A/N: Thank you for everyone who reviewed. I love reading everyone's thoughts. As a little incentive, I've decided that if I receive at least 10 reviews on this update then I will upload the next chapter in 2 days. So, Review!Review!Review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Quote in chapter by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

It was cold when she woke. Her brain was still sleep addled but her senses were not. It was a sharp contrast from when she'd first fallen asleep. She lifted her head and found the other side of the bed empty. She stretched and turned into the sheets and on impulse took in a long breath.

His scent still clung to the fabric, and the familiar pine was now wound with a strong scent of spice; apple only a faint thread in the mix.

The memories stirred, and she smiled slightly at simpler times before pushing up to her feet. Her eye caught the wand sitting on the bedside table.

Her wand.

She smiled lightly before grasping it and heading out down the hall.

The balcony door was propped open again and Draco was sitting on the ground with a book propped on his knees. It was warmer today, November's last hurray before winter was rushed in. The sun was still peeking through the dark, but the few rays that shone were lightly dancing across the wisps of his hair.

It tugged at her chest.

He had looked up the moment her feet had edged into the living room. He knelt his head back and in one quick motion she saw him cast a spell around the balcony.

Protective spells.

Disillusionment spells.

Did it matter?

She stepped onto the balcony and sat beside him, stealing a glance at the book in his hand.

Shakespeare again.

She gave him a soft smile, before putting her hand out to the dark blemishes under his eyes. Faded, but only slightly. She was pleased that he didn't flinch at her touch.

Tired, tired with nothing, tired with everything, tired with the world's weight he had never chosen to bear.

"Say something." He finally said, raising a solitary brow. "I know you want too."

She hummed in agreement, letting her head rest on the rail.

"Where does this leave us?" She whispered after a moment.

"I don't know." He admitted, before rubbing his temple.

"But I do know that you and I is something I've thought about since Hogwarts. I wanted it then. Salazar, I did, but I wasn't sure I could keep it hidden. Now, I'm sure,"

"That you can keep him out of your head." She finished.

He nodded after a moment.

"And I wasn't sure I'd be able to leave if we did." He murmured.

She turned away from his hard eyes, and lifted the book from his hands into her own.

"You should know I don't do things by half either." She said, cradling the book in her lap.

"You have to be open with me. I can't go through other people to try to figure out what's going on with you."

His eyes narrowed. "What has Theo been telling you?"

"What are you worried Theo would be telling me?" She shot back.

He frowned, another retort dancing at the tip of his tongue, before his anger deflated. He shook his head before resting it on the railing.

"If you knew everything, I don't think you'd want to stay." He finally said.

She cocked her head. His eyes caught hers.

"It's my choice." She bit her lip, "Besides, I just might surprise you."

He smirked, looking away from her and out toward the street below them. His jaw tightened after a moment, but he didn't turn back to her.

"I expect the same." He murmured.

"Of course."

He shook his head, a faint smirk playing at the edges of his mouth.

"I'm not very easy to deal with." He said, "Most of the time I don't know how to deal with myself."

She smiled slightly before leaning over and pecking him lightly on his lips.

"I have a feeling I know what I'm getting into."

He laughed, dropping his forehead to lean on hers. He was watching her eyes. "They have green in them." He murmured, "They didn't have green before."

She shook her head, while still keeping their foreheads touching. She didn't trust herself to speak. She honestly wasn't sure what she would say if she did.

"Still beautiful," He murmured before his breath hitched then, and she saw him grimace before rubbing his forehead.

"Are they…"

"I KNEW someone was here with Theo!"

They shot to their feet.

Pansy was standing near the balcony door with her arms crossed, and a clear look of triumph on her face.

Quiet settled between them, except for the slight shuffling of Draco's feet as he came to stand beside her. She bit her lip in apprehension, waiting for Pansy to make a move.

Pansy frowned, noticing for the first time the clear fear on their faces. Her eyes widened in realization.

"I'm not going to tell if that's what you're worried about."

Pansy came out on the balcony, her bright eyes passed over her before a tired sigh escaped her lips.

"Welcome back to London Granger."

Before she could comment, the girl had turned to Draco with an eyebrow raised.

"We need to talk."

Draco scowled, but was saved from speaking when Pansy reached out and dragged them both back into the flat. Once inside, she dropped Hermione's hand and pushed Draco onto a chair before standing defiantly in front of him.

"Avoiding me ends now. We are going to talk and put all of this behind us."

Draco sighed, rubbing his temples.

"What do you want Pans?" he said tiredly.

"An apology." Pansy's brow rose in expectation, "For trying to meddle in my life."

"I have nothing to apologize for. I was giving you an out." Draco was suddenly on his feet, towering over the other girl.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy. You know very well that wasn't what it was." Pansy's voice rose, "Honestly, it is my life too. Do you think I would do something as ill-thought out as getting engaged to avoid…"

"You wanted to before." Draco said harshly.

Pansy froze and snapped her head back to face him.

Hermione turned her eyes away and found herself inching toward the kitchen.

It felt wrong to somehow hear such a private conversation. Theo had explained these new decrees. It was vile and utterly deplorable, but then, she hardly expected less from such a despicable person to begin with. Yet, looking at the outright fury on Pansy's face and the cool anger radiating from Draco, she could only imagine how it had felt to be one of those personally affected by the stipulations.

And how far someone may go for another, especially if they understood the life they'd be signing up for if they refused.

She shot a look to Draco, and then she ducked into the kitchen.

Draco watched her go, thankful for the small bit of privacy afforded. His eyes snapped back to Pansy, who was holding her own learned mask in place rather well. That is, except for her eyes. She was fuming. Though, she seemed to let go of the pent up anger a second later.

"And you know how hard it was for me to move passed that. Neither of us liked how we were together." Pansy's voice was low, and dangerously cold.

"Besides." Pansy dipped her head, her dark hair forming a curtaining her face. "I'm not like that anymore, and you certainly never were."

Draco reached out and lifted Pansy's head up by her chin. "I was just trying to protect you."

"It was my choice, and it worked out ok. I didn't get the Mark."

"Dammit Pansy. This isn't exactly a better alternative."

"Then you should have just said that, instead of shutting me out for weeks."

"Fuck Pans, I couldn't stop Theo, and I wanted to at least save someone. I didn't want you to ever get anywhere near this."

His hands racked through his hair, tugging in frustration. A soft hand clasped over his arm. Her dark eyes bore into his, and his mind went back to the only other witch he'd ever met that looked at him like that. Grandmother Parkinson, on the 3 occasions he'd met her, had been able to simply unravel him with one simple flash of her dark eyes on his. Like she could sense torment and offer her understanding. Pansy, it seemed had inherited that along with the almond shape of her eyes and the roundness of her face that spoke of the far east heritage that her family hailed from.

Pansy had always been perceptive. It had only been recently that he'd found she'd grown uncannily wise in her own way.

"Better the brand on my back than the Mark on my arm." Pansy whispered, dropping her hand to give his a squeeze.

He nodded once.

"It was your choice, but I wish you hadn't made it."

It was as close to an apology she was going to get, and Pansy seemed to realize it. She inclined her head, a flicker of amusement in her eyes, before she turned completely toward the kitchen.

"Hermione Granger trapped in London and hiding out in Draco Malfoy's flat. I didn't see that coming." She mused.

"I certainly didn't." he said, and he couldn't stop the tugging at the corners of his mouth from quirking up slightly.

Pansy glanced at him for a moment before smirking.

"You would know wouldn't you?"

When it quieted in the living room, Hermione wasn't sure if it was because they'd actually reached some sort of understanding or if it meant one of them was stunned or dead.

Either was equally probable.

She bit her lip.

Those two argued much like she and Ron had. At the thought, her vision filled with images of the red head. She missed him, missed all of them. She shook her head, as though to dispel the guilt and longing. They were fine. She was fine. Once everything settled and she had a plan, she would be able to get back to the resistance.

Her eyes wandered on their own accord back to the kitchen's doorway.

If she left, would she be able to leave Draco.

No.

It was innate, like it required no thought at all.

If he would come with her was the trickier question.

She sighed and leaned against the counter.

"We're done arguing, so you can come out now."

She straightened and regarded Pansy wearily.

The girl was leaning against the wall of the doorway with her dark head inclined and watching her with a bemused expression on her face.

"Relax Granger. I have no intention of turning you over to the Dark Lord."

"No. That was just Harry."

The minute the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself. Damn her instinct for always being on the defense.

To her surprise, Pansy laughed.

"I panicked, and let's just say I'm not proud of it." Pansy said, still in good humor.

Unsure what to say, she nodded her head, hoping it conveyed some sort of acceptance.

It seemed to, based on how Pansy entered the kitchen fully and began rummaging through the cabinets.

She felt him when he entered, even though her back was turned. She always could, probably a conditioned response for waiting up for him every time he left.

He slipped passed her and joined Pansy, pulling out a pot and pan and a variety of ingredients from the icebox.

He flicked his wand, and the stove came to life.

Was he cooking?

"He's surprisingly good." Pansy said handing her a cup of tea, "No up and coming chef, but he's got the basics down."

The answer to her own thoughts was a bit unsettling. Was she that easy to read, or was it some innate ability that every Slytherin seemed to learn. Draco, Blaise, Theo, and Pansy all seemed to have mastered it. She bit her lip and watched as Draco moved with practiced ease around his kitchen.

She could see how he might have picked it up rather quickly. It wasn't too different from potions, and lord knows he was always good at that.

"Well, it was learn or starve." Draco drawled as he watched his cooking spells attentively.

She felt her brow rise, still in partial disbelief at the scene before her.

"No house elves?" she asked.

"They would owe partial allegiance to father. I think you can understand why that would pose a problem." He said.

She could, but was impressed that he'd sacrificed a familiar comfort that he'd known since infancy and supplemented it with acquiring a skill. Heavens knows, most people wouldn't have.

The food was good, as Pansy had alluded to.

He didn't eat much, seemingly lost in thought as his fork toyed with the eggs on his plate.

"Draco." Pansy tapped him lightly after a few minutes.

He blinked for a moment before looking up.

"Eat."

He scowled, but obliged. It made her wonder how often this routine had played out for the command to not be met with an argument. Often, it seemed, since while he'd filled out, the fact that he was still marginally underweight was blatantly obvious.

"So what did I walk in on?"

Draco choked.

For Hermione's part, she was thankful she wasn't still eating.

Pansy smirked, taking an idle sip from her mug.

Their eyes met, and she stammered unable to form a complete sentence much less a thought. Draco seemed to recover faster, because he immediately launched a defense.

Pansy scoffed.

"Save it Draco. I'm neither stupid nor blind. It's not as though I'm surprised." Her inquisitive eyes drifted between them. "Besides, the Winter Ball 7th year was a complete give away."

"I did not sign up for an interrogation this morning Pans." His cheeks were tinged with a slight pink, and she could feel her own hot as well.

Pansy grinned gleefully. "I see. Is it still new? Official official. Official unofficial?"

Pansy's eyes widened as she studied their faces, and to her horror, the girl began laughing.

"I walked in on THE conversation then."

"Pansy." Hermione finally managed to speak. "Whatever is or isn't going on between Draco and I…"

Pansy waved her off. "Fine. Fine. I'm done. But Theo totally owes me 10 galleons now."

"Pansy!" Draco stood up. He moved to push away from the table, when he staggered, a hand immediately pressed at his temple.

Before she knew it, she was up, with Pansy just at her side.

Draco took a breath before regaining his balance. There was a flash of annoyance on his face as he muttered to himself. His hand still pressed to his forehead, rubbing in circles.

Pansy, seeing that he wasn't in any danger of toppling over seemed to be debating whether to scold him or comfort him.

"You haven't been taking the migraine potions." Scolding then. It was almost funny, Pansy, who stood a good two inches less than her, fiercely staring down 6'3" Draco. She'd never seen Pansy so…maternal. Hermione bit her lip, both to keep the smile threatening to overtake her as well as to prevent her own questions from interrupting.

"I have." Draco grumbled, pulling out a vial filled with what looked like small green tablets.

She frowned, and found her expression mirrored on Pansy's face.

"I finally figured out how to capsulate them. Easier to carry around this way." He said, placing the vial back into his pocket.

It took a second for her to comprehend just what Draco had done. Potions were so tricky, their medium and delivery system could radically change how it was absorbed and it's desired effects. Capsulating them must have taken a lot of experimentation.

"That's amazing." She murmured, more to herself than to them.

Though, once she spoke, she felt two pairs of eyes settle on hers. She shuffled nervously beneath their gazes. "I just…capsulating potions. I'd never considered the benefits of figuring out how to do that."

She looked up to find Draco smirking, obviously proud that she'd admired his efforts.

It was ruined when he winced again, his eyes glazed over. It was obvious he was being pulled to some corner of his mind. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.

She could see the moment he was about to lose balance before it happened. Probably a result from having experienced it all sometime before. It was familiar, and it caused knots to form in her gut.

She threaded her arm beneath his shoulder, propping him up as Pansy took his other side.

They led him out to a seat that he gratefully fell down to take. He sighed and opened his eyes slowly.

"I think you need to go back to bed." She said, unconsciously combing her hands through his hair.

To actually have the vision you're fighting against.

Pansy was frowning as she looked between the two of them. It was obvious that she suspected that they were skirting around her. But, if Draco hadn't told her yet, she wasn't going to be the one to say. It was his secret, his business. He should at least have control over that.

Draco nodded after a moment.

"Probably." Draco said with a weak smile.

Pansy bit her lip before a determined look crossed her face. "Well, to be honest, I was surprised you were awake when I got here. I heard you trained yesterday."

Draco merely nodded before slowly standing. When he didn't immediately topple over, he took a tentative step toward his bedroom. He half turned, fixing his gaze on Pansy. He furrowed his brows after a moment, while Pansy simply looked amused.

"Don't worry." The girl finally said, "I'll keep Granger company while you nap."

Draco grumbled something, before he nodded and cast her one last look.

She watched him stumble to his room and when the door shut, she found herself sinking into the couch seat that he'd just vacated.

She turned back to Pansy, who was still drilling her gaze into her.

They had so much between them, and it was obvious they both expected to interrogate the other for whatever bits of information that could be gleaned. It was remarkable that they hadn't already begun a whirlwind of questions.

Yet, Pansy wasn't Theo or Blaise, both of which she considered friends. No Pansy was a former rival. Her polar opposite. But now that they stood alone, each with their eyes trained on the other, she wondered if that was still true. Pansy was no bookworm, but she was sharp and quick witted.

She also cared about Draco.

It was that last thought that sparked a pang in her chest.

Pansy let out a sigh, and Hermione refocused her attentions on the present rather than her musings.

"Did you…did you take the mark?" Hermione asked then. Seeing Pansy's face, she immediately tried to clarify her question. "I mean, you didn't…you didn't get married so I assume that you had to."

The other girl looked at her with her head tilted to the side. Hermione could practically see the cogs of her mind turning, evaluating the pros and cons of opening up and sharing bits and pieces of her life. Evidently, the pros must have outweighed the cons, because Pansy let out another sigh before she continued speaking.

"Mark of obedience, but not the Dark Mark." Pansy reached her arm and pointed to a particular area of her back, near her shoulder blades.

"It's right there. Pain for disobedience and for when he wants to summon me." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "But I'm not bound to him, so I consider that a small victory."

Hermione nodded, silently agreeing with her.

"Why'd you get that instead of…" Her voice trailed off.

Pansy snorted, amused at her discomfort. "Why didn't he just force me to become a Death Eater?"

Hermione nodded meekly.

"Because he knew it wasn't out of desire or loyalty. I wanted out of a marriage that was designed for one purpose, breeding." Pansy said with disgust.

A brand of humiliation. He'd refused her the status of entering the inner circle, but he'd found a way to still ensure her loyalty. Clever. Even if it gave her the strong urge to vomit.

She shook her head and waited. The bare minimum of her questions had been answered, and frankly, that's all she was going to ask. Pansy owed her nothing. It was surprising that she'd even disclosed this much information.

"My turn." Pansy mused a thin smirk on her face.

The look reminded Hermione of a lion who'd corned its prey.

Or perhaps a snake who'd finally caught its next meal.

Pansy's smirk widened as she examined her face. "You and Draco."

"Yes." Hermione muttered, feeling her face heat up at the implication in Pansy's tone. Though, she found she would not be denying it. Her and Draco. It sounded quite beautiful in her mind.

"Is this going to be your warning for me?" Hermione said then, unable to keep the slight amusement at the idea out of her tone.

She knew that while their conversation had been interrupted, the fact remained that they'd both admitted to their feelings. Even if their exact label was somewhat confusing, there was something there. It had sparked something fierce in her heart. She was as tethered to him as he was to her, and the thought of it didn't bother her in the slightest.

The only thing that still whispered doubt into her ear had nothing to do with the emotions between them. Instead, she was worried that he would always keep himself at an arm's length away. He still hadn't lain everything out in the open. While she wasn't asking to know everything, there were things he needed to tell her. She'd told him earlier. She wouldn't accept having to learn about him through others. He'd have to open up.

Pansy's raised her brow. "I just want to know if you're serious Granger."

Hermione nodded, biting her lip.

Any problems they would have would not arise because of that, she was sure.

Pansy's face softened.

"God." Hermione let out a breath. "I don't know how I could be anything but serious."

Pansy nodded, but she detected a slight smile buried in her eyes.

"Draco, he snuck in right under my skin." A shaky breath came. "And I tried. Merlin I tried not to..."

She felt her own mouth curve upward in a smile. "I can't even pin point when exactly it happened. Just that one day we were enemies, the next we were friends, and then…and then I was right in the middle of it."

She looked up and found Pansy smiling softly at her.

"Yeah." Pansy breathed, "That sounds about right."

She felt warmth settle across her chest. It was helping, if only marginally, to just let it out a bit. She felt compelled to continue.

"But it's not going to be easy is it?" She said then.

Pansy pursed her lips, her gaze shifting to settle on Draco's bedroom door before turning back to her.

"There are things he's never going to tell you. There are things he's never going to tell anyone. It's just who he is. He's private about so many things, and part of it is all that scrutiny he's been under for his whole life."

She found herself nodding. Each sentence nearly a mirror of those she'd thought before.

"It's a lonely way to live. Never letting anyone in." She finally said.

Pansy cocked her head thoughtfully, though there was an air of wistfulness in her posture.

"It's the way he's always been. It's what we were taught." Pansy grinned after a moment, "But it seems he's slowly throwing that out the window."

Again, she felt her cheeks flush at the suggestions that were clearly in Pansy's expression.

"That's good though. For him to finally crack open a bit." Pansy's grin was still firmly in place, "It's already started. I mean who would have thought that taking Gryffindor's Princess and Slytherin's Prince and tossing them together in a dorm would lead to this?"

Hermione laughed.

Exactly. Who would have thought.

After a moment Pansy joined her, the ice finally beginning to melt between them. The conversation seemed to flow after that. Their biggest obstacles had been crossed, leaving them with a truce of sorts. It was nice, having a girl's perspective on everything that was happening. Though, she found Pansy was careful not to ask too much about the Resistance.

'My Occlumency's not as good as Drake's. If it weren't for the block he put in himself, I'd have been found out months ago.'

It made her taste something like guilt in her mouth. What was it like, living one life in face of the world and another in secret?

'Exhausting.' She thought noticing the slight blemishes under Pansy's eyes.

She was just about to suggest that the Pansy go home and sleep, and insist that she was perfectly capable of occupying herself until Draco woke, when she heard a low moan. She blinked and glanced toward Draco's room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pansy mirroring her action.

The moan escalated into a shout.

She jumped to her feet as the shouting became desperate pleas.

"Please stop."

"Get out. It's going to collapse."

She burst through the door and saw his limbs thrashing and tangling with his dark sheets.

"They're kids. They don't deserve it."

She shuddered at the anguish in his voice. She found herself at his bedside, catching one of his arms in hers. "Draco." She shook him.

He moaned in response before jerking away from her.

"I don't want it." He shouted, "I don't want any of it. I don't want it. I don't want it." His shouting had turning into whimpers, as his thrashing continued.

"Pansy." She shouted over her shoulder, "Get his other side."

Draco twisted beneath her grasp. He was murmuring in a voice devoid of any emotion. For a moment, she thought she could make out the words 'undo the bond'.

Pansy seemed to finally spring to action, and soon, she was beside her restraining Draco's left side. His thrashing finally settling down, she caught his right arm in her hand again and took her other hand and placed it tentatively at his jaw.

"Draco. Please. You're not there."

He moaned in response.

"I don't want it." He murmured again.

"Wake up Draco. You're not there." She bit her lip, "Come back."

She shook him again and sighed in relief as he finally began to stir. His eyes fluttered open, slightly glazed as he blinked slowly.

She let out a breath as his gaze focused on her.

"You're not there." She said again for good measure.

He nodded slightly, his breath coming in laboring gasps as he pulled away from their grips and fell back entirely spent.

His hand came up to brush the wayward strands of blonde away from his eyes before his gaze turned to Pansy.

Her eyes were wide for a moment, before a flicker of recognition stole across her face.

"This. This is what you've been hiding." She finally spoke.

Draco said nothing, becoming entranced with his palms. Hermione reached out to touch his shoulder. He relaxed and turned into her before letting out a breath and looking back up at Pansy.

They were conversing like that. Eye to eye. Words unnecessary for the moment.

She watched as Pansy's gaze hardened.

"This is dangerous Draco. What if you had an episode in front of the Dark Lord?" She hissed.

"Such faith in me Pans." He scowled, "I can control them well enough now."

She looked away, unsure if she truly believed anything like what he experienced could be completely controlled. Seeing how he'd faltered before, and how the floodgates had opened to the one she'd torn him free of.

Draco seemed to sense her train of thought, because his eyes immediately came to rest on her.

"I've been fighting that one for a while now. S'why it was so bad." He said, his voice dropping low as he spoke.

Her eyes narrowed. "How long?"

He dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face in slow deliberate circles. Her gaze met Pansy's and the other girl leaned her head to the door before mouthing 'pain potion'. She nodded, and Pansy left to the kitchen to retrieve a vial.

She sighed and sat beside him on the bed. "Draco." She said softly.

He took his hands from his face and ran them through his hair until they reached his neck.

"Nearly a week."

She blinked. "Since I've been here."

He said nothing, and she instantly knew she'd been right.

"You don't have to hide them from me. You know that."

He didn't say anything, instead swinging his legs over to dangle off the edge of the bed. He shook his head slightly to the side to toss the wayward strands of his hair away from his eyes before he finally stood.

She caught him by the arm before he could walk passed her and forced him to meet her gaze. He gave her a small smile. "I know." He let out a breath, "There was just other things that seemed more important."

She would have commented on his obvious avoidance of the much larger issue at play if it hadn't been for Pansy's untimely return.

"Here." She said putting the vial in Draco's hand. She glanced at him for a moment.

"Theo?" she asked.

Draco looked conflicted before he dipped his head in a slight nod.

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Wanker. I asked him if he knew, and he said he didn't."

She couldn't help but crack a grin at Pansy's exasperation. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Draco do the same.

"Theo managed to lie to you. I think I owe him 10 galleons now." Draco drawled.

"Hah." Pansy snorted.

Hermione watched as the tension between the two fell away. It was so easy for them to hide their meanings in harmless statements loaded with deeper meaning. They didn't need straight forward apologies or explanations. In a way, she envied them, that loyalty and trust was something she'd never expected to find among snakes, but had instead, found it in abundance.

Her heart panged, and not for the first time, she wondered about Harry and Ron. If she ever made it back to the Order; her eyes drifted to Draco, would they accept all her decisions without question?

The answer caught in her throat, and she swallowed roughly, forcing herself to focus on the present for now.

She seemed to rejoin the conversation as Pansy declared she had other places to be. She followed blindly as Draco led her out back to the floo, asking her if she'd pick up a few things for her. She blushed at Pansy's gaze, before she declared that Hermione would have a complete wardrobe in two days.

She was slightly frightened at what this prospective wardrobe would consist of when she saw Pansy's wicked grin right before she disappeared in the Floo.

Draco laughed at her weary expression. She moved to jab her elbow in his side, but he drew her into his arms. After a few moments of halfheartedly trying to escape, she allowed herself to simply relax in his embrace, listening to the faint rumble of his stifled laughter at her antics.

She found herself burying her face into his chest, and his arms tightened in response. He dropped his head to rest in the crook of her neck, his lips mouthing something against her skin.

She strained her ear, and his whispering forced her heart to start beating erratically.

It's selfish, but I'm glad you're here.