A/N - Hey everyone. Real quick. Credit needs to go to my friend Taylor. Without her this story would never have gotten finished. I don't support the pairing of Hermione/Draco but I wrote this as a prize for a contest on DevARt. Hope you like it! :D

Dust and debris flew all around her. Hermione Granger groped around in the dust until she felt coarse fingers close around hers. Someone was pulling her forward. Praying that it was either Harry or Ron, Hermione allowed herself to be pulled along by them out of the dust. Coughing, Hermione and her companion emerged from the dust. As she struggled for breath she got a good look at the person who had dragged her from the wreckage. She gasped and staggered backwards, almost falling over.

It couldn't be. Why would he risk his life to save her? Hermione closed her eyes, hoping she was imagining things but when she opened her eyes there was no mistaking that slick blonde hair and the scowl on Draco Malfoy's face.

"We should go," he said in a quiet voice. Hermione studied his face carefully as a forced smile appeared on his lips. Draco cleared his throat and Hermione realised she had been staring at him.

"Oh right yeah," she said hesitantly, afraid of going anywhere with him. Draco's hand made an involuntary twitch, as if he had gone to grab her hand. Whatever it was he had gone to do he seemed to decide against it and shoved his hands in his pockets instead. With a small jerk of his head he gestured in the opposite direction of all the shouts that could be heard behind her.

Hermione hesitated, torn between returning to the battle to help her friends and retreating to safety with Draco. But would she be safe? She thought about everything Draco had done to her and her friends since she had begun at Hogwarts. As a horrified look crossed her face Hermione turned and began to run back towards the battle. Maybe Ron and Harry hadn't gone too far. There was still a chance to catch up to them –

A hand closed around her wrist pulling her back. Hermione jerked her arm roughly out of Draco's grasp and made to walk away. Before she had taken more than two steps Draco's hand wrapped around her wrist for a third time. She began to protest but was forced to stop as Draco swung her around and brought his face a mere inch from hers. His grey eyes were stone cold and a fearsome thing to behold yet she couldn't help but stare into them. She had never noticed how white his skin was and his lips were a pale red. They were moving as though he was saying something important but she couldn't quite make it out. Everything had a distant sound to it, as though she were listening to the world underwater. Draco then started jerking his head in the direction he was heading a few moments ago. He started to pull her towards him but Hermione was in a motionless state full of wonder and distant thoughts. She could see him moving in slow motion possibly shouting but it didn't faze her. Then he said one phrase that shattered her dream like state.

"Forget the others; let's just get out of here." Hermione could feel the anger bubbling up inside her, boiling to the max. How dare he say leave her friends behind? Just because he left his friends and family so easily didn't mean she could. He probably didn't even think about it. It would have been like a reflex; there's a fight so I better run away. Her face reddened and her hand closed into a fist. Draco instinctively took a step back, but he wasn't quick enough. Hermione's fist slammed into the side of his jaw, sending him flying backwards into the windowsill. Hermione stood where she was, frozen to the ground. She had punched Draco once before, but she hadn't ever felt like this. This was pure loathing… 'I think'. Hermione struggled to get her thoughts in order as she watched Draco walk towards her, a look of determination upon his face.

She began to talk, to explain but he was too quick for her. A soft gasp escaped her lips as Draco began to kiss her. His lips were cracked and dry with what Hermione thought was fear. She didn't resist as his hand rested on the back of her neck, tilting her up towards him, while the other was rested on her lower back, his fingers gingerly playing with the bottom of her shirt. Hermione surprised herself by kissing him back almost to the same degree of passion that he was kissing her. She let him press his body right against hers.

When Hermione was almost faint from lack of breath the kiss ended as suddenly as it had begun. Hermione opened her eyes and was shocked to find that Draco was nowhere to be seen. She looked around and realised he must have gone back to the battle. The only way he could have disappeared that fast was if he had melted into the dust that was still circling the wreckage.

Slightly light-headed and a little dizzy Hermione began to stumble her way back through the dust, pulling her wand out as she went. She needed to find Draco, needed to confront him about what had happened. She ducked as a bolt of green light shot over her shoulder, narrowly missing her left ear. She shook her head and tried to be more alert. Perhaps the middle of a battle wasn't the best time to be fretting over a kiss.

"Hermione!" Hermione jumped as someone from her right called her name. Her stomach did a jolt as she realised it was Ron. She gazed up at him feeling guilty. They may be in the middle of a battle but she needed to figure this out now.

"Ron! Hermione! GET DOWN NOW!" screamed a voice. Hermione felt herself being pushed sideways to the floor just seconds before a loud blast sent some of the ceiling crashing to the floor. She sat up quickly and saw Ron and Tonks lying beside her. Ron let out a groan as he struggled to sit up. Hermione said nothing, and allowed Ron to see Tonks, who was laying still, her dark eyes staring blankly up at the now exposed night sky.

Hermione felt Ron tug on her hand. She stood without a word and allowed him to pull her away from Tonks, and away from the battle. When they arrived in a deserted corridor Ron told her of the plan. They were to enter the Chamber of Secrets and destroy the cup. Harry would find the diadem. Hermione nodded and began to run alongside Ron towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom when a flash of blonde stopped her in her tracks.

"Hermione come on we have to move!" yelled Ron as he attempted to pull her with him. Hermione pulled him around so he was facing her, his face not much further from hers than Draco's had been. Closing her eyes, she prepared herself to do something she knew would be difficult.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the shouts and explosions coming from down the hall. Under her fingers Hermione could feel Ron tense up. "You need to go and destroy the cup… there's something I have to take care of." Hermione took her hand off his arm and handed him the beaded bag.

"Why? What do you have to do?" Ron asked his voice a mix of hurt and worry. Hermione glanced over her shoulder to where she knew Draco was patiently waiting.

"I… I just have to sort something out. It shouldn't take too long." And without another backwards glance Hermione turned on her heel and walked directly towards Draco. She knew without even turning around that Ron wouldn't follow her. He trusted her and at the back of her mind Hermione knew she was about to break that trust.

"What made you turn your back on him?" asked Draco as he and Hermione walked hand in hand towards the exit. Hermione stopped walking as she thought about it. What had caused her to change her mind?

"I don't know really… ever since I punched you back in our third year, sorry about that by the way, I guess I developed feelings for you without realising it. Maybe the kiss or me punching you again sort of, opened up those feelings or let them loose or argh I don't know," Hermione finished as she threw her hands up in frustration. Why was it so hard to for her to talk to him about this?

"Hey," said Draco as he caught her hands again, "I don't mind." Hermione smiled up at him. She couldn't believe that after years of loathing him she was here now, in his arms.

"When did you decide you liked me?" She asked without lifting her head from his chest.

"Right after you punched me," he said with a smile. Hermione laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I like a girl with a bit of fire!" Hermione laughed again as she stood on tiptoes to bring her lips to his.

"If I've got fire then never let me burn," she whispered.

"Never."