Disclaimer: You guessed it – Harry Potter is not mine.

ASSIGNED TO YOU

Draco sat back in his chair in front of the fire and let out his breath. Today he finally submitted his Love Assignment for Muggle Studies. That was one less thing to worry about. They were just at the beginning of NEWT season and a lot of hard work lay before them. Draco closed his eyes and allowed himself to fully relax for a while. When he closed his eyes his thoughts can't help but wander back to the night on the Tower when he kissed Hermione. She was so beautiful that night and he was so overcome with gratefulness, joy and other feelings that he had to touch her in a way he has never touched her before. The moment was so tender but yet intense. He cannot even begin to describe the jolt he felt running through his entire body. He smiled when he remembered how surprised she was that he knows Romeo and Juliet. He supposed it was understandable for her to be prejudiced against him in that way – it is a muggle play after all. He also remembered not being terrified while he waited for her answer after he asked her to the Ball. Something inside him knew she would acquiesce. He couldn't deny the new feelings in him anymore. He knew for a while now that he was in danger of falling for her, he just suppressed the thoughts. After he heard what she did for him the suppressed feelings broke through the surface. Kissing her was finally acting upon those feelings.

PERSONAL PERCEPTION OF LOVE

Hermione Granger

Love is the most universal concept but yet one of the most misunderstood. Love is so complex that there is no agreed definition. True – love is a feeling. Even this statement doesn't describe it fully. What kind of feeling? Can this feeling vary in strength? Type? I believe that love has millions of definitions and expressions because each individual will have their own definition according to their own experiences. The definition of love is in the heart of the feeler. It comes down to the same principle as beauty which is in the eye of the beholder. I do not know much of love but I know it is strong and can overcome almost anything. When you love someone with your whole heart you will do anything, risk everything and be anything for that person. Love can indeed change you – whether you wanted to change or not. Giving the gift of love is one of the most powerful things one can give. The greatest thing we will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

I have great respect for love because love is also not for the faint-hearted. Compared to all the great things of love there is also the bad side. Love can make you obsessed, make you ache, make you hurt and make you jealous. Unrequited love and a broken heart must be one of the most painful feelings connected to love.

Love can make everything better if handled correctly. Make love – not war. Love makes the sun shine brighter, makes your magic stronger and the bird's song more melodious. Love makes your eggnog taste sweeter and sweeps you off your feet. Love can come unexpectedly like a thief in the night. Love is so random and yet specific that you can neither escape it nor deny it.

Hermione was sitting on her bed and daydreaming. The night Draco kissed her kept replaying in her mind. She really didn't mind him kissing her; on the contrary she really liked it… a lot. (This thought still reddened her face like the ripest of tomatoes). What did that mean? Was she falling for him? Hermione already knew the answer. She was indeed falling for him and the kiss only spurred these feelings on. He was constantly on her mind and she started to miss his company.

What did the kiss mean to him? Friends don't kiss, right? Was he playing some sort of game? Was this his final and greatest ploy to humiliate her? Was everything that happened so far true and real? The thought they were actually friends for a while now has never crossed her mind before. What will happen when they see each other again?

Hermione knew they would be a smart match. He was intelligent, opinionated, athletic, determined, ambitious, strong and sensitive. On top of that he was also a highly skilled wizard, attractive, well-built (or so it seems) and have eyes that seem to see right into her soul. He also captained the Slytherin Quidditch team and now he is Head boy. She understood why she couldn't see it when they were younger. She was prejudiced against him, his family and all the values they stood for. She didn't want to look deeper. Yes, there is also the bad side of him. He is a Malfoy, a pureblood, a previous Death Eater and their enemy. But Hermione knew all of these things didn't matter anymore. What's in a name, in blood status, that makes a person bad? Nothing! Also the Death Eaters didn't exist anymore and he wasn't her enemy anymore. But can she just deny everything he did to her the last seven years of their lives?

"Hermione! What are you doing up here all alone?" Ginny appeared as if from nowhere and gave Hermione a fright. Ginny looked at her suspiciously.

"Why are you so jumpy? What were you thinking about?" Ginny eyed her still suspiciously, walking closer and smiling.

"You're imagining things, Ginny." Hermione felt a blush creep up her cheeks and gave a small smile.

"Come on, Hermione. What's been up with you lately? You hardly share anything with me nowadays."

"There was just nothing to share, that's why. Nothing's up." Hermione didn't know how she was going to get out of this one.

"There must be something." Ginny paused for a while.

"Was I right about Malfoy?" Ginny looked serious and pointedly at Hermione. Hermione looked up at Ginny when she mentioned Malfoy. She saw no judgement in Ginny's eyes. Hermione sighed.

"Yes, I have reason to believe that you were right."

There was a hint of a smile on Ginny's lips.

"And what might these reasons be?" Ginny's eyes twinkled.

"We really got to know each other these past few months and he is nothing like you can imagine. We shared stories of our pasts and were able to help each other overcome some things. He helped me more than he will ever know. I know I care about him. That first time you voiced your hunch I was already thinking about him – too much. I am falling for him, Ginny. And I am not afraid to be honest." She now looked at Ginny and raised her shoulders as if to say that she can't help it and that is how it is.

"Hermione, you sneaky witch! I'm so thrilled!" Ginny was smiling so wide and Hermione could see how she controlled herself not to burst from excitement. Hermione laughed softly and looked down at her lap.

"Aren't you going to reprimand me now for falling for our enemy?" She looked up shyly.

"Well, if you were able to overcome your hatred towards him then there must be a very good reason. And I trust your opinion. If you say he's a different person then I believe you. And besides, I have always had a small little crush on him – just because he was a bad boy." Ginny felt her face warm up. "I think that's very hot! Why do you think I like Harry so much?" Ginny said unapologetically and Hermione couldn't help but laugh at her silly friend.

Draco slept the following morning until after breakfast. If not for the owl he probably would have slept the whole day. Grunting, he climbed out of his bed to open the window for the owl who kept on tapping against it. Sleepily he opened the window and the owl zoomed in. He detached the package from the owl's leg. When he realized that the package was the anonymous Love assignment sent to him to read he was immediately wide awake. He gave the owl a treat and went over to his bed again, excited to read the paper.

Over at Gryffindor Tower Hermione also received her package and sat staring at the piece of parchment in her hand.

Ms Granger

It is with utmost care that I have chosen to give you this particular student's assignment. I know that I can trust you with this secret. Mr Malfoy has been taking this class in secrecy together with the rest of you. It is part of his punishment. He is indeed in every class but uses a Disillusionment Charm on himself so as to avoid uncomfortable questions from his fellow classmates. I am also sure that you will find the paper really interesting. I think it will give you a glimpse into his mind and maybe help you understand him better. PS he doesn't know that I have given it to you.

Professor Cotterbee

Hermione felt blood rush to her cheeks and sat transfixed on her bed – unable to move. Was Draco really in class the whole year? Hermione couldn't help but feel little disappointed. Why didn't he ever mention it to her? And after everything, why does he still feel the need to disguise himself? Hermione wondered if she even wanted a deeper glimpse into his mind – a glimpse concerning his thought on love. Hesitantly she picked it up and started to read.

…All I know about love is what I have seen in plays or read in novels. The portrayal of love in these stories is an excellent example of idealism. My cynicism of love is greatly because of this portrayal and my own experiences, or lack thereof. I have seen love in its most passionate forms in plays but self experience it as dull and stiff. I know one must not fool around with love because of its strength and the accompanying feelings of lust, passion, caring and endearment. Love is a package deal.

Some people sell this package for money. They make love cheap. I think these people are the most uninformed people alive. I pity them. But I also envy the leading characters in love stories – because they get the chance to experience love, however unreal it may be, in the stories they depict. They get to express the basic concept of love.

I think love may be the greatest gift you can give to someone, but to give love you have to be able to receive it and conversely. I think it takes a strong person to receive love because it means you know that you are worthy of it and that you are able to give it also…

After almost an hour of reading Hermione finally finished. She could not put it down after she started. Her mind was working overtime to think of everything she read. He really made this assignment very personal. Professor Cotterbee was right – she truly got a glimpse into his mind. She decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air and get her thoughts straight.

Hermione walked for quite some time. She took his assignment with her to avoid anyone else reading it. She walked past the greenhouses and through the court yard and went to sit on one of the benches.

She must admit that some of the things she read in his assignment made her feel sorry for him. …I've never truly had the gift of love…

Some things made her wonder but eventually made her smile. On their trip to Hogsmeade Draco asked her her zodiac sign. She thought it very peculiar then. …Gemini and Virgo are drawn together by circumstances and mutual interests…I am a Virgo

Other things were quite coincidental. She rembered Draco smelling her hair that night on the Tower when he kissed her. ...Love potions… For instance I smell old books, cherries, dark wood and candles…

Some of the things made her heart ache. …I would engage in intimate physical activities with girls who threw themselves at me, making myself believe that they loved me even though I never loved them…

Some of the things made her appreciate him more. …If I were ever to meet that special girl I would romance her the conservative way like in the Elizabethan era…

Some things made her mind and thoughts wander. …I would court the young lady who caught my attention. We would talk for hours, laugh together and have picnics. Sometimes I would steal her away for unchaperoned strolls and kiss her in the moonlight. I would write her letters and be the perfect gentleman all the way…

Some things touched her very deeply. …I am ready to give the gift of love because I know I am worthy of it…

Hermione came back to reality when the cold began to pinch her face. She got up and started walking again in an attempt to warm up. She walked towards the Black Lake. There were not many people around because of the snow that has fallen the previous night. Here and there a few brave people sat in the snow, playing. A few yards away from her someone was sitting against a tree trunk – alone. With a jolt she recognised that it was Draco and in his hand was what looked like an assignment. A thought sprang to her mind and anxiety washed over her. What if Professor Cotterbee decided to give Draco her assignment to justify that she has given Draco's assignment to her? An eye for an eye, right? Hermione decided just there that she had to find out if he got her assignment. He looked lost in thought and oblivious to his surroundings. Hermione cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself and slowly made her way towards him, covering her tracks as she went. At last she was close enough to peek over his shoulder. A cold feeling that had nothing to do with the weather bolted through her. He did indeed have hers! She stood there for quite some time, reading parts of her assignment with him.

…I think all girls dream of a romantic hero we see in plays and read about in novels. That perfect gentleman that sweeps you off your feet with his charisma and underlying arrogance, the one on the white horse that rescues you – the damsel in distress – from her piteous life. I dream of something real, something true. He may not come on a white horse, maybe he will come on a broom or in an enchanted car - but he will come. I believe every person has a soul mate, you just never know when, where and how you will find them…

Some of the things made Draco laugh softly and others made him frown. Sometimes it seemed as if he reread a whole page and other times he sighed. Hermione watched him reading her assignment until he went up to the castle again after he finished. She watched him leave and removed her Disillusionment Charm when he was out of her sight. She sat on the spot he just left until the sun went down.

Draco sat on the Dark Tower – just thinking. He watched the sun set over the frozen Black Lake and he watched Hermione, sitting on the spot where he just read her assignment mere minutes ago. He couldn't suppress the gripping feeling that she received his assignment to read.

A/N: I am very curious to hear what you think…

Sorry for the long wait friends – I was on holiday and couldn't take my laptop with. Happy 2014 to everyone!