided all he saw in the honey-colored eyes was pure confusion and a little frustration, he spoke. "I didn't say anything aloud, Granger."

"Yes you did!" she stomped her foot. "I heard you, loud and clear!" What a knuckle-head, she thought.

"Granger, I'm appalled," Malfoy mocked, feigning hurt. "How dare you call me a knuckle-head!"

Hermione looked shocked. "I didn't say that out loud," she said quietly.

"Aw, shit," Malfoy said, running his hands through his hair.

******

The next day, in Transfiguration, Hermione had almost forgotten about the bracelet on her wrist and what it did. She had done all the research last night after the dreadful detention, and figured out everything she needed to know.

The bracelet belonged to Salazar Slytherin, and, though she hated to think he could ever have one, his wife. It was a set presented as a wedding gift. The wearers could hear each others thoughts, and, to an extent, share the other's pain and happiness. The farther apart geographically the two became, the less they could sense, until they could sense nothing at all.

The one thing that upset Hermione the most was there was no way to get the bracelet off once it was on. At least, no one had ever needed to take it off before. Malfoys never got divorced. When one spouse died, so did the other, and the bracelet and the ring would come off on their own. The book she had read, Hogwarts Founders: After Life had made it seem like even if that bracelet came into the wrong hands by accident, the wearer was never to take it off. Deprivation of the intimacy of that connection once it was shared was devastating enough to kill.

And yet, it had said formerly there was no way to remove it.

Hermione was sure there was a way. And she resolved to find out what it was. But she might need Malfoy's help. All she needed to do was get him to speak to her, which he had flat out refused to do since last night. She couldn't even sense anything all morning, until he had entered the Great Hall. The emotions that had hit her were almost overwhelming enough to make her fall out of her chair. There was anger, frustration, and a cynical overlay to everything in life that made her day seem so much better in comparison. It seemed like Draco Malfoy had a lot on his mind, but Hermione just wasn't close enough, physically, to figure out what those things were.

Ron took a seat next to her and kissed her cheek tenderly. Hermione's thoughts strayed to her boyfriend. Now that they were together, she couldn't imagine ever being with anyone else. Being with Ronald was, comfortable. Familiar. She genuinely liked it.

She looked at his shaggy profile, debating whether a real kiss in public was trashy or not.

"Stop thinking what you're thinking, Granger," a voice drawled behind her.

Hermione whipped around and stared into Draco's cold steel eyes, and suddenly, she could hear everything.

And what she heard shocked her.

A/N: Alright, that's the end of Chapter TWO! Woot Woot!!! R&R. I have cookies for reviewers!!!!