AN: Happy Sunday, lovelies! Yes, I realize that it's very early on Sunday (It's only 5 after midnight here) but I don't care. It's Sunday which means you guys get a new chapter! Yay! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, you guys make me so happy knowing that you like the story! Also, little tip for the chapter: the song I imagined Hermione playing on the piano is Fields of Gold by Sting. Here's the link to the version I've been using as a reference: watch?v=QUy9Ezj9Ebw&list=PLHggqueXHeYUeL5O-PbMvwFwP_6qfoB84&index=13. Enjoy!

Tallyho!

Chapter 4:

It had been three weeks since Hermione had brought Draco to Grimmauld Place. August was in full swing and those returning to Hogwarts this year (more specifically Ginny Weasley since Harry, Ron, and Hermione would not be returning much to the chagrin of Mrs. Weasley) were flocking to Diagon Alley to get supplies and prepare for what was sure to be an… interesting school year.

In the mean time, Draco had made himself as comfortable as one could be under house arrest. Since he had left everything behind, including some extra clothes, Tonks and Hermione had gone shopping for him, getting a mix of wizard and muggle clothing so he would have a bit of variety. They weren't the finest of clothing he had grown accustomed to as he grew up but he accepted them gratefully nonetheless, not daring to complain. He knew everyone in the Order was watching him, anticipating his next move, waiting for him to crack, lose his temper, or say something snarky or disrespectful. But he kept his mouth shut; literally. He hardly ever spoke except to Tonks, Kreacher, and occasionally to Hermione and mostly hid out in what was now his room.

It was a nice sized bedroom with a beautiful wide window that let in lots of light, a walk-in closet, a bedside table, a dresser, a bookshelf filled with a meager assortment of books, and, of course, a bed that, compared to sleeping in his prison of a home, felt like he was sleeping on a cloud. When no one was at the house, Draco took it upon himself to explore the House of Black. He discovered that although Grimmauld Place was smaller than Malfoy Manor, it still held the same dark demeanor that his old home did. The only plus was that he didn't get lost as easily in Grimmauld Place as he did at Malfoy Manor. He was also pleased to find other bookshelves throughout the house that had more books he could read and found a piano that he took upon himself to play when the house was empty.

When Order members were in the house, he stayed out of their way not wanting to bother them or be disturbed by them; he'd either camp out in his room reading a book or he'd sit at the piano and play. Normally everyone would leave him alone but occasionally Tonks would come and talk to him, even if he didn't respond to her. The first few times Tonks tried to get him to talk, it would be her just sharing information of what was going on in the world, how her day was, or what the Order was up to without any response from him. But when she told him that she was pregnant, she got a response: his eyes glanced up from the book that he had been reading and a ghost of a smirk played on his lips as he said congratulations. It wasn't much but Tonks knew that it was just beginning.

As the weeks continued, they were getting to the point of almost having full conversations. There were days that she could only get one or two words out of him and then there were days that he would put his book down and listen to her while responding with keen interest. Despite that they were cousins, the two had only seen each other once when they were children, so while Tonks tried to get Draco to open up more often, he still wasn't completely open to having a full conversation with her just yet. And despite her progress, Tonks couldn't get Draco to say more than a sentence to anyone else, especially Hermione. Despite their meeting and that she had brought Draco to Grimmauld Place, the two had hardly said a word to each other. They were civil and respectful but never went out of their way to have conversations. Hermione would occasionally bring Draco dinner as he never ate with the Order and he would thank her and that was the end of it. Everyone else never bothered to speak to him because they either didn't want to or knew that he wouldn't respond to them.

One morning, Draco woke to the sound of a piano playing softly throughout the house. At first, he smiled to hear the peaceful sound but then shot up out of bed as he realized that someone was in the house. Getting dressed quickly, he tiptoed downstairs to see who would be here at this hour. As he got close to the piano room (as he called it), he heard small sniffles and immediately recognized them as Hermione's. Peeking around the corner, he saw the brunette with her head down as she played a soft song on the piano while sniffing away what he assumed were silent tears. Not quite knowing what to do, he quietly backed away from the room letting her have her privacy, until he stepped on a creaky floorboard. He quietly cursed as he heard her gasp from inside the room.

"Hello?" he heard her voice crack. He stayed silent. "Malfoy?"

He peeked back into the room. She had wiped the silent tears from her cheeks but her eyes were still red and puffy. He stood in the doorframe, not quite standing in the room and scratched the back of his head as he said hello awkwardly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." she said, her voice remaining strong despite her broken appearance. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

He shrugged. "You did but it's fine." he said quickly not wanting to push his luck with her. She may have asked the question but that didn't mean he could give her a snarky answer like he usually would. "I needed to get up anyway." he added.

Hermione nodded. There was a silence between the two before Draco broke it. "I didn't know you played." he said nodding to the piano.

She looked at it and jumped slightly as if she remembered what she was sitting at. "Oh, yeah." she responded as she brushed a curl behind her ear. "I took lessons when I was a kid and fell in love with it. It's been awhile since I've played though with everything going on."

Draco nodded in agreement. Hermione sniffed again and looked out the window above the piano. Draco tried to resist his curiosity but couldn't help but want to ask what was wrong with her. He was fighting that urge, though, because if he asked, she'd start talking about how she was feeling and Draco was not one to talk about or feel emotions. He was a Slytherin for Merlin's sake! And Slytherins did not talk about their feelings or anyone elses for that matter; especially with Gryffindors or Granger for that matter. But that still didn't curve his curiosity.

While he was internally arguing with himself, Hermione turned back to the piano and began playing again. It was a soft song, a lullaby almost. It started off with simple keys and then picked up into more complicated keys as the song continued. Draco had never heard of it, but he thought it was the most beautiful song he had ever heard. Hermione played it with such ease and grace it was as if the outside world didn't exist anymore. Nothing else mattered; the war, Voldemort, nothing. It all seemed so far away now as he listened to her play.

Even time seemed to stand still.

It was just a girl and her piano.

Draco had to give her props. He had never heard anyone play the piano so beautifully and be able to captivate him like she had. And she hadn't even been trying. It just seemed to come naturally to her. He never thought he'd see the day but he had a newfound respect for Hermione Granger and her incredible piano playing talent. When the song ended, the world came back to life; time started again, and the war continued to rage on outside the house walls. The peace that Hermione had created while playing was gone and reality was ever more real now. He realized that as he noticed that she was crying again and his curiosity grew as well. Finally he sighed internally and spoke.

"You okay, Granger?" he asked.

She jumped at his voice. She had been so wrapped up in the piano and her thoughts that she had forgotten that he was there. Wiping away the tears that had snuck out of her eyes, she looked at him and hoped her face didn't betray her too much. "I- I'm fine." she stammered as she sniffed.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're a horrible liar, Granger."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes but there wasn't any fire behind it. "What's it to you, Malfoy?" she asked strongly but quietly.

He shrugged again. "Just trying to make conversation. That's what you Gryffindor's do, isn't it? Make conversation." he teased.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and looked out the window again not bothering to comment. Draco was starting to get concerned (or as concerned as he could get for the girl); he just gave her an open invitation to give one of her witty replies that would lead them into some form of an argument but she completely just turned it down. Something was seriously wrong if she didn't retort.

Sighing, he walked over to the piano bench and sat down next to her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye but didn't move except to put her head on her arms on top of the piano. Draco looked at her before looking at the piano. Careful not to touch her, Draco began playing Heart and Soul. Hermione smirked and chuckled at the song.

Draco smiled to himself as he played the cheerful song. He tried to hide his surprise when he saw Hermione move back and begin playing the second part of the song as it was a duet. The two immediately became in sync with their playing; it was as if they had been playing together for years. It just felt natural to have the other play their respective parts that they felt no need to even speak about where to start or stop the playing. Draco couldn't help but notice the small smile the curved on to Hermione's lips as she played. Although it wasn't much, she seemed to be in higher spirits than a few moments ago.

The smile remained on her lips as the song ended but the sigh she gave indicated that she was still feeling low. Draco huffed in exasperation. "What's wrong, Granger?"

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking because you're curious or because you feel obligated?"

Draco pretended to think about it for a moment. "The latter. Ow!" he said as she slapped his arm.

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "You are such an ass." she muttered.

"Better than being a know-it-all." he mumbled.

"I'd rather be a know-it-all than a dumbass." she retorted.

He feigned hurt. "That hurt, Granger."

"You'll get over it."

Draco bit his lip. "Well then. Angry beaver." he said under his breath.

"Snake."

"Porcupine."

"Ferret."

He glared at her. "Now you've gone too far."

She only gave him a satisfied smirk. "I win."

He scoffed. "Only you would turn this into a competition, Granger."

She shrugged. "Gotta do something to pass the time, right?" she said as she got up from the piano and walked out of the room. Draco stayed at the piano for a moment watching her as she left. That was the first time that the two of them had had a moderately pleasant conversation, even if they were calling each other names. There had been no screaming or hexing each other, just playful banter. Draco hated to admit but he preferred that kind of conversation to their usual exchanges.

Hearing shuffling in the kitchen, he realized that he hadn't eaten yet and decided to follow the noise. When he walked in, he found Hermione setting up the kettle with water and placing it on the stove. He walked past her and grabbed a package of bread and placed it in the muggle machine called a toaster that Harry had installed some time ago. Since he didn't have his wand, Draco took it upon himself to learn things he hadn't needed to before such as laundry, cooking, and using a toaster (which Kreacher called the Devil Box). He couldn't help but agree. The first few times that he had used it, he burned his toast so badly that the kitchen smelled for the rest of the day. It took more than a couple of tries until he finally mastered the art of not burning his bread. Still, even if he had mastered this machine and toasted his bread perfectly all the time now, Draco was still weary of the contraption. He shook his head as he thought of the strange things that muggles created. He guessed they had to manage without magic somehow though.

He could feel her eyes watching him but he didn't turn around. He knew if he did, he would make a snide remark that would cause them to get into an argument and end with her running to Shacklebolt and having him get kicked out and given back to the Death Eaters and probably killed. No, he would not give them that satisfaction. He had a job to do and he'd be damned if he didn't finish it.

When he felt it was safe, he turned around and saw that Hermione was no longer looking at him and focusing intently on stirring her tea. He heard the toaster go off but ignored it as he continued to watch her with curiosity. He was still amazed that the girl he fought with and bullied all throughout his school years would willingly hear his side of the story and then risk everything to bring him to Grimmauld Place to protect him while the war raged on just to get some information that could help their cause. He had severely underestimated the girl and what she could do.

He opened his mouth to speak but was unsure of what he would say. He wasn't in the mood to start arguing with her but he wasn't about to be friendly and make nice with her either. Merlin knew where he would be after all this was over but something told him that he wouldn't stay in contact with anyone in the Order. Still, the silence was starting to bother him and he needed to end it before it drove him crazy.

"Granger." he said, something coming into mind.

"Hm?" she said as she poured sugar into her tea.

"Have you spoken to Shacklebolt about my mother? Getting her out, I mean?"

Hermione dropped her spoon and lowered her head as she gripped the edge of the counter to hide her shaking and even her breathing. Draco looked at her confused and somewhat concerned, unsure if she was having a panic attack of sorts or Merlin knew what. He had seen her freak out but he'd never seen her act like this. He wasn't sure what to do. So he stayed back where he was and just let what was going on pass.

"Or not…" he said wearily and slightly annoyed. "Look, Granger if it's going to be a problem-"

"No, no, no." she said shaking her head furiously and speaking quickly. "It's fine. I haven't had a chance to ask Kingsley but I will. Tonight." She didn't look at him. She continued to stare at her tea as if trying to read the leaves but her eyes seemed to have trouble focusing. Suddenly her head snapped up and she rushed out of the kitchen with a quick goodbye to Draco and ran out of the house with a slam of the door.

Draco raised his eyebrow at where she stood but shook his head. She always was a bit nutty, he thought. But she said that she would talk to Shacklebolt about his mother so he let it be. Putting the encounter in the back of his mind, he turned around and buttered his toast and wandered back to the piano room to begin his day of solitude.