A/N: Hellooo everyone! Here is Chapter two! Please let me know what you think, I am trying to progress the story, but still lay a foundation as to what exactly is going on. So please let me know, I would love to hear!


CHAPTER 2

Draco awoke with a start. Beautiful dreams of caramel and honey curls strewn across his pillow had faded into screams, begging and the sinister cackle of his aunt. He shivered, the echoes in his mind fading as he regained his senses.

He sat up and ran his hand over his face before squinting out of his window. The sun was just starting to peek out of the horizon, casting the sky with a purple-y pink hue. It was way too early to be awake. He flopped back across his bed with his arms wide. 'I'll just close my eyes and go back to sleep,' he thought to himself. After laying there for a moment, the cold sweat drying on his skin, he decided it was futile.

He slid out of bed, making his way out and slowly across the common room, into the bathroom. He splashed his face with cool water, instantly feeling more refreshed, and reached for his toothbrush.

He had walked in on Hermione doing this little task one morning and was curious.

/ "What are you staring at, Malfoy?" she asked, white foam gathering at the corner of her mouth.

He had turned away quickly, shaking his head. "Nothing, I've just never seen that...method of teeth cleaning before."

"It's called brushing. My parents tended to people's teeth," she informed him, gently pulling her hair to the side and spitting out a glop of the foam. "You should try it. Potions work well, but this is more thorough."

Draco hesitated. He had always been diligent about his Twinkle Teeth Potion, his mother had taught him that. This seemed slightly strange, but ultimately his curiosity got the best of him.

"Okay. Yes, alright. I'll give it a go. What do I need to do?"

The smile that broke across Hermione's face almost made him dizzy from the sheer purity of her happiness over such a seemingly small thing.

She launched into a backstory as she dug through her bathroom storage cabinet. She said that her parents had taught her to always keep extra, just in case. What that truly meant, Draco had never figured out.

"Aha! Here it is! So, what you are going to do, wet the toothbrush, toothpaste, wet again and then brush in small, circular motions, making sure to get all of your teeth, front and back, and-oh!- don't forget to get your gumline. That's very import-"

"Okay, Granger," he interrupted her rambling, but he couldn't help but smile. He took the 'toothbrush' and wet the end. "What's toothpaste?"

She didn't even try to hide her laugh, grabbing a tube and squeezing a blue paste onto the bristles.

"You've got a lot to learn, Malfoy."/

He smiled at that memory. He had decided that he quite liked the massaging feeling, so he had begun doing it twice a day, every day, as was Hermione's recommendation.

He finished and wiped his mouth then ran a hand through his hair in the mirror, the long bits falling right back into his eyes. He made his way back through the common room to the kitchenette, only to find a small variety of muffins and a hot pot of tea waiting. 'Thank Merlin for House-Elves," Draco chuckled to himself. He made his way over to the three wall cabinets, knowing that Hermione kept small plates in one of them. Spotting them in the left side, he quickly reached in to grab one, accidentally knocking a mug out of the other side with his elbow. It crashed into the sink, with the loudest bang he could have imagined that early in the morning. He let out a mumbled string of curse words, rubbing his forehead. He hadn't realized his head was pounding.

Suddenly, the other bedroom door swung open and there stood a half-awake, clearly-irritated-that-she-had-been-woken-up, Hermione. His head snapped up.

'Wow.'

That was the only thought he could form.

Her hair was in wild rivers of honey, streaming over her shoulders, curls spilling everywhere. She wore no make-up, her brown eyes squinting at him through long lashes. He almost missed the cream colored ribbon wrapped around her left forearm, and he felt his heart tighten. His eyes skimmed downwards for a moment, and his breath caught at the sight of her smooth, bare legs, the t-shirt she wore barely skimming mid-thigh.

He gulped, his mouth suddenly very dry.


Hermione was drifting in and out of sleep, not quite ready to fully give in to consciousness. She knew she only had another half an hour before she needed to get up, but she had been having such a lovely dream. If only she could slip back into the little fantasy world she had been in moments before...

But she was jolted awake by a crashing sound in the Common Room, followed by someone's voice. She flew out of bed and ripped open her door, sleep still clouding her mind. She blinked against the sudden adjustment of light, only to find Malfoy standing there staring at her with a guilty look on his face. There was something else there too, but only for a moment. Hermione couldn't place her finger on what his expression really was.

"I'm so sorry for waking you," he began. "I accidentally dropped this mug." He held up the broken handle as evidence.

Hermione debated with herself for a moment before deciding to not start the day biting off Malfoy's head. She slumped gently against her door frame and pushed a hand through her hair. "It's okay, I had to get up soon anyway." She looked over at him again and found that he was staring, though he quickly averted his eyes when she caught him.

She frowned to herself and went back into her room, grabbing a towel and her robe, before heading towards the bathroom.

"Do you always get up this early?" Draco asked as she passed in front of the kitchenette. She stopped, glancing at him momentarily.

"Yes, always. Do you always sleep late?"

"No, I'm up now aren't I?" he replied as he attempted to hide his smile by sipping his tea.

Hermione scoffed, making her way towards the bathroom once more. "You wake me up, and then provoke me. Never tickle a sleeping dragon, Malfoy."

He chuckled as she closed the door behind her and cast a locking charm. She couldn't help but smile, even as a yawn overtook her. She did her usual shower routine, basking in her favorite scent of vanilla and peony. Her mind wandered. After the trial, Draco had been to visit Harry a few times, including once at the Burrow.

/Hermione watched him appear in the yard and start making the trek to the door. His silver hair shimmered in the summer sun, and despite the extreme heat, he wore a black long-sleeved button down and black slacks. He almost always dressed like that.

Hermione moved away from the window, not wanting to be caught staring, and made her way down to join the rest of the family. She quickly took the seat next to Ronald and he slung an arm lazily around the back of her. There was a knock on the door. Mrs. Weasley ushered him inside, telling him that he needed to be fed properly. He grinned and nodded, thanking her for caring.

'Wow,' Hermione thought to herself. She had rarely seen Malfoy have a genuine, happy smile. He was a beautiful man. She quickly turned her eyes away, suddenly very interested in a spot on the floor.

"Oy, Ferret, are you starin' at my girlfriend?"

Her head snapped up, looking from Ron to Draco and back again.

"Well, Weasley. Seeing as I have eyes and am not totally stupid, yes I was for a moment." Draco crossed his arms tightly over his chest, that more familiar sneer crossing his face. "Do you have a problem? Are you worried that a Ferret like me might catch her eye one day and steal her away?"

Hermione's heart stopped at that moment. Did he know? It felt like he knew. Had he seen her catching glimpses of him at the Ministry? The couple of times she had seen him in Diagon Alley? Did he know? Did RON know? Her eyes flew to her boyfriend, and he was clearly fuming.

Ron flew out of his seat, his arm smacking against the back of Hermione's head accidentally.

"You would never get Hermione. Never in a million years. She's mine, and that's how its gonna be forever, so you can stick your pointy rat nose somewhere else." Ronald was red with anger, his fists clenched at his sides. Draco looked fairly non-plussed, raising an eyebrow at the overly-angry boy, then his gaze slid past Ronald and landed on Hermione.

Her breath caught in her throat. Okay, Ron didn't know.

"We will see, Weasel." Harry finally came into the room and saved them all from the impending argument./

She had been fully aware of how handsome Draco Malfoy was since Third Year. She was a woman after all, and not blind. But his attitude back then had practically marred him, making him ugly. Now, since the war ended, his inside was just as beautiful as the out. She was very much enjoying the fact that they were getting to know one another, spend time together. He surprised her all the time. With Ron, everything had been predictable, boring, aggravating.

'Well, except him ramming some other girl.' Hermione snorted to herself.

She stepped in front of the mirror and continued her quick, yet effective routine. She had never been one to care much about looks. But after Fourth Year, she had decided it was good to take a little time for herself. She couldn't help but remember the reactions she had gotten at the Yule Ball. She had felt like a beautiful princess, being seen for the first time. She wanted to feel that way more often, like a woman.

She slicked a muggle leave-in conditioner she had found, as well as a hair smoothing potion she had discovered in Witch Weekly. Then with a gentle drying charm, her hair laid in soft ringlets, spilling over her shoulders and halfway down her back. She swiped on a bit of mascara and a peach-y tinted chapstick, before gathering her things and proceeding back to her room.

She could hear soft music emitting from Draco's room. He never played it too loud. She had no idea if he was actually being considerate, or if it was simply his preference. Either way, she was quite happy with it.

She dressed in her robes quickly and made her way to the kitchenette for some tea, only to find Draco standing there once again.

"Twice in one morning?" she said, raising her eyebrow at him as she filled her mug.

"What, I can't be an early bird with you?" That smirk filled his face, but Hermione didn't see the malice behind it anymore.

She shrugged, "I suppose it's just that I'm not really a morning person, but I don't have to be around anyone until I've had time to become more pleasant. "

Draco fully chuckled at that, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Granger, I had no clue. I'll be sure to never cross you before 7:30 again."

She broke down and smiled at him, "Or at the very least don't talk to me."

"Well, now I know," he replied, more softly than before.

Hermione raised her eyes to meet his. "Now, you know."

Her heart was suddenly pounding, and the room felt hot.

"I've, um, got to go make my rounds." She said, scrambling to gather her things.

"We've got our weekly McGonagall meeting tonight."

"Yes, yes I know." She waved her hand in the air and flew out of the portrait door.


Draco watched her slip out, curls flying behind her, and decided he should head out as well.

He made his way down to the Great Hall. There were a few people around, but he still had nearly half an hour before breakfast was set to begin. He sat at the end of the Slytherin table. He didn't really talk to many people. Blaise was in Italy, though the last time he had owled he mentioned possibly coming back. He was a wild card, though, so Draco wasn't holding his breath. Hermione was probably his best friend, currently. Did she know that? He decided that he should find a way to tell her.

He opened his latest book, A Wizard's Guide to All Things Muggle. He only read it when Hermione wasn't around to see. Not that he didn't want her to know that he was trying to make himself less ignorant, but he wanted to surprise her with his new found knowledge. He wanted to learn and then show her, somehow, that he had changed.

His mind wandered from washing machines to amber eyes, dark with sleep and smooth olive skin. He had found himself wondering if she was wearing anything under that t-shirt. His heart was pounding. What if he had walked straight over there and kissed that sleepy scowl right off her face? Would she have melted against him? What sound would she make when he nipped her bottom lip? Or when he kissed down her throat-

"Mr. Malfoy?"

Draco jumped straight out of his skin. There was Professor McGonagall standing over him, her eyes boring holes into his. Suddenly his tie felt very tight. "Sorry, Professor. Did you ask me something?"

"Yes. I asked if you and Ms. Granger could come to my office at 5, instead of 8. I have other matters to attend to at that time. Can I trust that you will pass along the message?" The look she gave him made Draco gulp.

'She can't read your mind. Get it together, you prat.'

"Yes, Professor, no problem at all." He nodded and she turned towards the Staff Table but not without a final penetrative look.

Draco heaved a deep sigh and poured himself a cup of coffee. He had to distract himself from the beautiful angel that he would, for now, only admire from afar.


The morning slid by at a snail's pace for Hermione, but she was looking forward to an afternoon in Potions. Professor Slughorn had come back, on the condition that it only be for one year. He was incredibly lax, telling them to brew a potion of their choice almost every day. Personally, Hermione enjoyed the ability to freely choose which potions were most important to perfect. Most people brewed the easier ones every class as if a simple giggle potion was all they would need to know in life. She scoffed at the very idea.

She made her way down to the dungeons, and waltzed into the classroom absently, heading straight for the table she always took in the front. She slid into the chair and pulled her hair back, as she always did in this class. She was admittedly a creature of habit. She had grown accustomed to being the first and only one in the classroom for several minutes, so when she heard a chuckle behind her, she whipped her head around with such force that she got a crick in her neck.

"Ow! Bloody hell, Malfoy, what are you doing sneaking up on me like that?" she snapped, rubbing her neck. He was sitting in a chair in the back, his long legs propped up on the edge of the table and crossed at his ankles and a mischievous smirk spread across his face.

He chuckled again, which made her irritation flare. She glared at him as he stood up, circling around to take the seat next to her.

"Sorry, Granger. I was sitting back there and you came in, completely oblivious. Honestly, woman, you're very good at being in your own world." His smile reached his eyes, the pools of grey coming alive. From this close, Hermione swore she saw flecks of ice blue throughout. She couldn't stop herself from returning the smile, shaking her head gently.

"You're a prat, Malfoy."

She was saved from his response by Slughorn bumbling into the room, followed by a steady influx of other students. Hermione was surprised that Draco stayed at her table, instead of his own. They had never sat together before, except in their Common Room, at their respective desks. She glanced over to see him doodling on a spare bit of parchment.

His nose came to this sharp point, and you could see the slight bump at the bridge from when Hermione had broken it. His pearl hair fell in front of his eyes in long, straight shards. He looked concentrated, but not in a forced way, his full lips pursed slightly. They looked so soft like they would plant pillow light kisses all along...

'Get a freaking grip, Hermione.'

She shooked the thought from her head and turned to see what Slughorn had written on the board as the last of the students had settled.

"Most of you are in pairs anyway, so just make this potion with your partner. I'll be up here." The plump wizard flopped back into his oversized wingback chair and let out a sigh, closing his eyes.

She gave Draco a gentle tap on his forearm, pointing out the chalkboard. He looked up from his picture and frowned.

"What's a Mopsus Potion?" he asked her.

"It's said to give the drinker temporary Seer abilities, and occasionally- depending entirely on the strength, of course- it can give one the ability to move things telekinetically, but that's fairly rare," she answered, thumbing through her textbook to find it. "Yes, here it is. An interesting potion, though I don't necessarily believe in being able to see the future anyway. Maybe this is how Trelawney has fooled everyone for so many years." She realized she was rambling, so she quieted herself, a blush dancing on her cheeks.

"It is quite interesting. However, I do tend to believe in Seers." Draco was organizing their ingredients across the table but looked up to meet her eyes briefly.

Hermione frowned slightly at this admittance. "Why?"

"My mother has the ability." He said it as though it were simple enough.

All she could do was stare at him for several moments. He had said it as though he were talking about the weather or the giant squid.

"What exactly do you mean your mother 'has the ability'? Have you seen her make a prophecy? Have any come true? When did she-"

"Yes, Granger," he interrupted her slew of questioning. "I have seen her predict something and I've seen it come true. Now come on, we need to get started. It takes exactly an hour and fourteen minutes."

They worked through the potion together, Draco chopping ingredients with precision and Hermione adding and stirring to perfection. She was itching with questions but knew better than to ask any of them right now. It seemed to be a bit of a sore subject for Draco, and seeing as they lived together and that he was basically her only friend close by, she would have to figure that out later.


"Excellent work, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy!" exclaimed Slughorn. "Absolutely no question as to why you two are Heads this year." Draco watched Hermione beam at the compliment.

"Now that you all have finished brewing, for next class I ask that you each take a sip of your concoction and experiment with the effects. I would like a foot of parchment explaining what you experienced by Monday."

Hermione turned quickly to Draco. "I don't want to take this potion."

"Well, unless you want a bad mark to smudge your pristine reputation, I'd say you don't have a choice, Granger," he replied, trying to keep his voice light. He poured the blue, pearlescent potion into a small bottle, corking it and dropping it into his pocket.

She huffed at his reply and set to gathering her own belongings.

"Do you think we will see anything?" she asked, her voice softer.

He turned his eyes on her. She looked slightly worried, fearful. He wondered why that was.

"It'll be fine, don't worry. I'm sure you'll see yourself getting all O's on your N.E.W.T.s or maybe even something better." His voice was soft and he had to resist the urge to reach out and touch her. She nodded gently, though she didn't look thoroughly convinced. "Listen, we will talk more about it tomorrow night. Don't let it ruin your weekend." He gave her a half-hearted smirk.

They made their way out of the classroom, walking together, but not saying a word.

They walked all the way back to their Common Room in silence. Hermione just walked in and flopped herself down on one of the couches.

Draco was worried about her. He knew that she had disliked Divination, and more specifically Trelawney, but he hadn't expected a reaction of fear -was that even what it had been?- from THE Hermione Granger. He moved to his desk and began filling out paperwork. They stayed just like this, the steady scratch of his quill filling the otherwise silent room. The time ticked by. Finally, after an hour and a half, he couldn't stand to watch her lay there any longer.

"Granger? What's wrong? Something obviously happened back there,-"

"I just have a few fears about seeing the future." She spoke so suddenly that it startled Draco. "What if it changes everything? It's like going against nature." She was just staring at the ceiling, her voice shaky. "What if I saw something I wanted so badly, but had no clue on how to get it? What if I see another evil wizard, another war? It's just terrifying. " She let out a long, quivering breath.

He quickly walked over to her, sitting on the edge of the mahogany table. He gently took her hand, refusing to look up and see the possible rejection in her eyes. "I know exactly what you mean." He knew he could say that with absolute certainty. Maybe one day he would be able to share with her, but today was not the day. "We can make it up. It's only a foot of parchment, and Slughorn sure as hell doesn't pay attention." He felt her hand squeeze his. He gathered the courage to slowly turn his gaze upwards, meeting her eyes. She nodded at him gently.

"Thank you."

He simply nodded and let go of her hand. His own immediately felt cold and empty. Like even though it had never been there before, it belonged there, her hand intertwined with his.

"Malfoy?"

He looked up at her again, this time her amber eyes were sparkling. He wasn't sure what her expression was, exactly, but she looked beautiful. Who was he kidding? She always looked beautiful.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"


As she sat there, with Draco Malfoy comforting her, her heart felt so full that it might burst. If someone had told her that her life would bring her to being friends with Malfoy, she would have told them they were absolutely barmy. But, in that moment, she knew she wanted him in her life.

Before she could stop them, the words came tumbling out of her mouth.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me tomorrow?"

He stared at her for what felt like an eternity. Her heart dropped.

"I mean, of course, you don't have to, I just thought that maybe you'd like to. So silly of m-"

"I'd love to."

She stopped short and looked at him. His eyes looked like pools molten silver, and her heart was instantly reawakened.

"Really?"

"Yeah," He shrugged, turning his gaze away and toying with a strand on his robes. "I mean, I think it's safe to say that you qualify as my best and only friend, so yes I think it'd be fun."

She felt the smile bloom across her face, but she tried to keep it a small. She wouldn't want him to think she was pining for his time or anything of that nature.

"Fantastic." She started to change the subject, but she felt his eyes on her. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, otherwise, she would have met his gaze again, and her brain would spiral into a web of fantasies that she did not need to be thinking about in front of McGonagall. She sighed deeply, trying to push the thoughts from her mind.


"Let's go, Granger. If we're late McGonagall will have our heads."

Draco ushered her out of the door promptly at 4:45. He knew that she hated being late just as much as he did, and she had been resting her eyes.

He rarely ever saw her in that state. So relaxed, almost sleeping. He couldn't even find the words to describe her. Her beauty to him was ethereal, unexplainable, and it simply omitted from her. He longed to know what it would be like to wake up next to her in the morning...

"Malfoy? Do you know the password?" Hermione asked him, snapping him out of his daydream. They stood in front of the large gargoyle and Draco tried to shake a few sensible thoughts into his brain.

"Oh, yeah. Venus Verticordia!"

The gargoyle jumped to the side, both of them heading up the staircase. Draco was trying very hard to look anywhere but Hermione's pert bum, swaying gently in her skirt. He was failing.

They sat down and waited for McGonagall to join them. She came rushing in from the private sector of her tower after they had been waiting for a few minutes.

"My apologies, you two. I seem to be very busy today, so this is going to be a short, but important, meeting." She paused and flitted her eyes between the two of them, both nodding immediately. "I have an important project for the two of you to work on together. Now, we don't do this terribly often, but seeing as you are the best Heads we've had in many years, well, we've decided to let you do this."

A small smile was playing on the edge of McGonagall's mouth, something Draco had seen maybe once or twice before. It was almost unsettling.

"You get to throw a ball!" McGonagall announced. Hermione gasped, her eyes going alight. He was sure she began planning immediately. "You can choose generally whatever you want. It will be a Fourth Year and up event. Please, come up with an interesting theme. Something to give this ball some extra oomph!" Hermione was grinning so brightly, he thought she could illuminate the entire room. She had launched into a discussion with the Professor, asking her usual slew of questions.

Draco was only half-listening. He was busy thinking about this Ball. It was his perfect opportunity. There would be a lot of planning involved. He would spend the next few months proving himself to her, then he would bare his heart, spill his entire existence at her feet, and all he could do was hope that when the day came, she would do the same. Yes, the Ball was perfect.


A/N:

There it is! Chapter 2, hope y'all enjoyed! I'm going to try posting every Saturday, so keep a look out!

Thank you for reading and please review!

- DQ