They had made it back to their rooms, their jovial mood continuing. Amber had spent her entire time walking back through the castle shushing them until Draco pointed out that she was actually making them most noise trying to keep them quiet. They were all lazing about on the floor or in chairs, feeling relaxed and lazy and thankfully, not too drunk. Amber and Draco decided to mix some cocktails in the kitchen so Michael came and sat by Hermione putting his arm around her.

"Did I overstep the mark?" he asked and Hermione dug him in the ribs.

"Yes."

"Sorry, it was amusing though."

"For you, maybe!" Hermione smiled at her friend, not really mad at him.

"I was hoping to give Draco a little push in the right direction," Michael explained, his lovely, kind eyes sparkling. Hermione turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well considering he's supposed to be an expert in the romancing of women he's not exactly handling the situation with you very well. I mean what's all the hesitancy about?" Michael asked.

"I think you're reading too much into it...we're just friends really," Hermione said. Somehow it didn't seem embarrassing talking to Michael about this. She supposed she'd just got to know him so well that no subject was out of bounds. "Like you and I."

"You know very well that's not true! We're proper friends, Hermione. In fact I'd go as far as to say you're my best friend, apart from Amber, of course." Hermione gathered him into a hug.

"Thanks, Michael."

"You're girlfriend's watching," Draco's voice came across the room to them and they broke apart.

"Jealous, Malfoy?" Michael challenged his friend who made a rude sign and went back to cocktail making. Michael lowered his voice. "Anyway, as I was saying, you and Draco are not just friends are you?"

"Yes...no..." Hermione sighed. "I don't know what the hell we are!"

"Exactly my point! Amber was right earlier, Draco is totally into you and yet he's just messing around, not showing you how he really feels."

"Do you charge very much for these counselling sessions?" Hermione quipped.

"I offer discounted rates for special friends..." Michael said with a grin.

"Watch him, Hermione!" Draco was standing over them holding two strange coloured cocktails in his hands. "What dodgy deal is he trying to con you into?"

Michael stood up, taking a drink from Draco. "I was offering to let her use my body for the night, just so she has a taste of something good before going back to you."

Amber's loud laugh reverberated from across the room and Michael turned to glare at his girlfriend who blew him a kiss. Draco narrowed his eyes at Michael.

"Huh! You're talking to the Slytherin sex god, remember?"

"We only have your word for that, don't we?" Michael said. "Unless Hermione is willing to verify you're story, of course."

"No she's not!" Hermione said also standing to take her cocktail. "This is a very strange colour, are you sure it won't poison us?"

Michael walked over to Amber, examining his drink. "Yeh, what is in it exactly?"

Draco leaned close to Hermione. "It's the aphrodisiac that makes it that colour," he said, quietly and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. "Do you still want to drink it?"

Hermione, who was just nicely drunk now, grinned at him wickedly then downed the entire contents of the glass in one. Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head and Hermione grinned at him. "Does that answer your question?"

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Draco still looked genuinely shocked and Hermione giggled at him.

"That was funny!" she said.

"And really sexy," Draco said. "Is the aphrodisiac working yet? Do you have an uncontrollable urge to rip my clothes off yet?"

"Don't mind me," Michael said as he came to sit down again and Hermione chuckled.

Amber joined them as well, sipping her cocktail but looking slightly unsure about it. She gazed at Hermione and Draco before commenting in her usual, blunt manner. "You two need to get on with it, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife." Hermione stared at Amber open mouthed and trying to cover her embarrassment she announced that she was going to get them all some snacks. She went to the kitchen, her mind racing at Amber and Michael's words. The two of them seemed to be completely convinced that she and Draco should be together and that Draco was...besotted? with her. Was he? Really? She felt a pair of arms slip around her waist from behind and a pair of lips gently touch her neck.

"What are you doing? I was missing you." Draco's voice was in her ear and she trembled.

"I've been gone 30 seconds and I'm less than ten feet away," Hermione pointed out but her voice sounded huskier than usual because having Draco pressed against her and whispering in her ear made her feel a bit wobbly.

"That's too long and not close enough," Draco said. Hermione wondered if he was actually a lot more drunk than he seemed because he wasn't normally quite this vocal about how he was feeling. It was amazing what a couple of cocktails could do.

"Are you teasing me?" she asked. He took the packet of snacks she was holding out of her hand and turned her around to look at him.

"No...well only a little," Draco smiled at her and then he did something that made her heart leap. He gently leant forward and placed his forehead on hers, his arms gently holding her on the hips. It was such a simple gesture but it made Hermione melt. There was something about it that was intimate and tender. He wasn't pulling her against him as he'd done before, the only part of them that was touching was their foreheads. He was blinking rapidly, their eyes locked to each other and Hermione felt a huge rush of emotion hit her. God he was so bloody amazing! He was turning her into goo. He closed his eyes and Hermione was suddenly aware that his shoulders were shaking.

"Are you okay?" she started to ask but he interrupted her.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" he whispered, his eyes still closed. "I don't mean doing anything...I just need you..." Hermione thought she might faint if he said much more. Could he be any cuter? He needed her? Not half as much as she needed him right now. He opened his eyes for a moment and she realized she hadn't answered him. "You can wear your most un-sexy pyjamas, flannelette with lots of buttons and a silly pattern, that means I won't be tempted to try anything."

Hermione giggled. "I only own really, really, sexy and skimpy nightclothes." Draco raised his eyebrows at her sceptically and she giggled again. "Little pink sheep and high collar it is then..."

"Mmm. I can't wait."

Hermione looked at him concerned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Too much to drink and reality finally hitting me..." Draco explained. He still hadn't moved and they were standing, heads together. Hermione never wanted him to move, because this was an amazingly intimate yet not at all sexual position and it she felt a real, proper connection with him. She moved her hands until they were around his face.

"I'll stay with you until all this is over..." she whispered and Draco sighed.

"I hope Potter doesn't decide that now would be a good time to get his own back," Draco said with a little touch of humour.

"He hadn't better..."

They stared at one another for a minute before Draco spoke. "Hermione...what about after all this is over? Have you got any plans to stay with me then?"

Hermione pulled back from him, surprised by his direct question but so happy that he'd asked that she could have kissed him.

"Do you want me to?" she asked. Draco stepped towards her again, his eyes smouldering and he reached out to put his arm around her when Hermione gasped and grabbed it. She flipped it over and pointed at his dark mark. Instead of being black, it had turned blood red.

"It's the sign...it's changed colour...it's the sign," Draco's face was deathly white and his voice was a whisper.

Phew...I had palpitations while writing this one no-one should be allowed to be as totally sexy as Draco...anyway, now they've had the sign, I'm sure you can all guess what's going to happen next chapter...keep reading (please) and review (pretty please). x