(I don't own anything. Please give it a chance I really don't know what I'm doing.)

Things had gone downhill for Harry with his relationship with Hermione. They were still together but there was something different about her. She seemed distant, more so than usual. She was up to something and he was going to find out what it was.

A couple of days earlier

Hermione Granger was walking across the courtyard, her books pressed tightly to her chest as she looked down avoiding eye contact. Suddenly she walked into someone.

"Hey watch where you're going!" Draco Malfoy turned around and saw her picking up her books, "Granger."

She glared up at him, "Malfoy."

He laughed menacingly, "You should watch where you walk mudblood. Next time you bump into me I won't hesitate to pull out my wand."

She continued to glared, "Don't toy with me Malfoy, you and I both know that I could out duel you any day."

He smirked, "You seem so sure of that, I like to see you try to beat all of us." He motioned to the bunch of Slytherin students around him.

She mimicked his smirk, "Too afraid to take me on yourself?"

He whipped out his wand and she whipped out hers. A voice behind her made her turn around, "Hermione!" She saw Harry and Ron running up to her, "We've been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here Malfoy?"

He glared at Hermione, "Teaching this mudblood a lesson." Ron and Harry pulled out their wands; all together they knew they were better than Malfoy and his friends. Malfoy backed out, "Stupid mudblood you're not worth a curse." He and his friends walked away.

"Don't listen to him Hermione." Harry wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I know, I just don't understand why he is the way he is. It keeps me up at night trying to figure out what we ever did to him to make him hate everything about us."

Harry kissed the top of her head, "Don't bother with it, trying to get inside Draco's head is like asking for insanity."

She laughed at that, "I suppose you're right. Come on, let's go to the common room."

Later on that night Hermione was woken up by the sound of something outside. She got up and looked out her window. Malfoy was outside casting random spells. She grabbed her coat and snuck outside. She quietly walked up behind him, tapping his shoulder. He jumped and turned around pointing his wand at her. She put her hands up in surrender.

"What are you doing out here?" he brought his wand down.

She shrugged ,"I saw you out here, thought you could use some company."

"Why?"

She shrugged again, "I don't think anyone, even an idiot like you, deserves to be alone."

He smiled slightly, "I thought you hated me."

She smirked, "I don't hate you, just everything else about you."

He chuckled and shook his head. He looked at her, "Do you want to sit down?"

She smiled, "Sure." They walked to one of the stone benches and sat beside each other. Hermione looked at him suddenly, "Why are you so cruel to everyone, it's not they they've done anything to you."

He sighed, "I'm a Slytherin, it's expected."

She shook her head, "You don't have to do what people expect you to."

He shrugged, "I know, but I sort of like being the tough guy."

She laughed, "Trust me you don't come off as a tough guy, you come off as a jerk."

He gawked, "You take that back."

She smirked, "Make me." He grabbed her sides and she shrieked.

He tickled her sides until she almost fell off the bench, "Come on Granger, take it back."

"Okay, okay I take it back, just stop!" She was finding it hard to breathe and didn't want to fall. He stopped and laughed as she caught her breath. She turned to him, "Where's this side of you during the day?"

He shrugged, "Hidden, I would never let people see me like this. And if you tell anyone you'll get it ten times worse."

She laughed, "Is that just if it's deliberate?"

He shook his head and laughed, "If anyone finds out, I don't care how. And you know what?"

"What?"

"You're not so bad." She blushed and looked down. "And I'm sorry about the mudblood comment earlier, I was out of line."

She gasped in mock horror, "Draco Malfoy apologizing to a mudblood like me? I think he's going soft."

He poked her side and she jumped. "Don't push your luck Granger."

She laughed, "You know, this is probably the first time I've ever seen you smile."

He blushed, actually blushed, and looked down. "Well, it seems easier to talk to you." he pulled her closer. "It's nice knowing someone doesn't completely hate me, someone who knows the real me."

She smiled, "Well, it's nice to know that someone thinks I'm worth talking to."

He shrugged, "You're not that bad once you stop talking about school."

She shrugged as well, "Well, if you wanted to talk about it I think you could use the extra knowledge." He gawked and she got up and ran.

Draco chased Hermione around until he finally caught her and tackled her into the grass. He grabbed her around her ankles and pulled off her shoes, "You asked for it Hermione." He attacked her feet and she erupted with giggles.

"No! Let me go I take it back!"

He just laughed and shook his head, "It's too late for that now." he went up behind her knees and her laughter rose in pitch. He worked his way up to her hips, up her sides and around her ribs, and under her arms.

He finally stopped and she gasped for air, "Don't ever do that again."

He laughed, "Don't act like you didn't enjoy just a little bit."

She looked up at him, straddling her waist, and raised her hand up. She put her index finger close to her thumb but not touching it to say 'just a little.' Draco laughed, until he heard a voice behind him. "Malfoy get off of her!" He turned and saw Harry running towards them.

He turned back to Hermione, "Back to hating I see." She nodded and tried pushing his chest.

He was thrown off of her and Harry held a hand out to her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded and let him hold her, "Just shaken up, that's all. He didn't hurt me." she sneered at Draco, "Like he ever could." She turned harry and walked away. She looked back briefly to see that he was smiling back at her. He winked at her and waved, she nodded in response and walked away with harry.