A clock chimed somewhere around me and I knew it was midnight. Oh Dear God, how much longer? I hadn't slept for three nights and I couldn't take it anymore. My stomach was rumbling with hunger. I pressed my hands over my tummy and tried to subdue the sound. At times such as these I simply saw no point in living anymore.

I stood up, a little dizzy from lack of food, and staggered past the Vanishing Cabinet I'd been trying to fix. I was so tired that I thought I might collapse at any moment. Everything was quiet around me but it was something I was used to. The Room of Requirement had become my home, a home I couldn't stand any longer. I thought involuntarily about Potter and his complaints regarding his home. Anger rushed inside me as I thought of him. Saint Potter with his idiotic followers—

I stopped in my tracks. There was a loud clunk of something falling from behind a huge stack of books and other objects followed by a light swear. I could hear my pulse quicken and my breathing become loud. Someone was in here. I swallowed. There we go, I thought, I was caught. I had failed. Slowly and as quietly as I could, I reached the stack and peered behind it. My brows furrowed.

Hermione Granger, pale and fully dressed, stood against the wall, her hands behind her back. She was staring at me, looking terrified at being discovered.

"You!" I snarled.

She didn't speak but continued to look terrified. Her hair was untidy and bushy, a few stray locks hanging over her white face. There were tears marks on her face, she had been crying. Even in this situation, I couldn't help marveling at how pretty she looked. This made me angry with myself and I resorted to my usual means to distract myself from these thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" I sneered, pulling a disgusted expression.

"I… you, " she tried to pull herself together. "I could ask you the same thing!" she retorted.

"That's none of your business!" I spat.

"And this is none of yours!" she yelled.

I glared at her and she glared back, fuming. Twice, she opened her mouth and closed it.

"What?" I snapped.

She narrowed her eyes dangerously and spoke stiffly. "Well, I'm not going to ask you what you were doing here." She took a deep breath. "But whatever it is, you seem to have finished with it, so I was wondering if I could have the room to myself."

I eyed her suspiciously. It was one thing if I'd run into Potter or Weasley doing something suspicious at night, but this was Granger. Hermione. As I said her name in my mind, I felt furious at myself for enjoying it. She was not glaring at me now, but giving me a haughty look. The corners of my mouth twitched.

This was not unnoticed by her, "what's so funny?" she demanded.

"I…nothing. Fine, I'll leave…I…" I muttered. I'd rather battle with a Blast-ended Skrewt than admit that I fancied her. I started to walk away. I was still curious about what she was up to. She was definitely hiding something behind her back. I gave her one last glance and moved towards the door.

Suddenly I turned back. Hermione jumped and tried to hide it. But it was too late; I had already seen what she was holding.

"Aha!" I yelled, "You have Firewhisky! You've been drinking!"

She looked terrified. "I…no I haven't, I haven't!"She shook her head frantically. "You—you mustn't, I mean… I was not… it's not like that." She finished miserably.

I started smirking, which annoyed her. She repeated, "I was not drinking." I rolled my eyes. "I—okay, maybe a little, and I mean a little!"

"Right. Boy, this story will make everyone's eyes pop out." I said.

"No! You can't, I—"

"You know what? I won't tell." I cut in.

"No, please. I—what?" she looked puzzled.

"I won't tell anyone." She looked at me suspiciously. "No, really. You pretend you didn't run into me and I'll pretend the same." I said.

"Really? I mean…"she stammered.

"Yeah, I—look, I gotta go. So…" I turned back.

She didn't speak for a few minutes. Then—

"Hey."

I turned, perplexed. She pawed the ground nervously. "Er, if…um I mean, if we're going to pretend that we didn't see each other, then, maybe…er… I mean, would you, if you want of course, stay a bit longer?"

It took me sometime to believe what I was hearing. I stared at her without speaking. She clapped her hand to her forehead and murmured, "Okay, please go…I don't…" She mouthed, what was I thinking?

I finally found my voice. "Yeah, I mean, no." She looked at me, confused. "I mean," I added hurriedly. "Okay, I could stay I guess."

She looked confused but didn't say anything. Finally, she sat down, crossing her legs. I hesitated, then went over and sat beside her. There was an awkward silence as I struggled for something to say. Finally—

"Um, Firewhisky?" she asked timidly. I sniggered. She laughed, too. The tension between us was not there anymore as we laughed together.

"So, you drank the entire thing?" I asked, eyeing the bottle that was almost empty.

"Oh God, no!" she exclaimed. "I actually caught a fifth year drinking. I meant to dispose of it, but, well, I got upset and thought of taking a few gulps myself. I didn't go to bed at all. I was just about to go when I heard Filch approaching, so I got in here. " She smiled feebly.

"Does the reason you got upset involve Weasley?" I asked as I remembered him walking around with the Brown girl, earlier.

She nodded. I didn't pursue the topic further, but looked at her. Her brown eyes were so beautiful, I couldn't remember seeing anyone's eyes as pretty as hers. Her pale cheeks were now flushed with a tint of crimson and her lips were slightly parted.

I tried to come back to earth. "Um, I know this probably won't make you feel better, but you'll get plenty of other guys. Better ones." I said awkwardly.

She smiled. "Thanks. It does make me feel better."

"Right." I said stupidly.

"You are being so nice to me." She said.

I didn't know what to say.

"I feel better with you, you know. Much better." She smiled at me. "Thanks a lot, er, Draco."

The sound of my name on her lips made my heart hammer against my chest. I felt ridiculously happy and grinned like an idiot. I realized that never in my life had I been spoken to like that.

"Yeah. Well, you're welcome." I said and with a sudden rush of confidence, put my arm around her shoulder. She looked taken aback for a moment, but then snuggled closer to me and laid her head on my chest. I bet she could hear my heart pounding against my ribs. I put the stray locks of her hair behind her ear. As my fingers touched her face, her cheeks turned a little pink and she looked up at me.

And I stopped thinking as I stared into her eyes; it was a moment I would never forget. Slowly, I leaned in towards her and kissed her as gently as I could. It felt like heaven, as she kissed me back and I cupped her cheek with my hand, drawing her closer. Finally we broke apart, both blushing furiously.

"That was…" she said.

"I know." I grinned.

She beamed at me as she settled herself and laid her head against my chest again. I kissed the top of her head and continued running my fingers through her hair.

That's my first story! Hope you enjoy it.