Hidden Place

-

She gasped, whirled around, hearing the voice so familiar it tore her heart before she saw him in person. To be betrayed twice by love… how cruel could her fate be? He was eyeing her, like a man eyes something he finds easy to play with, a mordant smile played on his lips, his eyes gleamed with her ache.

"You know, " he began, his icy voice echoing in her ears. "I almost did love you. Almost. But I guess the fairytale ends here…" He pushed her after biting her lower lip.

And she felt herself fall, a scream reverberated in her ears, a scream unlike her own but it was hers for sure. He watched as she fell, still smiling, another woman stood beside him, laughing at her descent into darkness.

She was in free fall, her heart thudded painfully in her ears…

Hermione blinked rapidly, trying to figure out if the rapping noise was part of her dream, or part of some evil scheme to get her out of bed early- who the bloody hell would do that? She groaned and rolled off of the bed, and stumbled for the window. She saw a tiny owl, the ones that Hogwarts kept for students who didn't have their own. It had piece of parchment tied to its leg.

"It was just a dream, " she told herself. She read it and smiled a bit, quickly rummaging her drawer for a tin can of homemade biscuits Mrs. Weasley had sent the day before. She broke off a biscuit into two pieces which the owl consumed greedily.

"Cheeky little bugger, " she murmured with a smile, as the owl flew off, nipping her hand a bit as means of 'thank you'. She nearly forgot the letter on top of the table. She quickly opened it and laughed out loud.

I have something to show you later after breakfast.

Move your arse you highly attractive woman!

D.M

Quickly, she took a shower and brushed her teeth, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a dark turtleneck sweater, put on a pair of knee high boots and tied her damp hair into a bun. She was torn between feeling happy for the little morning note, but disturbed at the same time by her dream. She shook the thought off. Dreams meant many things and she would rather not waste time divining it.

Walking down from Gryffindor tower, she noticed how the weather seemed a bit clearer now than the blizzard yesterday. Snow covered the grounds and the turrets and the Black Lake had not yet frozen over. She shivered a bit and took a deep breath, hating the cold that stung her throat and nostrils. She walked down a few flights of stairs and headed for the Great Hall. There was no one inside except for a skinny first year Hufflepuff who was running a cold.

"Hello," she said amiably.

He smiled back and swallowed a spoonful of warm pudding. It was apparently his last fill of pudding, as he shyly excused himself away from the Head Girl.

She quickly had a glass of orange juice and a waffle with blueberries. Then she proceeded for the long and wooden bridge connecting to Hagrid's hut. Draco was there already, looking out at the miles and miles of snow covering the grounds.

The end of Christmas break was coming too soon, much to Hermione's disappointment and Draco's as well. They had discussed a few 'methods' on how to communicate with each other more effectively, meet-ups were going to be nothing short of a spy mission of sorts, Hermione laughed, telling him this was like a cheesy, romance and espionage infused muggle film.

"You know, " he began, sitting on the wooden railing. "I felt this strange feeling earlier. "

"Of?"

"Of someone following me. "

"I hope this isn't because of those muggle films I've been telling you about! " she laughed.

"Merlin, no, " he said, seriously. "It really felt like that. "

Hermione felt a sudden alarm. "You don't think…"

He squeezed her hand. "No, it couldn't have been Pansy, she just sent me a letter and a package. "

"A gift? "

"Jealous? " He hopped down from the railing.

"No, " was her quick reply.

He laughed and kissed her forehead. They were both leaning on the wooden railings this time. It was a crisp, bright morning and the two of them were enjoying a bit of warmth from the sun. They got to walking down, to the direction of that little cliff across Hogwarts Castle and beside the lake. The lake was clear like some black mirror, bottomless and foreboding.

"She got me a pair of gloves, " he told her. "I believe she tried to knit them herself- or with the help of a wand. It was bad. "

Hermione clicked her tongue. "It's an effort. Be thankful."

"Do you always have to see the good in everyone? " he drawled.

Hermione shrugged. It was in her nature. She felt an argument looming in the corner. She took a breath and changed the direction of their conversation. "You wanted to show me something? " she began.

Draco shook off the feeling of annoyance. The mere mention of anything related to Pansy suddenly felt so unbearable. There was no need to mention her, not when Hermione was around, for Merlin's sake. He quietly took a deep breath.

"Yes, " he replied. He felt better already. There was a way out of an argument, after all. He smiled a bit. "It's a little bit of something I'd like to call an 'obscured bequest'. "

"Like a surprise…"

He winked at her."In plain English, yes. "

She grinned. "Really now. You have a habit of surprises. "

"Only to people I like, " he said.

"I'm honored, " Hermione told him, faking a small curtsy.

He laughed wryly, his brows wrinkling for a millisecond. "Don't do that. I might just get used to having it my way again. Anyway, could you close your eyes and turn around. Please, " he added the 'please' as an afterthought when Hermione's upper lip curled.

Satisfied, Hermione closed her eyes and spun around. "What concoction is this Draco? " she sighed. "If this-"

"It won't harm a fiber in your body. Although your body is- " he paused and laughed as Hermione laughed aloud, opening her eyes a bit. "Don't open it yet, "he said quickly. She sighed again and closed her eyes.

"You trust me, right? " he whispered into her ear.

The question suddenly shook Hermione to the core. She shivered for a second, sure it wasn't the snowy day's doing. Did she trust him well enough to go blindfold? In the weeks she'd known Draco better and more than anyone...

"Yes, " she whispered back. He felt his hands glide over her head and felt something warm and soft cover her eyelids, up until her nose.

"Follow me, " he said quietly. "Don't say a word. "

Hermione's mind suddenly flashed with scenes of murder, like her dream…. He would push her off some cliff and leave her wandless, to die. Or he would drown her in the Black Lake, where no one would ever find her. She pushed it away, such thoughts made friendship and blossoming love fail. This wasn't Ron, this wasn't just anyone else, this was Draco Malfoy, holding her hand, asking her to trust him. Trust was something important to Draco. She would be there to give it to him, readily.

She felt herself move, following Draco's movements. He was holding one of her hands; he was in front of her. Slowly they left the little precipice and Hermione felt clumsy without using her eyes. Draco was amazingly patient and quiet all of a sudden. She would feel snow crunch beneath her boots or she'd stumble a bit, and Draco was immediately beside her, ready to catch her. Every now and then he would stop, probably to find which best way it was for them to pass, especially for her.

She said nothing, reassuring that she would follow his request. The walk suddenly felt long, longer than she could have imagined. She was almost tempted to say something, but she didn't out of respect and a growing excitement. She couldn't think of what he was going to show her. She didn't know where they were going now. She felt a cold wind slap her face all of a sudden and she near recoiled and slipped again.

"Are you alright? " he murmured.

She nodded, still saying nothing, her grip tightened on his shoulder, feeling the luxurious folds of his coat. She felt his warmth surrounding her as she remained blindfold. He smelled mildly of aftershave and forests on a fresh and chilly night.

He was so close to her face, he badly wanted to kiss her again. He could smell her hair-like rain and vanilla, the scent of soap that remained on her skin; it was like drinking it through one gulp of air and it near left him intoxicated. He steadied her. "We're almost there. "

She nodded once more, felt her throat go dry. She felt snowflakes fall all over her, melting all too quickly. She tried to envision where she was, imagined that she was walking on solid ground or that they were walking directly into Madam Rosmerta's for a pint of butterbeer. She heard something open, something that sounded like gravel or large stones chafing against each other. A draft hit both of them, and

Hermione smelled in musty air that hadn't been let out for quite some time. Draco led her in and the snow beneath their feet gave way to something more rock-solid. Then the solid became something soft, like grass. Warmth slowly entered her body, almost like someone had lit fires…She felt Draco behind her.

"Hermione, " he began. She shivered once more, with Draco standing behind her. "I'll tell you when to open your eyes. " He slowly took the blindfold off. "You can open them now. "

And Hermione's eyes fluttered open. She blinked and gasped. Blinked again. And again. It wasn't an illusion was it? To be surrounded by something so simple yet breathtaking at the same time? She spun around to see Draco surrounded by flickering candles inside multi-colored glass holders. They softened his otherwise arrogant chin. He was smiling gently. She looked at the ceiling and saw it covered with moss and an old wrought iron and wood chandelier with candles; the floor was covered with the green carpet as well.

"H-how did you- " she couldn't continue.

"Find it? Set it up? I'm glad you like it, though. "

"The understatement of the day…" she said softly. "But really…how did you come by this place?"

"Since...second year, I believe, " he said, sitting down on the thick moss. He patted beside him and Hermione sat down.

"That long? And no one's found out? " Hermione was a bit incredulous.

"No one, " he said proudly. "And no one will. "

"Where are we? "

"Why do you think it took so long to get here and on blindfold? " he laughed. "Would I tell you? "

She looked at the ceiling. "Hmm…yes. "

"You win. "

They both laughed and Draco nodded. "We're under the lake. "

Hermione gasped. "We are? How did you- "

"Know? " he said mildly. "Easy, when I found this, it used to have water until the knees. I found it simply enough. I was taking a walk around the lake, to be… uhm…far away from the Slytherin dormitory for awhile. I wasn't smart enough to avoid a tree root and I fell face down and then saw this huge clump of rocks in front of me. I was about to ignore it but I heard water lapping inside. Curiosity got the best of me, but I couldn't find a way to open it without knowing if it was cursed or part of those banned areas in school. I tried every opening charm. Nothing worked. So in the end, I snuck into the restricted books section. Found an entire chapter on opening passageways and tried everything there too. Nothing still worked. Then I found a tiny scrawl at the bottom, someone wrote something. It was in ancient runes. I wrote it over the stone wall and it lit up inconspicuously. The walls then parted. And there I was in knee high water," he laughed, "but the place- I knew it was mine to last. "

"You repaired it yourself? "

He nodded. "It wasn't easy. It took me until our fourth year to figure things out properly. But by then, I closed off the water coming into the cave and the moss grew by itself. " And as if reading her mind, he added, "You're the first person that I've brought here, no one else... " Draco lay down on the moss and Hermione followed suit. They looked at the ceiling, twinkling with dew and the reflections the candle lights sent all over the cavern.

"Maybe you were meant to find the room- "

"Like how I was meant to bring you here? " Draco asked her, not looking at her.

She licked her lips. "Something like that. "

"The fates were harsh to you, when an arse cheated on you. But I'm glad he did, or else I wouldn't have felt this happy in my life. "

Hermione eyed him sideways. His hands were under his head and he was still looking at the ceiling. "You're happy? " her voice croaked.

He nodded once. "Aren't you? "

"I think I am. "

"Be sure. Are you happy with me or not? "

"Aren't you going too fast? "

"Fast? Bloody hell," he said, sitting up. "To feel this way for someone- the span of time doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here with me. The day I take someone here, I told myself, that person had better be important to my life. "

"I'm important to you? "

"Are you going dense on me? "

"You're saying things that Draco Black Malfoy would never say, " she retorted.

Draco fell back on the moss. "Only to the wrong people, I'd never admit in my whole life. I'm a coward in that sense. But you- you're different. You're beautiful to me, in every way. " He felt his ears redden and he was thankful for the shadows casting all over. "And I damn hope you're over him. "

She sighed and held his hand. They were silent for a time, mindful only of each other's breathing and the playful shadows cast by the multicolored glass holders. Hermione thought she could almost hear the gentle sloshing of the waves from the lake against the cave's walls.

"Draco, I'm glad I've known you, known you better, " she said breaking the calm.

Draco closed his eyes. "It was a test, see? Me putting you on blindfold. I wanted to see if you'd trust me. And you did, you trusted me so much. And I'm thankful for that. But you have. You stumbled along the way but you said nothing, you didn't complain, you didn't hate me for making you trek all the way across Hogwarts. It was cold and dark for you. No one's ever trusted me blindly before. "

Hermione felt something deep within her stir. She felt rather emotional now, touched by his admission. He was so in need of someone to trust him, someone to care truly…and now here she was- an age old enemy of everything Slytherin hated, right beside the embodiment of a modern Slytherin prince.

"Hermione, something in your eyes made me kiss you that day, " he said. "Up till now, I don't know what caused me to do so. But I don't regret it, even if you slapped me…"

They laughed.

"It was an instant reaction, " she said. Then her tone changed. "Are you still planning on using me? I remember that thing you said, clearly. "

Draco shook his head once. "I don't even remember that anymore. Did I actually say that?"

Hermione laughed. "Amnesia all of a sudden. "

"I really don't, not unless I truly mean it. I'll admit I wanted you for awhile, won't hormone enraged men want someone very attractive like you?"

Hermione blushed to her roots and was glad Draco didn't look at her.

"Let's face it, you've changed a lot over the course of the years. No one is immune from how you look and how you are. You radiate, sometimes with over zealousness that it- annoys me. How you were fated to have a brain like that adds to the allure. Only a fool would let go of someone like you." He said nothing more about it; although it was quite obvious he was batting it out on Ron again.

"I think I'm over him. "

Draco was silent with her admission. How would he move next? Calculating with emotions was harder than he had thought. This was something that went beyond his grasp. He tried to understand what was going on; the simplest explanation was that he had indeed begun to feel something he had never felt for anyone before. How had it come to this? It quite frightened Draco, overcome by the fact that he might lose something tiny and precious in his heart if circumstances were to go against his moment of bliss- but it was also a reason to breathe now, breathe better…

He took a breath and held her hand all of a sudden. "Hermione, if- just in the probability that we might never become more than what we are now…I don't want you to forget this day. It might be the only thing I'll have that's happy to last me long enough to survive a nightmare. "

Hermione was tempted to tell Draco about her dream, but she shut it off, knowing how valuable this moment was now. She held his hand tighter and she saw him looking at her. She saw his eyes, they glittered in silvery-blue hues and she had never seen anyone so vulnerable yet. The moment was gone in a second. Draco would never allow pity to reign over himself…his eyes became guarded now, but gentle still.

"Will you let me love you? " he asked.

She was caught off guard. "I- I don't know what to say. "

"Yes or no, Hermione, " he smiled.

She nodded, feeling herself melt in his eyes. Not even Ron could make her feel this significant. Perhaps, it was because she had deemed Draco impervious in the truest sense of love. But he was asking her now, like he had asked for the greatest most difficult thing to give in life.

"Yes."

She had signed a death warrant without knowing it. But it didn't matter now. Draco leaned over to kiss her. She kissed him back, slowly the world faded away from them. He would get drunk again just by kissing her, everything about her was enthralling. He felt every inch of her slowly, kissing like it was his first, kissing like she would be his last. He was suddenly nervous. Why would he be? He had done this so many times…but this was Hermione. He wanted her, needed her. He wanted her to be his and his alone. If he could die right now, he would, for her.

He had given her a death warrant, without him knowing it. Hermione knew this was the moment wherein she could still stop, but she didn't. Whatever the outcome, it would not matter now. His scent drove her to frenzy in her mind, but she controlled it. Emotions were dangerous things, and she was disarmed with the fact that she almost loved him. She wanted him, needed him. She wanted him to be hers alone. And with that thought, Hermione lost her control. If she could have died right now, she would willingly do so- just for Draco.

-

A/N omg! more than a year onto this story and i'm still stuck on the holidays. again, my apologies. the real world is just so busy and sickly. haha. do people still read HP fanfiction? let's just say HP movie 7 gave me another jump start. ^^ till next chapter!