Draco paced in Hermione's Room of Tutoring, as he'd dubbed it, waiting for her to come back from her 'date' with Vladimir. For some reason, he knew she would be here instead of heading back to her dorm.

All that played in his mind, though, that kept him from examining that feeling, was the scene of Hermione following after that Durmstrang idiot and the look she'd sent him. Was she always that miserable looking when she was around Vladimir? He hated it right away. She was one of the few he called friends, and he didn't like to see his friends in fear. He hated seeing her blooming personality and laughter leave her eyes. It had drained out of her the moment she had seen the idiot and it had pained him to see that.

The door opened then, and he looked up. Hermione walked in, clad in a creamy pale colored afternoon gown. It was strapless and fell to the floor, clinging to her curves. She looked radiant in it, with her hair pulled up into a fashionable bun with a few strands falling to frame her face. She would have looked even more beautiful if her eyes hadn't been basically lifeless.

Draco crossed the room in three strides and caught her in a hug that held her to his chest. She stiffened for a moment for a moment before relaxing. Hermione raised her arms and wrapped them around him, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Draco held her for a moment. He hated that look in her eyes. It made him think of a zombie from a muggle movie Blaise had played once and it had scared Draco witless.

He pulled back slightly and framed her face in his hands. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Hermione looked up and into his eyes. Immediately, the light in Hermione's eyes returned. She smiled her old smile and said, "Thank you, Draco. I hate dating Vladimir and it takes so long to get back to normal."

He smiled and dropped his hands to her shoulders. "That's what friends are for," he said. He noticed the bags under her eyes and how her shoulders drooped slightly. "And you could use a cup of tea."

Hermione chuckled and walked over to the bed. She kicked off her shoes and said, "Who would ever thought Draco Malfoy would be sensitive to a what a woman needed." She shot him a teasing glance over her shoulder as she said, "Outside the bedroom, of course."

Draco rolled his eyes and said, "You're hooked on that 'Slytherin Sex God' thing, aren't you?"

Hermione tilted her head back and laughed. "It's a nice card to play against you, Draco," she said. She reached behind her and tried to reach the zipper. After a few moments of comical bending this way and that, she dropped her arms. "Can you unzip me?" she asked.

Draco laughed and walked up behind her. He reached for the zipper and slowly pulled it down. It was then that he realized she wasn't wearing a bra. He swallowed a knot in his throat as he saw the smoothness of her back and how her waist narrowed to the top of her lacy underwear, which barely peaked from above the zipper. He'd undressed a lot of girls, had seen enough backsides, but hers was something that had him staring.

Realizing what he was doing, he blushed and cleared his throat. "Two scoops of sugar and a dash of milk?" he asked, moving away.

"Yeah," she said as he walked to the kitchen.

Draco busied himself with making tea as he heard her dress hit the ground. An image of a naked Hermione popped into his mind and he shook it away as he blushed. What was wrong with him? He'd slept with enough girls to stop being embarrassed when he was naked with them. But something about Hermione was making him different about whatever he did and think when he was around her. There was more cloth being moved around behind him. Draco poured the hot water into two mugs and added Hermione's sugar and milk.

A hand appeared over his shoulder and Hermione picked up her mug. "Thanks, Draco," she said, walking over to the bed and sitting down on it. He turned and stared at what she was wearing. She was clad in a green tank top and matching green jogging shorts. He smiled at the Slytherin colors.

"I like the outfit," he said. "But you did look beautiful in the other one."

Hermione reached over the bed with her leg and kicked the dress. "I hate it," she said. "I hate everything that man picks out. It's all just so I'll be his trophy." She returned her leg back under her on the mattress and patted the side next to her. Draco picked up his own mug and sat next to her, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. Hermione leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Why do you do that?" he asked.

"You're a comfy pillow," she said, smiling. "When I was small, I would get really nasty nightmares. Now, I know they were the cards, telling me fortunes, but then, I thought they were the worst nightmares because I couldn't do anything. I was just stuck in a place, like behind a window, unable to move or talk. The dreams themselves weren't bad, just that feeling. So, I would wake up and cry. Andrew use to come in and hold me, his room being closest to me and everything. I would fall asleep against him. I became so accustomed to it, when he left for school, I couldn't sleep well for weeks. I finally got a big pillow and hugged it, imagining it was him." She laughed at the memory. "Barcus found me once and he had this thing that he didn't want to be outdone by his brother, so he became my pillow. Each one of my brothers became a pillow for me at one time or other. But it was weird to have the triplets being my pillows."

Draco chuckled as he imagined the triplets and Hermione trying to sleep in a bed using each other as pillows. Then his image changed to Hermione using Draco as a pillow. Without clothes. And flush from a night of passion. He shook that out of his mind and sipped his tea. "Why did you tell me that?" he asked nonchalantly.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "Probably because I just had a strong memory and wanted to share it. Or maybe I just wanted to think of something other than this night."

Draco rested his cheek against the top of her head and said, "What happened after you left?"

She stiffened and tightened her grip on her mug. "He Flooed us to a boutique. A nice place, actually. And he ordered the staff to make me presentable. His exact words, too. I was washed and styled and put into that dress. I liked how I looked for a few seconds, before I remembered that he'd picked it out and it was to be shown like an owl or something. We then went to an expensive restaurant. It was gorgeous. Romantic lighting, strolling violinists, and great food. It would have been perfect...if it had been his idea. I just know our mothers came up with it, hoping I warmed up to him. But he's so cold and hard. I mean, I like strong men, but not the dumb Viking kind that's all muscle and use it to intimidate people." She paused, as if remembering something. Her fingers brushed over her cheek. The movement looked like she might have been brushing her hair away from her eyes, but Draco had seen the pain in her eyes. Hermione shook her head and continued. "He then Flooed me back and said goodnight." She shuddered. "I hate kissing that man."

"He kissed you?" Draco said, feeling rage fill him. Something about that idiot touching Hermione in such a way made him angry.

Hermione shook her head. "He makes me kiss him. On the cheek. He says it's my 'duty to act as the obedient wife that I will one day be'," she said. She snorted. "Bastard," she said before sipping her tea.

"Why do you put up with it?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "It's settled and no one is going to be saving me from that. My brothers can't buy me from it, because then they'd have to marry me."

"Huh?" Draco said.

She looked up at him and smiled softly. "To get out of the marriage, someone must pay the dowery to my suitor then marry me to ensure that they are serious about marrying me. I don't know anyone that could do that for me. Most of the guys I know are too week willed, students, or are already happy with their significant other. Besides, because of Vladimir's influence, not many guys are willing to face him." Hermione smiled and said, "By the way, thanks for standing up for me, but I don't want you to get hurt."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "Next time I see him, I'm going to punch him," he said. "No one makes my friends sad."

Hermione set her tea down on the floor, slid under the covers, and snuggled next to his side. She rested her head over his chest and draped an arm across his chest. She closed her eyes and said, "I'm so glad you're my friend, Draco."

In a few moments, she was asleep. Draco set his own tea down and ran his fingers through her hair. It calmed him slightly, but he was still angry. He couldn't let Hermione be in this kind of relationship. No one deserved it. He needed a plan.

AN: So, I hope you liked the chapter. It's coming together nicely, don't you think? And I put the brothers in there (kinda).