I know, I know! It's been FOREVER since I've updated and I'm extremely sorry about it. I've been so busy working and going to school that I didn't have much time to work on the story. And not only that, but I wasn't even sure where I wanted this story to go. But, I have a good idea now :)

First, I'm just so grateful for the feedback I've gotten. Thank you all. You guys don't know how much it means to me.

Second, there will probably be 3 or 4 chapters left and maybe an epilogue, I'm not sure. It's not going to be very canon after this chapter, so I'm just warning ya.

Third, I hope you guys enjoy this! I tried to make it longer than the previous chapters since I made you wait soooo long. It's in celebration of spring coming! (I live in the desert so I barely get any winter and it's been so warm lately that we have an early spring. It's glorious!)

I love you guys! Please review if you get the chance and enjoy the story!

There was a mental list that Hermione kept in her mind of things she would always regret and taking up McLaggen's invitation was one of them. How could she be so stupid to try and use it to bait hopeless, idiotic Draco into a relationship? First of all, both of them were on opposite sides of a brewing war. Second, he had been an asshole to her most of their time knowing each other.

Although, in the last year, Draco was more of a gentleman than Cormac has been to her in the past hour. So much that she found herself hiding from him.

Hermione stood around the corner in the hallway outside the classroom where the party was taking place. She had barely managed to get away from Cormac's greedy fingers and lips and his egotistical talk of nothing but himself and his bloody brilliant Quidditch plays.

Although, that wasn't the only thing on her mind…Her heart was racing against her chest because she had just caught a glimpse of Draco being pulled into the room by Filch as she was leaving. They caught each other's gaze before Draco was pulled away and Hermione turned away quickly.

She found herself sitting on the floor in the complete dark, hidden from sight. Hermione took into account that her hair was a mess and her dress was rumpled. She hid in the darkness until she heard voices coming from around the corner.

Professor Snape and Draco's hushed and haggard voices echoed off the walls to where she sat. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but it probably had something to do with Draco's "mission". Her heart was thumping, knowing fully well she should tell Harry all she knew, but she still kept her mouth shut. She was stubborn when it came to Draco. Everything about him was misunderstood, but she knew she couldn't defend him.

At least he paid attention to her, unlike boys like Cormac and Ron. They didn't pay attention to the personal bits, but Draco did. The little things he did for her was all that she wanted. He knew when not to bother her because of an assignment that was due. He would bring meals for the both of them to eat after they shagged, and he made sure she got what she wanted before he dug in himself. He would stop himself if he knew Hermione was feeling uncomfortable, and that's what she admired about him the most.

But after thinking it over, it was wrong of her to suddenly demand some type of relationship with him, when they had both agreed to just mess around. And he was right when he pointed out that she was the one who started it all.

Hermione could have just walked away from him and he would have never known. It wasn't like she was going to go around school telling everyone that Draco Malfoy likes to jerk one off in the Restricted Area.

They were both brought together at the wrong time. Or maybe, it was the right time so they wouldn't have to go through the hardships alone. Hermione didn't know.

Before she could think it over, she heard footsteps coming her way. She managed to stand up without making any noise. The darkness made it impossible to see anything, so whoever was walking by wouldn't have been able notice her. Judging from the dim moonlight, the silhouette of the person had blonde hair. Before he could get away, Hermione had cast a Silencio charm on him. He jumped in surprise before he stopped and turned around to look at Hermione.

"Hello Draco," she whispered, but her voice still echoed off the walls. "Can you follow me?" she asked. He suspiciously looked down at her, but slowly nodded his head in agreement. She took his wrist and they walked down the corridor until she found an empty classroom. It was a small one, probably from the older days, so it hadn't been used recently.

She took off the charm once they were inside, but Draco didn't speak. Instead, he walked slowly to one of the chairs and sat down. He looked weary and tired, Hermione noticed, and she felt bad for him. Before she knew it, she found her way behind him and her hands were on top of his shoulders. He stiffened at her touch, but slowly melted as she kneaded her fingers into him.

"Hermione, why are you doing this?" he groaned, his head was bent down between his hands, so she couldn't see what type of face he was making.

"You look stressed, so I figured I could help you relax." She said, ignoring what he really wanted to know. He let out a harsh laugh and pulled away from her. Before she could move back, he roughly grabbed her hands in his.

"Do you feel sorry for me? Is that it? You feel sorry for poor little Draco?" he whispered maliciously. She trembled away from him, but held her ground.

"No, I don't."

"Then why do you keep doing this? You're playing with fire, Hermione." He snarled. Hermione watched his grey eyes mold into steel. Not only was he furious, but he was also exasperated.

"Draco, let go of me." She said, trying to pull her hands free from his grip.

"You're the one who get yourself into this mess. You're the one who doesn't know when to walk away. You tease me, Hermione, until I can no longer think about nothing else but you! Do you dare expect me to continue being a good boy? I have a fucking death mark on my arm, do you remember that?" He said, pushing her down on the desk behind her. She kept calm as he shook her senseless. "Stop giving me things and then taking them back! Because I literally have nothing right now and you're doing nothing but making it worse." He was shaking now, his temper was out of control and he was in a rage.

Hermione tried to back away from him, but he held her there. He pointed his wand towards the door to lock it before turning back to Hermione. Draco's stared at her, looking at her dishevelment and her red cheeks. She wasn't sure if she was ashamed or embarrassed, but for once she didn't care.

"I'm sorr-"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Hermione!" Draco screamed. He pushed her down so that she was lying on the desk.

"Spread your legs." He demanded. She calmly did as she was told and bent her knees up and spread them in front of him. She shivered as his fingers caressed her knees and moved to the inside of her thighs.

"Do you care about these?" he said, pulling on the elastic of her underwear.

"Not particularly." She gasped as he ripped them away. Draco moved his head down to her center and she could feel his hot breath touch her lightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, I think you're enjoying this." He whispered against her, stroking her wetness with his finger. Hermione let out a moan of pleasure against him. His touch drove her crazy, making her squirm for more.

"Draco, more, please…" she begged, moving her hips against his finger.

"You're such a dirty thing, you know that?" he grinned before inserting his digit in her. Hermione clenched the desk underneath her while raising her hips. He prodded her harshly, as though he wanted to pleasure her but he was driven by his anger. She gasped in surprise when he entered another finger and continued to work on her insides.

Hermione was soaking wet and Draco was enjoying it as he slowly went from angry to turned on. He was enjoying the face she was making and the noises that escaped her lips. She was panting for him and he soaked it all in. "Turn around" his voice was husky. Hermione quickly turned around and bent over in front of him. He slapped her ass and she let out a gasp.

"Oh my gods." She murmured to herself.

"What? You don't like it?" he asked as he dropped his pants and boxers to the floor.

"No, I'm afraid I like it more than I thought I would." Her voice was strained. He smirked before roughly pulling her back and thrusting into her. "Fuck! Draco!" she yelled as he slammed into her from behind.

They were never this rough with each other so it wasn't long before they reached their climax. Hermione went down first, pressing up against Draco as her insides swirled with pleasure. Draco felt her tighten against him and he lost control by finishing inside of her.

They stayed like that for a while. Hermione was bent over on the desk, panting, with Draco resting his head on her back. He stayed inside her until both their heartbeats were back to normal.

They quietly got up and fixed their clothes. Hermione fixed her underwear before putting them back on and she flattened her dress. Draco pulled his pants and boxers back up and fastened his belt. They both sat next to each other once they finished.

"Draco, I think I like you." She whispered, after a few minutes. "I can't think of being anywhere else right now, but with you."

His eyes popped open in surprise and he took his hand to rub her cheek.

"I think we have a problem." He said, before he moved his hand behind her neck. He bent his head down, while she moved hers forward.

Their lips touched gently; as though both of them were scared they were going to break each other. Hermione wrapped her arms around his head to pull him closer. Draco intertwined his fingers in her curls. They began to touch each other all over, like they didn't already know each other's bodies.

Draco began to lick her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth a little. Their tongues danced slowly and gracefully, as though they were trying to determine what the other was hiding. The longer they touched, the faster they went. He was pulling her closer and she was holding on to him as though she might fall.

Hermione was the one who broke it off.

"What do we do now?" she asked, feeling her stomach flip as she looked at the swollen lips of Draco.

"We continue kissing." He smirked, trying to pull her closer.

"You know I wouldn't mind that, but let's try to be serious here." Hermione giggled as he rolled his eyes.

"Hermione, I'm so tired of being serious. Why can't we just enjoy the moment?" He said, lowering his bottom lip in a pout. She couldn't help but give him a quick peck. They smiled against each other and he lifted her chin up so he could get a better view of her face. "You're so beautiful, did you know that?"

"Draco…"

"You are. I've spent countless of hours thinking about it and getting angry at myself over it." He whispered.

"You're ridiculous." She said, playing with the strands of his hair.

"Maybe."

"I'm just scared about all of this, though. I don't want to get involved in something that will get us in trouble. Especially you." Her hands traced his jaw and he flinched at her touch.

They both became silent – deep in their own selfish thoughts. Draco broke the silence when he squeezed her hands.

"Look, don't think of this as a relationship. Just think of this as a promise to each other."

"A promise?" she questioned, feeling the warmth of his hands on hers.

"Yes, a promise. Just give me a few days because I have an idea. Let's meet next Friday in the tower after dinner."

"Okay, I will." She smiled.

The week continued at a very slow pace. Everyone was packing up for the holidays and you could feel how antsy the students were to leave. Hermione was going to go home at the end of the weekend, especially since both Ron and Harry had been vaguely annoying the past couple of weeks. Harry was obsessed with Draco's intentions and Ron did nothing but snog Lavender whenever they got the chance – which was always – considering what type of students they were.

Hermione was glad her and Draco managed to make up and then some. They weren't able to see each other this week, just so they wouldn't make anyone get suspicious. But, it was the little things between them that made her heart flutter.

He would give her a smirk as they passed each other in the hallway, sent her notes in the library when no one was looking, and sometimes he would even chance giving her a peck on the cheek.

Hermione was grateful for him, but she was increasingly getting worried. Even though he smiled at her, she could still see how skinny he had gotten or how tired he always looked. He was usually busy working in the Room of Requirement and she figured because of this he gave up a good portion of his sleep.

When Friday approached, she was getting the jitters. She wasn't sure what Draco was up to, but at least she got to see him before she left. Before she went to dinner, she made sure to pack her present to him in her bag. She told her friends some lame excuse and left quickly after eating a rushed meal.

By the time she reached the tower, Draco was already there, laying on the couch. His eyes were closed and he looked at peace. Hermione smiled as she approached him. She gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead, which he opened his eyes to.

"Hello gorgeous." He said, taking her hand and holding it close to his chest.

"Hi handsome." She smiled. "Where are you going for the holidays?"

A pained look quickly crossed his face, "I'm going to be staying here with Crabbe and Goyle."

"Oh… are you okay with that?"

"I don't have much choice," he said. "It'll be fine, I would rather be here than at home anyways." He sat up and faced her.

They broke the space between them with a kiss.

"I got you something." Hermione said, breaking the kiss.

"That's funny, I got you something, too." He said, pulling a small box from his jacket.

"You didn't have to get me anything." She looked at the velvet box and knew that it had to be a ring. She took her gift from her bag, which was wrapped in silver paper. "You go first." she gave him the gift, which he took from her with his eyebrows raised.

"Is this a book?" he joked.

"Yes, a good one." She said, smiling up at him. He unwrapped the book carefully, to reveal the title.

"Hamlet? Is it about Ham?" he said, puzzled. A laugh escaped her lips before she explained.

"It's a play by the playwright William Shakespeare. I figured you would relate to the main character somehow."

"And who is the main character?" he said, looking at the muggle book with uncertainty.

"Hamlet."

"And what does he do?"

"He…He pretends to be insane. Just read it, it's quite good." She assured him.

"Okay, well now open my present." He smirked as he gave her the box. She gave it a little shake, which made Draco laugh. As she lifted the lid up, she gave out a gasp. It was indeed a ring, but this was by far the most elegant thing she has ever seen.

The band was silver and in the band laid three stones - one ruby, one diamond, and one emerald. They were an equal distance from each other so when she twisted the band on her finger, she could change the preference of which type of stone was shown.

"Draco, this is gorgeous." She breathed out, giving him a kiss of appreciation. He took the ring and put it on her middle finger on her left hand.

"It's an enchanted promise ring. If you twist the ring three times to the left with the ruby pointing up, that will let me know that you're in danger. If you twist it to the right three times with the emerald pointing up, it means you're horny –" she smacked his arm, " –And when the diamond is up it just means everything is fine and neutral. I have one myself, see?" He held up his left hand with the same type of band and jewels. "I got the idea from your coins last year, which were brilliant by the way. Mine is the reverse of yours, though. Green if I'm in trouble, red if I'm horny."

"Interesting… But, how do you know which one I did?" Hermione asked, looking at the band on her finger.

"Oh, right. It gets extremely cold if someone is in trouble and warms up if someone is horny. Trust me, your finger will literally be on fire all the time." He looked at her suggestively, while biting his lip.

"I confess, this is pretty clever and I absolutely love it." Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him into a kiss. "Thank you," she smiled against his lips. He pulled her up on top of him and they spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company before it was taken from them.