The last days of summer where upon them. Hermione and Draco lay in the dewy grass beneath a sparkly, cloudless sky. Dusk had fallen around them, but they didn't want to return to their homes just yet. It had been a wonderful summer, and they wanted to soak up every last minute of it. They were about to start their second year at Hogwarts.

"Draco" Hermione's quiet voice broke through the thick night air.

"Yeah?" Draco said, his eyes fixed on the almost full moon overhead.

"This year's going to be better." Hermione said softly. "I know it is."

Draco smiled in the darkness. He hoped she was right.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station, Draco paused outside of an almost empty cabin. He hesitated for a moment, his fingers on the door. Looking around, he quickly slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it quickly behind him and pulling down the window shades. Hermione looked up with a concerned expression.

"Where are your friends?" Draco asked, hoping he would get at least a few minutes alone with her before they returned.

Hermione sighed, looking even more worried. "I don't know!" She cried. "They missed the train! I hope everything is alright!"

Draco sat down next her, feeling suddenly pleased, but trying to look sympathetic. "I'm sure they'll be fine," he said, not really caring if that were true. "So.." he said slowly. "Does that mean that I can sit with you?"

Hermione looked startled "what will Crabbe and Goyle say?"

Draco shrugged. "Who cares?"

Hermione smiled and seemed to relax a little. They talked for a while, but as the day moved on, the rhythmic clicking of the train began to make them feel drowsy. Eventually, Draco could keep his eyes open no longer, and his head drooped a little onto Hermione's shoulder. She laughed a little to herself, but didn't move him. Instead she sat in silence, her thoughts wandering back to Harry and Ron. In his sleep, Draco stretched out across the bench, his head now resting gently on the bundle of school robes Hermione had been holding on her lap. She looked down at him, and something caught her eye. His shirt had been pushed up a little when he shifted, and she could see the deep purple and yellow coloration of a nasty bruise at the base of his ribs. Her forehead creased as she frowned at it. As gently as she could, so as not to wake Draco, she tugged the hem of his shirt a little higher. The bruising stretched up the full length of his rib cage, and Hermione could see several angry red welts as though he had been hit with something long, and forceful. A rod perhaps..or a wand. As she gazed down at him, Hermione felt sick to her stomach, and her eyes began to well up. She noticed that Draco's sleeves had been pushed up around his elbows, and his forearms bore similar marks. Draco stirred and Hermione quickly attempted to hide her worried face as his bleary eyes opened. Draco, surprised and embarrassed to find himself laying across her, quickly sat up a pink tinge creeping across his cheeks.

"Draco," said Hermione. The tone of her voice made Draco nervous. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Draco looked at her with an expression of mild confusion. She reached forward, and he felt her fingertips brush his bare arm. Looking down, he hurriedly pulled his sleeves down around his hands, covering the embarrassing red marks.

"It's nothing." He said quickly, but he knew he couldn't try to hide it from her. She had already seen them. Draco had the sneaking suspicion, by the way her eyes lingered on his torso, that she was also aware of the damage that had been done to his rib cage, and felt himself growing redder by the second.

"Draco," She said his name again. He hated when she said his name. It made him feel stupid.

"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Draco insisted. "I overheard my father saying something about Hogwarts, and something that was happening this year."

Hermione's eyes widened. "What did he say was happening?"

Draco shook his head. "I didn't really hear anything more. He just said 'it's happening this year. We've waited long enough. Hogwarts needs to be tended to' or something along those lines. Judging by how angry he got when he saw me, he must have thought I had heard more than I did." Draco looked down at his hands.

Hermione reached forward and laced her fingers through his, placing her head on his shoulder in a comforting sort of way. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and stood up. "We'd better get changed into our school robes. We're nearly there."

The first few weeks of Hogwarts were as normal as ever. Hermione was relieved to find that Harry and Ron were alright, though frustrated at their carelessness of allowing muggles to see them flying in that ridiculous car. Draco was granted the position of Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Pleased as he was, he couldn't help but think that his father's generous donation of new team brooms may have had something to do with his appointment. Surely, his father's unfeeling attempt at an apology for what he had done to Draco right before the start of term. Potter was truly getting on Draco's nerves this year. Strutting around showing off how famous he was. Draco even caught a little blonde haired boy with a camera asking Potter for a signed photo. Despite himself, Draco's annoyance bubbled.

"Signed photos?" Draco spat. "You're giving out signed photos now?" Potter was unbelievable.

"Shut up Malfoy." Said Potter.

"You're just jealous!" Piped up the small blonde boy.

Draco laughed "Jealous?" Half of the courtyard was listening to him now. Hermione was sitting a few feet away with an open book on her lap, and Draco knew she would be furious with him, but he had started this, and couldn't allow Potter to make a fool of him again. "Of what? I don't want a foul scar right across my head, thanks. I don't think getting your head cut open makes you that special, myself."

"Eat slugs Malfoy!" Spat Weasley.

Draco smirked. "Weasley would like a signed photo, Potter, It'd be worth more than his family's whole house!"

Hermione snapped her book shut, and Draco knew he had crossed a line. However, they were quickly interrupted by Lockhart, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and Malfoy seized the chance to shrink back into the crowded courtyard.

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione said sternly. They were in the Library, hidden between the shelves.

"I'm not apologizing!" Draco snapped angrily. "He just gets under my skin! Everyone thinks he's so amazing. The famous Potter!"

"Careful Draco," Hermione said with a smirk. "You really are starting to sound a little jealous."

Draco glared after her as she stomped away, feeling a twinge of resentment towards her.

Draco knew that if he wanted Hermione to stop being angry with him, he had to try to control his temper around Potter and Weasley, but despite this thought, before he knew it Draco was face to face with Potter again, spitting insults at him.

The Gryffindor, and Slytherin teams were standing on the Quidditch field, in a heated argument about which team had the field for practice. He could see Hermione growing angrier by the second, but he couldn't help himself. With the whole Slytherin team standing around him, Draco felt invincible, finally able to put Potter in his place. Just as Draco made a rude comment about the Gryffindor team members being too poor to be able to afford proper brooms, Hermione jumped forward, red faced and said in a spiteful voice "At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent!"

Draco's smug face faltered, and before he could stop himself, he spat back in anger, "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood"

There was an instant uproar, and for a second Draco felt ashamed of himself, however, a moment later Weasley tried to shoot a hex at him, the spell backfiring on its caster. With a bang, Weasley was on all fours throwing up slugs, and Draco couldn't help but roar with laughter along with the other Slytherins.

Hermione, with Harry, pulled Ron away, leaving Draco on the ground in a fit of laughter. They took Ron to Hagrid's where they explained what had happened.

"Malfoy called her Mudblood, Hagrid," Ron said through the slugs.

Hermione had never heard that word said in the presence of anyone other than Draco before, and the reactions of her classmates made her realize that she didn't truly comprehend the severity of the word. She knew it was nasty, Draco had told her that much..but he never really explained it to her.

"I don't know what it means." She said to Harry, Ron and Hagrid, her voice trembling a little. "I could tell it was really rude, of course."

Back in the Library, Draco peered through the shelves. He knew she was here somewhere. Then, quite suddenly a hardcover book landed over his head with a loud thunk. "Ow!" Draco cried, followed by an immediate shushing noise from Madam Pince the librarian. Draco looked around rubbing his head, and came face to face with Hermione.

"Malfoy, you disgusting jerk!" She exclaimed, levitating another book of the shelves and ushering it towards him.

"Hermione!" Said Draco, snatching the book out of the air before she could drop it on his already throbbing skull.

"Dirty blood am I?" Hermione continued, advancing on him as he backed a few steps down the aisle. "Filthy? Is that what you truly believe?"

Draco could tell she was furious. She had called him Malfoy. Her face was turning red, and she looked a little wild. "Hermione, no" he croaked taking another frightened step back.

Hermione waved her wand, and sent three more large books soaring off the shelves toward Draco. Dropping to the floor and throwing his arms up over his face, the books soared over his head, but by the time his stood up straight again Hermione's robes were whipping around the bookshelf and out of sight.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE

Draco stared at the dripping red letters, along with his fellow student. Fear swept through him. Was that a dead cat? He shivered slightly, and then, not wanting anyone to realize he was frightened called out "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Why would he say that? He wasn't sure. Did he think that made him sound tough? 'Yes.' Said a small intimidated voice in his head. Better than everyone thinking he was afraid.

Hermione sat with Ron and Harry. They had just heard the whole story of the Chamber of Secrets from Professor Binns, and were theorizing. Harry and Ron were in the process of strongly suggesting something that Hermione didn't want to allow herself to think. The Heir of Slytherin...

"If you're talking about Malfoy.." She started

"Of course I am!" Exclaimed Ron.

Hermione's brain was going a mile a minute. She knew that Draco could never do such a thing. Not her best friend. But she also knew that Harry and Ron would never believe it unless they heard it from Malfoy's own mouth. Thinking quicker than she had ever done, she hatched a plan.

All of her anger towards Draco evaporated as she rushed through the corridors to find him. She spotted him ahead, and making sure that no one was in sight, she ran over to him, and pulled him into an alcove behind a suit of armor.

"They think it's you!" She said quickly.

"What?" Draco asked, completely confused.

"The heir of Slytherin." Hermione continued. "It's not true though is it Draco? Are you Slytherin's heir?"

Draco was taken aback. "Not that I know of." He said bewildered.

"Draco," Hermione's voice was becoming panicked. "The heir of Slytherin has opened the Chamber of Secrets. Only the Heir can control the beast inside." She explained. "Ron and Harry think it's you! They won't be convinced otherwise." Hermione took hold of the front of Draco's robes as she continued. "I've come up with a plan..a way to convince them that you're not the one attacking people." She hesitated "It might sound crazy, but please tell me you'll cooperate!"

"Okay," Draco said, gently grabbing her wrists and pulling her hands off of him. "I promise, I'll cooperate. Just tell me what the plan is."

Hermione looked up at him apologetically. "I've told them that I'll make a Polyjuice potion. That we'll transform ourselves into Slytherin's and trick you into telling us."

"What?" Draco laughed a little. "You're crazy, is that the real plan?" The look on her face was confirmation enough. "Oh, come on Hermione, really? Can you even make a Polyjuice potion?" He said, no longer laughing.

"I'm sorry..it was all I could think of in the moment." Hermione sighed. "I'll tell you when it's happening..just be honest okay?..and pretend you don't know it's us."

The days and weeks stretched on, and Draco began to think that Hermione had forgotten about her ridiculous plan to clear his name. Much to Draco's dismay, Potter pulled off yet another miraculous Quidditch win, completely humiliating Draco in the process. Draco didn't even feel a little sorry that Potter ended up in the hospital wing, regrowing the bones in his arm. "Serves him right" thought Draco coldly.

There was an attack that night, on a boy this time. The same one that Draco had laughed at for wanting Potter's autograph. "Great," thought Draco. "Now Potter is probably even more suspicious of me."

Draco's luck only got worse as the days went on. There was an explosion in Potions, and Draco caught a face full of Swelling Solution. More humiliation. When Draco finally had a chance to redeem himself, facing off against Potter in dueling class, Potter hit him hard in the stomach with a jinx. The excellent spell Draco shot in retaliation was all but forgotten after Potter showed off his abilities as a Parseltongue.

Much to Draco's disappointment, he received a letter from his father telling him that he was not to return home over Christmas break. Hermione however, seemed pleased by this news and decided to finally put her plan into motion. Draco waited, as instructed by Hermione, for the three of them to show up disguised as Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode. He was meant to casually show them where the Slytherin common room was.

Coming around the corner, he saw Crabbe and Goyle, but no Millicent. This gave Draco pause, but after a moment, he was sure that this wasn't the real Crabbe and Goyle. They were stupidly stuttering to the Prefect Weasley about heading to the Slytherin common room.

"There you are." Draco drawled as he walked up to them.

Draco took them back to the common room, and allowed them to subtly question him. Without Hermione's presence though, Draco couldn't help but have a little fun. He pretended to forget the password just to see the look of panic on their faces when he asked them what it was. He took the opportunity to mock Weasley's father knowing full well that Weasley would have to just sit there and take it. Overall, it was a laugh, but Draco was happy when they suddenly sprinted away, making up some stupid excuse. No doubt their Polyjuice potion was beginning to wear off.

Hermione, Draco found out had accidentally mixed up the hair for her potion, and was forced to spend several weeks in the Hospital Wing. Draco however, was unable to visit her as the hospital wing was constantly full of people, and Potter and Weasley rarely left her side. Hermione finally recovered, and the school year went on, though with an increasing number of attacks on the students. Then, after weeks, when Draco finally was starting to think that things might be returning to normal, he overheard her name.

"Hermione" someone said in the corridor. "yes, she's in the Hospital Wing...petrified. Muggle-born, you know."

Draco's heart collapsed inside his chest. He felt his hands and feet go numb, and felt as though he would not be able to draw another breath. Then all at once, the blood surged through him again. In his panic, he took off running, shoving the other students out of his way. He reached the Hospital Wing and screeched to a halt, but before he could put his hand on the door, it swung open, and Potter and Weasley slumped out looking at the ground. Draco threw himself behind a suit of armor and waited, his heart pounding in his ears. The second they were out of sight, Draco wrenched open the Hospital Wing door and scanned the room. The wing was empty of everyone except the previous victims, and there she was. Lying there, unmoving, her empty eyes staring in fear at something that was no longer there. The sight of it scared him. He felt his chest tighten, as he walked toward her. He reached out and touched her hand. She was cold as ice. As he leaned over her something wet fell to her face. Draco hadn't even realized that he was crying. He wiped his tear from her face and sat down on the edge of her bed holding her hand in both of his, his face on her shoulder.

"Hermione" he whispered, as he allowed his panic to overcome him.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Said a sharp voice, and Draco look up quickly, as his heart gave another frightened jolt. "Visiting hours are over." Madam Pomfrey said briskly as she took another step out of her office.

Draco released Hermione's hands and choking back more tears, hurried to wipe his face. "Please," he said to Madam Pomfrey. "Don't tell anyone I was here."

"Mr. Malfoy, " she repeated. "My only interest is for the health of my patients. Not for their tangled social lives."

Draco had never felt more helpless. Over the next few weeks he became increasingly depressed. Without Hermione's presence in the castle, he didn't even want to be there. He continued to visit her as often as he could. He wasn't sure if she could sense her surroundings, but he needed her to know that he was there. He didn't abandon her. He never wanted this to happen to her. The school year was ending, and Draco missed his best friend more than anything. Finally, just when Draco felt more desperate than ever, it was announced that the cure had been completed, and they were administering the potion to those who had been attacked. Draco ran to the Hospital Wing his heart full of excitement. He stood in the background as his classmates huddled excitedly around their newly unpetrified friends. He could see Potter and Weasley sitting at Hermione's bedside, but he couldn't even spare them a spark of jealousy. All he cared about was that Hermione was back. She looked over at him, and their eyes locked for a moment. Gray to brown. She smiled.

As they exited the school for the train station, Hermione caught up with Draco. When he saw her, he pulled her into the strongest hug he could muster. "Don't ever do that to me again." He whispered.