Recently, my Harry-Potter-Mad brother introduced me the amazing world of Harry Potter. Unfortunately, I've kind of betrayed every Harry Potter fan by watching the movies first before reading the books, so I hope you all don't hate me all for that.

However, even though I haven't read the books, fanfiction is all I needed to make me fall in love with the Dramione ship. Trust me, the amount of fanfiction I've read about Dramione is making me think I have a serious problem. But we're all mad here, right?

If fanfiction wasn't enough, I stumbled upon this comment while skimming through pinterest and I feel it's my duty to share it with you people:

"DRAMIONE? WHAT'S THAT?"

So you're probably thinking "oh, another bad-guy-falls-for-good-girl" pairing. But what you're not seeing is how this applies to the bigger picture Rowling wants to show us. Who is the enemy in the series? Voldermort, yes, but most importantly what he stands for: prejudice. Prejudice is the true enemy in HP, and that's what is so amazing about dramione. Draco is the quintessential metaphor of the racist/homophobe/misogynist in our society. Hermione is his polar opposite. As the victim, she represents the marginalized minority group. He's the oppressor, she's the oppressed. So "how can you ship them if they're so different?"

Because dramione is about Draco learning prejudice based on blood purity is immoral. It's about his character growth and how he matures throughout the war and it's aftermath. But most importantly, it's about his redemption as he realizes he was wrong. And who better to redeem him than a mudblood? Everyone always says that the power of love can overcome evil. If that holds true, then it can also overcome the deeply rooted prjudice of the wizarding world.

Dramione is not about crazy fans that think it's cute for a bully to fall in love with his victim. Dramione is about change.

Now, I don't know about you guys, but that really made my stomach churn with emotion. Whoever originally wrote that is completely right, not to mention a genius. Somehow, this story just formed in my head from just reading it, and before I knew it I was sitting at my computer writing it to make sure I didn't go insane.

But enough about me. I hope you enjoy the start to this story and all I'll say about it is it's not your average dramione fanfiction, as well as it will eventually end up as a post-hogwarts fic.

So, without further ado, enjoy! :)

The first time Hermione Granger met Draco Malfoy, she had decided right away he was a complete idiot. Not because he wasn't intelligent (he was always second in their class, bested only by her) but actually because he was an arrogant, egotistical and quite frankly, a prat. However, she didn't start to truly hate him until he called her a Mudblood.

Mudblood. Merlin, did she hate that name, more so than Malfoy at the time. She tried to be unaffected by it, to convince herself that it was just a name that meant nothing if she made sure it had no power over her. But the problem was, it did have power over her, meaning every time Malfoy called her Mudblood, or referenced her blood in any way, her heart would ache and her stomach would churn, as if he had hurt her physically rather than with words.

So she hated him and continued to hate him for the first few years of her time at Hogwarts. In their second year, a certain ripped page about basilisks ended up in her bag rather suspiciously. She would never rip a page out of a book, which is why she knew for sure she hadn't put it there. All of her other friends, including Harry and Ron, would never be found in the library, or reading any kind of book if they didn't have to. They left that kind of research to her, so she knew it hadn't been them who had misplaced the small piece of paper. At the time though, she didn't question it as it helped all three of them understand what was going on and later, how to stop it.

In their third year, she would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't been worried when Malfoy was injuried by Buckbeak. She was also still very aware he was a complete and utter drama queen, but he still got hurt and to her despair, that was enough to make her insides flip with worry and her heart quicken with anxiety. Personally, she blamed it on her raging hormones and the fact that if Malfoy wasn't an infuriating git, he'd actually look handsome.

Of course, the fact still stood that he was an foul, loathsome, evil, little cockcroach, which was one of the many reasons why she had taken much pleasure in punching him in the face that year too.

His insults certainly diminished in frequency after that, his cruelty often more focused on Harry and Ron, rather than her. By the time fourth year started, he still sent a sneer her way, or a cruelly placed utterance of 'Mudblood', but never as often. To be fair, she was busy sharing her attention between trying to help keep Harry alive in the Triwizard Tournament and trying not to get to caught up in the fact she was falling in love with Ron, so it was no surprise that she never noticed the subtle change in Malfoy's behavior towards her.

She had probably always suspected there was more to him that meets the eye, especially when she had met his father. It had certainly explained a lot and made her realize that maybe Malfroy acted the way he acted not because it was his nature to do so, but because of his nurture.

However, even then, she still looked at Malfoy without actually seeing him, and it wasn't until the Yule Ball that year that she truly got a glimpse of a different side to the Slytherin Prince.

The Yule Ball, Hogwarts

When Harry and Ron left, Hermione instantly fell down to sit on the steps, sobs already sending shudders through her body as she feebly tried to take her heeled shoes off her feet. People were still dancing in the Great Hall but most were starting to happily file out of the Hall with their dates on their arms, laughing and chatting as they made their way back to their dorms. No one noticed her though. No one ever did.

Except this time.

A pair of polished black shoes suddenly entered Hermione's vision as she stared at the stone at her feet, her vision blurred by the tears that cascaded down her cheeks. She'd heard his footsteps approach but she hadn't expected him to notice her, and certainly never expected the voice that greeted her.

"Granger?"Hermione looked up to see the face of the one and only Draco Malfoy, finely dressed in probably the most expensive suit she had ever seen. A slight frown was on his face, and if she hadn't known any better, she would say a slight trace of concern had been lacing his voice.

She furiously wiped the tears away with her hand, frowning right back up at him. She was not going to cry in front of him, she would at least save some of her dignity.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She snapped bitterly, looking back down to her feet while she waited for him to sneer or throw an insult at her, maybe even mock how pathetic she looked. When no insult came, she looked back up at him, that weird frown still on his face. He looked concerned, angry and conflicted all at the same time, if that were even possible. It was definitely very different to the cold sneering façade she normally received from him.

If that wasn't enough to confuse her, instead of answering her, he silently moved to sit down on the steps right next to her. Before she could even think to protest, his arm had wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her into the most unexpected hug she had ever been at receiving end of. At first, her whole body stiffened at the sudden contact but when he did nothing else, showing all he wanted to do was to comfort her, she relaxed, welcoming the warmth that radiated from his body. Seconds later her emotions overwhelmed her again, her mind totally forgetting the vow she had made to make sure Malfoy didn't witness her crying. He kept hold of her even when she sobbed into his jacket, never once saying a word.

She didn't remember much after that. At some point, Hermione must have stopped crying because eventually her breaths evened out, shudders no longer running through her every time a sob racked her body. But she didn't move away. Even when there were no more tears to fall, Hermione stayed in Malfoy's arms, no energy left to protest against the warm embrace that he had offered her.

And, after what seemed hours, Hermione eventually succumbed to the blissful darkness, silently falling asleep in Malfoy's arms.

Draco silently walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, a sleeping Hermione Granger laying limply in his strong arms. When the Griffindor muggleborn had fallen asleep in his arms, he knew that he couldn't stay there. For one thing, if anyone saw her unconscious in his arms, he knew questions would be raised, questions he'd rather not answer. However, he hadn't liked the idea of leaving her there or waking her either - she deserved at least a few hours of peaceful rest after what the Weasel had put her through.

Draco had instantly disliked the Weasel for several reasons; being a blood-traitor, hanging around with Potter, and for just being a Weasley. However, Draco didn't truly hate him until he'd made Hermione cry. He was still trying to work out why he felt such deep hatred for the red head, but that train of thought was easily discarded when he eventually decided on carrying her back to her dorms before he returned to his, hoping that no one saw him on the way there. Granger hadn't even stirred when he had picked her up and now the muggleborn's face was snuggled quite comfortably into his neck. Merlin knows that if he bumped into someone like Zabini he'd never hear the end of it.

Thankfully though, no one had noticed him yet since it was rather late at night, students either in their dorms by now or still down in the Great Hall. When he approached the Griffindor dormitories, Draco couldn't help but sigh in relief. Of course, that was when he realized he had no idea how to get in.

As soon as he had come to Hogwarts, Draco had made sure he knew all the passwords for the House common rooms and dormitories. The problem was, he knew for a fact that Potter and Weasel had already returned to their dorms, and if they caught him sneaking their unconscious best friend into her bed... Well, Draco knew it wouldn't end well.

After standing silently in front of the Fat Lady's Portrait for a while debating what to do, the Fat Lady herself scowling at him, Draco finally made a decision. He had to knock.

Hoping for Salazar's sake that it wasn't Potter or Weasel that answered, Draco shifted Granger's limp form in his arms so that he could knock on the portrait, before shifting her weight back and taking a step back himself.

For a second, he thought no one would come and answer, but then the Fat Lady's portrait swung open, revealing the Griffindor common room behind it, as well as a certain red-headed girl. The Weaselette.

"Malfoy?" She exclaimed incredulously, gaping at the sight of him carrying the sleeping form of Granger in his arms. To be fair, he couldn't exactly blame her. He hadn't exactly expected this scenario to occur either.

"Weaselette." He greeted, sending a scowl her way. He knew she was definitely better than the Weasel himself, and certainly wouldn't jump to conclusions like her older brother had the tendency to do, but after what Weasel had done to Granger, he didn't want to be in any close proximity to any of the Weasleys right now. For some illogical reason, the mere sight of red hair made him want to punch something.

"Why...Hermione...How...What?" The young girl struggled to form a question, or even a sentence for that matter. Draco just raised a blonde eyebrow at her.

"I don't think that's even a solid sentence, Weaselette, let alone a question." Oh, and look at that. She was back to glaring at him again.

"What did you do, Malfoy?" She demanded, moving forward to try and get a better view of Granger. Draco didn't step back, but he couldn't stop the way he reflexively tightened his grip on Granger.

"I didn't do anything. Granger fell asleep on one of the stairs in a corridor. If I hadn't nearly tripped over her, I doubt anyone would have noticed her." Draco ground out, scowling harder at her instant accusation. Although he couldn't say that what he said was the truth, Draco found himself thinking it wasn't exactly a blatant lie either. Even though Granger had been obviously crying her heart out, no one had approached her, not even a concerned Hufflepuff. In fact, it was rather ironic how he, a pureblood slytherin, was the only one brave enough to go and comfort her.

Why had he comforted her again?

"Oh." The Weaselette dumbly answered, her anger somewhat dissipating. She looked Draco up and down again rather warily, before finally relaxing. Obviously, she had decided he wasn't an immediate threat. "I suppose you better carry her in then."

Still not lifting the scowl, Draco walked into the Griffindor common room as the Weaselette moved out of the way, the door closing behind him. He looked around, taking in the warm red and gold colours that surrounded him, trying his best not to vomit. His face must have revealed what he was thinking for the Weaselette rolled her eyes at him before marching over to the stairs.

"Follow me, Malfoy." She ordered, not waiting for his response. Typical girls.

Draco followed her up the stairs, unconsciously taking extra care of the sleeping Granger still being carried in his arms. Her face was still snuggled against his chest, not that he was complaining. When the Weaselette noticed, Draco found himself glaring at the way she smirked knowingly.

"Something amusing to you, Weasley?" He snapped, rather too quickly. His irritated response only made the damn girl smirk wider.

"No, not at all, Malfoy." She answered, a bit too cheerily for his taste. He only scowled harder at her in response as they turned right and carried on down to the girls dormitories. "Lavender and Parvati aren't back yet, so you should be able to get in and out without being noticed." She explained, whispering as they got closer.

Draco just sent her a slight nod to show he had heard her, stopping outside the dorm entrance as he waited for her to open the door. Once she had entered, he followed after her, his eyes scanning the large room. There were five beds inside, all with sheets in griffindor colours, the tell tale image of strewn make up bottles and discarded dresses making him well aware it was a girls room.

"Which bed is hers?" He asked, turning to the red-haired girl beside him.

"The one near the window. Hermione likes to sit on the windowsill while she reads." Draco rolled his eyes at her comment. Like he needed to be reminded of Granger's nerdy love of books.

As soon as he had walked over to her bed, Draco immediately leaned down, gently placing Granger on top of the covers. When he started to move away though, his face still inches away from Grangers, the sleeping Griffindor stirred.

"Malfoy..." She murmured, causing Draco to freeze in shock. When her eyes didn't open and her breathing slowed again, indicating she had fallen back asleep, Draco's eyes widened in surprise.

After straightening back up, his features impassive once again, he turned back around, pausing only momentarily to nod awkwardly to the Weaselette, before leaving the dormitory and making his way back to the entrance to the Griffindor Tower.

When he finally made his way back to his own dorm and got changed out of his dress robes, more or less collapsing into his bed, Draco couldn't stop the small smile that graced his normally sneering features.

The next morning, Hermione had woken up in the dormitories still clothed in her ball gown. When she asked Ginny how she had got back to their dorm since Lavender and Parvati had no clue, the ginger witch had crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"You know, Hermione, I was actually going to ask you something similar." She stated, scanning Hermione from head to foot.

"Why do you say that?" Hermione asked, her face contorting into a confused frown. Ginny's eyebrow had then only risen higher, before shrugging as a knowing smile crawled onto her face.

"Well, when Draco Malfoy bangs on the Griffindor common room door late at night, carrying a sleeping Hermione Granger, one can only get curious." Ginny tried to deliver her statement as nonchalantly as possible, but by the end Hermione eyes had widened so comically that Ginny couldn't help but snicker at her friend's face.

"Malfroy carried me here?" Hermione asked incredulously, summing up what Ginny had said.

"Yep." Ginny grinned at Hermione's reaction, popping the 'p' with more enthusiasm than necessary. "He didn't say much except that you had fallen asleep on the steps in one of the corridors. He muttered something about him only bringing you back because he'd nearly tripped over you. However, I had the distinct impression that he was lying." Ginny moved to make her bed as she said this, plumping the pillows while she sent another knowing smirk Hermione's way.

"Why did you think that?" Hermione managed to ask, a blush already heating up her cheeks.

"It was the way he was carrying you, all bridal style. Your face was even snuggled up against his chest and although he had no problem about showing his distaste about being in my presence, he certainly didn't seem bothered about being so close to yours." At Ginny's words, Hermione's faint blush had all but transformed into full on embarrassment, her cheeks as red as Ginny's hair.

"Of course," Ginny added, her grin widening, "there was also the fact that you muttered 'Malfoy' in your sleep just before he left."

Hermione gaped at her. The ginger witch just snickered, her hand coming up to her mouth to try and stop it.

"Did Malfoy hear me?"Hermione urgently asked when she recovered.

"Since he was placing you on your bed – rather gently may I add- at the time, centimeters from your face, I'd say he did. He certainly paused for something, whether in shock we'll never know."

Hermione stared. Ginny just snickered again.

"Oh Merlin, help me." Hermione finally breathed, falling onto her bed. Ginny came to sit down next to her, the smile still on her face. "Please don't tell Harry and Ron."Hermione sent Ginny a pleading look.

"My lips are sealed." Ginny smiled at Hermione in reassurance, even if she was finding the whole situation amusing.

"Thanks, Ginny."

"No problem." Ginny smiled again before moving to leave the dormitory, intending to go down and get breakfast. However, she had time to leave one last bombshell. "After all, it's none of my business who you have a crush on. Plus, Malfoy is gorgeous."

Ginny barely dodged the pillow that was thrown at her head.