Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Authors note: Reveiw, please! I love constructive critisism :)

Summary: When Draco can't sleep because of a certain girl haunting his dreams, he wanders the castle. But then he finds the girl in question at the astronomy tower. Can he save her? And does she want to be saved?

It Only Beats For You

Draco Malfoy wandered aimlessly through the corridors of Hogwarts. Hours past curfew, he knew that if he were to be caught he would be serving detentions for at least a week. He couldn't bring himself to care, however. When you can't sleep, what real options do you have?

Stay in bed, perhaps, pointlessly attempting to acheive what you know you cannot?

Go into the common room that had never seemed so cold and heartless as it did at night?

Draco had to admit that they weren't as bad options as his mind made them out to be. If he were being honest with himself, he'd say that the reason he was really out in the corridors this late in the evening was her. The reason for his sleepless nights. He'd say that he had some fading, dimly glowling glimmer of hope that he would meet her, aimlessly wondering as he was. Empty as it may be, he found he could not rid himself of it.

Giving up for the night, he finally made the desicion to go to the astronomy tower. He had spent many an hour sitting up there, with only the stars to keep him company. It had been his sanctuary last year, when he had been plagued with the task of killing Dumbledore. And then, when he had failed and Snape had taken over, he had gone to the place of the death of the ancient headmaster, to remember the old man. He would find himself apologising to the wall he had fallen over as the green stream of light had hit his chest.

Draco squeezed his eyes shut tight against the memory as he steadily climbed the spiral staircase. His footsteps were silent on the stairs, and he opened his eyes again as a soft voice drifted quietly down towards him. Curious, he continued followed the voice and contunied up the staircase.

He froze in shock as he took in the scene before him, a smile slowly spreading across his face. What luck, that just when he had stopped looking for her, she should appear before him! She sat with her back to him, hunched over something he couldn't see - though he caught a glint of silver. Her wavy brown locks cascaded like a waterfall, across her shoulders and down her small back. His smile faded as he noticed how the clothes that had once fitted her so well fell loosely around her thin figure. It was then that he caught the muffled snuffles, and he tuned back into the stream of quiet words that fell from her lips.

"I'm not sure whether this is the best option, now, or the only option. I don't see any other way. Things have changed so much, and I don't know what to do any more." Suddenly she threw her face up towards the sky, and he could see tear tracks glinting brightly on her cheeks. "You're supposed to be watching over me!" His heart thudded painfully in his chest as she cried out desperately. Her sobs racked his soul and shook him down to his core.

Draco started as Hermione suddenly scrambled to her feet, moving closer to the wall that Dumbledore had toppled over. She wrapped her fingers over the ledge, and even in the dim light he could see the tendons in her hand stand out. Draco couldn't stop himself from taking silent strides towards her as she moved back to cast reducto at the wall, throwing bricks and cement flying in all directions. Hermione heaved a sob as she took a step onto the ledge. Draco moved faster as he heard her cry out.

"Forgive me!" She begged into the silent night, her call echoing eerily into the darkness. She moved to step out into the abyss below, but was stopped by muscular arms wrapping tightly around her waist and pulling her back to safety. She struggled desperately against the captivity, trying to get back onto the ledge. "Who are you?" She demanded angrily, more tears escaping down her cheeks.

"You're forgiven." Hermione froze at the voice in her ear. It rang musically around her, familiar and yet confusing. Never before had she ever heard it so full of worry and panic. "Hermione, whatever for, you're forgiven." He promised.

"Malfoy." It was a sigh that fell from her lips as she finally stopped struggling. "Let go of me, please." Draco didn't remove his arms, choosing instead to bury his face into her neck to stop the tears that so badly wanted to flow. Hermione was shocked at this intimate act, but didn't say anything. She could feel that Draco needed this, whatever it was. However, after a long minute, she began trying to prise his arms off of her. They only clenched tighter.

"Don't do it." His voice was pleading, and Hermione felt her heart flutter as his cool breath brushed her ear. She began struggling again, although she knew it was useless. She felt anger begin to swell with the pain, heartache and sadness that had filled her so violently before, and she struggled relentlessly harder.

"Let me go, Malfoy. Let me go. Please let me go. Let me go, let me go, LET ME GO!" It was a scream as she collapsed in his arms, hunching over them. Draco broke as he finally released her, only to hug her to his chest. She buried her face in his robes, raising her fists to hit him over and over, screaming profanities as she sobbed endlessly.

"Why won't you let me do it?" She finally asked, her voice demanding as she looked up at him with angry eyes. "Dammit, why not?"

"The people that love you." He told her, rushing through his words as he held her close.

"Name one person." She challenged brutally. Draco responded immediately, confident.

"Ron and Harry."

"They don't love me. They don't care about me. I'm just a useful brain to them, that can help them with their strategies and potions homework. They wouldn't care if I died."

"You're wrong." Draco argued.

"I don't care what you think. You still haven't given me a reason."

"Your parents."

"My parents don't even know who I am. Next." Draco didn't pause to ask the questions filling his mind. He didn't even pause to think of his next response before it left his lips.

"Me."

Silence reigned for what seemed like an age as Draco looked down at Hermione with love in his eyes and Hermione looked up at Draco with confusion in hers. He saw what looked almost like hope there, before she shook her head and it dissapeared.

"What was the point in that? It only makes me angry when people say things they don't mean." As she looked away from him, yet more tears trailing their way down her face, this comment sparked Draco's anger and set it on fire. The anger that had begun forming at the knowledge that the girl that haunted his dreams was intending to take her own life away.

Still holding her, he spun her away from the ledge and pushed her roughly backwards, though gently enough that she didn't fall to the floor. She looked up at him, shocked at the sudden outburst as he paced towards her, backing her against a pillar.

"Listen to me, Hermione. If you don't beleieve that your best friends since first year love you - fine. If you don't beleive that there is some glimmer of your parents that still know you - whatever. But don't you ever call me a liar. Especially when I have never been more honest about anything in my life."

By now, he was pressed tightly against her. She was unsure whether to be afraid or not, and could feel the contending sides of her mind battling over whether he was telling the truth. Even after such a speech, who could know whether he had meant a single word. Draco could see the conflict in her eyes.

"Hermione," with a sigh, he took her hand, moving back slightly to lift it to his chest. Her fingers splayed over his heart, and beneath the pads of her finger tips she could feel the steady, though fast, thumping of the muscle.

"Do you feel that?" He asked her, and she nodded. "I swear to you, if you step over that ledge, this," he tapped her fingers against his chest, "will stop." When Hermione looked at him with fear on her face, this time Draco knew it wasn't for herself.

"Why?" Her voice was hoarse from the screaming and crying. It felt like sandpaper brutally rubbed the inside of her throat with every breath she took. "Why?" She repeated.

"Because, Hermione, my heart only beats for you." Hermione closed her eyes and breathed deeply, removing her hand to replace it with her ear. The pounding echoed loudly in her ears, and she found it relaxed her. The pain that had drowned her over the last twelve months began draining away in his prescence. She pulled away to look at him once more.

"Do you beleive me, now?" He asked quietly. She nodded in response, and was suddenly clutched to his chest again. "I love you. Don't do it."

"Will you stay with me? Tonight? Forever?"

"Always." He promised. Suddenly they were sliding to the ground together. Hermione was in his lap, her head resting against his chest as she cried again.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She whimpered.

"You're forgiven." He told her again. "I love you. You're forgiven."

"Thank you, Draco." There was one fist that had remained clenched through the entire ordeal, and she lifted it towards him now, relaxing her hand to give something to him. He recognised it as the peice of silver she had been holding - a necklace. A silver pendant hung from a delicate chain. It looked a person with wings.

"He's an angel, Draco. He was supposed to watch over me. I think he sent you to do it." Draco smiled at her lovingly, considering her words. Perhaps that was the truth. Perhaps he had been deprived of his sleep so that he would come here, and rescue the girl that no one knew needed rescuing.

"Sleep, Hermione. I love you."

"Never leave me." She pleaded.

"Never. Now sleep." He rocked her slowly, and felt her begin to relax as she fell asleep to the steady, slower thumping of his heart. He looked down at the beauty in his arms and smiled away his tears. Knowing someone so innocent could carry so much pain, so much hurt - it tore him apart. He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and relaxed against the pillar he was now leaning on.

Finally, for the first time in three days, Draco fell asleep. And despite the stone he lay on, and his undeniably uncomfortable position he was in, he would swear for the rest of his life that it was the best night of sleep he had ever had.