A/n:

I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own the setting. I only own the plot. Everything else is owned by the great JK Rowling.


"Hey Granger." Malfoy greeted as she entered the room of requirements the next night.

"Hi Malfoy." she said and sat down across him. "So I'm down with my part, ready to do last part of the project?" he flicked his wand and silently summoned the books they needed to their table."

"Yeah, I am." he pulled out his quill and a few scrolls of parchment fro his bag and pulled some of the books towards him. "I started a bit of it yesterday." he showed him the small part he started on. "I hope you don't mind."

"You know a ot about them, I see." she said reading his work. "I started a bit last night too. How'd you know about the flower anyway?"

"My mother told me about them when I was a kid. I got fascinated by them. That's why I suggested the flower. It's hard to find it since it only blooms once a month and it's rare."

"Well, it was smart of you." Hermione said smiling as she began to do the work. "No other student would try and do a project of such a rare flower. The library doesn't even have information about them." Hermione looked up and saw Malfoy glancing at her. "Anything wrong, Malfoy?"

Now Malfoy looked straight at her and looked like he was concentrating. "There's something different about you today."

"Really? What?"

"I don't know... I cant' actually pinpoint it."

Hermione smiled, Malfoy was the only one who noticed, besides Ginny. She took Ginny's advice and combed her hair more than once and it slightly softened up. She tucked a side of her hair behind her ear, showing her pretty face.

"Is that bad?" she asked , trying to sound oblivious to what he was trying to figure out.

"No... it's actually good." he grinned and went back to his work.

"You know," she said continuing her work. "I've never seen you smile before. I've seen you grin and I've seen you smirk, but I've never seen you smile."

"And is that bad?"

"No." she said looking up at him, "But it never hurts to smile."

"Only a few things makes me smile, but I don't know why." she shrugged and continued to write. "Doesn't smiling mean that you're happy?"

"Well, yeah. Why?"

Malfoy put down his quill and looked at her, "It isn't easy to be happy for me." he looked like he was very serious.

"And why is that?"

he picked up his quill again and continued his work in silence. "There are a lot of things that's happened... Things that I can't be happy with." he said after a short while. He didn't look up at her again, and stared down at his own work.

"What does that have to do with the present? Your past makes you who you are. The present and future changes who you are. You're not supposed to dwell on what happened in the past."

"You said it yourself, the past makes you what you are... but I don't get what you meant by the present and the future."

"OK." Hermione said straightening up. "if something happens today, that's the present right?' she asked and earned a small nod from Malfoy. "If that something happens to be bad, you promise not to do it again, right?"

"Well, yes, of course."

"Well that's how the present and future changes you."

"But you said the past..."

"OK." Hermione cut in. "If you wake up the next day, then it'll be...?"

"My past?" his answer was a question too.

"Exactly! If something bad happens to your present, the next day it'll be your past, and you'll promise yourself not to let it happen again. That's how it changes you. I know it's a little confusing, but it's got a point."

"You really are something Granger." Malfoy said with a smirk. "It is confusing, but it has sense."

"You know, since we aren't enemies anymore, you can call me by my first name. If you keep on calling me Granger, I feel like my professors are talking to me"

"Then call me Draco."

DMHG

"Well, well, well, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy." Sprout said happily. "I see you two put your differences aside and worked things out together. Very satisfactory." she said as she scanned through the parchments. "I doubt any of your classmates would even dare try to work on such a rare plant." Sprout rolled up the parchment and placed it in her desk. "I shall return your work with the rest of the class, by then you will know your grades. For now, just settle with ten points each."

Draco grinned and Hermione smiled widely, "Thank you professor." they both said and left.

It was their free period, Harry was still working with Parkinson, Ron was still working with Neville. "Hey Hermione," Draco said, "Do you mind if I come with you for a while? Vince and Greg are still doing their projects."

"Of course I don't mind." Hermione said smiling. "Where do you want to sit? I'm not in the mood to go back in the castle yet."

"How about the lake? Or you can pick somewhere else."

"No, the lake is what I had in mind." They both walked to the edge of the lake and sat down under a great old tree. "Can you believe it?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"Believe what?"

"That we're actually leaving this school." she sighed.

"Yeah..." Draco sighed too and stared at the lake. "I can't imagine life without Hogwarts; this was my sanctuary from home."

"Why? Didn't you always brag about your great manor? Didn't you say you hated Hogwarts more than anywhere else? You always did brag about how rich you are and how powerful your father is."

'Well, yeah. But imagine having to live up to your father's expectations. He raised me to hate muggleborns, and hate Potter as much as muggleborns. I was raised to believe in the Dark Lord." he sighed and shook his head. "My mother raised me otherwise. She raised me the very opposite of what my father taught me. To believe that Potter was the only savior we have from him." he spat the name as though it was poison in his mouth.

"But why did they teach you opposite things? Were they fighting? Were they mad at each other?"

"Oh, no. My mother and father loves each other very much. My father raised me that way so I know the purpose of the Dark Lord. He wanted me safe from him. If I get too friendly with muggleborns, I'll be in trouble. Father always thought he'd come back. My mother raised me in another perspective so I wouldn't turn a blind eye on the other aspects of life. There's always the good and bad side... they showed me both."

Hermione studied Draco's face. It was expressionless. But his eyes showed a glint of anger and sadness and pain. "You never wanted to be a Deatheater, did you?" she said in a quiet voice.

"No! I never wanted to be one, never even crossed my mind. My parents didn't want it as well, but I had to do it. If I didn't join, he'd kill my whole family. It was an offer I couldn't refuse."

"D-do you still have the mark, then?" she asked. Draco nodded slowly. "Can I see it?" her curiosity got the better of her.

Draco lifted his left arm, and Hermione pushed away his sleeves. She watched Draco's face as she did this, but his face was expressionless. She saw the blackened mark on his arm, to carry forever... as a burden. She touched the mark lightly and saw his hand clench at her touch. "Does it still hurt?"

"Sometimes." he said, pushing his sleeves down. "I can still feel him calling us. I can still feel the mark burn. I can't forget how much pain there was when I received it, the pain to be branded. It's this stupid mark that make people hate me." he punched the ground angrily.

"Calm down Draco." she said placing her hand on his shoulders.

"Hermione, they hate me. They wont forgive me for what I did... For what my father did. He didn't mean it as well, he was forced the return when the Dark Lord did. He never wanted to be a Deatheater again. But damage was already done and I can't repair it."he looked at her, now sadness was evident in his face. "I don't even have friends."

"yes you do! You have Zabini, Parkinson, Goyle and Crabbe."

"yes, but we knew each other since we were kids. They're already like my family."

"Precisely! Friends are your family! Plus, you have me." she said with a smile.

"You?"

"I'll be your friend, Draco, if you don't mind having a muggleborn as your friend that is." she grinned.

Draco grinned too, "No, I don't mind."

"You could at least smile you know.' she rolled her eyes out of frustration.

"Sorry, I don't mind. Plus, if I did, you'd be madly in love with me." he said in a pompous manner, and ran his hands through his blond hair.

"Still a bit full of yourself, are you?" she laughed. "hey, do you mind if I study in the Room of Requirements with you? I need a place to study and practice spells. I wont be able to study in the common room since everybody would be noisy."

"I don't mind as long as you don't take Potter and Weasley with you."

"Oh Harry and Ron wont be coming. They have their girlfriends to keep them busy. We don't actually hang out that much anymore. It's usually Quidditch or their girls when you talk to them. We only walk to class together."

"That's what's been bugging me for a while. I rarely see you with any guy besides your friends. I heard you Krum broke of more than a year ago already. How come you don't have a boyfriend yet?"

"I guess I've been too busy. Well, it Doesn't really matter." she really just didn't want to talk about it.

"Well, fine. Do you want to swim?"

"What?"

"I said, do you want to swim? Or are you afraid of the water?" he smirked.

"Oh you're on!" Hermione said standing up. "Wait... my bathing suit is in my dorm."

"Then swim in your underwear." he said tossing away his robes and tie. "It's the same as wearing a bathing suit."

"What? Are you completely mental?Swim in my underwear?"she said pulling his robes closer to her body.

"Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to attack you." he laughed.

"Fine." she said rolling her eyes. "But turn around as I remove my clothes."

Draco laughed again and turned around, letting her undress. He could hear her clothes drop on the ground one by one, as he discarded the rest of his clothes.

"You done undressing?" he asked.

"yeah." she said. Draco turned and she tried hard not to stare at Draco's well sculpted body as he stood in front of her in just his boxers. Quidditch payed off since he was muscled in all the right places.

"You work out, Hermione?" he asked.

"Why?"

"You have a very nice shape." he asked, gazing at her from head to foot.

"Stop looking at me like that! It's making me uncomfortable." she said slightly blushing. It was embarrassing enough for him to see her in her black undergarments.

"I'm not going to attack you." he laughed again and then walked towards the water. "So do you work out?"

"Well, yeah." she walked over to the water as well, until the water reached her waist.

"Well... What do you do then?"

Hermione smirked and lanced at Draco. "I swim." she took a deep breath and dived into the cold water. Hermione was naturally a god swimmer, she was a varsity in her muggle school, and swam as an exercise.

Draco followed closely and both emerged to take in breaths.

"Why'd you bring you bring your wand?" she said pushing her hair out of her face.

"Can never be too careful." he said grinning. "I never knew you were a swimmer."

That's because I never told anyone. Harry and Ron Doesn't even know about it, so you wouldn't know about it either. Better not tell anyone. It's a secret of mine."

"I promise I won't." he raised his right hand as though making a very solemn swear. "Ready to go for another dive?"

"You bet." she took in another deep breath and dove into the water.

Draco gave light using his wand and followed Hermione closely. They stopped every now and then to swim up and take in some air, but wen deeper and deeper into the lake. Draco tapped Hermione on the shoulder and pointed up at the surface.

"I think we should go back" he said slightly panting as he got up. "We're already too far away from the shore."

Hermione looked back and nodded, "Yeah, we should. We have class in less than an ho-" Hermione plunged into the water suddenly without warning.

--

A/n:

I know this isn't that good but, I promise things will get better in the up coming chapter. And I know that some of you are wondering what does the moon have to do anything with this story as the title is Love Beneath the Mon. I promise that the upcoming chapters will explain everything.

Reviews please!