For the second time that night, Hermione was awoken by the sound of someone calling her name. They sounded so far away, muffled even, as if she were underwater. She was positive that she wasn't, but she also wasn't entirely sure. Everything in her mind was a confused jumbled mess, but one thought, one memory stood out like the only drop of color in a black and white film.

She sat up with a gasp, familiar hands on her face and back. Her face felt cold, and when she reached up, she realized that it was wet. She pressed her fingers to her trembling lips, soft pants escaping them as her eyes found Professor McGonagall's, the older woman kneeling before her.

"My dear, are you alright?"

Hermione hesitantly looked around their Headmaster's office, eyes connecting with those of Dumbledore. She tore her eyes way from him, glancing at Harry who stood beside him, his tearful expression forcing her to accept what she'd just been told. She didn't want to though, so she looked back to McGonagall, whose hand was clasped around her own.

"Is it true?"

Her professor nodded, and Hermione's face crumbled. A thin pair of arms wrapped around her, and Hermione reached up to grip one as she cried. She wasn't sure how long she sat on the floor of Dumbledore's office, crying her eyes out with a broken heart.

Something unfortunate has happened.

Something unfortunate has happened.

Something unfortunate has happened.

The words were on a constant loop in her mind as Ginny rocked her back and forth. How? Hermione wanted to ask, but she was scared to. It was so sudden, so unexpected, and Hermione didn't even want to fathom what the answer could be. Not right now. There was a conversation going on around her, and she caught snippets of it. She was to be on her way home tomorrow, to be with distant relatives as…as arrangements were to be made.

"Come on, let me help you pack your things," Ginny murmured, helping Hermione up.

Her vision was blurry as they walked her back to her dorm. As Ron rested his hand on her shoulder the entire way there, she couldn't find it in her to care that she was upset with him. Her parents were gone. When she returned home, they wouldn't be there to make her a cup of steaming hot tea like they did every night. She wouldn't bound down the stairs to greet her father as he showed her a book he'd picked up while he was out, telling Hermione it reminded him of her and thought she'd might like it.

As she stumbled into her dorm, she was greeted by the sight of Draco as he stood from the couch. She'd almost forgotten about him. She was grateful that he was decent, a dark shirt now covering his chest, a stark contrast from when she'd left him. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion, taking in the fact that she was not alone.

"Is everything alright?" he hesitantly asked, eyes focused on her as he ignored her friends.

She could see the worry there, and she turned away.

"Um…can you give us a minute? I need to explain to him that I'll be gone for a few days and he'll have to handle any backup heads business himself," she murmured.

Ginny and Ron nodded, but Harry simply glared at her dormmate. Hermione had never seen him look like that before, and for a moment, she was worried that Harry would curse him. She blinked, taken aback.

"Of course, 'Mione. We'll pack everything for you," Ginny quietly assured.

She motioned for Ron and Harry to follow her, pausing when Harry didn't.

"Harry…," Ginny's voice was stern as she touched his arm.

There was a frown on her face as she leaned in, whispering to him that 'now was not the time'. Harry looked away, nodding at Hermione before following Ginny into her room. Ginny shut the door, and she was grateful. Draco cast a quick Muffliato before striding over to her, taking her hands in his own just as she broke down.

"Hermione, what happened?" he frantically asked, briefly glaring at her room door.

"It's my parents. They're dead," she whispered, immediately wrapping her arms around him as he did the same.

She cried into his chest, fingers clenching in his shirt as he held her to him. She felt him move and it was soon after that she felt him press his lips to the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," he murmured into her hair. "What happened?"

"I don't- I don't know," she stuttered as she pulled away to look up at him. "I'm afraid to ask. I'm scared that… What if they were-."

She cut herself off as another round of sobs wracked her frame. Draco seemed to understand what she was getting at, nonetheless and brushed damp strands of hair away that had stuck to her face. His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked over her, worried.

"I'm going to look into it for you, okay? I'll find out if…"

"I have to go home. Merlin, by the time I come back it'll probably be time for winter break and I… I don't know what I'm going to do."

"What else do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Just…just be here when I get back…?" she said, almost like a question as she shrugged.

He nodded, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth, pulling away just before her door opened.

"Hermione…?" Ginny hesitantly spoke, as if afraid that if she were too loud or said something the wrong way, Hermione would crumble. "Everything's packed."

Hermione nodded, stepping away from Draco and looking at her.

"Can you…can you come with me?"

Ginny sadly smiled with a nod.

"Of course."

She glanced at Draco as she walked towards her room, and he looked down with a thoughtful frown on his face.

The next few days went by slow, much too slow. It all still felt like a bad dream, and Hermione kept waiting for it to end, for her parents to knock on her door smiling brightly as they hugged her and told her everything would be okay. She didn't talk much, too busy processing and accepting that her parents were gone. Ginny didn't mind, a silent support system that Hermione was more than grateful for.

Her smiles and thanks were hollow as she interacted with relatives she hadn't seen in years. Ginny mostly conversed with them, talking to them about their mysterious boarding school. None of it felt real…until they were buried, and she and Ginny returned to an empty house. They just stood in the doorway as Hermione looked around, the silence almost suffocating. She bit her lip, and Ginny sighed, wrapping her arms around Hermione from beside her just as the first few tears fell.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione…"

She gripped Ginny's arms, taking note of how much thinner they were compared to… She suddenly sighed, thinking of Draco. He said that he'd look into it, and for a minute there, Hermione worried that she might have just been paranoid. However, the story that her family and everyone else in the muggle world knew was that it was a car accident. That only fueled Hermione's suspicion, because she hadn't been told anything of the sort. In fact, she hadn't been told much of anything at all, and she was so afraid to ask.

"Ginny do you think that….? Did Dumbledore or Harry say anything to you?" she finally asked.

Ginny sighed.

"Something is going on. When you fainted after Dumbledore broke the news, he and Harry were discussing something that I couldn't hear. I've never seen Harry look so terrified," she responded.

Hermione shook her head.

"That night… Harry looked at Draco like he wanted to kill him. He's given him a lot of dreadful looks, but I've never seen him look at Draco like that. I think Voldemort, or at the very least, Death Eaters were involved in this."

That was the first time she'd said it aloud, and the notion of it terrified her. Ginny was quiet, softly clearing her throat before speaking.

"I don't know if this is the appropriate time, with everything that's happened, but you and Malfoy seemed rather close that night."

"We're friends," was Hermione's simple answer.

Ginny nodded, deciding to leave it alone. Hermione was thankful.

"There's always a place for you at The Burrow, you know. I know it might be a bit awkward with Ron and everything, but we're here, Hermione. We're here for whatever you need," she suddenly said.

Hermione nodded, leaning her head on Ginny's shoulder.

On the way back to school, Hermione was just as quiet. There were only two days left until winter break, and Hermione didn't know what to do. She knew that she needed to surround herself with familial faces and the warmth that was the Weasleys. That being said, Hermione didn't know if she should be around Ron with the state that she was in. She was sad and confused and angry. It was perhaps the worst combination to be while in close quarters with both he and Harry at the moment. On the other hand, she didn't think she could bear to spend the break alone at Hogwarts.

Harry and Ron greeted them when they arrived. They walked with her to her dorm as Ginny recounted everything that had happened over the past few days. The dorm was empty when they got there, and Hermione did her best to keep her disappointment at bay.

"You can come stay in my dorm for the next day or two…," Ginny offered as she set Hermione's luggage down.

"Um…thanks, but… I really just want to be alone, right now."

"Are you sure?" Ron asked.

His eyes were sad, maybe even apologetic as he gazed at her. She nodded.

"I'm having such a hard time processing everything, and I honestly think I need time alone," she answered.

Harry was uncharacteristically quiet as he stood there, hands shoved into his pocket.

"Okay," Ginny relented, hugging Hermione. "Don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything."

She and Ron hugged too, the redhead throwing a worried glance at Harry as he remained. Hermione folded her arms over her chest as she stared at him, waiting for him to speak. Outside of condolences, he hadn't said much since the news broke.

"I'm sorry too, Hermione. I don't…I don't want to pretend to truly understand what you're dealing with. After all, I never knew my parents, and you had yours for 17 years. You knew them like the back of your hand. You had memories with them, inside jokes, and now that's all gone. They're gone, and I'm so sorry, Hermione."

Hermione wiped a few stray tears away just before stumbling into Harry's arms.

"It feels like a dream," she tearfully whispered. "…but I can't wake up."

He sighed, tightening his arms around her.

"There's something…that I need to tell you…"

She pulled away, looking at him expectantly. His green eyes were somber, but there was a hardness there that worried her.

"Your parents were murdered by Death Eaters."

It was strange how the weight that lifted off of her shoulders settled in her chest instead. Somehow, she'd known that. She had known, and oddly enough, the truth did not make her feel any better. She struggled to swallow, blinking rapidly as she processed what she already knew.

"Dumbledore wanted to wait to tell you, until you were in a better place to break the news, but I couldn't wait."

His eyes were wide as he stared at her, briefly glancing over his shoulder before continuing.

"Malfoy is dangerous."

She swallowed a sigh, understanding why he'd looked at Draco like that that night.

"Harry-."

"Your parents are dead, Hermione, because of people like him-!"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she whispered, defending her lover.

"He is one of them! Wake up. You could be next! He could've been behind it-!"

"Stop, just stop! I don't need this, right now!"

She backed away from him with her hands up, eyes tearful and angry as she glared at him. Harry frowned, eyes desperate and confused and fearful all at once.

"Why can't you see what's happening here?" he demanded, shaking his head.

Hermione collapsed onto her bed, shaking her head at him.

"Just go…"

"Hermione, I've humored you long enough! This is the last straw, and I can't do it anymore. You are in danger, more so than me! I can't lose you too," he pleaded, kneeling before her now.

Hermione looked away from him, eyes red and tight as she exhaled.

"Goodnight, Harry," was all she said.

She heard him huff, seeming to stare at her for a few moments before reluctantly leaving. He shut the door behind him, and it wasn't long before she heard the sound of the portrait closing. She dropped her face into her hands, leaning over to lay down, content to cry herself to sleep.

And that was what she did.

Hermione awoke in the middle of the night to the feel of a familiar arm snaking its way over her waist. There was a gentle kiss pressed to her forehead, then her cheek before finally stopping at her lips. It was dark when she opened her eyes, but she could faintly make out his features, nonetheless. He fingered her hair, tucking some strands behind her ear.

"They were murdered," she suddenly whispered, voice cracking.

"I know," Draco sighed. "I know. I found out when you were gone"

"Did you…?"

"No," he firmly said. "I had no idea, Hermione. None, but I promise you, I'll find out who did it."

She curled against him, the tears falling all over again as he held her close.

"We're going to kill them all," he whispered against her skin, lips grazing her forehead, voice bleeding with venom and conviction. "Every last one of them."

"She's asleep, Potter, I told you that."

Draco's voice was cold, but a bit of exasperation peeked through.

"Let me see for myself," Harry demanded.

"You want me to allow you inside just so you can peep in on your friend to see if she's actually sleeping? Merlin, you get creepier every day," Draco complained, preventing Harry from looking past him and inside the dorm.

"I just want to make sure she's okay-."

"As opposed to what? Tied up to my bed? She's asleep, Potter. I'll tell her you stopped by."

The portrait was slammed shut, and Hermione flinched when she heard Harry beat against it before leaving with a huff. She wrapped her arms around herself, pulling her legs onto the couch as she looked up at him.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"Don't be. I'll never oppose to slamming a door in Potter's face," Draco said with a smirk, sitting across from her.

"He's just being…Harry, and I don't need that."

"Was it Potter who told you?"

She nodded, and Draco hummed.

"He somehow managed to turn it into a lecture about you and how I'm in danger…."

She groaned, rubbing her hands over her face.

"What else did he say?"

Hermione looked at him, slightly confused. His gaze was unwavering.

"What do you mean?"

Draco shifted in his seat before throwing his arms over the back of the couch, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Did he say anything else about the circumstances surrounding what happened with your parents?"

"No… Should he have?" she wondered.

Draco sighed, looking away for a moment, and Hermione's confusion grew.

"What? What is it?"

"Hermione…," Draco began.

He got up, moving to sit beside her as she turned to face him. He reached up, brushing his thumb along her jaw, a sympathetic look in his bright eyes.

"Draco, what is it? What's wrong?"

"Dumbledore…he… He suspected that your parents might have been in danger," he confessed.

She blinked, feeling like she'd been punched in the chest.

"…what? How…?"

"I don't know everything, just what I overheard him and Snape talking about while you were gone. Apparently, they've been worried that they weren't safe for a while. Probably months ago…"

She sat up, swallowing in order to try and loosen her tightening throat. She stumbled onto her feet, and almost collapsed, Draco standing to steady her as shock coursed through her veins.

"Why did I never hear about this? Why weren't they being watched, protected?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he sadly replied, shaking his head.

"…and you're sure about this?" she questioned, looking up at him.

"I can show you the memory if you…," he trailed off as she waved him off.

She placed her hand over her mouth, wondering why this was kept from her. It didn't make sense.

"Do you think Harry knew?"

"He probably didn't, Hermione. As much as I detest Potter, I think if he knew he would've told you," he replied, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"I-I have to speak to Dumbledore. Merlin, what if I get answers I don't really want?"

"Hey, hey," Draco soothed, pressing his forehead against hers. "Relax. I'm sure there's an explanation. You trust him, Hermione, you always have."

"…but you don't," she quietly argued.

"For my own reasons. You shouldn't distrust him just because I do. Speak to him first," he advised.

"I don't want to be pondering over this during break. I'll have to speak to him soon…"

She wanted to know the truth, if what Draco was telling her was true. It couldn't be… Dumbledore would have said something to her.

"Speaking of the break… I think you should come home with me for winter break," Draco suddenly proposed.

She reared back, eyes wide and mouth parted as she processed what he said. There wasn't a trace of humor on his face as he awaited her answer, hair brushing along his forehead.

"What?"

He rubbed her shoulders, trailing his lips against hers.

"I know you don't want to go to the Weasleys, and I know you don't want to be alone. Come with me," he repeated.

She swallowed. Merlin help her, she was considering it.

"Your parents…"

"Will be gone. It'll be just you and me," he replied with a smile. "I think it'll be good for you…"

Hermione was quiet, contemplating his suggestion. He kissed her again, a peculiar look in his eyes as he pulled away and gazed at her. His jaw clenched and he swallowed, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"I think that if you came home with me, it'd be really good for you."

"…Are you sure? I mean, I don't want you to offer because you feel bad for me."

Draco chuckled, brushing his nose against hers.

"Trust me, I'm not. I'm offering because I want to be alone with you in my big house all winter break," he responded.

Hermione stared at him for a long time before eventually nodding.

"Okay," she agreed.

"So, it's true," Hermione cried, looking between the three adults in front of her with wide eyes.

"Ms. Granger-."

"No! You had very strong reasons to believe that they were targets for months, now and no one thought to mention it to me," she cut Snape off with a glare.

Professor McGonagall's gaze was sympathetic as she stared at Hermione.

"We didn't want to worry you over something that could have been-."

"Nothing? But it wasn't nothing. My parents are dead. Had I known what was going on, I could have done something. Obliviated them! Gotten them out of the country. I could have protected them," she shouted.

A hand brushed along her arm, and she stepped closer to him. If her headmaster and professors found her choice in companion for this confrontation odd, they didn't voice it. Draco had said nothing the entire time, opting instead to let her speak her peace, a silent support that she really needed.

She turned her eyes to Dumbledore and stared him down as he looked back at her with a regretful gaze. He knew that he'd messed up, that he'd made a grave mistake, and her parents paid for it with their lives. He stood, leaving the sanctuary of his desk to approach her.

"It was an error on my part, Ms. Granger. A grave error. There are other forces at work that you know nothing about, and I made a decision that I thought was better for you, but I was proven wrong in the worst way possible," he said. "I'm deeply sorry."

Hermione took a step back, looking down at the floor with tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to say. His mistake cost Hermione her parents. Was she expected to understand his reasons? Was she expected to move past it because he felt bad? She could barely look at him. Draco reached out to grab her arm, pulling her beside him.

"Sorry won't bring her parents back, Headmaster," the way Draco addressed him sounded almost like an insult with how much malice was there.

There was a brief tense silence, one in which Hermione did not look up.

"Ms. Granger…"

She had turned and left his office in a flurry before he could finish. Draco was right behind her, and not a word was spoken as they walked along the corridor. On top of all of the grief she felt, she was now angry. She didn't understand why it was kept from her, why they hadn't been protected. Why had Dumbledore underestimated just how much danger they were in? She felt her face heat up as she spotted Harry waiting outside of their dorm.

She stomped over to him.

"Did you know?" she harshly questioned.

Harry's eyes were wide with confusion as he looked between her and Draco.

"Know what-?"

"Dumbledore suspected that my parents might have been in danger. He knew for months and they weren't protected, and he greatly underestimated the threat. Now, they're dead. Did you know?" she repeated through clenched teeth.

Harry shook his head as he stepped towards her, genuine shock on his face.

"No," he whispered. "I didn't. We need to speak with Dumbledore. I'm sure-."

"We already spoke with him, and he confirmed everything," she said, brushing past him.

"Well, there has to be more to the story! Dumbledore wouldn't just-!"

"He did!" she disagreed as she spun around to face him, tears in her eyes. "He did, Harry."

"Well, I'm going to talk to him. There has to be a reason…"

She scoffed, a humorless laugh escaping.

"A reason? Face it, Harry! There isn't one. My parents are dead, and there is no reason they should be," she snapped.

Draco followed her into their dorm, watching as she yanked her jacket off and threw it onto the floor. She placed one hand on her hip, the other over her mouth as she began to tremble, a harsh choking sound escaping her lips. Draco neared her, brushing her hair away to place a quick kiss to the back of her neck.

"Come on," he whispered into her ear as he took her arm and guided her towards the bathroom.

She let him, vision blurry, feeling like she'd lost her parents twice. She slid to the bathroom floor as Draco got the water running before approaching her. Her eyes remained on the wall as he stripped them both, only closing them when water ran over her face. Draco's hands on her skin were calming her in a way she didn't know she needed. She was almost angry at him for it, because she wanted to be mad. She deserved to be angry.

Still, as he ran his fingers through her wet tangles, she couldn't help but to sag against him, leaning her head back on his chest. He kissed her cheek, dragging soap along her waist as he wrapped his arms around her. She wasn't sure how long they stayed under the spray of water, but it was long enough for her eyes to droop and for her shoulders to sag with the loss of tension. She turned to face him as he turned the water off.

She watched him as he wrapped a towel around her, and she clutched it as it fell over her shoulders, large enough to brush her calves. He didn't grab one for himself, but she didn't comment on it as he walked her to his room. She sat on his bed, watching as he pulled on a dark pair of pants. He brought her one of his shirts, and Hermione simply stared at it before hesitantly taking it. She looked down at the dark material, fingering it as Draco watched her.

"Hermione…?"

She looked up at him, and she was sure that her face was unreadable because even she didn't know what she was feeling. She dropped the shirt on the floor, opting to reach for him instead as she moved backwards. Draco opened his mouth, probably to protest, but she shut him up with a kiss. She pulled him closer, and he sighed into her mouth.

"Hermione," he warned, pulling away.

"I want you," she whispered into his mouth as she followed him.

He held her away from him, and she frowned. He tilted his head, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"You just lost your parents…"

"…so you're not going to have sex with me?"

"I just think you're not thinking clearly," was his answer.

She huffed, dropping the towel and settling in his bed, back facing him. She heard him loudly exhale as he followed suit, pressing himself against her back. He reached over her to take her hand, and she intertwined their fingers.

"I just want to forget…just for a while," she whispered into the dark.

Draco pressed his face into her neck with a sigh before brushing his lips along her bare shoulder. He flipped her onto her back, leaning over her to take hold of her lips in a kiss. She brushed her hands along his jaw, wrapping her legs around his waist. He took his time, kissing her slowly and for as long as he wanted to, savoring the taste of her.

She trembled beneath him, frame wracked with so much despair she could hardly contain it. Draco paused when she sniffed, and she shook her head, begging him to continue.

"Granger…"

"Please," she softly begged, eyes glassy. "Don't stop."

He looked down at her for painful length of time, eyes troubled before his jaw clenched, irises glazing over with determination. He nodded, leaning down to brush his lips across her wet cheeks.

"I'll make you forget," he murmured, pressing his chest against hers.

She tightened her legs around him, pressing her lips to his neck.

"I'm going to take care of you," he said, fingers dancing along her skin.

And he did.

~ SD ~