Author's Note: Well, I was hoping to upload this over winter break, but oh well. As always, reviews are more than welcome. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

Draco had become too familiar with the hospital wing, much more than he wanted to be. It was only the last Sunday of September and he felt like he'd been in hospital more than he'd been in the boys' dormitory.

As soon as Draco had registered the situation at the Quidditch pitch he grabbed O' Doherty by the wrist and dragged her back to the castle. He waved off his friends as they left. To his right, Katelyn muttered an incantation or two and thrust a cool, damp cloth into his hand.

She pressed her own to her face. "If what I think is happening is happening, it better not be."

Now the pair stood in the hospital wing, side by side, as Madame Pomfrey took in the sight of them.

"Oh! Oh my lord. How on earth did this happen?" She didn't wait for an answer before hastening over to her stores to get a potion to soothe their skin.

Draco crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It doesn't matter how it happened. The thing that matters is what happened." He ran his hands through his hair, making it a mess. His eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head. "The bond has gotten even stronger!"

Pomfrey gave him a look from across the room and motioned toward a row of beds. "Sit."

"Are you not going to address this at all?" Draco practically screamed at her.

"Mr. Malfoy, sit."

He huffed a sigh and moved to sit next to O'Doherty. The poor girl looked almost frightened.

Madame Pomfrey rushed back over with a bottle of potion and two cloths, which she handed to each of them. "Here. Dampen the rag with the potion and hold it to the skin. The spot should clear right up." She made for the door. "I must tell Headmistress McGonagall about this right away. Do try not to kill each other."

With that she was gone and the two were left in the deserted room.

Draco glared at O'Doherty as she did as instructed. After a minute of treating the mark on her face, it had gone. She handed the bottle to Draco, but he pushed it away.

"I don't need it."

"Draco, please, your face is just as red as it was at the pitch. I know it has to be stinging still."

He didn't say anything; he just crossed his arms in front of his chest again and quirked an eyebrow at her.

Katelyn huffed at him. Why is he always so difficult? The thought passed as another popped into her head. She took the other cloth and dabbed some potion onto it.

Draco noticed what she was doing. "O'Doherty, I told you I'm not—" He was cut off as she pushed him back onto the bed and sat on his chest. She placed the rag onto his cheek where she had hit him. The boy was overcome with the scent of chamomile in the potion and the lavender of her perfume. Almost instantly, the burning on his face was subdued, and there was an odd sort of tingle where O'Doherty was making contact with him. He silently cursed the strength of the magical bond as a flush worked its way up to his face.

"Get off of me!" His voice cracked as he shouted at her and his face managed a new shade of pink that almost matched the scarf Katelyn was wearing.

She pretended not to notice. "Your face isn't healed yet."

He let out an exasperated groan and then grabbed her by the shoulders and sat up, pushing her off. He got into her face, so close their noses were nearly touching. "Don't you ever d—" He was cut off as she nonchalantly placed the rag back to his face. He stared in disbelief at her indifference. How could she be so nonplused? The thought was interrupted as his cheek glowed with warmth and then settled again.

O'Doherty removed the cloth and placed it on a bedside table. Without thinking, she ran her hand over his skin, bright and pale once again, noticing the odd prickling sensation that occurred when she did so; it was almost soothing. Draco smacked her hand away, making her flinch and move away from him on the bed.

Footsteps bounced through the hall outside and Pomfrey reentered, followed by McGonagall.

Their headmistress walked over to the Slytherins and surveyed the scene. "What happened this time?" she inquired as she placed her hands on her hips.

Draco turned to O'Doherty, but she was staring at the floor, so he spoke up instead. "Ugh, the boys played a dumb prank on her." He noticed the girl glare at him when he left himself out of the situation. He ignored the holes she was burning into his face. "She ended up slapping me and the same mark ended up on her own face as well, which leads us to believe that the bond has increased in strength."

McGonagall sighed. "I see."

Pomfrey spoke up. "Oh, Headmistress, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have given them that potion."

"Oh, Poppy, you mustn't blame yourself. For all we know, the bond could have strengthened with time anyway."

Pomfrey nodded. "So what happens now?"

Minerva thought for a moment before turning to her students. "Go back to your room. I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. What's done is done. Keep track of any more changes." She motioned toward the door and watched as they reached the hall. "Oh, and do remember," Their heads poked back around the doorframe, "the strength of the bond has increased greatly, and you will be careful to not have any more of these incidents. The consequences could be quite severe."

"Yes, Professor," they droned in unison.

It was only midafternoon by the time they reached their room. Throughout the entire walk, Draco had been pondering over what McGonagall had said to them. She was right; any more incidents could seriously harm the two of them.

Katelyn turned on him the moment their door had shut. "This needs to stop."

Draco crossed his arms and leaned on the doorframe. "Agreed," he drawled.

"No, listen. This is insane. If we keep fighting like— wait… What?"

"I agree." He swaggered over to the bookshelf across the room and turned to look back at his counterpart standing motionless by the door, a clear look of confusion on her face. "Listen. I know you're tired of fighting me, and, quite honestly, I don't think my reputation could stand if the two of us began sporting matching black eyes, so the fighting will have to stop… Besides, my complexion would be ruined by such a bruise." Draco chuckled at himself. "Well?'

It took O'Doherty a moment to wrap her head around what he had just said. "Sorry, come again?"

Draco rolled his eyes and walked back over to her. "I'll be civil if you will." He paused for a moment and then hesitantly offered his hand to her.

She stared at Draco, then at his outstretched hand, and then at Draco again. "Um… okay?"

"Okay?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and glancing at his hand.

"Alright. Yes." She took his hand and shook it uncertainly. She noticed a tingle as their hands touched; the same sensation she'd felt in the hospital wing.

Draco was only too glad to release her grip and return to the book shelf. "Granted, I still hate you wholeheartedly," he grabbed a novel and sat down in a beanbag chair, "but I'm afraid we'll have to call off fight club until this bond is gone." He looked at his watch and then up at Katelyn, who still looked dumbfounded. "Say, you wouldn't mind calling that elf of yours to make us some lunch would you? It's too late to go to the Great Hall and I'm starved."

Katelyn looked down at the floor and tugged at the rug with her shoes. "Um. I don't really want to bug her. Why don't we sneak down to the kitchens instead?" She shrugged down at him.

"Ooh, O'Doherty, people will talk…"

"What?"

"Oh, come on. The two of us roaming the halls, attached at the hip. Hey, don't raise your eyebrows at me like that. You've noticed that tickle, that little zap, which happens now when we touch. This bond is going to have us right next to each other every hour of every day, and if you don't mind, I'd like to keep it private and away from prying eyes. I mean, hell, it's only a matter of time before you're crawling into my bed at night."

Katelyn, red faced, held out her finger as if she was going to say something, but instead shook her head, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Draco Malfoy, you repel me," she declared as she made her way across the room to her bed.

Draco scoffed and leaned out of his chair towards her. "Good," he teased, smirking at her.

O'Doherty huffed at him and bit her tongue. Of course, the one person she'd like to hex into the next century was virtually untouchable. Instead, she mumbled a few choice words to herself before calling for her house elf.

"Mistress called?" Binky asked, doing an odd sort of curtsy.

"Would you mind fetching lunch for Mr. Malfoy? It seems he's too embarrassed to leave our room…"

"But of course! And for you?"

"Oh, nothing for me." She sneered in Draco's direction. "I've lost my appetite."

And with that, she shut herself up behind the curtains of her bed.

Draco woke just as the sun was rising, casting a coral colored glow on his pristine room at the Manor. The usually unblemished white walls were now various shades of pink and orange, giving the chamber a warm, cozy feeling, which was uncommon for his home. He rolled over in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. A sound emerged from behind his bathroom door. His shower was on.

Draco got up from his bed and walked toward the door, leaving his sheets trailing after him. As he got closer, he could hear something else underneath the rush of water. Singing. And he sure as hell recognized the voice.

He opened the door and entered the large bathroom suite. On his left was a sink and toilet. On his right was a Jacuzzi tub and his spacious glass shower. Draco simpered. The singing figure behind the steamy glass was facing away and hadn't yet noticed him. He quietly slipped out of his silk pajamas and made his way to the shower door. When he opened it, the singing stopped and the brunette nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned and saw Draco standing there.

He stepped over to her, dipped his head down, and caught her chin in his hand. "I don't see why you're so startled, princess. This is my shower after all." He chuckled at the blush creeping in behind her freckles before leaning in and capturing her in a passionate kiss. He pulled away and admired her. All of her. She opened her mouth to say something, but, just then, the scene became blurred and drifted away.

Draco sat up in his bed, flustered, aroused, and confused as what the hell he just dreamt. He ran his hands through his hair, soaking it with sweat from his forehead. He mentally smacked himself. Then he actually smacked his temple. "Oh, god, this horrendous bond! This is going to be the damn death of me!"

O'Doherty stirred in her bed and Draco quieted himself. The very last thing he needed was to have to explain to her that she was aroused because he had just had a hot dream about some mystery girl in his shower.

As soundlessly as he could, he crept from his bed to the bathroom. He would need to take a very cold shower to be rid of the little problem his dream had sprung up.

Katelyn woke in the middle of the night. She was sweaty and very much odd-feeling all over. She didn't even want to think about the dream she had just seen. Draco began cursing the bond in the next bed over. She had to stop herself from giggling. She heard him get up, open and shut the bathroom door, and turn on the shower. Soon her skin felt cold and goosebumps rose, soothing the tension his dream had brought up.

O'Doherty chuckled to herself. "And he thought that I would be the one pinning over him…"

A devious idea popped into her head. She grabbed some spare parchment and wrote a note that she stuck in Draco's bed. She heard the shower shut off and nearly fell in her haste to jump back to her four poster and pretend to be asleep.

Draco emerged from the bathroom still toweling his hair dry. When he was happy enough with his work, he threw the towel back into the bathroom and got into bed.

Crunch.

He reached beneath him and pulled out a note. He lit his wand and read what it said.

"Feel free to crawl into my bed anytime you're ready, princess."

The blood left his face and he nearly screamed, "O' Doherty!"

No response.

He went over and shook her arm, ignoring the sensation he felt in his hand when he touched her. She rolled over and looked up at him with a sly look on her face.

"Ah, Draco, I see you're taking me up on my offer."

He became so ruffled that his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. Katelyn burst into laughter.

He crumpled the note and threw it at her head. "O'Doherty, no! That dream didn't mean anything! Do you understand me?"

"Of course," she snickered.

"O'Doherty, I'm serious!"

"Oh, I know you are," she drawled, rolling her eyes.

He grabbed at her arm again, only becoming aware of his fingers digging into her skin when he felt it on his own arm. "O'Doherty…"

"Alright. You're serious. I get it. Now, can I go back to sleep, or are there going to be anymore interruptions?"

Draco huffed as he threw her arm down and went back over to his bed. He tried to shake his head clear before settling beneath the covers. Katelyn's voice cooed at him from across the room.

"Goodnight… princess."