All aspects of Harry Potter © belong to J.K. Rowling, except this story, in which the words and tales woven are of my mind.

AN: The tale grows deeper… Thank-you for the kind reviews. I shall not try to disappoint any with my lack of creativity these days. Just haven't been in the mood to write, but I'd feel bad if I gave up on this story when I have people who actually wanna read more. *shrug*

Enjoy!

Tourniquet

Chapter 6: Want Your Skin Up Against Mine…

The night gently floated through the open window and into the room of the seventh year Gryffindor Prefect Hermione Granger. It was a rather calm night in November, and a few snowflakes drifted into the room landing upon Hermione's desk. She was still awake at midnight, writing furiously on a piece of parchment, unaware of the water droplets soaking into her paper. When a particularly snowflake landed on her cheek she looked up in wonder. She hadn't opened the window.

Nobody in their right mind would leave their window open at that time of the year. She shivered, as the room had grown quite cold in the last hour in which the warmth had escaped through the window leaving a chill in the air.

She closed the window, and placed he latch to make sure it wouldn't open again.  

Rubbing at her eyes, Hermione yawned and glanced at her watch. "Shit it's late." She mumbled sitting down on her bed and pulling off her socks.

She began unbuttoning her blouse when the cold night air on her revealed throat made her pause in action. Looking over at the window she gaped in confusion. The window was wide open again, the latch undone.

"What the hell?" she strode over and slammed the window shut again in annoyance. She didn't have the patience to deal with a window that wouldn't stay shut when she was so tired and just wanted to collapse in bed.

As she was about to pull off her shirt, the trickle of chilly air hit her neck once again. Growling in frustration she turned around in preparation to do anything to keep the darn window shut, even if it meant nailing in shut.

There standing before her was a blonde boy with the biggest smirk she had ever seen. "Nice socks."

Hermione's mouth gaped open for only seconds before she realized that he was not referring to her socks, but rather the fact that she was standing there in front of him in only her underwear, socks and a blouse that was open from the neck to navel.

"What the hell are you doing in my room Malfoy?" she shrieked grabbing a blanket off the foot of her bed and wrapping it around her, in the process even covering the top of her head with it.

He chuckled closing the window with the nudge of his shoulder and plopped down her bed, resting his hands behind his head. "Just testing my wings." He stared up with glee, having caught her in one of her most private moments.

She stared down and had to wonder how long he had been in her room. At least he had the decency to reveal himself before she had gotten completely naked – it that was any decency at all.

"Nice room you got here…" he said eyeing the walls. "Who is Justin Timberlake?" he raised an eyebrow as he stared at a poster hanging above her wall.

Hermione blushed. Harry always bugged her about that poster and her crush on Justin Timberlake. She had never been so happy in her life that Draco Malfoy was not any part of the Muggle world than at the moment.

"No-body."

Draco continued to study the poster. "Bloke looks me. I always knew you fancied blondes Granger." He teased. "But anyways, I am here for an actual reason." He sat up on her bed and patted the spot next to him with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Ha! Right. I don't think so Malfoy. If I told McGonagall about you sneaking into peoples rooms at night-"

"You wouldn't do that. I know you Granger. You like to obey the rules, but you don't go and tell on people. It even bothers you when others do. You think it's low behavior…"

He was right, and she had no idea how he knew. Rolling her eyes she mumbled, "whatever," and sat down at the chair at her desk. "Well what do you want anyways? I do want to go to bed sometime tonight."

"Don't let me keep you from that." He received a 'Standard Book of Spells 7' in the head for that comment. "Fine-fine. I wanted to ask you for help."

"With?" she asked suspiciously.

"That bloody talent show." He reluctantly answered not looking her in the eye. "I need a little help and it's not like I can ask Crabbe or Goyle. They've decided their going to compete against each other in a pie eating contest for their act." His nose wrinkled in disgust.

"What kind of help do ya need?" she pulled her chair closer, unaware that her blanket was inching its way off her shoulders.

"I don't know what I should do."

She pursued her lips in thought. "I'll think about it and get back to you. How's that?"

"I guess alright."

"Malfoy, this whole betrothal thing…" She bit her lip and stared at Draco's feet. She had never noticed, but the boy was wearing sneakers.

"Yeah?"

"Well, you don't actually agree with it…right?"

Draco sighed and actually looked somber for once. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. At first, I was surprised that it was you." She nodded in understanding. She had been just as confused with finding out she was a Pureblood and all that nonsense. "But, all my life I've been told that I'm going to marry this one girl, well you. It's not like I can question it, you know? It's like the sky being blue or me hating Potter, it's just the way things have always been and it's hard to change something like that; the same with this betrothal. My Mother always told me that this one special girl would change the world for, she'd light my day; make the sun shine on my gloomiest day-" he stopped abruptly when he realized he was rambling on.

Hermione stared at him in amazment. This was Malfoy, spilling his heart out to her in her bedroom and she was half-naked. "This won't get you in my knickers you know…"

He threw back his head and laughed, an open laugh, not a sneer but just genuine laughter. "Thanks Granger, I needed that. I'm gonna be uh…going now. I think I made a big enough ass of myself for the night."

She smiled a small smile. "I'll let you know if I come up with anything…"

And with that, Draco disappeared again. She turned around and around in her room in amazement. It was like whenever Harry put on his Invisibility cloak. It took your breath away for a few moments.

"Night Draco." She whispered and crawled into her bed, snuggling up to her pillow and thinking over what he had said over and over in her mind.

"…My Mother always told me that this one special girl would change the world for me…"

She smiled. It was the sweetest things she had ever heard from Draco Malfoy's mouth, and with those thoughts she dozed off to sleep, unsuspecting that he was perched on her desk, just watching her – nothing creepy about it. He just wanted to watch his future bride sleep.

AN: Awww…yes. So sappy, but I don't care LOL

Yeah I know it's been like 4 months since I updated, but well I didn thave a computer! I did write ¾ of this chapter back in September but it needing fixing and all.

TBC…