{ 7 }

When I woke on Sunday morning, I was surprised to see light filtering through the water outside the window. For the first time in a very long time, nightmares had not plagued my sleep. I woke up feeling refreshed.

With nothing on my agenda for the day, I took my time showering and dressed in casual black pants and a long sleeved Slytherin quidditch shirt. While I stood in front of the mirror combing my hair, I remembered Granger laughing because my hair was combed perfectly. I also remembered the look on her face when she had seen me that night, after my shower. I had not combed my hair at all, but rather just ran my fingers through it as it dried.

Slowly, I lowered my comb down to the sink and I ran my fingers through my hair. I hesitated for a moment, took one final look in the mirror, then turned and walked out of the bathroom.

The common room was all but empty as I passed through on my way upstairs. From the noise coming from the Great Hall, most of the school was at breakfast already. Except for two Gryffindor witches that were walking down the staircase by the entryway.

Granger and the girl Weasley were almost to the bottom of the staircase when they saw me.

I watched as she took in my appearance. Whatever she had been saying to Ginny trailed off as her eyes widened and her cheeks tinged pink.

That was exactly the reaction I had been looking for. I felt my lip quirking up in a smirk.

"Morning, Granger. Weasley."

I wasn't paying much attention to Ginny, I admit. She muttered something, tossed her hands in the air and continued into the Great Hall.

"Malfoy." Hermione finally responded after clearing her throat. "Did you forget to comb your hair this morning?"

She bit into her bottom lip. A clear sign that she wanted to say more, but was holding back.

"I was told it looks good like this."

She raised her brow and laughed.

"Right. And that every witch in school would want you if you walked around like that."

My heart was hammering in my chest as I responded.

"I'm not interested in any of them." I let my eyes drift down her frame, taking in her faded blue jeans and her fitted gray scoop neck t-shirt with the Gryffindor lion printed on the front. My eyes drifted back up to meet hers. Her hair was hanging loosely in black and red waves today. It did not hide the blush that spread across her cheeks.

I was careful to keep the look short, just enough to get my point across. I didn't want her to think I was leering at her.

"Hmm. I guess we'll see about that." She winked at me. Fucking winked. Then she turned and followed Ginny into the Great Hall.

I chuckled to myself as I made my way to the Slytherin table. I think I'm getting better at flirting with her every day.

I found Theo sitting by himself at the end of the table. He was ignoring the chaos around him, staring off into the distance. As I neared him, I could see the dark circles under his eyes. I may have slept well the night before, but he obviously did not.

"Morning," I said as I sat down next to him. His eyes flickered over to me, then away again.

"Finally awake, I see." The bitterness in his voice confirmed he was in a shite mood.

"Best nights sleep I've had in awhile." I wasn't going to fall for his bait. I've had my fair share of sleepless nights. I am not going to let him make me feel guilty for sleeping a full eight hours.

"Good for you, mate." The sarcasm in his voice was expected. I ignored the tone altogether.

For the next several minutes, I ate breakfast in silence. Theo had a plate in front of him, but rather than eating he was pushing his food around.

He sighed and turned to look at me finally.

"Your girlfriend keeps staring at me."

The tone he used concerned me more than the words. For days he has been teasing me about Granger. Today he was not teasing. His voice was laced with disdain.

"She's not my girlfriend," I reminded him slowly.

"Whatever. Tell her to stop staring at me."

I looked up to find that she was, indeed, watching us. Or watching Theo. Her face was filled with concern. She noticed me and met my gaze. Her eyebrow lifted up in question.

Theo ran his hand through his hair and sighed. A sneer that had no place on him took me aback.

"Just keep her away from me, alright? I have enough to worry about without the Golden Girl having it out for me, too."

What in the actual fuck? I stared at him as he stood and walked away. I couldn't even speak. I felt like he had punched me in the stomach and walked away.

It took me longer than it should have to react. By the time I caught up to him, he was already in the hallway by the staircase.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I stopped him by the stairs. He turned to face me, anger rolling off of him in waves.

"You know what? I thought she was different. But she isn't. She hates me, Draco. And why? What the fuck did I ever do to her?"

I didn't know what to say. Why would he even think that? What the hell did I miss?

"She doesn't hate you." His lip curled up as he glared at me. "Why is that, do you think?"

"She doesn't hate you either. Who told you that?"

His eyes narrowed and he took a step closer to me.

"No one had to tell me, Draco. I figured it out for myself. I'm not grotesquely stupid. You were standing right there. She attacked me. Broke my nose. Nearly broke my arm. Because she thought I was going to hurt her?"

My eyes widened as understanding suddenly dawned. Fuck.

"She didn't think that." I tried to tell him, but he wasn't listening.

"She thinks I'm a monster. She can overlook the mark on your arm, but not mine. Why?"

Suddenly it all made sense. The dark circles under his eyes to match his dark mood. The animosity towards myself and Granger. I should have known he wouldn't just take it at face value. Theo over analyzes everything. He was probably up all night convincing himself that Granger has it out for him.

"Maybe you need to ask yourself what she wants with you," he snarled. "That mudblood is up to something, and you better watch your back."

Before I could respond, there was the sound of a throat clearing behind me.

Theo and I both froze. His widened eyes mirrored mine.

"Theo." Hermione's unmistakable voice. I closed my eyes briefly before we both turned to look at the witch that had been the topic of our conversation.

Hermione was standing a few steps away. By the look on her face, there was no doubt that she had heard most of what was said.

She had her arms crossed over her chest. Her fingers gripped her arms so tight that she would probably leave bruises.

Several heartbeats passed. Slowly she took a step closer. Then another. One more step brought her to stand right between us.

"For the record, I didn't even know you had the mark at all." She spoke quietly, just loud enough for the two of us to hear her. "I've encountered my fair share of human monsters before. I never considered you to be one of them."

Her voice was quiet but hard, factual, no emotions although I'm sure she was angry. Hurt, even. She glanced around the hallway to make sure we were still alone before continuing.

"Granger." Theo snarled at her. "I don't need you to patronize me. If you didn't know, why did you attack me?"

She raised her brow. She took another step closer to him.

"And I don't need you to pretend to be nice to me when you think of me as a mudblood, Nott." Her voice wavered. Not much, but enough that I noticed it. Theo's words had already cut through her. "I didn't attack you. I sensed a threat and neutralized it. To think, I felt bad about it, when in reality my instincts were spot on."

"I wasn't threatening you." He stepped closer to her. They were mere inches apart now. The anger had started to leave him. All I heard now was anguish. "I don't go around hurting people. If I did, I'd be in Azkaban right now. But you, little miss perfect know-it-all. You don't even get a detention out of it. It must be nice to lead such a charmed life."

My breath caught in my throat. I felt like I needed to do something. De-escalate the situation before someone said something they couldn't take back.

"You know what, Nott? You are absolutely right." The sarcasm in her voice was so thick you could cut it with a knife. "I have the perfect charmed life. No worries at all, right?"

She huffed a short laugh. She unfolded her arms, only to cover her face with both hands while she took a deep breath.

I put my hand on her shoulder.

It was stupid. I take full responsibility for that.

Before I could even say her name, she turned, grabbed my wrist and kicked my legs out from under me.

"Fuck!" I gasped as I fell backwards.

As I lay on the stone floor, staring up at the ceiling, I knew that it could have been worse. She had controlled my fall so I didn't split my skull open on the floor.

Her eyes met mine briefly before turning back to Theo. Without another word, she turned and walked away.

She only made it a few steps when McGonagall's voice rang out.

"Miss Granger!" Her sharp voice echoed down the hall. "Explain yourself!"

I took a gasping breath, trying to refill my lungs with much needed oxygen. Theo released a deep sigh before stepping up to my side and holding his hand out to help me up.

By the time I was standing on my feet, the Headmistress was standing right in front of Hermione.

"What exactly would you like me to explain, Professor?" Her voice was hard. Clipped. Cold.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows in shock at the rudeness from who could arguably be her favorite student.

"Let's take this to my office," she returned. "All three of you. Now."

None of us said a word. Theo and I exchanged a glance. I tried to catch Hermione's eye, but she was staring straight ahead. Her hands were gripped in tight fists at her side.

A few minutes later, we were standing in McGonagall's office.

"Mr. Malfoy. Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

Her sharp voice rang through the room. I shook my head in response.

Her eyes narrowed and she waited for me to verbally confirm, "I'm fine," before she turned her attention to Granger.

"Mr. Nott. Where did that bruise on your wrist come from?"

He flinched. His eyes darted across the room before returning to McGonagall.

With the mood he had been in this morning, I expected him to tell her what happened the day before.

He didn't need to say anything.

"It came from me." Granger spoke up. "Yesterday."

"Miss Granger," the older witch sighed. "That is three occurrences of violence and we are not even a month into the semester. I don't know what is going on with you, but you have to know that is not acceptable behavior."

She didn't say anything in response. She just kept staring straight ahead.

I glanced at Theo. He had an odd expression on his face. Something between smugness and guilt.

McGonagall rubbed her temple. Then she turned, waved her wand and a silver cat patronus appeared. I did not hear what she said to it, but a moment later it disappeared.

While her back was turned, I took a step closer to Granger. Her eyes darted over towards me. She shook her head quickly and turned away.

I could feel Theo's eyes on me as I took another step.

I don't know what I was thinking. Just that, she didn't do anything wrong.

A moment later there was a knock on the door. McGonagall eyed each of us, then left us alone to open the outer chamber.

As soon as she was gone, Hermione turned to look at me.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked quietly.

I nodded. I was fine. It took me by surprise and knocked the wind out of my lungs, but otherwise no injuries.

"Are you?" I asked. It was a stupid question. She was barely holding it together. It was obvious to me, anyway.

Her eyes darted to Theo and back to me again.

"Me? I'm just perfect." She moved away from me and settled in a chair directly in front of the desk. She pulled her knee up in front of her and laid her cheek against her shoulder.

McGonagall came back in the office then, followed by Healer Edinfield.

This would be interesting.

Edinfield's brow raised slightly when he saw me, then Theo standing there. His eyes settled on Hermione.

"Mr. Malfoy. Mr. Nott." He nodded at both of us. Then he held his hand out to Granger. "I am Healer Jeremy Edinfield. I don't believe we've met."

She looked at his hand before turning to glare at Professor McGonagall.

"What is the meaning of this?" She asked shortly.

I waited several seconds. When no one answered, I cleared my throat.

"He's the mind healer."

She visually tensed. Her hands curled into balls so tight that I'm sure her fingernails were cutting into the palms of her hands. Edinfield slowly lowered his hand and stepped back.

"That's right," he confirmed. "Headmistress McGonagall asked me to talk to the three of you. She wants to understand what happened this morning."

She stood and pushed her hair back behind her ears. Then she took a deep breath. With narrowed eyes, she focused on the witch that had been her head of house for seven years.

"Obviously what happened is that I fucked up." She ground out. "Just punish me already. I have things to do today."

Every eye in the room was staring at her. Personally, I could not believe she just spoke to the elderly witch like that.

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall scolded. "I don't want to punish you. Instead, you will see Healer Edinfield twice a week until he determines you are not a threat to the rest of the students in this school."

"No. I won't." She hissed through gritted teeth. She was hiding it well, but I could see the panic starting to rise in her eyes.

"You will. Or you will be expelled."

The room was silent for several heartbeats. I barely even breathed for fear of interrupting the stalemate between the two witches. Finally McGonagall raised her brow.

"It is your choice, Miss Granger."

She took a long, gasping breath. Her eyes darted around the room like a caged animal, looking for an escape.

"Let me take my NEWTS now." She pleaded as she ran her hands through her hair. "I know the material. I studied it last year. Just…just let me take my tests, and I'll get out of your hair."

McGonagall seemed surprised by the counter offer. Did she expect Hermione to simply give in? Perhaps the old Hermione would have done anything to keep from being expelled.

This Hermione, though, would do anything to keep from thinking or talking about the war. Perhaps even if it meant never sitting for her NEWTS.

The standoff continued. I don't know how much time passed. It had to have been several minutes before Theo cleared his throat.

"This is all my fault," he said quietly. His voice carried in the dead silence of the room.

Hermione turned to face him.

"I thought this is what you wanted." Her voice was filled with sadness. Resignation. Defeat.

I knew. Even before she turned her back on the Headmistress, I knew she had made her choice.

"Miss Granger? Where are you going?"

Her eyes met mine and I couldn't stop myself. I took two steps closer. Her hand brushed against mine before squeezing it tightly.

"Don't do this," I told her quietly. She would be destroying everything she had worked for her whole life if she walked out that door.

"I don't have a choice." She shook her head. "No one wants me here. Not even McGonagall."

I held her hand a little tighter and ignored the stares from the other people in the room.

"That isn't true." She looked up at me through her lashes. I could tell she was trying to stop herself from crying. "If you leave, I'll have to go back to hanging out with Nott, and you saw what a joy he can be this morning."

Her lip tilted up in a quick half smile. Then she squeezed my hand so hard that my fingertips started to tingle.

"Good bye, Malfoy." A single tear slipped down her cheek as she stepped away from me.

I held on to her hand.

"No." I shook my head. Anxiety was clawing at my chest. I couldn't breathe. She couldn't do this. I tugged her closer. "You can't give up now, Granger. I won't let you."

She blinked her eyes quickly, but the tears started to fall anyway. I knew she did not want to break down in front of an audience, but I could not let her walk out that door.

"I'm not giving up," she muttered quietly.

"You are if you walk out that door."

Her eyes searched mine for several heartbeats before she took in a long, shaky breath and exhaled slowly.

"Damn you," she muttered.

She pulled her hand free and wiped her eyes free of moisture before turning around to face McGonagall. She crossed her arms over her chest and popped her hip out.

"One session a week, not two." She negotiated.

Something told me that this conversation had been one of the toughest in the Headmistress' career. To her credit, she did not gloat over the small victory. She simply looked relieved for a brief moment.

"That is acceptable." She confirmed. I wondered what she would have done if Granger had walked out that door? Would she have followed through and expelled her favorite student?

I think it would have broke her, but she would have done it. McGonagall was not one to make idle threats.

"Very well," Edinfield spoke up at last. "I will add you to the schedule this week."

She turned her glare on him.

"You do that. Are we done here?"

"We haven't even started yet, Miss Granger." He leaned back against the desk and gestured to the chairs sitting in front of him. "Have a seat. All of you."

Collectively, we all groaned. It had been an emotional morning already. We didn't need to rehash it all.

"Mr. Nott. You said this is all your fault. Would you like to expand on that?"

Theo curled in on himself. His hands gripped his hair tightly. This was going to be a very long day.

"It isn't his fault." Hermione leaned back in her chair. Her head tilted back so she was looking at the ceiling. Her fingers tapped against the phoenix on her arm in time to her knee bouncing up and down. She sighed.

"Yesterday, we were joking around after quidditch auditions. Theo put his arm over my shoulder and I wasn't expecting it. I reacted before I even thought about it."

She leaned forward and wiped both palms on her jeans.

"I used a technique that I learned in self defense class to neutralize the threat. As a result, I broke his nose and put him into a wrist lock."

McGonagall rubbed her temple again.

"Is this the same technique that you used on Mr. Weasley?" She asked sharply.

She cleared her throat then licked her lips.

"No. That was a different technique altogether."

Theo huffed out a laugh.

Everyone in the room chose to ignore him.

"And Mr. Malfoy?" McGonagall asked.

"Oh come on! Malfoy doesn't even count." She threw her hands in the air. "That was a demonstration. He wasn't hurt. I controlled his fall. Just like I controlled the wrist lock on Nott so his arm didn't break. I am not trying to hurt anyone. I am just protecting myself."

She took a gasping breath and stood.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head and gripped her hair. "I'm just…I'm done."

She turned and practically ran from the room.

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall yelled after her.

"Let her go." Edinfield stopped her before she could leave to chase her down. "She needs some time to process everything right now."

I caught Theo's eye. The anger that had been there this morning was gone. It had been replaced with disbelief and guilt. He looked even more exhausted than he had earlier.

"Right, well…if we are done here?" I said awkwardly before standing.

McGonagall watched me carefully, but made no move to stop me. Just as I turned, she spoke my name. I paused.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Her eyes met mine. I'm not sure I had ever seen her look so drained. Not even after the final battle.

I felt anger spike in my blood. Did she actually have the audacity to thank me? Like I did her some kind of favor?

"Don't," I practically growled. "Don't think for one second that I did that to somehow help your cause. You never should have given her that ultimatum."

I should not have to tell her that. She has to know how close she was to losing one of the best minds to ever study at Hogwarts.

"Perhaps not." She sank into her seat. She looked weary. Old. "However, anyone that cares for Miss Granger can see how much she is struggling to cope. She needs help. Everyone can see it but her. Even you, Mr. Malfoy."

I swallowed the lump that appeared in my throat. Yes, I could see it. You would have to be blind not to. There was a big difference between what I saw and what everyone else was seeing, though.

"You know what?" Something snapped inside of me. I couldn't keep quiet any longer. I bit my tongue through this entire farce of a meeting, but I was done, too.

I stepped forward and leaned both hands on her desk.

"We are all struggling to cope." I seethed. "We have seen things, experienced things, that you can't imagine in your worst nightmares. We are here. We show up every day, even if we've barely slept the night before. We go to our classes and we do our homework. What else do you want from us? What else do you want from her?"

I pointed towards the doorway that Granger had disappeared through moments earlier. McGonagall's eyes were wide. I don't think she expected me to call it like it was. I wasn't finished, though. Not even close.

"What I see, Professor, is people that have no idea what she's been through trying to force her to be something that she isn't."

She raised her brow and sat up straighter in her seat.

"And what is that, Mr. Malfoy?" She asked in a condescending tone.

I appraised her for a moment. Surely she knew the answer to that question? My eyes darted over to Edinfield, then back to Theo before I straightened my spine and glared down at the Headmistress.

"Innocent. You all expect her to be the same girl she was two years ago." I turned and took several steps towards the door before I stopped and turned back around. "She doesn't take notes or answer questions in class, so something must be wrong with her, right? She spent six years at this school trying to prove to everyone how smart and capable she is, to prove that she deserves to be a witch. She fought a bloody war for the right to be here, for Merlin's sake. And do you know what she's doing right now? Do you know that she's spending her weekend in detention, writing a paper on how muggleborns can possibly become magical?"

I paused to let those words sink in. The silence in the room was palpable, which told me she didn't have a clue about Giles' assignment.

Behind me I heard Theo mutter a quiet "fuck me."

"Hermione Granger is still trying to prove that she belongs here." I let my lip curl up in a sneer that would have made my father proud. "And you just threatened to take it all away from her."

I delivered my final blow. I held her eye for a long moment until I saw the understanding written on her face. Without another word, I left her office.

Once in the hallway, I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. To think, I was expecting a quiet year this year. I shook my head and huffed out a laugh to myself.

I guess if I had really wanted that, I should have stayed as far away from Hermione Granger as possible.

I opened my eyes and was surprised to see Granger across the hallway. She was leaning against the stone opposite of me, chewing on her lip as she watched me.

My gaze locked on hers. Her hazel green eyes were swimming with emotion. More than I could ever interpret on my own.

I don't know how long we stood there. Thirty seconds? A full minute? Adrenaline pumped through my veins.

The sound of a door opening pulled us back to reality. At any minute the remaining occupants of that office could join us in the hallway. Neither of us wanted to be there when that happened.

"Come on." She held her hand out to me. I hesitated only for a moment before wrapping my fingers around hers. We moved down the hallway together.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we started down the stairs.

Somewhere no one will find us.

Where would that be, though?

"Just, away from here." She answered.

We kept going down the stairs. We passed the sixth floor. Then the fifth floor. I was thinking that I needed to be outside. Flying is what I need to spend off this energy that is pumping through me.

We passed the fourth floor and the staircase started to move.

We paused in our descent. The third floor. The staircase stopped and we stepped onto the landing.

"Perfect." She squeezed my hand. It was perfect. No one would think to look for us there. A quick check to make sure no one was watching and we slipped into the shadows of the hallway as the staircase swung away from the landing.

I followed her to the abandoned classroom and to the empty office and chambers beyond. Only then did I release her hand so I could close and ward the door.

When I turned back around, she was leaning against the back of the couch. Arms crossed over her chest, she watched me. Just like she did in the hallway outside of the Headmistress' office.

"I heard you," she said at last. "I heard what you said to McGonagall."

Well, fuck. I didn't think she would have stuck around after she left.

Her expression was unreadable. I could not tell if she was upset or happy. I could feel my heart beating in my chest as I waited to see what she would do next.

"I kind of want to hug you right now," she finally said. Her voice was quiet and shaking. She chewed on her lip, a sure tell that she was nervous or contemplating something completely insane.

Like hugging me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I held her a couple of times while she cried, comforted her was more like it. A hug, though? That was different. Wasn't it? More intimate, somehow.

"I won't stop you." My voice was just as quiet and shaky as hers had been.

She stared at me for several heartbeats longer. I was starting to think she wouldn't do it after all. Then she took a step. Then another.

I stopped breathing altogether as her hands slid across my shoulders and linked together behind my neck. She laid her head against my shoulder and squeezed gently.

I took a long, slow breath. My lungs filled with the scent of strawberries and sunshine.

"You can hug me back. If you want." Her voice was muffled against my chest. I wondered if she could hear my heart pounding in my chest.

"You won't break my neck?" I teased with a nervous laugh.

She unlinked her hands and smacked me on the back of my head. Not hard. Just enough. I huffed a small laugh against her hair.

My hands settled on her waist, then slid around to her back.

She took a deep breath, then exhaled against me. I could feel her every move against my chest, against my fingertips, all around me. I mirrored her, taking a deep breath, inhaling her scent, letting it wash over me.

We stood like that for a long time, holding each other in a tentative hug, our arms loose around each other.

"No one has ever stood up for me like that." She muttered against my chest. "Thank you, Draco."

The sound of my name along with the gratitude in her voice did me in. My arms tightened around her. She held me tighter in response.

She fit against me like she was made to be in my arms. I never wanted to let her go.

"I was terrified you would actually leave." I don't know what made me say that. It felt like it was important for her to know.

"I almost did."

I took another deep breath. Her scent was intoxicating. Addictive. My hand rubbed up and down her back, concrete proof that she was still standing there.

She released a deep sigh before loosening her arms. I followed her lead, relaxing my grip and letting my hands fall down to her waist. She slid her hands down to rest against my chest and leaned back just enough. She looked up at me through her lashes. Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth. The scent of strawberries surrounded me.

What would she taste like if I kissed her right now? Would she taste like strawberries? Or something distinctly Granger?

I felt my ears heat up at that thought. She would kick my ass if she knew I had dared to even think such a thing.

Her eyes darted to my mouth, then back to my eyes. Her face tinged pink.

Good Merlin! She was thinking about it, too.

The corner of my lip tilted up in a smirk.

She huffed out a short laugh as her cheeks turned red. She dropped her head to hide from me.

I laughed nervously and tugged her in closer, sliding my hands against her back again. I rested my chin against the top of her head.

"Fuck, Hermione. What are we doing?"

She shivered beneath my fingertips as I spoke her given name.

"I have no idea." She took a deep breath. Her fingers gripped the front of my shirt.

That makes two of us.

I released a deep sigh.

"Glad we got that sorted then."

"Right?" She chuckled. Then she stepped back, completely out of my reach. She ran both hands through her hair before turning around and facing the window.

I followed her to the window. I stood right behind her. My hand brushed against hers. Almost instinctively, she flipped her hand over and clasped mine. No hesitation. She knew that I was not there to hurt her.

I can not even fathom how I had earned her trust so completely.

I don't know that anyone else has ever trusted me like that. Why would they? Why would she?

"You are thinking very loudly back there." She squeezed my hand.

"I…I am not a good person." She needs to understand that. If nothing else, she needs to know what she's getting herself into.

I know she wanted to argue with me. Instead she countered with, "I am damaged beyond repair. Broken."

There it was, out in the open. My biggest insecurity against hers.

She leaned back against me. The emotional toll of the morning was starting to take effect.

"I don't want to hurt you." I told her. It was true. I don't want to hurt her. I want to protect her from the evil in the world. She's seen too much of it, experienced too much of it, already.

Suddenly I had a deeper understanding of why Potter and Weasley were trying to keep her away from me.

"Theo was being an arse this morning, but he did make a good point. Why don't you hate me?"

She tilted her head to the side.

"You know the answer to that." Her fingers tightened around mine. "You have more than atoned for anything you did to me before."

How? How the hell had I atoned for anything?

Unless she didn't mean atonement. What if she meant I had paid for it? That karma had caught up to me.

A sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

"Are you saying…" I took a step back and released her hand. "I don't need your pity."

"My pity?" She turned around quickly and folded her arms over her chest. Fire flashed in her eyes. "Why in the fuck would I pity you? Wait…is that…do you…oh, fuck!"

Her face paled. She moved to walk past me.

"No!" I stopped her with my arm around her waist. I pulled her back against my chest.

The breath froze in her chest. Her fingers gripped my arm that was locked tight around her stomach.

"Let me go, Malfoy. Now."

"Or what? You'll break my nose?" I held on to her even as she struggled to get away.

"You know I'll do it."

"And you know that I won't hurt you."

We stood like that for several moments, her back against my chest and my arm locked around her stomach.

I waited until her breathing returned to normal.

"I don't pity you," I practically whispered in her ear. "I envy you."

She tensed, then relaxed slowly in my hold.

"You shouldn't." She matched my volume, whispering into the room.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I never intended to tell her that.

"I do. You are a survivor. And me…I'm a coward."

She suddenly dropped her center of gravity and twisted away from my grasp. She turned and glared at me.

"You listen to me, Draco Malfoy. You are not a coward. You survived, too." The fierceness in her tone and the fire in her eyes took me by surprise. "And you saved my life, you prat. You saved my soul. If that isn't atonement, then I don't know what is."

I wanted to argue with her, to tell her that just because I stopped her that day, that does not make me a good person. The look in her eye stopped me, though. Warmth spread across my chest.

She stepped close enough that her folded arms brushed against my chest.

"Also, did you even hear yourself defending me to McGonagall? Because I did! You see me. Better than anyone else ever has."

I searched her eyes, looking for any kind of doubt. All I found was conviction. Honesty. Gratitude.

"You're right. I do see you." My eyes flicked across her face. "I see how amazing you are. Smart. Strong. Brave. Beautiful."

So beautiful.

I lifted my hand up slowly to push her hair back behind her ear. Her eyes never left mine but she gasped softly as my fingertips slid against her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered closed for several heartbeats.

The attraction I am feeling towards her is obviously mutual. If she wasn't her and I wasn't me, I would have kissed her right then.

But we are who we are. If anything is going to come from this attraction, it is going to have to happen at a very slow pace. We are barely comfortable hugging each other. We are not ready for kissing, no matter what our hormones are telling us.

She released a deep sigh.

"I told you. I may never be ready." She looked up at me, her eyes pleading with me to understand.

"I know that."

I held her gaze until she inhaled deeply, held it for a second, then slowly blew it out.

"Alright then." She rolled her shoulders back. With another deep breath, she turned around and walked over to the couch. She sank into the cushion with her legs curled under and her head resting against the arm. Her eyes closed.

Alright then.

I released a short laugh as I sat down in the armchair. My head fell back and my eyes closed.

"Does this mean I can stop telling Theo that you are not my girlfriend?"

She didn't say anything at first. My heart stopped. Had I misinterpreted what just happened? I could feel my face burning as I dared to look over at her.

She was staring at me, biting in to her lip to keep from grinning.

"Yes," she laughed. "I think it does."

AN: Wow! This chapter is by far my favorite so far. It flowed effortlessly, basically writing itself. I would love to know your thoughts.

Also, don't be too hard on Theo. He's got his own trauma to deal with.

Until next time.

-mezy