To my lovely readers,

First I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter four, and to really apologize because a lot of you were right, it moved to fast and I lost the flow I had going on with the other chapters. When I wrote that chapter, I had just found out my parents were getting divorced, so I let that affect the way I wrote it, and I'm truly ashamed that I even posted that, it was really wasn't my best work. So, I hope you can accept my apology and that you like the rewritten version, because I really tried to stay true to my original concept for this story, and I'm just so sorry for how long it's taken me to update or even to acknowledge you guys. This last month has truly been one of the worst months of my life, near the end of January I found out my parents were splitting, and then two weeks ago my grandfather died. It's just been rough but today I realized this I need to stop wallowing in my grief, my grandpa lived a very full life, and he always loved my writing, which is part of the reason I rewrote this chapter, I just want him to be as proud of this story as I am.

Thank you for reading this and I just want you all to know how much I LOVE you all, you guys always brighten up my day (my faithful readers and reviews)! So I really hope you love this chapter and the many more that will hopefully follow!

With lots and lots of love,

Tempest

Squaring her shoulders, Hermione walked through the wrought iron gate, attempting to steel herself against the dread creeping into her stomach. But as she walked up the path towards the impressive and imposing Manor rising up before her, she knew that it was a losing battle.

Though she did slow her pace to a walk in order to give herself the chance to take in the ground surrounding the Malfoy Manor, because unfortunately the last time she'd been here, there hadn't really been an opportune moment to take it all in. Everything from the perfectly manicured lawn, sculpted bushes and trees, down to the white peacocks strutting proudly across the lawn, spoke of the wealth the Malfoys possessed. It was truly an impressive sight; even the white stone path leading up to the Manor was surrounded by striking Gargoyles, their dark beauty adding to the underlying feeling of impurity that broke through the perfect façade presented by the exterior grounds of the Manor. It was almost tangible, the shadow that hung over the beautiful and serene gardens, illustrating just how much damage had been caused by the many evil deeds done here.

At first it struck Hermione as a rather odd idea, to think that a place might be scarred by the evil done there, but the more she thought about it the more sense it made. After all, how much darkness could be cast over some place before it leaves lingering shadows? But she had no time to linger on those thoughts, because she'd made it up the path and was now only a few feet away from the entrance to the Manor.

'A place like this could never be a home to me' She realized, walking up to the black metal doors. How could it? Even from the outside the Manor was cold, and she would never truly be free of all the memories she had within its walls.

Despite all that, she reached up to knock, trying to ignore the sweat gathering on her palms and the racing of her heart. Not for the first time, Hermione wondered how exactly she ended up here.

"Hermione, time to get up," Ginny called from somewhere to her left, "You've been moping around for the last four days and it's time to get your lady-balls together love"

Hermione groaned in response, pulling her pillow over her head, trying to ignore the sunlight now flooding into the room. "Ginny, its barely eight o'clock in the morning," She paused emerging from under her pillow to glare at the annoyingly perky red-head, "On a bloody Saturday, what on earth could possibly be this important?" She asked leaving out her vexation over being awoken from the first hour of sleep she'd had without nightmares in weeks.

Ginny just laughed, her green eyes alight with hidden mirth, "Well if you'd come to the kitchen, you just might find out, I'm making you white chocolate pancakes, your absolute favorite, and I'm using Mom's old recipe"

Hermione glared suspiciously at her, "Just what exactly are you trying to butter me up for?"

Ginny just smiled, "Oh, it's nothing big, I promise," then almost as an afterthought she added, " I brought someone along with me, so hurry up and get ready" With that the chirpy red-head turned and skipped out the room, humming merrily as she went.

Hermione sighed, collapsing against the bed, "Time to get up I suppose" she mumbled to herself, tossing off her comforter and sliding out of bed. Hermione groaned stumbling into the bathroom so that she could get a shower in before she greeted whoever it was that Ginny had decided to bring along with her. She deftly turned on her shower, grabbed a towel from under her sink, tugged off her clothes, and threw herself into the shower. After all if Ginny was really making white-chocolate pancakes, then she didn't want to waste too much time showering because that would just mean it would be longer before she got to eat.

Hermione bowed her head under the onslaught of scalding water, hoping it would wash away all the memories swimming around in her head. This had become her daily routine, getting up, sliding into a burning hot shower, trying to let the mind-numbing sensation fend off all the horrors she seen, but like always it was only a temporary reprieve. Even standing there under the water, letting it wash over her, she knew eventually she would have to deal with everything she'd seen but that didn't mean she had to do it right that very second. With that she stepped out, and slowly began to lather shampoo in her hair, taking the time to massage her scalp, relaxing under the familiar sensation. Leaning back into the water, she rinsed the suds out, letting the smell of her cinnamon apple shampoo tickle her nose.

Like clockwork, she reached out, grabbing her loofah, and squirted a little bit of her apple scented body wash onto it. Then began the systematic cleansing of her body, every inch of skin was scrubbed until it was red and raw, even then she felt dirty but there simply wasn't enough time for her to clean herself properly. If there really was someone with Ginny in the kitchen, then she was being rude leaving them there alone while they were guests in her flat. So with a resounding sigh, she shut off the water, and stepped out, drying off quickly. Wrapping herself up in her towel, she ran into her room and grabbed some clean clothes before returning once more to the bathroom.

Hermione glared at herself in the mirror, taking in her reflection, everything from the pallor of her skin to the deep purple bags that resembled bruises under her eyes spoke to how much the emotional trauma she'd suffered was affecting her. Even her slender figure was now leaning towards the emaciated side instead of the fit side slightly curvy side she usually found herself on. Yet, despite all this, Hermione had no idea what she was supposed to do to fix it, for once the brightest witch of the age was absolutely helpless, not just to help herself but to help everyone around her. It hurt so much to see them walking around so broken, damaged by all the horrors they'd witnessed in the war, it was like a walking nightmare she just couldn't escape. Every day it grew harder and harder to put on her brave face, and pretend everything was okay, to be the strong one that everyone could depend on. Who was going to be the strong one for her? Why couldn't anyone see that she was drowning right along with them?

Just this morning, she came closer than she believed possible to someone seeing just how messed up she was, thankfully Ginny was too distracted to see how haggard she looked under the very careful disillusion and concealment charms she wore each day. But still, she might not get so lucky next time one of her friends popped in unannounced, maybe she could just change the wards so they couldn't apparate in? But that would only make them suspicious, as she had always had an open door policy with them, and a sudden change would do nothing to alleviate the possibility of her secrets being uncovered.

"Hermione are you almost ready? Cause there's only three minutes till breakfast," Ginny called, her voice breaking her train of thought.

"Yep, I'll be out in a minute," she called back, wandlessly casting her modified disillusion charms, and a drying spell for her hair. Then she pulled her unruly mane into a clean ballerina bun at the back of her neck, and started to get dressed.

When she was all done, she glanced back at the mirror and smiled, she looked much better, the modified charms she used to conceal her unhealthy appearance, brought life back to her cheeks and made the shadows under her eyes disappear. The freshly pressed white oxford button up under a stylishly baggy black and white polka dotted jumper polished her off, and the black skinny jeans she wore completed the outfit.

With one last glance, she opened the bathroom door, and casually walked out. She let the delicious smell of home-made pancakes and sizzling bacon guide her to the kitchen, opening her mouth to tell Ginny just how wonderful it smelled, when the words literally died on her lips.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I brought Malfoy over with me," Ginny said turning from her spot at the stove to smile innocently at her.

"Yeah, I guessed it just conveniently slipped your mind, huh?" Hermione asked dubiously, regaining her voice. It wasn't that she bore any bad blood towards Draco Malfoy anymore, but it was rather unsettling to find him sitting at her kitchen table, studying her carefully as she stared at him.

"Hey Granger, long time no see," He drawled after a few seconds of staring, sounding eerily like his father, but thankfully there was no hint of the malice he once held for her.

Trying her luck, Hermione replied with a small smile, "Won't be Granger for long Malfoy, I think it might be time for a new nickname"

To her surprise, he just laughed, "You're probably right, but" he paused for a second to glance at Ginny, "Don't expect me to call you mum"

Hermione paled at the thought, "Oh gods no, that just sounds so wrong coming from you, please, just call me Hermione," She practically pleaded, just the idea of Malfoy calling her Mum was enough to send her packing.

"You know what Gra-Hermione, I think I just might be able to do that, but only if you'll consider calling me Draco?"

"Well seeing as you're marrying my best friend, I think I can handle that" She replied with a genuine smile, never in a million years would she have dreamed that she would be standing in her kitchen having a pleasant conversation with Draco Malfoy, her soon to be step-son, while Ginny cooked them breakfast. Really it was worthy of a twilight zone episode!

"Much as I hate to break-up this touching make-up session, I'm starving, so I say we eat before the food gets cold," Ginny interrupted with a easy grin, setting plates down on the table, as she sat down, and beckoned for Hermione to join them, she didn't have to ask twice.

A companionable silence hung over them while they ate, though Hermione just picked at her food after a bite or two, and a good ten minutes into the meal, she looked up at the two of them, and asked, "So, not to be rude but why are you two here exactly?"

Her eye-brow raised as she watched the two exchange glances, then together turn to look at her, "Well Mione, it goes like this, Draco and I were meeting each other for lunch, and we were just talking about how everyone we knew was taking the whole situation, when the topic of you and MR. Malfoy came up," She paused looking expectantly at Draco.

"As Ginny was saying, we started to talk about what was going on between the two of you, and how if someone didn't do something it didn't seem likely that you two would speak to each other before the wedding. So, after careful deliberation we came up with a fool-proof plan to help you two fix what happened." Draco finished, letting everything he'd just said hang in the air for a little while.

"Wait," Hermione said bringing her hands up to massage her temples, "First off, Draco I thought you and your father were no longer speaking, so how did you even know about what was going on?"

"Well, a week after I heard about the marriage law, and my upcoming nuptials with Ginny, I contacted my father because despite everything between us, I knew he would at least listen to me and attempt to help me wade through the various problems this whole situation was causing" With an uncomfortable sigh, he continued, "Please don't think I suddenly just woke up and forgave him for everything he's put me through and all the mistakes he's mad. Believe me; we still have a lot of things we need to work on. I just came to the realization that all the resentment I've been carrying around all these years, well quite frankly its killing me G-Hermione, and I know it might take a while but I need to find a way to forgive him. If I don't, I just can't see how I can be successful in the future, if I'm always letting the past rule my life, you know?"

"I understand completely," Hermione replied, and she really did, "So, what exactly is this plan?" She asked, trying to move away from a topic, that was clearly still a little uncomfortable for Malfoy to discuss, especially with someone who had until recently been one of his worst enemies.

Without a pause, the two of them outlined their plan to her, and it was surprisingly simple, but the simplicity of it gave it the ease to potentially work. They were going to have Draco apparate her to the Gates of the Manor, so that she could get in without triggering the wards, and then she would head up to the Manor, and have one of the house elf's let her in. Now, this was where the plan got a little bit hazy, because somehow between the time she got into the Manor, and the time she left, she had to locate Lucius. Which was a rather daunting task, considering just how big the Manor was, let alone that he probably wasn't too inclined to talk to her after the way she'd behaved during their last meeting, but hopefully he take her efforts to seek him out, as a sign of her sincere wish to apologize.

Still, Hermione voiced her concerns, but after about an hour going over the plan with her fellow conspirators, she finally gave in and agreed to go through with it. Though she wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that Draco would be taking her to the gates of the Manor in a little under twenty minutes, as it gave her absolutely no time to prepare herself for the possibility of flashbacks or getting lost in the not so muggleborn friendly Manor or even just the distinct possibility of Lucius not even wanting to speak with her.

Though looking back that was probably the point, because if she'd really given herself too much time to think about it, the likelihood of her ever making it here, to the front door of the Manor, was about as likely as hell freezing over, pigs flying and Lord Voldemort proclaiming his everlasting love for muggle-borns all on the same day. Regardless, it was time, so gathering all her resolve, Hermione wiped her palms on her jeans, and reached up to knock on the iron door before her. Hardly a second had gone by, before the door creaked open, to reveal a tiny female house-elf, wearing a clean pink towel around her in a fashion similar to that of a toga.

"Hello Missie, What can Inkie dos for you today?"

Hermione found she was unable to contain the grin that broke out across her face, "Hello Inkie, my name is Hermione Granger, and I was hoping to see Mr. Malfoy, do you know if he's in?" She asked kindly, the elf reminded her so much of dobby, that it was hard to decide whether she wanted to hug her or cry at the loss of the beloved house elf.

"Oooh, you is to be Masters new Missus" Inkie cried, her high pitched voice raising in excitedly, reaching out she grabbed Hermione's hand, and let her inside, "Come along Missus, Inkie will takes you to Master Malfoy right away"

Hermione tried to smile, but suddenly she took in exactly where she was, this was where the snatchers had taken her and the boys when they first presented them to the Malfoy's. The memories seemed so real in the moment, that she could almost feel their hands on her again, cool and uncaring against her skin, and she could smell the rank stench of their breath from behind her.

"Missus, are you alright?" Inkie's shrill voice called from a distance, worry laced into her tone, "Do you need for Inkie to get Master for yous?"

Hermione shook her head, trying to dispel the memories, throwing Inkie a shaky grin, and withdrawing her hand from the elf's fingers in an attempt to hide how hard they were shaking. It was strange, she could have sworn the elf had been calling from across the room, but it must have been a delusion.

"I'm fine Inkie, I promise, just a little shaken that's all" But even as she spoke, she knew the word were a lie, she had grown pale under her charms, and it was almost impossible for her to contain the violent shaking of her body, allowing instead for her hands to shake as she clenched them together.

Inkie looked doubtful, but still she smiled, "If missus says so, now follow Inkie and she'll take you straight to Master's study"

Hermione nodded in reply, unable to articulate anything; instead she just forced herself to follow the small elf deeper into the Manor. Each step was like a marathon, and she was slowly developing tunnel vision, focusing all her attention on Inkie's back, forcing herself to ignore the memories dredged up by her surroundings.

Just when she thought she might actually be able to make it through the Manor without being completely overtaken by her memories, she just happened to glance to her left, and she found herself looking straight into the drawing room where she'd been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. She stood there frozen, staring straight into the heart of one of her most frequent nightmares.

"Where did you get this sword? Where?" Bellatrix screamed, her face twisted into a terrifying mask of fury and pure loathing.

"We found it-We found it-PLEASE" Hermione pleaded, but Bellatrixs only reply was a shout of "Crucio" and after that she only knew the red-hot agony of every nerve ending being set on fire within her body. It was truly the most excruciating experience one could ever imagine, and in that moment she thought it would never stop.

To her relief Bellatrix let-up the spell, but only so that she could demand more answers, "You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell me the truth, tell the truth!"

It was useless, nothing she said placated Bellatrix, and once again she found herself drowning in red-hot agony. In those moments, she wished Bellatrix would just kill her, anything to end the pain she was being forced to endure, anything. Even when it eased for a second, and she tried again to answer Bellatrix's questions, it felt like there was only seconds between her next submersion into the undeniable agony of the cruciatious curse.

"What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO"

That was the last thing Hermione remembered before blackness overtook her vision and she fainted, Inkie just barely catching her in time to prevent her from hitting the marble floor of the hallway.

Inkie apparated the two of them directly into her Masters study, placing the missus gently on the floor before turning to face her startled Master.

"Inkie, what is going on?" Lucius demanded, taking in the sight of his fiancé, Hermione Granger unconscious on the Persian carpet in front of his desk.

"Master, missus came to the door, and said she was wanting to sees you, so Inkie took her inside, and we was on our way when missus just froze in front of the drawing room. Next thing Inkie knows, missus fainted, and Inkie just barely catched her"

Lucius stood as quickly as he could, and moved to Ms. Granger's side, he had a faint idea as to why she fainted. Not that it really matter at the moment, all he needed to know was the best possible way to get her from the floor to someplace more appropriate for her to be resting. After a second of deliberation, he bent down, and picked her up bridal style. He almost dropped her, not because she was heavy but because he had been expecting her to weight at least as much as Narcissa. But it appeared she wouldn't weight a hundred pounds soaking wet.

Inkie trailed after him, as he left his study, carrying her across the hall and into his bedroom, where he carefully set her down on his bed. "Inkie, please make sure Ms. Granger is comfortable while I retrieve a chair for myself to sit in, thank you" He whispered, hoping not to wake Ms. Granger, but Inkie was already at work, carefully maneuvering Ms. Granger under the covers, and apparating away to retrieve some water, and a wet towel. Meanwhile, he walked back into his office to retrieve one of his plush leather chairs, so that he might sit and wait comfortably for her to awaken. Somehow, he had an idea that this whole thing was going to amount to a very interesting story.

Alright, my lovely readers, this is where I leave you, though you should know that I'm already about half-way done with chapter five, and it should be up in the next few days! Hopefully this chapter was an improvement from the last chapter, and I hope you guys know just how much I appreciate you reading and reviewing!

Also if anyone is interested in Betaing this fic, I would really appreciate it, because I'm in desperate need of some help editing!

Love,

Tempest

P.S. I'm always open for idea from my readers, and I wanted to give a super-special shout out to DZAuthor AKA DZMom, as always she inspires me and I would love for you all to hit me up if you have any concerns or just an idea you might like to see in my fic. Really, even if I don't use the exact idea, it might inspire a whole new idea for the fic, so please feel free to share, I absolutely love getting feedback from you guys!