Talk about a long chapter! Sorry if it's an inconvenience, but I really felt that all of this had to be put together. At least I split it into two parts, so it doesn't look like too much... Anyway, I'll stop talking so you can go on with reading the story.

~Flashback~

Hermione was walking back to the Gryffindor common room after having Ancient Runes when she first heard it. She was taking a different route than normal and was passing one of the bathrooms when she heard what sounded like crying and decided to investigate.

She walked over to the door of the bathroom and almost left again straight away. It was a boys bathroom and she was certainly not allowed in there under any circumstances what-so-ever. The only thing which caused her to knock gently on the door, however, was the sound of sobbing which still reached her ears.

Taking a deep breath, she waited patiently for the person inside the room to come and open the door. She wasn't even really sure whether they had heard her, but she wasn't going to knock again unless nothing happened after a minute.

Sure enough, Hermione found herself knocking louder on the door after a minute passed and the door did not open.

This time, however, the crying ceased.

"Hello? Are you alright in there?" Hermione called through the door.

Soft footsteps were heard walking towards the door and they paused on the other side of it. She could almost picture the unknown boy wondering whether or not he should open up or not. Then she heard the boy whisper a spell which she recognised as one to remove traces of red eyes and a red face. Clearly he did not want anyone to know he had been crying.

The moment the door opened Hermione gasped. Standing before her with one eyebrow raised and a hand on his hip was Draco Malfoy. There was a slight glint on one of his eyelashes which was all that remained of his tears but other than that he looked as if he had never cried in hislife.

"What do you want, mudblood? Did you get lost, did you? I think the girls bathroom is down a couple of corridors." Draco said, leaning one arm on the doorpost and smirking at her mockingly.

"I heard someone crying. You haven't been tormenting a first year, have you?" Hermione accused him, narrowing her eyes.

"So what if I have?" Draco asked, lowering his voice. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"I'll report it to a teacher!" Hermione threatened. "Although I don't actually think you have been."

"Then what will you say to them? 'I think Malfoy's been terrorising a first year, well, actually I don't.' Great argument. I'm sure they'll come running." Draco scoffed.

"Tell me what you were just doing." Hermione said firmly.

"What? Come on, Granger! It's a bathroom! Do I have to spell it out for you?" Draco asked angrily. Hermione felt her blood rush to her face in embarrassment and she clenched her teeth, glaring at him.

"Why were you crying?" she asked.

"Crying? In your dreams Granger." Draco rolled his eyes and moved to shut the door in her face but she stuck a hand out to hold it open.

"Are you hurt?" she continued, wanting to find out as much as she could.

"Since when do you care? Leave me alone!" Draco pushed hard against the door to try and close it, finally managing to dislodge Hermione's firm hold and have her stumble backwards as the door slammed.

"Malfoy open the door! If you're hurt you should go to Madame Pomfrey!" Hermione called through the door, banging on it.

"I never said I was hurt! Get lost!" he retorted, his voice further away. It seemed he didn't think her capable of entering a boys bathroom and had therefore walked away from the door, thinking that her morals would keep her outside.

Swiftly, Hermione opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind her firmly. Her heart was pounding as she looked around the room and realised she was standing in forbidden territory. Draco turned around from where he was standing, shock written on his face as he stared at her. One did not need to be incredibly good at reading body language to figure out that he was stunned beyond belief.

"Uh, hi." Hermione gulped, feeling incredibly foolish.

"Are you mad!?" Draco finally managed to ask.

"I just want to know why you were crying!" Hermione argued.

"So you have something else to use against me? No way!" Draco turned away again and faced the mirror on the wall, staring into it angrily.

As Hermione stood there staring at him, she felt as though this could be the moment she had been waiting for. The chance to reach into someone else's life and help them out that she had been wanting. But of all people, did it have to be Malfoy?

Perhaps I can help him, Hermione thought to herself. Maybe I can help him see that following Voldemort isn't the right thing to do.

"You need help, don't you?" Hermione asked softly.

"Get lost." Draco snapped.

"I could help you." she continued. "And I want to."

"Why on earth would you want to help me?" Draco yelled, turning around to glare at her. He was trembling and Hermione felt a twinge of compassion for him within herself. What had his life been like? What had happened to him to make him the way he was?

"Everyone deserves a second chance, Draco, and I could give you yours." Hermione offered quietly. "You don't have to reply right now, but I'd like you to think about it. I could be someone to talk to. Someone who will listen."

Draco frowned, his expression still one of anger, as Hermione stared at him with sorrow in her eyes. There was such honesty on her face, but why?

"Meet me in the library tomorrow night after ten o'clock, next to the restricted section." Hermione said. "Then you can tell me whether or not you want my help."

Breathing slowly, Hermione turned and left the room, leaving behind a bewildered Draco Malfoy who had absolutely no idea what had just happened.

*

The night came which Hermione had told Draco to meet her in the library and she was sitting beside the restricted section with a book on her lap. Whether he came or not, at least she would be able to get some school work done while she waited.

Hermione glanced at her watch at regular intervals, managing to catch the time changes every five minutes from ten o'clock. She must have ended up checking her watch ten times when she looked again to see that it was 10:50.

Maybe he wasn't coming...

Surely he would have come earlier if he was planning to? It was pointless continuing to wait around for him as all students were supposed to be in their common rooms by now anyway.

Sighing, Hermione stood up and closed her book. The library was empty now, apart from her and Madame Pince, and she hoped Madame Pince wouldn't get her in trouble for being out so late.

"Face the music, Hermione," she told herself quietly as she walked towards the door to the library. "You can't help everyone in the world and not everyone wants helping, either."

*

It was one week later when a first year came up to her in the library, passing her a piece of paper and then running off again quickly. Hermione was intrigued as to who was sending her a letter through a first year, but her question was soon answered when she opened it up and read the words.

Mudblood,

Do you honestly expect me to lower myself to walking into the filthy Hogwarts library just so that I can tell you that I don't want you? I find my method perfectly fine, which is why I am using it to reply to your little suggestion in the bathroom. So don't try responding, because I have no interest in what you have to say what-so-ever.

Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy

Hermione's eyes had blurred as she read and her face was hot in embarrassment. How dare he word it like that? He had made it sound like she had asked him to go out with her or something! As if he hoped someone else would end up reading it as well and then think she had a crush on him.

Clenching her fists, she stood up and decided to seek him out immediately just so that she could yell at him and put him back in his place. There was definitely no hope for him. She would never be able to make him see things her way. He was the biggest jerk in the world and needed to have someone knock some sense into him.

Walking out of the library with the letter still clenched in her hand, Hermione began her search for Draco. Would he be in the Slytherin common room, or in the Great Hall? Or would he be wandering the castle somewhere, deliberately making it harder for her to find him?

Rounding a corner, Hermione saw the first year girl who had given her the letter up ahead. She quickened her steps to reach her.

"Excuse me," Hermione said. The girl looked over at her and sighed.

"You want me to take a reply to him?" she asked, agitated.

"No, I was just wondering if you knew where he was right now." Hermione said, a hopeful look on her face. The girl pursed her lips in thought for a moment and then nodded.

"I heard him say to one of his friends that he was going to the owlery to send a letter to his mother." she told Hermione.

"Thank you so much!" Hermione exclaimed, hurriedly dashing off in the direction of the owlery. If she could reach it in time he might still be there and might even possibly be alone. Unless he had taken his friends with him, but even if he had it wouldn't matter.

In ten minutes she was running up the owlery steps and opening the door, stopping to catch her breath and watch as Draco spun around, obviously startled. Her mouth fell open as she saw his red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, but he hurriedly turned away again and his appearance was hidden from her.

"I told you not to try and reply." he said gruffly, his voice muffled slightly as he wiped his face to try and hide the evidence.

All thought of what she had been going to do left Hermione's mind. Seeing him so vulnerable and upset seemed to cut right to her heart and her original idea of trying to help him flared up once again, stronger than it had been before.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"Why do you keep asking about me?" Draco spun around and the anger leapt out at her from his eyes as he advanced. She gasped quietly and stepped backwards in fear. "I'm a Slytherin! Doesn't that bother you?"

"Everyone deserves a chance!" Hermione replied, hoping her voice sounded as firm as she wanted it to be.

"A chance for what? To tell people what makes them weak so they can be picked apart even more?" Draco yelled. "I thought my letter explained it! I don't want your help! Leave me alone and just give up."

Draco made his way to move past her but she grabbed his arm to stop him, narrowing her eyes.

"You frustrate me beyond belief!" Hermione snapped. "Nevertheless, if you ever want to talk about anything for any reason at all, you can talk to me."

"Don't be stupid!" Draco growled, pushing her away from him. "Do you want me to tell my father that some filthy mudblood-!" Draco faltered and clenched his teeth together, looking away. He was quite obviously fighting to control his feelings.

"What about your father?" Hermione asked cautiously, as she was pretty sure that was what had made him stop his sentence. Draco turned his head toward his hand and lifted it slightly before he could stop himself, and that was when Hermione noticed he too was holding a letter tightly.

"Keep your nose out of my business." Draco said shortly.

"You don't have to be like him," Hermione said softly. "You can create a completely new life for yourself that has nothing to do with him." She smiled slightly to try and encourage him, her heart burning with excitement. Who better to help him than her, anyway? If she failed to do so then there would be no hope for him.

"Be careful what you say, mudblood," Draco spat. "I'm quite capable of hexing you."

"I don't think you will." Hermione said softly.

"Get out of here before it's put to the test!" Draco yelled. "I don't want you to speak to me ever again!"

Hermione bit her lip nervously and stayed staring at him for a few more moments before reluctantly turning and walking back down the staircase of the owlery.

She would try again another day.

*

Draco Malfoy could not explain the reasons for his visit to the library that night two weeks after the incident with Hermione in the owlery, other than the fact that he had been feeling extremely stressed and was sick of his Slytherin friends hanging around him all the time.

Whatever the reasons, he soon found himself walking past the various shelves filled with books until he stumbled across the Dark Arts section. He sat down on a stool that had been placed there and stared blindly at the books directly in front of him. He didn't care what they were about at all and was simply thankful for the silence that finally surrounded him at long last.

He must have sat there an hour doing absolutely nothing at all except staring at a book whose title he still did not know when someone walked past the aisle he was in and stopped.

"Malfoy?"

His head snapped up and he looked over to see Hermione standing there, curiosity in her eyes as she glanced from him to the books he had been gazing at. He then found himself interested to find out exactly what it was he had been staring at for the past hour and glanced back over at it, reading, How to defend yourself against Dark magic.

"It's after hours, are you okay?" Hermione asked softly.

Draco was silent, his tongue feeling dead in his mouth. He didn't want to talk to her right now. He had recently found himself thinking over everything she had said to him and wanting to take her up on her offer, if only because no other Slytherin would be willing to offer him such help other than Pansy - and the mere thought of her sent shudders of disgust through his body.

"You should go back to your common room, anyway," Hermione shrugged, shifting a book she was holding to under one arm. "I don't think Madame Pince knows you're here."

"If I wanted your advice I'd ask for it." Draco said suddenly, although his tone of voice was calm and not at all harsh.

Hermione nodded slowly and turned to leave, but Draco stood up so abruptly that the stool he had been sitting on tipped over backwards with a muffled crash and it startled her, making her turn back to him.

"I'd ask if I wanted your advice." Draco repeated, though his words were now rearranged. He furrowed his eyebrows and stared into the distance, as if trying to figure out what exactly it was that he wanted to say to her.

"It's okay, I'll leave." Hermione said softly.

"Wait," Draco said, immediately regretting it. He sounded pathetic!

"Do you need anything?" Hermione asked. She sounded so kind, as if she truly cared about how he felt and whether he was alright or not.

"Is this your strange way of trying to get to know me better?" Draco asked, moving his head slightly so as to look at her.

"Perhaps." Hermione lifted her chin slightly defiantly, showing that she wasn't about to let him know her true motives just yet. He chuckled lightly and took a step towards her.

"I'll let you help me, Granger," he began slowly. "As long as you promise not to offer me advice unless I specifically ask for it. And you have to be willing to tell me more about yourself so that I may become more likely to – ah, let's see – trust your advice when you do give it.

"I do not, however, wish to be seen in public talking to you. Therefore we will meet only at night and it must be somewhere no one else would ever go. Ah, perfect. We'll just meet up here then, shall we?"

Hermione stared in disbelief at Draco and tried to make her brain connect to her mouth so that she could say something and stop looking stupid.

"How am I supposed to help you, then?" she asked carefully.

"You'll figure something out." Draco smirked and then walked forward, moving past her and towards the door to the library in order to leave. Hermione swallowed nervously and shivered slightly, wondering what she had just gotten herself into.

It wasn't safe. He was a Malfoy.

Yet for some reason, she was excited about tomorrow night.