Down in the Common Room Hermione watched as sleepy Slytherins were coming out of their bedrooms trying to figure out why they had been rudely awoken in the middle of the night. She and Goyle easily slipped through the portrait unnoticed. She was strangely in a comfortable position being carried along by the large Slytherin through the cold dungeons at night she wondered why he had helped her. She was thankful of course but still she wondered, she'd have to wait until she was able to talk again to voice her question.

They had just about reached the spiral stairs when they saw a light coming from the top. Goyle froze knowing they'd be caught by the prefect or professor out on night patrol but Hermione had been out with Harry and Ron enough times for her instincts to kick in when it came to being out past curfew. She tugged on his sleeve, not able to physically move him, but caught his attention and quickly lead him to a statue's alcove hoping whoever was on duty didn't check every hiding place on their way. Hidden behind the statues base the pair held their breath as a Hufflepuff Prefect made his way down the corridor in the direction they had just come from. Once he had passed and rounded the corner at the end she release her breath and Goyle jumped up.

He took two steps at a time up the stairs and Hermione was struggling to keep herself balanced. She raised up much higher than she was used to being, she held tight to his robes to steady herself. He carried her like she almost weighed nothing at all, continuing up the stairs and towards the moving staircase.

She kept a lookout, watching for any signs of patrolling students and teachers. Managing to avoid another two more prefects they had made it to the grand staircase, careful not to wake any of the sleeping portraits along the walls, most emitted a slight snoring sound as the occupants slept. They had just made it to the fifth flight of stairs when the staircase begun to move. She could see the Fat Lady's portrait from here but now they couldn't get there this way until the stairs decided to move again.

Footsteps were coming down the fifth corridor in front of them. Again Hermione took charge and pointed down the stairs motioning the Slytherin to head back down to the fourth floor corridor to hide. He felt he was much better at following orders then making his own decisions, but thinking for himself rather than just doing as he was told had saved footsteps echoed on the stairs and through the fourth floor corridor.

"I know you're out there" The voice of the other student called out. Goyle's free hand flew out towards the first door finding it locked. He brought out his wand from his back pocket pointing it at the handle.

"Alohamora" he whispered, trying the lock again it still wouldn't budge. "Alohamora" he said more desperately. Still the door was locked.

"Where are you?" They heard the prefect call out. Hermione leant over grabbing his arm as he attempted to cast the spell again. He let her guide his arm and he whispered "alohamora" once more. The tell-tale click of the lock told him it had worked this time and rushed them inside the empty classroom. He placed her down on one of the desks and caught his breath. Hermione hoped this prefect wouldn't check out the hiding places and would assume they were still running. She had wanted to relock the door behind them but she had neither her wand nor her voice.

"Found yo- Goyle?" Hermione felt her heart stop. "Mate, I didn't know you had a girlfriend." The Slytherin Prefect Theodore Nott stood arms crossed in the doorway, smirking. "I don't think I know you. Are you a 7th year?" He asked her, she did her best to hide her face in the green and silver scarf and shook her head no hoping that would throw him off and he wouldn't recognise who she was. "Haha a shy one and younger too, Goyle you sly dog."

"Don't... Don't tell anyone." Goyle said finding his voice.

"Sure whatever, I won't say anything, I'm only out patrolling again because something happened in the common room. Now everyone's awake and I don't want to be caught out not doing my duties if Snape decides to come snooping around. Anyway, wouldn't want to take points from my own housemates, we're just in the lead this year. I'll leave to two alone." The prefect winked and left to resume his duties. She waited a little while to be sure he was gone then waved her hand gaining Goyle's attention. He instinctively scooped her up again but was at a loss at where to go.

"Uh Granger, how are we going to get up to the right floor now?" He waited for her to tell him what to do next but she said nothing. He looked up at her as she pointed at her mouth.

"Oh! Right..." He took out his wand again pointing it towards her but stopped. "It's probably not a good idea to have me do this...but I erh could have a go..." He saw her nod and squeeze her eyes shut, she knew he wasn't going to intentionally hurt her after putting in so much effort to get her away from the other Slytherins but she knew of his infamously terrible wand work.

Now more than ever he hoped to not screw up.

Hermione opened her eyes feeling the magic rush through her.

"You did it, Goyle, well done." Her eyes lit up as she praised him, relief washed over him. "If you could also maybe cast the counter-curse for the jinx on my legs too, please." He complied taking a moment to recall how to do so. When he was done she stretched out, he put her down and she took a few little unsteady steps. "Now, I know a secret passage that will lead us right to the 7th floor, just down this way."

He picked her up again, so as to move through the castle faster they couldn't risk being slowed by her unsure footing. He followed her directions, down halls and around corners till they reach what looked like a dead end. He might have said something if he was with anyone but Hermione Granger. He didn't know much, but she did, and that was enough for him to trust she had lead them to the right place.

He put her down once again and watched as she touched the wall, muttering to herself, things he didn't quite catch. The wall started to shift and a spiralling staircase came into view. She began to ascend the stairs and he followed close behind. There wasn't any reason to rush now since they didn't need to worry about being caught so he let her walk on her own.

Soon enough they were at the top, he saw candle light filtering through a section of the wall Hermione was already pushing out of the way to squeeze her way through. He moved behind her giving her a hand making the gap wide enough for her. She slipped through without a word and was off towards the Gryffindor Fat Lady portrait. He pressed his face to the small space but he couldn't see her anymore and decided to take the passage back down to fourth and to sneak his way back to the dungeons. He had taken no more than two steps when he felt a small soft hand hold onto his. He turned to see Hermione squeezing back through the gap.

"I thought you were behind me. Sorry I left you like that." He stared down at their joined hands, he wondered why she hadn't let go yet, and how her hands were so soft, were all girls hands this soft? She was talking but he wasn't hearing anything.

"-yle? Gregory Goyle?" The call of his name snapped him out of his thoughts. "I was just saying Thank you for what you did, I... I don't want to think about what would have happened back there if you didn't... and I wanted to know, why did you help me?" She held back tears at the thought of what could've happened, using all her Gryffindor bravery, she looked up at him waiting for his answer but he didn't know what to say. He looked away ashamed.

"I wasn't going to... It's only cause Draco and Theo turned up and I had to hide you. I was only going to do what he told me to do, even if I didn't like it. I'm sorry Granger, but don't thank me."

She took a deep breath in.

"I know." He didn't want to look at her, why was she still holding his hand? "I knew you only helped me because the opportunity presented itself but I want to know why, when that opportunity did present itself, you took it." She was so much smaller than him and there was no way there was anything she could do without a wand that could force him to do anything but he knew if he didn't leave now he'd have to tell her. He took another step away trying to snatch his hand free.

"Please" that undid him.

"They were wrong." He said. "Blaise said that mud- erh... Your kind..."

"Muggleborns" she interjected

"...yeah that... muggleborns... He said they were stupid and disgusting... and fun to play with, but you're the smartest witch I've ever seen and the… and the prettiest and you're a mud- muggleborn... and you started to cry and it wasn't fun to see you scared or about to be hurt. I just don't know how m-muggleborns could be so bad if you are one of them. So I helped you get away." He still didn't want to look at her but he felt her grip on his hand tighten. His eyes rose up to her face. She was smiling with tears in her eyes, he didn't understand.

Her mind was racing, here in front of her, a pureblood wizard was questioning the prejudice of their world. She'd never pegged Goyle as an intellectual person but if he was beginning to see the faults in the old ways of thinking then she couldn't care less if he couldn't tie his own shoelaces.

"You don't know how glad I am to hear you say that and I know you don't think you deserve it but I still want to thank you." She let go of his hand and he instantly missed the feeling. Suddenly his nose was being tickled by loose curls and he was pulled into a one-sided hug. He stood stiff unsure of what to do. "What's wrong?" She sounded a little upset, she loosened her hold. Was there still something telling him she was dirty?

"I... It's just, no girls ever hugged me before... besides my mum. Erh... it's ... nice" he struggled to find his words but she smiled back up at him again. He was sure she could feel his heart thumping wildly in his chest.

"I have to get back to my dorm now... I'll see you around, goodnight" she said before squeezing once again through the gap in the wall.

"Night" he said lamely not sure if she could even hear him.

Safe inside the Gryffindor girls dormitory Hermione lied down on her bed still in the Slytherin clothing she'd been given. She looked over to Lavender sleeping soundly. Her breath hitched as she finally let herself recount about what had just occurred only an hour ago but didn't dare think about what could have happened, it could have been a lot worse, but that still didn't make her feel better. She turned to her side trying to only quietly sniffle as she closed her eyes.