Hello everybody! Well, this IS my first attempt at a dm/hg so PLEASE be nice! [I'll give you a giant internet cookie!!!][[I think I must be far overdue to a trip to my therapist]] Anyway, I promise to attempt to update more regularly, and this time each chapter will be beta'd! Finally! GO ME!!! ( I hope you enjoy this and I will be eternally grateful if you review and tell me what you think! It helps, trust me! So on with the story...

Chapter 1: The Broken Railing

Hermione walked down the corridor, her footsteps making an echoing metallic sound as they hit the hard stone floor. She shivered and shoved her hands into the pockets of her cloak, trying to warm them. It was 7:00 pm and she was on patrol duty. Trust Dumbledore to allocate her the least popular time slot of the week; midwinter, just after the annual quidditch game where any sane person would be huddled up in their house common room thawing out in front of the fire. Just her luck.

Harry and Ron were probably sitting in their favourite armchairs right now, playing wizarding chess, she thought jealously. Ron had completed his patrol duty earlier in the week.

She brushed a stray curl out of her eye and walked faster, hunched over as far as she could go. By all rights she should be there too, finishing the special arithmancy project Professor Vector had assigned her.

At least she had almost finished her rounds. Just three more corridors and a stairwell to go. Then she could join the rest of the Gryffindor's without responsibility, and roast a marshmallow over the blazing red fire. Mmmmm, she could almost taste the sweet melted sugar on her tongue. She swallowed and then realised that there was nothing in her mouth except saliva.

Hermione frowned and shook her head to clear it. Hallucinating is not a good sign for my sanity, she thought wryly. She could picture Ron grinning at her. "You know Hermione, you really should eat more and study less. If I was in your position, I wouldn't just stand there and think about food, I'd jolly well go and eat some!"

"Well who said I always have to be the perfect goody two shoes", she muttered under her breath, in a slightly crazy fashion. "I think I'll make a short and discreet visit to the kitchens on the way back to the Gryffindor Tower."

Hermione smiled to herself and almost walked straight into a Ravenclaw first year who had been running down the corridor. She grabbed his shoulders and looked him over for any visible injuries.

"Are you ok? You shouldn't be running down the corridor like that without watching where you are going. You could have been hurt!" She scolded and gave his shoulders a gentle shake to reinforce her message.

The boy's eyes travelled up Hermione's body and finally paused on her shiny prefect's badge. At once his face lit up with relief and apprehension in equal measures.

"Ummm...look....the thing is..." he stammered.

Hermione waited patiently.

"Er...could you promise not to get mad at me?" The boy asked hopefully.

Annoyed, Hermione crossed her arms. "Look, my name's Hermione and I have corridors to patrol and a nice warm common room with a blazing fire waiting for me when I finish. I would prefer to get there BEFORE midnight if you would be so kind."

The boy winced. "The thing is, my friend I were fooling around on one of the Astronomy tower balcony's, you know, experimenting and stuff."

"I see."

Bravely, or perhaps foolishly, the boy continued. "Anyway, one of the hexes we tried smashed the railing and we don't know the counter charm to fix it."

Hermione sighed. "I see. I suppose I'd better go and fix it." Why is it always me?

The boy made as if to run off and Hermione grabbed his arm. He winced, prepared for the worst.

"Which balcony is that?"

Relief showed on the boy's face, he had been positive that he was going to be punished. "Top level, third door to the left."

Hermione let go of his arm, and he took a step back, rubbing the spot where she had gripped him.

"Oh yeah, and 50 points from Ravenclaw for damaging school property." Hermione added as an afterthought, before striding down the corridor, leaving a shocked and horrified first year in her wake.


A blast of cold air hit Hermione hard and sent her reeling as she opened the door to the balcony.

Gathering her courage she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and stepped out into the icy wind.

"Crazy first years." She muttered,

What sane person would be out practicing spells from the top of the Astronomy Tower in this weather?

She gripped the frozen railing with one hand and scanned the balcony. Even in the dark, the damage was obvious.

An entire section of the railing had been ripped away, leaving a gaping black hole surrounded by twisted metal. Hermione edged forward cautiously, until she was standing an inch away from the edge of the balcony.

It was eerie, being alone there in the dark. The gaping hole almost seemed to beckon to her, seemed strangely attractive.

Without thinking, she leaned forward and looked down into the black abyss. At once she felt unbearably dizzy and the world started to spin around her, faster and faster. She stumbled, and reached out a hand to hold onto the nonexistent railing. Her fist closed in thin air as she slowly fell forward.

Everything moved in slow motion, the feeling of the air rushing up to meet her as her hair fell across her face, the feeling of two strong arms grabbing her around the waist, the feeling of warm light-headedness, of the air rushing out of her lungs, as she was pulled backwards away from the edge.

Her knees gave way to a rush of immense relief and she buckled, to be caught by her unknown saviour.

For a moment she felt safe, and released some of her tension. However, that feeling disappeared the instant she heard a drawling voice in her ear.

"So, what could the mudblood be doing all alone in the Astronomy tower at night?"

Hermione could recognise that voice anywhere, and after all, she should have expected this; since when had anything in the last hour gone right?

"Malfoy."

She groaned and closed her eyes tightly, hoping he would disappear and she would wake up warm and cosy in her bed in Gryffindor tower. However, she had no such luck.

"I would have thought it was far past your bedtime Granger."

Hermione felt her energy rush back in a wave of irritation.

"I'm sorry Malfoy, but unlike you, I do not have the personality and needs of a 3 year old. Also, I would appreciate it if you would let go of me."

She felt his hands slide off her, taking slightly more time than necessary and step back. She turned to face him and was positive she could make out a smirk on his face.

"Why Granger, I didn't know you felt so uncomfortable by my close and undoubtedly desirable proximity."

Hermione snorted.

"Why Malfoy, such big words for such a little man."

"Don't forget that you're talking to the man who just saved your life, Granger, and since I am at least a foot taller than you, you should probably watch who you call 'little'. Why are you up here away from all your ugly little Gryffindor friends? Isn't this around the time when you normally do all their homework for them?" Malfoy said smirking.

Hermione glared at him. "I was coming up here to fix the railing." "Not that it's any of your business anyway," she added hurriedly.

Malfoy sniggered.

"Urgh, you're so insufferable!"

Hermione made to march right past him and out the door, but before she could get there he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

"Don't forget, you owe me Granger," he said quietly. His grey eyes were dark, and held the hint of a promise.

He released her arm and stepped back, causing his face to be obscured by the shadows.

Hermione stepped back, rubbing her arm distractedly, and hurried out the door muttering to herself. Malfoy caught the words 'Thank God that's over'.




He stood there a few minutes, his face stretched into a full Malfoy smirk.

"Correction Granger; this is far from over."
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