A/N: Formerly named Comfort in the Storm, this came to me in a dream. Now that it's been rewritten, I think I can say I am quite proud of it

Hermione dreaded the dark nights. Every night since the end of the war she had been tormented with nightmares of blood and murder. The people she loved and cared for were brutally killed in front of her all over again, every single night. She couldn't save them and often woke in cold sweats. Sleep never came easily.

On top of that, then there was Draco Malfoy. The Head Boy wasn't exactly making things easier. He was always meddling and wondering why she wasn't sleeping. She doubted he was genuinely concerned; he probably just wanted something to torment her with, although to be fair she had been on much better terms with the stubborn Slytherin since the end of the war and his family's defection to the side of the light. Even though, she still didn't foresee him actually caring.

Malfoy actually wasn't the worst of it. The night in general was hard but stormy nights were so much harder than the rest. Each flash of lightning reminded her of each Death curse. She would often sit up all night with butterbeer and watch the fire crackle. It was so much better being mesmerized by the flames than tormented by the lightning. Try as she might though, she didn't always suffer silently. She often has to muffle her screams on the nights that the storms got bad.

Tonight was one of those nights. One of her muffled screams was loud enough to wake Draco. He got up and headed in. He was determined to discover why she did that. He had a suspicion that the culprit was nightmares regarding the war. He knew he still had nightmares. Terrible ones usually revolving around the torture of his beautiful bookworm.

He stopped himself and tried to convince himself that she was not beautiful and certainly not his. But he had to resign himself to the fact that he had some feelings for the bookworm. Those feelings led to his help during the torture and his defection to the light side. His father had finally accepted his feelings for her, admitting that she was more his equal than any pure blood he'd met.

Draco sighed. He crept down to thier shared common room and peeked in on her. She was watching the fire and shivering. She jumped at the lightning and thunder. Inwardly he grimaced, not really a big fan of storms himself.

"Afraid of a storm, Granger?" She bolted and raised her wand, lowering it when she saw that it was Draco. She blew out a puff of air in embarrassment. He probably knew that much. It was rather obvious.

"What's it to you, Malfoy?" She slipped back into her mask almost seamlessly, and yet she knew that he saw right through it. She was tired of that mask, of hiding what she really felt, especially those warm feelings toward him. She turned to face the fire again.

"Hermione." She turned back towards him, daring to meet his blue grey eyes. She was not prepared for what she saw in them. Compassion and...love? There was a warm sparkle in his eyes that she was sure had nothing to do with the fire in front of them. It was incredibly beautiful.

He stepped closer to her and opened his arms to the frightened witch. She just scoffed.

"As if you expect me to believe that you'd want to be that close to a mud blood," she spat as she glared at him. He visibly recoiled when she threw the slur at him.

"Hermione. Just come here." She defiantly locked eyes with him but only for a moment. Her mask eventually shattered and, in need of comfort and a reminder that all was going to be okay, she stepped into his arms. He gently wrapped them around her and held her close.

She practically melted into his embrace, thankful for the comfort; even if it did result in nasty and shaming teasing later. She then realized that he called her by her first name, not her surname. She locked eyes with him once more and he shocked her good. He kissed her, deep and hard, holding her close to him. He threw every ounce of love he could into that kiss and thought his heart would burst right out of his chest when she kissed back.

When they broke the kiss after several moments, he moved them both back to the sofa and sat down with her tucked safely against his chest. She buried herself into him further at the next flash of lightning.

"Nightmares. Every night, Draco. I keep dreaming that Voldemort kills everybody and I'm the only survivor. And then he reveals Bellatrix and...and..."

"Shh.. no more. It's just a dream. It's okay." He soothed her with soft words and kisses to the crown of her head. He understands and feels her pain intimately. She lets him soothe her and she settles between the back of the sofa and him, her head resting on his chest, just over his heart. She can hear it's soft, strong beating and allows herself to relax. It was a gentle reminder that she wasn't alone, even though that feeling came from the most unlikely person she could have imagined.

"Sleep Hermione. I'm here now," he pressed a kiss to her head. She finally let herself fall into a deep sleep.

She didn't have any more nightmares that night, nor did the storm bother her. For the first time in several nights she slept peacefully through the night.

Hermione awoke, mind a bit foggy from deep sleep, and in a bit of an awkward place. The arms of one Draco Malfoy. Slowly the events of the previous nights slipped back into her mind. He had kissed her and comforted her. She forced herself not to think but to feel. Draco was still asleep and she took the opportunity to study him. His features had softened throughout the time that she had known him, and he had grown into a very handsome wizard. It dawned on her that he was in nothing but his pajama pants. Her screaming and whimpers from the storm must have woken him!

"Good morning." His icy grey eyes opened and locked on her chocolate brown ones. She could feel her cheeks redden and she ducked her head back against his chest. He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her head.

"I woke you last night, didn't I?"

"Yeah. It's okay. I wondered what was bothering you. Now I know."

"So you actually care after all..."

"Yes. So much. It tortured me knowing you were in pain"

"I'm gonna regret saying this but I think I'm glad you're here."

"Well... I am glad I have you." His lips captured hers in a sweet, gentle kiss.