"She's been asleep all morning. Sleeping quite peacefully, for a change." Draco said softly, as Molly shuffled through the curtain and into Hermione's corner of the ward.

"Poor girl, have you any idea who breached the security at the Manor? Or what spell was used?"

Draco locked eyes with Molly. "Still working on that mystery..." he said quietly, staring her down.

"I'm simply surprised that the wards put up by the best Auror in the Ministry and the brightest witch of a generation were surpassed." Molly snubbed.

"Well, she hadn't been in the Manor for so long. Someone must have gotten in before she arrived back from Hogwarts. I don't bother with all that stuff when I'm home by myself. It isn't necessary, she's just paranoid," Draco defended.

"Clearly it was necessary, Draco. Or was it?" Molly accused.

"What do you mean?"

"Who would have the motive to cast such a spell upon Hermione? Who would even have the knowledge of such dark magic?"

"I'm not sure but whoever-"

"Who, other than yourself?" She demanded.

Draco needed not say a word. It was written all over his face. He had been found out. He clenched his jaw and turned to look out of the window, unable to meet Molly's gaze.

"What were you thinking?" she hissed. "She could have been badly hurt!"

"I'd never have let anything happen to her, I wouldn't have used a spell that I didn't understand. There was no room for error. This will help her." He said confidently, offended that the witch would suggest that he had acted carelessly.

"Paranoia was taking over her life to begin with, how will having been attacked in her own home help her?"

"She won't remember being attacked. She won't remember anything bad at all. The charm has removed all of her troubling memories," he admitted. "No more nightmares every night, no more weeks of refusing to leave Hogwarts, no more crying herself to sleep at night over all that she lost in the war. Molly, I couldn't bear to see her hurt so much. She'll know that there are things that she's forgotten, but she'll be happier living with memory loss than with those lost memories haunting and depressing her."

"You attacked her in your own home, shame on you Draco!" Molly protested, turning red in anger.

"Not as far as she knows. The mediwitch said that she believes that she bumped her head, it's a plausible story that I will stick with, and that you will stick with too," Draco insisted, lowering his tone as Hermione moved ever so slightly in her sleep.

"Once a dark wizard, ever a dark wizard" Molly accused hotly.

Draco was taken aback, genuinely hurt by the suggestion that he had acted in malice and still retained nefarous motives, especially by Molly, after all he had done to protect her family during the war. It was even more insulting than the insinuation that he had been reckless with his use of magic. Molly had overstepped a boundary. Draco had proven his allegiance to The Order beyond question. Even Molly knew that she had spoken out of line, but couldn't bring herself to take back her words. Unquestionably, Draco was acting in what he thought to be Hermione's best interests, but considering the young witch's stance on magic, particularly dark magic, she was incensed that he had exposed her directly to it without her permission.

Feeling his temper rise, Draco stalked out of the room, venom in his glare as he passed the Weasley matriarch. Molly huffed loudly, sitting herself down beside Hermione protectively.

Hermione kept her eyes closed, continuing to pretend to be asleep. Her mind was spinning out of control in panic. Her husband was a dark wizard? And he had just confessed to having attacked her? Empty memories started to flood Hermione's mind. No content, just a rush of terror and a sense that she was in danger.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione heard the mediwitch ask. She maintained her rouse of sleep.

"Yes, yes, sorry," Molly said softly, "Draco had an understandably hard week, the pressure is somewhat getting to him, I'm sure he has just gone to clear his head."

"Well he'll be relieved to know that Mrs Malfoy is free to return home today. We'll have her back for a check up, but until we can identify the dark magic used to wipe her memory, we can't do much more."

"Being home might do her well," Molly resigned, although she didn't want to release Hermione to Draco's guardianship.

Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in Hermione's mind. Draco had done this to her, and now she was to be sent home with him unless she could plot her escape. She didn't know who 'The Order' were but she could vaguely remember that a group of dark wizards had tried to overthrow the Ministry. For the life in her, she couldn't remember what had happened past that, other than that she had played an important part in the troubles that followed. Was that why her husband had wiped her memory? Had he been a dark wizard all along? There was only one thing that Hermione was sure of: Draco Malfoy could not be trusted.

AN: Thank you to coddiwomple for helping me with my characterisation of Draco, all will be revealed, there is a tonne of backstory here. Reviews always warmly welcome! xxx