Prologue: 25 Years Earlier

Hermione and Draco are some of the only students who came back to truly finish their final year at Hogwarts. Draco was ordered by the Minister as part of his probation. Hermione wanted to earn the education she had worked so hard to achieve since beginning at Hogwarts. They are given the position as Head Boy and Head Girl respectively. Headmaster McGonagall thought it was best considering the circumstances.

She saw the potential for greatness in both of them and didn't want anything to hold them back. Hermione was still being held back by the darkness she had had to witness in the wizards and witches she had fought. She still believed in the goodness of people but some days it was hard to escape the horrors of the war. Draco was a misguided young man who wanted so much to be loved by his father that he would do anything for him and when the man showed his true colors and let him down he had nothing to live for accept the mother who had always protected him. He saw no light in the darkness and he was drowning. McGonagall knew Hermione could show Draco the light and Draco could show Hermione that there was still some good even in the darkest of places and that not everything was black and white.

Hermione is a little annoyed at first when she is paired and roomed with Draco. She thinks he will be the same annoying snit who used to tease her. She comes to realize that the war has changed everyone including him. He doesn't speak much and when he does it's to discuss the patrolling schedules. They are usually paired for assignments together because the teachers know she is the only one who can stand to be near him. They work well together on projects and always get the highest marks.

One night a rogue Death Eater gets in the castle. He has decided to take revenge against the mudblood who helped kill his Lord. He gets inside information about when she will be patrolling. He was apparently not informed that she would be accompanied by Draco. Despite being silent he has refused to allow her to patrol alone for a single night. She doesn't understand his motivations so she just accepts it. The man catches her off guard when she is turning a corner and casts a spell that slams her into the opposite wall. You can hear the clear sound of her head banging hard against the wall. She slumps to the floor with her head pounding and stars in her eyes. She hears Draco shout Granger but she can't concentrate enough to tell him she is alright.

The two wizards are fighting to gain the upper ground when she groans and distracts Draco. The other wizard is able to shoot off a Crucio before Draco can do anything. The boy leaps to intercept it and it cuts off a second later when he sees Granger stagger to her feet and wave her hand at the man with a shout of Confringo. The man goes flying and she follows with an Incarcerous. He doesn't know if he is more stunned that she just did wandless magic or that following that she passed out on the ground. He is still in pain when he crawls over to make sure she is okay. He starts shaking her shoulder and shouting Granger. He finally shouts bloody hell Hermione wake up.

He sends off his patronus to Headmaster McGonagall for help and tries not to follow the girl's lead by passing out as well. He has not had to defend himself magically let alone been hit by Crucio in so long that it has taken a lot out of him. Thankfully Headmaster McGonagall and some other teachers show up not long after. The teenagers are taken to Madam Pomfrey. Draco stays by Hermione's side until she wakes up. When she starts to moan and stretch he leans over to see if she is finally going to wake up. When her eyes flutter open and lock on him she immediately sits up and they bang heads. He pulls back quickly and grabs is forehead.

He groans Dammit Granger that hurt. She winces and grabs for her head as well.

She says hey it's not like I was expecting you to be hovering over me. You startled me. What happened?

He quickly explains the attack and she mutters figures. He immediately assumes she is commenting on his ability to handle a fight and takes offense.

He grits his teeth and spits out sarcastically oh well sorry Granger we can't all be like your precious Potter. She blinks at him in confusion and then realizes he heard her comment. She tilts her confused as to why he would take personal offense but corrects him anyway.

She says I was talking about my inability to not pass out after one hit. I had thought I would have still been able to protect myself better.

He glances away and says oh.

She studies him for a moment before asking why are you here Malfoy?

She watches his jaw set as he grits out I was just making sure you were fine. A beat passes before he adds on, I don't need one of those stupid bints taking your place in your absence. I find their voices aggravating. She doesn't comment on his unheeded explanation or that he implied that he liked her voice.

He refuses to glance back in her direction until Madam Pomfrey comes bustling back down the aisle towards them. The elderly woman explains to Hermione that she hit her head very hard and then used strong magic and there is a possibility that she could have a concussion. She asks the witch to stay in the Healer's wing overnight so that she will be able to wake her up to make sure she is okay.

Hermione pleads with the Healer to allow her to just let her go back to her own room saying she will be fine. She glances at the girl and says that someone will need to wake her up every few hours just to be safe. Hermione quickly says Draco will do it. They both glance his way and when he meets Hermione's pleading eyes he nods in agreement. The Healer sighs and says fine Mr. Malfoy I need you to wake Miss Granger every few hours to make sure she is alright. He agrees and she sends them on their way.

Hermione decides to head to bed as soon as they get back to their shared common room. It has been a very hectic last couple of hours and she is wiped out. She tells Malfoy not to worry about waking her as she is perfectly fine. When she turns to head to her room he rolls his eyes and decides to ignore her. He is not getting blamed for her dying on his watch.

A few hours later his alarm wakes him reminding him to check on the girl across the hall. He slides out of bed and over to her room. He decides the best course of action is to just knock on her door until she wakes and tells him she is fine. She makes no sound on the other side of the door and he starts to get worried when he suddenly hears a scream. His automatic response is to bust in and see what is wrong. It takes his exhausted mind a few seconds to realize that aside from the two of them the room is empty and she isn't in any harm.

When she starts thrashing around he hurries over to her. He has never seen this as being a side effect of a concussion. He shakes her shoulder but she continues to writhe in what seems to be pain. She only awakens when he says wake up Hermione you're fine. Her eyes snap open and lock on him. She breathes deeply and slowly sits up without losing eye contact. He can feel the awkwardness and doesn't know what to do. He stumbles to his feet when he realizes his intimate position on her bed.

He stutters out that he'll be in the common room. He struts as quickly as he can out of her room without full out running. He doesn't know what to do with himself now so he decides to make some tea thinking that will ease the tension, that's what his mom always says at least. His heart jumps when he turns back around and sees her perched at their bar in a robe. He silently hands her a mug and she nods her thanks. It's quiet as they drink their tea and his eyes wander the room as he tries to think of what to say.

He settles on you okay, thinking that she could have an easy out and tell him she is fine if she wants. She doesn't answer for a moment and he watches as she traces invisible patterns on the counter.

She says do you ever dream about the war? His hackles rise thinking she is about to be cruel. He is about to bite back a comment when he realizes how zoned out she appears. She doesn't seem to be fully there. His guard lowers when he realizes she was being sincere in her inquiry.

He shrugs and says yeah sometimes.

She looks up at him and says yeah?

He nods and asks was that what you were dreaming about.

She nods and says I dream about her sometimes. He is a little confused when she says her instead of him but he immediately realizes who she is referencing. He doesn't like to think back on that time when the Golden Trio was captured.

He clears his throat and says I…I didn't realize. I don't ever hear you make a sound. She scrunches her eyebrows in confusion until she seems to remember that she was screaming earlier.

She glances away and says it's not so bad anymore and it usually only happens when I feel attacked and I can't defend myself. She smirks in self depreciation. They stay quiet for a moment and he tries to think of how to change the subject so it doesn't get more emotionally intense.

He finally blurts I didn't know you could do wandless magic. Her eyes snap to his when he spits out the thought. She flinches, startled at his voice.

She says oh, oh yes, I…, she shakes her head and continues yes, I taught myself after. He grimaces when he finishes the rest of her sentence in his head, I was tortured in your house by your psychotic aunt. This conversation isn't going anywhere and he doesn't know how to talk to her properly. She watches him for a second and she seems to realize that he is struggling to have a proper conversation with her. She says I like being prepared for anything so I thought it would be better to know wandless magic in case I couldn't reach my wand not that that helped last night.

He says what are you talking about, you caught the guy even after whacking your head against the wall.

She says yes but he still got the jump on me and if you hadn't been there I would have been a goner.

He glares at her and says Granger I was being crucioed and you saved us. She goes to open her mouth to argue but he stares her down until she scrunches her nose and closes her lips. He watches her for a second before blurting what has been on his mind since he saw her perform wandless magic to protect him. He says can you teach me?

She says what?

He groans at having to ask twice but says Can you teach me?

She says wandless magic. You want me to teach you wandless magic.

He nods and says yes.

They get closer during his lessons and eventually become friends. She learns about how his former devotion to his father and then his love of his mother. He learns that she had to oblivate her parents to protect them from Voldemort. They both learn that the scars they gained from the war never fade completely.

She goes to the Burrow for Christmas break and he decides to stay at Hogwarts, not wanting to return to the manor. Ron approaches Hermione not long after she arrives to talk about the kiss they shared. She rejects hiss advances and things get awkward between the trio. Hermione and Ron get into a fight over her newfound friendship with Draco and Harry doesn't step in to defend her. She decides it's for the best to return to Hogwarts for the rest of break.

She and Draco get closer during the time they spend together with no homework and lessons to distract asks if he can kiss her on New Year's at midnight as is tradition.

She says yes and they share a gentle, innocent kiss between friends. It takes him another month to ask her out on an official date and he botches the whole thing up. In between her laughs she says yes, she would love to go on a date with him.

He takes her ice skating and is pleased to learn that she doesn't know how. He enjoys teaching her something he is good at and he especially enjoys when they collide and land on top of each other multiple times throughout the day. The ice wasn't nearly as thick as they thought it was and when she finally learns to skate on her own the ice cracks below her and she falls in. He scrambles over to the broken ice and reaches in to bring her back to the surface. He drags her back up and onto him.

For a moment, they just lay there and let their hearts settle down. They cling to each other in silence. He apparates them back to their common room.* He scrambles to get her warmer. He flicks on the fire and realizing she won't be moving from her curled up position in front of the fire place to go to her room to change he decides to just grab some of his clothes for her to change in to. He grabs another shirt for himself while he is at it because his current one is soaked. He hands her the clothes and she tells him to turn around. He does and dons his own shirt while she changes behind his back.

She whimpers his name and he whirls around to see she is having trouble getting his sweatshirt on. He can't help but think about how adorable she is. She says I can't get it on my arms hurt. He moves closer to help her put his sweatshirt on. He just watches her for a moment before suddenly springing into action when she shivers. He grabs the blanket from the couch and wraps it around his shoulders and then positions her so she is pressed against his chest between his legs. She tenses in surprise at their intimate positon.

He rubs her arms and says I'm just trying to help you warm up.

She finally relaxes against him and says oh. They stay curled up together until her shivers cease. She apologizes for ruining their date and he says that it was his fault that he should have realized the ice might have melted and wasn't safe.

She says that's ridiculous as he couldn't have known that it wasn't as thick as it was supposed to be. He gives her a look and says it's as ridiculous as her believing she ruined their date because she fell in the water.

She huffs and says fine we'll agree to disagree. He grins and kisses her cheek. She glances up at him when he pulls away and the tension thickens. She leans in slowly and kisses him gently.

After she graduates from Hogwarts she asks the boys to meet her so they can talk. She had long since forgiven them for reacting harshly to her friendship with Draco but she hadn't yet told them that it had evolved into something more. Draco had wanted to come with her knowing how upset they had made her last time but she knew they would react worse if he was there. She doesn't fully expect how bad their reaction to her relationship status would be.

They get into a huge argument and Harry at first is completely against Draco in general having only known the bully side of him despite defending him during his hearing but he gets quieter as Hermione and Ron get more heated. He doesn't know what to do. He knows Ron is hurt that Hermione doesn't like him anymore and has moved on to someone else. He knows how jealous his friend is and how irrational he gets but he is still his best mate. He cares for Hermione like a sister though and he never wants to see her get hurt. She has always been so strong for the two of them.

Ron finally snaps he probably hexed you to fall for him just to mess with you, he was always making fun of you before so what's so different now. Harry sharply inhales and they both watch as the girl takes a step back as if she has been physically slapped. She blinks as she takes in the harsh insult someone she considers one of her best friends just dealt her.

She is more hurt that in the end Harry never tried to defend her. It was always her against them.

*They are allowed to apparate because they are older than the rest of the students and they have been granted the privilege.