A/N: I think I've gone mad, I don't remember posting 2 different stories in a day before. Oh well, as the saying goes: there's a first time for everything.

Disclaimer: Nah. Not mine.

1 a.m. in the morning

By Amber

Hermione Granger groaned in frustration, she still had not managed to fall asleep. She knew she shouldn't had stopped right when her muggle studies had gotten interesting.

She had been reading her textbook when her clock struck 11 and she had decided to stop for the day, even though she had finally started on the part she loved best about muggles: when they were going to war and they were decided which part of a particular country they wanted to bomb.

It was almost hilarious if she told her best friends about it, goody-two-shoes Hermione Granger interested in such violence. What on earth would her friends say?

She had reluctantly put down her book, telling herself that she could always read it the following day, and blowing out her candle, she slid under her covers, hoping to fall asleep soon enough.

Now, one and a half hours later, and quite the frustrated one, she slipped out of her bed and after wearing a cloak, and placing her wand in her pocket, she started making her way to the library. A bit of light reading was necessary.

She sighed happily, tomorrow was Sunday, after all, and she did not need to worry about getting up early. Sitting comfortable at a table near the back of the library she picked up her book and flipped it open. Her eyes scanning the page for the lines that she stopped at.

She was so engrossed, in fact, in finding her favorite seat, opening her book to start reading, that she didn't even notice that there was someone sitting at the table behind her and staring at her in mild amusement.

Draco Malfoy was not the type of guy to take insomnia lightly, especially if it was him that was suffering from it.

Damnit.

It was 12 a.m. right at the beginning of a brand new blasted day. When probably everyone in his house was already sleeping, he really didn't know, because he was staying in the Head Dormitory. Quite frankly, he didn't care either.

He sighed heavily, he wasn't the type of guy to lie around and wait for something to catch up with him. Normally, once his head hit his pillow it took him about 5 seconds to fall asleep (unless, of course, he was in bed with another person, but let's not go there). A trait, his mother once told him, he inherited from his great-great-grandfather.

Taking his clock from where he had lazily thrown it on his empty table, he carefully tucked his wand in a hidden pocket and decided to go to the library, because it was the first place he had in mind.

How was he to know that, as he closed his bedroom door, about half an hour later, the girl in the opposite bedroom was about to join him?

He cleared his that loudly.

Hermione jumped about a mile off her chair, giving a small squeak before turning around and realizing that it had been him.

Her eyes narrowed as he smirked at her, his eyes, which seemed to glow whenever he was near her, seemed brighter than usual.

For awhile, it seemed as though they were going to spend the entire night staring at each other (although it was more of Hermione glaring at him and Draco smirking at her), before Hermione cut the silence and the tension that had gathered ever since she turned around. "What, Malfoy, do you think you're doing?"

He cocked his head to the side, "It's a library, Granger, I'm reading." He nodded his head towards his book as if to prove a point, before his smirk returned.

If looks could kill, Hermione would have killed him right there and then. "It's," she glanced at her watch before continuing, "12.45 in the morning, Malfoy, people don't just come to the library to read at this time."

"I could ask you the same question, Granger.'' came his cool reply.

She narrowed her eyes at him before answering, "I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd come here for some light reading, where I assumed that it'd be peaceful."

Draco chuckled, "You're bedroom not peaceful enough then? Must be that blasted cat or yours-"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, keep talking. Give me one good reason why I should hex you right now." Hermione interrupted him before he could continue another word, her wand pointed straight at him.

Draco stared at the tip of her wand, inwardly cursing, he knew he never should have disturbed her in the first place. He certainly didn't want to visit the Hospital Wing at this ungodly hour.

"Fine." He turned away from her, watching her stiffen and hold her wand higher, now pointing at his neck. Sitting down on an armchair, he picked up his book and started reading. "Fine."

Hermione stared at him open mouthed, she hadn't expected him to give up to easily, to turn his back on her was probably the most courageous thing he had done, after all, knowing her fluency with spells. She lowered her wand, sitting back down on her chair, but this time facing him, she too, picked up her book and started reading.

Around 15 minutes later, Hermione just happened to glance at her watch, at 1 a.m., Draco suddenly said so softly that she barely managed to catch it. "I'm sorry."

Hermione stared at him for a good minute before she managed to say, "What?"

He looked up at her, "I'm sorry." This time it was clearer, with more conviction than the last time he said it.

Hermione was confused, Malfoy was apologising to her? She shook her head, 'Malfoy' and 'apologising' didn't even belong in the same sentence. And yet she was sure he had just said "sorry".

"What are you apologising about, Malfoy?" She asked, puzzled.

He looked at her, there was so much sincerity that was reflecting in his eyes that she felt as though she was looking at another person. It couldn't actually be Malfoy, could it?

"Everything." He stated, as though it was self-explanatory.

"I…" Draco trailed off, he had started it and he'd be damned if he didn't finish it. "I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for calling you a mudblood for the past 6 years…I'm sorry for trying to find faults in you…I'm sorry for looking down on you. I'm sorry for everything I've said or done that hurt you. I'm sorry…Hermione."

There.

He did it.

Voiced out what had been troubling him since the start of the seventh year. It was as if his conscience had suddenly caught up with him and started making him think before saying anything. One moment he was Draco Malfoy: cold and calculating bastard who never cared about what others felt. The next he was Draco Malfoy: the person who suddenly thought before he said something mean and cruel; the person who after one summer, became full of remorse and regret to all the things he had done before.

Hermione heard him, her mouth opened slightly, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Sometimes, she sweared that when she did something good Draco's mouth would twitch slightly, as though trying not to smile, and yet wanting her to see it. Ever since their seventh year started, he had stopped looking for so many fights, he had stopped calling her "mudblood".

"Say it again, Draco." She whispered softly.

He stared at her, "What?"

She smiled, "My name, say my name again."

"Hermione."

She smiled at him, and then it started.

A friendship that lasted for four months before developing into something more, and by the time it was at the end of their year, they decided to announce it to the school that they were a couple. Harry and Ron were accepting, only asking her when it had started.

Smirking mischievously at them, she said, "1 a.m. in the morning."

Fin.

A/N: I'm sorry for my lack of originality but I just love relationships that start out in the library.

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Love,

Amber