AN: I have your next instalment of Tension so read away!

Thank you for your review Conflict, I appreciate the constructive criticism. These chapters were originally written five years ago and I haven't edited them since, therefore I do appreciate they are quite poorly done. I hope this hasn't deterred you from continuing with this story, though it would be understandable if you have been, or perhaps you'd like to read my more recently written fanfics and hopefully you'll find a more satisfying reading experience. I really appreciate those who have stuck with this story and I'm really grateful for my readers and my reviewers, so thank you.

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Song suggestion: Angel, The XX.

Chapter Thirty Five: Disturbing Dreams.

Hermione woke up in the hospital wing curled against Draco's body in the early hours of the morning. She felt funny as if she wasn't really there. Shifting slowly she tried to snuggle closer to Draco as he breathed in her ear at a troubling, panicking rate that made her worry about his dreams. Worrying why she wasn't in the usual Veela dream with him, making her feel uneasily and squirm uncomfortably as her gut filled with dread.

Something was not right and she didn't like it. Whatever it was?

"Good morning Miss Granger." A voice sneered.

"Who's there?" She called when she found no one, "Hello?"

"Imbecile. Do you not know of ghosts?" The figure stepped into her line of vision.

"Lucius Malfoy." She scowled. The tall, blonde, aristocratic Wizard stood looking like he smelled sour milk and looked down his nose at her lay next to his son, curled together, legs tangled, arms wrapped around middles and faces close enough that when they breathed the others hair fluttered in the breeze it caused.

"Correct." He said hauntingly.

"What do you want?" She moved to see him better and be less imprisoned in the presence of the Wizard known to practise dark magic even though he was dead he still sent a sliver of a shiver down her spine at what he could do to her if he wished it and prayed he wouldn't turn on his son, something she'd come to realise she felt worse about than her being harmed herself.

"I want to talk to the Mudblood scum my son seems so attached to." He sneered at her and threw a disdainful look at her and one of disgust for Draco who was still in a troubled sleep.

"Mudblood? Your son doesn't see it that way." She smirked-something she picked up from Draco in the time they'd spent together-like he'd picked up her finger drumming when she got irritated or impatient at something.

"That is because he is a fool and his Mother is too soft to deal with him properly like he should be handled. Not a real Pureblood."

"He is not a fool and his Mother treats him fine, she is ten times better than you ever were to him." She spat.

"He is a pathetic spoiled brat and his Mother was an old bint."

"How dare you?" She yelled. After everything Lucius still saw fit to insult his wife and child-it made her physically sick to hear him.

"How dare I?" He mocked.

"Your son used to idolise you and your wife barely survives without you. You are a low living git Lucius! Your family loved you and all you do is look down your nose at them and sneer." She narrowed her eyes, "And to be quite frank I don't know why but they do because you're nothing."

"My son was a disappointment and my wife was a lying trollop. As for you, you're not worth the mud on my shoes."

"You really are a piece of work."

"Hard work pays off."

"Didn't work hard did you Lucius? You bought yourself in. At least a Mudblood like me works for their way in life unlike you. We are decent and honest and fair in what we do unlike you and your companions who don't know any of those meanings and never will."

"How dare you, you filthy swine!"

"You know as a ghost you can't do much can you, it must be so hard to watch as your disappointment of a son lives a momentously happy life without you." She goaded.

"Shut your-"

"Filthy Mudblood mouth." She sighed, "Yes, yes, before your son became a Veela and he believed in you he said the same thing. But can I ask you a question Lucius a quick question?" She carried on anyway, "Aren't Malfoy's taught to honour women? Because clearly you are not having almost killed your wife with your anti-Veela attitude. Are you happy? But I guess because you didn't love her it doesn't matter to you."

"Of course I loved her!" He screamed, "But she was known as filth then, almost lower than you."

"Funny way to show it Lucius."

"Shut up, you know nothing."

"I know this; you are a bigoted, old fascist." She hissed, "You are no one, not any more, when people remember you know they don't care to fear you they just think you were a self-centred, drivelling fool."

"Opposed to you?"

"Yes."

"I've heard something's in my time Miss Granger but true fascist is new." He said coldly, "But chew on this Mudblood, when people see you with Draco they don't think it a good thing, no, they feel sorry for him being forced into this because of his Mother's dirty genes and you, they feel disgust because you make him that way. He's much better dead."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? You're not worthy of him! You drag him down in Mudblood filth. And you know it!"

"You disgust me! You can't be happy for your son, not when he's finally got there!" She exploded, pushing against Draco's arms to fight to get free, "You can't face your family has finally moved on without you! You're the pathetic one!"

"Filthy Mudblood Scum! I wish Crabbe and Goyle had finished you and him both off but then again at least I can escape your sick lives when I'm the ghost and you're the humans."

"Face it Lucius even I am better than you for your son." She smiled, "Goodbye Lucius." She closed her eyes and ignored the howls of anger from the anger ghost. Holding onto Draco she slipped away from it all, back into the black of her mind, to the place she wanted to be then.