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Chapter 5-

That night Draco built a fire the same muggle way he had before. Hermione found a spot against a tree a few yards away, settling in for sleep. Just as she was about to close her eyes, Draco's familiar form
was in front of her.
"Yes..." She said as she cracked her eye open.
"Why don't you sit by the fire?" He asked and sat on his haunches next to her. Hermione looked at him suspiciously.
"Why do you care if I do?" She asked quietly.
"I'm just asking. It does get cold at night." He answered and made to stand up.
"I didn't exactly think you would want to share a fire with a mudblood much less one that just slapped you across the face." Hermione snarled out. She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked down at the darkened ground.
"It isn't the first time you have hit me."
"It most likely won't be the last." She replied. Draco just chuckled. That surprised Hermione out of her serious state.
"Come on Granger, sit by the fire. I promise I won't throw you in." He smiled, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Hermione pursed her lips together and clenched her hands reflexively.
"Fine but don't get any ideas that you are going to run or anything. I'm going to find you because...well...I'm smarter than you are." She laughed. Draco just smiled a little more, the corners of his mouth slightly twitching.

The two sat in front of the fire quietly. The flames created sinister shadows on the nearby trees. Hermione avoided looking at the slytherin as best as she could. Every once in awhile she would sneak a glance at him. He certainly wasn't a boy anymore. Hermione mentally slapped herself. She couldn't think about him as anything but a horrible, immoral, insensitive jerk. She had to remember Ron. Ron with his goofy smile and shockingly red hair.
"So why didn't you bring the idiots with you?" He asked as he lounged against a large rock. He put his hands behind his head and crossed his legs out in front of him.
"Excuse me?"
"You're always attached to their hips. It's like you have to ugly tumors hanging off your body. Didn't think they could cut it?" His laugh was hearty. Apparently he thought his joke was comical. Hermione
just ground her teeth.
"I am quite capable on my own." She eyeballed him and scrunched her brow.
"Oh really. It's been two days and you still haven't brought me in. Your little boyfriend would have stupefied me the first moment he saw me." Draco replied and shifted his weight against the rock.
"He's not my..." What was she saying? Was she going to just blurt out that Ron wasn't her boyfriend? But he was. He had made that announcement in the room of requirement right before the three of them saved Draco. Draco's eyebrows rose. The side of his mouth twitched as
he studied her face.
"I thought you and Weasely..." Draco's once jovial expression now seemed serious. Hermione hated when he looked at her like that. At least when he was making fun of her she could hate him.
"Um...it's not your business." She quickly exclaimed. She nervously pushed her stray hair out of her sightline and readjusted her denim jacket.
"Hmm. So the Weasel thinks you and he are an item but you aren't so sure." Again concern seemed to leak into his voice.
"Shut up Malfoy!" Hermione seemed a little panicked. Had she just given away something that she hadn't meant to? She looked down at the ground.
"Hey...it's okay. I won't tell anyone, it's not like anyone would believe me anyway. So...what happened?" There it was again, that concern. Hermione knew better than to look at him. If she did
everything would pour right out.
"Leave me alone Malfoy! I'm not allowing you to play mind games!" She yelled and began to stand up. Draco put his hands up defensively.
"I wasn't going to play any mind games. I was just asking...I was trying to see if you were alright." Now it was his turn to bite down on his slipped words.
"First off Malfoy, you aren't capable of showing concern for anyone. That's pretty obvious; second all you ever do is play mind games. You have perfected it into an art form. Third, it's isn't any of your damn business what has or hasn't gone on between Ron and myself. You are the enemy. You are always going to be the enemy!" Hermione launched herself into a standing position as she stared daggers and the blonde slytherin.
"Now who sounds like a deatheater." Draco said under his breath.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?!" Hermione screamed. Her eyes felt like they were bulging out of her head. She balled her fists as she shot him a death stare.
"I didn't think you believed in that whole 'enemy' thing. Aren't you supposed to be forgiving and understanding?" He answered and looked up at her, the apprehension written on his features. Hermione's eye twitched. He was calling her out.
"Shut up Malfoy!" And with that Hermione stomped off away from him and his cozy fire.

He was right. She was supposed to be forgiving and understanding. She had forgiven Ron for all of the times he had made fun of her when she excelled in class, she had forgiven Snape for killing Dumbledore, but could she forgive Draco? She shook her head as she continued to walk away from the fire and the frazzled blonde. No, there was no way she could ever forgive him. He wasn't sorry for his horrible deeds. He was too proud and stuck up. He was the enemy. Ron would say it, even Harry would. Hell, even Luna would probably agree that he wasn't to be trusted. Hermione took a deep breath as she continued her hike and decided that with the full moon out, it would be a good time to take a swim. She after all hadn't bathed in two days.

Hermione crunched through the leaves to a pond just over the horizon of a small knoll. It wasn't a large pond but it seemed clear. Hermione cast a lumos with her wand and placed it gently on a close by rock. She looked around cautiously and began to strip off her clothing. It felt good to have the cool air touch her skin. The fabric of her top felt as if it was stuck to her skin from dirt and grime. After finally shedding the top portion of her wardrobe she wiggled out of her worn sneakers and disheveled jeans. The wind slightly rustled a few branches but it wasn't startling, more relaxing. Next she pulled her hair out of her elastic band, allowing her brunette curls to bounce down around her shoulders. She ran her hand through only to find quite a few knots. She would be able to detangle them better once she was under the water. She decided to keep her bra and panties on. That was the one thing she had learned while on the run with Ron and Harry. Always be prepared for an oncoming assault. She walked carefully on tiptoes, trying to avoid stepping on a sharp stone as she made her way to the water's edge. A fine mist had settled over the surface which created ghostlike swirls in the air. They almost appeared like white apparitions dancing on the calm of the pond. Hermione slowly put her feet in, the water a little chillier than she expected. She sucked in a breath and descended further into the depth of the pond. After her body adjusted to the temperature, the water felt wonderfully soothing. She leaned back, allowing her curls to spread with the ripples of the water as she looked up toward the large full moon. She couldn't remember the last time she had just taken the time to look around and enjoy a night like this. The moon, a beautiful glowing orb in the ink black sky cast it's light upon her floating form. Hermione closed her eyes as she allowed her head to lay back into the coolness.

Draco clutched the tree he was standing behind. He didn't mean to be standing there staring at her. He had meant to come and find her and apologize to her for what he had said. He was frozen in place as he saw the young woman floating in the black waters of the pond. The moonlight cascaded over her making her appear like a water nymph. Draco's mouth went dry. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He shouldn't be there, he shouldn't be spying. The water lapped at the edges of the pond as Hermione shifted her position and took a slow butterfly stroke toward the other edge of the pond away from Draco. Her curls were heavy and dark from saturation, falling around her shoulder in waves. Draco could see that she wasn't totally naked but was wearing a white bra and panties. He had to leave before she found out he had seen her. She was volatile enough he didn't need her to think he was a pervert. He was just about to move from his hiding spot when she swam quietly to the edge closest to him. He sucked in a breath, hoping that she couldn't hear him as she climbed out toward her clothing. She grabbed her wand and cast what must have been a warming charm and then proceeded to braid her sopping hair. She climbed back into her clothing and bent to gather her wand again. Draco took the opportunity to silently leave and make his way back to his semi-camp.

When Hermione arrived back to camp, Draco looked fidgety and anxious. He was sitting in front of the fire cross legged, chewing his nails. Hermione furrowed her brows as she watched him.

"Decided to come back?" He mumbled, his eyes still downcast.

"Yes." She didn't want to delve any deeper into a conversation. He didn't deserve to be spoken to really. He had crossed the line and she was not about to allow it to happen again. He looked at her apprehensively. His gray eyes followed her as she sat down a few feet away from him in front of the fire. She rubbed her hands over her arms to create some warmth. Draco just continued to watch her.

Hermione could feel her eyes becoming heavy. She needed to rest but didn't want to in front of Draco. She couldn't be sure that he wasn't going to do something while she slept. There was always a possibility that he could take her wand and take off. She decided the best way to fight sleep was to make small talk with the blonde.

"So where did you parents go?" Hermione asked as she rested against a fallen log. She pulled her jean jacket closer to her body.

"The ministry got to them at the manor. They are probably sitting in Azkaban as we speak." He mumbled as he shifted against a rock. His face seemed stoic and detached.

"Oh." Hermione didn't really know what to say after that. She knew that he was in pain at the capture of his parents but wasn't going to allow any emotion to ghost across his face.

"How did you get here?" Hermione eyed Draco carefully. His vulnerability was deep seated and she could very easily get him riled again but she had to know the circumstances as to how he got there.

"My mother gave me a portkey right before they were captured. They wanted me to run." He answered and looked down at his hands, almost as if they were soiled.

"You didn't want to did you?" Hermione got up from her seat and sat down next to him. He seemed to be calculating her movements.

"Of course not. Who would want their parents to be locked up? My mother wanted me to be free as long as possible so I'm doing what she wanted."

"You weren't actually just running on your own volition. You were doing it because your mother requested that you do it. Don't you think that may be a poor decision?" Hermione knew she was overstepping her bounds.

"Are you trying to say that what my mother was asking of me was wrong?" Draco's eyes started to bulge slightly. She could tell that the anger was building again.

"No...I'm just saying…"

"If they hadn't been caught they would have run also. This is my life we are talking about, my parent's lives…" Draco stood up suddenly, his body tensing.

"Well it is a little irresponsible for her to ask her son to run and possibly die out in the woods somewhere." Hermione stood up now. She couldn't believe that Narcissa would ask Draco to put his life in danger by running away. If the ministry or even uncaptured deatheaters found him, he possibly wouldn't survive especially unarmed.

"You know nothing!" He yelled and then proceeded to stalk off to the other side of the fire. It was a first that he hadn't taken off into the woods. He took his jacket off and balled it up into a makeshift pillow. He threw it on the ground and then lay down, resting his head silently. Hermione took that as her cue to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the night.