A/N: Hey everyone. Sorry it has been bloody ages since I updated. Once again-my busy life has taken over everything! Please feel free to let me know what you think about this chapter!!!!! Cheers!!!!!!!!!! -Cheersdahling

"Dragons will wander about the waste places, and the phoenix will soar from her nest of fire into the air. We shall lay our hands upon the Basilisk, and see the jewel in the toad's head. Champing his gilded oats, the hippogriff will stand in our stalls, and over our heads will float the bluebird, singing of beautiful and impossible things, of things that are lovely and that never happened, of things that are not and should be." -Oscar Wilde

Broken Against a Stone

Chapter 12

As the sun kissed the descending moon farewell for the day, Hermione woke up in a cloud of crimson vision. Their night together had been spent in secret at the Baltic Blessing, and inn 20 miles from Hogwarts castle.

When Hermione's opened for the first glance of the morning-she saw that Draco had bled from his mouth, which in turn had deeply stained the linen pillowcase upon which his head has rested. Frantic with the sight of his continual hemorrhage- Hermione reached for her wand on the bedside table and slowly began to whisper healing spells quietly. As Draco woke, he smiled at her, but then hastily stopped. The act of smiling was too painful for his sore mouth.

"It's alright Draco. Just lie down," said Hermione as she continued to administer the healing spells.

She was terribly worried with his condition. She could not believe the ferocity in which Draco and Harry had fought the night before.

"Harry really laced into me last night didn't he? I've never seen him that angry before, and I've upset him many a time," said Draco trying to stay somewhat light hearted.

"It was a mutual feeling, I can assure you," said Hermione.

"What should we do Hermione? I'm just at such a loss. How are we going to face up to this? You always have all the answers, Hermione. We will be the scourges of Hogwarts. It will be on both sides," said Draco as he desperately tried to remain immobile, with every slight movement bringing pain.

As the smell of slumber vanished from the air, Hermione and Draco both knew what they would have to do. It was hard for either to admit it, but they were going to have to go back to Hogwarts with an air of apology about them. They would go to their friends and let them know that they were definitely in the wrong. They would have to pretend that they despised one another in public, when secretly they longed for one another in a desperate way, where the withdrawals were excruciating to bear. They would have to meet incredibly secretly, and not very often at all. But there would be an infinite blessing approaching-the Christmas holidays. Convincing Hermione's inner circle and family would be a huge challenge. Helping Draco with his problem would also be hard to conceal from her friends.

As Draco and Hermione kissed each other before returning to Hogwarts to face a horrific backlash, they felt in their hearts that it would work. It would take patience, time, and understanding pulled from a hat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: I hope you liked this short chapter. I promise to update soon. The next time we meet our favorite people-we'll find that it is very close to Christmas- and everything is being sorted-in order to allow Hermione to be with Draco at Malfoy manner. Do you smell serious trouble and despair in the near future? I do. Until then- CHEERS! -CheersDahling

"Footfalls echo in the memory, down the passage which we did not take, towards the door we never opened, into the rose garden." -T.S. Elliot