Tantalus

Chapter One

Confessions at the Crystal Castle

Hermione breathed in the scent of midsummer London. She and her parents were there for a long weekend because of the Annual British Dentists Conference. She had decided to stay with them for the first two months of the summer holidays before going to stay at Grimmauld Place with Harry, Ron's family, and the rest of the Order.

It was a hot, late July night and she was walking down a downtown street with lots of strange shops and cafés of all sorts, and only a few people as it was around dinnertime. Her parents were eating at the conference, so she would have to manage on her own. She had lots of spare time to kill that weekend and spent it mostly alone, of course, wandering the streets of downtown London. Occasionally she went into shops to look at what they had to offer. She had found that this was her favorite part of town. The shops were all full of strange stuff that Muggles thought to be magic. She had a good laugh out of some of it, and some of it was very interesting. There were lots of valuable ancient artifacts, some with runes that she managed to get a little knowledge out of. After all, Ancient Runes was one of her favorite subjects. Well, practically all her subjects were her favorite, just in different ways.

The people that were there, on the other hand, and were shopping in the strange shops, all looked pretty strange all by themselves. Most of them had dark hair and almost white skin, a lot of piercings and tattoos, and looked suspiciously at everybody who passed them, as though daring them to speak to them. A few of them could have narrowly passed for being a witch or a wizard.

Sometimes being a 'Mudblood' was worth it; you could survive in both worlds, magic and Muggle. Ron's family for example didn't have a clue about how things worked in the Muggle world, even though Mr. Weasley was head of the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts at the Ministry of Magic.

She found a cozy, little coffee shop on a corner of the street she was on, and a steep hill. There, she ordered an ice tea and sat down on a high stool at a counter looking out the window, right next to the door.

She took up a book she was reading and started to read but was having a hard time focusing, and that was pretty rare for Hermione Granger. Her mind wasn't wandering, as it probably should have been doing, and understandably, after last year's events. But she wasn't thinking about that, she just couldn't concentrate.

She settled on watching people out on the street walk by, imagining what their lives were like, whether maybe they were a wizard or a witch, like herself. Lots of them were pretty creepy, but she needn't worry, she had her wand on her. She didn't dare anything else after the incident at the Ministry that happened about two months ago. Besides, Dumbledore had had to put a strong protection charm on her house in case You-Know-Who would try anything. Who knows what he's thinking.

When she had almost finished half of her ice tea, the creepy people, who Hermione realized didn't like to be noticed, started to disappear, and more 'normal' Muggles started to fill the street.

A line started to form at the long counter in the shop and Hermione looked at each person carefully when they walked in. She could never be too careful.

The line was so long now that a boy that walked in had to stand right up by the door. It had started raining heavily outside so the street, minutes ago illuminated by the orange-gold glow of the setting summer sun, was now gray and soggy. Not very tempting, but Hermione wanted to get going.

The boy by the door shook his head a little bit so drops of water showered Hermione's book and she closed it frustratingly after wiping the pages with her sleeve.

Then, she suddenly sat bolt upright. The reason she was so startled was because how long it had taken her to realize who the boy was, perhaps also how much he had changed. He was a lot taller, if that was possible, his sleek white-blond hair was longer; and his white pointed face had never looked so much like his father's. He was wearing Muggle clothes! Plus he was doing a better job at it than most wizards Hermione had seen attempt it, and unflanked by his two bodyguards, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, he really didn't look like a threat.

"Malfoy!" she whispered automatically, totally unintentionally.

Malfoy looked around, wondering who on earth could be calling his name, when someone right next to him tugged at his shirt. He looked down, unaware of the shock he was about to receive.

"Granger?" he whispered back, as though speechless.

First of all, he wondered what she was doing there, how odd of a coincident it was that they of all people should meet in such a weird place, and why she had not just ignored him.

She had done something to her hair, straightened it, by the look of it, and it was blonder, probably after the summer sun, Malfoy thought. Girls like Granger wouldn't go dying their hair. It was so weird to see her in the Muggle world. He wouldn't have recognized her.

"Sit down," Hermione continued to whisper, though she didn't know why, there was no need for it really.

To her amazement, Malfoy sat down. She looked at him for a little while, he could have totally passed for a Muggle.

"So... what do you want?" Draco said, trying to talk with his usual sneer, but it kind of wouldn't come out of him.

"I... I... why are you looking at me like that?" Hermione then asked.

Malfoy snapped out of a trance. He had been thinking about how normal she was, that she really had a life besides books, and Potty and Weasel of course. She was so different than she was in school. She had baggy jeans on and a thight, black t-shirt, not even a sweater over it. It was so, not Granger.

Hermione had been thinking along the same lines. Look at him, in his ripped jeans and untucked shirt, and he docked points from Ron the previous year for having his shirt untucked!

"So Granger, do you often wander around the Muggle world like this?" Malfoy said in an unusually casual way that made Hermione get into defense mode.

"Well, seeing as I'm a Mudblood,Malfoy, I don't see why that should come as a surprise for you. I do have a life at home you know."

"Yeah, I guessed that, I just meant, London. I often come here when father needs to go to the Ministry..." Malfoy broke off, not wanting to talk about his father, and seeing as Hermione was one of the people who put his father in Azkaban.

He didn't really now why he was being so nice to her and neither did Hermione. She just suspected something really weird going on.

"Yeah, well, now your father's in Azkaban isn't he, so what on earth are you doing here?" Hermione asked, taking a big gulp of tea.

The line was almost gone now, and Malfoy went to the counter and ordered himself an ice tea, as well as one for Hermione. She watched him, and he hadn't poisoned it, so she accepted, not wanting to be rude.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing, Granger," Malfoy said, taking a big sip of his ice tea.

Hermione shot him a close look of apprehension at him before taking a sip of her tea and replying.

"My parents are here over the weekend on a dentist's conference."

"What?" Malfoy asked.

"A conference, where people get together..."

"Yes, I know what a conference is Granger, what is a denisist?

"A dentist," she began, "Is a Muggle doctor that only fixes teeth."

Guess he didn't know as much about the Muggle world as he looked like he knew. Shame.

Malfoy had never heard of such an odd thing in his life.

"You mean, there are people out there that look into people's mouths, for a living?" Malfoy asked slowly, not wanting to hear the answer.

"Yes..." Hermione replied.

"Gees, Granger, no wonder you're wacked!" Malfoy was back to his old self.

"Heh, well, technically, it's a good job, compared to some. At least dentists aren't black mailing, bribing, stealing, killing, practicing dark magic, risking their lives, and risking getting thrown in jail, all for some nut wizard, for a living," she answered proudly.

Malfoy felt how his loathing for Hermione swept over him once more. He finished his ice tea and slammed the cup down so hard it broke.

The coffee shop went silent and everybody looked their way. Hermione and Malfoy tried to look as though nothing had happened and after a while they all went back to minding their own business, and Malfoy stood up.

"See you around," he said as thought it was a threat, and then he put his hand over the shattered tea cup and fixed it in a swoop, before walking out, leaving Hermione totally flabbergasted.

She took up the tea cup and knocked on it, it was as whole as a rock. Not even a crack. She quickly finished her own tea and jammed her book in her bag, running out.

"Wait! Malfoy, wait!" she called, running after him, getting soaked.

"How did you do that?! What's going on?" she asked, almost anxiously.

"None of your business Granger," Malfoy said, without turning around or stopping.

"Actually it is!" Hermione said, making a weak effort to try and get him to tell her, while having a hard time keeping up with his long strides.

"Oh yeah, and how is that?" Malfoy said, turning around and stopping so sharply Hermione almost bumped into him.

"I... I..." Hermione didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Malfoy said, turning and resuming his fast walking.

"I... because, I need to know! I care!" Hermione was amazed at how human Malfoy was acting.

He was frustrated and actually showing some emotion; he wasn't just some annoying little pest that turned up at the worst of times, like Peeves or something. Hermione realized that she had always just seen him as something like that, not actually a human. Weird feeling.

"Oh yeah, you care? You care? Why didn't you care when you slapped me in our third year? When Mad-Eye Moody turned me into a ferret? When Ginny caught me with a Bat Bogey Hex last year? Huh? Where were you Hermione? Huh?" He again turned on his heel and began walking even faster so Hermione had to jog. Why he was so mad at her, she didn't know. Why he cared where she had been, and why he would have wanted her to be there on those occasions, she didn't know.

"I'm sorry Malfoy, I uhmm... ugh, never mind. As if I care, I just said that to soften you up, you big twit!" She was getting pretty irritated now, but somehow, she didn't really want to be anywhere else. She wanted to follow Malfoy, so she did, even though it would have been a wiser move to turn around and act as though she didn't care. Well, she didn't. Weird feeling.

Malfoy slowed down.

"Why I was apologizing!" Hermione said more to herself than to Malfoy, as though she was telling herself off. Still it didn't really work. Her words didn't have the full impact as she was still following Malfoy.

"As if I ever did anything to you, you deserved everything you got," Hermione continued to mutter to herself, "You called me Hermione!" she then suddenly exclaimed, stopping the both of them.

They were a long way away from the coffee shop now, it was raining, if possible, even harder and they were both soaking wet. It was now totally dark outside.

"What are we even doing? Why didn't you ignore me? Look at the mess you've got us in now Granger!"

"Ahh, don't try to act tough now Malfoy! What mess?"

"Us, here together, us, together, you know, alright, this situation!"

"I can't see a problem."

"That's because you're... argh..." he kept on walking, Hermione followed.

"Look's like you've got a twinge of affection in you Malfoy, what has come over you?" Hermione asked innocently, hoping he would keep up his softy act.

"Ugh, come on, I now my way pretty well around here, I know a restaurant we can sit down in, how's that?" he said, coming off his throne, trying to act equal with Hermione.

Hermione was so taken aback she almost stepped back,

"What?"

"I'll treat us to dinner, how's that?"

"Malfoy, what's going on with you? You're scaring me..."

"Oh yeah? You haven't got anything to be scared of yet, Mudblood, just accept the offer Granger, it's for your own good. It would be nice... no... appropriate, to be able to tell someone about this..." Malfoy said, regaining his usual manner for a few seconds, then tuning back down, making Hermione just as suspicious.

"Alright," she said reluctantly, but only because she remembered that she had her wand, and she wanted to know what he was talking about, and how on earth he had fixed that tea cup!

And she was pretty glad, if you considered the fact that she didn't have a clue where she was or how to get back to her hotel.

She followed him a little while and neither of them said anything. They were leaving the district where they met and going into a rather fancier neighborhood.

When they had walked for about ten minutes in silence, the sun was completely set and it had stopped raining. It didn't matter though; Hermione was soaked and so was Malfoy. They were just glad it was so hot out that they weren't freezing also.

A little while later they came to a huge hotel, with a red carpet leading to the front door and huge palm plants on either side. They walked into a big, fancy lobby that looked like nothing Hermione had ever been to, only seen in movies. A little to the right was a huge restaurant also, just as fancy.

Big crystal chandeliers, soft lighting, white tablecloths, big palm plants, and waiters in suits with white cloths over their sleeves. It looked like it was for royalty. A waiter at the reception desk was talking on the phone and looking through a book, which Hermione assumed was a reservation book.

"Are you sure we're allowed in here?" Hermione whispered to Malfoy as they made their way through the big copper revolving doors into the Crystal Castle.

What she was letting Malfoy drag her into, Hermione did not know. Why she even was there, with Draco Malfoy, she didn't have even the slightest clue.

"What do you think I am? A Muggle?" Malfoy spat.

When they came in, the waiter at the reservation table turned his head, that was going bald except for the specks of dark hair at the sides, towards them and immediately crimpled up his nose as though they smelled.

"What business do you kids think you have here? You're wetting our floor," he asked haughtily.

"Can I speak to the owner, please? Mrs. Dolohov?"

The waiter gave him a suspicious look, and with one last snort he beckoned them to follow him into the restaurant, telling them to wait at the bar. He strutted behind and through a flapping door with a circular window, into the kitchen.

"Dolohov!" Hermione gasped and was about to start shouting at the top of her lungs at Malfoy when he held up a finger to silence her. Antonin Dolohov, apparently Mrs. Dolohov's husband, had been one of the Death Eaters that were in the attack at the Ministry. He had attacked Hermione with a curse that had done quite a bit of damage, and still hurt her sometimes to this day. Apparently, Malfoy was aware of the fact.

"How...?" she began.

"Mrs. Dolohov is a Muggle, she has no awareness of the magical world at all, and she thinks her husband is on a business trip with my father, they are close friends," Malfoy said, silencing her.

Hermione folded her hands and scowled, agitated and seriously considering walking out without saying goodbye, but Malfoy had changed so much that he would probably sense it or something; it was really creepy. It wasn't like he was Malfoy anymore; (well, at least,) he acted more grown-up and mature.

After a little while, a tall, dark-haired woman with a pointy nose and brick red lips walked out of the flapping door with the waiter at her heels.

"Draco!" she called out in a piercing voice with a strong Russian accent, reminding Hermione only to well of her 'pen-pal' Viktor Krum, whom she hadn't written to in ages, and with a sharp twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomache, She heard the woman call out, "My darling boy, you 'ave grown so much!" she said while kissing him on both cheeks. Malfoy returned this affectionate greeting fondly, making Hermione shudder and almost gag.

"What brings you 'ere this time of the evening? Mr. Khaulman, why 'aven't you given 'im a towel? 'e is soaking wet!" she then asked the waiter astoundingly, who took up a towel from somewhere inside the bar and handed to Malfoy.

"Make that two," Malfoy said, stepping aside to reveal Hermione, who until then had been hiding behind him, more to hide her fury than herself. Keeping an innocent woman from knowing the truth like this was definitely not right! And how long had they been married?

"Oh, well well well, you've got yourself a pretty nice looking friend 'ere! Darling, what's your name?" Mrs. Dolohov asked, handing them their towels.

Malfoy had wrenched up his nose just like the waiter's when Mrs. Dolohov had said he had a pretty nice looking friend. He was just relieved she had not thought she was his girlfriend.

"Her... Hermione Granger," Hermione said stiffly as she started drying herself with her left hand and sticking out her right.

"Hermy-own, what a lovely name for a lovely girl," she continued in her strong Russian accent, shaking Hermione's hand. Hermione nodded her head stiffly.

"Is there anything free tonight, Mrs. Dolohov? I daresay this had become the favorite hang out of all the more important people of our society?" Malfoy said obseqiously, almost making Hermione gag again.

"Yes, actually, it has, business is going great!" she said, smiling, so innocent and sweet, taking a couple of menus from the high table and beckoning them to follow her, "and this weekend it 'as been very busy, full of dentists, can you believe that? I think every single room is booked, but there is always room for friends, of course!" she finished, smiling at them.

"Oh, we weren't planning on staying the night..." Hermione began but Malfoy cut her off.

"You really are too generous, Mrs. Dolohov. Isn't she Hermione?"

"Yes, of course, too generous," she said behind Mrs. Dolohov's back, giving Draco an absolutely furious look.

"Sweet kids, you will 'ave to excuse Mr. Khaulman. Draco dear, 'e is new, doesn't know the rules... 'ere is your table," she said, placing their menus at opposite seats at a four seat table in a corner right between the parquet dance floor and the big black windows, who were now once again(,) being splashed with rain. Hermione was glad, she didn't feel like having her conversation with Malfoy overheard, or seen for that matter, so a nice secluded table would do the trick.

Hermione threw herself into her seat, smiling at the poor woman and handing her towel back, while Malfoy did the same.

"I 'ave to go now, you just order anything you want now then I will come and talk to you later. Enjoy dears," Mrs. Dolohov said.

"Thank you again Mrs. Dolohov," Malfoy smiled, almost making Hermione gag, yet again.

"What on earth is going on? Is this the life your lot chooses to live? Dragging innocent Muggles into something this dangerous! You are like the worst kind of mafias! She is a very nice lady, you should not be treating her like this, and why did you even bring me here, and... why are you looking at me like that?" Hermione whispered all this really fast and angrily while bending slightly over the table towards Malfoy.

Malfoy, on the other hand, sat completely calm, resting his chin on his entwined fingers, elbows on the table, surveying Hermione slowly.

"Can I trust you Hermione?" Malfoy said, swooping his hand over himself then doing the same to Hermione, leaving them both completely dry.

"What? And don't put up that softy act again on me, it won't work..." Hermione started.

"I just realized before, when you followed me, that you aren't the kind of person that could completely hate someone. That is a gift very few possess..." Malfoy began.

"Gift! To hate is human nature..."

"No, there are very few who can hate truly with their whole hearts, and you are definitely not one of them Hermione; you are very far from ever being like that. I realized that you are probably the most trustworthy person that I, at least, can find. Why not use you a little?"

Hermione considered standing up and leaving, but she wanted to hear this.

"What do you mean? You want me to be secret-keeper for you? What is going on? The most untrustworthy person on earth could be a secret-keeper with a charm..." Hermione broke off because Malfoy was shaking his head slowly, and she didn't want to miss anything if he was going to say something.

"I know, Granger, if I needed a secret-keeper I would have used Goyle, he probably wouldn't have noticed!" Malfoy said, again regaining his usual manner for a few seconds.

"What do you want then?!"

A waiter stepped up to the table and silenced both of them.

"Can I take your order?" he asked as though bored.

"Yes, I'll have your crab fillet special for appetizer, uhhmm, lamb stake, coconut cream filled pudding for desert, oh, and I'll have light ale with the main course," Malfoy said just as the waiter was about to ask, again, astounding Hermione, "Hermione, what will you have?" he then added as sweetly as he could, but Hermione didn't want to puke all over the fancy table so she just replied.

"The same," she said trying to sound confident, but her voice almost broke and she looked away, not wanting to see the malicious grin spreading across Malfoy's face.

"That will be all for now," he said, while the waiter surveyed both of them closely.

It seemed as though every other waiter there othen than Kaulman knew those rules Mrs. Dolohov had talked about, as the waiter walked away silently. Seeing how very alike Malfoy and his father were, he didn't dare but obey.

"Now, will you please tell me what rubbish you are talking about, and what you want to use me for?"

Hermione had realized that, while she was with Malfoy, she couldn't be hurt. The protection he had, although his father was in Azkaban, the dignity and respect he had from others, even unknowing Muggles, was unbelievable. With this kind of protection, Hermione almost understood why some people were forced to become Death Eaters. On the other hand, Malfoy couldn't possibly have had anything to say about his father being a Death Eater. For all she knew he could not want to be in this position. (For all she knew,) he could be one big softy that always just had to act tough because of his situation. He had had such big mood swings that evening that Hermione thought him even more unpredictable than before. She decided that while she cooperated with Malfoy, she could just as well be a spy for the Order since they didn't want to let her, Harry and Ron in yet.

"Can I trust you?" he repeated calmly.

"Yes, you can trust me," Hermione replied calmly.

Malfoy wrinkled his eyebrows for a split second.

"Just wanted to tell you, I was heading for Knockturn Alley, by the way," he said casually.

Hermione looked confused.

"I never answered you before, in the coffee shop. I noticed you wondering," Malfoy said, trying to soften her up a bit.

"What? Never mind, go on." Hermione looked even more confused.

"Anyway," Malfoy began, "I just need to tell you something, so you won't find out later, the wrong way. Just so you'll know my story, not some twisted up version."

"Alright," Hermione said, settling herself and listening carefully.

"Look, this wasn't my idea, that's all you have to know. I didn't want to do this. And yeah, I don't care about shirts being tucked in; you know I just did that to get more points from you. I thought you were bright," he smirked, Hermione gasped.

"You, you can read my mind!" she exclaimed, trying so hard not to think of the Order, horrified at the thought that Malfoy had already gotten to know too much.

"Yeah, almost, only like things that you say directly in your mind though, I'm not that good yet, I need to train more," he said.

"What is going on Malfoy, you're scaring me," she said urgently.

"Here you go, enjoy," the waiter said dully as he brought out their appetizers on a big cart with a white tablecloth on so that you wondered whether there was someone on the lower shelf of it hiding.

"Thank you very much," Hermione said, trying to get the waiter to go away as quickly as possible.

She was so excited she took a big gulp out of the glass the waiter put on the table with out realizing it was wine, and immediately sprayed some of it out over her crab fillet, not very elegantly. She painfully swallowed it and retreated to her glass of water while Malfoy laughed heartily and took a big sip from his own glass.

"You really are scaring me Malfoy," Hermione pleaded.

"Yeah, Granger, I told you before, you don't know what it is to be scared. Look, I just want you to know I didn't want to do this. Who do you really think taught me Occlumency? And the tea cup?"

Hermione thought for a moment, the clapped her hands to her mouth in horror. Malfoy gave a weak smile to one side, with out changing the look in his eyes.

"But..." she began.

"He needed a replacement for my father, and of course he thought no one better for the job than me, so technically, if someone wouldn't have put my father in Azkaban, this wouldn't have happened to me. I never meant it to. I was NOT going to go the same path as my father..." he said, pulling up his left sleeve, revealing a muscly forearm with a white bandaged strapped a few times around it a little above his wrist.

"Come here, the Muggles will think it's some crazy tattoo," he said, beginning to take the bandage off, beckoning Hermione to sit next to him, which she did apprehensively.

"No, Draco..." Hermione suddenly felt weird, like she felt sorry for him, or cared. She tried to shake it off without success. The way he looked at her, the way he said it, "this wouldn't have happened to me. I never meant it to. I was NOT going to go the same path as my father..." these words rang in her head as she watched Malfoy chuckle a little when she had used his first name and then continue to take the bandage off painfully. She thought that maybe this was all just a set up, she would have totally believed him to do something like that. If there was nothing under that bandage, she was going to kill him. Why he had all of the sudden decided to tell her all this just because they met on the street in London, was far beyond her field of comprehension, and that's saying a lot.

Sure enough, when Malfoy had finished taking the bandage off, Hermione gave a tiny gasp and put her hand to her mouth, guilt closing in over her as she put herself in Malfoy's situtation. Father in Azkaban, him having to do You-Know-Who's wishes, having to train with him, having to become a Death Eater...

The skin where the Mark was and around it was red and swollen and Malfoy winced in pain when he touched it. Hermione couldn't take this, why was he doing this to her?

He suddenly turned her around quickly by her shoulders so she almost flew off her chair. The waiter was back with the big cart with the white tablecloth and this time he had their main courses on. Neither of them had touched their appetizers.

Hermione smiled weakly, sitting as straight as she could trying to hide Malfoy's hand. The waiter looked at their appetizers and put the plates with their meal down again, "I'll, uhh, keep them warm. Don't get out of hand," he added quickly before rushing away.

"Shit, he's going to tell Mrs. Dolohov, she'll probably tell mother, help me get this on. What was I thinking, oh that looked bad, really bad..." Malfoy began fussing to himself while Hermione helped him get the bandage back on.

She sat down opposite him again and looked at him, thinking deeply. He was still fidgeting with his bandage and she he looked at her, he put up a really questioning look and exclaimed, "What?!"

Hermione just shook her head and smiled weakly. She felt so guilty and so sorry for him.

"Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked quietly.

"So you and Potter don't get the wrong impression."

"It's so weird to see you like this, all alone. Where are Crabbe and Goyle?"

"They weren't allowed to come; I was going to Knockturn Alley for uhmm... him."

"Wow, you're really, really, in his closest ring."

"I told you, I'm replacing my father," he said, finishing with the bandage and looking up at her with an expression Hermione had never seen on him before: pain, true pain, not physical. They both didn't say anything for a while and started eating their appetizers, that were already a little bit cold. Draco swept his hand over both of their plates and they were both steaming again.

"Doesn't the Ministry detect this?" Hermione asked.

"No, this is Dark magic, it goes undetected. Don't you think they would have caught... him, a long time ago if they could detect the magic that's hiding him?" Draco said, realizing too late what he had said.

"I trust you," he added, looking at her fiercely.

"Yeah... good," Hermione didn't really know what to say.

"I uhh, I'm full," Hermione said pushing her plate away, "Thanks though."

"Don't mention it," Draco said finishing his, "I didn't really feel like more either, waiter!" he then said, snapping his fingers at the nearest waiter.

"Thank you, we won't be needing our other meals," he said dignantly, like he did this every day.

"So... where are you staying?" Hermione asked, trying to not let things get too awkward.

"I actually need to go to Knockturn Alley... and then get back to uhh..."

"Oh, yeah, OK, me too..." Hermione said with out really knowing how to get back to her hotel.

They stood up and walked to the reception desk where Mrs. Dolohov was standing talking to one of her employees.

"Draco darling, are you leaving so soon?" Mrs. Dolohov said, stepping around the counter to hug him.

"Yep, I need to get back to mother, she'll be worried by now," Draco said embracing Mrs. Dolohov.

Hermione shuddered; it was so weird seeing Malfoy show affection. She was kind of glad to be getting away from him. His cold grey eyes made you feel cold inside after a while.

"Bye, sweet girl," Mrs. Dolohov said, hugging Hermione, which just made her even madder; the woman was so nice!

"Thank you for having us, Mrs. Dolohov," she said politely.

"Oh no trouble dears, you are always welcome," she said, then bending down to Hermione and whispering, "I'll add it to the rules, and notify the waiters."

She smiled, she was nice, but you could see from far away that she was the wife of someone in a mafia.

"Say hi to your mother, and if you hear from your father, tell him to tell Antonin to call me!" Mrs. Dolohov told Malfoy with a last pat on his shoulder, and he and Hermione walked out through the copper revolving doors.

It had stopped raining, and they were both dry so they just stood there for a moment, more awkward than anything they had ever been through.

"So..." Hermione began, not having a clue of what to say.

"You know Granger, you clean up pretty nicely," Malfoy said, seriously.

"What?" Hermione asked slowly, not quite believing this.

"I said you clean up pretty nicely."

"Yeah I know what you said, it's just... I'm not exactly cleaned up, this is pretty much what I wear every day so..." Hermione looked at Malfoy suspiciously.

"Oh well, this is not what you look like in school..."

"So I've heard; you could have passed for a Muggle yourself, if you had known what a dentist was," she said coolly.

"I'm always in the Muggle world, every day practically, and I have done just fine up to this, never had to know what a dentist was until today," Malfoy responded harshly.

"Sorry! ...didn't mean to..." Hermione was cut off by a sudden, loud bang coming from somewhere up the street.