Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They all belong to J.K. Rowling who was generous enough to share them with us.

Enjoy :)

"Have you noticed?" Ronald Weasley inched closer to his best friend, Harry Potter, keeping his eyes on the girl sitting by the fire.

Harry looked up from his Potions textbook, irritated with the interruption. "What?"

"You're reading that book as if it has hidden letters from Cho Chang or something. I thought we told you to get rid of it," Ron snapped.

"Uh huh," Harry said absentmindedly.

"Anyways look at her; she hasn't flipped the page in over ten minutes. I mean blimey, that's got to be some sort of record for her."

Harry glanced up and sure enough she was sitting there with a book open on her lap but her attention seemed elsewhere.

The 'she' in question was Hermione Granger; notably the most intelligent witch in their generation and also Harry and Ron's best friend.

Harry had noticed the strange behavior of Hermione's for quite some time now but had refused to mention it to Ron, not wanting to irritate Hermione.

"Leave 'er alone." Harry shrugged. "She'll tell us if she wants to,"

"Hrmph." Ron made a face at Hermione before trudging up the stairs to the boy's dormitory.

Harry saw most of the other students heading up to their respective dormitories and walked over to Hermione. "Can I sit?"

She didn't reply and Harry sighed before lightly brushing her shoulder.

"Huh?" she jerked away from the sudden touch.

"What is going on Hermione?" Harry asked his green eyes filled with concern. "I've noticed this strangeness of yours for awhile and I'm worried."

"Oh Harry," Hermione shook her head. "I'm just thinking about the Defence Against The Dark Arts test."

"I'm in your class," Harry frowned. "We don't have a test."

"Oh," Hermione appeared flustered and shook her head. "Don't worry about me Harry. I'm going up to the dormitory. I'll see you later okay?"

Without waiting for his response, Hermione hurried up the stairs without looking back. How was she supposed to tell him what was plaguing her mind? How could she tell him what she had seen?

Harry's assumptions about Draco Malfoy from the start of the school year were right. Draco was well on his way to becoming a Death Eater. She couldn't tell Harry how she had stumbled upon the news because if Harry found out—all hell would break loose.

Hermione sighed as she collapsed on her poster bed in the girls' dormitory. Why did it have to be so difficult to keep secrets from her best friends? All she wanted right now was to go downstairs and tell Harry and Ron that even though Draco was the one who had poisoned Katie and Ron earlier in the year—she was worried about him.

Hermione had been visiting Moaning Mrytle in the second floor girls' bathroom for the past week after she had absentmindedly told Hermione about a certain silver-haired boy coming in every day and sharing his pain with her.

She knew it was Draco when this morning she had been talking to Mrytle and Draco walked in. He had taken one look at her with his shadowy mercury eyes and ran out again, even though she had tried calling after him.

Now all she wanted to do was help him. He deserved her help. No, he deserved someone's help and if it had to be her—then so be it.

"Malfoy!" She was sprinting through the seventh floor corridor the next day. She had caught sight of his silver blond hair and needed to speak to him.

He turned back, his pale skin sporting beads of sweat as he saw who was calling out to him. He ran faster, trying to escape her and she groaned as she struggled to keep him in her sight.

"Malfoy wait!"

Luckily for Draco, the corridor was mostly deserted making it easier for him to dodge Granger who was doing a pretty good job of chasing him.

He ducked behind a corner and sighed in relief watching a flash of dark brown hair zip past him. He was about to creep out again when she appeared in front of him.

"Malfoy," she was breathless as she stood in front of him and he knew he was caught and there was no way out.

"What do you want Granger?" He spat at her. "You know I don't speak to people like you."

"No you don't. You talk to dead ghosts in bathrooms don't you Malfoy?" His eyes flashed at her brown orbs and she gave him a smirk. "Thought no one would find out didn't you? I did. I also know about your mission and now I need to speak to you."

"Wouldn't you be better off warning your beloved Headmaster?"

Hermione shook her head. "Perhaps but maybe I could thwart your mission instead."

Draco scoffed. "If I fail, he'll kill me. But maybe that's what you want isn't it Granger? To see me dead? The one boy in school who has constantly tormented you, to meet his tragic fate."

"Stop it Malfoy." Hermione snapped at him. "That's not what I want. I just want to speak to you."

"And say what? Preach about how I should rebel against my parents and against him join Saint Potter on his stupid mission to fix everything that's wrong with the world?" Draco shook his head. "He'll kill me and he'll kill my parents. I can't let my parents die because I failed." He looked back at her, his eyes cold. "You're delusional Granger, delusional for even thinking that Potter can somehow save the world. We're all finished; everyone who defies him will die."

"That's not true Malfoy," Hermione said, her voice softer now. In one loud outburst Draco had confirmed what she had initially assumed. He didn't want to any of this. He wanted a normal life but the fear of losing his own life and his parents was a burden too big for him.

His eyes were closed and Hermione found herself caressing his cheek. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

A hand grabbed at her wrist and pulled it away from his face. His stone gray eyes connected with her warm brown ones and he snarled. "Don't touch me."

"Why? Why does it make such a huge difference to you Malfoy? We're the same. We're just human beings. Why should my blood make a difference?"

His other hand grabbed at her free one and he spun them around, pushing her up against the wall. "We're not the same. Surely that much you understand Granger? I'm a Malfoy and you're nothing but a Granger, I'm a pureblood and you're a muggleborn—"

"You also forget that I'm just a girl and you're just a boy. We're nothing more than that Draco. These labels you just stated—that's not what defines us." Hermione growled.

As she spoke, his nose touched her cheek, their faces close. His eyes were close as if he was inhaling her scent and memorizing each angle and contour of her face.

"You're not a murderer Draco," Hermione sighed, her own eyes closing as his Draco's lips trailed down to her throat. "I wish you'd see that."

She was surprised at the sensations he was evoking in her. She had never been touched in such a way. His hand that was gripping her wrist had let go and was instead snaking around her waist, exploring the skin under her shirt while the other hand was intertwined with her own.

This was Draco Malfoy, caressing her in a way she had never experienced. One part of her mind told her to push him off her and yell at him and perhaps give him another broken nose but the other part of her mind was enjoying this like any other girl in their year would.

"Draco—stop. This is an empty corridor, anyone could come." She breathed into his ear.

"Don't Granger. Don't tell me what to do." His eyes looked into hers, a threat looming in them.

"Please then." She retorted. "We can't do this anyways."

She gently pushed him away and watched as he staggered onto the opposite wall.

His head was spinning. Thoughts of her, thoughts of his parents, thoughts of Voldemort and thoughts of the consequences he'd have to face if he rebelled from his mission. Being this close to Granger certainly didn't help matters and instead only had him more confused than before.

"Goodbye Draco," She said softly as she straightened her shirt and disappeared around the corner.

He knew what the right thing to do was and perhaps he had known it for awhile but one interaction with Granger had re-affirmed his mind. He peeked around the corner and watched her brown hair swish in the air as she walked further and further away from him.

"Goodbye Hermione,"

So how was it? *winces* I haven't written much on DraMione and this was just a short shot, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Remember reviews are 3