A/N: "I called your boyfriend gay and he hit me with his purse!"-Random qoute from today when I saw a bitchiness in my 3rd hour. He asks to use her cover-up and has a purse. I'm not making fun of him, but dude..do you need to make it any more obvious?

"This is nice." Hermione sighed. "But I have to get back to work." Draco and Hermione were by the Black Lake, listeining to the merpeople sing and chatter. They were on a picnic blanket having pumpkin juice and sandwiches that Hermione's mother sent her in the post. It was late spring and kind of cold, but Draco begged her. Their N.E.W.T.S were coming and they were coming fast; Hermioen didn't want to waste any time.

"Come on, love," Draco murmured while he rubbed her shoulders. "Just enjoy the scenery."

"But N.E.W.T.S are coming, how can I relax?" she said hysterically, shaking off his hands feebly. The news of Draco and Hermioen together spread like wildfire, especially to the Gryfindors. After recieving dirty looks from everyone(The only friends Hermione had left were Harry, Luna and Ginny, and the only friend Draco had was Blaise.)they decided to go out on the Grounds.

"Why can't you just take a break?" Draco asked. "And what is this?"

"What is what?"

"These horrid sandwiches!" He took another bite of the small peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and grimaced.

"They're peanut butter and jelly and my Mum's!" Draco blushed.

"Uh, I didn't know."

"Right." Hermione said, sipping her pumpkin juice. She looked into his blue-gray eyes he looked back into her hazel ones.

"DRAKIE-POO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Pansy screamed. They were snapped out of their moment and looked at Pansy bounding towards them, red in the face.

Draco looked calm, but Hermione looked panicked.

"Pansy, leave me alone. I am spending alone time with my girlfriend." Draco said, putting an arm around her. Pansy looked bewildered. She raised her wand.

"Get away from him, Mudblood! Stu-"

"Silencio!" Hermione yelled, cutting her off. She got up to a stomping Pansy and with a hand, knocked her over.

"Listen, Parkinson. Me and Draco are together. Do the world a favor and keep your mouth shut. Everything that comes out is meaningless, and we don't need meaningless people in the world. Now if you don't mind, I want to enjoy aq dinner picnic with my boyfriend eating my Mum's sandwiches. Go inside now." Draco sat down, dumbfounded. He had never seen Hermione threaten someone, let alone resort to violence. She let off the Silencing Charm.

"What if I don't, Mudblood?"

"Then I don't know how you will ever get your teeth back to normal."Hermione said thoughfully.

"Huh?"

"Desaugeo!" she said, and Pansy's two front teeth grew rapidly. Draco felt a twang of remorse, remembering when that same charm was used on her. Pansy, in hysteric tears, ran back inside and from outside, they could hear roars of laughter. Hermione was still glaring at the door when she flipped her wand into her pocket and sat down, smoothing out her skirt.

"So," Hermione said brightly, brandishing a bottle of orange liquid. "Pumpkin juice?" Draco was silent, confused as ever.

"What the hell was that?"

"Oh, that? Just a nasty encounter."

"Want to make it nastier?" Draco said in a deep, husky voice. Hermione tilted her head smled slyly, clicking her tounge. Hermione leaned into him for a kiss slowly. He closed his eyes expectantly, but felt a hand on his chest, and Hermione pushed him back.

"Oh? You were being serious? I apologize, I had no idea!" Hermione said, still laughing.

"Grr.." Draco said, jumping on her and tickling her.

"Stop! Seriously...stop!" Hermioen giggled as he scratched her sides. He got off of her.

"See? Your not all books and brains!"

"I'm books and brains plenty. Life isn't all beer and skittles."

"What?" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Thomas Hughes?"

"What?!"

"Never mind."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ron slowly gagged when he saw Hermione and Draco walking in, hand in hand. Hermione turned red when the Slytherins whispered to one another and kissed him gingerly on the cheek, walking to the Gryffindor table in between Harry and Ron, across from Ginny. Most Gryffindors from their year were silent and their eyes were on her. She reached out to take a bowl strawberry ice cream.

"What?" she asked, tucking her napking in her robes.

"Do you really have to make a spectacle out of it?" Ron asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, holding hands, kissing.."

"I kissed him on cheek and that's what..couples do."

"I think it's cute." Ginny said boldly. Hermione looked at Harry, who was silent, picking at his mashed potatoes.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Nothing."

"Harry, I know something's wrong!"

"Get off of it, Hermione!" he got up and walked out the Great Hall.

"His...his scar hurt today."Ginny said, her voice cracking. Hermione gasped loudly.

"Come on, let's go to the common room." Ginny muttered. Ron, (who didn't talk to Hermione unless it was flirting and putting down Draco)Ginny and Hermioen walked to the common room and din't see Harry, who most likely went upstairs.

"I thought Voldemort was dead!" Hermione said in a hushed tone. Ron winced.

"Oh, please!" Hermione said. "You faced his Death Eaters!"

"But that's just it, Hermione. Havent you read the post?" Ginny handed her a copy of that day's Daily Prophet and gasped. Hermione snatched it out of her hands and ran outto the Slytherin common rooms. Tears slippeed out of her eyes as she ran downstairs. At this point, she realized that she was going to die. She saw St. Nick, gliding around.

"Hello, Hermione!" he greeted, but Hermione ran through him. Dramatic shouts of, "Well I never!" could be heard as she ran. When she reached the the last floor, she stopped her knees buckling from exhaustion when she realized that she didn't know the password to the Slytherin common room.

"Hermione?" said a voice from behind her. She turned and saw Draco and Blaise, walking towards her. Draco walked faster and helped her up.

"Thanks.." she half panted, half sobbed. He wiped her tear-stained face with his sleeve.

"What's happened?" Tears still flowing thickly, she thrashed out the Daily Prophet at them, showing what was on the front.

"No." Draco said in disbelief.

"Yes!" she cried. Blaise stepped foward.

"What?" Draco turned to him.

"The Death Eaters have escaped from Azkaban."

"Draco I'm scared!" Hermione hysterically screamed, hanging onto him desperately. She had a flashback of over the summer, when the war started without warning. Harry went for the Horcuxes with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, but after the 6th was destroyed, and when they went back to Godric's Hollow, the Death Eaters were there.

"Hermione, take Avery!' Harry yelled, fighting of Nott.

"STUPEFY!" a blood-stained Hermione screamed, blasting him against the cavern wall. Hermone and Ron had to get the others out of the way so Harry could get to Voldemort. Hermione looked over and saw Tonks battling another Death Eater and Remus doing the same. She was suprised when the Death Eater Remus was battling fired a KIlling Curse at Tonks.

"HERE!" Remus yelled, sprinting into the way. He flipped in the air several times and landed on his back, dead.

"REMUS!" Tonks cried, running to him.

"TONKS, LOOK OUT!" Hermione screamed, but the other was too fast.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" the Death Eater behind her yelled. She was also flipped over several times.

Hermione wanted to help, but she knew that was a job to be done. She ran behind the Death Eater.

"Sectumsempra!" she yelled. The Death Eater fell screaming, with a gash through him. Hermione didn't care to listen to his suffering, she had already seen and heard too much. How was she going to tell Harry?

Hermione blinked away hot tears. So many lives lost that night on Halloween. They tried to forget about the deaths; 4 members of the Order, all found dead. Only a few of the Death Eaters were dead, Narcissa and Lucius escaped with most of them. The Order was never the same for Tonks and Remus, the best of the Advanced Guard were dead.

"I don't want to see them die, not again!" Hermione said, sobbing. "There are only so many of us left!" Then she hit Draco's chest in frustration. "And you!"

"What did I do?"

"You just..you stood by and just stayed out of it! The whole thing! You stayed home like some wimpy baby when you could have been fighting with us! What's the matter with you?!" she said, pounding his chest with her fists in anger. He took her wrists and she looked up at him. Draco felt a bit guilty, by which instead of fighting with them, he stayed home alone, doing whatever he wanted. While Draco was having fun,Hermione was watching people die and fighting for her life.

"Stop fighting me!" he said. She closed her eyes and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. She sobbed and hugged him back.

"Shh, it's okay. It's not happening again, never again." He said in a soothing voice.

"It's not that I don't want Harry to defeat them, I just don't want him to..to..die." she said.

"I know.." he said, rubbing her back. "I know." Hermione dried her eyes with a hankerchief and kissed him.

"Thanks." She hugged him again. They head footsteps and broke apart and saw Nott running towards them.

"This is for you and the Mudblood," he said, spitting her name in obvious disgust, holding out a scoll of parchment. Draco raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, towering over the boy.

"What was that?"

"Er, for you and your...girlfriend." he said politely, his face had hatred etched through it. Draco opened the scroll and it read:

Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger,

At midnight, meet me in my office. I am sorry for the time , but this is urgent. There is a matter we need to discuss.

Proffesor Dumbeldore

P.S: I often like to buy Sugar Wands.

"It's obviously about the escape." Hermione said, taking the parchment out of his hands. She turned around. "See you till then!"

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"Going back, where else?"

"Well," he mumbled. "I was hoping that you would want to...stay with me."

"Oh," Hermione said, putting a hand on her heart. "That's sweet! Okay, I will." He took her hand and they walkee d inside the Slytherin common room, which looked better than the dungeon setting on the outside. There were green and silver cutains, tablemats, and even some of the walls sported moving snakes. Hermione coulden't help but to shiver a little, for the room was cold, way colder than the Gryffindor common room.

"It's fine." Draco said, picking up on her fear. They sat down at the nearest couch in silence.

"So," Hermione said. "What do you...do here?"

"We just...sit and do stuff," Draco shrugged. "What do you do up there?"

"We play chess and study and talk and Exploding Snap and..' Hermione realized she was rambling and stopped talking. Hermione looked at the clock, and it was 11:30 already. They sat in uncomfortable silence.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"I think I love you. No, I love you." Draco blurted out before he could control himself. Hermione's eyes widened. 'Oh dear God, he said he loved me! What do I say? What do I say?! Ok, Hermione, relax. Just say it back. Wait, what if I don't love him? Wiat, of course I love him!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'NO! Ok, I didn't mean that. Maybe she won't say it back. She probably won't say it back. What if she does? DAMN IT!'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'I didn't mean it." Draco blurted again. Hermione fellt and probably looked shocked and slightly let down.

"Oh, right, of course not." Hermione said, laughing nervously.

"What were you going to say?" he asked, shifting towards her.

"Oh.." she said. "Nothing."

"Are you sure about that, Granger?" He said, moving closer.

"Well," she said, gulping. "I guess I was about to say...it back."

"Hm,' Draco said, inching so close that their lips were mere inches apart. "Well what would that be?"

"I love you, Draco." she she said, blushing fiercely.

"I love you too, Hermione." Draco breathed. Herimione took hold o f the sides of his face and pushed him against her into a kiss. She moved closer and Draco put an arm around her. Hermione put a hand through his soft, light blonde hair.

"You guys just go at it whenever!' Blaise said and Ginny laughed at the doorway. Draco slapped his forehead in frustration. Hermioen blushed when she found herself on Draco's lap and one of her hands still in his hair.

"Do you guys have to come in every single time we are-what are you two doing together?" Draco asked. Ginny blushed and Blaise avoided his eyes.

"I-w-we.." Ginny stuttred, trailing off.

"We are officially going out." Blaise croaked. Hermione let out a high-pitched squeal and ran to Ginny.

"Women," Draco said, shaking his head.

"Oh my God, Ginny, this is so great!' Hermione said, beaming brightly.

"Yeah.." Ginny said.

"What?" Hermione asked a crestfallen Ginny.

"I'm sure that Harry won't want to be friends. He said he was fine with it,but.." Ginny trailed off worridly.

"Don't worry, he's just got a lot on his-oh! Would you look at the time!" Hermione said, pointing at the clock. It was already 11:50 and they were in the dungeons.

Hermione took Draco by the hand."Ohwe'llseeyoulaterGinnygoodnight!" They ran up the moving stairs, (Having to pause for when they changed) and sprinted up to the ugly gargoyle in front of the starcase that led to Dumbeldore's office.

"Potter's friend? And Potter's enemy? Together?" The gargoyle screeched with laughter.

"Oh, get off it, you're obsessed! Sugar Wands!" Hermione said angrily. The gargoyle scowled and lept out of the way. The jumped on the staircase and walked up it as it spun. They saw Dumbeldore with the calm expression on his face, sitting in his wooden chair in his office with the small trinkets and Dark Detectors.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy," He gestured with his blackened hand for them to take a seat. His face was filled with worry and pain, but his eyes remained peaceful and cheery. He cleared his throat, rubbing it above the hem of his purple and blue star spangled robes.

"As you know, the Death Eaters have escaped from Azkaban." He said calmly. "And some are loyal followers of Voldemort." Draco's stomach churned at this.

"And Mister Potter, as you know, is very protected at Hogwarts, but as for you, Mister Malfoy," he said with a sigh," you are in more grave danger than Mister Potter himself. I have informed news that...your father is after you and Miss Granger. He wants to kill you." Hermione gasped and turned pale. Draco began to shake, and Hermione could feel his hand geting sweaty. Hermione knew that being Harry's best friend also involved almost be killed along with him, but she was used to it, and proud of being by his side. But Harry wasn't the target, Hermione and Draco were. Hermione felt a tear slip down her cheek. She knew what was coming next.

"I don't know how to say this...Mr. Malfoy, you must pack tonight. You are leaving Hogwarts."

"Your being serious, sir?" Draco croaked. Dumbledore lowered his head.

"You are not safe. Your father was also in Slytherin, also knowing ways into the castle from the dungeons. Ms. Granger, however, shall be put under the best protection. She has the Gryffindor common room, which is far from the dungeons, and Mister Potter."

"He's my best friend, not a Dark Detector! Why does Draco have to go and not me?" Hermione cried. "..Sir?"

"Because you are safer here with everyone else. For Mister Malfoy, I can't say the same. Mister Malfoy could do a quick Imperius, am I wrong?" Draco gulped. No, his father never used it on him, but he had watched countless under his command with a lazy flick of his wand.

"It's quite complicated, but I must tell you. This move is temporary...as far as we know. The MInistry has made their descion. I 'm sorry, it is the best although.." he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Sir? is everything alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. But, you see, I know how difficult for young lovers to be seperated." Hermione turned scarlet.

"How did you-"

"I've seen things, heard things and I find it all very romantic." Draco was melting in humiliation. He didn't want someone a quarter of God's age telling him about love. (A/N: Happens in literally ALL my fanfics. Ok, just FtVS (From the Very Start.))

"Now, as much as I hate to do this, you must depart tonight. Please pack, say your goodbyes. Mister Malfoy, you are leaving Hogwarts tonight."

A/N: You guys hate me. 0-snicker-0