Her fingers were caked with dirt as she ripped up chunks of the earth. Her robe was billowing backwards and the wind whipped the tears right out of her eyes, but she was focused on her task. The plant finally came out of its little patch of earth and the curly haired girl beamed with pride. The Clair de lune flower was gorgeous to say the least. Its bulb had that half moon crescent which glowed white in the dark projecting a light that was similar to the real thing.

"Finally," Her throat ached from being out in the cold for so long, but it was in some way refreshing from the stuffy, crowded castle. She had been searching for what felt like hours and now that she had what she wanted, she was more than satisfied. Placing the plant in a cloth pouch, she slipped it into her pocket for safe keeping.

"Lumos." Hermione's wand became alit with that beautiful white light. The clouds were blocking the moon making it much darker then it was when she came out here. Her dirt covered hands pulled her hood up as she began her journey back to Hogwarts, the wind finding ways to infiltrate her clothing. Hermione shivered violently, the moist dirt on her fingers instantly drying.

Her shoes squished gently into the grass that had a covering of late night dew; it was the only noise to be heard miles. Strange how such a lively, busy castle was so quiet and calm on the outside. Hermione only wished she could lie out to enjoy it; her days were soon to be limited at Hogwarts.

"Granger, what the bloody hell are you doing out here?" that infamous drawl made Hermione twitch her lips involuntarily in disgust. His voice did not hold it's usual taunt, but she'd be a fool to let her guard down around him. He was too precarious for that. At lightning speed her wand was pressed against his chest and a painful gasp escaped the young Malfoy's lips.

"What do you want Malfoy? Here to taunt me? Scold me for being out past curfew? I'm busy, so I would really appreciate if you would forget you saw me before I hex you into oblivion." Her words were clipped, but they held that indefinite threat to the point where Draco's eyebrows rose slightly.

"Hex me? Really Granger? I'm not here to do any of that." He said while reaching for his own wand. His wand expelled that same white light as hers, and immediately Hermione's features as well as his own, were more defined. Those brown eyes caught him off guard completely; they made his gut sizzle with delight which was followed by confusion at his previous thought.

"Then why are you here?" She asked in a calmer tone. The mask of the night really made her anxious and slightly paranoid. Hermione found herself lost in the comfort that exerted from his eyes. Why was that there though? He seemed relieved to see her here. Shouldn't he be calling her a Mudblood and making fun of her hair, her teeth, and her face? The thought of his cruel words made her stomach clench in anguish and her eyes prickle with the first sign of tears.

"Whoa Granger, what's wrong?" he asked her, completely ignoring her question. Hermione didn't seem to notice though, because she was just backing away rather slowly, her feet squishing softly into the saturated grass. 'Why does he sound so god damned concerned about me? This is a Malfoy trap. Her heart pounded erratically against her ribcage and pricks of sweat formed on the back of her neck. The atmosphere, Malfoy, and the silence of the night were just too much for the young Gryffindor. She felt irregular being by herself with a sworn enemy and knew that if she didn't get away…well that wasn't a very pleasant thought.

"Malfoy-," she didn't get very far in her sentence because a splash of water hit her nose. Her eyes slowly moved upwards and before she knew it, rain pelted down on her in hard, cold droplets. This caught both her and Draco off guard completely, so they both did the only thing that made sense…run.

"Well this sucks," Draco yelled out as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

"Ya' think?" Hermione countered as they neared the castle doors. Her fingers grasped the door handles tightly as she tried to jiggle the door open.

"Are you kidding me?" She all but nearly screeched. Draco didn't say a word until he pointed his wand at the door.

"Alohamora."

Nothing.

"Alohamora," and again nothing happened to the door.

"Alohamora!" he grunted in annoyance but was pushed backwards by Hermione. She scrutinized the door and pressed her wet fingers against the wood trying to feel for something…something that would help.

"There is no way of getting in…even with magic. It's locked for the night," she stated before turning back to Draco. He looked extremely peeved before pointing his wand at the door again.

"Well then…I guess I'll have to obliterate it."

"Draco no!" Hermione slapped his wand away and gave him a stern look. He scoffed at her before picking it up out of a puddle.

"Well what do you expect us to do? Sit out here and freeze until the sun comes up?" He questioned while raising an eyebrow. Hermione stared at the door before turning back to Draco again and shrugging.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to find some shelter," she stated before pushing her mass of sopping hair out of her face.

"You are NOT leaving me here Granger. I'm coming with you." He began to follow her back out onto the grass. She didn't say a word, because in all honesty who wants to be alone in the rain during a thunderstorm? Hermione pretty much ignored him and walked as quickly as she could to her destination. The small witch was pretty fast for Draco had to almost run to keep up with her.

"So where are we going?" he questioned as a clap of thunder boomed through the vast land. Hermione flinched at the loud sound and huddled under her sopping cloak more.

"S-Shrieking Shack," she stuttered out through blue lips. Her limbs felt weighted down and she had a chill that ached through to her bones. No words were exchanged after that since they were both too tired and way too cold. Soon enough they reached the large tree that was slowly moving around, its huge branches gently touching the ground only to move back up into the sky. Water was falling harshly into Hermione's eyes making it rather difficult to see, so she slowly approached the large tree with Draco in toe.

"And how to you expect to get in?" he asked as the branches started to violently move against the wind in their direction. They both stopped walking just out of reach of the thick, intimidating limbs.

"You don't know? It's simple really," she said before pointing her wand at the tree, just waiting for an opening at the trunk. Draco moved closer to her, examining exactly what she was doing for future references, not because the rain made her smell…delicious. Hermione involuntarily moved back into him, his heat calling to her, but in her mind it was just to move further away from the thrashing branches.

"Immobulus." The tree instantly stilled and Hermione quickly scurried off towards the door, anxious to lay down in a warm, dry place. The first thing Hermione did though was cast a heating charm, her soaking wet clothes dripping puddles onto the wood floor. She soon tossed off her cloak since it wasn't helping. Her white oxford shirt clung to her as well as her red skirt. She turned around when she remembered Draco was also here. They both stood staring at each other, their breathing mingling into the damp air, her hair clung to her cheeks and his eyes couldn't stop staring at her lips. They were slightly blue from the cold, but entrancing none the less. Her teeth chattered violently, but that was barely heard since the rain pounded heavily outside. A stroke of lightning lit up the small room, casting creepy shadows across both of their faces. Draco also removed his cloak tentatively trying to busy himself, and tossed it on the floor. He raised his wand and lit a few candles, his eyes never leaving Hermione's. It was a strange thing, each of them too tired to bother with hate and animosity.

"M-Malfoy I don't want to argue or f-fight with you at all t-tonight. So before w-we get into a quarrel, l-lets just not. I'm freezing, t-tired, and I feel sick." Hermione sat down on the ground, her body shivering so violently. She pressed a hand to her forehead and noticed how she felt hot…burning even.

"Granger I agree with you." Hermione looked up at him surprised not really believing that he'd agree with her on something. He must have seen her confused look because he let out a sigh before walking over to her. She instinctively moved away from him but he gave her a look that made her feel less tense. A cough insisted its way out of her throat and she let her head rest back against the wall.

"Come on…if I was going to hurt you, I would've done it. Just let me heal you, I know how to."

"You know how to get rid of a cold?" she questioned as she adjusted her uncomfortable Gryffindor tie. Draco watched her hands shake as she tried to fix her saturated clothes.

"I've come to know how to heal many things Granger. Just…let me do this. I want to prove to you that I can be and okay guy and not a-a-"

"A Death Eater?" she finished for him before slumping to the side due the tumultuous feeling her stomach was creating. Hermione still felt uneasy about him, even in her weakened state, but the look on his face and the vibes she was getting from him were unmistakable. Her gut screamed 'just trust him!' He rolled his wand over her body and as soon as it came, the burning fever left her body. Her curious eyes strayed towards his face only to see him giving her a small smile.

"I didn't say you could do that," she stated before huddling her wet and aching limbs up into a tighter position.

"Granger look at me. I'm trying nothing but to help you! You and the bloody Order are doing everything to keep me grouped with the Death Eaters. I'm not them! I may bear the mark but that was something I couldn't control. I don't want to be apart of that. Just bloody trust me, because no one else in this godforsaken place does and I've never felt so lost," and with those words, she was caught. She didn't know it then, but that small slice of sympathy was enough of a hook for the young Gryffindor. His stomach was clenching and his breathing was close to hysteric, but not quite there yet. The sincerity of his words shocked the Gryffindor to no end. Hermione just stared at him, her mind moving at a mile a minute. Should she suck in her Gryffindor courage and see what Malfoy can offer the light side? Hermione groaned as the pain in her head decided to develop a throb.

"Fine Malfoy, but if you do anything weird…well let's hope that you don't, for your sake," Hermione mumbled before surrendering her aching body to him. He sent her a cocky grin before pressed the tip of his wand against the center of her collarbone. Immediately after that, a warm, blue glow shot to every part of her body before fading away to leave a tired Hermione lying limply against the wooden wall, her breathing even and her muscles much more relaxed.

"Thank you Malfoy." It was eerie how easily that sentence came to her, and the fact that Draco felt undoubtedly…happy when she said it was far stranger. He didn't say anything after that but just went over to a trunk to pull out a couple of moth eaten blankets. Slowly he unbuttoned his soaked oxford shirt and laid it out to dry. Draco's pale chest was covered in water droplets that rolled down into his black pants. Pink scars were visible along his back and Hermione could only imagine how he acquired those. What was really visible, and I mean really visible was the skull on his forearm that stared at her mockingly. It really did look completely out of place on the young Slytherin.

"W-What are you doing?" Hermione asked as she tried to stand herself up but felt small tremors shoot through her legs, but she was persistent so she walked over and grabbed a blanket. He turned and gave her a confused look.

"Drying off…I can't dry off when I'm sitting in wet clothes." Hermione swallowed hard and let her fingers run over the wool material, trying incredibly hard not to stare at him. A shiver danced through her spine until it reached her toes which she could feel were near ice.

"Granger, I'd advise you to do the same," he stated before tugging on his belt and abandoning it on the ancient desk along with his wand and cloak. A blush crept up into her cheeks and she shook her head distractedly.

"I'd like to keep my clothes on thank you very much." Her voice felt small and weak as she watched him shake his pants off that were clinging to his legs; after that he kicked his shoes and socks off. Quickly she turned away and pulled her blanket over her shoulders and sunk down onto the hardwood floor. Draco rolled his eyes and started to pull out blankets to make a makeshift bed.

"Can I ask you something?" Hermione asked while staring at him as he shifted around furniture. He briefly looked over at her and nodded before continuing to move around blankets.

"What were you doing outside before?" she asked softly. "And you didn't seem too surprised to see me…," she added. He didn't look at her when he spoke. In fact, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Just walking," his voice was emotionless as he spoke. Hermione tilted her head to the side in thought, feeling her clothes become annoyingly uncomfortable. The wet cotton made her skin itch and an irritated look crossed her face as she unconsciously rubbed her fingers over the material. Malfoy used to this advantage and changed the subject.

"You really should change into something else Granger. You can get yourself re-sick." He stated as a matter of fact while sitting down on the couple of blankets that separated him from the floor. "Come on Granger, stop trying to be modest and just do what is good for you," he added. Slowly she cast a glance his way and felt a blush rise to her cheek before turning her head away from him.

"Fine, but you better turn around," Hermione demanded. Draco raised an eyebrow before sighing and rolling his eyes.

"Whatever Granger." He turned around and Hermione made quick work of her shirt and skirt tossing them haphazardly on the floor. This left her in her socks, bra, and underwear which she knew were going no where. Slowly she slid the itchy blanket around her body and took a seat on one of the old wooden chairs. "Can I turn back around?" he asked.

"Yes," Hermione said resignedly as a shiver ran up her bones and caused her to move closer into the blanket. Draco turned back around and noticed her sock clad feet sticking out from under the blanket.

"Really Granger? Did you even listen to me?" He let out a small humorless laugh before shaking his head at her ability to be overly prude. Hermione on the other hand, was left slightly annoyed at his humor about all of this.

"What? I did listen to you Malfoy!" She stated irritably.

"Oh yea?" he chuckled at her flustered appearance before completely halting all mirth that seemed to escape him. Hermione did something completely out of character and opened up her blanket to reveal her undergarments. All the color drained out of Draco's face leaving him speechless and astonished. He didn't say a word after that since in his mind he was stuttering like an idiot. It was Hermione's turn to smirk before she closed her blanket tightly around herself again. Her skin was so flawless and she was wearing black and green….it was all too appealing. A small groan left his throat before he could recall it.

"Satisfied?" She stated before going over to sit on the ground with her legs pressed tightly up against her chest.

"Barely," was Draco's whispered response which she didn't hear at all. The brunette snuggled herself against the hard floor under the scratchy blanket and felt herself on the verge of sleep…but not quite there. Hermione still felt cold and just…uncomfortable. Her teeth chattered, but she ignored and pressed her face into the covers.

"I think the heating spell is wearing off," Hermione commented before flipping over onto her back.

"You're delusional," was Draco's response.

"Fix it."

"Why can't you?"

"Because I'm to cold to find my wand," was Hermione's response which was slightly muffled by the blanket. This caused Draco to laugh a little, this situation was rather humorous.

"The great Hermione Granger too last to cast a spell?" Draco mocked before letting a smirk grace his face.

"Shut up." Draco just grinned before pulling out his wand and whispering the spell.

Hermione still felt completely uncomfortable. Maybe it was the hard ground, or the itchy blanket, or even the fact that she was almost naked with Malfoy in the room…but she just couldn't lay her mind to rest. Flipping over on her back she huffed and stared at the ceiling of the old, dank room. Malfoy on the other hand couldn't find comfort either with all the shuffling on the other side of the room.

"Jeez Granger can you maybe relax? I can't bloody sleep with you making so much noise," he complained.

"I can't help it, I'm just not comfortable."

"So get comfortable," was his snide remark.

"I just told you…I can't," Hermione stated exasperatedly, her chest tightening in annoyance. The young Malfoy moaned in annoyance before deciding to give the book worm an offer.

"Granger…do you want to come share these blankets with me?" he asked hesitantly. A loud boom caused Hermione to squeal and jump up before running over to Draco. He may be the enemy, but he was warm and sent off a comforting vibe.

"I'll take that as a yes…."

The small girl huddled close to the mass of man that lay next to her. They both shivered as the new heat from each other helped warm one another. Draco never expected to feel such contentment with Hermione Granger in such a close proximity. The two laid there in silence, both on their backs barely touching. This was torture, and Draco Malfoy was seriously at a loss for a clear thought process. Why was his gut tugging at all these different emotions? He had a job to do, and he would do it.

"So what were you really doing out here tonight?" asked the small Gryffindor.

"Running an errand for professor Snape," was his quiet reply. He couldn't really focus on her question because his heart was throbbing in his ribcage. She was affecting him and he was afraid to really dwell on it. Turning over so his back was to her, Draco let out an uneasy breath.

"Night Granger." She didn't press the matter any further and let out a small sigh.

"G'night.."

* * * * * * *

Well? Good start? Review? All of the above? I think yes…

Trying to clear writers block is ridiculously hard.