Wow, thanks for liking my story. I already have the plot somewhat settled, but my thoughts are volatile and I'll probably change my train of thought if I don't like where I'm going.

Thank you for taking the time to read my work, and thanks to guys for the Lexicon suggestion. I visited the site, but briefly so I'm trying to find more time to go there and see what I can use. About the HP books being at my public library, nope they don't have them. And other libraries are too far from where I live.

I'm trying to see if I can cut back on something so that I can buy at least 'Goblet of Fire' soon. Especially after I read somewhere that Draco is rendered speechless by Hermione at the ball. Can't wait to see if they included that in the movie! Thanks for reading my babble!

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or HP characters… They belong to Mrs. Rowling

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Nightmares and Dreams

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Hermione dragged in a slow breath as she made her way back towards the great hall. Professor Dumbledore had kept her other-half behind, and she had really wanted to leave, so she had made her way out of his office in a rush.

She was in no mood to deal with Malfoy at the moment, and she strongly suspected that half of the irritation and anger she was feeling belonged to him. The bond he had forced on her was still fairly new so they had absolutely no control over it.

It had become painfully aware that he felt what she was feeling, so why would it be any different the other way around? She felt irritation, anger, and….. despair? Well, he was feeling very much like her. His brush with death had forced an unbreakable link between them, and now they had to deal with it. Forever.

Just as she was about the reach the great halls' doors, she felt a hand close around her forearm and jerk her around. Her eyes met with Draco's snapping gray ones and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood.

"What do you want? My friends are waiting for me," she snapped irritably, rubbing a hand against her forehead.

"You have a headache, don't you?" Malfoy asked. She nodded and frowned. "Have you forgotten that until we learn to control….. this curse, I will feel your pain too? Now I have a bloody headache."

"Oh, well I'm sorry your highness, but I don't give a crap if you're in pain right now. All I know is that I'm not in the mood to stand here and have idle chit-chat with you. I just….. I don't want to see you right now," she said as her voice became quiet.

His eyes narrowed only slightly at her comment, but otherwise, he didn't give her another reaction. "The feeling is mutual. I just want you to swear that you will not tell your friends," he said the word in distaste, "about all of this."

"And why would I swear to your request? Harry and Ron know everything about me. Besides, you have no right to ask anything of me after what you've done. You've cursed us both for the rest of our lives," she said with a dejected shake of her head.

"I didn't do it willingly!" he exploded. He saw that a pair of Ravenclaw first years had stopped to look at them curiously. He gave them a withering glare and they 'eeped' and ran into the great hall. Draco smirked evilly.

"Does it cause you pleasure to terrorize children?" Hermione asked in disgust. "You're sicker than I thought!" she growled as she shoved away from him and nearly ran off into the hall, trying to get away from him before he had a chance to corner her again. She made it to her table and was in the safety of her friends circle in seconds.

"How did it go with Dumbledore?" Harry asked as he looked up from his food.

Hermione bit her lip and forced a smile. "He was just giving us the password to our new dorm rooms. Plus he was giving us a list of things we can do now that we're head boy and girl. Nothing out of the ordinary," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Ginny sidled up next to her. "What about Halloween and Christmas ball? I asked Professor Dumbledore and he said that all those preparations were up to you and Malfoy."

Hermione shrugged. "I can't answer your question yet, Gin. In case you haven't noticed yet, Malfoy and I are really not in speaking terms," she said bitterly. "But I guess that since we're going to be living together, I have to get used to the idea that we'll be talking a lot more than we have to." She didn't want to tell her friends about the thrice-damned bond she now had with Malfoy.

'I told you that I didn't do it willingly, stupid mudblood,' He snarled into her head.

'Piss off Malfoy. And get the fuck out of my head,' she screamed, hoping that at least her volume could be heard inside his head enough to make his brain explode. Unfortunately for her, he didn't explode, and they sat for a few seconds glaring at each other. She refused to give up their childish game and neither one wanted to back down from the staring contest they were in.

Reluctantly, Malfoy looked away when, Slytherin whore, Pansy Parkinson pranced over and sat on his lap. 'You have the worst taste in girls,' she spat into his head after a moment.

'That's none of your concern,' he hissed back, his handsome features contorting into a dark scowl. 'Now I want you to get out of my head!'

Hermione looked away in disgust and turned her attention back to her friends before they were able to notice that something was going on between her and Malfoy. Not that anything was going on, but—Well, who was she kidding? He was now inextricably her other half, and they had to deal with it. Problem was, she didn't want to deal with something so delicate. She didn't want to think of being tied to Malfoy for the rest of her days. Being tied to a person who hated her because of where she came from and for no other smart reason.

She was still having a hard time getting the idea into her head. Now that he was awake, it was like his subconscious was hovering next to hers, and she had the sneaking feeling that it was going to stay that war forever. Forever. Not yet. She wasn't ready to think of forever yet.

"'Mione?" Ron asked from across her.

"Yes Ron?" she asked looking up as if she had just noticed him. It was just then that she noticed that his ears were burning as red as his hair. She was curious to know why.

"I asked if you would take a walk with me, after the feast and before you have to help show the first years around," he muttered into his chest. Hermione had to lean over to actually hear what his was asking, but then she nodded and tried to eat at least a little bit of food.

Dear Merlin, she had forgotten that she and the ferret had to show the first years around tonight and then help them out in the morning if they needed it. And she really wasn't looking forward to socializing with the brain-dead moron afterwards. She couldn't continue to postpone their conversation. She didn't want to have altercations with him when he invaded her head or read her thoughts.

And unfortunately she knew that things like that would happen until they learned more control. Dumbledore had offered to help them some with their questions, but the rest was up to them. So the first moment she had free tomorrow, Hermione was crashing in the library until she learned what she needed to at least shut out Dra—ahem—Malfoy from her thoughts and shut herself away from his feelings.

She walked out of the hall with Ron and smiled uncomfortably. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked softly. At the moment she was feeling tremendous annoyance and she knew that Malfoy was feeling that at the moment.

"I—Well, I just wanted to tell you that I was really happy to know that you're the head girl this year. I--," he stuttered and his cheeks began to match the shade of his hair.

"Wh—"

"Please let me speak," he gulped loudly. Hermione nodded and they stopped besides a huge window from which the moon's light was shinning through. He looked at her and so many feelings welled up inside him as he saw her beauty.

He had always seen her as beautiful; though they constantly bickered about every little thing, she was the best thing that had come into his life. That was excluding his family; they occupied a different spot in his heart. But Hermione, she was a major part of his life.

"I really like you," Ron suddenly blurted, not wanting to lose the small ounce of courage that had sparked inside him at the shine in her sweet brown eyes.

Hermione blinked and her mouth slightly opened. She gulped and just stood there, a bit stupidly, and then a soft blush grazed her cheeks in reply. "Say something!" Ron wailed.

"I'm flattered, shocked, but really flattered. I like you too Ron. Have you any idea of how long I waited to hear those words from you?" she asked with a shy grin.

It was Ron's turn to blink. "What? Well why didn't you tell me anything!"

"Because you never asked," Hermione grumbled. Then she let out a long breath. "Ron, I have to be honest with you. Right at this moment, I don't have a lot of time to think about having a boyfriend. I have to deal with all my advanced classes, taking care of events here at school, taking care of the first years, and to add even more to my load, I have to deal with Malfoy as a roommate," she said with a light sneer. Not to mention that I have no way of getting rid of him because he's half part of me now, she added inwardly.

'Shut up Granger,' a voice sneered at her.

"You shut up, you idiot!" she growled angrily.

Ron looked at her, a bit hurt at her comment. "What did I say?"

Hermione took a step towards him and shook her head in apology. "I'm so sorry! But I have a very loud subconscious. It was nagging at me because I guess deep down inside I do want to be with you," she said with a nervous laugh.

"O-okay," Ron said quietly. "I don't want to give you an ultimatum, but I don't know if I'll be able to wait for you too long," he said ruefully.

Hermione scoffed and a bit of her Granger-Anger reared its ugly head. "What is that supposed to mean, Ronald Weasley?" she asked loudly, placing her hands on her hips.

Ron nearly squeaked. When she had done that, she had reminded him of his mother when she was angry. He drew in a breath and strengthened his resolve. "I don't want to be ignored by you anymore."

Hermione felt her insides churn at his words. Then she thought about what she was hiding from them all. How could she start a relationship with Ron if she was going to be tied to another man for the rest of her life? "Ron, I don't want to break your heart."

"You're not even giving me a chance to see if you break my heart or don't," he said as he took a step towards her and lifted her chin. During their fifth year at Hogwart's he had shot up and he nearly towered over most students there, but so did Harry, so he wasn't that peeved about it. Hermione was a small girl though, and he was almost a foot and-a-half taller than her, but her height did nothing to mar her beauty.

Before Hermione could respond to his words, a flame of recognition raced down her body even before he made a noise. A throat was cleared from behind them. "Getting it on in the hallway, Granger? Not a very good example to set for the first years," his silky voice was condescending. "And with Weasley? That's a new low even for you, dear muggle-born." There was no point in calling her a mudblood in public if he had fought in the war on their side.

Her eyes flashed in anger at him and she had half a mind made up to hex him with her wand. He looked at her in amusement and wagged a finger at her. "You can't do that, and you know exactly why," he purred evilly.

"Bastard!" she screeched. "What I do or don't do is none of your bloody concern! So sod off, fer-ret," she drew the word out. Then she turned back to Ron and smiled apologetically. "Give me time, okay? That's all I ask. Let me think about this and solve a few problems. When I've done that, I'll be able to answer you. Fine?"

Ron reluctantly nodded. "Okay, 'Mione. Just because you're my other best friend. Think about it and let me know at the Halloween ball okay?"

"How do you even know we're having a ball?" she asked with a grin. Malfoy cleared his throat even louder, and she heard an echo of curse words inside her head. 'If you don't cut it out, I will hex your little wonder-weasel and make him grow long donkey ears. Now hurry up!'

"I'll see you later," he whispered before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to her bottom lip. There was a series of whooping behind her and she turned to see the first years, who were now conveniently standing behind Malfoy.

Hermione felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment, and she waited for Malfoy's snide comment about Ron's financial state or her muggle family and how she and Ron were a perfect match. But strangely enough, he was perfectly blank, he wasn't even thinking anything evil. Maybe he had learned how to block his memories from her.

"Silence," she told the young ones as they continued their chattering. They became quiet instantly. "We will start by showing you brief tour of the grounds. We will list you places you can and can't go, and things you may do and won't do unless you want points deducted from your house. The prefects of your house will then show you to your dormitories. Anything you would like to add, Mr. Malfoy?"

'Mr. Malfoy? I like that title Granger,' he whispered into her mind. She glared at him. "Will you stop doing that?" she snapped as they began to walk down the hall.

He merely smirked and shook his head, deciding to answer her first question. "No, I believe that you have stated all that we needed these half-pints to know. Miss Granger," the title rolled off his tongue like silk.

Hermione nearly stumbled at his words, but he was there to catch her, his hand holding her steady as they walked. She uncomfortably withdrew her arm from him and looked away, thanking any deity that he hadn't touched her skin to skin. Having flashbacks in front of the first years would've been bad. Very bad. She really didn't want to see that smug look on his face right now. Merlin, this was going to be a hell of a long night.

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Draco forced his eyes wide as he tried to stifle a tired yawn the following morning. He had literally had no sleep last night. The moment he had closed his eyes and sleep had claimed him, dreams had started to plague his mind.

At first, for he remembered fragments of his dreams, he had been dreaming of childhood memories. Slowly, they had began to morph into more darker things. Sometime in sleep, his dreams seemed to be intertwined with Hermione's, and in all honestly, those had been pleasant dreams too; well, except for when she was dreaming with Potty and Weasel.

But before he had even gotten his fill of sleep, his dreams had morphed into nightmares. For a moment, they had felt so real, as real as that night when his father had cursed him and disowned him with words.

Lucius had been prepared to Avada Kedavra his own son. But Draco had beat him to the punch. Dumbledore had given them the power to defend themselves at any cost. And Draco had. Then he had seen his father's lifeless body falling—

That had been when he had woken up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He just hoped that Hermi—Granger wasn't a witness to that. But judging by the look on her face and the dark circles under her eyes, he knew that she had probably seen what he had seen.

Shit, he needed to speak to Dumbledore about this. He didn't want to subject Hermione to his nightmares, and he sure as hell didn't want to witness her sappy dreams. They needed to control this bond, and fast.

Granger was blinking a bit drowsily, and Draco watched as she suddenly leaned forward and accidentally pushed a book off her desk. The thing hit her foot with a loud thud.

"Oowww," Draco and Hermione echoed each other in total unison.

Harry stared at her and then his eyes moved to Malfoy, who had leaned down to rub his foot, curiously, the same foot that Hermione had hit also. Malfoy's gray eyes were snapping fire at her, but Hermione seemed oblivious to his look. Either that or she was ignoring him.

"You okay, 'Mione?" Harry asked. Hermione forced a smile and nodded, her eyes straying to Malfoy as they glared at each other. She looked away first and continued to take notes as Snape went through a set of slides as he explained their next assignment.

The evil looking professor had finally landed the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. But to the every student's chagrin, he was also teaching Potions. Harry wondered how he managed to teach two classes to the first and last years every day. How did he keep up?

"Am I interrupting your nap, Miss Granger?" he asked paused for a moment and asked evilly. Bloody man, he was a snake.

She shook her head and kept rubbing her foot. "No sir," Hermione replied.

"Good. Ten points off Gryffindor," he said flatly.

All the Gryffindors groaned and were about to start whining, it was barely their first day and already ten points had been deducted. And because of non other than the head girl. Snape shot them all a withering glare and they stopped, unless they wanted more points taken off. Harry turned to Hermione again. She was usually the most alert person in the room. "Had a bad night?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded. "I had really bad nightmares, and I couldn't go back to sleep afterwards," she muttered.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, but no. I'm okay really," she said, reflecting his smile. Harry nodded and turned back to his work, but Hermione knew that he knew that something was going on with her. He wouldn't be a good friend if he didn't.

The rest of the class went on uneventful, and then they were dismissed for lunch. As always, Hermione was one of the last to leave the class, though she had had a hard time convincing Ron that he could go on without her. She had never known he could be that attentive.

As she stepped out of the class, she found that her insignificant-other was waiting for her. "What?" It came out hostile as she began to walk down the hall.

"You have been trying to avoid me. Yesterday when we arrived to our rooms, you slammed and locked your door shut, and today you left early. We need to talk about what is going on Granger, I don't want this anymore than you do, but we have to find a way to learn more about this bond and if there is any possibility that we can break it," Draco said as he pulled her to a stop.

Hermione let out a slow calming breath. One, two, three, four, five. "Why are you counting?" Draco asked with a raised brow.

"I'm trying not to lose my cool as we talk about something very unpleasant," she said as they began to walk to their Arithmancy class. "Do we have every single class together?" she asked in annoyance.

Draco shrugged, he didn't care about that at the moment. "We need to research this."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "What do you know? We're finally on the same level about something! The great Draco Malfoy and lowly Hermione Granger agree on something!" she said with false cheerfulness. There was an unsettling silence between them, and she knew what he wanted to ask her even as the thought formed in his mind.

"I—I saw your nightmares," she said slowly. "I—"

"Don't you dare pity me," he snarled as he grabbed her forearms and pulled her roughly to him. "I did what I had to do and I don't regret it."

She stared into those pale gray eyes set in that somewhat delicate yet masculine and handsome pale face. Was everything about him pale? "You can't hide from me, Malfoy. You know as well as I do that you can feel all I feel, and I can feel all you feel. The same goes with most of our thoughts. This thing is too fresh and we don't know how to shut each other out yet. But I know—and believe me when I say that I'm sorry," she said softly.

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly, and he had the urge to slap her help away from him. He had been taught to reject anything that made a Malfoy weak. But at the moment, he was basically an open book to her, as she was to him, and he could literally feel the sincerity radiating from her.

His fingers ran up to her face. Hermione opened her mouth to warn him, but it was too late. As soon as his skin touched hers, they both gasped. When they shared thoughts and feelings without touch, it was somewhat vague, but skin to skin, well that was very different.

Skin to skin was like turning the pages of a book. Draco's eyes closed as he saw all the misery and sadness he had put her through the past six years; calling her a dirty mudblood. Belittling her. Hurting her and her friends.

And Hermione saw his loneliness. The only way he had coped with his father's distance and coldness was by taking it out on others. He had terrorized fellow students because that was his way of pretending that everything was fine. He did whatever his father bid him to do. All Malfoy had ever wanted was to make his father proud.

"Side-effect," Hermione breathed as she stared into those flaming gray eyes once they opened again. "If our skin touches, we get full blown memories and thoughts."

Draco barely registered what she had said. He had been hypnotized by the way her amber colored eyes darkened into a honey colored shade. He still hadn't moved his hand from her skin, and their feelings and thoughts were completely open.

"You want me to kiss you, Granger," he muttered, watching in a trance as her full lips opened and a little breath escaped her.

"No," she murmured, staring directly into his mesmerizing eyes. But they both new that it was a lie. "We'll be late to class."

"You don't care," he said, once again reading her. "Shall I let go and leave you be?" his tone dropped in to a husky whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Draco……" his name slipped out before she could halt her mouth. But that was enough for him. His lips descended on hers and all Hermione could do was close her eyes and feel as own hand kept caressing her cheek, and the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against his agile and slender body. He had to bend a little, for she was smaller than him by more than a foot.

She tasted divine. As soon as their lips meshed, Draco felt a sense of rightness. As if something had clicked into place deep inside him, and he knew she felt it too. Their heartbeats seemed to fall into the same pattern, and for a moment, it felt as if they shared the same breath.

He was more than touching her skin now, so the experience was all the more breathtaking as the bond surrounded them like a foggy cloud. But this cloud felt thick, and it was closing in around them as they shared that passionate embrace.

'I'm running out of air,' Hermione thought faintly, but at the moment she didn't care. She felt in place. She felt like she belonged as Draco explored her mouth, and she wondered if he was trying to crawl into her throat.

He slowly, reluctantly, pulled away, and saw the effect the kiss had had on her as he removed his hands from her. Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink, her lips swollen and red, her eyes in a cloudy daze. For once her hair wasn't an issue, as it was tied into a messy bun that allowed a few curls to dangle over her left eye. She looked absolutely amazing.

She stared back at him, taking in his appearance too. His eyes had darkened into a smoky gray, and there was shades of pink over his ivory cheeks. His lips matched hers, and he had the look of an innocent boy who had just gotten his first kiss from his first love.

Hermione's eyes widened in apprehension. "Draco—I mean Malfoy. This is getting completely creepy. Until about a month and-a-half ago we hated each others guts. And now—"

The trademark Malfoy smirk crept onto his features. "Now we've had our very first snog. Oh come off it Granger. I was inside your head and you mine, you know very well that you enjoyed this more than anything you had in the world," he said quite smugly.

It didn't take the bond to let Hermione know that he was feeling self-satisfied with the reaction he had gotten from her. "That's the point! Before this bond we never would've done this in a million years! This bond is putting us into uncomfortable situations and I don't like it."

"What are you going to do about it?" he taunted lightly, staring at her tantalizing lips.

"Meet me at the library when you're done with lunch. We're already late as it is," she said as she turned to walk down the hall. He walked with her, being that they were in the same class, but he stopped her before they went in.

"Sorry love, but I can't help you in that department, at least not today," Draco murmured. "We have our first Quidditch meeting today," he whispered.

"Then come after the meeting! You can't expect me to research this thing by myself. After all, this bond involves you too," she hissed.

Draco's infamous smirk was back. "You're the smartest witch in Hogwart's. I'm sure you can manage," and with those parting words he gave her bottom a smack before walking into the class.

Hermione looked on indignantly and hurled a barrage of colorful words at him through the bond. Well, at least it worked for something, she thought as she walked after him. Things were getting too weird.

Hehe. We see some good Draco Malfoy charm, no? I hope it was to everyone's liking. Okay, so I didn't get into the origins of the bond yet, but I will find a way to hint at it in the next chapter if I can. But if I don't, feel free to invent your own ideas, and if you'd like you can tell us about them so we can see what you guys came up with. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

!Joey!