Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me.

Her laugh echoed over the din in the Great Hall and wafted straight into his ear, causing shivers down his spine. He lifted his grey eyes and locked onto her tilted head and wide smile, smoldering as she placed her hand on the arm of the redhead next to her. His heart beat faster and his nostrils flared, catching her unearthly sweet scent across the room. That had been happening more frequently lately and he hung his head.

'Why her? Her of all the possible girls in the world. It had to be her.' He shook his head in despair and pushed his food away forlornly.

"What's wrong Drakey?" Pansy draped herself against him in what she assumed to be a coquettish manner. "You've barely eaten in a week." His stomach churned as her sickly saccharine perfume invaded his senses.

"Just haven't been feeling well. Leave me alone Pansy." His spoke grumpily, shoving her off a bit harsher than necessary.

"Ouch!" Pansy rubbed her arm vigorously. "You're so violent lately Draco! Merlin!" He ignored her, looking down at his lap and sighed. He had certainly become more violent around his friends, feeling restless and unfulfilled, all because of her. He lifted his eyes to her once again as he felt her move and watched her walk, followed by her three Gryffindor companions, out of the Hall.

Draco stood, unsure of why he felt so heartbroken that she was leaving, and followed after her. He watched her go up the stairs and stood at the bottom, annoyed with this lovesick puppy act he had adopted over the past few days. As the Christmas holiday grew closer, he grew increasingly plagued with thoughts of her, yearning to be by her side at every moment.

It's not as if he didn't have other women to go to, they flocked after him in gaggles often, which is to be expected after all. Draco had always had women after him and never quite understood it. Well, there was the good breeding, extreme fortune, and high social standing, not to mention intelligence, poise, and devastating looks. However, this summer when he had come of age, his mother explained it to him fully, revealing their Veela heritage.

Along with the enhanced looks came enhanced stares, not only from women, even some of the men seemed to notice something special about him, something appealing and exotic. The girls at Hogwarts were falling for him left and right. He even had a few girls stalking him, suspected anyway. But the real pain of it was that she didn't seem affected by his new found attractiveness.

It killed him to walk past her and be completely ignored. His mother told him that it would be so, that when he found her, his senses would heighten and he would feel a sort of bond with her. However, she failed to mention that it would soon become painful to look at her and not be able to hold her, to kiss her. That it would physically hurt to know she didn't notice him, as anything but a cruel son of a Death Eater that is.

"Hermione have you noticed anything different about Malfoy lately?" Ginny spoke in a slightly shadowed voice, like her mind wasn't quite there.

"No. He seems to be the same heartless git as usual. Why?" Hermione scoffed and quickly supplied her answer.

"He just seems…I dunno…different. He's sort of-" She sighed, searching for the proper word as Harry looked at her appalled. "sparkly or something."

"Sparkly?" Ron asked incredulously. Hermione laughed and put her arm around Ginny.

"Darling it seems to me like you've caught the bug." Harry's eyes went wide and he looked ready to kill the next boy that crossed his path. "Draco Malfoy's irresistible-" She put her fingers up in mimic of quotations "good looks and charm. I've never seen it, and to be quite honest, am highly doubtful it even exists."

"I dunno 'Mione." Ginny's voice was still dream-like and she sounded spectacularly similar to Luna as she continued. "There's just something different about him. I can't put my finger on it."

Hermione looked to both Ron and Harry and they all shared a disbelieving countenance while Ginny floated down the hallway in front of them. "All the girls seem so floaty lately." Ron observed, looking around at all the other girls, in near trances.

"Floaty? Ronald that's not even a word." Hermione said exasperated. "Girls aren't floaty they're just…dreamy." She huffed as a girl from Ravenclaw ran into her and just kept walking, dazed. "It's like they're all love struck or something." A scowl made its way across her face. "It's disgusting."

"You know Hermione," Harry spoke softly, "Malfoy has been different. He hasn't started anything with us this entire term. Maybe he's changed." Ron nodded hesitantly next to him.

She looked at them, incredulous. "I can't those words just came out of your mouth. Of all people I expected better from you two." She scoffed again. "People like Malfoy can't change."

"Oh come on 'Mione! Don't you think you're better a little too judgmental?" Harry nudged her.

Hermione turned to him and began walking backwards, arms outstretched. "This is Malfoy we're talking about! How could I possibly be too judgmental?" She whipped back around to turn the corner and ran straight into the person she had just criticized.

"Hermione!" Ron cried out as she went tumbling backwards, her books flying in the air.

Draco caught her swiftly and pulled her back onto her feet effortlessly. Hermione closed her eyes as her nose caught his scent and she felt suddenly faint. She bent down to collect her book and shivered as the skin of his hand touched hers on her Potions book. "Sorry Hermione." He grabbed her bag. "Let me help you."

"Um…thanks." Her brain seemed to turn to mush as she looked at him, feeling her skin burn where they had touched. He handed her the bag, everything righted, and pulled away from her, reluctantly. As he walked in the opposite direction, she could swear the hall got colder.

"Hermione?" Ron touched her arm and she jumped away quickly, feeling a jolt of nausea course through her. "You ok?" He reached for her again, and she moved away. "Come on, 'Mi." His furrowed his eyebrows, worried that she was suddenly skittish.

"Don't touch me Ron." She looked at his hand, outstretched to her, warily. "Please, I don't—don't touch me." Hermione turned walked briskly down the hall in the direction of the library.

Ron stood there, staring at her retreating back with his mouth gaping open. "She's a bit mad today isn't she Harry?" He nodded in agreement and continued on to the common room with his friend, launching into Quidditch talk almost immediately after Hermione was out of sight.

Hermione flew down the hall, her breathing heavy and eyes straight in front of her. There was no mistaking the spark of unstilted energy that had transferred into her hand from Malfoy when they touched. Hermione's blood was racing in her veins. She stopped for a moment near a suit of armor, examining her hand in the dimming evening light. She half expected to see a raw, red burn marring the smooth skin of her palm as she turned it over.

When nothing appeared on her hand, she looked up, confused and continued to the library. The minute she walked through the door, she knew he was there. It wasn't the group of girls who seemed attached to the ten feet following Draco lately hiding (poorly) behind a shelf that tipped her off. She felt her heart race again, every cell in her body aching for something nearby. Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to right her mind.