Chapter 11

"So that's the basics of a telephone." Hermione smiled at Seth who was sitting across from her at one of the back tables in the library.

"Like floo but you talk to a small rectangle…you muggles are strange." He let out a laugh and Hermione followed suit.

"I resent that!" She feigned protest. "We are just innovative."

"So that's what your calling it then?" He laughed and narrowly avoided Hermione's swat to the shoulder. "Hey! Violence is not necessary!" He laughed some more.

"You're such a brute!" The giggling continued for a few more seconds before all was quiet again. "So how did you like Durmstrang?" She picked up her quill and played with the feather.

"It wasn't bad. I felt like I was part of the Russian army though, the way everyone acted, all rigid and stern. The food was pretty bad but classes were great. A lot of hands on material was taught. We probably could have been effective in the war. You guys definitely would have finished off the death eaters in half the time with us there." He grinned at her.

"You're quite full of yourself, aren't you?" She asked with a smile.

"Nah, I just know how capable I am." He winked and she laughed at his ridiculous statement. "How has Hogwarts been?" He asked more seriously.

"I love it here." She didn't miss a beat. "I'm going to miss it when I'm gone." She stared up at all of the books behind Seth.

"Maybe you should become a professor. I have learned a lot since we have been here." He smiled at her, motioning to the library.

"Yes, telephones and televisions are very stimulating material." She joked. "I have considered it though. I doubt Professor McGonagall would step down and let me take over as the Transfiguration professor." She twirled her quill again.

"Oh I'm sure she would, she seems to like you." He said.

"How do you know that?" She looked at him with wonder.

"Well she told me if I need any help or have any questions, you were the girl to go to. She just seemed proud when she said that you were the Head Girl."

"Well that still stands." She smiled. "Anything you need, I'm right here."

"How about a date to Hogsmead?" He asked with his award-winning grin.

"Oh um…I'll-" Her sentence was cut off when she gasped and held her head in pain.

"Hermione? Are you alright?" Seth asked with a worried expression. He stood and walked around the table to her. He put his arm around her and helped her stand. "Let me take you to the Hospital wing."

She nodded and grabbed her things, but he was faster and laced her bag around his shoulder then wrapped his arm around her waist to stable her. They walked out of the library receiving a few questioning looks.

The pain was piercing and she could hardly hear or see anything, let alone walk on her own. She heard mumbling and wasn't sure where it was coming from. Seering pain shot through her temple and a loud, shrill noise erupted from somewhere near her and she collapsed onto the floor.

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"So how do you think classes will be this year?" Pansey asked Draco as he looked around the Slytherin common room with a bored expression.

"Probably more lenient than the other years. It was optional to return after all." Blaise said examining his nails, cleaning the dirt from them.

"True." Pansey shrugged before turning towards Draco who was now sitting with his hand resting on his chin and his arm on his crossed leg. "Something wrong Drake?"

"Hmm?" He just raised his eyebrows and continued to look at the same spot he had been staring at.

"Earth to Draco…what's wrong with you?" Pansey said nudging his crossed leg with her foot, making the top leg fall off of the other.

"Sorry, headache." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I think I'm going to take a walk." He stood and walked away without another word.

"That was odd." Pansey said staring after him.

"Well, Draco is odd." Blaise said standing as well before walking to his room.

Outside of the common room….

Draco was walking, not sure of where he was going; he just kept walking. It wasn't until a couple minutes later he found himself on the first floor. He started to wonder up the stairs but stopped in his tracks.

"What happened?" Draco demanded once he briskly walked up to Seth and Hermione.

"We were in the Library, she had a sudden pain in her head." Seth said cooly, still practically carrying Hermione.

"Was she feeling ok before? Did something happen?" Draco was looking her over to check for any possible signs to lead him to some answer.

"No, now if you'll step aside I can bring her to the Mediwitch and have her mend the situation." Seth started to move past Draco.

"I'll take her. I'm Head Boy, plus you probably don't know where it is." Draco made a move towards Hermione's other side but she suddenly let out a small shriek and completely collapsed.

"Hermione?" Both boys asked simultaneously. Draco dropped next to her. He checked her pulse.

"Her pulse is ok." He levitated her quickly up into the air in front of him so he could stand up. Once he put his arms under her back and waist, she dropped from the air, softly into his arms. He hurried to the Hospital wing without another word to Seth, who was now following closely behind.

Not a minute later both boys rushed through the doorway, calling out for Madame Pomfrey.

"Oh dear, put her here on the bed." Madame Pomfrey bustled around to the other side of the room where she grabbed a few things.

Draco gently put her down and stepped away.

"What happened?" Pomfrey asked while she waved her wand and checked Hermione's vitals.

"Ask Anderson here. He was with her when it happened." Draco crossed his arms and looked accusingly at Seth.

"Mr. Anderson?" Pomfrey asked looking at him with raised eyebrows.

"We were in the library and her head just starting hurting. Apparently it hurt enough to make her pass out." He said to Pomfrey before narrowing his eyes at Draco.

"This appears to be no normal headache." She said still moving around Hermione. "Any complaints from her before that?"

"Not that I was aware of." Seth answered again.

"Well she will be alright but I would like her to stay here for another hour or so to keep an eye on how things progress." She stopped to look at the two boys. "Someone will need to help her back to her common room once she awakens."

"I'll let Potter know." Draco said, raising his chin in an authoritative way, before Seth could interject.

"Very well. Otherwise, I will ask you to come back up here and help her. Quarter till midnight, be sure tell Mr. Potter." She gave Draco a stern look.

"Of course." He turned on his heel and walked out of the hospital wing.

Draco made it to the heads common room and up to his own room without running into anyone, not even Filtch. Ever since the war, curfew was set to eleven for all but the eighth years; they had no set curfew.

Draco grabbed his quill and a piece of scrap parchment to write Harry a letter explaining Hermione's situation. Once he had finished, he sent Eros away with the note and a treat. He sat back in his desk chair, making it creak under his weight. He wondered what could be wrong with his co-head. He was a little worried about what had happened and even angry with Seth. All of these emotions running through his head were confusing him.

He wasn't supposed to befriend Hermione. She was a Mudblood -he grimanced-…but even that word didn't sound right to him anymore. After all he only kept up that act for the sake of his and his families lives. If Voldemort would have heard through the grapevine that Draco wasn't cursing the ground muggles and muggleborns walked on, he would have been dead in seconds.

Apparently things had changed after the war though. He enjoyed Hermione's brief moments of company.

'She is smart and funny and cute…wait cute?' He thought

"Bloody war." He cursed outloud.

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Potter,

Hermione is in the hospital wing. She's going to be ok, Pomfrey can explain more when you get there. She needs someone to escort her back to the Heads common room at quarter till twelve. And try not to bring an entourage.

D. Malfoy

"Who's that from?" Ron asked Harry as he walked through the portrait door with a muffin in one hand, and half of one in the other.

"Professor McGonagall wants to talk to me about assisting in Defense Against the Dark Arts for third years." Harry lied, looking at the clock and noticing that it was half past eleven. He stood up and grabbed his wand off of the table.

"At this hour?" He asked with scrunched eyebrows.

"Yeah, dunno." Harry shrugged and made his way out of the common room.

When he arrived to the hospital wing he saw Hermione sitting up in one of the beds with a guy sitting in a chair next to her. She looked a little out of it and he was talking to her about something that made her smile a bit.

"Harry?" She looked up when he walked further into the room.

"Hey," He smiled. "You ok?"

"I think so. It was so weird, Harry. My head felt like it was imploding on itself all of a sudden. I'm glad Seth was there to help me get here. I'm not sure what would have happened if I was alone." She smiled at Seth.

"Oh I can't take all of the credit." He grinned back at Hermione. "Madame Pomfrey healed you up quite nicely." Hermione took note that he didn't mention the one who truly brought her there.

"Does she know what caused it?" Harry asked walking over to her other side.

"She said its probably just stress with being back and all. She gave me a pepper-up potion to take in the morning. My vitals were all fine though." She crinkled and uncrinkled the white sheets that she was laying on.

"That's odd, you're always stressed and this has never happened before." Harry mused crossing his arms.

"Must be that it all collapsed on her at once. Good to see you Mr. Potter." Pomfrey said coming out of her office. "Come to take her back to her dorm, have you?"

"Yeah, is she able to leave now?" Harry asked.

"As long as she feels well enough to do so." Pomfrey said with her eyebrows raised at Hermione in a questioning way.

"I feel fine." She reassured the mediwitch. Then she removed the sheets and swung her feet over the edge of the bed to try and prove her point. Harry walked over and stabled her as she wobbled to her feet.

"Woah, you sure you're well enough to leave, Hermione?" Harry asked as he looped his arm around her waist and practically held most of her body weight.

"I'll be fine Harry. Just need a bit more rest. I am not missing classes tomorrow." She gave him a stern look that clearly meant to stop talking.

"Wouldn't think to keep you from them, Dear. Now don't forget your pepper-up potion. Take it after you wake up and I would like you to stop by tomorrow evening after supper for a quick check-up."

"Of course Madame Pomfrey." Hermione smiled. "Thank you again Seth. I owe you one."

Seth gave her a small smile in return before seeing himself out.

Hermione made it up to her common room with much needed help from Harry. She told Harry the password and how to circle the ring, and then he helped her onto the couch.

"Do you want me to stay Hermione?" Harry asked once he got her a glass of water.

"I can take over from here Potter." Harry looked up and saw Draco coming down the stairs.

"Right, ok." Harry said giving him a questioning look. "If you need anything, just owl." He smiled and with another look back at Draco he walked out of the portrait door.

"Feeling better, are we?" He asked sitting across from her in one of the plush chairs.

"Yeah, it was so strange. Thank you by the way," He tilted his head to the side in question, "For taking me to the hospital wing. That was very generous of you to go out of your way for me when you didn't have to…so thank you."

"It was nothing. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time…and so was Anderson apparently." He stared at the glass on the table.

"Yes, I'm very lucky I suppose." She mused to herself. "I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it, Granger. Just make me some cinnamon rolls again sometime and we'll call it even." She laughed and He stood up and started to walk towards the stairs. "Do you need any help to your room?" He asked hesitantly

"No, I think I can manage." She stood to prove her point again but miserably failed when she got light headed and teetered back onto the couch.

"Don't be stubborn." He jested and walked back over, putting his arm under her waist. "Put your arm around my shoulders."

She did as instructed and he easily guided her up the steps and into her room. He accio-ed a pair of pajamas from somewhere in her room and tossed them onto her bed.

"Good night, and thank you again." She gave him a small smile before turning to get settled in.

"Night Granger." He responded, gently closing her door.

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A/N:

We are slowly but surely making our way to the Draco/Hermione aspect, I promise! Let me know what you guys think of it so far, or if there are any ideas, comments, or complaints.

Happy reading!