A/N: 29 days 3 hours 22 minutes until Christmas... That is all I have to say :)

Hermione woke up to a burning in her hand. She sat up quickly and rather ungracefully before looking around. She was in the tiny broom closet, alone. The burning in her hand intensified. She opened her palm. The Galleon sat in her palm.

"Malfoy," she said. She concentrated on the coin and the message appeared. Look out of the window.

Hermione scurried out of the closet and stood at the nearest window. It faced the courtyard perfectly and standing there in the break of dawn was the Slytherin boy that was risking his life for her. He was dressed in his usual well-tailored black jacket and matching slacks. The black turtle neck he wore made his skin look flawlessly white.

Although they were far apart, their eyes locked. Slowly, Hermione raised her hand and waved. Draco smirked in response. Hermione quickly sent him a message. Please be safe.

She watched as he pulled the coin from his pants pocket and checked the message. Before he could respond, Professor Snape entered the courtyard. Draco put the coin away quickly and followed his godfather as they made their way to the forest to apparate.

XXX

"Why does he want me home early?" Draco asked as they walked. Professor Snape never looked back.

"I can imagine that either he is getting impatient or he is looking for someone to punish. There is no doubt that the Dark Lord is expecting you to fail the task he has given you," he said. Draco listened but all the while he kept looking back at the window that was growing tinier as they continued walking.

"When will you be joining us at the Manor?" Draco asked. His godfather was walking relatively quickly and he almost had to jog to keep up.

"As soon as term is over. Only Dumbledore knows where I will be over holiday, the other teachers are under the impression that I am going home," he explain. But Draco's attention wasn't on Snape's words. His eyes were still continuously looking back at the window.

Once in the forest Professor Snape turned. "Why do you keep looking back?" he demanded.

Draco froze.

"Draco, wartime is not the time to form a relationship," the older man said seriously. Draco blushed.

"I don't have a relationship," he said. The man looked at him suspiciously.

"Yet you look back at the school every 20 seconds with a love-struck look in your eye," he observed. The blood drained from Draco's already pale face. The Potions Master smirked. "Minerva owes me 10 Galleons."

"We aren't together," Draco said quickly.

"But you want to be," the man concluded. Draco stood silently. "You need to clear your mind of these feelings while you are home, you don't want anyone finding out about this and using it against you." Draco nodded and let his Occlumency shields go up.

"Test me," he said. His godfather looked him in the eye. Draco felt nothing.

"Your mind is well guarded," he said. "I advise that you keep these walls up when you are around anyone, even your own mother." Draco nodded. "I will be at the Manor as soon as term ends but until then you are on your own. Are you ready?" The man put his hand out.

Draco didn't hesitate as he grabbed his hand.

XXX

"Draco!" his mother called. The woman stood on the staircase in the foyer dressed in her usual green and black robes. Her pale eyes shined when they saw her only child.

Draco's heart swelled when he saw her. He dashed up the stairs like he had always done as a child and hugged his mother close. He was considerably taller than her, but he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Hello Mother," he said. He kissed her on the cheek.

"Oh how I've missed you," the pale woman admitted. Draco had to keep from shaking. The woman may have been brainwashed by dark magic and power, but there was no doubt that she loved him. "We've got lots to talk about, Darling. I had the house elves prepare a big breakfast for the two of us." He smiled at her.

Even though he didn't want to ask, he knew he had to. "Where is father?" He almost gagged. Narcissa sighed.

"You know your father, always out and about," she forced a smile. The woman looked passed her son. "Severus, will you join us for breakfast?" Draco had completely forgotten he was there.

"No thank you, Cissa. I must get back to Hogwarts before classes start," Snape said.

"Very well then, thank you for bring me my darling boy," she said. She took Draco's hand and brought him to the dining room. The house elves had really outdone themselves. There was enough food to feed all of Slytherin house.

"Where is everyone?" Draco asked. Narcissa looked around.

"The other members of your father's political circle only come to the house when they are called by the Dark Lord," she explained. "And most days the Dark Lord stays in his wing of the house with Bella and some other people. People really just come in and out as they please."

"So what do you do all day?" Draco asked.

"I—I just read, or walk around the grounds or read," she said. Draco felt his heart breaking. His poor mother. She walked over to the window. "I wish it would snow, Draco," she said. "Then you and I could play like we used to. And I know you are a man now but it would be so much fu—."

"Mother, of course we would have fun. I'm home early and we will do whatever you want, okay?" he assured her. She nodded.

"Come, let's eat."

XXX

Draco sat on his bed that night. The Galleon was in his hand. He held his wand to it and sent a message. No sign of Father or the Dark Lord.

Draco sat staring at the coin. After a few minutes it got warm. He looked at the message. Just stay calm. He knew she was right, he could feel his nerves on end at all times. His hand felt warm again. Are you okay?

Impulsively, he wrote a message back. I miss you. No, he couldn't be doing this to her. It was too dangerous to admit feelings now. He waited for a response.

She obviously doesn't return your feelings, so stop trying. She could never like me anyway, I'm Draco Malfoy, the boy that tortured her and called her nam—.

I miss you too.

Draco's heart jumped into his throat. So there was hope.

He suddenly remembered that he had to hide his feelings while he was at the Manor. He couldn't have all of these feelings in his head. He sent a message back. Get some sleep Granger.

Hermione replied almost immediately. Good night Malfoy.

XXX

As soon as she saw him apparate with Professor Snape she started worrying. If someone would have asked her two months ago if she cared about the life of Draco Malfoy she would have most likely laughed in their face. But now all she could think about was the blonde Slytherin that had stolen a place in her heart.

She had kissed him that night in the tiny broom closet.

Maybe it was because he opened up when he was around her. Maybe it was because he was risking his life for her. Maybe it was because he looked so pitiful from stress. Maybe it was because she was attracted to him. She didn't know why she kissed him, but it felt right.

But now wasn't the time for a relationship. First of all, Harry and Ron would more than likely kill him if they ever found out how close they actually were. Second because they were in the middle of a war. Neither one of them needed emotions in the mix while fighting an evil madman.

But when Hermione received the message from Draco claiming that he missed her, she wanted nothing more than to be with him and tell him exactly how she felt.

What if he just meant he was lonely? It doesn't necessarily mean he likes me; he could just enjoy my company.

No matter how he felt, Hermione could feel herself falling in love with the boy that had always been her enemy.

XXX

Draco sat in his bedroom the next morning and tried to hide the fact that he was very pale. His mother had told him at breakfast that his father wished to see him in Draco's room once the meal was over. Draco had eaten, but just enough to keep his mother from questioning.

Your shields need to go up, he thought. He took a deep breath. There was a knock at his door.

"Come in," he said coolly. His father entered. Lucius's hair was the same color as his own, but was longer than his mother's. His father did not look well, the bags under his eyes indicated that the man rarely slept. "Hello Father."

"Son," the older man said with a nod. He took a seat in one of the chairs by the window and Draco followed suit. "I trust that you attempted to please the Dark Lord to the best of your abilities?" Draco nodded. "He is going to be angry that you failed your task but perha—."

Draco sneered in anger at the realization. "Father, you think of me as a fragile little boy still. I can assure you that the Dark Lord will be most pleased with me when I tell him that I have taken the innocence of Potter's Mudblood slut."

His father stared at him in disbelief. "How?" Draco nearly rolled his eyes.

"The name Malfoy used to have power and strength behind it. Just because you seemed to be deficient in these qualities does not mean that I am as well," he jabbed. His father stared daggers at him. "I know what this meeting was about. You were convinced that I would fail and this was to ease the inevitable death that would follow if I went before the Dark Lord empty handed." Draco stood now and walked toward the door.

"I'm fairly certain that you have convinced Mother that I was to die as well. Don't you think you have caused the women enough pain in her lifetime?" Draco opened the door. "Remove yourself from the room Lucius. And come back when you have more faith in your son."

Draco did not have to repeat himself; his father stood and left the room without another word.

XXX

"Draco, I am mossst pleasssed," the serpentine man drawled after pulling out of the young man's mind. Draco was kneeling before the Dark Lord, surrounding them both in the form of a circle stood a ring of Death eaters.

"Breaking the Mudblood now brings us closer to bringing down Potter once and for all," he continued. Voldemort began to walk around the room. "Let us hope that Draco's blood has not been tainted by her filth." Chuckles filled the room and Draco smirked.

"You may stand, Draco." Draco did as he commanded. "As a reward for your loyalty I invite you to join us for our annual Revel on Christmas Eve." Draco kept his face stoic.

"Thank you, My Lord. I am most honored."

XXX

Twelve days.

He had twelve days. Twelve days until he would have to kill for the sake of the greater good. Even knowing this, it still didn't make him feel any better.

Draco wasn't a fool. He knew what happened at the Revels. Horrible things capable of bringing a grown man to tears occurred. He also knew the Dark Lord was notorious for offing the weaker members that couldn't stomach the rapes, tortures and deaths. At least the Dark Lord wouldn't have any other Death eater meetings until Christmas Eve.

So he had twelve days.

He had to speak to Hermione; it was the only thing that would keep him sane. Granger?

No reply came. Granger, are you there?

Still no answer. Can this get any worse?

A/N: Next Chapter is all about Draco's time in Malfoy Manor leading up to Christmas Eve. No Dramione action :(