A/N

Wow it's been a long time. I am so sorry. Exams have seriously been killer and I just have been unable to write for this! I'm working on it, but WRITERS BLOCK HAS BEGUN TO FILL UP SOME OF MY WRITNG! DX

I'm completely worn out, and a good guy friend has told me that I need more sleep (something about killing brain cells with the little sleep I've gotten…) so I'm trying. Three cheers for going to sleep at 9 last night! Hip hip?

Disclaimer: HEY! GUESS WHAT! IT'S NOT MINE!

I hope you like it…

"Ronald, do you realize how much I love you?" she whispered in a frightened tone, knowing that if they died today, she would have wanted to leave him with those words.

He looked her way and smiled, sadness filling his heart. His head nodded back and forth several times; slowly, like a pendulum. And those gorgeous eyes that had captivated her so many times in the past years of their friendship penetrated her heart as if he could see deep down to the very depths of her soul.

"Kiss me one more time Ronald. Just once more. I-in case we don't make it." The disparity in her voice made Ron wince. He couldn't talk for he feared he would say something that would truly show his fear. He couldn't let Hermione see how frightfully scared he was of the future. So he leaned down—just as he had done twice before—and pressed his warm lips against her chilling ones and lingered, remembering the taste.

"Promise me. Please promise me that you won't ever let them hurt me. Please." Pleaded she, closing her eyes, for hot, salty tears were beginning to form at the corners and falling down her mud-caked cheeks.

And once more, he nodded and his heart filled with the most sorrow it had ever felt for he knew that there was no way he could actually know. And when it came down to it, he wasn't very good at spells, he wasn't the strongest bloke and nor was he a Seer. If he wasn't able to protect her, it would demolish him.

Don turned his head away, ashamed of his cowardice. Whatever it took, he would protect her and she wouldn't hurt.

She dreamed reality.

She dreamed the past.

She dreamed of promises and lies.

Now it's time for her to wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up.

"Wake up. Please wake up Hermione." Draco whispered into her ear as she lay on her love seat, curled up. Her skin was irritated and splotchy. As was his.

The night had passed with Draco kneeling by the couch he had laid her on (1). He cried out for her the dominant parts of the night, but she would not answer, and so he let the long awaited tears flow. He could not remember the last time he had truly cried and he was not sure he ever had. Draco had always put up the illusion of being stone cold and his poker face was brilliant, so there was never any reason to show his emotions…but when you truly see a man break is when you realize that they are nearly just as emotional as females and the bent up feelings kept deep in their core are so delicate that they could erupt at any moment. And this was it. His volcano was finally roaring its beastly head in a huge wave of tears.

They were silent. He did not sob; he did not cry out in grief, he simply sat with his back propped to the foot of the couch, his feet curled to his chest and his hands tangled up in his hair, very nearly pulling it out.

Sometime about eight in the morning, he got up. His head ached as if he had a hangover, even though he hadn't had a drink in ages—days more accurately.

A great weight had been pressing on his bladder and he needed to release it, so he went to relieve himself.

Hermione lay on the couch with a troubled expression glued on her face. Such an ironic dream! Though it was more of a memory.

She could sense things happening around her and it was maddening. The scrape of the piping, the whoosh of the water system, the rush of distant vehicles, the unnerving buzz of a bug, and the very high-pitched noise of her nerves buzzing around her body echoed throughout her head, bouncing ceaselessly in an array of annoyance.

Every second her mind was becoming more in-tuned to her surrounding environment and she could now sense that it was her home surrounding her, and the events of the night before started coming back in full swing.

Draco had wanted to apologise. Yet they had started screaming at each other and Hermione had fainted, her skin erupting in thousands of blisters.

But she, for some reason that she could not explain with her own mind, didn't care about what had happened. Her heart filled with forgiveness for this man who had whole heartedly apologised for his wrong doings towards her, and it was so plain and simple and easy. It was so much easier to just let it go and give him another chance as he so desired it.

And as this gigantic weight lifted from her shoulders, Hermione began to wake.

"D-Draco?" she said feebly for she was weakened and could barely lift her head.

He was not there, but somehow he heard her and came back.

"What happened?" although she asked, she did not need to. She knew everything that had happened the night before; she just did not want to believe that it was all true.

You could see it in his eyes, Draco was elated she was awake; he did not spare a second to scoop her up into a large bear hug.

Weak and weary, she used all the energy she had to hug his neck and she laid a solid kiss with frozen lips on his flushed yet sunken cheek.

"So…so I'm forgiven?" he whispered just as he had before.

Hermione nodded her head once and the corners of her plump lips stretched into a soft smile.

"You've got a blister." Hermione's voice cracked as she moved a shaking hand to touch Draco's neck where an angry blemish lived.

"So have you." He smirked, touching her neck, moving to her hands, then to her cheek. His had lingered for a moment before he brought his head down to place a kiss on her now colouring lips.

Something snapped in Hermione.

"You get blisters too." It was clearly not a question. Shock played in her eyes as she turned her eyes away from him and onto the few blisters that invaded her hand.

"You get blisters too!" Her eyes became wide as galleons. So this was not some sort of wronging with herself. This was something happening between the two of them.

Draco looked to her, his mind boggled as to what she was thinking.

Hermione's head snapped back to Draco's and realization occurred in his eyes as well.

"Something's up Hermione." He gasped, the volume of his tone dropping several decibels. Hermione simply nodded.

"Yeah."

**Preview of next Chapter**

She shook him awake.

"Draco. Draco look at this. Hurry! Wake up!" there was an urgency in her voice that Draco simply could not ignore. He sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes, and he stared at the computer screen, still not seeing anything for he had not completely woken up yet.

"A Bond Between Souls by Athenea Blackwood." Hermione's breathing caught in her chest as she read the next sentence…

I am so sorry that it's late and I feel extra bad for it being so short and full of fluff. I'm sorry you guys. PLEASE OH PLEASE FORGIVE ME! DX I love you all though!

(1) Ok, i really hope you guys don't have dirty minds. It wasn't meant to be.

READ AND REVIEW!

Happy writings

Caroline