Still bent over the mess that she had made, Hermione reached up and brushed the spittle from her chin. Prolonging the seconds until she could no longer avoid the looming confrontation. She knew his outburst of anger was fully justified but she didn't know what it was that she had done wrong… There had been zero intention on her part to fall so far!

And the things she had been forced to see…

She shivered and concentrated on the feeling of her lungs expanding as she gasped in a deep breath, fighting not to heave again. Her struggle for control over her own body took much too long, she should be trying to explain and comforting Draco, she had enough sense to realize that. Yet she still couldn't force the words out, instead all she did was stammer, "I… I… I don't… I…"

Somewhere in the haze of panic, his words were closer than they should be and full of the expected venom. "Good Gods, Granger!"

"Y… You… I…" No matter how hard she tried, the words kept getting stuck. Stones that stacked one after another until they built a dam so high she would never be able to articulate her feelings of remorse correctly. Her eyes finally tore from the ground seeking him. A desperate hope that maybe he would be able to see…

And he was there. Of course, he was. Angry or not, Draco helped move her dissociated body so she was able to sit down. He situated himself in front of her so that she had to look him in the eye and ordered sternly. "Breathe."

"I…"

"Stop it! I said, breathe." He interrupted before modeling exactly what he wanted her to do. His nostrils flared as he slowly inhaled and then his lips parted slightly when he exhaled. Blowing peppermint into her face. She did what she was told and he nodded, "Yes, again."

Hermione felt her shoulders lift and then fall as she complied. Over and over they took deliberate breaths together. She watched as the calming effects also did their work on him and his ire flowed from his features.

"Better?"

She scoffed and then quickly pulled away as she smelled the sick that lingered on her tongue. "I'm so sorry, Draco. I don't know what happened. I did everything right, I swear, I didn't mean…"

"It… It was not entirely your fault," With their eyes still trained on the others', she watched the cost it took for him to continue to speak. "I am too vulnerable with you. It's getting harder to keep my shields up."

She gulped hard around the knot in her throat, "Oh."

"Yeah…" He stood up from his crouch and continued. "Doesn't really matter though…"

"What do you mean!?" Hermione demanded as she scrambled up to join him, making sure to avoid the pile next to her in her hurry. "It matters to me!"

He ignored her and vanished the mess at their feet with a quick flick of his wand. A distraction from having to carry on with the conversation, but she wasn't about to let that happen.

"Draco… That means everything to me." She admitted, not caring as she felt the pink start to tinge her cheeks.

There was a pause in which he stared down at her. The tense set around his eyes slowly melted away and the palest of pinks blushed up into his face. Both at the mercy of the other for that one long unguarded moment before something hard flashed in his eyes and he shook his head, "That is all fine and well, Granger. We still have to stop these lessons."

"What?!"

His sudden rebuff made her feel as if she was smacked in the face. She understood that he was angry, but she never would have imagined he would stop helping her…

"I am done. You are not ready."

"No… No, I am! I have been studying and practicing! I've…" Hermione winced at her tone. She sounded exactly like a child begging for a treat in the shop aisle after being told to put it back. "I've done every single thing that you have told me to do!"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Her words were clipped as she tried to suppress her climbing irritation at the whole situation.

Draco's jaw clenched as he continued to stare down at her, gauging her response. The hard edge that had crept into his eyes earlier fell away. Leaving the odd blank mask in place as he steadied himself for whatever came with his next statement, "You are not strong enough."

The cruel words hung in the sharply charged air.

"Bullshit!"

"Granger…"

"You are just scared!" She yelled at him, losing the little bit of control she had managed to gain over her emotions.

His response was measured as he tried to keep himself in check, "Well… Yes, but that isn't the reason that I am done with this."

"Sure it isn't…" She didn't believe him. Why else would he refuse, if not his fear over what she had seen?

"I have already told you… You. Are. Not. Strong. Enough."

Each repeated word hit its intended target, piercing her heart and making unshed tears spring to her eyes. She blinked hard against them, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing them fall. "And you are a wanker."

"No. I am protecting you, Granger." The cold calculated mask was firmly in place as he ranted. "You are just going to fuck it up… Or worse, its going to fuck you up! You are going to see things that you were never meant to see. Every single memory has to be combed for any trace of you. That is over eighteen fucking years… Every heated argument between them. Every resentful conversation in which they have blamed you for the stress in their lives. Every damn second!"

"I know that!" She shouted. A desperate attempt to interrupt the tirade and be able to explain that he had it all wrong. She was strong… She could do this… She had to do this…

"Damn it! You couldn't even handle a few seconds of a virtual stranger!" He yelled back at her. No longer able to hold in his own anger. The reaction surprised them both and he quickly modulated his tone before continuing, "Get one of your Order friends to handle it… I'm not going to help you destroy yourself…"

Before she could come up with any type of rebuttal, Draco turned and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. And she was left with all of the unsaid things that hung on her lips. They tasted bitter and she needed the nastiness out of her so she spit each insulting word she could think of as she grabbed her wand and bag, "Moronic, beastly, pompous, condescending, dodgy, pig-headed dick!"

Hermione knew it was childish, but she couldn't stop, she stomped over to the door and imitated the boy who had just left by slamming it closed behind her.

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Later that night, as she laid in her bed she kept replaying their fight and the words she had so badly wanted to articulate. Of course, in that moment she had messed it all up. It had happened so quickly that she wasn't able to explain anything to him. His quick mind had already came to his decision before she had even known what was going on… A completely unfair advantage…

All that she wanted was for the chance to explain how wrong he was. He didn't need to protect her. She was strong enough! Look at what she had lived through already. The only reason she had reacted so negatively was because she had never thought he would allow her to see such intimate things and wasn't prepared. If she had known what to brace herself for!

She'd had to stop herself numerous times from pulling out the locket from its hiding place and demanding a meeting. Or calling him a daft tosser…

What did it matter that the minutes were creeping towards dawn and he would, undoubtedly, be asleep? She deserved to have her opinions on the matter heard, just as much as he did. Oh, and the dramatic exit didn't feel anywhere near as rewarding without someone there to witness it…

But then… Then she would remember that he had every right to be upset. Reflecting back, she could pinpoint exactly where she had made the vital mistake. Instead of listening to the wall he had tried to build and waiting for him to push her out, she had fought against that black viscous sludge. Her manic and instinctive fleeing had broken what little he was able to pull up as a defense.

So, while Hermione hated that he had been able to say his piece- she stayed silent. Her own anger flowing with the direction of her thoughts. Herself… Him… Herself… Him… Over and over as the minutes ticked down and she had to come to terms with the fact that it would be another sleepless night.

-\/- -\/- -\/- -\/- -\/- -\/- -\/- -\/- -\/- -\/-

I'm Sorry

The metal heating up between her breasts during Ancient Ruins had sent her rushing to the nearest bathroom. Once inside the safety of the stall she had pulled the locket from her blouse and seen the unlikely scrawled words.

It's okay.

In the morning light, her annoyance had waned. She understood, but still didn't agree with his rash decision.

I am a jerk.

Yes!

Thanks…

Hermione smiled, as the usual playful banter quickly passed between them. Why couldn't it always be so easy?

So am I.

Not really.

Please?

She knew that she should have waited and given him more time to think things over. Maybe wait until the next time they were able to meet so she could explain all of her reasons face to face. Yet, she wouldn't be able to fully breathe until the plans for her parents were intact. Their survival needed to be guaranteed.

There was a long pause and she wasn't sure he would respond and then…

Okay.