Author's Note: I would love reviews! I am trying to take into account where the readers want the story to go so please make suggestions! You can also check my original pieces on u/967214/p-m-e-black. My tumblr is .com. Feel free to message me. Thanks.

Chapter 9-

The moment Draco's head hit the pillow he felt a knot form in his stomach. What the hell was wrong with him?! If he had it in his right mind, he should have grabbed the little mudbloods wand and hexed her into oblivion. But no...he had to act like a...well...like a school boy. He shook his head as he tried to ignore the fact that the witch was sleeping only a few feet away from him. What was he doing to himself? He should have left her a long time ago instead of waiting for her like a lost puppy. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he tried to get more comfortable on the hard bedroom floor. Finally he felt his eyelids give in and he drifted off to sleep.

Hermione on the other hand was wide awake. She waited to hear his body settle and she peered over the edge of the bed. The young slytherin looked cold as he clenched his suit jacket around himself. Hermione hoped that he was asleep enough not to notice her watching him. There seemed to be a permanent scowl written on his pale face, something she perhaps thought would have relaxed during rest. She sighed to herself and turned over. She had to go to sleep, there was no way she would be able to have the strength to finally turn him in if she didn't force herself.

Hermione's exhausted body finally gave in and she drifted off, her legs sprawled out on top of the mattress spread eagle.

She began dreaming or more likely having a nightmare.

She was out in the woods alone wandless. She was bitterly cold and couldn't seem to get warm. She saw Ron off in the distance near a clearing, his back toward her.
"Ron...Ron wait!" Hermione called as she began to run toward the red headed figure. The figure turned around and looked at her, the expression full of hatred. It was Ron, but it wasn't Ron.

"You're a liar Hermione! You hear me A LIAR!" It was Ron's voice, bellowing. His mouth seemed to enlarge, becoming full of razor sharp teeth, his eyes glowing an ominous red.

"I...I didn't lie to you! I didn't!" She cried as she started to run away from him. It felt as if she were running through water as the evil apparition of her friend closed in on her.

"You were supposed to love me! You were supposed to be my everything!" The monstrous entity's voice encompassed any other sound around her. Hermione's legs felt like they were going to give out from underneath her.

"I never wanted to hurt you! I didn't!" She cried as she tried to grab for anything to pull her away from the sound. This time when she looked back, it no longer was a monstrous version of Ron but a composite of he and Voldemort. Hermione screamed and cried as she tried in vain to run from the creature's outstretched clawlike hands.

"PLEASE! PLEASE RON! PLEASE!" She sobbed.

"YOU NEVER LOVED ME! YOU NEVER LOVED ME!" Hermione's heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest as she struggled. The hand finally enclosed around her shoulder!

"Hermione! Hermione!" Hermione screeched as she felt the hand grasp her shoulder only to realize that the hand was real. Hermione opened her amber eyes wide, a bead of sweat dribbled down the side of her head onto her pillow. It was Draco. His hand rested gently on her shoulder as he stood over her bed, the bedside lamp casting a halo over his white blonde hair. He looked down at her, his eyes narrowed, eyebrows furrowed. Hermione couldn't help it when a sob escaped her throat and hot tears began to spill down her cheeks. Suddenly she couldn't breath. She shot up in bed clutching at her chest, trying to pull her soaked tank top away from her heated skin. Draco sat down on the bed next to her and put his hand on her back soothingly.

"Relax, you're hyperventilating. Take slow, deep breaths. " He said calmly, rubbing small circles over her shoulders. He leaned close as he rested his other hand on her forearm.

"I...I…" Hermione said between gasps for air.

"Shh, Granger...take it easy." Now he was smoothing her wet hair back from her neck, as he grabbed a quidditch magazine off of the bedside table and began to fan her. Hermione relaxed, appreciating the gesture as the blonde continue to sooth her.

"Are you okay? You were thrashing around pretty hard." He looked at her carefully, his gray eyes full of worry.

Hermione didn't know why she did it, couldn't begin to explain her thought process but the moment her amber eyes met his she threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably into his neck. The blonde stiffened from the drastic show of emotion but relaxed and allowed her to continue her deluge of hot tears. Hermione closed her eyes tight as each stray tear fell from her amber eyes onto the pale skin of his throat, his pulse thrumming against her forehead. His smell was intoxicating, a rich mixture of fresh earth and spearmint. He wrapped his strong arms around her as she buried her face into his shoulder as he began to stroke her hair delicately, his fingers winding between wet curls. She finally realized what she was doing. She was in the arms of the enemy, allowing him to comfort her. She quickly pulled away from him, her eyes wide, mouth slackened. Draco didn't say anything, just cast his eyes to the ground and allowed his lips to form a straight line.

"I...I…" Hermione stammered and then began to furiously wipe her wet face with the sides of her palms.

"Granger, don't be so hard on yourself. Weasley will eventually get over it." He replied and made his way off of the mattress. The springs creaked as his body weight lifted and Hermione sat there in a daze. The blonde stood up and casually wiped at the salty tears left on his throat and looked at them ever so briefly before he glanced back at her.

"You...you know I...and he…" She mumbled. He just nodded. How could he not know at this point? She must have been screaming it in her sleep.

"Get some rest." He added and turned to lay back down on the floor.

"Mal...Malfoy?" Hermione whispered already reprimanding her body for allowing a red flush to creep up her chest and into her face. Draco turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Yes Granger…"

"Are you cold?" She asked, her voice coming out shy and timid. Damn it why couldn't she stop staring at him?! Draco slightly nodded. It was the second time that night that Hermione had thought she possibly had gone mad. She shifted over in the bed and lifted the blanket up, an invitation for the slytherin to join her in the warmth of the covers. Draco turned back around in his spot and allowed his gray eyes to widen at the offer. He stared at her intensely, his eyes boring into her. Hermione nervously bit her lip thinking twice at her proposition. Draco looked at the bed and back at Hermione again and then knelt down to the floor, untying his black leather shoes. Hermione took that as a yes and waited, her heart thudding so loud it was leaking into her ears. It seemed like it was taking him years to finish taking his shoes, jacket and tie off. He unbuttoned the first few buttons of his black dress shirt, his white collar bone and top portion of his muscular chest slightly exposed. Hermione caught a breath in her throat as her eyes lingered a little too long on the spot right below his adams apple. It was like the day he had caught the fish all over again. She quickly tore her eyes away as he kneeled onto the bed, his eyes never breaking from her sight line and lay on the bed. He shifted slightly and pulled the covers over his form, turning his back toward her. Hermione cast her amber eyes down and settled herself back into her spot, her legs now straightened and away from the slytherin.

"Good...Good night Malfoy." Hermione whispered. Why was she doing this? She really must have gone nutters this time.

"Good night Hermione." Draco replied, his voice low and deep. Hermione lay there, her eyes wide open, the idea of his lean long body lying next to her causing tingles to run up and down her spine. She was crazy, no doubt about it. It was only a matter of time before her head would pop off and brains would leak out onto her pillow. The thought hadn't even fully developed in her mind of how she was going to get through this whole ordeal when the steady vibration from his masculine breathing began to lull the female gryffindor into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning Hermione awoke with a start, her amber eyes wide and blinking. Had the night before been a dream? It must have been. There was no way in hell she would have ever invited Draco Malfoy into her bed. Her consciousness was shocked promptly by the sun pouring through the window, illuminating the platinum mane of her sleeping partner. She slowly turned her face to see Draco's peaceful face in her direction. Hermione blinked again and swallowed the hard lump that had formed in her throat. The scowl that she had witnessed the night before had seemed to fade. It was now replaced by resting features. His dark blonde eyelashes wisped over his pale cheeks as a few stray locks of shocking blonde rested on them. Slight blonde stubble had formed on his pointed chin right beneath his stern but slightly pouting mouth. Hermione couldn't stop staring at him. It was so out of the norm to see the slytherin at rest. It was like being next to a sleeping dragon, you were afraid to stir for fear it's fiery breath and forked tongue would extinguish your life force. Hermione noticed how steady he breathed, his milky chest barely visible under his rumpled ink black dress shirt. As if her hand had a mind of it's own, it rose to brush those errant locks from his resting eyes.

Wrong move! No sooner had she pushed the lock back onto his crown did his gray eyes peel open, dilate and trap her in their gaze. She noticed upon closer inspection that his eyes reflected back specks of ice blue and bits of green.

"What are you doing Granger?" His tone was icy but lacked it's normal bite.

"I...I…" She had never been so lost for words in all of her life. Draco just continued to stare at her.

Her hair pooled around her shoulders like the sunlit waves right outside their door. Draco stared at her hard and long. Her large amber eyes seemed so innocent and full of compassion. What was he doing? He had to remember who she was. She was Potter's friend, Weasley's girlfriend...ex-girlfriend. She was the enemy. A beautiful enemy.

As slight flush tinged her cheeks as Draco watched her mouth fall open, obviously lost for words. Draco tore his eyes away from her and pushed himself up to a sitting position.

"Are we done with the field trips?" He tried to sound cold but it was a bad acting job.

"I wanted to show you just a few of the reasons why I have fought so hard against…"

"Don't say his name." It sounded like a plea coming from him and less like a command. Draco sucked in a breath and turned his back to her.

"If we're done here…" He began to say, not bothering to look over his shoulder as he chewed on the inside of his cheek.

"I suppose we are." Was that sadness leaking into her voice? Draco wasn't sure.

Hermione made her way off of the still warm bed and stood in the doorway.

"You can go Malfoy. I won't follow you." She said, not looking at him and then proceeded out of their shared bedroom. Draco watched as her form receded toward the stairway. He sat there feeling defeated. He should have said something...he should have done something, but what? Should he have...no...he couldn't…she didn't see him that way. He was the enemy, he was her fairytale's villain. This wasn't how the story was supposed to go.

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIM?! HAD HE LOST HIS MIND?!