So, it's been sort of a long while since I posted something other than another chapter to The Red Thorns. I decided to return to basics, so I'm hoping to get a Teen Titans story up within the next few days. I'm on break, so it should be relatively easy. But for now, here is a Harry Potter story that has been sort of dwelling in my plot-tree, and it occurred to me that it is ripe for the picking.

Please enjoy and (pretty) please review!

Disclaimer/Warning: I own nothing of the Harry Potter series. This is a very unrealistic, highly unlikely version of the sixth Harry Potter book. I am disregarding in general anything that…well, seems to have been disregarded. Please do not review just to say that Hermione would never do something like this, that it doesn't tie in, yata yata. I don't want to hear it thank you!

XX

The decision to kiss for the first time is the most crucial in any love story.

It changes the relationship of two people much more strongly than even the final surrender;

because this kiss already has within it that surrender.

- Emil Ludwig

It was not the first time he had kissed her, yet she still felt the rush as if he had set her veins on fire. His lips caressed her smoothly, softly, and it became apparent immediately that he had no intention of stopping. And despite all the years that she had grown to both hate and love this boy, she felt that she had no reason to stop either. The kiss was addictive, seductive, and so very, very wrong. As he pressed her violently against the astronomy tower, where they had been utterly alone for the past hour, he whispered in her ear with a voice so rich with lust that she felt herself shudder, "Hermione, we are going to be rewarded beyond our wildest dreams…."

She felt herself glow with pride at his words, but had not the slightest interest in them. She felt, trapped between his legs, shivering and shaking with desire, that this was a reward far beyond any that he was awaiting.

A thought fluttered into her mind, perching curiously on her thoughts until it flew away again, chased from her mind by her restless need to have Draco Malfoy inside of her.

Was she scared?

XX

Seven months earlier….

Hermione saw him dashing away into a corridor as she made her way to the first Quidditch match of the year. She was still fuming at Harry for slipping the Felix Felicis into Ron's drink before the match, but her anger was momentarily forgotten when she saw the look of utter horror on Draco Malfoy's face.

She had a brief moment of stupidity where she continued walking towards the Quidditch field, and then promptly slapped herself. What would Harry say if she told him about what she saw and that she didn't tail Malfoy? She wished she had Harry's invisibility cloak, but for now she just slipped quietly as she could behind a statue of Bodrik the Brave as Malfoy continued down the hall.

"…so stupid, what was I thinking? Impossible, completely impossible, there's no way, I don't know…," his voice trailed off as he rounded a corner and Hermione hurried after him, "I'm worst in our class, barely got five O.W.L.'s, what was the Dark Lord thinking?"

Hermione barely held back a gasp. Malfoy let out a soft sob and disappeared into an empty classroom.

So Harry had been right all along. Malfoy had to be up to something. She tried with all her might to figure out a way to get him to tell her everything. She wasn't stupid enough to just outright ask him, and potions and spells would do no good, Malfoy wouldn't trust her enough to drink it.

That's when it hit her. Trust. That would be enough to get Malfoy to tell her. So what if she offered to help him with what he was doing? It might take him quite a while for him to let her…. She needed a way to get him on her side, and fast…

She could hear sobbing coming from the classroom. She decided the best approach would be the blunt one, so she noisily opened the door and walked inside, pretending to be surprised that she found Malfoy with his face in his hands, sobbing into them.

"Malfoy!" she said, putting on her best shocked face.

"Mudblood," he said, but he did not sneer or have any venom in his voice. He merely just gave her a deflated look and turned to look out of the window.

"Are you… Is there something wrong?" she asked. She knew before he turned to look at her that he would be at the height of suspicion when he turned to face her.

"Why the hell would you care?" he asked, and Hermione felt a blush creep along her cheeks. His eyes narrowed and then widened, mistaking her pink cheeks, surely, for something else. "Sorry," he said, "I'm a bit out of your league, don't you think?"

"Personally," she said, offended, "I think I'm quite out of yours."

"I could have you in a heartbeat if I wanted you, Granger," he said. Some of the interest and vigor had returned to his voice. He suddenly looked interested. Hermione thought he looked slightly relieved to have his mind on something else.

"I doubt it," she said, "but I don't doubt that I could do the same to you."

Malfoy looked unceremoniously out of the window. "I'll tell you what."

Hermione looked at him curiously.

"I'll humor you. You're fairly intelligent. If you can help me fix a certain….object….that needs fixing, I will make it a priority to make sure you get everything you desire from me. Purely physical, of course. I have no desire to be caught holding hands in public with a Mudblood."

Hermione was, quite frankly, shocked that it had been this easy. If every sappy romance novel she had ever read was indeed right, it meant that she would not have to wait long until Draco Malfoy trusted her unflinchingly. Until then, it hardly even mattered. She was going to see this thing that needed fixing which was probably of high importance to Lord Voldemort, or else Malfoy would not be willing to give such a sacrifice in order to fix it.

"It's a deal, then," she said. Malfoy looked at her with an expression of mild interest and hidden excitement.

"It's a good thing you grew out of your ugliness, or this would be much harder…." She smirked and turned to leave the room, deciding that it was best for her to go and cheer for the last bits of the Quidditch match before it ended and someone noticed she was missing.

Hermione's plan went as smoothly as she could have hoped. She helped Malfoy, with much more difficulty than she expected, to fix the Vanishing Cabinet that was hidden in the Room of Requirement. She devoted many sleepless nights to this, as well as any time in which Harry and Ron would not notice her absence. She thought at times that it might have been easier to tell them, but for some reason, she felt sick with shame whenever she thought of them finding out the price she had asked in turn to help Malfoy with it.

She avoided any physical activities between them as much as she could, but she couldn't for too long. It would have looked highly suspicious if she had not asked Malfoy to uphold his end of the bargain. And it turned out that, as Christmas came and went and she spent a week at school with Malfoy alone, she had begun to enjoy his kisses and caresses. He had not gone as far as to take her clothes of, although Hermione had felt several indications that he did want to.

The Vanishing Cabinet would take months to repair, and Hermione began longing for those months to go on longer. Harry and Ron noticed no change in her, and she in turn discovered that she was a very good liar. After a while, the lying stopped making her stay up at night with guilt, and eventually she learned to live with herself. February came and went, and Hermione could no longer pretend that she was doing this because she wanted to help Harry. She was selfish, cruel, and probably destined for a life of misery, but for now she could simply not get enough of Draco Malfoy.

One day in the dreary March weather, Hermione was making her way to the seventh floor corridor. Harry, Ron and Ginny had departed eagerly for Quidditch practice minutes ago, and she had wasted no time to go and meet Draco. She saw him resting, casually elegant, against the wall that led to the Room of Requirement. He smiled at her, a thing that was not entirely rare these days, and he began pacing back and forth along the wall. When the door appeared, Hermione stepped through, prepared to turn left and head through the clutter to find the Vanishing Cabinet, but promptly stopped. Her mouth opened in surprise.

"I thought you deserved a bit of a break," Draco said softly from behind her, closing the door.

The sound echoed around the room, which was draped in beautiful fabrics that shimmered in the fire that was roaring in the large hearth. A beautiful four-poster bed was in the middle of the room, with blankets that looked like clouds. Hermione looked at Draco, who smiled at her shocked expression.

"I…you…," she began, but trailed off again as he moved closer, pressing his tall, warm body against hers.

"Hermione," he said, his eyes dancing colors in the fire, "I told you before that I would never fall for you. Five years of hatred and another ten of ingraining the important of blood into my mind, and I would have never thought I could fall for you. But I have. You have my heart, and all I ask is that….that you aren't cruel to it."

Hermione looked at him, incredulous. Did he expect her to turn and walk away? Did he honestly believe that she cared about him as nothing more than a physical play-thing? She smiled at his stupidity and promptly pulled his head down to hers.

There was something nagging, calling, pulling at her mind, something that she knew she would have to face later. Draco Malfoy had just confessed his love for her, and now…somehow, despite the months of helping him achieve his goal of pleasing the Dark Lord, Hermione had never thought that she was tied into this somehow. It was a deal, simply that, and as soon as she had enough information, as soon as the circumstances became dire, she would tell Harry and Ron all that she had learned and help them put a stop to it. But now…. She felt that this was the turning point. Either continue on to the point of no return, or turn her back on the one boy that was able to steal her heart.

But, she thought with a fierce kiss, she had absolutely no intention of turning back.

He lifted her up by the waist and she promptly wrapped her legs around him, already feeling his hardness pressing against her. His kisses were fierce yet gentle, his tongue pursuing deeper as his hands wandered over every inch of flesh he could find. Their clothes almost melted to the floor as Draco walked to the bed. He laid her down gently on the mattress, gazing into her eyes with a lust so deep in his eyes that Hermione wondered for a moment just how badly he wanted her.

The desire that erupted within her was unlike anything she had ever felt. Draco felt like an extension of her own body. Their movements were one; fluid, graceful, and oh so seductive. She found herself aching for him, calling his name, needing her inside him…

Her flushed cheeks and glazed eyes were reflected in Draco's own. For one brief moment she saw a flicker of fear, but it was gone before Hermione truly noticed. His lips wandered over her skin, his soft lips coming and going as if they were fluttering wings, desperate the bend the air in their will….

She moaned his name, and soon he was inside her, and for the first time ever she felt the fire in her veins die, her dreams of nails scraping down her back, of adrenaline-filled touches, disappeared. Instead, a deeper, more piercing feeling filled her as Draco leaned forward to kiss her with tender lips. The kiss reminded her, with a jolt, of true love. Suddenly, as Draco pulled her close, she felt the warmth go deeper than even her bones.

She was in love with Draco Malfoy.

"Hermione," he said after an hour of comfortable silence, "why don't you join me?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, but she had a suspicion that she already knew.

"You could join the Dark Side!" Draco said, and it was apparent that he had been thinking about this for a while. Hermione knew that he meant it simply as a way for them to be together. He had no desire for her to purposely betray her friends, her family, or anyone. Hermione thought that, had it not been for them, she would have tried.

"It's impossible, Draco," she said sadly, willing for him to pull her closer. "I'm a Mudblood. They would never even consider—"

"You're the brightest, cleverest witch or wizard in Hogwarts," said Draco with relish. "They would see that, Hermione, they would realize…."

He trailed away at the look on her face. "Draco, I can't. You know that."

She could have suggested that, perhaps, it would be easier for him to join the Light Side. But it seemed suddenly foolish to ask, it was just as impossible, and there was no way….

He looked defeated, but he pulled her in and kissed her, and Hermione felt as if, in that moment, she would do anything to be with Draco like this forever.

It seemed they were forever separated. Dark and Light, Good and Bad, Right and Wrong. Although Hermione thought that she had perhaps never felt closer or less separated from anyone in the whole world than Draco Malfoy.

XX

Present time….

Yes, Hermione thought. I'm terrified.

"After tonight, we can be together," Draco said, the whisper in her ear setting her skin on fire. "I'm going to ask the Dark Lord. He will reward me beyond my wildest dreams, just you wait. We can finally be together after he realizes what you've done."

"Draco…," she began. She knew she had to ask at some point. "What about Harry and Ron? What will they do? I can't keep this a secret, you know."

"I don't know, Hermione," he said. He pressed his lips against her neck, making her shiver with fear and lust.

"Maybe they can forgive you. All you're doing is letting the Death Eaters in to get something, right? I just wish you could tell me what…."

He looked at her resentfully. "Hermione…. I don't think they'll ever forgive me. And you know I can't tell you. The Dark Lord would know."

She kissed him, trying to bring back some of the love that she had felt igniting inside her months ago. She wanted Draco to be her true love; she wanted their ache for each other, their physical encounters, to turn into something more. She wanted to hold hands with him, to have him kiss her and tell her he loved her as they sat under a bold and beautiful sunset. This…it wasn't enough to her anymore. She would give anything, she realized suddenly, to have it be that way.

"Go back to your room," Draco said, with one final, heart wrenching kiss. "It's about to start. And please, Hermione, keep your friends away. I can't stop the Death Eaters if someone gets in their way."

Hermione felt sick with hot, bubbly guilt. She stood with Luna outside of Snape's office. Harry was still with Dumbledore, and she was hoping he would stay with him. If he got in the way…. There was no guarantee that he would get away. Draco said the Death Eaters would be in and out, no harm done…. No one would die tonight, she told herself. Draco had promised her.

Professor Flitwick came running down the corridor, taking no notice of Hermione or Luna. They exchanged fearful glances as he told Snape that there were Death Eaters downstairs, and that he better come quickly. Snape exited and told them Flitwick had passed out and to remain behind. They dashed into the office to help.

That's when Hermione heard the screaming…. Harry's screaming. He was yelling, louder than she had ever heard him yell, "MALFOY! COME BACK HERE, YOU COWARD! YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED HIM!"

Hermione's heart dropped from her chest. It seemed, as if in slow motion, that she turned to run from the castle and onto the grounds, narrowly avoiding the Death Eaters, screams coming from all directions. It was terrifying, but she felt no fear. All she felt was heartbreak. How?

She found Harry as she was halfway to the gates. He was lying, face down in the grass, sobbing of defeat and pain but still entirely alive. She ran past him, hoping he wouldn't look up…. Hoping he would never again look up.

She found him, finally. He stood by the forest, inches away from the gates where he would then Disaparate and be gone forever. His face was glowing in the firelight from Hagrid's cabin, his eyes filled with so many emotions, his face contorted in shame as she approached him.

"How could you?" she whispered, and he moved towards her, his arms held out as if he was about to take flight. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

He flinched at her words. "Hermione," he said, and she heard his voice crack, "you know I had no choice. You of all people should know that."

"I trusted you," she said. And suddenly, the pain was almost too much to bear. "I loved you…."

There were tears in his eyes. "Hermione, please. Come away with me. We can still be together, there's nothing stopping us now! I love you! Please, please…."

The tears spilled from his eyes as she began backing away, the disgust and shame and hurt eating her alive inside. There was no fire in her gaze anymore. She did not want him, she did not love him. "Some things are unforgivable, Draco. You of all people should know that."

He dropped to his knees, the desperation in his face making her heart ache, as the tears in her own eyes threatened to overflow. "Please, Hermione. We could be married…. We could live happily together, you wouldn't have to fight against the Dark Side anymore. You would be safe—we could be safe together."

Suddenly, as if it had been dwelling in her dreams from months, a flood of visions of the future filled her mind. She was safe, happy, and very much in love with Draco. The war raged, but they remained protected, caring about no one but each other, the burden of the world lifted off her shoulders. No more fighting. Just the two of them, madly in love for the rest of their lives….

She dropped to her knees in front of him, grabbed his head and met his lips in one last hungry, desperate kiss. The fire in her veins ignited, and her heart pounded with lust. She waited for it…. The feeling of gold spreading through her very bones—but it did not come.

"There are some things worth fighting for, Draco," she whispered. "Wait for me. Wait for me until the final surrender."

XX

Yes, I am very much aware that it is not in fact Draco who kills Dumbledore. But like I said, I am disregarding anything that I feel like.

Please review!