A/N – Welcome to the third part of Shattered Trust. This part has 12 chapters and updates will be the usual Wednesdays. I hope you enjoy the third part.

Despite it being well after midnight, not one of the people currently in Malfoy Manor were asleep. Down in the dungeons the prisoners rarely slept, but the current prisoners Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks had more reason then most to be awake. Within the last couple of days their lives had crumbled around them and even though they were trying to stay positive they both knew their days were numbered. They were finally going to pay for the part in they'd played in a despicable plan, and worry about what lay ahead of them kept the couple awake.

Up in their bedroom, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were also wide awake. The couple were in bed, but rather than sleeping, or indulging in their other bedtime pursuits, they were talking earnestly about their son and their hopes that finally things might be looking up for Draco. They were under no illusions that Draco would just return to his old self again, but they were at least hoping that recent events would bring him back to them and put an end both to his cold demeanour and his suicidal behaviour.

As for Draco Malfoy himself, he was back in his bedroom and for the first time in months, he was with his girlfriend, Hermione Granger. After their emotional reunion, Draco had suggested they returned to his bedroom to talk. He had thousands of questions he wanted to ask Hermione, but now they were back in his room he found he didn't know how to voice them.

Wandering over to the window, Draco stood staring out at the gardens as he tried to get his thoughts in order. He'd never expected to see Hermione again, and now he was regretting his every action since her supposed death. However, he knew her return wouldn't change certain things about his life. He was a Death Eater now, and the only escape from Voldemort's services was death. There was also ice in his heart, and Draco knew even Hermione wouldn't be able to melt it all. Too much had happened for him to ever go back to the way he was. The question was, could Hermione accept him as he now was, or would she walk away from him?

While Draco was gathering his thoughts, Hermione used the time to study her boyfriend. After their reunion and the initial shock of seeing her had worn off, he'd reverted to being cold, and Hermione could easily see glimpses of the formidable Death Eater he now was. She could already tell that things weren't going to go back to how they had been between them. Far too much had happened to them over the last few months, and both of them had changed due to the torment they'd endured. Hermione just hoped that they could still find a way to be together, as she was certain that despite everything they still loved each other.

"I guess it's time we talked," Hermione offered quietly.

"It is," Draco replied equally as quiet as he turned away from the window and faced his girlfriend.

For a few minutes the pair stood awkwardly in front of each other, before Hermione turned and climbed onto Draco's bed. Curling up on the black silk sheets, she grabbed a throw cushion and hugged it to her chest as she prepared to tell her story. Before Hermione started to speak, she waited for Draco to kick off his shoes and join her on the bed. What she really wanted was to curl up in his arms, but she wasn't sure how he would react, so she remained where she was.

"I suppose I should start back at school," Hermione began. "Can you remember that day during the Christmas holidays when I went to see Dumbledore?"

"Yeah," Draco replied.

"Well, he wasn't alone when I arrived in his office. Harry and Ron were there, as well as a small group of the Order," Hermione explained. "They'd been involved in a battle earlier that day, and Voldemort had shown up. According to Harry, he threatened me and made it clear he was coming after me."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Draco interrupted with a snarl, giving Hermione a small glimpse of the anger inside of him. "I should have known if you were in danger."

"I didn't believe I was in danger, in fact I still don't," Hermione replied. "I reckon Voldemort was just trying to rattle Harry. I bet if you ask him about it, he'll not even recall it."

"He better not," Draco muttered darkly. "If he targeted you, I'll bloody well kill him."

Hermione shivered at Draco's words, knowing he meant every word he said. He was definitely a lot darker than she'd ever seen him, and she had no doubt that by the end of her story he would be furious. Not that she could blame him for that, as she herself was fuming at what her so called friends had done.

"Anyway, Harry and the others were convinced the threat was serious and they wanted me to go into hiding. I refused, and let them know exactly what I thought of their ridiculous plan."

"How does all this explain what happened?" Draco asked, growing impatient. "How are you still alive?"

"My death was faked," Hermione said angrily. "After I left Dumbledore's office, my so called friends decided the best way to save me from Voldemort was to fake my death and put me into hiding. Of course they knew I wouldn't agree, so they did it all behind my back."

"How?" Draco questioned. "I saw you that day. Lupin carried you back to school. I saw you in his arms."

"I have no idea how they managed to achieve the details," Hermione admitted. "All I know is that I was in Hogsmeade with Tonks when she got word of an emergency she had to attend to. She insisted on apparating me back to the school gates so she could be sure I was safe before she left. I remember her taking hold of my arm, but after that everything's a blank. The next thing I remember, I was waking up as a prisoner and I discovered what they'd done."

"How did you find out what they'd done?" Draco questioned. "I can't imagine they'd be too eager to tell you what they'd done."

"Sirius stupidly let me see a paper," Hermione answered. "There was an article about my 'death'."

"And how did the bastards justify what they'd done to you?" Draco snarled. As Hermione was talking his anger was rising and it was taking all his self-control not to storm off to the dungeons and see just who they had as prisoners.

"They tried to say they were just protecting me," Hermione replied. "They just couldn't seem to see how wrong their actions were. They've let everyone, bar a select few, think I'm dead. You, my parents, my other friends, you've all suffered."

"Who exactly knew of this plan?" Draco questioned.

"Why?" Hermione looked at Draco warily, wondering what he was planning.

"So I can make sure they suffer," Draco replied with an evil smile. "From what you've said, Potter, Weasley and Dumbledore are all involved. You also mentioned Black and Tonks, and given the fact I saw Lupin with you on the day you supposedly had your accident, I'd wager he was involved as well. Was that it, or were more people involved?"

"Molly and Arthur Weasley also knew," Hermione answered. She knew she was effectively sentencing the couple to death, but at the minute she was too angry with them to care.

Draco nodded, but he didn't respond. He was far too busy working out how to make the Order suffer. Their actions had deprived him of Hermione, and driven him to the dark. For that he was going to make sure they felt all the pain he'd endured and then some.

"And what about you?" Hermione asked quietly, reaching out and placing a hand on Draco's arm. "How did you end up like this, Draco?"

"I lost you," Draco whispered, turning to face Hermione. "Without you, there wasn't a lot of point to my life."

"But why join the dark?" Hermione prodded. "Why pledge your allegiance to Voldemort?"

"That wasn't what I was trying to do," Draco snorted. "When I told him about you, I never expected him to give me the mark."

"If you didn't expect the mark, what did you expect?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"What do you think?" Draco raised an eyebrow at Hermione.

Hermione shook her head, refusing to believe what Draco was implying. "You wouldn't," she whispered. Even though Lucius and Narcissa had implied that Draco had been reckless since her death, she didn't want to believe he'd been suicidal.

"I would," Draco reiterated in an emotionless voice. "I wanted him to end my pain."

A few tears fell from Hermione's eyes at Draco's confession. "You shouldn't have risked your life like that, Draco. Even without me, you still have other things to live for."

"No, I really don't," Draco replied as he abruptly got off the bed and stalked back over to the window. "You have no idea how broken I was when I lost you," he confessed in a small voice as he stared out of the window. "Without you, I didn't want to carry on living. Without you, I lost my purpose."

"But you're still here," Hermione replied quietly as she got off the bed and made her way over to Draco. "Surely that means something."

"It means I'm a coward," Draco retorted, turning his head to look at Hermione. "It means I wasn't strong enough to end my life. I tried to get other people to do it for me, but for some reason I seem to be rather lucky in that respect."

"I'm glad," Hermione said, reaching out and placing a hand on Draco's arm. "I never would have forgiven myself if you'd ended up dead."

"You have nothing to be blaming yourself for," Draco stated firmly. "The only people at fault here, are the Order. The question is, where do you stand in all of this?"

"I stand with you, if you'll have me," Hermione replied.

"After all this, you still want to be with me?" Draco questioned. "You know what I've become, and I'm sure you'll hear all sorts of stories about me."

"I'm sure they'll not all be true," Hermione said.

"They will be," Draco chuckled darkly. "I'm not going to lie, Hermione, I've done some terrible things over these last few months. Can you live with that? Can you live with the monster I've become?"

"I suppose that all depends if that's all you are," Hermione answered. "Are you just a Death Eater, only bothered with killing and destruction, or is the wizard I love still in there?"

"I don't know," Draco confessed, turning his head away from Hermione. "I'm afraid that I'm too broken. You deserve better than me."

"And there he is," Hermione said with a soft smile.

While Draco was obviously damaged by what had happened recently, his last admission proved there was something of the old him still inside. No doubt, it was buried deep, but if anyone could reach him, it would be Hermione. She might not be able to return him to the wizard he once was, but she was confident that in time she could melt his ice cold heart and bring love back into his life.

"I'm not going anywhere, Draco," Hermione said, turning her boyfriend so he was facing her again. "I'm not saying things are going to be easy, but after everything that's happened I'm not giving up on us."

"Before you say that, there's something else I've got to tell you," Draco said with a deep sigh. He knew he was potentially going to break Hermione's heart with his next confession, but he knew it needed to be done if he wanted any chance to keep her in his life.

"It doesn't matter Draco," Hermione interrupted with a shake of her head. "I don't blame you for anything you've done while I've been missing. I don't need to hear this."

"Yes, you do," Draco insisted gently. "This isn't about something I've done as a Death Eater. You need to know that I've been unfaithful to you on two occasions."

"Oh." Hermione took a step backwards as she'd been unprepared for the admission. She couldn't deny she was hurt by the confession, but at the same time she knew she wasn't going to hold it against Draco as it wasn't as if he'd been aware that she was still alive.

"I'm sorry," Draco said quietly.

"Don't be," Hermione said, moving back towards Draco and taking his hands in hers. "You weren't unfaithful because you thought I was dead. You can't be unfaithful to a dead witch."

"It felt like I was being unfaithful," Draco confessed. "I hated myself afterwards, and I wish that I'd never given into temptation. But I want you to know it meant nothing. It was just sex. Not even very good sex, just enough to take care of my needs. I wish I could take it back, but I can't."

"You don't have to take it back," Hermione said. "But I would rather we didn't discuss it again. What you did when you thought I was dead doesn't matter now. All that matters is moving on from here. I don't want to think about the past Draco. I want to focus on the future."

"I'd like that too, but I can't just yet," Draco admitted. "I need vengeance, Hermione."

"I understand," Hermione said with a nod of her head. "I need revenge as well."

"Things are going to get dark," Draco warned, gently cupping Hermione's face. "I can't sit back and let the Order get away with what they've done to you. They're all going to pay."

"And I'm sure it'll be no less than they deserve," Hermione replied. "I know it won't be pretty, but they've brought it all on themselves."

Draco looked at Hermione curiously. Her experience had also clearly affected her and changed her. The Hermione he knew would never had approved of his need for vengeance, but he could see that she did. Draco suspected her need for vengeance could even usurp his, but she was better at controlling her darker desires. Or rather she was better at denying them, but it wouldn't take much for her to give into the darkness and let her thirst for revenge take over.

"What happens now?" Hermione asked. "Do you want me to go back to the guest room?"

"No," Draco replied firmly, his grey eyes flashing possessively as he gazed at Hermione. "You're not going anywhere."

"I was hoping you might say that," Hermione replied with a small smile.

For the first time since their reunion a couple of hours ago, Draco leaned down and placed his lips over Hermione's. He had intended for it to be a short, sweet kiss, but the months of not seeing each other had taken its toll on both of them, and their lips met in a bruising, needy kiss. Clinging to each other, the couple stumbled over to the bed where they collapsed in a tangle of limbs.

"I need you so much," Draco muttered against Hermione's lips.

"Then take me," Hermione urged, her hands already reaching for the buttons on Draco's shirt.

There was nothing slow and romantic about their actions as the pair hurriedly divested themselves of their clothes. When Draco entered Hermione and they began to move together it was pure need that drove them, and the sex was more fast and furious than it had ever been before. They both knew they had the rest of their lives to catch up and make love all night long, but right now they just needed to be together almost as if they were proving that their reunion was real, and finally they were back where they belonged – together.