Longest Chapter yet!! its a good one... i think! Read, Review, and Enjoy!

"thanks for getting here on time," Hermione said as Malfoy walked around a corner later that evening. It was their night to do rounds, they should have started a half hour ago, they would be almost done by now, but Malfoy had taken his time to get there. They hadn't talked the rest of the after noon, and in the Great Hall neither of them tried to look at each other, they had had horrible afternoons, and did not feel like eating at dinner either.

"you know me Granger, always punctional," he said jerking her around. He wanted to apologize for the thigns he said to her today, but he didn't know how.

"watch out Malfoy, I may become all righteous on you," she said quoting him. He bit his tougne from saying anymore, he had already done enough damage. They walked in silence for twenty minutes, each deep in their own thoughts.

Malfoy thought about what a prick he actually was, and how Hemrione was right in almost everything she said. he felt like a jerk, it was the first time in his life that he did, and he hated the feeling.

'now if I had any chance, I fucked it up. Maybe she did have feelings for me? fuck.' Was all he could think.

Hermione continued to think how stupid she was for ever think Malfoy had the same feelings.

'I'm the clever one out of the trio, yeah right clever. And am I even apart of the trio anymore? Is it the duo now?' she thought. Not wanting to be broken from their thoughts, they were extremely disappointed when they found some first years from Hufflepuff running around.

"whats going on here?" Hermione said in her most official voice. They were some first years she recognized.

"he took my essay and said he would trash it, it took me three bottles of ink and a week to write that essay, and then he just goes and takes it from my satchel," a girl, who reminded Hermione much of her self when she was younger said.

"and your side of the story?" Malfoy asked the boy who had the essay in his hands.

"I wanted to copy it-," he began but there was a loud crash. Hermione looked to Malfoy.

"I'll go see what that was, you take care of this," she said turning on her heel.

"it was probolly Pevees," he said wanting to follow her, he found these young children to be quite boring.

Hermione ignored his comment and rounded the hallway and stopped in shock.

"quick, get under here before anyone comes," she heard Harry's voice say, as she saw some red hair fly under the invisablity cloak.

"Harry? Ron?" Hermoine asked. She stood there wondering if she was seeing things. They didn't show themselves until a minute later. Harry pulled the cloak off not only to revela Ron and himself, but Neville also.

"Neville?"

"Hermione, I can explain," Harry said as Hemrione's look of wonder turned into a look of outrage and betrayl.

"so is this what you do? say you go away, but then really spend days in the castle, hidden under the invisibility cloak? Hiding from me?" she asked, tears rushing to her eye lids.

"no Mione, let me explain-," Harry began.

"don't call me that, only my friends can call me that, and your obviously not one of them," she said harshly. He walked forward to her but she backed up.

"Hermione, please, listen to me. I would never hide from you, Ron and I have been away, we just had to come back to the castle, but we couldn't let anyone know," Harry said.

"why?" she asked him, her hand was on her wand, she wanted nothing more but to hex him so hard it hurt for weeks.

"I cant tell you," he said. Ron and Neville stood there with their heads down.

"why Harry? You used to be able to tell me everything about voldemort and yoru plans. We worked together, the three of us, and now you pushed me away. you go off to Merlin knows where, and you lie to me about it. how long have you been home?" Hermione asked.

"Hermione, I didnt tell you I came home only because I didn't want you to be worried. Its better than Ron and Neville and I do this, I can't loose you Hermione, I don't want to loose you, none of us do, that's why we pushed you away," he said and she looked so hurt.

"I don't want to loose you Harry, I don't want to loose any of you, but pushing me away hasn't helped. You used to be honest with me, and now you lie to me, and you Ron, you lie to me to, and Neville? How long have you known?" she said fighting the tears.

"Hermione, listen to Harry, we arrived last night, we are not trying to lie to you, we don't want you to get hurt," Ron said walking closer to Hermione but she backed away again.

"you are not lieign to me? you don't want me to get hurt? Well you've just done both. Some friends you are," she said she couldn't keep her composure much longer. "where have you been? What have you been doing?" Hermione asked.

"it doesn't matter," Harry said approaching her and tried to hug her, but when he touched her it made her shiver, and not in the good way. she backed away from him.

"yes it does Harry, it matters to me," she said. she looked from his eyes, to Ron's, to Neville's and back to Harry's. they weren't going to tell her.

"there was a time when I would have trusted my life with any of you. Where I would have willingly and with out thought given my life up for you on a battle field or anywhere. I love all three of you so much, and yet you have done nothing but shield me away from what is going on and lie to me. not once Harry, or any of you have I lied to you. Not once have I said anything that was not true. I have been by your side through everything, and this is what you do to me. it kills me when you go away. I sit here in class at school, praying that you are alright, that you make it home okay, safe and unharmed. Meanwhile you are already at school, doing Merlin knows what, but hiding from me, not even letting me know that you are okay. That your alive.

"and you Ron, you tell me everything, you are always there for me, even when Harry wouldn't tell me something, you would because you thought I deserved to know. When did I stop deserving to know? Wasn't I there with you both for the sorcers stone? Wasn't I there with you both, trying to figure out the chamber of secrets, wasn't I there for the tri-wizard tornament, helping you solve the clues, and wasn't I there helping you with the order and Sirius? I was there all the time, and then you stopped talking to me, stopped telling me what was going on.

"and Neville? Everything I ever said to you, that you said to me-, I thought we were friends, I thought we cared for one another. But you lied to me. you lied to me today, and merlin knows how many other times. All of you, I thought I could trust all of you!" Hermione said, each sentence her voice got louder and louder.

By this time Malfoy had finished with the first years, and stood against the wall around the corner listening. Hs heart aching for her yet again.

"you can Hermione, you can trust us!" Neville said, they were all mad at themselves for doing what they did.

"no I cant Nev, trust is the basic factor in any relationship. I thought I could trust you, but you lied to me, and used me, and I was wrong!" she said almost screaming now, she let the tears begin to fall she didn't care anymore.

"Hermione," Ron said and put her in a hug. She tried to break free from him but he held on tight.

"let me go!" she cried into his shoulder. They same shoulder that she sought solace in before, was now the shoulder she needed to get away from the most.

"listen 'Mione, listen to me, listen to Harry, listen to Neville. We never wanted to hurt you, we never wanted to lie to you, we never wanted to push you away. we care for you Hermione, that's why this happened. Harry and Nev and I would be devastated if anything happened to you because of us, or because of voldemort. When we go out, when we go on these missions, we go out not knowing what to expect half the time. Not knowing if we are going to come back alive, that's why we don't want you to go, or know about it. we don't want you to worry, we want you to be safe!" he said stroking her hair trying to calm her, but if anything it was making her more enraged.

"and I wouldn't be devastated if something happen to you? Did we ever expect half the things to happen that happened when we dealt with voldemort before? There is a time that is going to come Ron, where I may not make it out alive. Where by some works of the dark arts I will die, that's a chance we all take when we say we want to fight voldemort. You cant shield me from something that I want to fight, to be apart of, just because I may die. We all will die someday Ron, and I rather go down fighting than sitting at school waiting for an attack to happen," she said all the while trying to pull away from him, she finally was able to. "it still doesn't change that you lied to me, it doesn't it make it right that you were trying to protect me, don't think it does." She said wiping tears away, but she felt a second stronger wave coming. She tried to compose her self for a minute.

"five points from gryffendor Neville, for following these two gits around and not telling me anything. Another five points from Gryffendor Ron, for letting your emotions get in the way of your duty as a member of the order, and ten points from gryffendor Harry, for being a complete and total jack ass," Hermione said, her lip beginning to tremble.

"Hermione wait!" they all said as she took off running down the hall way. they tried to follow her, but it was useless, she disappeared around the corner and by the time they reached that corner, had no idea where she went.

"I feel like Malfoy," Ron said, to describe the hatrered that he felt for himself now.

"we aren't wrong in protecting her," Harry deicded firmly. This was his job, not Hermionie's. she had every right to know what was going on, but Harry had the same right not to tell her. As much as he trusted his descion, he felt like a prat.

"were such lousy blokes," Neville commented and they all agreed.

"we should go find her," Ron said after a minute.

"no, she needs time to get over this," Neville said as Harry and Ron went to go find her.

"will talk to her in the morning, we'll tell her everything," Harry resolved after a few moments of just standing there contemplating how lousy a boyfriend, fiancé and friend he was.

Hermione ran away, anywhere she could go to. she didn't think about where, just let her legs take her. Her head hurt too much. He heart ached.

'they've been lying to me, this whole time they've been lying. Protect me? I'm old enough to protect my self. I hate them.' She cried as she fell to the ground in the restricted section of the library.

She was so angry with them, the people she had loved most in her life were now the people she wished she's never see again.

What made her even more angry was that she had said yes to Harry, to marry him, and she couldn't even trust him. She was willing to give him her life because she loved him, even though she was terrifed to do so, and he was being honest with her. The feelings that swirled through out her were indescribable.

'I never really knew them, I didn't know they were this capable of making a person feel useless, and lousy, and betrayed. I have only lived my life for them, and they keep me blocked out of the most important part of theirs. I am supposed to marry Harry, yet I don't want to, I can't picture him at my wedding, I can't see me spending my life with him, yet I said yes anyway because I loved him and he needed me. well I need him too, I need him to be honest and trustworthy. I know he is consumed by so much, I am not asking for some attention from him, but honesty!' she continued crying, she lie on the ground her head resting on her hands that were now soaked with tears. She felt hopeless, lost alone and confused.

"typical," a voice said behind her, one of the voicest she wanted to hear least at that moment. But even though she didn't want to hear him, the word he spoke was filled with desire to tease, it didn't sound like it. she pushed her self up into a sitting postion and put her back against the bookcase.

"if you've come to tease me, can you just please hold off until later?" she asked bringing her knees in and resting her arms on them. She had suspected he was listening to the conversation she had with Harry, Ron and Neville, and just couldn't deal with him at the moment.

"I don't want to tease you," he said and sat down next to her. She was doing everything to keep her self composed.

"then what are you doing here Malfoy?" she said, she refused to look at him, but knew he was watching her.

"I came to apologize, for everything I said today. I didn't mean it, any of it," he said and looked down as her eyes widen in disbelief. Was Draco Malfoy apologizing to her. "I heard the fight you had, with Harry," he said, she let some tears fall from her eyes. "he does love you, he just wants to keep you safe."

"he lied to me," she said in a voice above a whisper.

"sometimes you have to lie to keep the ones you love safe," Malfoy replied. He was trying to win Hermione, yet he was telling her why her fiancé was right.

"it doesn't make it right," she replied, she realized then why she and Draco had fought earlier that afternoon, and what they felt for each other.

"what is right or wrong in love and war?" he asked, a question he thought a lot about. They sat in silence, stuck in their own thoughts of what was happening. "I just wanted to apologize." Malfoy stood up and was turning, he thought Hermione needed her time to think, to heal, but she grabbed his wrist.

"please Draco, don't leave me," she said, and couldn't believe she said it. he bent down to her and he was extatic.

"lets go back to the common rooms," he said and put out his hand for her to take. She did, and a small smile came on to her face. He helped her up and he wiped some tears off of her face. Her smile grew, it wasn't that she was happy, but he was making her feel better. they walked through out the halls back their dorm's, he guiding her and holding her hand. At that moment they understood what had been transipiring since school started. They were interested in each other. Very interested.

They took off there robes so that they were only in their school uniforms. Hermione sat on the couch as Draco tended to the fire, making the room warmer. Hemrione wanted to find words to speak to him, but there were none to be found. He sat on the couch, on the other end, giving her space if she needed it. they sat there, like that for ten minutes silence filling the void between them, unsure of what their actions should and would be.

As Draco found himself drifting to sleep, he felt a small frame up against his. Hermione tucked her head under his chin, and tucked her arms against his and her chest. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her tight, letting her know that he was there. They were perfectly proportioned for one another. He wiped a few more tears away with his thumb and studied her as she closed her eyes. she looked like a worn solider. She had had a long day he had known, and it was partially due to him, but he liked to think that he was redeemed from his acts by apologizing to her, but he was unsure of how that worked, he wasn't one to usually apologize. She wasn't asleep, she was resting he deduced, but it didn't stop him from taking everything in about her. Every small detail he had never been close enough to see, and didn't know if he would be again. He could only hope so, only hope that she chose him, but what was hope? He had never believed in it before, so why was he now.

She had the fullest eye lashes out of any girl he knew. Even when her eyes were closed they curled, begging guys for their attention. Her lips looked so soft and innoncent. They were naturally a light pink, and all Draco wanted to do was lean down and kiss them. They were the perfect size and shape and looked so desireable as she rested against his chest. He then looked at her nose, it was a cute little button nose that had a few very small freckles sprinkled across it, and her cheeks. He had never seen these freckles before, had never been close enough to do so. They were so cute, he wanted to run his hand across her cheek, feel her smoothness, but decided against it she needed her time to do what ever she wanted right now. She smelled so good he thought as he rested his head against the couch. What ever perfume she wore enthralled him to her, made him want to be immersed in that scent all day. She became so desireable to him that it took all of his energy not to kiss her right then. He ran his hand threw her hair, and got a smile on his face as he remembered how she looked when they first met. The bushy hair and buck teeth eleven year old, personality wise she hadn't changed much, but in looks she had. What made him smile even more, was that he was attracted to this bushy haired buck teeth character, even before he knew what a beauty she would turn out to be. Her hair now was only wavy with distinct yet subtle curls in it, he assumed she had charmed it to be so, but it suited he well.

"what are you smiling about?" Hermione asked, she had opened her eyes and saw that his were closed, and he actually had a smile on his face.

"I wasn't smiling," he replied opening his eyes and looking down at her. She rolled her eyes, it was obvious she was feeling better.

"you smell good," she said after a minute of breathing in his scent. It was an intoxicating scent that made Hermione never want to leave the postion she was in now.

"so do you," he replied, he didn't want to let go of her as they sat there, never wanted this night to end. He held on to her tighter for two reasons. One was to reassure her that he was there, and the other was for him just to make sure this was happening. As they're breathing became one, the heartbeat became one, Hermione traced little circles over Draco's chest where she lay. He took the hand that was doodling and brought it up to his lips and kissed each and every finger. He felt her shiver, but the good shiver.

After a few more minutes of sactions like this, Hermione began to pull away from him.

"it's late," she said once she had both feet on the ground.

"it is," he replied, and they both began to head up the stairs. They both stood outside the door of Hermionie's room, she was so unsure of what she wanted to do. really, she wanted nothing more than to throw the door open and drag Draco in with her, but she knew she couldn't. she stood with her hand on the door knob, she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

"why aren't you going in?" he asked, hoping to get the answer he desired.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready yet," she said and she felt his hands go on her hips. He pulled her closer and turned her around. He pushed some hair out of her face, as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I'm going to kiss you," Draco said in a voice just above a whisper. He wanted to let her know, so if she wanted to she could pull away, but she didn't, just nodded her head. Slowly he brought his lips to hers, they were so soft and gentle. So innoncent. Draco pushed Hermione against the wall with force, shielding her head with his hand so it wouldn't hit the wall. The force made her whimper, but not because it hurt, because it felt so right. Draco ran his toungue along Hermione's bottom lip, begging access to her mouth, to her taste, to her.

It took a minute for Hermione to acquieste to Draco's demand. She was having an internal battle between Harry and Draco at the moment, and he knew this, he gave her as much time as she needed; but was in heaven when she did open her mouth. she allowed him a minute to explore her mouth, each and every crevice. Hermione couldn't help but notice how different Draco's kisses were than Harry's. Harry had treated Hermione like she would break if he kissed her too hard, but Draco knew how strong Hermione was. Knew what force she could stand and wasn't afraid to give it to her; and that mere fact was a turn on for Hermione, someone who recognized her strength.

Draco's other hand held onto the small of Hermione's back, and it was her time to take control of this kiss. With as much force as she could muster she pushed both of them away from the wall so they both stumbled a little. She put her arms around his neck and pulled him as close to her as possible. There bodies were grinding up against one another, both of them wanted to take this kiss farther, but knew it was too much for tonight.

Draco was intrigued and happy with the way Hermione was taking control over the kiss, it was the first time he ever had a girl who did and it made him even more attracted to her, that she wasn't afraid to take control. But being the Malfoy that he was, he wasn't one to let the girl take over for to long. Once he had decided she was happy enough he slammed them into the wall, again shielding her head. He started to kiss down her jaw line and on her neck, a couple of small moans escaping Hermione's mouth. he worked his way back to her lips, and couldn't believe when she began to nibble on his lip. Not even realizing that he moaned also, they finished with a final kiss.

Draco stood there, his arms on either side of Hermione resting on the wall. They both smiled at each other as they caught their breath. Draco leaned forward and kissed her cheek and whispered.

"you're beautiful." He felt her shiver again and he pulled away to look in her eyes. she kissed him once more on his mouth.

"good night Draco," she said and slipped from under his arms to her bedroom door.

"night Hermione," he whispered back. Once making sure she was okay, he walked into his room and flopped on his bed, he was in heaven.