"Hermione." He was whispering now, once again unable to look at her. "I can't tell you, because I'm not allowed to." Ah, a vow of silence, then. That, at least, made some sense. "But, even if I were allowed, I wouldn't because you would be in... in so much danger. I would never put you in the position you would be in if I did. I would never put you at risk like that." Several things popped into Hermione's head as Draco bowed his head over his knees. Firstly, if he was under a vow of silence then clearly it had to do with Voldemort or, at minimum, the Death Eaters. And therefore it was unlikely to be pleasant. She couldn't imagine what a Death Eater, or Voldemort, would want from a sixteen year old, but she didn't like the implications. Secondly, he hadn't ended things because he didn't want her (she had known in her bones that this was true, even when he said he was finished with her, but the confirmation was nice), but because he was trying to keep her safe. Thirdly, she wasn't a bloody damsel and could very well keep herself safe and bugger him for trying to shield her. Fourthly, bless the stupid, idiot boy for trying to be so bloody noble.