A/N: Thanks once more for all the reviews you guys! I would have had this update up like last night, but I was a little busy…I have a choir competition in about a week and I know absolutely NONE of my music. Therefore, I was a tad busy. Sorry! But ok, on with it. So I'm pretty much satisfied with the way they explained themselves. Now it's time to put in the drama.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. And my X-Rated fantasies of Tom Felton. Haha. Just Joking.

Chapter Six: Pain

Hermione Granger was pleased. Yes, for the first time in her seven years in Hogwarts, she came into the Great Hall with her aristocratic little chin held high in the air and a beaming smile on her face. After spilling her guts to Malfoy, Draco, she felt like an anvil had been lifted off her chest. And even better, the bracelet was reporting only content feelings from Malfoy's end.

She took a seat in between Harry and Ron and filled her plate high with eggs and bacon. Harry smiled cautiously at her and even Ron looked a little shocked that she was shoveling breakfast into her mouth that fast. Truth be told, having no more dark secrets meant she had a lot more room to stuff food. She smiled as best she could with a mouth full of eggs and crossed her eyes, making Harry and Ron laugh. Ron tossed his arm lightly around her shoulders and Harry smiled at his two best friends.

Malfoy entered the Great Hall exactly two minutes after Hermione, as they had decided. He chanced a glance her way and saw her laughing animatedly with Potty and the Weasel. He rolled his eyes good naturedly and continued to the Slytherin table, sliding down between Theo and Blaise, who was waving at Loony Lovegood.

He elbowed Blaise. "Dude, that's just so messed up," he said. Blaise made a face at him and Draco smirked, the first genuine smirk he could muster in quite a while.

Blaise's face went stony and he motioned for Draco to lean in. He obliged. "What's messed up is I hear you and Granger are messing around."

Malfoy's pale face flushed pink. How dare they think that? He was a pureblood, for Merlin's sake! His mind flashed back to the night before, when she had been snuggled up close against his firm chest, her hand resting right next to his heartbeat, breathing softly.

He had to admit, finding out Granger wasn't as perfect as she'd like to be made her seem different to Malfoy. More human. She was just another girl now, caught up in making her family happy and living up to impossible expectations. She may be a Mudblood, but Malfoy knew exactly how she felt.

He looked up and caught her eye momentarily. She only kept the eye contact long enough to send a message shooting his way.

Thanks for last night

"I am so NOT messing around with Granger," Malfoy said, sneering. "That's not messed up, that's plain gross."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Not going to lie to you, man, but I wouldn't blame you if you did."

"Did what?" Malfoy narrowed his eyes. Blaise grinned.

"If you hit that."

Malfoy fake retched, making Blaise laugh. He chanced a look at Granger one more time. She was leaning against Ron's side and kissed his cheek affectionately. This time Malfoy did really gag. The fact that two people could be so disgustingly happy made him sick.

Hermione pulled away from Ron, almost gagging. She turned and locked eyes with Malfoy, and they both chose not to pass any specific thoughts to each other. Malfoy just narrowed his eyes, but instead of being malevolent, it just looked like a gesture of endearment. She smirked, a shadow of a Malfoy move.

Malfoy broke eye contact when an official looking owl dropped a letter on his lap. He opened it cautiously, ignoring the curious looks he was getting from his peers. His grey eyes slid over the paper fluidly, just like Hermione's when she read, and she actually smiled. At Malfoy.

The gesture disturbed her.

Hermione watched Malfoy inconspicuously as his already pale face turned positively sheet white. He set the letter down and a tidal wave of grief hit Hermione so hard tears came to her eyes. When one finally fell down her porcelain cheek, Ron noticed.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. Hermione chanced a glance up, and saw Draco still sitting, like stone, where he had been when he set the letter down.

She shook her head, letting more tears loose as she did so. Now almost every Gryffindor was staring at her, but the sadness and grief she felt were so overwhelming she had to leave. She got up and, without thinking, walked up to the Slytherin table and laid her hand on Malfoy's shoulder.

He glanced up, and Hermione saw for the first time, tears in Draco Malfoy's eyes. The sight only made her sob harder, and he got up and pulled her, not too gently, out of the Great Hall. She followed compliantly, and he stopped her right outside in the hall.

"You have to stop," he said, trying to be severe. She fixed him with a glare that was clouded over with what he recognized as his own wretched feelings.

"I can't stop," she hiccupped. "I can't hide my emotions like you can." She grabbed his arm and dragged him up the staircases, more tears running down her face. She kept herself a few steps ahead of him so he couldn't see.

Draco followed her as if in a trance, the letter from his father clutched tightly in his shaking fist. He almost tripped up the stairs several times, but Hermione's small arm steadied him.

When they entered the Head's dormitories, he looked around, surprised. "Why are we here?" he asked, bewildered. "We have class in ten minutes."

Hermione, oddly enough, didn't look fazed at all that she was going to be late for class. She sat on the couch and stared at him, waiting for him to explain. But Draco didn't feel like talking. He stood, staring right at her the same way she was staring at him. When she didn't move, he narrowed his eyes at her, frustrated.

"I don't want to talk about it, Granger!" he said firmly.

"I don't care!" she almost shrieked. "You're in pain, therefore I'm in pain. I don't like being in pain. I have other things to take care of!"

Draco recoiled. "I'm sorry I'm such an inconvenience, Granger," he said, sounding hurt. Hermione stared at him, abashed. She finally moved from her spot on the couch and pushed him lightly into the couch, sitting next to him.

"Look," she began. "I know you don't want to be stuck in this predicament any more than I do. But if it wasn't for the bracelet and the ring, you would have walked around with this on your shoulders until you snapped. But, unfortunately for you, I can feel your pain. Literally," she added with a shudder. "So you need to tell me."

Draco glared at her, unconvinced.

"It's healthy?" she said, tilting her head to the side, trying to sway him.

He raised an eyebrow, half-amused. He finally relaxed his fist, and the letter fell to the ground. He spied the Malfoy crest on the front of the letter and raised his blonde head back to look at the ceiling, trying to keep the tears in.

"You know you can cry, right?" Hermione said, cautiously, hoping he wouldn't get angry with her for suggesting such an un-masculine thing to do.

He leaned forward and put his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. Hermione, with a boldness she didn't recognize, reached over and pulled Draco close to her, laying his head on her chest, running her fingers through his soft hair soothingly.

She settled back into the sofa and closed her eyes, holding Draco to her. The feeling was so reminiscent of his mother that Draco started crying. He clung to Hermione for dear life and cried. His broad shoulders shook and she soothed him, telling him everything was going to be ok, she promised. He pulled away from her for a moment and wiped his gray eyes. Hermione stared at his face, transfixed. The show of emotion made his normally stone face so much softer. He looked like a little boy that had lost his mother.

She finally locked eyes with him, surprised to see a small ring of brown around his perfectly stormy eyes. Now his eyes were clouding over again, and she pulled him back to her, this time laying his head in her lap and letting him stretch out on the couch.

"Can I read the letter?" she asked quietly. He looked up into her chocolate eyes, which were still brimming with unshed tears. He was touched that she was so upset over something she didn't even know about. Granted, it was the bracelet that made her so upset, but she was determined to help him, no matter what.

He reached to the floor, picked up the letter, and handed it to her. She unfolded and read:

Dear Draco,

I have some slightly upsetting news for you. Remember when I told you that I wanted you to come to the Death Eater meetings, and you were going to learn to properly torture? Remember when you turned me down and I told you your mother would pay?

Well son, your mother died this morning in St. Mungo's. This never would have happened if you hadn't disobeyed me.

Lucius.

A/N: AWWWW! Poor Draco! Sorry this chapter kind of sucks and took me forever to write. I had a disease…called WRITERS BLOCK! Anyway, anyone remember the mention of a ball in the previous chapter or two? Mhm? Well, it'll come back. So anyone with ideas about what should happen at the ball, review and tell me!

And even if you don't have ideas, just review and tell me how cool I am.