Draco didn't want to be the first to apologise, but deep down he kind of knew he had to. Hermione certainly wasn't going to. But then, she didn't have much to apologise for really, he shouldn't have been like that to her, all she was doing was being her usual forgiving and caring self. And that was really infuriating, but he couldn't stop the warm feeling he got when thinking about the fact that there was even the slightest possibility that she really did care, and she really did want to help him.
He sighed quietly where he lay, and swallowed as he sat up and crossed his legs to face Hermione, who was frowning in her sleep. He smirked at the fact she could still be angry at him despite sleeping, and watched her, not really wanting to wake her.
The setting sun on her face made her glow, she really had gotten pretty. No not pretty. Beautiful. He watched a while longer as her frown faded a bit, and she soon had a perfectly peaceful expression.

He shook his thoughts away and then prodded her lightly on her shoulder.
Her brown eyes opened with a start and she gasped a little in confusion.
"Where... Oh yeah," she said, glancing around at the field. He restrained his laughter.
"Well good morning to you to, or should I say good evening," he said cheerily.
"Why are you so happy? Figured a way out yet?" she uttered spitefully.
"No. But I have something nearly as good." She raised an eyebrow.
"An apology." She huffed and turned her back to him but he persisted.
"Look I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so stupid and said what I did. This isn't your fault at all. If anything I'm to blame for everything in that maze. But that's just me, and that is what you asked for. You wanted to know what was wrong with me and now you do. I'm afraid. I'm a coward," he said quietly, feeling ashamed.
She turned back to him and saw the look of dismay in his eyes as he avoided her gaze. On her knees, she prodded over to him and sat opposite him. She took his hand and he looked up a little startled.
"Draco, you're not a coward. You faced up to everything in that maze, and just the fact that you've managed to cope with such a.. difficult life is beyond me. I would've given up years ago. But you're stronger than that. And you are in no way to blame for what was in there, you can't help it."
He was nearly speechless. He'd been so cruel to her before, so terrible, and yet she managed to somehow forget all about it and say something as kind and comforting as that. How was she so... No, he couldn't think of a word to sum her up.
"You don't need to apologise Draco," she continued calmly, "just, maybe try and be a little more accepting of help when it's offered?"
She smiled such a brilliant smile, Draco could have forgotten all his troubles. After the pause he muttered, "yeah. Thank you."
"My pleasure."

She gave his hand a comforting squeeze, but didn't let go. She liked holding his hand, just as much as he did. They sat opposite each other, not saying much for a little while longer. It surprisingly wasn't awkward, it was just calming.
Hermione knew he needed this, he needed someone to be there, and despite shocking herself a little with the realisation, but she wanted to be that person. She was right, he was different this year; maybe this was the start of a new side to him, and almost instantaneously, that became her new ambition. She knew that under all the thick skin and hard shell, there was a boy in there, a boy who just needed some love in his life.
Hold up, she thought to herself. Love? Can I really give him that? Does he even want that? Well, probably not from me. That thought saddened her a little. She did like him, she liked his wit, and she liked the silly way they said hi, the way he was protecting her, and the way he had now finally managed to open up a little. She liked him, but she didn't exactly know in what way. And she felt certain he'd never feel that way about her.

Before she could send her brain into overdrive, a bellowing clicking noise echoed through the air. Their hands let go of each other as they stood on the slightly rumbling floor.
"What's going on?" she shouted.
"I have no idea," he replied.
Suddenly, where the opening in the hedges had been, quite out of the blue a huge door had formed. It's wood creaked as it bent to the right shape and gradually came to a stand still. The clicking and creaking noises stopped and the sun finally disappeared. Quite instantly, the moon appeared high in the sky, surrounded by bright stars. The air was cool, and it felt even nicer than it had in the day. Draco really didn't want to go, and neither did Hermione. But both got the feeling it was time, and that this door was the way out. They were right.
They slowly walked towards the door side by side. Draco had the urge to hold her hand as they went, but resisted, knowing it would just be a little weird. Hermione reached for the handle of the door but looked back for one last time before turning it. She gazed at the sky, the grass, the stars and then looked at Draco with content.
"We'll come back here one day," he said without thinking. She looked a little taken a back, but nodded. She wanted that, she wanted to come back, with him. Hermione nodded and he took the other door handle and opened it.
"I promise," he said as they stepped in together to darkness.
A strong gust of wind caught them and then it felt as if suddenly they'd been lifted off their feet by the air. A bright light appeared in front them, and they somehow willed their way towards it. Getting closer to it they realised it was in fact the door back into the castle, and they could see Dumbledore waiting there. They were bought towards the light and then stepped off on to the floor. The doors shut behind them loudly.
Draco looked at Hermione, she seemed a little dizzy, as did he, and he caught his breath when she suddenly gripped on to his shoulder for balance.
"Are we alright Miss Granger?" said Dumbledore very casually.
"Yes, I'm fine thank you sir."
"Good, well you both managed to make good progress in there, well done, you are dismissed. You must be hungry, it's nearly lunchtime."
"Lunch? But, we were in there for hours."
"Much like the first task, time in the room of requirement went a lot quicker than out here, that's why you didn't feel particularly hungry or thirsty for the day you were in there."
"What about others, are they out yet?"
"Yes, once again you two were the last to emerge."
Hermione wanted to press on this, why were they last again? But Dumbledore simply gave a short wave and left quickly before she could carry on.
They both tried to breathe evenly, whilst alone in the corridor. He was glad to see Hermione looked a lot more calm now than after the first task, but she was still a little shaken.
"Granger, I..." he trailed off as she started to walk away and didn't stop. Frowning, he ran and caught up a little. "Woah what's with the cold shoulder?"
"I'm not giving you the cold shoulder I just... need to talk to Dumbledore."
He slowed to a halt while she kept walking. He threw his arms up in frustration. Honestly, he had no clue what was going through her brain most of the time.
But Hermione knew, she knew exactly what she was going for. She had so many questions and she knew Dumbledore had the answers.
Leaving Draco to go to lunch himself, she decided to skip it and head straight for Dumbledore's office, to find the door wide open.
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk thoughtfully, but a bright smile lit up his face when she entered the room.
"Ah Miss Granger, I guessed you'd come here sooner or later."
"You did?" she asked intrigued.
"Yes, I imagine you have some questions."
Hermione didn't even want to ask how he knew that, so instead she nodded politely as she approached his desk.
"Please take a seat," he offered kindly. She complied and sat down.
He looked at her expectedly. She coughed.
"Well sir, I don't really know where to start. First of all, I really have to know what the point of that last task was?"
"What do you mean?" he asked frowning, clearly feigning ignorance. "It was for practising your spells of course, and with the help of..."
"I don't mean to interrupt, but no, Professor. We achieved nothing new in that task, but when we came out you told us we'd made good progress? What does that even mean? And why have Malfoy and I always been the last to come out of the tasks so far? It's not like the others aren't going through exactly the same thing. And how did you even know we made progress of any kind in there? How did you see?" she stopped herself. She was rambling, quite a lot. If it were anyone else listening they'd have managed to shut her up. But this was Dumbledore, and he was simply sitting opposite her with his usual little smile on his lips.
"Miss Granger," he started calmly, "would you like to know the real reason you were paired with young Malfoy? I would've told you beforehand but I wanted to see if it'd work without you even knowing."
"See if what would work?" she asked, feeling very confused and annoyingly unaware of what he was talking about.
"Let me explain. I trust in your time together you will have seen some of Draco's past? His weaknesses, his fears, all unfortunately very dark things." Hermione nodded uncomfortably. She didn't like where this was going, maybe she should never have asked.
"Well, this whole programme we decided to do with your year was not just a means of preparing yourselves for the dark of what's to come. It's also here to help those few students who are on the terrible path that has been laid out for them, to let them know they can change, and that they don't have to be forced to do anything they don't want to."
Hermione felt a little lost and Dumbledore sighed. "I'm talking of course, about Draco, and the few others who are on a similar path as him. To be born in to a family that has long had a history with You Know Who is a miserable fate. But we're trying to let them know they can change their fate. They don't have to become the worst part of themselves, because...that is what becoming a death eater will do to them."
Hermione gasped a little. She knew it. This is exactly what she suspected had made Draco seem so much more distanced from everything. He was going to be a death eater. She swallowed nervously.
"I know, it's difficult to think about. May I go on?" A brief nod from Hermione and he continued.
"So, you asked what progress you made in the room of requirement, and you're right, the purpose of that task was not for spells or anything like that. It was a task for you to try and knock down some of the walls Draco has built up around himself. And you succeeded, to a certain extent. The more you spend time with him and help him conquer the fears he has of his father and Voldemort's forces, the more likely he will find the will to leave it all behind him and, as one would say, join the good side."
Hermione put her head in her hands. This was so much information to take in, and it only deepened her feelings towards Draco. He was so damaged, so horribly manipulated and managed to keep it all so contained. How had he not broken already? How was it he still managed to step forth and protect her of all people? Dumbledore put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You still haven't told me why it had to be me who was paired with Draco. Surely anyone could have done this?"
"Well, we simply figured who better to show someone the light they were missing from their life than one Hermione Granger. I knew you two had a bad history, but also knew that would help spark emotions. Even if they were bad emotions to start with, like hatred, that at least means with the presence of some emotion, that can be turned into something else, something far more positive."
Hermione smiled at the old man. Well if this was what she'd been tasked with, she'd make sure she went through with it and succeeded. Draco more than deserved this chance, and she was not one to fail and assaignment.
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A/N; i know it still hasn't answered why they were last out and yeah I'm sorry this chapter was just full of explanations and stuff, sorry if it was boring!