Dramione and the Half Blood Prince.

30. Veritaserum

Potions was extremely difficult to deal with for both Draco and Hermione, he had been ignoring her for almost a month but yet it was still as painful as day one. Hermione had tried to get him to speak a thousand times before but he had ignored every advance, he hadn't even told Blaise, Crab, Pansy or Goil anything. But, none the less, the two had no choice but to be potions partners - it broke Draco to watch Hermione silently cry all lesson, just as it took everything in him to act like he didn't care. They were making veritaserum, which was extremely difficult to make in a good frame of mind let alone both of their depressive states. Hermione spent most of the lesson staring at the recipe and making sure the ignorant blond was getting it right.

"Yes, yes yes! Well done station three! Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy, congratulations!" Slughorn's naturally happy demeanour made something rise in Draco making him want to scream and smash everything in sight. "You two may go with your vials now" he smiled, Draco stormed from the class as Hermione cleared up. He couldn't stand to see her that way, and what was worse is that he had done it himself... it killed him inside.

Draco stalked up to the room of requirement once more as he started his work on the vanishing cabinet once more. It was good enough for small objects such as apples or birds but not nearly finished enough for a human to travel in.

He spent what must have been hours working on the blessed thing, trying to make it work – trying everything in his power to get it right... until he heard a piano being played somewhere in the distance. Not the charmed kind – it was much more heart felt than that. He followed the noise without a second thought, confused about who it could possibly have been.

He found himself winding through the piles of junk far further than the eye could see... until he found her, beautiful as the sunset playing the most elegant music that had melted his heart a thousand times before.

He didn't even notice the music stop as Hermione sensed his presence.

"Draco" she shot up from her seat at the piano and as he opened his mouth to speak she threw a vial of veritaserum into his mouth.

"Granger!" he gurgled, choking on the potion before promptly swallowing half and spitting the other half out. His eyes widened as the potion took effect.

"Draco do you love me?" she cried.

He squirmed in pain as he tried to deny the truth, he grabbed at his stomach as the pain coursed through his blood.

"Draco!" she crouched down to him "Do you love me!?" the tears fell from her eyes at alarming speed as he squirmed around on the floor.

"Of course I do, how could I not – I was trying to save you!" his muscles relaxed as he sat panting on the floor. Hermione took a step back as the truth set in.

"To- to save me?" she faltered as it all began to make sense.

"It was all me Hermione. Without me you wouldn't have nightmares, you would still have parents and you wouldn't have gotten sick. I don't want you to die because of me" Draco blurted out trying to stop himself.

"Why would I die because of you?" Hermione breathed.

Draco squirmed in pain on the floor "Because I'm a death eater. Because they want me to kill Dumbledore and I've been trying to find a way round it since I met you - but if I don't then the death eaters will come here and kill him themselves... and while they are at it they will kill me – and you." He breathed out in relief as the pain subsided.

Hermione took a step back in shock, trying to take in everything she had just found out.

"I'm poison to you Granger" Draco whispered as he cradled his head in his hands. "You need to get away from me while you can." He breathed as tears fell silently from his eyes.