(Insert flashback to 6th year)

"Malfoy, what are you doing up here, it's past curfew" she said, completing her prefect rounds.

"I'm also a prefect, Granger so I can be wherever I want" he snapped, his usual loathing and contempt missing from his words. There was something else though. Something more to his stance, to the way he had been looking out over the grounds.

She stood at the top of the astronomy tower stairs not sure what to do. She saw the wetness in his eyes and knew he'd been crying. The voice in her head, screaming at her about her absolute hatred of him was somehow being drowned out by her innate desire to care for those who seemed... How did he seem? Wounded? Scared? She would say terrified even.

They had made eye contact for far too long before he turned his head and looked back out over the grounds.

His shoulders were shaking and as she stepped closer, almost being led by her curiosity, she could see his hands were white from gripping hard to the rail.

"How easy it would be to just..." he whispered, looking out and down onto the grass.

Hermione gasped taking a few tentative steps in his direction.

"Don't worry Granger, there are far worse things than seeing someone like me fall to the ground"

"What do you mean?" She asked, now standing beside him.

"Come off it. You know he's back and he's gaining power. He's recruiting and building his army. It won't be long before this place is filled with ghosts, or at the very least, whispers of the witches and wizards who once roamed the halls" he said.

"Do you know something I don't?" she asked, fearing that there was something hidden behind what he was saying.

"Not really. Just what's inevitable. People like you won't stand a chance" he said, looking her up and down before returning his gaze to the grounds below. The usual sneer and disgust were strangely missing from his glare.

She would normally be riled up by a statement like that, but there something about his tone... He was afraid.

After a few moments silence, he turned to look back at her and she tried to figure him out. Only a few months ago, he had broken Harry's nose on the train, showing how he hadn't changed from the arrogant prat that he was back in first year.

Since then though, he had seemed to fade into nothing. He hadn't made a single comment about her blood status or any of the muggle borns all year and his demeanour and attitude... He almost looked sick.

"Are you OK?" she asked, looking at his pained expression.

"Am I? Ha! No Granger, I'm most definitely not OK" he said with a mercurial laugh.

"Can I... I mean, can anybody help you?" she asked, uncertain as to why she felt the compulsion to fix this person who had bullied her and her friends for the last 6 years.

He turned his whole body and took a step closer to her. His presence was overwhelming. At this distance, he towered over her tiny frame.

His eyes ran over her face, and she skipped a breath when they lingered on her lips. Before she had a chance to think, she found herself overcome with Malfoy. First his hands grabbed her by her shoulders and held her still, then his face drew closer to hers. She knew what was happening but didn't have the conscious thought to stop it. His lips touched hers so gently only for a second before his hands moved to her hair, to her face, and his kiss became desperate, seeking something. Trying to take something from her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to, but her body betrayed her by kissing him back. By running her hands up his bicep and into his hair. He spun her and backed her against the railing, his lips locked onto hers, before hoisting her up and perching her there. She withdrew from the kiss, her lips tingling, and looked down to the ground below. Was he about to throw her off the tower? Was this sad frightened thing all an act?

"I won't hurt you" he said quietly, honestly, before pulling her closer and kissing her once again. She was all in.

Her position on the rail was scary but thrilling. She found him to be intruding upon her, pushing to get closer. Her legs parted to allow him to be nearer, to get closer. She felt vulnerable, she felt afraid, but she also had never felt more alive.

Her feet wrapped around him for balance, and she drew him closer. Kissing Malfoy was like how she imagined it'd be to get very drunk or take some kind of drug. She knew who she was and what she was doing, but the part of her that controlled her inhibitions was dormant.

She was kissing him, she was perched on the rail of the astronomy tower with Malfoy standing between her thighs, kissing him like their lives depended on it. And she liked it.

Her hands were desperate to feel his flesh, eager to feel the warmth of him in this cold tower room. She hastily untucked his shirt from his trousers and pulled his singlet free. She felt him shiver when her hands found the soft warm flesh of his abdomen and it drove her to keep going. She had no idea what the end goal was here, she just knew that he seemed to like it, seemed to need it, and so did she. The throbbing between her thighs was a sure sign that she liked it. She had felt things like this in the past and had been able to squeeze her legs together till it went away. Here, now though, that space was currently occupied by Malfoy, who was close, very close, but somehow not close enough to ease the throbbing.

Her fingernails raked up his back under his shirt, and he let out a moan into her mouth. She pulled him closer to her, using her legs, hopeful that some friction would bring her some relief. He seemed to get the hint and with one hand cupping her backside, keeping her in place, he pressed himself against her and she felt the unmistakable feeling of his erection, grinding against her. She didn't hate it. Rather, it seemed to press against the very part of her that was begging to be touched, the part she didn't know until this very moment, was desperate for it. His lips left hers and found her neck, a place she didn't know could be so sensitive.

It was pleasure, she thought, that had her moaning into the dark night. The feeling of him hard against her was almost exquisite. She pulled him closer, desperate for it now. There was no holding back, somehow she knew that he would not fault her for it anyway. Her hips moved, as much as they could on the rail, desperate for friction, for momentum, for something. It wasn't long before she felt it build, the tension, the friction, the heat, the burning that was occurring between them, it all came to a crashing peak when she experienced her first ever orgasm. With her head back and no care as to whether or not she would fall to her death, she clung to him as she cried out her release. She hadn't realised that Malfoy had now stopped moving, stopped kissing her. As her breath and her visio returned to her, she suddenly felt the enormity of what had just happened.

This was Malfoy!

Her bully, her tormentor. For Merlin's sake, Harry thought he was a death eater.

And she... She was muggle-born. Practically the epitome of the enemy.

She gently pushed him backwards to get some distance between them so she could move off the railing. The fear of falling had now retuned full force and she wanted nothing more than to be as far away from it as possible.

She looked to his face as she regained her footing and she saw fear, confusion, perhaps regret even.

"I uh... I have to go" she said hurriedly, before she ran off to the door of the astronomy tower. As she pulled it open, she took one last look back and saw him retake his place at the railing. His shirt hanging out of his trousers, his hair a mess. He looked like he'd been well and truly ravished but her brain, could not fathom that it had been by her.

She returned to Gryffindor tower, to her dorm, and climbed straight into bed. She couldn't find a logical explanation for what had happened, but her body was singing with absolute bliss. She had kissed Victor, she had kissed that boy from her hometown, but she had never kissed anyone like she had just kissed Malfoy.

The next day, she woke and went about her day as usual. At breakfast, she chanced a glance at Malfoy, who showed no signs that anything was amiss. He was his usual pale, sickly looking self. She wondered if she had dreamed what had happened so once breakfast was over and he hadn't looked her way at all, she figured she must have.

A few days later, she found herself on rounds again, this time, patrolling a popular corridor for younger students to gather after hours. She heard footsteps ahead of her and hurried to catch up. When she saw, through a moonlit window, that the person had unmistakable ice white, blonde hair, she slowed down, not sure whether or not she wanted to catch up to him. Sure, she had now convinced herself that she hallucinated the whole astronomy tower event, but there was something urging her to go to him, to have him tell her she wasn't crazy. That something happened.

"Malfoy" she called, after a brief burst of adrenalin.

She heard the steps stop and she slowed her pace down to catch her breath. He was standing near the entrance to a courtyard when she finally approached.

"Do you need something?" he asked.

"I needed to… I mean, I wanted to ask. Well, what I wanted to know was about the other night" she said, mentally chastising herself for feeling dumbstruck in his presence. She was more intelligent than this.

"What exactly did you want to know?" he asked as she mentally chastised herself for being so foolishly flabbergasted.

"Well, you haven't exactly given me any indications that something…" she looked around, making sure no one was around before she continued, "…happened. I just wanted to know if I had dreamt it, or if…" she went on.

"You want to know if you took advantage of my moment of weakness on the astronomy tower?" he asked.

"I wouldn't put it that way, but yes, I want to know if what happened actually happened" she said, not wanting to debate with him who may have taken advantage of whom.

"Yes, Granger, we kissed, it was fun, that's it" he said.

"Right, well… Thanks for clearing that up then" she said, looking around for a way to get away from this horrendous conversation. She turned to leave, and he grabbed hold of her arm. She wanted to pull away and for a second, she tried.

"You tell Potter and Weasel?" he asked, pulling her with him out into the courtyard.

"What? No. Until now I thought I had dreamt it" she said, pressing herself against the wall and instantly regretting it due to the freezing cold stone.

"You often dream of me like that?" he asked, stepping closer to her. She had no idea why his close proximity had such an effect on her. She shivered but she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from something else.

"No, I... Well, not until recently" she said, looking up into his face.

He was looking back directly at her, she felt as though he was taking in the features of her face, her eyes, her mouth. She thought he was going to kiss her again, but he didn't. He took a piece of her unruly hair in his hand and held it between his two fingers, seeming to examine it with a cool expression on his face.

"I'd wanted to kiss you for so long" he admitted quietly, after a while.

"You hate me" she whispered back.

"There lies the problem" he said, leaning closer to her.

"Why would you want to kiss someone that you hate?" she asked in a whisper to the night.

"Why would you" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I don't hate you" she said, before she could react.

He just stared at her for what felt like the longest time, his eyes seeming to look into her very soul. After what felt like an eternity, his lips parted, and he spoke.

"You should" he said, before stepping back, looking her up and down and waking away.

Hermione stood in the dark in the windy courtyard stunned at what seemed to be the most confusing interaction with Malfoy yet.

Over the next few days, Hermione found herself storming around the castle in a mood. She was snapping at everyone and anyone, she was handing out point deductions for the most minor things and, worst of all, she was losing focus in her classes.

She had no idea what was making her feel so irritated, but she felt as though it could be partially due to Malfoy and his bizarre behaviour. He had kissed her at the top of the astronomy tower, that was now something she knew for sure. He had then admitted that he had wanted to kiss her, and he had wanted to before that night had even happened.

She hadn't ever even considered whether Malfoy had been attractive until that very night and even now she was confused. Sure, his physical features made him appealing to look at, but she couldn't deny that she was very confused. He had been the most horrible bully, he had called her names that had made her cry herself to sleep at night, yet she was so quick to tell him that she didn't hate him, without a thought. She had dreamt about him, and he had basically called her out for it. So there lie Hermione's dilemma. Her animosity for him was being gradually pushed aside by this feeling of… what? She didn't know.

She was also confused about Malfoy's comment to her. He told her that she should hate him. Why? Was it some self-deprecation on his part? Was he trying to keep her away from him? As if she would want to approach him anyway. They had kissed, well and truly snogged, once. It was great but it didn't mean that there was anything more between them than that one event. Surely.

She went about her routine, attending classes, appropriately socialising with her fellow Gryffindors, completing her patrols, but for two weeks, the only sight she caught of Malfoy was in the occasional class and sometimes at meals. He had a strange habit of skipping both and she had begun to grow concerned.

"Why do you keep looking over at the Slytherin table?" Ginny asked her at dinner one day.

"What? I'm not, I mean, I have to keep an eye on all the tables" she said, trying to shrug it off.

"Right… well I thought you were looking for Malfoy" Ginny said.

Hermione almost choked on her pumpkin juice and earnt herself a pat on the back from Neville who was seated beside her.

"Thanks Nev.. Ginny, why would I be looking for Malfoy?" she asked.

"For the same reason that Harry is. He's become obsessed. Following him around on that map and talking conspiracy theories. I hear him and Ron whispering all the time" Ginny said, tossing her long red hair behind her back and taking a glance towards Harry and Ron a few seats down. They had their heads together and were talking quietly. Hermione's mind was running at a hundred miles an hour. If Harry was tracking Malfoy with the map, then he might have seen them together.

"I don't think Malfoy is up to anything. He has been doing his rounds just like I have. In fact, I often bump into him in the corridors" Hermione said, thinking on the fly of an excuse for if she had already been spotted on the map with Malfoy.

At this, she seemed to have caught Harry's attention, as he leant towards her down the table and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Stay away from Malfoy Hermione, he's up to something" he said.

"Seriously Harry, just drop it" Hermione said, hearing about Harry's concerns for the 50th time that week.

"No Hermione, he's a death eater, I'm certain of it" Harry said, turning back to face Ron. Hermione had never felt more alone.

That night, Hermione finished her charms essay quickly, packed up her books and headed out for the late patrol. It had been a few nights since there had been anyone seen out past curfew, so she hurried through the corridors to get it over and done with. As she made her way up the main stairway on the 6th floor, she heard footsteps behind her. With her wand lit, she spun around and almost came face to face with the exact person she was hoping to see.

"Malfoy, out patrolling, are you?" she asked, knowing very well that he wasn't.

"Of course, what else would I be doing?" he asked, looking around.

"Well, I'm not sure, seeing as though I had my name down for this section of the castle on the prefect roster" she said, crossing her arms in front of her. She was using her most swotty voice, the one that Harry and Ron swore they hated.

Malfoy didn't say anything, he just narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down, before stepping forward into her personal space. She took a step back and found herself, as per usual, pressed against a solid fixture. Before she could say or do anything, Malfoy had swooped in and crashed his lips against hers, stunning her in the process. She hadn't seen him, hadn't tried to think about him, hadn't wanted to think about him this way in weeks, yet, at every opportunity he backs her into a wall, or against a railing and… what? What was it that he was trying to achieve?

As soon as she snapped herself out of the shock, she took her hands and pressed against him, putting an abrupt end to the kiss.

"What on earth are you doing, Malfoy?" she asked, pressing her fingertips to her buzzing lips.

"Well, I was kissing you" he said, causing her to give him the most incredulous look.

"That much is clear" she said.

"I told you… I wanted to kiss you" he said.

"Yes, and you did. You got it out of your system, then proceeded to ignore me and avoid me at all costs. I'm nobody's dirty little secret, Malfoy, and you can't just follow me around the castle and kiss me whenever you feel like it" she said.

"Fine, tell Potter and Weasley then" he said.

"No way they'd freak out"

"Well, there you have it. Dirty little secret number 1…" he indicated to himself, "… dirty little secret number 2" he indicated to her.

"Why are you doing this? What's in it for you? I mean… You could be kissing Pansy Parkinson or Daphne Greengrass or probably any of the girls in your house. Why are you suddenly chasing me around the castle?" she asked.

"They're boring. They are submissive little purebloods who would do anything to be the next conquest. You on the other hand, you are bossy, you're swotty and you have an attitude problem" he said, a smile on his face. He seemed different today. Less like his usual sneering, angry, sad self. In fact, she doubted whether she had ever seen him with a genuine smile on his face that wasn't to the detriment of another person.

"And that's why you want to kiss me?" she asked.

"Precisely. I like to be challenged" he said.

Hermione was stunned at his blatant confession. She had thought that she would have to beat the truth from him, lest use veritaserum to find out what the appeal was, yet here he was, openly telling her that he liked to be bossed around and challenged. It was the most unexpected confession she had ever heard… from anyone.

"I …" she began but was stopped when his hand flew to her mouth, silencing her.

"Someone's coming" he whispered, moving around the corner into another corridor, and holding her back against his front. He was warm and the feel of his arm around her body and his hand on her face made her feel… things… that she didn't know she wanted to feel.

She jerked herself free when she heard the approaching footsteps grow louder and trained her wand on the corridor she had just been standing in.

"Hermione" came the disembodied voice of Harry.

"Harry? What are you doing? You're not a prefect, you can't be out past curfew" she said as he came out from under the invisibility cloak.

"Are you ok? I saw… I mean… Malfoy was here" he said.

At this, Malfoy stepped out from around the corner that he had, only seconds ago, pulled her around.

"Potter, do I need to take points from Gryffindor?" Malfoy asked.

"What are you doing harassing Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Harassing? We were both scheduled onto these corridors, I'm just fulfilling my prefect duties, not my fault that someone messed up the rostering" he said.

"I did the rostering" Hermione muttered.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for being out after curfew, Potter" Malfoy said without looking to Hermione, who just sighed.

"Stay away from her. Stay away from all of us": Harry spat as he turned on his heels and left.

Hermione stood in the spot, frozen in place.

"Looks like you have an actual stalker in Potter there" he said.

"He isn't stalking me" she said, turning to leave, in the opposite direction from where Harry just headed, quite on purpose.

Hermione made her way, slowly, back to the Gryffindor common room thinking about what Malfoy had said to her. She didn't bother finishing her rounds, how could she?

She felt like all she did nowadays was think. Think about Harry's paranoia, think about Ron's pathetic fling with Lavender Brown, think about Voldemort and more frequently, think about Malfoy and what the hell he was doing to her. She felt as though he was invading her very brain, worming his way into her mind, taking up space that she was supposed to be using for schoolwork, for study, for homework, for preparation for what was certainly to come.

She felt like she wanted to put an end to it. Tell Malfoy that she wasn't interested, that his desire to kiss her wasn't her problem and that he'd just have to get over it, but a small part of her wanted him to want her that way. She suddenly felt interesting and wanted and it was thrilling.

She fell asleep that night wondering what the next few days would bring. If she were to find herself alone with Malfoy again, would she let him kiss her? Would she kiss him first?