I do not own any of the characters, they are the wonderful J.K. Rowling's. As always, any reviews are welcome and I hope you're enjoying the story!

Amarenima Redwood: Thank you so much!

Sadly I have finals week and will be posting less for the next two weeks. I will try to post once a day, but it might be more like every other day. I'm sorry about this!

Also please tell me what you think so far! I will try to update as much as I can if people are really enjoying the story!

Chapter 10: Dream a Dream

Hermione walked through the Fat Lady's portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron were neglecting their homework and playing chess like usual. When they saw her walk in they ran up to her with questioning looks.

"Mione we were worried about you last night," Harry said.

"Yeah we checked on you several times last night, and this morning, but you weren't in your head girl room," Ron added.

Hermione had not thought about what to tell Harry or Ron. She could not tell them the truth or they would freak out, so she had to come up with something. The library would not work because although she tried, Madame Prince would not allow her to stay the entire night. Patrolling the halls would not work either because they would know she could not stay up the entire night and have the rested look she did now. So it seemed the best choice was the hospital wing.

"Sorry guys, I was not feeling very well after my dinner with Dumbledore, and he insisted I go to the Hospital Wing," she replied. She did not like lying to her friends, but in the past few weeks, little bothered her anymore.

"Is everything okay?" Ron asked. He was looking at her with sadness in his eyes. He had always liked Hermione and had hoped they'd end up together, but after her parents died she pushed him away more.

"Yes, I just don't really want to talk about it," Hermione whispered. They would surely understand if she said this. Over the past weeks, she had used the same sentence over and over, and so far it had worked. This time was no different and they left her alone as she walked through her head girl room.

Hermione turned on the water in her bathroom for a bath, she was going to take a couple of hours to decompress. Last night's events were fun and enjoyable at the moment, but she had left a mess that needed to be dealt with. I hope he knows that was not about feelings...he must...he could not have completely changed, she thought, and today I must see Professor Snape. Hermione had debated on whether to wait to see him or do it another time in the future. He still needs my help, and maybe he'll come to his sense when he learns of what happened between Draco and I. But I cannot tell him...he'll have to find out on his own.

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Snape woke up in the bathroom covered in vomit. He drank as much as he could, passed out, threw up, drank more, then passed out again. He felt sick, but the hollow feeling in his felt worse. She had been the one thing he looked forward to seeing every day and now he would not even be able to look at her. The worst part was that he had caused this. He felt disgusted with himself for pushing her away. Maybe it's for the best...she would never love me, she'd be bored with me by the end of the term, he thought. Stop it Severus, you're acting like a child again. That chit of a girl will not overpower you, a voice in his head said. Maybe it was right. He could not sit in the bathroom puking and drinking for the rest of his life, he would have to move on with his life.

Professor Snape stood up quivering. His body was still weak, but the Hangover Potion would help some of that. So he took the potion and immediately felt the effects: his head stopped pounding, his stomach had calmed, and the dizziness he felt had vanished. He walked towards the bathroom and got into the shower. I cannot hide and wait for her to come to me, I must go to her, he thought. Because the last time you went to her everything turned out perfect, right Severus? The voice in his head mocked him. Well, maybe I'll pay a visit to Draco then…

After an hour in the shower, Snape got out and dried himself off. He felt much better than when he woke up, but he still felt the dull pain inside of him. He was furious at her for what she did, but even more so at himself. He picked out his robes for the day, buttoned them up, and made his way towards the Head Boy's room. It was about time they had a chat.

When he reached Draco's portrait hole he knocked on the door. After only a few seconds Draco sleepily emerged with a smile on his face, but it turned to an expression of panic, then resumed his usual arrogant look.

Professor Snape swept through the portrait hole and grabbed Malfoy by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall, "What did you do to her?" He sneered at the trembling head boy.

"N...N...Nothing Sir, I did not do anything wrong," he quivered.

"Do not underestimate me, Boy!" Snape roared," Do not think me stupid! I saw her leave. You will leave her alone. Do not talk to her, do not look at her, and do not even think of her!"

Malfoy shivered, but straightened himself up against the Professor's hold, "I do not have to do anything, she'll come to me," he sneered.

"Stay away from her!" Snape gave his final warning while storming out of the room. The Head Boy fell to the ground.

Snape stormed down the hallway and spun around. He started his way towards Hermione's room. He was not completely sure what he would say, but wanted to say it. He charged down the hall with his black robes billowing. He saw several students in the hall and was not going to miss his chance to deduct house points.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw, no physical contact in the hallways"

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor, straighten your tie, Longbottom!"

"Ten points from Hufflepuff, get out of my way!"

"Twenty points from Slytherin, get out from behind there Pansy and Goyle. I see you both!"

When Snape reached Hermione's room he had deducted over one-hundred house points and with his mood, he would happily deduct another hundred on his way back. Before he could turn around, he knocked on the Head Girl's portrait. He waited there and glanced around the corridor. He did not need any students to see him waiting here for the star pupil.

"Come in Professor," Hermione said when she opened the portrait hole. Her hair was wet and fell down her shoulders. She wore a silky Gryffindor Robe that was tied tightly around her waist, but opened slightly at her chest. Snape let his eyes travel down her figure, then up to rest on her breasts before snapping back to himself.

"Miss Granger," he drawled, "I came to inform you...you are welcome to work in my lab." He extended every syllable and pronouncing it with bitterness. He had wanted to scream at her and plead her not to go back to Draco, but knew it would only make it worse. Plus, you'd make a fool of yourself, Severus, his mind added.

Hermione walked towards the Professor until they were inches apart. She looked into his eyes with her chocolatey eyes. She waited a few moments, and without breaking their eye contact she whispered, "I will think about it, Professor."

Snape stepped back from her. He wanted to pull her towards him and ravage her body with kisses. You're still her teacher Severus, no matter how many times you try to forget that. "Very well Miss Granger," Snape growled as he left her room. Well, at least there was no ridiculous tears or screaming, he commented in his mind.

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Hermione was breathing heavily. She had found the courage to speak to him flirtatiously and it had come out of nowhere. She sat down on her bed and calmed herself down. Her heart was beating and although she did not show it to him, she had been terribly nervous. She had wanted him to scream at her or confess his undying love, but knew that would not be happening anytime soon. If he wants to play this game so can I, she thought.

The next couple of weeks went by smoothly and Christmas is approaching. The students had begun to decorate the halls and annoying gnomes sung loud Christmas carols when unfortunate students bumped into them. Hermione had gotten back into her routine of going to classes and then to Snape's potions lab after her fourth class. She would work alone and silently while Professor Snape sat in the other room correcting papers and avoiding her. They exchanged a few words and Hermione saw herself changing into the Professor. She no longer jumped into conversations and chatted on about things of unimportance. Everything was becoming calm and she had settled into this routine.

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Smooth large hands ran across her skin. They sought to discover every inch of her body and danced along her curves. She lay with her eyes closed enjoying the feeling. But this time, she was not under the big tree by the lake. She was in Draco's chambers. She felt the soft bed sheets against her back and huddled into the figure next to her. His body was toned and she could feel it through his black button up shirt. The continued to keep her eyes close in fear of causing the dream to end. She knew these hands. They were the same hands that had grasped her shoulders when she tried to leave his room, but his touch was gentle. She drove her hand through his dark hair and found it completely clean and not what she expected. She turned to look up at him and opened her eyes. Her potions teacher lay next to her in the Head Boy's room. His face was relaxed and his eyes closed. He looked younger and more peaceful than she had ever seen him. He was without his usual scowl and held a faint trace of a smile. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and looked at her. She tried to take in every detail she could, but he vanished and she awoke.

Hermione sat up on her bed. It had been weeks since she had any dreams relating to her potions Professor. Since the death of her parents, she had begun taking the dreamless sleep potion and it had helped her to keep the horrific thoughts out of her head. But last night she had decided to try it. The first time she fell asleep, the screams of her parents howled in her head. She saw cloaked death eaters approaching them, but before anything else happened she had woken up. She was determined to finish the night without the potion and fell asleep again with dreams of Professor Snape.

She began her daily routine of showering, applying make-up, and choosing her outfit for the day. The next thing she did was slip out of her portrait hole and make her way to the dungeons. She walked down flights of stairs and down long corridors before she was in front of the Head Boy's room. Hermione had sometimes surprised Draco by entering his rooms at odd times of the day looking for him. He had been her support and the only one she could truly talk to. Harry and Ron knew what loss felt like, but they were not like Hermione. She wanted to push it down and use it to make her stronger while the boys would just bottle it up and have outbursts every now and again.

Draco was different, he had the skills of a Slytherin to cover up his feelings. He had used this to conceal his longing for Hermione. Since the night she had come to him, there had been nothing physical between them. She was not flirtatious and kept him at a distance. His feelings for her had grown stronger and she had not decided to acknowledge them. He had concluded it as a one-time thing, but anger rose in him in every potions class. He would steal glances at her throughout the class to find her staring at the Professor. Sometimes he would stare back into her with only a desire a fellow Slytherin could detect. He loathed Professor Snape and still felt rage towards him when memories of the first night she stayed in his room. If Draco had it his way, he would destroy every single thing that hurt Hermione or was a threat to her in any way. But, now he was asleep in his rooms, and could hurt no one in his sleep.

Hermione quietly moved through the room and crawled into bed with Draco. It was only three in the morning and when she could not sleep, she would usually come to him. She would sleep on his couch or he would sometimes even leave his bed open for her. Today, though, she wanted to be next to him. She wanted to feel the warmth of another body, even if it wasn't Severus's. She wished things had been resolved between her and Professor Snape, but for now, he was avoiding her.

Draco slightly stirred as Hermione leaned into him. His eyes slowly fluttered open and a smile crept on his face as he saw her lying next to him. He had always wished she would come back to him and feared the words he had spoken to the professor had jinxed him. "I do not have to do anything, she'll come to me." Draco had hoped she felt the same desire for him that he felt for her, but was let down. She treated him solely as a friend and nothing more. He felted placed his arms around her and cradled her as she lay next to him. He rested his head on her shoulder and held her with him. He felt her quivering and at first thought she was scared of him, but when he drew away she pulled him closer. Her body was trembling and he realized she was crying.

Hermione felt as if Draco was her source of life and shifted towards him even more. She cried silently as he held her and after a long pause, she spoke, "I just….I just...miss them Draco," she whimpered. It was true. No matter how hard Hermione tried to push her parents from her mind they came back. She had expected to fall asleep on Draco's couch and awake hours later, but instead she now, lay next to him sobbing. Hermione was hurt and no one would be able to take that from her, that was the last thing she held on to that the death of her parents left. She had become accustomed to a heavy feeling in her stomach, but with the holidays approaching her body threatened to explode with grief. She was letting out her frustration, guilt and sadness with each tear that fell. She knew this would not cure her sadness, but it would suspend it; crying always made things better.

Draco held Hermione tighter as she spoke. He knew of nothing to say so he was silent. He caressed her cheek with his hand and allowed her to cry into him. Many times he had found himself crying from anger after his father took him to the revels. He cried for the slain families, and for himself. He cursed his father for bringing him into the world and using him like a chess piece in Voldemort's game. He was raised to please his father and eventually the Dark Lord, however this plan never unfolded the way it should have. Instead of respecting his father more with every beating he endured as a child, he grew angry and repulsed by him. Of course he did not act on these feelings of disgust till later in his life but they were there. Draco had learned to accept his father's anger and after years of it, he welcomed it. He knew with every blow, whether it was to his stomach, head or another part of his body, he would grow stronger. Like with Hermione, he would rise from the ashes, his father had burnt him into.

So the odd pair lay in the Head Boy's room clutching to each other for support. They both needed someone to fill the empty void within them, but they both had nothing to give the other.