Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All the credit goes to JK Rowling who created these wonderful characters and story lines and made my mind run wild with 'what ifs'. Enjoy!

Please see the note below!

Hermione honestly wished she had skipped breakfast this morning.

She had been over the moon following yesterday's events. Ron subconsciously gravitated towards her in St. Mungo's after his poisoning, leaving Lavender Brown quite devastated as a result, much to Hermione's satisfaction and Harry's amusement. She sat by his bedside for a good portion of the day to watch over him as he recovered. Once nightfall came, she left his side to retreat back to her dormitory to sleep after a long day. Truth be told, she only left because Madam Pomfrey shooed her away once visiting hours were over.

Now come to find in the morning Ron thought he was merely boggled from the events that occurred. She was not pleased, to say the least. Forcing herself to ignore the subject for the moment, she turned her attention to Harry who was still studying that wretched book. She made it clear she did not like the malevolent ambiance that surrounded this particular version of the textbook. Not to mention some of the content he had shown her previously. It was clear whoever the previous owner was had a considerable fascination and appreciation for the dark arts. She made to comment on it before she noticed someone walking by out of the corner of her eye.

She gasped, "Harry, that's Katie—" she whispered, "—Katie Bell." Recognition flashed across his eyes and turned his attention to where Hermione was looking. Spotting Katie, Harry closed his edition of the potions textbook, carrying it with him as he stood and proceeded to make his way over to her. Hermione and Ron watched the two interact from afar, witnessing Harry's posture slump slightly in disappointment after a few words were exchanged.

"Guessing she still doesn't know, eh?" Ron whispered to her. Hermione went to reply but found herself unable to.

She froze. She felt chills when she saw Katie's gaze pivot away from Harry. Confused, she followed her line of sight. It made her turn her head straight forward, surprising her when she saw Draco Malfoy standing directly in front of her. She found his attention was not on her or Ron, but on Katie. The tension grew exponentially when Harry turned around, eyes narrowing as he saw what caused Katie's abrupt change in behavior. Hermione could practically see the gears turning in his head, working similarly to her own. The funny thing was, she didn't really need to think about it. The guilt in Malfoy's eyes and the way Katie became rigid with his presence said it all. Judging from the rage arising in Harry's eyes, he came to the same conclusion. But really, he had had his suspicions all along. Now he had confirmation.

Before her very own eyes, she saw Malfoy begin to unravel. He started to fidget, likely due to his discomfort at the unwanted attention. His eyes darted briefly around the Great Hall and downward before turning his heel, keeping his head down as he hastily walked out the way he came in.

She saw Harry's jaw clench. If being his best friend the last six years had told her anything, Hermione knew instantly Harry had just made up his mind about something. And knowing him, he was planning on doing something extremely foolish. When he made a move to follow Malfoy, Hermione jumped up from her seat, nearly knocking the food over as she less-than-gracefully maneuvered across the surface of the table. She hopped off and stood her ground in front of the frenzied wizard. Small hands were planted firm on his chest, halting him in his step.

"Harry, NO." Hermione stood her ground and kept her eyes focused on him.

"Hermione, he's getting away. You saw the look on his face. You know he did it," he quietly pleaded with her.

"That may be, Harry, but your obsession over him this year has turned you into a complete nutter." she hissed. Although the words were kept at a low volume between them, the underlying urgency was clear in her tone. Ron barely managed to get a word of the conversation even being in close proximity to the two. "I'll go—" She chose to speak at a normal volume this time, indicating that it was meant for Ron to hear as well.

"But—"

"—and don't try to entertain any ideas of you 'talking it out' with him. You'd probably end up injuring him or something."

Ron was befuddled, "you're actually worried about that ferret getting hurt? Don't tell me you're getting soft on the bloke, 'Mione."

"Of course not." She responded harshly. "But one of us has to be sensible. Now stay put. Both of you." She bit back any further comments and proceeded to hurry in the same direction Malfoy took off to before either Harry or Ron could protest.

She kept up a quick pace in her step until she had a manageable distance between them. The echoes of his shoes clicking on the floor kept up with the anxious thudding in her chest. He was a few paces shy of running. While being as swift as she could manage, Hermione made her way down the corridor with light footsteps, cautious not to make any alerting noises.

She waited to round the corner as he approached the end of the corridor in case he glanced past his shoulder to see if he was being followed. When she continued behind him, she could see him tugging at his tie and the button of his collar as if he were being suffocated. She eyed him curiously as she studied his mannerisms, hoping it could give her some assistance for when she eventually confronted him.

She cursed under her breath as he ducked into the boy's lavatory. She figured it was the universe punishing her for forcing Harry and Ron into the girl's bathroom second year. Not to mention the time they rescued her from a troll their first year, also in a girl's lavatory.

Yes, perhaps it was an overdue punishment.

As the distance between her and entrance to the lavatory drew to a close, she grew hesitant.

Relax, she told herself. It's just Malfoy. But that in itself was the problem. He hated her and her kind. More than anything it seemed. Too late to turn back now , she concluded as she forced herself to continue onward, breaching the entrance to the lavatory.

Hermione steadied her slow pace, keeping her ears alert. Shuffling of fabric...an old, rusty knob to a faucet being turned...frantic breathing...water splashing.

She kept her back pressed against the wall as she got closer. Once she reached the edge, she stayed hidden as she took a quick glance into the lavatory. He had removed his jumper and was hunched over the sink. When she briefly looked at his reflection in the mirror, she did not expect to see him so troubled. So broken. She certainly did not expect to hear the gut wrenching sobs suddenly being expelled from his throat. Hermione grimaced, refusing to let the sympathetic part of her become dominant before knowing the reason behind his tears.

It's now or never.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before turning the final corner. She was placed several feet away behind him before she hesitantly took a step forward.

"Malfoy?" she spoke softly as she did not want to startle him. He hadn't heard her. So she tried a different approach.

"Draco?" she tried again in the same hushed tone. He immediately looked up from the sink to the mirror in a panic, focusing his eyes on her figure. He turned to face her, outwardly conflicted on what to do now knowing he was no longer alone. He decided to settle for the defensive tactic, instinctively grabbing his wand from its holster, determination flashed in his scrutiny.

She almost rolled her eyes at him as she quickly reached for her own wand, taking aim.

How predictable.

"Expelliarmus," she chanted effortlessly. His wand was jerked from his grip before landing in her left hand, her right still armed and aimed at his chest. "Honestly, what is it with you men resorting to your wand for everything? Have you ever tried simple conversation?" she asked incredulously.

His eyes filled with manic and fear drew themselves back. His posture was fixed. As if he suddenly remembered who his audience was. "What do you want, Mudblood?" he spat, seemingly pleased when she recoiled slightly, viewing him with disgust. "Last I checked, this was the boy's lavatory. Come to sneak a peek?" he sneered.

She lowered her wand, unsettled as she took in his appearance in its entirety and in such close proximity. His pristine grey eyes were strained and sunken in, his beautiful pale complexion, now a sickly version of what it once was. His shirt and trousers clung loosely to his figure. It was unsettling to her how his expensive and tailored clothes did not seem to fit him anymore.

"Hardly. There doesn't seem to be much to look at." She bit back. Instantly, she knew that wasn't the right thing to say when she saw him tense up. Hermione could tell he knew she was referring to his thinning and disheveled appearance. But something about him made her want to throw away all reason and remove any filters she normally had.

He scoffed. "Whatever. Now give me back my wand." he held his hand out but she held a firm grip on both of their wands. "Why? So you can hex me? Petrify me for someone to find like you did to Harry?" She accused.

"The damn tosser deserved it! He was spying on me on the train! He—" he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. "Look Granger, I really don't have time to deal with you and your bloody Gryffindor friends and I certainly do not have to explain myself to you. So if you don't mind—"

"Are you alright?" the words spilled from her mouth before she could take them back. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her suspiciously.

"What?"

Where's your Gryffindor bravery, Hermione?

Louder, she asked again. "I said are you alright?"

"They call you the brightest witch of our generation, don't they? What do you think?" he snapped harshly. She could tell he was only acting out his frustrations.

"And you're second behind me in all of our classes, what do you think I think?" she quipped back.

"I think you're full of shite."

"How eloquent of you. Want to try something a little more advanced?"

"I think you're exceptionally full of shite."

"Oh sod off Malfoy, I'm trying to help—"

"I don't need any help. Certainly not from you ."

"Why? Afraid of accepting help from someone like me? A mudblood? " She tested the word on her tongue while adding a dash of . It felt odd. What was even more strange to her was when he flinched at her words. Or word.

"You're part of Potter's little 'Golden Trio.' You have absolutely no regard for the rules and you get pardoned for it all just because you're 'doing the right thing'."

She was appalled. "That's what you think? For your information, we do get in trouble and far more often than I'm comfortable to admit. We are not immune to the rules or the repercussions of our actions, Malfoy."

"So what? Does Potter get his sidekicks to do his dirty work when it gets to be too much for him?"

She narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me?"

"Did he send you here to interrogate me? To get the answers he failed to get for himself?" He finally asked.

"No, he didn't." she said. He scoffed disbelievingly. "No really, I saw you run off and I—" she froze as she realized she didn't have any good reason to provide without letting him know she wanted to prevent either of them from hurting each other.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. That's all." She settled on that answer.

"You Gryffindors and your ridiculous morals," he spoke derisively. "I'm fine, Granger. Quit pressing."

"But you were upset."

"I've been under a lot of stress. What of it? School doesn't come easy to all of us." He was stubborn. Unfortunately for him, so was she.

"Malfoy, when was the last time you slept—?" His eye twitched. He was caught off guard again.

Good.

"—or ate a full meal?"

"Worried about me, are you Granger?" he smirked. She saw through this one somehow. Hermione recognized the smirks and sneers he threw at her and her friends over the years. They were always intended to be taunting or menacing. This one was neither. This one was him attempting to build a wall. A wall he desperately wanted to put up as quickly as possible between them. "How would your precious Weasley feel if he knew you were off getting worked up over another bloke? Or would he even notice?" his smirk grew at her chagrin.

"You-you're barking. How do you—?" She was floored.

"Seriously? You've already deduced I'm not an idiot. Any one can see it, thus proving my point that the Weasel is truly as bollock—brained as I thought." he rolled his eyes.

"Don't talk about him like that." she spoke tightly.

He eyed her with curiosity. "Why? Are you going to tell me I'm wrong?"

"Well, no but—why do you act like this?" she asked, exasperated.

"I think I've made it very clear why, Granger."

"No, I know you act like a prat because you simply are an arrogant, spoiled, entitled, rotten, Pureblooded arse—"

"—you left out devastatingly handsome," he remarked. It was almost a relief to see his old self back even for just a second. But she needed to get her point across.

"You're so guarded all the time. It's as if you're paranoid that something bad is going to happen at any moment. You've been different since the start of the year. I recognize school stress and I know for a fact that is not what this is. We're the furthest thing from friends and most of the time, I would love nothing more than to hex—" she cut herself off, knowing her next words would have gotten her nowhere. She considered her next statement. Throwing caution to the wind, she cleared her throat and let her next words come out without hindrance. "—but as a fellow classmate I am concerned for your health."

He swallowed uncomfortably, "Your brilliance has always been the vain of my existence, Granger. Surely this is a subject you can figure out for yourself. I know you've already put some thought into it-" her eyes flickered down to his left forearm which was still covered by his white oxford. This did not go unnoticed by him. He drew his lips into a thin line before continuing, "In fact, I am almost certain you have already come to your own conclusions—" he spoke with a softness Hermione had never heard from him before. Realizing he purposefully left his statement open ended as a question, she answered by nodding hesitantly.

He shut his eyes as he took in a deep breath. She thought it was to cope with the fact that she basically confessed her suspicions of him and his allegiance. However, when he opened his eyes again, they were empty.

She was perplexed. He had taken the time during her rant to his advantage. He challenged her to distract her, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist. And he had succeeded. The wall had been completely built.

"Then I believe we are done here," he said, emotionless.

That was it. He made it clear he was not interested in talking anymore. Hermione had failed. "No, I told you I'm not here because of Harry. That's not fair—"

"Life's not fair. And whoever said so is rolling around is laughing in his grave like a twat." He retorted.

Was he being serious right now ? "Everyone has a choice, Malfoy. You made yours explicitly all those years ago when you said we were the 'wrong sort'. I think it's only fair that you own up to that choice."

"I imagine I've done a fine job at that. You still hate me, don't you?" he replied smoothly.

Hermione avoided the question. "You were just upset a moment ago! You don't get to suddenly feel bad about a decision you clearly made." she knew she hit a rough spot the second his eyes darkened.

"Is that so?" His voice lowered as he took a step forward. Hermione hadn't noticed they somehow made their way closer to each other during their confrontation. She wondered if he did. She began to back up to the wall when he continued to step forward. He definitely noticed.

"Enlighten me, Granger. Since you are under the pretense that one has the privilege of making these choices for oneself—" He now stood in front of her, peering down at her. She was not aware he was that much taller than her.

"—and that one should be judged by the choices they openly made despite the circumstances—" he resumed, closing in on her.

"That's not what I—" she attempted to defend when her back touched the wall but he did not give any pause.

"—but what is one to do when they are simply not given an option?" He finished. He frowned at her, mere inches apart as the tension released from her shoulders.

For the first time in her life, Hermione Granger did not have an answer. She frowned as she contemplated his words. The wording was simple but the implication was heavy.

He didn't have a choice.

She suddenly had a feeling he was not talking about their childhood feud anymore.

He sighed, he reached forward to take his wand easily from her relaxed hold. She didn't even bother fighting for it. There was no point.

"Do us a favor and stay away from me, Granger. Don't follow me, quit your worrying and just make it easier for everyone." He spoke firmly before backing to walk past her and out of the lavatory.

Her eyes stayed glued to the floor as she heard his retreating footsteps fade. Had she misjudged him? She shook away the thoughts, remembering where she was. She knew she would get in a great amount of trouble if a professor or another student found her in the boy's lavatory. Hermione began to make her exit as well as she processed the newfound knowledge.

She took her time walking down the corridor on her stroll back to the Great Hall, knowing Harry would be expecting answers. What was she to say? She certainly couldn't tell Harry of what she had learned. That Draco Malfoy was likely a death eater and was definitely the one who hexed Katie Bell. He was already teetering on the edge and this information would cause him to go absolutely ballistic.

She didn't even get Malfoy's reasoning for why. But had she ever really known why? She had always assumed his actions were due to him being naturally born and raised to be such, taking a presence as a bully for mere entertainment and acting out because of jealousy. Maybe it started out that way. But now everything was so...complicated.

Hermione found herself walking through the doorway to the Great Hall where she found Harry and Ron, apparently anxiously waiting for her return. Once they spotted her, their tense postures slouched with content when she appeared unharmed.

When she took her seat beside Ron, Harry wasted no time in breaking the ice.

"Oh good, I was getting really worried about you. So? Did he confess?" he asked.

"Nope, he threatened me. Called me 'Mudblood' a few times, said hateful things about you and sauntered off before I could ask anything." She said, effortlessly. It slightly intimidated her how easy it was for her to lie just now. She was never really known for being a good liar.

Ron smirked, "Sounds about right."

Harry groaned dejectedly, "I knew I should have gone after him myself," he grumbled.

"Stop it, Harry. If you pursued him, it would have only ended horribly." Something fluttered in her chest at that statement. She was just in a room alone with Malfoy and managed a slightly-less-than-hostile conversation with him before coming out unscathed. She did not feel many muggleborns could share the same sentiment.

"I would've gotten answers at least. Whether we fought or not, it would have confirmed my suspicions," he argued.

Hermione opened her mouth to retort but Ron beat her to it. "She's got a point, you know. I'm not a fan of the git either but your... fascination with him this year has made you a little mad if I'm honest—" Ron grimaced and briefly glanced over to Hermione. Almost as if he were looking for confirmation. He exhaled before continuing.

"—I also think you should get rid of that book. It's bad news, mate." Her eyes widened. Did he just—

Harry was crestfallen. "Yeah, you're probably right. It does practically exude 'dark arts', doesn't it?" He sighed deeply. "I'll meet with Ginny later on and figure out what to do with the book. I'm still curious as to what this 'sectumsempra' spell does though."

A chill went down her spine. Hermione cast her gaze downwards at the spell written out in the reopened, tattered book. She noticed that it was captioned, 'for enemies'. But perhaps that was what he was. An 'enemy'. Even so, she did not feel comfortable letting Harry confront Malfoy. She did not lie when she claimed to not know of the spell. However, she was able to make an educated guess on what the spell could entail given the Latin terminology. She shuddered thinking her best friend could have resorted to a dark spell as such in the heat of the moment. She knew how Harry could act when provoked.

Later that night, Harry and Ginny went to dispose of that cursed textbook. Hermione settled for going to bed, mind plagued with thoughts of a particular blond. Somewhere in her gut she knew; she saved Draco Malfoy from her very own best friend. The mere fact tugged at her chest but she didn't think the fact that she helped someone she was meant to hate was why. It was the fact that it felt something unfamiliar. She told herself it was merely sympathy. Or pity. At the end of the day, she had her friends to turn to while he was likely alone to deal with all the hardships of school and life. As far as she could tell, he never really had any true friends. He was clearly suffering and he needed someone now more than anything. Perhaps that was the unfamiliar part of it all. The part of her that wished he had let her in.

In the depths of those steely grey eyes before he threw his shields up, she saw a haunted mind, a broken soul. There was so much that he was withholding.

She hoped, whether it was by her or someone else, one day, he would let himself be saved.

A/N: Hello peeps! This is me taking a chance and delving into the fandom of this wonderful wizarding world! I will admit this pairing came new to me a few months ago and it hit me like a ton of bricks how quickly I fell in love. Something about the forbidden romance and the promise they could have had makes me wish they were endgame. The inspiration for this comes from Wonderwall by Oasis. This was initially a one-shot but given how many ideas I had, I decided to turn it into a multi chaptered beauty! I have an overall outline for the story so know that there is an end in the planning. Thus, abandoning it will not be an option :)