Chapter 3 Patrol Night

Authors note: Sorry I took so long to update. My only excuse is life and I think it's a pretty good one. Enjoy!

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After the Start of Term feast Hermione, Ron, and Harry spent the rest of the night in the common room until Prefects patrol. At 11:45 Hermione and Ron bid Harry goodnight and walked down to the Great Hall. Surprisingly the first day back many younger and older students liked to sneak around doing god knows what. That's why patrols started so soon. The only times Hermione was caught out after curfew was doing conveniently god knows what with Harry and Ron. Mainly to save the wizarding world but still. Breaking rules was never really her thing.

"Cheer up Hermione you can handle the little ferret. It's not like he's going to Avada Kedavra you right in the hall."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." She continued to frown. Ron got to be searching the west corridors with Dean a fellow Gryffindor while she was stuck searching the East with a blood prejudice Slytherin.

To her dismay he was standing in the Great Hall with all the other Prefects. She thought about standing next to him but quickly dismissed the thoughts. Just because they were partners didn't mean they had to do everything together. And anyway she'd rather stand by Ron.

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The sweet honey scent filled Malfoy to the core while he leaned against the Great Hall tables. He looked around for any clues but was once again disappointed. He already learned his mate was a perfect due to the train ride meeting. He just needed a way to smell or be alone with every girl.

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"Now students we have total faith in your abilities but please stay with your partner. They are there for a reason." Dumbledore flashed Hermione a short glance before leaving the students behind. Signaling the start of their duties.

Hermione mumbled a goodbye to Ron before bursting out the doors. Sure she would listen to Dumbledore but she didn't need to be standing right next to Malfoy. An 100 foot distance seemed safe enough for the both of them.

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It only took Malfoy seconds to catch up with her. His legs were a lot longer compared to hers allowing his walk to be faster. "Granger want to slow down. It's not like the Dark Lord is chasing you."

Hermione spun around so quickly it felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Quietly her mind was racing with possibilities. 'Dark Lord, isn't that what Death Eaters called Voldemort?' Harry had informed her of the news he overheard on the train but was still skeptical. Draco would never openly talk about being a Death Eater or anything of that sort in such a populated area. Even if the area was only consisting of Slytherins.

Meanwhile every step Malfoy took his heart was beating faster and faster. The sweet scent he so savored was becoming stronger as he got closer to Hermione. It felt as if his heart was trying to escape from his chest. His head was pounding from the fear and overall doom that was coming. 'She couldn't me by mate, but her scent is so … no Malfoy get yourself together. There has to be another reason. Maybe someone is heading. Yeah that had to be it. He would open a classroom door and his mate would be standing there instead of the bushy haired girl in front of him.'

"Granger what are you playing at?" Malfoy looked furious and say worry in her eyes. His face was coated in disgust as he looked down at her.

"Malfoy look I don't want to be here as much as you, so if we could just continue without you calling me mudblood every 5 seconds that would be great."

"Granger I mean it. Whose here? Is one of your friends following us?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She watched in amusement as Malfoy blasted into nearby classrooms looking for anything, anyone.

He was continuously muttering "This cannot be happening to me!" while blasting more doors open and looking in more rooms.

Hermione's heart only started to beat faster when Malfoy started walking closer. Fury present in his eyes. She tried not to flitch or back away. If they were going to be partners for an entire month she had to stand her ground.

"Try not to hex me." Quickly he grabbed both her arms holding her in place and dove for her neck. She felt his sharp inhale as he sniffed her like a dog. His hot breath brushed against her bare skin and sent chills all the way down her spine. He pulled away still holding her in place with a love struck smile plaster to his sharp features. She looked up and meet the gaze of Malfoy's blazing black eyes. "Aye Hermione." Was the only words he could form before blacking out and colliding with the floor.

Hermione stood there in shock. A pureblood let alone Malfoy just touched a mudblood. Not just any mudblood, Hermione Granger. A small mumble broke her trance as she looked down to find an unconscious Malfoy at her feet.

"Wingardium Leviosa" Quickly she levitated his body and practical ran to the Hospital wing. The sound of the small oak doors bursting open startled Madam Pomfrey from her slumber. "Miss Granger?" she looked up at the floating body. "Is that Mister Malfoy?"

Hermione dropped him on the closest bed. "Patrolling … blacked out …. don't know … just happened." She was taking large inhales between words as Madam Pomfrey went to work.

She waited in a nearby chair as Malfoy was checked over with many spells. "Miss Granger it seems that Mister Malfoy had a rush of adrenaline causing his heart to pump to much blood leading to the blackout. You are welcome to stay the night if you wish."

She repositioned herself in the chair placing a book on her lap. Lost in her own thoughts. 'Rush of adrenaline? What the bloody hell did that mean?'

Hours later Malfoy started to stir. Regaining consciousness slowly. He looked down to find Hermione sound asleep against the bed. Her hands were resting on his leg while her head was laying against the bed by his hip. Involuntarily he reached down and removed a few curls kidding her face. He brushed her exposed cheek with his hand as she quietly pushed against it. Slowly she started to open her eyes and it only took seconds for her to break the silence and ruin the moment.

"Malfoy! Oh my gosh your awake. Are you okay? What happen? Where does it hurt?"

Malfoy tried to focus on her words but her scent was lingering every so close. He could feel is Veela trying to take over and latch on to her. "Granger what are you doing here?"

She was now pacing back and forth in front of his bed fiddling with her hands. "Well it's just that… I um…. wouldn't feel right leaving you here and not making sure you were okay."

"You could of just seen me in class tomorrow. Or is that today. What's the bloody time?"

"4:35 in the morning."

"You've been by my bed for 4 hours?"

"Well yes it would seem that way."

"Whatever Granger, I'm fine you can leave now." He flapped his hand at her like she was a house elf appearing and disappearing on his command.

Malfoy started to remove the covers and place his feet on the ground when a furious Gryffindor caught his eye. "Why haven't you gone yet?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Her arms were crossed while she was tapping her foot against the hard stone tile floors.

"To my room." He thought the answer seemed quite obvious.

"Oh no you're not. You're going to get back in that bed or I'll … I'll..."

Malfoys signature smirk was back. "You'll what?" He was testing her.

"I'll… I'll make you pass out again!" Her face was turning red as his sparkled with curiosity.

"And how do you expect to do that?"

"Well it seems that touching a mudblood like me would do the job so maybe I'll just sit on you and infect you with my dirty blood!" She took a step closer staring Malfoy head on.

Malfoy had to consider the options first. Hermione was acting clueless towards the information. Had she already forgotten about his black eyes and how he sniffed her. Wait how did he know his eyes turned black. He just had a feeling they did. It wasn't like everything was dark but he felt them change, like when the Veela tries to take over. His Veela rather liked the idea of his mate sitting on his lap and surprisingly Draco wasn't against it either. However, this could not do. "Fine!" He brought his legs back into bed and pulled the covers up leaning against the post.

Hermione flashed him a satisfied smile before taking her spot in the chair by his bed again.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Well Malfoy I can't leave now. You'll just sneak off once I leave."

He scoffed before settling back down and shutting his eyes. Hermione rested a hand on his bed while her other engulfed itself into her reading.

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"Hermione where were you last night? Ron and I tried to stay up but you never showed."

"Oh just patrolling took longer than expected. There's a lot more classrooms and closets then you would think. Honestly it's not like Hogwarts uses every single one of them."

"Aye." Clearly her lie worked or Ron and Harry didn't care. Ron was currently stuffing his face with food. Not surprising.

"Let's just get to our first class. We can't be late. Especially with Professor Snape as the new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Agreed" They all started to get up when McGonagall came over.

"Hello Potter. I see you are only taking three classes this year."

"Yes that's correct."

"Well I thought you wanted to become a Auror."

"Well professor I did but I didn't receive a O on my potions exam so I couldn't take that class this year."

"But Potter, Slughorn is perfectly fine with an E on the final exam."

"He is?"

"Yes, now am I to assume you would like to take that class this year."

"Yes yes thank you and maybe sign Ron up as well."

"Will do. Here are your new schedules. You will have to ask Slughorn if he has any extra textbooks you two can borrow before the start of class."

"Thank you again professor."

Hermione didn't really care for the little exchange between the two. Ron however did. His mouth was gapping open while he was holding a fork with some eggs still hanging on. The image before her made her laugh quietly to herself.

"Well guys its great we have another class together. And now Harry you can become an Auror like you always wanted!"

"Thanks Hermione." They both looked at Ron. Mouth still gapping open.

"Bloody hell Harry why would you do that!"

"What do you mean Ron?"

"I suck at potions and was quite happy I didn't have to take it this year! Now I have to suffer through a whole neither year! Bloody hell!"

Hermione threw her arms around both of the boy's necks leading them to Defense Against the Dark Arts. "Well Ron if you weren't always stuffing food in your mouth maybe you would have been able to object."

Harry started laughing as Ron roughly punched him in the side. "Harry it's not funny!

Hermione only smiled to herself as her two best friends started to wrestle behind her. She tried to tell herself boys will be boys but an image of a 60-year-old Ron and Harry popped into her head. At that age they would still most likely be bickering at each other or placing bets on their kids wrestling each other. 'I would who I'll marry and if I'll have any kids to wrestle with?'