A/N: Thank you to the people who have followed/favourited this story so far! It means so much to me that people are actually reading this! I've been on for a while now, reading loads of great Dramione stories so it blows my mind that people are actually reading my attempts!

I have chapter 4 written, so rest assured that I'm not going to abandon this story. I will keep writing until I feel this story has reached a natural conclusion. I'm also working on another story which I plan to post up soon. Keep your eyes peeled for that!

On to chapter 3 – this one has plenty of Draco/Hermione interaction, so enjoy!

Chapter 3 – Auror Training

"Welcome to your first day of Auror training, Mr Malfoy. Today we will be checking your knowledge of defensive magic. I will duel with you, and I will be duelling hard. I will not go easy on you," I stated coolly as I paced up and down the Ministry's duelling room. "I will be sending a variety of battling spells at you – but rest assured I will not be using Unforgivables."

Draco almost blanched but attempted to smile. "Well that bit is a relief anyway, Hermione."

I angled my head to the side, fighting off a smile. "We can start slowly. Furnunculus!"

Draco raised his wand instantly, deflecting the curse. "Levicorpus!" he countered quickly and I deflected. We continued, a volley of jinxes and hexes flying back and forth until I began to notice a pattern in his incantations. I smiled as I raised my wand and yelled "Petrificus Totalus!" Draco was taken aback and lay immobile on the floor of the room as I stood over him with a grin on my face.

"You cast in a pattern," I informed him. "You throw a variety of spells and curses and then start over again, casting the same spells in the same rotation. Is that deliberate?" A loud aggrieved sound reminded me that he was in a body bind. "Whoops, sorry," I said, waving my wand to release him from the curse.

He sat up, rubbing his wrists. "I didn't see that one coming," he said, his voice almost ashamed. "What do you mean I cast in a pattern? You mean I keep the same rotation going over and over again?"

"You didn't know?"

He shook his head. "I had no idea. To be honest with you, I don't know how I knew all those spells. Some of them I thought I was making up."

I drew my eyebrows together, puzzled. "That's strange," I commented. "How much of that duel was conscious for you?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps 20% of it?" His eyes darkened with fear as he looked me straight in the face. "Does this mean I can't be an Auror?"

"No, of course it doesn't mean that, Draco," I answered, my thoughts going a mile a minute. I was silent for a moment as my brain turned over what this meant. Was his previous training in the Death Eaters coming through? He hadn't tried to send any dark curses my way, but the process suggested that he had learned something by rote.

"Hermione?" he interrupted. I looked at him and smiled. He smiled back hesitantly, his eyes turning darker grey. "I wish I knew who I was and where I came from," he confided, his voice trembling. "Will you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Let's sit down," I responded, leading him over to the duelling room spectator benches. We sat, and I fiddled with my wand before clearing my throat and meeting his questioning gaze. "I went to Hogwarts, and while I was there a very dark wizard came back from where he had been banished many years ago," I began. "I and my two best friends began to work to take him down. He was so evil that nobody could bring themselves to voice his name, so he was referred to as You-Know-Who or He Who Must Not Be Named. We were heading into our last year of school when we were forced to leave Hogwarts to take the fight to this dark wizard. We did so, and he led us back to Hogwarts where a huge battle took place. The school was almost destroyed, and many people were killed…" I trailed off at this point, fighting back tears. So many had fallen – Dumbledore, Snape, Fred Weasley and Ron – and those were just a drop in the ocean.

Draco looked into my face. "Hermione, please don't cry. It's okay now. You beat the dark wizard, right?"

I nodded, wiping a tear from my cheek. "He was killed by one of my best friends in the final battle, but not before taking my other best friend and a lot of other people I loved with him."

"I'm so sorry," Draco whispered. I began to cry again at the look of genuine concern on his face. "Oh Hermione – come here." He pulled me close to him and I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. I sobbed for all the losses I had seen, all the grief I had never been able to express crashing over me like a riptide as I cried it all out. Draco held me close throughout, just letting me sob. After a while I lifted my face and looked at him. "You all right?" he asked gently.

I nodded. "I'm sorry Draco, I don't usually do that." Noticing his shirt, I felt my face freeze in horror. "Oh Merlin, look what I've done to your shirt… I'll pay for it to be cleaned."

He laughed gently. "Hermione, I couldn't care less about my shirt as long as you're all right," he whispered, his quicksilver eyes searching mine. I found myself looking at him in a new light. His eyes were so compelling – I couldn't look away and I wondered why I had never noticed them before. They were beautiful. Oh shit, he is beautiful. What the hell am I thinking? I found myself pulling away slightly; the moment shattered.

"I'm much better now Draco. I must have needed that cry – thanks for not freaking out," I voiced sincerely. He released me and I immediately found myself missing the warmth I had unconsciously been enjoying. He smiled, and I got to my feet, wincing at the stiffness in my legs. "Ouch – that's another lesson in Auror training – don't sit down for too long otherwise your legs will not thank you," I chuckled.

He nodded, but he looked preoccupied. "So what's next on the training list?" he asked half-heartedly, "How to make other people feel awkward without needing to say a word?" His voice had hardened, and instantly he sounded more like the Draco Malfoy I remembered from school.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, dumbfounded.

He clenched his fist, pacing backwards and forwards. "What was that about just now, Hermione? I was comforting you, and everything seemed fine – then you looked at me and backed away like I was a monster. What the hell?" he demanded. "I was looking at you, and I was really worried about you. What on earth did I do?"

I sighed. "You did everything right, Draco. It was me – I'm sorry. I thought you might have been uncomfortable with the closeness – after all, I don't generally cry on the shoulders of people I've just gotten to know." I felt awful lying to him, but I didn't know what else to do. I barely understood what had happened.

He looked up at me, his eyebrows drawn together in worry. "I wasn't uncomfortable," he murmured. "On the contrary – I felt comfortable with you. I've never felt like that with anyone before now."

I felt my heart jump and sink at the same time; paradoxically. I realised something in that moment – I was attracted to Draco Malfoy. While that didn't bother me, I felt ridiculously guilty that I knew his past and he didn't. I couldn't do anything else until I knew what the Ministry wanted. "Draco, I feel comfortable with you too," I admitted. "I like you - you're a really good man. I just – I'm not good with physical contact at the moment. I just got out of a relationship and I don't know what I feel."

He held up his hands. "That's okay, Hermione. I wasn't going to suggest anything further. I just wanted to make sure I didn't repulse you!" He chuckled, and I found myself breaking into a smile.

"You don't repulse me, Draco. Not at all," I responded with a playful wink. He laughed, and we moved several paces apart before facing each other, wands drawn as I dropped into battle stance. "Ready, Mr Malfoy? Let's duel. Begin!"