A/N: Here's chapter 4! Thank you to everyone who has favourited and followed this story so far… I'm currently working on chapter 5 and the action is really heating up now! This chapter is partly in Draco's POV which was fun to write and I think it works well in this chapter.

Also – I wrote a oneshot for Jazzy1's 'Bridges Dramione Writers Challenge' called Beyond The Veil which has been getting great reviews and I'm so thankful for that.

A massive thank you to Simevra Lestrange who has reviewed the first chapter – I appreciate your review loads so thank you for taking the time to post it and comment on my work.

Chapter 4 – Time for Questions

Draco sat up, reaching for the alarm clock on the bedside cabinet that was shrieking loudly. "Oh, shut up – I'm awake," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his sleep-rumpled face and flicking the switch to the off position. He looked at the calendar on his wall and smiled as he realised it was Saturday. No training today, which meant he could spend some time doing what he liked. He enjoyed free time days.

He rose and slipped through the door connecting his bedroom to the small en suite bathroom; turning on the shower with one hand. He quickly undressed and slid under the steaming spray, sighing gently as the hot water ran therapeutically down his back. He found himself humming as he shampooed his hair and chuckled to himself. His mood had definitely improved since he had first come to London.

Of course, some of that had to do with his trainer and housemate. Hermione had been nothing but kind and accommodating; he wondered sometimes how she managed to put her own needs on the back burner to make sure everyone else was happy. He had seen how she brought work home and often worked late into the night to ensure everything was completed properly. She had always put his needs before her own; even going as far as to make sure that he got the first plate of food at meal times. He owed her a lot.

Rinsing the last remains of soap from his body, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Perhaps I'll go to Diagon Alley and get her a gift," he mused, thinking out loud. "Something she'd like."

He selected a muggle pair of black jeans and a close-fitting t shirt from the wardrobe, again smiling at Hermione's insistence that she buy several outfits for him to wear, as well as underwear and socks. Looking at himself in the mirror, he combed his hair and grinned at himself before leaving the room and descending the stairs.

"Hermione?" he called as he entered the kitchen. She was nowhere to be seen. Approaching the kitchen island, he noticed a piece of parchment with his name written on the front in an elegant, looping hand. He picked it up curiously and unfolded it. It was a note from her.

"Draco,

I've gone to Hogsmeade today with my friend Ginny – she's from Hogwarts and she's getting married soon. I promised I'd go with her to find her wedding dress, shoes and other such frivolities that I know you would have no interest in; hence why I didn't invite you. I hope you have a good day. I'll be home in time for dinner tonight. Have fun!

Love, Hermione "

He smiled and placed the parchment down before opening a cupboard and reaching for the cereal, pouring himself a generous portion. He crunched his way through several spoonfuls as he thought about the possibility of a gift for her, wondering what she would like. Of course, that conundrum would be better solved if he actually knew her better. He frowned as he pondered this.

Then he realised something. He had instantly known that Hogsmeade was nowhere near Diagon Alley, yet he had only ever heard about those places from Hermione in passing – to his knowledge, he had never visited either. How on earth had he known?

He looked around the room, noticing with interest that a handsome snowy owl was perched on the back of the chair. He regarded it slowly, noticing that the bird was watching him just as closely. This must be Hermione's owl, he thought with a wry smile. He couldn't remember seeing it before. It would be incorrect to say it was merely white – an almost platinum tone shone from its feathers. He approached the bird slowly and held out his arm. The lovely bird took off from its perch and landed swiftly on his forearm, where it blinked at him with alert honey-coloured eyes.

"Your feathers are the same colour as my hair," he observed aloud before feeding the bird one of the clusters from his cereal. Lowering his arm to the back of the chair, the owl obediently shuffled back onto its former perch and Draco rose, smiling to himself. He put his bowl in the sink before making his way to the fireplace and grabbing a handful of floo powder. "Diagon Alley," he stated loudly and clearly before disappearing in a rush of green flames.

Within moments he was stepping out of the fireplace in The Leaky Cauldron, oblivious to the gasps of surprise from those around him. He walked smartly to the door and out into the street, his feet moving quickly over the cobblestones. He looked up to find he was outside a handsome bookshop named Flourish & Blotts, and walked through the large doorway.

A few people were milling around near the entrance, shooting him strange looks. Draco was a bit bemused by this – he was just trying to do a little shopping, after all. Suddenly his path was blocked by a rather unattractive short woman with eyes of steel. "You!" she spat, prodding him in the chest with a finger. "You're Draco Malfoy!"

Despite her rude and almost violent behaviour, he attempted to smile. "Apparently," he said pleasantly. What happened next took him aback. Raising her hand, she slapped him hard across the face. "Death Eater!" she hissed, before stomping away. Draco touched his cheek in confusion. "What on earth was that about?" he questioned quietly. Shaking himself, he left the shop quickly and crossed the street to a jewellery vendor. He selected and paid as fast as he could before making his way to an area that was less busy and Apparating back to Hermione's home.

The owl hooted softly as he looked up, as if in welcome. "I have to see if Hermione knows something," Draco mumbled. He grabbed a piece of parchment from the stack on the table and found a quill before scribbling a message. He beckoned to the owl who dutifully flew across and held out its leg. He patted the bird's head before attaching the note to the outstretched leg. "I need you to find Hermione Granger and deliver this to her," he said softly. With another hoot, the beautiful owl disappeared out of the window and Draco sank into a chair. He felt his previous good mood evaporating fast. His cheek was still stinging from the slap, and he traced his cheekbone gingerly with a trembling hand. Sighing loudly, he reached for the remote control and flicked on the television; hoping that something on the strange muggle device could distract him for the few hours until Hermione came home.

Hogsmeade

"Ginny, that's ridiculous!" I cried as my friend paraded around the dress shop holding on to an umbrella and singing. I was laughing so hard my sides were hurting. It was nice to be out of the house and thinking about something other than Auror training and Draco Malfoy. He had been in my thoughts a little more than I was comfortable with lately, and I felt myself wanting to just disconnect for a while. I could always count on Ginny Weasley to cheer me up.

"Okay, okay," she replied finally, setting down the umbrella and nodding in apology to the shopkeeper. "I'll stop. But you never know what will happen on your wedding day – there's no law against rain on a bride you know."

I rolled my eyes. "Please – as if Molly would allow it to rain on your wedding day," I responded with a grin. "She'd be doing weather charms on rotation to make sure that doesn't happen."

Ginny pulled a face and nodded. "I know," she admitted, making me laugh again. "But moving on to more serious things – Harry mentioned that you've got Malfoy living with you and doing his Auror training." She chuckled as I grimaced. "It's going well then?"

"It's just weird," I confided. "He genuinely has no idea who he is and what he did in the past. He doesn't remember any of it. He's like a different person, Gin."

She looped her arm through mine. "Come on, let's go and get some coffee and have a chat. You can tell me all about it." She led me through the streets, stopping outside Madam Puddifoot's shop before grinning at me. I followed her inside as she called her hellos to Madam Puddifoot and we sat down at a table near the window. Thankfully, it was quiet.

"What can I get for you, dears?" asked Madam Puddifoot.

"I'll have a frothy coffee please, Madam," I requested, smiling up at the wizened old lady. Her blue eyes twinkled back at me, and she nodded kindly. Ginny ordered the same and Madam made her way slowly through the tables to get our order.

"Damn it, perhaps we should have ordered a big slab of her chocolate cake as well," mused Ginny, and I chuckled. "Hey, difficult situations are always made better with a massive slice of chocolate cake – especially if it's warm with ice cream."

I ran my hand over my wild hair. "It's not a difficult situation, exactly – it's just really bloody odd, Gin," I began. "I'm basically living with the man who murdered my boyfriend – and your brother!"

She rolled her eyes, surprising me. "As much as I hate to defend him, 'Mione, we don't know if he did kill Ron. He was found near –"

"- the body of Lucius Malfoy, I know, I know," I interrupted. "But that doesn't mean that Lucius killed him. I can hardly see him killing Ron and then Avada'ing himself, can you?"

"Maybe Malfoy killed his father," suggested Ginny, and I felt my eyes widen. Madam Puddifoot chose that moment to bring over our coffees, and I smiled half-heartedly at her before returning my attention to my obviously crazy friend.

"Are you serious?" I asked, almost angrily. "Why would you even suggest that?"

Ginny held up her hands in surrender. "Look, all I'm saying is that we don't know, all right? You could be right, or I could be right – either way, it doesn't bring Ron back does it?"

I took a large gulp of hot coffee, attempting to swallow the lump in my throat. "You're right," I whispered. "But I can't bear not knowing, Gin. I need to know what happened at Malfoy Manor that day."

Ginny smiled warmly at me, sipping her coffee. "Perhaps this is why all this has happened," she mused. "Maybe Malfoy has come back into your life to answer that little puzzle."

I nearly choked on my coffee. "I'm sorry? He has bloody amnesia!"

She said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow. "Yes, he has amnesia now," she explained, as if speaking to a small child. "That doesn't mean he will always have amnesia, does it?"

I stared at her. She had just said the one thing I had never considered. I had foolishly been looking at Malfoy's condition as permanent – this was obviously a mistake. Ginny was absolutely right and I hadn't even stopped to consider the possibilities. "What if he never remembers, Ginny? What then?" I asked quietly.

Her face softened. "Then you can deal with that when you come to it, 'Mione," she said gently. "I think you'll get your answers, though – one way or another."

I nodded. "Thanks, Gin," I replied softly. "I appreciate it."

She hesitated briefly before leaning close to me. "Are you starting to like Malfoy?" she questioned.

"I don't think I can answer that," I considered. "Mainly because I can't reconcile the Malfoy I know now with the Malfoy I remember from school – the foul, loathsome little git who went on to be a Death Eater. It's like chalk and cheese."

Gin smiled, rolling her eyes. "Okay, I'll rephrase – do you like the Malfoy you know now?"

I shredded my napkin in my hands, unable to answer. I couldn't say I did – it was all too raw and wrong. I couldn't be developing even a friendly interest in the man who may have been responsible for the death of my former boyfriend. I owed it to Ron's memory. I had sworn at his funeral that I would find out who killed him and privately sworn to myself that I would never try to replace him. If that meant I'd never love again, so be it.

At that point, I saw my owl, Hestia, flying towards me. She landed on the table beside me and held out her leg with a soft hoot. "Hey, Hestia," I crooned in greeting, removing the parchment from her leg and feeding her an owl treat from my handbag. Ginny raised an eyebrow, and I unfolded the parchment hurriedly.

Hermione –

I popped to Diagon Alley to do a bit of shopping and someone called me something weird. What's a Death Eater?

Draco

"Oh holy mother of Merlin," I exclaimed. "He went to Diagon Alley!"

Ginny dropped the spoon she was holding and it fell to the hard table top with a crash. "He what?"

"I have to go," I voiced hurriedly, pulling some Sickles out of my pocket and dropping them on the table. "Ginny, I'm really sorry to cut this short, but he asked me what a Death Eater is."

"Of course – go," she urged. The look of concern on her face reminded me of Molly Weasley and I grinned at her. "Owl me later!" she called as I prepared to Apparate.

I set my face into a nonchalant expression and span on the spot, appearing moments later in the front room of my home. Draco was sitting on the sofa, fisting his hands into his hair in obvious anxiety. I cleared my throat, and he looked up. "I went to Diagon Alley," he began, "even though I don't know how I knew it even existed. I used the fireplace, even though I don't know how I knew I could do that." He looked away, his voice cracking, before his quicksilver eyes snapped back to mine. "The thing I can't understand is – ever since you arrived here just now, all I can think about is being unkind to you and calling you the strangest thing."

I sat down across from him, my heart rate speeding up as I steeled myself for what he would say next. "What do you keep thinking about calling me, Draco?" I asked softly.

His eyes clouded over with an emotion I couldn't recognise. "Mudblood," he almost spat.

My blood ran cold.