She sat there quietly, waiting for him to begin. Hermione knew the answer must be multifaceted. You didn't make such a choice lightly, or for just one reason. That would make it all the harder to start in such a way that she would be able to understand, so she stayed silent. Allowing him the time he needed to gather his thoughts.

The heat in the room made it feel like there was roaring fire only a few feet away even though the fireplace remained unlit. It had to be another bit of magic that the Room of Requirement held because the rest of the castle was drafty and most students resorted to multiple layers to fight off the chill. She removed her hat, gloves and cloak before setting them on the arm of the couch.

When she was finished he leaned forward and put his elbows back on his knees, which allowed his forearms and wrists to hang limply towards the floor. Draco sighed again before starting to talk to the ground instead of directly to her. "I... Could you imagine, if only for a minute, what it would be like to grow up in my world? A... A world where you are told, from the second you could understand, that muggles were not only beneath you but needed to be because they were so dangerous?"

She kept quiet. She knew he wasn't actually seeking answers. He was reverting back to his defense mechanism of asking questions instead of giving a direct answer. Except this time he was answering her…

"What if you were told routinely about what happened during the Muggle World Wars? How they were... How they are able to destroy entire cities in an instant and leave toxins in the very air and water that caused horrific ailments that magic couldn't hope to fix. That it is madness to allow them the opportunity to do something equally as heinous again, even more so because wizardkind is the logical next target for their hatred when the Statue of Secrecy is inevitably broken. Is it so hard to imagine the fear and subsequent anger a young child would have growing up when it came to anything having to do with that group of supposed barbarians?"

He glanced over at her, making sure she was still paying attention.

"Now how would it feel to be told you had to cohabitate with the children of such monsters? The little spies that were sent in to collect intel for their government so the attacks against you and yours were quick and unnoticed. Tainted little abominations that had stolen their magic from a witch or wizard. Would you welcome such potential for evil into your own mists willingly?"

Her eyebrows came together as she seriously considered the implications of everything he said. And it was hard for her to come up with a scenario where she would ostracize a whole group of people, much less an individual, the way Muggleborns were. Especially over something they couldn't control.

As if he could plainly read her thoughts he snorted and continued. "You would... Of course, you would. What about your friends? Could you imagine any of them forgiving and forgetting?"

Her silence was answer enough for the both of them so he just scoffed before continuing. "What if the man you idolized your whole life told you that the only way to protect your family was to learn from the muggles' past and do something preemptive? Enslave the evil and put them in their place so they wouldn't be able to destroy the world with their cruelty. Kill off their spies so they would never be able to rise up and inflict that kind of destruction again... Do you see how that could leave a lasting effect on an impressionable young mind? Especially when the person feeding it to you was your own Father? The man every child is taught to love and respect."

She had started to bite her at her lip as his story of questions went on. It was unreal how badly she wanted to let the anger take hold and floo to Azkaban to hex the ever loving hell out of the man who had brainwashed his son with such a twisted version of the world.

Muggles had the capacity for great evil. But so did wizarding kind…

"What if the person you trusted above all else kept you away from any chance to learn differently? Under the guise of protection, of course. You would end up indoctrinated to believe that was the only way to save the entire world! Would you then be able to turn away from the bastard that had almost succeeded before? Or would you embrace him for the sake of the greater good of everyone, muggles included?"

A small part of her brain registered that from his old vantage point it must have been an unbeatable offer. Guaranteed safety from a lethal threat was a pretty damned good motivator. Look at what she had already done for the sake of her contingent survival.

"What do you think would happen if the madman decided that the Father you had admired was no longer of use? Would it quickly become apparent that all of the shit you had been force fed your entire life was a lie? A means of control. What about when you looked around and realized that you had signed your life over to a sadist who would kill you just as quickly as use you?"

His eyes dropped to the floor again, his voice starting to crack by the end of his lecture. "You would try to run. Maybe even deflect so you might be of use to the other side, right? What would happen if you couldn't even entertain the idea because he had your mother held hostage? Your home overrun with his sycophantic followers so she would never be able to escape. Would your life be worth hers? Or would you stay and do whatever the fuck you had to do to keep her alive?"

Hermione knew the answer the second he asked the question. She didn't have to think twice, she would do whatever she had to do to keep her mother and father safe. Hell, she was already planning to do exactly that for the slim chance of their security. She refused to ever feel the panic of the boy next to her.

Unable to put all of that into words, she whispered. "I would do anything to keep my Mum safe."

"Exactly." He said simply, another nonchalant shrug on his shoulders, trying to cover up the storm of emotions that must have been churning under the mask that he had somehow found a way to reassemble..

"So what is it that you have to do to keep her alive?" She asked hesitantly. Trying to avoid the overstep that would send him back into defense mode, but he was being unabashedly truthful with her so far…

"I... I have to fix something." He hedged, his eyes found hers and she almost choked from the blankness that reflected back at her. It had not been easy for him to tell her the truth. The amount of trust he had placed in her hands had cost him a great deal.

She could appreciate the effort that it took him. Draco did not have to open himself up to her like that. He could have laughed in her face, called her absurd and sent her on her way when she first asked him in the hallway. The fact that he hadn't was proof that he cared more than she knew. If there wasn't a glimmer of the same connection she felt, he would not have taken the chance and laid himself bare like that.

"Oh. Well... That doesn't sound too hard. What is it that you need to fix?" She asked. She might be able to help... She couldn't see Voldermort giving him that important of a job. Especially if he was testing him because of the older Malfoy's ineptitude.

He glared at her for a moment, as if trying to determine the reason behind the question. "I do not wish to speak about it anymore. Can we... Can we talk about something else? Anything else..."

"How was your Christmas?" She threw out. It was the first thing that popped into her head.

Draco answered dismissively. "Splendid. Yours?"

"It was nice... Quiet." Hermione wasn't sure where to go from there. She was even more confused than when she had shown up. She had expected such a different outcome. One where she told him off and ran back to her room crying and all the other teenage angsty drama that would normally ensue in an instance like this…

Instead she had gotten to the truth of the matter. Draco was a Death Eater. At one point in time he had subscribed to the belief that the world would be better off with muggles in their "rightful place". And then, somewhere along the line, he had changed... He might not have thrown off the bonds that held him to such evil, but she could not fault him for that, not with his mother's life on the line. If anyone else took the time to hear it, they wouldn't be able to either.

"That is good to hear. What was your favorite part?" He asked her, leaning back against the couch and giving her his full attention. It looked as if he was the perfect picture of relaxation but she knew the truth now, even the Draco that he shared with her wasn't the real one. Underneath all of that nonchalance raced so much fear, anger and pain. She wondered how he coped with the expectations upon his young shoulders. Just like with Harry, it was bad enough being on the sidelines and witnessing it.

She sighed and thought over her answer before responding. "Just being able to be with my parents, I guess. Usually we jet off for some skiing adventure with the families of their co-workers. Or I am... Away. But this year I asked for quality family time and they obliged. It was nice to sit around our house and do nothing for days on end like a normal family."

"Hmmm... I had not pegged you as an adrenaline junkie Granger. Do you enjoy skiing?" He inquired, a joking smirk threatening to break out on his lips.

A full blown laugh escaped from her, a surprise for both of them. "I'm not. I mean... I don't. I am the one who is an anomaly and hates flying, remember?"

He slid his arm behind her on the back of the couch making sure not to touch her but leaving the option for contact up to her. The simple gesture kept the smile on her lips as she relaxed against the cushioning gray velvet, placing her shoulders squarely against his arm.

"What is running through your head right now Kitten?" He asked her, lapsing back into using his pet name.

"How you always seem so confident..." She replied with the truth.

"It's an act." He said simply.

"I know."

"Do you?"

"I do now..." She told him easily. Somehow she knew that what he had confided to her was the truth. Had her view of him changed so completely in such a short period of time that she could blindly trust? Or was it possible that he had made such a transformation that the reality could not be ignored? The simple act of sitting next to her like he was could be offered up as proof.

"Good." He said as he stared deeply into her eyes, making sure she wasn't lying to him. As she stared back she was once again struck by how dark the circles were under his eyes and she knew that he needed to get some sleep. Or he really was going to make himself sick…

Hermione let her head fall back onto the arm behind her. "We should probably head to bed soon."

"And that is why you are the brightest witch of our age, huh?" Draco joked, his eyes flashed a strange silver with the show of humor before a telling yawn exposed his fatigue.

She gave him a fleeting smile and stood so she could put her new cloak, mittens and hat on. He stayed frozen in the same position, watching her dress in her outerwear in preparation for the cold found outside the room. It was hard to tell by the way his shoulders took on the tense set from earlier, but it seemed as if he did not want to let her leave.

Not wanting to miss a spare moment that she could spend with him, she raised her eyebrow playfully and asked. "Will you walk me back?"

"Of course." He replied, the corners of his lips threatening to turn up into a smile before he stood and walked over to the wardrobe. It became her turn to stare as he took out the coat he had worn on the night they had met in the Gray Lady's garden and slipped it on. A strong sigh caused his shoulders to slump momentarily before he regrouped and went to the door, waiting for her to join him.

Hermione gave the room a quick once-over, trying to sear it into her memory before she did. There was no guarantee that she would get to return…

Ever the perfect gentleman, he waited patiently and opened the door for her, letting her pass through before he quickly followed.

They walked in silence. Never allowing their bodies to cross the invisible barrier that had gradually built up between them with each step they took away from the safety of the room, but both felt the electric current that called to close the distance. She would catch him occasionally, sending her a quick look out of the corner of his eye as she attempted a glance of her own but she didn't call attention to it.

When they made it to their corner she turned to him with a small smile. "Thank you."

"I refuse to be the dragon, Granger." He blurted, his eyes locking hers in a piercing gaze.

"I know Draco. I can see that." She said breathlessly, having to blink back sudden tears at the heart-wrenching declaration.

"Still friends?"

"Are we only friends?" She asked him, taking a play from his book. Answering a hard question with one of her own.

"I don't know... Do I ever get to kiss you again?" He probed with a joke.

That caused her to stop short because... Gods, how she wanted him to, but she wasn't in any shape to be making that type of decision about them. The truth was the best option she had. "Maybe... Not tonight. I am much too tired, physically and emotionally, to be snogging some boy in the corridor."

Draco shrugged, looking down to the ground. "Okay."

"But I will see you soon, right?" She quickly followed up, afraid she had hurt his feelings with the rebuff.

The promise of there being a next time was enough to pull his eyes back to hers. Searching for conformation to her words after he found what he was looking for he nodded. "Alright. Good Night Kitten."

"Good Night Draco." She whispered as he turned and disappeared into the solid blackness of the corridor in what was fast becoming some taboo ritual between the Slytherin and Gryffindor. Death Eater and Mudblood. Oil and Water. But as she was finding out, there was much more to either of them than she could have predicted.

Hermione sighed and shook her head at the absurdity of their circumstances before heading up to her dorm. Hoping for good dreams of a hero to chase away any nightmares that dared to find her…

-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-\?/-

Uh…

What just happened? Is Hermione falling for a cleverly crafted act or is Draco being sincere? Tell me what you think is going down between these two. Pretty please!

Also, I was accepted by Archive of Our Own. Yay! Check me out over there (same name) if you are searching for the explicit lemony goodness that is sure to come in the future.

As Always…

Much love,

SlytherclawLuv