Draco looked apprehensively into Hermione's classroom. There wasn't a person in sight. It was around eight o'clock, and he'd woken to find Hermione gone. Was she going to pretend like last night was some sort of convoluted dream? Should he even mention it?

What the hell happened to Hermione Granger?

For the life of him, Draco couldn't think of anything that would be endangering Hermione. Voldemort was gone, and all of the Death Eaters that survived lived in the deepest kind of shame. Even if there was some big bad monster bothering Hermione, why didn't she just hex its brains out? Granger'd been top of her class since before time, knew every spell in the book. And she was no coward - she was not the coward Draco was.

What was so terrible that even Hermione couldn't fight it?

As he walked across the hall to his classroom, Draco heard footsteps. He turned and looked to see Professor McGonagall approaching him.

"Professor Malfoy, I have a rather troubling matter to discuss. Do you have a minute?"

Draco smiled inwardly. Mine's bigger than yours.

"Of course, Professor. Come on in. Have a seat."

"I'll stand, thank you." Even in her old age, there was no one to top Minerva McGonagall.

"You said you had something on your mind?" Draco asked.

"Yes, yes." McGonagall looked rather upset. "It's Professor Granger. Do you have any idea where she is? She called in sick rather abruptly, and she's not missed a day since she got the job three years ago. Professor Granger came to school with dragon pox and still managed to teach - it worries me what might be keeping her home."

Draco' face remained blank, but his mind was wheeling.

Where is she? Did it happen again? Should I tell McGonagall? No, no, it's not my secret to tell...

"Er, I think she got a rather troubling shock last night - a family thing. I'm not sure what happened, but she was quite upset. I imagine that's where she is now - dealing with it." It wasn't the whole truth, but Draco hadn't lied.

"Oh." said Professor McGonagall. "Oh...I do hope she's alright. In the meantime, we've no one to cover for her. Mr. Malfoy, could you bring her class into your dungeon, today? They can have a study period."

"Of course. I would be honored." Draco was having trouble keeping his composure.

Just leave, would you?

"I'll..be on my way, then." McGonagall said. As soon as the door closed behind her, Draco lost it. His breath sped up and his pulse quickened.

Ahh, Draco. Calm down. She's fine. Besides, what do you care? She's just Granger.

Despite this rationalization, Draco couldn't calm himself, and despite attempting to distract himself with ungraded papers, only one thing was on his mind.

Where the hell is Hermione?

x-x

Where the hell am I?

As soon as Draco had fallen asleep the night before, Hermione apparated to the first place she'd thought of.

The only problem was, she couldn't remember what she'd thought of.

Healing magic had an effect on a witch or wizard similar to the one morphine did on a Muggle - they weren't quite unconscious, but in a stupor most akin to drunkeness. That's why Hermione generally liked to let her bruises heal on their own - no magic, no daze. However, given the severity of her injuries...there hadn't really been much choice.

So as Hermione walked down a paved street crowded with people, it was all she could do to discern what language was being spoken, let alone her location. At best guess, it was...French? She kept walking down the street and looked to her left - there was a small courtyard with a fountain that was naggingly familiar. A family of two parents and a small daughter sat at a small cafe, laughing.

Ah hah!

Hermione was in Paris, where her parents had taken her the summer before third year. They'd gone for a short walk, gotten lost and stumbled upon one of her favorite childhood memories. As she looked at the little girl at the table, Hermione thought of her own parents, and of the last time she'd seen them - her wedding.

If only you could see me now.

Hermione drew no attention as she walked through the courtyard - her bruises were gone. But the majority of the damage done had not been external. She couldn't help but think that she'd brought Ron's wrath on herself - she hadn't been respectful. And Draco... Hermione couldn't fathom what Draco must think of her. She had no idea what crazy ideas she would come up with if the situation were reversed. Maybe I'm a closet MMA champ. A skydiver gone wrong?

Whatever Draco could come up with, it was probably better than the truth.

No matter what Draco thought of her, Hermione was very sure of her feelings towards him. To be sure, the heartless monster of six years ago was long gone. The events of the previous night, the comfort Draco had provided: he was a part of her now. It was a feeling so much stronger than love that it was alien to her.

Hermione took one last look at her surroundings and apparated back to Hogwarts.

Up until this point, the time had completely evaded her. The clock on the wall read 16:15.

Oh, bollocks! I'm late! Hermione had already missed her first three classes, but fifth hour Transfiguration started in five minutes. She sprinted down the hallway as fast as she could and whipped around the corner, not looking where she was going.

She ran straight into a very tall man with very blond hair.

It was none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Draco?" Hermione exclaimed.

"HERMIONE!" Draco scooped her into a bone-crushing hug. "I thought you were DEAD! Where have you BEEN?! I was so worried, I thought...I thought it had happened again."

Draco's words seemed very far away as she rested her head onto his shoulder, and breathed in deep. He smelled of Potions classrooms and musk and detergent, and his skin was warm against hers.

"I've got to go, Draco." she said, pulling away. "I'm late." Hermione looked into his eyes and said, "I'll talk to you later. I promise."

She turned away and grinned broadly to herself, running down the hallway.

x-x

Draco watched Hermione sprint down the hallway. She seems fine...well, a little more than FINE.

He had never felt this way before. He couldn't think straight or sleep right, and he always had butterflies in his stomach. He was jumpy and disoriented, and the smallest things caused him to blush.

Must be the flu.

You idiot, this is not the flu.

Well, it's not like it can be anything else, right? She's married, for Merlin's sake.

Yes...the Weasel. Whatever Hermione saw in him, that union trumped any schoolyard romance he might have had with her. Draco was good at hiding his feelings - he would just have to ignore Hermione.

Ignore her magic smile, the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Ignore her hair, smelling of lavender, and ignore the depth inside her mahogany eyes.

Draco would have to forget the previous night entirely - no platonic relationship shared that kind of intimacy. It took more than just a friend to fix someone who had been that broken. It took love.

Damn it, Draco. You cannot fall for her.

But he knew it was too late for that.

x-x

As the last class of the day let out, Hermione looked around wildly for the only person she wanted to see. The only person she could think about.

What am I going to tell him? That I ran away to France so I could resist kissing him?

Oh god, did I run away to France so I could resist kissing him?

Hermione knew it was the truth. Like it or not, she had fallen for Draco Malfoy, fallen for his stupid little smirk and his perfect hair, fallen for his smell and his wit and his stormy grey eyes. Most of all, Hermione had never known a rock as solid as Draco, and she couldn't turn away something that had stitched her up in her darkest hour. Maybe it was time to stop resisting.

But Ron...

If last night had proven anything, it was that Ron would be Ron - hurtful and cruel and evil, no matter what she did. It was time to do what Hermione wanted, not what he wanted her to.

As she looked down the hallway, looking blond amongst brown, a tall man among the short, Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and looked into Draco's eyes, and grabbed his hand without a word.

"Hermione, I-"

"Shh," she replied. "Come with me. We need to talk."

As the two weaved through the halls in silence, sparks flew through their fingers. Their hands held a private conversation of their own within the noisy hallways, and Hermione had trouble concentrating on the crowded hallway. She spotted what she had been looking for, and spoke.

"I seek a place where no one will find us."

The Room of Requirement opened, and she pulled Draco inside.

x-x

Hello all!

Sorry for the choppiness of this chapter - for some reason it didn't flow like usual. I'm going on vacation for a week, so the next update may not be for a while - please bear with me :)

Lots of Love,

-TOAO