"What are you planning Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asked in a hushed tone.
The two of them were crouched down in the Room of Requirement, hidden behind a large bookcase.
"Ssh Pansy. Potter and his two sidekicks are on their way." Draco Malfoy said in a low tone.
"Draco. Are you planning something again? You know what happened at the Quidditch match." Pansy reminded him. "Pretending to be Dementors got you detention. Is he really worth the trouble?"
Draco flashed his gray eyes at Pansy. The girl nearly worshipped him—wrong of her really but she did and he almost always took it to his advantage. She had a point. That detention with Professor McGonagall was not ideal but now his plan was in action and he wasn't willing to back down now.
"Pansy just keep quiet and pull the rope when I tell you to."
Pansy rolled her dark eyes but nodded at Draco. Suddenly they heard faint voices from the hallway floating into the room and Draco's eyes widened as he signaled Pansy to stay quiet.
"Ron are you quite certain he came this way?" Hermione Granger asked as the three of them hurried into the Room of Requirement.
Ron nodded. "It looked like Draco was hiding something under that half-eaten arm of his."
"I've never seen it look so dirty." Harry Potter commented as they made their way through the room.
Ronald Weasley stopped the two of them from going ahead. "Wait a second you two. Do you see that light?"
He pointed ahead to the Vanishing Cabinet. There seemed to be a floating light surrounding the cabinet making it shine and glow in the dark room. The three of them ventured towards the cabinet taking hesitant steps.
Hermione suddenly put her hand to her mouth telling them not to say anything as she went closer to the cabinet. She slowly touched the door and turned back to look at the boys when suddenly the door was opened and something grasped her pulling her inside, shutting the door behind it.
"Hermione!" Ron and Harry ran to the closed cabinet and opened it frantically only to find it empty. "Where did she go?"
They two of them kept opening it frequently, until finally Hermione appeared inside. Ron quickly pulled her out onto the ground and Harry kneeled down near her. "She's unconscious and she's bleeding Ron."
"What happened?" Ron said his voice a whisper. "What pulled her in?"
"It doesn't matter right now." Harry said his voice taking on an authoritative tone he used quite often. "We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey."
"I don't think I can carry her." Ron said, groaning under her weight. Harry sighed loudly, trying to take hold of Hermione, only to stumble as well.
"Should I get help?" Harry offered.
Ron shook his head. "I don't think we have time."
"Oh come on." Draco stood from his hiding spot and walked towards them.
"Malfoy!" Harry said with a shocked expression. "What are you doing here?"
"He did this." Ron said. "He did this to her."
Draco came closer to Ron and shifted Hermione into his arms, even though his right arm was stuck in the sling. He still angled it around so that he could hold her securely in his arms. "This is ridiculous. I never thought I'd have to see the day where I'd have to help Granger."
Ron glared at him and shook his head. "I'll take her myself. We don't want you touching her."
"Well Weasley considering you can't even handle taking your girlfriend up to the infirmary —let me handle it."
Harry watched with curious eyes as Draco left the Room of Requirement. "Harry, why aren't you stopping Malfoy?"
Harry turned to his friend as the two of them walked out of the room. "I don't know why but maybe he wants to help."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Help after hurting her in the first place?"
Once they entered the hallway they saw Hermione floating slowly through the hallway with Draco following behind; his wand raised slightly.
"Is he doing magic?" Ron whispered to Harry.
"I've never seen that before." Harry whispered back. "I told you he'd help her."
"I'm not helping her." Draco snarled back at them. "I'm just taking her to the infirmary considering you two couldn't even manage that."
The rest of the walk through the hallway was in silence even though every so often Draco would glance back to make sure the two of them were still following him. He did not want to have to explain anything to Madam Pomfrey once they got up to the Hospital wing. He hoped one of the two would give her an explanation. As for himself, he had to think up something valid as to why he was in the Room of Requirement at that same time.
A groggy Hermione woke in the dead of the night. The only light came from candles at each bed. Where was she? Why did it seem like she was in the infirmary? She sat up with a startle and looked around at her surroundings. She was in the infirmary but she had no idea how. The last time she was here was when she was petrified last year. She frowned trying to remember the last thing that happened and all she could remember was her, Harry and Ron running into the Room of Requirement chasing after Draco.
Draco. She felt as if she had been so close to him. He had that certain scent. It was musky and somehow she could feel it on herself. She absentmindedly scratched at her neck wondering how exactly she had got here. "How on earth..."
"It was a prank." Someone answered her unfinished question.
She gasped as she faced the person who sat on the bed opposite her. "Malfoy? What are you doing in here?"
He sat up as well, his blond hair glistening in the light. Hermione noticed the tired expression on his face and frowned. They were chasing him earlier, had something happened to the two of them? She watched as he made a face lightly touching his shoulder.
"It's your fault." He snarled before sighing softly. "And partially mine as well."
"What happened?" she asked again, her voice softer this time.
Draco shrugged. "Was playing a harmless prank on Potter and Weasley. Didn't imagine you'd fall for it though."
Hermione's furrowed her brows. "A prank?"
"I had something called a chimpanzee, some kind of monkey in the Muggle world hidden in the Vanishing Cabinet and so when one of them nosy gits would open the door, the chimp would pull them in and harass them. I didn't realize you're just as curious." He shrugged. "Always seemed more of the research, think before action type."
Hermione smiled to herself at that. Draco had noticed that about her. Wait—why was she even smiling at that? Draco was not worth a smile. He always had it in for her. Always calling her god awful names and teasing her relentlessly. Of course that brought back her childhood memories of when her neighbor Timothy would tease her because of her name. Her mother had fondly told her then that when a boy is teasing you; it only means that he likes you. She'd be the fool though if she tried to apply that logic to Draco Malfoy though.
"You never explained why you're her though. I can't imagine you're feeling guilty or repentance for what you've done."
Draco smirked at that ever so slightly. Granger knew the way his mind worked; only slightly though. He did feel a strange sort of guilt. He always teased her and humiliated her in the past and sure he realized know that maybe it was wrong; not that it'd change anything now. But for this prank he just felt bad—an emotion he hadn't known he possessed. He never wanted to physically hurt her though. His mother had always raised him to know that even if you used magic to get what you want—you're never to harm a lady. One of his many gentlemanly qualities he had chosen to keep hidden at Hogwarts.
"You're right Granger. It's not guilt. I hurt my arm carrying you here."
"You carried me?"
"I didn't speak Parseltongue did I?" Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeah I carried you. Your two friends were apparently unable to burden your weight."
"I'm not heavy." Hermione said in a small voice.
Draco shrugged. "Well that's why I'm here. Although it doesn't hurt very much anymore."
Hermione watched through sleepy eyes as Draco slid out of the bed, still dressed in his white button down shirt with his Slytherin tie. His hair seemed disheveled though and Hermione had the strangest urge to run her hands through it. She was surprised at where these emotions were coming from. Up until earlier this year—she could never have imagined that she'd be starting to feel this strange emotions inside. Every time she saw Draco in the hallways and in class she always felt a strange churning feeling in her stomach. Most of the time she just shoved it off thinking it was because she was hungry but today as he stepped closer to her—she knew it was because of him. She felt this way because he was near her.
"Granger, I know we're not what anyone would ever in their right minds call friends, but I was hoping you could do me a favor."
His Malfoy charm was successfully penetrating through her rational mind and she could feel herself wanting to reach up and brush her lips across his. Sadly that would deem her crazy and she'd be sent to St. Mungo's by her own friends.
"Wh—what?" She asked quietly.
"I was hoping we could keep this a secret between us." He said softly.
Hermione watched as Draco slowly backed away from the edge of her bed. She watched as his steps retreated towards the door. She yearned to stop him and she didn't even know why. She was supposed to dislike Malfoy. Yet here she was wishing for him to stop and take her in his arms and give her an earth shattering kiss. Of course that notion meant she had been reading too many romance novels in her spare time.
Yet she watched quietly as she saw the last glimmer of his blond hair before the door shut. She sank deeper into the pillows letting the sleep she could feel take over her. The fantasy she visited in her dreams was much sweeter than the reality she faced every day.