Chapter 1 – Meeting the Requirements

Hermione stormed through the corridors of Hogwarts, a passionate rage surging through her veins. 'HOW DARE HE!' she mentally screamed. 'HOW DARE HE CHEAT ON ME WITH THAT TWO-FACED, GOOD FOR NOTHING, ROTTEN LITTLE TART!'.

It was a year after the War and Hermione had returned to Hogwarts to complete her education and was made Head Girl. She was the only one out of the Golden Trio to return for her final year, although Ron had promised her that being apart wouldn't change the way he'd feel about her.

What a lie that turned out to be. She had just taken a short-cut through one of the secret passageways on the 7th floor to her Charms class, when she walked in on Ron and Lavender in a passionate embrace, sucking eachothers faces off.

Hermione couldn't control her shocked scream and Ron had tried to say that he had turned up at school to surprise her but was giving Lavender first-aid training. Hermione got a surprise all right, it just wasn't the one she had been expecting.

After listening to his pathetic excuses she took off and started running through the hallways, not caring if she was missing charms class. Not caring if anyone saw her running away like a scared child. Not caring if she looked a mess.

She had just lost Ron, her first proper boyfriend in the most horrible way possible. She didn't even realize she was crying until her tears blurred her vision so much she could no longer see.

She leaned against the closest wall and sunk to the floor, feeling completely heartbroken and defeated. As she wiped away her tears she noticed where she was.

She recognized the wall she leaned against and felt the solid wall behind her transform into a wooden door. She was at the Room of Requirement.

'Perfect' thought Hermione and she opened the door and scrambled inside. The room she was in was beautiful. It was a large room, with lots of windows that let the sunlight stream in with warm wood panelling on the walls, two red velvet plush couches, a roaring fireplace and lots of built in bookshelves.

She felt relief wash over her instantly as she realized she had a place she could finally relax, a place she could let out all of her emotions and nobody would see or hear her. Or so she thought.

"Granger? What are you doing here?".

In that moment her blood ran cold and she held her breath.

She didn't even notice that Draco Malfoy was sitting on one of the couches reading a book infront of the fireplace. He looked troubled. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair hung messily over his eyes.

He wore a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt which showed off his muscles under his school robes, and he was staring at Hermione.

"Granger? What are you doing here?" he asked again seeming really confused.

"I-I-errr...it's the room of requirement?" she said stupidly and mentally slapped herself. Why was she so flustered?

"Precisely. I came here to relax. So why are you here?" he asked in a cold and cutting tone of voice.

"Shove off Malfoy. If I'm such an inconvenience then I'll leave!" she turned to leave but suddenly felt a hand on her wrist that pulled her back.

"No, I'm sorry. That was rude of me. Stay" although it was meant as a question it came across as a demand. He could see that she was visibly really upset and didn't have the heart to send her away. Then a thought crossed his mind – one that puzzled him greatly.

"Why are you skipping class?" asked Malfoy. Her honey brown eyes burned with anger at this question.

"That's none of your business. Why are you?".

"Ah no, no, no lets not change the subject here". She grew more irritated and pulled her hand away and folded her arms across her chest and looked away.

Draco stared at her, a million thoughts running through his brain. She looked as though she'd been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red, her hair was messed up and she was biting her bottom lip to keep herself from crying again.

Although she sort of looked like a mess, Draco thought that she'd never looked prettier. Her eyes burned with such intensity that it made her honey-brown eyes look like liquid gold. Wait – had Draco Malfoy just thought Hermione Granger looked pretty? Wow. He guessed he did.

But he focused on the bigger picture. Something was clearly wrong. He had never seen Hermione look like this, not even when she punched him in 3rd year, and she was furious then. Also the fact that she was skipping class was not a good thing.

"Granger whats wrong?". At this question Hermione ditched her tough girl attitude and crumpled to the floor, letting out heart wrenching sobs and letting her tears flow freely.

Draco had no idea what to do. He couldn't just let her sit there and cry! For some reason he wanted to comfort her...but no, that was ridiculous, she was Hermione Granger!...But was it really so ridiculous?

She and her friends had saved his life last year...maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he was kind to her. 'But just this once' he added mentally.

To her surprise she felt the ground disappear beneath her as Draco scooped her effortlessly into his arms and carried her to couch.

He placed her down gently and transfigured a box of tissues out of thin air for her. She took a handful and recommenced her crying.

Draco moved a bit closer and said "Granger? What's wrong? Grang-" and then it dawned on him that if he was going to comfort her then he had to talk to her as a friend and so for the first time ever he said her name.

"Hermione?".

She looked up at the sound of her name, completely shocked. He had never called her by her first name before.

"Hermione-" he said it again. Her name sounded nicer coming from him than Ron. When Ron said it, it sounded like it was a chore for him to say her long name. But when Draco said it, it made her heart melt.

"Hermione whats wrong?".

When he asked her like that, she couldn't hold in her feelings any longer.

She spilled her heart out to him about Ron and as she did, Draco couldn't stop his fists from balling up in anger. '

THAT LITTLE WEASEL!" screamed Draco inside his head. "HOW DARE HE! Here he's got this beautiful - wait did I just call Hermione Granger beautiful? Oh, guess I did. She's beautiful, smart and so loyal! Why would he do that to her?' fumed Draco.

When she was done she found herself sitting a lot closer to Draco for some reason and she realized that the long couch they had been sitting on before had changed to a loveseat.

The room of requirement really is a weird thing she thought.

"Hermione, can I ask you a question?" he asked while not meeting her eyes.

She nodded, she found that she liked speaking to him. He was a good listener.

'Wait, did I just think something NICE about him?' thought Hermione. 'Wow I guess I did. And he's not bad to look at either - wait. No. Bad Hermione' she scolded herself for thinking like that.

He looked at her in the eyes and her heart melted a bit, 'his eyes are so beautiful!'.

"Why did you come here? To this room?" he asked.

Hermione thought for a second before replying.

"I asked to go to a place where I'd be safe, a place where I'd be comforted. A place where I'd be able to relax and be happy" she stated while smiling.

He smiled too.

"And the room brought you here?" he asked, his eyes sparkling out of happiness.

"I suppose it did" she admitted with a shy smile.