Author's Note: This flashback is from Ch. 8 and takes place at the end of their fifth year at Hogwarts.

O.W.L.S

"Don't you think you should take a break?"

Hermione didn't look up from her book. "I can't—I'm studying. What are you doing out of bed?"

"Patrolling, of course."

"Where's Zabini, then?"

"I told him he could go back to the room and study if he wanted. Said I could go finish off the rounds. He's worried."

"And you're not?"

"Tomorrow's only Potions. Nothing difficult about that. I don't see why you're so worried, Hermione. You know you'll score better than everyone else anyway, with or without studying."

Hermione shook her head and turned the page. "I get good scores because I do study. I don't understand how you can be so relaxed."

"Hermione, will you please look at me?"

"Draco, stop bothering me. I still have another few chapters to go."

"And how many times have you read this book cover to cover already?"

It irked her how well he knew her. After reading the remaining two chapters, she would have finished the Potions book for the fourth time.

"Shut up," she snapped.

"Hey, hey, calm down. You're not going to be able to fall asleep if you stay this stressed."

"I wasn't going to go to sleep."

"Oh, come on, Hermione."

He snatched the book off the table.

"Hey!" Hermione protested, jumping to her feet.

Draco held the book over her head, out of her reach, and she glared at him.

"Give it back."

"You really need to relax. Honestly, all this stress can't be good for you."

Hermione sighed and stopped her futile struggle to get the book from him by force. She folded her arms across her chest and fixed a steely glare on him.

"I'm being very calm," she said.

Draco smirked. "That's not calm. That's waiting for me to give up and leave you alone."

"Same thing."

He turned abruptly and started walking away.

"Draco, give me back my book!"

He kept walking, and she sighed. He was going to make her chase after him, wasn't he? She waited three counts to see if he would stop walking, but as he reached the end of the shelf, he turned and kept heading toward the exit.

Hermione sighed and jogged after him.

"Oh, come on! I don't have time for this!"

She ran around the corner and crashed into something hard.

His arms snaked around her, and his head swooped down so he could kiss her. She tried to resist opening up to his mouth, tried to turn her head away, but he wound his fingers into her hair, holding her head in place. His tongue brushed across her lips, and she longed to feel it stroking the inside of her mouth. She caved to that longing and pressed up against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She could feel the smile on his lips as he shoved his tongue into her eagerly waiting mouth, and she tugged on the hair at the nape of his neck. Her whole body tingled as his hands ran down her clothed back. She slid her hands back over his shoulders and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Draco hummed in satisfaction and backed her into a wall. She pushed the shirt over his shoulders, and he released her long enough to let it fall to the ground behind him. She trailed her hand up and down over his taut abs and leaned forward to kiss him again.

His hand came up, and a finger covered her lips. She met his gaze and saw that he was about to speak, so she took his forefinger into her mouth, sucking gently. He opened his mouth, and instead of words, a groan tore from his throat. She sucked harder, and he pulled his finger back.

"Stop that," he said, his voice tight.

"You don't like losing control, do you?" said Hermione with a devilish grin.

Draco smirked. "Like you could make me lose control."

She ground her hips against his and felt him harden.

"Boy, you know I can."

She pulled her shirt off and discarded it to the side.

He hissed. "Green tonight, eh? Did you know I was coming?"

"Maybe," said Hermione, smirking.

It was a coincidence that she'd picked that bra, but he didn't have to know that. She took a step forward and slowly rubbed her hands up and down his back, feeling the muscles tense up under her fingertips. She looked up at his eyes to see that they were stormy and grey tonight. She opened her mouth slightly and let her tongue dart out to lick her lips seductively.

"I've taught you well," Draco murmured huskily.

Before she could respond, he shoved her backwards against the wall and pressed into her, clamping his mouth down over hers. She used the wall as leverage to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling him even closer. She gasped as she felt the bulge in his pants starting to press into her wetness; only a few layers of fabric lay between them. She twisted her fingers into his soft hair and moaned as his hands fondled her breasts through her bra. She arched her back against him, and he slid his hands downward, breaking contact with her skin as he unbuckled his belt.

Hermione put her legs back down on the floor and started to remove her own skirt, but she stopped.

"Draco—I heard—"

Draco hushed her with an urgent look and grabbed her hand, pulling her back past the table where she'd been working earlier. They ran silently between the shelves and into the Restricted Section.

"Our clothes—" Hermione breathed.

He just shook his head, and she fell silent. They heard the clack of hard shoes against the stone floor of the library, and a lamp was being carried between the shelves.

"I heard you! I know you're in here," Filch croaked.

Draco sighed with relief, and Hermione looked at him questioningly. He smiled and gave her a look that clearly told her to trust him. They heard Filch stumble.

"Bloody book."

"You dropped it on the floor?" Hermione mouthed at him angrily.

Draco smiled at her innocently, and she punched his arm. He shook his head at her and stepped out of the Restricted Section. Hermione reached out to grab him, but he was already out of her reach. If he wanted to get caught, she certainly wasn't going to be joining him.

"Filch!" she heard him bark authoritatively.

"M-Malfoy? What are you doing here?" asked Filch.

Hermione's eyes widened. Why did he sound afraid? Filch had always been very nasty towards the students, and Draco was no exception. If her memory hadn't failed her, Filch had treated him with the same attitude starting first year, when he'd taken them down to their detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest.

"I was meeting a friend."

"It is against school rules to—"

"I know the rules, Filch, thank you. This is a… special friend of mine, and I'm sure Umbridge would have no argument against bending the rules for us. If you don't trust me, you can go ahead and talk to her yourself. After all, rules are rules. Just don't blame me if I let it slip…"

"No, no, I believe you, and Professor Umbridge wouldn't want to be disturbed this late, I'm sure."

"Well, I'm glad you understand. If you and I don't say anything, then the rules don't matter so much, do they? Unless you would rather—"

"Of course not," said Filch. "I'll be off then, wouldn't want to take up your time."

"Yes, go on."

Hermione heard Filch's clicking footsteps slowly fade away and moved out of the Restricted Section. Draco appeared from behind a bookshelf and sauntered toward her, his lips stretched in a self-satisfied smirk.

"All right, go ahead," said Hermione.

He tilted his head minutely, maintaining the same expression and the same leisurely pace. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, aren't you going to gloat about how influential you are, you arrogant twit?"

Draco shook his head, clicking his tongue a few times. "Arrogant I may be, but a twit, I most certainly am not."

Hermione smiled at him as he reached her side. "I'm sure we could fix that."

He arched an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And how would you go about turning me into a twit?"

She held his gaze while she placed her palms flat on his chest. Then she slowly trailed them down his torso, leaving a trail of goosebumps. Still staring into those pools of molten silver, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and let them drop to the ground. She winked playfully, then slid both her hands under his briefs and gripped his already waiting erection.

He threw his head back and hissed, stiffening. She took a small step forward so she could kiss his neck. She started stroking him slowly, and he groaned.

Hermione smiled. "Seems like Filch didn't ruin the mood, after all."

He inhaled deeply as she increased the speed of her strokes, wetting her fingers and his hard member with pre-cum. Then he pulled her hands out of his underwear and she looked up at him, confused. Had she done something wrong?

Draco kissed her, and her brain failed her again. She couldn't get enough of the taste of his tongue. She felt her nipples harden as they pressed against his bare chest, and she realized that her bra was gone. Then she was pressed against a bookshelf, and she was about to protest about how the shelves were made of wood and how she could get splinters when she felt her panties stripped from her. His thumb grazed her clit a few times, and she moaned.

Damn it all. She didn't care if her back was covered with splinters when they were finished; she just wanted him to take her right there, and she kissed him so ferociously that he seemed to get the message.

In one strong shove, he was sheathed inside her, and he swallowed her cry of pleasure. She gasped in pleasure on his second thrust.

"Oh, Draco…"

She clutched his shoulders, throwing her head back in ecstasy as he picked up the pace.

A few minutes later, she was lying on her back on the cold floor. Draco was bracing his weight above her, his eyes fixed on her adoringly. He'd never looked at her with that sparkle in his eye, and she wondered if it was just a trick of the light.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little."

He slid his arms underneath her and rolled them over so that she was lying on top of him.

"Better?"

Hermione smiled at how sweet he was acting.

"Well, you didn't turn me into a twit," he said with a small grin.

She tapped his nose with her index finger, scrunching her eyebrows together in mock thought. "I guess I misspoke. You can't be a twit. I would never have sex with a man who didn't have a properly functioning brain."

Draco laughed lightly, and she loved that familiar sound.

"I believe you," he said.

That same look in his eyes was still there, and she was almost afraid. Did he feel something for her beyond…?

"Are you okay, Hermione?" he asked.

Hermione blinked. "Yes, I'm fine."

She rolled off him and looked around for her clothes. He sat up but didn't get to his feet. She'd put on her underwear and jeans and was looking around for her shirt when she remembered that they'd been making out near the entrance of the library. She went down the row of shelves and turned left to see both of their shirts, his belt, and her Potions book on the ground. She pulled her shirt on and then picked everything up.

When she returned to the place where she'd been sitting, Draco was lounging in her chair, half-dressed. She stared at his toned torso, and he smirked when he noticed her intent gaze. She flushed and put his belt and shirt down on the table.

"Are you sure you're still going to keep studying?" he asked.

She sighed. Of course he'd know just by looking at her that she was about to open the book up again.

"Yes, Draco."

He stood up and planted another kiss on her lips.

"All right, then. It's your choice. I'll lay off distracting you."

"Good," said Hermione.

Draco slung his shirt and belt over his shoulder and started walking out of the library.

"You're welcome!" he called over his shoulder.

"For what?"

"For relieving all that stress for you."

Hermione stared in his direction even after he'd turned the corner. Then she shook her head and sat down, opening the Potions book to the page she'd been on.

Damn him, he was right. She was considerably more relaxed than before.