A/N: Hiiiii, I don't own anything, k byeeeee.

Chapter title and song lyrics belong to Sarah McLachlan Possession.

(FYI: review mentions/shout outs/thank you's are in the footnote this time, I didn't forget about you!)

"Into this night I wander,

it's morning that I dread.

Another day of knowing of
the path I fear to tread.

Oh into the sea of waking dreams,
I follow without pride.

Nothing stands between us here
and I won't be denied "

He couldn't be sure what time he entered his room, or how long he paced back and forth. He was only aware of his hand, as he held it in front of him, his eyes boring into it as if he expected something to happen.

Or rather, as if something already had.

But did it? He couldn't figure it out. All he remembered was watching her. She looked so different to him, sitting there on the couch, book in hand. She looked...pretty. Beautiful even, her defiant hair sneaking into her face, her skin smooth and unblemished. She taunted him, that much he knew.

It wasn't as if she'd never behaved that way before. After over 6 years of their verbal spars he was certainly accustomed to her attitude when it came to all things Malfoy. Not that she didn't have an excuse of course. He couldn't place when exactly the shift occurred. Suddenly, he no longer found exchanges with Granger to be an annoying and tiresome. He no longer wanted to make her cry as fast as possible just to get her out of his sight. He now realized he actually liked when they crossed paths, simply because he liked to watch her squirm. To see her thinking of how best to react, to watch the look on her face as she reacted to him and retaliated, and to see the fire behind her eyes.

Somewhere along the way he began to actually seek her out, just in hopes of starting a fight. It was worth it just to see how passionate she got when she felt strongly about something, dislike for him included. But when? And why couldn't he remember?

He continued to pace, gaining speed as he tried to figure out when he began to see her differently. But he couldn't, his mind snapping back to the scene by the fire.

He was watching her, trying to keep his temper under control as they commenced in a battle of wits. He was positive he was winning, especially when she failed to meet his eyes. She was hiding and he knew it. But then she met his gaze. She fired back at him with the same fervor he came to expect. In one moment, he was imagining himself wiping the smirk right off her face, and before his mind caught up with him he'd already ripped the book from her hands and hurled it into the fire. The next moments relived themselves as flashes of memory.

Her body lunging for the fire, his hands grabbing her waist, realizing how slender it was, her arms flailing. A flash of her body hitting the couch as he threw her sideways, her hair waving wildly as she flung herself back up with surprising speed. The look on her face.

That look.

It was burned in his brain, her eyes hazy and disbelieving. They weren't alight with the fire of battle as usual. It was strange to see them that way, hardened and weary as she stared up at him, her face full of cold rage. He brought his hand to his face, feeling the sting of her hand all over again, and then...

Than he finally got to wipe the smirk from her face.

Had he really done that?

He looked at the back of his hand. Blood. Not a large amount, but there it was, glinting up at him from the otherwise untarnished silver of his family ring.

All the memories, the flashes, the feelings, and the sounds came rushing back at once causing a sudden burst of rage to spill over. He grabbed the nearest object, a crystal ball sitting innocently on the bookshelf, and pitched it at the wall as hard as he could. A million tiny pieces showered the surrounding floor, making small ping noises upon contact. The sound snapped him back to reality, and he finally ceased his pacing, sitting himself on the edge of his four poster bed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

'What am I doing?' he asked himself.

The most unnerving part wasn't that he hit the mudblood.

The most unnerving part was that he liked it.

Hermione took a good long breath before entering the great hall. She didn't know if he would be at dinner but if he did, she would be prepared.

A tiny part of her mind told her she needed this breath even more to prepare to face her friends. Her glamor charm worked, of that she was sure. Other than the small cut on her cheek she looked unscathed. She just hoped she could act normal. In reality, she felt like jumping out of her skin.

Harry and Ron where already seated, just as she expected. She kept her head up, and swept down the aisle toward the Gryffindor table, seating herself across from Harry and Ron, next to Neville.

"I'm starving!" she started, perhaps a little too perky. She made a mental note to act natural, rather than some happy robot person. Ron's eyebrow lifted slightly.

"You're starving? He asked, sounding like he hadn't been fed in weeks. This of course, was inaccurate as Ron ate enough to feed a small village. Or perhaps a large one.

Harry laughed.

"You sound like Ron" he mentioned, shooting Hermione a friendly wink.

"A growing wizard needs food!" Ron proclaimed, trying to sound indignant. He achieved something more like the essence of a whiny first year. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

"Honestly Ronald, you'd think they didn't feed you at home!" she threw at him, a more genuine smile creeping upon her face despite her efforts at exasperation. The feeling was short lived when she heard that familiar drawl behind her.

"You should be more sensitive mudblood, they probably don't. Last I checked it costs money to buy food." Ron and Harry looked up as Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle approached, making to stand right behind Neville and Hermione. Malfoy looked extremely pleased, Crabbe and Goyle snickering in unison behind him. Hermione froze momentarily before she masked her surprise and discomfort with pride and disinterest. She didn't want to have her back turned to him, but she was safe in the great hall, the table of professors sitting just across the room. She turned to Neville.

"That's strange... Neville, do you recall ordering a business of ferrets to accompany us during dinner?" she asked, ignoring the three Slytherins behind her. Neville stifled a laugh.

"I don't think so, but than again we know me, I forget a lot." he replied. Harry and Ron looked like they'd just won the Quidditch Cup.

"Do you think you're being clever there Granger?" Malfoy said simply.

"Oh no, there's nothing clever about you ferret." she retorted, turning to face him, careful not to let her voice betray her fear. He opened his mouth to speak, when Snape grabbed everyone's attention and commanded they all be seated. After the last of the students were seated, he spoke.

"This being the night before classes begin, I have a few announcements. First I would like to congratulate and announce this years Head Boy, Draco Malfoy." the Slytherins exploded into cheers, filling the hall with their excited shouts. Neville leaned into Hermione to whisper in her ear.

"Snape forgot to congratulate you? How can this be!" he teased, shooting her a grin. She laughed despite herself and glanced over to Harry and Ron. They definitely didn't find anything funny. She wasn't sure if she was happy or not. In one respect, her best friends no longer looked like zombies. But now all they looked anymore was angry. They sat slumped in their chairs, Ron looking red in the face, and Harry gripping the table in front of him, trying to keep himself from an outburst.

'At least he is learning to control his temper' she thought to herself. She supposed she should have been comforted by the thought, but all it did was worry her. 'What if he isn't controlling it but bottling it all up?' the last option would likely come back to bite them later.

Finally the cheers of the Slytherins died down and Snape continued.

"Your Head Girl will be Hermione Granger." he added with no intention of congratulating her. Her first name sounded rather strange coming from Snape's mouth.

The Gryffindor's lost it. Many of them stood, jumping up and down and screaming loudly towards the Slytherin table as if to say 'take that'.

"Silence" Snape demanded in his usual slick and venomous tone. The whole of the Gryffindor table looked as though they wanted to charge him. Luckily they thought better of it and sat, fuming. Against her better judgment, Hermione allowed her eyes to search for Malfoy. He sneered at her, and she turned away quickly.

"The last order of business is to introduce to you, two new members of our staff. Taking the post for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Amycus Carrow."

No one said anything or even motioned to clap as Snape motioned to the now standing man. Carrow stood around six feet tall, with pasty skin and a nose that vaguely resembled a beak. His face was twisted into what Hermione thought must have been his attempt at a smile but came across menacing and cruel. His hair was as black as Harry's and as greasy as Snape's, though it was cut short to his head. Students were at a loss of how to react to him, and even the fellow professors refused to clap for him. Carrow didn't seem to care or notice, as he returned to his seat.

"Taking the post for Muggle Studies, may I introduce Alecto Carrow." The person standing now was a woman. She was short and slightly dumpy with red hair and equally pale skin. Though she looked little like Amycus, there was no doubt they were siblings. If their names didn't, then it was their eyes which gave them away. Both pairs were beady and calculating, the same murky shade of brown. After a few more moments of awkward silence, she too sat.

Snape waved his hand causing the food to appear, and returned to his seat.

"Snape must really hate that even as headmaster he can't manage to snag Defense Against the Dark Arts" said Seamus Finnegan.

"Did you forget about sixth year Seamus?" asked Neville.

"Well yeah, but I just meant, he didn't even get to keep it." he replied, off-put that his attempt at wit had been ruined.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, quietly picking at their food, though no one seemed actually hungry. It was Harry who broke the silence.

"Hermione, what happened to your face?" he asked, looking at her as if it were the first time he'd seen her.

Hermione's eye flickered over to Malfoy who was talking to Pansy Parkinson. She caught herself quickly, desperately arguing with herself not to give anything away.

"I took a small nap after I left the Room of Requirement earlier, and forgot to take my ring off." she lied, forcing out a small laugh at her feigned forgetfulness. Harry seemed satisfied at this answer, and went back to picking at his food.

She let out a breath of relief, hoping lying would simply get easier. After all, the feeling in her stomach telling her she'd have to do it again grew bigger by the second

This would not be the end of this.

"What do you mean you liked it?" Blaise Zabini asked his fair haired friend.

Draco and Blaise occupied a small corner of the Slytherin common room. They retreated to the spot right after dinner.

It took the blond a while to shake off Pansy Parkinson so he could be alone with his best friend.

Parkinson was a Slytherin girl who fancied Malfoy. Or Blaise. Or whoever was on the menu that week. This week seemed to be Malfoy's turn.

It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the attention. Anyone who knew him knew he loved attention. It was one of the initial reasons he hated Potter so much. He would never admit it to himself, but Potter gathered attention everywhere he went. Malfoy had hope they could be friends. Not because he particularly needed the companionship. But because he hoped he could use Potter's fame for his own gain.

Not that any of it mattered now. He supposed the fact they'd never been friends made everything easier. He supposed he might have at least felt bad about helping Voldemort if they'd been pals.

Malfoy didn't need to be famous to get Pansy's attention however. She often hung about, pawing at him, and fussing over him. She'd been a rather pug faced 11 year old, but she'd certainly grown into her nose. Her face was soft and round shaped, and her body had filled out. She now boasted very feminine curves. Her eyes were very dark and matched the black hair that hung down her back, straight and thick.

The girl had become very much a tale among the Slytherin boys. They seemed to pass her between them almost weekly. Both Malfoy and Blaise had their fair share of turns. She didn't seem to mind though, and took great pride in being seen as sexy by so many of her male classmates.

Usually he would be relishing in the attention and preparing for a night of fleeting passion. Today however, the very sight of Pansy irritated him. He fed her some cock and bull story about how he had things to do for The Dark Lord. This was the easiest way to get her to back down. Her family were well known pure blood supremacists, and she stood in awe of Draco's standing with Voldemort. Once he finally got rid of her, he and Blaise settled into two arm chairs, looking around to make sure they were alone. Malfoy told Blaise what had happened.

Blaise was honestly not surprised to hear how physical things had turned. After years of hearing his friend complain about the mudblood, and now finding out they would be sharing living quarters, he more or less expected something to go down. He didn't think it would be quite this serious, but he couldn't be surprised. The only thing that threw him off, was the unplaced emotion he saw in his friend's face.

"I don't know Blaise. I hate that filthy little mudblood. Then that little bitch thought she could try and ignore me around the Gryffindorks. Pathetic Longbottom and the idiot twins Potter and Weasley. She makes me sick. Maybe I just liked watching her go speechless, since it's a rarely indulged luxury." he spat bitterly.

"It seems like it might be something more than that mate. I've never seen you as worked up as you get when Granger is involved. Not even with Potter and Weasley." Blaise observed. Draco glowered.

"I'm supposed to ruin her this year. That was my plan. I can't let her get to me."

Blaise remained silent, though he knew the truth.

She already had.

Hermione and the boys returned to the Gryffindor common room after dinner to compare schedules. For a moment, it felt like they were back in simpler days, laughing with hot tea by the fire, lounging on the squishiest chairs, and talking about classes. Even Harry and Ron seemed carefree for a while.

"'Mione, what do you have?" Neville inquired.

"Um, Arithmancy in the morning, then a break for Head stuff, then charms, defense, herbology, history, and Transfiguration. My Tuesday and Thursdays are astronomy, potions, ancient runes, care of magical creatures, and muggle studies."

"Geez Hermione, you would think you could take a break for this last year. You've never had anything below a full schedule before. Live a little." Ron stated.

"Just because you don't feel the need to take as much as you can from school doesn't mean you can get after me for caring about my education."

"Caring is one thing, you're mental!" he retorted. Hermione threw her schedule down.

"Are you afraid I won't have time to do your homework for you Ronald!?"

"No! You're acting insane, I was just trying to help but if you want to keep being a know it all, then be my guest, bloody hell." he fell back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

In an instant Hermione flung herself across the space between them and threw her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. She caught him by surprise. So much so, that he didn't have time to remember he was angry. He let his arms slide around her, and pressed her further into him.

"What was that for?" he asked, perplexed.

"We were arguing!" she exclaimed, the sound muffled by his chest she was still buried in.

"So you wanted to hug me?"

"Yes! We always argue, but lately I can barely get any emotion out of you. Or you." she added, turning to Harry. "Do you know how many times in the last few months I've tried to get a rise out of either of you? It's like pulling teeth anymore! The only people that seem to get anything out of you are Snape and Malfoy. I miss this."

Neville smiled, watching the scene unfold before him. Maybe this would help things back to normal. He certainly hoped so, hoping he wouldn't have to spend all year worrying about her. He was worried for Harry and Ron as well, but mostly for her. She didn't worry about or take care of herself when her friends were in trouble. He didn't want to watch her lose herself while trying to save her friends.

She finally returned to her seat and grabbed the schedules from all three boys.

"We all have charms, defense, herbology, history, transfiguration, and care of magical creatures together! Neville and I have muggle studies together, Harry and I have potions." she told them.

"I'm so glad I never have to deal with potions ever again!" sighed Ron emphatically. Harry looked at the clock.

"It's almost 9:30. I still need to finish putting my things together for classes tomorrow."

Hermione shot him an incredulous look.

"What do my ears hear? Harry Potter is going to prepare for his classes? A whole day ahead of time!" she faked gasped. "I'm so proud."

Harry merely rolled his eyes and smiled at her, when she realized something.

"Crap, did you say 9:30?" she asked, looking up at the clock to see for herself. She grabbed her bag in a rush and headed for the door.

"Hermione where are you..." started Harry when he was cut off.

"I have to Patrol, I'm going to be late!" she yelled after herself as she disappeared through the portrait hole.

By the time Hermione reached Head Student Tower, she was winded. She stopped just short of the door to catch her breath, hands on her knees, head down trying to regulate her breaths. She looked up suddenly at the door, remembering her roommate and how they left things.

She stood slowly, and approached the painting of the old wizard. All three of the painting's inhabitants were awake now, and stared back at her. Suddenly she remembered the password and her anxiety was replaced by annoyance.

"Pure Blood." she murmured, irritably. The painting swung open allowing her access. She stopped just inside of the narrow stone tunnel that led to the common room, and listened for any sign of Malfoy. She shook her head in exasperation, and straightened up, ready to face him. She refused to live always having to survey the surroundings of her own living space or to constantly be looking over her shoulder.

She strode into the common room confidently, and stopped when she saw Malfoy sitting in his arm chair. He looked angry and noticed her at once.

"You're late mudblood." he snarled but to her relief, made no motion to move.

"By like two minutes ferret. We don't even have to patrol until ten." she shot back, suddenly feeling bold.

"We have strict instructions to meet at 9:30 princess. We still have to work out the route." he snapped.

"I didn't realize you were so anxious to hang out with me Malfoy." she smirked.

He got up at that and approached her swiftly. Her first instinct was to back away, or diffuse the situation, but she stifled it down and stood her ground.

He stopped half a foot from her, towering over her much shorter frame. She looked up and met his eyes, the picture of cool and calm. The only thing that would have given her away was the small gulp she took. Luckily, she hid it well.

"I didn't realize you were an idiot Granger. You're a lot of things, but I didn't think that was one of them." his breath tickled her face. He was too close. She said nothing.

"Surely, you remember our little... dispute earlier." he said, smiling at her. If you could call it a smile.

"You hit me, that's not a dispute Malfoy. It's a crime." she countered.

His wand was out in a second, and pointed at her before she could react.

"Revelare" he muttered. She stepped back in alarm but when nothing appeared to happen, she regained her ground.

But something had happened.

"What did you just do ferret?" she asked, panic attempting to creep into her voice.

"See for yourself Granger." he said, motioning towards the bathroom. She hesitated, but decided to go for it.

She entered the bathroom, and looked around. Everything seemed normal. She took slow, steady steps towards the mirror, and held in a gasp at the sight.

He'd removed her glamor charm. The bruise from his hand was back worse than before. Though the glamor charm had successfully concealed the mark from the rest of the world, it didn't actually disappear or heal it. It had simply been festering on her skin, growing more angry as the hours drew by, hidden to others. But there was no glamor now. His spell made sure of that.

Suddenly, her reflection wasn't alone.

Malfoy appeared behind her. Right behind her. Her head was screaming at her to run, to duck, to do anything at all to put distance between them. Her feet weren't getting the memo. She tried to maintain her cool, composed, brave front but for the first time since she'd met Malfoy, she was scared.

"That's a rather nasty bruise there mudblood." he was standing so close, she could feel his body pressed against her back. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, making eye contact with Mirror-Hermione all the while. "Where did you get it?"

'Move Hermione, move, just get out of here!' she pleaded with herself. It was futile. Her body would not listen, and her voice barely came out.

"Don't play dumb Malfoy."

She felt something on her arm. She looked down with only her eyes to see Malfoy's hand on her wrist. He trailed his fingers up the length of her arm, sending a shiver down her spine, and causing her stomach to drop. Her breathing became irregular and she used her other hand to try and scrunch up her robes, attempting to reach the wand concealed in her stocking. A plan which might have worked, had they not been facing a mirror.

"Ah, ah, ah princess. Not a good idea." he said, grabbing her wrist as it tried in vain to free her wand. His grip wasn't iron clad this time, just enough pressure to halt her movement. His other hand continued its trail up and down her arm.

"Malfoy..."

"I want you to remember this mudblood. Remember, every time you think about trying to embarrass me in front of those pathetic losers you call friends, or every time you think about trying to act superior to people above you. Remember this. You thought I was all talk,and you will never forget the day I proved you wrong."

He was gone from the room in the blink of an eye. Hermione let her weight fall onto her hands as they clutched the side of the sink. She took calming breaths as she stared at her reflection. She couldn't believe all the things that went down in less than 48 hours. The Hogwarts Express debacle, Head Girl, Snape's office, the dungeons, the nightmares, the violence, and now this. She brought her hands to her head and squeezed. She just needed to sleep. But she had to go back out and patrol. She composed herself and pulled her wand from her robe.

"Ut absconderes cicatricibus" she chanted, and watched as the mist overtook her, leaving her skin looking unmarked yet again. Except for the small cut from his ring. She made a mental note to look into that later.

Hermione emerged from the bathroom looking alert and unaffected. The only thing noticeable about her discomfort was the way her wand was already at the ready, her knuckles turning white with her grip. With her other hand she pulled a map from the pocket of her robe.

"This map divides the castle up into four parts based on the house dormitory that is closest to it. If you take Slytherin and Ravenclaw, I'll take Gryffindor and Hufflepuff and we'll be finished in no time." she said, all business.

"Color coded, how very muggle of you." he sneered as she dropped the map into his lap.

"Good luck." was all she replied, as she vanished through the portrait hole.

Draco watched her retreating form. She had a distinguishable sway to her walk, her hip jutting out ever so slightly every couple of steps. He found himself wanting to watch it, unobstructed by her thick robes. He instantly tried to shake the thought, and headed out towards his route. He had wanted to fight with her, argue over a better plan, but she left before he could do so.

The corridor was much colder than the common room. This of course, was a more familiar temperature, as the Slytherin dorms in the dungeon was always quite cold. As he walked the ancient halls, searching for signs of kids out past curfew, he couldn't get her out of his mind. It was all he could do in the bathroom not to throw her down and take her right there.

This he did not expect.

His initial reaction was disgust. How could he be thinking about a dirty mudblood that way, Granger especially? She was dirtier than the dirt on his shoes, and for the life of him he just couldn't understand why.

But there it was, clear for him to see. He had relished the feel of her pressed back against him, the curve of her bum skimming him in the most delightful way. He loved the feel of her muscles tensing beneath him as he whispered in her ear. The look of fear and bewilderment in her eyes she tried to so desperately to hide from him. But he had seen it, and it was delightful.

He wanted more of it. Perhaps it was having been bested by her so many times in the past. They liked to make fun of him for being full of empty words and no action. Even now that he'd finally been able to take action on something really big, he'd done such a huge deed for Voldemort, he couldn't even throw it in their faces.

He could only hope one day he'd be able to reveal the truth. And that on that day, he hoped Granger would be there.

"And I would be the one

to hold you down,
kiss you so hard.

I'll take your breath away
and after I'd wipe away the tears,
Just close your eyes dear"

Voldyismyfather: I love your name, and it makes it even cooler that you like this :)

HVR and Yankeerose: You both had opposite opinions and I see the value in them both. Since you two were the only ones I believe to voice a preference, I'm going to try and do a compromise. I will still try to upload at least a few times a week, but I'll make sure I have longer chapters unless I absolutely see the need to stop at a certain place.

Insanegirl190: You made me blush :)

ExTaCy925: I am doing my bet to update as soon as possible!